Empress Dowager Dong

Historical Record

Concerning Empress Dowager Dong, the official histories lack any direct and detailed record. Although she was the birth mother of Emperor Ling of Han, her life and deeds are not recorded in detail in sources such as the Records of the Three Kingdoms. This leaves us facing a scarcity of materials when investigating her true historical character. Therefore, for the historical image of Empress Dowager Dong, we rely mainly on the depictions and inferences of later literary works rather than on solid historical records.

In the Novel

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Empress Dowager Dong is shaped as a woman of some power and political ambition. She was the birth mother of Emperor Ling of Han and the wife of Liu Chang, Marquis of Xiedu Precinct. Since Emperor Huan had no heir, her son Liu Hong (the future Emperor Ling) was installed as emperor, and Empress Dowager Dong was thereby honored as empress dowager ^c:3152.

In the novel, there was a fierce power struggle between Empress Dowager Dong and Empress Dowager He. She once strongly urged Emperor Ling to install the imperial son Xie as crown prince, and Emperor Ling also favored Xie ^c:3152. When Emperor Ling was gravely ill, the Regular Palace Attendant Jian Shuo advised Emperor Ling that, if he wished to install Xie as crown prince, he must first execute the General-in-Chief He Jin to eliminate future trouble ^c:3152. This reflects the opposition between Empress Dowager Dong's party and the party of He Jin and Empress Dowager He.

After Emperor Ling died, He Jin installed the imperial son Bian on the throne, who became the Young Emperor. Empress Dowager Dong was dissatisfied with this, holding that Empress Dowager He and her brother He Jin had grown too powerful. She summoned Zhang Rang and other eunuchs to deliberate countermeasures, and planned to attend court and administer government, to enfeoff the imperial son Xie as Prince of Chenliu, to grant her relative Dong Zhong high office and military authority, and to give important employment to the eunuchs ^c:3154. Empress Dowager Dong's aim was to weaken Empress Dowager He's power and to build up her own faction. She even issued an edict directly in court, enfeoffing the imperial son Xie as Prince of Chenliu and Dong Zhong as General of Cavalry, and allowing Zhang Rang and the other eunuchs to take part in government, displaying her autocratic side ^c:3154.

Empress Dowager He was deeply troubled by this. She held a banquet to invite Empress Dowager Dong, attempting to use the cautionary lesson of Empress Lü's usurpation to advise her to dwell deep within the palace and leave government affairs to the senior ministers and elders ^c:3154. However, Empress Dowager Dong flew into a rage at this, accusing Empress Dowager He of having poisoned Lady Wang, and of speaking recklessly while relying on the power of her son as emperor and her brother He Jin; she even threatened to order the General of Cavalry Dong Zhong to behead He Jin ^c:3154. The conflict between the two dowagers thus became thoroughly inflamed, and Empress Dowager Dong went so far as to insult Empress Dowager He's origins, saying, "You are of a lowly butcher-and-tavern stock—what understanding do you have!" ^c:3154 Through these episodes, the novel vividly portrays Empress Dowager Dong's hardness and arrogance in political struggle.

Key Relationships

* Emperor Ling of Han (parent_of): Empress Dowager Dong was the birth mother of Emperor Ling of Han. In the novel, as the emperor's mother, she had a certain influence over the choice of imperial successor, once urging Emperor Ling to install the imperial son Xie as crown prince ^c:3152.
* Liu Chang (spouse_of): Empress Dowager Dong was the wife of Liu Chang, Marquis of Xiedu Precinct. Liu Chang was the birth father of Emperor Ling, and because Emperor Ling was installed as emperor, Empress Dowager Dong was accordingly honored as empress dowager ^c:3152 (unique to the novel).
* Liu Xie (kin_of): Liu Xie was the grandson of Empress Dowager Dong and the imperial successor she supported. In the novel, Empress Dowager Dong once strongly urged Emperor Ling to install the imperial son Xie as crown prince, and after Emperor Ling's death enfeoffed the imperial son Xie as Prince of Chenliu, seeking to win him political standing ^c:3152, ^c:3154.
* Empress Dowager He (rival_of): Empress Dowager Dong and Empress Dowager He were principal political rivals. The two engaged in fierce struggle over the imperial succession and supreme governmental power. Empress Dowager Dong sought to counter the power of Empress Dowager He and her brother He Jin by building up the imperial son Xie, giving important employment to the eunuchs, and elevating her relative Dong Zhong ^c:3154.

Defining Scenes

* Urging the installation of the imperial son Xie as crown prince: During Emperor Ling's grave illness, Empress Dowager Dong actively urged Emperor Ling to install the imperial son Xie as crown prince. This move struck directly at the core issue of imperial succession and intensified the conflict with the party of Empress Dowager He ^c:3152 (unique to the novel).
* Struggling for power with Empress Dowager He: After Emperor Ling's death, Empress Dowager Dong, dissatisfied with the power of Empress Dowager He and her brother He Jin, summoned the eunuchs to deliberate countermeasures and sought to seize power by attending court to administer government and enfeoffing Dong Zhong as General of Cavalry ^c:3154 (unique to the novel).
* The fierce quarrel at the banquet: Empress Dowager He held a banquet to advise Empress Dowager Dong to keep to a secluded life and not interfere in government. Empress Dowager Dong flew into a rage at this, not only accusing Empress Dowager He of having poisoned Lady Wang but also insulting her origins with words, and threatening to behead He Jin—fully displaying her hard and arrogant character ^c:3154 (unique to the novel).
* Giving important employment to eunuchs and her relative: Empress Dowager Dong issued an edict directly in court, enfeoffing the imperial son Xie as Prince of Chenliu and Dong Zhong as General of Cavalry, and allowing Zhang Rang and the other eunuchs to take part in government. This scene is a concrete manifestation of her attempt to grasp real power and counter He Jin's faction ^c:3154 (unique to the novel).