Empress Mingdao

Historical Record

Empress Mao, whose personal name is unknown, was a native of Henei. She was selected into the Eastern Palace during the Huangchu era, when Emperor Ming, Cao Rui, was still Prince of Pingyuan; because of her favor, Lady Mao often rode in the same carriage with Cao Rui in and out^[1]. After Cao Rui ascended the throne, she was enfeoffed as Honored Concubine. In the first year of Taihe (227 CE), Lady Mao was formally established as empress^[2].

After Empress Mao received her title, her father Mao Jia was appointed Commandant of Cavalry, and her younger brother Mao Zeng served as a Gentleman of the Interior^[1]. In the same year, Cao Rui carried out a series of important political activities, including the suburban sacrifice to Emperor Wu to pair him with Heaven, the ancestral sacrifice to Emperor Wen in the Bright Hall to pair him with the Supreme Lord, and the division of the southern part of Jiangxia to set up a Southern Jiangxia Commandant. In addition, Cao Rui personally plowed the sacred field, paid homage to the sun in the eastern suburb, put into circulation the five-zhu coin, first built the ancestral temple, paid homage to the moon in the western suburb in the evening, and drilled troops in the eastern suburb^[2]. These events all took place in the same year Empress Mao was established as empress, showing the eminent position she held at the start of Cao Rui's reign. After Empress Mao was established as empress, Cao Rui also granted a general amnesty to the realm, bestowed on the men of the realm two ranks of noble rank each, and gave grain to the widowed, the orphaned, and those unable to support themselves^[2].

However, Empress Mao's favor could not endure. As Cao Rui's favor toward Empress Dowager Guo grew day by day, Empress Mao's position gradually declined^[3]. In the first year of Jingchu (237 CE), Cao Rui held a banquet in the rear garden, summoning concubines of the rank of Talented Lady and above to drink and make merry, but refused to summon Empress Mao. He even forbade his attendants to disclose the matter to Empress Mao. Nevertheless, Empress Mao in the end learned of this banquet. The next day, when Cao Rui saw Empress Mao, she asked him directly: "Yesterday you feasted and roamed in the northern garden; was it pleasant?" Cao Rui thereupon suspected that his attendants had leaked the news, and in great fury killed more than ten of those involved^[3].

In the end, Empress Mao was given death, but Cao Rui still gave her a posthumous title and buried her at Min Mausoleum. Her younger brother Mao Zeng was promoted to Cavalier-in-Attendance, and later transferred to Director of the Plumed Guard and Tiger Vanguard, and Director of Agriculture at Yuanwu^[3]. Empress Mao's end reflects the cruelty of the rivalry for favor in the inner palace of ancient sovereigns, and the decisive influence of a ruler's caprice on the fate of his consorts.

In the Novel

Romance of the Three Kingdoms gives Empress Mao no independent literary characterization. In the existing materials, Empress Mao appears only once in the novel and has only a single line of dialogue, indicating that her role in the novel is exceedingly minor, almost negligible^[2]. The novel focuses mainly on the military struggles and political intrigues of the Three Kingdoms period, and gives relatively little description to the consorts of the inner palace, unless they had a marked effect on the course of history. Although Empress Mao was honored as empress in the histories, her main deeds centered on the rivalry for favor in the inner palace, and she did not directly take part in important political or military events; thus the lack of detailed depiction in the novel accords with the focus of the novel's composition. The novel's depiction of Cao Rui also concentrates more on his political decisions and personal character as a sovereign than on his inner-palace life.

Key Relationships

* Cao Rui (spouse_of): Empress Mao was the wife of Emperor Ming of Wei, Cao Rui. When Cao Rui was still Prince of Pingyuan, Lady Mao already enjoyed favor and often rode in the same carriage with Cao Rui^[1]. After Cao Rui ascended the throne, she was established as empress^[2]. However, as Cao Rui came to favor Empress Dowager Guo, Empress Mao's position gradually declined, and she was finally given death^[3]. This relationship embodies the inconstancy of favor and the shifting of power in the marriages of ancient sovereigns.

Signature Scenes

* Being Established as Empress: In the first year of Taihe (227 CE), Lady Mao was formally established as empress, and her father Mao Jia and brother Mao Zeng both gained office thereby, marking her highest position in the inner palace of Cao Wei^[2],^[1]. This event was also accompanied by the many political measures of the early period of Cao Rui's reign, showing her symbolic significance as mother of the state.
* "Yesterday You Feasted and Roamed in the Northern Garden; Was It Pleasant?": In the first year of Jingchu (237 CE), having learned that Cao Rui held a banquet in the rear garden without summoning her, Empress Mao questioned him to his face the next day. This brief question directly brought about Cao Rui's fury, the killing of more than ten attendants who leaked the news, and finally the bestowal of death upon Empress Mao^[3]. This is the only line of dialogue attributed to Empress Mao in the histories, and the signature moment of the turning of her fate, displaying her tragic end as an empress fallen from favor.