Empress Quan

Historical Record

As for Empress Quan, there is no clear record in the official histories. In historical materials such as the Records of the Three Kingdoms, no detailed account of her life, deeds, or family background can be found. This indicates that in the true historical record Empress Quan was not a figure of marked influence or one to whom historians paid special attention. We are therefore unable to construct her historical image or make objective statements about her from historical materials.

In the Novel

In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Empress Quan, as the empress of the Wu ruler Sun Liang, has an image centered chiefly on the deposition of Sun Liang. She is portrayed as a figure whose family's conduct in political struggle directly led to Sun Liang's failure. When Sun Liang plotted to kill the domineering Sun Chen, he specially enjoined Quan Ji (Empress Quan's brother, and also an imperial in-law) not to let Quan Ji's mother (that is, Sun Chen's elder sister) know of the matter, lest it leak ^c:153. However, Quan Ji's father Quan Shang, on learning of the matter, told his wife, and Quan Ji's mother (Empress Quan's mother, Sun Chen's elder sister) leaked it to Sun Chen ^c:153. This crucial leak directly led to the exposure of Sun Liang's plan and finally brought down Sun Chen's thunderous counterstrike. Sun Chen then surrounded the palace and arrested Quan Shang and his household ^c:153.

When Sun Liang learned that gold and drums were thundering outside the palace gates and that Sun Chen had led troops to surround the inner court, he angrily reproached Empress Quan: "Your father and brother have ruined my great undertaking!" ^c:153 Sun Liang even drew his sword and was about to go out, but Empress Quan and the Palace Attendants and close ministers clung to his clothes and wept, refusing to let him go out ^c:153. This scene depicts Empress Quan's powerlessness and helplessness at the moment of crisis; she could neither stop her family's blunder nor change Sun Liang's fate of being deposed. In the end, Sun Liang was demoted to Prince of Kuaiji, and Empress Quan likewise lost her position as empress. The novel's portrayal of Empress Quan is more as a backdrop to Sun Liang's tragic fate and to the ignominious role her family played in the political struggle.

Key Relationships

* Quan Shang: Empress Quan's father, who in the novel, on learning of Sun Liang's plot to kill Sun Chen, told his wife, indirectly causing the plan to leak, and was finally killed by Sun Chen ^c:153. (Novel only)
* Quan Ji: Empress Quan's brother, a Yellow Gate Attendant, one of the participants in Sun Liang's plot to kill Sun Chen, but his mother's leak caused the plan to fail ^c:153. (Novel only)
* Sun Liang: Empress Quan's husband, emperor of Wu. Because of her family's leak, Empress Quan was reproached by Sun Liang for "ruining my great undertaking," and in the end Sun Liang was deposed by Sun Chen ^c:153. (Novel only)
* Quan Ji's Mother (Sun Chen's Elder Sister): Empress Quan's mother, who was also Sun Chen's elder sister. On learning of Sun Liang's plot, she leaked the news to Sun Chen, directly causing the failure of Sun Liang's plan and his deposition ^c:153. (Novel only)

Signature Scenes

Empress Quan's signature scene is concentrated in the moment when Sun Liang's plot to kill Sun Chen fails and Sun Liang is deposed. When Sun Liang learned that he was surrounded by Sun Chen outside the palace gates, he angrily pointed at Empress Quan and cursed: "Your father and brother have ruined my great undertaking!" ^c:153 At that moment, Empress Quan, as Sun Liang's empress, bore the emperor's fury and reproach because of her family's misdeed. Together with the Palace Attendants and close ministers she clung to Sun Liang, who had drawn his sword and was about to go out, weeping and refusing to let him go—an act that reflected both her concern for Sun Liang's safety and, implicitly, her personal powerlessness and sorrow within the mighty maelstrom of politics ^c:153. This scene not only reveals Empress Quan's passive position in the political storm but also profoundly displays the enormous impact her family's conduct had on her personal fate and even on the whole political situation of Wu. This incident finally led to Sun Liang's deposition and marked the end of Empress Quan's career as empress.