Chengjun Huo

Background

Huo Chengjun was the daughter of General-in-Chief Huo Guang and his wife Lady Xian.

Career

In 70 B.C., Emperor Xuan created Huo Chengjun empress. In fact, her mother Lady Xian helped her to become an empress as she had the hope that her daughter would one day become Empress. When the first wife of Emperor Xuan, Empress Xu was pregnant, Lady Xian came up with a plot. She bribed Empress Xu's female physician Chunyu Yan, under the guise of giving Empress Xu medicine after she gave birth, to poison her. Chunyu did so, and Empress Xu died shortly after she gave birth.

In 68 B.C., after Huo Guang's death, Emperor Xuan assumed far more personal powers than he had during Huo's lifetime. In 67 B.C., Emperor Xuan created Prince Shi - the late Empress Xu's son - crown prince and created Empress Xu's father Xu Guanghan the Marquess of Ping'en - an action that Huo Guang had opposed. This so angered Empress Huo’s mother that she ordered her daughter to murder the crown prince. Empress Huo accordingly invited Liu Shi to dine with her on several occasions, but because his attendants pre-tasted his food the plan failed. Around this time, the emperor also heard rumors that the Huos had murdered Empress Xu.

In 66 B.C., after there had been increasing public rumors that the Huos had murdered Empress Xu, Lady Xian finally revealed to her son and grandnephews that she had, indeed, murdered Empress Xu. In fear of what the emperor might do if he had actual proof, Lady Xian, her son, her grandnephews, and her sons-in-law formed a conspiracy to depose the emperor. The conspiracy was discovered, and the entire Huo clan was executed by Emperor Xuan.

Empress Huo was thus deposed in 66 B.C. and sent to Zhaotai Palace. She had been empress for five years. Twelve years later she was moved to Yunling Residence. She finally killed herself and was buried in Kunwu Pavilion.

Achievements

• Huo Chengjun was notoriously known as evil and immoral empress, who attempted to poison the heir apparent in order to stay in power.

Personality

It is said that Huo Chengjun became accustomed to luxury living when she was young, and part of that was manifested in her customs of rewarding her servants with great wealth.

However, she was cruel and jealous women.

Connections

Huo Chengjun was the second wife of Emperor Xuan. She had no children.

Father:

Huo Guang

Huo Guang was General-in-Chief and the statesman Huo Guang, who served as regent for Emperor Zhao and who remained exceedingly powerful during Emperor Xuan's reign until his death in 68 B.C.

Mother:

Lady Xian

husband:

Liu Xun

Liu Xun, also known as Emperor Xuan was an emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty from 74 B.C. to 49 B.C.

References

• Courtier and Commoner in Ancient China: Selections from the History of the Former Han by Pan Ku First edition by Gu Ban, Ku Pan Hardcover. Translated by Burton Watson.
  1977
• Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E. - 618 C.E This new volume of the "Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women" spans more than 2,000 years from antiquity to the early seventh century. It recovers the stories of more than 200 women, nearly all of them unknown in the West.
  1998
• Crisis and Conflict in Han China This volume illustrates the growth of two attitudes towards government in China during the first century B.C., the one progressive, realist and forward-looking, the other conservative, idealist and harking back to the past. It demonstrates the close relationship that existed between political decisions, intellectual policy and the choice of religious observances of state, whilst showing how personal ambitions and the intrigues of the palace were intimately involved with the interplay of these two basis attitudes.
  1974