Lady Zheng
| Princess Consort Zheng 鄭氏 | |
|---|---|
| Spouse | Gao Changgong, Prince of Lanling |
| House | Zheng clan of Xingyang (by birth) Northern Qi royal family (by marriage) |
| Religion | Buddhism |
Princess Consort Zheng (Chinese: 鄭氏; pinyin: Zhèng Shì; personal name unknown) was a noblewoman of the Northern Qi dynasty. She was the principal wife and princess consort (王妃) of Gao Changgong, the Prince of Lanling and one of the most prominent military generals of the era.
Historical background
Historical sources do not record Consort Zheng's given name and refer to her only by her surname. Historial records identify her as a member of the Zheng clan of Xingyang (滎陽鄭氏), one of the most prominent Han Chinese aristocratic families during the Northern Dynasties.[1]
During the Northern Qi dynasty, the ruling Gao family, who were of mixed Xianbei and Han heritage, often entered into political marriages with prominent Han Chinese aristocratic families, such as the Xingyang Zheng, Taiyuan Wang, and Fanyang Lu clans, to consolidate political power and secure the loyalty of the Han elite. As the legitimate wife of Gao Changgong, she was formally invested with the title of Princess Consort of Lanling (蘭陵王妃).
Execution of Gao Changgong
Consort Zheng's most significant appearance in official historical records occurs in Volume 11 of the Book of Northern Qi, which details the final moments of her husband's life.
By 573 AD, Gao Changgong's immense military prestige and popularity had drawn the severe paranoia of his cousin, Emperor Gao Wei. In the fifth month of that year, the emperor dispatched an emissary, Xu Zhifan (徐之範), to present Gao Changgong with a cup of poisoned wine.
Upon receiving the imperial decree, Gao Changgong spoke his final recorded words to Consort Zheng:
I have served the emperor with absolute loyalty, how have I offended Heaven that I must suffer this poisoned wine?
(我忠以事上，何辜於天，而遭鴆也！)
Consort Zheng urged him to seek an audience with the emperor to defend his innocence:
Why don't you ask for an audience to see the Emperor's face?
(何不求見天顏？)
Gao Changgong, recognizing that the emperor's mind was made up and that an audience would be denied, replied:
How could I possibly be allowed to see the Emperor's face?
(天顏何由可見！)
Following this exchange, Gao Changgong drank the poison and died.[2]
Later life
Following the execution of the Prince of Lanling, the historical record of Consort Zheng's later life is brief. After her husband's death, she donated a string of her neck beads to a Buddhist temple. Gao Xiaoheng, the Prince of Guangning and Gao Changgong's second elder brother, had them redeemed and returned to her. Gao Yanzong, the Prince of Ande and Gao Changgong's fifth younger brother, wrote a letter urging her to reconsider, and the letter was said to be stained with tears.[3] According to historical records, Consort Zheng, in mourning and disillusioned with the court, took the tonsure and withdrew from worldly affairs, spending the rest of her life as a Buddhist nun (遁入佛門).[4]
In popular culture
- In the 2013 television series Prince of Lanling, the female lead is the fictional character Yang Xuewu (楊雪舞), portrayed by Ariel Lin. Although the character is fictional, the series has the Empress Dowager bestow the surname "Zheng" on her before her marriage, allowing her to assume the historical title of "Consort Zheng" (鄭妃).[5]
- In the 2016 television series Princess of Lanling King, based on Yang Qianzi's web novel, the female lead is a fictional character named Duanmu Lian, also known as Yuan Qingsuo, portrayed by Zhang Hanyun. The series departs from the historical record and focuses on a fictional love triangle involving Gao Changgong, the heroine, and Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou (Yuwen Yong).[6]
See also
References
- ↑ "冯绍峰演"兰陵王"被指不像 自嘲：长得不够美 (Feng Shaofeng's portrayal of Lanling Wang)" (in Chinese). China News Service (中国新闻网). 2013-08-21. Retrieved 2026-07-05.
- ↑ Li Baiyao (李百药). "Biography of Gao Changgong (列传第三 高长恭传)". Book of Northern Qi (北齐书) (in Chinese). Vol. 11.
- ↑ Li Baiyao (1972). "Volume 11: Biography of Yanzong, Prince of Ande". 北齐书 [Book of Northern Qi] (in Chinese). Zhonghua Book Company. p. 148.
及兰陵死，妃郑氏以颈珠施佛。广宁王使赎之。延宗手书以谏，而泪满纸。河间死，延宗哭之泪亦甚。
- ↑ "冯绍峰演"兰陵王"被指不像 自嘲：长得不够美" (in Chinese). China News Service (中国新闻网). 2013-08-21. Retrieved 2026-07-05.
史书记载，兰陵王的妻子是荥阳郑氏，在当时也是名门望族。在兰陵王被高纬毒酒赐死之后，她也遁入佛门。
- ↑ "冯绍峰林依晨虐恋超韩剧 揭《兰陵王》三大看点" (in Chinese). People's Daily Online. 2013-08-14. Retrieved 2026-07-05.
- ↑ "制片人否认《兰陵王妃》是《兰陵王》情侣篇-中新网" [The producer denied that "Princess of Lanling" is a romantic version of "Lanling King".]. Changchun Evening News (in Chinese). November 19, 2013.