Empress Zheng (Song dynasty)

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Empress Zheng (1079-1131), was a Chinese Empress consort of the Song Dynasty, married to Emperor Huizong of Song.

Zheng was originally a palace maid to Dowager Empress Xiang, the legal mother of Huizong. During his time as prince, when he lived in his own mansion outside the imperial palace, empress Xiang used to assign Zheng and another made by the name Wang to serve him during his visits to the palace, and he had became attached to them. In 1099, dowager empress Xiang arranged for prince Huizeng to marry the future empress Wang. As a wedding present, she gave him her maids Zheng and Wang as concubines and secondary consorts.

In 1100, Huizeng succeeded his brother as emperor. The emperor was not close to his empress, but Consort Zheng competed with Consort Wang about his favor. Huizeng soon had many additional favorites, such as Wei and Quai, maids of Consort Zheng, and Consort Liu Mingda, but Zheng was not described as jealous of them. Consort Zheng was described as a beauty, a skillful dancer and singer, with an ability to amuse and flatter the emperor, and she became the mother of several of his children.

In 1110, two years after the death of empress Wang, Huizong appointed Consort Zheng to the position of empress. Her elevation was somewhat controversial, as in the Song dynasty, the empresses were generally members of military and official families, and not former domestics. The influence of empress Zheng was also resented.

Emperor Huizong abdicated in favor of his son Emperor Qinzong in 1126. In 1127, the capital of Kaifeng was captured by the Jurchen during the Jin–Song Wars. The Emperor Qinzong was deposed, and him, as well as his predecessor Emperor Huizong and most of the Imperial family and court, was captured and exiled to Manchuria in what was called the Jingkang Incident.^[1] The consorts, concubines and palace women of the emperors who were taken captured, were distributed among the Jurchen.^[2] Five of the consorts of Huizong were defined by the Jurchen as wives, among them empress Zheng, and allowed to remain with him and accompany him in his life in exile, partially because they were not regarded as good war prices because of their age.^[3]

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