Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Empress; persecutor of Sima Yu

Empress Jia 賈后

Jia hou

First attested AD 299; died AD 300

Passages: 35
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Empress Jia was an empress; persecutor of Sima Yu.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal name	Nanfeng	南風	Nanfeng

Life and dates

Death

AD 300 及賈庶人死
Dead
Directly stated · Book of Jin 53, passage 131

Attested activity

AD 300 三月
Directly stated · Book of Jin 53, passage 120
AD 300 元康中至永康
Dated from the passage context · Book of Jin 53, passages 15, 120
AD 299 十二月，賈后將廢太子
Directly stated · Book of Jin 53, passage 45

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Spouse of Emperor Hui (惠帝)
empress 賈后 · Primary marriage
Directly stated · Book of Jin 53, passages 15, 201
Child of Guo Huai (郭槐)
mother 母
Directly stated · Book of Jin 53, passage 34

Career and standing

Entered
Deposed commoner
Directly stated · Book of Jin 53, passage 131

Works and attributed material

Memorial · Author · Quote true
Directly stated · Book of Jin 53, passages 125-129

Events and relationships

Deposed crown prince
AD 299 十二月 · Political · Instigator · With Sima Yu (司馬遹)
Directly stated · Book of Jin 53, passages 45, 62
Ordered murder
AD 300 三月 · Assassination · Instigator · With Sima Yu (司馬遹)
Directly stated · Book of Jin 53, passages 119-120

Assessments and attributes

Assessment fierce-and-murderous · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Jin 53, passage 189

References in the histories

Search passages

History

35 passages

Book of Jin, Chapter 53Volume 53 Biographies 23: Crown Prince Minhuai · 35 passages

賈后素忌太子有令譽，因此密敕黃門閹宦媚諛于太子曰：「殿下誠可及壯時極意所欲，何為恆自拘束？」 Empress Jia secretly ordered Yellow Gate eunuchs to flatter the crown prince: "Your Highness may indeed indulge every whim while still young—why bind yourself so tightly?"

舍人杜錫以太子非賈后所生，而後性凶暴，深以為憂，每盡忠規勸太子修德進善，遠於讒謗。 Du Xi warned Yu to cultivate virtue—Jia was not his mother.

詹事裴權諫曰：「賈謐甚有寵于中宮，而有不順之色，若一旦交構，大事去矣。 Household Superintendent Pei Quan remonstrated: "Jia Mi is deeply favored in the inner palace yet shows disrespectful looks—if they ever turn on you, the great enterprise is lost.

初，賈后母郭槐欲以韓壽女為太子妃，太子亦欲婚韓氏以自固。 Guo Huai once pushed a Han match—Yu wanted it too.

而壽妻賈午及後皆不聽，而為太子聘王衍小女惠風。 Jia Wu and the empress forced Wang Yan's younger daughter Huifeng instead.

太子聞衍長女美，而賈后為謐聘之，心不能平，頗以為言。 Yu resented losing Wang's elder beauty to Jia Mi.

謐嘗與太子圍棋，爭道，成都王穎見而訶謐，謐意愈不平，因此譖太子于後曰：「太子廣買田業，多畜私財以結小人者，為賈氏故也。 Once while playing go with the crown prince Mi quarreled over a move; Prince Chengdu of Ying saw and rebuked Mi; Mi grew more resentful and slandered the crown prince to the empress: "The crown prince buys fields wholesale, hoards private wealth, and courts petty men—all because of the Jia clan.

密聞其言云：'皇后萬歲後，吾當魚肉之。 Mi quoted Yu vowing to slaughter the Jias after Jia died.

'非但如是也，若宮車晏駕，彼居大位，依楊氏故事，誅臣等而廢後於金墉，如反手耳。 He warned Yu would purge Jia kin like the Yang coup.

後納其言，又宣揚太子之短，布諸遠近。 Jia adopted the plot and smeared Yu empire-wide.

于時朝野咸知賈后有害太子意。 Everyone saw Jia meant to kill the heir.

十二月，賈后將廢太子，詐稱上不和，呼太子入朝。 Twelfth month Jia feigned imperial illness to lure Yu to court.

中宮又宜速自了； The empress must settle too.

既而補成之，后以呈帝。 Helpers patched characters before Jia showed Hui.

賈后使董猛矯以長廣公主辭白帝曰：「事宜速決，而群臣各有不同，若有不從詔，宜以軍法從事。」 Empress Jia had Dong Meng falsely relay Princess Changguang's words to the emperor: "Matters must be settled quickly while ministers disagree—whoever disobeys the edict should face military law."

後懼事變，乃表免太子為庶人，詔許之。 Jia feared delay—demoted Yu to commoner instead.

明年正月，賈后又使黃門自首，欲與太子為逆。 Next New Year Jia staged a Yellow Gate confession implicating Yu.

南風，后名； South Wind' meant Empress Jia.

雖非中宮所生，奉事有如親母。 He claimed dutiful service to Jia despite birth.

自道文病，中宮三遣左右來視，云：'天教呼汝。 Palace runners claimed Heaven summoned Yu.

二十九日早入見國家，須臾遣至中宮。 He saw Hui briefly then reached Jia's halls.

中宮左右陳舞見語：'中宮旦來吐不快。 Chen Wu claimed Jia was sick.

須臾中宮遣陳舞見語：'聞汝表陛下為道文乞王，不得王是成國耳。 They mocked his plea for son's kingship.

'中宮遙呼陳舞：'昨天教與太子酒棗。 Jia recalled forcing wine earlier.

中宮遙呼曰：'汝常陛下前持酒可喜，何以不飲？ Jia taunted his earlier drinking.

'便答中宮：'陛下會同一日見賜，故不敢辭，通日不飲三升酒也。 Yu cited earlier imperial banquet.

而公奉事中宮，與賈后親密，太子之廢，皆云豫知，一旦事起，禍必及矣。 They warned Sun Xiu that Jia would scapegoat Jia's allies.

明公素事賈后，街談巷議，皆以公為賈氏之黨。 Lun was branded Jia's man.

不若遷延卻期，賈后必害太子，然後廢賈后，為太子報仇，猶足以為功，乃可以得志。」 Better delay: Empress Jia is sure to harm the crown prince; then depose Jia, avenge the crown prince—merit enough to win your will."

秀因使反間，言殿中人欲廢賈后，迎太子。 Sun Xiu spread rumors of a palace plot to restore Yu.

賈后聞之憂怖，乃使太醫令程據合巴豆杏子丸。 Jia panicked and had Cheng Ju mix purgative poison.

將以庶人禮葬之，賈后表曰：「遹不幸喪亡，傷其迷悖，又早短折，悲痛之懷，不能自己。 They proposed burying him by commoner rites; Empress Jia memorialized: "Yu has unfortunately died—I mourn his confusion and error and early cutting-off; grief overwhelms me.

及賈庶人死，乃誅劉振、孫慮、程據等，冊復太子曰：「皇帝使使持節、兼司空、衛尉伊策故皇太子之靈曰：嗚呼！ When Deposed Commoner Jia died, they executed Liu Zhen, Sun Lü, Cheng Ju, and others, and posthumously restored the crown prince; the edict read: "The emperor dispatches the credential-bearer, concurrent Director of Works, Commandant of the Guard Yi to announce by patent to the spirit of the late crown prince: Alas!

賴宰相賢明，人神憤怨，用啟朕心，討厥有罪，咸伏其辜。 He credited ministers for Jia's fall.

既而中宮凶忍，久懷危害之心，外戚諂諛，競進讒邪之說； Jia kin engineered slander.