Grand Empress Dowager (太皇太后)

Overview

Grand Empress Dowager was a consort.

PeriodSong, Liao, and Jin

IdentityHistorical · Female · Title only

Roles

Found in

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 1194 禪位之議
Dated from the passage context · History of Song 469, passage 153

References in the histories

History of Song, Chapter 469Volume 469 Biographies 228: Eunuchs 4: Shao Chengzhang, Lan Gui Kanglu, Feng Yi, Zhang Quwei, Chen Yuan, Gan Bian, Wang Deqian, Guan Li, Dong Songchen · 7 passages

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即諭德謙奏之皇太后，德謙不敢，強之，既而無報。 He ordered Deqian to memorialize the empress dowager; Deqian shrank from it; pressed, he still brought no answer.

汝愚遣戚裏韓侂胄因內侍張宗尹以禪位之議奏，太皇太後曰：“此豈可易言！” Ruyu sent his kinsman Han Tuozhou through eunuch Zhang Zongyin to propose abdication; the Grand Empress Dowager said, “How can such a thing be spoken of lightly!”

禮指天自誓不言，侂胄遂白其事，禮即入宮，泣告太后以時事可憂之狀，且曰：“留丞相已去，所恃者趙知院耳。 Li swore by Heaven he would keep silent; Tuozhou then confided; Li rushed in weeping to tell the empress dowager the realm was in peril: “Chancellor Liu is gone—we have only Director Zhao.

今欲定大計而無太皇太后之命，亦將去矣。” Now he seeks to settle the succession, but without your command he will leave too.”

太后驚曰：“知院，同姓也，事體與他人異。” She cried in alarm, “Director Zhao shares our surname—his case is not ordinary.”

禮曰：“知院未去，恃有太后耳。 Li said, “He stays only because you remain.

太后悟，遂命禮傳旨侂胄以諭汝愚，約明日太后垂簾上其事。 She understood, ordered Li to tell Tuozhou to inform Ruyu, and set the morrow for a curtained audience.