Sui and Tang · Consort

Lady Xuanhua 宣華夫人陳氏

Xuānhuá Fūrén Chén shì

c. AD 577 - AD 605

Passages: 15
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Lady Xuanhua was a consort.

Life and dates

Death

AD 605 歲餘而終
Directly stated · Book of Sui 36, passage 179

Age

29
Reckoning Sui · Context at death
Directly stated · Book of Sui 36, passage 179

Attested activity

AD 604 上大漸
Dated from the passage context · Book of Sui 36, passages 157-158
AD 602 文獻皇后崩
Dated from the passage context · Book of Sui 36, passage 156
AD 604 to AD 606 煬帝嗣位後歲餘
Directly stated · Book of Sui 36, passages 178-179
AD 589 陳滅
Dated from the passage context · Book of Sui 36, passage 151

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Chen Xu (陳頊)
father 父
daughter 女
Directly stated · Book of Sui 36, passage 149

Career and standing

Pin 嬪
Directly stated · Book of Sui 36, passage 151
Lady Xuanhua 宣華夫人
Bestowed
Directly stated · Book of Sui 36, passage 157
Noble Lady 貴人
Noble Lady · Promoted
Directly stated · Book of Sui 36, passage 156

Places and affiliations

Polity Chen 陳 · Relation Born into
Directly stated · Book of Sui 36, passage 149
At Xiandu Palace 仙都宮 · Relation Resided at
Directly stated · Book of Sui 36, passage 178

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · Quote true
Directly stated · Book of Sui 36, passages 161, 169

Events and relationships

Aided succession change
Political · Helper
Directly stated · Book of Sui 36, passage 155
Resisted then violated by Yang Guang
Personal · Victim · With Emperor Yang of Sui (隋煬帝)
Directly stated · Book of Sui 36, passages 159, 177

Assessments and attributes

intelligent and peerlessly beautiful
Character
Directly stated · Book of Sui 36, passage 150

References in the histories

Search passages

History

15 passages

Book of Sui, Chapter 36Volume 36 Biographies 1: Empresses and Consorts · 15 passages

其後，宣華夫人陳氏、容華夫人蔡氏俱有寵，上頗惑之，由是發疾。 Afterward both Lady Xuanhua of the Chen clan and Lady Ronghua of the Cai clan won his favor. He was much taken with them, and from this he fell ill.

宣華夫人陳氏，陳宣帝之女也。 Lady Xuanhua of the Chen clan was a daughter of Emperor Xuan of Chen.

時獨孤皇后性妬，後宮罕得進御，唯陳氏有寵。 At that time Empress Dugu was fiercely jealous, and few women in the inner palace shared the emperor's bed. Only Lady Chen enjoyed his favor.

進金蛇、金駝等物，以取媚於陳氏。 He sent her golden snakes, golden camels, and other gifts to win her favor.

及文獻皇后崩，進位為貴人，專房擅寵，主斷內事，六宮莫與為比。 When Empress Wenxian died, Lady Chen was promoted to Noble Lady. She monopolized the emperor's favor, controlled affairs within the palace, and none of the six palaces could compare with her.

及上大漸，遺詔拜為宣華夫人。 When the emperor's illness grew grave, his final edict invested her as Lady Xuanhua.

初，上寢疾於仁壽宮也，夫人與皇太子同侍疾。 At first, when the emperor lay ill at Renshou Palace, Lady Xuanhua and the crown prince attended him together.

平旦出更衣，為太子所逼，夫人拒之得免，歸於上所。 At daybreak she went out to change her clothes and was accosted by the crown prince. She resisted and escaped, then returned to the emperor's bedside.

夫人泫然曰：「太子無禮。」 With tears in her eyes she said, "The crown prince behaved without propriety."

素以其事白太子，太子遣張衡入寢殿，遂令夫人及後宮同侍疾者，並出就別室。 Su reported the matter to the crown prince. The crown prince sent Zhang Heng into the sleeping hall and ordered Lady Xuanhua and all the women of the inner palace who were attending the emperor to leave for separate rooms.

夫人與諸後宮相顧曰：「事變矣！」 Lady Xuanhua and the other palace women looked at one another and said, "Things have changed!"

晡後，太子遣使者齎金合子，帖紙於際，親署封字，以賜夫人。 In the afternoon the crown prince sent an envoy bearing a golden casket sealed with paper at the seam and inscribed in his own hand, to present it to Lady Xuanhua.

夫人見之惶懼，以為鴆毒，不敢發。 When she saw it she was terrified, thinking it contained poison, and did not dare open it.

陳氏恚而却坐，不肯致謝。 Lady Chen was angry, drew back, and refused to offer thanks.

及后崩，漸見寵遇，拜為貴人，參斷宮掖之務，與陳氏相亞。 After the empress died, she gradually won favor, was appointed Noble Lady, took part in governing affairs within the palace, and stood second only to Lady Chen.