Lady Yang (楊氏) | 24 Histories

Overview

Lady Yang was an Exemplary Woman.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Nickname	Mad Aunt	癡姨	Chī Yí

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 386 to AD 534 魏世
Dated from the passage context · Book of Wei 98, passage 1

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Sibling of Mother of Fu Chengzu (苻承祖母)
elder sister 姊 · Uncertain siblings
Directly stated · Book of Wei 98, passages 140-141
Spouse of Husband of Lady Yang (楊氏之夫)
husband 夫
Strongly inferred · Book of Wei 98, passage 141

Career and standing

Nicknamed the Mad Aunt by the Fu household
Directly stated · Book of Wei 98, passage 150
Specially exempted from punishment after Fu Chengzu’s fall
Directly stated · Book of Wei 98, passages 151-152

Works and attributed material

Explanation · Speaker · Direct quotation · Mode direct-quotation Source Person Id Lady Yang (楊氏)
Directly stated · Book of Wei 98, passages 141-142
Protest · Speaker · With Fu Chengzu (苻承祖) · Direct quotation · Mode direct-quotation Source Person Id Lady Yang (楊氏)
Directly stated · Book of Wei 98, passage 149
Speech to elder sister · Speaker · With Mother of Fu Chengzu (苻承祖母) · Direct quotation · Mode direct-quotation Source Person Id Lady Yang (楊氏)
Directly stated · Book of Wei 98, passage 140

Events and relationships

Refused wealth, clothing, servants, and carriage transport from her sister’s household
Refusal
Directly stated · Book of Wei 98, passages 139-145, 149

Assessments and attributes

Assessment foresight unsurpassed even by Empress Lü · Mode historian-judgment · Comparison Person Id Lü Xu (呂嬃)
Directly stated · Book of Wei 98, passage 153

References in the histories

Book of Wei, Chapter 98Volume 92: Notable Women: Cui Lan's Consort Feng, Feng Zhuo's Consort Liu, Wei Pu's Consort Fang, Hu Changming's Consort Zhang · 7 passages

Open chapter

崔覽妻封氏封卓妻劉氏魏溥妻房氏胡長命妻張氏平原女子孫氏房愛親妻崔氏涇州貞女兕先氏[1] 姚氏婦楊氏張洪初妻劉氏[2] 董景起妻張氏陽尼妻高氏史映周妻耿氏任城國太妃孟氏苟金龍妻劉氏盧元禮妻李氏河東孝女姚氏刁思遵妻魯氏 Lady Feng, consort of Cui Lan; Lady Liu, consort of Feng Zhuo; Lady Fang, consort of Wei Pu; Lady Zhang, consort of Hu Changming; Sun Nanyu of Pingyuan; Lady Cui, consort of Fang Aiqin; the chaste woman Sixian of Jing Prefecture; Lady Yang of the Yao household; Lady Liu, consort of Zhang Hongchu; Lady Zhang, consort of Dong Jingqi; Lady Gao, consort of Yang Ni; Lady Geng, consort of Shi Yingzhou; Grand Consort Meng of Rencheng; Lady Liu, consort of Gou Jinlong; Lady Li, consort of Lu Yuanli; the filial daughter Yao of Hedong; Lady Lu, consort of Diao Sizun.

姚氏婦楊氏者，閹人苻承祖姨也。 Lady Yang of the Yao household was the aunt of the eunuch Fu Chengzu.

及承祖為文明太后所寵貴，親姻皆求利潤，唯楊獨不欲。 When Chengzu won favor and rank from Empress Dowager Wenming, all his kin by marriage sought profit—only Yang refused.

常謂其姊曰：「姊雖有一時之榮，不若妹有無憂之樂。」 She often told her elder sister, "Sister, your momentary glory is nothing beside my carefree peace."

乃啟其母曰：「今承祖一身何所乏少，而使姨如是？」 He told his mother, "I myself lack for nothing now—why should my aunt live like this?"

由是苻家內外皆號為癡姨。 From then on, everyone in the Fu household called her the mad aunt.

一姨致法，以姚氏婦衣裳弊陋，特免其罪。 One aunt was punished; because the Yao daughter-in-law's clothing was worn and shabby, her guilt was specially remitted.