Empress Du Zhu (杜珠) was an empress of the Chinese/Jie state Later Zhao. She was Shi Hu (Emperor Wu)'s second empress.
Du Zhu was initially a family prostitute from a general of Jin, Wang Jun (王浚). After captured by the army of Later Zhao she was given by Shi Le (石勒) to Shi Hu as a concubine under Shi Hu's pleading, with the title Cairen (才人). When Shi Hu became "Heavenly Prince" (天王) she was given the title Zhaoyi (昭儀). Du Zhu was said to have a soft nature and mood. She bore Shi Hu at least two sons—Shi Xuan (石宣) and Shi Tao (石韜). Shi Xuan carried the title of Duke of Hejian, and Shi Tao the Duke of Qin.
In 337, after Shi Hu's first crown prince Shi Sui (石邃) was executed for having plotted his father's assassination, Shi Xuan, as the next son in age, was created crown prince. Shi Sui's mother Empress Zheng Yingtao was deposed, and Consort Du was created empress to replace her.
Nothing further was mentioned about Empress Du herself in historical records. In 348, after Shi Xuan killed Shi Tao after a dispute between the brothers, Shi Hu had him executed cruelly, ordered all his family killed and then deposed Empress Du, although he did not kill her. There was no further record of her in history, and it is not known when she died.
| Chinese royalty | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Empress Zheng Yingtao |
Empress of Later Zhao 337-348 |
Succeeded by Empress Liu |
Famous quotes containing the word empress:
“We never really are the adults we pretend to be. We wear the mask and perhaps the clothes and posture of grown-ups, but inside our skin we are never as wise or as sure or as strong as we want to convince ourselves and others we are. We may fool all the rest of the people all of the time, but we never fool our parents. They can see behind the mask of adulthood. To her mommy and daddy, the empress never has on any clothes—and knows it.”
—Frank Pittman (20th century)