Empress Erzhu Ying'e - As Gao Huan's Concubine

As Gao Huan's Concubine

The Erzhus controlled the empire for a while, but in 531, the general Gao Huan, a former subordinate of Erzhu Rong's, rose against them, and by 532 Gao had defeated the Erzhus, becoming the paramount general for Northern Wei (and for the branch state Eastern Wei after Northern Wei's division into Eastern Wei and Western Wei in 534). Shortly after Gao's defeating of the Erzhus, she became a concubine of Gao's. She and another consort that Gao took, the Princess Ruru (a princess of Rouran), were renowned for their military demonstrations, and Gao once commented that these two concubines of his were capable of defeating bandits. In 535, when Gao Huan was angry with his son Gao Cheng for having had an affair with Gao Huan's concubine Lady Zheng, he considered replacing his wife Lou Zhaojun, Gao Cheng's mother, with Erzhu Ying'e, but ultimately did not do so. Erzhu Ying'e bore him two sons, Gao You (高浟) (later the Prince of Pengcheng) in 533 and Gao Ning (高凝) (later the Prince of Huashan). In spring 545, Erzhu Ying'e's brother Erzhu Wenchang (爾朱文暢) and Zheng Zhongli (鄭仲禮), the brother of Gao Huan's other favorite concubine Zheng Dache (鄭大車), along with Ren Zhou (任冑), conspired to assassinate Gao Huan and support Erzhu Wenchang as leader, but the conspiracy was discovered, and the conspirators were put to death, along with their families. However, because of Gao Huan's favors for Erzhu Ying'e and Zheng Dache, he spared their brothers. However, she later became a Buddhist nun, even while Gao Huan was still alive, for reasons lost to history; Gao Huan built a temple for her.