Family Background and Marriage
Empress Wang's father Wang Fengguang (王奉光) was a hereditary acting marquess (關內侯) when he met Emperor Xuan while he was still a commoner, based on their common interest in cockfighting. According to legend, she was betrothed to several men in succession, but each time her fiancé died before marriage could occur. After Emperor Xuan became emperor, he took her as a concubine (as Consort Wang), but she was not one of his favorites.
Emperor Xuan's first wife, Empress Xu Pingjun was poisoned in 71 BC by the ambitious Xian (顯), the wife of the regent Huo Guang, who wanted to make her daughter Huo Chengjun empress—an objective that she was successful in after Empress Xu's death. While Huo Chengjun was empress, she allegedly tried unsuccessfully several times to poison Empress Xu's son Crown Prince Liu Shi, to make her potential future son the imperial heir.
After the Huo clan was destroyed and Empress Huo deposed in 66 BC, Emperor Xuan considered whom to create empress. At that time, he favored Consorts Hua, Zhang, and Wei, each of whom bore him children. He almost settled on Consort Zhang as his new empress. However, he became hesitant, remembering how Empress Huo had tried to murder the crown prince. He therefore resolved to create an empress who was childless and kind. He decided on Consort Wang, and created her empress in 64 BC. He also created her father Wang Fengguang the Marquess of Qiongcheng (邛成侯). Emperor Xuan put Prince Shi in her care, and she cared for him well. She would continue to be not one of Emperor Xuan's favorites, however, and she rarely saw him.
Read more about this topic: Empress Wang (Xuan)
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