As Empress
After Wei Zifu became empress, Emperor Wu honored her family greatly. Wei Qing was made a key general in the war effort against Xiongnu, and after he achieved a series of victories, not only he, but also his three young sons, were made marquesses (although he declined the offer for his sons, suggesting instead that the emperor promote his subordinates). Similarly promoted and honored was her nephew Huo Qubing, a great general in his own right. Despite the fact that the rise of the Wei family largely owed credit to the military talent of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, Wei Zifu was often seen as the backbone of the family. A contemporary folk song sang:
| “ | Nothing to be happy if you bear a son. Nothing to be angry if you bear a daughter. Don't you see Wei Zifu rules the world!
(生男無喜，生女無怒，獨不見衛子夫霸天下！) |
” |
Because the great achievements of this Wei family, many later Han emperors considered marrying concubines with the surname Wei as a way of attaining good fortune.
As the years went by, the sexual attraction to Empress Wei by Emperor Wu decreased. He favored several other concubines, including Consort Li (the sister of Li Guangli and Li Yannian) and Consort Zhao. However, he continued to respect Empress Wei's judgment in governing the palace, and he entrusted her with palace affairs while he would be out of the capital, while entrusting the governmental affairs to her son, Crown Prince Ju.
Read more about this topic: Empress Wei Zifu
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)
“The Empress is Legitimist, my cousin is Republican, Morny is Orleanist, I am a socialist; the only Bonapartist is Persigny, and he is mad.”
—Napoleon Bonaparte III (1808–1873)