Family Background
Pingjun was born into a family that had some minor privilege but had also suffered under the reign of Emperor Wu. It is not known exactly when she was born, but probably circa 90 BC. Her father Xu Guanghan (許廣漢) was an assistant to the Prince of Changyi when young, and later became an imperial attendant. Later, while accompanying Emperor Wu on a trip, he accidentally took the saddle of another attendant and was charged with theft; his sentence was castration. After castration, he became a eunuch at court, and served as a minor official.
Read more about this topic: Empress Xu Pingjun
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