Princess Dowager Yin - As Princess Dowager

As Princess Dowager

After her husband died in 417, Lady Yin was honored as princess dowager. She was described as wise and full of composure, and she tried in vain to stop her son Li Xin from attacking rival Northern Liang in 420—an attack that was induced by a trap set by Northern Liang's prince Juqu Mengxun. She pointed out that a small country such as theirs should first strive to become strong and they would not be able to defeat as strong a state as that of Juqu Mengxun.

Li Xin was defeated and killed by Juqu Mengxun, and Western Liang's capital Jiuquan (酒泉, in modern Jiuquan, Gansu) fell. Princess Dowager Yin was captured, but she maintained her dignity and did not plead with Juqu Mengxun for her life or mourn her son's death. Juqu Mengxun praised her and had his son Juqu Mujian marry her daughter Li Jingshou.

After Juqu Mujian succeeded Juqu Mengxun in 433, Lady Li became princess, but in 437, Juqu Mujian was forced to divorce her and marry Northern Wei's Princess Wuwei, sister to Northern Wei's Emperor Taiwu. Princess Li died soon thereafter, and after Princess Li's death, Princess Dowager Yin had been sent to live in Jiuquan. Before the commander of the garrison there, she feigned disinterest in going to Yiwu (伊吾, in modern Hami Prefecture, Xinjiang), where some of her grandsons had fled. When the guard around her relaxed, she secretly fled and she lived out her years in Yiwu, dying at the age of 74.