Princess Consort Zheng (; personal name unknown) was a noblewoman of the Northern Qi dynasty. She was the principal wife and princess consort (王妃) of Gao Changgong, the Prince of Lanling and one of the most prominent military generals of the era.
Historical background Historical sources do not record Consort Zheng's given name and refer to her only by her surname. Historial records identify her as a member of the Zheng clan of Xingyang (滎陽鄭氏), one of the most prominent Han Chinese aristocratic families during the Northern Dynasties.
During the Northern Qi dynasty, the ruling Gao family, who were of mixed Xianbei and Han heritage, often entered into political marriages with prominent Han Chinese aristocratic families, such as the Xingyang Zheng, Taiyuan Wang, and Fanyang Lu clans, to consolidate political power and secure the loyalty of the Han elite. As the legitimate wife of Gao Changgong, she was formally invested with the title of Princess Consort of Lanling (蘭陵王妃).
Execution of Gao Changgong Consort Zheng's most significant appearance in official historical records occurs in Volume 11 of the Book of Northern Qi, which details the final moments of her husband's life.
By 573 AD, Gao Changgong's immense military prestige and popularity had drawn the severe paranoia of his cousin, Emperor Gao Wei. In the fifth month of that year, the emperor dispatched an emissary, Xu Zhifan (徐之範), to present Gao Changgong with a cup of poisoned wine.
Upon receiving the imperial decree, Gao Changgong spoke his final recorded words to Consort Zheng:
Consort Zheng urged him to seek an audience with the emperor to defend his innocence:
Gao Changgong, recognizing that the emperor's mind was made up and that an audience would be denied, replied:
Following this exchange, Gao Changgong drank the poison and died.
Later life Following the execution of the Prince of Lanling, the historical record of Consort Zheng's later life is brief. After her husband's death, she donated a string of her neck beads to a Buddhist temple. Gao Xiaoheng, the Prince of Guangning and Gao Changgong's second elder brother, had them redeemed and returned to her. Gao Yanzong, the Prince of Ande and Gao Changgong's fifth younger brother, wrote a letter urging her to reconsider, and the letter was said to be stained with tears. According to historical records, Consort Zheng, in mourning and disillusioned with the court, took the tonsure and withdrew from worldly affairs, spending the rest of her life as a Buddhist nun (遁入佛門).
In popular culture
In the 2013 television series Prince of Lanling, the female lead is the fictional character Yang Xuewu (楊雪舞), portrayed by Ariel Lin. Although the character is fictional, the series has the Empress Dowager bestow the surname "Zheng" on her before her marriage, allowing her to assume the historical title of "Consort Zheng" (鄭妃). In the 2016 television series Princess of Lanling King, based on Yang Qianzi's web novel, the female lead is a fictional character named Duanmu Lian, also known as Yuan Qingsuo, portrayed by Zhang Hanyun. The series departs from the historical record and focuses on a fictional love triangle involving Gao Changgong, the heroine, and Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou (Yuwen Yong).
See also Gao Changgong Book of Northern Qi Zheng clan of Xingyang
References