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Chinese Empress dowager
Empress Dowager Cheng
(程太后, personal name unknown) (died 335) was an
empress dowager
of the
Jie
-led
Later Zhao dynasty
of China.
[1]
She was a concubine of Later Zhao's founding emperor
Shi Le
and gave birth to his crown prince and successor,
Shi Hong
. Her brother
Cheng Xia
was one of Shi Le's key advisors, particularly after
Zhang Bin
's death.
[2]
Cheng Xia was once close to an official named Zhang Pi, but after Zhang Bin promoted and recommended Zhang Pi, Cheng Xia became apprehensive that Zhang Pi was alienating him and Zhang Bin was too powerful. As he wanted to establish his authority in the court, he let Consort Cheng frame Zhang Pi as a favorable knight-errant that would harm the society and should be removed. So Shi Le executed Zhang Pi and Zhang Bin dared not to beg his mercy.
In 330, Shi Le created Shi Hong his crown prince, which angered his powerful nephew
Shi Hu
, who secretly referred Shi Hong as "son of a maid".
After Shi Le died in 333, Shi Hu quickly seized power in a coup d'etat and killed Cheng Xia and another key advisor of Shi Le, Xu Guang (徐光). Shi Le's wife
Empress Dowager Liu
tried to start rebellions to overthrow Shi Hu, but could not and was herself killed. After her death, Consort Cheng was made empress dowager, but neither she nor her son had any real power. In 334, Shi Hu seized the throne and imprisoned her, Shi Hong, and Shi Hong's brothers Shi Hong (石宏, note different character) the Prince of Qin and Shi Hui (石恢) the Prince of Nanyang in Chongxun Palace, but soon had all of them executed.
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