Consort Shen, formally Empress Ruizhen, was a Tang dynasty woman who served as a consort of Emperor Daizong of Tang while he was the Prince of Guangping under his grandfather Emperor Xuanzong and father Emperor Suzong and the mother of the future Emperor Dezong.
11 Facts About Consort Shen
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2.
Consort Shen was captured by the rebel Yan forces during Anshi Rebellion, and although Li Chu regained her at one point during the war, was lost again later during the war.
3.
Consort Shen was finally declared deceased by her great-grandson Emperor Xianzong in 805.
4.
Consort Shen was left at Chang'an, and she was captured and taken by Yan forces to Luoyang and detained in the palace jail.
5.
Emperor Daizong designated Li Kuo as crown prince, and he repeatedly sent imperial messengers throughout the realm to try to locate Consort Shen, but was unable to do so.
6.
In 780, although Consort Shen had not been located, he honored her in absentia as empress dowager.
7.
Consort Shen commissioned four members of the Shen family to assist the eunuchs sent out to find her.
8.
In 781, there was an incident where it was thought that Empress Dowager Shen was in fact located.
9.
Li Zhenyi thought she might have been Empress Dowager Consort Shen, and reported this to Emperor Dezong.
10.
Consort Shen initially denied that she was Empress Dowager Shen, but the eunuchs forcibly escorted her to Shangyang Palace, a palace that Emperor Dezong had set aside for Empress Dowager Shen, and supplied her with goods intended for the empress dowager.
11.
However, Emperor Dezong, fearing that punishing her would cause others to be unwilling to continue searching for Empress Dowager Consort Shen, did not punish her and escorted her back to her home in a wagon.