Zhao Feiyan, formally Empress Xiaocheng, was a Chinese courtesan and empress.
10 Facts About Zhao Feiyan
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Zhao Feiyan was known in the collective consciousness of Chinese society more for her beauty than for the regal presence that she and her sister, the Consort Zhao Hede engaged in and exuded, but unlike most of the famous beauties in Chinese history, she was often vilified by her own sisters.
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Zhao Feiyan was often contrasted with Yang Guifei, the concubine of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, because she was known for her slender build while Yang was known for her full build.
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Zhao Feiyan was a daughter of two hereditary servants of imperial princes or princesses.
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Zhao Feiyan had both of them sent to his palace, and they became greatly favored imperial consorts, and they took his affection away from Empress Xu and Consort Ban.
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The report further alleged that the Zhao Feiyan sisters engaged in many tactics, such as forced abortions, assassinations, and poisonings, to make sure that no other concubine would bear an imperial heir.
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However, Empress Dowager Zhao Feiyan herself was spared, particularly because she was on friendly relations with Emperor Ai's domineering grandmother Consort Fu.
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Wang Mang, who wanted to extinguish all dissent had Empress Dowager Zhao Feiyan demoted from her position as empress dowager to the title of Empress Xiaocheng.
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Zhao Feiyan's biography was included in the Confucian classic Biographies of Exemplary Women, compiled by the Han dynasty scholar Liu Xiang.
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Zhao Feiyan's biography is part of Scroll 9, titled Supplemental Biographies.