Queen Hieu Hue Chuong – A beautiful and intelligent queen who never received the emperor’s favor, even just once in her lifetime.
A beautiful and virtuous queen with troubled love life
Queen Hieu Hue Chuong, also known as Empress Nhan Hien Hoang Thai Hau, was originally named Truong Yen. She was the only queen of Emperor Han Hue Luu Doanh – the second emperor of the Han dynasty in the history of ancient China.
Truong Yen was the daughter of King Trieu Truong Ngao and Princess Lo Nguyen. In terms of lineage, she was the granddaughter of Han Cao To Luu Bang and Queen La Tri. Therefore, for Emperor Han Hue Luu Doanh, Truong Yen was his niece, calling Emperor Han Hue as his blood brother.
In 195 BC, King Han Cao To passed away and passed the throne to Prince Luu Doanh, who was only 16 years old at the time. However, because he was still young, Emperor Han Hue Luu Doanh was just a figurehead, and all the power and political affairs were centralized in the hands of his mother, Queen La Tri.
To consolidate her power, Queen La Tri made great efforts to find a wife for her son. Her purpose was to control and restrain her son’s life through this wife. After many unsuccessful attempts to find a suitable wife who could satisfy Emperor Luu Doanh, Queen La Tri suddenly remembered her niece Truong Yen, who was living in Truong An City with her parents.
Truong Yen came from a prestigious family and was known as a beautiful and gentle girl, with good manners and education. From her appearance, personality to her relationships, Truong Yen met all the requirements that Queen La Tri was looking for. Queen La Tri then ordered Truong Yen to enter the palace and be bestowed the title of Empress for Emperor Han Hue Luu Doanh.
While many concubines dreamed of becoming empress for years, only Queen Hieu Hue Chuong easily became empress without any scheming or calculations. Because of her background, she faced jealousy and envy from the harem. However, Emperor Thuan Tri did not like the arranged marriage, and he never approached her, nor called her for favor.
At that time, Emperor Thuan Tri only favored Empress Dong Ngac. When Emperor Thuan Tri promoted Dong Ngac to Imperial Consort, giving her the power to manage the inner palace, Queen Hieu Hue Chuong became merely a title without any real power. This beauty smiled and complied without any resentment. Even when Queen Hieu Hue Chuong was at risk of being deposed by Emperor Thuan Tri, she did not react strongly. Because Empress Hieu Trang did not allow Emperor Thuan Tri to depose her twice, Queen Hieu Hue Chuong maintained her position as the queen of the world.
Becoming Empress at the age of 20 and living a peaceful life until the end
In the 18th year of Emperor Thuan Tri’s reign, he passed away and was succeeded by Emperor Khang Hy. Although Queen Hieu Hue Chuong was not favored by Emperor Thuan Tri, Emperor Khang Hy respected his mother very much.
Thus, at the age of 20, Queen Hieu Hue Chuong was bestowed the title of Empress and then Imperial Empress. From then on, she lived alone for the rest of her life. Emperor Khang Hy was also filial to her. Even on her 40th birthday, Emperor Khang Hy neglected the political affairs to come and wish longevity to the Imperial Empress, which reflected the deep respect of this famous emperor.
At the age of 77, Queen Hieu Hue Chuong peacefully passed away, leaving behind the fragrance of her virtue in the forbidden palace. Considering the era, she truly lived a long life and became one of the longest-reigning empresses in the history of ancient China.
Although she never received the love and care of the emperor, as a woman living in the imperial harem, being able to live a peaceful life like this was considered a good and beautiful outcome.
Unspoken rule stops Qing dynasty concubines from making noise during intimate moments
During the rule of the Qing Dynasty, concubines were required to maintain absolute silence during their encounters with the emperor. They were forbidden from making any sound at all.
Why does a concubine need to be led back to the palace after being favored by the emperor?
This was the rule in the ancient harem. Once they were favored by the emperor, the concubines were escorted back to the palace to rest.
Why did the ancient Thai masseuses have a strong, unpleasant odor on their bodies?
The ancient royal eunuchs often had unpleasant odors due to significant bodily changes. They employed various methods to address this issue.
How to gain favor from the emperor as a newcomer in a 3000-member harem?
The ancient Chinese emperors’ harem was abundant with beautiful women, but how were new beauties selected and favored by the emperor?
