Empress Wuxuan Bian (December 30, 159 – July 9, 230), a native of Kaiyang (now Linyi, Shandong), was the wife (stepmother) of Cao Cao, Emperor Wu of Wei, and the mother of Cao Pi, Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Zhang, King of Chengwei, Cao Zhi, King of Chen Si, and Cao Xiong, King of Xiao Huai. Originally an advocate, that is, a musician family specializing in music and dance in the Han Dynasty, and later married Cao Cao, in the early years of Jian'an, the original Mrs. Ding was abolished, and Mrs. Bian became Cao Cao's wife. After Cao Pi succeeded to the throne, he respected him as the empress dowager, and Cao Rong respected him as the empress dowager after succeeding to the throne. Empress Bian died in the fourth year of Taihe and was buried with Cao Cao, Emperor Wu of Wei.

Bian family, ancestral hometown of Langxi Kaiyang (now Linyi, Shandong), was born in Baiting, Qi County in December of the second year of Yanxi (159 years). It is said that when Bian was born, the delivery room was full of yellow light all day long, and Bian Jinghou, who was a new father, was very strange, so he went to ask the diviner Wang Dan for divination. Wang Dan replied: "This is a good omen, this little girl's future is limitless." ”

Having said that, when he grew up, Bian still inevitably practiced the family's menial profession again and became a kabuki. This family who made a living from performing arts drifted around, and a few years later, they came to Qiaodi (Bozhou, Anhui).

At this time, the Eastern Han Dynasty was in power, and Cao Cao was the Taishou of the Eastern County, and he resigned from his official position to return to his hometown in order to avoid the disaster of his relatives. Build a villa outside the hometown city, read and hunt, and entertain yourself. It was here that the twenty-year-old Bian was favored by Cao Cao, who was twenty-five years old at the time, and became the concubine of the eunuch Cao Cao.

Soon after Cao Cao lived in the township, Wang Fen, Xu Yu of Nanyang, Zhou Jing of Peiguo and others conspired to launch a coup d'état, depose Emperor Ling of Han, and establish the Marquis of Hefei as emperor. They came to contact Cao Cao and wanted to pull him along. Cao Cao simply refused their request. Sure enough, the plan of Wang Fen and others soon ended in failure. However, the rebellion of Wang Fen and others produced a series of chain reactions, and rebellions and rebellions emerged in various places one after another.

In the winter of the fourth year of Zhongping (187), Mrs. Bian gave birth to Cao Pi, who later became Emperor Wen of Wei. When Cao Pi was born, there were blue clouds hanging over him all day, shaped like the top of a chariot. In ancient times, riding in a car with an umbrella cover was an extraordinary specification, and the cloud cover on this little baby was even more extraordinary. The warlock with "hope" came to see the good luck, and when he saw this cloud cover, his face was immediately full of solemnity, thinking that this little baby was extraordinary. The Cao family was very happy when they heard this, and asked the warlock what is the future of this child? Can you catch up with his ancestors and also be a minister close to the emperor? The warlock shook his head again and again, and replied, "This is not the cloud qi that the human retainer is equipped with, but the sign of the supreme and supreme human lord. ”

Due to the turbulent situation, Cao Cao, who lived in the countryside, was also drafted and appointed as a military captain, becoming a subordinate of the general He Jin, and once again came to Luoyang, the eastern capital where his ancestors and fathers had achieved fame. Bian took Cao Pi, who was still in infancy, and followed her husband to Luoyang.

In the sixth year of Zhongping (189), the Eastern Han Dynasty underwent earth-shaking changes, the general He Jin died, the Liangzhou warlord Dong Zhuo entered Luoyang, and abolished the young emperor Liu Wei and established Liu Xie as the emperor. Dong Zhuo felt that Cao Cao was a talent, so he named him a captain and wanted to reuse it for him. Cao Cao refused to go to the post and fled from Luoyang City with a few cronies.

Not long after Cao Cao fled, Yuan Shu brought news about Cao ** outside. This news made Cao's mansion chaotic for a while, especially the subordinates who had taken refuge in him earlier felt that they had no head, and they all wanted to leave Luoyang and go back to their hometown. As a woman who has been performing arts since she was a child, Bian is well-informed and very assertive, and when the whole family is panicked and has no backbone, the 30-year-old Bian stepped forward to take care of internal and external affairs.

When she heard that her husband's subordinates were leaving because of rumors, she was very anxious, regardless of the difference between inside and outside, and pressed her own anxiety about her husband's good fortune, and personally came out to persuade the troops who were about to disperse: "Cao Jun's life and death cannot be determined by just a few rumors. If the rumors are a lie made up by others, and you resign and return to your hometown today, and Cao Jun returns safely tomorrow, what face will you have to see your master? Is it worth it to give up your life's reputation in order to avoid the unknown? Everyone admired her and was willing to obey her arrangement. Cao Cao later heard about this and appreciated it very much.

Cao Cao's eldest son, Cao Ang, died in the rebellion, and his original wife, Mrs. Ding, divorced, and Cao Pi, born to Mrs. Bian, became the eldest son. Mrs. Bian also gave birth to three sons, Cao Zhang, Cao Zhi, and Cao Xiong. So, Cao Cao set Bian as his wife. Mrs. Bian, who became the main house, still assists her husband, raises her children, and treats her concubines well. Cao Cao had many children, and many of his concubines died early like Mrs. Liu, and many young children were deprived of their biological mothers. He admired the virtuous and open-minded nature of his wife, and entrusted these children to Mrs. Bian, so that she could take care of them. Mrs. Bian has no guilt about the birth of these children, and she has raised and educated them wholeheartedly, which makes Cao Cao very comforted. [5]

Cao Cao, who has no worries, can devote all his body and mind to the grand cause of competing for the world. Later, Cao Cao never forgot Mrs. Ding, and repeatedly invited Mrs. Ding to return to the palace for banquets in the name of Mrs. Bian. Mrs. Bian knew her husband's thoughts, and always left the seat of the wife next to her husband to Mrs. Ding, and retreated to the concubine position herself. Mrs. Ding was his wife at the beginning, and she had an adopted son, Cao Ang, and she never gave Mrs. Bian's mother and son any good looks. A few years later, Mrs. Ding passed away quietly at her mother's home. Cao Cao was very saddened by the death of Mrs. Ding, and lamented that he had no chance to atone for his sins. Mrs. Bian observed her husband's heart and offered to handle Mrs. Ding's funeral by herself. Cao Cao nodded in agreement, and personally chose a cemetery for her and buried her in the south of Xuchang City.

In May of the twenty-first year of Jian'an (216), the emperor passed on the edict and named Cao Cao as the king of Wei.

In November of the twenty-second year of Jian'an (217), Cao Cao finally selected Cao Pi, who was then the general of Wuguan Zhonglang, as his heir in the group of sons, and after Cao Pi became the crown prince, Cao Cao and some of Cao Pi's entourage ran to Bian Hou to congratulate him and said: "The general was made the crown prince, and the whole world is happy about it, and the queen should take out all the gold, silver and jade silk collected in the treasury for reward." Mrs. Bian replied lightly: "Cao Pi is the eldest son, so he is the heir, and I, as a mother, it is enough to be able to teach my son without mistakes. ”

Cao Cao was very happy when he heard Mrs. Bian's answer, thinking that her performance had the demeanor of a mother, and praised: "It is really rare that anger does not change its appearance, and joy does not lose etiquette." ”

In the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an (219), Cao Cao named Mrs. Bian as the queen, and issued a document saying: "Mrs. Bian, she has worked hard to raise the princes for several years, and she has the demeanor of a loving mother. Today, he was promoted to the queen, and ordered the prince and the princes to accompany him, and the hundred officials were the last life. The capital offense of a domestic offender is reduced by one degree to celebrate. ”

In the twenty-fifth year of Jian'an (220), Cao Cao died of illness, and the crown prince Cao Pi took the throne, and Mrs. Bian was honored as the queen mother. By the time of the Cao Wei Dynasty, Mrs. Bian was the queen mother, and her residence was called Yongshou Palace.

In the first month of the seventh year of the early Huang dynasty (226), the hussar general Cao Hong broke the law, and Cao Hong himself was imprisoned and died. Cao Hong's family is rich but his character is stingy, Cao Pi had asked for something to borrow from him when he was young, but he didn't get it, so he often hated Cao Hong and wanted to use this matter to put Cao Hong to death. The ministers and the ministers could not be saved. Empress Dowager Bian scolded Cao Pi and said: "Between Liang and Pei, there is no Zilian and no today. He also said to Cao Pi's favorite queen Guo: "If Cao Hong dies today, I will order the emperor to abolish the queen tomorrow." So Empress Guo wept to Cao Pi and repeatedly asked for his life, and Cao Pi issued an edict to release Cao Hong, but it was still confiscated into his property. Empress Dowager Bian asked for Cao Hong again, and Cao Pihou returned his wealth.

In the seventh year of the early Huang dynasty (226), Cao Pi died, and Cao Rong ascended the throne, and then honored as the empress dowager.

At the beginning, Cao Pi had planned to posthumously seal the parents of the Empress Dowager Bian. Shangshu Chen Qun said: "Your Majesty has carried the great cause of the country and the society with his own holy virtues, and the various etiquette systems you have formulated should also be followed by future generations. Judging from the rules of the past dynasties, there has never been a practice of making a king and a prince because of a woman, and in terms of etiquette, a woman is only honored with the elevation of her husband's title. The Qin Dynasty violated the ancient etiquette law, and the Han Dynasty followed the Qin Dynasty, but this was not stipulated by the previous kings. Cao Pi replied: "You are very right, my previous decision should not be implemented." At the same time, write down this suggestion of yours, and form an edict in my name, and hide it in the Tai Pavilion as a permanent system for future generations. In this way, it was not until 230 A.D. (the fourth year of Taihe) that Emperor Cao Rong posthumously admonished the Empress Dowager's grandfather Bian Guang as the Marquis of Kaiyang, his father Bian Yuan as the Marquis of Kaiyang, and his grandmother Zhou as the Emperor of Yangdu and Mrs. Jinghou, and gave them all ribbons. In May of this year, Empress Dowager Bian died. In July, he was buried with Cao Cao in Gaoling.