Empress Wen Zhao Zhen (January 26, 183 – August 4, 221), name unknown, also known as Mrs. Zhen. A native of Zhongshan Wuji (now Wuji County, Hebei Province), she was the daughter of Zhen Yi of Shangcai Ling. The concubine of Emperor Wen of Wei Cao Pi, and the biological mother of Emperor Cao Rong of Wei Ming. After Cao Rong ascended the throne, he posthumously honored Zhen as Empress Wenzhao.

Empress Wen Zhaozhen is a descendant of Zhen Han of the Han Taibao, and her family has a hereditary official position of 2,000 stones. His father, Zhen Yi, once served as Shang Cai Ling.

Zhen was born on January 26, 183 (December Ding You, the fifth year of Guanghe). Every night when she went to bed, there seemed to be someone in the house who had seen someone putting a jade robe over her, and everyone was very strange about this. When Zhen was three years old, Zhen Yi died, Zhen cried very sadly, and the people around her valued her even more. After that, Liu Liang looked at Zhen and Zhen Yi's other children, Liu Liang pointed to Zhen and said, "This girl is unspeakably expensive." Therefore, from childhood to adulthood, no one dared to tease her. When she was eight years old, there were acrobats outside the courtyard, and Zhen's family and several sisters went to the attic to watch, but she was the only one who didn't go. Several sisters asked her strangely, and Zhen replied, "Is this what women should watch?" ”

She liked to read very much, and when she was nine years old, she immediately knew all the words she had read, and many times she wrote with her brother's pen and inkstone, and her brother said to her, "You should learn from women." Do you want to be a female doctor (official name)? Zhen replied: "I heard that in ancient times, virtuous women all learned from the experience of their predecessors and used them for reference. If you don't read, what can you learn from? ”

At the end of the Han Dynasty, the world was in turmoil, and the people sold their valuable things in order to make ends meet. At that time, the Zhen family had a large amount of grain reserves, and took the opportunity to acquire a lot of gold and silver treasures. Zhen was only a teenager at the time, and when he saw this situation, he said to his mother: "Seeking treasure in troubled times is not a good strategy!" A person who is not guilty of a treasure can be condemned for possession of a treasure, which is commonly referred to as loss of wealth. Besides, at the moment when many people are hungry, it is better to open a warehouse of my family's grain to help the neighbors in all directions, which can be regarded as a virtue that benefits everyone. The whole family thought she was justified and a good idea, so they distributed all the food to the neighbors free of charge.

When Zhen was fourteen years old, his second brother Zhen Yan died, and the second sister-in-law was very sad and had to do some trivial things at the same time, but she took care of the children very lovingly. Zhen's mother has a strict personality and is not very good to several daughters-in-law, Zhen persuaded her mother several times: "The second brother unfortunately died early, and the second sister-in-law was widowed at a young age and took care of her only child. The mother was so ashamed that she cried when she heard Zhen's words, and then treated her second sister-in-law's life as she did with Zhen, and she usually moved around a lot and had a close relationship.

During the Jian'an period, Yuan Shao was his second son Yuan Xina Zhen's wife. [6-7] [8] In 199 AD (the fourth year of Jian'an), Yuan Xi served as the assassin of Youzhou, and Zhen stayed in Jizhou to serve Yuan Shao's wife, Lady Liu.

In 204 A.D. (the ninth year of Jian'an), Jizhou Yecheng was attacked by Cao Cao, many women of the Yuan family were violated and robbed, and Zhen was included in the harem by Cao Cao's son Cao Pi. At that time, there was a saying: Mrs. Liu and Zhen sat in the lobby together. Cao Pi entered Yuan's mansion and saw Mrs. Liu and Zhen, who was frightened and put his head on Mrs. Liu's lap, and Mrs. Liu asked her to tie her hands. Cao Pi asked, "Why is Mrs. Liu like this?" Let your daughter-in-law lift her head up! Mrs. Liu picked up Zhen and asked her to raise her head, Cao Pi glanced at her and admired her extraordinary beauty. Cao Cao knew Cao Pi's thoughts, so he married Zhen for him. [9] There is also a saying: Cao Cao captured Ye, Cao Pi entered Yuan's mansion, and saw a young woman with a disheveled hair and a dirty face, hiding behind Mrs. Liu and crying, Cao Pi asked her who she was, and Mrs. Liu replied: "It's Yuan Xi's wife." Then Cao Pi helped her pull up her hair in a bun, wiped her face with a hand towel, and found that she was beautiful. After that, Liu said to Zhen: "Don't worry about being killed now!" Cao Pi took the Zhen family as a concubine.

Zhen was favored by Cao Pi at the beginning and gave birth to a son Cao Rong and a daughter Cao (Princess Dongxiang). Zhen exhorted Cao Pi's wives and concubines to work hard, comforted and enlightened the unfavored, and often advised Cao Pi to say: "In ancient times, the descendants of the Yellow Emperor were prosperous because of the many wives and concubines. Therefore, the husband should also marry more women from superior and beautiful backgrounds, so that the heirs can be prosperous. Cao Pi was very happy when he heard this. Later, when Cao Pi wanted to expel the Ren family, the Zhen family begged Cao Pi and said: "The Ren family is a famous family of the township party, no matter the morality and beauty, I can't compare, why should I divorce her?" Cao Pi said: "Ren's temperament is impatient and not gentle, and she resented me not once before, so she divorced her." Zhen cried and insisted on pleading: "I am honored by you, everyone knows it, and they will definitely say that Ren was divorced because of me." I'm afraid that my in-laws will say I'm selfish, and other wives and concubines will count out the sin of wanting to be favored, I hope you can reconsider! Cao Pi didn't listen, so he retired Ren.

Filial piety to mother-in-law

In July 211 A.D. (the sixteenth year of Jian'an), Cao Cao went west, and Mrs. Bian, who accompanied him, fell ill and stayed in Mengjin on the way, and Cao Pi stayed in Yecheng. At that time, Mrs. Bian was in poor health, and Zhen could not serve and greet her, she was sad and afraid, and she cried day and night; The people around her immediately told her that Mrs. Bian was cured, but Zhen still didn't believe it, and said: "Mrs. is at home, and she often suffers from old problems, and she has to recover for a long time every time, how can she get better so quickly now?" You must be comforting me! "So I'm even more worried. Later, Mrs. Bian replied, saying that her body had recovered, and Zhen became happy.

In the first month of 212 A.D. (the seventeenth year of Jian'an), the army returned to Ye, and Zhen went to greet him, and saw Mrs. Bian's joy and sorrow, which touched the people around her. Seeing that Zhen cared so much about herself, Mrs. Bian couldn't help crying, and said, "Is the new daughter-in-law afraid that my last illness will be as repeated as before?" I'm just a little uncomfortable, just a minor illness, and I'll be fine in ten days. You can see that I have a good complexion. Then he sighed: "What a filial daughter-in-law." ”

In 216 A.D. (the twenty-first year of Jian'an), Cao Cao went east to conquer Sun Quan, and Mrs. Bian, Cao Pi and Cao Ei, and Princess Dongxiang all followed, and Zhen was sick at that time so he stayed in Ye.

In September of 217 A.D. (the twenty-second year of Jian'an), when the army was still there, Mrs. Bian saw that Zhen's face was very good, and asked her strangely: "You have been separated from the two children for so long, don't you miss them, why do you have such a good face, what is the reason?" Zhen replied with a smile: "Cao Rong and they follow Madame, what else do I have to worry about." ”

Fell out of favor and was killed

In the first month of 220 A.D. (the first year of Yankang), Cao Pi took the throne, and led the army to the south in June, and Zhen stayed in Yecheng. In October, Emperor Chan of the Han Dynasty gave the throne to Cao Pi. After the Zen throne, Liu Xie, who abdicated as the Duke of Shanyang, married his two daughters to Cao Pi, and Guo Guifei (Empress Wende Guo) and Li and Yin were favored, and Zhen became increasingly frustrated and revealed some resentful words.

In June 221 A.D. (the second year of the Huang Dynasty), Cao Pi sent an envoy to give Zhen to death and buried him in Yecheng. At that time, Cao Pi asked the warlock Zhou Xuan to interpret his dream, and Zhou Xuan replied: "There will be noble women in the world who will die unjustly." Cao Pi regretted hearing this, and sent someone to recover the messenger who gave the Zhen clan to death, but it was too late.

In 226 A.D. (the seventh year of the early Huang Dynasty), Zhen's son Cao Rong ascended the throne and posthumously crowned Zhen as the queen. So Emperor Ming sent Sikong Wang Lang to the mausoleum of Empress Zhen to worship with three sacrifices, and built a sleeping temple for her.

In March 227 A.D. (the first year of Taihe), Cao Rong posthumously sealed Zhenhou's father Zhen Yi with a thousand households in Ancheng Township, Weichang County, Zhongshan State, and was named the Marquis of Ancheng Township, and his grandson Zhen inherited the title. In April, Cao Rong issued an edict to build an ancestral temple in Luoyang, and a jade seal was dug out of the ground during construction. This jade seal is one inch and nine minutes square, and it is engraved with the words "the Son of Heaven is envious and kind". Cao Rong was moved by the seal, so he prepared a sacrifice to the temple to pay tribute. Since then, Cao Rong has dreamed of his mother many times, and his longing for his mother has increased. So the uncles were appointed according to the order of relatives and sparseness, and the rewards reached a huge amount of 10,000 taels, and Zhen was promoted to the general of the tiger Benzhonglang. In the same month, Empress Zhen's mother died of illness, and Cao Yi personally attended the funeral, accompanied by a Chinese military official.

In November 230 A.D. (the fourth year of Taihe), Cao Rong felt that the tomb of his mother Zhen was too low and simple, so he appointed Zhen Xiang as a part-time lieutenant to Yecheng with the emperor's scepter to worship the earth god and rebury Zhen in Chaoyang Mausoleum.