Empress Sun (c. 1403–1462) was an ambitious and calculating woman who used her influence to shape the political events of her time. Though sometimes overshadowed by Empress Zhang, she emerged as a major player. Her influence was such that she could depose emperors.

Empress Sun: Zhu Zhanji’s ambitious consort

Empress Sun’s father was an assistant magistrate in Yongcheng district. Her beauty and intelligence caught the attention of Lady Pengcheng, the mother of Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi’s wife, Lady Zhang.

Lady Zhang agreed to bring the young girl to the palace, where she received an education and earned the admiration of the palace women. In 1417, she became a consort of Zhu Zhanji, grandson of the Yongle Emperor. When Zhu Zhanji ascended the throne in 1425 as the Xuande Emperor became the fifth sovereign of the Ming Dynasty. Sun was elevated to the highest consort rank, making her second only to the empress.

From consort to empress of the Ming

Consort Sun was known for her cunning and ambition. The empress, Hu Shanxiang, was in fragile health and had not given birth to a so. Both factors that led her to fall out of favor with the emperor. In 1427, Sun gave birth to a son, Zhu Qizhen. However, some sources suggest the child may have been the son of a palace servant impregnated by the emperor, with Sun allegedly taking the baby as her own.

In 1429, in an unprecedented move, the Xuande Emperor deposed Empress Hu, granting her an honorific title. Sun was then elevated to the rank of empress. The decision was controversial. Empress Dowager Zhang sympathized with the deposed empress and often seated Hu in a place of honor during banquets, much to Empress Sun’s displeasure.

As empress, Sun held court in her residence. She evaluated palace personnel, approved budgets, and arranged the marriages of princes and princesses. She also received visits from the other consorts and reported regularly to Empress Dowager Zhang.

Dowager of the dynasty: making and unmaking emperors

When the Xuande Emperor died in 1435, his son Zhu Qizhen was still a child. The ministers asked Empress Dowager Zhang to take charge of the regency, which she did unofficially, ushering in a period of peace and stability.

Empress Sun became empress dowager. In 1449, when the emperor was captured during a battle against the Mongols, Empress Sun ordered his half-brother, Zhu Qiyu, to take charge of state affairs. She tried to pay the emperor’s ransom without success but sent him warm furs and clothes during his captivity.

When Zhu Qizhen was finally released a year and a half later, his brother confined him to the palace and ruled in his place. Empress dowager Sun was dissatisfied with the situation. In 1457, she played a key role in a coup that restored Zhu Qizhen to the throne, a turn of events that would not have happened without her influence and summons.

Empress Sun died of an illness in 1462. Her life was adapted into two historical dramas: Empress of the Ming and Royal Feast.

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Further reading and bibliography about Empress Sun

Lin Yanqing, “Sun, Empress of the Xuande Emperor, Xuanzong, of Ming”, in: Lee Lily Xiao Hong, Wiles Sue (eds.), Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women, Volume II: Tang Through Ming 618 – 1644

McMahon Keith, Celestial Women: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Song to Qing

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