Empress Dowager Xu

Who is Empress Dowager Xu?

Empress Dowager Xu, honored as Empress Dowager Shunsheng during the reign of her son Wang Yan, known as Consort Xu with the imperial consort rank Xianfei during the reign of her husband Wang Jian, was an empress dowager of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period state Former Shu. She was one of the favorite concubines of Wang Jian, the founder of Former Shu, and through her palace machinations was able to have her son Wang Yan made Wang Jian's heir. She was described as beautiful and capable of writing poems, but corrupt. After Former Shu's destruction by Later Tang Dynasty, she, her son, as well as the rest of the Former Shu imperial family, were executed by Emperor Zhuangzong of Later Tang.