Empress Liu E

Who was Empress Liu E?

Empress Liu E, courtesy name Lihua, formally Empress Wuxuan was an empress of the Chinese/Xiongnu state Han Zhao. She was Liu Cong's third wife.

Liu E was the daughter of one of Liu Cong's honored officials, Liu Yin, who was described as someone who was willing to point out Liu Cong's faults, but only doing so in private, thus earning the temperamental and impulsive emperor's respect. She was initially taken as a concubine by him in 312, along with her sister Liu Ying and four of her nieces. This move was opposed by Liu Cong's brother and crown prince Liu Ai, who argued it would be a violation of the prohibition against endogamy. Liu Cong, however, rationalized the move in that Liu Yin was ethnically Han, while he himself was ethnically Xiongnu, and therefore were not of the same ancestor.

Liu E and her sister Liu Ying were both favored by Liu Cong. Initially, in 312, Liu Cong wanted to create Liu Ying empress to replace Empress Huyan, who died earlier that year, but at his mother Empress Dowager Zhang's insistence, he created another concubine, Zhang Huiguang empress instead. Liu Ying died soon thereafter.