1430-1487
Imperial Consort

Early Life. Wan Guifei was born in Shandong; her father was a government clerk. At only three years old she was selected to go to the palace to serve Empress Sun. She became the empress's preferred servant and was appointed to the entourage of her grandson, Zhu Jianshen, who was born in 1447. When he rose to the throne in 1464, she had already been his most frequent companion for some time. This status stimulated the envy of the recently installed Empress Wu, who had the Lady Wan whipped. In this struggle for power Empress Wu was defeated, losing her title after only thirty-two days and being replaced by Empress Wan.

Unchallenged Power. After this triumph Lady Wan gained unchallenged power within the palace for many years. In 1466 she produced a boy and was granted the title Huang Guifei, a rank immediately below that of...