Biography

Lady Li was born in 1545 in Huo County, a suburb of Beijing. Her father, Li Wei, was a bricklayer and a descendant of soldiers who had been resettled from Shanxi to Beijing in the early 15th century. She received a good education and in 1550, she became one of the maids of Zhu Zaiji, Prince of Yu. In 1567, Zhu Zaiji ascended to the throne as the Longqing Emperor and Lady Li became one of his concubines. In 1563, she gave birth to a son, Zhu Yijun, who was the Longqing Emperor's third child. His two older brothers from other concubines had died in infancy in 1559 and 1562. In 1568, Zhu Yijun was appointed as the crown prince. Lady Li and the Longqing Emperor also had another son, Zhu Yiliu, who became the Prince of Lu in 1571. They also had three daughters: Zhu Yao'e (1565–1590), Zhu Yaoying (1567–1594), and Zhu Yaoyuan (1569–1629). These daughters were given the titles of Princess Shouyang, Princess Yongning, and Princess Rui'an.

After the Longqing Emperor became the emperor, she was elevated to the position of Noble Consort (Guifei). Despite being favored by the emperor, she maintained a positive relationship with his sonless empress, who was her main competition for his attention. Her ability to work with her rivals and competitors was evident throughout her life and played a significant role in her achievements. She was not only capable, wise, and decisive, but also sensitive and knew her limits, never overstepping her boundaries.

In 1572, the Longqing Emperor died and her son Zhu Yijun became the Wanli Emperor. Lady Li was granted the title of empress dowager and, as per the law, assumed the role of head of government during her son's minority. She formed an alliance with Senior Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng and the highest-ranking eunuch in the imperial palace, Feng Bao. Together, they ruled the empire, with Zhang overseeing the government, Feng Bao managing the imperial eunuchs, and Lady Li supervising the Wanli Emperor's education. However, she did not interfere in political decision-making. At the government's request, she spent more time in the imperial palace than in her own empress dowager palace until 1578 to oversee her son's education. She instilled in him the values of diligence, responsibility, and humility. Lady Li raised him with great care, but also with strictness. The Wanli Emperor's deep respect and devotion towards his mother, instilled by his strict upbringing, prevented him from openly opposing her throughout his life.

The alliance between Lady Li, Zhang Juzheng, and Feng Bao successfully governed the country for a decade until Zhang's death in 1582. Lady Li's position as the head of the government brought her prestige and recognition. However, in accordance with the rules established by the first Ming emperor, the Hongwu Emperor, she refrained from actively participating in politics and only occasionally attempted to intervene. For example, due to her Buddhist beliefs, she requested Zhang Juzheng to temporarily abolish the death penalty, but when he refused, citing the need to follow existing laws, she did not push her requests further. When she learned of the investigation into her father and brother for corruption, she did not offer them support but instead sent her father a set of masonry tools as a reminder of his humble origins. Even after Zhang Juzheng's death and Feng Bao's dismissal, Lady Li maintained her influence by forming an alliance with Zhang's successors, grand secretaries Shen Shixing, Xu Guo, and Wang Xijue.

Instead of being involved in politics, she turned to religion. She was a devout Buddhist, known for her support of the reconstruction and construction of numerous Buddhist monasteries. She also made generous donations to Buddhist monks and monasteries. She even referred to herself as the bodhisattva Guanyin (Avalokiteśvara) and was often associated with this deity. She funded many expensive construction projects during the 1570s, 1580s, and the first half of the 1590s. Initially, her support was focused on Buddhists in and around Beijing, but she eventually expanded her efforts to include other regions, such as Jiangnan. However, in the mid-1590s, a disagreement with the emperor over the appointment of an heir to the throne caused a rift, resulting in her having fewer resources to fund projects. It was not until after the appointment of a successor in 1601 and the resolution of the dispute with the emperor that she was able to resume her activities, although they were not as extensive as they were during the first half of the Wanli Emperor's reign.

In 1586, the issue of succession arose when the emperor's favored concubine, Lady Zheng, gave birth to a son, Zhu Changxun (1586–1641). She was then elevated to the rank of "Imperial Noble Consort" (Huang Guifei), placing her just one rank below Empress Wang and above any of his other concubines, including Lady Wang, the mother of the emperor's eldest son Zhu Changluo (1582–1620). It was evident to those around him that the emperor favored the son of Lady Zheng as his successor over Zhu Changluo. This caused officials to demand the appointment of a crown prince, with many citing laws that required the appointment of Zhu Changluo, but some sided with the emperor and Lady Zheng. Despite the debates and disputes, the emperor delayed the decision until 1601, when he finally appointed Zhu Changluo as his successor. In the midst of the dispute, Empress Dowager Li and Empress Wang supported Lady Wang and her son. Empress Dowager Li also argued that the emperor's eldest son was the son of a mere palace maid, but countered that the emperor himself was also the son of a mere maid. Her public and behind-the-scenes support for the empress and Lady Wang balanced the emperor's favoritism towards Lady Zheng. Meanwhile, Lady Li relied on the laws established by the first Ming emperor, which considered the appointment of the empress and the crown prince as family matters of the imperial family. This gave the empress dowager the final and decisive word. As time passed, a loose group formed around her, consisting of high officials, prominent Buddhist monks, ordinary officials, and some eunuchs, all supporting her interests and those of the emperor's eldest son.

In 1595–1604, a disagreement over the succession caused a rift between the emperor and his mother. The emperor had agreed to begin the education of his eldest son in early 1594, but this concession was followed by attacks on the empress dowager. In 1595, her close confidant, the Buddhist monk Hanshan Deqing, was arrested and sent to southern China. That same year, the Wanli Emperor did not attend her birthday celebration. The following year, he demoted and transferred a high-ranking and respected eunuch, Zhang Cheng, who was related to Lady Li's family, to Nanjing. In 1600, the emperor bestowed a high honorary title on the Taoist Geng Yilan, who had participated in the arrest of Hanshan Deqing.

After the appointment of the heir to the throne in 1601, the emperor's relationship with his mother began to improve. In 1602, he bestowed gifts upon her brother, the Count of Wuqing, and in 1604, he had two temples built for her health. Their relationship continued to be steadily good as the Wanli Emperor ceased the persecution of Buddhists, which he had previously attacked in the decade prior. He and the empress dowager even supported Buddhist monks and monasteries on various occasions. As a result, the empress mother returned to public life on a larger scale after 1604, renewing her support for Buddhist institutions that had been subdued in the decade after 1594.

In 1614, she died and was given the posthumous name "Empress Dowager Xiaoding". She is buried with the Longqing Emperor in the Zhao Mausoleum in the Ming tombs near Beijing.

Titles

• During the reign of the Jiajing Emperor (r. 1521–1567):

　• Lady Li (; from 1545)

　• Palace Lady (; from 1550)

　• Concubine (from 1560)

• During the reign of the Longqing Emperor (r. 1567–1572):

　• Imperial Noble Consort (; from March 1567)

• During the reign of the Wanli Emperor (r. 1572–1620):

　• Empress Dowager Cisheng (; from 19 July 1572)

　• Empress Dowager Cisheng Xuanwen Mingsu (; from 1578)

　• Empress Dowager Cisheng Xuanwen Mingsu (; from 1582)

　• Empress Dowager Cisheng Xuanwen Mingsu Zhenshou Duanxian (; from 1601)

　• Empress Dowager Cisheng Xuanwen Mingsu Zhenshou Duanxian Gongxi (; from 1606)

　• Empress Dowager Xiaoding Zhenchun Qinren Duansu Bitian Zuosheng (, from 1614)

Issue

• As Concubine Li:

　• Zhu Yijun, the Wanli Emperor (; 4 September 1563 – 18 August 1620), the Longqing Emperor's third son

　• Princess Shouyang (; 1565–1590), personal name Yao'e, the Longqing Emperor's third daughter

　　• Married Hou Gongchen in 1581

• As Imperial Noble Consort Li:

　• Princess Yongning (; 11 March 1567 – 22 July 1594), personal name Yaoying, the Longqing Emperor's fourth daughter

　　• Married Liang Bangrui (; d. 9 May 1582) in 1582

　• Zhu Yiliu, Prince Jian of Lu (; 3 March 1568 – 4 July 1614), the Longqing Emperor's fourth son

　• Princess Rui'an (; 1569–1629), personal name Yaoyuan, the Longqing Emperor's fifth daughter

　　• Married Wan Wei (; d. 1644) in 1585, and had issue (one son)

生平

武清侯李偉之女，嫡母或生母王氏。根據其父親李偉行狀，李氏生于嘉靖丙午（1544年）冬十一月十九日。庚戌（1550年）秋，「虜闖近郊畿輔戒嚴」。她隨家人遷居北京，後入裕王府，具體時間無記載。裕王朱載坖即為日後的明穆宗。李偉行狀指李氏最初為裕王妾室，然據《明史》中李氏傳記記載，她初為王府宮人。。

李氏在裕王府和丈夫登基初期的生活細節無記載，僅知在1563年，李氏生裕王第三子朱翊鈞，即明神宗。1565年，生裕王第三女朱堯娥。1566年，丈夫裕王朱載坖即位，是為明穆宗。第二年（1567年3月），李氏生穆宗第四女朱堯媖。同年三月，明穆宗告之禮部要冊生育「皇子二女」的李氏為皇貴妃、江氏為賢妃。同月壬午舉辦冊封儀式，派遣英國公張溶、鎮遠侯顧寰、大學士高拱、陳以勤捧冊寶行禮，冊文如下：

隆慶二年（1568年），皇貴妃李氏生次子朱翊鏐，同年，其子朱翊鈞被立為皇太子。1573年，生么女朱堯媛。李氏生下二子三女，為穆宗妻妾之中生育最多之人，但地位在李皇貴妃之上的陳皇后，只生有太和公主，卻早殤，陳皇后因無子多病，長期失寵，僅僅沒有正式被廢而已，與年輕美貌又兒女雙全的李貴妃是無法相比的。僅管如此，李皇貴妃沒有恃寵而驕，反而對陳皇后恭讓有禮，相處融洽。

1572年，穆宗逝世，其子朱翊鈞即位，上尊號曰慈聖皇太后。本來舊時的制度，天子立，尊皇后為皇太后，如果先皇后不是新任皇帝的生母，則同時尊生母為太后，而給先皇后加上徽號以示區別。而在這時，太監馮保欲討李皇貴妃歡心，跟大學士張居正說起並尊，張居正上議，尊陳皇后為仁聖皇太后，李皇貴妃為慈聖皇太后，從此嫡庶無區別矣，這時李太后才二十八歲。陳太后住在慈慶宮，李太后則住在慈寧宮。張居正又請李太后視皇帝起居，因而太后徙居乾清宮。

由於神宗即位時年紀尚幼，由母親李太后代為處理朝政，而李太后是少有的精明強幹的女人，有識人之明，沒有野心和權欲，萬曆初期，重用張居正與馮保，綜核名實，幾于富強，太后之力居多。太后父李偉封武清伯。李太后也從不會縱容自己親屬胡作非為，家人嘗有過，命中使出數之，而抵其家人于法。太后對官員頗寬容，御史曹學程曾經得罪萬曆帝，差點被處死，太后得知學程之母甚老，於是幫學程向皇帝求情，才沒被殺，但入獄十年。

明朝的皇帝，只有神宗嗜利，萬曆帝對李太后表示：「年來無恥臣僚，盡貨以獻張、馮二家。」李太后不置可否，也讓皇帝有十足的把握去抄張居正的家。

李太后是個端正嚴謹的女人，教導神宗頗為嚴格。小皇帝犯錯，太后召他長跪，歷數其過，有一次甚至幾乎要將神宗廢位，萬曆六年（1578年），神宗大婚，太后遂返回慈寧宮。六年三月，加尊號曰慈聖宣文皇太后。萬曆十年，加尊號曰慈聖宣文明肅皇太后。萬曆十二年，與陳太后一同謁山陵。同年患眼疾而不愈，陝西漢中府洋縣智果寺僧人智果治療有功，神宗朱翊鈞為表謝意，于十四年頒施藏經678函（6780卷），並賜金命太監會同漢中府知府田禮門，修建藏經樓一座，御書「敕賜智果寺」敕額一面。

萬曆二十九年（1601年），加尊號曰慈聖宣文明肅貞壽端獻皇太后。萬曆三十四年（1606年），加尊號曰慈聖宣文明肅貞壽端獻恭熹皇太后。萬曆四十二年二月初九崩（1614年3月18日），上尊謚曰孝定貞純欽仁端肅弼天祚聖皇太后，合葬昭陵，別祀崇先殿。

崇佛與國本之爭

明神宗曾經一時意亂情迷而臨幸了李太后的宮女王氏，王氏受孕後，神宗非常後悔。太后召問神宗，神宗起先不承認是他的作為，太后命人取《內起居註》查看，神宗至此方勉強承認，被迫封王氏為恭妃。

王氏頗不得寵，且長年無子，故篤信佛教的李太后常以為王氏祈嗣的理由興建佛寺，萬曆九年十月李太后派宦官尤用、張本前往五台山建祈嗣無遮會，而神宗已早一步為寵愛的鄭貴妃於武當山設祈嗣道場，造成太后與神宗的對立，神宗更云：「皇言有云舉朝為和尚，我偏為道士遙結武當。」加深佛、道二教的嫌隙，並使得道教重返宮廷，宦官為重要媒介。爾後，鄭貴妃生子朱常洵，王氏生子朱常洛。當時宮中稱宮女為「都人」，神宗因此稱王氏之子朱常洛為「都人子」，甚不喜常洛。由於李太后出身也是「都人」，太后大怒，罵神宗：「爾亦都人子！」神宗惶恐，跪在地上叩首請罪，不敢起立。

因寵愛鄭貴妃，神宗有意立朱常洵為太子，故引起鄭貴妃與支持朱常洛的群臣互相傾軋，是為國本之爭，神宗在大臣逼迫下只好立常洛為太子，常洵為福王，封地洛邑。群臣想要讓福王趕緊到封邑去，避免留在北京，威脅皇太子的地位。但鄭貴妃不願意，說要留福王在北京，等明年李太后生日的時候，好為李太后祝壽。李太后諷刺地說：「那我兒子潞王是不是也可以先來北京，準備明年為我慶生？」鄭貴妃只好打消念頭。

鄭貴妃一派於立嗣不得志，而神宗對於立嗣也較屬意朱常洵，再加上後來李太后將德清的畫像掛於內殿，要求神宗侍立拜受法名，終觸怒神宗，故當初主持五台山祈嗣無遮會的德清以其幹涉皇嗣、私創佛寺海山寺為由入獄，中外朝野也以「母后不得幹政」之由打擊李太后，佛教在宮廷的競爭勢力也因此削弱。

李太后的崇佛雖然使佛教在萬曆年間達到興盛，但興建佛寺耗費大量人力與金錢，加上涉及「祈嗣」及「立嗣」問題，使得神宗不僅與太后關係日漸疏遠，也造成其後來對佛教不再如此支持，加上鄭貴妃、宦官等的影響，轉而支持道教。因此國本之爭不僅與李太后的崇佛有莫大關聯，也加深佛、道二教的對立。

軼事

有一次李太后患了目疾，女醫師劉氏、彭金花進宮為李太后治病，太后封彭金花為「夫人」。當時，彭金花已經懷孕，宮中規定孕婦絕對不可入宮，避免把外人之子，謊稱為皇帝所生的皇子。彭氏貪戀富貴，為了繼續入宮治療太后而不肯說實話。到了臨產的時候，彭金花產下男嬰，但心虛，當晚就將男嬰扔進溺器中溺斃。宮人們將此事奏告神宗，準備重罰彭氏，但太后憐其辛勞，只是將彭氏發配于禮儀房，並鞭刑三十逐出皇宮，將死嬰遺棄于北安門外。以後凡是女官入宮都要由接生婆和收生婆再三檢驗。此事發生後沒多久李太后就去世了。

根據《明史》記載，崇禎帝曾經將曾祖母李太后的姪孫李國瑞（其兄李文全之孫）收獄斃死。不久，崇禎帝第五子朱慈煥五歲病死，臨終前，說：「九蓮菩薩說，皇帝待外戚不好，將要使每個皇子都年少而亡。」這位九蓮菩薩就是已經去世的崇禎帝曾祖母李太后。因為李太后篤信佛教，在宮中的畫像，都端坐九蓮寶座之上，人稱「九蓮菩薩」。後來民間把她視為神祇供奉。

備註