Empress Xin (Shi Siming)

Empress Xin (辛皇后, personal name unknown) (died after 18 April 761^[1]) was an empress and wife of Shi Siming, a general of the Chinese Tang dynasty who became an emperor of the rebel Yan state during Anshi Rebellion.

The future Empress Xin was said to be the daughter of gentry. When Shi Siming was young and still poor and of local station, she insisted on marrying him, and eventually got her wish. She had at least one son with him, Shi Chaoqing (史朝清), but his oldest son Shi Chaoyi was not her son. After Shi Siming, who had served under Yan's founder An Lushan, killed An Lushan's son and successor An Qingxu in 759, he declared himself emperor of Yan and created her empress. He was said to have favored both her and her son Shi Chaoqing, and might have created Shi Chaoqing crown prince.^[2] When he attacked the Tang eastern capital Luoyang with Shi Chaoyi, he left her at his base Fanyang (范陽, modern Beijing), with Shi Chaoqing in charge. On 18 April 761,^[1] Shi Chaoyi, in fear that Shi Siming would kill him, had his father killed first. Shi Chaoyi then sent messengers, in Shi Siming's name, to Fanyang to kill Shi Chaoqing, and Empress Xin was also killed.

^ ^a ^b Volume 222 of Zizhi Tongjian recorded that Shi Siming was killed on the jiawu day of the 3rd month of the 2nd year of the Shangyuan era of Tang Suzong's reign. This date corresponds to 18 Apr 761 on the Gregorian calendar.
^ The sources conflict with each other as to whether Shi Chaoqing was, indeed, created crown prince. Shi Siming's biographies in the Book of Tang and the New Book of Tang indicated that he was only considering it, but the Jimen Jiluan, an account of the Anshi Rebellion written by the Tang dynasty historian Ping Zhimei (平致美) no longer extant but often cited by others,[1] Archived 2014-02-04 at the Wayback Machine indicated that Shi Siming did create Shi Chaoqing crown prince. Compare Book of Tang, vol. 200, part 1, and New Book of Tang, vol. 225, part 1 Archived 2008-05-28 at the Wayback Machine, with Bo Yang Edition of the Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 53 [761], citing Jimen Jiluan.

[death-1] Volume 222 of Zizhi Tongjian recorded that Shi Siming was killed on the jiawu day of the 3rd month of the 2nd year of the Shangyuan era of Tang Suzong's reign. This date corresponds to 18 Apr 761 on the Gregorian calendar.

[2] The sources conflict with each other as to whether Shi Chaoqing was, indeed, created crown prince. Shi Siming's biographies in the Book of Tang and the New Book of Tang indicated that he was only considering it, but the Jimen Jiluan, an account of the Anshi Rebellion written by the Tang dynasty historian Ping Zhimei (平致美) no longer extant but often cited by others,[1] Archived 2014-02-04 at the Wayback Machine indicated that Shi Siming did create Shi Chaoqing crown prince. Compare Book of Tang, vol. 200, part 1, and New Book of Tang, vol. 225, part 1 Archived 2008-05-28 at the Wayback Machine, with Bo Yang Edition of the Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 53 [761], citing Jimen Jiluan.

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