Lady Xu

Lady Xu (died in or after May 229) was a concubine of Sun Quan, the founding emperor of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Life Lady Xu was from Fuchun County, Wu Commandery, around present day Fuyang, Zhejiang. She was the daughter of Xu Kun (徐琨), a cousin of Sun Quan through his father Sun Jian's younger sister (Lady Sun), who was killed in action fighting against Huang Zu. Lady Xu was initially married to Lu Shang (陸尚), also of Fuchun County. When Lu Shang died around 200, Lady Xu was taken in by Sun Quan as a concubine, on which occasion he told his first wife Lady Xie to lower herself in status to accommodate Lady Xu's arrival; Lady Xie refused and fell into disfavour, dying at a relatively early age. As part of her duties as concubine, Lady Xu was assigned as adoptive mother to Sun Deng, Quan's son by a mother of lowly status, who would later acknowledge her as his mother. When Sun Quan later relocated in 212, he abandoned Lady Xu in Wu, irritated on account of her jealous nature. In May 229, when Sun Quan declared himself emperor of Eastern Wu, his advisors pushed for Lady Xu to be declared his official empress, being the respectable adopted mother of Sun Deng, Sun Quan's heir apparent since he was created King of Wu in 221. However, Quan refused, favouring Lady Bu instead, who was treated unofficially as empress and later posthumously titled as such. Lady Xu herself died of illness sometime after. Family and relatives