Life

Records say she comes from the Wu Clan from Zhejiang Province. Her family consisted of her father Wu Yan, her mother Shen Shi, her four brothers Wu Xing, Wu Zhong, Wu Rong and Wu An and three sisters: Wu Meixiang, Wu Meiyin and Wu Meiqing.

She entered court on the 10th year of Yongle (1412) when she was sixteen years old. At this time Zhu Zhanji was the Emperor's grandson, and she was assigned as his servant in Yuqing Palace. After this, the next record of her is when she gave birth to Zhu Qiyu in 1428 and was instated as Consort Xian that same year. It is rumored however that Zhu Qiyu is not the Xuande Emperor's child.

After the death of the Xuande Emperor, his eldest son by his wife Empress Sun was enthroned as the Zhengtong Emperor. In 1449, the Zhengtong Emperor became a prisoner of the Oirat Mongols and because of this, Zhu Qiyu was enthroned as the Jingtai Emperor. He honored his mother as Empress Dowager. But after the deposition of the Jingtai Emperor, the Zhengtong Emperor demoted Empress Dowager Wu and gave her the title of Consort Xuanmiaoxian (宣廟賢妃). When she died she was given the posthumous title of Consort Rongsixian (榮思賢妃).

After the enthronement of the Hongguang Emperor, she was elevated to the rank of Empress Dowager and was given the posthumous title Holy Empress Dowager Xiàoyìchénhuìshūshèncírénkuāngtiānxī (孝翼溫惠淑慎慈仁匡天錫聖皇太后)

生平

吳氏墓誌的記載，世為鎮江府丹徒縣人，父吳彥名，母神氏，弟弟吳行、吳忠、吳安、吳榮，妹妹吳妙香、吳妙音、吳妙清。吳氏于永樂十年（1412年）選召入掖庭，時年十六。當時明宣宗為皇太孫，侍宣宗于青宮，這與《明史·后妃傳》記載略有差別。宣德三年（1428年），吳氏生朱祁鈺。生朱祁鈺同年冊封為賢妃。《罪惟錄》則指出吳氏本是明宣宗之叔朱高煦的妾侍，明宣宗殺叔後占有了吳氏，私生一子，即朱祁鈺，母子長期隱藏宮外，至宣宗死前才得到承認。

土木堡之變，明英宗被俘，景帝即位，尊母親吳賢妃為皇太后。奪門之變中英宗復位，景帝崩後，追廢景帝為王，並降稱景帝生母吳太后為宣廟賢妃。天順五年十二月十六日，宣廟賢妃吳氏逝世，諡號榮思賢妃。

南明弘光帝即位後，於崇禎十七年十月重新為吳氏尊諡孝翼溫惠淑慎慈仁匡天錫聖皇太后。

注釋