Despite the power she held, she appeared to largely yield to the judgement of high-level officials who advised her and rarely made decisions on her own.
[4] As Chu Suanzi herself grew older, she was known for her intelligence and foresight, and she was married to Sima Yue, who had then become the Prince of Langye, as his princess.
[7] Due to Emperor Mu's young age, Empress Dowager Chu was quickly called upon to serve as regent.
In response, Sima Yu invited the equally renowned Yin Hao to join as a key advisor to the empress dowager.
In 348, after he led a failed campaign against the collapsing Later Zhao with major losses, Chu Pou died in humiliation on 1 Jan 350.
Huan repeatedly requested permission to march north, but was constantly rebuffed by Sima Yu and Yin, who were concerned that he would be even harder to control if he recovered central and northern China for Jin.
In 357, as Emperor Mu turned 14 and went through his rite of passage (jiaguanli (加冠禮)), Empress Dowager Chu officially stripped herself of her role as regent, and moved to Chongde Palace (崇德宮), which would be her residence for the rest of her life.
However, in 364, when Emperor Ai became poisoned by pills given by magicians which he took while trying to seek immortality, he fell ill and could not handle matters of state.
Similarly, because Emperor Fei was also already an adult at the time he ascended the throne, Empress Dowager Chu did not serve as regent.
She read his submission and commented that she suspected the same thing,[9] and she signed the edict, although she added several sentences showing her grief: Huan was initially apprehensive that Empress Dowager Chu might not submit to his plan, so he was happy that she agreed despite her tone.