Consort Ban

[1] Consort Ban started as a junior maid, became a concubine of Emperor Cheng of Han, and quickly rose to prominence at court.

Empress Xu was put under house arrest away from court, but Consort Ban pleaded her case.

She used citations of Confucius and made a speech that impressed the emperor and he allowed her to stay at court.

Consort Ban became part of the emperor's funeral park after his death on April 7 BCE and died a year later.

[4] However, there is a certain historical doubt about the attribution of this song to her, especially since it is not mentioned in her grand-nephew Ban Gu's biography of her.

Ban Jieyu
Consort Ban declining to ride with Emperor Cheng on his palanquin. The painting is from the bottom panel of a Northern Wei screen.