Consort Fu (Yuan)

Consort Fu's father was from the Commandery of Henei (roughly modern Handan, Hebei) and died early.

In his illness, apparently encouraged by Consort Fu, Emperor Yuan reconsidered whether he should make Prince Kang his heir instead.

Only the intercession of Shi Dan – who risked his life by stepping onto the carpet of the imperial bed chamber, an act that only the empress was allowed to do, at the pain of death – led Emperor Yuan to cease those thoughts.

In 38 BC, Emperor Yuan was watching a fight between wild animals, accompanied by a number of his concubines (but apparently not by Empress Wang).

Prince Kang was viewed by many as the potential heir – a status that was greatly despised by Emperor Cheng's uncles from the Wang clan.

Princess Dowager Fu continued to carry her title after her son's death (as the Han dynasty did not appear to have a title such as "grand princess dowager"), and she maintained a strong grip on her grandson, the person now that she wants to eventually become emperor.

Almost immediately, the issue of the roles of Princess Dowager Fu and Consort Ding (and what honour, if any, to posthumously bestow on Emperor Ai's father Prince Kang) would quickly erupt into a major controversy.

In 6 BC, Empress Dowager Fu would further display her power and at the same time cause the people to be even more disappointed in Emperor Ai.

Emperor Ai's cousin Liu Jizi (劉箕子), the Prince of Zhongshan (Prince Xing's son), had a congenital heart disorder, and his grandmother Feng Yuan, the princess dowager, cared for his treatment and often worshipped gods to pray for his healing.

Emperor Ai, up on hearing his cousin's illness, sent imperial physicians along with his attendant Zhang You (張由) to go to Zhongshan (roughly modern Baoding, Hebei) to treat Prince Jizi.

Zhang, however, was himself afflicted with a psychiatric condition (probably bipolar disorder), and when he got to Zhongshan, he suddenly, in a rage, left there and returned to Chang'an.

Shi Li decided to show Princess Dowager Feng who was actually behind the investigation, by referring to the wild bear incident.

Grand Empress Dowager Fu died in February 2 BC, and was buried with Emperor Yuan – an act that drew even greater hatred from the Wangs, because now there would be no place for Grand Empress Dowager Wang, Emperor Yuan's wife, to be buried after her death.

Wang Mang, bearing grudges against Grand Empress Dowager Fu and Emperor Ai, would immediately undertake several punitive actions against her posthumously.

In 5, he persuaded Grand Empress Dowager Wang to allow him to disinter Consorts Fu and Ding's caskets and strip their bodies of jade burial shells, and then returned to Dingtao to be buried there.

According to legend, when their tombs were opened up, great fires started, damaging their bodies and the burial items.