Deng Sui was recognized as a merciful, intelligent leader who guided the dynasty well through a period of excessive natural disaster, disastrous famine, court intrigues, economic inflation and costly military conflicts, and she overcame all the problems and organized the government; as well as a staunch opponent of corruption and bribery, and an effective patron of education and the arts, which fostered growth and development in state.

As regent, Deng had full control over the kingdom, and she demonstrated her intelligence through her decisions to cut taxes and reduce palace expenses, which provided great relief for the poor.

Through her rule, she successfully guided the dynasty through a period fraught with severe hailstorms, floods, and droughts through her organization of relief efforts.

Her administration is considered one of the last periods of stable and effective rule during the Eastern Han dynasty, with subsequent rulers drawn into power struggles that gradually destabilized the empire.

She had a noted interest in studying, being able to read historical texts at age six and being able to recite the Book of Documents and Analects when she was twelve.

Upon hearing that remark, Consort Deng considered committing suicide, and one of her ladies-in-waiting saved her by falsely telling her that the emperor had recovered.

(Emperor He was described as having had a number of sons who died in young age; it is unclear whether Empresses Yin or Deng ever gave birth, but it appears that they did not.)

Under the superstition of the time, it was thought that they might survive better if they grew up outside the palace in light of their other brothers' early deaths, so both were given to foster parents.

At the time Emperor He died, Liu Sheng, the older son, was still young (but actual age is not recorded in history) and believed to be constantly ill.

When Emperor An ascended the throne, his father Liu Qing was still alive, as was his wife Consort Geng—who had remained in the capital Luoyang with him until his ascension.

However, Deng Sui was able to ensure exclusive control over the young emperor still, as empress dowager, by sending Consort Geng to join her husband Liu Qing in his Principality of Qinghe.

[10] While Empress, she twice opened the imperial granaries to feed the hungry; forced the reduction of income landlords received from the land they rented out; she repaired waterways and cut court rituals and banquets.

First, kingdoms of the Western Regions (or Xiyu, modern Xinjiang and Central Asia), which had submitted to Han suzerainty during the times of the great general Ban Chao, had been resisting Ban's successors for some time due to their harsh regulations, and in 107, Empress Dowager Deng finally decreed that Xiyu be abandoned.

That same year, Qiang tribes, who had been oppressed by Han officials for more than a decade and fearful that they would be ordered to quell Xiyu rebellions, rebelled themselves.

In 109, South Xiongnu, which had been a loyal vassal up to this point, rebelled as well, believing that Han had been so weakened by Qiang rebellions that it would be easy target.

Her brothers resigned their posts to observe a period of mourning for three years, and after initially not approving the request, she eventually did, under female scholar Ban Zhao's suggestion.

His wet nurse Wang Sheng (王聖) and trusted eunuchs Li Run (李閏) and Jiang Jing (江京), who had waited for years to have power, falsely accused Empress Dowager Deng of having considered deposing Emperor An and replacing him with his cousin, Liu Yi (劉翼) the Prince of Hejian.

Later that year, however, he partially reversed his orders, and some of Empress Dowager Deng's relatives were allowed to return, but the clan had been decimated by then.

[15] During her regency, she cut palace expenses, provided relief for the poor, was able to meet the challenge of natural disasters including crippling floods, droughts and hailstorms in several parts of the empire, as well as largely quelling wars with Xiongnu and Qiang.

Well educated, Empress Deng created new positions for scholars, encouraged original thinking, and was responsible for the standardization of the five classics.