Empress Dowager Xu (Chinese: 徐太后; personal name unknown) (died 926), honored as Empress Dowager Shunsheng (Chinese: 順聖太后) during the reign of her son Wang Yan (né Wang Zongyan), known as Consort Xu with the imperial consort rank Xianfei (徐賢妃) during the reign of her husband Wang Jian (Emperor Gaozu), was an empress dowager of the Chinese Former Shu dynasty.
It is known that her father was Xu Geng (徐耕), who at one point served as the Tang dynasty prefect of Mei Prefecture (眉州, in modern Meishan, Sichuan) under Chen Jingxuan the military governor (Jiedushi) of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan).
Subsequently, Wang Yan wanted to tour as far as Qin Prefecture (秦州, in modern Tianshui, Gansu); Empress Dowager Xu tried to stop him by refusing to eat, but even her actions could not stop him from leaving Chengdu, leaving the empire completely unprepared for the subsequent Later Tang assault, commanded by Li Jiji the Prince of Wei (the oldest son of Later Tang's Emperor Zhuangzong) and the major general Guo Chongtao.
[9] Emperor Zhuangzong initially made assurances that Wang Yan, by virtue of his surrender, would be given an honorable title as a Later Tang subject.
As Wang Yan and his household reached Chang'an in spring 926, however, the Later Tang empire was beginning to be enveloped by various mutinies led by generals and soldiers dissatisfied at Emperor Zhuangzong's failures to reward them for their contributions during the Former Shu campaign and his earlier campaign to destroy Later Liang and fearful of death (after Li Jiji killed Guo Chongtao in early 926 and Emperor Zhuangzong killed Zhu Youqian around the same time due to fears that they would revolt), and Emperor Zhuangzong ordered Wang Yan to halt at Chang'an for some time.
Emperor Zhuangzong therefore issued orders to eunuch Xiang Yansi (向延嗣) to have Wang and his household put to death.
It was said that as Empress Dowager Xu was to be executed, she cried out in cursing Emperor Zhuangzong, "My son surrendered an empire to you but could not avoid having his clan slaughtered.
(Her curse came true, as mutineers supporting Li Siyuan would rise at Luoyang shortly after, killing Emperor Zhuangzong in battle.