Wang Zhi (empress)

Zang Er decided to offer her daughters to the crown prince, Liu Qi, and, to do so, forcibly divorced Wang Zhi from her husband.

Emperor Jing was ecstatic over the divine implication, and made Liu Che (his 10th son) the Prince of Jiaodong (膠東王) in May 153 BC.

When Emperor Jing's older sister, Elder Princess Guantao (館陶長公主) Liu Piao (劉嫖), offered to marry her daughter Chen Jiao (陳嬌) to Liu Rong, Lady Li rudely rejected the proposal, complaining that Princess Guantao often offered new concubines as prostitutes to Emperor Jing.

Consort Wang, who had been observing quietly and waiting for her chance, took the opportunity and secured a marriage alliance by offering to marry her 5-year-old son Liu Che with Chen Jiao.

Now siding with Consort Wang, Princess Guantao constantly criticised Lady Li in front of Emperor Jing.

This made Emperor Jing angry and he became worried that if Liu Rong was to inherit the throne and Lady Li became Empress Dowager, many of his concubines might suffer the fate of Consort Qi.

She persuaded a minister to advise Emperor Jing to make Lady Li empress as Liu Rong was already the crown prince.

He executed that minister who put forward that proposal, and demoted Liu Rong to the Prince of Linjiang (臨江王) in 150 BC and exiled him out of the capital city Chang'an.

Emperor Jing, who had always considered Liu Che to be his favourite son, soon made Consort Wang empress on 6 June.

She had good relations with her mother-in-law, and both she and her brother Wang Xin played important parts in calming Emperor Jing over his anger against his younger brother Liu Wu (劉武), the Prince Xiao of Liang, and the favoured young son of Empress Dowager Dou, when Liu Wu assassinated a number of court officials in 148 BC for opposing the proposal to have him appointed the heir apparent.

Her daughter Jin Su, from her previous marriage, was tracked down and personally visited by Emperor Wu, and he created her the Lady of Xiucheng (修成君).