[3] Her family members, particularly her brother Dou Xian, became extremely powerful, until they were toppled in a coup d'etat by Emperor He, in 92.
Dou Xun was able to marry a princess because the Dous were a powerful noble family at the time, although he himself would eventually be accused of bribing other officials and would die in prison.
In 78, the elder Consort Song gave birth to a son named Liu Qing (劉慶), and because Empress Dou was sonless, Prince Qing was created crown prince in 79.
Empress Dou seized the cuscuta and falsely accused Consort Song of using it for witchcraft.
Emperor Zhang was enraged and expelled Crown Prince Qing from the palace.
When the Dou clan heard of this, they were displeased and fearful, and they felt that they had to destroy the Liangs.
Empress Dou began to give false reports about Prince Zhao's birth mother Consort Liang and her sister, also an imperial consort, and they lost Emperor Zhang's favor.
This would be a trend that would recur for the rest of the Eastern Han Dynasty and a source of corruption.
In 83, angered by Dou Xian's arrogance, Emperor Zhang threatened to kill him.
After this great military victory, he became even more arrogant, however—and Empress Dowager Dou permitted him to be.
As a result, Dou Xian so dominated the government that all dissenting officials faced the threat of demotion or even death.
The details are unclear now, but it appeared that Emperor He, perhaps encouraged by his brother Prince Qing (whose mother had died at the Dous' hand and whose status as crown prince had been stripped away by their machinations) and the eunuch Zheng Zhong (鄭眾), made sudden orders to the imperial guards to have them arrest Dou Xian's associates and execute them.