Empress Liu could be said to be a virtuous and shrewd woman.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
On the matter of naming a Taizi, she wavered. After all, First Wangzi was a Di son and the eldest.
Other women would have certainly killed First Wangzi while her husband was in power. But Née Liu did not do so and actually treated her husbandâs deceased wifeâs son well. Even when the Emperor was discussing naming a Taizi, she prevented her family from interfering.
Finally, the Emperor named Née Liuâs eldest son as Taizi. She was afraid that First Wangzi would be upset, so she took her Taizi son and swore an oath in front of First Wangzi to never harm his big brother.
So when Xuanwu Emperor ascended the throne, he immediately bestowed the title âNing Wangâ to his older brother.
Ning Wang and Née Liu had a very good relationship. They were as close as biological mother and son.
Actually, this Liu Empress Dowager was Zi Youâs Aunt Née Liuâs distant cousin. Née Liuâs father, Liu Ruiyuan, was a second-rank senior minister. He was the Empress Dowagerâs cousinâs son, from a different branch of the family.
There was another Wei Wang, the Emperorâs third brother. Wei Wangâs mother was the previous Emperorâs favored Liang Fei.
This Wei Wang was one of the powerful contenders of the throne then. If not for Empress Dowager Liu and her father Duke Anguo obtaining the previous emperorâs trust and respect, the throne would not be the current Emperorâs.
To make a metaphor: the previous Emperor was like Li Shimin, Empress Dowager Liu was like Empress Changsun, and Liang Fei was like Li Keâs mother: Yang Fei [all historical figures and references].
The last to mention was the Emperorâs younger brother: An Wang.
An Wang, Shangguan Yixuan, was the previous Emperorâs sixth son. He was thirty-four years old and the current Empress Dowagerâs most beloved son.