Fu Song'e

In this Chinese name, the family name is Fu.

Fu Song'e (苻娀娥, died September 404) was a consort of Murong Xi (Emperor Zhaowen), emperor of the Xianbei-led Chinese Later Yan dynasty. She was posthumously honored as Empress Min (愍皇后こうごう).

She was the older sister of Murong Xi's empress Fu Xunying.

Early life

Fu Song'e was the oldest daughter of Fu Mo (苻謨), the mayor of Later Yan's capital Zhongshan (中山なかやま, in modern Baoding, Hebei) in the 390s. Shortly after the Later Yan emperor Murong Bao (Emperor Huimin) abandoned Zhongshan in face of Northern Wei military attacks, Fu Mo was killed by Murong Xiang (慕容詳しょう) the Duke of Kaifeng, who wanted to be emperor himself. His family was also slaughtered. Somehow, however, Fu Song'e and her younger sister Fu Xunying were not killed—perhaps they escaped the slaughter, or perhaps they were not in Zhongshan at that point.

As Murong Xi's consort

After Murong Xi became emperor in 401, he took Fu Song'e and Fu Xunying as imperial consorts in late 401 and greatly favored them. Both of them were described as beautiful and charming. Murong Xi was said to have granted every wish from the sisters, and providing them with so much luxury that his small empire's resources were highly drained. Fu Song'e liked to travel as a commoner and throw banquets, and Murong Xi permitted her this indulgence. He also ordered the construction of Quguang Hai (曲きょく光ひかり海かい; "Bent-Light Sea") and Qingliang Chi (清涼せいりょう池ち; "Cool Pond") specifically for her. During the hot summer, half of the laborers and soldiers in the construction work died from the heat.

Murong Xi however preferred the younger sister Fu Xunying, whom he made the empress in January 404.

Death

In September 404, when Fu Song'e was taken ill, a man named Wang Rong (王おう榮さかえ) in the capital Longcheng (龍りゅう城じょう, in modern Chaoyang, Liaoning) volunteered to treat her and promised cure. However, Fu Song'e died soon after, and Murong Xi was so enraged that he had Wang Rong dismembered and his corpse burned in public.

References

• Cui Hong (c. 500s). Shiliuguo Chunqiu (十じゅう六ろく國こく春秋しゅんじゅう) [Spring and Autumn Annals of the Sixteen Kingdoms] (in Chinese).
• (in Chinese) Sima Guang (1086). Zizhi Tongjian (資し治ち通どおり鑑かん) [Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government].