Lady Helan
Lady of Wei
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Lady Helan (Chinese: 賀蘭氏, 7th century – 666 CE) was the Lady of Wei (魏國夫人) during the Tang dynasty and the niece of Wu Zetian. The Lady of Wei was an honorific for relatives of the Emperor and Empress. She was involved in court politics during her lifetime.[1] She was killed by being poisoned at a dinner party.
| Lady Helan | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lady of Wei | |||||
| Succeeded by Lady Chen | |||||
| Reign | 7th century to 666 | ||||
| Died | 666 | ||||
| |||||
| Father | Helan Yueshi | ||||
| Mother | Wu Shun | ||||
Background
Lady of Wei
Lady Helan and her mother, Wu Shun, were favored by Emperor Gaozong who gave her the title Lady of Wei and her mother that of Lady of Han.
Emperor Gaozong wanted to keep Lady Helan as a concubine, but Empress Wu found out and had the Lady of Wei killed by poisoning. She then blamed Wu Weiliang and Wu Huaiyun for the murder and they were executed. Empress Wu accused Lady Helan's brother, Helan Minzhi (643 - 14 September 671),[5] of suspecting her to be behind the murder of his sister. Helan Minzhi was exiled and later died in exile.[6]
Modern Depictions
Lady Helan is often known in television series as Helan Minyue (賀蘭敏月). She is often portrayed as an antagonist.