Empress Shunsheng of Zhaocheng (? -693 AD), originally surnamed Dou, was from Pingling, Fufeng (now Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province). Consort Li Dan of Emperor Ruizong of Tang, granddaughter of Duke Dou of Shen, and daughter of Grand Commandant Dou Xiaochen gifted by the Governor of Runzhou. In history, it is recorded that Dou Defei was gentle, virtuous, and had a beautiful appearance. When Li Dan was still the Prime Minister, he had a great liking for the young Dou family.
In the first year of Guangzhai (684 AD), Li Dan succeeded to the throne as Emperor Ruizong of Tang, and Dou Shi was subsequently conferred the title of Empress Dowager. In the second year, Li Longji was born, and later gave birth to two daughters, Princess Jinxian and Princess Yuzhen. In the second year of Zaichu (690 AD), Empress Wu Zetian deposed Li Dan from the throne in order to become emperor and demoted him to Crown Prince, allowing him to move to the Eastern Palace.
In the second year of Changshou (693 AD), Wu Zetian’s maid was rejected for her love for Li Dan. She believed that Li Dan’s legitimate wife Liu and concubine Dou Defei were jealous and causing trouble, so she falsely accused the imperial concubine Liu and the concubine Dou of conspiring and used magic to curse Wu Zetian. On the second day of the first lunar month, Empress Wu Zetian was furious when she heard this. On the second day of the first lunar month, the emperor’s heiress, Liu’s, and the German imperial concubine, Dou’s, met Empress Wu Zetian in the Jiayu Hall. After that, Dou’s wife evaporated like a foam, and no one knew her whereabouts.
Afterwards, Dou Defei’s family was also implicated. Her mother, Pang Shi, was reported by a servant for burning incense and praying for blessings at night. She was also falsely accused by the cruel official Xue Jichang of cursing Pang Shi for misconduct and sentenced to execution on charges of “immorality”. Her family members were also exiled. Later, Pang was spared from the death penalty because the censor Xu Gonggong defended him. Dou Xiaochen, the father of Dou Defei, passed away during his exile in Luozhou, and all three brothers were exiled to Lingnan.
In the first year of Jingyun (710 AD), Li Dan was reinstated as Emperor Ruizong of Tang. Despite digging three feet in the palace, the bodies of his wives and concubines could not be found. He ordered the posthumous title of Empress Dowager Zhaocheng to Empress Dowager Dou, and buried her in the Jingling Mausoleum in the form of summoning her soul, setting up the Yikun Temple for worship. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang ascended the throne and posthumously honored Empress Zhaocheng Shunsheng, who was buried in Qiaoling.
