Lady Helan
Lady Helan 贺兰氏, (7th century to 666) (common era) was the Lady of Wei (魏国夫人) during the Tang Dynasty and the niece of Wu Zetian. The Lady of Wei was an honorable title for relatives of the Emperor and Empress. She was implicated in court politics during her lifetime.[1]She finally, by her powerful aunt Empress Wu, who served as the real power behind the throne for her ailing husband, Emperor Gaozong, she was killed at a dinner party by her mother's relatives with poison in her food.
| Lady Helan | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lady of Wei | |||||
| Succeeded by Lady Chen | |||||
| Reign | 7th century to 666 | ||||
| Died | 666 | ||||
| |||||
| Father | Helan Yueshi | ||||
| Mother | Wu Shun | ||||
Background
Lady Helan was the daughter of Wu Shun and Helan Yueshi. Wu Shun was the first daughter of Wu Shiyue and Lady Yang, and the older sister of Empress Wu. Helan Yueshi was the son of the Duke of Yingshan (应山公) and died early. Lady Helan had a brother named Helan Minzhi, who had incestuous relations with their grandmother Lady Yang. Lady Helan was exceedingly beautiful and inherited her mother's characteristics.
Lady of Wei
Lady Helan frequently entered the palace along with her mother, Wu Shun. They were favored by Emperor Gaozong and he created her the Lady of Wei and her mother the Lady of Han. Lady Han soon died afterwards, presumably on the orders of Lady Helan's aunt, Empress Wu.
Emperor Gaozong wanted to keep Lady Helan as a concubine, but Empress Wu found out and was angered. Empress Wu had the Lady of Wei poisoned by placing poison in food offerings that her cousins had made. She then proceeded to blame Wu Weiliang and Wu Huaiyun for the murder and they were executed. Lady Helan's brother, Helan Minzhi, suspected Empress Wu of murdering his sister and was exiled.
Modern Depictions
Lady Helan is well known in television series as Helan Minyue (贺兰敏月). She is often portrayed as an antagonist.
- Portrayed by He Lin in the Palace of Desire
- Portrayed by Kathy Yuen in Secret History of Empress Wu
- Portrayed by Sandra Ma in The Empress of China