Lady Liu (simplified: 刘夫人, traditional: 劉夫人, pinyin: Liú Fūrén) was a concubine of Cao Cao. She was originally a maid in the Ding household who came with Lady Ding when she married Cao Cao, and was later taken by Cao Cao as his concubine. She was the mother of Cao Ang, Cao Cao’s eldest son, who died at the Battle of Wancheng in 197 CE. Lady Liu herself died sometime before Cao Ang’s death, and Cao Ang was subsequently raised by Lady Ding.
Biography
Origins
Lady Liu’s origins are humble. She was a maid (婢) in the household of Lady Ding’s family. When Lady Ding married Cao Cao, Lady Liu came with her as part of her entourage. At some point, Cao Cao took Lady Liu as his concubine. This arrangement — in which a formal wife’s attendant maid would become her husband’s concubine — was not uncommon in Han dynasty society.
Mother of Cao Ang
Lady Liu bore Cao Cao his eldest son, Cao Ang (曹昂), whose courtesy name was Zixiu (子脩). Cao Ang was the eldest of all of Cao Cao’s sons and was regarded highly by his father.
Lady Liu died while Cao Ang was still young. The cause and date of her death are not recorded in the surviving sources, but it was certainly before 197 CE, when Cao Ang died at the Battle of Wancheng. After Lady Liu’s death, Cao Ang was raised by Lady Ding, Cao Cao’s formal wife. Lady Ding raised Cao Ang as her own son, and the relationship between them was close.
Aftermath
Cao Ang grew to adulthood and accompanied Cao Cao on his campaigns. In 197 CE, when Cao Cao campaigned against Zhang Xiu at Wancheng, Zhang Xiu initially surrendered. However, Cao Cao took Zhang Xiu’s widowed aunt, Lady Zou (鄒氏), as a concubine, which enraged Zhang Xiu. He launched a surprise attack on Cao Cao’s camp. In the chaos, Cao Cao was forced to flee on horseback, and his horse was struck by an arrow. Cao Ang gave up his own horse to his father, enabling Cao Cao to escape. Cao Ang was killed in the fighting, along with Cao Cao’s nephew Cao Anmin (曹安民) and his loyal bodyguard Dian Wei (典韋).
When Lady Ding heard of Cao Ang’s death, she blamed Cao Cao bitterly. She is reported to have said: “When you took someone else’s wife, did you think about what would happen to my son?” The marriage between Cao Cao and Lady Ding effectively ended after this. Lady Ding left Cao Cao and returned to her family home. Cao Cao later begged her to return and even sent Lady Bian (who would become his second formal wife) to plead with her, but Lady Ding refused.
Cao Cao himself is recorded as having been deeply affected by Cao Ang’s death. On his deathbed in 220, he is said to have reflected: “If I should die and there is anyone in the underworld who asks me about my son Zixiu (Cao Ang), what shall I say?” He later had Cao Ang formally adopted into the line of Lady Ding’s family, giving him the status of a legitimate son of the formal wife — an unusual and significant honour.
Legacy
Although Lady Liu herself is barely mentioned in the historical record, her son’s death had far-reaching consequences for the Cao family. Cao Ang’s death removed the eldest son from the line of succession, which ultimately paved the way for Cao Pi (Cao Cao’s second surviving son, by Lady Bian) to become heir and later the first emperor of Cao Wei.
Lady Liu’s daughter — Cao Cao’s daughter Cao Jie — was also initially raised by Lady Ding after Lady Liu’s death. Cao Jie later became Empress to Emperor Xian of Han, a politically significant marriage arranged by Cao Cao. However, some sources suggest that Cao Jie may have been the daughter of a different consort, and the attribution varies among sources.
Historical sources
Lady Liu is mentioned in the Records of the Three Kingdoms (SGZ), in the biography of Empress Dowager Bian (volume 5, Book of Wei). The account describes her origins as a Ding family maid, her relationship with Cao Cao, her death, and the subsequent raising of Cao Ang by Lady Ding.
Family
Lady Liu’s own family background is not recorded in the surviving sources. She was a maid of the Ding household and had no known family connections of note. Through her relationship with Cao Cao, she was the mother of Cao Ang, and possibly Cao Jie (though this attribution is uncertain in some sources).