Lady Zhang (simplified: 张氏, traditional: 張氏, pinyin: Zhāng Shì) was the younger sister of Zhang Wen (張溫) and the wife of Gu Cheng (顧承), a general and official of Eastern Wu. She was drawn into the political turmoil of the Two Palaces conflict when her husband Gu Cheng was exiled to Jiao Province in 245 CE. After his exile, she was ordered to remarry a man surnamed Ding. On the day of her wedding to the new husband, she took poison and died, choosing death over a forced second marriage — an act of loyalty to Gu Cheng that was recorded in the Records of the Three Kingdoms.
Biography
Family background
Lady Zhang was the younger sister of Zhang Wen, a prominent official of Eastern Wu known for his talent and diplomatic missions. Zhang Wen had been sent on an embassy to Shu Han, where his abilities impressed Zhuge Liang and the Shu court. However, Zhang Wen later fell out of favour with Sun Quan during the factional struggles of the 240s and was eventually dismissed from office.
Lady Zhang married Gu Cheng, the son of Gu Shao (顧邵) and grandson of Gu Yong (顧雍), who served as Chancellor of Eastern Wu for nearly two decades. Gu Cheng himself was a respected general who had served under Sun Quan, holding the title of General Who Pacifies the North (平北將軍) and later Administrator of Yuzhang Commandery. Gu Cheng’s mother was the eldest daughter of Lu Xun, making Lady Zhang connected to two of the most powerful families in Eastern Wu.
The Two Palaces conflict
The Two Palaces conflict (二宮之爭) was one of the most destructive political crises of Sun Quan’s later reign. It centred on the rivalry between the Crown Prince Sun He (孫和) and the Prince of Lu Sun Ba (孫霸), each of whom attracted a faction of officials and nobles. The conflict paralysed the Wu court for years and ultimately devastated both factions.
Gu Cheng became entangled in this crisis through his family connections and political alignments. He was close to the Crown Prince Sun He’s faction, alongside his cousin Gu Tan (顧譚) and Zhang Xiu (張休), the son of Zhang Zhao. When Sun Ba’s faction gained the upper hand through the influence of Sun Quan’s favourite Quan Cong and the Princess Quan (全公主), the Crown Prince’s supporters came under attack.
In 245 CE, Gu Cheng was accused of wrongdoing and exiled to Jiao Province (in present-day northern Vietnam), a remote and unhealthy region that was effectively a death sentence in practice. His cousin Gu Tan was also exiled to the same region. Both men died in exile not long after.
Forced remarriage and death
After Gu Cheng’s exile, Lady Zhang’s family arranged for her to be remarried to a man surnamed Ding. The circumstances of this arrangement — whether it was initiated by her family or by imperial order — are not specified in the surviving sources, but it appears to have been a formal and public arrangement rather than a private family decision.
On the day of her wedding to Ding, Lady Zhang took poison and died. Her act was understood as a statement of loyalty to Gu Cheng: she would not accept a second marriage while her husband was still alive, even though he had been exiled and his political career was over. Her death was recorded in the Records of the Three Kingdoms, where it appears as a brief but striking note in the broader narrative of the Two Palaces conflict.
Historical sources
Lady Zhang’s story is recorded in the Records of the Three Kingdoms (SGZ), in the biography of Zhang Wen (volume 57 of the Book of Wu). The account of her suicide is brief but memorable, appearing as part of the narrative of Zhang Wen’s family and the aftermath of the Two Palaces conflict.
Her act of loyalty was noted by later historians as an example of wifely fidelity, though modern readers may also see it as a tragedy of a woman caught in political crosscurrents beyond her control.
Family
Lady Zhang was the younger sister of Zhang Wen (張溫), son of Zhang Yun (張允), of Wu Commandery. She married Gu Cheng (顧承), son of Gu Shao (顧邵) and grandson of Gu Yong (顧雍), the long-serving Chancellor of Eastern Wu. Through Gu Cheng, she was also connected to the Lu family — Gu Cheng’s mother was Lu Xun’s eldest daughter.
Lady Zhang and Gu Cheng may have had children, but the surviving sources do not record whether they did.
See also
- Gu Cheng
- Zhang Wen
- Gu Yong
- Two Palaces conflict
- Eastern Wu