Empress Hu (胡皇后, personal name unknown; died after 581) was an empress consort and empress dowager of the Chinese Northern Qi dynasty. Her husband was Emperor Wucheng (Gao Zhan). She was the empress dowager during the reign of her son Gao Wei. Hu was known to be debauched and promiscuous, having multiple love affairs even with eunuchs. Even after the Northern Qi was overthrown by the Northern Zhou, she continued to have affairs with the new emperors until she died during the Sui dynasty.
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Background
Her father was the Northern Wei official Hu Yanzhi (胡延之), and her mother was the daughter of Lu Daoyue (盧道約). She was not Gao Zhan's first wife, as Gao Zhan, then the Duke of Changguang under Eastern Wei, married a daughter of the Rouran Khan Yujiulü Anluochen, titled the Princess Linhe, in 544 as his wife. It is not known whether he later divorced the Princess Linhe or if she died. During the reign of Gao Zhan's brother Emperor Wenxuan, the first emperor of Northern Qi, Gao Zhan, then the Prince of Changguang, married Lady Hu as his wife. They had two sons, Gao Wei and Gao Yan.
As empress consort and "retired empress"
Gao Zhan took the throne (as Emperor Wucheng) in 561 upon the death of another brother, Emperor Xiaozhao. He named her empress and named her son Gao Wei crown prince. However, both Emperor Wucheng and she favored their other son, Gao Yan, more, believing him to be more intelligent and resolute.
Empress Hu was alleged to be promiscuous, even during Emperor Wucheng's reign. She was said to have initially engaged in sexual relations with her eunuchs—although, in light of their being previously castrated, the traditional historians used the term xiexia (褻狎, "immoral games") rather than "adultery" to describe her acts with them. Later, with one of his officials, He Shikai, gaining great favors with him and allowed to enter the palace at all times, she engaged in a sexual relationship with He Shikai.
In 565, Emperor Wucheng, believing in astrological signs that the imperial reign would be changed, passed the throne to Gao Wei. He took the title of Taishang Huang (retired emperor), while granting Empress Hu the title of Taishang Huanghou ("retired empress"). However, matters of state were still decided by him rather than the nine-year-old Gao Wei. During this period, Gao Yan was initially named the Prince of Dongping and then the Prince of Langye. Because of the retired emperor's and empress' great favor toward Gao Yan, he became exceedingly honored, and at times he would question his parents as to why his brother, who was weaker in personality than he was, was emperor. Emperor Wucheng and Empress Hu at times considered deposing Gao Wei and making Gao Yan emperor, but ultimately did not do so.
In spring 568, Emperor Wucheng became ill, but after treatment by the medically talented official Xu Zhicai (徐之才), recovered. In winter 568, however, the illness returned, and he quickly tried to summon Xu, who was then the governor of Yan Province (兗州, roughly modern Jining, Shandong), to the capital Yecheng (鄴城, in modern Handan, Hebei), but died before Xu could arrive. Thereafter, Empress Hu assumed the title of empress dowager.
As empress dowager
Emperor Wucheng entrusted the affairs of state to He Shikai, and he remained powerful after Emperor Wucheng's death. In spring 569, other officials, including Emperor Wucheng's cousin Gao Rui (高叡) the Prince of Zhao Commandery, Emperor Wucheng's brother Gao Run (高潤) the Prince of Fengyi, Emperor Wucheng's nephew Gao Yanzong (高延宗) the Prince of Ande, Lou Dingyuan (婁定遠), and Gao Wenyao (高文遙), all suggested that He Shikai be sent out of the capital to become a provincial governor. Initially, Empress Dowager Hu felt compelled to agree, but after further consultation with He Shikai, she instead killed Gao Rui and exiled Lou, while keeping He Shikai in power. Meanwhile, her lady in waiting, Gao Wei's wet nurse Lu Lingxuan, was also becoming powerful, as she gained Empress Dowager Hu's favor by flattering Empress Dowager Hu.
In 571, Gao Yan, offended by He Shikai, who feared his power and wanted to demote him to a provincial governorship, arrested He Shikai and executed him. However, when his associates, including Empress Dowager Hu's brother-in-law Feng Zicong (馮子琮), encouraged him to further seize the reins of imperial government, he hesitated—and his troops dissipated when the powerful general Hulü Guang, the father of Gao Wei's wife Empress Hulü, refused to side with him. Empress Dowager Hu had Feng executed, but tried to preserve Gao Yan's life by keeping him with her at all times. However, at Lu's instigation, Gao Wei decided to kill Gao Yan, and did so in winter 571 by tricking Empress Dowager Hu into believing that he was only inviting Gao Yan on a hunt. Subsequently, to placate Empress Dowager Hu, Gao Wei posthumously honored Gao Yan as "Emperor Gong'ai of Chu" and honored Gao Yan's wife Princess Li as the Empress of Chu.
After He Shikai's death, Empress Dowager Hu engaged in an affair with the Buddhist monk Tanxian (曇獻), who served as the director of Buddhist affairs in the imperial government—and the affair became so well known among monks that some monks joking referred to Tanxian as Taishang Huang. The rumors reached Gao Wei, but he initially did not believe them. Once, when he was visiting Empress Dowager Hu, however, he saw two "nuns" attending her and was aroused by them, so he ordered them to have sexual relations with him—and only upon ordering so did he discover that they were, in fact, men. He thereafter investigated and discovered Empress Dowager Hu's affair with Tanxian, and he put Tanxian and three female close associates of Empress Dowager Hu to death. Also in winter 571, he put her under house arrest and refused to allow her to meet with the nobles. (The official Zu Ting subsequently suggested deposing Empress Dowager Hu and making Lu empress dowager instead, but Gao Wei never actually followed that suggestion.)
After Northern Qi's destruction
Northern Zhou's Emperor Wu created Gao Wei the Duke of Wen. However, later in 577, feeling insecure about the Gao clan, he accused them of plotting treason with Mu Tipo, and massacred nearly all members of the Gao clan. Empress Dowager Hu was not killed, and indeed, she behaved in a very debauched manner. She died during the Kaihuang era of the reign of Emperor Wen of Sui (581–600), but the exact year is not known.