Consort Gwon

Consort Gongxianxian (Kwon Clan) (Chinese: 恭獻賢妃; Korean: 권씨; born 26 October 1391, died 20 November 1410) was a Korean woman who became a consort of the Yongle Emperor of China. Her original family belonged to the Andong Gwon clan.

Born in Korea, she was 31 years younger than the Yongle Emperor. In 1408, at the age of 16, she was sent by the court of Korea to China to provide beautiful women for the imperial court. Upon her arrival in China, she displayed proficiency in playing the jade flute. She gained recognition for her intelligence and beauty and was subsequently appointed to a high-ranking position within the imperial household, where she was responsible for managing the six palaces occupied by imperial women.

Her favor with the emperor led to her family members receiving honors; her brother, Quan Yongjun, was appointed to a significant position within a temple.

In 1410, while accompanying the Yongle Emperor during an expedition against the Mongols, she suddenly died. Her death occurred only approximately one and a half years after her arrival at the court. The cause of her death is not recorded in contemporary Chinese annals. However, later Korean historical sources suggested that she may have been poisoned.

Her death took place at Lincheng, and her burial site is located in Yixian.

Regarding her titles during her lifetime, she was known as Lady Gwon from 22 November 1391, following the accession of the Hongwu Emperor (reigned 1368–1398). Under the reign of the Yongle Emperor (reigned 1402–1424), she received several titles: she was designated Consort Xian (賢妃) in February 1409, promoted to Consort Gongxianxian (恭獻賢妃) in 1410, and also referred to as Consort Hyeonin (현인비; 顯仁妃) in 1410.

No definitive historical record confirms a detailed account of her death or the events following it, and reports of large-scale political and social upheaval, such as mass executions associated with her death, appear only in later Korean histories. Chinese historical texts do not document such incidents, leading scholars to view these accounts as potentially exaggerated or not entirely accurate.