Empress Xiaojiesu

Empress Xiaojiesu (1508–1528), of the Chen clan, was an empress consort of the Ming dynasty and the first empress to the Jiajing Emperor. She was born in 1508 to Chen Wanyang, a local scholar who died in 1535.

In 1522, she was selected to enter the palace of the Jiajing Emperor and was appointed empress later that year at the request of the emperor's aunt, Empress Dowager Zhang. Her elevation to empress occurred in September 1521, during the early reign of the Jiajing Emperor, although her formal title as empress was acknowledged in her tenure from that date.

Her relationship with the emperor was influenced by the tensions between the emperor and his aunt, which resulted in the emperor not forming a close personal bond with her. During her pregnancy in 1528, the emperor reportedly inflicted physical abuse upon her, causing her to suffer a fatal miscarriage.

Following her death, she was bestowed multiple titles over the years. Initially, she was known as Empress from September 1521. In October 1528, she was posthumously honored as Empress Daoling. Subsequently, in 1536, her posthumous title was expanded to Empress Xiaojie. Later, during the reign of the Longqing Emperor (1567–1572), her formal title became Empress Xiaojie Gongyi Cirui Anzhuang Xiangtian Yisheng Su, reflecting a comprehensive posthumous honorific.

Her burial did not take place in the imperial mausoleum, as was customary for empresses, a practice that was not followed until 1567. She did not bear any surviving children, as her sole recorded issue was a miscarriage in 1528.

References for her biography include works such as Lily Xiao Hong Lee and Sue Wiles' "Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women. Vol. II: Tang Through Ming 618 - 1644," and Kenneth M Swope's "The Ming World."