Biography

Born in Hangzhou, the future Consort Li first became an imperial maid for Consort Liu. She caught the eye of Emperor Zhenzong and bore him a boy and a daughter (who died). The boy was claimed by Consort Liu who successfully became the empress. Even after the boy became Emperor Renzong, the real mother still kept her silence. In the 11th year of her son's reign (also overseen by Empress Liu), she became ill and was given the consort rank Chenfei shortly before she died.

A year later, after Empress Liu also died, Prince Zhao Yuanyan told the emperor the truth, and also suggested that Consort Li had been murdered. Shocked with grief, Emperor Renzong visited the coffin with tears, ordered the construction of Jingling Palace for her memorial and gave her the posthumous title Empress Zhangyi. However, as Empress Liu had treated Consort Li's corpse with great respect, Emperor Renzong refused to believe that she would murder his biological mother.

Legend

A Yuan Dynasty play (in the form of zaju) called Chen Lin Carrying the Box at Gold Water Bridge (金水橋陳琳抱妝盒) told the story of how Consort Li and her baby son were victimized by a jealous Consort Liu. This story, which probably borrowed elements from the play The Orphan of Zhao that is more historically plausible, became incredibly popular and saw many different versions in later periods, including the Qing Dynasty novel The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants, where it is referred to as The Wild Cat for Crown Prince.

In this later version, Consort Li was an equal of Consort Liu when she gave birth to Emperor Renzong. Consort Liu plotted with eunuch Guo Huai to secretly swap the infant with a skinned Chinese wild cat. Outraged by the "monster baby" and believing her cursed, Emperor Zhenzong demoted Consort Li to the forbidden palace. Meanwhile, Consort Liu ordered her maid Kou Zhu to murder the infant and dump the body, but Kou Zhu gave the infant to eunuch Chen Lin, who hid him in a box and carried him to emperor's brother Eighth Prince, who took his infant nephew in as one of his sons. Later, Consort Liu persuaded Emperor Zhenzong to have Consort Li killed. Eunuch Yu Zhong volunteered to die in her place, and with the help of another eunuch Qin Feng, Consort Li finally escaped from the palace. Several years later, as an old blind woman in a poor village, she found the opportunity to tell the story to the good official Bao Zheng. Finally the hidden secret was unearthed and the crown prince, now Emperor Renzong, eventually accepted his birth mother.

生平

初入宮時，李氏為劉美人的侍兒。宋真宗任命李氏為司寢。當時，真宗寵愛劉氏，想立為后，奈何劉氏家世並不顯赫，又無子嗣，群臣不服。李氏懷孕後，隨真宗臨砌台，鬢上玉釵不慎墜落。真宗心中暗暗祈禱：如果玉釵完好無損，必為男孩。侍從拾起釵，果然完好無損。真宗甚喜。李氏在大中祥符三年（1010年）四月生下皇子，真宗對外聲稱是劉氏所生，取名趙受益（後來的宋仁宗趙禎），封為德妃，而李氏只封為崇陽縣君。後來李氏又生下女兒，九年（1016年）二月，晉封為五品才人，不久此女夭折。與真宗長女惠國公主是否是同一人，無從考証。

大中祥符五年（1012年），劉氏被冊立為皇后。天禧二年（1018年）二月，進封從一品婉儀，地位高于宰相孫女沈氏（時為婕妤）和名將之女曹氏（時為充媛）及節度使之女戴氏（時為修儀），僅次於楊淑妃。丈夫逝世，兒子宋仁宗即位後，劉皇后被尊為皇太后。乾興元年（1022年）四月，進順容，遷往真宗永定陵守陵。劉太后又命劉美、張懷德訪其親屬，其弟李用和居京城以鑿紙錢為業，補三班奉職，累遷至右侍禁、閤門邸侯。仁宗雖為其子，然而真宗將之歸于劉氏名下，並與楊淑妃一同視養。李氏也毫無怨言，終其一生，未以天子之母而自傲。

天聖十年（1032年）三月，進封宸妃。是月四日，李氏的曾祖父母、祖父母和父母三代獲得了追贈。明道元年（1032年）二月，病重，遣太醫視望，二十六日，崩，年四十六。起初，劉太后只想以普通宮人的身份殮葬了事，然而聽了吏部尚書、門下侍郎、同中書門下平章事、監修國史呂夷簡的勸說，以一品禮儀給李妃在皇儀殿治喪，並給李妃穿上皇太后冠服下葬。三月，葬于洪福禪院西北隅，命翰林學士馮元攝鴻臚卿、入內內侍省押班盧守懃、上御藥張懷德監護葬事，命三司使、兵部侍郎晏殊撰墓誌銘。是月，弟李用和特遷禮賓副使。

明道二年（1033年）三月二十九日，劉太后病逝，燕王趙元儼告訴宋仁宗：「陛下是李宸妃所生，李宸妃死于非命。」宋仁宗為母親守喪哀傷過度疲勞過度，多日沒有上朝，下哀痛的詔書自責。四月，尊為皇太后，謚號莊懿（履正志和曰莊，溫柔聖善曰懿）。宋仁宗又去洪福院祭告李宸妃，換棺材的時候親自哭著看了母親的儀容，李宸妃的容貌仿佛生前，帽子和衣服和皇太后一樣，尸體用水銀保養，所以沒有朽壞。宋仁宗感嘆地說：「人言怎麼可以信！」劉家尊封更勝往昔。十月，陪葬永定陵，靈位奉祀於奉慈廟。又於景靈宮建神御殿，殿稱廣孝。慶曆四年（1044年）十一月，仁宗改生母李氏謚為章懿皇后，與劉太后一同升祔太廟。封李用和為彰信軍節度使，寵賚甚渥。仁宗既而追念不已，顧無以厚其家，乃以福康公主下嫁李用和之子。

李妃有一個養女，她被仁宗命為伯父昭成太子趙元僖的養女，封樂安郡主，嫁張承衍。

家族

• 曾祖：李應已，初贈光祿寺少卿、累贈太傅

• 曾祖母：沈氏，初贈吳興縣太君、追封英國蔡國太夫人

• 祖：李延嗣，金華主簿，初贈光祿寺少卿、累贈太師

• 祖母：汪氏，初贈新安縣太君、追封江國徐國太夫人

• 父：李仁德，終官左班殿直、初贈崇州防禦使、累贈泰寧軍節度使、中書令兼尚書令、太師、開府儀同三司、累追封越國公、秦國公、漢東郡王、京兆郡王

• 母：董氏，初贈高平郡太君、追封越國陳國太夫人

• 弟：李用和，終官彰信軍節度使、同中書門下平章事、侍中、檢校太傅、光祿大夫、上柱國、景靈宮使、贈太師、中書令、追封隴西郡王

　• 侄：李璋，終官振武軍節度使、謚號良惠

　• 侄：李珣，官至泰寧軍節度觀察留後、提舉醴泉觀

　• 侄：李琚

　• 侄：李琦

　• 侄：李瑊，終官宮苑使、贈金吾衛大將軍

　　• 侄孫：李儼，終官朝奉大夫

　　　• 侄曾孫：李□

　　　　• 侄玄孫：法一

　• 侄：李瑋，終官建武軍節度使

　• 侄：李球

　• 侄：李瑛，終官東頭供奉官、贈如京使、榮州刺史

　• 侄：李□

　• 姪女：李氏，秀榮縣君，適右監門衛大將軍趙仲炎

民間傳說

宋仁宗歸於劉太后名下之事，是民間傳說《貍貓換太子》的原型。故事講述李宸妃與劉德妃同時懷孕，劉德妃生下一女並夭折，劉德妃就在李辰妃產下皇子時，命後宮總管太監郭槐以貍貓與皇子調包，指稱李辰妃生下妖孽，但真宗皇帝不忍賜死李辰妃，將其打入冷宮；劉德妃一不做二不休，慾火焚冷宮將其燒死，但李辰妃暗中被人救出宮去，倖免於難，流落民間。被調包的皇子原本欲投入御河裡溺死，後也被義人暗中送出宮入八賢王趙德芳府託孤，八賢王給他取名叫趙受益。皇帝無子嗣，無巧不成書選了受益入宮過繼，受益四歲時以八賢王嗣子身份入宮歸於劉德妃名下，立為太子，改名趙禎，劉德妃亦順勢冊封為皇后，殊不知太子趙禎即為當年自己主謀狸貓調包的皇子，相安無事當母子二十年。真宗皇帝去世，太子趙禎即位，是為仁宗，劉後為太后。流落民間的李辰妃得知自己的親生皇子當了皇帝，又有譽為「青天」的包拯（包青天）職掌開封府，遂以民婦身份向其申冤，當時大家只視其為瘋婦，置之不理，後包拯發覺事有蹊蹺，她又有御賜金丸可證明其確實為辰妃身份，最後終於由包拯洗刷了這二十年欺君害主的奇冤，皇帝接生母回宮，並重新封李辰妃為皇太后，原劉太后綾絹賜死，總管太監郭槐虎頭鍘下斬首示眾。李太后怒斥仁宗不孝，命包拯杖責之。包拯不敢以臣打君，但也不能違抗懿旨，遂讓仁宗脫下龍袍，權代真龍天子挨打。

神格化

目前在台灣彰化縣鹿港鎮海埔里的慶安宮，祭祀著全台唯一的大宋太后娘娘，根據廟方說法就是章懿皇后。