Preliminary Note #2

“[To] honor a princess [as a wife]” — shàng gōngzhǔ (4/7/21)

Origins and Implications

“[To] honor a princess [as a wife]” would be a more accurate interpretation of shàng gōngzhǔ. As for the implications…

1) Not just anyone can marry an imperial princess, a daughter of the Emperor, so it was actually not called “marrying a princess” but “honoring a princess” as a wife in name.

2) The princess was not a wife in the conventional sense. She is the master of the household, and they live in her Princess’s mansion afterwards. There was also no such thing as serving a mother-in-law and husband or concubines unless the princess allowed it.

3) Treating one another as equals is indeed the cornerstone of a healthy relationship, but keep in mind that these were feudal times. As daughters of the Emperor, imperial princesses represented the imperial family and dynastic rule. The relationship between a princess and her prince consort was that of monarch and minister. In no way were they considered equals. Not ever.

Feudal society did not think of the princess and her prince consort as equals, patriarchy or no patriarchy.

The princess did not think of her nominal husband as an equal because at the end of the day, he was a subject of the imperial family and her subject as well.

As for the prince consort, he would not dare to think of himself to be superior or even equal to the princess because such a notion would go against the Emperor and the very mandate of Heaven that decreed the Emperor’s right to rule…

(Of course, it would be a different story if the prince consort was looking to use the princess as a stepping stone to ascend to power or overthrow the dynasty… Which does happen. It just won’t be outright obvious because people do like to keep their heads.)

4) Remarrying was a normal thing. Having a few male companions and outside lovers were also normal for imperial princesses. It was more or less an open secret that everyone tacitly did not talk about.

(If you have a bit of historical TV drama watching experience, you may have noticed that the princess character, especially ones who become Grand Princesses tends to be either lively yet pitiful and tragic or…headstrong, calculating and has a penchant for handsome men—with a nonzero chance that she will try to snatch him at some point. It’s…kind of a trope in the genre.

As a character in fictional works, the representation of the Grand Princess is typically bad or maybe even neutral good with a gray morality—and in some cases, the heroine!! After all, she would not have gotten where she is now without a bit of blood and bones behind her. Also, a quick rule of thumb is the only people possibly more evil or diabolical than her is her Brother Emperor or Prime Minister husband.)

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Chapters Where This Background Info Might Make a Difference…

[Tentatively up with additional content pending… Disclaimer: What is italicized and in parentheses are personal musings done TV Tropes style.]