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They call me many things: Murderer. Cutthroat. Thief. But you may call me Princess of Gaochang. This article is about a subject that lacks an official name and is known only by its nickname, title, or alias. |
The Princess of Gaochang (died 656) was the daughter of Qu Wentai, the king of Gaochang Kingdom, and a member of the Qi clan. She was also the martial arts master of her grandniece Zhangsun Qi and secretly a member of the Chinese Hidden Ones. Because of her superb martial art skills, she was known as the "first swordsman in the Western Regions".
Biography[]
In 636, the Princess of Gaochang came to Chang'an to meet with Tang Empress Zhangsun at her behest. The Empress, who had seen a glimpse of the future, ordered her to accept her unborn grandniece Qi as her disciple, the Princess of Gaochang agreed to this request.[1]
In 640, the fourteenth year of the Zhenguan era, the Gaochang state was conquered by Hou Junji, who found evidence of the alliance between Gaochang and the Western Turks. He then wrote a letter asking Emperor Taizong how to deal with the Gaochang royal family. Emperor Taizong ordered Zhangsun Wuji, his eldest son, to convey a secret decree: all but the King of Gaochang's royal family to be exiled to Qiongzhou to preserve their ancestral sacrifice. But Wuji withheld the secret edict and passed it to Hou Junji with an order to execute the Gaochang royal family. A month later, Junji received the order and killed all the royal family of Gaochang, and set fire to the old city of Gaochang and the royal palace. He also built a new city thirty miles to the north, and established Gaochang County. However, Princess Gaochang was injured in the war and fell into a coma, and that night she and her maid Tang Yuyan were taken out of the royal city by someone sent by Zhangsun Wuji. The Princess of Gaochang, who was rescued by Wuji, became a retainer of the Zhangsun family and was ready to assassinate Li Tai and Li Chengqian at any time. On the Lantern Festival of the following year, she had just learned about the demise of her motherland, due to this she became so grief-stricken and angry that she continued to vomit blood and became seriously ill.[1]
Around 644, the eighteenth year of the Zhenguan era, the Princess met Feng Yunman, who conspired to kill her, but the Princess of Gaochang told him that she was living under the orders of Queen Zhangsun, which made them finally give up. In 649, the 23rd year of Zhenguan, Princess Gaochang decided to fulfill the agreement she made and accepted the 5-year-old Zhangsun Qi as her disciple and live in seclusion at the Dunhuang Xingkong Temple to train her.[1]
In 656, the first year of Xianqing, Zhangsun Wuji ordered Butler Fang to order Tuobanan to Dunhuang to kill Princess Gaochang on his behalf. Tuoba Nan and others disguised themselves as Empress Wu's men and massacred everyone in Xuankongguan. Zhangsun Qi fled to the Chuitian Pavilion. At that time, the Princess of Gaochang was fighting an enemy in Chuitian Pavilion. Tuoba Nan was no match for her but he set fire to the pavilion nevertheless. The Princess of Gaochang knew in her mind that the killer must be sent by Zhangsun Wuji, so she left a last word to Zhangsun Qi not to avenge herself and she eventually perished in the fire.[1]
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