Empress Hulü was an empress of the Chinese dynastyNorthern Qi. She was Gao Wei's first empress, and she was a daughter of the general Hulü Guang. Her family was one of the most prominent military families in Northern Qi, as her grandfather Hulü Jin was one of the major generals serving the dynasty's ancestor Gao Huan and then continued to serve in his old age the successive emperors Emperor Wenxuan, Emperor Fei, EmperorXiaozhao, and Gao Wei's father Emperor Wucheng. Her father Hulü Guang was honored even more for his military talent than her grandfather, and her uncle Hulü Xian and brother Hulü Wudu also served as major generals. She married Gao Wei while he was still crown prince during Emperor Wucheng's reign—before Emperor Wucheng passed the throne to him in 565 while he was just eight years old. She carried the title of Crown Princess previously, and in 565 Emperor Wucheng, while passing the throne to Gao Wei, created her empress. She was not favored by Gao Wei, and she did not bear him a son, although she bore a daughter in spring 572 and Gao Wei, in order to please Hulü Guang, initially claimed that it was a son and declared a general pardon, but was subsequently forced to reveal that it was a daughter. Later in 572, the official Zu Tingfalsely accused Hulü Guang of plotting rebellion, and Gao Wei executed Hulü Guang, along with his entire clan except his grandson Hulü Zhong. Empress Hulü was not killed, but she was deposed and housed in a subsidiary palace. When rival Northern Zhoulaunched a major attack in 577 and threatened the capital Yecheng in spring 578, she, along with his other deposed empress Empress Hu, was summoned to the main palace, probably for her protection. Yecheng fell a few days later, and Gao Wei was captured in flight. Northern Zhou took over Northern Qi's territory. After Northern Qi's fall, the former Empress Hulü married the Northern Zhou official Yuan Ren. Nothing further was recorded about her in history, including the year of her death.
