Zhangdi is succeeded by his 9-year old son Zhao, who will reign until 105 as emperor Han Hedi, but he will be a virtual pawn of Empress Dou ( adoptive mother ) and scheming courtiers who will effectively rule the Chinese Empire.

* Empress Dou

With the aid of the eunuch Zheng Zhong ( d. 107 CE ), Emperor He ( r. 88 – 105 CE ) had Empress Dowager Dou ( d. 97 CE ) put under house arrest and her clan stripped of power.

When the plot was uncovered, the eunuchs arrested Empress Dowager Dou ( d. 172 CE ) and Chen Fan.

* Empress Dou Miao of the Han Dynasty of China

Dou Xian ( 50s – 92 ), brother-in-law of Emperor Zhang through his sister Empress Duo, utterly defeated the Northern Xiongnu in a series of campaigns during the Yongyuan era ( 89 – 105 ).

Through these political establishments, the Xianbei who entered China were largely merged with the Han, examples such as the wife of Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Duchess Dou and Emperor Taizong of Tang's ( Li Shimin's ) wife, Empress Zhangsun, both have Xianbei ancestries, while those who remained behind in the northern grassland emerged as later powers to rule over China.

He was involved in palace intrigue as a supporter of Empress Dou, and in the death of her romantic rival, Consort Song.

After the death of Empress Dou in AD 97, he became an associate of Consort Deng Sui.

* Grand Empress Dowager Dou ( 141 BC-135 BC ), during the reign of Emperor Wu

* Empress Dowager Dou

* Dou Wu-father of another Empress Dowager Dou and killed in his abortive coup d ' etat against eunuchs.

According to historians, Emperor Wen trusted and consulted with ministers on state affairs ; under the influence of his Taoist wife, Empress Dou, the emperor also sought to avoid wasteful expenditures.

Heavily influenced by his wife Empress Dou, who was an adherent to Taoism, Emperor Wen governed the country with the general policies of non-intereference with the people and relaxed laws.

In 179 BC, after some hesitation ( during which he, apparently influenced by the theory of chanrang ( 禪讓 ), thought that maybe it would be more proper for him to find the wisest person in the empire and offer the throne to him, or that he should consider offering the throne to his uncle Liu Jiao ( 劉交 ), the Prince of Chu ; his cousin Liu Pi ( 劉濞 ), the Prince of Wu ; or his younger brother Liu Chang ( 劉長 ), the Prince of Huainan ), he created his oldest son Liu Qi the Crown Prince and Prince Qi's mother, Consort Dou, Empress.

In addition to Empress Dou, Emperor Wen also favored Consort Shen ( 慎夫人 ).

** Empress Dou, mother of Emperor Jing, Prince Wu and Princess Piao

He continued his father Emperor Wen's policy of general non-interference with the people, reduced tax and other burdens, and thriftiness, due to Taoist influences of his mother Empress Dou.

He was deeply influenced by his mother Empress Dou, who was a Taoist and required all of her children and grandchildren to study Taoist doctrines.

He also developed deep bonds with his older sister Princess Liu Piao ( 劉嫖 ) and his younger brother Liu Wu ( 劉武 ), both also born of Empress Dou.

Emperor Jing's grandmother Empress Dowager Bo became grand empress dowager, and Empress Dou became empress dowager.

His mother, the Dowager Empress Dou, wanted him to make his younger brother Liu Wu, the Prince of Liang, the crown prince, but this did not happen because of opposition by officials.

His granduncle Dou Ying ( 竇嬰, Empress Dowager Dou's brother or cousin ) slipped in a knife pen, and he wrote a letter and then committed suicide.

This was favored by Empress Dowager Dou as well, but opposed by officials, who believed such a move would bring instability to dynastic succession.

Zhou, later as prime minister, offended virtually every powerful figure around Emperor Jing — his brother Prince Liu Wu and his mother Empress Dowager Dou ( for refusing to save Liang first when Liang was sieged by Wu and Chu forces ), and his wife Empress Wang and her brother Wang Xin ( 王信 ), whom Emperor Jing wanted to create a marquess but whose candidacy was rebuffed by Zhou.

This time Zhang Rang and his accomplices succeeded in completely dominating the political scene after prevailing over Empress Dowager Dou's father Dou Wu and his ally, the Confucian scholar Chen Fan ( 陳蕃 ) in 168.

For reasons unknown, her assistant Liu Shu ( 劉儵 ) recommended Marquess Hong, and after consulting with her father Dou Wu and the Confucian scholar official Chen Fan, Empress Dowager Dou made him emperor, at age 12.

Empress Dowager Dou continued to serve as regent.

Later in 168, they even proposed to exterminate all of the powerful eunuchs, a proposal that Empress Dowager Dou rejected.

After the destruction of the Dou clan, in 169, Emperor Ling honored his mother Consort Dong as an empress dowager, but continued to also honor Empress Dowager Dou ( now placed under house arrest by the eunuchs ) as an empress dowager.

In 172, Empress Dowager Dou died.

However, his work was interrupted by political problems, as his association with the family of Empress Dowager Dou led to his imprisonment and death ( either by execution or torture ).

The regents of the young emperor, Empress Dowager Dou and her brother Dou Xian, favoured a more militaristic policy to the Northern Xiongnu problem.

After he was imprisoned and executed in the year 92 because of his association with the family of Empress Dowager Dou, Ban Zhao then finished the work.

In the first 9 days of the lunar 9th month festival, an oil lamp of 9 branches may also be lit to honour both the Northern Dipper and 2 other assistant stars ( collectively known as the Nine Emperor Stars ), sons of Dou Mu appointed by the Taoist Trinity ( the Three Pure Ones ) to hold the Books of Life and Death of humanity.

In 167 CE, the Grand Commandant Dou Wu ( d. 168 CE ) convinced his son-in-law, Emperor Huan, to release them.

:" In the first Yongyuan year CE, during the reign of Emperor He, the General-in-Chief Dou Xian had a great victory over the Xiongnu.

There were also other types of triumvirates during the Eastern Han ; for example, at the onset of the reign of Emperor Ling of Han ( r. 168 – 189 ), the General-in-Chief Dou Wu ( d. 168 ), the Grand Tutor Chen Fan ( d. 168 ), and another prominent statesman Hu Guang ( 91 – 172 ) formed a triumvirate nominally in charge of the Privy Secretariat, when in fact it was a regent triumvirate overseeing the affairs of state and Emperor Ling.

Meanwhile, it was said that Princess Taiping, Dou, Cen, Xiao, and Cui ; along with other officials Xue Ji, Li Jin ( 李晉 ) the Prince of Xinxing ( a grandson of Li Deliang ( 李德良 ), a cousin of Tang's founder Emperor Gaozu ), Li You ( 李猷 ), Jia Yingfu ( 賈膺福 ), Tang Jun ( 唐晙 ); the generals Chang Yuankai ( 常元楷 ), Li Ci ( 李慈 ), and Li Qin ( 李欽 ); and the monk Huifan ( 惠範 ), were plotting to overthrow Emperor Xuanzong.

Emperor Jing was born to Emperor Wen, then Prince of Dai, and Consort Dou, one of his favorite consorts, in 188 BC.

* Dou Rong ( 竇融 ), nominally the governor of Liang Province ( 涼州 ) paying allegiance to Emperor Guangwu, but who independently controlled the modern western Gansu and northern Qinghai region, west of the Yellow River.