Romance of the Three Kingdoms XII~XIV portrait
Xiahou Lingnu (夏侯令女, onyomi: Kakō Reijo) is the wife of Cao Wenshu, the younger cousin of Cao Shuang. After her husband's death, she remained a widow and protested her family's wishes to remarry, cutting off one of her facial organs each time she was asked.
Role in Games[]
Starting in the eleventh title, Xiahou Lingnu appears as a playable character in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series. As an officer, she excells in INT, POL and CHR while her LDR and WAR are low. This doesn't make Lady Xiahou useless in the battlefield though, as her personal skill immunizes armies against perturb and misinform.
Historical Information[]
Xiahou Lingnu married Cao Wenshu and supported his cousin's reign, though they did not bear any children during their marriage. When her husband died, she was compelled by her father Xiahou Wenning to remarry. So great was her desire not to wed another that she sliced off her ears as a sign of refusal. After Cao Shuang's demise, Xiahou Lingnu cut off her nose rather in response to her family's request to cut ties with the disgraced Cao clan.
Aghast at her actions, they said, "Our life in this world is like a particle of light dust on a blade of weak grass. Why torment yourself to this extent? Besides, your husband’s family is completely exterminated. What purpose does it serve for you to persevere in your chastity?". She replied, "I have heard that a person of worth does not renounce his principles because of changes in fortune, nor a righteous person change his mind with a view to preservation or destruction. While the Cao flourished, I was bent on keeping my chastity. Now that they have declined and perished, can I bear to renounce them? Even animals do not act this way; how can I?" When Sima Yi heard of this, he praised her loyalty and allowed her to adopt a son to continue the Cao lineage.
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