I have to say that my entire knowledge on the topic is based upon cdramas but given cdramas are really, really into palace intrigue, there is plenty of material.
So far as I am aware, the Emperor was only allowed one empress but he could have numerous consorts of lesser degree. In Nirvana in Fire these are ranked as Nobel Consort, Consort and Concubine in descending order of status.
In principle the eldest son of the Empress should be the Crown Prince (there is a very long academic discussion in the Story of Minglan which is set in the Song dynasty about whether a more talented son of a concubine should take priority over a less talented son of the Empress and the conclusion is no, deciding on matters of talent is highly subjective but age and legitimacy are objective facts so it's better practice for everyone to follow the rules and for the talented less legitimate heir to devote himself to supporting his brother.)
However, if the Empress has no son or if he's otherwise ruled out (rebellion, illness) then it comes down to the offspring of the various Consorts, Noble Consorts and Concubines and the stage is set for that perennial family favourite, court intrigue for fun and profit.
Demoting an Empress for anything other than fomenting a rebellion or assassination of someone who actually mattered viz the Emperor or his favourite concubine would be a terrible idea (because she's usually been brought in because her family command a lot of support within the Court) but if we postulate a dead or childless Empress you could certainly demote a consort and promote another consort (and hence her child) above her; this does in fact happen in NiF where at the opening of the story: 12 years earlier Crown Prince I was executed for treason and his mother, Consort Chen, hanged herself and the Emperor now has eight other sons, each by different mothers, none of whom are the Empress's (she adopted the son of another concubine who died when the boy was an infant) so that the current Crown Prince (Crown Prince II) is the son of a Noble Consort and not of the Empress, and the Empress's adopted son really, really wants to be Crown Prince.
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Date: 2022-01-06 09:24 am (UTC)So far as I am aware, the Emperor was only allowed one empress but he could have numerous consorts of lesser degree. In Nirvana in Fire these are ranked as Nobel Consort, Consort and Concubine in descending order of status.
In principle the eldest son of the Empress should be the Crown Prince (there is a very long academic discussion in the Story of Minglan which is set in the Song dynasty about whether a more talented son of a concubine should take priority over a less talented son of the Empress and the conclusion is no, deciding on matters of talent is highly subjective but age and legitimacy are objective facts so it's better practice for everyone to follow the rules and for the talented less legitimate heir to devote himself to supporting his brother.)
However, if the Empress has no son or if he's otherwise ruled out (rebellion, illness) then it comes down to the offspring of the various Consorts, Noble Consorts and Concubines and the stage is set for that perennial family favourite, court intrigue for fun and profit.
Demoting an Empress for anything other than fomenting a rebellion or assassination of someone who actually mattered viz the Emperor or his favourite concubine would be a terrible idea (because she's usually been brought in because her family command a lot of support within the Court) but if we postulate a dead or childless Empress you could certainly demote a consort and promote another consort (and hence her child) above her; this does in fact happen in NiF where at the opening of the story: 12 years earlier Crown Prince I was executed for treason and his mother, Consort Chen, hanged herself and the Emperor now has eight other sons, each by different mothers, none of whom are the Empress's (she adopted the son of another concubine who died when the boy was an infant) so that the current Crown Prince (Crown Prince II) is the son of a Noble Consort and not of the Empress, and the Empress's adopted son really, really wants to be Crown Prince.