Lady Li (Three Kingdoms)

Her early life was not recorded in historical records. She married Ma Miao, governor of Jiangyou, a city located in Sichuan province. The most notable mentions about her were in the 14th century historical novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which romanticizes previous events and during the Three Kingdoms period of China.

The novel introduces Lady Li in Chapter 117. In 263, when Deng Ai of Wei invaded Shu, Ma Miao was treacherous and refused to lead the defense, saying that it was up to Jiang Wei. Filled with concern regarding the state of Shu, Lady Li reprimanded Ma Miao for his complacency in protecting Jiangyou, saying:

"You call yourself a man! Have you such a disloyal and treacherous heart? Is it nothing to have held office and taken pay for years? How can I bear to look upon your face?".

Ma Miao was rendered speechless by her harsh scolding. In response to Deng Ai and his troops forcing Ma Miao to surrender, Lady Li hanged herself to demonstrate loyalty to the Shu Han. Upon learning her reasons for doing so, Deng Ai commended Lady Li's fealty and personally arranged her funeral.[2] A poem was made to praise her honorable conduct:

When the Ruler of Shu had wandered from the way,

And the House of Han fell lower,

Heaven sent Deng Ai to smite the land.

Then did a woman show herself most noble,

So noble in conduct,

That no leader equaled her.

After the fall of Jiangyou, the capital of Shu Han Chengdu was taken over by the forces of Cao Wei, so Shu's emperor, Liu Shan, surrendered, thus ending the state of Shu Han.