Zhenji

Zhen Ji (甄姫 or 甄姬, Japanese: Shin Ki; Korean: Gyeon Hui), called Zhen Luo (甄宓) in the Taiwanese and Chinese versions of the games, first appeared in Dynasty Warriors 3. She is Cao Pi's wife, though she was originally one of Yuan Xi's wives. Her marriage to either one of her husbands is not always mentioned in the games.

In the Dynasty Warriors series, she is 25 years old and her height is 164 cm (5'4.5").

Role in Games

 * "Ahh.. Such a beautiful flower to be found on the battlefield."
 * ―Cao Pi

Dynasty Warriors
Known for her bewitching beauty and deadly songs, Zhen Ji is a woman who often starts serving Yuan Shao. However, she eventually leaves his ranks to join Wei. She appears in many of their battles and can appear as late as the final campaigns in the era. With Cao Pi's formal introduction to the series, she agrees to join him after their meeting at Guan Du. She then faithfully appears with him in battle. In Dynasty Warriors 3: Xtreme Legends, she makes a cameo appearance on Yuan Shao's side at Jie Ting.

Her Legend Mode in Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends occurs after Yuan Shao's defeat and the coming destruction of his three sons. It mainly entails the moment when Cao Pi first laid eyes on Zhen Ji. Stricken by her beauty, he orders his troops to pause and beckons for her to join him. Yuan Xi overhears the conversation and is confident that his wife would not turn on him so easily, calling Cao Pi a fool. Players are given the choice to choose either husband, which they do by running towards either mate. Once Zhen Ji decides on the love of her life, they drive out the third wheel together.

She is depicted as Yuan Xi's bored wife in Dynasty Warriors 5. While fighting at Guan Du, she meets Cao Pi, who tells her to abandon the Yuan family and realize her true potential under him. She drives him back but, after the battle's conclusion, the Yuan family crumbles after their leader's death. Wanting to satisfy her new found passion and sharing her new husband's vision, she faithfully follows Cao Pi in his campaigns. After joining Wei she fights on their side in some well known battles such as Chi Bi and Jie Ting. During their last battle with Wu, she leads an attack force through He Fei Castle on the behalf of her beloved. Once Wei unifies the land, the narrative states that she lives the rest of her days in happiness.

She shares her Legend Mode in the Xtreme Legends expansion with the Qiao sisters and Yue Ying. Together with their husbands, Zuo Ci challenges them to see which lord is worthy of the Imperial Seal. During the battle, she clashes with Yue Ying once the two bicker over the worth of their respective mates. When she gains the seal, Zhen Ji hands it to Cao Pi as a symbol of her undying devotion to him.

In Dynasty Warriors 6, Zhen Ji appears as one of the last lines of defense for Yuan Shao's supply base at Guan Du. After this battle, she fights with her second husband in Wei. During Cao Pi's Musou Mode in Special, she and Yuan Xi arrive as reinforcements for Yuan Shao at He Bei. Cao Pi immediately tries to court with her, which angers Yuan Xi. If Cao Pi wins over her husband, she will be impressed by his strength and agrees to follow him. She also appears in Zhang He's story and encourages him to follow his own desires.

Warriors Orochi
Like many officers of Wei, Zhen Ji is an unwilling servant of Orochi in the first game. As his servant, she appears to prevent Nō's escape during one of Wu's Gaiden stages. When her husband declares independence, Zhen Ji decides to follow suite by seizing control of Liang Province from Dong Zhuo. Kotaro arrives as reinforcements for the tyrant, creating an illusion of her husband and throwing her into confusion. She is rescued by her love and she joins his army.

She faithfully stays by his side in Warriors Orochi 2. In her dream stage, she teams up with Nō and Xiao Qiao. They work together to rescue maidens captured by Dong Zhuo. Humorously, one of the tyrant's victims is her humiliated husband who is trapped in a garrison. Zhen Ji rescues him after she impresses the guards with her beauty.

Personality
Zhen Ji is a dignified and proud noblewoman who yearns to find personal satisfaction in battle. Her elegance and beauty have enchanted many who come across her, as others label her beauty to be simultaneously dangerous. Since she loves to flaunt her natural talents, her pride with her status borderlines arrogance and makes her seem smug. Though she acts hostile towards him on their first meeting, she genuinely grows devoted to Cao Pi during their time together. She affectionately addresses him as "My beloved" or "My lord" (我が君, Waga kimi). Like Diao Chan, her sexually suggestive phrases are often cut in the English script.

In recent games, she also has a minor rivalry with Yue Ying as the women argue over who has the better mate. Should they meet on the field in Dynasty Warriors 6, they will berate their rival's husband and grow angered if insulted. Judging from her quotes, Zhen Ji is also a flirtatious woman who has a bit of a reputation for controversy. She is not the stereotypical female woman and exchanges witty repartee with Cao Pi, indeed she could be viewed as a quaintrelle. She knows how to make herself agreeable to men.

Character Symbolism
The original name of Zhen Ji's second weapon is named in honor of her title as the first Empress of Wei. The particular character used is an archaic method of marking the beginning of a time period (春) and the following character translates as empress (后). Together, these characters roughly mean "first empress of an era".

Her third weapon, literally translated as "Demon Moon", alludes to either one of two stories related to Lady Zhen. One is related to a legendary rumor regarding a grudge by her spirit. Cao Pi's second wife, Lady Guo, was said to have thought her husband's spontaneous illness was caused by a curse from Lady Zhen. Such a rumor is a reference to the hatred held for Cao Pi's reign, one of the romanticized reasons being tied to him ordering Lady Zhen to commit suicide. The other possible explanation may be tied to negative rumors of Lady Zhen's reputation. This version emphasizes her damning beauty mentioned in Romance of the Three Kingdoms yet also goes on to add that she was petty and too outspoken. While the former account does have some historical basis, the latter has been largely accepted as a possible fabrication made to discredit Lady Zhen after the fact.

Zhen Ji's fourth weapon is a plausible reference to her actual death. One interpretation of the weapon's name may literally mean "strange month" (月妖) while the following two characters translates as "mad day" (日狂). According to rumors and legends, an eclipse occurred the day after Lady Zhen's death. Eclipses are known in many ancient cultures to have been foreboding, ominous signs of the future. China was no different, as these natural phenomenons were tied to dragons devouring the heavenly sources of light and the entire collapse of the world.

The original name of Zhen Ji's personal item in Warriors Orochi is Spiritual Lady's Guqin. The characters for the first part of the name refers to a lovely maiden whose beauty is a ruse for a dreaded monster. Usually the said maiden is an undead spirit and one of supernatural origin. If one is to believe the rumors and the Ganzhenji, Cao Zhi dedicated the poem Luoshenfu to her. The poem entails a gorgeous maiden crossing over Luo River, which is also said to have ties to Fufei (a daughter of Fuxi's who died whilst drowning). The poem and additional folklore surrounding the river is also the reason why many associate Lady Zhen with the name Zhen Luo. Guqin is an ancient Chinese stringed instrument that has many traditional compositions dedicated to romance and longing. Cai Yan was one of many composers associated with the instrument's long history.

Voice Actors

 * Michelle Ruff - Dynasty Warriors 4~5, Warriors Orochi series (English)
 * Wendee Lee - Dynasty Warriors 6, Empires, Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce (English)
 * Eun Yeoung Seon - Dynasty Warriors 3 (Korean)
 * Lee Jam Yeong - Dynasty Warriors 4~5 (Korean)
 * Yuko Sumitomo - Dynasty Warriors and Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)

Quotes

 * See also: Zhen Ji/Quotes


 * "Dance to my tune!"
 * "I will never leave your side again, my lord!"
 * "I could play a little something for you, if you'd like."
 * "I have no regrets. I will fight for you!"
 * "Bow your head!"
 * "Away with you!"
 * "Ha! Filthy peasants."
 * "Oh, I just melt at the sight of my beloved in action!"
 * "Such deviousness... I would be impressed if I wasn't so disgusted!"
 * "I didn't realize your husband was the type to hide behind you!"
 * "My word. I didn't realize you're just as arrogant as that windbag you married!"
 * Zhen Ji and Yue Ying; Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends

Ground Moveset

 * undefined: Plays her flute that makes an orb that explodes after a short while.
 * , undefined: Turns around and lifts her foot into the air.
 * ,, undefined: Zhen Ji struts and slaps, advancing with each step.
 * ,, , undefined: Turns around and launches her leg backwards.
 * ,, , , undefined: She rises her flute in the air, sending all adjacent foes upwards.
 * ,, , , , undefined: Plays a note from her flute, sending out a shockwave.
 * Zhen Ji continuously plays her flute in a rhythm, sending out circular shockwaves.

Horse Moveset

 * undefined: Zhen Ji swings to each side, and kicks.
 * ,, , , , : Three attacks to the right side, three to the left.
 * Repeating slashes to both sides until the Musou gauge empties.

Dynasty Warriors 6

 * She shares her attacks with Diao Chan. See Cloned Moveset for more details.


 * Special attack: Fire: sets off multiple eruptions of fire in random areas surrounding Zhen Ji. When used on a base, the base is engulfed in fire and all opposing base forces inside of it are damaged.

Dynasty Warriors
Zhen Ji fights for the Wei forces, wielding a large golden flute she uses to strike her enemies with. Her attacks are very fast making her one of the fastest fighting warriors, but leave openings, allowing enemies to strike her down. One advantage to her style is found in some of her combo attacks as well as her Musou attack, which allow you to knock out all surrounding enemies, as opposed to those just in front of you.

In Dynasty Warriors 6, the main differences she has from Diao Chan are her Fire special and her charge attacks having an ice and violet color like element.

Weapons

 * See also: Zhen Ji/Weapons

Historical Information
Zhen Luo, formally Empress Wenzhao (文昭皇后, literally, "the civil and diligent empress"), was the first wife of Wei's first emperor, Cao Pi ― although she was never empress while she was alive. Her other names include Zhen Mi (甄宓), Zhen Shi (甄氏), and Zhen Furen (甄夫人).

Yuan Shao, the most powerful warlord at the time, was defeated by Cao Cao at the Battle of Guan Du in 200, and died in 202. After his death, his sons Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang became involved in internecine struggles against each other in trying to control their father's vast domain, and this allowed Cao Cao to play them off against each other, eventually conquering all of the Yuans' territory. While he was still campaigning against the Yuans, he was able to capture Yecheng in 204, and his son Cao Pi, who accompanied him, saw Lady Zhen and became obsessed with her beauty. Even though her husband Yuan Xi was still alive at this point (and would remain so until 207), Cao Pi forced her to marry him as his wife. Eight months later, she gave birth to Cao Rui ― leading to incessant gossip that Cao Rui was actually biologically Yuan Xi's son, not Cao Pi's, although that appeared to be rather unlikely given that Yuan Xi had been away from Yecheng for quite some time before Cao Pi married Lady Zhen.

Nevertheless, the rumors became a source of tension between Cao Pi and Lady Zhen. Cao Pi's other favorite, Guo Nüwang, took full advantage of the rumors to increase the tension. Eventually, Lady Zhen lost the favor of Cao Pi. When he forced Emperor Xian of Han to abdicate to him and thus established Wei in 220, he set his capital at Luo Yang but did not summon Lady Zhen from Yecheng to join him. Lady Zhen became upset, and Lady Guo reported her anger to Cao Pi, further angering him. In 221, he sent messengers to force her to commit suicide. Her rival Guo Nüwang would become empress the next year.

After Lady Zhen's son Cao Rui became emperor in 226, he honored her posthumously as an empress, although he also honored Empress Guo as empress dowager. In 235, Empress Ji died under controversial circumstances with many historians believing that Cao Rui had found out her role in Lady Zhen's death and forced her to commit suicide.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
In the novel, Cao Pi found her and Yuan Shao's widowed wife within the Yuan family palace. Before he killed them, he paused and caught sight of Lady Zhen. Once the elder maiden addressed who they were, he cleaned Lady Zhen's face and saw that she was exquisitely beautiful. She was described to have beauty so lovely that it had the power to destroy a kingdom, which roughly means that her looks would have distracted a ruler so much that they would completely neglect state affairs. Cao Pi then guaranteed the two ladies' safety and they were introduced to Cao Cao, who was frustrated that no one had reported to him yet. Once he saw Lady Zhen, he proclaimed her to be a fitting wife for his son. Sometime after Cao Pi married her, she gave birth to Cao Rui and she became Empress.

In chapter 91, Lady Zhen began to fall out of Cao Pi's favor when Lady Guo, an exceptionally famed beauty, became a consort for Cao Pi. Lady Guo, who wanted to rid of her rival, gained Zhang Tao as her confidant. The minister accused Lady Zhen of using voodoo magic to cause harm to Cao Pi. Enraged, the Emperor ordered his wife to commit suicide. After her death, Lady Guo replaced her spot as Empress.