Zhu Di, the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty and the fourth son of Ming Taizu. Unlike most feudal dynasties, zhu di's throne was taken from his nephew Emperor Jianwen, who was a generation younger than him.
Zhu Di brutally killed many non-self-serving nobles and single-handedly created the infamous East Factory, so its reputation in history is not very good. But under his rule, the Ming Dynasty was truly stabilized, and he brought more than two hundred years of long-term peace and stability to the Ming Dynasty, and from this point of view, Zhu Di did have the qualities of an excellent emperor.
From the perspective of birth, Zhu Di was not an ordinary emperor, and his origin was much more tortuous and mysterious than other emperors. For hundreds of years, Zhu Di has had two major mysteries that have plagued future generations, one of which is who his birth mother really is.
Generally speaking, the Ming Shilu is one of the important historical materials for the study of the history of the Ming Dynasty. The Records of Yongle records that Empress Gao (Empress Ma) had five sons, and Prince Yiwen of Changyi ... Sub-Shang (朱棣), Second Zhou Wang Shu(次周王橚). In other words, Zhu Di was the fourth son of Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma.
But the problem is that the "Yongle Shilu" we see was revised by Ming Chengzu, which is really not credible.
In fact, as early as the 1930s, the famous historian Wu Han had already verified that Empress Ma did not have children, and that Zhu Biao, Zhu Zhu, Zhu Tang, Zhu Di and Zhu Xi were not her own children.
So, who is Zhu Di's birth mother? A clear answer is given in an official historical document. This book is called "Nanjing Taishou Chang Temple Chronicle", which is a special record of the establishment of books, crown marriages, sacrifices, rituals, etc., so its record is the most accurate.
Unfortunately, the book has been lost. However, there is a record of Ming Cheng's maternal mother in the book, which has been repeatedly quoted by posterity.
For example, He Qiaoyuan's "Mingshan Zang" records: "Emperor Chengzuwen was secretive, and taizu's fourth son was also." Note: The subject is seen in Nanjing as emperor Yun of the Taichangzhi (太常志) as the birth of Concubine Qi, while the Jade Emperor (玉牒) is the fourth son of Gao Hou. On the day of the "Jade Tablet", shi Chen's compilation was not suspicious, and the Southern Tai Chang was in charge of the same position, and its basis was unknown. The courtiers are prepared to carry it for posterity Bo Kao. ”
For another example, Pan Taozhang said in the "National History Examination": "The xiaoling god position contained in the "Chronicle of the Taichang Temple in Nanjing", the left one Shu Concubine Li Shi, the Prince of Shengyiwen, the King of Qin, and the King of Jin Gong, the right concubine, the birth of Emperor Zuwen, is all enjoyed in the mausoleum hall, in charge of the ancestral official, has not changed in three hundred years, and the "Record of The Record" Gu Que does not contain He Ye ..."
On this issue, the Republic of China scholars Fu Sinian, Wu Han, and others have also conducted in-depth research and made full arguments.
Although these records and arguments cannot be compared with the Ming history, they can also be regarded as circumstantial evidence. Through these, we can know that Zhu Di's birth mother is Concubine Qi.
Unfortunately, we don't know the life of this concubine, and her son Zhu Di erased all traces she left in the world.