Once, Zhu Yuanzhang saw Empress Ma sitting on her dragon chair. He immediately became angry: "Under the whole world, only I can sit on it, who allows you to sit here?" Unexpectedly, Empress Ma said calmly, "Zhu Zhongba, I will sit down, what can you do with me?" After Zhu Yuanzhang listened, he shook his head wordlessly and squeezed over to sit with Empress Ma.
In other words, why did Zhu Yuanzhang, who was decisive in killing, be so "instigated" in front of Empress Ma?
Who would have thought that Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, had been fighting on the battlefield for more than ten years, and a fierce emperor would actually spoil his wife and demon!
Empress Ma's original name was Ma Xiuying, and when she lost her parents at the age of 12, she was adopted by Guo Zixing as a righteous daughter and carefully cultivated her as if she were her own. At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang was cornered and defected to Guo Zixing, who was loyal and heroically killed the enemy on the battlefield, and soon won Guo Zixing's appreciation. Soon after, Ma Xiuying was betrothed to Zhu Yuanzhang.
Life after marriage is very harmonious and beautiful, but it also hides a crisis. Zhu Yuanzhang's ability is too strong, it is inevitable that Guo Zixing will be a little jealous, and his temper is not good, so he often calls Zhu Yuanzhang to the front to reprimand. Once, because of his son's instigation, Guo Zixing was angry and imprisoned Zhu Yuanzhang.
Knowing that Zhu Yuanzhang had been hungry for a long time and had not eaten, she sneaked into the kitchen and sneaked into the kitchen, took a hot cake, and went to send it to Zhu Yuanzhang.
In order not to be discovered, she directly stuffed the hot cake she took into her arms and sent it to Zhu Yuanzhang. When he saw Zhu Yuanzhang and took out the cake to see, Ma's own chest was burned.
But Empress Ma didn't care at all, as long as she let Zhu Yuanzhang eat the cake, she was very happy and satisfied, and looking at everything that madame did for herself, Zhu Yuanzhang kept these in mind, and she had to be good to Empress Ma for a lifetime.
Later, zhu Yuanzhang was hit by a flying arrow in his body when he was fighting with Chen Youyu, unable to move, and it was Ma Xiuying who carried her husband on her back and walked more than ten miles on her own feet, escaping Chen Youyu's pursuit.
Zhu Yuanzhang was well aware of Empress Ma's efforts and said that the empress dowager had great respect for her. Zhu Yuanzhang usually loved to kill people, but Empress Ma was kind and often persuaded Zhu Yuanzhang to be lenient and saved many people from Zhu Yuanzhang's butcher's knife, such as Song Lian and Li Wenzhong.
For example, Li Xiyan, the teacher that Zhu Yuanzhang invited to his sons, once because a small king was naughty and disobedient, Li Xiyan poked Xiao Wang's forehead with a pen tube, and Xiao Wang cried and went to Zhu Yuanzhang to complain. Zhu Yuanzhang was furious after hearing this and wanted to punish Li Xiyan severely. Empress Ma hurriedly exhorted from the side: "Wu You trained my son in the way of a saint, And the Lord of Anger!" Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't bear to blame.
Another time, the palace maid made a small mistake, Zhu Yuanzhang was furious, and was about to order the palace girl to be pulled out to beat the skin and flesh, when Empress Ma saw the situation, she quickly pretended to be angry, and ordered the servant to pull the palace maid to the relevant department to convict, and the palace maid picked up her life.
Who would not love such an empathetic girl who is willing to accompany you through hardships and tribulations? It is because Zhu Yuanzhang likes this empress from the bottom of his heart, so in the case of loving Wu and Wu, he prefers Zhu Biao, the first son born to Empress Ma.
Zhu Biao inherited the genes of Empress Ma, and like him, he was kind and kind, and could be said to be the best candidate for the heir of the Ming Dynasty. It is no exaggeration to say that Zhu Biao at that time was like the proud son of heaven, and the emperor was optimistic and the ministers supported it.
But unfortunately, Zhu Biao accidentally contracted the disease and died young. Old Zhu was very bitter, but he could not show it, so he had to choose a successor among several sons.
In August of the fifteenth year of Hongwu (1382), Empress Ma died of illness at the age of 51 and was buried in the Ming Tombs, with the courtesy name Empress Xiaoci.
In the first year of Yongle (1403), he was honored with the title of Empress Xiaoci Zhaoxian to Renwen Decheng Tianshun Shenggao. In the seventeenth year of Jiajing (1538), he added the honorific title: Xiao Ci Zhenhua Zhe Shun Ren Hui Cheng Tian Yu Sheng Supreme Degao Empress.
In fact, Empress Ma knew Zhu Yuanzhang too well, and she did one thing before she died:
Taking advantage of Zhu Yuanzhang's kung fu in the upper court, he drove away the Tai Doctor who treated him
She instructed the palace maid Yu'er: After I die, I must send the Taiyi away, otherwise Zhu Yuanzhang will definitely kill them with a fierce hand. Even on her deathbed, Empress Ma accomplished her last good deed.
