In October 1399, Zhu Di led elite troops to attack Daning City, and after the praying mantis catcher Yellow Sparrow, Li Jinglong took the opportunity to attack Beiping City, Zhu Di's base camp.
Zhu Di's eldest son Zhu Gaojie tried his best to defend the city, but the defenders in the city were mostly old, weak and sick, and their combat effectiveness was not high, and at the critical moment of the city's survival, Xu Miaoyun generously persuaded the people in the city and the soldiers defending the city, and then armed with a long sword, personally climbed the city tower to supervise the battle, and vowed to coexist and die with Beiping City.
Fortunately, Zhu Di made a lot of gains in Daning, and took the Duoyan Three Guards cavalry of Ning King Zhu Quan, a Mongolian cavalry with strong combat effectiveness, which helped Zhu Di a lot on his way to the throne.
There was no time to celebrate, and the most urgent thing in front of Zhu Di at this time was to return to the army to rescue Beiping City. On the way from Chifeng in Inner Mongolia to Beiping, I believe that Zhu Di must have prayed countless times.
Li Jinglong was the son of Li Wenzhong, the founding general of the Ming Dynasty, and when he heard that Zhu Di led his army back to help, he could only lament that Beiping was close but difficult to break. Xu Miaoyun, who was standing on the tower of Beiping City, saw Li Jinglong's army slowly retreating, and she understood that it was his husband Zhu Di who had arrived.
This woman who stood up at a time of crisis was Empress Renxiao of the Ming Dynasty, Xu Shi, the eldest daughter of the famous general Xu Da, the daughter-in-law of Zhu Yuanzhang, and the wife of Zhu Di.
In many film and television works, she is called Xu Miaoyun, however, her name is not recorded in the history books, only "Xu".
The "History of Ming" recorded, "Chengzu Renxiao Empress Xu, the eldest daughter of Zhongshan Wang Da." Young and quiet, good at reading, called female students. ”
Xu Da can be said to be Zhu Yuanzhang's first hero in the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, charging on the battlefield, resourceful and resourceful, modest and cautious in the officialdom, guarding against arrogance and extravagance, and knowing the way of courtiers.
Xu Da was equally strict in the education of her children, Xu received a Confucian education from an early age, was familiar with scripture, history and literature, her knowledge was generally appreciated, students called "female students", even the younger brothers Xu Huizu and Xu Zengshou admired Xu's knowledge.
Marriage was a common means of binding the relationship between monarchs and subjects in ancient times, and the same was true after Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne. For example, the crown prince Zhu Biao married Chang Yuchun's daughter, the second son Zhu Shu married Deng Yu's daughter, and the third son Zhu Biao married the daughter of Xie Cheng, Marquis of Yongping.
With Xu Da's weight in Zhu Yuanzhang's heart, he naturally "won't let go" of Xu Da's daughter, not to mention that he has long heard about Xu Da's eldest daughter's talent.
Ming Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang said to Xu Da: "Our brothers are friends in cloth, most of the ancient saints and sages will be in-laws, can you promise your daughter to my fourth son Zhu Di?" ”
Xu Da immediately knelt down and kowtowed to thank him after hearing this, and since then, the marriage between Zhu Di and the Xu family has been finalized.
In fact, earlier, Zhu Yuanzhang had told Xu Da that he wanted Zhu Di to marry Xu Da's eldest daughter, but Xu Da never took the initiative to mention it, until this time Zhu Yuanzhang officially decided on this matter, which shows Xu Da's consciousness of being a courtier.
In the 6th year of Hongwu, Xu served Empress Ma as a female official for three years. Many places in the history books mention that the relationship between the Xu family and Empress Ma is excellent, for example, in the "Biography of Empress Gao", it is said that the Xu family "served around the day and was favored alone", from the perspective of the relationship between Zhu Yuanzhang and Xu Da, Empress Ma treated the Xu family more like a daughter.
The "History of Ming" recorded, "In the ninth year of Hongwu, she was registered as Princess Yan. Empress Gao loved it deeply. ”
In the 9th year of Hongwu, Zhu Di officially married Xu, and Zhu Yuanzhang canonized Xu as the princess of Yan. After marriage, Zhu Di and Xu were very affectionate, and in the second year, that is, in the 10th year of Hongwu, Xu gave birth to their first child, Princess Yong'an, named Zhu Yuying.
In the 11th year of Hongwu, the Xu family gave birth to the eldest son Zhu Gaojie, and Zhu Di happened to be arranged to go to Fengyang to experience folk suffering, and when he heard the news of Xu's birth, he immediately rushed back to Nanjing to visit his wife.
In the 13th year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Zhu Di to go to Beiping to take up the domain, and his wife Xu Shi followed. This year can be said to be a turning point in Zhu Di's life, and Xu always accompanies her husband and is the woman behind a successful man.
After Xu came to Beiping, he gave birth to 2 sons and 3 daughters, plus two children born in Nanjing, Zhu Di had a total of 7 children, all of which were born to his wife Xu. That is to say, before Hongwu was 18 years old, Xu gave birth to 7 children in 9 years, and Zhu Di's concubines did not have children.
It can be seen from this that the relationship between Zhu Di and his wife Xu Shi is so close that there is no space for her at all.
The Xu family is impeccable in the matter of inheriting the Zhu family and opening branches and leaves, if only this is the ability? Obviously not, since the beginning of Beiping, the Xu family has begun to shine.
Beiping was originally the capital of the Yuan Dynasty, and the 20-year-old Zhu Di was busy with groups as soon as he arrived in the domain, while Xu took up the heavy responsibility of "inner mansion", and she cooked all the departments of the Yan Wang's mansion, such as the Dian Restaurant, the Fengsheng, the Jishan Institute, the Good Medical Office, the Dian Yi Institute, and the Gongzheng Office, all in an orderly manner, and Zhu Di was satisfied with this.
The "Record of Emperor Taizong of Ming" recorded, "For more than 20 years of internal assistance to the domain, the housekeeping was Ji Ning. ”
As the saying goes, "from thrift to luxury, from luxury to thrift", Xu's power soared from Nanjing to Beiping, but she has always maintained simple living habits, forming a thrifty atmosphere in the Yan King Mansion, even if Zhu Di later ascended the throne and became emperor, it was also the thrift brought by Xu in the harem.
The "History of Ming" recorded, "Sex does not like ornaments, self-frugality." ”
Empress Ma often sent people to Beiping to visit Xu and her grandson, praising Xu's "Princess Yan's deeds are enough to honor the palace", which shows that Xu is deeply recognized by her mother-in-law.
After the death of Emperor Ming Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Yunjiang ascended the throne as emperor, and only a few months later, Emperor Jianwen cut off five clan kings. Zhu Di, the king of Yan, was uneasy in Beiping, and under the persuasion of Yao Guangxiao and others, Zhu Di decided to raise troops.
The "History of Ming" recorded, "Shangju righteousness and internal difficulties, and later praised paintings, more in harmony with the will." ”
This means that most of the suggestions made by his wife Xu are in line with Zhu Di's ideas. It can be seen that during the period when Zhu Di was struggling with whether to raise troops, Xu also directly participated in the analysis of the situation and provided advice.
In the early days of the Jingjian campaign, Zhu Di captured the Juyongguan and Huailai regions, and then captured Zunhua. In August 1399, Zhu Di faced Geng Bingwen, a general sent by Zhu Yunjiang, at Zhending, and was defeated by Zhu Di twice in a row.
In October, Zhu Di led his army to raid Daning, and Zhu Yunjiang's new general Li Jinglong took the opportunity to besiege Beiping, and Zhu Di's eldest son Zhu Gaozhi was responsible for staying behind.
In this battle to defend Beiping, later generations often praised Zhu Gaojie for his courage and resourcefulness, but in fact Xu played an important role, but it is easy to overlook the women behind it.
The "Biography of Empress Mingshi Renxiao" recorded, "Emperor Shi Renzong lived as a son of the world, and all parts were prepared for the imperial court, and many orders were given to the queen." Jinglong attacked the city urgently, and there were few soldiers in the city, and he later persuaded the generals and the people's wives, all of whom were awarded armor to denglue and refused to defend, and the city was completed. ”
In other words, Zhu Gaojie was the core figure of the army defending the city, but the specific garrison strategy of Beiping City, Zhu Gaochi had to pray to Xu.
Because Li Jinglong was eager to break the city, the siege momentum was very strong, coupled with the lack of troops in the city, it was becoming more and more difficult to defend the city. At the moment when the city was about to be destroyed, Xu gave a generous speech to encourage the soldiers, the people, and the women's wives, each of whom was given a pair of armor, and Xu took them up the city wall to help defend the city, and finally persevered until Zhu Di led the army to come to the rescue.
Xu Shi is worthy of being the daughter of the founding general Xu Da, and she has the spirit of a general tiger girl. During the four years of the Battle of Jingyan, Zhu Di fought in the north and south, and gradually turned his weakness into an advantage, while Xu held the city and stabilized the rear, always leaving Zhu Di without worries.
At this time, if you sigh that "it is Zhu Di's luck to be able to marry Xu", the story behind will not know how to praise her.
On June 17, 1402, Zhu Di first paid homage to Xiaoling, and then ascended the throne as emperor at the Fengtian Temple in Nanjing. However, it was not until November 30 that Zhu Di canonized Xu as empress, why was there a gap of more than 5 months? Because when Zhu Di conquered Nanjing and ascended the throne, the Xu family was still guarding the rear in Beiping City, and the canonization ceremony had to wait for the Xu family to arrive from Beiping.
In the early days of Zhu Di's accession to the throne, the old vassals who supported Emperor Jianwen still occupied many places, such as Tie Xuan in Jiangbei. Later, Zhu Di successfully pacified the Shandong and Henan regions, and the situation in the world was basically stable, so Zhu Di sent people to Beiping to welcome Xu.
What kind of treatment did Zhu Di give to his wife Xu?
First, a grand ceremony greeted Xu. Zhu Di ordered his second son Zhu Gaoxu and third son Zhu Gaoxu to meet his mother by the river, and Zhu Di, the ancestor of Ming Cheng, personally went to the city gate to greet his wife, which was unprecedented and more solemn.
Secondly, the coiled dragon button seal is specially engraved. According to ancient practice, the seals on the phoenix seals used by the empress were all "Jinbao Turtle Buttons", but in order to highlight the dignity of the Xu family, Zhu Di specially carved the "Panlong Button".
Finally, the first time to announce the world. Zhu Di ordered the Ministry of Rites to read the canonization edict at the Chengtianmen Gate, so as to announce to the world that Xu was the empress of the Ming Dynasty, and from the Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, it was announced to the world that Empress Xu was the pioneer of history.
In Empress Xu's canonization edict, Zhu Di used the phrase "Ascend to the great treasure, allow Xiangcheng", Zhu Di thought that he could ascend the throne, and Xu's assistance from the side was very credited. In addition, Zhu Di used the phrase "more than 20 years of internal assistance to the domain, devoting himself to heaven and asking for help, without internal worries" to summarize his praise for the "virtuous inner help" Xu clan.
After Empress Xu's mother visited the world, she still cared about her husband's diet and living every day as before, and managed the affairs of the harem diligently, and the most valuable thing was that Empress Xu was good at influencing and helping Zhu Di with a "female perspective".
The "Biography of Empress Mingshi Renxiao" recorded, "The king is the emperor and is registered as an empress." Words: "The north and the south fight every year, the soldiers and people are tired, and it is appropriate to rest." ”
Although she was a female dependant of the harem, Empress Xu felt the suffering brought to the people by the Jingjian War, and Zhu Di ascended the throne and declared himself emperor, and the taxes on the people should be reduced, so that the people could recuperate.
As empress, Xu specially summoned the wives of the ministers to the palace, and asked them to advise their husbands to be a good official who loved the people like a son, and always cared for the people.
After Zhu Di, the ancestor of Ming Cheng, ascended the throne, many of the old ministers who supported Emperor Jianwen were suppressed, and when Empress Xu heard about this, she tactfully suggested to Zhu Di: "Most of the courtiers in the court were left over from the Taizu period, and as the emperor, you should select talented people to help you govern the world, not just choose people close to you." ”
It can be said that Zhu Di was able to give advice to the flow later, and Empress Xu contributed a lot, and this incident further led to the fact that Zhu Di had many more capable ministers to govern the world, such as Xie Jin, Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, Hu Guang, Xia Yuanji, etc., all of whom had the label of the old ministers of Emperor Jianwen, but were willing to contribute their talents to the Jiangshan community of the Ming Dynasty, and these people were the cornerstone of Zhu Di's talents to create the "Yongle Prosperous Era".
Once, Zhu Di was troubled by the selection of officials to serve as county guards, and the candidates recommended by the officials at that time were all based on seniority, and after Empress Xu learned of the original commission, she suggested that Zhu Di choose people with both ability and political integrity and daring to ask for the people's orders, and selecting such officials can not only find talents from the bottom, but also truly govern the local people.
Zhu Di followed Empress Xu's advice, and later, Zhu Di was surrounded by many outstanding officials who were discovered from the local area, such as Song Li, who went to Shanxi to serve as an inspector, and Jin Chun, who was on the right side of Jiangxi Bu Political Secretary to participate in politics.
As the saying goes, "When one man gains the way, the chicken and the dog ascend to heaven." In history, many empresses supported family forces, whether it was Lü Xi of the Han Dynasty or Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty, which eventually led to a huge foreign power, affecting imperial rule and even subverting the dynasty.
Zhu Di loved Empress Xu so much, but she always remained sober, and even strongly opposed Zhu Di's rewarding of her mother's children.
Empress Xu had 3 younger brothers, namely Xu Huizu, Xu Tianfu, and Xu Zengshou, of which Xu Zengshou was killed by Emperor Jianwen during the Battle of Jing for secretly transmitting intelligence to Zhu Di. After Zhu Di ascended the throne, he wanted to canonize Xu Zengshou as a duke, and if he put it on ordinary people, he would definitely be grateful, but Empress Xu strongly objected.
The "History of Ming" records, "The emperor did not listen, but he made the Duke of Dingguo and ordered his son Jing Chang to attack, but he sued the queen." Later: "Non-concubine Zhiye." "Final Fersche."
Zhu Di persuaded Empress Xu not to move, so he directly posthumously named Xu Zengshou the Duke of Dingguo and enjoyed the treatment of a duke, and ordered Xu Zengshou's son Xu Jingchang to inherit the title of Duke of Dingguo. Only afterwards did she tell Empress Xu, who said that "this was not my intention", so she never thanked Zhu Di.
Since the wood has become a boat, Empress Xu has no choice, but she still has to do things more carefully. Empress Xu specifically instructed Xu Jingchang to abide by his duties as a courtier, discipline his family, educate his children, and guard the Daming Dynasty for generations.
It turns out that Xu Zengshou's descendants did not discredit Empress Xu, and they faithfully guarded the Zhu family's Jiangshan community for generations, and Xu Yunzhen, the 9th Duke of Dingguo, died in battle against Li Zicheng.
Since ancient times, "strict father gives filial son, loving mother has many defeated children", Empress Xu was very strict in the education of her children, and after Zhu Gaoxu was made crown prince, Empress Xu often taught Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaoxu to shoulder the responsibility of defending the emperor.
Although Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaoxu coveted the throne and were about to move, when Empress Xu was alive, they did not dare to act rashly, and could only serve their mother carefully.
After Emperor Mingrenzong Zhu Gaoji, the one who ascended the throne was Emperor Ming Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji, as the eldest grandson of Empress Xu, he followed Empress Xu from an early age and was deeply loved by his grandmother.
During the Xuande period, Zhu Zhanji went to the imperial tomb to worship his ancestors, and he stood in front of Empress Xu's mausoleum and never wanted to leave, Zhu Zhanji told the past of Empress Xu's "nurturing and loving", revealing longing and reluctance.
Zhu Yuanzhang had many children, and when Ming Cheng ancestor Zhu Di ascended the throne in Nanjing, Zhu Yuanzhang's 16th daughter, Princess Baoqing, was only 8 years old, and because of her mother's early death and loneliness, the kind Empress Xu took Princess Baoqing with her side to raise her like her own daughter.
When Empress Xu died, Princess Baoqing cried until she fainted several times to bid farewell to Empress Xu, who filled the gap in maternal love.
In 1407, the 5th year of Zhu Di's accession to the throne, Empress Xu's illness was serious, Zhu Di visited famous doctors for diagnosis and treatment, but never saw results, in order to pray for Empress Xu, Zhu Di announced a general amnesty for the world, and Empress Xu's condition still did not improve.
Good people do not live long, and on the fourth day of July of this year, Empress Xu, who had accompanied Zhu Di for 30 years, died at the age of 46.
Before Empress Xu's death, she knew that her limit was approaching and confessed two "regrets".
The first "regret" was that she could not accompany Zhu Di back to Beiping once again, and jointly rewarded the women and children who guarded the city together, and Empress Xu asked her eldest son Zhu Gaojie to complete it on her behalf.
Two years later, Zhu Di began his northern tour, and Zhu Gaoji wanted to stay in the capital to oversee the country, but he prepared gold and silver cotton in advance and sent it to Beiping with Zhu Di's team, distributing rewards to the people who had once guarded the city in blood, and fulfilling Empress Xu's regret.
The "History of Ming" recorded, "Beiping will guard the city of Hogo for my school, and I hate that I have not been allowed to follow the emperor's northern tour, and I will also be compensated."
The second "regret" is that he cannot continue to accompany Zhu Di. In the last moments of Empress Xu's life, she had no children, persuaded Zhu Di's people to have not yet recovered, hoped to continue to be considerate of the poor people, and suggested that Zhu Di continue to widely accept wise people and treat the children of the sect well, but please do not indulge your mother's family.
The "History of Ming" recorded, "Only advise the emperor to cherish the people, seek talents, and show favor to the sect, and do not be arrogant to foreign families."
After Empress Xu's death, she was buried in Changling, and she was also the first person to be buried in the Thirteen Tombs of the Ming Dynasty.
Since the death of Empress Xu, Zhu Di still has 17 years of imperial career, but he has never been crowned empress again, and whenever he thinks of the Xu clan, Zhu Di is full of longing.
In 1424, Zhu Di died on the way back from the Northern Expedition, and before his death, he specially confessed that he and Empress Xu must be buried together.
Empress Xu had the style of a martial general of the Xu family, showed extremely high military command skills in the process of defending Beiping, and was the only empress among the empresses of the Ming Dynasty who understood military affairs; Empress Xu had an excellent tradition of loving her husband and teaching her son, giving birth to 7 children for Zhu Di and educating her children to be loyal to the country; Empress Xu also had strategic insights to help her husband achieve great causes, from starting a military to appeasement to ascending the throne as emperor, from disposing of old and new courtiers to soliciting advice, Empress Xu was by the side to help Zhu Di govern the country well.
In addition, Empress Xu also has the kindness of caring for the people, as well as the strictness of limiting the power of her mother's family, Zhu Di also gave her the highest glory, Empress Xu created 3 historical records: one is the most noble empress from the Ming Dynasty, the second is the first empress of the Ming and Qing dynasties to announce the world alone when canonized, and the third is the first empress buried in the Ming Dynasty to be buried in the Ming Tombs.