Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty, with many small stories, has different praises and criticisms in history, and he has always maintained a high degree of vigilance for the people around him, and has become one of the most desperate emperors in China. A history column revealed that Zhu Yuanzhang, who was still busy with business late at night, was once beheaded for a bowl of porridge.
▲ Zhu Yuanzhang has many stories. (Schematic/reprinted from encyclopedic entry)
Historical records point out that at that time, the palace maid bowed her head and brought hot porridge to the room and put it in front of Zhu Yuanzhang's work desk, and Zhu Yuanzhang, who was playing the fold, raised his head and asked, "Who let you come", and the palace maid replied, "Empress Ma arranged for me to come."
Originally, the palace women wanted to express their concern for Zhu Yuanzhang through this move, and perhaps the idea of wanting to be valued, but it attracted Zhu Yuanzhang's suspicions.
After the porridge was left, the palace maid left, but Zhu Yuanzhang did not believe the palace maid's statement, and then used a silver needle to test whether it was poisonous, and then found a eunuch to try it, and found that there was no problem at all.
Strangely, Zhu Yuanzhang thought that ordinary palace women need multiple briefings to enter their side, but she can come silently to deliver porridge, which shows that things are "different". Subsequently, Zhu Yuanzhang said a word, the porridge was left, the people were beheaded, and the palace maid and the eunuch cried out for their lives.
"Xiao Li Says Things" also said that the concern of a small palace girl alone caused Zhu Yuanzhang to be so suspicious, and it is conceivable what kind of state the courtiers around him would be. Therefore, there will be an incident of a number of courtiers being executed, and Zhu Yuanzhang has become the busiest emperor in history because he has few trusted assistants and has to handle everything himself.
Of course, the above inference is only from the "Small History of the Ming Dynasty" and other historical records to refer to, as to whether Zhu Yuanzhang really because a bowl of porridge dealt with the palace women, whether it was because the palace women did not report the suspicious, so that the eunuchs were also dealt with, I think it is necessary to further study and discuss before giving an accurate answer.
References: "Xiao Li Says Things", "A Small History of the Ming Dynasty"