Foreword: Emperor Zhu Qiyu of the Ming Dynasty was a legendary emperor in the history of the Ming Dynasty. He was the second son of Emperor Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji and the younger brother of Emperor Mingying's Zhu Qizhen. Before the famous "Change of Tumu Fort", Zhu Qiyu, who was then the King of Qi, was a small transparent person in the court. Under normal circumstances, the Civil and Military Officials only had two opportunities to see the King of Wu once a year, namely New Year's Day and winter solstice, at the east corridor of the Fengtian Gate.
癸未, Prince of Wenwu Hundred Officials Dynasty in the east corridor of Fengtian Gate. - Ming Yingzong Records Volume 174
The day of decay here is the second day of the first lunar month in the fourteenth year of orthodoxy (1449 AD). On the first day of the first lunar month, the civil and military officials went to the Fengtian Hall (the predecessor of the present-day Forbidden City Taihe Hall) to pay homage to the emperor, and the next day in the east corridor of the Fengtian Gate (the front of the Present-day Forbidden City's Taihe Gate) to pay homage to the prince of the country. Located on the east side of the Fengtian Gate, the East Corridor, also known as the Eastern Dynasty House, was mainly used in the Ming Dynasty as a record hall, a jade hall, and a living note hall. At that time, the prince who was still in the capital was only Zhu Qiyu, the king of Qi.
East side of Fengtian Gate
However, the "change of Tumu Fort" that occurred on August 15 of that year suddenly made Zhu Qiyu stand on the stage of history. However, "Qixing was also bold, and his death was also abrupt", Zhu Qiyu was eventually usurped by his brother Zhu Qizhen because he did not have a hard wound from his son. After that, in order to highlight his legitimacy and legitimacy, Ming Yingzong poured countless dirty water on his brother. There is even a theory that Zhu Qiyu was born outside the palace and that his mother, Concubine Wu Xian, was the concubine of the Han king who had failed in the rebellion, and the purpose was naturally to give the deposed emperor the stigma of a sinner. So is this a fact, and is there a loophole in it? I'm going to take a look at it today.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > Wu Xianfei: I really have nothing to do with the King of Han</h1>
In the biography of Concubine Hou of the Ming Dynasty, there is a very brief account of Concubine Wu Xian, which explains her simple experience in the harem of Emperor Xuanzong of Ming, which seems to be unremarkable, and the original text is as follows:
Empress Wu, Emperor Jing's mother, and The Dan disciples. When Emperor Xuanzong was crown prince, he was elected to the palace. Xuande was made a concubine for three years. Emperor Jing ascended the throne and was honored as empress dowager. Emperor Yingzong was restored and re-titled Xuanmiao Xianfei. Chenghua Zhongxue. - "Ming History Volume 113 Liechuan No. 1"
Emperor Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji was made crown prince on October 11, 1424, the twenty-second year of Yongle (1424 AD), and if Concubine Wu Xianfei had entered the palace at this time, there would have been no connection between her and the King of Han. But this time, there is a problem. After wu's death, he was buried in Jinshan, a western suburb of Beijing, and his epitaph was unearthed after the founding of the People's Republic of China, which clearly records Wu's date of birth: "May 16, 30th year of Hongwu".
The 30th year of Hongwu is 1397 AD, so the age at which Wu Yongle entered the palace in the 22nd year was 28 years old. How could Emperor Xuanzong choose such an elderly woman as the crown prince's concubine? The only explanation is that the Ming History is wrongly documented. Because of Wu's death, his epitaph is called "Rong Sixian Concubine Yuanzhi", which states that the time of Wu's "election to summon the court (that is, entering the palace)" was the tenth year of Yongle (1412 AD).
Zhu Zhanji stills
Zhu Zhanji was made the Emperor's grandson on November 10, the ninth year of Yongle (1411 AD), and the following year, at the age of 16, Wu was elected as a palace attendant to serve his grandson, which was right in terms of age. The author believes that this record in the History of Ming should be changed to "When Emperor Xuanzong was a grandson, he was elected to the palace" . Whether Wu entered the palace when Emperor Xuanzong was crown prince or grandson, there should not be any connection between her and Zhu Zhanji's second uncle, Zhu Gaoxu, the King of Han.
Empress Dowager Wu, Emperor Daizong's biological mother, was also the daughter of Du Duyan. Originally a member of the Han Dynasty. The king of Han rebelled against him, and Emperor Xuanzong pardoned him for his sins, and Gu did not dare to bring him into the palace. The eunuch Chen Fujia gave the palace women several generations to serve them. Emperor Shengjing, unknown at home and abroad. At the age of seven, empress dowager Chen Fu was even more anxious to come. The empress dowager then took her mother and son into the palace, and the emperor hugged and cried. There are not many kings. The King of Qi was established on behalf of the Emperor, and his mother was the empress dowager. Tianshun saw the cut, Hongguang chu posthumously, and was honored as the empress dowager of the Filial Piety Wen Hui Shu Shen Ci Ren Kuang Tianxi Sheng. - Book II of the Book of Sin
Originally known as the Book of Ming, the Book of Sins is a chronicle written by Zha Jizuo of Haining at the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, inheriting Zhu Yuanzhang from Taizu to Zhu Yousong, the Hongguang Emperor. Cha Jizuo was the ancestor of the great writer Jin Yong Cha clan, and the legend is that he was the actual whistleblower of the "History of Ming" case that year.
Zhu Gaoxu, the King of Han, was the second son of Zhu Di and the second uncle of Emperor Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji, who rebelled in August of the first year of Xuande (1426 AD) and was easily pacified by his eldest nephew Emperor Yu. If Wu Shi is really a member of the Han Dynasty Palace, then she is 30 years old this year, two years older than Xuanzong himself, and she actually fell in love at first sight? It seems unlikely.
Stills of Zhu Gaoxu, King of Han
Xu Pu (徐溥), a member of the Ming Dynasty Emperor Jingtai in the fifth year (1454 AD), was a member of the Cabinet University of Emperor Xiaozong. Xu Pu has a book, "Records of Qianzhai", which contains an epitaph written by himself: "Epitaph of Lady Rongshan".
The so-called Lady Rongshan, surnamed Xiang, a native of Wanping County, Suncheon Province, has such a passage in the epitaph: "Xuande Yan ugly was elected to the palace, and the concubine was served." Xuande is the eighth year of Xuande (1433 AD), from the time of Xiang's death (Hongzhi Decade, 1497 AD) and the age of death (72 years old), she was only 8 years old when she entered the palace. At this age, she was obviously a palace maid serving a concubine, and the object of her service was a concubine.
The author has seen that some people think that the "Xianfei" here refers to Princess Akihito Li Xianfei, who gave birth to Zhu Zhanyu, the King of Zhengjing, Zhu Zhanyu, the Prince of Huaijing, and Princess Zhending. Judging from the historical data, in the future, Emperor Xianzong Wan guifei, Yingzong Wanchen concubine, Gao Shufei, etc. were all little girls who entered the palace in this batch. Among them, Wan Guifei was assigned to Empress Xuanzong's Sun Clan, and Wan Chenfei and Gao Shufei were assigned to Crown Prince Zhu Qizhen, and it was reasonable that the Xiang clan should be assigned to Concubine Wu Xian. Concubine Li Xian was Xuanzong's mother,and she was already thankful to have been spared martyrdom, and the good deeds of distributing fresh little palace girls could be her turn? The author is skeptical.
The epitaph also said that during the Tianshun period, Zhu Qizhen selected the old Cheng jin hou and elderly palace people for the crown prince, and the person unanimously recommended by everyone was Xiang Shi. After Zhu Qizhen regained the throne by relying on the change of the gate, his younger brother Zhu Qiyu was still deposed as the King of Qi, and the Wu clan was also re-transformed from empress dowager to Concubine Xuanmiao. At this time, it made sense to cut the treatment of the Wu clan and transfer the Xiang clan, who was recognized as "old and prudent", to serve the crown prince. If the person who served the Xiang clan was Li Xianfei, who did Li Xianfei serve after her death in the third year of Jingtai (1452 AD)? Why not mention it in the epitaph?
(Jingtai 3rd spring month) Gengji, Emperor Renzong's concubine Li Shixue, quit looking at the three days. - "Records of Emperor Ming Yingzong, Volume 212: Appendix XXX of the Deposed Emperor Wu Wang"
Wu Xianfei stills
In summary, the author's judgment is that after Xiang Xuande entered the palace for eight years, the object of service was Concubine Wu Xianfei. Then the claim that Wu and her son Zhu Qiyu had been living outside the palace until Emperor Xuanzong's death could be completely falsified. Since the statement in the second half of the "Record of Sins" is untrue, then combined with the "History of Ming" and Wu's own epitaph, the claim that it is a han palace person is most likely also false. Of course, Wu may indeed not have a high birth, because in the epitaph her family origin is described as follows: "The father is unknown, the mother god clan." It is not correct to say in an encyclopedia that Wu's father is named Wu An, and that Wu An is only her younger brother. There is a mother and a brother, but the biological father is unknown, which can only be understood as not wanting to name him, which may be a person who has committed a serious crime.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > empress dowager whose mother has declined by virtue of her son</h1>
On the third day of the first lunar month of the tenth year of Xuande (1434 AD), Emperor Xuanzong died, and Because of his son, Wu became the only concubine who was not martyred except for Empress Sun and the deposed Hu clan.
According to the normal historical context, After Waiting for her son The Kingdom of the King, Concubine Wu Xian would die alone in the palace and die silently. However, the change of Tumu Fort changed everything, and his son Zhu Qiyu not only became emperor, but also led the victory of the defense of Beijing and saved the Ming Dynasty' Jiangshan Sheji.
Compared with the caution at the beginning of his reign, Zhu Qiyu's prestige at this time had reached its peak, and he was not willing to be Empress Sun's puppet anymore, and he wanted to fight for the rights and interests of his mother, wife and son. In early December of the fourteenth year of orthodoxy (1449 AD), Zhu Qiyu proposed the idea of two palaces to the five dynasties' old minister and Rebbe Shangshu Hu Qi, and was successfully passed.
On the fourth day of the first month of December, Empress Sun was honored as the Empress Dowager. On the seventh day of the first month, Concubine Wu of Xuanmiao was honored as empress dowager. The daughter of a sinner has thus completed a magnificent counterattack, relying on her own son who has a chance.
Emperor Fengbao, honorable mother Concubine Wu as empress dowager. - "Records of Emperor Ming Yingzong, Volume 186: Appendix IV of the Abolition of emperor Wu Ji Wang"
Empress Wu stills
On the tenth day of the first month, Empress Wu's younger brother Wu An was made the commander of jinyiwei. In the fourth year of Jingtai (1453 AD), he was promoted to the former military governor of Zuo Dudu, and in the seventh year of Jingtai (1456 AD), he was given the title of AnPingbo (安平伯), with 800 stones.
Unfortunately, after Zhu Qizhen launched the change of seizing the door, the good life of the Wu family was considered to be over. On the first day of February in the first year of Tianshun (1457 AD), Zhu Qiyu was still deposed as the King of Qi. The reason why wu's title of empress dowager was not abolished at that time was because the third day of the first month of February was the birthday of the empress dowager Sun Shi, and the mother and son were waiting to see Wu's joke. I don't know what Empress Wu felt in her heart when she wished the Empress Dowager Shangsheng a happy birthday. Three days later, Wu was reinstated as Concubine Xuanmiao, and his brother Wu An was deposed from his title and demoted to the position of commander of the Fu Army.
On February 19, Zhu Qiyu died, and Zhu Qizhen gave his brother a nickname of "戾", and was buried with a princely ceremony. At this time, Concubine Wu of xuanmiao was already full of ashes, like a living dead. On December 17, the fifth year of Tianshun (1461 AD), Wu died at the age of 65. Zhu Qizhen only dropped out of the morning and gave him the two-word nickname "Rongsi". In the sixth year of Tianshun (1462 AD), he was buried in Jinshan, and it is unknown whether he was buried next to his son Zhu Qiyu and his grandson Zhu Jianji. The epitaph says that she "enjoyed wealth and nobility, and her birthday was over." Life and death, no regrets", is this really the case?
Zhu Qiyu stills
Conclusion: Wu Xianfei's life has finally become a tragedy. In the eleventh year of Chenghua (1475 AD), Emperor Xianzong restored his status as emperor to his uncle Zhu Qiyu and gave him the title of "Emperor Gongren Kangdingjing". But at that time, Empress Wu was no longer remembered. Until the establishment of the Southern Ming Hongguang Imperial Court, in order to unite people's hearts, Zhu Qiyu was given the temple title of "Daizong", and at the same time, wu was also posthumously honored as "Filial Piety Wen Huishu Prudent Mercy And Kindness Kuang Tianxi Holy Empress". This empress dowager, who was two hundred years late, was finally better than nothing.
Wu's younger brother Wu An died in the eighteenth year of Chenghua (1482 AD), and his relationship with Concubine Wu xianfei is clearly given in the Records of The Records. The statement in a certain encyclopedia can be modified.
At noon, he gave the old Jinyi Wei to command the envoy Wu An sacrifice. Ann, Xuanmiao Rongsi Xian concubine brother also. Jingtai zhongfeng An Pingbo. Tianshun resigned at the beginning of the knighthood and ordered hereditary commanders. At the end of the day, his son Concubine Yuyan xian gave birth to Emperor Yujing and begged for his father's burial sacrifice. An altar with an altar of edict and sacrifice. — Records of emperor Ming Xianzong, vol. 223