Why is there a difference of more than five months between Judy's accession to the throne and the conferring of the Queen? This is because it entered Nanjing through the four-year "Jingnan Battle", and during these four years, the Xu family of Princess Yan has been helping to defend Beiping. In other words, when he ascended the throne in Nanjing, the Xu family was still in Beijing. Without her, the awarding ceremony could not be held.
Therefore, when Lu Yu and other places were recovered and the Xu family were sent to Nanking, it was already late November. After intense preparations by the Ministry of Rites, the Xu family was finally canonized as a queen. She was the third empress of the Ming Dynasty (excluding Zhu Zun) and the highest-born empress in the history of the Ming Dynasty, and was later called Empress Renxiao or perhaps Empress.
It is worth noting that Judy prepared a grand ceremony for Queen Xu. Since ancient times, empresses and concubines have used the golden turtle button (the seal button on the "phoenix seal"), even Ma Shi, the founding queen of the Ming Dynasty. However, I felt that the golden turtle clasp was not enough to show the dignity of Queen Xu, so I ordered the ritual department to make a dragon clasp. Not only that, but also let officials of the Ministry of Rites read the imperial edict of canonizing Xu Shi as the queen at Chengtianmen to show the world. When the Ming and Qing Dynasties conferred the title of Empress, Empress Xu was the first person to tell the world alone.
In the canonization of the imperial edict, I even used the words "I climbed Dabao and let me live alone", which meant that I was able to become emperor thanks to Xu's assistance.
Judy's various practices promoted Queen Xu to a height that the ancient queen had never had before.
Xu in history is indeed an excellent queen. After her death, it was never established in 17. Whenever she mentioned Queen Xu, she was infinitely missed and disappointed. This paper will share the Xu family, the wife of the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, with you, hoping that through the reproduction of historical materials, we can get to know an ancient sage again.
Empress Renxiao Xu (Empress Xu) is the eldest daughter of Xu Da, the founding star of the Ming Dynasty and the duke of Wei (chasing the king of Zhongshan). She was dubbed "Xu Miaoyun" in many TV dramas. In fact, the official history does not record Xu's maiden name. The Ming Dynasty's Biography of Empress Renxiao records:
In the Ming dynasty, the so-called "students" refer to students who have received traditional Confucian education, are familiar with the classic history of Confucianism and are eligible to enter official schools. Xu's father, Xu Da, was the first military minister after the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC). He is both civil and military, does not take credit, forms a clique, is neither arrogant nor extravagant, and knows how to be a minister. As the first child of the Xu family and the eldest daughter of Xu Da, the Xu family received strict Confucian education since childhood. She is called a "female student" because she is intelligent and has read many poems and books.
According to Records of Emperor Taizong of the Ming Dynasty, Xu has an excellent memory and never forgets anything when he studies. Her younger brothers Xu Huizu and Xu Zengshou envy her sister's knowledge. After Zhu Yuanzhang acceded to the throne, in order to stabilize the relationship between monarch and minister, he intended to marry ministers, for example, Prince Zhu Biao married the Chang Yuchun family, and the King of Qin and Zhu Shang married the Deng Yu family. As one of the six founding fathers, Xu Da will not be ignored by Zhu Yuanzhang. Zhu Yuanzhang heard that Xu Da's eldest daughter was very talented and cultivated, so he called Xu Da into the palace. The Ming Dynasty's Biography of Empress Renxiao records:
Zhu Yuanzhang said to Xu Da, "We are friends in cloth, and most of them were married in ancient times. I know you have a good daughter. Can you betrothed her to my fourth son Judy? " Upon hearing this, Xu Da immediately kowtowed to thank humbly, and the engagement with Xu was reached.
Unlike couples in the ancient traditional sense, Xu He was very familiar with them before they got married. In the sixth year of Hongwu, Xu was elected as a female official in the palace and taught for three years. At that time, it was a great honor for the Xungui family. At that time, Xu was only 12 years old.
In the Biography of the High Queen, which was written in the second year of Yongle, it was mentioned that the Xu family was "left and right, alone". It can be seen that the Xu family is not a traditional servant girl. With the relationship between Zhujiajian and Hsu family, Hsu family may be regarded as a daughter.
Ming history also records:
Xu entered the palace for three years and Hongwu for nine years. Xu was officially crowned Princess Yan and married the prince. At this point, she officially became the daughter-in-law of Zhu Yuanzhang and she also cherished Xu Shi.
In the second year of marriage (the tenth year of Hongwu), Xu gave birth to her first child with her. This child is not Zhu Gaochi, but Judy's eldest daughter and Zhu Gaochi's sister, who was later named Princess Yong 'an. Another year (the eleventh year of Hongwu), Xu Sheng was born. At that time, I was still "guarding my ancestors" in Fengyang. When I heard that Xu had a son, I rushed to Nanjing non-stop.
In the thirteenth year of Hongwu, Xu followed to Beiping and became a vassal. From then on, he wanted to pretend to be a vassal, while Xu assisted in becoming a qualified vassal in the Ming Dynasty.
Xu was pregnant before he arrived in Beiping. In Peiping, Xu gave birth to two sons and three daughters. It is worth mentioning that the first seven children in my life were all born by Xu. In other words, before the last child Princess Xianning was born in the eighteenth year of Hongwu, none of the other concubines gave birth. In eight years, Xu has given birth to seven children, which proves that his relationship with him is long-lasting.
From Xu Dazhong's eldest daughter to a female official in Ma Huanghou, from Zhu Yuanzhang's daughter-in-law to the mother of seven children in Yanwangfu, Beiping, Queen Xu was rich in the first half of her life, and it turns out that her second half is even more brilliant.
Because Beiping was the old capital of the Yuan Dynasty, the scale of Yan was quite large. When he first arrived in Peiping, he was already busy with the handover of local officials and the army, while Xu was in charge of Yan's diet, diet, Jishan, good doctors, etiquette, industrial affairs and so on. Whenever Judy returns to Wang Fu, she sees that everything at home is in good order and marries a good wife for herself. In A Record of Emperor Taizong of the Ming Dynasty, Judy said to the Hsu:
To cultivate one's morality and govern the country, Judy can manage the vassal country well and participate in pacifying the "world" after cultivating one's morality and putting one's family in order. For princes, a good wife is very important in "housekeeping" and "governing the country".
Besides, Xu's living habits are very simple. She "doesn't like flashy decorations, she is very frugal". Xu Da came to Peiping for training many times, and Ma Huanghou often sent imperial secretaries to Beijing to visit her grandson. They are very satisfied with Xu's style.
Xu is the eldest daughter of Xu Da, a famous soldier. She has been exposed to it since she was a child, and there is an anticlimactic tendency. In the first year of Wen Jian, Zhu Yunwen divided the vassals by radical means, not only dividing five vassals, but even forcing Bai Zhu, the king of Hunan. The situation in Peiping was tense, and under the persuasion of Yao and others, they finally decided to fight back. During the planning period, Xu was also involved. History:
This means that most of Xu's strategies are in line with his wishes. After the war of Jingnan broke out, Judy moved to the north and south. Xu and his eldest son's task is to defend Beijing.
In September of the first year of his reign, Judy led Changyu and other elite soldiers to storm Daning, while Li Jinglong, the coach of the Southern Army, took advantage of the emptiness of Peiping to lead the army to attack the city. Prince Zhu Gaochi led the elderly, the sick and the disabled to defend the city, and finally won the war. On the surface, the meritorious military service is yes. In fact, Xu played an important role behind the scenes. According to the Ming Dynasty's Biography of Empress Renxiao:
In other words, although he ran around the city as a prince, most of the specific preventive strategies were based on his mother's advice. At that time, the siege of Li Jinglong was very urgent, and the city was full of the old, the weak and the sick. Xu passionately persuaded the people in the city and the families of soldiers to give each of them a pair of armor. Xu even personally boarded the city gate to supervise the war. At Xu's instigation, the women and children in the city threw stones and rubble and fought to the death with the Confederate army, and finally insisted on returning to Beijing.
This incident fully embodies Xu's boldness of vision as a gatekeeper.
The author thinks that the reason why Li Jinglong can't break through the Beiping city occupied by the old, weak, women and children is due to Xu's proper command on the one hand and Xu's identity on the other. Imagine, the size of the Ming dynasty generals or their parents, which didn't stay under the authority of Xu Da? As long as Xu Da's daughter stood on the tower and bowed, the Confederate soldiers had to give some face. Therefore, Qu Neng, the general of the Southern Army, would retreat when he was about to break through the Zhangye Gate, so Li Jinglong was still unable to break the city after being besieged for two months.
I have to say that Judy is lucky to marry Xu Da's eldest daughter.
The battle of Jingnan lasted for four years. Every time I go out, the Xu family will guard the old nest, so there will be no worries.
On June 17, the fourth year of her reign, Judy officially became the emperor. At that time, Tie Xuan and other veteran ministers were still in Jiangbei, and they did not take Xu for the first time. After the situation stabilized, Xu arrived in Nanjing. In order to show courtesy to his wife, he sent his second son Zhu and his third son to meet his mother by the river, and personally greeted his wife at the palace gate.
1 1 October 30th, a conferring ceremony was held for Xu. At the ceremony, Judy not only used the new seal of Panlong for the Queen, but also ordered the Ritual Department to announce it to the world separately at Chengtianmen. Judy said in the book conferring the hsu as the queen:
In a word, "I devote myself to heaven, and I have no internal worries", which covers a thousand words of Judy. Among the queens of the Ming Dynasty, there were many who had both ability and political integrity. However, besides Xu, who else has both ability and political integrity and a certain military talent?
Ma Shi, the empress of Zhu Yuanzhang in the Ming Dynasty, was born in an ordinary gentry family, and Ma Shi, the empress of Jianwen Emperor, was the daughter of Guanglu Shao Qing Ma Quan. Since Emperor Renzong of Zhu Gaochi in the Ming Dynasty, most of the queens of the Ming Dynasty were selected from ordinary literati families. Therefore, as the queen of the Ming emperor Judy and the daughter of Xu Da, the king of Zhongshan, Xu became the highest-born of the 32 queens in the Ming Dynasty.
Empress Xu was familiar with classics since she was a child and suddenly became a queen, which did not make her lose herself. According to Records of Emperor Taizong of the Ming Dynasty, as in Peiping, Empress Xu not only managed the Inner Palace well, but also made good use of her own advantages. The Ming Dynasty's Biography of Empress Renxiao said:
Queen Xu believes that the four-year campaign has made the people miserable. Now that the situation is stable, we should reduce or exempt taxes and let the people rest.
Not only that, Queen Xu also called ministers' wives into the palace and asked them to persuade their husbands to care about the people. Empress Xu said, "I waited on the emperor in the palace all day, but I didn't care about the people."
"Mencius" cloud: success is a good person; If you don't succeed, cultivate your morality and see the world.
As the mother of a country, Queen Xu is fortunate to take care of the world.
At the beginning of Judy's rule, he took a repressive attitude towards the old minister. Hearing this, the queen xu said:
Queen Xu means that all the courtiers of the imperial court were left by Emperor Mao. As an emperor, you should choose talented people to govern the world, not your cronies.
Queen Xu's words had a great influence on Judy. Famous civil servants in the early years of Yongle, such as Jie Jin, Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, Hu Guang, Huanghuai, Xia Yuanji, Jin Youzi and others, were all legacies. They are willing to be used by Judy, and Judy trusts them completely. The team composed of these people played a key role in Judy's creation of Yongle Shi Sheng.
One day, Judy was so busy that she went to North Korea late that she even missed the time for dinner. Queen Xu asked why. Judy said: "Today, the official department selected more than 20 people as county heads according to their qualifications. I just read their resumes for a long time. " After serving dinner, Queen Xu said gently: "I think that when choosing local officials, we should choose those who have both ability and political integrity and dare to plead for the people, rather than mainly looking at the qualifications of officials. If you blindly talk about seniority, it will easily lead to talent being buried. "
Judy felt very reasonable after listening to it. Later, Judy made great efforts to train talented local officials, such as Song Li (in Shanxi), Jin Chun (in Jiangxi) and Lu Zhen (in Beijing), who were all promoted from local officials.
Empress Xu had a far-reaching influence on paying attention to the sufferings of the people and cultivating national talents. After the death of Queen Xu, Judy once recalled that Queen Xu "is good at her duties and contributes to internal governance. It can be seen in Judy's mind that Queen Xu is not only his wife, but also his close partner in governing the country.
There is a saying in "University": A gentleman is not a monk, but a national teacher.
It means that women in feudal society didn't go out all day, but her good cultivation and education had a great positive impact on men at home, just like Empress Xu in history.
Queen Xu was not only the queen and wife of the Ming Dynasty, but also the daughter of the Xu family and the mother of their children.
After Queen Xu was posthumously sealed, she always opposed the conferring of Xu's younger brother by Chu Emperor. Xu Zengshou, the fourth brother of Queen Xu, was killed by Wen Jian for delivering a message to Judy in the battle of Jingnan. After Judy acceded to the throne, she wanted to make Xu Zengshou Qi Huangong. When asking Queen Xu for advice, Queen Xu resolutely disagreed and said, "I can't say anything later." "Ming history" cloud:
As a result, without telling Queen Xu, Judy posthumously awarded Xu Zengshou as Qi Huangong and made Xu Zengshou's son Xu Jingchang a knight. If other queens know that their nephews have been knighted, they will be very happy. However, when Queen Xu got the news, she didn't thank her, because she thought it was against her will to raise her young girl excessively.
On the New Year's Day of the first year of Yongle, the distinguished guest entered the palace to give thanks, and Queen Xu specially left him behind, telling him to abide by the duty of consorts and educate his descendants to be the pillars of Daming. In the face of her aunt's teachings, Xu Jingchang kept them in mind. In the late Ming Dynasty, Ding Guogong was loyal to the Zhu Ming family. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the ninth generation of Ding Guogong, Xu Yunzhen, was killed by Li Zicheng to protect the capital, and Ding Guogong was able to live up to the expectations of Queen Xu.
As a mother, Queen Xu is also worried about her three sons. In the second year of Yongle, the eldest son was made a prince, and Empress Xu taught Zhu and took on the responsibility of a vassal. In order not to create a gap with the prince, Queen Xu suggested that courtiers also serve as assistant ministers in the East Palace. Zhu Gaosui later recalled:
This means that although Zhu He was domineering, he dared not cross the line when Queen Xu was alive.
Although Queen Xu is very strict with her, when referring to her dead mother (Queen Xu), she still said that "Ju's kindness is infinite". It is recalled that when he went to Yongle in the second year, his mother, Queen Xu, sent him away with tears, and both mother and son waved and wept. It can be seen that the feelings of Queen Xu and the children are deep.
As the eldest grandson of Queen Hexu, Ming Xuanzong grew up in the palace and was deeply loved by his grandmother. During the reign of Xuande, Zhu Zhanji paid a visit to the imperial tomb and stayed in front of his grandmother's tomb for a long time. He said to his ministers: "The emperor's ancestors were in trouble, and they won the country and raised me to bow, which was a great love." There is deep affection for children between the lines.
In addition to raising her three sons and four daughters, Queen Xu also raised a younger sister, the first 16 daughter of Zhu Yuanzhang, Princess Baoqing. When Judy ascended the throne, Princess Baoqing was only 8 years old. Due to the early death of her mother, Judy married Princess Baoqing to Queen Xu to support her. Although she is a sister-in-law, Queen Xu almost regards her as her own daughter. Later, after the death of Queen Xu, the princess cried several times and fainted. When Princess Baoqing got married, Judy ordered Prince Zhu Gaochi to marry him personally and gave him unlimited honor.
In the final analysis, Judy did it because she loved Queen Xu. From the feelings of Princess Baoqing for Queen Xu, we can see that Queen Xu is not only concerned with the world, but also has impeccable personal character.
Judy once said: I am a mentor, and so is the Queen.
However, what Judy didn't expect was that after his wife accompanied him for 30 years and helped him board Dabao, she only became a queen for 5 years.
In June of the fifth year of Yongle, Queen Xu was seriously ill, and the doctors took turns to make diagnosis and treatment, but she still didn't get better. On the one hand, Judy granted amnesty to the world to pray for the queen, on the other hand, she issued a letter to recruit famous doctors from all over the world to enter the palace. However, every day is a festival. Queen Xu died on the fourth day of July of that year at the age of 46.
Queen Xu said the last two words before she died. The first paragraph is addressed to Prince Zhu Gaochi:
My biggest regret in this life is that I have no chance to go back to Peiping with the emperor (Judy). At that time, all the women and children in Beiping were guarding the city with me, so I didn't have a chance to repay them. I'll leave it to you (Zhu Gaochi) to finish it for me.
Hearing this, Zhu Gaochi burst into tears and promised to help her mother realize her wish. Two years later, Judy toured the north, and Zhu Gaochi stayed in the capital to supervise the country. Before Judy left, Zhu Gaochi specially prepared generous gifts and money, and sent them to Beijing in Judy's carriage to those women, children and military families who were guarding the city that year, which was to help her mother fulfill her wish.
Alas, as a gatekeeper, Queen Xu did not forget to give back to her foot soldiers before she died. The daughter of Xu Da, the king of Zhongshan, really lives up to her reputation.
The second paragraph of Queen Xu's last words was addressed to her husband Judy. She said:
It means that the world is at peace now, but people's livelihood has not recovered. I hope your majesty can show more sympathy to the people. In addition, your majesty should recruit talents and be friendly to the children of the imperial clan. Finally, Queen Xu said that she was leaving soon and could not repay Judy's kindness to him. I hope Judy will not spoil her family.
When Queen Xu died, Judy held her hand. A generation of men sobbed several times and cried like a child in bed.
After the death of Queen Xu, she stayed in Nanjing. In February of the 11th year of Yongle, after the completion of the underground palace in Changling, the tribute of Queen Xu was buried in Changling. Therefore, Queen Xu was not only the first queen to be buried in the Ming Tombs, but also the first person to be buried in the Ming Tombs.
In the following years, every time Judy mentioned Queen Xu, she was filled with infinite nostalgia and disappointment. After the death of Queen Xu, Judy became emperor in 17, but he never established a queen.
In the 22nd year of Yongle, Judy died in Yumuchuan on her way back from the Northern Expedition. Before she died, Judy told Zhang Fu and others that he and Queen Xu's tribute must be sacrificed together.
Yuan Zhen said: once the sea was difficult for water, it was amber forever.
I think this is probably the relationship with Queen Xu.
Because of the Jingnan War, many people have some prejudice against Judy and her supporters. The author believes that the battle of Jingnan was an internal struggle in the Ming Dynasty. When we evaluate Judy's "usurpation" or Zhu Yunwen's "incompetence", it doesn't affect the affirmation of the loyal subjects behind them.
In other words, we can't deny those loyal ministers just because the battle of Jingnan promoted the historical development of the Ming Dynasty. Nor can we say that people who support Judy are worthless just because the Jing Nan War was a meaningless royal infighting. At that time, both Queen Xu and Judy were victims of Wen Jian's reduction of vassals. As a wife, Queen Xu supported Zhu Diben both in public and in private, which should be understood by future generations.
Queen Xu has been married for 28 years, and she has been educated for 3 years. She has been with Judy for 30 years. In these 30 years, she gave birth to children for Judy, managed the palace for Judy, guarded Beiping for Judy and helped Judy govern the world. Judy gave her the highest honor and set three records at the same time: (1) the highest-bearing succession queen in the Ming Dynasty; (2) The first empress in Ming and Qing Dynasties who made a declaration to the world alone when she was canonized; (3) The first empress to enter the Ming Tombs in Tibet in the Ming Dynasty.
According to the traditional concept, Queen Xu is definitely the wife of a "rich woman", and she is lucky to have such a wife.
During the Yongle period, Queen Xu expanded the internal training and taught concubines in the harem. At the same time, she also wrote a book "Good Words", which was published all over the world to educate people.
"Zuo Zhuan Xiang Gong Twenty-four Years": "There is virtue in the world, followed by meritorious deeds, followed by words. Although it has not been abolished for a long time, this is called three immortality. "
It means that the three criteria for the success of ancient scholar-officials are virtue, merit and integrity.
Although Queen Xu is not a man, as a former "female student", she is also great, successful and worthy of respect from future generations.