She was Zhu Qiyu’s most beloved concubine, but was eventually forced to be buried. Below, the editor of the History Encyclopedia will provide a detailed interpretation. Let’s continue reading~
Some people believe that Zhu Qiyu liked the Hang family the most. He deposed his first wife, Empress Wang, for the sake of the Hang family. After the death of the Hang family, he violated the ancestral tradition and first placed her portrait in the imperial temple. But those who have this idea are either influenced by TV dramas or not very familiar with Zhu Qiyu’s harem.
It can be said that in Zhu Qiyu’s harem, the Hang family was actually the least favored, even Li Xier, who came from a prostitute background, was more favored than her. The reason why Lady Hang was able to become the empress was entirely because she gave birth to Zhu Jianji, the only son of Zhu Qiyu. In addition, Empress Wang did not agree to Zhu Qiyu’s change of position, so she rose to power based on her son’s status.
In fact, Zhu Qiyu’s favorite person should be Tang Guifei. Of course, due to the special nature of Emperor Zhu Qiyu in the history of the Ming Dynasty, Tang Guifei is not well known to later generations. So today, let’s take a look at her story together.
Tang was born in the third year of the Zhengtong reign, exactly 10 years younger than Zhu Qiyu. Her father’s name is Tang Xing, who obtained a position as a Jinyiwei during the Ming Dynasty. According to the “Annals of Emperor Yingzong of Ming Dynasty”, in the fifth year of Jingtai, Tang Xing was suddenly promoted twice in succession, from a hundred households to a thousand households in the Jinyiwei, and then to commanding officials. Therefore, it can be inferred that Tang Shi entered the palace in this year.
As soon as Tang entered the palace, she received the favor of Zhu Qiyu. She was outstanding in appearance, clever in her hands, and skilled in singing and dancing, all of which were inherited and taught by her extremely talented mother. So it can be understood why Zhu Qiyu likes her so much.
Although Tang became the concubine of Zhu Qiyu, everyone knows that firstly, Zhu Qiyu is a special emperor, and no one knows what his future will be like. Secondly, as the saying goes, accompanying a ruler is like accompanying a tiger, and no one knows what Tang’s future will be like. Therefore, when Tang entered the palace, only members of her mother’s family came to see her off, while members of her father’s family did not come to see her off in order to avoid disaster.
But unexpectedly, Tang Shi was very favored after entering the palace, but despite this, her father Tang Xing was also very cautious. According to historical records, Zhu Qiyu once rewarded Tang Xing with several pieces of land, but these pieces of land had owners who were unwilling and argued with Tang Xing. In theory, as the country’s father-in-law, Tang Xing’s daughter was so favored that there was no need to pay attention to this person. However, Tang Xing still chose to return the land, indicating that he was quite cautious in his handling of things.
Tang did not give birth to any offspring for Zhu Qiyu. Zhu Qiyu had only three children in his lifetime, among whom Wang, the legitimate heir, gave birth to two daughters and Hang, the heir, gave birth to a son named Zhu Jianji. Despite this, Zhu Qiyu still conferred the title of Imperial Noble Consort on the Tang family in August of the seventh year of Jingtai.
Tang Shi is a historical figure and the first imperial concubine of the Ming Dynasty, which shows her level of favor. In February of the same year when she was conferred the title of Imperial Noble Consort, Empress Hang had just passed away, which meant that Tang was already the head of Zhu Qiyu’s harem, even though there were not many people in Zhu Qiyu’s harem.
Moreover, whenever Zhu Qiyu has free time, he will accompany the Tang family. Tang enjoys horseback riding, but once he accidentally fell off his horse. This is really heart wrenching for Zhu Qiyu. In addition to spending more time with Tang Shi, he also specially ordered people to select horses with gentle personalities for training, in order to prevent scaring his beloved concubine again in the future.
It can be said that according to Tang’s degree of favor, if both she and Zhu Qiyu lived longer, and Zhu Qiyu’s throne was stable, her second half of life would be very happy. Moreover, she is still young, and it would be even better if she could have a son in the future. But in reality, when she became the head of the harem, Zhu Qiyu’s body was visibly weak.
In January of the eighth year of the Jingtai reign, Shi Heng, Xu Youzhen, Cao Jixiang, and others launched a rebellion to seize the throne and helped Zhu Qizhen regain the throne. Zhu Qizhen naturally couldn’t tolerate Zhu Qiyu, so he deposed him as the Prince of Han and placed him under house arrest until further decisions were made on how to handle him. Unable to wait for Zhu Qizhen to come up with a solution, Zhu Qiyu passed away at the age of only 29.
With the death of Zhu Qiyu, the Tang family had no one to rely on and could only wait for the outcome of Zhu Qizhen’s disposal. According to the Ming Dynasty system, when Zhu Qiyu died, his concubines were only buried alive, except for a few who may have been exempt from being buried alive. It’s like Zhu Qiyu’s first wife, Wang Shi. Originally, Zhu Qizhen wanted her to be buried, but Grand Secretary Li Xian said that Wang Shi had already been deposed by Zhu Qiyu. Moreover, she never agreed to Zhu Qiyu deposing Zhu Jianshen, which was considered a credit. In addition, she had two young daughters to take care of, so Wang Shi was able to save her life.
But Tang Shi was the imperial concubine personally appointed by Zhu Qiyu. She was once favored, but now she is in great danger because in Zhu Qizhen’s eyes, she is like a dog in the same boat. Her family has gained many honors and favors because of her popularity, and now her status as the imperial concubine has been denied, leaving her family speechless. With no offspring to take care of, the poor Tang family could only face the fate of being buried.
Regarding Tang Shi’s life, it was actually quite simple. She was favored by Zhu Qiyu as soon as she entered the palace, thanks to her beauty and talent. She was unable to become the queen mainly because she entered the palace late and did not have a son. If she also gave birth to a son after entering the palace, then after Zhu Jianji’s untimely death, her son would be crowned as the Crown Prince, and she would likely be supported by Zhu Qiyu.
However, after the death of Empress Hang, she still took the position of imperial concubine and was already quite favored. It’s just a pity that these glorious days didn’t last long, and in the end, they ended up with a tragic funeral. When Tang was buried, he was only 19 years old. Due to the later abolition of the sacrificial burial system by Zhu Qizhen, Tang Shi was likely one of the last concubines to be sacrificed in the Ming Dynasty.
Consort Tang has always been envied by others, but she has nothing to envy, just a pitiful person. As the concubine of Zhu Qiyu, she can only face such a result. After Tang Shi was buried, Zhu Qizhen spared his father Tang Xing from the death penalty and instead sent him to Henan to serve as a soldier.
