Why did Zhu Gaochi’s favored concubine Guo, who came from a prominent background, end up in a tragic way? The history encyclopedia editor brings relevant content to everyone. Interested friends, come and take a look!
When it comes to Zhu Gaochi’s harem, everyone thinks of his legitimate wife, Empress Zhang, but few people know that Zhu Gaochi actually had a very favored concubine, the Noble Consort Guo. This Guo family is extraordinary. Not only did she come from a much more prominent background than Empress Zhang, but she also gave birth to three sons for Zhu Gaochi.
However, strangely speaking, given Guo’s status and level of favor, she could probably avoid being buried for Zhu Gaochi. However, the fact is that she became one of the martyrs. So, as a favored concubine, why did she end up with such a tragic fate of being buried despite her illustrious background and having three sons?
Zhu Gaochi’s favored concubine Guo Shi is the granddaughter of Guo Ying. Who is Guo Ying? He was one of the founding heroes of the Ming Dynasty. When Zhu Yuanzhang rebelled, he defected to him with his brother Guo Xing and was initially responsible for the garrison. Both brothers were brave and skilled in battle, and participated in many important battles with Zhu Yuanzhang.
Especially in the Battle of Poyang Lake, it was Guo Xing who suggested that Zhu Yuanzhang use fire attack, which resulted in a great victory over Chen Youliang. Guo Ying, on the other hand, suffered serious injuries during the war but bravely fought against the enemy despite his injuries, resulting in a major defeat to Chen Youliang at the mouth of the Jingjiang River. After Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed himself emperor, he first conferred the title of Gongchang Marquis upon Guo Xing, and later conferred the title of Wuding Marquis upon Guo Ying. Guo Ying passed away in the first year of Yongle and was posthumously honored as Duke of Yingguo, with the posthumous title of “Weixiang”.
In addition to Guo Ying, all of his sons were pillars of the country. Among them, his second son Guo Ming, who is the father of the protagonist Guo in this article, served as a royal treasure in the Liao dynasty and was posthumously honored as Marquis Wu Ding. Guo Ying was still in laws with Zhu Yuanzhang. His eldest son married Princess Yongjia, and his third and fifth daughters respectively married Prince Zhu Zhi of Liao and Prince Zhu Dong of Ying as legitimate concubines.
It was precisely because of such a family background that Guo was able to marry Zhu Gaochi, who was already the Crown Prince at that time. However, when Guo married, Zhu Gaochi already had a legitimate wife, the Crown Princess Zhang, so Guo could only be a concubine.
With Guo’s background, it can be imagined that she must have received a good education and should also be a virtuous, virtuous, dignified, and intelligent woman, which is why she was able to win the love of Zhu Gaochi. After she married, she gave birth to three sons for Zhu Gaochi in succession.
In the seventh year of Yongle, Guo gave birth to his eighth son Zhu Zhanjiang for Zhu Gaochi. From this, it can be inferred that the Guo family entered the mansion in the fifth or sixth year of the Yongle reign. Moreover, it is worth mentioning that Guo gave birth to three sons for Zhu Gaochi in succession, and no one gave birth to another son afterwards, indicating that Guo was favored exclusively at that time, even his legitimate wife Zhang was unable to achieve this.
As for Zhu Zhanjiang, he was conferred the title of Prince Teng, but ultimately passed away in the same year as his father, at the age of only 16. In the ninth year of the Yongle reign, Guo gave birth to Zhu Zhanyong, the ninth son of Zhu Gaochi. Zhu Zhanyong was conferred the title of Prince of Liang and passed away in the sixth year of the Zhengtong reign at the age of 30. He had no children and was expelled from the country.
In the fifteenth year of the Yongle reign, Guo gave birth to Zhu Zhanjiang, the tenth son of Zhu Gaochi. Zhu Zhanjiang was appointed as the Prince of Wei and passed away in the fourth year of the Zhengtong reign at the age of 22. He had no children and was expelled from the country. Guo’s three sons all passed away early and had no offspring, so Guo passed away. And she herself ultimately ended up being buried, it’s really pitiful.
Although Guo married relatively late, she was favored by Zhu Gaochi and her status surpassed that of other concubines, second only to her legitimate wife Zhang. After Zhu Gaochi ascended the throne, he conferred the title of Noble Consort upon Guo, officially giving her the title and status of second in command of the imperial harem.
Zhu Gaochi said in the book:
The Guo family, known for their noble and virtuous character, chose concubines for the Spring Palace. They were gentle and respectful, with a calm and peaceful demeanor. They maintained a dignified and respectful demeanor, displaying the elegance of poetry and etiquette. They were better than ancient ancestors and possessed the beauty of diligence and frugality, earning respect and warning from the crowing of chickens all night long. Therefore, they were promoted to the rank of Zhai Zhi Rong and honored with the title of Guanxuan Long, and were specially conferred the title of Noble Consort
So, many people think that Zhu Gaochi and Empress Zhang are a model couple, and Empress Zhang is the one who is favored alone, but in fact, this is not the case. Zhu Gaochi’s respect for his wife is true, and the couple is indeed a model in front of outsiders, one is a benevolent ruler and the other is a virtuous queen. But when he returned home, Zhu Gaochi still had a very beloved Consort Guo.
Unfortunately, Guo’s favor did not last long after Zhu Gaochi ascended the throne. This was not because Zhu Gaochi no longer liked her, but because she had passed away. This person who served as the Crown Prince for twenty years passed away after only ten months as the Emperor. Due to the fact that the Ming Dynasty had not yet abolished the sacrificial burial system, five of Zhu Gaochi’s concubines were buried, including Guo Guifei.
So, apart from Empress Zhang and the concubines who were going to die early, were all the remaining concubines of Zhu Gaochi buried? Of course not, one of the more typical ones is Consort Zhang.
Zhang’s family also came from a prominent background, with her grandfather being Zhang Yu and her father being Zhang Fu. Zhang Yu was a capable general under Zhu Di’s command. He achieved brilliant results in the Battle of Jingnan, defeating Geng Bingwen twice, defeating Li Jinglong twice, and capturing the nine gates of Beiping. Therefore, he was promoted to the position of Commander in Chief. In the end, Zhang Yu fought and died to save Zhu Di, and was posthumously conferred the title of Duke of Rongguo. During the Hongxi period, he was posthumously conferred the title of King of Hejian.
Zhang Fu inherited his father’s bravery and also participated in the Jingnan Campaign, making great contributions. After Zhu Di ascended the throne, Zhang Fu suppressed rebellions multiple times and was granted the title of Duke of England. Zhang Fu went through four dynasties and ultimately died in the Tumu Fortress Incident. He sacrificed his life for the country at a young age. Although he died in his rightful place, it was a pity that he died in the absurd battle of Tumu Fortress. After Zhang Fu’s death, he was posthumously honored as the Prince of Dingxing County and given the posthumous title of “Loyalty and Martyr”.
Why do we need to introduce Princess Jing separately? Mainly because she and Consort Guo both came from noble families, but Consort Jing was ultimately spared from being buried, while Consort Guo was buried. It should be noted that Consort Jing has not yet had a son, but Consort Guo has given birth to three sons.
The reason why Consort Jing was spared from being buried was due to her status as the “daughter of the honored old”, but it is absurd that Consort Guo was not spared from being buried for such a reason. So why exactly is that?
It is obvious that this matter is related to Empress Zhang. Empress Zhang is indeed a virtuous queen, but being virtuous doesn’t mean she won’t be jealous. Let’s not say jealousy is so severe. Her husband dotes on a concubine so much that he inevitably feels a little uncomfortable in his heart.
Empress Zhang could not be as great as Empress Ma. She treated Zhu Yuanzhang’s concubines with kindness and compassion, and treated all of Zhu Yuanzhang’s children and adopted sons as her own. Therefore, the more favored Guo Guifei was before, the greater the possibility of her ultimate sacrifice.
Of course, the authorities cannot admit it in this way, but instead give the statement that Consort Guo voluntarily sacrificed herself. But upon careful consideration, at that time Guo Guifei still had a son, and Jing Fei had already been spared from being buried as the “daughter of the honored old”. How good is the relationship between Guo Guifei and Zhu Gaochi that made her abandon her son and life and choose to sacrifice herself voluntarily?
Therefore, it is highly likely that her “voluntary burial” was actually pushed by Empress Zhang behind the scenes. Guo Guifei had no choice about this, as her son was still young and of insufficient status. But Empress Zhang is the legitimate wife, and her eldest son is the Crown Prince, who is about to inherit the throne. She cannot compete, so she can only take the initiative to be buried and leave a good reputation for herself.
It has always been difficult to spoil a concubine. The greater the favor you can endure, the more cruel the outcome will be, unless someone like Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma, or Zhu Di and Empress Xu, who had a deep relationship as a married couple. Although Zhu Gaochi and Empress Zhang respected each other as guests, they did not reach the same level of affection. It is not surprising that Empress Zhang did not like Consort Guo.
