Hi, it’s time to meet you all again. Today, the History Encyclopedia editor has brought an article about Empress Zonghang of the Ming Dynasty. I hope you like it.
Have you guys watched ‘The Legend of the Female Doctor Mingfei’? Did the female protagonist Tan Yunxian in the drama leave a deep impression on you? In fact, Tan Yunxian has this historical prototype, and she is not alone. She was formed by the fusion of the famous female physician Tan Yunxian from the Ming Dynasty and the Hangzhou family after the abolition of the Ming Dynasty.
Ascending rapidly, a mother relies on her son’s wealth
Hang was born into the common people. His father, Hang Yu, only served as the commander of the Jinyiwei (a third rank official) after his daughter became the empress. When Zhu Qiyu was still the King of Han, Hang was the concubine. Compared to Zhu Qiyu’s original wife Wang, Hang was a very lucky person. In 1448 AD, she gave birth to Zhu Qiyu’s eldest son, Zhu Jianji, who was also the only son.
Luck seemed to have turned on the switch for her. In the second year after giving birth to her son, 1449, Zhu Qiyu’s brother Ming Yingzong personally led an expedition to Wala, and the Tumu Fortress Incident broke out. Ming Yingzong was captured. As the saying goes, a country cannot be without a ruler for a day. As the younger brother of Emperor Yingzong, Zhu Qiyu, the Prince of Han, was appointed as emperor in the face of danger and succeeded to the throne, which is the Ming Dynasty Emperor.
After ascending to the throne, Zhu Qiyu conferred the title of empress dowager, and Wang Shi, the consort of Prince Bing, was appointed as empress. Hang Shi had a son and was conferred the title of Noble Consort.
However, the good fortune of the Hang family was not yet over. In 1452 AD, Zhu Qiyu intended to depose the eldest son of Emperor Yingzong, Zhu Jianshen, and establish the only son of the Hang family, Zhu Jianji, as the crown prince. Empress Wang tried her best to dissuade him, which angered Emperor Daizong’s abdication. After successfully appointing her son as the crown prince, the position of empress dowager in the central palace was also vacant at this time, and the mother of Consort Hang was appointed as the empress based on her son’s nobility.
After being enfeoffed by the Hang family, he inherited the family. Father Hang Yu was appointed as the commander of the Jinyiwei, and older brother was appointed as the commander of the Jinyiwei Thousand Households. The Hang family was once in great glory.
After the premature death of the young child and the passing of Lady Hang, there is still no peace
The gate of good luck is capricious, and when Hang was immersed in happiness, it quietly closed the switch.
In the year 1453 AD, Crown Prince Zhu Jianji passed away, and before the Hang family could emerge from happiness and joy, cold water was poured on them. The death of her son dealt a great blow to the Hang family and left them deeply saddened. Three years later, in 1457 AD, Hang passed away due to illness.
Emperor Daizong was also quite sad and posthumously awarded the title of “Empress Su Xiao”. He also built a tomb for her and named it “Shouling”.
At the same time, the elder brother Hang Jing and younger brother Hang Min of Empress Hang were appointed as the top 100 households (sixth rank) of the Jinyiwei.
So far, the misfortune of the Hang family has not ended. One year after the death of Empress Hang, Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty restored himself to the throne through the “Gate Grabbing Incident”. Emperor Zhu Qiyu was demoted to the rank of Prince of Han and placed under house arrest in Yong’an Palace in the west. He died suddenly shortly thereafter. After the official restoration of Emperor Yingzong, he issued an edict condemning Zhu Qiyu, abolishing his imperial title, and posthumously giving him the posthumous name “Li”. He was buried in accordance with the prince’s rites and was not buried in the imperial tomb.
If Zhu Qiyu had such a fate, then the Hang family would have even less compassion. Emperor Yingzong despised the mother and son of the Hang family and issued an edict to abolish the posthumous title of the Hang family. At the same time, he also destroyed her tomb, leaving no remains; Zhu Jianji, the son of the Hang family, was demoted from Crown Prince Huaixian to Crown Prince Huaixian; And the Hang family, because only their younger brother Hang Min was still alive, Emperor Yingzong stripped him of his official position and sent him back to his hometown. The glory of the Hang family is gone forever.
From an ordinary folk woman, to flying onto a branch and becoming a phoenix, to becoming a country, and finally to being unrecognized and having no bones left, Hang’s life was both tragic and innocent.
Being enthroned as a queen was not because she was favored, but because she was successful and gave birth to Daizong’s only son at that time; After her son’s death, she was the only one immersed in grief, while her husband doted on other women (Tang Fei, Li Xier); As the empress, the glory she brought to the Hang family was less than half that of Tang Fei. After her death, she was implicated by her husband, and the tomb was destroyed with no bones left. The identity of the empress was also not recognized by historians. Even though Daizong’s achievements gradually gained recognition later on, the Hang family still received any posthumous name.
If she hadn’t received much favor from Emperor Daizong, she probably wouldn’t have. If she hadn’t given birth to his only son, she would have been submerged in the harem. Not long after sitting on the throne, Emperor Daizong had no deep feelings for her after his son’s death, and became even colder. Despite holding a high position, she was like sitting in an ice cellar. This is both Hang’s fortune and her misfortune.
