Follow the History Encyclopedia editor to explore the real Zhu Di in history.
In the early Ming Dynasty, the foundation of the imperial family was still unstable, and there were frequent uprisings by the people throughout the country, which led to social unrest and unrest during that period. In the 18th year of the Yongle reign, Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Di, suddenly issued an order to arrest all nuns and female Taoists in various places and send them to the capital city.
This incident originated from a peasant uprising in Shandong. During the Ming Dynasty, peasant uprisings occurred frequently, so it was not a big deal.
However, the leader of this Shandong uprising was a woman named Tang Saier.
Tang Saier was a famous female leader of the uprising in the early Ming Dynasty, and the team she led was called the White Lotus Sect. Due to the fact that most of the members of the White Lotus Sect were poor farmers, there were many supporters of Tang Saier, and she took advantage of this to launch many uprisings, which shook the rule of the Ming Dynasty multiple times.
Due to Tang Saier’s repeated refusal to surrender to the court, Zhu Di’s face was tarnished. When Zhu Di dispatched a large number of troops to prepare for the attack on the White Lotus Sect, Tang Saier’s series of countermeasures caught the Ming army off guard.
Due to the great damage caused by the White Lotus Sect to the morale of the Ming army, Zhu Di had a particularly hostile attitude towards Tang Saier. Therefore, Zhu Di began to order a comprehensive pursuit of the rebel army. Under the fierce attack of the Ming army, the rebel army in Shandong failed within three months, but their leader Tang Saier disappeared.
After much consideration, Zhu Di realized that Tang Sai’er had no father, mother, husband, or children. Therefore, she was highly likely to become a nun and even join the ranks of Taoist nuns to avoid being pursued by the court. Therefore, Zhu Di issued orders to arrest nuns and female Taoists in various places.
There are two versions of Tang Saier’s disappearance in later generations. The first one is that Tang Saier really hid in the nunnery as Zhu Di expected, but Tang Saier cleverly changed her appearance, so she escaped the capture of the Ming army and spent a quiet life in the nunnery. Zhu Di never found Tang Saier until his death.
The second version is an incredible one. Like the first version, Tang Saier hid in a nunnery, but after careful investigation by the Ming army, Tang Saier was arrested. Zhu Di ordered the execution of this woman whom he hated to the bone. And she took off her clothes and paraded through the streets in public. At that time, this was a form of criminal law that greatly insulted women, but Tang Saier still refused to surrender and instead cursed the harsh taxes imposed on farmers by the court.
Zhu Di heard Tang Saier’s furious scolding before his death, and his anger towards Tang Saier dissipated. He even admired this woman to some extent, after all, even the male leader of the uprising could not withstand so much severe torture. And Tang Saier’s concern for the people and righteousness made Zhu Di admire him.
After a profound reflection, Zhu Di ordered the reduction of corv é e labor and taxes in some areas, and the local people knew that it was Tang Saier who exchanged his life for everyone’s peace and happiness.
Everyone is very grateful and admired for her behavior. People also built statues of Tang Saier and ancestral halls to commemorate this great woman.
