Imperial Concubine, the concubine closest to the position of Queen.
The two imperial concubines of the Ming Dynasty, Imperial Concubine Hu and Imperial Concubine Chengmu Sun, both had bad endings. Hu served as an imperial concubine for more than ten years, and finally her three clans were exterminated. Imperial Concubine Chengmu Sun served as an imperial concubine for more than a year, and was deeply loved by the emperor and empress, but she was unlucky. She died after enjoying a few days of wealth and glory. The position of imperial concubine was like a death warrant.
Although there were lessons from the past, they could not resist the huge temptation of the Imperial Concubine. The concubines in the six palaces in the east and west, especially those in the position of Imperial Concubine, no matter how they looked on the surface, were actually sharpening their knives in their hearts and launching an attack on the position of Imperial Concubine.
Except for the "second-married" wooden beauty Concubine Da Ding who had just escaped danger, Concubine Da Ding was so scared when she heard that Empress Ma was going to select a royal concubine that she fell ill. She spent the whole day looking for doctors and medicine, stayed indoors, and was determined not to get involved.
There were nine concubines in the Ming Dynasty harem. Among them, the Imperial Concubine was the most honorable, the Virtuous Concubine was the second, and the Shu Concubine was the third.
Therefore, the first candidate was of course Li Xianfei, who gave birth to the little prince. Li Xianfei was once virtuous and impeccable. She had a good temper, a good reputation, and a high status. Because she had no children, Empress Ma entrusted the little princess in her cradle to her for upbringing.
However, Concubine Li Xian tasted the sweetness of raising a little princess, which aroused her latent ambition. She used the little princess as a tool to win favor. When she became pregnant, she was not so dedicated to raising the little princess. Empress Ma was not the kind of person who would use innocent children to trap concubines, so she gave the little princess to Sun, who was her most trusted concubine at the time, to raise.
Concubine Li Xian gave birth to a son, who was already one year old. Emperor Hongwu liked the chubby little son very much and often went to see the mother and son. Concubine Li Xian was very popular in the palace. She lived in Changchun Palace of the West Six Palaces. Without Concubine Chengmu Sun, Concubine Li Xian was the highest-ranking concubine in the West Palace, commonly known as the Queen of the West Palace.
The second seed player is Concubine Li Shufei, who is currently raising the little princess. She lives in Yonghe Palace of the Eastern Six Palaces. She is currently the Queen of the Eastern Palace and enjoys the treatment of "Emon's Bed" when she serves the emperor in bed.
Concubine Li Shu vaguely possessed some of the qualities of Concubine Chengmu Sun. She did not fight or compete, and always obeyed Empress Ma's orders.
Empress Ma asked her to take over raising the little princess, so she treated the little princess as if she were her own daughter and asked for parenting tips everywhere. The little princess can now speak and recognize people, calling her "mother" all the time, which makes Concubine Li very happy and looks like she is very content to have a daughter.
Concubine Li did not treat the little princess as a tool to win favor and love. When Emperor Hongwu came to see the little princess, she really held the little princess in her arms and then pushed her aside, allowing Emperor Hongwu to tease the little princess and play. She never took the initiative to approach her or take the opportunity to seek favor. She just quietly watched Emperor Hongwu and the little princess enjoy family happiness.
The result of Concubine Li's actions was that Emperor Hongwu had a better and better impression of her and respected her more and more, but he did not sleep with her very often... Concubine Li's belly has not moved so far.
On the contrary, Concubine Li Xian of Changchun Palace often used excuses such as the little prince crying, having a fever, missing his father, etc. to "snatch" Emperor Hongwu to Changchun Palace. She also deliberately lost weight to restore her graceful figure, and Emperor Hongwu often stayed overnight in Changchun Palace.
Therefore, the number one seed, Concubine Li Xianfei of the West Palace, was showing signs of trying to have a second child. With the power of childbirth, the west wind overwhelmed the east wind and clearly suppressed the number two seed, Concubine Li Shufei of the East Palace.
However, Empress Ma obviously preferred Concubine Li Shu, who was similar to Concubine Chengmu, otherwise she would not have given the little princess to Concubine Li Shu to raise to honor her. If Concubine Li Shu could grow up, share Empress Ma's worries, and be helped, then she would still have a good chance of vying for the position of Concubine.
However, the harem of the Hongwu Dynasty was turbulent, with many talented people emerging, and the drama of competing for the position of imperial concubine was not just played by Empress Li Xianfei of the East Palace and Empress Li Shufei of the West Palace.
Please welcome the third seeded player Guo Huifei.
Concubine Guo Hui came from a prominent family. Empress Ma's adoptive father, Guo Zixing, was Concubine Guo Hui's biological father.
Back then, when Guo Zixing was just a wandering knight among the people, Empress Ma's father, a landlord, was very righteous and often gave him money. The two became sworn brothers.
After her father died, there was war and chaos, and her relatives were fighting for her property. The orphan and her widowed mother had no way to survive, so they turned to Guo Zixing, who was already the leader of a peasant uprising army at the time. He adopted Empress Ma as his adopted daughter and protected her and her.
Guo Zixing had a wife and a concubine. His wife gave birth to three sons and then died. His concubine, Zhang, gave birth to a daughter. So Guo Zixing nominally had two daughters, an adopted daughter, Ma, and a biological daughter, Guo. Ma and Guo were close friends in the boudoir.
Historical records show that Guo Zixing treated Ma as his own daughter, but no one knows how Ma actually lived in the Guo family.
Guo Zixing decided to marry Ma to his subordinate Zhu Yuanzhang. Zhu Yuanzhang always called Guo Zixing "father-in-law", and the two were in a father-in-law and son-in-law relationship at that time.
Later, Zhu Yuanzhang made many outstanding achievements, but Guo Zixing became suspicious of him and took away his military power. He also sent his fellow Fengyang natives and trusted generals Xu Da and Chang Yuchun to the capital.
He was transferred away and thrown into prison, awaiting execution.
Queen Ma hid the baked cake in her arms and went to visit her husband. When she took out the food, the skin on her chest was burned by the cake, forming a series of blisters.
The history records: "He stole some cooked cakes and brought them to us, but the meat was burnt."
In addition, Empress Ma donated all her family property to Guo Zixing's concubine, Madam Zhang, and took out the best clothes and jewelry to give to Madam Zhang's daughter, Guo, and asked the mother and daughter to help plead with Guo Zixing to let her husband Zhu Yuanzhang go.
Empress Ma and Zhu Yuanzhang showed through their actions and words that they were loyal to the Guo family. They were willing to dedicate their property and lives to the Guo family, and had no intention of betraying the family. They were willing to work hard for the family all their lives.
Only then did Guo Zixing believe the sincerity of his adopted daughter and her husband, and he released Zhu Yuanzhang and restored him to his original post.
After being released from prison, Zhu Yuanzhang's power grew. After Guo Zixing died of illness, his son Guo Tianxu inherited the Guo family's territory and military power, but Guo Tianxu was betrayed by his subordinates and died tragically. Zhu Yuanzhang vowed to avenge Guo Tianxu, kill the traitor, and take back the city.
Although Guo Zixing had another son, Guo Tianjue, at this time, Zhu Yuanzhang was the popular choice and became the leader, inheriting the Guo family's territory and army.
Afterwards, Zhu Yuanzhang took Guo Zixing's only daughter, Guo, as his concubine, and she and Empress Ma became sisters again in the form of wife and concubine. This time, the status changed, and Empress Ma became the legal wife from an adopted daughter living under someone else's roof. Guo went from being the apple of the eye of the master's family to a concubine who was inferior to Empress Ma.
The following year, Guo Zixing's only surviving son, Guo Tianjue, rose up in rebellion to overthrow Zhu Yuanzhang and take back the Guo family's property.
This time, Zhu Yuanzhang did not give Guo Tianjue a second chance. He quickly rehabilitated him and executed him.
However, although Zhu Yuanzhang killed all the members of the Guo family, he was still good to his father-in-law Guo Zixing. In the third year of Hongwu, he posthumously conferred the title of King of Xuyang on Guo Zixing.
Only a dead opponent is a good opponent. Zhu Yuanzhang felt free to posthumously confer the title of King of a different surname on his father-in-law Guo Zixing because he was already dead.
No one knows how Guo felt when she learned that her family was destroyed by her husband. Empress Ma was very kind to Guo and did not allow anyone to look down on her, but Empress Ma did not trust Guo. She only confided in Concubine Sun, who had the same experience of being adopted as a daughter.
Perhaps in order to prevent future generations from scorning him for being ungrateful to Guo Zixing, Emperor Hongwu continued to "favor" Guo and conferred the title of Concubine Hui on her.
The evidence is that Concubine Guo Hui was the most fertile concubine in the six palaces. She gave birth to three princes, Zhu Chun, Prince of Shu, Zhu Gui, Prince of Dai, and Zhu Tan, Prince of Gu. Two princesses, Princess Yongjia and Princess Ruyang. A total of five children.
Concubine Guo Hui had a father who was a king of a different surname and was a benefactor of Emperor Hongwu. She had made "great contributions" to the expansion of the royal family by giving birth to five children. Moreover, during the fifteen years that Concubine Guo Hui had been in the harem, she gave birth to a child every three years on average. She was "diligent" and quiet and did not cause trouble. It was a bit hard to understand why she had been in the position of concubine for so long without any promotion.
If Emperor Hongwu and Empress Ma were concerned about their reputation, they might have used the position of Imperial Concubine to appease Concubine Guo Hui. Therefore, Concubine Guo Hui was also a strong contender for the position of Imperial Concubine.
The fourth seed is Concubine Guo Ning. Both of them have the surname Guo, but Concubine Guo Ning's life experience is completely different from Concubine Guo Hui's embarrassing and rough life. It can be said that she is "a promising young lady" and is extremely good!
When Emperor Hongwu passed by Concubine Guo Ning's home during his march, her father Guo Shanfu recognized her heroism and not only offered her good wine and food, he also sent his daughter Guo to Emperor Hongwu's tent to sleep with him. He also ordered his sons Guo Xing and Guo Ying to join Emperor Hongwu's army and lead the charge.
Guo's two elder brothers, Guo Xing and Guo Ying, were both brave and good at fighting, and had made many outstanding achievements. After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Hongwu conferred the title of Marquis of Gongchang on Guo Xing, the title of Marquis of Wuding on Guo Ying, and the title of Concubine Ning on Guo.
Concubine Guo Ning gave birth to the tenth prince, Prince of Lu Zhu Tan. With her good birth and family background, as well as having given birth to a prince, Concubine Guo Ning was naturally a strong contender for the position of imperial concubine.
They both had the surname Guo and lived in the Six Eastern Palaces. Concubine Guo Hui lived in Jingyang Palace, and Concubine Guo Ning lived in Zhongcui Palace. They were neighbors.
The first seed was Li Xianfei, the second seed was Li Shufei, the third seed was Guo Huifei, and the fourth seed was Guo Ningfei. As a result, the imperial concubine became a competition between "two Lis and two Guos", and they were the four concubines who were given the most hope in the harem.
Hu Shanwei summarized the current "war report". She felt that the mastermind behind the scenes was most likely hidden among the "two Lis and two Guos". Each of them had reasons to pose a threat to Queen Ma:
The "virtuous and kind" Concubine Li was the concubine closest to the position of noble concubine. The little prince fueled her ambition. If it weren't for Empress Ma, Concubine Li would have the highest position in the palace.
Hu Shanwei couldn't see through the "quiet and inactive" Concubine Li Shu. She seemed to be incapable of competing for favor and power. Was she really planning to live a life of idleness and wait for death in the palace, without any desires or ambitions, or was she scheming and deliberately imitating the former Concubine Chengmu Sun to gain the favor of the emperor and empress? If it was the latter, Concubine Li Shu would be named a noble concubine in the future, and once Empress Ma died, she would most likely become the successor - Concubine Li Shu was still young, and by then she would give birth to a legitimate son as the empress, then...
"Deep hatred" Concubine Guo Hui, the Guo family was exterminated, and the power of the Guo family was the first pot of gold for Zhu Yuanzhang. Concubine Guo Hui gave birth to five children for the "enemy who exterminated the whole family" Emperor Hongwu. How strong and forbearing must she be! The status with Empress Ma was reversed, but she didn't hate? Didn't she blame
Concubine Guo Ning, who was known as the "Miao Gen Zheng Hong", had two brothers who held military power and had sons, especially Guo Ying, the Marquis of Wuding, who also commanded the imperial guards! If Concubine Guo Ning became the empress, the tenth prince, Prince Lu, would be the legitimate son. It should be noted that the crown prince was always born out of wedlock. According to Hu Shanwei's conspiracy theory, this was simply the perfect configuration for rebellion and usurpation of the throne.
Especially since Concubine Guo Ning's relatives were powerful, they were able to find out the true identity of the silkworm mother and make a promise to cooperate with her. Hu Shanwei drew a circle on Concubine Guo Ning with a red pen and invited Ji Gang to come, asking Ji Gang to use the spies of the Jinyiwei to keep an eye on Wuding Marquis Guo Ying and Gongchang Marquis Guo Xing.
However, the next day, Hu Shanwei began to doubt his judgment. A minor imperial censor wrote to the Hongwu Emperor, asking him to erect a monument for Xuyang Prince Guo Zixing and invite his spirit tablet to the Imperial Ancestral Temple, where it would be placed together with the founding heroes of the Ming Dynasty, and would forever enjoy the incense and offerings of the royal descendants.
Many ministers seconded the proposal and requested Emperor Hongwu's approval.
When Hu Shanwei heard the news, he was overwhelmed: What’s going on
Empress Ma said calmly: "Someone couldn't hold back and took the initiative."
Hu Shanwei: "Concubine Guo Hui was quietly giving birth and raising a child in the palace, but she still had such a great influence outside, with a single call and hundreds of people responding to her? She erected a monument for her own father and even sent it to the Imperial Ancestral Temple?"
Empress Ma laughed and said, "You are still too young. This was not done by Concubine Guo Hui. Someone was targeting Concubine Guo Hui and wanted to tie her up and put her on the spot so that she would give up the fight for the position of Imperial Concubine."
The author has something to say: This is Zhu Yuanzhang’s harem, full of stars, each with a tortuous and exciting story, everyone is very smart, but it’s a pity that only one person has the script of the heroine.
Tonight is the time to test everyone's understanding of the Ming Dynasty palace. Zhou has written about this before. Which of the following concubines cannot enjoy the treatment of "Weimen's Bed" when sleeping with the emperor
Li Xianfei
Li Shufei
Concubine Sun
Guo Huifei