The Cruelty and Gentleness of Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty

Consort Gong was the imperial consort of Emperor Hongwu of Ming Dynasty. She gave birth to her son one month earlier before the due day. Her husband Emperor Hongwu got angry and punished her with an extremely cruel punishment, wearing iron dress. She was put into a special dress made by iron. Then she was put on the fire and grilled to death. This story was recorded in veritable records of the first Emperor of Ming Dynasty, which was the official historical document. According to veritable records of the first Emperor of Ming Dynasty, Emperor Hongwu used this torture on Consort Gong, who was born in Korea. Consort Gong did not have any chance to explain before she was tortured to death. Even if she had explained, her husband would not listen to any explanation. He thought Consort Gong had betrayed him. No evidence, no interrogation, no investigation was needed. Only one oral order from Emperor Hongwu, Consort Gong then lost her precious life. Consort Gong was not the only one who was wronged for committing adultery and being tortured. Consort Chong was another example. One day, a eunuch reported to Emperor Hongwu, a formed fetus was found near Consort Chong's palace. Emperor Hongwu was furious. He rushed into Consort Chong's palace and asked, Why are you doing such thing to me? Consort Chong was confused because she did not know what her husband was talking about. Before she had time to know what had happened, Emperor Hongwu pulled out his sword and stabbed her in the chest. Consort Chong then died immediately innocently. Her corpse was thrown away somewhere outside the imperial palaces. Consort Chong's son Prince Chu cried loudly when he knew that his mother was killed by his father. He begged his father to allow him to bury his mother. Emperor Hongwu did not allow because he hated Consort Chong having an abortion secretly without his consent. Consort Chong, whose family name was who was Emperor Hongwu's first love. Emperor Hongwu, whose name was Xu Yuanzhong, was born in a poor peasant family. He met a young widow, Miss Hu after he left his hometown. The 16 years old Xu Yuanzhong loved her at the first sight. Consort Chong's father was a local high-ranking military official of Yuan Dynasty, but Xu Yuanzhong was only a beggar. Later Xu Yuanzhong became a leader of one rebellion army. He proposed to her but was refused. Although Hu was a widow and several years older than Xu Yuanzhong, Xu was still unforgettable to her. After Xu Yuanzhong became a warlord, he tried his best to find Consort Chong who was lost in wars. Finally, he found her. More than 10 years had passed, she was not young anymore. Xu Yuanzhong still married her. However, as time went by, he became more and more brooding about her family's refusal to him. He hated people looking down on him. At last, Consort Chong died miserably. Xu Yuanzhong's early experiences made him became a suspicious and vengeful person. He did not believe that women would love him except his wife Empress Ma, who married him when he was nobody. And he hated corrupted officials. He thought that his parents died of poverty, and he became a beggar because of the corrupted officials. After Xu Yuanzhong became the emperor, lots of nobles and high-ranking officials sent their daughter to be the imperial consorts. They hoped that they could gain some favor by marrying daughters to Xu Yuanzhong. Xu Yuanzhong accepted their daughters but tortured them ruthlessly. One of the tortures was to eat plain vegetarian soups regularly. Emperor Hongwu loved to eat vegetarian soups made by tofu and cabbage. When he was a beggar, one day he was starved to death. A kind-hearted lady fed him some tofu and cabbage soup and saved him. Xu Yuanzhong then regarded this soup as the most delicious food in the world. After he became the emperor, the consorts born in the rich families were forced to eat this soup. Some consorts complained about forced to be a vegetarian. These consorts then were put into a called the cold palaces. In the cold palace, these meat lovers cried and beggared for one vegetarian soup but was denied. And they died in the cold palace silently. No one cared. That was the fate of those who refused to eat vegetables. Emperor Hongwu not only hated those who did not eat vegetables, he also hated those who argued with each other. Once consort Guo, argued with consort Li and consort Ku. Consort Guo's brother General Guiying was a famous general who helped Emperor Hongwu a lot. So, she was rude to other consorts. Consort Guo reported to Emperor Hongwu how she was bullied by consort Li and consort Ku. At that time, Emperor Hongwu was already 60 years old. These three imperial consorts were just as young as Old Xu's granddaughters. But Old Xu did not have the patience to be a good old man. When he saw consort Guo's beautiful tears, he was so annoyed. So, he ordered to kill consort Guo immediately. Consort Guo's story told us, don't speak ill of the colleagues in front of the boss. But Emperor Hongwu regretted soon because consort Guo's family was quite influential. So, he killed consort Guo and consort Li as well. Consort Li and consort Guo's story told us, don't argue with the colleague who has a strong background. Emperor Hongwu also ordered to throw away the corpses of the three consorts outside the imperial palaces. When their corpses were found by their families, their rotten corpses were mixed with each other and became unrecognizable. So that they could argue with each other forever after death. After this incident, the consorts were all shocked. They were perhaps the most miserable consorts in Chinese history. Emperor Hongwu did not allow their families to visit them. They were forbidden to go outside the palaces. They were not allowed to talk with the imperial guards. Emperor Hongwu always suspected that his women might have adultery with the imperial guards. And they were not allowed to see doctors when they were sick. Emperor Hongwu did not want other men to see or touch his women. If the consorts were sick, they can only write their symptoms on the paper. The doctors would give them some prescriptions according to the paper. That's why lots of consorts died at a very young age. In year 1398, Emperor Hongwu finally came to the end of his life. The consorts all relaxed. Being the consorts of Emperor Hongwu was the hardest job in the world. The remaining consorts were the most cautious, smart and gentle women in the world. And they like eating vegetable soup. Emperor Hongwu was satisfied with their eight-star services. So, he let them survive. Just as these best employees were about to celebrate the death of their boss, they received a heartbreaking news. Because these consorts' work performance was too good, Emperor Hongwu wanted them to serve him in the underground. So, he ordered his consorts to be his human sacrifice. The cry of the consorts could even be heard outside the imperial palaces. No matter they wanted or not, they were knocked out by the eunuchs. While they were still alive, the eunuchs put the mercuries into their body. This was to make sure their corpse would not rot. Some of them died without conscious. Some of them died in agony. Emperor Hongwu was not only cruel to his consorts, but he was also cruel to the women of his subordinates. After he killed the corrupted officials, their female family members were forced to become prostitutes. In Ming Dynasty, some brothels were state-owned enterprises. And In other words, he would force these women to be prostitutes and make money for him. One day he went to inspect his brothels and was quite satisfied. He then wrote a poem to praise his brothel business. There are beautiful mountains and rivers, beautiful winds and moons, and there are beautiful people and events, adding to the stories of the future. The world is full of romantic men and women, romantic heart and dream, and there are romantic emotion and affection, writing generations of romance. This poem was made into wooden plaque and hang at the front door of the brothels. We don't what were the feelings of the ladies who were forced to be the prostitutes when they saw this plaque. Emperor Hongwu was such a cruel man. But he was quite devoted to his wife. However, his love to his wife Empress Ma brought disasters to more innocent people. Empress Ma had big feet. At that time, women born in good family were forced to have small feet. Once an annoying person had drawn a picture about Empress Ma and her big feet. When Emperor Hongwu saw this picture, he ordered to kill all the people living in the street. These innocent people were finally saved by Empress Ma. This was a folk legend. It might not be trustable. But one story recorded in the history of Ming Dynasty, which was official history, may prove the cruelty and tenderness of Emperor Hongwu. Few years after Zhu Yuanzhong became the Emperor, Empress Ma was seriously ill. She knew that her illness could not be cured. And she knew that her husband would kill the doctors if they failed to cure her. So, she refused to eat the medicine. Emperor Hongwu asked her to eat the medicine. Empress Ma said, the medicine can only cure the illness but not the destiny. Please don't blame for the doctors after I died. When Empress Ma died, Emperor Hongwu cried loudly like a kid. After Empress Ma died, he never made any Empress. Emperor Hongwu's original name was Zhu Double Eight. And he later changed his name into Zhu Yuanzhong. In his childhood, the Mongolian rulers only allowed the Han ethnics to name by numbers. So that they could easily tax them. Zhu Yuanzhong was the lowest social status born Emperor of Chinese history. His parents were peasants and died of starvation. Because the corrupted Mongolian officials taxed them heavily, Zhu's family parents, brothers, and sisters all died of starvation. Small Double Eight survived and became a beggar. The contempt and despise of other people made him become a suspicious and ruthless man. He lost the ability to love. And he believed no one would love him until he met his wife Ma Xiuying. Ma Xiuying was the adopted daughter of one rich rebellion leader. She married Zhu when he was nobody and warmed his cold heart with all her love and tenderness. Once she even risked her life to save Zhu Yuanzhong. Emperor Hongwu respected her, loved her and was grateful to her. While Empress Ma was alive, Emperor Hongwu seldom killed his subordinates. Empress Ma's comforting words could make him put down his butcher's knife. After the death of Empress Ma and her son crowned Prince Xu Biao, Emperor Hongwu became more and more cranky and ruthless. He killed numerous corrupted civil officials and generals. And lots of imperial consorts. In his late years, Empress Ma's grandson served Emperor Hongwu. Because Emperor Hongwu would easily kill the maids in attendance. Only when he saw Empress Ma and his grandson, he would become a good grandpa. In year 1398, Emperor Hongwu died. He was buried in Xiaoling with his wife Empress Ma. Zhu Yuanzhong was the first emperor who ordered to bury with his empress in the same chamber. And he was also the emperor who restart the human sacrifice custom. Lied in the other burial chambers next to Emperor Hongwu and Empress Ma, were several of innocent imperial consorts.