Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
concubine
Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive.
Concubi ...
of the
Wanli Emperor
The Wanli Emperor (; 4 September 1563 – 18 August 1620), personal name Zhu Yijun (), was the 14th Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigned from 1572 to 1620. "Wanli", the era name of his reign, literally means "ten thousand calendars". He was the ...
. She is known for having been his most beloved consort and, in an attempt to please her, he tried to make her son his
heir apparent
An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
. This act caused over a decade of conflict and factionalism in the imperial court.
Early life
Zheng was born in
Daxing District
Daxing District () is a district of Beijing, covering the southern suburbs of the city. It borders the Beijing districts of Tongzhou to the east/northeast, Fangshan to the west, Fengtai to the northwest, Chaoyang to the northeast, and the Hebe ...
of southern
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
in 1565. In 1581, the imperial court opened selections for the emperor's harem and Zheng was selected.
Imperial life
Soon after arrival in the imperial harem, Zheng was elevated to the status of Imperial Concubine with the honorific name Shu (淑). Her father was made a member of the
Jinyiwei
The Embroidered Uniform Guard () was the imperial secret police that served the emperors of the Ming dynasty in China. The guard was founded by the Hongwu Emperor in 1368 to serve as his personal bodyguards. In 1369 it became an imperial milit ...
, with authority over 1,000 households. In 1582, Zheng was given the rank of Virtuous
Consort __NOTOC__
Consort may refer to:
Music
* "The Consort" (Rufus Wainwright song), from the 2000 album ''Poses''
* Consort of instruments, term for instrumental ensembles
* Consort song (musical), a characteristic English song form, late 16th–earl ...
() and her father was awarded a command.
In January 1584, the
Wanli Emperor
The Wanli Emperor (; 4 September 1563 – 18 August 1620), personal name Zhu Yijun (), was the 14th Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigned from 1572 to 1620. "Wanli", the era name of his reign, literally means "ten thousand calendars". He was the ...
ordered the
Ministry of Rites
The Ministry or Board of Rites was one of the Six Ministries of government in late imperial China. It was part of the imperial Chinese government from the Tang (7th century) until the 1911 Xinhai Revolution. Along with religious rituals and cour ...
to confer the rank of Noble Consort upon Zheng, to celebrate the birth of the Princess Yunhe. The
Wanli Emperor
The Wanli Emperor (; 4 September 1563 – 18 August 1620), personal name Zhu Yijun (), was the 14th Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigned from 1572 to 1620. "Wanli", the era name of his reign, literally means "ten thousand calendars". He was the ...
also gave his
seneschal
The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...
Zhu Changxun
Zhu Changxun (1586–1641) was the third son of the Ming dynasty Wanli Emperor. His mother, Noble Consort Zheng, was a favoured concubine and, in efforts to please her, the emperor attempted to have Zhu made heir apparent, but failed to overturn t ...
.
In 1589, Zheng's one-year-old daughter Zhu Xuanyao died. She was posthumously given the title Princess Lingqiu.
Zheng died in 1630. She was entombed at Yinquan Mountain within the
Ming Tombs
The Ming tombs are a collection of mausoleums built by the emperors of the Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led ...
, but in the area for imperial consorts.
Succession dispute
In 1586, Zheng was pregnant and the emperor decreed that she should be made Imperial Noble Consort. His advisers argued that doing so was not appropriate, as this would raise her in status above Consort Gong, who had given birth to the emperor's eldest son. This was widely perceived as a precursor to the emperor declaring Zheng's son,
Zhu Changxun
Zhu Changxun (1586–1641) was the third son of the Ming dynasty Wanli Emperor. His mother, Noble Consort Zheng, was a favoured concubine and, in efforts to please her, the emperor attempted to have Zhu made heir apparent, but failed to overturn t ...
,
heir apparent
An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
, skipping over his eldest son by Gong. Officials argued that, if Zheng were to be made Imperial Noble Consort, then the emperor should simultaneously elevate Gong to Noble Consort. The emperor, however, rejected his officials advice.
Over the succeeding decade, the emperor's officials also attempted to persuade him that abandoning the tradition of
primogeniture
Primogeniture ( ) is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent's entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relativ ...
had made Zheng the object of anger and disgust, not only in the court, but also across the country.
Finally, the emperor declared his eldest son heir apparent in 1601 and gave Zhu Changxun the title Prince of Fu (福). However, he was not made to leave the imperial court in keeping with tradition until 1614, when Zhu's household moved to
Luoyang
Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...
. From 1613, the
Wanli Emperor
The Wanli Emperor (; 4 September 1563 – 18 August 1620), personal name Zhu Yijun (), was the 14th Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigned from 1572 to 1620. "Wanli", the era name of his reign, literally means "ten thousand calendars". He was the ...
had persisted in making his disapproval of Zhu Changluo evident by preventing the burial of Crown Princess Guo in a manner befitting a crown princess — she was finally interred in 1615, after Noble Consort Zheng's son left the palace. Zhu was killed by
Li Zicheng
Li Zicheng (22 September 1606 – 1645), born Li Hongji, also known by the nickname, Dashing King, was a Chinese peasant rebel leader who overthrew the Ming dynasty in 1644 and ruled over northern China briefly as the emperor of the short-li ...
in 1641.
Titles
*During the reign of the
Jiajing Emperor
The Jiajing Emperor (; 16September 150723January 1567) was the 12th List of emperors of the Ming dynasty, Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1521 to 1567. Born Zhu Houcong, he was the former Zhengde Emperor's cousin. His father, Zhu You ...
(r. 1521–1567):
**Lady Zheng (鄭氏; from 1565)
*During the reign of the
Wanli Emperor
The Wanli Emperor (; 4 September 1563 – 18 August 1620), personal name Zhu Yijun (), was the 14th Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigned from 1572 to 1620. "Wanli", the era name of his reign, literally means "ten thousand calendars". He was the ...
(r. 1572–1620):
**Imperial Concubine Shu (淑嬪; from 6 march 1582)
**Consort De (德妃; from 26 July 1583)
**Noble Consort Zheng (鄭貴妃; from 7 August 1584)
*During the reign of the
Chongzhen Emperor
The Chongzhen Emperor (; 6 February 1611 – 25 April 1644), personal name Zhu Youjian (), courtesy name Deyue (),Wang Yuan (王源)，''Ju ye tang wen ji'' (《居業堂文集》), vol. 19. "聞之張景蔚親見烈皇帝神主題御諱字德 ...
(r. 1627–1644)
**''Imperial Noble Consort Gongke Ruirong Hejing'' (恭恪惠荣和靖皇贵妃; from 1630)
*During the reign of the
Hongguang Emperor
The Hongguang Emperor (; 1607–1646), personal name Zhu Yousong (), childhood nickname Fuba (福八), was the first emperor of the Chinese Southern Ming dynasty. He reigned briefly in southern China from 1644 to 1645. His era name, ''Hongguang'' ...
*As Consort De:
**Princess Yunhe (雲和公主; 1584–1590), personal name Xuanshu (軒姝), the Wanli Emperor's second daughter
*As Noble Consort Zheng:
**Zhu Changxu, Prince Ai of Bin (邠哀王 朱常溆; 19 January 1585), the Wanli Emperoe's second son
** Zhu Changxun, Prince Zhong of Fu (福忠王 朱常洵; 22 February 1586 – 2 March 1641), the Wanli Empero's third son
**Zhu Changzhi, Prince Hai of Yuan (沅懷王 朱常治; 10 October 1587 – 5 September 1588), the Wanli Emperor's fourth son
**Princess Lingqiu (靈丘公主; 1588–1589), personal name Xuanyao (軒姚), the Wanli Emperor's sixth daughter
**Princess Shouning (壽寧公主; 1592–1634), personal name Xuanwei (軒媁), the Wanli Emperor's seventh daughter
Media
*Portrayed by
Ma Yili
Ma Yili (, born 29 June 1976) is a Chinese actress. Ma ranked 42nd on ''Forbes'' China Celebrity 100 list in 2019.
Early life
Ma was born in Hongkou District, Shanghai on June 29, 1976, with her ancestral home in Rudong County, Nantong, Jiangsu ...
in the 2005 Chinese television series ''Jing Yiwei''
*Portrayed by Chen Hao in the 2007 Chinese television series ''Emperor My Second''
*Portrayed by Seo Yoon-ah in the 2015 South Korean television series '' The Jingbirok: A Memoir of Imjin War''