Prince of Qi
Zhu Fu
Consort Da Dingfei
8
Prince of Tan
Zhu Zi
Consort Da Dingfei
9
Prince of Zhao
Zhu Ji
unknown
(died at
three sui)
10
Prince of Lu
Zhu Tan
Consort Guo Ningfei
11
Prince of Shu
Zhu Chun
Consort Guo Huifei
12
Prince of Xiang
Zhu Bo
Consort Hu Shunfei
13
Prince of Dai
Zhu Gui
Consort Guo Huifei
14
Prince of Su
Zhu Ying
Mistress Gao (not accorded
imperial concubine title)
15
Prince of Liao
Zhu Zhi
Mistress Han (Korean)
16
Prince of Qing
Zhu Zhan
Mistress Yu
17
Prince of Ning
Zhu Quan
Mistress Yang
18
Prince of Min
Zhu Bian
unknown
19
Prince of Gu
Zhu Hui
Consort Guo Huifei
20
Prince of Han
Zhu Song
Mistress Zhou
215
appendix
Birth
Order
Title
Name
Mother
21
Prince of Shen
Zhu Mo
unknown
22
Prince of An
Zhu Jian
unknown
23
Prince of Tang
Zhu Jing
Consort Li Xianfei
24
Prince of Ying
Zhu Dong
Consort Liu Huifei
25
Prince of Yi
Zhu Yi
Consort Ge Lifei
26
no title (died
Zhu Nan
unknown
during infancy)
daughters
Birth
Order
Title
Mother
1
Princess Linan
Consort Sun Guifei
2
Princess Ningguo
Empress Ma
3
Princess Chongning
unknown
4
Princess Anqing
Empress Ma
5
Princess Runing
unknown
6
Princess Huaiqing
Sun Guifei
7
Princess Daming
unknown
8
Princess Fuqing
Consort Zheng Anfei
9
Princess Shouchun
unknown
10
no title (died in childhood)
1 1
Princess Nankang
unknown
12
Princess Yongjia
Consort Guo Huifei
13
no title (died in childhood)
14
Princess Hanshan
Mistress Han (Korean)
15
Princess Ruyang
unknown
16
Princess Baoqing
unknown, raised by Empress Xu
216
notes
Sources included in the Bibliography are listed here in abbreviated form.
1 / a day in the life of yongle’s court
1. Although the Heavenly Purity Palace was damaged in a fire a few days earlier, Yongle’s daily routine begins from the moment he wakes up in his chief residential palace.
2. Zhang Tingyu et al., eds., Ming shi, 47, Treatise 23: 1239. Hereafter cited as MS.
3. Liu, Zhuozhong zhi, 147, 151, 195.
4. MS, 74, Treatise 50: 1803.
5. MS, 53, Treatise 29: 1351–52.
6. MS, 7, Annals 7: 101. The description of the palace layout is based upon Sun, Chun Ming mengyulu, juan 6–8.
7. MS, 56, Treatise 32: 1415; also Beijing Daxue Lishixi, ed., Beijing shi, 214.
8. Lo Lun, “Mingdai di xiangshi huishi yu dianshi,” 81.
9. Ming Taizong shilu, 274: 4a, 9th moon of 22nd year, Yongle reign. See also Joseph S. C. Lam, “Transnational Understanding of Historical Music: State Sacrificial Music from Southern Song China (a.d. 1127–1279),” The World of Music 38, no. 2 (1996): 77.
10. For more on music and ritual, see MS, 47, Treatise 23: 1227–33; 48, Treatise 24: 1246–47. See also Lam, State Sacrifices and Music in Ming China.
11. Wang Chongwu, “Ming Chengzu yu fangshi,” 16–18.
12. Lü Bi, Minggong shi, 43–44. This particular prescription is based upon Li Shizhen’s Materia Medica (Bencao gangmu; 1578).
13. MS, 74, Treatise 50: 1812.
14. Lü Bi, Minggong shi, 14, 29, 44.
15. The figure of the 1,500 capital o‹cials is based upon a 1409 record. For more 217
notes to pages 10–19
on the number of Ming o‹cials, see Hucker, “Governmental Organization of the Ming Dynasty,” 11–12.
16. One picul equals 60.453 kilograms.
17. Jian, Zhongwai lishi nianbiao, 568.
18. Jian Yi was set free and reinstated as minister of personnel in March 1423, and one month later Minister of Rites Lü Zhen was also released. But Minister of Revenue Xia Yuanji and Minister of Punishment Wu Zhong would not be released and reinstated until after Yongle’s death.
19. Ironically, several of Yongle’s successors became lazy and extravagant.
Wanli (r. 1573–1620), the thirteenth Ming emperor, became uninterested in government and for over two decades refused to grant interviews to his ministers. See Ray Huang, 1587, A Year of No Significance.
20. Wang Shizhen, “Zhongquan kao” (On eunuchs). In Yanshantang bieji, juan 90: 3975–77 (Nanjing: 1591; reprint, Taipei: 1964).
21. In a typical ten-day period, Emperors Hongwu and Yongle dealt with 1,160
memorials as well as some 3,290 separate matters (Qian Mu, Zhongguo lidai zhengzhi deshi, 79).
22. Contrary to general belief, a substantial number of eunuchs were already literate at the time Yongle seized the throne in 1402 (Zhou, “Mingdai zhi huanguan,” 41, 103).
23. Liu , Zhuozhong zhi, 104–5.
24. See Crawford, “Eunuch Power in the Ming Dynasty,” 131–33; Ding, Mingdai tewu zhengzhi, 28–29.
25. According to many entries in Ming Taizong shilu (e.g., 59, 60, 79, 91, 104), Yongle routinely sent eunuchs to members of his family. For example, in 1408
he gave thirty eunuchs to the Prince of Su (Zhu Ying), twenty to the Prince of Shu (Zhu Chun), and five each to the Prince of Gu (Zhu Hui) and the Prince of Qing (Zhu Zhan). In 1412 Yongle sent ten castrati to the Prince of Jin (Zhu Jixi) and in 1417 showered the Prince of Shu (Zhu Chun) with one hundred castrated servants.
26. Tan Tianxing, Mingdai neige zhengzhi, 21.
27. Ibid., 44. See also Hucker, “Governmental Organization of the Ming Dynasty,” 64.
28. On these events and imperial decisions, see MS, Annals 7: 101–3.
29. MS, Annals 7: 113; Biography 1: 3511.
30. Another well-known Ming-Qing emperor, Kangxi (r.1662–1722), was also concerned about his place in China’s history. Although one of the most admired rulers, he was not always successful nor happy. He lived in despair near the end of 218
notes to pages 19–28
his life and had failed to name an heir when he died in December 1722. For Kangxi’s biography, see Spence, Emperor of China.
31. This c
haracter is normally pronounced tun, but in The Book of Changes, it is pronounced zhun. For more on the interpretation of this particular hexagram, see Shang Binghe, Zhouyi shangsixue, 42–46.
2 / the formative years, 1360–1382
1. For more on the rise of Ming, see Dardess, “The Transformation of Messianic Revolt and the Founding of the Ming Dynasty,” 539–58.
2. Wu Han, “Ming Chengzu shengmukao,” 631–46; Serruys, “A Manuscript Version of the Legend of the Mongol Ancestry of the Yung-lo Emperor,” 19–61; Li Dongfang, Xishuo Mingchao, vol. 1: 218; Goodrich and Fang, eds., Dictionary of Ming Biography, s.v. “Chu Ti.”
3. Lü Bi, Minggong shi, 11.
4. Dreyer, “The Chi-shih of Yu Pen,” 901–4.
5. Lü Ben et al., eds. Ming Taizong baoxun, juan 1: 1–2.
6. Ming Taizu shilu, 147: 7b, 8th moon of 15th year, Hongwu reign.
7. Later, in the first few years of Zhu Di’s reign, Zhu Su basked in imperial favor.
8. MS, 40, Treatise 16: 910; Chen Qiaoyi, ed., Zhongguo lishi mingcheng, 82–84.
9. MS, 128, Biography 16: 3785–87.
10. MS, 135, Biography 23: 3922–23.
11. Lü Ben et al., eds., Ming Taizong baoxun, juan 1: 16–17.
12. MS, 137, Biography 25: 3949; Goodrich and Fang, Dictionary of Ming Biography, 1025.
13. Dayue Shanren, Jianwen huangdi shiji beiyilu, 8.
14. Long, Ming huiyao, juan 13. See also Shang Chuan, Yongle huangdi, 6–7. It is interesting to compare Yongle’s rise to power with two other monarchs of the late imperial period: Wanli, the thirteenth Ming emperor, was only ten years old when he assumed the throne, and the Qing emperor Kangxi was only thirteen when he, with the help of his grandmother, moved to oust the regent Oboi.
15. Ming Taizu shilu, 80: 1b–2a, 3rd moon of 6th year, Hongwu reign. Venerable tutors were also chosen for both Emperors Wanli and Kangxi, as the young monarchs were watched with close attention.
16. Ibid., 90: 4a–4b, 6th moon of 7th year, Hongwu reign.
17. Ibid., 193: 6a, 9th moon of 21st year, Hongwu reign; Ming Taizong shilu, 159: 2b–3a, 12th moon of 12th year, Yongle reign; 177: 3a–3b, 6th moon of 14th year. See also MS, 155, Biography 43: 4253–54; Wang Shizhen, Yanshantang bieji, juan 71: 20a.
219
notes to pages 28–41
18. MS, 40, Treatise 16: 912.
19. Ming Taizu shilu, 71: 5a, lst moon of 5th year, Hongwu reign; 98: 2a–2b, 3rd moon of 8th year; 104: 4b, 2nd moon of 9th year.
20. Ming Taizu shilu, 117: 6a, 3rd moon of 11th year, Hongwu reign; 122: 1a, lst moon of 12th year.
21. Chan, The Glory and Fall of the Ming Dynasty, 29.
22. Ming Taizong shilu, 24: 6a, 10th moon of 1st year, Yongle reign.
23. Wang Puzi, “Yanwangfu yu Zijingcheng,” 74.
24. On the Grand Canal, see Ray Huang, “The Grand Canal during the Ming Dynasty.”
25. Beijing Daxue Lishixi, ed., Beijing shi, 207–9.
26. Ibid., 126.
27. Ibid., 147.
28. MS, 129, Biography 17: 3801–3.
29. The most obvious parallel between Alexander and Yongle is their love of glory and expansion. See Michael Wood, In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great, PBS television documentary, May 5, 1998.
30. Lü Ben et al., eds, Min Taizong baoxun, juan 1: 54–55; juan 2: 134–35.
31. MS, 113, Biography 1: 3508.
3 / the years of waiting, 1382–1398
1. Da Ming huidian, 1587 Wanli rev. ed., juan 1: 17, 19–20. See also Ho, Studies on the Population of China, 2–23; and Ray Huang, Taxation and Governmental Finance in Sixteenth-Century Ming China, 32–63.
2. Lo Lun, “Mingdai di xiangshi huishi yu dianshi,” 76–81.
3. Tsai, Eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty, 30–31.
4. Xu Daolin, “Song Lian yu Xu Da zhishi,” 56–58.
5. Zhongguo Hanghai Lishi Xuehui, ed., Zheng He jiashi ziliao, 2–5.
6. Zhu Yuanzhang, Mingchao kaiguo wenxian, 1716–19, 1744–45.
7. Ibid., 1614–17, 1657–59. For a translation of Hongwu’s “Ancestor’s Instructions,” the great commandment, the placard of people’s instructions, and the contents of the Ming Code, see Farmer, Zhu Yuanzhang and Early Ming Legislation, 114–229.
8. For more on the rights and obligations of the Ming princes, see Huang Zhangjian, “Lun Huang Ming ‘Zuxunlu’ di banxing niandai benlun Mingchu feng-jian zhuwang zhidu” (On the timing of publication of the Ming “Ancestor’s Instructions” and the establishment of the princely system in the early Ming), Academia Sinica History and Philosophy Institute Collections, 32 (1961): 119–37.
220
notes to pages 41–53
9. MS, 116, Biography 4: 3557.
10. MS, 72, Treatise 48: 1730; 175, Biography 5: 3580–82; Zhu Yuanzhang, Mingchao kaiguo wenxian, 1714–16.
11. MS, 75, O‹cialdom 4: 1837–38.
12. Zhu Yuanzhang, Mingchao kaiguo wenxian, 1703, 1744–45.
13. Wang Chongwu, Fengtian jingnanji zhu, 4.
14. MS, 145, Biography 33: 4079–80.
15. Dreyer, Early Ming China, 160.
16. Wang Chongwu, Fengtian jingnanji zhu, 2–3; Farmer, Early Ming Government, 211 n. 51.
17. Ming Taizu shilu, 85: 3a–3b, 9th moon of 6th year, Hongwu reign; MS, 5, Annals 5: 69.
18. Wu Han, Chaoxian Lichao shilu zhong di Zhongguo shiliao, vol. 1, juan 2: 209.
19. Farmer, Early Ming Government, 92; Zhu Yuanzhang, Mingchao kaiguo wenxian, 1756–58.
20. MS, 129, Biography 17: 3798.
21. Lin, “Manchuria in the Ming Period,” 8–12.
22. MS, 132, Biography 20: 3864–65.
23. Ming Taizu shilu, 199: 1a–1b, 3a–4a, lst moon of 23rd year, Hongwu reign.
24. Ibid., 201: 2b & 3b, leap 4th moon of 23rd year, Hongwu reign.
25. Ibid., 201: 2b & 4b, leap 4th moon of 23rd year, Hongwu reign; 202: 7a, 6th moon of 23rd year.
26. Tan Qian, Guoque, 720.
27. Wang Chongwu, Fengtian jingnanji zhu, 6–7.
28. MS, 137, Biography 25: 3942.
29. MS, 132, Biography 20: 3866.
30. Wang Shizhen, Yanshantang bieji, juan 20: 17–18.
31. Wang Xingtong, “Mingchu wenwu zhi zeng,” 80.
32. Ming Taizu shilu, 225: 1a, 2nd moon of 26th year; 226: 2a–2b, 3rd moon of 26th year, Hongwu reign; Wu Han, Zhu Yuanzhang zhuan, 148.
33. MS, 116, Biography 4: 3560.
34. Zhu Yuanzhang, Mingchao kaiguo wenxian, 1628, 1707.
35. Ibid., 1629, 1631; Ming Taizu shilu, 242: 2a–2b, leap 9th moon of 27th year, Hongwu reign.
36. Ibid., 225: 4b, 2nd moon of 26th year, Hongwu reign; 227: 2a, 4th moon of 26th year.
37. Wu Han, Chaoxian Lichao shilu zhong di Zhongguo shiliao, vol. 1, juan 1: 119, 179.
221
notes to pages 54–63
38. Wang Chongwu, Fengtian jingnanji zhu, 3–4; Gu Yingtai, Ming shi jishi benmo, juan 16: 163.
39. Ming Taizu shilu, 236: 2b, lst moon of 28th year, Hongwu reign; 244: 7a, 2nd moon of 29th year; 245: 1a, 3rd moon of 29th year.
40. Ibid., 253: 5a–6b, 6th moon of 30th year, Hongwu reign.
41. Ibid., 257: 5a, 5th moon of 31st year, Hongwu reign.
4 / the years of successional struggle, 1398–1402
1. MS, 3, Annals 3: 55; Annals 4: 59. According to two reports (Feb. 13–14, 1999) from the New China News Agency, Emperor Hongwu and Empress Ma were buried in a secretly designed compound several dozen meters beneath the surface of the earth. The Chinese authorities claim to have recovered vases, yellow tiles, and other Ming artifacts from this so-called “underground palace” and assure the public that the tombs will remain intact.
2. According to Louise Levathes’ June 1990 interview of Wei Yuqing, historian at the Ming tombs, the number of concubines buried with Emperor Hongwu exceeded one hundred. They were buried alive or had their throats cut (Levathes, When China Ruled the Seas, 66, 214).
3. MS, 1
41, Biography 29: 4014–15.
4. Wu Han, Zhu Yuanzhang zhuan, 232–33; Meng Sen, Mingdai shi, 83.
5. Ibid., 89–90; Wang Chongwu, Ming jingnan shishi kaozheng gao, 46¤.
6. MS, 4, Annals 4: 59.
7. Xia Xie, Ming Tongjian, 7th moon of 26th year, Hongwu reign, juan 10: 510; Fu, Ming shu, juan 4: 121.
8. MS, 143, Biography 31: 4053; 151, Biography 39: 4174.
9. Tan Qian, Guoque, 840–43.
10. MS, 141, Biography 29: 4014–15.
11. MS, 141, Biography 29: 4024; 143: Biography 31: 4058.
12. Ibid.; David B. Chan, “The Problem of the Princes as Faced by the Ming Emperor Hui, 1398–1402,” 183–93.
13. Zhang Yishan, “Duoguohou di Ming Chengzu yu zhuwang kao,” 52–55.
14. Gu Yingtai, Ming shi jishi benmo, juan 16: 164.
15. MS, 141, Biography 29: 4015–16.
16. Huang Zhangjian, Ming Qing shi yanjiu conggao (Collected drafts on the study of Ming and Qing history) (Taipei: Shangwu Yinshuguan, 1977), 38.
17. MS, 4, Annals 4: 61.
18. Lü Ben et al., eds., Ming Taizong baoxun, juan 4: 304.
19. Wang Chongwu, “Lun Huang Ming zuxun yu Ming Chengzu jidong” (On 222
notes to pages 63–76
“The Ancestor’s Instructions” and Emperor Yongle’s succession), Dongfang zazhi (Eastern miscellany) 43, no. 7 (1947): 46.
20. Lü Ben et al., eds., Ming Taizong baoxun, juan 3: 216–17.
21. For a detailed and well-documented narrative and analysis of the civil war, see Dreyer, Early Ming China, 161–70.
22. Goodrich and Fang, eds., Dictionary of Ming Biography, 1127.
23. MS, 4, Annals 4: 62.
24. Ibid., 117, Biography 5: 3591–92.
25. Ibid., 113, Biography 1: 3510.
26. Zhongguo Hanghai Lishi Xuehui, ed., Zheng He jiashi ziliao, 2–3.
27. MS, 4, Annals 4: 62–63.
28. MS, 144, Biography 32: 4068.
29. Wu Han, Chaoxian Lichao shilu zhong di Zhongguo shiliao, 1: 168.
30. MS, 142, Biography 30: 4035 ; 144, Biography 32: 4070–71.
31. MS, 4, Annals 4: 65–66.
32. MS, 141, Biography 29: 4028.
33. Wang Chongwu, Ming jingnan shishi kaozheng gao, 53–84.
34. MS, 141, Biography 29: 4014–16.
35. Gu Yingtai, Ming shi jishi benmo, 218–19.
36. MS, 141, Biography 29: 4019.
37. Shen Gangbo, “Fang Xiaoru di zhengzhi xueshuo” (The political philosophy of Fang Xiaoru), in Dalu zazhi shixue congshu (History collections of the continent miscellany) (Taipei, 1967), vol. 2, book 4: 16–18.
38. Zheng Xiao, Wuxuebian, vol. 58, “On Jianwen’s Vassals,” juan 5: 27a–
38b.
39. Qian Shisheng, Huang Ming biaozhong ji (Loyalty roll of the imperial Ming) (17th cent. edition), s.v. “Huang Zicheng,” 17a.
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