A brief introduction to Empress Zhou, Empress Zhu Youjian of Ming Sizong > Empress Yu Zhou (1611-1644) was the empress of Emperor Chongzhen in Ming Dynasty. Jiashen changed his country, died in Kunning Palace, and was buried with Emperor Chongzhen in Siling. Sun Chengen's "Si Ling Ceremony" records: "On March 28, 1611, the afterlife of Xinhai (that is, in 1611)." "At the beginning, I was a letter princess, and I was also familiar with medicinal properties. I was in a secluded place, and I was very harmonious with Zhuang. I was both a book, and I worked together to go to Wei, which was called a meritorious service." From Fan Shuzhi's "Chongzhen Biography", Zhu Youjian's empress Zhou, Suzhou native, Zhou Kui's father, and Ding Shi's mother were Zhou Kui's stepfamilies, whose family was poor, and Zhou managed housework when she was young. After moving to Beijing, Zhou Kui was busy in Qianmen Street, making a living by fortune-telling. In the sixth year of the Apocalypse (1626), when Zhu Youjian, the then faithful king, chose a princess for the wedding, Queen Yi 'an, who was in charge of harem affairs, chose Zhou from many candidates as the eldest sister-in-law. After Zhu Youjian acceded to the throne, Zhou was promoted from Princess Xin to Queen. Because she was born in poverty, and lived in the official residence (Xin Wangfu) for a period of time, she always kept her true colors as a civilian. Zhang Dai, a historian in the early Qing Dynasty, described Empress Zhou in the Book of the Stone Chamber: In the harem, she often wore cloth, ate vegetarian food, advocated frugality with the emperor, and personally introduced all matters such as needlework and textile in Zhu Youjian. These words of Zhang Dai are not groundless flattery, which can be confirmed by the fact that Zhou set up 24 spinning wheels in the harem to teach maids to spin yarn. "Ci of Chongzhen Palace" praised her for her "virtue of courtesy and frugality", taking care of the housework in person, wearing old clothes and managing the harem in good order.
The staff will be given 12 yuan for Xuangong, and they will be rewarded for teaching meritorious service. Third, sprinkle the pro-silkworm with heavy clothes to praise Feng Wang. The so-called personal housekeeping also includes cooking in person. In the seventh year of the Apocalypse (1627), when Zhu Youjian just ascended the pole, the situation was very dangerous because of Wei Zhongxian's autocratic power. Empress Yi 'an (the emperor's sister-in-law of Zhu Youjian) secretly warned: Don't eat the food in the palace. Zhu Youjian brought home wheat cakes into the palace. After entering the palace, you have to guard against Wei Zhongxian's bribing the imperial kitchen to poison and harm, and the diet is entirely operated by the Queen Zhou herself. It seems incredible, but it is an indisputable fact, which has been recorded in many unofficial history. A queen who can cook, wash, spin and weave is not unique, at least rare. There is a deep friendship between the emperor and the queen, and it seems to be a true portrayal that "the husband and wife are very well prepared for the future." There is a poem in "Chongzhen Palace Ci" that reads: Xiangguan waved dictation, and it seemed that the village school was connected with the sky. Why not have a child's knee-covering, and then uncover the chicken pole and forgive the book. It is such a thing: there is a little eunuch Qin, who is only eleven years old, who waits on the queen in Kunning Palace. One day, the queen asked him if he could read, and Qin replied that he could not read. The queen taught him to read, and later on, Qin forgot all about it and was punished by kneeling down. The emperor smiled and said, how about I ask my husband to forgive him? The queen pretended to be angry and said, the school rules are broken. Qin was grateful. Through the details of daily life, it seems that people can see the common couple laughing and joking between the emperor and the queen. Excerpt from China's Secret Stories (Ming Dynasty) When she was young, Empress Zhou showed amazing beauty and gentle personality, won the love of her family and was regarded as the apple of her eye.
When Queen Zhou was at home in the early years, she was once seen by Chen Renxi, a scholar. Chen Renxi marveled at Zhou's beauty and said to her father, "Your daughter is a nobleman in the world." Chen Renxi taught Zhou's Zi Zhi Tong Jian and the book of classics and history. Therefore, after the Zhou Emperor, he knew the book and reached the ceremony, and he was quite well versed in writing and ink. Chongzhen is also an excellent reader, and books are placed everywhere around the throne of the palace, and he often reads them when he sits down. He also often makes four books and eight-part essays to show his ministers and publishes them all over the world, and scholars compete to tell them. The sycophant minister also wrote a letter praising Emperor Chongzhen for his scholar demeanor. Chongzhen himself is very proud, thinking that even if he is not an emperor, he must be a celebrity in the world, and he can easily go to to be no.1. Emperor Chongzhen, who is a scholar, naturally loves Queen Zhou, who is talented and talented, and regards him as a confidante. Queen Zhou really didn't have the hope of the Empress Dowager Liu, who had chosen her as his concubine. After she entered the Sixth Palace, she assumed the responsibility of managing the harem with her thin body. She is graceful and dignified by nature, and has a high prestige in the palace. Moreover, she is simple in nature. As soon as she was alone, she began to cut down the palace expenses and cancel unnecessary expenses. Once the civil strife and foreign invasion in Chongzhen continued, Empress Zhou often advised Emperor Chongzhen to cherish the people, stabilize the people and unite with the outside world. Moreover, she also persuaded Emperor Chongzhen to be lenient and kind to the people. However, Chongzhen was stubborn and conceited, and he didn't listen to Queen Zhou's advice at all. He always felt that people all over the world had failed him. Because soldiers were used everywhere at that time, the military expenditure was tight. Empress Zhou cares about the country, and often takes out her private savings and the expenses saved in the palace as military expenses. Chongzhen is very grateful to Empress Zhou for her deep understanding and righteousness.
Eight years after Chongzhen, the rebel armies from all walks of life grew rapidly, which seriously threatened the rule of the Ming Dynasty. The army of the late Jin Dynasty (later Qing Dynasty) outside the customs was also eyeing up and waiting for an opportunity. Emperor Chongzhen was worried about the political affairs in the imperial court and the urgent military situation, and insisted on Rusu's administration, because he was too tired and haggard day by day. Empress Zhou looked in her eyes and was anxious in her heart, but she knew that the emperor wouldn't listen. She pretended to be the real mother of Emperor Chongzhen, Empress Li Chunhuang, and gave her a dream, urging the emperor to pay attention to his health and strengthen his diet. On the other hand, the queen also prepared delicious food in advance in the palace and enjoyed it after the emperor returned to the palace. Emperor Chongzhen returned to the harem, and when he saw such a scene, he knew that the queen had tried her best for herself and wanted the chaos of state affairs, and they could not help crying. Although Emperor Chongzhen tried his best to save the defeat, he was unable to return to heaven, and the day of the demise of the Ming Dynasty was approaching day by day. On March 18th, the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, Li Zicheng's rebel army finally broke through many obstacles and arrived at the gates of Beijing. Many civil and military ministers fled, and those who could not escape surrendered to the rebel army. The eunuchs who were sent to supervise the army and guard the city were even more cynical and left the city gate wide open to welcome the king's army into the city. Emperor Chongzhen saw that the tide was gone, and he tried to escape from the city and failed. In desperation, he returned to the harem and met Queen Zhou, and said painfully, "Now the tide is gone, and it is irreversible. You are the mother of a country. You must not be humiliated. You should commit suicide as soon as possible!" When Queen Zhou heard this, she knew that this day would come. She just knelt on the ground to bid farewell to the emperor and cried bitterly, "I have served your majesty for eighteen years, but your majesty has never listened to my advice, so that today, I can die for my country, and there is nothing to say!" After that, she caressed the three princes and cried for a while, then turned around and locked the door.
after a while, the maid-in-waiting in the house came out and reported that the queen had committed suicide as instructed. By this time, Emperor Chongzhen remembered the love between husband and wife for many years, and he could not help but burst into tears. He also ordered the three princes to quickly change into casual clothes and escape from the palace, and all the other concubines were given death. Then he went straight to jingshan park behind the palace and killed himself. Empress Zhou, the last empress of the Ming Dynasty, had a deep understanding of the righteousness, was diligent in running the family and won the love of the people all over the world. When the country was in crisis, she died with her life as a martyr to Zhu Youjian. Her tragic and beautiful life really made people feel heartfelt sigh.