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Countless people envy the emperor's harem of three thousand beauties. However, in Chinese history, there is such a model couple.

They avoided various conflicts that might be caused by polygamy in feudal society. They were Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma.

The two met during the war and stayed together in the prosperous times. They shared the joys and sorrows and respected each other.

It is said that behind every successful man there is a strong woman.

The rise of Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, from a grassroots to the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, was also inseparable from the support of his wife, Empress Ma.

After Empress Ma died, Zhu Yuanzhang never appointed a new empress to show his unique care and respect for his first wife.

The reason why the big-footed Queen Ma was awarded this honor was probably because of the word love.

As the mother of the Ming Dynasty, Empress Ma not only won all the tenderness of the iron-blooded Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang with her love, but also won the admiration of the people of the Ming Dynasty.

I am lucky to meet you, even though it is sad, it is still love.

Empress Ma's story of saving her husband by carrying a cake, her kindness and wisdom, her magnanimity and loyalty have influenced generations to come.

It is not easy for a woman to achieve such a thing. It is really rare and there is really nothing to complain about.

This woman, whom Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty loved most throughout his life, truly lived up to one word: love.

Husband and wife love each other, family has love, love the people like one's own children, great love has no boundaries...

"In the late Yuan Dynasty, social contradictions caused by the ethnic hierarchy oppression system became increasingly intensified."

"During the 100 years of Yuan rule, there were countless resistance struggles, with more than 200 in the Jiangnan region where Han people live alone."

"In 1332 AD, Empress Ma was born in the Ma family in Anhui."

"Mr. Ma's name is unknown, but because he was the second oldest, his neighbors all called him Mr. Ma Er."

"The Ma family's ancestors were not from Xinfengli, Minzi Township, Suzhou. They moved here during the Song Dynasty."

"Originally, the Ma family was considered a wealthy family in Xinfengli Village, but they did not have many children."

"By the time of Ma Gong's generation, the family's financial situation had gradually declined."

"Zheng died soon after giving birth to Empress Ma, so Lord Ma loved her even more."

"Later, Ma Gong got into a murder lawsuit because he stood up for someone who was not fair."

"In order to avoid being hunted down by his enemies and arrested by the government, Ma Gong took his family and fled far away."

"On the way, Lord Ma entrusted the young Queen Ma to his close friend Guo Zixing in Haozhou."

"After entrusting Empress Ma with the task, Lord Ma continued to flee and eventually died in a foreign land."

"After Lord Ma died, Guo Zixing and his wife took pity on Empress Ma's loneliness and adopted her as their adopted daughter and continued to raise her."

"Empress Ma is proficient in needlework and can also read and write."

"The early death of her parents, her life of wandering and living under the care of others taught Empress Ma to be observant and considerate, and therefore she was loved by Guo Zixing and his wife."

"In the second year after the Red Turban Rebellion, Guo Zixing led the people in rebellion and proclaimed himself the Marshal of Haozhou."

"Zhu Chongba joined Guo Zixing's army and soon rose from an ordinary foot soldier to the captain of the nine-man team in Guo Zixing's headquarters."

"Zhu Chongba, who was both brave and resourceful, was highly appreciated by Guo Zixing."

"In order to win over the hearts of the people and consolidate their leadership in the uprising, Guo Zixing and his wife decided to marry their adopted daughter Empress Ma to Zhu Chongba."

"At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang was 25 years old and Empress Ma was 20 years old."

"Guo Zixing also gave Zhu Chongba the name Zhu Yuanzhang, with the courtesy name Guorui."

"There were many factions in Guo Zixing's rebel army, and Zhu Yuanzhang fought bravely."

"Guo Zixing wanted to use Zhu Yuanzhang, but was worried that he might have second thoughts, so he repeatedly believed in slander and suspected Zhu Yuanzhang."

"In order to resolve the conflict between the father-in-law and the son-in-law, Empress Ma obeyed Guo Zixing and his wife in everything, and became even more filial to Guo Zixing's wife Zhang."

"He often took out his private money to honor Guo Zixing and his wife, and finally the rift between Guo Zixing and Zhu Yuanzhang was resolved."

Liu Rushi: Empress Ma and Empress Lu had similar experiences, but they had completely different endings.

The emperor had three palaces and six courtyards, and three thousand beauties in his harem.

However, these people were often brought into the harem for various political considerations in order to check and balance the ministers of the previous dynasty.

The emperor is in such a position that he has to be on guard even against his bedmate every day.

After all, the emperor's preferences affect the entire world, so no one can be fully trusted.

The emperor is the empress's husband, but the empress cannot only regard the emperor as her husband, nor can she only regard the emperor as her king.

There needs to be a suitable balance between the two, and Queen Ma grasped this balance very well.

Empress Ma knew Taizu when he was young and witnessed how Taizu went from being an unknown person with nothing to establishing the Ming Dynasty and becoming an emperor.

The role of Queen Ma also gradually changed from the wife of a farm man to a queen.

Another person who had the same identity change as Empress Ma was the ruthless Empress Lu Zhi.

The reason why the two people had completely different endings is naturally related to the fact that Taizu and Gaozu themselves were very different.

Before Taizu met Empress Ma, his parents and brothers had all died.

Taizu lived a long period of wandering, being looked down upon and bullied by others. It was not until he met Empress Ma that he finally had a home again.

Gaozu had his own family, so even without Lu Zhi to support him, he still had Old Man Liu to support him.

What's more, Guo Zixing's marriage of Empress Ma to Taizu was a sign of appreciation from a superior to his subordinate.

As for Lu Zhi, for Emperor Gaozu, this was something that was forced upon him by Old Master Lu.

As a result, the two founding emperors treated their wives differently psychologically.

Besides, Lu Zhi has always been a role of emergency rescue and stabilizing the rear.

During Emperor Gaozu's conquest of the world, Lu Zhi did not make many contributions that could be seen by Emperor Gaozu.

Lu Zhi took good care of Old Master Liu, her two children, and even her illegitimate son. She even felt sorry for Emperor Gaozu who was captured alive and humiliated by Xiang Yu.

These are all very difficult things for a woman, but they have nothing to do with Emperor Gaozu's great cause.

During Emperor Gaozu's conquest of the empire, it was always Concubine Qi who was by his side, speaking sweet words and being considerate, which is why Emperor Gaozu later doted on her so much.

During Taizu's conquest of the world, Empress Ma was the woman who always stayed by his side.

Empress Ma has been quiet and gentle since childhood, knowledgeable about history and etiquette, and knows when to advance and retreat. Her cultivation is completely worthy of the position of empress.

Lu Zhi was also such a woman at the beginning, but when Emperor Gaozu was getting further and further on the road to becoming emperor.

Lü Zhi failed to keep up with Emperor Gaozu's steps and neglected to take care of herself.

It was not until Emperor Gaozu became emperor and despised her that she came to her senses. From then on, her methods became increasingly cruel, even crueler than Emperor Gaozu.

She did what Emperor Gaozu wanted to do first.

Even when Emperor Gaozu wanted to kill his meritorious officials, she was there to offer advice.

Because at this time, she first had to survive in this deep palace with her two children.

"Once, Guo Zixing believed slander and put Zhu Yuanzhang in solitary confinement."

"Guo Zixing's two sons secretly ordered people not to send food to Zhu Yuanzhang, and Zhu Yuanzhang was starving and thirsty."

"Empress Ma took the opportunity to steal two steamed buns from the kitchen and put them in her arms, ready to give them to Zhu Yuanzhang."

"When she went out, she met Guo Zixing's wife Zhang, who stopped her to talk. By the time she took out the steamed buns, Empress Ma's chest had already been burned and swollen."

"Empress Ma lived with Zhu Yuanzhang in the military camp. The living conditions were very difficult and the daily rations for each person were limited."

"Empress Ma tried her best to store some easily storable food such as fried rice and flour to ensure Zhu Yuanzhang's needs, but she herself often went hungry."

"Empress Ma followed Zhu Yuanzhang in his campaigns, and she collected all the documents and materials that Zhu Yuanzhang needed for his military campaigns."

"Empress Ma personally sorted out the memoranda Zhu Yuanzhang had written down by hand and organized them in an orderly manner."

"Even if Zhu Yuanzhang needed it in a hurry, he could find it immediately, and there was never any mistake."

"Empress Ma could often give Zhu Yuanzhang some very constructive suggestions. She believed that whoever wins the hearts of the people wins the world, and that it is okay to kill people in war, but not to be bloodthirsty."

"When Zhu Yuanzhang led his army to attack Nanjing, Empress Ma led the families of the soldiers and worked day and night to make clothes and shoes for the soldiers."

"When the war was tense, Empress Ma herself put on her military uniform and led the troops."

"Because Empress Ma charged into battle alongside the soldiers, it greatly boosted the morale of the soldiers."

"In the first month of the first year of the Hongwu reign, Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed himself emperor in Nanjing Yingtianfu, named the country Ming, and canonized Ma as empress."

"Ma, who was canonized as the queen, was diligent in domestic affairs and believed that kindness was better than harshness."

"Empress Ma often warned the six palaces to learn more from the virtuous empresses of the Song Dynasty."

"Empress Ma personally took care of Zhu Yuanzhang's daily meals."

"One is to show respect to the emperor, and the other is to save the palace maids from punishment, which makes the palace maids cry with gratitude."

"Empress Ma treated the concubines and palace maids with special favors, often rewarding them with food and clothing to show her concern."

"She was also very considerate of the families of meritorious officials and nobles, and often sent gifts to show her favor." "Empress Ma also often ordered people to transform old clothes into quilts and give them to the helpless people."

"Empress Ma strongly advocated frugality in the palace and ordered people to collect the leftover silk fabrics in the palace and make clothes for the princesses and concubines."

"Empress Ma found that the food at court banquets was not tasty, so she suggested that Zhu Yuanzhang save on daily expenses to improve the food for the wise and capable people in the court."

"Under Empress Ma's suggestion, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the establishment of the Red Barn, which was specifically responsible for providing food to the families of the Imperial Academy."

Chen Yuanyuan: Empress Ma played a vital role in enabling Emperor Taizu to become emperor.

Emperor Taizu defeated Chen Youliang by using the power of weakness to defeat the strong, thus unifying the world.

This war allowed people to get to know many powerful heroes.

But don’t forget that there was another great contributor behind the scenes, Queen Ma.

While Taizu was fighting on the front line, Empress Ma also did a lot in the rear.

First, Empress Ma personally made military uniforms and shoes for the soldiers and provided logistical support.

Secondly, Queen Ma took out all the gold, silver and jewelry in her hands to reward the soldiers and boost their fighting spirit.

Generally, women who come from poor backgrounds can only see the small profits in front of them.

Empress Ma knew clearly what she really needed, which shows how broad her vision was.

Empress Ma privately said to Emperor Taizu many times that he who wins the hearts of the people will win the world.

At that time, Taizu was much weaker than Chen Youliang in terms of army and combat weapons.

But in the end, it was Taizu who won the victory because he was more popular.

Because he won the support of the people, he gained the support of the masses.

Because he was popular, many talented people were willing to join Taizu.

Because he was popular, countless soldiers on the battlefield were willing to die for Taizu.

Therefore, in the decisive battle of Poyang Lake with Chen Youliang, Taizu finally won the victory miraculously with a smaller force.

It can be said that Empress Ma undoubtedly contributed half to Taizu’s conquest of the country and establishment of the Ming Dynasty.

Queen Ma was originally an ordinary woman, but it was her selfless dedication that made her life noble.

When Taizu was in trouble, Empress Ma tried her best to protect him.

When Taizu started his business, Empress Ma gave everything to help him achieve success.

When Taizu succeeded, Empress Ma devoted all her energy to the people of the world.

Queen Ma was a great woman who devoted her life to the cause.

There are three levels of life.

The first level is struggling for survival, just like when Empress Ma first married Taizu, her greatest wish was to keep Taizu alive.

The second level is living for ideals. When people are able to solve the problem of survival, they will have higher pursuits.

Empress Ma's goal at that time was to assist Taizu in achieving his career and maintaining his rule.

The third level is to take the world as one’s own responsibility, to care about the world, and to reach a state of selflessness.

When a person reaches this level, he is a great man, and Empress Ma has obviously reached the highest level.

Get rid of the narrow ego, and learn to give, contribute, and save others.

Queen Ma will go down in history as a virtuous woman, but her selfless dedication is even more worthy of praise.

"Empress Ma lives in the deep palace, but her heart is with the people of the world."

"Whenever there was a famine, Empress Ma would always lead the palace people to eat vegetarian food, or even eat coarse wheat rice and wild vegetable soup, to help pray for rain from heaven to survive the famine."

"Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't bear it and said he had taken measures to relieve the famine and disaster."

"Empress Ma sighed that instead of going to provide relief for disasters every time, it would be better to accumulate reserves in advance."

"When Guo Jingxiang, a military officer, was stationed in Hezhou, someone said that his son wanted to kill his father. Zhu Yuanzhang planned to execute Guo Jingxiang's son after learning about it."

"Empress Ma asked Zhu Yuanzhang to verify the authenticity of the incident to avoid accidentally killing Guo Jingxiang's only son and causing the Guo family to be extinct."

"Zhu Yuanzhang ordered people to investigate the matter and found that he was indeed wrongly accused."

"When Li Wenzhong was stationed in Yanzhou, Yang Xian falsely accused him of illegal behavior, so Zhu Yuanzhang immediately recalled Li Wenzhong to punish him."

"Empress Ma believed that Yanzhou was in enemy territory and it would not be easy to replace the garrison commander."

"Moreover, Li Wenzhong has always been virtuous and advised Zhu Yuanzhang not to trust Yang Xian's words."

"Zhu Yuanzhang didn't punish Li Wenzhong for this, and later Li Wenzhong did make great contributions."

"Hanlin scholar Song Lian was implicated by his eldest grandson and was arrested and brought to the capital, where he was sentenced to death."

"Empress Ma begged Zhu Yuanzhang to treat his teacher like ordinary people, but Zhu Yuanzhang refused to follow her advice."

"When Empress Ma dined with Zhu Yuanzhang, she neither ate meat nor drank wine, saying that she was doing good things for Mr. Song."

"Zhu Yuanzhang felt sad after hearing this, put down his chopsticks and stood up."

"The next day, Song Lian's death sentence was pardoned and he was placed in Maozhou."

"In the 13th year of Hongwu, the Hu Weiyong case broke out. With the intervention of Empress Ma, Zhu Yuanzhang executed a group of people, but not too many were implicated."

"Ten years later, the Hu Weiyong case resurfaced, but by then Empress Ma had already passed away."

"Zhu Yuanzhang went on a killing spree, and more than 30,000 people were killed because of Hu Weiyong's involvement."

"Empress Ma not only protected the founding heroes of the Ming Dynasty, but also benefited the common people."

"Shen Wansan, a wealthy man in the early Ming Dynasty who was as rich as a country, was saved from death thanks to the protection of Empress Ma."

"In August of the fifteenth year of Hongwu, Empress Ma was seriously ill and bedridden. Zhu Yuanzhang searched all over the world for famous doctors to treat the empress."

"Empress Ma knew that her illness was difficult to treat, and she was afraid that Zhu Yuanzhang would be angry and punish the famous doctor because her condition did not improve after taking the medicine, so she resolutely refused to take the medicine."

"Empress Ma died suddenly that month at the age of fifty-one. She was posthumously named Empress Xiaocigao."

Sai Jinhua: The reason why Empress Ma and Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty were able to stay together for their entire lives was not because of their love for each other in times of adversity.

Empress Ma was favored by Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang throughout her life.

After Empress Ma died, Taizu was extremely sad and never appointed another empress again.

There was a reason why Empress Ma, who was not particularly good-looking, was favored by Emperor Taizu despite being in a harem filled with beautiful women.

First of all, as the head of the harem, Empress Ma was frugal and set an example herself.

At the same time, Queen Ma cared for and loved everyone in the harem.

When the palace maids became pregnant after being favored by the Empress Ma, she was always very considerate to them and did not show any envy, jealousy or hatred.

Whenever the concubines angered Taizu, Empress Ma always tried to mediate.

Empress Ma treated even the palace maids of low status equally.

Whenever Taizu wanted to punish palace maids who had made mistakes, as long as the mistakes were not serious, Empress Ma would always try her best to negotiate and protect them from harm as much as possible.

Such a kind-hearted person naturally has a high prestige in the harem, and everyone obeys her.

Therefore, the harem was always well-organized, which saved Taizu a lot of trouble.

So you don't have to free up your hands to deal with these trivial household chores after finishing busy government affairs every day.

Secondly, as a wife, mother, and grandmother, Empress Ma always took good care of her husband and the princes and grandchildren.

Although she was the queen, she had to prepare Taizu's meals every day.

Empress Ma even personally took care of the food and clothing of the princes and grandchildren, taking care of every detail.

When Taizu was still under Guo Zixing's command, he was once framed and thrown into a cell, and the government wanted to starve Taizu to death.

In order to save her husband, Queen Ma secretly hid the scalding hot pancake in her arms and gave it to her husband, which resulted in burns on her body.

He set an example himself, educating and guiding the princes and grandchildren, for fear that they would do something out of line.

Queen Ma was always like this, taking care of every member of the Zhu family in every detail.

Finally, as the mother of a country, Queen Ma loved her people like her own children.

When Taizu was handling government affairs in the court, he sometimes got very angry. When he returned to the harem, Empress Ma would always persuade him tactfully and with reason.

Even in the late Hongwu period, Taizu hardly listened to anyone's advice.

He only listened to Empress Ma's words, which also meant that many ministers were spared punishment.

Even when she was dying, Empress Ma refused medical treatment.

The reason given by Empress Ma was that since ancient times, doctors have treated illnesses but not lives, and she was afraid that Emperor Taizu would punish the imperial physician if he could not cure the disease well.

This is what Queen Ma did. She did her best to care for everyone around her. (End of this chapter)