Zhu Yuanzhang was lonely for the first half of his life, his parents died early and his brothers were separated. He made a living by begging for food, and even went to the temple to become a monk. Because he could have some food, he later joined Guo Zixing's rebel army and met the important person in life. Empress Ma was the first person who treated him sincerely after his parents died and his brothers were separated. She saved Zhu Yuanzhang's hatred soul with kindness and tolerance.
Queen Ma has been well-read in poetry since she was a child. After years of exploration and hard work, she is still very skillful in dealing with the world. Moreover, Empress Ma was smart and loved to study. She followed Zhu Yuanzhang for many years in a military career, which greatly helped Zhu Yuanzhang.
Important point Queen Ma does not favor her mother's family at will. Throughout the dynasties, there were many things that harmed the government because of the autocracy of foreign relatives. The Ming Dynasty controlled this area well because Empress Ma was selfless.
Empress Ma said: "The country's titles and honors should be shared with wise men and officials, and should not be given privately to the concubine's family. In the past, relatives of the foreign dynasties caused many disasters due to arrogance and elegance."
Empress Ma clearly distinguished right from wrong, paid attention to strategy, and used softness to overcome hardness. Song Lian was a great scholar in the Ming Dynasty and became the teacher of the crown prince Zhu Biao. Later, he retired and returned home. Song Lian's grandson was involved in the Hu Weiyong case created by Zhu Yuanzhang. Song Lian was implicated and was about to be executed. Queen Ma tried her best to persuade:
"The people's family is for their children, and they still have the whole life of etiquette. What's more, the emperor? Moreover, Lian's family must not know about it."
Empress Ma’s words are indecisive in terms of emotion and reason, and Song Lian was wrongly accused.
Therefore, until his later years, Empress Ma advised Zhu Yuanzhang: "I hope Your Majesty will seek talented people and accept advice, be cautious as the end."
Zhu Yuanzhang truly loves and respects Empress Ma, but we should know that Empress Ma filled Zhu Yuanzhang's lack of family love and love, and allowed him to accompany him in his lonely life. This importance is self-evident.
Lu Zhi, the original wife of Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Western Han Dynasty, was the first female ruler to take power in Chinese history. He was the first queen and empress dowager in history.
When Lu Zhi first married Liu Bang, she personally led her children to engage in farming and mulberry knitting and lived a life of self-sufficiency. Liu Bang led the uprising, and Lu Zhi was imprisoned by the government. After suffering hardships, her personality became more resolute and courageous. After being released from prison, he followed Liu Bang to fight in the army, and experienced the storm of war and increased his literary and military strategy. Liu Bang proclaimed himself emperor and appointed Lu Zhi as the queen.
But Lu Zhi cuckolded Liu Bang because Shen Shiqi was Liu Bang's fellow villager and had a deep friendship with Liu Bang. Shen Shiqi was handsome and eloquent, so she was deeply loved by Liu Bang. Liu Bang called him the queen of Pei Gong and asked him to take care of his father. During the Battle of Pengcheng, Liu Bang was defeated by Xiang Yu and fled in a hurry. Liu Bang's father Liu Taigong and his wife Empress Lv were both captured by Xiang Yu, and Shen Shiqi was also captured. From then on, Shen Shiqi began to follow Empress Lü. After two years of prison life, they supported each other and accumulated deep feelings. Because of this special experience, Shen Shiqi later became Empress Lu’s confidant and lover.
After Liu Bang's death, Lu Zhi attacked Concubine Qi and Liu Ruyi, clearing the obstacles on the road to ascending the throne for Liu Ying. She began to use her mother's family to suppress the Liu clan and break the original balance of the court. The Lu clan was dominant, angering the scholar-official class, kings and princes, and opened the precedent for the autocracy of the Han Dynasty's foreign relatives. Later, this trend never stopped. In the eyes of others, Lu Zhi may have the idea of making the Lu family emperor.
Lu Zhi also killed Liu Bang's favored Concubine Qi. After Liu Bang's death, Empress Lu cut off her hands and feet, was poisonous and deaf, and made her into a human pig. She also asked Emperor Hui of Han to watch it. As a result, Emperor Hui of Han was so scared that he fell ill. The description is very clear in "Book of Han", "The emperor asked him about it and knew that Concubine Qi was so angry that he could not get up after he was sick." Empress Lu was always regarded as a woman with cruel and ruthless means.
