In ancient my country, there were a lot of punishments used to punish prisoners, or it could be said to be torture. The focus of these tortures was to torture the prisoners and make the prisoners feel that life was better than death. It can be said to be very cruel and inhumane.

For example, Zhu Yuanzhang, who invented the punishment of peeling off the skin and real grass, peeling off human skin and stuffing it with grass, the torture he will use will definitely not be very simple. He once executed Zhu Di’s biological mother. What kind of punishment is the punishment of the iron skirt, and why do you treat Zhu Di’s biological mother like this?

The common people have said that none of the ancient emperors was lewd (except for the little emperors), and this statement makes sense.

Although the relationship between Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying is very good, it does not mean that Zhu Yuanzhang’s harem life is not rich. Zhu Yuanzhang is also a man, he likes beautiful women, and his sex life is equally good.

“Ming Hui Dian” said, “The ancestors of the forty concubines and concubines, but the two concubines were buried in the mausoleum, and the rest were buried.” There are also historical records that they are forty-six concubines. No matter which number is correct, it can at least prove that Zhu Yuanzhang met no less than 40 women before his death.

For details, see the records in “Guoju”. There are Concubine Hu, Concubine Zhaojing, Concubine Sun, Concubine Shu, Concubine Li, Concubine Zheng, Concubine Cui, Concubine An, Concubine Da, Concubine Ying, Concubine Ning. Clan Guo, Concubine Guo, Concubine Hu, Clan Gao, Clan Han, Clan Yu, Clan Yang, Clan Zhou, Clan Zhao, Concubine Li, Concubine Liu, Clan Li, Concubine Wan, etc.

Zhu Yuanzhang’s management of women was very strict, even cruel. Once he finds out that the woman around him is unfaithful to him, or like Liu Bang’s wife, Lu Zhi, who is suspected of having “red apricot out of the wall”, he will surely die. There is a folk saying that Zhu Di was not born to Empress Ma, and his mother was Concubine Lin. But after giving birth to Zhu Di, Concubine Qi was tortured to death by the iron skirt.

“Iron skirt torture” is a kind of torture used by men to punish unfaithful women in ancient China: iron pieces are made into torture instruments, shaped like skirts, and the prisoners are forced to wear them, and then the “skirts” are baked on the fire. The torture tool is heated, and the flesh of the prisoner is like being scorched by a scalding iron.

Concubine Qi gave birth to a child within a month of pregnancy and was tortured by an iron skirt.

Why did Zhu Yuanzhang treat the woman who gave birth prematurely? It turned out that Zhu Yuanzhang suspected that she was having an affair with someone to get pregnant. Of course, the death of Zhu Di’s biological mother is a folklore and not true. However, it is somewhat reasonable to reveal Zhu Yuanzhang’s attitude towards unfaithful women.

“The punishment of the iron skirt” is to make a skirt out of iron pieces and put it on the person, and then put the person on the fire to bake.

Zhu Yuanzhang had a concubine named “Concubine Lin”. Since she gave birth to Zhu Di before full term, Zhu Yuanzhang suspected that she was suspected of having an affair. Longyan was furious and gave Concubine Lin the punishment of “iron skirt”. Like riding a wooden donkey, it is a criminal law for female prisoners. The torture instruments are heated, and the flesh of the prisoner is scorched by a branding iron.

Ming Chengzu presided over the compilation of the “Ming Taizu Records” after he ascended the throne, and the Qing Dynasty’s “Ming History” based on the historical records, all said that Zhu Di was born to Queen Ma, and he had three older brothers, namely Prince Zhu Biao and King Qin.

Zhu Xi, Jin Wang Zhu Xi, Zhu Xi ranked fourth, and a younger brother Zhou Wang Zhu Xi, their biological mothers were the palace madam. However, the materials of the literati’s notes in the Ming and Qing Dynasties stated that Zhu Di’s biological mother was Concubine Qi. According to legend, the Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang and his wives and concubines were enshrined in the Xiang Palace of the Ming Tomb in Nanjing.

Except for the Emperor Taizu and Queen Ma, who were seated in front of each other, there were more than 20 concubine Li Shu in the east and west, and only the west and east. Concubine Qi is alone. Therefore, some people think that Zhu Di became the emperor, in order to claim that he was born by the empress of the palace, so he had to recognize the mother of others as his mother in public, and concealed his biological mother Concubine Qi; , and secretly gave different treatment to the biological mother and the concubines, so that the biological mother quietly understood the honor of “mother is precious to the child”.

Although Chengzu was born to Concubine Qi, but in the feudal era, the direct succession of the throne, for the dignity of his throne and the stability of his regime, tried every means to erase the traces of his biological mother, so it is difficult for future generations to find historical materials about Concubine Shuo. Concubine Ying may have come from the harem of the Yuan Dynasty, and she was a Mongolian or a Korean.

How did Zhu Di’s mother, Concubine Ying die?

Legend 1, Concubine Qi gave birth to Ming Chengzu because she was only seven months pregnant. Ming Taizu suspected her infidelity and tortured her with an “iron skirt” together with Empress Ma to death;

legend 2, Concubine Ying was arrogant because of her favor and wanted to replace the prince with Ming Chengzu. After being known by Ming Taizu, she ordered her to be executed.

Legend 3: Concubine Qi gave birth to Ming Chengzu, and Empress Ma loved it very much, so she framed and executed Concubine Qi, and recognized Ming Chengzu as her son (I secretly thought, if this is true, Empress Ma’s title of “filial piety” is somewhat creepy);

Legend 4: Before Ming Taizu died, he ordered Concubine Ying to be buried with him.

No matter what, Concubine Qi could not escape the fate of “abnormal death”. It is said that premature birth is not unique to the Ming Dynasty. In those days, Wu Zetian, the prince of Zhanghuai, Li Xian, was also suspected of premature birth. This shows that Taizu suspected that Concubine Ying was not chaste and tortured to death.

According to Zhu Yuanzhang’s quick temper, it should be in the In a fit of rage, it was right to stop immediately. But the historical data says that “King Zhou is the mother and younger brother of King Yan.” That is, King Zhou is the younger brother of King Yan. In this way, it will take a year at the earliest to settle accounts after the fall. I don’t know how Emperor Taizu, who “doesn’t rub sand in his eyes”, came to see Concubine Qi, who was “unfaithful” again, and tortured her to death when she gave birth to Queen Zhou.

As for “being arrogant and arrogant”, judging from the humble title of Concubine Qi, she is just a concubine with a lower rank than Concubine Shu, and there is still a considerable gap with “Concubine Cheng Mu”. In the imperial palace, the promotion of the title represents the favored situation of the woman, which we can see from the title of Concubine Wan, who was favored by Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty.

Even if Concubine Qi is really favored, her son is only the fourth, and he is a descendant of concubines. Ming Taizu is the “model” who cares about the ritual system of direct descendants. Even if she fights for her son and wins the crown prince, she can’t compete King Qin and King Jin in front.