"She also invited a teacher to teach her. Xu was well-read in poetry and books, and had an extraordinary memory. When she was reading, she had a photographic memory and could recite them at a glance. Even her teacher was very surprised. Therefore, she read extensively about the virtues and virtues of the ancients. Words and deeds will be imitated deeply. Therefore, Xu has been known as "all girls are born" since she was a child."
"In the Ming Dynasty, "Zhu Sheng" refers to students who received traditional Confucian education and worked in classics and history. The fact that Queen Xu was named "Female Zhu Sheng" shows her talent and academic accomplishment."
"Although Empress Xu and Zhu Di were married to Zhu Yuanzhang, they did not "marry first and fall in love later", but had already known each other before marriage. Before the official marriage, Zhu Di and Xu had been together for three years and were a veritable young couple."
"Due to the deep love after marriage, among the nine children of Zhu Di, the founder of Ming Dynasty, the first seven were all born to Empress Xu."
"Nine years after their marriage, Mrs. Xu became pregnant frequently and gave birth to three sons and four daughters for Zhu Di. During this period, Zhu Di did not give birth to a commoner child with any other woman until later. After giving birth, they gave birth to the concubine Princess Chang Ning, whose biological mother is unknown, and the concubine Zhu Gaoyan."
"After Zhu Di ascended the throne, his relationship with Xu became stronger over time. The two often lived together and discussed political affairs."
""If you are diligent in political affairs, you may not eat until the day is over, and you will not eat afterward to wait. "During Zhu Di's reign, he was busy with state affairs. Often before lunch in the afternoon, Queen Xu would wait for him to eat and starve with him. When Zhu Di was reviewing memorials and handling state affairs, Queen Xu often stood quietly aside to serve him. , Zhu Di couldn't bear it, so he advised her to rest first."
"In addition, the two are also very compatible spiritually and are a pair of confidants. Zhu Di is good at reading, and Xu is also well-read in classics and history. The two are quite comparable in terms of cultural literacy."
"In terms of religious beliefs, due to the prevalence of Buddhist beliefs in the court in the early Ming Dynasty, Empress Xu did a lot of research on Buddhism and compiled many scriptures and handed them down to the world. During Zhu Di's reign, he not only canonized the Dharma King of Wuszang, but also interacted with many of the contemporary people. We have many contacts with eminent monks and great virtues.”
"Queen Xu not only has a lot of research on Buddhism, but also has a lot of knowledge on managing internal affairs and studying marching and fighting. It is not an exaggeration to call her a "female Zhuge"!"
"In the thirteenth year of Hongwu, Zhu Di was just a prince at that time. The Xu family left the capital Nanjing with Zhu Di, went to Peiping to join the feudal vassal, and took over the Yan Palace."
"The Yanwang Mansion has a large organization. It has jurisdiction over the Inquisition Office, the Diet Office, the Service Office, the Jishan Office, the Good Doctor Office, the Ceremony Office, the Gongzheng Office, etc. It has accompanying students and professors who are responsible for education, ambassadors who manage the palace warehouse, Deputy envoys and other officials.”
"It is not easy for Zhu Di to manage so many institutions and people on his own. Xu took full advantage of her function as the mistress of the house and managed the house in an orderly manner, keeping the palace in order."
"Just as Zhu Di said in the documents and edicts after his establishment, he "helped the vassal state at home for more than 20 years" and "concubine Yu Zhaofeng, housekeeping Ji Ning", served as his virtuous internal assistant in the vassal state for more than 20 years, which made him family peace and tranquility.”
"Xu Da was a general of the early Ming Dynasty. The Xu family had been influenced by it since childhood, and he also had the style of being a tiger girl in generals. Zhu Di set up an army to plan things, and the Xu family also participated in it, and often assisted in the planning. "Shangzhi Yijing was in trouble, and later praised it. Painting, more cooperation. "The strategies put forward by Xu are mostly in line with Zhu Di's wishes."
"After the Jingnan army rose, Zhu Di led his army to attack Daning. Li Jinglong took the opportunity to lead his army to besiege Beiping. At that time, the crown prince Zhu Gaochi stayed in Beiping. Most of the defense arrangements were ordered by the Xu family. The Xu family was equivalent to the leader of the Peking garrison. Commander-in-Chief.”
"The enemy attacked the city fiercely and the situation was very critical. Faced with the lack of troops in the city and the enemy being outnumbered, Xu calmly planned and deployed various matters for the city defense together with Zhu Gaochi and the city defenders, and called on all the city defenders to do so. The soldiers swore to defend the city to the death."
"At the same time, the Xu family mobilized the generals and soldiers in the city, as well as the wives of the common people, to go to the city to fight. Each of them was given a pair of armor. Xu went to the city in person to supervise the battle. Under Xu's encouragement, the women in the city wore armor and went into battle, throwing stones and rubble. He launched a desperate battle with Li Jinglong's army and supported Zhu Di until he successfully returned to the army. The defense of Peiping fully demonstrated Xu's courage, strategy, calmness and resourcefulness."
"Xu has been in Peiping for more than 20 years. She is not only Zhu Di's virtuous wife, but also has military strategy. She assists in managing the internal affairs of the palace. She also personally defended the house during the crisis, which completely relieved Zhu Di from internal worries."
"It is worth mentioning that before Zhu Di appointed the queen, he specifically upgraded the queen's golden turtle button prescribed by Zhu Yuanzhang during the Hongwu period to Panlong button. On the day of the Queen's establishment, officials from the Ministry of Rites read the edict at Chengtian Gate and announced it to the world, creating a new era between the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It was the first time that when a queen was appointed, she issued an edict alone to tell the world."
Qin Shihuang: This Queen Xu's governance and military abilities are no worse than any other man.
Yang Jian: I think they are better than my two sons! At that time, I just couldn't choose a good wife for them, but my queen was not bad either.
"Empress Xu is a woman who is good at exerting her subjective initiative. While she was in the back position, she cared about Zhu Di's daily life and managed the harem. At the same time, she often put forward her own opinions on the governance of the country and actively exerted her influence on her husband. Zhu Di also believed that she "does good deeds to assist internal governance, and promotes celebrations to benefit living beings." She upholds good methods to assist him in governing the country, and the continuous and grand auspicious celebrations benefit the people."
"Queen Xu is a woman with political insight. She is proficient in classics and history and knows that there are two major elements in governing a country: first, caring about the sufferings of the people; second, cultivating talents who love the country."
Therefore, Empress Xu reminded Zhu Di: "There have been years of war between the north and the south, and the soldiers and people are exhausted. The government should be generous and frugal, so that the people can rest and recuperate."
"In terms of talents, she said to Zhu Di: "In the past, Yi Yin assisted Shang Tang and Jiang Shang assisted King Wu of Zhou. These are outstanding talents. Today's talented people were all trained and trained by Emperor Taizu Gao. I hope that when selecting and appointing your Majesty, you will not distinguish between the old and the new, but will treat them equally and promote them as one. ""
"Empress Xu understood and understood the policies and strategies of governing the country, and she was dedicated to the livelihood of the people. Her outstanding political insights made Zhu Di very admired. Therefore, Zhu Di often consulted her for advice, and she offered Most of the opinions and suggestions that came out were listened to and adopted by Zhu Di. As she and the minister's wife said: "When I serve the emperor in the palace day and night, I always care about the livelihood of the people. Every time I am appointed as an adviser, I am often heard and accepted." "
“If the people are safe, the country will be safe, and if the country is safe, the monarch and his ministers will enjoy wealth and honor, which will bring blessings to future generations.”
"Empress Xu abides by women's ethics and respects her parents-in-law. Empress Ma also praised her daughter-in-law many times: "Princess Yan's behavior is enough to decorate the palace" and "I am a filial wife."
