After a very rocky start in life, the Chenghua Emperor takes the throne, only to be endlessly shoved around by overbearing mother, manipulative and murderous consorts, and conniving, terrorizing eunuchs. What else would one really expect for a guy with the personality of a west dishrag?

Time Period Covered:

1464-1487 CE

Major Historical Figures:

The Chenghua Emperor (Zhu Jianshen) [r. 1464-1487]

The Hongzhi Emperor (Zhu Youcheng) [1470-1505]

Noble Consort Wan Zheng'er [1430-1487]

Empress Wang

Empress Wu

Empress Dowager Zhou

Empress Dowager Qian

Grand Secretary Li Xian

Lady Zhi Tangmei

Eunuch Zhang Min

Spymaster Wang Zhi

Notable Works Cited:

Mote, Frederick W. “The Ch’eng-hua and Hung-chih Reigns, 1465-1505” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, Part I.

Li Shizhen. Bencao Ganmu (The Compendium of Materia Medica)

Tsai, Shi-shan Henry. The Eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty.

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#229 - Ming 18: The Raven Himself Is Hoarse