Chapter 156: Surveying the Eternal First Virtuous Empress, Ming

The three‑day deadline has arrived; today we inventory the all‑time first virtuous Empress in history.

Beneath the large character, only a slowly unfurling plain scroll appears:

A woman in coarse cloth dress sits before a spinning wheel, quietly weaving by the dim lamp.

Her face is gentle, her brows bear resolve; the shuttle darts through her hand as if weaving the latitude and longitude of an era.

The voice of the heavens, unprecedentedly solemn and dignified, carries the weight and warmth of history, resonating through the ten thousand realms:

【Three days ago, the list of ancient virtuous empresses was completed. Grand Empress Dowager, renowned for her literary virtue, topped the list, truly deserving.】

【But… today the heavens make an exception, recording a single person alone.】

【She was not born of a famed clan, yet she ruled the world with maternal virtue;】

【She never sat on the throne to issue edicts, yet her benevolence drenched the people;】

【She passed away centuries ago, yet women across the land still cherish her grace.】

【She is the one whom later emperors revere, whose deeds leave historians speechless, and whose name cannot be defamed by petty scoundrels — the Great Ming Filial and Compassionate High Empress Ma.】

The heavenly screen shifts, with explanatory text appearing beside it.

In the third year of Yuan Zhi Shun, Su Prefecture, Guided Virtue Prefecture, a Ma family gave birth to a daughter.

Father Ma Gong was charitable and generous; mother Zheng Ao died early.

The girl was clever from childhood; the annals record her as "pure and tranquil, conduct proper."

Soon, Ma Gong, forced by a rival, entrusted his beloved daughter to his close friend — the Haozhou strongman Guo Zixing.

Before parting, Ma Gong held his young daughter, tears streaming:

"Child, I depart now; I do not know when I shall return. Stay with Uncle Guo and live well…"

The young Ma stretched out her small hand, wiping her father's tears: "Father, do not cry; I will be obedient."

Ma Gong fled to another land and was never heard from again.

Guo Zixing treated the girl as his own, taking her as an adopted daughter and teaching her diligently.

She was learned and sensible, gentle yet resilient, quietly growing amid the flames of the late‑Yuan turmoil.

The scene shifts to the twelfth year of Zhèngzhèng, Haozhou City.

A rag‑clad, towering young monk, famed for his bravery in battle, was recruited by Guo Zixing into his ranks.

He would later become the founding emperor of Ming — Zhu Yuanzhang, then twenty‑five years old.

Guo Zixing, with keen insight, saw this youth's extraordinary bearing; though of humble birth, his eyes burned like torches and his mind held strategy.

One day, he said to his adopted daughter: "Father sees that Zhu Chongba (the original name of Zhu Yuanzhang) is no pond‑dweller. I wish to betroth you to him; will you consent?"

Ma lowered her head and softly replied: "My daughter will follow the decision of her righteous father."

That year, twenty‑year‑old Ma married twenty‑five‑year‑old Zhu Yuanzhang.

The wedding was simple, without phoenix crowns or cloud robes, only a wedding dress washed white to the point of fading.

In the bridal chamber, candles flickered.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the gentle, delicate woman before him, feeling a little uneasy,

"I… I am a poor monk; following me you will surely endure hardship."

Ma lifted her gaze, her eyes clear and resolute,

"My husband aspires to rule the world; I, your wife, will share sweet and bitter with you, never abandoning."

Zhu Yuanzhang's heart trembled, and he grasped her hand.

That grip would last a lifetime.

……

Soon after the marriage, Zhu Yuanzhang, praised for his battlefield achievements, fell under Guo Zixing's suspicion, was locked in confinement, and denied food.

Ma was frantic with worry.

She knew her husband's temper was fierce; if he starved in prison, would that not be unjust?

Ma slipped quietly into the kitchen, saw a freshly baked bing on the stove, and a thought struck her.

"Miss, what are you doing…"

The cook stared in surprise as Ma thrust the scorching bing straight into her bosom.

Ma clenched her teeth against the pain, her face unchanged: "Do not make a sound; I'll be back soon."

She covered her chest and hurried toward the cell.

The guard, seeing her demeanor normal, did not intervene.

Entering the cell, she quickly pulled the bing from her bosom and handed it to Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Eat quickly."

Zhu took it, the hot hand burning, then glanced at the singed collar of her robe, now yellowed and faintly swollen.

His eyes welled: "You…"

"I'm fine, eat quickly."

Ma urged, a cold sweat forming on her forehead.

Zhu gulped the steaming bing, tears mixing with it as he swallowed.

He tightly gripped his wife's hand: "This kindness today I, Zhu Yuanzhang, will never forget. Should I ever attain wealth and honor, I will not betray you!"

Thus the legend of the "Bing Saved Husband" was born.

The burn on her chest marked the flesh, the imprint of a couple's life‑and‑death trust.

……

The Great Qin plane.

Ying Zheng gazed at the heavenly screen showing Ma clutching the scorching bing, remained silent for a long while, then slowly said: "The bond of husband and wife is precious in adversity. This woman endures what ordinary people cannot, saves her husband in peril; her feeling moves, her will is commendable."

Li Si: She remains composed in a perilous situation, her mind quick and agile. A woman like this is certainly not ordinary.

Great Han plane.

Liu Bang no longer mutters; he gazes at the heavens, and a glimmer of tears flashes in his eyes.

He recalls the scene when Lv Zhi brought him food during his escape years, not with the scorching heat of a baked pancake, yet still fraught with fear and anxiety.

"This Ma... is a good woman."

Liu Bang, rare in seriousness, sighs, "That monk Zhu Yuanzhang is fortunate."

Lv Zhi, standing aside, watches the Ma on the heavens whose fate mirrors hers yet is harsher, feels a resonance, and softly says, "A woman of chaotic times can be like this; it's not easy."

Han Wu Emperor plane.

Liu Che embraces Wei Zifu, exclaiming, "Zifu, look at Empress Ma; she bears some resemblance to how we first met."

"We met in humble circumstances, sharing hardships together."

Wei Zifu nestles in his arms, whispering:

"Adversity reveals true affection; Ma risked her life to save her husband—this bond can be witnessed by heaven and earth."

Great Tang plane.

Li Shimin stands side by side with Empress Changsun.

Tears well in Empress Changsun's eyes as she softly says, "Second Son, Empress Ma... commands respect. Though I have also followed you into battle, I have never endured such suffering."

Li Shimin squeezes her hand, sighing, "A couple in chaotic times faces endless sorrow; she can be like this, truly a great sage."

Great Song plane.

Zhao Kuangyin looks at the heavens and says to the Empress beside him (Empress Xiaoming Wang), "When I staged the Chenqiao mutiny, had I such a virtuous consort, perhaps... sigh."

He recalls how he bullied orphans and widows to seize the throne; though he achieved imperial greatness, guilt lingers in his heart.

Seeing Ma and Zhu Yuanzhang join hands from humble beginnings to forge a realm, his shame deepens.

Three Kingdoms plane.

Cao Cao strokes his beard and sighs, "This woman possesses the bearing of a national hero! In peril she can sacrifice herself to save her husband; only great wisdom and courage could achieve that. If all women were thus, why would the nation not prosper?"

Guo Jia laughs, "Prime Minister, are you thinking of Lady Bian again?"

Cao Cao shakes his head, "My family's Bian lady is virtuous, yet compared to this woman she lacks the resilience forged by chaotic times. This woman can be called a heroine among women."

Zhuge Liang, in Chengdu, solemnly reveres, "Unmoved by poverty, sharing hardships together."

"Empress Ma's virtues displayed in humble times already marked her as extraordinary. Liang, I respect you."

……

The scene shifts to the fifteenth year of Zheng, when Zhu Yuanzhang leads his army across the river, campaigning at Jiqing (Nanjing).

Ma follows the army on the move, from Haizhou to Hezhou, from Taiping to Yingtian.

When Zhu Yuanzhang battles fierce foes like Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng on the front lines, everything behind the scenes is entirely entrusted to Ma.

She is not a secluded consort in the inner chambers, but Zhu Yuanzhang's most solid "great rear."