The Hidden History of the Martial Ancestor

With Emperor Wuzong of Ming, Zhu Houzhao, as its protagonist, this book tells the story of his bizarre and outrageous life, along with the unofficial histories, rumors, and scandalous affairs surrounding him. It also depicts the history of popular uprisings in the mid-to-late Ming dynasty. The book follows the thirty-one years of Emperor Wuzong’s life, weaving together the successive rises to favor of powerful ministers such as Liu Jin, Zhang Yong, and Jiang Bin to create a web of political intrigue stretching from the court to the provinces. It is steeped in wickedness, painting a picture of a ruler who was no ruler and ministers who were no ministers, all indulging in extravagant excess and giving free rein to debauchery. Alongside this run three other storylines: upright officials such as Liu Jian repeatedly suffer slander and persecution; Liu Zeng and Liu Bi resort to any means necessary to exact revenge; and Liu Liu and Liu Qi raise the banner of revolt and advance on the capital. Their voices of protest are faint but unyielding, bringing about momentous deeds. Though they are defeated, they do not fall in disgrace.