My Father Is Zhang Wuji, My Mother Is Zhou Zhiruo, and I'm Zhu Di

The founding emperor of the Ming dynasty was originally Zhang Wuji. In ancient times, people believed that the Zhang surname was unsuitable for an emperor, so he changed it to a homophone meaning “Zhu destroys Yuan Zhang,” which became Zhu Yuanzhang. The name of the dynasty, “Ming,” was chosen to honor the Ming Cult. The Empress, Ma Dajiao, was actually Zhao Min. She changed her name to conceal her identity. Her feet were large because Mongol women did not bind their feet.

Zhu Biao was Zhao Min’s son. The Ming Cult’s former followers disliked his Mongol ancestry and did not want him to inherit the throne, so they killed him. After Zhang Wuji, the throne passed to Zhu Yunwen. Following Zhang Wuji’s death, the former Ming Cult followers switched their support to Zhou Zhiruo’s son, Zhu Di, and launched the Jingnan Campaign.