The Yongle Emperor and His Empress

Xu Yi was born the most dazzling young noblewoman in the Ming dynasty. Her father was Xu Da, the founding dynasty’s foremost general, while her mother’s origins were the deepest secret in the imperial city. At fourteen, she married Zhu Di, Prince of Yan, and expected a life of splendor. But before the wedding could take place, her beloved mentor was killed. Just months into her marriage, she was framed in the palace. Even her sister, as close to her as family, died suddenly within the imperial palace. For the next thirty years, she and Zhu Di crossed a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood to ascend the throne. On the day she was crowned, he vowed before all the officials that they would rule the realm together. Everyone said the emperor and empress shared a love unmatched in the world. Zhu Di, too, had always believed that Xu Yi was the only person in the world who could walk beside him. Until the fifth year of Yongle. She set down the imperial seal herself and quietly left the palace. Facing an empty palace, Zhu Di felt fear for the first time. He could pacify the princes and command all under heaven, yet he discovered that one person had never been under his control.