Lady Deng, Princess Consort

Dowager Consort Deng, the secondary consort of Ming Dynasty's first emperor, Zhu Shang of the Qin Prince, was the daughter of Deng Yu. She became the Qin Princess in the eighth year of Hongwu (1375), in November. Her wedding ceremony was presided over by Minister of Personnel Zhang Du and Minister of Works Sun Min. The ritual attire followed the Tang and Song dynasty’s second-grade system, with ceremonial escort somewhat inferior to the primary consort, but she was not granted a formal imperial decree, no formal registry was issued, and she was not personally received in the capital. As a secondary consort, her status was lower than that of the main consort; however, considering her father Deng Yu’s political standing, Zhu Yuanzhang accorded her relatively high honors. In the thirteenth year of Hongwu (1378), she bore her eldest son Zhu Shangbing; in the seventeenth year (1384), her second son Zhu Shanglie; and in the eighteenth year (1385), her third son Zhu Shangyu. There are no clear records regarding whether her daughters were born to her. According to the 1970 publication of "The Imperial Records of the First Emperor," Zhu Yuanzhang, during a memorial service for Zhu Shang in the twenty-eighth year of Hongwu (1395), accused him of mistreating the primary consort, Lady Wang, and favoring the secondary consort Deng, and that due to jealousy, Zhu Shang committed suicide.