Hang Yu

Hang Yu, a clansman of the Ming Dynasty, was the father of Empress Hang. His daughter was the consort of Emperor Ming Yingzong and had a son, Zhu Jianzhi. In the third year of the Jing Tai reign (1452), Emperor Zhaozong planned to depose Crown Prince Zhu Jianzhen (son of Ming Yingzong) and instead establish Zhu Jianzhi as crown prince. As a result, Empress Wang was dismissed and Lady Hang was installed as empress. Hang Yu served as a commander of the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard), and his brother, Hang Ju, was appointed a Jinyi qianhu (a rank within the guard). Hang Ju died shortly afterward, and the emperor granted funeral rites and memorial services. In the seventh year of Jing Tai (1456), Empress Hang passed away, and her younger brother Hang Min was titled a Jinyi baihu (a rank within the guard). After Emperor Ming Yingzong was restored to the throne, he revoked the appointments of his maternal relatives made during the previous regime and particularly disliked the Hang family. Hang Yu had already passed away, so Hang Min was subsequently dismissed from his position and sent back to his hometown.