Ma Gong

Ma Gong, whose birth and death dates are unknown, was a native of Fuli County, Suzhou during the Yuan Dynasty. In his family lineage, he was the father of Empress Xiaoci Gao, the founding empress of the Ming Dynasty. During the late Yuan period, Ma Gong took refuge in Dingyuan after a murder incident. He had close relationships with Guo Zixing, who adopted his daughter as a righteous daughter, and later married her to Zhu Yuanzhang. Ma Gong and his wife died early. After Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty in 1368, in the second year of Hongwu (1369), he posthumously honored Ma Gong as Prince of Xu, enshrining his spirit tablet in an ancestral hall built to the east of the main temple, with the empress personally serving as the sacrificial priest. Ma Gong had no children; his maternal relatives Wu Zhong and Wu Ju were regarded as successors or descendants. His wife, Zheng Shi, known as Zheng Mei, and his daughter Ma Shi both became Ming Dynasty empresses, with the daughter being posthumously titled Lady of Prince of Xu. Relevant records include the "Guo Chao Xian Zheng Lu" and the "Ming Shi" (History of Ming).