Wang Wei

Wang Wei, a native of Yuyao, Zhejiang, was a figure of the Ming Dynasty. He served as a Governor-General. His exact birth date is unknown, but in the fifth year of the Wanli era (1577), he was granted the position of Governor-General. His wife was the Empress Xiaan, the Empress of the Ming Emperor Shenzong (Empress Wang).

Initially, Wang Wei held the position of Qianhu (Chief of the Imperial Guard) in the Jinyiwei (the Imperial Bodyguard). Later, in the sixth year of Wanli (1578), when Emperor Shenzong married, Zhang Siyi suggested promoting Wang Wei further, but Zhang Juzheng opposed excessive grants of reward and recommended only promoting him to Jinyiwei Commander. Emperor Shenzong was dissatisfied; after urging, Wang Wei was bestowed the title of Earl of Yongnian, but this was not made hereditary.

Zhang Siyi then suggested adjusting the title to make it hereditary. Subsequently, in the seventh year of Wanli (1579), Emperor Shenzong issued an edict planning to bestow Wang Wei's younger brother Wang Jun and his son Wang Dong with hereditary titles, requesting the ministry to assign them as Zheng Qianhu (Senior Qianhu of the Imperial Guard). Emperor Shenzong referenced the hereditary traditions of the Zhengtong era, citing precedents, and recommended granting them positions such as Assistant Commander and Qianhu of the Jinyiwei to prevent excessive hereditary grants.

This proposal angered the Empress’s family, leading to court conflicts and is considered to be one of the reasons Zhang Juzheng harbored resentment towards the royal family. After Zhang Juzheng's death, the emperor changed the title of Earl of Yongnian to a hereditary one.

After Wang Wei's death, his son Wang Dong and great-grandson Wang Mingfu inherited his title. His fief was at Hanjia Mountain (the southern part of today’s Baobao Mountain), where the Huguo Shengshou Da Ci Temple was built. His grandson Wang Chengxun maintained good relations with the family.

The "Wanli Yehuo Bian" (Wanli's Wild Records) states that Wang Wei, "though related by marriage to the imperial family, was truly impoverished."