Princess Yongkang

Princess Yongkang was born in 1478. She was a princess of the Ming Dynasty, the second daughter of Emperor Xianzong. Her mother was Consort Guo Hui. In the sixth year of Hongzhi (1493), in May, the princess married Cui Yuancheng, the son of Cui Ruzhi from Daizhou and a student at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. They had two sons and two daughters. In the sixteenth year of Jiajing (1537), in October, Emperor Shizong of Ming, at the request of the two princesses, ordered their burials to be expedited. The princess passed away in the twenty-sixth year of Jiajing (1547) at the age of seventy. When Emperor Shizong ascended the throne from Hubei, Cui Yuan was granted the title of Marquis of Jingshan for his meritorious service. The Ministry of Rites recommended stripping him of his title, but Emperor Shizong, citing precedents from the era of Ming Chengzu, maintained his title. Cui Yuan later became known for his appreciation of scholars and gained wide renown, earning the emperor’s favor. In the twenty-eighth year of Jiajing (1549), Cui Yuan died and was posthumously honored with the title Ronggong. His marquisate was not awarded based on military merit, setting a precedent for such appointments thereafter.