Princess Caoguo

Princess Caoguo (or Princess of the Cao State; 1317–1350), personal name Zhu Fonü, was the second elder sister of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty. She was the mother of Li Wenzhong, Prince of Qiyang, one of the most renowned founding generals of the dynasty.

Although Zhu Fonü did not achieve great deeds or drive historical events, she was honored for her close association with historical figures Zhu Yuanzhang and Li Wenzhong. After her death, Zhu Yuanzhang enfeoffed her as Princess Xiaoqin, emphasizing her filial piety.

Life and family

Zhu Fonü was born in 1317 at Yangjiadun, in Xuyi County, Si Prefecture (present-day Xuyi County, Huai'an, Jiangsu), as the second daughter of Zhu Shizhen and Lady Chen. When she entered her teenage years, she and her parents wandered for some time before settling in Zhaoying, Taiping Township of Xuyi County (present-day Zhaofu Village, Mingguang, Anhui). She later married Li Zhen, a native of Lingji Village (then under Xuyi County, now part of Mingguang, Anhui), and bore him a son, Li Wenzhong. In 1350, she died and was temporarily buried in West Township, Zhongli County.

In 1367, Li Wenzhong, wishing to relocate his mother's tomb, sought approval from Zhu Yuanzhang, and upon receiving it, reinterred Zhu Fonü at the Lengshuijian plains of Lingji Township, Xuyi County (present-day entrance of Dali Village, Mingguang, Anhui). The following year, after the establishment of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang posthumously honored his elder sister with the title of Princess Xiaoqin . In 1370, she was further elevated as Grand Princess Longxi , and in 1372, after her son Li Wenzhong was granted the title Duke of Cao, she was honored again as Grand Princess Caoguo .

Li Zhen was initially created Marquis of Enqin and Commandant-escort in 1368. In 1370, he rose to the ranks of Left Pillar of State and Duke of Cao. After his death in 1378, he was posthumously enfeoffed as the Prince of Longxi and granted the posthumous title "Gongxian". Their son, Li Wenzhong, was adopted by Zhu Yuanzhang and given the imperial surname Zhu. He became one of the most renowned generals of the early Ming, recognized as an exceptional strategist and ranked third among the founding generals of the dynasty. After his death, he was posthumously honored as the Prince of Qiyang with the title "Wujing", and was enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.