Princess Changde

Princess Changde (常德公主; 1424–1470), personal name unknown, was a princess of the Ming dynasty and the third daughter of Emperor Xuanzong. She was his only daughter with Empress Xiaogongzhang of the Sun Clan, thus making her the only full sister of Emperor Yingzong.

Life Princess Changde was born in the jiachen year of the Yongle era (1424) in Beijing to the then Huang Taisun ('imperial grandson-heir') Zhu Zhanji and his then concubine Sun. Her great-grandfather, the Yongle Emperor, died later the same year and her grandfather became Emperor Hongxi. ⁣and her mother became the Noble Consort Sun. On March 1, 1428, when she was 4 years old, her mother became the Empress Sun. When she was 11 years old her father died and was followed as Emperor by her younger brother, who became the Emperor Yingzong.

During the early reign of Emperor Chenghua, Xue Huan was penalized for missing a court session, leading to a six-month suspension of his official salary. In response, Princess Changde submitted a formal petition to the emperor, explaining that their household had many members and was experiencing financial difficulty. She asked her nephew to reinstate the suspended grain stipend, and the emperor approved her request.

In 1470 (the 6th year of the Chenghua reign), she died at the age of 46. Upon the news of her death, the court was suspended for one day to honor her death, and she was granted a royal funeral and burial in accordance with official regulations.

Monogamy scandal The most telling event in Princess Changde's life occurred during her brother's second reign, the Tianshun era (1457–1464). A severe domestic conflict arose when her husband, Xue Huan, "privately took a serving maid" (嘗私侍婢), a euphemism for starting an affair. This led to a heated argument with the princess. Feeling her honor and status had been grievously insulted, Princess Changde did not address the matter through private channels or family intermediaries. Instead, she exercised her ultimate privilege: direct access to the emperor. She went to her brother, Emperor Yingzong, and complained about her husband's infidelity and disrespect.

Religious endowments Princess Changde donated funds to construct the Hongshan Temple, which was built on a grand scale with complete structures and impressive design. It was located in Dongshaoqu Village, beneath Mount Fenglin, the former site of Longxiang Temple.