Consort Wan

Imperial Noble Consort Wan (1428－1487), born Wan Zhen'er, was an imperial consort during the Ming dynasty. She is sometimes known as Consort Wan or Lady Wan and was the favorite consort of the Chenghua Emperor. She was approximately fifteen to seventeen years older than the emperor. Biography Wan Zhen'er's father, Wan Gui, was a county official. During the Xuande period, he was sent to Bazhou in Shuntian Prefecture for breaking the law. Therefore, when Wan Zhen'er was four years old, she was selected to serve as the maid of one of the Xuande Emperor's grandsons of the Ming dynasty. In 1449, Emperor Yingzong of Ming was captured after his army lost the Battle of Tumu Fortress against the Mongols. His capture by the enemy force shook the empire to its core, and the ensuing crisis almost caused the dynasty to collapse had it not been for the capable governing of a prominent minister named Yu Qian. In the emperor's absence, Empress Dowager Sun and court officials supported Yingzong’s younger brother Zhu Qiyu's ascension to the throne as the Jingtai Emperor. At the time, Yingzong's two-year-old son Zhu Jianshen was still crown prince. In order to prevent enemies from getting close to Zhu Jianshen, Empress Dowager Sun appointed Wan Zhen'er to be the prince's personal nanny. In 1452, the Jingtai Emperor revoked his nephew's title of crown prince and installed his own son, Zhu Jianji, as heir. Zhu Jianshen was forced into confinement, during which time he became close to Wan Zhen'er, who was one of his only remaining companions. In 1457, Yingzong regained the throne as the Tianshun Emperor, and Zhu Jianshen was reinstated as crown prince. When the emperor learned about Zhu Jianshen's relationship with Wan Zhen'er, he believed that the older palace maid had seduced the young prince and had her beaten with boards.