The Imperial Kin and Meritorious Families Serving the Ming Tombs:The Xiao's Family of Commanders of Royal Tomb Guardians in the Ming Dynasty
Two epitaphs unearthed from the tombs of Xiao family posted as the Commanders of Royal Tomb Guardians,in Nanjing bear the history of their clan of five generations for more than a hundred years.The inscriptions provide complements to historical documents,especially by mentioning Xiao Jing's youngest daughter who was selected and ennobled as a'Beauty'to be enrolled into the royal palace during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty,yet later buried in the Xiaoling mausoleum with the deceased emperor.The Xiao family thus became a Household of Chaotiannu(interred maiden),an embellished title for the sacrificed concubines of the emperors.The special status the family gained in the Hongwu reign led to a profound impact on the continuation of the family's political influence.From the Yongle to the Zhengtong era,the Xiao's family concurrently was in charge of the Huangling mausoleum and the Xiaoling mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty,wielding dual authority in the Anhui Fengyang Zhongdu and Nanjing.Before the Hongzhi reign of the Ming Dynasty,the commander of royal tomb guardians was mainly inherited by the Xiao's family and the Mei Yin's family of the Ningguo Princess's consort.In the Ming Dynasty,the commander of royal tomb guardians can be undertaken by more than one person at once,but only one person can hold the seal(the chief official),and the rest are paid officials.
commander of royal tomb guardiansXiao's familythe families of the emperor's interred maidenHuang Mausoleum of the Ming Dynastyroyal guards
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