Zhu Bafu

Biodata

Background and History

Zhu Bafu is the daughter of Zhu Cong, a censor whose petition urging the Emperor to rule personally brought retaliation from the regents. The Zhu family lost its property; Zhu Cong was beaten, dismissed, and exiled to Qingzhou. Bafu and her younger brother, Zhu Xiaojiu, survived in reduced circumstances 71 143. To support the household, she wrote commissioned love letters and poems before entering Dongxu Mansion under a male identity 5 28 82.

Her admission drew her into the court struggle between Emperor Zhao Huangpu and Prime Minister Li Xiangfan. An imperial decree made her Minister of Works despite her inexperience, and she later resolved to take the autumn examinations to help clear her father’s name 80 179. Her examination poem, Court Attendance, publicly aligned her with the Emperor and made her a target of political scrutiny 186 187.

As a Hanlin Academician, Bafu submitted Questions on the Great Rites, petitioning for the Emperor’s biological father’s memorial tablet to enter the Imperial Ancestral Temple. The Emperor chose her to represent him in the ceremony, but Prime Minister Li used her father’s safety as leverage. At Chengshou Temple, Bafu publicly revealed that she was a woman, ending her male official persona, and was imprisoned 222 228 230 234 236. She survived severe abuse in custody and recovered at the restored Zhu residence 238 239. Three months later, an imperial decree married Li Chenjing to her with the wedding rites of a bride 264.

Appearance

Bafu’s small, slender build helps her pass as a young male scholar, though her disguise depends on clothing and chest bindings 7 62 179.

• She wears scholar’s robes and a male hair crown while presenting as a man 180.
• A vermilion criminal mark identifies her as a member of the convicted Zhu household 85.
• Abuse during her imprisonment leaves severe wounds on her face; the Emperor later obtains medicine intended to prevent scarring 238 240.

Personality

Bafu uses jokes, sarcasm, and apparent shamelessness to deflect threats, from Longyang’s intimidation to the anger of court officials 31 230. Her caution is rooted in her family’s downfall: she distrusts unchecked power and is reluctant to rely on powerful men, even when they offer protection 62 71 145.

She is nonetheless willing to risk her position for her family and for causes she judges important. She insists on inspecting the library construction herself, refuses to abandon the autumn examination when her disguise is at risk, and challenges the court over the Emperor’s ancestral rites 126 185 228.

Abilities and Skills

Writing and textual analysis

• Earns money writing love letters and poems for others 5 82.
• Alters the wording of a rebellious poem so it can be read as praise instead; discovery of the alteration later puts her in danger 112 126.
• Writes Court Attendance and Questions on the Great Rites, works that affect court politics as well as her own standing 186 228.

Political judgment

• Proposes palace house arrest for herself and Li Chenjing as both protection and a way to test the Prime Minister’s response 194.
• Secures mercy for two attendants by presenting their reprieve as the Emperor’s decision, preserving his authority 199 200.
• Warns the Emperor that imprisoning absent ministers without legal procedure would damage his legitimacy 200.

Equipment and Items

• Longyang’s red jade Ministry of War seal — Bafu holds it as a possible means of pleading for her life and later returns it to him 222 238 248.
• Confucian scholar’s robe — part of her public male identity; she resumes wearing it after changing out of the Emperor’s dragon robe 180 211.

Relationships

• Zhu Xiaojiu — younger brother who manages household money and warns her about the danger of serving at court in disguise 13 179.
• Zhu Cong — father whose conviction motivates her pursuit of public office; they reunite after her imprisonment 179 242.
• Li Chenjing — first claims her as his study attendant and protects her from Longyang. Their relationship becomes romantic but is strained by his recovered memory and her doubts about what he has concealed; they eventually marry 33 161 215 264.
• Zhao Huangpu — Emperor and patron who appoints and protects her, but whose affection and authority also threaten her independence 80 222 244.
• Longyang — frequent antagonist whose insults increasingly coexist with acts of protection, including helping her escape captivity and pass an examination search 31 154 185.
• Li Luyang — former betrothed who continues trying to help her family; Bafu later thanks him while insisting she will handle her father’s affairs herself 40 170 172.
• Nian Youyu — Minister of Revenue whose connection to Xiaojiu begins with shared meals and a disputed lunchbox; he later intervenes when officials attack Bafu 81 230.