Princess Caoguo (1317–1350), personal name Zhu Fonü, was the second elder sister of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty of China.
Biography Zhu Fonü was born in 1317 at Yangjiadun, in Xuyi County, Si Prefecture, China (present-day Xuyi County, Huai'an, Jiangsu), during the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. She was 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), and bore him a son, Li Wenzhong. In 1350, she died and was temporarily buried in West Township, Zhongli County.
Zhu Fonü had a close relationship with her younger brother Zhu Yuanzhang, the future Hongwu Emperor of the Ming dynasty. Born into an impoverished peasant family, she helped her parents with household duties and farm work from a young age, while also assisting and caring for Zhu Yuanzhang during his difficult childhood. She often gave her younger brother her share of food and other necessities, and after her marriage to Li Zhen, she continued to assist her natal family with the support of her husband. Zhu Yuanzhang later expressed his appreciation for the support provided by his elder sister and brother-in-law, crediting them with helping him endure the hardships of his early years.
In 1365, after Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed himself King of Wu in Nanjing, he posthumously honored his elder sister with the title Princess Xiaoqin of Wu (). Two years later, Li Wenzhong, wishing to relocate his mother's tomb, sought approval from Zhu Yuanzhang. Upon receiving approval, he reinterred Zhu Fonü at the Lengshuijian plains of Lingji Township, Xuyi County (present-day entrance to Dali Village, Mingguang). In 1368, after Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming dynasty and ascended the throne as its first emperor, Zhu Fonü came to be referred to as Princess Xiaoqin. She was honored as Grand Princess Longxi () in 1370. In 1372, after her son Li Wenzhong was granted the title Duke of Cao, she was honored again as Grand Princess Caoguo ().
Zhu Fonü is remembered primarily through her familial connections to two prominent figures of the early Ming dynasty: her younger brother Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the dynasty, and her son Li Wenzhong, one of the dynasty's most distinguished founding generals, who was later enfeoffed as Prince of Qiyang.
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