12. Abusing the women of his court, the imperial maids attempted to rid themselves of the Jiajing Emperor in 1542 by strangling him whilst he slept
The Jiajing Emperor, born Zhu Houcong in 1507, reigned as the 12th Emperor of China under the Ming dynasty between 1521 until his death in 1567. Exercising his political authority ruthlessly, as well as allegedly enjoying his position by raping the women of the imperial court, Houcong particularly attracted enemies via his imprisonment of teenage virgins and the use of their menstrual blood in potions designed to prolong his life. As a result of his abuses, a plot against the emperor was convened by his palace maids and concubines to rid themselves of Houcong. Executing their design in October 1542, the “Renyin Plot” failed.
Attempting to assassinate the emperor in his sleep, using ribbons from her hair the lead palace maid sought to strangle Houcong whilst others held his arms and legs. However, in their inexpertise, a knot was tied in the ribbon which prevented the desired strangulation. Abandoning the group through fear, one of the maids ran to Empress Fang to confess the treason and expose the plot. Sentencing all of the palace maids to death, as well as two favored consorts, Duan and Ning, in addition to their entire extended families, the punishment was carried out by the ritualistic method of slow-slicing.