Chapter 9, Fires in the Forbidden City Summary and Analysis

After the Forbidden City was dedicated, bad luck seemed to plague the Emperor. Zhu Di's favorite concubine, Madame Wang, died. In his grief, the emperor became unreasonable and ill-tempered, ordering execution for the slightest of offenses. A sex scandal overtook the empire resulting in the slaying of a large number of concubines and eunuchs. Zhu Di suffered a serious injury when he fell off a horse. The horse had been a gift from a foreign envoy who he blamed for the accident.

In the spring of 1421, lightning struck the ceremonial halls of the newly completed Forbidden City. Fire spread quickly throughout the complex. The fire had reportedly been foretold by Hu, master of the water clock. Hu was shackled and imprisoned for his disrespect to the emperor and committed suicide just...