The Tomb of Madam Mi, the First-Rank Lady of Du Ruan

　　    Nestled beneath the dense shade of banyan trees at Sanhe Li, downhill from Chishi Mountain in Du Ruan Town, Pengjiang District, there lies an enormous tomb. Behind and to the right of the tomb stands a stone tablet inscribed with “Imperial Mandate,” highlighting the exalted status of the tomb’s owner. It turns out that this is the grave of Madam Mi, posthumously honored as the First-Rank Lady. This distinguished individual was the founding matriarch of the Huang family clan in Du Ruan.

　　    Although the people of Du Ruan come from many surnames, over 80% of the residents bear the surname Huang. Thus, Madam Mi can essentially be regarded as the ancestral figure of the local community. According to the tomb epitaph, Madam Mi came from a scholarly family. She was diligent day and night, spending her days soaking hemp and weaving cloth at home, and was also skilled in the art of feng shui. After her passing, she was buried at Bina Yuan (a local place name), a location she herself had chosen. Locals in Du Ruan say that over 800 years ago, Madam Mi followed her husband, Huang Yuanshen, from Zhujixiang in Nanxiong to Du Ruan to establish their roots, eventually settling in Sanhe Li. Madam Mi’s husband, Huang Yuanshen, also known as Yunshan, was the eldest son of Ju Zhenggong. In the eighth year of the Chunxi era during the Southern Song Dynasty (1181 AD), he passed the imperial examination and served successively as the Prefect of Xuzhou and the Transport Commissioner of Zhejiang.

　　    When it comes to Madam Mi, elderly residents of Du Ruan speak with great excitement and enthusiasm. They say she was highly skilled in medicine. While living in the capital with her husband, Huang Yuanshen, who held a high-ranking position in the Ministry of Personnel, she cured an imperial concubine’s breast illness and was thus conferred the title of First-Rank Bangxian Lady by the emperor, earning widespread fame at the time. Madam Mi and her husband were also known for their admirable parenting—among their six sons, three became jinshi (successful imperial examination candidates), and one attained the title of jieyuan...

　　    Today, the tomb of Madam Mi, located at Sanhe Li beneath Chishi Mountain in Du Ruan Town, has been designated as a municipal cultural heritage protection unit.