She was forced to make the decision because she sided with him during his dispute with his officials over the rituals honoring the imperial ancestors.
[3] In October 1542, sixteen palace maids formed a conspiracy to assassinate the emperor; not for political reasons, but as retaliation for his abuse.
[5] They stuffed his mouth, jabbed at his penis, tied a silk cord around his neck and pulled until he lost consciousness.
[6] At this moment, however, one of them, Golden Lotus Zhang, lost her nerve and left to alert the empress.
Although he was grateful to her for saving his life, and granted her official honors for this, he blamed her for Duan's death, and their personal relationship was permanently damaged.