Zhu Su (8 October 1361 – 2 September 1425) was a medical scientist, botanist, author of Jiuhuang Bencao, and a prince of the Ming dynasty.
[1] At the time, Zhu Yuanzhang was based in Nanjing and had fought in the Red Turban Rebellion as a general of the Han Song dynasty.
In 1374, the emperor refused to allow Zhu Su to settle in Hangzhou, arguing that the revenue from Wu (Jiangnan) was crucial to the central government and should be under its direct control.
Two years later, his father bestowed upon him the title of Prince of Zhou (周王) and arranged for him to marry the daughter of General Feng Sheng, the military commander in Kaifeng, the capital of Henan.
[1] In 1389, Zhu Su secretly left Kaifeng for Fengyang to visit Feng Sheng,[3] who had been condemned by the emperor for his actions during a victorious battle against the Mongols in 1387.
[5] Although the Yongle Emperor provided him with double the usual princely stipend, transferred the revenues from trade taxes in Kaifeng to him, and bestowed high gifts,[7] he was kept away from politics.
[8] He devoted himself to the study of botany and medicine, and in 1406, he published a botanical monograph titled Jiuhuang Bencao ("Famine Relief Herbal"), which described 414 edible wild plants.