Ming Xuanzong is kind-hearted, why did he barbecue his uncle Zhu Gaoxu on charcoal?
Feudal China did not have a scientific talent selection system. The choice of the emperor's heir was based on caste, not merit, and was determined by birth order and the status of the mother.
The position of the emperor is very attractive because it brings fame, wealth and power, and everyone wants to wear a dragon robe and sit on a dragon chair. But there is only one emperor, and those who want to be emperors can only rely on plunder.
That's why the battle for the throne is fascinating.
In the 1520s, Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaoxu, the sons of Zhu Di, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, fought to the death for the right to inherit the throne. How did this struggle continue, and how did it end?
Before Zhu Gaochu and Zhu Gaochi competed for the throne, the Ming Dynasty had already experienced a civil strife.
After Emperor Jianwen Zhu Yunwen ascended the throne, he turned his back on his uncle in order to consolidate his power. Zhu Di, the king of Yan, rebelled and seized the throne after a bloody battle.
In this battle of life and death, Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Di's second son and the king of the Han Dynasty, believed that his successor to the throne should be considered according to his ability and merit.
At the critical moment, Zhu Di said to this second son:"Your prince's brother is not in good health, you must work hard, and your father will not treat you badly. Zhu Gaoxu's heart became more and more itchy, and his spirit became lively.
At the same time, Zhu Gaoxu's performance in the palace was very good, and many ministers, such as Qiu Fu, the Duke of Qi, and Wang Ning, the Commander of the Horses, often praised Zhu Gaochu in front of Zhu Di and suggested that Zhu Gaoxu be appointed as his heir.
However, according to the ancient ancestral precept that the eldest son is the crown prince, Zhu Gaochi's eldest son is the legitimate heir. The people of Yasukuni were not only responsible for logistical supplies, but also took the time to stay behind in Beijing to make the city impregnable, and with 10,000 defenders against the 500,000 troops of Li Jinglong, the general of Emperor Jianwen, they made the city of Beijing impregnable.
Therefore, after a fierce battle, the balance of victory tilted in favor of Zhu Gaochi.
In the second year of Yongle (1404 AD), Zhu Di, the ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, established his eldest son Zhu Gaochi as the crown prince. Ten years later, Zhu Gaochi's son Zhu Zhanji became the crown prince again, further consolidating his position.
Although Zhu Di became the crown prince, he was not at ease, because he knew that his other son Zhu Gaoxu was not a fuel-efficient lamp. In order to prevent the second son from threatening the crown prince, Zhu Di made him the king of Han and let him serve in Yunnan.
Zhu Gaoxu said that this war that allowed his father to take power was fought so big that not only could he not succeed alone, but his father also framed him for seeing himself as a captive of the Yunnan barbarians. So he was very angry and ran to Zhu Di and said that he was a victim.
The palms and backs of his hands were full of meat, and seeing his other son so sad, even Zhu Di's heart softened, so he left Zhu Gaoxu in the capital.
Zhu Di's third son, Zhu Gaoxu, agreed that his second brother would stay in the capital, and although he became the king of Han, he did not take office and stayed in the capital.
In the twenty-second year of Yongle, Emperor Chengzu died on the way back to the dynasty. In order to smoothly hand over power, Zhu Di blocked the news of the ministers' deaths, and waited for the prince to make arrangements before announcing the news of Zhu Di's death.
Zhu Gao is relatively generous by nature. Shi Zai, his grandfather Zhu Yuanzhang allowed him to parade in the morning, but because he felt sorry for the soldiers, he couldn't let them get up so early, so he postponed it for an hour.
Therefore, after Zhu Gaochi ascended the throne, he continued to treat his brothers well and constantly rewarded and comforted them.
But Zhu Gaoxu still couldn't swallow this breath, he didn't give up, he was still waiting for the opportunity to attack the throne.
The sky is high and the birds are flying, and the opportunity is ahead.
In May of the first year of Hongxi (1425), Emperor Renzong Zhu Gaochi died of illness in Beijing only nine months after his accession to the throne, while the crown prince Zhu Zhanji was still in Nanjing. For Zhu Gaoxu, who wants to ascend to the throne, this is really a godsend.
Zhu Gaoxu immediately decided to send special forces from Le'an straight into the canal, intending to carry out a beheading operation on the way.
However, Zhu Gaoxu made the necessary preparations before his death, and he told the prince to go to Beijing when he was seriously ill. As a result, the prince's special forces arrived in Beijing before Zhu Gaoxu, and the beheading plan failed.
As a result, the crown prince Zhu Zhanji was worried that the throne would not be secured, and Zhu Gaoxu was attacked again.
After Zhu Zhanji inherited the throne from his uncle Zhu Gaoxu, he continued to implement a policy of tolerance, while Zhu Gaochu also temporarily retreated to the second line and kept to himself.
In addition, Zhu Gaochu also put on the appearance of worrying about the country and the people, and put forward many good suggestions on the country's major policies, which Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji adopted one by one, and Zhu Gaoxu appreciated them very much.
Zhu Gaoxu was overjoyed, thinking that this nephew was just a straw bag, so why not replace him?
In August of the first year of Xuande (1426), Zhu Gaoxu, the king of Han, united with Jin Rong, the commander of Shandong, and formally raised troops to challenge the imperial court in Le'an.
When Xuanzong learned that Zhu Gaochu had rebelled, he couldn't bear to use force and sent people to persuade him to surrender, but Zhu Gaochu insisted on not surrendering. In desperation, Tang Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji personally led troops to quell the rebellion and approached the city. When the rebels in the city saw the emperor coming, they turned against each other, and Zhu Gaochi's rebels surrendered out of the city.
He said that rebellion is a great sin and cannot be tolerated by any emperor, but Tang Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji is kind-hearted, and his uncle can't be ruthless, so he decided to open up for him.
Although Tang Xuanzong executed all Zhu Gaochi's heroes, he did not depose him, but only got rid of him as a civil official.
Soon, Tang Xuanzong made a special trip to visit Zhu Gaochu and brought him a lot of supplies, but Zhu Gaochu not only did not repent, but stretched out his foot and deliberately tripped Tang Xuanzong.
Tang Xuanzong was furious and asked the guards to tie up Zhu Gaoxu and press him under the cylinder with three hundred catties of copper.
Who knew that Zhu Gaoxu's strength was infinite, and even the top of the cylinder swayed from side to side. Xuanzong hurriedly asked someone to fetch charcoal, put it around the fire, wrapped the cylinder with a large stone, and Zhu Gaoxu barbecued.
Zhu Gaoxu bowed his head in the battle for the throne and was finally burned alive. On the face of it, he deserved it. But in the final analysis, it is the system that is to blame. If the Ming Dynasty could introduce a series of modern scientific and democratic systems to select the best people, Zhu Yuanzhang's descendants would not fight in the same room, kill each other, and kill each other.