Zhu Di, the fourth emperor of the Ming Dynasty, left a great legacy in history, which is remembered, among his 23 grandsons, he has a special preference for Zhu Zhanji, why is this?
01 Auspicious at birth
At the time of Zhu Zhanji's birth, accompanied by the exhilarating auspiciousness, it brought endless joy and confidence to Zhu Di, which originated from a dream that Zhu Di had on the eve of Zhu Zhanji's birth.
In the dream, Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty and Zhu Di's grandfather, gave Zhu Di a large gui that symbolized the power of the emperor, and gave it a profound meaning: "The grandson of the heirloom will prosper forever." ”
Therefore, when the subordinates in the palace told the princess that she had given birth to a big fat boy, Zhu Di immediately linked the good news with the scene in his dream.
Zhu Di, who went to visit his eldest grandson in person, couldn't help but feel full of satisfaction when he saw Zhu Zhanji, he felt that this child was heroic and seemed to be destined to be extraordinary in the future.
02 Ideal heir
Zhu Zhanji became the ideal heir of Zhu Di's ideals, which is not accidental, but the result of Zhu Di's careful cultivation and careful observation for many years.
In Zhu Di's eyes, Zhu Zhanji is not only his grandson, but also an ambitious and talented heir.
He often told the crown prince Zhu Gaochi that this child will inevitably be the peaceful son of the family in the future, and Zhu Di's satisfaction with Zhu Zhanji can be seen.
In Zhu Di's eyes, the requirements for the heir are extremely strict, he hopes that the heir must not only have outstanding military talent, but also have excellent political wisdom.
And Zhu Gaochu showed a well-developed limb and simple-minded side in the battle for the heir, which disappointed Zhu Di, although Zhu Gaosui was a young son, but his behavior was inappropriate, and he interfered in government affairs many times, and even caused Zhu Di's anger.
In contrast, Zhu Zhanji is outstanding in cultural and martial arts, has the wisdom to govern the country, and has the courage to fight on the battlefield, becoming a rising star in Zhu Di's eyes.
Zhu Zhanji's excellent performance further highlighted the shortcomings of other brothers and further strengthened Zhu Di's preference for him.
03 Make up for Zhu Gaochi's regret that he is not like himself
Zhu Di's dissatisfaction with the crown prince Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji's preference do reflect to a certain extent the gap between his expectations for the heir and reality.
Zhu Gaochi's benevolent personality and incompetence in military affairs troubled Zhu Di, especially for an emperor who had made many personal expeditions, and expected his heir to inherit his heroic and decisive characteristics.
Although Zhu Gaochi is Zhu Di's son in the traditional sense and is an orthodox heir, his performance in reality does not meet Zhu Di's expectations.
In this case, Zhu Zhanji's appearance became a kind of compensation, because he showed the eloquence and military ability that Zhu Di expected.
Zhu Di may feel that he can't find similar qualities in his son, but he sees an echo of his ideals in Zhu Zhanji.
In general, Zhu Di's preference for Zhu Zhanji is the result of a combination of many factors, the appearance of auspiciousness, Zhu Zhanji as the ideal heir, and the dissatisfaction and expectation gap between the crown prince, these elements are intertwined, constituting the reason why Zhu Di is particularly fond of Zhu Zhanji.