Who doesn't want to be the king for the rest of their lives? But those who can really sit on the dragon chair must be scheming and strategizing. This Zhu Yuanzhang is one of the best. How did he climb from a reckless commoner to the top of the emperor step by step? And how to sleep on the dragon chair and vigilantly guard against the hidden crisis of seizing the heir? Let's listen to him talk about the death of this palace heir.
Zhu Yuanzhang was born in a poor peasant family, and his family was poor since he was a child. His father, Zhu Wusi, lived in poverty and worked hard in the fields all year round, and his mother Chen was also a hard-working housewife. Zhu Yuanzhang has undertaken trivial and diligent housework since he was a child, and although his childhood life was poor, he was also warm because of the care of his parents. However, the good times did not last long, Zhu Yuanzhang was not yet ten years old, and he suffered the great grief of the death of his parents in a row. After that, he could only rely on his eldest brother's family to make ends meet. One year's spring breeze clothes were thin, and one year's autumn wind had rough skin, Zhu Yuanzhang gradually grew into a tall and burly teenager, with the marks of the sun on his face and neck.
When he was 16 years old, the last pot of millet in the family was fried. In this year, the flood was raging, the locusts were infested, and the whole city was full of hunger. He and his brother and sister-in-law could only look solemn all day long, looking at each other without saying a word. In the end, he couldn't help crying bitterly - where did he go in this absurd world?
By chance, at the age of nearly 20, he entered a local dilapidated temple as a monk. Life here is penance, but he can finally eat well. Every time the sun sets, Zhu Yuanzhang sits alone under the porch, looking at the dust flying in the afterglow of the sunset, with a lot of thoughts. The three years of spiritual life have made him calm and well-informed.
However, the good times did not last long, and the temple soon broke out in famine. He had nowhere else to go, so he had to leave the temple and wander in the wilderness. Zhu Yuanzhang used the experience of life as a monk to learn to find food and fruits in the jungle to satisfy his hunger, and to avoid wild beasts in the cave. He has traveled all over the country, witnessed the difficulties of ordinary people struggling to survive in the dire straits, and also witnessed the sinister behavior of traitors and filthy officials.
This year, there was a great drought in the sky, locust plagues were frequent, and the common people rebelled under the cruel exploitation and ravage. With his extraordinary courage and sense of justice, Zhu Yuanzhang took the lead in responding and became the leader of the rebel army. He led his subordinates to crusade against the cruel landlords and save the people from fire and water. For a time, heroes and heroes came one after another, and they all came to join this righteous flag. Zhu Yuanzhang did not hesitate to sacrifice his life and forget death, and fought bloodily with the enemy. He was a leader and unyielding, and soon earned high prestige among his subordinates. When Jinling fell, he was ordered to recover Jinling with clever plots, and became famous.
After arduous struggles, Zhu Yuanzhang relied on his superb commanding talent and extraordinary charm to gradually become the leader of heroes and heroes from all walks of life. He successively defeated Zhang Shicheng, Chen Youliang and other separatist forces, and finally defeated heresy, pacified the world, and restored the old land. Zhu Yuanzhang complied with the Mandate of Heaven and established the Ming regime in Nanjing, and since then he has become the founding emperor and commanded the world! When he sat on the dragon chair, he inevitably felt a burst of ecstasy in his heart - from the grass to today, it is really unprecedented! How many sleepless nights, he looked forward to this moment; No matter how many times his life hung by a thread, he did not give up his adherence to his ideals. Today, he has finally reached the pinnacle of his life and achieved great things!
When Zhu Yuanzhang first ascended the throne and the world had just been pacified, he immediately set out to rectify the government, recruit talents, and choose henchmen and assistants. Among the auxiliary ministers, he selected and appointed a number of capable aides headed by Li Shanchang to assist in handling the affairs of the court. During this period, the government and the opposition were stable, the political situation was clear, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. And he also chose his favorite concubine Ma as the queen, and his feelings were very good, and Queen Ma was kind and generous, and won the hearts of the people. The eldest son of the two, Zhu Biao, was born by Queen Ma, and Zhu Yuanzhang loved this son very much, regarded him as his own, and made him the crown prince.
The crown prince Zhu Biao is smart and witty, and he is deeply favored by the emperor. However, the good times did not last long, and when he was in his early twenties, Zhu Biao contracted a strange disease, and although he was fully treated by the royal doctor, he still died. At this time, the government and the opposition were grieving, and the people also wept for a long time, which shows the virtue and popularity of the crown prince. Zhu Yuanzhang, who lost his beloved son, was so grief-stricken that he even fell ill in the palace for several days and couldn't get up to eat.
At this time, Li Shanchang and other ministers suggested that Zhu Biao's widow Zhu Yunwen be his heir, and promised to personally tutor him. However, this move caused the second son Yanwang Zhu Di to be extremely dissatisfied. Zhu Di's son is very arrogant and domineering, and he is famous far and wide. He is aggressive by nature, and he has been at odds with the crown prince Zhu Biao since he was a child. Now that Zhu Biao is deceased, he believes that the throne should have belonged to him. So he originally went to Jiangnan to deal with government affairs, but he turned back halfway and stayed in the capital. He asked to see the emperor several times and asked to depose Zhu Yunwen, but he was refused. Zhu Di was very unhappy in his heart, so he planned to stay in the capital and wait and see the changes.
Zhu Yuanzhang had long been aware of this. He has been through a hundred battles, has made meritorious contributions to the founding of the country, and is extremely sensitive to power schemes. His son Zhu Di's move is undoubtedly imminent, and it is not separated.
Early in the morning of this day, Zhu Yuanzhang came to the imperial garden, and the servant served the freshly picked fruits. He carelessly picks out a golden orange, plays with it gently, and then peels it with a peeling knife. The white flesh is quickly revealed, giving off a fresh fragrance. At this time, Zhu Di came to greet him, and Zhu Yuanzhang handed him the peeled orange with an expressionless face, and then waved his hand calmly, signaling him to leave.
This scene was witnessed by Zhu Di's mother, Queen Ma's maid Xiaofang. She ran back to the inner palace in horror to report to Queen Ma. Queen Ma was surprised and immediately summoned Zhu Di into the palace. She said to Zhu Di with a serious expression: "The emperor peeled the orange for you with his own hands, just to warn you - he is going to peel you!" Why don't you go back to the fiefdom soon! ”
It turned out that Queen Ma was well versed in Zhu Yuanzhang's personality. He has always been gentle and elegant, if he picks oranges and peels them above the court, it must mean that he is extremely angry and is demonstrating to the pretenders to the throne. Thinking that the emperor had seen through Zhu Di's intentions, this was to warn him not to act rashly.
Zhu Di was terrified when he heard this, and immediately went back to the fiefdom. Queen Ma saw through the emperor's hidden words at a critical moment and resolved the crisis. As the queen, she didn't have to stand on either side, but Queen Ma has always been generous and benevolent, fair, and regarded the royal children as her own, so she alerted Zhu Di and undoubtedly saved his life. If he doesn't know each other and leaves, he is afraid that he will be given death by Zhu Yuanzhang in the palace.
Soon after, Zhu Yuanzhang fell seriously ill and died. The little emperor Zhu Yunwen succeeded to the throne at the age of twenty-three. He is weak and benevolent by nature, all-round in civil and military affairs, but lacks political skills. He wanted to follow the example of Emperor Taizong Wen and create a prosperous era. However, most of the ministers and generals under his command were not convinced by such a "scholar emperor", and the government became increasingly chaotic. Uncle Zhu Di has coveted the throne for a long time in foreign domains, and he is even more ready to move at this time.
Zhu Di, the king of Yan, attacked the north far and pretended to consolidate the border defense. He has lived in the wilderness for many years and has a strong army with a brilliant record. Zhu Yunwen sent a large army to suppress it, but unexpectedly fell into an ambush and the whole army was annihilated. Zhu Di took the opportunity to attack south and soon invaded the capital.
At this point, the dynasty changed hands, and the world belonged to Zhu Di. Thinking about it, Zhu Yunwen is also fate. His grandfather, Zhu Yuanzhang, was a generation of heroes, but he had little time to teach his grandchildren the slightest bit of power. He could have become a generation of virtuous monarchs, but the weak blood of his ancestors made him pay the most painful price.
In the end, he was martyred in a desperate situation. Although he has only sat on the throne for a few years, it also makes people sigh and sigh the impermanence of fate. What is left for posterity is a poignant and moving court story.
Zhu Yuanzhang went from reckless to emperor, and he became famous all his life. However, in his later years, he was still prepared for danger in times of peace, taking precautions, and guarding power with anxiety, for fear that the country he founded would be taken away. In this way, he spent his mental energy in the flesh and blood struggle, which can be described as both physical and mental damage.
Among them, the expansion of his son Zhu Di's ambition was the fuse. But if Queen Ma didn't understand the emperor's warning, he was afraid that he would die in Huangquan. It can be seen that Zhu Yuanzhang is deliberately guarding against Zhu Di, and he is not completely targeted.
Father's kindness and filial piety, this is the joy of family. However, driven by the desire for power, family affection has become a dispensable consumable. The death of this palace heir is really embarrassing! People in the world should take this as a lesson, protect themselves wisely, eliminate evil thoughts, and cultivate virtue and self-cultivation, so as to achieve peace of mind.
During Zhu Yuanzhang's reign, he was clean and upright, accumulating valuable experience for later generations to govern the country. However, in his later years, his actions to prevent his succession also exposed the dark side of the rule. We should take history as a mirror, absorb its essence, and discard its dross. Cultivating benevolent government and benevolence can lead to long-term peace and stability of the family and country.