Ming Yingzong abdicated the emperor, whether the new emperor could give an order to him, and whether he needed to kneel down
On August 15, 1449, a major turning point occurred in the history of the Ming Dynasty - the Tumubao Change. Yingzong Zhu Qizhen drove the expedition in person, but unfortunately became a prisoner of the Warat people, and the accompanying civil and military ministers and hundreds of thousands of troops were almost wiped out.
At this time of crisis, Empress Dowager Sun decisively honored Yingzong as the emperor and made her concubine Zhu Qiyu the new emperor. After many negotiations, after the victory in the defense of Beijing, the Taishang Emperor Zhu Qizhen was finally taken back to the imperial court.
This event had a profound impact on the course of Ming Dynasty history.
So the question is, as brothers, Zhu Qizhen and Zhu Qiyu, who has a higher status? If Zhu Qiyu gives an order to Zhu Qizhen, does Zhu Qizhen need to kneel down to receive the order?
The title of Emperor Taishang has appeared in the Western Han Dynasty to avoid the embarrassment of an elderly father kneeling to his son. When the Ming court and Wara negotiated whether Zhu Qizhen would return, they had already made it clear that Emperor Taishang was respected.
Now Zhu Qizhen is the Emperor Taishang, and Zhu Qiyu is the Emperor Jinshang, what is their status? "
Zhu Qiyu's delaying tactics for the Warat people must be taken seriously. He understood that if the people of the world felt that he was unwilling to welcome back the Taishang Emperor, it might cause controversy and even shake the foundation of his rule.
Although the Warats were no match for him in pen fights, Zhu Qiyu decided to write a reply to express his position. In this letter, Zhu Qiyu said that he welcomed the Taishi to send back his brother, but he emphasized that his brother was now the Taishang Emperor and had a higher status than him, and he could not abdicate and let his brother return to a higher position.
He thinks it's against the way of heaven. Therefore, he ordered Yue Qian and Liang Gui to return to the capital to convey the will of the Emperor Taishang and let him inherit the throne to manage the temple sacrifices. Although he was forced to follow his eldest brother's orders, he stressed that if Taishi could send his elder brother back, he would do what he wanted.
However, he firmly opposed the fact that the elder brother still sat on the emperor's throne, which would lead to the inversion of dignity and inferiority, which would violate the way of heaven. He stressed that he would not do such a thing. The core idea of the new copy is the same as the original text, emphasizing Zhu Qiyu's serious treatment of the Warats' plan to delay the army, as well as his resolute stance on the return of the eldest brother.
At the same time, he also emphasized his determination and self-esteem, saying that he would not do anything against the way of heaven.
Through his efforts, Yang Shan successfully persuaded Emperor Taishang to release first, and brought the news back to Jingshi. Hearing this news, Emperor Jingtai Zhu Qiyu was very shocked, because he didn't want his brother to come back in his heart.
However, now that the wood was in the boat, Zhu Qiyu could only lower the specifications for greeting the Emperor Taishang as a way to express his dissatisfaction and a warning to the courtiers. Although the emperor only used the "big gift" of "one sedan chair and two horses" to greet the Taishang Emperor, the civil and military **, including the elders of the Four Dynasties, the crown prince and the prince, and Hu Hu, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, all said that "etiquette seems to be too thin".
In this regard, Zhu Qiyu blocked the minister's mouth with only one sentence: "Emperor Taishang asked me to keep everything simple, what's wrong with me listening to Emperor Taishang's words?" The crown prince and the prince of the Ministry of Rites, Hu Hu and others said that what Fu said was nothing more than the hope that the emperor could strengthen the righteousness of his relatives, which was also the way for the courtiers to be loyal, and they had no other meaning.
However, Zhu Qiyu insisted on acting in accordance with Emperor Taishang's instructions without any disobedience.
Gao Gu did not agree with Emperor Taishang's arrangement to return to the palace, and suggested that the emperor should follow the etiquette of Tang Suzong to welcome Tang Xuanzong back then, and personally greet him outside the Anding Gate. Emperor Jingtai rejected his offer and was only willing to meet him inside Dong'anmen.
However, even so, Zhu Qiyu still had to salute after Emperor Taishang ascended to the throne, and gave amnesty to the world because his brother returned to Beijing. The sentence "righteousness should be honored with humility" in the edict clearly shows the identity gap between the two.
After Emperor Taishang moved into the South Palace, Zhu Qiyu took close care of his brother's residence, not only did he not go to the court, but also did not let him meet with the ministers. In this regard, his own uncle Xiangwang Zhu Zhandong reminded him not to forget to respect and be kind to Emperor Taishang.
Yingzong returned to the capital, lived in Nannei, and wrote that Emperor Jing should visit him every morning and evening, and lead his ministers to see him on the first and fifteenth days of each month, and not forget to be respectful and obedient.
In the first month of 1457 AD, Zhu Qizhen staged a coup d'état in Nangong, replacing Zhu Qiyu as emperor and re-sitting on the throne. At that time, Dingxiang Bo Guo Deng proposed to the imperial court to change the yuan, believing that in the past, the new monarch would change the yuan in the second year after ascending the throne, because "humbly honored".
And the restoration of Emperor Taishang is "to respect and humility", so you can change the yuan now. Zhu Qizhen listened to his suggestion and immediately ordered to change the eighth year of Jingtai to the first year of Tianshun.
Traditionally, monarchs have to wait a year before they can change their throne, because in the monarchy, there is a distinction between superiors and inferiors. However, Zhu Qizhen's reinstatement is "to be humble", so there is no need to follow this rule, and he can directly change the yuan.
This was to show the power and status of the new Son of Heaven and to make the people of the world understand that the reign of the new Emperor had begun. In short, the relationship between Zhu Qizhen and Zhu Qiyu is that Zhu Qizhen is respected and Zhu Qiyu is inferior.
Zhu Qizhen, as the emperor, can give orders to his younger brother, while Zhu Qiyu needs to kneel to pick up. However, this holy decree may not reach the hands of Emperor Jingtai.