In 1402 AD, Zhu Di, the king of Yan, successfully captured Nanjing and proclaimed himself Emperor Yongle. After the new monarch ascended the throne, most of Emperor Jianwen's old subordinates chose to follow the trend and continue to serve Zhu Di.
However, there were also some loyal courtiers who chose to stick to morality and vowed to fight Zhu Di to the end, such as Fang Xiaoru, Tie Xuan and others, most of whom died heroically in Zhu Di's killing.
One of the ministers, in the face of Zhu Di's persuasion, he did not compromise and was finally exterminated, but Zhu Di deeply regretted this and sighed: "He has been a soldier for thirty years, and he is the only one who lives up to me." "This admirable figure is Zhuo Jing, an outstanding talent in the early Ming Dynasty.
Zhuo Jing, a native of Ruian, Zhejiang, as early as the Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang period, was famous all over the world for his outstanding talent. At the age of seven, he can write poetry, read ten lines at a glance, and never forget, which is unique in the literary world.
In the twenty-first year of the imperial examination of Hongwu, Zhuo Jing stood out in the imperial examination, a high school jinshi, and in the palace examination because of his talent, he was handpicked by Zhu Yuanzhang as a list of scholars, and Xie Jin, one of the three great talents of the Ming Dynasty, was also a list of jinshi.
At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, many etiquette systems were not perfect. The princes followed the prince's pomp, Zhuo Jing was blunt about this, and suggested that Zhu Yuanzhang treat the princes differently and establish a distinction between the princes and the order of respect and inferiority.
Zhu Yuanzhang deeply agreed with Zhuo Jing's suggestion, so he promoted him to serve in the middle of the house, and gradually promoted him to the head of the household.
After Emperor Jianwen ascended the throne, Qi Tai, Huang Zicheng and others advocated weakening the power of the vassal kings, especially Zhu Di, the king of Yan, because he had more power in the capital. However, because Zhu Di acted cautiously and did not leave any handle, Emperor Jianwen did not take immediate action.
At this time, Zhuo Jing put forward a compromise proposal, he believed that Zhu Di was as civil and military as Zhu Yuanzhang, and lived in the north, since ancient times, the north has been a great disaster for the Central Plains people, so it is more appropriate for Zhu Di to change his title to Nanchang.
Nanchang is located in the middle, if Zhu Di'an guards himself, let him be the king of the vassal with peace of mind; If he has a rebellious heart, it is also easier to be controlled.
At that time, Zhuo Jing's advice was considered to be very sensible and was supported by many ministers. However, Emperor Jianwen did not accept this suggestion. A year later, Zhu Di launched a rebellion, but it was too late.
In the fourth year of Jianwen, Zhu Di's army captured Nanjing, and after a fire, Emperor Jianwen mysteriously disappeared, leaving a group of relict ministers to face Zhu Di's rule. After Zhu Di entered Nanjing, many ministers welcomed him on the road in order to save his life.
However, Zhuo Jing did not like others, he locked his whole family at home and did not go to meet Zhu Di.
After Zhu Di succeeded to the throne, he purged Jianwen's former ministers. He arrested Zhuo Jing and questioned him, "Why didn't you come to meet me?" Zhuo Jing replied: "There is no rule in the imperial court, and the vassal king needs to be greeted by the minister when he enters Beijing. This means that he believes that Zhu Di's throne is invalid and that he is just a vassal king. Zhu Di was very angry about this, and asked Zhuo Jing again: "Why did you suggest that I change my seal to Nanchang before, this is to divide our flesh and blood relationship." Zhuo Jing replied calmly: "If the first emperor had listened to my advice, there would have been no disaster today." Zhu Di was attracted by his talent and character, and couldn't bear to kill him, but just put Zhuo Jing in prison.
Li Jiancheng was originally mediocre and incompetent, so he was killed by Li Shimin. The first emperor (Emperor Jianwen) was not at fault, but he was usurped by the rebellious ministers and thieves (referring to Zhu Di). As a courtier, I can only repay the emperor with death. ”
Yao Guangxiao strongly persuaded Zhu Di to kill Zhuo Jing so as not to leave hidden dangers. Zhu Di thought so and ordered the three clans of Zhuo Jing to be killed and their property confiscated. However, during the raid, only some old furniture and books were found.
Zhuo Jing is a household servant, but his family is so poor, which makes Zhu Di deeply admired. According to the "Ming History Chronicle", Zhu Di said regretfully after Zhuo Jing's death: "The country has cultivated scholars for more than 30 years, and only Zhuo Jing can faithfully repay his monarch." ”
Although Zhu Di was reluctant in his heart, he could not change Zhuo Jing's resolute determination to die. Zhuo Jing won the respect of the people for his outstanding talent, incorruptible official manner, upright personality and loyalty to the royal family.
However, in the context of the Battle of Jingjing, whether it is the old minister who adheres to loyalty, filial piety and righteousness, or the new minister who chooses to change the court, their choice cannot be simply classified as "right" or "wrong".
However, a person like Zhuo Jing who swore allegiance to the first emperor is undoubtedly worthy of the admiration of future generations.