Zhu Di, a brilliant star in the history of the Ming Dynasty, created a cabinet with his unparalleled courage, resolutely moved the capital to Beijing, personally conquered Mongolia five times, sent Zheng He to sail away, and achieved unprecedented prosperity of the country.
However, the path to the throne of this valiant emperor was shrouded in controversy - accusations of usurping the throne with his nephew were always with him. His actions made the Ming Dynasty shine, but the way the throne was obtained"The Prince of Benevolence"'s reputation is overshadowed, and his behavior towards his brother's descendants is chilling.
This is a complex king of splendor and doubt.
Since ancient times, the throne has followed the primogeniture system, but Zhu Yuanzhang has found a unique way and appointed the gentle and elegant Zhu Biao as the crown prince with his unique vision. However, Zhu Biao's early death was unexpected by Zhu Yuanzhang, who unfortunately died of illness on the way back from business in Hongwu 25 years, which was not only the pain of losing his son to Zhu Yuanzhang, but also a huge loss for the future of the country.
The crown prince symbolizes the cornerstone of the country, and the position of the prince cannot be vain. After Zhu Biao's death, the courtiers suggested replacing the crown prince. Although Zhu Yuanzhang has many heirs, the process of choosing a new prince is particularly difficult, because he is not only looking forward to a successor, but also a suitable person who can continue the country's foundation.
Given Zhu Yuanzhang's advanced age and the need to stabilize his regime, the ideal successor needs to have a certain level of maturity. Among Zhu Yuanzhang's five sons, although they met this condition, it was a pity that the eldest son, the second son and the third son all died young, which focused people's attention on the fourth son, Yanwang Zhu Di.
Zhu Di showed bravery when he was young, and followed Zhu Yuanzhang to fight in the south and north, and made great achievements for the establishment of the Ming Dynasty. His political insight and profound thinking are among the best among many princes.
It seems that Zhu Di is the natural candidate for the crown prince, but Zhu Yuanzhang's choice is unexpected, he tends to find a monarch who can end the war and protect the peace of the people, rather than continue to launch the war.
Zhu Yuanzhang longed for his successor to have a profound concept of cultural governance, but Zhu Di's character traits were far from this expectation. His irascible temper and superior military prowess made it difficult for him to focus on urbane governance, which was a key factor in Zhu Yuanzhang's decision not to choose him as crown prince.
Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang adopted the advice of the ministers and chose Zhu Biao's son Zhu Yunwen, who later became Emperor Jianwen. Emperor Jianwen inherited his father's characteristics and perfectly met his grandfather's expectations of a Wenzhi monarch.
Had it not been for external interference, the Ming Dynasty would have ushered in a peaceful and stable future. However, the reality is cruel, and the prying eyes of dozens of uncles are like an undercurrent, threatening Emperor Jianwen's throne.
After four years of Jingyan Battle, Zhu Di waved his army to take Nanjing and ascended the throne as emperor. When Zhu Di stepped into the burned Nanjing, someone presented two charred remains, claiming to be Emperor Jianwen, who was anxious to ascend the throne without verifying.
In fact, Zhu Di knew in his heart that it was not the truth. Where did the real Jianwen Emperor go? It is rumored that Zhu Yuanzhang once used a secret plan to protect his son, and if the city is not protected, he can escape through the secret channel.
At the desperate moment when Zhu Di broke through Nanjing, Emperor Jianwen took advantage of the passage of his ancestors to escape by fire. Since then, Zhu Di has always explored his traces. According to folk rumors, he pretended to be a monk and flew away, does this explain why Zhu Di sent Zheng He to sail the sea, whether he looked for the possibility of Emperor Jianwen overseas - the Dongying where the monks gathered, may have hidden his shadow.
Behind Emperor Jianwen and the crown prince Zhu Biao, Zhu Di ruthlessly targeted their close relatives. When Zhu Biao was in power, his mother Lü naturally became the empress dowager, and Zhu Biao was also promoted to Emperor Xiaokang.
How could Zhu Di endure that after he ascended the throne, he was still shrouded in the authority of many queens and queen mothers? At the beginning of his accession to the throne, he took away his brother's title of queen and queen mother, and exiled the Lu family to the Ming Dongling Tomb to accompany Zhu Biao, along with her youngest son Zhu Yunxi, who was only 14 years old.
As soon as the mother and son entered Tanglin, they were imprisoned, lost their freedom, and were oppressed by their attendants. Sadly, in the accident of Yongle for four years, the ghost fire devoured the young Zhu Yunxi, and the whereabouts of the Lu family became an unsolved mystery.
Generally speaking, as a tightly guarded royal mausoleum, the Ming Dongling Tomb is always guarded by special personnel around the clock, and the fire should be quickly controlled. However, the fire recorded in the history books is extremely bizarre, and no one seems to be in a hurry to extinguish the fire, and the reason behind this must have been understood.
Zhu Di not only has two nephews, Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Yunxi, but also two adults, what is their fate? Soon after Zhu Di ascended the throne, he skillfully transferred them to the frontier to weaken their potential strength.
Despite this, Zhu Di is still worried, he understands that his seizure of the throne lacks legitimacy and is unconvincing. He was worried that once the two nephews to"Revenge for your brother", and his reign will be seriously threatened.
After careful consideration, Zhu Di placed them in Fengyang under clever pretexts and placed them under house arrest. A year later, he to:"Self-indulgence breeds dislike"For this reason, he easily deprived his two nephews of their titles and demoted them to commoners.
However, the story did not stop there, and the two nephews finally could not escape Zhu Di's means and died unjustly. What is even more shocking is that a rebellion of the vassal king reminded Zhu Di of them, so he acted decisively, and their lives ended in a bizarre way in the same year.
Zhu Di, as a complex emperor in the long history, his image is not single. As an emperor, his achievements are impressive, such as opening up the territory, bringing the Ming Dynasty into a prosperous era, and stabilizing the imperial power by strengthening Dongchang and other means, which undoubtedly demonstrates the courage of a generation of British lords.
However, his iron-fisted methods are also manifested in the cruelty of his sons and nephews. A comprehensive examination of this historical figure, we must not only admire his glorious chapters, but also avoid his dark side, which is a fair record of him in the History of the Ming Dynasty.
The Ming History: Ming Chengzu Documentary" series of chapters reveals his diversity.