Zhu Gaochi, Emperor Renzong of the Ming Dynasty (1378, 8, 16-1425), was the fourth emperor of the Ming Dynasty and the eldest son of Zhu Di, the eldest son of Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty. The title of his reign was Hong Xi.
Zhu Gaochi was calm by nature, knowledgeable in words and deeds, and liked to read. Because of his elegance and benevolence, he was deeply loved by the emperor's grandfather Zhu Yuanzhang. But he was fatter, resulting in a weaker body.
In August of the 22nd year of Yongle (1424), although Zhu Gaochi reigned for a short time, he was generous, enlightened the government, developed production, and rested with the people during his reign. He pardoned many old ministers of Emperor Jianwen, rehabilitated many unjust prisons, abolished many tyrannical governments, and stopped the large-scale use of troops during the Zhu Di period. The people of the world were rested, culture was revived, and the treatment of scholars was better than that of the Hongwu and Yongle dynasties. Zhu Gaochi was pure in heaven, changed from kindness, and respected and loved the people. Therefore, later generations spoke highly of him, laying the foundation for the rule of Renxuan.
In the first year of Hongxi (1425), in May, Zhu Gaochi, who had been emperor for only ten months, fell seriously ill and died soon after. He was 47 years old. The temple name is Renzong, and the posthumous name is Jingtitiandao Chun-sincere and virtuous Emperor Hongwen Chin Martial Medal Shengda Xiaozhao. Buried in Xianmausoleum of the Thirteen Tombs. His mausoleum was built solemnly and simply, symbolizing his ruling style.
Zhu Gaochi had ten sons and seven daughters; nine of them were grown-up. The eldest son, Zhu Zhanji, was born to him and Zhang Hou.
character life
early experiences
Zhu Gaochi was the eldest son of Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, and his mother was Empress Xu of Ren Xiaowen. He was born on August 16, the eleventh year of Hongwu (1378). At that time, his father was the King of Yan and was only 18 years old. It is said that Queen Ren Xiaowen dreamed of a person holding a crown and a keiyu coming up to pay homage to her.
In the twenty-eighth year (1395), Hong Wu was established as the son of the emperor. He was calm by nature, knowledgeable in words and deeds, and liked to read. In his childhood, he received formal education in martial arts and Confucian academics. Because of his elegance and benevolence, he was deeply loved by the emperor's grandfather Zhu Yuanzhang; however, because Zhu Gaochi liked to be quiet and disliked movement, he was fat and had difficulty moving, and he always needed the help of two chamberlains to move, and he always stumbled. Therefore, for the Emperor Chengzu of Ming, who loved martial arts all his life, Zhu Di did not like this son. Although he learned archery to a certain extent, in general he rarely showed the qualifications of martial arts. Instead, much to the delight of his teachers, he was more absorbed in scripture and literature - in fact, this may have contributed to his frail constitution and poor health
Zhu Gaochi's grandfather, Zhu Yuanzhang, personally cared about Zhu Di's sons and was pleased with the future emperor's gentle character and his strong interest in politics. Once, Zhu Yuanzhang sent the young man to review the army at dawn. The latter came back surprisingly quickly to report. He explained that it was too cold in the morning and the review should wait until after the soldiers had finished breakfast. Another time, Zhu Yuanzhang asked him to review several officials 'memorials. He methodically separated the civil and military categories and reported accordingly. His grandfather was constantly moved by his literary talent and administrative ability.
Zhu Di raised an army in Jingnan and ordered Zhu Gaochi to stay in Beijing. Zhu Gaochi united his subordinates and successfully blocked the 500,000-strong army of Li Jinglong, a general of Emperor Jianwen, and saved Beijing. This battle was of extremely great significance to the entire Jingnan, and it was also Zhu Gaochi's most dazzling stroke in Jingnan. During this period, Emperor Jianwen sent a letter to Zhu Gaochi, promising to grant him the title of king and seeking Zhu Gaochi's submission to the court. Zhu Gaochi did not read it after receiving the letter. He sent it to Zhu Di intact, making Emperor Jianwen's counter-espionage plan fail.
Supervision of State Administration
See also: Zhu Gaochi supervises the state
Since then, because Zhu Gaochi was fat and was inconvenient to fight with the army, Zhu Di left him in the rear and let Zhu Gaochi supervise the country. He suspected that the prince had any evil behavior and ordered Hu Wei, assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites, to secretly monitor the prince's behavior and told him: "People often say that the prince has lost his virtue. You can go to the capital and observe more. If there is anything bad, come and report it quickly. "Zhu Di already had a biased opinion on Zhu Gaochi, and Hu Wei was impressed by the prince's honesty." He secretly reported the seven things with the Crown Prince's sincerity, respect, knowledge and prudence, which was the beginning of the explanation."
Since Zhu Di himself was a trained command general, he favored his two younger and more martial sons, Zhu Gaosu and Zhu Gaoxu, and often took them on expeditions to give his eldest son a different kind of education. In this way, Zhu Gaochi spent most of his early years in Confucian studies and under the guidance of scholars selected by his father. Among them were Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, Yang Pu, and Huang Huai, all of whom cultivated friendships with him and held important administrative positions after he ascended the throne.
From the first year of Jianwen (1399) to the fourth year (1402), Zhu Gaochi gradually became directly involved in local politics, and when necessary, he was not only able to bite the words. When his father led an army uprising against Emperor Jianwen, Zhu Gaochi and his advisers were in charge of the affairs of Zhu Di's fief Beijing. In November of the first year of Jianwen (1399), he had only 10,000 soldiers under his command, but he skillfully organized the city defense and thwarted an attack by Li Jinglong. This time his sense of responsibility and correct judgment helped to change people's perceptions of him. In May of the second year of Yongle (1404), he had become the emperor's father. At the strong request of the great scholars Xie Jin and Huang Huai, he was appointed crown prince. From then on, Zhu Gaochi lived in Nanjing or Beijing, and served as a supervisor when the emperor left. His performance in this position won the respect of his teachers - mostly Hanlin scholars - and gained valuable practical administrative experience.
In the years that followed, however, he fell victim to a conspiracy against him waged by supporters of his brothers. In September 1414, when Zhu Di had just returned from the campaign against Mongolia, Zhu Gaoxu slandered his brother for failing to fulfill certain tasks for the emperor. Zhu Di reprimanded Zhu Gaochi and imprisoned two of his closest advisers, Grand Secretary Yang Pu and Huang Huai. Zhu Gaoxu was finally banished in Yongle XV (1417) and purged as a direct threat. In the end, Zhu Gaochi did not hold a grudge against him; shortly after he ascended the throne, Zhu Gaochi increased the salary of the prince and awarded titles to several of his sons. Unfortunately, Zhu Gaoxu never admitted his mistake.
Battle for Crown Prince
Zhu Gaochi stayed at the rear, so that the second son of the emperor, Zhu Gaoxu, came to the front desk. Zhu Gaoxu was quite similar to Zhu Di, and he fought bravely. He had a high prestige among the generals. During the battle, he saved Zhu Di many times during the crisis, and Zhu Di also made a wish and said, "Work hard, the crown prince is not in good health and has many diseases." Hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu's enthusiasm was even higher, and he made a great contribution to the entire Jingnan Neutrality.
After the success of Jingnan, Zhu Di ascended to the throne, but there was hesitation on the issue of establishing the crown prince. Zhu Gaochi won the support of the literary ministers because of his benevolence and elegance, and he was the Yanshi son personally selected by Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang for Zhu Di. He was the legitimate heir to the throne. In the feudal society, this was very important. Zhu Gaoxu's personality was quite similar to Zhu Di, brave and handsome, and he made great contributions in Jingnan. Moreover, Zhu Di had personally made a wish to pass the throne to him. As far as Zhu Di himself was concerned, he hoped to establish Zhu Gaoxu. He felt that Zhu Gaochi was too benevolent and weak, and would be coerced in the future.
But in the end, Zhu Di still appointed Zhu Gaochi as the prince, because the cabinet system of the Ming Dynasty and the feudal society of the Han nationality restricted the emperor to some extent. And Zhu Gaochi did not make any major mistakes when he was the prince, so he was abolished without a name. It is very important that Zhu Gaochi's eldest son, Zhu Zhanji, was exceptionally intelligent and won the love of Zhu Di. The famous literary minister Xie Jin once persuaded Cheng Zu with "a good saint". Zhu Di finally made up his mind and made Zhu Gaochi the prince in 1404 AD.
The second son Zhu Gaoxu did not give in like this. He refused to take the vassal and stayed in the capital to wait for an opportunity to act. He first slandered and deposed Xie Jin, the first hero of the Reserve, and was brutally killed a few years later. Then he privately raised many samurai to conspire against each other. Fortunately, Yang Shiqi and Empress Xu persuaded Zhu Di to take away some of Zhu Gaoxu's guards and forced him to take the vassal. The dispute between Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaochi came to an end for the time being. Who knew that Cheng Yaojin was killed halfway. The third son of the emperor, Zhu Gaozui, had plotted to kill Zhu Di during the illness of the patriarch, and then acceded to the throne. Fortunately, someone informed him, and a disaster did not come. Afterwards, because Zhu Gaochi interceded for Zhu Gaozui, Zhu Di finally did not pursue it.
ascend the throne
On July 18th, the 22nd year of Yongle (1424), 65-year-old Zhu Di died of illness while returning to Beijing during the Northern Expedition. In order to prevent Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui from taking advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble, the British Duke Zhang Fu and the cabinet minister Yang Rong did not announce the funeral. The lacquer ware in the general melted into a large coffin, and Zhu Di's body was put into the coffin. They still ate and paid their respects every day as usual. However, the curtain of the emperor's carriage was never opened and the emperor never spoke again. Everything in the army was as usual. At the same time, Yang Rong and eunuch Haishou were sent to Beijing to report secretly. After learning about this, Zhu Gaochi immediately sent his son Zhu Zhanji to Beijing to welcome the funeral. Due to the careful arrangements of the ministers, no rebellion broke out and the regime was able to transition smoothly.
Zhu Gaochi did not learn of Zhu Di's death until August 25, the 22nd year of Yongle (1424), when the emperor's representative arrived in Beijing with the edict of succession. He immediately consulted with the minister of official affairs, Jianyi, Yang Shiqi, and Yang Rong. He ordered the strengthening of security in the capital, and sent the eunuch Wang Guitong to Nanjing as a guard. The next day, he released the former minister of household affairs, Xia Yuanji; Xia was imprisoned by Zhu Di in April of that year for opposing the third expedition to Mongolia. On September 7, he officially ascended the throne, issued an amnesty decree, and set the following year as the first year of Hongxi. On the same day, he took Xia Yuanji's advice and cancelled Zheng He's scheduled sea voyage, cancelled the tea and horse trade at the border, and stopped sending gold and pearl procurement missions to Yunnan and Jiaoxi (Annan). He re-appointed Xia Yuanji and another demoted official, Wu Zhong, as Minister of Household Affairs and Minister of Industry, respectively. With these actions, Zhu Gaochi began to cancel or adjust his father's administrative policies
After Zhu Gaochi ascended the throne, he began a series of reforms. First, he pardoned the old ministers of Emperor Jianwen and the families of officials who were imprisoned and exiled to the border during the Yongle period, and allowed them to return to their original places. He also rehabilitated the unjust imprisonment, which enabled many unjust cases to be cleared (such as the "Execution of Ten Families" massacre of Jianwen's loyal minister Fang Xiaoru, during which the unjust cases of Xie Jin in the Yongle Dynasty were cleared), and restored the official titles of some ministers, thus easing conflicts within the ruling group.
Finally, a month before his death, Zhu Gaochi took the most drastic step in reversing his father's policy, which was to move the capital back to Nanjing. The move is said to have been strongly demanded by Xia Yuanji and other senior court officials as part of a strategy to divert resources away from the northern border. Zhu Gaochi clearly had this intention since he ascended the throne, when he had set up a garrison in Nanjing and sent generals and eunuchs he trusted to command it. Zhu Gaochi was not interested in Zhu Di's northern expedition, nor did he like Beijing; in addition, he had served as a governor in Nanjing and was familiar with the situation in Nanjing and felt that it was more comfortable there. In addition, he was also concerned about the cost of maintaining the northern capital, which not only greatly increased the burden on southeastern China, but also made it difficult for various government departments to cope with.
On April 16, the first year of Hongxi (1425), he appointed all government departments in Beijing. Half a month later, he sent Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji to Nanjing to visit Zhu Yuanzhang's imperial mausoleum, where he remained in charge. Despite reports of earthquakes in the Nanjing area, the emperor's return and the southward migration of his court were inevitable. However, Zhu Gaochi died before this action could be carried out. In addition, his successor, Xuande Emperor Zhu Zhanji, was not involved in the plan. Zhu Zhanji was closer to Yongle Emperor and less disliked the policy of favoring the north. Beijing remained the capital, and Nanjing became a supporting capital.
died
Zhu Gaochi was bright in the stars, and suddenly saw a star change overnight. He hurriedly called Sai Yi, Yang Shiqi and others to say, "Heaven's destiny is over." Then he sighed and said, "Twenty years after the founding of the country, I have been disturbed by slander and evil, and my heart is in danger. The three of us are the same. Relying on the emperor's father, Renming, to be preserved. After I die, who can know the hearts of the three of me?" As he spoke, he left tears, and Sai Yi and Yang Shiqi also shed tears.
On May 29, the first year of Hongxi (1425). Zhu Gaochi died suddenly in the Qin'an Hall in the palace (this Qin'an Hall was not the Qin'an Hall in the imperial garden) at the age of 47. After his death, he was posthumously named Emperor Xiaozhao, and the temple was named Renzong.
There are various speculations about the cause of Zhu Gaochi's sudden death: lightning strike, poisoning, and even excessive sexual indulgence. The latter speculation may be based on the fact that a few days before his death, Hanlin Li Shimian was severely punished because he submitted a petition to criticize him, one of which was that he had a sexual relationship with his concubine while serving Zhu Di's funeral. But a chief eunuch reported that he died of a heart attack. Considering the emperor's obesity and foot problems, this statement is more credible.
Zhu Gaochi's funeral was extremely brief, but seven concubines were also buried for him.
Zhu Gaochi was in power for less than a year, and some people questioned his contribution. However, Zhu Di spent most of his time in the northern expedition, and the government affairs of the court were always entrusted to Zhu Gaochi. Therefore, he had sufficient time to implement his own policies and lay a good foundation for his accession to the throne. If this period of time was added, Zhu Gaochi's contribution to the Ming Dynasty would be beyond doubt.
overall review
History praises Zhu Gaochi as an enlightened Confucian monarch who, like the ancient sage-kings he imitated, adhered to the ideals of simplicity, benevolence and sincerity. He was unanimously praised for his efforts to consolidate the empire and correct the harsh and unpopular economic plans of the Yongle era. Many of his policies and measures reflected an idealistic and Confucian understanding of the way to govern, but they were also his responses to some of the tendencies of previous emperors. [36]The emperor was sometimes criticized for his fiery temperament and impetuosity, such as he occasionally reprimanded and punished officials who appeared indecisive or spoke too irritating. But he has enough measure to recognize his shortcomings and apologize to others. No matter what mistakes he made, they can be made up for by his benevolence and dedication to the public.
His premature death prevented Zhu Gaochi from achieving all his goals, but despite this, his legacy is still clear. In addition to his humanitarian social activities, he also contributed to the Confucian political ideal of a morally determined emperor governing the world on the advice of knowledgeable ministers. During his rule, he trusted the Hanlin scholars deeply and promoted them to positions of great responsibility and power. This reminds people of his cousin, Emperor Jianwen, but subsequent generations of emperors did not maintain this precedent. However, the three Yang leadership of the cabinet continued to remain stable for several years after his death, and despite certain shortcomings, the cabinet still played a decisive role in maintaining civil government. Therefore, Hongxi's rule went through an early stage when the focus of the Ming government changed significantly.
This kind emperor ended his life, but his righteous deeds will always be remembered