In Chinese history, the Ming Dynasty was a dynasty of strange emperors, and Ming Xizong was a maverick even among many strange emperors. However, the emperor's maverick behavior is often a huge disaster for the people of the world.
Ming Xizong's personality may be related to his childhood, he is the grandson of Ming Shenzong, but during the reign of Emperor Shenzong, he indulged in lust, ignored the government, and did not care about the education of his descendants, plus he did not like Ming Xizong's father, so Ming Xizong did not get attention from an early age, and no one ever cared about his reading. Emperor Mingguangzong died suddenly only a month after he succeeded to the throne, and Emperor Mingxi became emperor in ignorance.
Among the emperors of the past, Ming Xizong was illiterate, he could not even understand the chapter, but he was reluctant to be manipulated in small matters, and often came to draw up the edict himself, and finally the edict was unreasonable, which made people laugh. However, in major matters, Ming Xizong did not like to personally intervene, he did not like the Upper Dynasty, and he had little interest in vocal beauties, but only carpentry. Emperor Tangtang hid in the palace as a carpenter, which was naturally unacceptable to The Manchu Dynasty Wenwu, but Emperor Mingxi had already made up his mind, and no matter how much the minister advised him, he always indulged in carpentry.
Ming Xizong was a genius as a carpenter, his carpentry achievements can be called the pinnacle, many carpenter masters are not as good as Ming Xizong, he often concealed his identity to take his works to the market to sell, and his works can often be sold at high prices. Emperor Mingxi hid in the palace all day and ignored the government, and immersed himself in practicing a unique skill. If he had been born into a commoner family, he might have become a master carpenter, but for the people of the world, it was not a blessing to have an emperor who loved carpentry, especially since the emperor also reused eunuchs.
Wei Zhongxian was originally a city gangster who had no way out due to gambling bankruptcy, and eventually entered the palace as a eunuch. Wei Zhongxian had no background, but he relied on his ability to observe and flatter quickly gain the appreciation of the grand eunuch Wang An. Wei Zhongxian then attached himself to Emperor Mingxi's nursing mother Keshi and joined her in controlling the imperial government and maiming Zhongliang.
Emperor Mingxi loved carpentry, and Wei Zhongxian seized this opportunity, he often asked the emperor about the decision with the chapter at the most critical time when Mingxizong was doing carpentry, and Emperor Mingxi would always say impatiently: "You know, you decide for yourself!" After receiving the emperor's permission, Wei Zhongxian decided according to his own preferences, and he took the opportunity to cultivate henchmen, suppress dissidents, and brutally kill the Donglin party. Naturally, the Donglin Party did not sit still, they engaged in party struggles with eunuchs and Keshi, and eventually the Ming Dynasty court was miasma, chaotic, and politically nearly paralyzed.
At this time, the Ming Dynasty was already very weak, and Ming Xizong's disregard for the government undoubtedly made the Ming Dynasty more chaotic, coupled with the frequent natural disasters during the reign of Emperor Ming Xizong, there were countless disaster victims and displaced people in various places, but the imperial court was busy with party strife and ignored the lives and deaths of the people, resulting in the rise of the people in many places. Later, Jin also continued to grow stronger, attacking many important towns in the Ming Dynasty, so what was handed over to the Chongzhen Emperor was actually a building that would fall.
Emperor Mingxi was not a qualified emperor, and it was not an exaggeration to say that he was a emperor, but he was also lenient towards his relatives. Emperor Mingxi always protected Empress Zhang from persecution by keshi and Wei Zhongxian, and when he fell ill and was dying, he summoned his brother Zhu Youjian and resolutely passed it on to him.
Emperor Mingxi Zhu Youxiao was actually not suitable to be an emperor, if he was born in an ordinary family, he might be an excellent carpenter, but unfortunately he was born in the imperial family, and he had to bear the burden of governing the world. Emperor Mingxi was reluctant to take on it, so his younger brother Zhu Youjian became one of the most tragic emperors in history.