Zhu Yuanzhang passed the throne to his grandson Zhu Biao's son Zhu Yunjiao (Emperor Jianwen). Later generations generally believed that Zhu Yuanzhang passed the throne to Emperor Jianwen in order to give Zhu Biao's family a monopoly on the throne through the principle of "primogeniture", so as to cut off the attempts of other sons to the throne. However, some people believe that The succession of Emperor Jianwen also violated the principle of "primogeniture". What's going on?
Zhu Biao, the Prince of Yiwen of the Ming Dynasty, had four sons: zhu Xiongying, the eldest son, Zhu Yunjiao, the second son, Emperor Jianwen, Zhu Yunxi, the third son, Zhu Yunxi, the fourth son, Zhu Yunxi, and the fifth son, Zhu Yunxi. Zhu Xiongying fell ill and died in the fifteenth year of Hongwu (1382) at the age of eight. After Zhu Xiongying's death, Zhu Yunjiao became Zhu Biao's oldest son. At first glance, Zhu Yunjiao, who died after the eldest brother, was Zhu Biao's eldest son.
However, Zhu Biao had two wives (crown princesses) in his lifetime: the first crown princess Chang Shi was the daughter of Chang Yuchun, the king of Kaiping, who gave birth to Zhu Xiongying and Zhu Yunxi; the second crown princess was Lü Shi, the daughter of Lü Ben, the secretary of taichang Temple, who gave birth to Zhu Yunxi, Zhu Yunxi, and Zhu Yunxi. Lü Shi was originally a concubine of Zhu Biao, and because Chang Died in the eleventh year of Hongwu (1378), Lü Shi became the second crown princess.
According to the principle of "primogeniture", the status of the right wife is also retained after death (unless he has committed a major crime), and the son born to the right wife is also a concubine after the death of the right wife. Even after the death of the wife, the status of the new wife and her children is slightly lower than that of the previous wife and her children. That is to say, after Zhu Xiongying's death, Zhu Biao's eldest son should be Zhu Yunxi, who was born to the Chang clan.
However, Zhu Yuanzhang abandoned Zhu Yunxi, who was born to the Chang clan, and instead made Zhu Yunxi, the eldest son born of the Lü clan, the emperor's grandson, contrary to the principle of "inheritance by the eldest son". Zhu Yuanzhang violated the "primogeniture" in the choice of the emperor's grandson, and the effect of his attempts to cut off other sons' attempts to take the throne was naturally discounted, which was one of the reasons why Emperor Jianwen was in a hurry to cut the domain shortly after he ascended the throne.