Everyone is complex and multi-faceted. Therefore, when evaluating a certain character, it cannot be simply and generally classified as a "good person" or a "bad person"; instead, a dialectical method should be used to analyze and evaluate the historical figure through multiple aspects and angles.
As some people think, the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Ming Chengzu Zhu Di, was not a good person; however, it is undeniable that Zhu Di was a good emperor. During his reign, he made many achievements and pushed the Ming Dynasty to the climax of development.
Zhu Di was the fourth son of Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming Emperor. After Zhu Yuanzhang became emperor, he made his eldest son Zhu Biaohuan crown prince, and at the same time, he also made other sons crown princes. Among Zhu Yuanzhang's many sons, Zhu Di showed great intelligence from an early age. Therefore, when Zhu Yuanzhang was canonized the sons, he made Zhu Di the King of Yan and stationed in the very important Beiping.
Even the high-powered crown prince was powerless to stop the onset of disease. Soon after the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Biao, the crown prince who was favored by Zhu Yuanzhang, died in an illness. It is reasonable to say that after Zhu Biao's death, Zhu Yuanzhang should choose another person among his sons to be crown prince.
However, Zhu Yuanzhang directly skipped over his own son and crowned Zhu Biao's eldest son, Zhu Yunjiao, as the emperor's grandson. Therefore, after Zhu Yuanzhang's death, according to his will, Zhu Yunjiao bypassed his uncles and ascended to the throne, becoming the second emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Jianwen.
However, Zhu Yunjiao was only emperor for four years before he was usurped by Zhu Di. Zhu Di launched the "Battle of Jing" on the grounds of "the side of the Qing Emperor and the difficulty of jingguo". With the assistance of many strategists and generals under his command, Zhu Di led his troops into the imperial palace in Nanjing.
Zhu Di, who rebelled, was bound to cut the grass and remove the roots, and never have any trouble, but after invading the palace, Zhu Di did not find any trace of Zhu Yunjiao, and Zhu Yunjiao disappeared. In order to find out the whereabouts of Zhu Yunjiao, Zhu Di carried out a large-scale search and brutally beheaded the concubines, eunuchs, and palace ladies who had served Zhu Yunjiao.
Some of the officials and advisers who were heavily used by Zhu Yunjiao were also killed by Zhu Di on various charges because they were suspected of helping Zhu Yunxiu escape. Because of Zhu Di's cruel behavior, many people think that Zhu Di is not a good person.
Zhu Di's ascension to the throne was indeed disgraceful. In ancient times, when orthodoxy was believed, Zhu Di, who usurped the throne, was suspected and disliked by many people. Perhaps, it is precisely because of this that Zhu Di, after becoming emperor, promulgated many policies and orders that benefited the country and the people, and proved to the courtiers and the people with real actions that he was a good emperor.
The achievements founded by Zhu Di during his reign are reflected in many aspects. Among them, the three things of revising the Yongle Canon, moving the capital to Beijing, and Zheng He's voyage to the West are the three things that can best reflect Zhu Di's achievements.
The inheritance of knowledge is inseparable from the records of historical books. After Zhu Di ascended the throne, he appointed Xie Jin, Yao Guangxiao, and others to preside over the compilation of the Yongle Canon. This book covers literature, astronomy, medicine, divination, drama, agriculture, craftsmanship and many other fields. The intellectual wealth generated thousands of years before the Ming Dynasty will be gathered in the Yongle Canon.
Therefore, the Yongle Canon is also known as "the largest encyclopedia ever published in the world". The revision of the Yongle Canon is a huge project. More than 2,000 people participated, which took six years. In this process, it is necessary to spend a huge amount of money and materials. Without Zhu Di's support behind his back, it would have been impossible.
The famous Forbidden City in Beijing has a history of more than 600 years. In fact, the Forbidden City in Beijing was also established under the auspices of Zhu Di. After Zhu Yuanzhang became emperor, he set the capital at Nanjing. Located in Nanjing, Jiangnan, the climate is pleasant, and it is indeed a suitable place to live.
Zhu Di, who has a more long-term vision, believes that Beiping, located in the north, is more suitable for being the capital of a country than Nanjing. At that time, the Mongols, who had been driven out of the Central Plains, were staring at the tiger in the north and could launch an attack on the Central Plains at any time. When Zhu Di was the King of Yan in Beiping, he fought with the Mongol army many times.
He believed that if the capital was set up in Beiping, it would be able to better control the political situation of the whole country and better resist the invasion of the Mongols. Therefore, at the behest of Zhu Di, Yao Guangxiao began to preside over the design of the palace in Beiping. After more than ten years of design and construction, the prototype of the Forbidden City in Beiping was completed. In the centuries since, the Forbidden City has been expanded and perfected, eventually becoming the Forbidden City today.
In addition, Zhu Di also sent Zheng He seven times to the West to publicize the national prestige of the Chinese nation to foreign countries, but also introduced many foreign foods, cultures, etc., which greatly enriched the lives of the people of the Ming Dynasty. During Zhu Di's reign, he created the "Yongle Prosperous Era" by implementing many policies that benefited the country and the people.
Zhu Di can make so many achievements, in addition to his own very outstanding talents, but also because he has a good minister and counselor with outstanding ability around him. Reading "Those Things of the Ming Dynasty", you can understand the real historical figures and historical stories during Zhu Di's reign.
We can know what happened in the process of Zhu Di's move to Beijing, and what Happened when Zheng He went to the West seven times. It is highly recommended to buy "Those Things of the Ming Dynasty", read the concise and easy-to-understand text, and understand the true history of the Ming Dynasty.