Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang spent more than 30 years cultivating a "perfect" successor for himself - Zhu Biao. However, Zhu Biao died suddenly in his prime, which brought Zhu Yuanzhang's succession plan back to the original point. Zhu Yuanzhang, who was already in his twilight years, soon designated his grandson Zhu Yunjiao as the new heir.
It is said that there is a kind of family affection called "intergenerational relatives", what kind of political legacy will zhu Yuanzhang, who has foresight, leave to this emperor's grandson?
A throne
In 1392, Zhu Biao died of illness. A few months later, Zhu Yuanzhang selected his grandson Zhu Yunjiao as the heir to the throne, at this time, Zhu Yunjiao was 16 years old.
Zhu Yunjiao was Zhu Biao's second son. It is said that because of his "ectopic bias", he was once jokingly called "Half of the Child's Moon" by Zhu Yuanzhang. Why did such a Zhu Yunjiao, who did not have the "face of the emperor", stand out from Zhu Yuanzhang's children and grandchildren and become the "lucky ones" who inherited the throne?
First of all, Zhu Yuanzhang pursued the system of primogeniture, that is, "the elder who lives in the concubine must be in the right place." Under this framework, Zhu Biao, as the eldest son of a concubine, inherited the throne without controversy. However, when it comes to the rule that "the eldest son of the crown prince is the emperor's grandson", Zhu Yunjiao's succession is somewhat "problematic".
Zhu Yuanzhang's true eldest grandson was named Zhu Xiongying, and his biological mother was Chang Shi (the daughter of Chang Yuchun, king of Kaiping). Chang also had a son, Zhu Yunxi (朱允熥), who was supposed to be the second grandson of a concubine. However, Chang died shortly after giving birth to Zhu Yunxi, and Zhu Yunxi's mother was raised to be his wife and became a princess, and Zhu Yunjiao became a concubine. Later, Zhu Xiongying died early at the age of 8. Among the remaining concubines, Zhu Yunjiao was one year older than Zhu Yunxi, so Zhu Yunjiao eventually became the de facto "eldest grandson".
Second, this may also be the more important reason why Zhu Yuanzhang likes Zhu Yunjiao: Zhu Yunjiao and Zhu Biao are very similar. Zhu Yuanzhang was very satisfied with Zhu Biao, and the father-son relationship was also very harmonious. And Zhu Yunjiao is like a "copy" of Zhu Biao. He was studious since childhood, familiar with Confucian classics, and had a very benevolent disposition. Zhu Biao was bedridden and 14-year-old Zhu Yunjiao was able to serve day and night. After Zhu Biao's death, Zhu Yunjiao was overly sad and his body was becoming emaciated. His filial piety was all seen by Zhu Yuanzhang, and he would "ask for comfort" from this grandson after the loss of his beloved son: "You are really filial piety, and you can't even think about me." ”
Third, the time had come, and Zhu Yunjiao had the support of the chancellor. After the death of the crown prince, the throne of the crown prince was vacant. At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang was already 65 years old, and the matter of li chu was imminent. Once, in front of the chancellor, Zhu Yuanzhang thought of Zhu Biao, and he was immediately worried and weeping. The chancellor Liu Sanwu said, "Emperor Sun Shi is in charge of reunification, and Li Ye is also." As a result, Zhu Yuanzhang quickly established Zhu Yunjiao as the crown prince.
An ability
Like cultivating Zhu Biao, Zhu Yuanzhang had to start teaching Zhu Yunjiao how to be an emperor again.
With the experience of teaching his son before, this time Zhu Yuanzhang was familiar with it. He invited Zhu Yunjiao to teach confucianism, took him to the court to listen to the government, and taught him to read the chapters and handle political affairs hand in hand. Everything seemed to proceed in an orderly manner, but there was not much time left for Zhu Yuanzhang.
What made Zhu Yuanzhang feel quite comforted was that Zhu Yunzhi was studious and rigorous, and took the initiative to ask people for advice if he did not understand, and grew rapidly in just a few years.
Zhu Yuanzhang said of Zhu Yunjiao in his last will: "... Renming filial piety, the world returns to the heart, it is advisable to ascend to the throne. "Benevolent, sensible, filial piety, friendliness, a good material for being an emperor!" This is Zhu Yuanzhang's affirmation of the successor.
And after taking the throne, Zhu Yunjiao was indeed as Zhu Yuanzhang said, he vigorously practiced benevolent government and made quite a difference. During the Hongwu Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang used heavy rules to govern the country, causing a large number of unjust cases and silenced hundreds of officials. Zhu Yunjiao advocated leniency and provincial imprisonment, not only rehabilitating previous unjust cases, but also re-employing a large number of deposed officials.
In addition, Zhu Yunjiao attached great importance to Nongsang, and he ordered the establishment of schools, the recruitment of talents, and the reduction of taxes and land rents in the year of famine... In the short period of four years after he took the throne, he was keen on reform in the political, economic, and cultural fields, and the government and the public changed the atmosphere of the Hongwu Dynasty's slaughter, and people praised him for "four years of leniency and relief of severe frost."
Zhu Yunjiao did not rule for a long time, but he carried out drastic reforms. His style was different from his grandfather's fierceness, but he acted gently and forcefully, and this was largely due to Zhu Yuanzhang's teachings.
A copy of "stability"
Although Zhu Yunjiao resembled Zhu Biao and set many advantages in one, he was far from the maturity and authority of Zhu Biao, and he lacked the actual combat experience and military ability of his fathers.
Zhu Yuanzhang understood that if he sat in the throne for one day, he would be able to give the emperor's grandson a day's protection. However, once he dies, the Emperor's grandson is too young to be able to meet the problems before the throne. Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang not only wanted to help the emperor's grandson get on the horse, but also to give him as much as possible. In a limited time, Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to create a "stability" for Zhu Yunjiao as much as possible.
From the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang set a policy of the kings of the clan, allowing the princes to go to the town to guard the frontier, and these clan kings were Zhu Yunjiao's uncles, and they all "crushed" Zhu Yunjiao in terms of generation and experience. In order to establish the authority of the emperor's grandson, Zhu Yuanzhang re-established the etiquette system for the dynasties to see the Eastern Palace in the twenty-ninth year of Hongwu (1396), stipulating that family ceremonies be performed in the inner temple after the court, and requiring all kings as elders to strictly implement it.
Zhu Yuanzhang was still relieved that the founding fathers who had been in the battlefield for a long time, with their old calculations, if they had the heart, they would definitely be a huge threat to their grandsons and the throne. In the twenty-sixth year of Hongwu (1393), Zhu Yuanzhang used the Blue Jade case to kill a large number of people, and a generation of famous generals Blue Jade was killed, and 15,000 people were implicated and killed. After that, Zhu Yuanzhang successively killed Fu Youde, Feng Sheng and other founding heroes.
On the one hand, Zhu Yuanzhang cleared the "hidden dangers" in the court for Zhu Yunjiao, and on the other hand, he carefully selected an auxiliary team for him, the main characters are Qi Tai, Huang Zicheng, Fang Xiaoru and so on. Most of the team were courtiers, who looked a bit "partial", but they were very much in favor of Zhu Yunjiao's "lenient" style, and these people later formed the so-called "Xiucai Imperial Court" and were loyal to Zhu Yunjiao.
In order to help Zhu Yunjiao gather people's hearts, Zhu Yuanzhang also changed his own life. Zhu Yunjiao is benevolent by nature and often treats prisons with leniency as the principle. At Zhu Yunzhuo's suggestion, in the twenty-eighth year of Hongwu (1395), Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the adjustment of the seventy-three laws in the Hongwu Law that were heavier in punishment.
In the last few years of his life, Zhu Yuanzhang's layout was to leave a good deck of cards for Zhu Yunjiao and escort him as much as possible.
A conundrum
Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to leave Zhu Yunjiao with a solid throne, but he neglected a very important issue - the threat of the power of the king of the domain.
At first, Zhu Yuanzhang divided his sons into major border towns in order to make them defend the royal family. The king of the clan enjoyed the support of the imperial court, and also had his own military strength, and his strength continued to grow, which was quite a trend of "tail big can not fall". Zhu Yuanzhang was on the throne, and the king of the clan naturally did not dare to make any changes. If Zhu Biao succeeded to the throne, with his prestige among the kings of the domain, there was almost no hidden worry. However, for the hairy boy Zhu Yunjiao, when facing the tiger-wolf-like emperors and uncles of the clan kings, it seems that he is a little underwhelmed.
Sensing that the king of the clan was "not inferior to his uncle's dignity", Zhu Yunjiao once expressed his concern to Zhu Yuanzhang. However, Zhu Yuanzhang, who had been in the wind and candles for many years, did not find a way to deal with it.
Before his death, Zhu Yuanzhang did one last thing for Zhu Yunjiao: he issued a testament stipulating that "all kings should cry in their own countries and do not have to go to Beijing." "I hope to ensure the smooth succession of the Emperor's grandson as much as possible." From Zhu Yuanzhang's final arrangement, it is not difficult to see that he also realized that the king of the clan with heavy troops would be the biggest threat to Zhu Yunjiao.
In 1398, the 22-year-old Zhu Yunjiao succeeded to the throne. Without the protection of Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Yunjiao, who was sitting on the throne, began to face the swarming challenges alone.
Zhu Yuanzhang's pity for his grandson's painstaking efforts was revealed from the "inheritance list" he gave to Zhu Yunjiao. It is true that fathers always want to give the best to their children and grandchildren, but even if the "organs are exhausted", it is difficult to create a truly perfect, safe and secure world.