In feudal society, imperial power was supreme. For the sake of power, the royal family will have a situation of cannibalism, father and son fighting each other. So later there was the sentiment that "since ancient times, ruthlessness is the most imperial family". Qin Shi Huang established the great unification of the Qin Dynasty and the abdication of the Xuantong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, which lasted for dozens of dynasties. In various dynasties, there have been cases of bloodshed.
For example, Emperor Fusu of Qin was killed by Hu Haizhi; Yang Yong, the crown prince of Emperor Yang Jian of Sui, was deposed and finally killed by his brother Yang Guang; Li Jiancheng, the crown prince of Li Yuan, was killed by his brother Li Shimin... However, there were always exceptions, and in the feudal dynasty, there was a person with an unusually stable position as a prince, who was Zhu Biao, the eldest son of Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming Emperor. Why?
1. Zhu Biao is the eldest son of Concubine
In 1364, when Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed himself King of Wu in Ying tianfu, he registered Zhu Biao as the son of the world, and when Zhu Biao was 13 years old, Zhu Biao replaced Zhu Yuanzhang to worship the ancestral tomb in Anhui.
In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed himself emperor in Nanjing, establishing Daming and taking the era name Hongwu. Zhu Yuanzhang said that the empress dowager immediately made Zhu Biaohuan the crown prince, so as to ensure the position of Zhu Biao.
Second, Zhu Biao's prestige is extremely high
Among Zhu Yuanzhang's 26 sons, Zhu Biao, as the eldest son of Zhu Yuanzhang, has always been the eldest brother in the hearts of these little brothers. Zhu Biao was very friendly with his brothers, and his younger brothers, such as Zhu Zhu (朱樉) the King of Qin, Zhu Tang (朱棡) the King of Jin, Zhu Di (朱棣) the King of Yan, and Zhu Shu (朱橚) the King of Zhou, had made many mistakes, all because zhu Biao had spoken of his sentiments and was spared punishment. Therefore, the brothers were both grateful and convinced of Zhu Biao, and no one wanted to shake his position as crown prince, even the ambitious Yan king Zhu Di was no exception.
Third, the ming dynasty's princes were treated very well
The prince of the Ming Dynasty can be called the happiest and rich second generation in history, so so many modern people dream of crossing back to the Ming Dynasty to become a prince. Zhu Yuanzhang was an emperor who carried out the concept of family and the world to the extreme, he not only made all his sons kings early, but also had fiefs, and when the princes were in their teens, they were sent to fiefdoms and guarded all parts of the country as the king of the clan. The kings of the clan were all heavily armed, dominating one side, rich and powerful, and living more freely than the emperor.
Since most of Zhu Yuanzhang's sons were more satisfied with their current situation, they were even more reluctant to take risks to compete with Zhu Biao to become crown princes. In addition, the princes have been far away from the capital since childhood, and they do not have the objective conditions to take the concubine. Some people may immediately say, then how did Ming Chengzu Zhu Di rebel?
In fact, after Zhu Yunjiao became emperor, Zhu Di did not rebel, but honestly and happily lived in his fiefdom. He rebelled because Zhu Yunjiao wanted to cut the domain, and like Wu Sangui, the king of Pingxi in the Qing Dynasty, when the Kangxi Emperor decided to cut the domain, Wu Sangui also began to rebel. Cutting off the domain means depriving them of their rights and glory and wealth, so of course they have to rebel.
Fourth, the Eastern Palace team is strong
After Zhu Yuanzhang became emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang attached great importance to Zhu Biao's education. Zhu Yuanzhang personally selected meritorious and moral elders to assist Prince Zhu Biao in his studies.
For example, at that time, the famous Confucian teacher Song Lian taught Zhu Biao to study Confucian classics; the teachers in military affairs were: Chang Yuchun, Xu Da, and other founding fathers of the Ming Dynasty, who cultivated Zhu Biao's military ability; in terms of government affairs, there were: Li Shanchang, the left minister of the left and right Cheng Zhao Yong, Wang Pu, The Zhongshu suffragist Yang Xian, and The imperial history of Liu Ji, these officials of the central nervous system of the six central nervous departments of the three provinces assisted Zhu Biao in government affairs.
Fifth, Zhu Biao is outstanding in talent and has a generous personality
Zhu Biao began to supervise the country at the age of twenty-two, handling the daily affairs of the imperial court, had rich experience in governing the country, and was supported by his courtiers. He was talented and generous, but there was no lack of opinion in benevolence, and he even dared to challenge the authority of his father Zhu Yuanzhang, and repeatedly spoke out and advised.
People like Song Lian, if it were not for the death of Zhu Biao and Empress Ma, I am afraid that they would have been executed by Zhu Yuanzhang long ago. Moreover, Zhu Biao also often inspected the people, spread benevolence, and his prestige in the people was also extremely high. If someone wants to seek the throne at this time, it is basically equivalent to the difficulty of re-fighting the world.
Unfortunately, Zhu Biao did not survive Zhu Yuanzhang in the end, otherwise, many heroes would not have to die, and the Battle of Jingnan would probably not have happened. His son Zhu Yunjiao will not disappear without a trace.