In the "Ming Chronicle at the End of the Chronicle", the author Gu Yingtai said: "Ming has ren and Xuan, Ju Zhou has Cheng and Kang, and Han has Wen and Jing." "Compare Emperor Akihito to King Cheng of the Zhou Dynasty and Emperor Wen of Han in the Han Dynasty, both of whom were people who played a role in carrying on the past and pushing the dynasty to the peak. It can be seen that the evaluation of Akihito is very high.
Although Zhu Gaozi reigned for only two hundred days, there were several things that were deeply supported by the scholars, masters, and scholars, so he was given high praise by future generations.
The first is to rehabilitate Fang Xiaoru. Fang Xiaoru was known as the "seed" of the early Ming Dynasty readers, Zhu Di launched the Battle of Jingnan and seized the Jiangshan of his nephew Zhu Yunjiao, and at the request of Yao Guangxiao, Zhu Di initially did not intend to kill Fang Xiaoru, who was then the emperor, and ordered Fang Xiaoru to write an edict to the state. Fang Xiaoru did not comply, saying: Even if I destroy the Ten Tribes, I will not write to the thieves of the chaotic courtiers. Zhu Di then angrily rebuked Fang Xiaoru's Ten Clans, and there are only examples of the extinction of the Nine Clans in history, Zhu Di counted Fang Xiaoru's students as protégés and exterminated Fang Xiaoru's Ten Clans. Under high pressure, the scholars and scholars dared not speak out, which became the eternal "pain" in their hearts. Zhu Gaozi rehabilitated Fang Xiaoru and other courtiers who were suppressed by Zhu Di, and won the support and support of the scholars, which was the first reason for the high evaluation in history.
In fact, when Zhu Di first became crown prince, he did not look down on Zhu Gaoxu, and had repeatedly planned to make his second son Zhu Gaoxu crown prince. Later, it was Xie Jin, the son of the Ming Dynasty, who made up his mind to establish a reserve for him, and Xie Jin said: The emperor has a good grandson. Because Zhu Gao was born with his son Zhu Zhanji, he was born heroic and majestic, and had the spirit of an emperor. In addition to being obese, Zhu Gaozi's talent was not worse than Zhu Gaoxi's, and during the Battle of Jingnan, Zhu Gaozi insisted on holding the city of Beijing, and with hundreds of millions of soldiers, mobilized the military and civilians of Beijing city to defend Beijing together, and Li Jinglong claimed that half a million troops did not open the gates of Beijing (although there was moisture in them). After Zhu Di became emperor, after repeated northern expeditions, Zhu Gaozi sat in charge of the country, and the government was not chaotic and orderly, which fully demonstrated Zhu Gaozi's ability to govern the country.
The second is to solve the feud between the Ming Dynasty and Mongolia. Zhu Di made five expeditions, labored and hurt the people, and finally lost both. Emperor Akihito took the initiative to make overtures to the Mongols, even making concessions and allowing them to come to pay tribute (tribute meant that the Mongols could receive rich rewards). In addition, Akihito also took the initiative to trade with the Mongols, and strictly monitored the trade on the border to prevent the Mongol tribes from taking advantage of the opportunity to sneak attack. Akihito also took the initiative to adjust the border defense and army in the north, such as the establishment of the Governor's Office of the Fifth Army and the Border Defense Capital, etc., and strengthened the defensive force on the northern border, so that the Mongols did not dare to invade easily.
Third, he sympathized with Jianwen's former ministers, opposed the killing of Jianwen's old ministers, recognized the Jianwen Emperor, liberated Zhu Di's persecution and imprisoned Jianwen courtiers and family members, restored their freedom, and rehabilitated Fang Xiaoru; he also released a large number of courtiers who were imprisoned during Zhu Di's period, such as Huang Huai and Xia Yuanji, who were rehabilitated and restored the official titles of some ministers, gaining support, and a large number of officials' families such as Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng were pardoned.
Fourth, compared with the frugality of the Chongzhen Emperor at the end of the Ming Dynasty, he did not have money to spend for him, and Zhu Gaozi was unwilling to spend money. Zhu Gaozi's advocacy of reducing expenses, adhering to simplicity, benevolence and sincerity was unanimously recognized by the court. In particular, before his death, he particularly emphasized: "Since the sun is shallow, the grace is not in the people, and he cannot bear to work hard, and the mountain system is frugal." So much so that Zhu Gaozi's dedication to the tomb was the most frugal of the Ming Tombs.
On May 29, 1425, in the first year of Hong Xi's reign, Zhu Gaozi died suddenly at the Qin'an Hall in the imperial palace, less than nine months before Zhu Gaozi succeeded to the throne. As for the reasons for Zhu Gaozi's sudden death, the "History of Ming" and "Records of Emperor Akihito" and other historical materials are all secretive, and some historians in later generations have put forward several different theories such as Zhu Gaozi's death from indulgence, lightning strikes, poisoning, and heart disease based on some clues left in the historical materials. Because these claims lack sufficient evidence, the reason for Zhu Gaozi's sudden death has become a historical mystery.