Emperor Mingsizong Zhu Youjian (朱由檢), courtesy name Chongzhen, was the fifth son of Emperor Mingguangzong and the younger brother of Emperor Mingxizong, and was created king of xin in 1622.
It is explained that when Emperor Xizong Zhu Youjian ascended the throne, the young and ignorant Zhu Youjian asked, "Brother, what kind of official are you?" Can I be? At that time, asking such a question was a capital offense, and the eunuch next to him was frightened and hurriedly persuaded: "Your Highness must not talk nonsense!" After Ming Xizong heard this, he immediately laughed and said, "Yes, yes, I will do it for you in a few years!" I didn't expect a word to be a slur.
Although Emperor Mingxi Was not a good emperor, he was definitely a good brother. He sent several officials from the Hanlin Academy who were born into the academy to be Zhu Youjian's teachers, and under the cultivation of these teachers, Zhu Youjian studied very well, was proficient in calligraphy and poetry, was also good at playing the piano, and his cultural accomplishment was even higher than that of his brother. Zhu Youjian grew up around Li Xuan's attendants, Li Xuan's waiters have good character, and under her influence, Zhu Youjian has developed a strong character and good living habits since he was a child. In 1622, Zhu Youjian was made king of letters. Later, Emperor Mingxi consummated his marriage and hired Zhou Kui's daughter as a princess.
In 1627, Emperor Mingxi was terminally ill and dying. Emperor Mingxi had no sons, but only the fifth brother Zhu Youjian was left alive among the 7 brothers, and the brother and brother, after the death of Emperor Mingxi, Zhu Youjian inherited the throne. After Zhu You was inspected into the palace, it was like entering the wolf's den and the tiger's den. He did not dare to eat the food in the palace, did not dare to drink the water of the palace, and hid in his sleeve the large cake he had brought from the Xinwang Palace. At night, Zhu Youzhan trembled with his sword in his hand and sat on the dragon chair, not daring to close his eyes for a moment, for fear that Wei Zhongxian would send someone to murder him, and the eunuchs in the palace were all Confidants of Wei Zhongxian and Keshi.
Although the Chongzhen Emperor hated Wei Zhongxian and Keshi to the bone, he knew deeply that now was not the time to get rid of them. Like his elder brother Zhu Youxiao, he continued to treat Wei Zhongxian and Keshi preferentially, while bringing the eunuchs and palace ladies from the XinWang Palace to the palace to ensure his own safety. When the time was ripe, the Chongzhen Emperor first dismissed Wei Zhongxian's close associate Cui Chengxiu from the post of Bingbu Shangshu. The ministers understood the emperor's intentions. One by one, the revelations and impeachment of Wei Zhongxian were handed over to the Hands of the Chongzhen Emperor, and Wei Zhongxian was forced to resign from his official post. The Chongzhen Emperor sent him to Fengyang to guard the imperial tomb. When Wei Zhongxian left Beijing, he loaded more than 40 large carts and was escorted by more than 1,000 bodyguards, and left the city with great vigor and might. When the Chongzhen Emperor learned of this, he was very angry, and immediately issued another holy decree, ordering Jin Yiwei to arrest Wei Zhongxian and bring him back to Beijing. Wei Zhongxian knew that there would be absolutely no good results after returning to Beijing, so he hanged himself in the hostel in Nanguan, Fucheng County. The Chongzhen Emperor also ordered the elimination of Wei Zhongxian's henchmen and the beating of Keshi to death. The people's ministers all clapped their hands and applauded.
Because of the chongzhen emperor's previous emperors, he left him with many messes, although the Chongzhen emperor himself was very diligent, but because of his suspicious personality, self-absorbed, moody, the Ming Dynasty failed to flourish in his hands. He also wrongfully killed the general Yuan Chonghuan, causing the Ming army's Liaodong defense line to collapse completely.
In the first year of Chongzhen, a severe drought broke out in Shaanxi, and there was no harvest, and the people were forced to take risks and revolted one after another. The peasant rebel army led by Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong continued to grow.
In the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, Li Zicheng's rebel army surrounded the city of Beijing. The sound of artillery outside the city was faintly audible, and soon the eunuch Cao Huachun surrendered. The Chongzhen Emperor wanted to summon the ministers for consultation, and he personally picked up the bell pestle and rang the Jingyang bell, but after waiting for a long time, none of the ministers came. Seeing that the situation was gone, the Chongzhen Emperor returned to the inner palace to force his empress Dowager Zhou to die, and then slashed Princess Changping with his sword, and the Chongzhen Emperor said to her: "Why did you want to be born in the emperor's family?" Then he hacked Princess Akihito to death. The Chongzhen Emperor, who was full of grief, came to coal mountain (present-day Jingshan) and hanged himself on the locust tree next to the Shouhuang Pavilion.