During the Hongwu period, the status of the crown prince Zhu Biao was unshakable, and although Zhu Yuanzhang rebuked and punished him, his trust in him never changed.
Historically, the affection between the prince and the emperor tended to drift apart over time, but Zhu Biao's 25 years on the crown prince's throne, Zhu Yuanzhang's love for his father is still undiminished, which is enough to prove Zhu Biao's excellence.
1. The birth of Zhu Biao
When the Red Turban Army uprising broke out at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang changed from a monk to a soldier of the rebel army, joined the Haozhou Red Turban Army, and defected to Marshal Guo Zixing. Because Zhu Yuanzhang was handsome, tall and cultural, he soon received Guo Zixing's weight, and Guo Zixing gave him his righteous daughter Ma Shixu.
The "Ming Shi Xiaokang Emperor Biography" records that Zhu Biao was Zhu Yuanzhang's eldest son, and his mother was Empress Ma. In the fifteenth year of Zhizheng (1355), he was born in a peasant family named Chen Di in Taiping County.
After Zhu Yuanzhang married Ma, he left Haozhou with her and 24 confidant generals and went to Dingyuan. At Dingyuan, Zhu Yuanzhang gradually consolidated his strength, then captured Chuzhou, then south to capture Hexian, across the river, occupied Taiping, and finally Nanjing.
When the news of Zhu Biao's birth reached the battlefield, Zhu Yuanzhang was fighting fiercely, and he was extremely excited, and carved the words "Those who come to this mountain will not suffer without heirs" on the stones on the hillside. This year, Zhu Yuanzhang was 28 years old. Sure enough, the birth of Zhu Biao brought great encouragement to Zhu Yuanzhang. He led his army to victory over the Yuan army, captured Nanjing, and renamed it "Ying Tian".
Although the "History of Ming" and "Records of Ming" record that Zhu Biao was born to Empress Ma, some wild histories believe that Zhu Biao was not born to Empress Ma. The "Temple History" of Nanjing's Taichang Temple records that Zhu Biao's biological mother was Li Shufei.
However, we can still firmly believe that Zhu Biao should have been born to Empress Ma.
On the one hand, the records of the official history are more authoritative;
On the other hand, after Emperor Jianwen ascended the throne, he did not posthumously crown Li Shufei as Empress Taizu, which also indirectly explains the problem.
Zhu Biao's unique position in Zhu Yuanzhang's heart is not only that he is the crown prince, but also that he is the crystallization of Zhu Yuanzhang's love with Empress Ma. Zhu Yuanzhang pinned his confidence in seizing Jiangshan on Zhu Biao, and the mood of hoping for Jackie Chan can be seen.
From Zhu Biao's growth, we can glimpse Zhu Yuanzhang's initial expectations and vision. Although he governed the country during his reign and imposed strict laws and institutions, expectations of Zhu Biao were more reflected in the cultivation and education of him to make him a monarch equipped to shoulder the heavy responsibilities of Jiangshan society. Unfortunately, Zhu Biao died young, failing to fulfill the expectations of his father Zhu Yuanzhang.
Second, the growth of Zhu Biao
Since Zhu Biao was born, although Zhu Yuanzhang was busy fighting everywhere, he still attached great importance to Zhu Biao's growth. In the eighteenth year of Zhizheng, after Zhu Yuanzhang captured Muzhou, he specially invited Song Lian, the Great Ru of eastern Zhejiang, to serve as Zhu Biao's teacher. At that time, Zhu Biao was not yet four years old. It was under the teachings of Song Lian that Zhu Biao developed his generous and gentle character.
Zhu Yuanzhang not only cultivated Zhu Biao's literary and martial arts talents, but also guided him to experience life and understand the hardships of people's livelihood.
In the twenty-fourth year of Zhizheng, Zhu Yuanzhang was elected King of Wu, and he made his eldest son Zhu Biao his son. Three years later, when Zhu Yuanzhang was about to ascend the throne, he specially asked Zhu Biao to return from Nanjing to Haozhou to worship the ancestral tomb. Before leaving, Zhu Yuanzhang said to Zhu Biao:
Son, you live in opulence and are accustomed to comfort. Now go back, travel through the mountains and rivers, experience the fields, observe the dangers of the road along the way, and understand the fatigue of horseback riding; Observe the life of the people and understand the hardships of food and clothing; Examining the good and evil of the people, the beauty and ugliness, it will be of great benefit to your growth.
While passing through Taiping County, Zhu Biao specially visited Chen Di's family in his birthplace and gratefully gave the Chen family fifty taels of platinum. At the end of the year, Zhu Biao returned to Nanjing, and Zhu Yuanzhang specially took him to the suburbs to inspect.
The History of Ming records:
The emperor ordered people to take the crown prince to the peasants' homes to observe the peasants' living utensils.
On the way back, Zhu Yuanzhang pointed to the thorns on the side of the road and taught his son a lesson:
"The ancients used thorns as a punishment because it dispelled wind and cold, and although it hurt people, it was not fatal. The benevolence of the ancients lies in this, and you have to keep it in mind. ”
Many people think that Zhu Yuanzhang has a strong personality, and Zhu Biao has a strong personality, will Zhu Yuanzhang feel that his son is too benevolent? In fact, Zhu Biao's benevolence was exactly what Zhu Yuanzhang expected.
On the fourth day of the first lunar month of the first year of Hongwu (1368), Zhu Yuanzhang officially ascended the throne and established Daming. He canonized Ma as empress and his eldest son Zhu Biao as crown prince. The History of Ming records an interesting event:
At that time, there was an official named Zhou Zong, whose position was "Man with a Sword". He took the initiative to write and asked to teach the prince to practice martial arts. Zhu Yuanzhang readily agreed, and asked Zhou to guide Zhu Biao in martial arts.
Many people believe that the ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Di, is both literary and martial, while his brother Zhu Biao is somewhat weak. Actually, this is a misunderstanding of them. Under Zhu Yuanzhang's careful arrangement, Zhu Biao was good at both literature and martial arts.
However, on the one hand, Zhu Biao did not have the opportunity to personally lead troops to fight;
On the other hand, due to the lack of direct comparison with Zhu Di, one cannot assert that Zhu Di is necessarily stronger than Zhu Biao, and vice versa.
Zhu Yuanzhang cares about Zhu Biao's growth and hopes that he can be both literate and martial and benevolent. It was under Zhu Yuanzhang's teachings and inspiration that Zhu Biao was able to develop comprehensively and lay the foundation for the future of the Daming Dynasty.
3. Zhu Biao in adulthood
In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, many of Zhu Yuanzhang's ideas were quite traditional, for example, he firmly restored feudalism, despite numerous objections. Deep in Zhu Yuanzhang's heart, the primogeniture system is also deeply rooted. Therefore, before Zhu Biao's death, Zhu Yuanzhang never considered replacing the crown prince. In order to cultivate Zhu Biao, Zhu Yuanzhang spared no effort.
Zhu Yuanzhang appointed Xu Da, who was the most capable of fighting, as the prince's young fu, Li Shanchang, a first-class civil minister in the early Ming Dynasty, as the prince's young master, and the brave general Chang Yuchun as the crown prince's taibao. In addition, people like Feng Sheng, Liu Ji (Liu Bowen), Liao Yongzhong, Yang Xian and others were all sent by Zhu Yuanzhang to work part-time in the prince's mansion. Zhu Yuanzhang arranged almost all the best teams of the Ming Dynasty to the East Palace. He believed that under his careful training, the first prince of the Ming Dynasty would definitely surpass the princes of previous dynasties.
Zhu Biao also lived up to Zhu Yuanzhang's expectations, and under the training and edification of these elites, Zhu Biao became very capable. He was diligent like his father, got up early every day to study, and actively participated in the politics of the dynasty. Whenever Zhu Yuanzhang asked him about government affairs, he could always talk eloquently.
Therefore, in the tenth year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang publicly promulgated a holy decree,
From the tenth year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang handed over all government affairs to the prince, and all major affairs in the dynasty were decided by the prince, and then reported to Zhu Yuanzhang. In this year, Zhu Biao was 23 years old, and the history books record that he "held the stars and slept at night" and showed great diligence. Zhu Yuanzhang and the ministers were full of praise for the prince.
If there are no accidents later, a few years later, Zhu Biao will take over his father's baton and lead the dynasty to continue to develop.
The "History of Ming" said: "The prince is a friendly person. Perhaps because he has not experienced on the battlefield, the biggest difference between Zhu Biao and Zhu Yuanzhang is that Zhu Biao's governing philosophy always contains the idea of "human nature is intrinsically good", while Zhu Yuanzhang holds a typical view of "human nature is intrinsically evil". Therefore, in the eyes of outsiders, Zhu Biao is much more tolerant than Zhu Yuanzhang.
For example, in the thirteenth year of Hongwu, after the Hu Weiyong case broke out, Song Lian's grandson Song Shen was implicated, and according to the law, the whole family should be involved. However, Zhu Biao knew that Song Lian was not involved, and he and Empress Ma interceded with Zhu Yuanzhang, and in the end, Zhu Yuanzhang pardoned Song Lian's death.
The History of Ming records:
The kings of Qin and Zhou had several times, and they had to return to China. There was a conspirator against the king of Jin, the prince wept for the invitation, and the emperor realized... The emperor may have overseen it, and the crown prince told the empress Gao as a consolation, and his benevolent nature was also true.
Zhu Biao is not only an excellent prince, but also a qualified brother.
Zhu Yuanzhang's second son Zhu Shu and third son Zhu Hui often made mistakes and were often punished by Zhu Yuanzhang, and Zhu Biao always protected them. Once, someone secretly told the Jin king Zhu Hui that he was plotting a rebellion, and Zhu Yuanzhang was furious and wanted to kill Zhu Huo, and Zhu Biao knelt down to invite his third brother.
During the Yongle period, the Han king Zhu Gaoxu repeatedly framed the crown prince Zhu Gaoxu, and Zhu Gaoxu repaid his grievances with virtue every time, and when Zhu Di wanted to degrade Zhu Gaoxu as a commoner, Zhu Gaoxu cried and interceded for his brother. Later generations once commented that Emperor Mingrenzong Zhu Gaoji's broad-mindedness was the most extensive among the emperors of the Ming Dynasty.
As everyone knows, Zhu Biao's mind is no less than that of his nephew Zhu Gaozhi. Unfortunately, Zhu Biao died young and failed to become one of the "emperors".
Zhu Yuanzhang, as emperor, had his own authority; As a prince, Zhu Biao must be loyal to the country on the one hand, and be a filial son on the other hand. Therefore, when there was a conflict between Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao, it tested Zhu Biao's wisdom every time.
In the "Cutting the Wild Story", it was recorded that such an event:
Once, Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to kill on a large scale, and Zhu Biao persuaded, which angered Zhu Yuanzhang. Zhu Yuanzhang was about to kill Zhu Biao in a fit of anger, and Zhu Biao deliberately dropped a painting from his arms while running. Zhu Yuanzhang opened the painting and saw that it was the portrait of Empress Ma. Because of the deep love with Empress Ma, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly became angry and followed Zhu Biao's advice.
For example, when the Hu Weiyong case broke out, Zhu Biao's attitude was very resolute, supporting his father to eliminate Hu Weiyong's forces, but he did not support the indiscriminate killing of innocents.
That is to say, Zhu Biaoren is benevolent, but principle is principled. As a good prince, he has his own set of rules of conduct, which is by no means purely soft-hearted.
Fourth, the fall of Zhu Biao
Zhu Yuanzhang always had a long-cherished wish, that is, to move the capital. As early as before the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang sent Xu Da to the Northern Expedition to personally inspect Kaifeng, the old capital of the Song Dynasty. However, Kaifeng was already dilapidated, and Zhu Yuanzhang gave up his plan to move the capital to Kaifeng.
Because of his special affection for the Song Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang called Yingtian "Nanjing" during the Hongwu period, Haozhou (ancient Fengyang) as "Zhongdu", and Kaifeng as "Beijing".
In the twenty-fourth year of Hongwu, Yushi Hu Ziqi analyzed the topography of the Ming Dynasty to Zhu Yuanzhang, and believed that since ancient times, Xi'an has been the former capital of the Han and Tang Dynasties, and it has unique geographical advantages and is the best capital. Zhu Yuanzhang was so moved that he sent the crown prince Zhu Biao to Shaanxi in August of that year to investigate.
Zhu Yuanzhang sent Zhu Biao to Shaanxi for another purpose, that is, to investigate his second son, Zhu Shu, the Prince of Qin, who had been repeatedly reported by local officials. After Zhu Biao arrived in Shaanxi, he defended Zhu Shu, personally inspected several passes, ordered people to draw maps, lasted more than three months, and returned to Nanjing at the end of that year.
According to the "History of Ming", after Zhu Biao returned, he presented the map of Shaanxi to Zhu Yuanzhang, and then fell ill. Zhu Yuanzhang initially thought that the crown prince was overworked and let Zhu Biao rest for several days. However, Zhu Biao's illness did not improve, but worsened. Zhu Yuanzhang paid attention to it and asked the imperial doctor to take turns to consult him. Seeing that his condition was not good, Zhu Yuanzhang even granted amnesty to the world, hoping that God would bless his beloved son.
However, God is jealous of talent. On October 25, the 25th day of Hongwu, although the sun and moon of the Ming Dynasty were still there, there was one less prince. The "Chronicle of the History of Ming, Volume 15" recorded: Prince Yiwen died, and Gaozu was in his sixtieth year, and at the East Corner Gate, he wept to the courtiers. Zhu Biao was only 38 years old when he died, and Zhu Yuanzhang was 65 years old, and the white-haired person sent the black-haired person, which made Zhu Yuanzhang's liver and intestines cut off.
Taizu shed tears in the temple, not only grieving the loss of a son, but also worrying about the future of the Ming Dynasty. At that time, the famous general often died of illness in the spring of Liuhechuan, and after Zhu Yuanzhang heard about it, he wrote a poem saying:
"There are thousands of lines of pig iron juice, and I do not cry for my children in my life. Suddenly heard yesterday's daily public weed, tears spilled dry grass and trees wet. ”
Zhu Yuanzhang said that he has never cried for his children in his life. However, he eventually shed tears for his children, because it was his most cherished child who was lost.
After Zhu Biao's death, the future of the Ming Dynasty was slightly bleak, and Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to have aged twenty years overnight. He referred to Zhu as "Prince Yiwen". Six years later, Zhu Biao's son Jianwen Emperor ascended the throne and honored Zhu Biao as "Emperor Xiaokang". Zhu Biao thus became one of only two people who did not become emperor during the 276 years of the Ming Dynasty, but held the title of emperor.
5. Zhu Biao and Zhu Di
Zhu Biao lived only 38 years, during which time he served as crown prince for 25 years. Although he and Zhu Yuanzhang had differences in some aspects, and Zhu Yuanzhang even tried to hurt him, this did not affect their father-son relationship.
The status of the crown prince often attracts much attention, so it has also become the target of public criticism. Historically, the more secure the prince's position, the greater the risk. However, Zhu Biao has always been Zhu Yuanzhang's favorite son. Regrettably, although Zhu Biao did not lose his father's love, he lost his life.
Zhu Biao's teacher, Song Lian, had cultivated two outstanding disciples: Zhu Biao the Prince of Yiwen and Fang Xiaozi, who was exterminated by Zhu Di. As Zhu Biao's junior brother, Fang Xiaoxiao once wrote a poem for Zhu Biao, in which Zhu Biao's death was regarded as a thousand-year regret of the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Biao's untimely death had at least three major effects on the Ming Dynasty:
First, it disrupted Zhu Yuanzhang's succession plan;
second, to force Zhu Yuanzhang to abandon the plan to move the capital;
Third, it led to Zhu Yuanzhang's massacre of meritorious figures. If Zhu Biao had not died young, the throne of the Ming Dynasty might have been in the same vein as Zhu Biao, and Zhu Di might have always been a clan king.
If Zhu Biao had not died early, Zhu Yuanzhang might have moved the capital to the northwest, and the gate of the Ming Dynasty would have changed from Shanhaiguan to Yanmen Pass. The pros and cons of this are difficult to explain, but they had a huge impact on the Ming Dynasty.
If Zhu Biao had not died early, with his prestige, he would have made the meritorious heroes submit, and then the meritorious heroes might have died well. In this way, Zhu Yuanzhang's "Reign of Hongwu" may be able to draw a perfect end.
Zhu Biao is talented and kind. If he succeeds to the throne, he may not be as eager to cut the clan as Emperor Jianwen, nor will he easily intensify the conflict with the kings. In this way, the Battle of Jing would not break out, and the people of the Ming Dynasty would not have to endure four years of war. With Zhu Biao's talent, the Ming Dynasty may be able to usher in another prosperous era in advance.
However, history has no assumptions. The dispute between the advantages and disadvantages of Zhu Biao and Zhu Di can no longer be compared. In Zhu Yuanzhang's heart, Zhu Biao is a beloved son; In Emperor Jianwen's heart, Zhu Biao was a loving father. But by 1402, after Zhu Di ascended the throne to Nanjing, Zhu Biao was no longer the benevolent elder brother.
Zhu Di abolished Zhu Biao's title of "Emperor Xiaokang" and restored Zhu Biao as "Prince Yiwen". Because Zhu Biao served as crown prince for 25 years, Zhu Di had to gradually weaken Zhu Biao's influence in order to shape his orthodox status.
Zhu Di not only abolished Zhu Biao's imperial title, but also deliberately slandered Zhu Biao. In the "Records of Emperor Taizong of Ming", Zhu Di commented that Zhu Biao was too weak and did not meet Zhu Yuanzhang's expectations. He implied that Zhu Yuanzhang had long been dissatisfied with Zhu Biao, and even if Zhu Biao had not died early, he would not succeed to the throne.
Similarly, in the book "The Legend of Fengtian Jing", the Yongle Dynasty, the evaluation of Zhu Biao is even more denigrateful. The book said that Zhu Biao violated morality and rebelled against Zhu Yuanzhang many times, and often insulted Zhu Yuanzhang in the palace. This book portrays Zhu Biao as an unfaithful, filial and unjust person, making Zhu Di appear more just.
In fact, Zhu Di's achievements have proved that he was a great emperor. However, when Zhu Di ascended the throne, Zhu Biao had already died, and Zhu Biao's excellence was no longer directly related to Zhu Di. Zhu Di's greatness could not be achieved by trampling on his brother's bones. Although history cannot be changed, we can still think about the advantages and disadvantages between Zhu Biao and Zhu Di.