Preface
He has reached the height that Ming Taizu and Ming Chengzu have not reached, and he only sits on the dragon chair in October in his life, why is he known as "the first benevolent monarch of the Ming Dynasty"?
You may ask, how can any emperor in history be regarded as a treasure by the people after reigning for 10 months, and he will be praised for his virtues? Only when he has won the hearts of the people and far surpassed his predecessors will he have such an honor?
Indeed, the fourth emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Ming Renzong Zhu Gaochi, is such a beloved king. He was already 56 years old when he inherited his father Ming Chengzu Zhu Di, with a bloated body, not good at riding and shooting, and a gentle and concessionary personality, but his kind of tranquil and generous, warm and jade-like feelings taught everyone who had seen him to admire.
The reason why he was able to leave the reputation of "the first benevolent monarch of the Ming Dynasty" in history was not only due to the benevolent government promulgated on the dragon chair in October, but also the solid foundation he silently laid for the Ming Dynasty during the previous ten years of supervision.
It may be difficult for the world to imagine that such an honest and unscrupulous prince would have the skill and foresight to govern the country; But it is precisely because of this that his political achievements and contributions are even more touching and impressive.
When he was a teenager, he was as warm as jade, and his sleeves were breezy and life-changing
On the third day of the first lunar month in 1408, Zhu Gaochi, the eldest son of Zhu Di, the ancestor of Ming Dynasty, was born in the Qianqing Palace in the Forbidden City of Beijing.
According to the rules of the time, the newborn little prince had to live in the palace for 100 days before he could return to his parents. Zhu Di, who has always been brave and good at fighting, also cherishes this son very much, and personally named him "Zhu Gaochi", which means that the flame of family glory will bloom brilliantly from now on.
But this is not the case. Zhu Gaochi was born bloated, fair-skinned, gentle and introverted, and was at odds with the arrogant princes. He likes to read and Xi the most, and can recite the Four Books and Five Classics since he was a child; And he hates to practice martial arts, and he doesn't have the talent and courage to become an iron-blooded soldier at all.
Such a prince made Ming Chengzu quite disappointed. He sent martial arts masters to teach Zhu Gaoji to Xi martial arts hunting, hoping that his son would grow up in the direction of a wise and arbitrary king. However, in the end, it was in vain.
The young Zhu Gaochi would rather study in the study all day than train the armed forces to go to the battlefield. However, his gentle and jade-like temperament deeply infected all the teachers and eunuchs around him. This little prince is naïve, but he is already so gentle and humble, and his brothers and brothers are more generous and benevolent, and it seems that he will become a wise monarch in the future.
The crown prince did not belong to him originally, but it became a good story because of his virtue
By 1408, Ming Chengzu already had 4 sons. According to convention, the eldest son Zhu Gaochi should be made the crown prince. However, Ming Chengzu had high hopes for his second son, Zhu Gaoxu, believing that this brave fourth prince was similar to himself and was more suitable to inherit the unification.
Ming Chengzu once planned to abolish Zhu Gaochi and set up the fourth prince Zhu Gaochu as the crown prince. Fortunately, the ministers wrote letters to persuade them, believing that Zhu Gaochi's brothers, brothers, brothers, brothers, and gentlemen were the most in line with the qualities of a king. Ming Chengzu dispelled his thoughts, and finally made Zhu Gaochi the crown prince, and did not change the system of primogeniture.
This was an interesting story at the time, and people would rather have an ordinary prince who was not good at force than a brave and mighty fourth prince. As the so-called "popular aspirations" of the people, Zhu Gaochi's gentle and simple personality has won the trust and trust of hundreds of officials and the people.
In fact, Ming Chengzu is also quite fond of Zhu Gaochi. Although this prince is not as iron-blooded as himself, he is also gentle, kind, intelligent and studious, and very political. Therefore, Ming Chengzu decided to entrust the power to his son - he gave Zhu Gaochi the post of minister of the state, intending to exercise the prince's ability to deal with court affairs.
He has been in charge of the country for more than ten years, laying the foundation for the prosperous Ming Dynasty
In 1424, the 16-year-old crown prince Zhu Gaochi officially became a prisoner. Ming Chengzu led an army of 100,000 to the north to invade Mobei, and the power was entrusted to the expedition, and the government was handed over to the young prince to take care of.
Zhu Gaochi was not arrogant and lascivious because of the advent of power, but was extremely cautious and self-controlled. He was well aware of the hardships of his father's Northern Expedition and did his best to support the front-line operations. Through economy and corruption, the crown prince was able to recover a large amount of military salaries that had been embezzled by officials in a short period of time. At the same time, he also opened up sources and reduced expenditures, advised farmers to teach mulberry crops, and developed handicraft production to ensure state revenue.
Two years later, the army triumphed. Ming Chengzu was pleased to find that the country's financial and military strength not only did not decline, but flourished due to the prince's careful management. "My great cause has been passed down after the boundless!" Ming Chengzu praised sincerely.
Since then, the heavy responsibility of supervising the country has become Zhu Gaochi's second hometown. For more than ten years from 1424 to 1435, he replaced Ming Chengzu as regent for a total of ten years.
In the past ten years, Ming Chengzu has personally conquered Mobei, Jiaolu and other places 6 times. Every time he goes on an expedition, he can rest assured that he is orphaned, because he knows that his son has the ability to support the overall situation. And Zhu Gaochi also lived up to his father's high expectations, and was not surprised by changes and skillfully strategized, carrying forward the "Wuning Royal Road" and creating brilliance.
In order to enhance the strength of border defense, Zhu Gaochi set up additional military households in Tuntian, so that 777 military households could be gathered in one place to live and produce. This not only relieves the financial pressure, but also realizes the self-supply of the side plugs. This move greatly strengthened the strength of the Ming Dynasty's northern defense line and laid the foundation for strengthening national defense in the future.
In addition, the prince has also implemented many measures to benefit the people. He ordered the surplus grain from all over the country to be transported to the disaster areas to help the victims, and to reduce some taxes; Strictly investigate and punish corrupt officials and corrupt officials, clean up the rule of officials, and relieve the burden on the people; Restore and develop production, encourage the prosperity of agriculture, handicrafts and commerce, and promote socio-economic recovery growth.
It was under the careful management of the crown prince Zhu Gaochi that the treasury of the Ming Dynasty continued to grow, and the cultural and martial arts were excellent, and the country was peaceful and prosperous. This laid a solid foundation for the "rule of Renxuan" of the Longqing and Wanli dynasties, and also laid the status of the prince in the hearts of the people.
Only ten months after his accession to the throne, benevolence has been praised through the ages
In 1435, Ming Chengzu died. The 56-year-old Zhu Gaochi inherited the throne as Ming Yingzong. However, when he ascended the throne, his life was running out.
At the beginning of his accession to the throne, Ming Yingzong emphasized more on the "royal road of benevolence and righteousness" on the basis of his father's "royal road of Wuning". He was well aware of the fatigue of the people, and ordered the vigorous implementation of civil rule throughout the country, the elimination of cool officials and the people, the investigation of unjust prisons, and the rehabilitation of Zhaoxue.
In March alone, Ming Yingzong successively issued an edict to Zhaoxue in 12 unjust prisons and rehabilitated as many as 617 unjust cases. One of the most touching is the recognition and rehabilitation of Emperor Jianwen. After the fall of the Jianwen regime, Emperor Jianwen's family and many loyal ministers were executed or exiled to the frontier by Ming Chengzu. After Ming Yingzong ascended the throne, he not only clarified the unjust case of Emperor Jianwen, but also escorted his two young princes back to Beijing from the outlying islands and restored his royal status.
This was a rare move at the time. The Jianwen regime and the Ming Chengzu regime can be described as life and death, and the new monarch's pension for the bereaved families of old political enemies impressed everyone. As the history books say, "the unification of the Ming Dynasty has been established since then".
In addition, Yingzong also issued many edicts to reduce taxes and ease the burden on the people. In order to protect the country, restore the abandoned tuntian fields and production during the war. He even took out his own belongings from the palace to help the victims of natural disasters, and personally demonstrated frugality and love for the people.
"The rules of the law, advocating benevolence and righteousness and teaching with virtue, at the beginning of the new policy, it is advisable to rest with the people." During his reign of only a few months, Yingzong did his best to ensure peace in the world through benevolent government.
However, the good times did not last long, and this master, who had been running for the country for most of his life, had little time left. In October, he drove west due to an overdose of Wannianqing's drug.
The people mourned, and the ancestral hall was established to praise the merits
When the news of Yingzong's death came out, the government and the opposition were grief-stricken. The people also spontaneously came to the palace to cry and complain, and their hearts were broken. A 60-year-old middle-aged scholar stood in the crowd, thinking of Yingzong's gentle and tranquil benevolence in his life, and couldn't help but cry bitterly.
"Since ancient times, emperors have been so tyrannical!
After the death of Yingzong in 172, his son Emperor Ming Jing ascended the throne as Xuanzong. After his father's name "Renzong", the temple name "Yingzong". Emperor Xuanzong also deeply remembered the virtues of his father, and learned from his courtiers Xi Yingzong's benevolent government strategy forever. Since then, Yingzong has been regarded as a virtuous and benevolent emperor in the history of the Ming Dynasty.
Not only that, but the people also spontaneously commemorated the ancestral hall of Yingzong. The Yuewang Temple in Hangzhou was the first to erect the "Great Ming Renzong Divine Monument" in front of the temple, which reads "A Generation of Ming Jun" in gold font. Later, the people of Tongzhou and Changyuan also built ancestral halls to praise his virtue and achievements.
epilogue
As commented in the "History of the Ming Dynasty", Yingzong "is thrifty in government, removes traitors, and loves the people". He ascended the throne for only ten months, but he completely surpassed his two ancestors with his benevolence and political achievements. Taizu was rampant and disobedient, Renzong was suspicious of killing, but Yingzong should be truly righteous and praised.
Therefore, we must be soberly aware of this ordinary Ming monarch, his political achievements and contributions are in no way inferior to any meritorious emperor. It is precisely with the presence of gentlemen like Zhu Gaochi that China has repeatedly embarked on the road of rejuvenation in times of crisis, and finally achieved a splendid civilization of 5,000 years!