Preface
Whether Emperor Jianwen Zhu Yunwen was alive or dead has always puzzled Ming Dynasty historians. The mystery of his whereabouts is not only related to the political pattern of the Ming Dynasty, but also affects the curiosity of countless readers. Was it Zhu Di who killed Emperor Jianwen in order to consolidate his dominance, or was Emperor Jianwen really killed in the war? Will this mystery be revealed?
The disappearance of Emperor Jianwen
In the fourth year of Jianwen, Zhu Di led a large army to conquer Nanjing, and Yingtianfu fell. Zhu Di entered the palace, but found no trace of Emperor Jianwen, only to see that the fire was burning in the palace. This made Zhu Di feel very flustered, because he realized that if Emperor Jianwen did not die in the fire, then he would become a great hidden danger to his rule.
Previously, Zhu Di did not take Emperor Jianwen in his eyes, thinking that he could easily solve this problem. But as time passed, he came to realize that Emperor Jianwen's survival would pose a serious threat to his rule. As a follower of Confucianism, Zhu Di believed that the relationship between monarchs and ministers was higher than kinship, and Emperor Jianwen was the orthodox emperor and his own monarch, which determined that he had to find and solve this hidden danger.
What's more, there was no tyranny during the reign of Emperor Jianwen, he handled state affairs decently, and the monarchs and ministers were harmonious, even if there was a policy of cutting feudal domains, it was not the first one. Therefore, Zhu Di could only raise troops in the name of "Qingjun's side", and did not dare to publicly accuse Jianwen. This not only satisfied Zhu Di's need to be emperor himself, but also provided a relatively reasonable explanation for the disappearance of Emperor Jianwen.
Zhu Di's move undoubtedly has far-reaching political considerations. If Emperor Jianwen is indeed no longer alive, then Zhu Di's throne will be justified, and his rule will be recognized and supported by more people. But if Emperor Jianwen is still alive, Zhu Di will need time to consolidate his power and eliminate potential threats. Therefore, whether Emperor Jianwen is alive or dead, Zhu Di needs to grasp the exact information as soon as possible.
Find the whereabouts of Emperor Jianwen
In order to find the exact whereabouts of Emperor Jianwen, Zhu Di did not hesitate to invest a lot of manpower, material and financial resources. He sent a number of people, including the famous navigator Zheng He, to various places to conduct secret investigations. Ostensibly to establish friendly relations with other countries and expand the influence of the Ming Dynasty, these missions were actually to hide people's eyes and take the opportunity to find the whereabouts of Emperor Jianwen.
One of the main purposes of Zheng He's seven voyages to the West was to find the whereabouts of Emperor Jianwen. At that time, there were rumors that Emperor Jianwen might have fled to the West, or even proclaimed himself emperor there, posing a potential threat to the imperial power of the Ming Dynasty.
The court was deeply worried about this, fearing that Emperor Jianwen's establishment of an army overseas would have a destabilizing impact on the country. Therefore, Zheng He's westward journey was not only to find the whereabouts of Emperor Jianwen, but also to eliminate this hidden danger and ensure the stability and prosperity of the Ming Dynasty.
Although Zhu Di has been trying to find Emperor Jianwen during his reign, he has never found a reliable basis to prove whether he died. This uncertainty became a major concern during Zhu Di's reign, because he knew that if he did not die, his throne would still be at risk. Until Zhu Di's death, he still did not give up looking for the whereabouts of Emperor Jianwen.
The unknown life and death of Emperor Jianwen had a far-reaching impact on the Yongle Dynasty, which was not only related to Zhu Di's personal security of the throne, but also related to the stability of the entire country. For Zhu Di, the existence of Emperor Jianwen is of great significance.
Zhu Di's motives
Since ancient times, each generation of emperors has been ascended by the death of the father and the son, or the death of the eldest brother and the younger brother, and there are few cases of uncles snatching the throne of nephews. Even if there are such cases in history, such as Wu Zetian, Kangxi, etc., such inheritance methods are often labeled as "usurpation" and "rebellion".
So after the Jingjing Revolution in the Ming Dynasty, did Zhu Di, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, really want to get rid of Zhu Yunwen, the Jianwen Emperor who was in exile? This is not only related to Zhu Di's own character and motives, but also to the legitimacy of his rule.
As the nominal ruler, Emperor Jianwen's political status and influence were still very great: Emperor Jianwen's existence severely constrained Zhu Di, and could even trigger a rebellion and threaten his rule.
And Emperor Jianwen is a big trouble for Zhu Di, and we can't ignore Zhu Di's own character characteristics: he has a rough personality, but he has a very close relationship with his brother Zhu Biao, so he inevitably has a lot of feelings for Emperor Jianwen (Zhu Biao's son).
And after the Battle of Jingyan, Zhu Di has not completely stabilized the regime, its military strength and control area are very limited, at this time if Emperor Jianwen calls for King Qin outside, the situation may be reversed, so Zhu Di should have no intention of killing the monarch in the early stage. Perhaps at that time, Zhu Di had gained the upper hand, and Emperor Jianwen's hidden dangers were gradually withering, and his conscience found that he wanted to return to Emperor Jianwen on the right track, or it may be to hide people's eyes and ears and implement the plan to seize the heir.
In any case, after Hu Hu's sixteen-year search, it was proved that Emperor Jianwen had passed away, which was undoubtedly a relief for Zhu Di: the death of Emperor Jianwen not only justified his name, but also completely cleared his political enemies and consolidated his power, and Zhu Di had no worries after that.
The fate of Emperor Jianwen
If Emperor Jianwen had not died, would he have been able to quell the external troubles in the north and create a prosperous era? This is already difficult to verify, although as an "orthodox" emperor, Emperor Jianwen nominally had greater ruling power, but in the final analysis, power still depends on strength. Emperor Jianwen has a weak personality and may not be able to control the chaotic court situation, on the other hand, Zhu Di, who is strong and decisive and iron-blooded, has more courage and means to create a prosperous dynasty.
We cannot justify the change of Jingjing, but we must look at the course of history objectively: the disappearance of Emperor Jianwen brought a certain opportunity for the very turbulent situation of the Ming Dynasty, and it was from this opportunity that gave birth to the glorious prosperity of the later Ming Dynasty.
epilogue
The mystery of Emperor Jianwen's life and death is still a topic of debate among historians. Did Zhu Di really order the killing of Emperor Jianwen, or was Emperor Jianwen really killed in the war? This mystery may never be completely solved. But we can see from this that even in those turbulent times, everyone was defending their interests in their own way.
Whether it is Emperor Jianwen or Zhu Di, they are trying their best to realize the ideals and beliefs in their hearts. There is no absolute right or wrong in history, only different choices. We should objectively understand the situation and motives of the characters at that time, rather than simply labeling them as "usurpation" and "rebellion".
Let's walk into this history together, explore the mystery of Emperor Jianwen's life and death, and feel the struggle and pursuit of people in that era. Perhaps, we can also find some inspiration from this to face our own life choices.