Preface
Zhu Di, also known as the Yongle Emperor, was an outstanding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and during his reign he carried out a series of reforms and constructions that propel the Ming Dynasty to the peak of prosperity.
However, at that moment, Zhu Di pointed to a prisoner who was about to be executed and asked why he was still alive. However, the leader of the brocade guard asserted that tomorrow the prisoner would be executed.
So, why is Zhu Di so interested in this prisoner? Why is the leader of the Jinyi Guard so confident that he will die tomorrow? How will the fate of this prisoner develop, and what impact will it have on Zhu Di's rule?
Zhu Yuanzhang's anti-corruption road
As the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang was a very capable ruler. He knew that the root cause of the fall of the Yuan Dynasty was bureaucratic corruption, so at the beginning of the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, he took the rectification of the bureaucratic system as the primary task.
Zhu Yuanzhang was well versed in Legalist thinking, and he believed that only through strict legal restraint could the corrupt behavior of officials be truly curbed. As a result, he personally participated in the compilation of the Da Ming Law, which not only had detailed provisions, but also extremely severe punishments.
In this code, Zhu Yuanzhang made clear provisions for all kinds of illegal acts of officials, such as corruption and bribery, abuse of power, etc., which will be severely punished by the nine clans. Undoubtedly, this extreme system of joint sitting has greatly strengthened the officials' fear mentality, and they have not dared to easily break the law.
At the same time, Zhu Yuanzhang also established a special supervision agency - Jinyiwei. This team was not only responsible for maintaining law and order in the imperial court, but also shouldered the heavy responsibility of supervising officials. They can conduct unannounced inspections at any time, and once they find a problem, they can directly enforce the judicial power, without having to go through a cumbersome approval process.
This combination of powerful supervision power and judicial power makes Jinyiwei the sharpest sword in Zhu Yuanzhang's hand. They are always on guard against the officials of the DPRK and the central government, and as long as there is any trouble, they will be severely punished immediately.
At Zhu Yuanzhang's insistence, the bureaucratic system of the Ming Dynasty was indeed rectified to a certain extent, and the problem of corruption was also alleviated. However, this kind of governance method that relies on strict punishment and strict law will not be sustainable after all. Because not only does it fail to solve the problem at its root, but it may cause more instability.
Zhu Di's usurpation of the throne
After Zhu Yuanzhang's death, his grandson Zhu Yunwen inherited the throne and became the second emperor of the Ming Dynasty. However, the young emperor did not gain the approval of the kings of the court, but instead sparked a fierce power struggle.
As the fourth son of Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Di has a large amount of military power, and he is naturally unwilling to surrender to Zhu Yunwen. As a result, he launched the famous "Battle of Jingyan" in 1399, and finally succeeded in usurping the throne and became the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
The war lasted four full years and ended with a resounding victory for Zhu Di. However, his path to the throne was not without its challenges, but was met with criticism. Because in public opinion at the time, Zhu Di's behavior was regarded as a usurpation of the throne, not a legitimate inheritance.
In order to dispel this doubt, Zhu Di had to adopt some extraordinary means. First of all, he continued to follow the system of joint sitting during the Zhu Yuanzhang period, and severely cracked down on those officials and their families who were dissatisfied with him.
For example, Zhu Di would send the female dependents of officials who whispered in the court to music squares and other places, and forced them to perform vocal music, this humiliating punishment was undoubtedly an effective control of public opinion.
At the same time, Zhu Di also greatly strengthened the power of Jinyiwei. Under his rule, this special body not only retained its original supervisory and judicial functions, but was also given more military tasks.
Not only can they participate in the specific process of arrest, execution, and trial, but they can even report directly to the emperor without having to go through a cumbersome approval process. This interference in the judicial power was a kind of shaking of the rule of the Ming Dynasty.
Through these means, Zhu Di was finally able to consolidate his dominance. However, this form of rule, which relies on violence and terror, will not be sustainable. Because not only will it fail to win the hearts and minds of the people, but it may lead to more instability.
The tragedy of Xie Jin
Under Zhu Di's rule, the bureaucratic system of the Ming Dynasty deteriorated further. As an official from a scholarly family, Xie Jin's experience is undoubtedly the most typical representative.
Xie Jin was born into a large family in the Jishui region of Jiangxi, and his grandfather served as a judge in Fuzhou at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, and later chose to commit suicide in order to be loyal to the imperial court. Father Jie Kai is also a very talented figure, and is often summoned by Zhu Yuanzhang into the palace to explain the history of the previous dynasty.
Due to his family's background and his own talent, Xie Jin was appreciated by Zhu Yuanzhang when he was young. Zhu Yuanzhang even once said to him, between you and me is not so much a monarch and a minister, but a father and son.
This kind of warm evaluation undoubtedly made Xie Jin very happy in his heart, and he made up his mind to be loyal to Zhu Yuanzhang. However, this loyalty did not exchange for Zhu Yuanzhang's reuse. On the contrary, Xie Jin's words and deeds in the court became more and more presumptuous, which eventually aroused Zhu Yuanzhang's dissatisfaction and was ordered to go home for eight years.
During this period, Zhu Yuanzhang died and was succeeded by Zhu Yunwen. Xie Jin could have spent the rest of his life in peace, but he decided to return to the imperial court. However, this time he was not reused, but was reported by the military aircraft department of the DPRK, saying that he did not fulfill his filial piety and did not mourn his father.
Later, Zhu Di replaced Zhu Yunwen as emperor. Hearing that Xie Jin was a rare talent, he re-summoned him to the court. However, Xie Jin's fate did not change because of this.
When discussing the issue of the crown prince's canonization, Xie Jin not only participated in it, but also spoke and commented at will. This behavior caused Zhu Di's dissatisfaction, because it involved a power struggle between the DPRK and China. In the end, Xie Jin was imprisoned and executed by Jinyiwei the next day.
This tragic story reflects the cruel reality of Ming Dynasty officialdom. Even officials who were favored by the emperor were likely to be hit if they were not careful. In such an authoritarian dynasty, the fate of the individual is often in the hands of others, unable to be autonomous.
epilogue
From Zhu Yuanzhang to Zhu Di, the history of the Ming Dynasty is a microcosm of a power game. One pursued a strict rule of law, the other did whatever it took to consolidate its rule, and their actions undoubtedly left a deep mark on the dynasty.
And in the process, we also see the deterioration of the bureaucratic system of the Ming Dynasty, as well as the tragedy of individual fate. Whether it is Zhu Yuanzhang's continuous sitting system or Zhu Di's brocade guard, they have become an important factor in the downfall of this dynasty.
Perhaps, this is the true portrayal of the Ming Dynasty, the last dynasty established by the Han in more than 2,000 years of feudal society. Its glory and fall have become a part of history, leaving endless thinking for future generations.