Text: Lonely Cold Light (Reading History Columnist)
When we watch the "Daming Fenghua" TV series, one thing is particularly strange, that is, the well-known Ming Chengzu Zhu Di, how is it called "Taizong" in the TV series? Did the TV series get it wrong?
It's not a mistake, it's because before Jiajing, everyone was indeed called Emperor Taizong of Zhu Di. Especially Zhu Di himself, if he knew that his descendants had upgraded him to "ancestor", he would have been so angry that he would have risen from the coffin.
This matter has to start with the Ming Dynasty version of "Where Did Daddy Go".
Friends familiar with Chinese history will know that only the founding emperor will be called "Zu", such as Han Taizu (Liu Bang is really Han Taizu, called Gao Zu is Sima Qian), Tang Gaozu, Song Taizu and so on. Most of the descendants of later generations were simply called "Zong", such as Tang Taizong, Song Taizong, and Akihito. Even if Li Shimin was such a cattle emperor, he did not dare to call himself Zu after his death; Zhao Guangyi did not dare to call him Zu when he got the throne from his brother, and he did not dare to call him Zu - calling him Zu, which obviously proved that his imperial history was not correct.
So, are there exceptions? There are still some.
In Chinese history, many emperors have made great contributions, which are called "ancestors". For example, Sima Yan, the emperor of the Jin Dynasty, was the "ancestor of the world", because Sima Yan unified the three kingdoms and made great contributions. Also, although Sima Yi laid a solid foundation in front of Sima Yi's sima master Sima Zhao, after all, he officially took the throne from the old Cao family. There is also Kublai Khan, the ancestor of the Yuan Dynasty, who is also similar to Sima Yan, who destroyed the Southern Song Dynasty and established a unified empire.
According to this logic, Zhu Di's being called "Chengzu" seems to have said the past, after all, going to the West, conquering Mongolia, and destroying Vietnam are all great achievements.
However, no matter how great the merit, it is at the same level as Li Shimin, and it is not big enough to unify the world. In fact, according to Zhu Di's own behavior, this is also very abnormal.
As everyone knows, Zhu Di's ascension to the throne is relatively abnormal, and he snatched his nephew's throne through the "Battle of Jingnan". In order to erase such a stain on himself, Zhu Di has been proving his orthodoxy all his life. Therefore, Zhu Di called Empress Ma his mother while he was alive. The Decree of the King of Yan states: "Gu Yu bandit cai is the father and daughter of emperor Taizu Gao, the biological son of Empress Xiaoci Gao, the brother of the crown prince, and the head of the kings." ”
In fact, Zhu Di was not empress Ma's son, and his mother was estimated to have been hidden by himself, and historians were also divided.
Zhu Di, who was so concerned about his legitimacy, if he was given a temple name of "Chengzu" after his death, it was estimated that he would jump out and scold the mother. Isn't this just plainly claiming that you are a rebel to the throne? The ministers were also very interesting, and after his death, they gave him a temple name "Taizong". Therefore, in "Daming Fenghua", it is called Emperor Taizong of Zhu Di.
If there were no accidents, we would call Zhu Di Ming Taizong today. However, an accident occurred, that is, the Jiajing Emperor came.
Due to the accidental death of Emperor Mingwuzong Zhu Houzhao, he had no heirs. "The country cannot be without a monarch for a day", so the ministers of the imperial court welcomed a king from Anlu, which was the future Jiajing Emperor Zhu Houxi, who was blackened by historians.
Originally, everyone just thought that welcoming such a teenage clan king would be easier to control. Who knew that the civilian-official clique headed by Yang Tinghe had really miscalculated this time. They will regret their stupid decision for the rest of their lives, especially Yang Tinghe.
According to the etiquette, Zhu Houxi should recognize Emperor Xiaozong, the father of Emperor Wuzong Zhu Houzhao, as his father, Emperor Xiaozong's empress as his mother, and Zhu Houzhao's uncle and aunt as his uncle and aunt. The cousins Zhu Houxi and Zhu Houzhao became brothers.
If it was another teenager who didn't have any opinions, he might have agreed. After all, if you are the emperor, eat well and drink, power and reputation, let him pass. But Zhu Houxi was no one else, and it could be seen from the fact that he still controlled the country in his own hands many years after he did not go to the dynasty, and it could be seen that this emperor was not a good stubble.
And this "great ceremony" incident provoked by the Jiajing Emperor was the first battle for him to regain imperial power. Zhu Houxi insisted that he should recognize his father as the emperor and his mother as the imperial mother.
In this battle, Zhu Houxi could not succumb to the softness, this was not only a nominal dispute, but also a struggle for his power and clan relatives.
In fact, Zhu Houxi's struggle with Yang Ting and these civilian officials began when he first arrived in Beijing. At that time, the civil officials let Zhu Houxi enter the palace from the Dong'an Gate, but Zhu Houxi had to enter the palace from the Daming Gate JinFengtian Temple.
It seems like it's just a matter of which door to go from, but it's actually not that simple. Entering from Dong'an Gate means that he is the emperor as the crown prince, that is, he is the son of Ming Xiaozong. Zhu Houxi was so shrewd, of course he would not agree.
At that time, Yang Tinghe and other ministers blocked the Daming Gate to prevent Zhu Houxi from entering, and the two sides were so deadlocked.
Originally, these ministers wanted to scare this child in this way, but Zhu Houxi did not eat this set, and said to Yang Tinghe and other ministers: "If you don't let me enter through this door today, then I will go home." ”
When Zhu Houxi said this, Yang Tinghe and other ministers had no way. Therefore, Zhu Houxi entered the throne from this gate and ascended the throne.
Yang Tinghe felt that this child was too temperamental and had to scare him. So there is such a thing as recognizing a father. Of course, Zhu Houxi should adhere to his own proposition and recognize his father Xingxian Wang as his father.
Helplessly, Zhu Houxi was alone and had no helper. After some discussion, the young Zhu Houxi, where was the opponent of these old fritters, was soon defeated.
There was no way, Zhu Houxi wanted to reconcile with Yang Tinghe privately. Zhu Houxi sent a eunuch to call Yang Tinghe over, and asked Yang Tinghe for the name of a parent in a good voice. If it is so settled, the matter may be over. Unfortunately, Yang Tinghe was too greedy for power and did not buy Zhu Houxi's account. Just to think about it, who knows that this consideration will not have the following.
Zhu Houxi waited for the left and the right, knowing that Yang Tinghe had played himself. So he issued a decree asking the cabinet to give his parents a name. Who knows, this will was directly blocked by the cabinet.
One might wonder, isn't this the Divine Will? The emperor's holy will they all dare to block? This is really dare, because the Ming Dynasty cabinet has the power to "block". For purposes that they feel are wrong, they can ask for a new discussion.
Zhu Houxi was depressed. Suddenly, I felt that although I was an emperor, I did not call the wind and rain as the folk thought, and I had to look at people's faces. Seeing such a state, Zhu Houxi knew that only strength could bring down these disobedient ministers.
After all, there are people who want to attach themselves to the new emperor at any time. Zhang Xuan, a new scholar, was very clever, saying that the emperor was "the heir to the throne" and could set up another temple for King Xingxian.
With the support of Zhang Xuan, the Great Ceremony Once Again quarreled. However, Yang Ting and the power are monstrous, and Zhang Xuan and others are alone. Zhu Houxi had no choice but to relegate Zhang Xuan to Nanjing. As a compromise, Yang Tinghe also welcomed Zhu Houxi's mother into the capital with the etiquette of greeting the empress.
It looks like it's over, but in fact it's just the beginning. This year is the sixteenth year of Zhengde.
In the three years of Jiajing, zhu Houxi's "where has Daddy gone" has made waves again. At this time, Zhu Houxi had already secured the throne, and he urgently needed a bunch of his own concubines to fight for himself. People like Yang Ting and this gang have long been unpleasant.
Zhang Xuan and others neglected to mention the old things in Nanjing, which just fulfilled Zhu Houxi's heart. Zhu Houxi sent Zhang Xuan and others to Beijing to be responsible for handling his father's title. At this time, Yang Tinghe saw that the times were different, and asked for Zhi Shi.
Zhu Houxi and Yang Tinghe peacefully broke up here, and the Jiajing Dynasty entered a new period.
In July of the third year of Jiajing, Zhu Houxi's father was honored with the title of "Emperor Gongmuxian Emperor", and in September emperor Xiaozong was called "Emperor Bokao".
Zhu Houxi has justified himself in history. But this is not the end, but also to make changes to Zhu Di's temple number. Because he was not a concubine to succeed to the throne, like Zhu Di, he belonged to Xiaozong and entered the daizong. The Great Sect is the primogeniture system, and the others are the Small Sects.
At that time, there were already eight tablets in the Taimiao Temple, and there were exactly nine tablets in his father Xingxian Wang Ruizong. The Ming Dynasty stipulated that the Taimiao Temple could only enshrine nine tablets, and many could only go to the side hall. And this is more, you have to pick the person with the farthest relationship. In the future, after his own death, the tablets of the Taimiao Temple will not be enough. In the future, if I enter the Taimiao Temple, I will definitely have to move out of one. At this time, it must be that Zhu Di was moved out, and then there was another controversy. In order not to let Zhu Di be moved out, he had to change Zhu Di's temple name, which could only be "Zu". Because only the "ancestor" can be enshrined forever.
Therefore, in order to make his name more righteous, he changed the name of Emperor Taizong Zhu Di to "Chengzu", and his title was "Qitian Hongdao Gao ming Zhaoyun Shengwu Shen Gong Chunren to Emperor Xiaowen". And in order to let himself enter the Temple, he first let his dead queen occupy a position. In this way, the only person who was moved out of the Temple after his death was Akihito Zhu Gaozi.