From July 1424 to June 1425, the Ming Dynasty changed three emperors in less than a year, which surprised the Ming Dynasty's neighbors and vassals. Although the new emperor Zhu Zhanji was only 27 years old, everyone was no stranger to him, because Zhu Zhanji had served as the "emperor's grandson" and also served as the "crown prince", and was once designated by Zhu Diqin as the successor of the next generation. The new monarch of the Ming Dynasty succeeded to the throne, and in order to show respect for the new emperor, neighboring countries came to congratulate him. The Ming Shi Xuanzong Benji records as follows:
In the same year, Hami Hui, Manchuria Sardinia, Champa City, Ryukyu Zhongshan, Java, Uszang, Wa La, and Huan Ni paid tribute.
On the one hand, Zhu Zhanji ordered people to warmly entertain the emissaries of the above-mentioned countries; on the other hand, he summoned two ministers, Yang Shiqi and Yang Rong, to secretly discuss the affairs of another country, and this country was Annam (Vietnam).
Zhu Zhanji closed the door and secretly said to Yang Shiqi and Yang Rong:
"There was a rebellion in Annam every year, and the imperial court had to send troops to suppress it every year, spending countless soldiers, horses, food and grass, which made the Ming Dynasty physically and mentally exhausted. He wanted to abandon the strategy of conquering Annam and let them only pay tribute every year as a vassal state of Daming. Although this is beneficial to the people of Daming, they are afraid that others will say that they have 'abandoned the inheritance of their ancestors' and left behind the infamy of the ages..."
The Ming Shi Foreign II Annan records:
At the beginning, the emperor took the throne, and yang Shiqi and Yang Rongyu had a lot of trouble, that is, they wanted to abandon it...
Zhu Zhanji's words made Yang Shiqi and Yang Rong, the two ministers, deeply moved. This is enough to show that Zhu Zhanji, the new emperor, is concerned about the people. However, if you really want to give up Annan, who can bear this insult?
Later generations proved that Zhu Zhanji's abandonment of Annam, although the ming dynasty's suzerainty in Southeast Asia was impacted, but for the people of the Ming dynasty, it was a rare opportunity to recuperate. The 5th emperor of the Ming Dynasty was a good emperor. But at the same time, what Zhu Zhanji left for the Ming Dynasty was full of controversy, and even directly caused the demise of the Ming Dynasty.
In this article, the author will share with you the life of Emperor Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji, hoping to understand the famous "Cricket Emperor" through historical materials.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="14" >, this grandson is really smart</h1>
Thirty-one years after the Hongwu Dynasty of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, the ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, was already dying of old age, and the emperor's grandson Zhu Yunjiao had already begun to deal with daily administrative affairs. Zhu Di, the King of Yan, who was far away in Beiping, seemed to have confessed his fate.
Six years ago, the crown prince Zhu Biao died, the position of crown prince was vacant, Zhu Yuanzhang once said a sentence "The King of Yan is heroic and martial, how to stand up", which made Zhu Di very close to the position of prince. But then, Zhu Yuanzhang listened to the persuasion of Liu Sanwu and other ministers and decided to continue to leave the throne to Changfang Yimai, and after Zhu Di heard about it, he was greatly regretful, and he believed that he was destined to be only a king of the clan in this life.
On the ninth day of February in the thirty-first year of Hongwu (1398), Zhu Di had a dream that Zhu Yuanzhang gave him a big Gui. "Gui" is one of the "six instruments" of ancient imperial sacrifices, symbolizing royal power. Not only that, Zhu Yuanzhang also said eight words to Zhu Di. Ming Shi Yun:
On the eve of his birth, Chengzu Meng Taizu conferred on Dagui: "The descendants of the inheritance will be eternally prosperous." ”
However, the good dream did not last long, Zhu Di was awakened, at this time, there was an internal attendant to report that the princess Zhang Shi had given birth to a son. Zhu Di suddenly thought of the phrase "passed on from generation to generation" in the dream, and the birth of this grandson seemed to confirm something. Zhu Di personally went to see this newborn grandson, only to see this child's heroic appearance, Zhu Di was overjoyed, and shouted directly: "Er's heroic face is overflowing, Fu Wu dream!" ”
This child is Zhu Zhanji.
For Zhu Di, the eldest grandson and the beautiful dream reawakened his ambition. Zhu Di later launched the Battle of Jingnan, which was not unrelated to Zhu Zhanji's birth.
Zhu Zhanji was very loved by his grandfather Zhu Di since he was a child, and Shi Zai, Zhu Zhanji was "fond of books and had outstanding intellect", Zhu Zhanji was brilliant from an early age, and reading and writing were not a word. Not only that, when Zhu Zhanji was very young, he could make a gun stick, and the small bow and arrow shot a target, zhu Di liked it very much, and promised to take Zhu Zhanji to fight the Mongols when he grew up.
According to the Records of Emperor Taizong of The Ming Dynasty, Vol. 140, Zhu Di once produced a pair of shanglian: the Wanfang Jade Wind and Cloud Society.
This means that people from all over the world are gathered here. Zhu Zhanji, on the other hand, was right to the next link: Unify the mountains and rivers and the sun and the moon.
This lower link is not only full of meaning, but also magnificent, Zhu Di, as a generation of male lords, very much likes this boldness of his grandson.
No matter how smart and excellent Zhu Zhanji was, the first few years of his life were not yet the protagonists of that era. Because there was this protracted contest between Nanjing and Beiping, in the end, his grandfather Zhu Di defeated his cousin Zhu Yunjiao and became the third monarch of the Ming Dynasty.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="14" > second, the benevolent father's life is too short</h1>
Zhu Zhanji's father was Zhu Di's eldest son Zhu Gaozi, and because Zhu Gaozi was obese since childhood, Zhu Di felt that his son was "not like me" and did not like Zhu Gaozi very much, but preferred Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Zhanji's second uncle.
After the outbreak of the Battle of Jingnan, Zhu Di left his eldest son Zhu Gaoxu to guard the old lair of Beiping, and took his second son Zhu Gaoxu to fight, especially at the Battle of Pukou in Nanjing, Zhu Di was exhausted, and it was all up to Zhu Gaoxu to sacrifice his life to sprint to win. Therefore, after Zhu Di ascended the throne, he did not announce the candidate for the crown prince for a long time.
Therefore, in the early years of Yongle, the courtiers were divided into two groups, and the courtiers suggested that Zhu Di's eldest son Zhu Gaozi be crown prince according to the traditional standard of "standing up for a long time". The military generals, on the other hand, favored their comrade-in-arms Zhu Gaoxu. For example, Qiu Fu, the "first general of jingnan", directly said to Zhu Di, "The king of Han has merit, it is advisable to establish", and for a time, the matter of establishing a reserve became Zhu Di's most troublesome thing.
The Biography of Ming Shi Xie Jin records:
Dimi asked Jin. Jin said: "The eldest son of the emperor, Ren Xiaoxiao, the world returns to the heart." "The emperor should not. Jinyu suddenly said, "Good Saint Sun." "Xuanzong also." Emperor Jawzhi. The prince was determined.
Zhu Di secretly consulted Xie Jin's opinion, and as a representative of the Wenchen faction, Xie Jin believed that Zhu Gao was filial and should be made crown prince. Zhu Di did not say a word, and Xie Jin immediately said "Good Saint Sun." This is actually a reminder to Zhu Di that Zhu Zhangji, the son of Zhu Gaozi, is your favorite grandson. After Zhu Di listened, he nodded his head and finally decided to make Zhu Gaozi the crown prince.
Previously, Zhu Di had been tangling between the two sons, and the words of Xie Jin completely woke up Zhu Di, because Zhu Di liked Zhu Zhanji too much, and Zhu Zhanji gave his father Zhu Gaozi a lot of points.
In the second year of Yongle, Zhu Gaozi was summoned from Beijing to Nanjing by Zhu Di and made him crown prince.
Out of his love for Zhu Zhanji, Zhu Di often took Zhu Zhanji with him and personally taught him. In the seventh year of Yongle, Zhu Di toured the north and specially asked Zhu Zhanji to accompany him, and on the way, Zhu Di personally took Zhu Zhanji to familiarize himself with various agricultural tools and livestock, telling him that these things were the foundation of the founding of the country.
In the eighth year of Yongle, Zhu Di invaded Mongolia in the north, and ordered the crown prince Zhu Gaozi to supervise the state in Nanjing, while Zhu Zhanji was fortunate to be taken to Beijing by Zhu Di. The following year, Zhu Di returned to Beijing from Mongolia and declared Zhu Zhanji the emperor's grandson.
Coincidentally, Zhu Gaozi was the second crown prince since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, and Zhu Zhanji was the second imperial grandson of the Ming Dynasty. When Zhu Gaozi was made crown prince, he rushed from Beijing to Nanjing, and when Zhu Zhanji was made the emperor's grandson, he was brought from Nanjing to Beijing by Zhu Di. In the darkness, Zhu Zhanji and his father Zhu Gaozi were full of coincidences and coincidences. Just like a few years later, at the moment of Zhu Gaozi's death, Zhu Zhanji just happened to be away from him.
In July of the twenty-second year of Yongle (1424), Ming Chengzu Zhu Di died of illness in Yumuchuan during the Northern Expedition, and Yang Rong, Zhang Fu, and others, fearing that Zhu Gaoxu would take advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble, sent people to Beijing to inform the crown prince Zhu Gaozi, and Zhu Gaozi sent his son Zhu Zhanji to the grassland to personally greet Zhu Di's coffin. Soon after, Zhu Gaozi ascended the throne for Emperor Akihito, and Zhu Zhanji was made crown prince.
Emperor Akihito was the most benevolent monarch of the Ming Dynasty, and he treated his heroes and brothers well, and even rehabilitated his former ministers. Unfortunately, Zhu Gaozi died after only 10 months on the throne, and the throne soon fell to Zhu Zhanji. Therefore, the Ming Dynasty changed three emperors in less than a year.
In fact, when Zhu Gaozi died, Zhu Zhanji was not by his side. As early as the eighteenth year of Yongle, Zhu Di moved the capital to Beijing, and after Emperor Akihito ascended the throne, he intended to move the capital back to Nanjing, so he sent the crown prince Zhu Zhanji to Nanjing to play a front station and pay homage to Ming Xiaoling. Zhu Zhanji went to Nanjing in the fourth month of the lunar calendar, and at the end of May, Zhu Gaozi was critically ill and ordered Zhu Zhanji to be urgently summoned back to Beijing. After Zhu Zhanji received the order, he did not know what was going on and rushed to Beijing full of doubts. By the time he returned to Beijing, Zhu Gaozi had already died.
Although Zhu Di did not like Zhu Gaozi, Zhu Zhanji always had great respect for his father. After Zhu Zhanji heard the news of his father's death, like a thunderbolt on a sunny day, when he saw his father's coffin, Zhu Zhanji burst into tears and fell to the ground. From then on, he took over the dragon banner of Daming from his father and became the fifth emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="14" > third, the second uncle of Yuan's restlessness</h1>
In fact, on Zhu Zhanji's way back to Beijing, he luckily escaped a crisis. The Biography of Ming Shi Zhu Gaoxu records:
Emperor Renzong collapsed, and Emperor Xuanzong went to nanjing to mourn. Gao Xu plotted to ambush the soldiers on the road, but the pawns were fruitless.
Zhu Gaoxu, the king of Han, had been coveting the throne for a long time, and as early as the Yongle period, Zhu Gaoxu repeatedly framed the crown prince Zhu Gaoxu in an attempt to pull his eldest brother off his horse and replace him. However, Zhu Gaoxu not only failed to succeed, but was instead "severely reprimanded by Zhu Di, stripped of his crown, imprisoned in xihua gate, and abolished as a shuren." At the critical moment, fortunately, the eldest brother Zhu Gaozi interceded for him, and he was not demoted to a common man.
Although Zhu Gaoxu was benevolent and righteous, Zhu Gaoxu was not impressed by his eldest brother, because he thought in his heart that the throne was his own. Zhu Gaoxu often called himself "Tang Taizong", who was Tang Taizong? It was the person who launched the xuanwumen rebellion and killed his brother to seize the throne, and Zhu Gaoxu's rebellious heart was clearly revealed.
Because of this, when Zhu Gaoxu died, Zhu Gaoxu hurriedly sent people to intercept and kill his nephew Zhu Zhanji on the way, but unfortunately the plan was too hasty, Zhu Zhanji returned to Beijing too quickly, and Zhu Gaoxu's people failed to intercept Zhu Zhanji, missing the "good situation."
After Zhu Zhanji ascended the throne, he immediately rewarded the kings, although he knew that his second uncle was restless, Zhu Zhanji did not show it, and the reward he gave zhu Gaoxu was thicker than that of other kings, and whenever Zhu Gaoxu made a request to Zhu Zhanji, Zhu Zhanji was fully satisfied. After a year, Zhu Gaoxu felt that this nephew was just a weak and incompetent person, so he was even more arrogant.
Don't you know that although Zhu Zhanji is young, he is well versed in the way of the emperor, and he just wants Zhu Gaoxu to take the steps of rebellion first, so that he can occupy the commanding heights of public opinion.
Sure enough, as he expected, in August of the first year of Xuande's reign, after Zhu Zhanji ascended the throne for one year, Zhu Gaoxu joined forces with The Governor of Shandong to command Jin Rong and raise an army to rebel.
Zhu Gaoxu went through the Battle of Jingnan, and he wanted to emulate his father and become the second king of the clan who succeeded in rebellion. Unfortunately, Zhu Zhanji is not the second Zhu Yunjiao.
In fact, Zhu Gaoxu was also killed, and when he was plotting a rebellion, he sent his cronies to the capital to try to win over the British gong Zhang Fu as an internal response, but unexpectedly, Zhang Fu immediately arrested the messenger and reported Zhu Gaoxu to Zhu Zhanji.
Zhang Fu was the son of Zhang Yu, Zhu Di's confidant, Zhang Yu was killed in the Battle of Jingnan, and was named the King of Hejian and Zhang Fu was made the Duke of England, that is to say, the Zhang Fu family was already ranked as a prince, and I would like to ask: Even if he helped Zhu Gaoxu to rebel successfully, wouldn't he still be a prince at most? If so, why would Zhang Fu take the risk?
Therefore, Zhu Gaoxu's choice of Zhang Fu was wrong from the beginning, which shows that Zhu Gaoxu's knowledge is unknown, and compared with Zhu Di, Zhu Gaoxu's vision is too far away.
Knowing that Zhu Gaoxu had rebelled, Zhu Zhan basically planned to send the general Xue Lu to go on a crusade, but Yang Rong believed that if he wanted to quickly quell the rebellion now, it was best to take the throne and march in person.
The author once wrote an article on "Three Yangs", in which Yang Shiqi's comprehensive ability is ranked first, but if he only talks about military talent, Yang Rong is the best. Zhu Di's five northern expeditions, each time taking Yang Rong, regarded Yang Rong as a think tank, this is the reason.
Why did Yang Rong suggest that Zhu Zhanji personally march on the throne? Because there are lessons from the past. When the Battle of Jingnan broke out, Emperor Jianwen sent two generals, Geng Bingwen and Li Jinglong, to put down the rebellion, but as a result, they lost one after another and missed the start, so for now, the best way was to drive the imperial conquest, which could not only mobilize the resources of all sides most effectively, but also catch the rebels by surprise.
After all, Zhu Zhanji had followed Zhu Di to the battlefield, and he felt that what Yang Rong said was reasonable, the History of Ming:
Self-made, pro-conscript Gao Xu... Marquis Xue Lu of Yangwu and Wu Cheng of Qingping were generals in the vanguard, and generals of the Fifth Army of The Great Zhao.
On the one hand, Zhu Zhanji issued a battle book and on the other hand persuaded the rebels to surrender, which completely destroyed the confidence of the rebels, and the rebel generals did not listen to Zhu Gaoxu's command, and they all thought about how to seize Zhu Gaoxu and atone for their sins.
In the end, Zhu Gaoxu's rebellion came to an abrupt end. Although Zhu Zhanji captured his uncle Zhu Gaoxu alive, he did not want to bear the insult of killing his uncle, so he just stripped him of the title of King of Han and imprisoned him.
The Records of the Sacrifice of the State Dynasty records:
One day long I want to look, stop left and right, and don't listen. And, for a long time. Unexpectedly, the shu people stretched out one foot and hooked up on the servant's ground.
That is, one day, Zhu Zhanji tried to defy the public opinion and insisted on going to visit his uncle Zhu Gaoxu in the big prison, but Zhu Gaoxu died, stretched out his legs and tripped Zhu Zhanji to a dog to chew mud, Zhu Zhanji did not fight in one place, ordered people to use a 300-kilogram copper cylinder to hold Zhu Gaoxu, and then lit a fire outside the cylinder. Unexpectedly, Zhu Gaoxu kong wu was powerful and almost flipped the copper cylinder over. However, Zhu Gaoxu did not escape from Zhu Zhanji's copper cylinder in the end, and as a result, he was roasted alive. After Zhu Gaoxu's death, all his sons were killed, and his lineage was extinct.
During the Xuande years, Zhu Zhanji quelled Zhu Gaoxu's rebellion, which was of great significance. The other princes of the clan feared the power of the imperial court, and in order to protect themselves, they surrendered their only military power, so Zhu Zhanji consolidated his rule, stabilized the political situation, and laid the foundation for the "rule of Renxuan".
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="14" >4</h1>
The Ming Shi Xiaozong Benji once commented:
There is a world under the Ming Dynasty, passed down from generation to generation, Taizu and Chengzu, and can be called Renzong, Xuanzong, and Xiaozong.
This means that there are only five emperors in the Ming Dynasty, namely Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Di, Zhu Gaozi, Zhu Zhanji, and Zhu Youfan. These five emperors correspond to the era of Hongwu Zhizhi, Yongle Shengshi, Renxuan Zhizhi and Hongzhi Zhongxing. Among them, because Akihito's reign was too short, most of his policies were only implemented during the Ming Xuanzong period, so the so-called "rule of Ren Xuan" was actually mainly the merits of Zhu Zhanji.
As we all know, Zhu Di reigned for 22 years, most of which was spent consolidating imperial power and proving himself, he went to the West six times, moved the capital to Beijing, built the imperial tomb, and attacked Annam five times. Some of these great achievements are vigorous expansion, some are squandering like soil, and the Yongle prosperous world seems to be outside the golden jade, in fact, the national treasury has long been out of rice, and the people bear heavy taxes, which is even more miserable.
After all, Zhu Zhanji was cultivated by Zhu Di, and after he ascended the throne, he once continued Zhu Di's iron fist style, not only driving the imperial car to conquer Mongolia, beating the Mongolian Wuliangha tribe to the knees, but also sending troops to attack the rebels in Annam many times. However, after a period of time, Zhu Zhanji was a little confused, because a long period of military high pressure could certainly stabilize the empire's external influence, but for the people of the dynasty, it was unspeakably miserable. Therefore, Zhu Zhanji began to think about whether as the emperor of the Ming Dynasty should establish a prestige for the "country" or seek the blessing of the "people".
After a period of entanglement, Zhu Zhanji had results, and he began to take the initiative to adopt strategic contraction. For example, the Annan issue mentioned at the beginning of this article is the best embodiment of Zhu Zhanji's strategic contraction.
During Zhu Zhanji's reign, he did two extremely controversial things, namely abandoning Annam and stopping Zheng He from going to the West.
First of all, the Annan issue, the Annan people continue to rebel, if the Ming Dynasty continues to attack, it is not that it cannot win the Battle of Annam, but is there any need to expend huge people's strength to conquer a nation that is not a threat to the dynasty at all? Zhu Zhanji struggled for three years.
In the third year of Xuande, Zhu Zhanji announced the boycott of Annam and crowned the leader of the Annam rebels as the king of Annam, and from then on, Annam "paid tribute endlessly."
Emperor Mingxuanzong's policy toward Annam has always been controversial. However, the author believes that as a benevolent monarch, the first thing to consider is the safety of the dynasty and the well-being of the people, rather than trying to show his muscles to the surroundings. Zhu Zhanji abandoned the conquest of Annam, no matter how serious the impact on future generations, but at least, it shows that he was a benevolent king.
Although Zhu Zhanji was shrinking his strategy, he did not forget to inherit the status of the suzerainty of neighboring countries during his ancestral and father periods, but Ming Xuanzong's methods were more moderate. He sent emissaries to the surrounding feudal states many times to publicize the national prestige of the Ming Dynasty. During his ten-year reign, more than 40 countries around him paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty, and Zhu Zhanji was particularly friendly to these vassal states.
It should be noted that these countries that were good friends with the Ming Dynasty were not forced to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty due to the power of the Ming Dynasty, they truly recognized the status of the Ming Dynasty as a suzerainty.
Therefore, historian Meng Sen believes that during the Period of Zhu Zhanji, the influence of the Ming Dynasty in neighboring countries was the peak of the 300 years before and after it. Zhu Zhanji's influence on "civil rule" in the minds of neighboring countries can almost be compared with that of Emperor Taizong of Tang and Li Shimin.
The author believes that the above evaluation is not an exaggeration, and it is not contrary to the comparison between Zhu Zhanji and Li Shimin in terms of diplomacy and national integration.
However, prolonged diplomatic influence requires strong domestic support. In the fifth year of Xuande, some Southeast Asian countries believed that the influence of the Ming Dynasty was not as great as before, and stopped paying tribute. Zhu Zhanji decided to send Zheng He to the West again, but this time Zheng He had no return and died in the middle of the road. After careful consideration, Zhu Zhanji decided to close the Jinling Shipyard and never sail to the West again.
Stopping Zheng He from going to the West was essentially the same as abandoning Annam, and Zhu Zhanji attacked Annam and finally changed his mind. Zhu Zhanji once went to the West, but finally stopped. It is not that he is unaware that if these two policies continue, there will be certain advantages, but there are also drawbacks. He carefully analyzed the pros and cons, and decided to follow the traditional Confucian thought, take "benevolence" as the basis, and be a benevolent king.
"Mencius Devoted To His Heart" said: The people are noble, the society is secondary, and the king is light.
Later generations criticized Zhu Zhanji, mostly from the perspective of "hegemony", believing that his abandonment of Annam and the cessation of going to the West made the Ming Dynasty lose its strong influence and even shook the status of the Ming Dynasty's suzerainty. However, if we analyze it from the perspective of the "King" Dao, Emperor Xuanzong of Ming, Zhu Zhanji, finally chose to put the people of Daming first, is he not a qualified king?
Hegemony and kingship are dialectical issues. The point is that if the Ming Dynasty's comprehensive national strength is strong, its wealth is everywhere, and the people are rich, it will be enough. However, at that time, the Ming Dynasty, after the Yongle Dynasty, was in ruins and could not be overbearing at all. Therefore, the author emphasizes here that Zhu Zhanji's choice is undoubtedly correct.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="14" >5, the gravedigger of the Ming Dynasty</h1>
Zhu Zhanji was an emperor with a very distinct personality, he was wise, but there were also problems. Therefore, posterity can only say that he is an excellent emperor, but cannot say that he is a perfect emperor.
Zhu Zhanji knew how to introspect himself, since the time of Zhu Di, the ministers always liked to praise the emperor, for example, when there was a good harvest in a certain place, everyone would praise the emperor's holy virtues and touch the heavens and the earth. Zhu Zhanji scoffed at this, saying, "If the heavens are indulgent, how can there be a flood and drought in the world?" "So, I need to continue to work hard."
Most of Zhu Yuanzhang's descendants have very rich artistic cells, and Zhu Zhanji is no exception, he is an emperor with considerable artistic talent, Zhu Zhanji is a leader in poetry, paintings, gold stones, calligraphy and other aspects. Therefore, the history books evaluate him:
Hanmo books, extremely exquisite, dot ink sketching, and xuanhe to win.
The "Xuanhe" here refers to Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty. Song Huizong was an emperor with explosive artistic cells, he "can do everything well except that he will not be an emperor", although comparing Zhu Zhanji with the emperor Song Huizong, he has wronged the former, but it can be seen that Zhu Zhanji is very "talented". The following figure is Zhu Zhanji's "Double Dog Diagram":
In addition, Zhu Zhanji also had an interest, that is, he liked to fight cockroaches, and posterity jokingly called him "Cricket Emperor", which is why.
Since Zhu Yuanzhang abolished the prime minister, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty has been very busy, because the emperor has to directly connect with the six ministries, and the affairs are complicated. Being busy means that there is no time to deal with "art", so Zhu Zhanji invented a special system, and what he did not expect was that this system became one of the main reasons for the demise of the Ming Dynasty. This kind of system is "vote drafting" and "approval red".
After Zhu Di ascended the throne, he invented the cabinet, and Zhu Di's first cabinet members, including 7 people, such as Xie Jin, Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, etc., were among them, but at this time, the cabinet was only the "think tank" of the emperor to discuss government affairs, equivalent to the grand secretary, and did not have high powers and positions. In order to engage in art separately so that the government and government would not be abandoned, Zhu Zhanji had to give the cabinet greater powers. However, since ancient times, imperial power and phase power have been mutually balanced, and if the cabinet power is too large, the imperial power will inevitably be threatened, so the clever Zhu Zhanji invented the "vote proposal" and "approval red".
That is, the cabinet can only give the right to make suggestions (votes) for handling government affairs, and the person who is ultimately responsible for the ruling is the emperor, specifically, the eunuch Bingbi (approval red) who is the chief of ceremonies at the emperor's side.
Because the eunuchs were the emperor's "own people", the eunuchs became a good way to check and balance the cabinet ministers. In this way, in the Ming Dynasty, a special system was formed:
The proposed vote of the Cabinet had to be decided by the approval of the internal supervisor.
In the end, the decision is in whose hands, who is the boss, and the Zaifu are full of sages, and in the end they still have to bow to the eunuchs. The power of eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty expanded, becoming a killing weapon that shook the foundation of the country.
Therefore, after the death of Emperor Xuanzong of Ming, almost every Ming emperor would have several notorious eunuchs around him. For example, Wang Zhen, who fooled Emperor Yingzong of Ming and caused the Ming Dynasty to undergo the "change of Tumu Fort", as well as Liu Jin, Wang Zhi, and Wei Zhongxian. Later generations generally believe that:
Ming died not in exile, but in eunuchs (factory guards).
Whether it was the Eastern Han Dynasty or the Tang Dynasty, when the courtiers bowed to the eunuchs, it meant that the government had been deformed and was not far from the fall of the country.
The Ming Shi Xuanzong Benji evaluates Ming Xuanzong:
Officials call their posts, the government is peaceful, the discipline is repaired, the cangyu is full of envy, and the lu yan is happy, and the years cannot be disaster. Gai Mingxing is the sixtieth year of the calendar year, the people's morale is gradually relaxed, and the steaming has the image of peace.
This means that during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Ming, the government and people, Heqing Haiyan, was the most peaceful time enjoyed by the people in the 60 years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty.
Emperor Xuanzong of Ming, Zhu Zhanji, Wen Ru Li Shimin, and Emperor Huizong of Song, who reigned for 10 years, died abruptly.
When Zhu Zhanji reused eunuchs and created a unique system, he may think that he is the most intelligent emperor under the heavens, but he did not expect that although he created the "Rule of Renxuan", he also became a gravedigger of the Ming Dynasty.