If the emperor is also treated as an ordinary person, then I think that Zhu Youfan may be the best emperor in history. First of all, as a man, he was a single-minded man, and he only took one wife in his life, that is, his queen Empress Zhang. No other emperor in Chinese history could do that. At the same time, he was also an emperor with a tolerant heart and a grateful heart.
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His biological mother was killed by his father's favorite concubine, Wan Guifei, and he himself was almost killed by Wan Guifei, but after he ascended the throne, he did not pursue Wan Guifei's family (wan Guifei was dead at that time), but only dismissed them. Moreover, as an emperor, he can really be called a good emperor, during his reign, he reversed the decline of the Ming Dynasty since Emperor Yingzong, the national fortunes flourished, and the four fields were peaceful, so that the ming dynasty's national power reached a peak period again. History is called "Hongzhi ZTE". It can be said that this is an emperor who hardly has any shortcomings, so I say that he is the most perfect emperor in Chinese history.
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From 1488 to 1505, the era name was Hongzhi. The reigning emperor was Emperor Xiaozong, courtesy name Zhu Youfan, the third son of Emperor Xianzong. He ascended the throne at the age of 18 and died at the age of 36, reigning for 18 years. The Hongzhi dynasty had neither the authority of vassals, eunuchs, or harems, nor did it maladministration. Therefore, the Hongzhi Dynasty is known as the most politically wise period in the history of the Ming Dynasty, and Emperor Xiaozong is also portrayed in the history books as a sage. The late Ming scholar Zhu Guozhen said: "Three generations or less, called the wise lord, Emperor Wen of Han, Emperor Renzong of Song, and Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty." "It is believed that Emperor Xiaozong was a sage lord who was compared with Emperor Wen of Han and Emperor Renzong of Song after the three dynasties of Xia and Shang, and he was highly evaluated.
The "History of Ming" also has a high evaluation of Xiaozong, mainly with eight characters, that is, "courtesy and frugality, diligence and love for the people". His diligence, tolerance, respect for Confucian subjects, and compassion for the people's livelihood have won him the praise of Confucian scholars and doctors, and he is regarded as the most confucian model monarch in the history of the Ming Dynasty. He accepted the advice of the Confucian scholars and did as much as he could according to their demands, so he was also compared to King Cheng of Zhou, meaning that he could listen to the counsel of the Duke of Zhou (the Confucian scholar compares himself to the Duke of Zhou). From the perspective of personal cultivation, Xiaozong was not like his father, blindly obsessed with the art of the room, but had a deep achievement in poetry, piano, and painting. In terms of governing the country, Emperor Xiaozong's appointment of ministers, the cultivation of the Ming system, and sympathy for the people's feelings actually created a prosperous era in the history of the Ming Dynasty, and the humanities of the prosperous world are also very impressive.
Emperor Xiaozong's personal cultivation was first of all due to his early legal acquisition of the status of crown prince. At the age of 6, he was made crown prince by his father, Emperor Xianzong. When he was 9 years old, he went out to give lectures. The Crown Prince's lecture in the cabinet is the beginning of formal education. Officials with educational responsibilities are generally people who are deeply educated. For example, among the lecturers who served as Zhu Youfan were Peng Hua, Liu Jian, Cheng Minzheng, and others. Peng Hua is a Jiangxi Anfu person, dependent on Wan'an, and his character is not very good, but after all, he is the leader of Jingtai for five years; Liu Jian was a native of Luoyang, Henan, who studied with Yan Yuxi and Bai Liangfu, disciples of the early Ming dynasty master xue xuan, and was said to have "passed on xue xuan in hedong"; Cheng Minzheng was a native of Xiuning County, the capital of Huizhou in southern Zhili, and was called a child prodigy at the age of 10, and was recommended to study in the Hanlin Academy.
It is said that among the people who tutored the Prince of Donggong at that time, the most knowledgeable one was Cheng Minzheng. By mentioning these three people alone, we can know that Xianzong paid great attention to the education of the crown prince. Once the Crown Prince is out of the cabinet to give a lecture, he must hold a lecture every day except for the wind, rain, snow, and heat and cold. The lectures were devoted to the four books (namely the Analects, the University, the Zhongyong, and Mencius), as well as the Scriptures and History. The general form is to read first in the morning and speak later in the afternoon. The place of the lecture was in the Mandarin Apse. In addition to reading, the emperor also had to practice writing, tutored by special attendants, writing 100 words a day in the spring, summer and autumn, and 50 words a day in winter. Therefore, in a sense, it is to gather the talents of the world to educate the crown prince. Therefore, Emperor Xiaozong went from the age of 9 to the age of 18, and received a very formal 9-year education.
In ancient China, there was a saying of "three immortals", which referred to morality, meritorious service, and speech. Emperor Xiaozong has a collection of poems, and he can really combine the reputation of the three immortals. Only because the poem also mentions "Zhou Family Eight Hundred Yanguang Zuo", referring to the 800-year rule of the Zhou Dynasty, So Qian Qianyi also thought of another ratio. He thought that Emperor Xiaozong could not only be compared to Emperor Wen of Han and Emperor Renzong of Song, but also king of Zhou Cheng——— "Emperor Xiaozong, the king of Zhou Cheng and the king of Han Xiaowen of this dynasty"!
In addition to his interest in poetry, Hyojong also loved painting and playing the piano. Jiang Shaoshu of the Qing Dynasty mentioned that Xiaozong loved painting and piano. In the eyes of the scholars, the emperor liked music, and I was afraid that in the future he would slide into the abyss of covetous enjoyment. Therefore, some officials who were specially responsible for picketing the government and politics went up one after another, persuading Emperor Xiaozong not to delay vocal music, but to focus more on cultivating his body and mind. Emperor Xiaozong always accepted it on the surface, but in private he said to the eunuchs next to him: "What is the harm of playing the piano?" Lau said this. "This means that what is the conflict between playing the piano and government affairs, and I want you to talk more." Although he himself did not take the advice of the officials for granted, he did not think it was wrong, which showed his tolerant side.