Author: Shi Yuchun
Emperor Mingguangzong Zhu Changluo was born to the female princess Wang Shi (formerly a palace maid of the Cining Palace, serving the ming emperor Zhu Yijun's biological mother, Empress Dowager Cisheng), and was not welcomed by his father, Zhu Yijun.
It was not until the age of 20 that Zhu Changluo was made crown prince.
As we all know, the "dispute over the foundation of the country" that lasted for more than ten years in the Ming Dynasty was because of whether to appoint zhu Changluo, the eldest son of the emperor, as the crown prince.
Even after being made crown prince, there were rumors from time to time that Zhu Changluo, the crown prince, might be replaced.
Therefore, even if you are the crown prince, Zhu Changluo did not have a smooth heart.
Zhu Changluo was physically weak, and after he ascended the throne at the age of 39, he personally handled many government affairs every day, resulting in mental exhaustion.
Emperor Mingshenzong's concubine Emperor Zheng wanted to marry Zhu Changluo, and repeatedly presented beautiful women with gorgeous decorations to the new emperor.
One day, after retiring from the dynasty, at a court banquet, Emperor Zheng's concubines served Zhu Changluo with a female music performance.
That night, one of Zhu Changluo's royal daughters was a raw horn and two Dan horns, and as a result, his condition suddenly worsened.
On the twenty-ninth day of the eighth lunar month of the first year of Taichang (1620 AD, the 48th year of the Wanli calendar), Zhu Changluo's illness became more serious, and he summoned the first assistant Fang Congzhe and the cabinet ministers, looking at the crown prince and saying:
"Qing and others assisted him to become the prince of Yao Shun."
Speaking of the mausoleum, Zhu Changluo twice stated the word "important" twice.
At that time, there was a Hongxu Temple, named Li Kezhuo, who said that he had the elixir and reported the relevant situation to the emperor through eunuchs.
Zhu Changluo asked the first assistant Fang Congzhe about the elixir.
Fang Congzhe replied that it was:
"The ministers and others also know about this, but they don't dare to believe it easily."
Zhu Changluo then ordered the eunuch to summon Li Kezhao to see him.
Cabinet ministers withdrew.
After Li Kezhuo arrived, the cabinet ministers entered with Li Kezhao again.
Li Kezhuo examined and consulted Zhu Changluo, and described in detail the causes of the emperor's illness and the method of treatment.
Li Kezhuo's words about the condition were very much in line with Zhu Changluo's heart.
Zhu Changluo was very happy, so he asked Li Kezhao to present the medicine.
The Cabinet ministers withdrew again.
Li Kezhuo discussed and considered the matter of giving medicine to the emperor with the imperial doctors, but did not reach a unified opinion and could not decide how to deal with it.
After a while, Zhu Changluo's nursing mother came to greet the emperor.
At this time, Zhu Changluo urged the healing ministers who were preparing the medicine to enter again, and Li Kezhao's medicinal pills were presented.
Previously, as soon as Zhu Changluo drank the soup, he would immediately breathe.
After taking Li Kezhuo's pills, Zhu Changluo's symptoms of drinking soup and wheezing were stopped.
For this reason, Zhu Changluo was overjoyed and repeatedly praised Li Kezhuo as a "loyal subject".
The courtiers withdrew from outside the palace gate and waited for a moment, and the eunuch said:
"After taking the medicine, I felt warm and comfortable and began to want to eat."
The cabinet ministers listened and retreated in joy.
Li Kezhuo stayed with the imperial doctors for a while, and he also withdrew.
After Li Kezhao withdrew, the cabinet ministers invited him to come over and inquire about the emperor's situation.
Zhu Changluo was worried that the medicinal power was fading, and wanted to take another pill that Li Ke had presented.
The imperial doctors said that it was not appropriate to use medicine quickly.
Zhu Changluo could not listen to the advice of the imperial doctor, and the summons was even more urgent.
Subsequently, Zhu Changluo took a pill that Li Ke had presented.
After taking the medicine, the cabinet ministers immediately asked how the situation was after the emperor took the medicine.
Li Kezhuo said:
"As with the previous medication, the holy bow is comfortable and comfortable."
The next day, at 3:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m.), the palace was very urgent, and the cabinet ministers rushed in, and as a result, the emperor was already on the throne.
This day is the first day of the ninth month of the lunar calendar (because August is a small month, there are no 30 days).
At that time, the foreign court spread that it was said that the palace seduced the emperor and presented beautiful women, resulting in Zhu Changluo's serious physical weakness, and in this regard, the eunuch Cui Wensheng, who was in charge of the affairs of the imperial infirmary, used a potion contrary to the emperor's condition, resulting in the emperor's death.
In this regard, Yang Lian had already argued that Cui Wensheng and his men had conspired to rebel, and at this time, because of taking the pills that Li Kezhuo had entered, the country suffered such a huge change.
Gradually, it was impossible to explain.
Earlier, Zhu Changluo had just finished taking the pills, and he had also passed on the message to reward Li Ke with silver coins.
After Zhu Changluobintian, Fang Congzhe still respected the former will, voted for a ruling, and rewarded Li Kezhuo as before.
For this reason, The Imperial Prince An Shun was the first to be impeached, and generally said as follows:
"Shengfu was seriously ill, and it was precisely when the imperial court was in danger and doubt; Li Kezhuo dared to present it with pills that had no prescription and did not know how to make it, and it was rumored that it was Jin Dan; the emperor took medicine at night and was in the morning; when such a big thing happened, even if it was not possible to publicly expose and denounce the provisions of the law in a harsh and severe manner, it should be punished according to quacks."
After Wang Anshun submitted the petition, the cabinet revised the draft and gave Li Kezhao a one-year penalty.
Subsequently, Li Kezhuo was convicted of the crime, and the cabinet voted to let Li Kezhao return to his hometown quickly on a stagecoach.
Emperor Zhengzong of Yushi begged for mercy and smashed the corpse of the eunuch Cui Wensheng into ten thousand pieces to apologize to emperor Liezong of the Ming Dynasty.
In this regard, Fang Congzhe drafted a vote, and the eunuch Cui Wensheng was handed over to the Si Li Supervisor Office.
All of the above made the hearts of the people even more indignant, and so the people who discussed the matter rose up like swarms of bees.
alack!
Li Kezhuo and Cui Wensheng, the guilt is really difficult to escape, but the first assistant Fang Congzhe is so protective of them!
Since this was the case, then, when Li Kezhuo presented the red pill to Emperor Zhu Changluo, Fang Congzhe could not avoid being suspected of being a co-conspirator with those people.
This is also one of the three major cases of the Ming Palace (梃, Red Pill, and Moving Palace).
Speaking of which, you can look at a similar event in the Ming Dynasty in previous years as a comparison.
On the same day, Ming Xiaozong fell ill, the tai doctor took medicine, and after Zhu Youfan took it, suddenly, the nosebleeds flowed non-stop.
The reason for this situation is probably because the doctor misused the warm medicine.
Because of this incident, the eunuch Zhang Yu of the Imperial Pharmacy Bureau, the medical officer Shi Qin, Liu Wentai, and four others were all sent to prison.
According to the positive law:
"Misuse of royal medicine, great disrespect, when chopped."
At that time, the Punishment Department Shangshu Min Jue, the Zuo Du Yushi Zhang Shihua, and the Gongbu Shangshu in charge of the Dali Temple Yang Shou accompanied the matter, and they only invoked the law of befriending the officials who were close to the attendants, and discussed the hanging of Zhang Yu and others (however, in the end, it was not executed, but was spared death).
Even so, the commentators regret that this disposition was not fully handled in accordance with the law.
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Key References:
1． Ming Wenbing,"The Beginning of the First Dialing"
(End of this article)