Chapter 11: Zhu Gaojie's Bravery and Doubts Author: Year of Bright Moon ?? txt ?? Traditional Chinese

  Ming Renzong Zhu Gaochi

  After going through countless hardships and difficulties, Zhu Gaochi finally ascended to the throne and established the Hongxi era.

  It turned out that this stout and obese big man was indeed a kind-hearted and generous emperor, under his fat and disabled appearance, there was a warm and not disabled heart.

  After he ascended to the throne, he immediately ordered the release of Yang Pu, who was still studying in prison, and summoned him into the cabinet. At this time, Yang Shi Qi and Yang Rong were already members of the cabinet. One of the strongest cabinets in Ming Dynasty history - the "Three Yangs" Cabinet was formed.

  But at this time a problem arose, although everyone knew that the cabinet was the most trusted institution of the emperor and had the greatest power, but since these cabinet members were only fifth-grade officials, it was indeed very difficult to make those second-grade Shangshu bow their heads.

  This problem seems easy to solve, if so, then change it, promote the cabinet scholars to the second rank, isn't that okay?

  Things are not that simple! You say change and it changes? The system left by your father, the bones have not yet cooled, and you dare to modify it? The orthodox officials have always been very reasonable on this issue.

  But it can't be left unchanged either, after all, problems need to be solved.

  Among the countless nations and ethnic groups in this world, China can definitely rank among the top few in terms of intelligence, and one of its greatest wisdoms lies in flexibility. If one method doesn't work, then try another approach, as long as the goal is achieved, that's all that matters.

  When they say this road is impassable, I just take a detour, which is exactly the embodiment of this wisdom.

  Zhu Gaizhi did not change his father's university scholar ranking system but set up a part-time system.

  He appointed Yang Rong as the Minister of the Imperial Clan Office, Yang Shi Qi as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and Jin You Zi as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, while also serving as a Grand Scholar of the Inner Cabinet. In this way, an original minor official of the fifth rank suddenly became a high-ranking official of the third rank, making it easier to handle affairs.

  The goal was achieved and the father's system was not violated. From then on, this part-time system continued for more than 200 years and became one of the fixed systems of the cabinet.

  Such things are numerous in later history, and every time I see this, I am amazed by the wisdom of the Chinese people.

  After ascending to the throne, Zhu Gaozhi did not forget those friends who had gone through thick and thin with him. In the first year of Hongxi (1425), he repaid his friends with his actions.

  In the eyes of ordinary people, the emperor's reward to his ministers is nothing more than giving them some gifts and praising them a few words. However, Zhu Gaoji's way of rewarding was truly surprising, and it is also extremely rare among emperors throughout history.

  In April of the same year, Zhu Gaojie dismissed the court and left Yang Shi and Man Yi behind to talk to them.

  In that thrilling struggle at the time, countless people betrayed him and left him. Only these two people followed him faithfully in his extremely difficult situation. Yang Shiqi goes without saying, and Jian Yi, although low-key, has also been by his side all along.

  Time flies, and the waves wash away the sand. These two people who have gone through trials are not only his subordinates but also his friends.

  Zhu Gaoji gazed at his two friends, speaking with deep feeling: "I've been regent for twenty years, and there have always been petty people trying to harm me. No matter how difficult the situation or how treacherous the circumstances, we three people shared the burden together. In the end, thanks to my father's benevolence, I was able to achieve what I have today!"

  Looking back on those difficult years, Zhu Gaofei was deeply moved and even shed tears as he spoke.

  Yang Shi-qi and Jian Yi also wept uncontrollably, saying: "The wisdom of the previous emperor was also moved by Your Majesty's sincere filial piety and benevolence."

  The three friends who had experienced hardships and bitterness cried together.

  In my opinion, this sincere expression is far more capable of conveying Zhu Gaojie's gratitude than those gold, silver and jewels.

  Zhu Gaochi did not disappoint Yang Shiqi's expectations, he was indeed a good emperor.

  Although he was a short-lived emperor, the throne had not yet warmed up, and he went to report to his father, but during his brief one-year reign, he... (omitted several words), maintained the prosperity of the Great Ming Empire.

  Why bother, because the contents of these praises for the emperor are all the same, such as restoring production, being diligent in government affairs and so on. I really don't want to write these clichés, and I'm sure everyone doesn't like reading them either. If you want to delve deeper, you can refer to relevant textbooks.

  In my opinion, these are all the emperor's duties, and what truly reflects Zhu Gaochi's benevolence and leaves him an immortal reputation is this:

  We have said that Zhu Di died in July of the 22nd year of Yongle (1424). According to regulations, unless there are special circumstances, the crown prince can ascend to the throne immediately after his father's death. However, he absolutely cannot change the current year to the first year of his own reign immediately; he must wait until the following year, when his old man's body has cooled down, before establishing his own era name.

  For example, Zhu Di died in July 1424, the twenty-second year of Yongle, and Zhu Gaochi immediately ascended to the throne with his own era name Hongxi. From July to December, it was actually already his reign, but this period can only be counted within the twenty-second year of Yongle, and it can only be called the first year of Hongxi in the following year (1425).

  During this period, it was the adaptation period for the crown princes. In simple terms, they had to walk out of their fathers' shadows. Generally, during this period, the new emperors did not dare to be too reckless and followed the various commands and policies left by their fathers to the letter. Even if they wanted to take charge and make drastic changes, they usually would not choose this time to do so.

  But it was this loyal and honest Zhu Gaizhi who, before he had even stood firm on his feet, dared to change the orders of his father during that period.

  This was seen as a great irreverence by many ministers at that time.

  But in my opinion, Zhu Gaojie's move is really good, it's a great job!

  One day in November, Zhu Di suddenly issued an edict, all the family members of the ministers who were punished and enslaved during the Jianwen Emperor's reign for their involvement in the Jingnan campaign were pardoned as ordinary people, and land was allocated to them, allowing them to live and work in peace.

  At the time of the Jingnan coup, Zhu Di killed countless people and punished countless slaves. Qi Tai, Huang Zicheng, Fang Xiaoru and others were also defined as treacherous officials. This matter is already a done deal, and there is no reason to change it.

  However, at this time, his son Zhu Gaizhi suddenly issued such an edict, leaving many ministers caught off guard. But what was even more surprising to them was yet to come.

  Zhu Gaojie then asked his ministers: "Do Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng have any descendants?"

  The minister reacted after half a day and replied: "Qi Tai had a son who was only six years old at the time, so he was spared from death and exiled to the border. Huang Zicheng had no descendants (it was later learned that Huang Zicheng had a son who changed his surname and escaped, and was later pardoned)."

  Zhu Gaoji pondered for a long time before saying: "Pardon Qi Tai's son and bring him back."

  He then asked: "Does Fang Xiaoru have any descendants?"

  The ministers were stunned.

  Fang Xiaoru? Are you referring to the Fang Xiaoru who annihilated ten tribes?

  All ten tribes have been destroyed, where are you going to find their descendants? You can't be joking about dead people!

  The emperor has already given the order, go and investigate quickly.

  This search also turned up something, although there were no descendants, but indeed a relative was found.

  Fang Xiaoru's father Fang Kekuan had a younger brother named Fang Kejia, who had a son named Fang Xiaofu (Fang Xiaoru's cousin). At that time, he was also punished and sent to the border as a soldier, but now he finally returned home.

  What is even more astonishing than these generous acts is a sentence spoken by Zhu Gaizhi.

  Zhu Di said in front of all the civil and military officials: "Many ministers during the Jianwen period were killed, but people like Fang Xiaoru are loyal ministers!"

  The ministers below were again stunned and speechless.

  Loyal minister? Didn't your father say they were traitors? Now you're saying otherwise? So does that mean your father killed the wrong people?

  Amidst all this controversy, Zhu Gaojie completed his feat.

  At a time when he was still standing unsteadily, Zhu Gaojie dared to rely on his own sense of justice and conscience to correct the mistakes of his father, fearing neither public opinion nor opposition. This is undoubtedly a heroic feat.

  True kindness also requires courage.

  Zhu Gaogui is a brave man.

  Although Zhu Youjian had a short reign, only serving as emperor for one year and ranking second to last among all the emperors of the Ming dynasty, this single act alone is enough to justify the "Ren" character in his posthumous name and live up to his reputation as a wise ruler.

  If Ming Renzong were allowed to continue, the Great Ming Empire would surely prosper and flourish. However, as the old saying goes, "good people don't live long," in May of the Hongxi era (1425), after only ten months as emperor, Zhu Gaochi fell ill and soon passed away.

  This kind-hearted emperor thus ended his life, but his righteous deeds will be remembered forever.

  At least those who were pardoned will remember.

  The Suspicion of Murder

  The emperor's position is vacant again, but this position will not be vacant for too long, as many people are already lining up.

  Zhu Gaochi was seriously ill, and the intelligent and brave Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji was naturally very concerned. However, apart from this, there was another pair of eyes fixed on the throne, which was none other than our old friend Zhu Gaosui.

  Although Zhu Gaoyi repeatedly lost battles, he repeatedly fought with the unyielding determination and willpower of imperialism's intention to destroy us. For decades, he persisted in plotting and sabotaging. Zhu Gaoxu was very lenient and did not punish him for this, only warning him. However, this rascal became even more arrogant and now that Zhu Gaoxu is seriously ill, he has begun another plot to seize power.

  Drawing lessons from the previous time, Zhu Gaohui strengthened his intelligence work and arranged many eyes to stare at Zhu Gaoyu all the time, not to ensure his safety, but to determine when he would die.

  His plan was to take into account the three major camps in the capital, and it would be easy for him to collect his own shrimp soldiers and crab generals. Launching an attack without a guarantee is almost suicidal, so he decided to use Zhu Gaizhi's son Zhu Zhanji as a scapegoat.

  He prepared to wait for Zhu Gaocuo's death news, and then immediately ambush soldiers on the road. When Zhu Zhanji rushed to mourn, he would strike him down at once, and then take advantage of the chaos to ascend to the throne.

  Zhu Gaoyi was very confident in his plan, where did this confidence come from? It came from the timing of the crime.

  As mentioned earlier, his fief was in Luan, Shandong, while the Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji was in Nanjing (according to convention, the Crown Prince guarded Nanjing), and as soon as news of his death spread, the Crown Prince would inevitably set out from Nanjing, which would take a long time. Meanwhile, he could calmly arrange for soldiers to wait for the Crown Prince's arrival.

  Le An is close to the capital, Nanjing is far from the capital. As soon as Zhu Gaizhi died, I, Zhu Gaoxu, was the first to receive the news. By the time you hear the wind and rush to the capital, my soldiers will already be waiting for you on the road!

  I have ample time to plan this case, Zhu Zhanji, you'd better resign yourself to your fate!

  Zhu Gaoxu's idea was not bad, but unfortunately, he encountered a very strange thing, which not only made his plan fall through, but also left a mystery in history.

  In the fifth month of the Hongxi year (1425), Zhu Gaochi died, and upon receiving the news, Zhu Gaoxu was overjoyed. He estimated that it would take some time for Zhu Zhanji to arrive, so he calmly arranged his soldiers in preparation for an ambush.

  Something beyond everyone's expectation happened. He made preparations, but no matter how long he waited, Zhu Zhanji just wouldn't come. Before Zhu Gaoxu could even recite the poem "Will you or won't you come tonight?", he received some unfortunate news - Zhu Zhanji had already arrived in the capital and ascended to the throne as Emperor.

  How strange! How truly strange!

  Could Zhu Zhanji fly or did he have a premonition of the future?

  This is not only Zhu Gaoyi's question, but also a question for later generations.

  There are many different records in the historical materials about this point. Some say that Zhu Gaoxu's attack on the Crown Prince was just a rumor, and in fact, the Crown Prince received the mourning report and rushed to the capital calmly. Others say that Zhu Gaoxu was not prepared and sent troops out to ambush after the Crown Prince had passed by.

  There is another saying that is even more frightening:

  Zhu Zhanji learned of his father's death before Zhu Gaosui did.

  The distance is an objective fact, as long as the messenger is not camping on the road and sleeping for a few days and nights, Zhu Gaoyi from Lu'an will definitely know the news earlier than Zhu Zhanji from Nanjing. At that time, there were no telephones or telegraphs, nor airplanes, even if you rack your brains, you can't find any reason or method why Zhu Zhanji knew about the death before Zhu Gaoyi.

  Actually, there is a way, and it's the only possibility.

  If this statement is true, we can only draw one conclusion:

  Zhu Zhanji could not predict the future, but he created it.

  He murdered his own father.

  If you are dissatisfied with this inference, please do not throw bricks at me, because this inference is not my original creation. In fact, the cause of Zhu Gaochi's death has always been a historical mystery, and so far there have been several theories. One theory holds that Zhu Gaochi indulged in lust, coupled with physical illness, eventually died of illness. Another theory holds that his son Zhu Zhanji and others could not wait for their father to pass on the throne, and murdered him, because some signs before and after Zhu Gaochi's death (such as the preparations for the ascension ceremony) suggest that Zhu Zhanji may have been preparing to ascend to the throne.

  Let's not talk about the first one, but rather the second. In fact, Zhu Gaoxu is very likely to set up an ambush on the road, because from his behavior of rebelling against Zhu Zhanji who had already ascended to the throne in a situation with many disadvantages, it can be seen that he has a strong determination to commit treason. Such a good opportunity, he should not miss it.

  So why didn't he meet Zhu Zhanji? There are several reasons for this. It is possible that Zhu Zhanji avoided the main road, or it is also possible that Zhu Zhanji heard about his father's serious illness and set off ahead of time. It is even more likely that Zhu Gaoxu was well-prepared and missed the opportunity.

  For this question, I can't give any answer or even inference, it may be destined to be another eternal mystery.

  The charm of history may lie in that it always has countless mysteries for people to explore, but can never find the answer.

  Whether he died of debauchery or was murdered, in any case it wasn't a natural death (very few emperors had the privilege of meeting this end).

  We can ultimately come to only one certain conclusion:

  Zhu Gaocuo died, and Zhu Zhanji succeeded him.

  That's all.

  Of course, we should not forget the poor conspirator Zhu Gaoyu. This comrade has been plotting for decades but achieved nothing. He saw his cooked duck fly away several times, from his father to his brother and then to his brother's son, but he never got a share of it himself. To be honest, it is pathetic that he ended up in such a state after all the plotting.

  If one were to evaluate the most successful conspirators, Yao Guangxiao would definitely rank among the top three, while Zhu Gaocuo would inevitably fall through the cracks.

  But if we were to evaluate the most pathetic and laughable conspirator, Zhu Gaoyu would undoubtedly be among the top contenders.

  What a pity, the sorrowful conspirator Zhu Gaoyu has waited for decades in vain. His patience has been worn out, and he has made up his mind:

  Make up your mind, overcome all difficulties and definitely make a gun!

  Zhu Zhanji