Those things in the Ming Dynasty (full) Those Things in the Ming Dynasty Part 2 All Kingdoms Come to the Dynasty _ Chapter 1 The Troubles of the Emperor
Those Things in the Ming Dynasty Part 2 All Kingdoms Come to the Dynasty _ Chapter 1 The Troubles of the Emperor
A new day begins again. Zhu Di is sitting on the emperor's throne, looking down at everything in the empire. The previous life-and-death struggle seems to be still vivid in his mind, but it is no longer important. Because for the loser in that struggle, Zhu Yunwen came.
It is said that the end of his political status means that his life is over, whether he is alive or dead. But for Zhu Di, the sun is bright today, and he got everything he wanted, and he will be in it for a long time to come.
Within a short period of time, he will use the power in his hands to realize his dream, a dream of enriching the country and strengthening the army.
This dream is not only his, but also his father's.
prove
Of course, before that, he must do several things. If these things are not completed, his position will not be stable.
The most important thing is that he has to prove that he is the legitimate emperor.
Although the country is already in his hands, the power of public opinion cannot be ignored. He has been branded as a rebel anyway. There is nothing he can do, but he at least wants his descendants to be emperors upright. In order to achieve this goal, he
Two methods were used:
First, he issued an order, ordering that all the rules and regulations implemented during the Jianwen Emperor's era that were different from Zhu Yuanzhang's rules should be abolished and the ancestors' rules should prevail. This was not because Zhu Yuanzhang's rules were easy to use.
.It’s just that if Zhu Di wants to gain recognition from everyone, he must borrow the reputation of his dead father to show that he is the one who truly understands Taizu’s spirit of governing the country.
Secondly, he ordered his subordinates to revise the "Records of Taizu". This book had been revised once by Emperor Jianwen, but it was obvious that the first edition did not meet Zhu Di's requirements. He needed a more prominent background because it was similar to
Zhu Yuanzhang started from scratch and conquered the world. He said "I am a commoner in Huaiyou" and pretended that he was not afraid of heaven and earth. It no longer worked. No one in this world wanted to be a beggar, so his biological mother
After being forgotten by him, Empress Ma became his aunt-in-law. We will discuss this issue in detail later.
In addition, he also instructed his subordinates to add a lot of novelistic descriptions to the records. For example, Zhu Yuanzhang repeatedly reprimanded Zhu Biao and Zhu Yunqi during his lifetime, always looking like he hated iron but could not make steel, but he always praised Zhu Di.
When he saw Zhu Di, he was all smiles and very happy. Even before his death, he repeatedly asked about Zhu Di's whereabouts and intended to pass the throne to Zhu Di. However, due to the conspiracy of the treacherous Zhu Yunwen and others, the legal heir Zhu Di did not accept the throne.
After receiving this instruction from Zhu Yuanzhang, the throne that should have belonged to Zhu Di was shamelessly deprived of him. Reading these contents makes people hate Zhu Yunwen and other evil villains extremely, but also hope that Zhu Di can finally seize the throne that belongs to him.
The emperor was pleased and lamented that justice had finally won and good people would be rewarded.
When Zhu Di finally completed these two tasks, he was really relieved. The remarks that were not beneficial to him were finally deleted. Countless years later, this peace war will be widely circulated in the name of justice. But as this
As one of the witnesses of this period of history, Zhu Di knew very well that the truth of history was originally written in those tampered places. He dragged his father out of the grave and dressed up again to prove that he deserved it.
History has proven that Zhu Di failed. He failed to deceive himself, and he also failed to deceive subsequent generations, because the real historical pen is not the writing brush of the historian, but the human heart.
hero
Whether it’s self-deception or self-comfort, after all, the throne is the most realistic. After dealing with the legality of the succession, the next step is to reward the meritorious officials. This is an extremely important step. Although the emperor has always been the last to see it.
They are the heroes who have accomplished a great cause, but after all, these people invested a lot of capital in the emperor's great cause and held shares. It will not end well if they are kicked aside when the time comes to pay dividends. After all, no board of directors will
Maybe the chairman alone has the final say.
Here we also introduce the reward system of the Ming Dynasty. We often see scenes of the emperor rewarding ministers on TV. It is often "a reward of one thousand taels of silver". Then a eunuch walks up to the minister with a plate full of silver taels. The minister
After thanking you, you take the money and go home. The general process is the same, but many times, the directors of TV series may not have considered how much a thousand taels of silver actually weighs. In their plots, it seems that these ministers should have practiced iron sand in martial arts schools.
Palm, because no matter how you convert it, one thousand taels of silver cannot be easily held with two hands. I also make suggestions here. When dealing with this type of plot in the future, you can change your lines, such as "So-and-so, I will reward you with one silver tael."
I'll give you a thousand taels and use a carriage to pull it!"
The above-mentioned silver reward is just a trivial matter in the award. Our ancestors have long understood the principle of long-lasting water. Windfalls come and go quickly. What is really reliable is the long-term meal ticket. In the Ming Dynasty, this long-term meal ticket was the seal.
Lord.
In those days, if your surname was not Zhu, it was very difficult to get a long-term meal ticket. The canteen opened by the old Zhu family had a quota. Unless you had made great achievements, it was absolutely impossible to eat in this canteen.
Specifically speaking, there are three levels of the meal ticket for the title of nobility, namely duke (small stove), marquis (middle stove), earl (big stove). In addition, there is also the difference between liu and shi. The so-called liu means this meal ticket.
It can only be used by yourself, but your son cannot use it. He will not be rich for more than three generations, and he deserves to starve to death. But the world is different. After you die, your son and your son's son can still come to the cafeteria to eat.
Anyone who gets this meal ticket will be issued an iron ticket (certificate) by the emperor to commend the person's heroic behavior. This iron ticket is not simple, and is divided into two versions: ordinary and special. The special versions are issued in
Zhu Yuanzhang's era and Zhu Di's era, because in these two eras, if you want to get iron coupons, you have to fight for your life.
The iron coupons from Zhu Yuanzhang's era were written with the four characters "Founding the Nation and Assisting the Movement", which represents your identity as a founding hero. The iron coupons from Zhu Di's era were written with the four characters "Fengtian Jingnan", which means that you are helping me, Zhu Di, to usurp power with the will of heaven. These two
The edition is extremely rare and has never been reprinted in the more than 200 years of Ming Dynasty history. Since then, all iron coupons have been unified as civil servants' iron coupons with the inscription "Shou Zheng Wen Chen", and military generals' iron coupons with the inscription "Xuanli Meritorious Official"
.
Of course, if you are lucky enough to get the first two iron coupons, it is not necessarily a good thing. Especially the first version of the "Foundation Assistance Movement", because according to statistics from relevant departments, more than 80% of people who get this iron coupon will receive an additional one from Comrade Zhu Yuanzhang.
Comes with a sightseeing tour ticket to the Underworld.
In addition, there are special instructions: One-way tickets are suitable for the whole family and can be used multiple times with no limit on the number of people.
Zhu Di enfeoffed the heroes who followed him in Jingnan, such as Zhang Yu (whose title was inherited by his son Zhang Fu), Zhu Neng, etc., and they were all made hereditary princes. At this time, all the generals were very happy, and the harvest season had arrived.
.
But surprisingly, there was one person who was not interested in the rewards at all. In his opinion, these rewards that everyone envied seemed worthless.
This person is Daoyan.
Although he has never fought in a battle, there is no doubt that he is the first contributor to Zhu Di's success. From planning the rebellion to making suggestions, he is one of the most important people responsible. It can be said that it is precisely
He helped Zhu Di ascend the throne. But after he worked hard to accomplish this most important thing in the world, he declined all rewards. In the second year of Yongle (1404), Zhu Di appointed Dao Yan as his senior official.
He was a good doctor and a young master of the prince (second grade), and officially restored his original name - Yao Guangxiao.
After that, Yao Guangxiao's behavior began to become weird. Zhu Di asked him to grow his hair and return to secular life, but he refused. He was given a house and two women as wives, but he didn't want it. The best counselor in the world lived in the monk temple every day.
During the day, they put on uniforms (official uniforms) to go to court, and at night they put on casual clothes (monk uniforms) when they returned to the temple.
Not only did he not want an official position, he also didn't want money. When he went home to visit relatives, he gave all the gold and silver treasures that Zhu Di had given him to his own people. We can't help but ask, why did he do this?
In my opinion, there are two reasons why Yao Guangxiao did this. First, he is a smart man. If a resourceful man like him is too presumptuous, Zhu Di will not tolerate him. The saying "great achievements shake the master" has always been
He kept it firmly in his mind.
Secondly, he is different from others in that the purpose of his rebellion is to rebel.
I believe many people have been asked, why do you want to study? Generally speaking, the answer to this question is to build the motherland and win glory for the country. In people's minds, the real purpose of studying is mostly to get promoted, make a fortune, and so on.
Satisfy your various desires. But the facts tell us that doing something for fame and fortune may lead to motivation and success, but to achieve a big career, what is needed is another kind of determination and answer - reading for the sake of reading.
Zhu Di rebelled for the throne, and his generals rebelled for the identity and honorary status of the founding hero. Daoyan rebelled just for the sake of rebellion. His vision has never been constrained by money, power, and he has a higher goal. Daoyan rebelled.
Yan is a bullet, forty years of ups and downs is the gunpowder, his tactics are the warheads, and Zhu Di is just a lead to him. It doesn't really matter who the bullet is shot at. Being able to be fired is all he has.
desire.
Yao Guangxiao, a person who was called the "Prime Minister in Black" by later generations, a controversial person, a person who was deeply involved in simplicity and shrouded in mystery, his wish was actually very simple:
It is enough to show your ambition and live up to what you have learned in your life.
brother
During the period of Emperor Jianwen, Zhu Di was the vassal king. Emperor Jianwen wanted to reduce the vassal state. Zhu Di opposed the reduction of the vassal state and finally rebelled. Now that Zhu Di is the emperor, he also wants to reduce the vassal state. Naturally, the surviving vassal kings will also oppose it, but it is different from before.
What's wrong is that they are no longer able to rebel.
After the struggle against the reduction of the vassal state was finally won, Zhu Di, who was on the same front as his brothers, suddenly drew his sword and pointed it at these comrades not long ago. This was a matter of course, as brotherhood was originally
It’s nothing. Since ancient times, it’s common for fathers, sons, and brothers to kill each other. And we can’t seem to find the reason just from the cruelty of human nature. They did this behavior just because they were irresistibly tempted, and this temptation is supreme.
that power.
With power, you can get rid of all the people you don't like, you can get everything you want, you can command the world, and you can do whatever you want! Since ancient times, countless moral gentlemen and gentlemen have bowed at the feet of power, and no one can resist it.
Temptation, what do brothers mean?
The first person to be "placed" was Prince Ning, who was forced to follow Zhu Di in "Jingnan". In exchange for his full support, Zhu Di also gave him a blank check as usual, "if everything is done, he will share the world." Of course.
, Zhu Di, a banker who never cashed checks, was no exception this time. After the success of Jingnan, he put these words behind him.
Ning Wang Zhu Quan is also a sensible person. He knows that the so-called promise of dividing the world is purely fictitious and has no similarity. It is very possible to divide his head. So he very pragmatically proposed to Zhu Di that I don't want to go to the north.
I don't want to take over military power either. I hope you can seal me off to Suzhou and live a comfortable life for two days.
Zhu Di's answer was no.
"Then let's go to the Qiantang area, it's not bad there either."
Still not working, Zhu Di promised him again: Except for these two places, you can choose anywhere in the country!
Ning Wang Zhu Quan smiled bitterly and said: "Do you dare to choose again? It's up to you."
As a result, Zhu Quan was sent to Nanchang, a place carefully chosen by Zhu Di for him. Zhu Quan, who was forcibly sent to Nanchang, was not happy. He was always very competitive and was beaten hard.
However, he would never be convinced. This emotion was like a poisonous bud that kept growing in his heart and was passed on to his descendants.
The opportunity for revenge will eventually come.
In May of the fourth year of Yongle (1406), the title and official affiliations of King Qi were removed, and in August, he was deposed as a commoner.
In the sixth year of Yongle (1408), the officials and guards of King Min were cut off.
In the tenth year of Yongle (1412), the officials and guards of the King of Liao were cut off.
In the 19th year of Yongle (1421), the guards of the King of Zhou were cut off.
As a result, the problems that Emperor Jianwen had not solved were finally solved by his uncle Zhu Di. It was really a great irony that the most important event in Emperor Jianwen's period, the reduction of the vassal state, was finally accomplished by the vassal king Zhu Di.
After completing these aftermath matters, Zhu Di can finally focus on handling national affairs. Facts have proved that he does have the qualities of an excellent emperor, and we will also resume production and work diligently on what the wise emperors in history did after they succeeded to the throne.
He used clichés about political affairs and the like. Once again, there was singing and dancing, and the age was peaceful and prosperous.
From this point of view, the following description should be extremely boring.
Unfortunately, Zhu Di was not an ordinary wise emperor. His story was far more tortuous and mysterious than those of the Taiping Emperors, because he was always surrounded by two mysteries, which have troubled future generations for hundreds of years.
Below we will explore these mysteries in order to find out the truth.
Mother and son do not recognize each other
"Yongle Records" records: Empress Gao (Empress Ma) gave birth to five sons, Chang Yiwen Prince Biao... the next (Zhu Di), the next Zhou Wang Su. This is the record of official history. It can be seen from it that Zhu Di was the second son of Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma.
four sons.
But is this really the case?
In the 20th year of Yuan Zhizheng (1360), Zhu Di was born during the war. He was Zhu Yuanzhang's fourth son. This is not wrong, but the mother who went through painful childbirth, gave him life and raised him was not.
Empress Ma, the woman who watched his birth with a happy smile, has long been forgotten by history.
In fact, after hundreds of years of research by historians, we still don’t know the mother’s real name, and even her true identity is controversial. These mysteries are man-made. Because some people don’t want this mother to
The mother's identity was revealed and she refused to admit that he had a son named Zhu Di.
The person who concealed the truth was Zhu Di himself.
Because Zhu Di is the emperor, and he is the emperor who usurped the throne from his nephew, he must be the son of Empress Ma, because only in this way can he be the direct descendant and have enough capital to inherit the throne.
He must not be the son of a lowly concubine, absolutely not!
It is precisely because of these political reasons that this mother was deprived of the right to have a son. She could never, like other mothers, watch her children grow up with pleasure, and proudly say to the people around them when they grow up:
"Look, that's my son!"
In all official history books, she was just an ordinary concubine, with no prominent family background and no children to be proud of. She lived an ordinary life and then died an ordinary life.
Although Zhu Di repeatedly revised the history books and eliminated a lot of evidence, the saying "history cannot be concealed" is really reasonable. The flaw does exist, and what is even more incredible is that it exists in the official history books.
.
The first flaw is in the Ming History "Huang Zicheng Biography", which records: "Zicheng said: King Zhou, the mother and brother of King Yan." From this sentence, we can clearly understand the fact that Zhu Di, King of Yan,
He and the King of Zhou are brothers from the same father and mother. Some people may think this is nonsense, because the "Yongle Records" also records that the two of them are brothers from the same mother, but the question is, who is their mother?
So below we will introduce the second flaw. In "The Biography of Taizu Chengmu Sun Guifei", there is a record as follows: "In the seventh year of Hongwu, he passed away in September, at the age of thirty. The emperor said that his concubine had no children, so he ordered King Zhou Su to act as a loving mother.
Three years." This sentence means that after the death of the imperial concubine, because she had no sons, the King of Zhou was assigned to serve the imperial concubine for three years, but the key sentence is at the end: "The concubine shall serve the biological mother for three years, and the sons shall serve as the concubine.
Period, starting from the concubine."
"A concubine will serve his biological mother for three years!" If you understand this sentence clearly, the key is here. It is precisely because the King of Zhou is a concubine that he can recognize his concubine's mother as a loving mother and serve her for three years. Before introducing us, the kings of Yan and Zhou are
In terms of brotherhood, everyone should have a clear understanding of Zhu Di's identity.
If anyone doesn't understand, I can describe this inference process in a simpler and clearer way.
Condition A. King Zhou and King Yan are brothers from the same mother.
Condition B. The king of Zhou is a concubine.
Come to the conclusion C. King Yan is a bastard.
This is a record in official history books, and there are countless unofficial histories. Since this is an extremely important issue, we will not quote unofficial histories. However, there is another "Nanjing Taichang Temple Chronicle" that should be an official historical record, which records that Zhu Di
Mother’s true identity—concubine.
Here we first talk about what kind of institution Taichang Temple is. Taichang Temple is a ceremonial organization, mainly responsible for sacrifices, rituals and music. All matters such as registration, wind measurement, crown marriage, conquest, etc. must be handled by this organization in advance.
It organizes and implements rituals, so its records are the most accurate. It is said that with the records of Taichang Temple, there is nothing to argue about this matter, but good things come to pass, and a new problem arises.
This book has been lost.
Maybe after seeing this, some people are going to scold me. After saying so much, it turns out that I am just talking nonsense. Isn’t it just a joke?
I'm really sorry, because I didn't lose this book. Even if you search all the libraries, you can't find this book. But don't worry, because although I haven't read this book, the ancients did.
He passed it and left records in his books. For example, it is recorded in "National History Yi Kao" and "Sanyuan Notes". "Nanjing Taichang Temple Chronicles" does state that Zhu Di's mother was a concubine, and
The Xiaoling shrine is dominated by the concubine Li Shu on the left, who gave birth to the prince Zhu Biao, the king of Qin, the king of Jin, and the concubine on the right who gave birth to the ancestor Zhu Di.
You must know that in ancient times, the order of gods was not arranged according to surnames, but strictly according to status.
The "Sanyuan Notes" even pointed out that Qian Qianyi (a scholar in the late Ming Dynasty who later surrendered to the Qing Dynasty) visited the Xiaoling Tomb of the Ming Dynasty on New Year's Day in 1645 and found that the arrangement of the Xiaoling shrine was just like in "Nanjing Taichang Temple Chronicles"
According to the records, the concubine's spiritual position is in the first place on the right, which shows her high status.
Although the strength of the proof mentioned above cannot be compared with that of Ming Dynasty, from a legal perspective, it can be regarded as witness testimony and is indirect evidence. When we connect all the evidence, we will find that the identity of Zhu Di’s biological mother should be clear.
Already.
It is also specially noted here that the issue of the identity of Cheng's biological mother has been demonstrated by two famous historians in my country, Mr. Wu Han and Mr. Fu Sinian. I would like to pay tribute to these two great ancestors who opened up the history for us. Mystery restores the truth of history.
But unfortunately, we have no way of knowing the life of the concubine who gave birth to Zhu Di. We only know that his son erased almost all traces she left in the world and did not admit that he was her son.
for power
Zhu Di once again saluted the throne of Queen Ma. Although Queen Ma was indeed a kind elder and although she had taken care of him meticulously, she was not his mother after all.
I have no choice. In order to sit on the throne, I have already narrowly escaped death. If I have to bear the title of a concubine, how can I convince the public? How can I feel at ease?
So I changed the record, so I annihilated the evidence. I can never admit that you are my mother! The only thing I can do is to exclude you from your status as a god and improve your identity. This is all I can do. I know this
It's not enough, and it's not enough to repay your kindness in giving birth, but I have no other choice.
You are my mother, only in my heart, forever.
Brothers are incompatible
Is Emperor Jianwen really dead? This was a question that Zhu Di had thought about for a long time. He thought about this question for twenty-two years, starting from the successful Jingnan campaign in the fourth year of Jianwen (1402) to the twenty-first year of Yongle (1423).
) ended. Paying off, he finally found the answer to this question, just a year before his death.
Let's go back to the summer of the fourth year of Jianwen (1402) and see where the mystery begins.
On June 13, Li Jinglong opened the Jinchuan Gate, became a shameless traitor, and let the Northern Army enter the city. However, Zhu Di did not attack the inner city immediately. His purpose was to wait for Emperor Jianwen to commit suicide or surrender. He seemed to think that Emperor Jianwen could do nothing but this.
There was no other choice between the two roads. However, Emperor Jianwen was destined to be against him for the rest of his life. He chose the third road.
When Zhu Di, who was camped at Longjiang Post Station, discovered that the palace city was on fire, he was very panicked and immediately ordered his soldiers to enter the city. Putting out the fire was the second most important thing. The most important thing was to find one thing - Emperor Jianwen. He could live or die.
See people! See corpses if you die!
Zhu Di knew the stakes of this matter very well. Even if Emperor Jianwen died, he would be charged with "forcing the lord to death" at worst. He had enough infamy, so he would not be short of this one. If he was still alive, he would just be locked up, and he would not be afraid of flying.
Go to heaven.
But the most terrifying thing is missing. If the emperor disappears, it will be troublesome.
After all, Zhu Yunwen is the legal emperor, and he has only occupied the capital. Most of the country is still loyal to him. If he slips out, he can find a place to call on his minister, King Qin, to lead troops to attack him. The winner will be the winner.
It’s really an unknown number.
But what are you afraid of? After an inventory, Zhu Yunwen's body was really not found! Zhu Di was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot. He ordered the soldiers to step up the investigation, but still found nothing. Some people may be surprised that Zhu Di has already controlled the political power, and he still needs to find someone.
Is it easy?
To tell you the truth, it is really not easy because this person cannot be searched publicly.
First of all, you cannot post a missing person notice, saying that your uncle is seriously ill and he misses you so much. I hope you will come back soon after seeing the notice. It will definitely not be effective. Secondly, you cannot post a wanted notice and write down what will happen if you are caught.
Words like heavy rewards, because according to his own words, Zhu Di's actions were "Jingnan", that is, the so-called elimination of traitorous officials. The emperor did nothing wrong, so how could he be wanted, so this does not work. In the end, he cannot make it public.
Send people to search on a large scale, because this is tantamount to telling everyone that Emperor Jianwen is still alive. People with ulterior motives will definitely be ready to take action, and the throne is destined to be unstable.
But we have to look for it. If one day Emperor Jianwen pops up, regardless of whether it is true or not, he will definitely have appeal. Even if things are settled, two or three may come out tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, which will make it difficult for people to live with peace of mind.
?Have you not seen that a so-called "Third Prince Zhu" caused trouble in the Qing Dynasty for more than a hundred years, so this is really a fatal thing.
To solve this problem, Zhu Di came up with an excellent plan, which is divided into two parts:
First of all, it is announced to the outside world that Emperor Jianwen has burned himself in the palace and found the body. This means that all loyal ministers of Emperor Jianwen should give up this idea.
Secondly, people were sent to secretly investigate the whereabouts of Emperor Jianwen. The specific investigation work was carried out by two people. The two people's search routes were also different, namely locally and overseas. The names of these two people were one named Hu Hu and the other.
Zheng He.
Everyone is familiar with the story of Zheng He. We will also introduce in detail the great feat caused by this accident in the following chapters. Here, we mainly talk about the problems along the way of Hu Hui.
Hu Hui, a native of Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, was neither a direct descendant of Jingnan nor a descendant of an important minister. He was a person who was "emotional and intangible". At that time, he only served as a minister without any backer. He was a low-key person. He was an inconspicuous person in the court.
figure.
But Zhu Di picked him because it was this kind of person who was suitable to carry out such a secret mission.
No one cares, no one cares. Even if something happens, you can declare that this person has nothing to do with you. If you don't go, who will?
In the fifth year of Yongle (1407), Hu Hui set off with a top-secret mission. As usual, Zhu Di gave him a business name - to look for immortals. This name is really appropriate, because immortals are originally like dragons that never see their beginnings but never their tails.
There is indeed value in searching, and no one will doubt it if he cannot find it for a hundred years. Hu Hui began the most important task in his life - searching for people.
Of course, both Zhu Di and himself knew that what he was looking for was not an immortal, but a dead person, at least one who had been issued a death certificate.
Zhu Di looked at Hu Hui's retreating figure, hoping in his heart that the news about that person would reach his ears as soon as possible. No matter whether he was dead or alive, just let me know. As before, he believed that his choice was
Correct, this person will definitely tell him the answer to the question.
His judgment was correct, and Hu Hui would indeed give him the answer. He was also prepared to wait for a long time, but he did not expect that the waiting time would be really long.
Hu Xi began to faithfully perform his duties. He "traveled all over the world to investigate the whereabouts of Emperor Jianwen." During this period, even his mother died, but he did not go home to visit, but continued his work.
, exploring this secret has become an important part of his life. His efforts were not in vain, and finally, he found the answer sixteen years later.
Since the answer will not be revealed until sixteen years later, let's first take a look at why there is such a big controversy over the death of Emperor Jianwen. In fact, most of the historical materials of the Ming Dynasty believe that Emperor Jianwen was not dead, and there are also some unofficial records in detail.
Although it is not believable, it is possible to understand the various situations when Emperor Jianwen fled.
According to records in the book "Zhi Shen Lu" published during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Jianwen was despondent on the day the city was destroyed and wanted to commit suicide. At this time, a eunuch suddenly stood up and said: "When Gaozu died, he left a box
, saying that it can only be opened when encountering a great disaster, now is the time, please open the box, Your Majesty."
Then, they took out the box and opened it, and found everything inside, including the monk's certificate, cassock, monk's hat, razor, and even ten taels of platinum. What's even more amazing is that there was Comrade Zhu Yuanzhang's personal instructions inside.
, indicated the escape route. As a result, Emperor Jianwen and others successfully escaped.
After reading the above records, I believe that everyone may have a sense of deja vu. Yes, these records seem to have the writing style and plot of martial arts novels. Zhu Yuanzhang did have a clever plan, but it was not to this extent. Even if he predicted the future of his grandson
He has to run away, but he can prepare costumes, props and travel expenses in advance, and even give clear instructions on the escape route, which is obviously nonsense. Just like in a martial arts novel, a certain hero fell off a cliff, and then
Meeting a living senior who has not left the mountain for decades or digging up the relics left by a dead senior are rare in history.
Although there are these almost absurd records, most Ming Dynasty historical materials believe that Emperor Jianwen was not dead, so why does this issue still cause so much controversy? This is because later, something happened that changed Emperor Jianwen's life and death. It is no longer a simple historical issue, but an extremely complex political issue.
This incident is the "Third Prince Zhu" incident. That is to say, when the Ming Dynasty was destroyed, the Third Prince Zhu did not die, but survived to continue organizing anti-Qing events. To say that this Prince Zhu is really a god, From Shunzhi to Kangxi and Yongzheng, it went through three dynasties, haunting the rulers of the Qing Dynasty like a ghost. Until the death of all three emperors, he was still fighting on the front line against the Qing Dynasty. The Qing government was extremely troubled by this ghost. It was a big headache. Obviously, the story of Emperor Jianwen has many similarities with that of Prince Zhu III. Therefore, when compiling the history of the Ming Dynasty, the Qing government instructed historians to change this history and insist that Emperor Jianwen committed suicide.
It is worthy of recognition that many historians adhered to their principles, withstood the pressure, and insisted on the theory that Emperor Jianwen was not dead. However, there will always be no shortage of shameless people in any dynasty. The great scholar Wang Hongxu is such a person. His people His character was obviously not as good as his knowledge. In order to please the Qing government, he privately revised the Ming History Manuscript (Ming Dynasty History Manuscript) and concluded that Emperor Jianwen was dead. Since the Ming History is an official history book after all, it affected many people's views on the death of Emperor Jianwen. , it was not until modern times that the historians had a relatively certain opinion on the issue of Emperor Jianwen's death.
The truth of history has always been shrouded in mystery, and countless people have modified and distorted it for various purposes to suit their own needs.
But I always believe that there is only one truth, and it will be revealed one day.