In history, there have been many famous events due to the alternation of the imperial throne. Regardless of whether the dynasty is strong or weak, the succession of the imperial throne is inevitably the most important thing. However, in dealing with this aspect, even the talented and strategic Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, has stumbled. The founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, also made a big mistake in this matter. Interested readers and history encyclopedia editors, let’s take a look together!
At the beginning of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, in order to ensure that the Ming Dynasty could be passed down from generation to generation, took over the military power in various parts of the country and granted it to his own son for control. So in the early years of the Ming Dynasty, there were more than ten feudal lords. After doing so, although foreign ministers were unable to seize the Zhu family’s territory, the various feudal lords became a hidden danger for the Ming Dynasty, which Zhu Yuanzhang did not expect.
Among many sons, Zhu Yuanzhang admired the Crown Prince Zhu Biao the most, who knew Zhu Biao would pass away early. Zhu Yuanzhang once again turned his gaze to his grandson Zhu Yunwen. He devoted himself to cultivating Zhu Yunwen and hoped that he could shoulder the heavy responsibility of shining the empire. However, Zhu Yuanzhang’s other sons were quite dissatisfied with his decision.
Among them, Zhu Di, the King of Yan, was the most dissatisfied with Zhu Yuanzhang’s decision. Zhu Di was both skilled in literature and martial arts, with great talent and strategy. He believed that he had worked hard and achieved great success. Even when the Crown Prince Zhu Biao was alive, he would have let it go. Unexpectedly, after Zhu Biao’s death, Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to bypass his group of sons and directly give the throne to his grandson Zhu Yunwen. How could Zhu Di be satisfied with this?
In 1398 AD, Zhu Yuanzhang’s life was finally coming to an end. Before his death, he issued his own will, emphasizing three points: first, to allow Zhu Yunwen to succeed to the throne; second, to simplify funeral arrangements; and third, to prevent all feudal lords from coming to the capital to worship and have to stay on their own fiefdoms. Obviously, Zhu Yuanzhang’s third point was that he was afraid that Zhu Yunwen’s uncles would covet the throne and come to seize power.
However, even so, Zhu Yuanzhang still felt a little uneasy because he knew well that his fourth son Zhu Di had a strong character and was bold and reckless. In order to add another layer of insurance, he issued another order that contradicted his will: according to the “Annals of Emperor Taizong of Ming Dynasty”, when Zhu Yuanzhang was critically ill, he urgently summoned Prince Yan Zhu Di to come to the capital at night. Although historical records do not provide a detailed explanation of what Zhu Di was supposed to do in Beijing, it is likely related to the imperial throne.
However, Zhu Yuanzhang’s order did scare Zhu Yunwen a lot. He was afraid that his grandfather would change his mind on his deathbed and wanted to pass the throne to Zhu Di. In order to prevent Zhu Di from coming to the capital, Zhu Yunwen ordered his confidant to draft a fake imperial edict and present it to Zhu Di.
At that time, Zhu Di, who had received the imperial edict, had already traveled day and night to Huaiyin, Jiangsu. At this time, he also received a false imperial edict from Zhu Yunwen. Although Zhu Di also felt suspicious, he could not violate the edict and returned to his fiefdom.
On this side, Zhu Yuanzhang’s fate is like a thin spring, and it’s about to fail. Seeing that Zhu Di had not yet come, he asked the ministers beside him, “Has the King of Yan come?” At this moment, none of the ministers spoke up. According to historical records, “No one dares to answer three questions.” Zhu Yuanzhang asked three times in a row, but surprisingly no one dared to answer. Finally, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn’t hold on and closed his eyes, ending his magnificent life.
Later, due to his unanswered question, Yan King Zhu Di and Jianwen Emperor Zhu Yunwen finally went to war and competed for the throne, rewriting the history of the Ming Dynasty.
