Today, the History Encyclopedia editor brings you an article by Zhu Qizhen, hoping to be helpful to everyone.
After the Tumu Fortress Incident, Ming Yingzong Zhu Qizhen was captured. With the support of ministers such as Qian, and with the agreement of Empress Dowager Sun, Ming Yingzong Zhu Qiyu succeeded to the throne and honored Zhu Qizhen as the Grand Emperor. Afterwards, although Zhu Qiyu was forced to accept the fact that Zhu Qizhen had returned to Beijing, he also imprisoned him in Nangong for seven years, and his experiences during these seven years were even worse than when he was captured. In this situation, the brotherly bond between the two has long been erased.
Emperor Zhu Qiyu of the Ming Dynasty did not want Zhu Qizhen to return to Beijing. After Zhu Qizhen returned to Beijing, he was imprisoned by Zhu Qiyu for seven years
In the 14th year of the Zhengtong reign of the Ming Dynasty (1449), Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Qizhen, personally launched an attack on Wala but suffered the “Tumu Fortress Incident”. Zhu Qizhen himself was also captured by Wala. Due to the fact that Crown Prince Zhu Jianshen was only two years old at the time, in times of crisis, ministers such as Yu Qian, after consulting with Empress Dowager Sun, supported Prince Zhu Qiyu to inherit the throne and became the Ming Dynasty emperor. Zhu Qizhen was posthumously honored as the Grand Emperor.
Power is something that can be returned without contact. Once it has been possessed, it is difficult to give up again, let alone the high and mighty imperial power. After the Battle of Beijing, with the stability of the imperial throne, Zhu Qiyu naturally did not want to easily give up the power he had obtained. Therefore, when he first intended to seek peace and the ministers suggested welcoming Zhu Qizhen back, Zhu Qiyu was extremely displeased and said, “I did not intend to ascend to the throne, but at that time I saw the proposal and revealed the officials
Zhu Qiyu’s intention is very obvious. At first, I didn’t want to be this emperor. It was you who insisted on pushing me to the throne. Now that we have to welcome Zhu Qizhen back, how should we deal with him once he returns. However, although he did not want Zhu Qizhen to return to Beijing, there was no reason to oppose from his standpoint, so he could only politely request the ministers’ understanding. Yu Qian then comforted Zhu Qiyu with the reason that “the throne has been established”. Zhu Qiyu then said, “From you, from you”. Although he ultimately agreed, it also showed his helplessness.
Although Zhu Qiyu had no choice but to send two teams, Li Shi and Yang Shan, to visit Wala, he did not give money, food, or gifts, and did not show any sincerity in negotiating. However, what he did not expect was that there was internal turmoil in Wala at this time, and the conflict between him and the Khan had intensified. He urgently needed to negotiate peace with the Ming Dynasty. After the Ming Dynasty established a new ruler, Zhu Qizhen had already lost its original value. Therefore, under Yang Shan’s skillful tongue, he also released Ming Yingzong.
Seeing that the situation was already settled, Zhu Qiyu realized that it was impossible to stop Zhu Qizhen from returning to the capital, so he accepted this reality. However, how to resettle Zhu Qizhen became another difficult problem. Fortunately, there were precedents in the previous dynasty (Li Heng, Emperor Suzong of Tang). So Zhu Qiyu reduced and reduced the etiquette of welcoming, and then the two brothers “held each other and cried, each expressing their feelings of giving and receiving, and pushed back for a long time”. However, after the ceremony ended, Zhu Qizhen was imprisoned in the South Palace and locked for seven years.
Various signs indicate that due to Zhu Qizhen’s greatest threat to the throne, coupled with the fact that as the Supreme Emperor, his return to Beijing will put Zhu Qiyu in an extremely awkward situation, Zhu Qiyu actually does not want Zhu Qizhen to return to Beijing. The so-called spending a lot of money to redeem Zhu Qizhen does not actually exist.
After being imprisoned for seven years, Zhu Qizhen’s situation was not as good as when he was captured, and the brotherhood had already been completely erased
Zhu Qizhen, who was imprisoned for seven years, although still held the title of “Supreme Emperor”, not only did he not receive any corresponding treatment, but he was also treated coldly and lived in constant fear. His experiences during these seven years were even worse than the years when he became a prisoner in Vala.
In order to prevent Zhu Qizhen from posing a threat to the throne, Zhu Qiyu not only locked the gate of the Southern Palace and filled it with lead, but also sent the Jinyiwei to closely monitor it. Even food could only be delivered through a small hole. In order to cut off Zhu Qizhen’s connection with the outside world, he even went so far as to cut down all the trees near Nangong, making it impossible for people to hide.
Zhu Qiyu’s actions also affected the attitude of the eunuchs and palace maids. How could the cold words of the eunuchs and palace maids be tolerated by Zhu Qizhen, who was once high and mighty? And not only did he suffer from mental torment, but even the most basic necessities of life were often not guaranteed, resulting in the disabled Queen Qian having to make some female celebrities herself and have someone take them out to sell them to make ends meet.
On the other hand, during Zhu Qizhen’s time in Wala after being captured, not only did his basic living conditions remain unchanged, but the leader of Wala also occasionally accompanied him for drinks. In terms of etiquette and treatment, he even “kowtowed on horseback when he met Dazi Dafu on the way, followed the road with wild game and milk”, without any trace of being captured. At the same time, Vara did not have too many restrictions on Zhu Qizhen’s actions, and he even became friends with Yexian’s younger brother Boyan Timur.
After returning to the capital, the treatment was not as good as when Wala was captured. Zhu Qizhen’s resentment can be imagined. The emotional bond between the two brothers has long been erased, and Zhu Qizhen’s hatred towards Zhu Qiyu is probably already uncontrollable (this was fully reflected after Zhu Qizhen’s restoration).
The struggle for imperial power has always been bloody and cruel, and it is still uncertain whether Zhu Qiyu was killed by Zhu Qizhen
In ancient imperial societies, the struggle for imperial power was always bloody and cruel. In order to consolidate the throne, Zhu Qiyu not only imprisoned Zhu Qizhen in the Southern Palace for seven years, but also resorted to bribing ministers to change the crown prince. Unfortunately, although he appointed his son Zhu Jianji as the crown prince, Zhu Jianji soon passed away.
In early January of the eighth year of Jingtai (1457), Zhu Qiyu suddenly fell seriously ill, but he did not have any other children, which led to problems in the succession of the throne. So, Shi Heng, Xu Youzhen, Cao Jixiang, and others launched a rebellion to seize the throne, taking Zhu Qizhen out of the Southern Palace and reinstating him to the throne. As Shi Heng held the key to the imperial city, the right commander-in-chief Zhang Jian directly managed the capital camp, and eunuch Cao Jixiang could enter and exit the palace. In addition, Zhu Qizhen’s status as the Supreme Emperor, these people worked together to complete the restoration without bloodshed.
Upon hearing of the restoration of Zhu Qizhen, Zhu Qiyu simply said, “Brother, do it well!” However, Zhu Qizhen issued an edict condemning Zhu Qiyu for being “unfilial, unfilial, unkind, unjust, and notorious for his impure character, which angered both gods and humans.” He also abolished his imperial title and posthumously bestowed upon him the posthumous title of “Li” and the title of “King of Li”, indicating Zhu Qizhen’s hatred towards him.
So, was Zhu Qiyu killed by Zhu Qizhen? In fact, there is still no consensus at present, and it can only be said that there is suspicion. The “History of Ming Dynasty” only has a few words about its trend, “Gui Chou, Wang died in the Western Palace at the age of thirty”. However, Yang Xuan’s “Record of Restoration” and Wang Qi’s “Miscellaneous Records of Yu Pu” both state that Zhu Qiyu’s condition has improved. These two people were people of the same dynasty, especially Yang Xuan who directly participated in the rebellion of seizing the gate, so the credibility of the record is relatively high. This is also the Hu reason why Zhu Qiyu’s sudden death is suspected. However, Lu Qi’s “Record of Illness and Escape” and Cha Jizuo’s “Record of Crimes” claim that Zhu Qizhen ordered eunuchs to strangle him to death. However, these two individuals are too far away from the time of the Gate Robbery Incident, and it is difficult to determine the credibility of their records.
