Why was Ming Wuzong Zhu Houzhao only 31 years old when he died suddenly

On March 14th, 1521, in the 16th year of the Zhengde reign of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Wuzong Zhu Houzhao took his last breath and died in a leopard house at the age of 31. Interested readers and history encyclopedia editors, let’s take a look together!
As the tenth emperor in the history of the Ming Dynasty, the evaluation of Emperor Wuzong in later generations showed a polarized situation, with some accusing him of being playful and absurd, while others praised him for being independent. Regarding the death of Emperor Mingwu, some people even believe it was a conspiracy by the civil servant group. So why did Emperor Mingwu, who was in his prime, suddenly pass away?
1、 The Southern Expedition Controversy
In March of the 14th year of the Zhengde reign, Emperor Wuzong of Ming Dynasty, instigated by Jiang Bin and others, issued an edict to plan a southern tour, but was opposed by the officials. 107 officials have successively submitted letters to the emperor, strongly opposing the Southern Expedition. Emperor Mingwu’s Long Yan was furious and ordered the Jinyiwei to arrest these officials, and then punished them to kneel down in front of the Meridian Gate for five days.
After the punishment of kneeling, Emperor Wuzong of Ming Dynasty issued an edict to have these officials punished with a staff of thirty, and then implemented punitive measures such as salary, external transfer, expulsion, and border defense. During the process of using the staff, eleven officials were killed on the spot, and three officials were seriously injured and died. Faced with the pressure of public opinion, Emperor Wuzong of Ming Dynasty had to temporarily suspend his plan of southern tour.
2、 The Rebellion of Prince Ning
Shortly after Emperor Wuzong shelved his southern tour plan, a rebellion broke out in the south. In June of the 14th year of the Zhengde reign, Prince Ning Zhu Chenhao killed court officials and rebelled in Nanchang. After receiving the report, Emperor Mingwu did not panic at all, but was very happy because in his opinion, the imperial expedition was the best excuse for the southern tour.
In order to silence the officials, Emperor Wuzong of Ming Dynasty issued an edict stating that “if we speak again, we will face extreme punishment”. At the same time, he proclaimed himself as the “Grand General of Fengtian’s Expedition against the Mighty and Mighty General Zhen Guogong” and led his army to personally launch an expedition on August 22nd. But as soon as he arrived in Liangxiang, Ming Wuzong received the good news from Wang Shouren. The rebellion had been suppressed and Prince Ning had been captured.
3、 Absurd Emperor
But Emperor Wuzong ignored it and continued southward, arriving in Nanjing in December, playing and fooling around along the way. At this time, Wang Shouren also departed from Nanchang and was ordered to take Prince Ning Zhu Chenhao to Nanjing. Zhu Chenhao was just taken to Nanjing. In order to demonstrate his achievements, Emperor Wuzong of Ming Dynasty “went out of the city dozens of miles with his attendants, dressed up the army, and captured him in front of him, as a sign of triumph”.
The rebellion has been quelled, but Ming Wuzong has never wanted to return to Beijing and travel near Nanjing. Once, Emperor Wuzong of Ming Dynasty stayed at Niushou Mountain. “All the armies were startled at night, and they didn’t know where they were going from left to right. After causing great disturbance for a long time, they finally settled down. It was not until August of the fifteenth year of the Zhengde reign that Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty embarked on his journey back to the capital, but he never dreamed that his encounter on the way back would result in his death.
4、 Drowning in Huai’an
Due to Ming Wuzong’s travels, the journey back to the capital was very slow, and it was not until the seventh day of September that we reached Huai’an. Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty stayed in Huai’an for several days, and on the day of the Double Ninth Festival, a riot broke out. “There was a competition for chrysanthemum flags from both sides, and the officials blamed the people for this, causing a great disturbance in the city. On the twelfth day, Emperor Wu came to Qingjiangpu and stayed in the mansion of eunuch Zhang Yang.
Three days later, Ming Wuzong started playing again. He was very interested and drove a small boat alone to catch fish in the stagnant pool of Qingjiangpu. However, an accident occurred and the boat capsized. After all, Wu Zong was from the north and did not understand water. Although people on the shore rushed to rescue him, Wu Zong still drowned and never recovered from his illness.
5、 Lost Leopard House
In November of the same year, Ming Wuzong arrived in Tongzhou, but he never returned to the capital and refused to accept the audience of officials. It was not until a month later that Ming Wuzong returned to the capital. However, it was only a few days later that people realized the seriousness of the problem. When Emperor Mingwu worshipped heaven and earth in the southern suburbs, he “vomited blood on the ground and could not end the ritual”. From then on, Emperor Wu of Ming no longer summoned officials or served in the court.
It was not until March of the following year that Emperor Wu of Ming passed away at the age of 31. As for what disease Ming Wuzong died of, later generations have made relatively scientific arguments, mainly because Wuzong drowned, causing his lungs to choke on water. At that time, the climate was already quite cold, coupled with palpitations, which led to lung infections and a high possibility of contracting pneumonia, which is why he vomited blood. At that time, pneumonia was an incurable disease.