For those who are interested in Zhu Cha, the History Encyclopedia editor brings relevant articles for your reference.
In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, Prince Gong of Qi, Zhu Cha, was the seventh son of Zhu Yuanzhang. He was born in Nanjing in the 24th year of the Zhizheng reign (1364) to his mother, Lady Dading. In the third year of the Hongwu reign (1370), at the age of seven, he was conferred the title of Prince of Qi and at the age of fifteen, he became a vassal of Qingzhou, Shandong.
Zhu Cha was once tasked with guarding Kaiping (now part of Tangshan, Hebei Province), and historical records describe him as “occupying the fortress for several years, enjoying himself with martial arts, but being fierce in nature and committing many illegal acts.” He once forcibly robbed women from the people, and those who “did not use it” burned them to ashes and sent them out of the palace.
In the 23rd year of the Hongwu reign (1390), Zhu Cha followed his elder brother, Prince Yan Zhu Di, to launch a northern expedition against various Mongol tribes, and thus took pride in his achievements.
During the Jianwen period, Zhu Zhan was stripped of his title and demoted to a commoner, and was punished with four years of imprisonment in Nanjing. In the early years of Ming Chengzu’s reign, he restored the throne of Zhu Cha.
After Zhu Zhan was enfeoffed again, he became even more arrogant and lawless. Ming Chengzu wrote a letter of good advice, but Zhu Zhan was cursed for being a “sinister assassin” who recruited alien sorcerers
He stationed his own guards in Qingzhou City, connecting the courtyard walls of his palace with the city walls to prevent pedestrian traffic. Li Gong, Zeng Mingshen, and others planned to report to the court, but were arrested and hidden by the King of Qi, intending to kill and silence them.
In the fourth year of the Yongle reign (1406), the King of Qi went to the capital to meet with Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty. At that time, some ministers accused him of numerous crimes. The King of Qi then sternly argued, “The treacherous ministers have been talking nonsense, and they want to follow the example of Jianwen. They will all be beheaded
Upon hearing these words, Ming Chengzu was extremely disgusted and issued an edict to kill the guards and commanders of the Prince of Qi, including Chai Zhi, and reduce the number of his subordinates. He imprisoned the Prince of Qi and later found illegal items in his palace.
During his imprisonment, King Qi was full of complaints and grievances. In August of that year, he was deposed as a commoner.
In the third year of Xuande (1428), Lou Lian, a native of Fujian, impersonated a descendant of the Prince of Qi and claimed to be the “Seven Prefectures Little Prince of Qi”. He plotted against others and the incident was exposed. He and over a hundred of his followers were executed.
The King of Qi and his sons were implicated, and all three of his sons died suddenly. The youngest son, Zhu Xianyao, was placed in Luzhou.
The King of Qi was a group of “vicious and cunning” disciples, and Zhu Yuanzhang had long been troubled by this son. After Zhu Cha left the capital, he was no longer under the control of his father and began to be “frivolous, cruel, and cute
The cruel and tyrannical illegal acts of King Qi were reported to Zhu Yuanzhang, who was extremely angry and immediately issued an edict to recall King Qi back to Nanjing.
Empress Dading was extremely anxious. Although she feared the emperor, she had to beg for mercy from him for the sake of her son. She knelt down and cried, “Young children are ignorant and deserve to be punished. Xu Yi will teach them
Zhu Yuanzhang angrily said, “In the past, the sons of emperors were not talented, humiliated their parents, and were taught but not tamed. Therefore, those who abandoned kindness and killed their children were out of helplessness!” Upon hearing this, Empress Dading was terrified and trembled, asking, “What do you dare to ask about the frivolous and cruel
Empress Dading is not timid, otherwise she would not have given birth to a son as cruel as the King of Qi.
Zhu Yuanzhang listed one by one, as reported by a spy, that the King of Qi saw a pigeon flying from the east to the west of the palace, making a few coos. He blamed the pigeon’s rude call and did not have any “king” in his eyes, so he pulled out his waist knife from the guard and chased after the pigeon.
Zhu Yuanzhang spat and became increasingly angry as he spoke, “There is a nest of sparrows under the eaves of his house. I don’t know how he angered him, but he had someone take them and burn them alive. Such a heartless traitor
Upon hearing this, Lady Dading was speechless. Her son’s actions left her feeling ashamed and unable to lift her head.
After venting his grievances, Zhu Yuanzhang’s mood improved. Despite his anger, Tiger Poison refused to eat his son. He still spared this absurd son who didn’t grow up.
When the nephew or elder brother became the emperor, no one tolerated the King of Qi anymore. After the King’s death, his descendants were all called “Qi commoners”.
