Ming Wuzong Zhu Houzhao was a highly controversial emperor in history.
Huang Jingfang, a scholar at the end of the Ming Dynasty, said Zhu Houzhao: "In the age of righteous virtue, the theory of emperor can not be allowed. The ancient Tang Xuan, Huizong, still or the beginning of the Ming and the end of ignorance, the beginning of diligence and the end of diligence. _Span9span
"Ming Memoir" writes Zhu Hou's photo as: "The pure quality is better than ice jade, but he is dying and radiant." "East Palace is young, so happy, and the master is good at assisting him."
In fact, Zhu Huzhao has a personality that is incompatible with feudal etiquette and did many things that violated the etiquette during his reign.
One: Behaviour in the teenage years
Ming Wuzong Zhu Houzhao was the eldest son of Ming Xiaozong Zhu Youzhan, the tenth emperor of the Ming Dynasty, the emperor was Zhengde in the eighteenth year of Hongzhi. Later generations called him Zhengde.
He was smart and versatile since he was a child, and he loved reading. I respected my teacher when I was young,Whenever the course is over, he will give his teacher "Zhang Gong tribute, as a gift" .
He obeyed the rituals and ancestral precepts very much when he was a child: "If you are in the court class, you must be mischievous and will be corrected by the empire."
Zhu Houzhao is the eldest son of Zhang Xiaozhao , Has the most undoubted eligibility for succession to the throne.
Zhu Houzhao had a strong and determined personality when he was young, but he was easily affected by emotions. His overly repressive personality caused serious political consequences in his later reign.
From admiration of etiquette and ancestral precepts to complete rebellion, his actions made the political economy of the Ming Dynasty and the internal relations of the imperial court very chaotic.
Two: The confrontation between the rebellious character and the role of the emperor
Zhu Houzhao himself has no interest in governing the country. In the second year of Zhengde, Zhu Huzhao ordered the people to build a leopard house outside Xihuamen.
According to "Ming Wuzong Records" said, in the leopard room "somersaults and the like, prevail in the forbidden 17strongspan8 8 ." .
The Leopard Room is not an imperial palace used to play in the ordinary sense. It is actually a place where Zhu Huzhao lives and deals with major national events, and Zhu Huzhao calls it "home"
The emperor, eunuchs, frontier commanders and lucky ministers formed the power structure of the leopard house. Several forces both support each other and dismantle each other.
The power of the Leopard House greatly surpassed the foreign court regime. It represents the highest decision of the imperial power. In fact, it was the “second court” of the Ming Empire at that time.
He lives in the leopard room and does not want to live in the palace, which coincides with his pursuit of freedom.
In addition, Ming Wuzong was active, strong in personality, and not abiding by the ancestral precepts. This should be the main reason why he built the leopard house.
In the twelfth year of Zhengde, the Emperor Wuzong built "Zhen Guofu" When he was in Xuanfu, he called himself "General Commander General of the Governor General" .
In the first month of the thirteenth year of Zhengde, Zhu Houzhao's class teacher returned to Beijing,When he asked the eunuch to order civil and military officials to greet him at Deshengmen, "only called the mighty general" , and "dare not to be honored" _strong17 _strong17.
In the 13th year of Zhengde, he ordered himself to go on the march and renamed himself Zhu Shou, and later he was named "Zhen Guo Gong" 17.
and he demanded that all official documents be executed in the name of a mighty general.
The cabinet ministers all opposed, thinking that Wu Zong should follow the ancestor's law, go up to heaven, and comfort people.
They believe that the mighty general is a courtier, and the emperor should be above the general. If the emperor is added to the rank, Zhu Huzhao's identity will be lowered.
But Zhu Houzhao still didn’t take it seriously. He regarded the emperor’s name, power and prestige very indifferently, that is, "Ming Shi" said that was the official number of "14strong ". The divisions are all over."
Zhengde twelve years,The little Mongolian prince invaded from Yulin with fifty thousand cavalry, stationed in Yushu and plundered Yingzhou. In the face of a powerful enemy, Wu Zong calmly challenged the battle, commanding Datong General Soldier Wang Xun and other sub-bureaus in important positions, and waited for it.
In October, the little prince went south, Zhu Houzhao and the little prince officially went to war. He personally led the troops to combat support, desperately fighting, the Mongolian army was defeated: "Yes, behead the first sixteenth level" .
did not achieve brilliant results, but it has caused the little prince to retreat.
Zhu Houzhao has a strong passion for merit. He is unwilling to follow the old ways in the palace, but is eager to make contributions in the battlefield. In essence, it also reflects his resistance to feudal etiquette and his pursuit of free life.
If he is an ordinary person, this kind of character may develop better, but as an emperor, his character becomes a shortcoming.
He gave up the emperor's supreme authority and claimed to be a mighty general. He was keen on leading soldiers in battle, which was incomprehensible by ministers under the feudal tradition.
Three: The trade-off between feudal "rules"
As early as Zhu Houzhao was dying in the leopard house, the royal power had already begun to look for the next heir.
They finally chose the brother-in-law and his cousin Zhu Houxuan became the next emperor.
Zhu Houzhao had someone arranged for him before he was alive. Someone "replaced" and he wrote his will.
The heir to the throne has been selected, and he just waits for his breath. The ruling class in feudal society abandon him from the interests.
In March of the 16th year of Zhengde, Zhu Houzhao died of illness in the leopard house at the age of 31.
Zhu Houzhao, who was imprisoned by feudal ethics, has a multi-faceted personality. He was tired of red tape and yearned for life in the market.
He asked Liu Jin to rectify the civil and military officials, but he put him to death.
He advocated martial arts, learned martial arts since childhood, and organized internal exercises among eunuchs to show off on the border.
he changed his name to "Zhu Shou" , self-styled "majestic general" _strong17, not bound by ritual law.
Actually, Zhu Houzhao's character was not suitable for being an emperor. He didn't pay attention to power, but just like a noble brother, he was slutty, with a rogue temper and a rebellious character.
His sad ending and its impact on the Ming Dynasty are tragedies under the feudal etiquette.
It is undeniable that there were many defeats during his reign. The greed, cruelty and corruption of the emperor in the mid-Ming Dynasty were relatively concentrated on Zhu Huzhao of Ming Wuzong.
made him a typical example of the evils of Ming Dynasty imperial power.Economic downturn, eunuch dictatorship, people's uprising, etc.
Nevertheless, judging from the words and deeds of Ming Wuzong's life, combined with his personality, it is not Zhu Huzhao's original intention that those corrupt officials called him to bring suffering to the people.
For him, he yearns more for freedom and resists the shackles of feudal etiquette.
Zhu Houzhao's life merits and demerits are closely related to his rebellious character. He rebelled against the ancestral system, loathed to follow the rules, and resisted all the restrictions that bound him.
In short, Ming Wuzong should not be evaluated only superficially, but he should be deeply evaluated in combination with his personality, social background, etc., in order to make a reasonable and fair evaluation of this historical figure.
Note: This article is reproduced from an article written by Xu Min from the School of History and Culture of Henan Normal University. If there is any infringement, please contact the author to delete it.
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