The case of the "fake prince" in Nandu of the Ming Dynasty - Hongguang's legacy
Yu Hui
There was once an old movie "The Secret Imperial Edict", which tells the story of the prince of Chongzhen who fled all the way, but came to Nanjing and was recognized as a "fake prince" s story. Regarding the case of the "fake prince" in the late Ming Dynasty, there have always been different opinions, and it seems difficult to distinguish the authenticity. Because historians focus on evidence rather than seemingly reasonable inferences.
The official records that remain now all believe that the prince is fake. However, some folk notes believe that the prince is true. The author is not a historian and has little contact with historical materials of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, so I can only analyze this based on the information I can see.
In the movie, Emperor Chongzhen personally handed over the written imperial edict to the crown prince, and eunuch Wang Chengen also asked his nephew Wang Zhiming to escort him carefully. But after arriving in Nanjing, Emperor Hongguang was unwilling to give up the throne. Therefore, Ma Shiying deliberately made things difficult for the prince, falsely accused the prince, and even said with certainty that the prince's real name was Wang Zhiming, so the prince was imprisoned.
Wang Zhiming ran to Zuo Liangyu with the edict of enthronement in his arms, so Zuo Liangyu marched eastward in the name of Qingjun. However, the Manchu nobles who had been eyeing Nanjing also began to attack Nanjing, and Nanjing eventually fell.
Of course, the Wang Zhiming in the movie does not actually exist. The so-called Wang Zhiming is said to be a name imposed on the prince by the Hongguang court. According to the notes recorded at the time - after the prince was imprisoned, he said angrily: I am the king of Ming, how come I am the king of Ming!
However, judging from the writing style, this record is obviously dramatic and not very reliable. Even so, the author still prefers that the prince is true. Because when it comes to counterfeiting, there is always a profit. At this time, the mountains and rivers are broken, and the war is in chaos. I wonder what the purpose of pretending to be a prince is? Speaking of cases of pretending to be a royal family, there was a case of pretending to be a princess in the Southern Song Dynasty. But at that time, a peace agreement had been reached between the Song and Jin Dynasties, so the fake royal family could obtain glory and wealth. And the so-called fake prince during the Hongguang period had to pretend to be the prince for some unknown reason?
The case of the fake prince during the Hongguang period is by no means groundless. It's just that the case was settled in a hurry, which really leaves people with doubts. My opinion is that after Li Zicheng invaded Beijing, it was possible for the prince of Emperor Chongzhen to escape. Although Li Zicheng belonged to the category of "officials forced the people to rebel", Li Zicheng still treated the emperor with great respect. Especially when he saw Emperor Chongzhen hang himself in Meishan, he was even more moved. After Li Zicheng entered Beijing, several princes of Emperor Chongzhen received considerable preferential treatment.
For Li Zicheng, he captured the Ming Dynasty capital and captured the Ming Dynasty prince. Not to mention that a large number of Ming Dynasty officials surrendered. At this time, Li Zicheng was truly satisfied. Therefore, Li Zicheng did not think about further consolidating his power. Instead, he sent people as an emperor to recruit Wu Sangui, who was guarding Shanhaiguan, to surrender. But unexpectedly, Wu Sangui surrendered to the Manchu nobles whose language and customs were completely different. The unprepared Li Zicheng faced the joint attack of Wu Sangui and the Manchurian cavalry, and was completely defeated.
Confucius said: "Three armies can seize the commander, but an ordinary man cannot seize the will." A peasant army that has lost its fighting spirit is nothing more than a group of panicked sheep. In the panic, no one naturally cared about the whereabouts of the prince. Therefore, the prince of the Ming Dynasty took the opportunity to escape from Beijing city . Of course, there is no secret edict in the movie. The prince's first thought is to escape to the south first.
The above discussion means that the prince of the Ming Dynasty is very likely to escape from Beijing, and the prince who comes to Nanjing is the real prince. As for the Hongguang court deliberately making false claims out of selfish motives, this is quite normal.
