vrcanaries Chapter 10 The Turmoil of Seizure
Chapter 10 The Turmoil of Seizure
Jingtai period
Zhu Qiyu never imagined that the position of crown prince, which he obtained by bribing court officials, would become his son's death warrant.
Judging from Miss Lin's expression, my fate is probably not good. Oh well, I never imagined I could reach this position; I might as well remain here and see the future. I hope my son can grow up safely.
So how well did Zhu Qiyu perform as emperor?
"Zhu Qiyu ruled for less than nine years. During his reign, he was good at recognizing and employing people, encouraged open communication, and valued Yu Qian, Wang Wen, Hu Ying and others."
"Militarily, with the assistance of Yu Qian and others, Zhu Qiyu reorganized the army, reformed the military system, and strengthened the defense of Beijing, thus gaining leverage for the later victory in the Battle of Beijing."
"On the other hand, in the second year of Jingtai (1451), Zhu Qiyu sent his officials to supervise the reclamation of military farms in the three regions of Xuanfu, Datong and Jizhou. The following year, he adopted Yu Qian's "labor quota system", which was very effective in preventing some unscrupulous soldiers from taking up positions without actually working."
"In the seventh year of the Jingtai reign (1456), Zhu Qiyu established strict standards for the manufacture and distribution of weapons in the Ming Dynasty. At the same time, he punished a number of officers who violated the law."
"Economically, different tax reduction policies were implemented for regions such as Shandong and Henan. At the same time, support was provided to disaster-stricken areas, and ministers were dispatched to comfort displaced people. Palace expenditures were reduced, and frugality was promoted. Agriculture was vigorously developed, and floods were controlled."
"In terms of culture, we compiled the book 'Universal History' and the art of cloisonné enamel. Cloisonné enamel is also known as 'copper-bodied filigree enamel'."
"This craft was very popular during the Jingtai era. However, due to Zhu Qizhen's restoration, he felt that Zhu Qiyu's work deserved to be passed down for generations. He said, 'Get out of the way! I'll do it!' After Zhu Qizhen's restoration, he ordered Li Xian to re-edit the 'Comprehensive Gazetteer of the Ming Dynasty' on the grounds that 'the complexity and simplicity were inappropriate and the selection was not proper.'"
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: This thing can still be restored?! @General Judy of the Northern Expedition, are you the fourth prince?!
General Judy, the Great General Who Conquered the North: !!!
Zhu Bajie of the Ming Dynasty: We don't care, your great-grandson is useless and cannot be a ruler!
General Judy: Father is right, that brat is truly more trouble than he's worth! He even dares to try and restore the monarchy!
"In terms of diplomacy, thanks to the diligent governance of Zhu Qiyu and his ministers, the declining Ming Dynasty gradually recovered and became a revival. The powerful Ming Dynasty attracted countries such as Korea and Vietnam to come to Beijing to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty."
"In short, through a series of effective policies, the Ming Dynasty began to recover after a period of rest and recuperation, despite the war, natural disasters and man-made calamities at the time."
Xuande period
Zhu Zhanji looked pleased; his two sons had finally amounted to something, otherwise he would have no face to face his ancestor! As for Zhu Qizhen, that good-for-nothing would never exist in this world again!
The Ming Dynasty of today will never be like what is recorded in later generations. I want to live a long time so that I can properly teach Qi Yu the way of being a ruler.
The Zhengtong period of the Ming Dynasty
Zhu Qizhen, who was left behind at Juyong Pass, was full of resentment. Why did his mother write to him demanding that he abdicate? The excuses about being forced by the court officials were just that—excuses!
So what if I knew Zhu Qiyu did a better job than me? I knew all that, so I refused to believe I could lose this time. It's just 200,000 men! The Ming Dynasty has a much larger population! Besides, those military officers deserved to die; they even caused my capture!
What is Zhu Qiyu? When his father was alive, he never even looked at him. He was timid and cowardly, not like a prince at all! If it weren't for the current opposition from the court officials, they would have killed him! He will only ever be a powerless and insignificant prince until the end!
"Zhu Qiyu was a good emperor, but later generations have different opinions on him in some aspects. However, I personally think that these are not big problems compared to the sacrifice of 200,000 troops by Zhu Qizhen."
"In May of the third year of the Jingtai reign, Zhu Qiyu deposed Zhu Qizhen's son, Zhu Jianshen, from the position of Crown Prince and instead established Zhu Jianji as Crown Prince."
"First of all, he wanted to make his own son the crown prince, which is understandable and human nature. However, this move was met with fierce opposition from his first wife, Empress Wang. Historical records say that Empress Wang was stubborn and inflexible. Since Zhu Jianji was born to a concubine, and in order to change the heir apparent, Zhu Qiyu banished Empress Wang, this obstacle, to the cold palace."
Lin Ke sighed, "In short, from another perspective, Zhu Jianshen and Zhu Qiyu were in the same boat. He was always cleaning up the messes left by Zhu Qizhen. However, in the eighth year of Jingtai, Zhu Qiyu fell seriously ill. Shi Heng, Xu Youzhen, Cao Jixiang and others, with the support of Empress Dowager Sun, plotted a coup."
"When Zhu Qiyu fell seriously ill, rumors were rampant in the capital. Grand Secretary Wang Wenzheng strongly urged Zhu Qiyu to make the eldest son of Prince Xiang, Zhu Zhanxian, the crown prince. If this were true, Shi Heng felt that power was about to leave him, so he persuaded two other people to place their bets on Zhu Qizhen. If it succeeded, it would be a meritorious act of supporting the emperor."
That night, Shi Heng went to see Empress Dowager Sun and secretly told her about his restoration, thus gaining her support.
"Before Yu Qian and others submitted a memorial to reinstate Zhu Jianshen as the crown prince, these three men welcomed the emperor with troops at the Southern Palace. It was as if fate had once again stood by Zhu Qizhen's side. They arrived at Donghua Gate almost without bloodshed."
"When the guards tried to stop him, Zhu Qizhen declared that he was the retired emperor, and the guards dared not stop him. So Zhu Qizhen stood in that position again."
"Perhaps Zhu Qiyu had anticipated this, for when he heard the news, he said nothing but 'Good! Good! Good!'"