Chapter 351 Chapter 350 Guangzong Zhu Changluo

Guangzong was the fourteenth emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He was born by the Queen of the Palace in the ninth year of Wanli. He reigned for only one month. He was the shortest reigning emperor among all the emperors of the Ming Dynasty. He was buried in Qingling after his death. The ninth year of Wanli (1581 AD) was an ordinary year.But it is very important to Zhu Changluo.It was an accidental moment in this year that gave birth to him and his inexplicable joys and sorrows in the past 40 years. His biological mother, Wang, who was only 16 at the time, was unprepared for this moment.At that time, she was an ordinary court lady serving the empress dowager in the Palace of Compassion and Peace. The 18-year-old Shenzong often went to pay her respects to her mother, and did not pay special attention to her.But on this day, Shenzong didn't know how to wash his hands, so Wang brought a basin of water and approached the emperor, so he was lucky.After a period of time, Wang's pregnancy gradually appeared, which made the empress dowager who was eager for grandson very happy, so she took the opportunity of Shenzong's banquet to ask about it.Who knows, Shenzong said indifferently that there had never been one.Only then did the queen mother understand that the emperor's son didn't care about her court lady at all.Helpless, I had to ask someone to take out the "Life Note" that recorded in detail the time when this incident happened and what Shenzong rewarded, and check it face to face.Shenzong blushed for a moment, so he had no choice but to admit that he had such an impulse.The queen mother took the opportunity to comfort her and said, "I'm old and I haven't seen my grandson yet. If I have a prince this time, it will also be a blessing to the clan." Shenzong had nothing to say, so he recognized the unborn child, and took care of the queen mother. According to the decree, the Wang family was first named a talented person, and after a few months, he was named a concubine Gong.

According to the relevant court rules of the Ming Dynasty, if the emperor did not admit that the pregnancy of the court lady was related to him, the child in the womb of the palace lady would be aborted, and the palace lady would die if it was serious.Therefore, if Shenzong refused to admit it at a single thought, or the empress dowager could not produce evidence, Zhu Changluo would never have come to this world. Zhu Changluo was born on August 11th in the tenth year of Wanli (AD 1582), and he was the eldest son of the emperor.At that time, although Shenzong had the Queen and Concubine Liu Zhao, they both had no children for life and had no heirs. When Chang Luo was born, the Empress Dowager and the courtiers all thought of the issue of establishing a heir.According to the practice of "If there is a heir, there will be a heir, if there is no heir, there will be an elder", the future prince will be Chang Luo.Therefore, Chang Luo was particularly favored in front of his grandmother, the Empress Dowager.He was bright and lively, carefree, and lived a stable life until the 14th year of Wanli, when his younger brother, the third son of the emperor, Chang Xun, was born.

Chang Xun's birth brought a major change to his fate.Chang Xun is the son of Concubine Zheng.Concubine Zheng was very favored by Shenzong. Therefore, after Chang Xun was born, Shenzong took the opportunity to confer the title of imperial concubine on his mother, and held a grand banquet for Chang Xun, showing extraordinary enthusiasm. Some ministers were afraid that "the son is more precious than the mother" and Shenzong would "abolish the elders and establish love", so they asked for the crown prince to be established as soon as possible, but a group of people who had guessed Shenzong's meaning and became Zheng Guifei's cronies tried their best to obstruct it. The 15-year battle for building reserves.In order to safeguard the "propriety and law" and the interests of their party, the upright courtiers and officials insisted on establishing Chang Luo as the prince, and they flew to Shenzong like snowflakes. Shenzong was very disgusted with Zhu Changluo's request to be the prince.As a result, most of the ministers in Shangshu were convicted and demoted.However, the empress dowager, who can control Shenzong, supported the "lichang".One day, when Shenzong went to pay his respects, the Empress Dowager asked why Chang Luo was not registered as soon as possible.Shenzong murmured for a long time and said: "He is the son of a maid." The queen mother was furious when she heard this, and reprimanded: "You are also the son of a palace lady!" Scared Shenzong from then on, he dared not openly oppose the establishment of the eldest son.

But he used procrastination and did not object to the establishment of the eldest son, but he just refused to do so. The nominal excuse was that the queen was still young and might give birth to a son. In the 20th year of Wanli, the first prince had not yet been born, and Zhu Changluo was 11 years old, but had not yet received formal education.The courtiers saw that there was no hope of being registered in a short period of time, so they asked Chang Luoneng to equip him with a set of Eastern Palace officials according to the ancestral system of the prince's pre-education, teach him to read, and learn the way of being a king.This is a roundabout strategy. They hope to create the momentum that Chang Luo is the future prince.However, Wanli's 20-year pre-education request was quickly extinguished by Shenzong.He seized upon Li Ke's invitation to Li Xianke and the ministers of the six departments to write the wrong section of Hongzhi's year name, and denounced him for deceiving the emperor. Meng Yanghao and others invited 11 people who had the most intense pre-education during the Zuoji incident, which shocked the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty.

But the ministers were still not reconciled, and many people still desperately wrote the letter. In addition, Zhu Changluo should indeed be enlightened, so Shenzong had to order a pre-education ceremony in the 21st year of Wanli. All the notes were the same as the East Palace lecture . Chang Luo cherishes this hard-won opportunity very much.He knew how hard his father must be to him.After school, Shenzong's demands on Chang Luo were really rude and harsh.According to the usual practice, the prince's "Jingyan" and "Daily Lectures" start from 9:00 am to 11:00 am of the day. If the weather is too cold or too hot, it will be passed on immediately.But Chang Luo had to start from 3:00 am to 5:00 am, no matter how cold or hot it was, he must not stop talking.It was cold and freezing in winter, but Shenzong often deliberately did not pass on ear warmers, stoves and other utensils.Chang Luo endured all this in silence.Before he was canonized as the prince, he didn't want to lose the big because of the small.Not only that, but he also paid great attention to showing his talent and winning people's hearts.Once, the lecturer Dong Qichang asked: "How do you understand the phrase 'choose what is available and work hard'?" Chang Luo replied: "It means 'do not use people's power lightly'." I am very happy to be able to make such an accurate and witty answer, and praise him everywhere for his diligence in studying hard and his extraordinary intelligence; he is diligent in thinking and bypasses the main idea.When the upright courtiers and officials heard about it, they believed that "Li Chang" was correct; when Shenzong learned about it, he recalled the scene when he was pre-educated by Zhang Juzheng and other ministers when he was 6 years old.He thought helplessly, is it really necessary to make Chang Luo the crown prince?

7 years later.Zhu Changluo was finally canonized as the prince, and several of his younger brothers were also named kings on the same day.Soon thereafter, Chang Luo held another crown wedding, and the god of fate finally smiled at him. Zhu Changluo heaved a sigh of relief after the status was initially determined.However, he soon discovered that the prince's life was far from what he had imagined, and his ordeal was far from over. At that time, he was arranged to live in the Ciqing Palace with very poor conditions, and it was stipulated that he should not be seen unless he was called.The offerings in the Ciqing Palace are very weak, not to mention incomparable with the ancestral prince's salary, even compared with other princes, it makes people feel shabby.What made Chang Luo even more unbearable was that Shenzong did not actually uphold his status and dignity as the crown prince.He had a strong interest and desire to learn when he came out to give lectures, but he stopped for no reason after less than a year.After becoming the crown prince, he expressed his willingness to continue several times, both openly and privately, but Shenzong ignored him.In the forty-fourth year of Wanli (1616 A.D.), Shenzong ordered it to be held again after 11 years since the lecture was discontinued due to the hundreds of letters from the courtiers.This time, Chang Luo was very respectful and attentive. He respectfully addressed the waiters and lecturers as Mr. and rewarded them with wine and food.Listening to lectures and answering, he was quick and delicate, which won praise from the inner court.However, after one lecture, it was inexplicably ordered to stop, and it has never been held since then.In November of the 33rd year of Wanli, Chang Luo's chosen servant Wang gave birth to the eldest grandson Zhu Youxiao.When Shenzong learned about it, he reacted indifferently, and gave Chang Luo, who was a little out of control with excitement, a ladle of cold water.In September of the thirty-ninth year of Wanli, Chang Luosheng's mother Wang Gongfei was depressed for many years and finally became seriously ill.Chang Luo begged repeatedly before being allowed to visit.When he came to the palace, he saw that the gate was locked. Chang Luo felt very sad for his mother's neglect.At this time, Concubine Wang Gong was blind due to eye disease. She touched Chang Luo with trembling hands, and cried, "You have grown up so much, I have no regrets in dying!" The mother and son cried with each other.After the death of Concubine Wang Gong, the academician Ye Xianggao said: "The crown prince, mother and concubine died of illness, and the funeral should be generous." Shenzong did not express his opinion.All the ministers went to the shuffle again, so they bestowed the posthumous concubine Su Jinghuang.Chang Luo has been brooding over this matter.After he ascended the throne, he immediately honored his posthumous mother as "Empress Xiaojing" and buried her in Dingling.

After experiencing all these things, Chang Luo knew that his position was still not stable.The greater danger lies in the fact that the opposition forces headed by Concubine Zheng have not given up their efforts to make their son Fu Wang replace him as the prince.Even Concubine Zheng's father Zheng Chengxian, uncle Zheng Chengen, and elder brother Zheng Guotai also took action, organizing manpower to spread rumors and preach, and they wanted to abolish Chang Luo.These activities intensified, and thus occurred the first of the "Three Cases" in the late Ming Dynasty, the "Tailing Case", which brought another major turning point to Chang Luo's fate.

On the evening of the fourth day of May in the 43rd year of Wanli, there was still a faint afterglow of the setting sun on the roofs of the tall buildings in the Forbidden City.Chang Luo has already had dinner.Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival, and the palace is preparing for the holiday expenses. He is bored and wants to go out and have a look.At this time, there was a scream and a burst of screaming and tearing from outside the door.There was immediate chaos in the palace.It was a while before he knew what had happened.It turned out that just now a man quietly broke into the Ciqing Palace where he lived with a jujube stick in his hand.At that time, there were very few guards in Ciqing Palace, and only Li Jian, the servant of the palace, was guarding the entire palace gate.After the man sneaked in, he took a stick first, knocked Li Jian down, and immediately rushed to the front hall.Li Jian saw that this person had an attempt to kill the prince, so he shouted desperately.The internal servant Han Benyong rushed over with all the servants immediately after hearing the sound, captured him hurriedly, and escorted him to Zhu Xiong, the guard commander who was stationed at Donghua Gate, and they took care of him temporarily.When Chang Luo heard that the man wanted to murder him, he couldn't help but tremble, and fine beads of sweat oozed from his forehead.

It was finally found out that this was a murder case.Since the case involved Concubine Zheng's two servants, Pang Bao and Liu Cheng, there was a lot of discussion, accusing Concubine Zheng's family of being the mastermind of the case and asking for an investigation. This unexpected result surprised Chang Luo again.He knew that Concubine Zheng was very jealous of him for being the "incubator", but he didn't expect that this hatred would reach the point of killing him.He was outraged.However, he knew that he could only stop at anger, and Concubine Zheng was full of cliques, which made people feel scruples.

Chang Luo thought a lot about the attitude and approach he should take in this case with himself as the center of the vortex, but he never thought that Concubine Zheng Gui would come to beg him.The development of the situation at that time was very unfavorable to Concubine Zheng, not only the officials impeached her one after another, but also Pang Bao and Liu Cheng could completely betray her at any time.She ran to complain to Shenzong one after another, but there was no reason for this case, and the relationship was too great, so Shenzong had no choice but to say to her: "At this point, it is not convenient for me to protect you by force. You can go to the crown prince quickly and let him take care of you." Get out!" Concubine Zheng had no choice but to come to Ciqing Palace.As soon as he saw Chang Luo, he knelt down and bowed. Chang Luo was so flustered that he was at a loss and knelt down too.After the noble concubine worshiped, she cried out her injustice and begged the prince to save her.Chang Luo was timid and timid by nature, and was terrified to see the arrogant Concubine Zheng like this.He desperately wanted the case to be settled as soon as possible, so he ordered his servant Wang An, who was studying with him, to draft an edict on his behalf, asking the ministers not to pester him any longer; .

His approach made Shenzong's worries disappear, so he came forward to settle the case in person after 25 years of quitting court.On May 29th, Shenzong ordered the murderer to be executed; more than 10 days later, Pang Bao and Liu Cheng were also killed with secret sticks;Shenzong and Concubine Zheng settled their concerns, and Chang Luo also heaved a sigh of relief. After the stiletto attack, Chang Luo's position as the prince was completely stabilized.Because he helped a lot at the critical moment, Shenzong began to treat him differently, and his living expenses also increased greatly.As for Concubine Zheng, seeing that the abolition and establishment would not be possible, and the overall situation of Chang Luo's succession to the throne had been decided, she felt very terrified.She knew very well that she had offended Chang Luoduo, so in order not to be retaliated against in the future, she went out of her way and flattered him even more.On the pretext of being grateful to Chang Luo for his rescue, she not only said good things, but also often presented money and jewelry, and selected 8 of the most beautiful ladies from her court ladies to give to Chang Luo.At this time, Chang Luo's situation has been greatly improved, and he is no longer depressed or coldly treated. Wherever he goes, his eyes are full of joy, and he feels complacent.He put all the humiliation of the past behind him, indulged in indulgence, indulged in pleasure, indulged in wine, sex and wealth, and indulged in everything.The situation is like hunger and thirst, and there is a tendency to make up for the shortfall of more than 30 years at once after a long drought and rain. In July of the forty-eighth year of Wanli (AD 1620).Ming Shenzong Zhu Yijun's condition worsened, and he could barely eat for half a month.After staying on the 21st day, he finally died. On the first day of August in the first year of Taichang (Zhu Changluo's reign) (1620 A.D.), Zhu Changluo finally added a yellow robe and became the emperor of Ming Dynasty, known as Guangzong.However, after his position as prince was consolidated, in order to make up for the previous losses, he tried his best to indulge in sex and sex, and sometimes he was lucky with several women in one night, so his body was already empty before he ascended the throne, so his face was pale and his body was slightly weak at the enthronement ceremony. Trembling, he could barely hold on till the end of the ceremony. When Guangzong was the prince, he still saw clearly the bad government in the Wanli period, so after he came to power, with the help of his ministers, he mainly did the following things: The first thing is to strike the mining tax envoy.He ordered the dismissal of mine supervisors, tax envoys, and middle-level officials in the envoy's yamen throughout the country in the form of an edict issued by Shenzong, and stopped any form of discussion activities.The imperial decree said: "In the past, the mining tax was an expedient measure because the burned 'Three Palaces' and 'Three Palaces' had no money to build. From now on, all of them will be stopped immediately. It will be withdrawn. For the additional money and food, those that have been levied before July of this year will be ignored, and those that have not been levied will be exempted.” This mining tax has long been hated by the people, so when the edict was issued, the government and the people rejoiced. The second thing is border defense.He ordered the transfer of 2 million taels of silver from the Da Nei Bank to be distributed to Xiong Tingbi, the economic strategist of Liaodong, and the officials of Jiubian Fu, so that they could reward the sergeants.And allocate 5,000 taels of silver for the freight, and spend it along the way.He also specially emphasized that after the money is released, someone will be sent to distribute it immediately, and it is not allowed to enter the treasury without authorization for other purposes. The third thing is to fill official vacancies.At the beginning of Chang Luo's accession to the throne, there was only Fang Congzhe in the cabinet, and there were many other official positions.He first ordered Shi Jikai, the right servant of the Ministry of official affairs, and Shen Shenxin, the minister of the Ministry of rites of Nanjing, to be the minister of the Ministry of rites and a cabinet scholar.Afterwards, he agreed to Fang Congzhe's urging, promoted He Zongyan, Zhu Guozuo, etc., to the ranks of ministers of the Ministry of Rites and cabinet bachelors;According to the Memorial of Zhou Jiamo, Shangshu of the Ministry of Officials, it was agreed to recruit 33 people including Wang Dewan who were convicted of "Li Chu" and dozens of people who were convicted of mining taxes. Among them, Zou Yuanbiao was promoted to Dali Temple Qing and Wang Dewan were promoted to Shaoqing of the Taipu Temple. At that time, each temple was equipped with two to ten ministers, and each temple was full of quotas.Therefore, some people lamented that Guangzong had overcorrected and caused unprecedented "official overcrowding". On the tenth day of the eighth lunar month, Zhu Guangzong felt in good spirits. When he returned from court, he ordered a banquet to be held in the inner court.The next day was Guangzong's 39th birthday, so he had to pass it on. On August 14th, the imperial physician Cui Wensheng was called for diagnosis and treatment.After Cui Wensheng looked at it hastily, he took a dose of laxative.Not long after taking it, Guangzong felt unwell. He stayed out of bed all day and night, and had diarrhea thirty or forty times, and suddenly felt exhausted.At this time, the palace was in chaos.Fang Congzhe, the chief assistant of the cabinet, was urgently summoned to the palace. After explaining some of the incidents, Zhu Guangzong asked Fang Congzhe and heard that the eunuch said that Li Kezhuo, an official of Honglu Temple, wanted to present a kind of fairy medicine that could cure his illness.Fang said that he had heard about it, but he couldn't believe it. Zhu Guangzong was in a hurry and went to the doctor. When he heard that it was true, he immediately ordered the Chinese envoy Xuan Li Kezhuo to come to the palace for consultation and asked him to take the medicine quickly.Li Kezhuo immediately mixed the medicine with human milk, and gave Guangzong a red pill, the so-called "red pill".At the beginning of taking the medicine, Guangzong felt very comfortable. He kept praising Li as a "loyal minister" and told all the ministers: "After taking the medicine, I feel comfortable physically and mentally, and I want to eat. Don't worry, Qing." Only then did the officials retreat happily, leaving only Li Kezhuo and a few imperial doctors behind.At night, Zhu Guangzong worried that the medicine was not strong enough, so he ordered another red pill, but this time he felt very bad.At five o'clock, the servants hurriedly called all the ministers to see him for the last time.On the first day of September, when the east was pale, the 39-year-old emperor, who had only been on the throne for only 30 days, passed away with regret. Since Zhu Guangzong died of a sharp deterioration in his condition after taking the "red pill", the courtiers felt that it was almost Li Kezhuo who ruined the emperor's life, so they played it out.People first thought that the "red pill" was suspicious. What kind of medicine was it?Some say it is an aphrodisiac, some say it is a golden elixir, and some say it is a tonic, but one thing is certain, this medicine is very dry, and it should not be used for Guangzong who has been debilitated for a long time.Guangzong first had Cui Wensheng's laxatives, which were harmful first, and this "red pill" was dry and beneficial, one harmful and one beneficial.Therefore, some people say that Cui and Li are both murderers and advocate the death penalty. At the same time, find out who is behind the scenes.As a result, the party struggle, which had already seemed to be in decline, revived again. For a period of time thereafter, because the last of the "Three Cases" in the late Ming Dynasty, the "Yigong Case", had been released and attracted people's attention, the "Hongwan Case" was not resolved.