Zhu Yunwen was emaciated due to excessive grief when he was filial piety, and Zhu Yuanzhang comforted him: "And honesty and filial piety, don't care about me."

Because Zhu Yunwen has been familiar with Confucian scriptures since childhood, the people close to him are mostly idealistic, so his temperament is as gentle and elegant as his father, that is, he is known for his longevity and leniency. In the twenty-ninth year of Hongwu, Zhu Yunwen once asked Taizu to revise the "Da Ming Law", and he referred to the "Book of Rites" and the criminal laws of previous dynasties to revise the 73 excessively strict articles in the "Da Ming Law", which won the hearts of the people.

In February 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang began to establish a tradition for the dynasty, that is, to appoint Zhu Yunwen's father Zhu Biao as the crown prince, because Zhu Biao was his eldest son. Zhu Yuanzhang's goal was to establish a formal principle for the legal succession to the throne, hoping to put an end to future disputes over the succession to the throne. Zhu Biao was in many ways unlike his father: he was mild-mannered and cultured, but not very brave. Although Ming Taizu was deeply impressed by the military talents of his fourth son, Zhu Di, he still regarded Zhu Biao as the most suitable successor for the sake of the dynasty. To the emperor's mourning, Zhu Biao died at the age of 37 (i.e., May 17, 1392) and was nicknamed Prince Yiwen. According to the principle, if the eldest son is not there, the eldest son and grandson should be established, but Zhu Biao's eldest son died early, and Zhu Yuanzhang saw that Zhu Yunwen, the second grandson of the eldest son, was very filial and liked it very much, and later made him the grandson. [4]

Before Zhu Yuanzhang's death, he secretly ordered Ma Meiyin (the husband of Princess Ningguo) to assist the new monarch, and ordered the emperor's grandson Zhu Yunwen to succeed him. A few days after Zhu Yuanzhang's death, Zhu Yunwen ascended the throne in Nanjing on June 30, 1398, at the age of 21. He determined that the next year would be the first year of Jianwen, and honored his mother, the second imperial concubine Lü Shi (who died in 1402), as the empress dowager. There is no credible information about Zhu Yunwen's personality and the development of the country during his reign, because all archival documents and household notes of Zhu Yunwen's period were destroyed, and private accounts were banned. [5]

The young Emperor Jianwen was a scholarly and gentle man, and he inherited his father's gentle and thoughtful temperament. He is shy and has no experience in national politics; Not to mention that compared to his former emperor Zukao, and even compared to his eloquent uncles, he did not have that kind of self-confidence and strong character, and he didn't even have that ability. The young emperor's docile personality and Confucian education led to his heartfelt desire to practice the ideal benevolent government. He tried to bring about some major changes in the words and actions of the government, but those changes have had disastrous consequences.

Zhu Yunwen introduced three Confucian masters as confidants, they were Huang Zicheng, Qi Tai and Fang Xiaoru. These old men played a strong role in Zhu Yunwen's concept of being a king. Huang Zicheng (died 1402) was a well-respected Confucian scholar who was promoted to the first rank of Jinshi in 1385. He held many official positions during the Ming Taizu era, and is now appointed by Zhu Yunwen as a scholar of Hanlin and participates in state affairs. Qi Tai (died 1402), also a jinshi in 1385, was a scholar of scriptures and calligraphy, especially in etiquette and the art of war. When Emperor Hongwu was dying, he was ordered to protect the emperor's grandson and heir, and was appointed by the new emperor as the secretary of the military department to participate in state affairs. Fang Xiaoru (1357-1404) was already a well-known scholar in his early forties, known as an essayist and political thinker. After Zhu Yunwen ascended the throne, he was called to speak as a waiter in Hanlin. [6]

These three Confucian scholars influenced the emperor in a variety of different ways. Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai became the emperor's confidants, educating him with the Confucian theory of cultivating Qi and Zhiping. They were responsible for studying and implementing new policies aimed at reorganizing the administration of the empire and strengthening the authority of the emperor. Fang Xiaoru, an expert on the Zhou Li, a classic work on utopian government, saw what he saw as the shortcomings of individual autocracy, and therefore suggested that the emperor should practice benevolent government according to the ideals and forms set forth in the ancient scriptures. All three men were courageous, upright, and full of ideals. However, they are all nerds, lacking practical awareness and experience in public affairs, and have no leadership skills; Their analysis of problems is often limited to rhetoric and unrealistic. [7]

King Yan rebelled

The formidable Yan King Zhu Di was born on May 2, 1360, and his biological mother may have been a concubine of Emperor Hongwu, who is said to be either a Mongol or a Korean. He was not born to Queen Ma, as he himself later said; He said this in order to legitimize his accession to the throne in accordance with the principle of primogeniture after he seized the throne from his nephew. He was strong and powerful, but also proficient in martial arts, and is said to have excelled in the study of Confucian classics and literature. His literary prowess is expressed in the canonical history, because this achievement is in keeping with the public image of a Confucian monarch. [8] In May 1370, Emperor Hongwu made him King of Yan and made him a fief in Beiping (present-day Beijing), placing him on the northern border to ensure domestic security and defend against Mongol invasions.

At that time, King Yan was only 10 years old, and it was not until he came of age that he went to Beijing in April 1380 to take up the kingdom. By this time, he had received the best generalist education of the best scholars and Buddhist monks at the court. Under the guidance of the top generals of the Ming Dynasty, he had also begun to show military leadership; In particular, Xu Da (1332-1385) was more effective in teaching him, because in 1376 he married Xu Da's eldest daughter at the emperor's behest. [9] In the decades that followed, when King Yan guarded his domain, he often commanded battles against the Mongols, and was very adept at fighting with the support of veteran generals. His exploits won him the praise of his father, but also caused trouble for the latter, as he became more and more ambitious, unsightly, and independent. When Emperor Hongwu canonized his eldest brother's son, Zhu Yunwen, in 1392 instead of appointing him as his imperial heir, King Yan was visibly disappointed. [10]

In late 1398, the first few months of Zhu's reign, the emperor began to consider how to increase his power while weakening the power of the feudal kingdoms, and took drastic action against the lesser and weaker vassal kings on either false or unfounded charges. Zhu Hu (1361-1425), King of Zhou, was the first to fall, followed by four other princes: Zhu Gui (1374-1446); Zhu Bai, King of Hunan (1371-1399); Zhu Rong, King of Qi (1364-1428); and Zhu Yang (1379-1450). Within a year, after five important feudal feuds had been abolished, King Yan was the next target. Acknowledging him as the most intractable enemy, the court was cautious in his actions; However, this gave King Yan time to gather troops and prepare. [11]

It is uncertain when King Yan began to make up his mind to fight against the imperial court. According to some sources, under the influence of the Daoyan monk (later known as Yao Guangxiao), he had the intention of working against the imperial court very early; According to him, Dao Yan was sent to his palace by Ming Taizu to serve and won his trust. Dao Yan is said to have made a statement to King Yan after Zhu Yunwen was made a prince, saying that he was destined to have ninety-five points; He also encouraged King Yan to plan to further his ambitions. When the Jianwen court began purging his brothers, King Yan immediately sensed that his position was in jeopardy and consulted Dao Yan (who by this time was already his chief advisor and strategist) about what steps should be taken to deal with this threat. [12] The Yan king had already expanded his forces by recruiting Mongol soldiers, and at the same time he had colluded with the eunuchs who had ceased to have illusions with the new emperor. However, he had no intention of acting immediately, because his three sons were being held hostage in Nanking to ensure that he would not talk nonsense. At the same time, spies and agents on both sides reported back and forth. In 1398 and 1399, King Yan played many tricks, feigning illness and madness, and begging to be sent back to his sons. It was not until June 1399 that Zhu Yunwen allowed his sons to return to their fathers – a decision that historians call foolish; Only then did King Yan decide to use military action to disobey the imperial court.

Hostilities broke out at the end of July 1399; At that time, an officer loyal to the Jianwen Dynasty captured two lower-ranking officials belonging to the Yan Dynasty and sent them to Nanjing to be executed for incitement. King Yan seized the opportunity to launch a military offensive against several neighboring prefectures and counties on August 5, under the pretext of purging the court of traitorous officials. This marked the beginning of a bloody three-year military confrontation between the imperial court and the king of Yan; Later, the war was disguised and described as a battle of "appeasement". [13]

In order to justify his rebellion, King Yan orchestrated several proclamations in the months that followed: they included two letters to the imperial court in August and December 1399, and a later proclamation to the government and the people. The vassal king insisted that he was carrying out a righteous act to end civil strife, and that he was doing the right thing, both in terms of Confucian filial piety and in the terms of the Zu Xunlu, which set out the obligations of the vassal kings. [14] He blamed the emperor, especially for failing to inform him of his father's illness and for not allowing him to run to the funeral; In addition, he was also accused of destroying the palace where the emperor lived, thus betraying the ancestral teachings of Emperor Hongwu.

He also accused the emperor of persecuting the princes by the temptation of Qi Tai, Huang Zicheng and other minor ministers, and falsely accused him of making military preparations against the emperor. He argued that his actions were justified in self-defense, and at the same time he demanded that the emperor get rid of the treacherous advisers on the left and right and restore the laws and institutions of Emperor Taizu. In addition to this, he also claimed that he was obliged to carry out this disciplinary mission, because he was the oldest surviving son born to Queen Ma, and he was duty-bound; He swore that he was interested in the throne, saying only that he had begun to purge the court of villain officials in accordance with the provisions of the "Ancestral Teachings".

Based on the material provided by modern historians, it is doubtful whether any of his accusations were well-founded in fact, or whether he was actually able to make these arguments public at the time. However, these accusations are a matter of success or failure for King Yan; Eventually, they will make his actions against the court credible, and they will also help him gather men who can disobey. This is why, after usurping the throne, the vassal king had to alter the historical narrative by removing all the accounts that contradicted his statements and replacing them with historical statements that supported his legitimate right to inheritance. [15]

Zhu Yunwen has been smart and studious since he was a child, and he is extremely filial. When he was fourteen years old, Zhu Biao fell ill, and Zhu Yunwen waited carefully and did not leave a step day and night. This lasted for two years, and in the twenty-fifth year of Hongwu (1392), Zhu Biao died of illness, and Zhu Yunwen was made the emperor's grandson. Zhu Yunwen was emaciated due to excessive grief when he was filial piety, and Zhu Yuanzhang comforted him: "And honesty and filial piety, don't care about me."

Because Zhu Yunwen has been familiar with Confucian scriptures since childhood, the people close to him are mostly idealistic, so his temperament is as gentle and elegant as his father, that is, he is known for his longevity and leniency. In the twenty-ninth year of Hongwu, Zhu Yunwen once asked Taizu to revise the "Da Ming Law", and he referred to the "Book of Rites" and the criminal laws of previous dynasties to revise the 73 excessively strict articles in the "Da Ming Law", which won the hearts of the people.

In February 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang began to establish a tradition for the dynasty, that is, to appoint Zhu Yunwen's father Zhu Biao as the crown prince, because Zhu Biao was his eldest son. Zhu Yuanzhang's goal was to establish a formal principle for the legal succession to the throne, hoping to put an end to future disputes over the succession to the throne. Zhu Biao was in many ways unlike his father: he was mild-mannered and cultured, but not very brave. Although Ming Taizu was deeply impressed by the military talents of his fourth son, Zhu Di, he still regarded Zhu Biao as the most suitable successor for the sake of the dynasty. To the emperor's mourning, Zhu Biao died at the age of 37 (i.e., May 17, 1392) and was nicknamed Prince Yiwen. According to the principle, if the eldest son is not there, the eldest son and grandson should be established, but Zhu Biao's eldest son died early, and Zhu Yuanzhang saw that Zhu Yunwen, the second grandson of the eldest son, was very filial and liked it very much, and later made him the grandson. [4]

Before Zhu Yuanzhang's death, he secretly ordered Ma Meiyin (the husband of Princess Ningguo) to assist the new monarch, and ordered the emperor's grandson Zhu Yunwen to succeed him. A few days after Zhu Yuanzhang's death, Zhu Yunwen ascended the throne in Nanjing on June 30, 1398, at the age of 21. He determined that the next year would be the first year of Jianwen, and honored his mother, the second imperial concubine Lü Shi (who died in 1402), as the empress dowager. There is no credible information about Zhu Yunwen's personality and the development of the country during his reign, because all archival documents and household notes of Zhu Yunwen's period were destroyed, and private accounts were banned. [5]

The young Emperor Jianwen was a scholarly and gentle man, and he inherited his father's gentle and thoughtful temperament. He is shy and has no experience in national politics; Not to mention that compared to his former emperor Zukao, and even compared to his eloquent uncles, he did not have that kind of self-confidence and strong character, and he didn't even have that ability. The young emperor's docile personality and Confucian education led to his heartfelt desire to practice the ideal benevolent government. He tried to bring about some major changes in the words and actions of the government, but those changes have had disastrous consequences.