Chapter 21 Old Zhu was dumbfounded: Why are all his descendants short-lived?
……

"The Hongzhi Restoration?"

Old Zhu's eyes lit up. He thought that his descendant would be a good and wise ruler.

Unfortunately, his reign was too short and he died at the age of 36.

Thinking about this, Lao Zhu suddenly realized something was wrong!

Speaking of...

Why do all the people in the fourth brother’s lineage have such short lives?
Not only Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji, father and son, died young, but later Zhu Qizhen and Zhu Qiyu also died young.

It is understandable that Zhu Qizhen suffered a great disaster.

It is understandable that Zhu Qiyu might have been harmed by someone, but why did Zhu Jianshen and Zhu Youtang, who were later regarded as wise rulers, also have such short lives?
Especially Zhu Youtang. The Ming Dynasty was finally revived in his hands. Couldn't he live a few more years to let the Ming Dynasty rise and fall for a while longer?

Old Zhu is no longer calm.

I have lived to be 71 years old after all. How come after the fourth child, no one has lived past 50?

what's the situation?
……

[In 1505, Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Houzhao, succeeded to the throne.]

[Zhu Houzhao's reign was highly controversial. On the one hand, he trusted eunuchs headed by Liu Jin, favored them and increasingly induced them to play and entertain, which led to the continuous deterioration of the social economy, the continuous intensification of class contradictions, and the continuous peasant uprisings.]

[On the other hand, he used wise and talented officials to assist in government affairs, maintaining the stability of the Ming Dynasty. He personally led an expedition to defeat the Mongols and put down the Ning Wang rebellion, and could be considered a capable monarch.]

[In 1521, Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Houzhao, died in the Leopard House at the age of 31.]

"Another short-lived one?!"

Old Zhu was dumbfounded.

He died at the age of 31, how unbelievable!

After the fourth emperor, there were seven emperors, and none of them lived past fifty.

Among them, Zhu Gaochi, who was emperor for only ten months, was considered to have a long life. He lived to be 48 years old.

However, a tyrant like Zhu Houzhao who favored eunuchs and disrupted the government should have died earlier, so as to avoid making the Ming Dynasty chaotic.

……

[In 1521, because Zhu Houzhao had no offspring, his cousin, Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Houcong, succeeded to the throne.]

【朱厚熜生于1507年9月16日，逝世于1567年1月23日，享年六十岁，在位时间长达四十五年。】

Old Zhu looked up and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, there is finally someone over 50 years old.

Just like the previous emperors who died young, Zhu Yuanzhang was really worried that the same situation as the Western Han Dynasty kindergarten would happen to the Ming Dynasty.

[Zhu Houcong was wise and strict in his early years. He was strict in controlling officials, lenient in governing the people, rectified the government, reduced taxes and labor service, and created the situation of Jiajing's revival, laying the foundation for the Longqing New Deal, Zhang Juzheng's reforms, and the Jialong Wanda reforms. ]

[But in his later years, he worshipped Taoism and favored people like Yan Song, which led to corruption in government.]

[In 1566, Zhu Houcong died of poisoning due to long-term use of elixirs containing heavy metals.]

[In the same year, Emperor Muzong of the Ming Dynasty Zhu Zaigui succeeded to the throne.]

[Zhu Zaigui had a kind personality and was not good at handling state affairs, but he knew how to appoint the right people to the right positions.]

【During his reign, he trusted his subordinates and made important use of ministers such as Xu Jie, Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng and other famous ministers. He abolished the bad policies of the previous dynasty, negotiated peace with the Mongolian emperor Altan Khan, and facilitated the Longqing Peace Agreement.】

[In addition, he abolished the maritime ban and allowed private individuals to trade in the East and West Oceans, which was known as the "Longqing Opening". This led to a relatively comprehensive opening up of the Ming Dynasty. During this period, the Ming Dynasty's society was relatively stable, the economy had significant development, and the national strength was restored and improved.]

[In 1572, Zhu Zaigui, who had been overindulging himself in sexual activities and taking aphrodisiacs for a long time, died at the age of 36.]

Zhu Yuanzhang was speechless. Another short-lived ghost?

And he is 36 years old. Is there a conflict between the Ming Dynasty and the age of 36?

[In 1572, Emperor Shenzong Zhu Yijun ascended the throne. He reigned for 48 years, making him the longest-reigning emperor of the Ming Dynasty.]

[At the same time, he was also the emperor who had not attended court for the longest time in history. During his reign, he did not attend court for nearly 30 years.]

[In the early years of Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yijun worked hard to govern the country and supported ministers such as Zhang Juzheng in implementing a series of reform measures. The social economy was restored and developed, which is known in history as the Wanli Restoration.]

[However, with the death of Zhang Juzheng and the negligence of Emperor Shenzong himself, who did not attend court for a long time, the Ming Dynasty became increasingly corrupt, social contradictions intensified, and peasant uprisings occurred frequently.]

[At the same time, Nurhaci was unifying the various Jurchen tribes and growing his power. ]

[In 1616, Nurhaci unified the Jurchen tribes and established the Later Jin. ]

[In 1619 AD, the Battle of Sarhu broke out. The Ming army assembled 20 elite troops from all over the country and Korean troops, claiming to be an army of 47, and launched an attack on Nurhaci. ]

[In this battle, the Ming army was divided into four groups, and Nurhaci defeated them one by one. The 24-strong Ming army was completely wiped out, and the Later Jin occupied most of Liaodong.]

[The Battle of Sarhu was a fatal blow to the Ming Dynasty, and the Later Jin Dynasty began to rise. ]

【Therefore, later historians said that the dynasty did not fall during the reign of Chongzhen, but during the reign of Wanli.】

……

"Asshole, this Wanli brat has the audacity to not attend court for thirty years! The court is so corrupt, what on earth is he doing!"

Hongwu period.

Zhu Yuanzhang was furious.

……

"How could the Ming Dynasty fall during the reign of Emperor Wanli?"

Zhang Juzheng looked at the young Wanli Emperor in front of him and really couldn't reconcile this seemingly well-behaved and obedient young emperor with the emperor in the sky who had not attended court for thirty years.

……

[In order to cope with the huge military expenditure, Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty ordered the whole country to pay land tax, which aroused the dissatisfaction of the people across the country and they rebelled one after another. ]

[In 1620, due to long-term excessive drinking and sex, coupled with the disastrous defeat in Liaodong, Ming Shenzong Zhu Yijun finally died of illness in Hongde Hall. ]

[In the same year, Ming Guangzong Zhu Changluo succeeded to the throne. ]

[He died suddenly due to long-term excessive indulgence and taking the so-called "red pills". He reigned for only one month.]

[In the same year, Ming Xizong Zhu Youxiao succeeded to the throne. ]

[Zhu Youxiao himself was addicted to carpentry and playing, and was not keen on government affairs, so he was called the "Carpenter Emperor" by later generations. ]

[During his reign, he neglected state affairs and favored eunuchs, which enabled the eunuch Wei Zhongxian to monopolize power. He also fabricated many unjust cases and persecuted Donglin Party members, exacerbating the political chaos of the Ming Dynasty.]

[In addition, the situation in Liaodong became increasingly severe, and the threat posed by the Later Jin Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty increased day by day.]

[However, due to Zhu Youxiao's own stupidity and incompetence, the Ming Dynasty's military operations in Liaodong suffered many failures, which seriously threatened the border security of the Ming Dynasty.]

[In general, due to his stupidity and neglect of government affairs during his reign, the political, economic and social conditions of the Ming Dynasty further deteriorated, laying the groundwork for the demise of the Ming Dynasty.]

[In 1627, Zhu Youxiao took a "magic medicine" and died at the age of 22 due to excessive pleasure. He was also the shortest-lived emperor of the Ming Dynasty.]

[Because he had no offspring, Zhu Youjiao's younger brother Zhu Youjian succeeded to the throne in the same year and became Emperor Sizong of the Ming Dynasty.]

[In the early days of his reign, Zhu Youjian was committed to eliminating the eunuch party, rectifying the government, implementing the frugality order, and working hard to combat corruption among officials. He also re-employed Yuan Chonghuan and others, trying to save the Ming Dynasty from decline and realize the great cause of Zhongxing.]

(End of this chapter)