The episode in August of the first year of Hong Xi seemed to be just an ordinary act of appreciating Rui, and no one would have imagined that it would become the fuse for the intensification of the contradiction between Zhu Zhanji and Zhu Zhaoxuan, a pair of cousins and nephews. At that time, Zhu Zhaoxuan, the king of Lu, presented a batch of Ruisu to the imperial court, and Lu Zhen, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, was full of praise and wanted to celebrate. But Xuanzong's reaction was unexpected, and he not only refused to celebrate, but also reprimanded Lü Zhen for turning a blind eye to the disaster of the entire country. Zhu Zhaoxuan, as a generation of virtuous kings, has always been cautious, but this time he was severely reprimanded by Xuanzong, and the relationship between the two has since fallen to a freezing point. In the later Xuande years, Xuanzong's attitude towards the Lu family became more and more severe, and Zhu Zhaoxuan was degraded several times. Where will the feud between them continue?
The first year of Xuande: The unrest in the sect began
In the thirty-fourth year of Hongxi, after Taizong Zhu Di pacified the Battle of Jingyan during his reign, the Ming Dynasty entered a short period of peace and prosperity. However, in the first year of Xuande (1426), Taizong's grandson Zhu Gaoxu launched a rebellion against the new emperor Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji in Le'an Prefecture, Henan Province under the pretext of "hating his father".
Zhu Gaoxu's father, Zhu Gaochi, the king of Han, was once the crown prince, but later due to Zhang Yunlu's eunuchs' slander, he was suspected and suspicious by Taizong, and was finally deposed as a citizen. This grievance has always been deeply buried in the hearts of the Han family, coupled with Zhu Gaoxu's arrogance and perversity, and he finally supported troops in Le'an Prefecture to establish himself as the "Longsheng Emperor", and approached the Beijing Division.
Seeing the royal prince in turmoil, the government and the opposition were shocked. Even Zhu Zhaoxuan, the king of Lu who was far away in Yanzhou, was also unable to sleep and eat. As Xuanzong's cousin, although Zhu Zhaoxuan has been a feudal domain for generations, he has always praised Zhu Zhanji's virtue, and naturally stood on the emperor's side in this civil strife.
However, Xuanzong's methods against Zhu Gaoxu were unexpected. Not only did he not send generals on an expedition to quell the rebellion like the first emperor, but he personally took command and led the elite troops to Le'an Prefecture. After the news came out, the whole Beijing was shocked, and they all thought that Xuanzong was young and had no plan and was self-defeating. Who knew that this expedition gave the rebels a complete slap in the face. Zhu Gaoxu couldn't resist the onslaught of Xuanzong's iron cavalry at all, so he had no choice but to return and retreat back to his hometown Huanghezhou.
This turmoil happened to Xuanzong, who had not long been on the throne in the New Year, and it was undoubtedly a huge blow and challenge to him. However, Xuanzong's personal conquest not only carried forward Zhu Di's heroic nature, but also showed his style of a general who controlled the overall situation and suppressed civil strife. This is undoubtedly a great personality charm and political deterrent for the new emperor, who has not been on the throne for a long time. Therefore, after the end of this battle, even if there were civil and military officials to celebrate, Xuanzong refused all of them, and the shame in his heart was vividly remembered.
The canonization of the prince was full of twists and turns
In June of the second year of Xuande (1427), Zhu Zhanji issued an edict to canonize several princes of Zhu Zhaoxuan, the king of Lu. King Lu's eldest son Zhu Taikan was registered as the son of Lu, the eldest son of Shu Zhu Tai was registered as King Anqiu, the third son Zhu Tai was registered as King Leling, and the fourth son Zhu Tai was registered as King Juye. The canonization of these princes and princes was personally presided over by Guo Jin, the left attendant of the main envoy department, and Wang Ben, the deputy envoy of Like.
However, there were some strange things that arose during the canonization process. First of all, Guo Jin's status is obviously a little too low, according to the old practice of the Ming Dynasty, such a major event as the canonization of the prince should send the secretary of the criminal department or the ministry of officials to the horse. Secondly, Guo Jin and others only issued the canonical order, but failed to give Zhu Taikanlu the prince Jinbao at the same time.
According to the "King James Ming Huidian", Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang once explicitly decreed that the eldest son of the prince should be awarded the golden book and golden treasure when he reached the age of ten, so as to establish the status of the prince. According to this provision, the negligence of Guo Jin and others is really contrary to the Ming system. What's even more puzzling is that Zhu Zhaoxuan, the king of Lu, himself used to be the son of Lu Shizi, and he is very familiar with this convention, why did he not have any objections at the canonization ceremony?
The reason for this can only be the will of Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji himself. From the perspective of the clan struggle for power, Xuanzong deliberately degraded Zhu Zhaoxuan, the king of Lu, by omitting the golden treasure of Lu Shizi. This kind of derogatory behavior is likely to stem from the negative impact of the relationship between the two falling to the freezing point after King Lu was reprimanded by Xuanzong on the matter of rewarding Rui.
Surprisingly, even after the death of Emperor Seonjong and the succession of Emperor Yingzong Zhu Qizhen, this oversight was not corrected in time. It was not until the first year of orthodoxy (1436), ten years after Zhu Taikan was canonized as Lu Shizi, that the new emperor issued an additional order to give Jinbao, which was regarded as a late correction of the neglect of the previous dynasty.
As for why Xuanzong was so tormented by Lu Shizi's status back then, there was no specific explanation in the history books. However, judging from the background of the intrigue and power struggle of the Ming Dynasty, Xuanzong's move of missing Jinbao was undoubtedly a kind of marginal suppression of Zhu Zhaoxuan, the king of Lu, in the atmosphere of political struggle at that time. Whether it was out of suspicion of the secret slander or the growing jealousy of King Lu, Xuanzong obviously hoped to preemptively strike at the beginning of his ascension to the throne to contain and weaken the strength and influence of the King Lu family in the court.
The delay and postponement of Lu Shizi's sealing of Jinbao this time just shows how resolute Xuanzong's determination to suppress King Lu is. Even in the new dynasty of Emperor Yingzong, Zhu Taikan had to wait for ten years to be officially recognized for his succession to the throne. This will undoubtedly bring unpredictable hidden dangers to the future development of the Lu Wang family.
The dispute between the king of Lu and the imperial court's guards
During the Xuande period, there was always a big disagreement between the imperial court and Zhu Zhaoxuan, the king of Lu, on the establishment and dispatch of the Yanzhou Guard. The controversy began with a trivial incident of the Guardians' sycophancy, which later turned into a major contest for power over the Guards.
The cause of the incident was that in the fourth year of Xuande (1429), Song Zhen, one of King Lu's guards, falsely accused the imperial court of the crime of "leaking the secrets of the palace". Ma Quan has always been loyal to serve King Lu, and he was suddenly framed at this time, and he was naturally very aggrieved. He immediately avenged his grievances with the imperial court and asked for a clear investigation.
After the trial, it was finally found that Song Zhenzhi's false accusation was completely nonsense. However, Ma Quan resigned in anger, and King Lu also took the opportunity to dismiss Song Zhen and straighten out the discipline of the entire guard corps. This was originally a trivial matter, but it aroused widespread attention from the government and the opposition at that time.
Because in the early days of the incident, some eunuchs and Zhongshu disciples reported the matter to Zhu Zhanji. They believed that the guards of Zhu Zhaoxuan, the king of Lu, were too numerous and powerful, and that there were potential security risks. In order to prevent trouble, the imperial court should have comprehensively reduced the personal force of King Lu.
Faced with the pressure of public opinion from the government and the opposition, Xuanzong quickly issued an order to send the prison army Chen Xuan to review the establishment of Yanzhou's escort army and make other arrangements. Chen Xuan replied that in the past, the guards were mainly responsible for escorting King Lu's travels and transporting money and grain, but now that the palace has become rich, it can exempt King Lu's guards from transporting grain.
When Xuanzong received this suggestion, he gladly adopted it. He thinks that Zhu Zhaoxuan, as a prince, should be happy with poverty, not to mention that he already has a lot of money. From then on, Yanzhou's guards were no longer responsible for transporting grain, but only retained the function of guarding and suppressing the localities.
This decision is undoubtedly a prudent move by Xuanzong to inherit the legacy of Taizu and prevent the division of princely territory. However, for Zhu Zhaoxuan, the king of Lu, it is undoubtedly a kind of power reduction and debasement. Because from the Yuan Dynasty onwards, all vassal kings had the privilege of having their own private armies, which was an important guarantee to ensure that they had absolute rule on one side. Now the imperial court has deprived the guards of the power to transport grain, which is equivalent to cutting off the self-sufficient and independent economic source of King Lu, which is undoubtedly a heavy blow to Zhu Zhaoxuan.
However, after learning of this decision, King Lu still expressed his obedience with relative restraint. After all, Xuanzong is the emperor and is the unquestionable supreme authority. Moreover, Zhu Zhaoxuan himself also knew that if he insisted on what he had seen on this issue, it would inevitably arouse the suspicion and punishment of the imperial court.
However, what people didn't expect was that in the later orthodox years, the Yanzhou Guards showed extremely outstanding military performance. According to historical records, at that time, in order to suppress local bandits, the Lu Wangfu personally commanded the escort army. This army is not only excellent in foot, shooting, cavalry, and formation, but also known for its fierce and decisive battles. It seems that the reduction of the Yanzhou Guards during the Xuande period may not be a wise move.
The other side of Xuanzong to Lu Fan
Although Xuanzong suppressed Zhu Zhaoxuan, the king of Lu, on issues such as the establishment of the guard army, it cannot be denied that he still had another side of the lenient attitude towards the Lu family.
First of all, in the above-mentioned reduction of the right to transport grain for the escort army, Xuanzong actually gave King Lu quite leniency. Although the government and the opposition were suspicious of the large private army of the Lu Domain, Xuanzong finally agreed to suspend the incorporation of all the Lu king's escort army, but abolished the function of transporting grain. This trade-off can be said to be a delicate balance between maintaining the unity of the royal family and giving King Lu face.
Secondly, in the eighth year of Xuande (1433), when Zhu Taikan, the son of Lu Shizi, got married, Xuanzong not only specially sent Cui Yu, the imperial guard, and others to Yanzhou to pay homage, but also issued a decree to canonize the new king title "King Luhuang". This was undoubtedly an extremely grand event at that time, reflecting Xuanzong's great love for the Lu family.
It is worth mentioning that the family background of the Tang family, the princess of King Luhuang, is also extremely extraordinary. She is the great-granddaughter of the former prince and master Tang Can, and was born in a prominent family in Beijing. This marriage is undoubtedly a big boost for the Lu family to seek momentum in the Xuanzong government and the opposition. And Xuanzong gave the new king title to the newlywed Yan Erqiao, which naturally also included the affirmation and blessing of Lu Fan's future status.
Of course, this tolerant attitude is also inseparable from the character of Xuanzong himself. According to history, Xuanzong was cautious and paid more attention to inner peace and comfort. Although he had established his prestige in the early years of the rebellion, after all, he was older and preferred to choose to deal with many things tactfully. Therefore, he may not be willing to use a knife against Zhu Zhaoxuan, the king of Lu, but would rather take it step by step and maintain the harmony and stability of the overall situation of the government and the opposition.
However, despite the above-mentioned tolerance and care shown by Xuanzong towards Lu Fan, from a higher level, King Lu was still gradually marginalized by this Ming Emperor. Because in the measures such as reducing the guard army and delaying the crowning of the prince Jinbao, we can all see that Xuanzong intentionally or unintentionally suppressed the prestige and strength of the Lu family in the government and the opposition. He seems to have always regarded King Lu as an uncertain potential threat, and only by curbing it through various favorable means can he finally consolidate his imperial power and dynastic foundations.
This precaution may have stemmed from the shadow of the Han rebellion that had been suffered by Emperor Xuanzong when he succeeded him, or perhaps the fear of further separation of the power of the forbidden army and the vassal king. In any case, although the Lu royal family still received some soft policies from the imperial court during the Xuande period, it has gradually entered the predicament of being alienated and isolated.
The change of dynasties and the fall of the Lu domain
In the fifteenth year of Xuande (1440), Xuanzong died of illness and was succeeded by his nephew Zhu Qizhen, who was Yingzong. After the new emperor ascended the throne, Zhu Zhaoxuan, the king of Lu, also passed away soon after. Succeeded to the throne of Lu was Zhu Zhaoxuan's eldest son Zhu Taikan.
As the heir to the crown prince, Zhu Taikan could have held more power in the new dynasty of Yingzong. But what people didn't expect was that Yingzong's attitude towards Lu Fan was more severe and precautionary than that of Xuanzong. This is likely due to the royal turmoil initiated by Zhu Gaoxu in Le'an, as well as the worries about the growing vassal king over the years.
As soon as Yingzong succeeded to the throne, he began to take a series of restrictive measures against the Lu family. First of all, he revoked the privilege of the Lu domain to guard Yanzhou, and asked Zhu Taikan to move the capital to Bianliang, which not only cut off the foundation of the Lu domain in Shandong, but also cut off its economic resources.
Secondly, Yingzong brought the six prefectures and eight counties including Yizhou, which were originally part of the Lu Domain, under the direct jurisdiction of the central government, greatly reducing the territory of his vassals. What's even more severe is that he also revoked the command of the Lu Domain, and incorporated all his original troops into the command sequence of the forbidden army and various outposts.
For Lu Fan, this was undoubtedly a brutal "de-forceization". Its fortified land, economic strength, and armed forces were unprecedentedly reduced in a short period of time, and it became a victim of Yingzong's "army of kings" policy.
In the face of such severe suppression by the imperial court, Zhu Taikan did not resist vigorously. According to the clan hierarchy at that time, King Lu, as the emperor's uncle, still belonged to the close relatives of Yingzong, reflecting the concept of the unity of the royal family. As the predecessors said, "flesh and blood cannot enter the world", civil strife and rebellion are ultimately against nature. Therefore, Zhu Taikan could only choose to tolerate it for the time being and compromise and move the capital to Bianliang.
Soon, however, another unfortunate thing happened. On the way to move the capital, Zhu Taikan suddenly fell ill and died at the age of 26. History books have different accounts about the cause of his death, with some rumored to be assassinated and others said to have been "accidentally" poisoned. In any case, the king of Lu, who was going to inherit the royal family in the new dynasty, died young, and his lineage was interrupted.
This was the beginning of the fall of the Lu family. Although Zhu Taikan left several young sons, Yingzong apparently regarded them as a potential cause for death and did not grant the grace of canonization to the throne. In the first year of Jingtai (1450), Zhu Qizhen collected all the surplus assets and properties of the Lu domain to the imperial court, announcing the complete dissolution of the entire domain.
In this way, the once glorious Lu Wang family, after experiencing the torture between Xuande and the orthodox dynasties, finally withdrew from the stage of history. The descendants of a generation of virtuous monarchs Zhu Zhaoxuan can no longer run the family kingdom like their ancestors, and can only be displaced to the point where they are no different from commoners. This is undoubtedly an extremely cruel victim in the royal disputes of the Ming Dynasty.