The book "A Record of Ming Xianzong" says like this: "The king who keeps his promise is worthy of Xi's luck, hangs down his skirt, quietly fights and rules the world."
The book "Guo Que" even commented that "at that time, there were many sages in the dynasty, and officials were diligent in their duties. From heaven to the west, the wind was clear and the gas was positive, and it was called Meiji, which became a major event first."
The emperor praised and admired by historians is Ming Xianzong Zhu Jianshen. Zhu Jianshen's life can be said to be exceptionally brilliant.
When his ministers were shrouded in the shadow of the change of the civil fort, he was not afraid at all. Instead, he began to deal with the refugee problem drastically and led ministers to solve diplomatic problems.
In just a few years, under his leadership, the Ming Dynasty achieved a prosperous situation in which foreign countries were invincible and the rule of benevolence and propaganda reappeared in Sri Lanka.
But the emperor was a soldier all his life, but he still took care of his temples in his later years, lamenting that he had no children under his knees. But strangely, Sharla Cheung, the eunuch next to him, sat down in front of him and said, "Long live, you already have a son".
Zhu Jianshen was pleasantly surprised at once, but he was also confused at this time. Why didn't he know that he suddenly had a son? What is even more surprising is that this son is now six years old, but he still lives in the cold palace.
What's going on here?
It dates back to before Zhu Jianshen became emperor. At that time, there was an imperial secretary in Queen Sun's palace, who was the later imperial secretary.
Wan Zhener, then only four years old, was sent to Ye Ting to be a maid-in-waiting. Her father is just a small official guarding the border, and she has no big family power.
However, ten years later, she became a stunning woman, and her fate changed from then on.
In the Romance of the Ming Dynasty, her stunning appearance is described as follows: "Beautiful as a fairy, with broad cheeks and eyebrows, beautiful as Zhao Hede, and fat as Yang Taizhen." This shows what a beautiful woman this is.
It was also her beauty that attracted her to Empress Sun and called her into her Renshou Palace to serve. At this time, Zhu Jianshen was still a prince, and he often appeared in front of Queen Sun. Coincidentally, he also met Wan Zhener.
At this time, Wan Zhener is gentle and considerate, and she is also very close to Zhu Jianshen. He often accompanied Zhu Jianshen, and their feelings grew deeper and deeper.
After six years of good weather, Queen Sun fell. At this time, Zhu Jianshen was fourteen years old.
At this time, Zhu Jianshen was no longer as heartless as he was when he was a child. After learning about the relationship between men and women, he called Wan Zhener, who was in his thirties, to the palace.
As early as when Queen Sun was alive, she had a crush on her, but she was still young and was a maid beside Queen Sun, so naturally she could not serve.
At this time, although Wan Zhener was over 30 years old, she was still gorgeous, no less than a concubine in her twenties. Therefore, after Wan Zhener was called into Zhu Jianshen Palace, he was deeply loved by Zhu Jianshen.
Soon after, Zhu Jianshen became emperor, and Wan Zhener naturally became the beloved Wan Guifei. At that time, people were surprised that Zhu Jianshen would spoil a woman who was seventeen years older than himself.
However, this did not hinder Zhu Jianshen's exclusive love for Wan Zhener, but it also led to Wan Zhener's favor and arrogance, which eventually led Zhu Jianshen to lament that he had no children in his later years, but he did not know that he had a six-year-old son in the cold palace.
After Zhu Jianshen ascended the throne, Empress Dowager Cixi chose Wu Nv as the queen, while Wan Zhener was posthumously named the imperial concubine. However, Wan Zhener's heart still felt pain for her failure to become a queen.
From then on, every time Wan Zhener saw Wu Huanghou, he always showed an angry and unhappy expression. At first, Wu Huanghou knew that she was spoiled by Zhu Jianshen's love, so she put up with her rudeness.
However, nearly a month later, Wan Zhener became more and more rude.
Finally, Wu Huanghou couldn't help criticizing her, but she didn't directly sneer at her as Cheng Xiang Wan Zhener did. As a result, Wu Huanghou was angry.
Two people had an argument, Wu Huanghou directly took the staff and beat himself, but even the staff was counted on Wan Zhener's head. Wan Zhener nature is can't help this tone, back to the palace and cried.
Zhu Jianshen was very upset when he saw nature. At that time, Zhu Jianshen intended to settle accounts with Wu Huanghou, but was stopped by Wan Zhener. Then Wan Zhener pretended to be generous and advised Zhu Jianshen not to get angry, but in fact he hinted that he hoped Zhu Jianshen would depose the Queen.
Zhu Jianshen was cheated by Wan Zhener, and the next day she told the Queen Mother that she wanted to depose Wu Huanghou.
However, when she abdicated to the West Palace, the Queen Mother persuaded Li Wang to be the queen. Wan Zhener was naturally unhappy when he saw that he had no hope of standing. However, fortunately, Wang's temper is weak, so there is no dispute with him.
In the second year of Chenghua, Wan Zhener was pregnant with a son. You know, Wan Zhener was nearly forty at that time, and Zhu Jianshen attached great importance to this hard-won child. However, the prince died only one month after he was born.
Later, Wan Zhener's mind was focused on jealousy and secret attacks on other concubines, and he no longer gave birth to children.
Zhu Jianshen spoiled her at that time, fearing that she would be jealous, so even other concubines she loved could only sneak around. Wan Zhener knew that after the concubines were pregnant, she secretly ordered these concubines to have abortions for many times.
However, after Zhu Jianshen knew these things, instead of blaming Wan Zhener, he became more and more fond of her and even flattered her. This also led to the harem for a long time without children being born.
But in the next few years, things changed.
Six years after Chenghua, he gave birth to a son, but I don't know what dragon son he gave birth to. The reason is naturally related to the abuse of the prince, so after learning that Ji was pregnant, she tried to cover up the truth.
Speaking of luck, Ji actually has something else to hide.
This Ji was originally an official woman in Hexian county, with sensitive temperament and good looks. When Chenghua rebelled against barbarians for three years, she was caught in Beijing and worked as a maid in Ye Ting.
At that time, Queen Wang thought she was beautiful and wise, so she taught her to write and put her on duty in Tibet. Later, on the day when she was on duty, Zhu Jianshen took a fancy to her, so he took a fancy to her.
Later, Ji found that her belly was getting bigger every day. She tried to protect herself after learning that she was pregnant. But Wan Zhener had learned the news of her pregnancy at this time, so Wan Zhener asked her maid to find out the news.
However, this handmaid is also a kind person. She didn't want to see the children who killed the royal family, so she went back and told Ji that she was not pregnant, but sick.
Therefore, Wan Zhener put his doubts aside for the time being.
Later, Ji became pregnant in October and gave birth to a dragon. But at this time, Ji knew that at this time she was regarded as a thorn in the side, and the child could not keep it anyway.
So she reluctantly found the eunuch Sharla Cheung at that time, hoping that he could drown the child. However, when Sharla Cheung learned about this incident, he felt very sorry and wanted to keep the royal blood for Zhu Jianshen, so he secretly hid the children in a secret room to raise them.
Later, Wan Zhener didn't know where he got the news, so he sent someone to look for it, but he didn't find the child and gave up.
At that time, the children's hiding place was close to the amusement hall where Wu Huanghou once lived, so he ordered people to nurse and look after the children from time to time, so that the children could grow up.
One day in the eleventh year of Chenghua, Zhu Jianshen looked at himself in the mirror at this time, and white hair had grown between his temples. Somehow, he looked up and sighed, "I am old, but I have no children yet." How can I be ashamed? "
Just then, the eunuch next to him knelt down and said directly, "Long live, you already have a child."
Zhu Jianshen at this time is not clear about the ins and outs of things. After some investigation, I finally learned that I had another child, who was secretly raised. Now he is six years old, hiding in the west.
Zhu Jianshen was overjoyed, so he drove directly to the amusement park. At this time, Ji learned that the emperor already knew about it. She told her children in tears: "It was your father who saw that yellow robe and still had a beard."
The child put on the little robe prepared by the eunuch, went straight to it and threw himself into his arms.
Zhu Jianshen held him in her lap for a long time and couldn't help crying. He added, "My children are so much like me. This is my son! "
Later, when ministers learned of the incident, they all expressed their congratulations and were awarded the title. But it's not here.
After the child was exposed to the world, the concubines in the palace began to compete to give birth to the dragon son.
At that time, Zhang Defai, Yang and others gave birth to sons one after another, but they cried and complained alone in the palace every day.
So Wan Zhener did the same thing and poisoned Ji. However, there are different opinions about the cause of death in history. Some people say that she was forced to hang herself, while others say that she was strangled.
Later, the child was also established as the Crown Prince, and was later called Ming Xiaozong. When he grew up, in order to save himself, Wan Zhener once ignored Zhu Jianshen and asked him to replace the Crown Prince.
However, it backfired. Just as Zhu Jianshen was preparing to write a letter to the Crown Prince, Mount Tai was shocked several times. At that time, all officials said that this was a sign that the Crown Prince of the East Palace could not be deposed.
Zhu Jianshen was also deeply moved, thinking that this was an act of God, which could not be violated.
Later, Wan Zhener had no choice but to resent it. In the spring of the 23rd year of Chenghua, Zhu Jianshen went out to dinner that day and was suddenly caught in a fog. The next day, when he returned to the palace, the imperial secretary reported to Wan Guifei.
However, I didn't expect Wan Zhener to be so vicious, and Zhu Jianshen still couldn't let her go. Not only did she hold a funeral for her with a gift from the Queen, but she even said, "I can't live alone without Wan Zhener."
Since then, Zhu Jianshen has been unhappy, and in August of the same year, Ming Xianzong followed Wan Zhener.
The love between Zhu Jianshen and Wan Zhener has been criticized in history.
Many people can't understand this strange love. Why did a wise monarch love this woman who is seventeen years older than himself so much that he even gave up his children? Historians can only call this inexplicable love romantic.
But the taste, I'm afraid only the two of them know.
Ming Xianzong's memoir
Romance of Ming history
Shi Ming road
Guoque