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Ming Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji was named Changchun Zhenzhen, the grandson of Ming Chengzu Zhu Di, the eldest son of Ming Renzong Zhu Gaochi, the fifth emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and his reign was "Xuande".

On the ninth day of February in the 31st year of Hongwu, Zhu Zhanji was born in Yanwang Mansion in Beiping.

Smart in childhood, he was loved by his grandfather Zhu Di.In the ninth year of Yongle (1411), he was registered as the emperor's grandson, and he followed Ming Chengzu Zhu Di to conquer Mongolia many times.

He came to the throne in the first year of Hongxi (1425).In the first year of Xuande (1426), the rebellion of the Han king Zhu Gaoxu was put down.

In politics, he paid attention to rectifying the administration of officials and finances, promoted the status of the cabinet, appointed "San Yang", Jian Yi, Xia Yuanji, etc.; taught eunuchs to study and participate in politics.

Economically, measures were taken to recuperate and ease social contradictions.In terms of foreign relations, stop Zheng He's voyages to the West; stop using troops to fight each other.

A series of measures by Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty led to unprecedented social and economic development, and the reign of his father Ming Renzong was collectively called "Rule of Renxuan".At the same time, Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty was very accomplished in calligraphy and painting, and his calligraphy and ink books were extremely exquisite. "
Calligraphy can be seen beyond its roundness.Works in painting, landscapes, figures, animals, flowers and birds, grass and insects are all excellent, and has been engraved with seals such as "The Treasure of Guangyun", "The Treasure of Wuyingdian" and "Yongxi World People".

In the tenth year of Xuande (1435), Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty passed away at the age of 38. His temple name was Xuanzong, and his posthumous title was Xiantian, Taoist, wise, holy, Qin Wenzhao, Wu Kuanren, Chunxiaozhang Emperor, and was buried in Jingling.

Zhu Zhanji was born on the ninth day of February in the 31st year of Hongwu. He was the eldest son of Zhu Gaochi (the heir to the fiefdom of King Yan at that time) and his wife Zhang.

On the night of Zhu Zhanji's birth, his imperial grandfather Zhu Di, who was still the king of Yan at the time, had a dream. He dreamed that his father Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang gave him a big gui.

In ancient times, Dagui symbolized power. Zhu Yuanzhang bestowed Dagui to him and said to him: "The grandson passed down from generation to generation will be prosperous forever."After Zhu Di woke up, he was recalling the scene in the dream, and felt very auspicious.

Suddenly someone reported that his grandson Zhu Zhanji was born.Zhu Di immediately realized that the scene in the dream was reflected in his grandson.He immediately ran to see his grandson, and saw that Xiao Zhanji looked very much like himself, and his face was full of heroism. Zhu Di was very happy after seeing it, and said busyly: "This is the blessing of the Ming Dynasty."

This incident played a great role in Zhu Di's determination to launch the Jingnan Change.

Zhu Gaochi, the father of Zhu Zhanji, was designated as the crown prince in the second year of Yongle (1403). In the seventh year of Yongle (1409), Zhu Zhanji followed Ming Chengzu on a tour of Beijing. Ming Chengzu ordered Zhu Zhanji to watch the farm tools and fields used for farming Food and clothing, and presented to him as "Wu Ben Xun".

In the eighth year of Yongle (1410), Ming Chengzu conquered Mongolia in the north and ordered Zhu Zhanji to stay in Beijing.In November of the ninth year of Yongle (1411), Zhu Zhanji was canonized as the grandson of the emperor and began to be crowned.

From now on, Zhu Zhanji followed Ming Chengzu whether it was touring Beijing or conquering Mongolia.Ming Chengzu once ordered Hu Guang, a scholar, and others to give lectures on classics and history for his grandson Zhu Zhanji in the Mobei Army.

It can be seen how much Ming Chengzu attached importance to it.His father Zhu Gaochi suffered from poor health, while Zhu Zhanji grew up strong and vigorous.In addition to his close relationship with his grandfather, he also deeply admired his father, and often protected his father from the blows of his two uncles Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui.All this aroused the vigilance of several other uncles.

In July of the 22nd year of Yongle (1424), Ming Chengzu Zhu Di died in Yumuchuan.In August, Ming Chengzu's edict arrived in Beijing, and Emperor Taisun Zhu Zhanji went to Kaiping to welcome the funeral in person.

Soon after Zhu Gaochi ascended the throne, Zhu Zhanji was made the crown prince in October of the 22nd year of Yongle (1424).In the next few months, Zhu Zhanji spent most of his time in Beijing.

In April of the first year of Hongxi (1425), because of repeated earthquakes in Nanjing, and his father Ming Renzong also wanted to return the capital to Nanjing, Zhu Zhanji went to Nanjing to help complete the preparations for moving the capital and pay homage to Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum.

When Zhu Gaochi fell ill on May 28, Zhu Zhanji was recalled to Beijing, but when he arrived Ming Renzong was dead.

In June, Zhu Zhanji returned to Beijing from Nanjing to Liangxiang, accepted the imperial edict of Ming Renzong, and entered the palace for funeral.

Folding succession to quell chaos
On June 1425, the first year of Hongxi (27), Zhu Zhanji officially ascended the throne.He abandoned his father's plan to move the court back to Nanking and remained in Beijing as the imperial capital, probably because he had grown up there and cared as deeply as Zhu Di for the northern frontier.

At that time, Zhu Zhanji was in Nanjing, and his uncle Zhu Gaoxu was going to intercept and kill the prince halfway, and then establish himself as emperor.Zhu Zhanji arrived in the capital safely.

After returning to Beijing, on the one hand, he properly handled Ming Renzong's funeral, on the other hand, he stepped up the guard in Beijing to prevent people from waiting for opportunities to make trouble, and then calmly ascended the throne, changing the next year to the first year of Xuande.

In August of the first year of Xuande (1426), Han Wang Zhu Gaoxu conspired against him.He sent an official to Beijing and invited Zhang Fu, the British official, as an internal response. Zhang Fu arrested the official and reported it to the court that night.

Afterwards, he asked Shandong Capital to command Jin Rong and others to respond to Jinan.The incident happened, and the conspiracy was known to the court.At first, Zhu Zhanji did not send troops to conquer, but wrote a letter and sent it to Zhu Gaoxu, advising him to stop the army.

Faced with how to put down Zhu Gaoxu's rebellion, Zhu Zhanji decided to go on a personal expedition, and immediately summoned Zhang Fu to order him to go on the expedition.The news of Zhu Zhanji's personal conquest greatly encouraged the soldiers of the Sixth Army, quickly settled the hearts of the people, and eased the turbulent situation.

After that, Huang Qian, the commander, was sent to defend Huai'an with the general soldier and Ping Jiangbo Chen Xuan to prevent Han Wang Zhu Gaoxu from fleeing south.Some people say that Zhu Gaoxu once asked to live in Nanjing, and this time he will lead his troops to attack Nanjing.

Zhu Zhanji has another opinion: Jinan city is strong, and Zhu Gaoxu will not take the risk of attacking; the families of the rebels are all in Le'an City, so Zhu Gaoxu will not go south to attack Nanjing, but stick to Le'an.Just as Zhu Zhanji expected, Zhu Gaoxu had no idea when he knew that the new king was on his own, and he was waiting to die in Le'an.

Zhu Zhanji ordered the counter-insurgency army to surround Le'an on all sides, but did not launch an offensive.Emperor Xuanzong ordered to send arrows to the city, proclaiming disasters and blessings to those who rebelled against the party, so many people in the city wanted to arrest Zhu Gaoxu and offered them.

Zhu Gaoxu was very embarrassed, so he secretly sent someone to play Xuanzong, begging for forgiveness, and left the city tomorrow morning to surrender, and got Xuanzong's permission.That night, Zhu Gaoxu took out the accumulated weapons and negotiated with Fan about the transportation documents, and destroyed them all.

The city is illuminated by fire at night.When Zhu Gaoxu was about to leave the city, Wang Bin and others insisted on stopping him, saying that he would rather die in one battle, and it would be a shame to capture him without a fight.Zhu Gaoxu said that Cheng Xiao could not win.

After leaving the city, the ministers went to Shushu one after another to ask for heavy codes.Xuanzong stopped him and showed Zhu Gaoxu the impeachment memorial of the officials.Zhu Gaoxu suddenly said: "The minister's sin is ten thousand death, and life and death are only ordered by His Majesty."
Emperor Xuanzong ordered Zhu Gaoxu to write a book and called all his sons to return to the capital.Several people were implicated in the crime, and the rest of the coerced people in the city were all released.They also arrested Wang Bin and sent them to Jinyi Prison.

After that, Xue Lu and others were ordered to inspect Le'an, and Le'an Prefecture was changed to Wuding Prefecture.

When the army was in charge, the troops were stationed at Shanqiao in Bixian County, and Chen Shan, Minister of the Household Department, greeted them and said that they should take advantage of the victory and move their troops to Zhangde to attack Zhao Wang Zhu Gaosui.

Xuanzong summoned Yang Rong and told him Chen Shan's suggestion, Yang Rong praised it as a great plan.Later, Jian Yi and Xia Yuanji were summoned, but they did not dare to disagree.

Yang Rong asked to send an edict to King Zhao first, accusing him of the crime of conspiring with Zhu Gaoxu, and the army arrived immediately and could capture him, Xuanzong obeyed.

After the rebellion of Zhu Gaoxu, king of the Han Dynasty, was put down, the political situation tended to be stable.

On the basis of Chengzu and Renzong, Ming Xuanzong further reformed the political organization and implemented a policy of recuperation.Ming Xuanzong retained the government structure of Ming Renzong's period, allowing many outstanding officials to continue to serve.But he did make some changes in the political system and administrative practice.

This is evident in the changing role of the cabinet and the involvement of eunuchs in exercising executive power.After Ming Xuanzong came to the throne, he further inherited and carried forward this custom of opening up his voice and accepting advice.

He said to his ministers: "The emperors of the Han and Tang Dynasties, Emperor Wen and Emperor Taizong were able to accept remonstrance, Emperor Wen several times imposed punishments, and Emperor Taizong's rule of Zhenguan also received good effects." Pay attention to enlightenment.He said: "The common people break the law lightly, because they have not been enlightened."
Therefore, officials at all levels are ordered to apply for enlightenment and popularize legal knowledge to reduce crimes.

Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty tried to eliminate corruption in the military and vigorously establish civilian rule.In previous campaigns, corrupt military officers only mobilized the poor and sold exemption coupons to the rich, and extorted excessively from the Li people when requisitioning supplies.

In order to eliminate these ills and restore the discipline of the military organization, Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty sent batches of inspectors from the first year of Xuande (1426) to the third year (1428) to inspect and improve the military situation in various provinces.

One of the purposes of these investigations is to go through the rosters of troops to determine the actual number of soldiers and the required pay and rations in each military unit, thereby eliminating major sources of corruption.

This kind of task is called the Qing army, and it has since become a normal task for the censors.Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty was worried that the Hu people would invade the frontier when the autumn was high and the horses were fat, so he rectified his troops and stationed at Xifengkou to wait for the enemy.

The guard reported that Wu Liangha led ten thousand iron cavalry to harass the frontier, and Ming Xuanzong selected three thousand iron cavalry to gallop there.When the enemy saw the army coming from a distance, they thought they were soldiers guarding the frontier, so they fought with the whole army.

Zhu Zhanji ordered the cavalry to be divided into two groups to attack the enemy, and personally shot and killed the enemy vanguard, killing three people.The two wings flew like clouds, and the enemy dared not advance.Then, Zhu Zhanji ordered to fire the magic gun continuously. Most of the enemy soldiers were killed and injured, and the rest fled.

Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty drove forward with hundreds of cavalry. When the enemy saw the Yellow Dragon Banner, they knew that it was the emperor himself.

In the fifth year of Xuande (January 1431), Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty ordered Zheng He to sail again on the grounds that there were too many foreigners to come to pay tribute.During the return voyage, Zheng He died in Guli on the west coast of India at the beginning of April in the eighth year of Xuande (1) due to overwork.

The fleet was led by the eunuch Wang Jinghong and returned to Nanjing on the sixth day of July in the eighth year of Xuande (July 1433, 7).The seventh voyage to the West contains 22 people.This is also the last voyage to the West.

Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty practiced a benevolent government of peace and love for the people.He is well aware of the truth that "the people can carry a boat and overturn it", so during his reign, he was sympathetic to the people's feelings and implemented a policy of resting with the people. "
Sitting in the imperial palace ninefold, thinking about the fields, rural areas and rural areas", this is indeed the true mentality of Zhu Zhanji, who cares about agricultural production and farmers' lives. He continued to implement the policy of recruiting people to reclaim wasteland since the Hongwu Dynasty to develop agricultural production.

In the seventh year of Xuande (1432), Ming Xuanzong also exempted Jiaxing, Huzhou and other places that suffered from floods.In the eighth year of Xuande (1433), taxes in many disaster-stricken areas were also reduced or exempted.

In Xuanzong Dynasty, there were "San Yang", Jian Yi, and Xia Yuanji; in Wu there was the British Duke Zhang Fu, and there were governors like Yu Qian and Zhou Chen in the local area. It was really a wealth of talents, which made the politics clear at that time, the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, and the economy was prosperous. Unprecedented development, following the Wenjing rule, the Zhenguan rule, and the Kaiyuan prosperity, the famous "Renxuan rule" flourished.

After Ming Xuanzong ascended the throne, the biggest problem facing him was the legacy of the incomplete reduction of feudal clans during Ming Chengzu's period.Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty immediately started to rectify military affairs, ready to meet the challenge from the strong vassal.

After careful preparations, King Zhu Gaoxu of Han raised the banner of "Qing Emperor's Side" and pointed his finger at Xia Yuanji, a veteran of the Five Dynasties.Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty, who had already been prepared, under the suggestion of Minister Yang Rong, overwhelmed the rebels of the King of Han in one fell swoop. The soldiers and horses who had previously agreed to join forces with Zhu Gaoxu did not move, and the Ming army soon surrounded Le'an City. Seeing that the general situation was over, Zhu Gaoxu had to abandon the city and surrender. This battle ended with the Ming army's complete victory and Zhu Gaoxu was captured alive.

All the ministers persuaded Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty to bring Zhu Gaoxu to justice. Zhu Zhanji thought that he was a vassal king, and instead of killing him, he was deposed as a commoner and placed under house arrest in Xiaoyao City inside the Xi'an Gate.

After the victorious division returned to Beijing, Zhu Zhanji immediately sent a summons to another emperor's uncle Zhu Gaosui, implying that he surrendered his military power. Zhu Gaosui did not resist, and obediently surrendered the three guards and horses. The issue of vassal kings was finally resolved in the Xuande Dynasty.

There are a group of well-known ministers around Ming Xuanzong, who made important contributions to the creation of "Rule of Renxuan".There are mainly five famous ministers in the Xuande Dynasty: Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, Yang Pu, Xia Yuanji, and Jian Yi. The first three of them are collectively called "Three Yangs", which is particularly important.

The ministers trusted by Yang Rong like Zhu Zhanji each have their own strengths and complement each other.

If it involves talents, you should follow righteousness; if it involves the military, you should follow (Yang) Rong; , introverted, but very good conduct, admired by all the ministers.

Several important ministers understand the general situation, take into account the overall situation, can put the country's affairs first, tolerate each other, and don't care about personal grievances.Zhu Zhanji trusted these important ministers very much, and always accepted their suggestions with humility, and the relationship between the monarch and his ministers was very harmonious. "
At that time, the emperor worked hard to govern, Shiqi and others assisted with one heart, and the domestic name was Zhiping.The emperor imitated the ancient monarchs and ministers traveling in Henan, and at the beginning of each year, all officials were given ten days off.

The car driver is also fortunate to be in Longevity Mountain in Xiyuan, and all the scholars follow.Compose poems Genghe, calmly ask the sufferings of the people.

Zhu Zhanji retained the original government structure, allowing many outstanding officials to continue to serve.But he did make some changes in the political system and administrative practice.

This is evident in the changing role of the cabinet and the involvement of eunuchs in exercising executive power.

Since Zhu Di's reign, what people called the cabinet was originally an advisory body, and now it began to exercise greater administrative and deliberative powers.Sanyang, Jin Youzi, and Huang Huai re-elected in the cabinet respectively.Not only do they live in the first rank, they have special court titles, and they also serve as ministers in the outer court.

For example, Yang Shiqi retained the official title of Shangshu of the Ministry of War, Huang Huai and Jin Youzi retained the titles of Shangshu of the Ministry of Households and Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites respectively.They were all respected and trusted by the new emperor, not only because they had been his teachers, but also because they were meritorious ministers of the previous generation of emperors.

They were assisted by senior officials like Jian Yi, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, and Xia Yuanji, Minister of the Household Department, who, although not a member of the cabinet, could participate in decision-making.

But apart from these people, the cabinet rarely added people during the Xuande period.

The cabinet's prominence was also enhanced by a new administrative procedure: regular pilgrimage to the emperor to discuss more pressing government matters.

Following Ming Renzong's precedent, the emperor asked them to submit sealed memorials directly to him to determine appropriate action.In addition, the emperor adopted a formal procedure known as stipulations or bill drafts, which required the grand scholars to review the memorials submitted by officials and submit appropriate responses to be affixed to each draft edict for imperial approval .

The emperor generally adopted their suggestions and distributed the edicts to the competent ministries for implementation; he did not call his advisors for reconsideration unless the main content was in dispute.In this way, the cabinet became a bridge between the emperor and the six ministries, and more than ever, it became a decision-making force.

Its leaders could now make recommendations without consulting the competent ministries, and whenever the emperor felt compelled to acquiesce in their decisions, they took effect automatically.

In the first year of Xuande, Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty ordered the establishment of "Neishutang" to teach eunuchs to read.Later, the eunuch was set up as the supervisor of rites and the eunuch of Bingbi, and the supervisor of rites as the eunuch.

Although this approach made things faster and more efficient to a certain extent, it also promoted the rise of eunuch power.

Since the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, they have been carrying out urgent tasks as the emperor's personal representatives.When Zhu Yuanzhang was in power, the eunuchs who were in charge of the emperor's documents were not allowed to contact the official offices of the outer court to prevent eunuchs from participating in political affairs.Emperor Jianwen and Emperor Yongle were also aware of possible ills and followed this practice, closely monitoring the activities of eunuchs.

As part of his domestic political and social reforms, Zhu Zhanji has made changes in three main areas of government: the Metropolitan Procuratorate, local administration and the military.

Zhu Zhanji inherited a corrupt Metropolitan Procuratorate; later he formulated several reform tasks and set new ones for it.In August of the third year of Xuande (1428), the honest and incorruptible Gu Zuo was appointed capital censor to replace Liu Guan, who was sentenced for many crimes committed during his tenure (1415-1428).

In the next few months, 43 officials from the Beijing and Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorates were dismissed for incompetence, and their replacements had to go through strict examinations.The general procedures and organization of affairs were stipulated, and the responsibilities of the Metropolitan Procuratorate were also expanded.The two new main missions are rebuilding the troop roster and inspecting the border provinces.During the period from the 22nd year of Yongle (1424) to the 1434th year of Xuande ([-]), some censor supervision tasks were specially stipulated and institutionalized later.

They included inspecting military settlements, construction projects, and Beijing camps, as well as supervising the collection of taxes in southern Zhili and water transportation through the Grand Canal to Beijing.

After Xuande's three-year purge (1428), the censors became more capable and more outspoken in their criticism.They also offered blunt advice, though they were also hesitant when it came to cases involving the emperor's private conduct, for fear of the corresponding penalties.

Although the emperor showed respect to them, he was also harsh on the censors who neglected their duties and abused their power.These were demoted, imprisoned or exiled; there was no death penalty for them.

In local administration, the most important institutional development during the Xuande period was the transition of local governance from a semi-formal to a formal system.

这种省的行政体制的设立体现了以前几代皇帝统治时期为了临时任务由中央政府任命特任＂巡抚＂这一做法的变化。＂巡抚＂这一名称已被太祖于洪武24年（1391年）使用过，当时他派太子朱标去陕西执行类似的任务。成祖在永乐19年（1421年）也派26名高级朝廷官员进行安抚军民的工作。

Not only well-known officials were specially awarded the title of governor or pacifier, but also some princes, including Ming Renzong and Ming Xuanzong before taking the throne, were also appointed.

Zhu Zhanji, who cared about the sufferings of the people and local administrative work, followed these precedents and sent two senior officials to southern Zhili and Zhejiang provinces as "governors" in September of the first year of Hongxi (1425).

When in the fifth year of Xuande (1430), senior officials with indefinite terms of office were assigned to "governor" the civil affairs, judiciary, and military affairs of Henan, Shaanxi, and Sichuan, the finalization process of the system continued; five years later, such The assigned tasks included the main frontier defense areas on the northern frontier from Gansu to Liaodong.

In taking on the task of governing such a large area for a long time, these envoys had actually institutionalized what was later called the governorship.

However, the governor has never been recognized as a substantive appointment, but a special appointment that delegates powers to officials who also hold formal official positions in the central government.

Such officials are usually the ministers of the six ministries, especially the ministers of the Ministry of War.They were later given the vacant title of senior supervisory officer.

In addition, the governor is also designated as an admiral or a member of military affairs.This became more common as the military became more important in administration, and marked the gradual domination of the military by the civilians as the military organization itself degenerated.The system of governors gradually evolved into what came to be known as a governor, meaning a civilian coordinator appointed to handle more than one jurisdiction.

In the way of governing the country internally, Zhu Zhanji is able to implement a benevolent government that comforts and loves the people.He is well aware of the truth that "the people can carry a boat and overturn it", so during his reign, he was sympathetic to the people's feelings and implemented a policy of resting with the people. "Sitting in the imperial palace nine times, thinking about the fields and farmers", this is indeed the true mentality of Zhu Zhanji who cares about agricultural production and farmers' lives.He continued to implement the policy of recruiting people to reclaim wasteland since the Hongwu Dynasty to develop agricultural production.

In March of the fifth year of Xuande (1430), when Zhu Zhanji was passing through the farmland, he saw farmers plowing beside the road, so he got off his horse and asked about the growth of the crops.Enthusiastic, he brought the farm tools used by farmers to plow the fields and plowed the fields himself.After a few pushes, he stopped, turned around and said to the minister beside him, I feel exhausted after just three pushes, not to mention that farmers work all year round.After finishing speaking, he ordered people to reward farmers with money.

His knowledge of the life and situation of peasants enabled him to take their interests into consideration when formulating policies.In June of the same year, a plague of locusts occurred in the Gyeonggi area, and Zhu Zhanji sent officials to command the eradication of locusts.

He was still worried, so he specially ordered the household department to warn them that the officials responsible for catching locusts in the past would do no less harm to the people than locust disasters. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to prevent this kind of thing from happening again. Courtier.

In the seventh year of Xuande, Jiaxing, Huzhou and other places that were hit by floods were also exempted.Xuande also reduced or exempted many taxes in the disaster-stricken areas in the eight years.

Zhu Zhanji gave eunuchs silver dishes.Zhu Zhanji knew that Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty was an example of a foolish monarch who abused the power of the people and even subjugated the country.Zhu Zhanji took this as a lesson and paid great attention to cherishing the power of the people.

During his 10 years of rule, he made many decrees to relieve the people's difficulties.In July of the first year of Xuande (1426), wood picking in Huguang was stopped.In February of the fifth year of Xuande (1430), the strike department picked wood.In November of the third year of Xuande (1428), Zhong Fabao, commander of Jinyi, asked to pick pearls in Dongguan. Not only did Zhu Zhanji not agree, but he also thought that he wanted to use this kind of disturbing thing to seek his own interests, so he was arrested and imprisoned.He also paid tax exemptions many times, owed firewood and grass, and exempted the old, disabled and those without strength indoors among the craftsmen in Beijing from being a craftsman.