The Taichang Emperor (; 28 August 1582 – 26 September 1620), personal name Zhu Changluo (), was the 15th Emperor of the Ming dynasty. He was the eldest son of the

Wanli Emperor The Wanli Emperor (; 4 September 1563 – 18 August 1620), personal name Zhu Yijun (), was the 14th Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigned from 1572 to 1620. "Wanli", the era name of his reign, literally means "ten thousand calendars". He was the ...

and succeeded his father as emperor in 1620. However, his reign came to an abrupt end less than one month after his coronation when he was found dead one morning in the palace following a bout of

diarrhea Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin wi ...

. He was succeeded by his son, Zhu Youjiao, who was enthroned as the

Tianqi Emperor The Tianqi Emperor (23 December 1605 – 30 September 1627), personal name Zhu Youjiao (), was the 16th Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1620 to 1627. He was the eldest son of the Taichang Emperor and a elder brother of the Chongzhe ...

. His

era name A regnal year is a year of the reign of a sovereign, from the Latin ''regnum'' meaning kingdom, rule. Regnal years considered the date as an ordinal, not a cardinal number. For example, a monarch could have a first year of rule, a second year of ...

, Taichang, means "grand prosperity." His reign was the shortest in Ming history.

Early life

Zhu Changluo was born in 1582, the 10th year of the Wanli era, to the

and a palace attendant,

Lady Wang Lady Wang (王夫人) is a character in the classic Chinese 18th century novel ''Dream of the Red Chamber''. She is the wife of Jia Zheng, and mother of Jia Zhu (dead at the start of the novel), Jia Yuanchun and Jia Baoyu. She is the elder sis ...

, who served under the Emperor's mother,

Empress Dowager Xiaoding Empress Dowager Xiaoding (1545 – 18 March 1614), of the Li clan, was the mother of the Wanli Emperor. She was the nominal Regent of China during the minority of her son from 1572 to 1582. She became known in history under her posthumous name, Xiao ...

. After it was discovered that Lady Wang was pregnant, the Emperor was persuaded by his mother to make her a concubine and awarded her the title "Consort Gong of the Second Grade" (恭妃). However she was never one of the Wanli Emperor's favourite consorts. After his birth, Zhu Changluo was largely ignored by his father even though he, as the firstborn son of the emperor, was by default the

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

(

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...

) according to the Ming dynasty's traditional rules of succession. He was born shortly after his elder sister, the

Princess Rongchang Princess Rongchang (1582–1647) was a Chinese princess, the eldest child of the Ming dynasty Wanli Emperor and his primary wife's, Empress Xiaoduanxian, only child. Biography In 1596, Zhu Xuanying was given the title of Princess Rongchang. In M ...

; the

's eldest child and only child with his primary wife

Empress Xiaoduanxian Empress Xiaoduanxian (; 7 November 1564 – 7 May 1620), personal name Wang Xijie (), was empress consort of the Wanli Emperor. She was the longest serving empress consort in Chinese history. Early life Wang was born in Beijing to Wang Wei (� ...

. Zhu Changluo spent most of his life as a hapless pawn in a power struggle for the title of

. The Wanli Emperor openly preferred naming

Zhu Changxun Zhu Changxun (1586–1641) was the third son of the Ming dynasty Wanli Emperor. His mother, Noble Consort Zheng, was a favoured concubine and, in efforts to please her, the emperor attempted to have Zhu made heir apparent, but failed to overturn t ...

, his younger son born to his favourite consort

Noble Consort Zheng Noble Consort Zheng (1565–1630), was a Ming dynasty concubine of the Wanli Emperor. She is known for having been his most beloved consort and, in an attempt to please her, he tried to make her son his heir apparent. This act caused over a decade ...

as crown prince over the seniority of Zhu Changluo, but his intention was met with vehement opposition by most of his

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a Religious Confucianism, religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, ...

-educated ministers who insisted that the Emperor adhered to dynastic traditions. Frustrated by the multiple petitions to install Zhu Changluo as crown prince, the Wanli Emperor decided to stonewall the issue and left the question of his designated heir in suspense. Some historians have suggested that the impasse on the selection of crown prince was part of the cause of the Wanli Emperor's withdrawal from daily government administration. Caught in this political limbo, Zhu Changluo was deliberately not assigned a regular tutor or given any systematic Confucian education even after he started school at the age of 13, an unusually late age for Ming princes to begin their education. In 1601, the Wanli Emperor gave in to pressure from his ministers and more importantly from the empress dowager and a 19-year-old Zhu Changluo was formally instated as crown prince and

. However this formal recognition did not signal the end of court intrigues. Rumours of the Wanli Emperor's intention to replace Zhu Changluo with

continued to surface through the years, In 1615, the Ming imperial court was hit by a mysterious scandal. A man called Zhang Chai, armed only with a wooden staff, managed to drive away the eunuchs guarding the palace gates and break into Ciqing Palace—then the crown prince's living quarters. Zhang Chai was eventually subdued and thrown in prison. Although initial investigations found him to be a lunatic, upon further investigations by a magistrate named Wang Zhicai, Zhang Chai confessed to being party to a plot instigated by two eunuchs working under

. According to Zhang Chai's confession, the two eunuchs had promised him rewards for assaulting the crown prince, thus indirectly implicating Lady Zheng in an assassination plot. Presented with incriminating evidence and the gravity of the accusations, the Wanli Emperor, in an attempt to spare Lady Zheng, personally presided over the case and laid full blame on the two eunuchs, who were executed along with Zhang Chai. Although the case was quickly hushed up, it did not squelch public discussions and eventually became known as the "Case of the Wooden Staff Assault" (梃擊案), one of three notorious mysteries of the late Ming dynasty. In 1615, the crown prince became infuriated with his concubine, Lady Liu, who was the mother of the future

Chongzhen Emperor The Chongzhen Emperor (; 6 February 1611 – 25 April 1644), personal name Zhu Youjian (), courtesy name Deyue (),Wang Yuan (王源)，''Ju ye tang wen ji'' (《居業堂文集》), vol. 19. "聞之張景蔚親見烈皇帝神主題御諱字德� ...

. He ordered her punished, during which ordeal Lady Liu died. It is debated whether the crown prince ordered her to be killed or if her death was an accident. Fearing that this incident would further turn his father against him and towards

, the crown prince had Lady Liu secretly buried in the

Western Hills The Western Hills () are the hills and mountains in the western part of Beijing. Geography Being an extension of the Taihang mountain range from the Hebei Province, the Western Hills cover approximately 17% of the Beijing municipality, inc ...

near

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

and forbade palace staff from mentioning the affair. On his ascension to the throne, the

had Lady Liu reburied in the

Ming tombs The Ming tombs are a collection of mausoleums built by the emperors of the Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led ...

next to her husband.

Reign

The Wanli Emperor died on 18 August 1620 and was succeeded by Zhu Changluo on 28 August 1620, the latter's 38th birthday by Western calculation. Upon his coronation, Zhu Changluo adopted the

"Taichang" (literally "grand prosperity") for his reign, hence he is known as the Taichang Emperor. The first few days of his reign started promisingly enough as recorded in the Ming histories. Two million taels of silver was entailed as a gift to the troops guarding the border, important bureaucratic posts left vacant during the Wanli Emperor's long periods of administrative inactivity were finally starting to be filled, and many of the deeply unpopular extraordinary taxes and duties imposed by the Wanli Emperor were also revoked at this time. However, ten days after his coronation, the Taichang Emperor became so ill that celebrations for his birthday (by Chinese calculation) were cancelled. According to non-official primary sources, the Taichang Emperor's illness was brought about by excessive sexual indulgence after he was presented with eight maidens by Lady Zheng. The emperor's already serious condition was further compounded by severe

diarrhoea Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin wi ...

after taking a dose of

laxative Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...

, recommended by an attending eunuch Cui Wensheng on 10 September. Finally on 25 September, to counter the effects of the laxative, he asked for and took a red pill presented by a minor court official named Li Kezhuo, who dabbled in

apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is a mostly archaic term for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses '' materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern chemist (British English) or pharmacist (British and North Ameri ...

. It was recorded in official Ming histories that the Taichang Emperor felt much better after taking the red pill, regained his appetite and repeatedly praised Li Kezhuo as a "loyal subject". That same afternoon, the emperor took a second pill and was found dead the next morning on 26 September 1620.《明史·本紀第二十一》：四十八年七月，神宗崩。丁酉，太子遵遗诏发帑金百万犒边。尽罢天下矿税，起建言得罪诸臣。己亥，再发帑金百万充边赏。八月丙午朔，即皇帝位。大赦天下，以明年为泰昌元年。蠲直省被灾租赋。己酉，吏部侍郎史继偕、南京礼部侍郎沈飗为礼部尚书兼东阁大学士，预机务。辽东大旱。庚申，兰州黄河清，凡三日。甲子，礼部侍郎何宗彦、刘一燝、韩爌为礼部尚书兼东阁大学士，预机务。乙丑，南京礼部尚书朱国祚为礼部尚书兼东阁大学士，预机务。召叶向高。遣使恤刑。丙寅，帝不豫。戊辰，召对英国公张惟贤、大学士方从哲等十有三人于乾清宫，命皇长子出见。甲戌，大渐，复召从哲等受顾命。是日，鸿胪寺官李可灼进红丸。九月乙亥朔，崩于乾清宫，在位一月，年三十有九。熹宗即位，从廷臣议，改万历四十八年八月后为泰昌元年。冬十月，上尊谥，庙号光宗，葬庆陵。赞曰：……光宗潜德久彰，海内属望，而嗣服一月，天不假年，措施未展，三案构争，党祸益炽，可哀也夫！ The death of an emperor who was seemingly in good health within the span of a month sent shock waves through the Ming Empire and rumours started spreading. The much talked about mystery surrounding the Taichang Emperor's death became known as the infamous "Case of the Red Pills" (红丸案), one of three notorious 'mysteries' of the late Ming dynasty. Consort Kang of the Li Clan was also involved in this matter. The fate of Li Kezhuo, whose pills were at the center of this controversy, became a hotly contested subject between competing power factions of officials and eunuchs vying for influence at the Ming imperial court. Opinions ranged from awarding him money for the emperor's initial recovery to executing his entire family for murdering the emperor. The question was finally settled in 1625 when Li Kezhuo was exiled to the border regions on the order of the powerful eunuch

Wei Zhongxian Wei Zhongxian (1568 – December 12, 1627), born Wei Si (魏四), was a Chinese court eunuch who lived in the late Ming dynasty. As a eunuch he used the name Li Jinzhong (李进忠). He is considered by most historians as the most notorious eunuc ...

, signalling the total dominance of eunuchs during the reign of the Taichang Emperor's son, the

Legacy

The Taichang Emperor's unexpected death threw the Ming imperial court into some logistical disarray. Firstly, the court was still officially in mourning over the death of the Wanli Emperor, whose corpse at this point was still lying in state waiting for an auspicious date to be interred. Secondly, all imperial tombs were custom made by the reigning emperor and there was no proper place to bury the Taichang Emperor, who had only just ascended the throne. A tomb was hastily commissioned over the foundation of the demolished tomb of the

Jingtai Emperor The Jingtai Emperor (21 September 1428 – 14 March 1457), born Zhu Qiyu, was the seventh Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigned from 1449 to 1457. The second son of the Xuande Emperor, he was selected in 1449 to succeed his elder brother Emper ...

. The construction was finally completed on the eighth month of 1621 and consecrated Qingling (庆陵). Finally, on the question of naming the emperor's reign, although the emperor had taken the formal era name of "Taichang", it was sandwiched between the 48th year of the Wanli era (1620) and the first year of the Tianqi era (1621). After much discussion, the Ming imperial court accepted Zuo Guangdou's suggestion to designate the Wanli era as having ended in the seventh lunar month of 1620, while the Taichang era spanned from the 8th to 12th months in the same year. The Tianqi era officially started from the first lunar month of 1621. From a historical perspective, the Taichang Emperor's reign by nature of its short time span amounts to nothing more than a footnote in Ming history. It exposed the constitutional weakness of the Ming dynasty's autocratic system when headed by a weak emperor as typified by the Taichang Emperor and his successor, the Tianqi Emperor. From the limited information gleaned from official Ming histories on the life of the emperor, he came across as an introverted half-literate alcoholic satirical weakling. Given this dismal track record there is no evidence that had the Taichang Emperor's reign lasted any longer than it did, he could have turned around the fortunes of the beleaguered Ming dynasty after the long steady decline of the later years of the Wanli Emperor's reign.

Family

Consorts and Issue: * Empress Xiaoyuanzhen, of the Guo clan (; 1580–1613) ** Princess Huaishu (; 1604–1610), personal name Huijian (), second daughter * Empress Dowager Xiaohe, of the Wang clan (; 1582–1619) ** Zhu Youjiao, the

(; 23 December 1605 – 30 September 1627), first son ** Zhu Youxue, Prince Huai of Jian (; 1607–1610), second son *

Empress Dowager Xiaochun Empress Dowager Xiaochun (1588–1615), of the Liu clan, was a Ming dynasty concubine of the Taichang Emperor and biological mother of the Chongzhen Emperor.Zhang Tingyu (1739), volume 114 Biography Lady Liu became a concubine of Zhu Changluo wh ...

, of the Liu clan (; 1588–1615) ** Zhu Youjian, the

(; 6 February 1611 – 25 April 1644), fifth son * Consort Gongyizhuang, of the Li clan (; 5 December 1588 – 6 December 1624) * Consort Yi, of the Fu clan (; 1588–1644) ** Princess Ningde (), personal name Huiyan (), sixth daughter *** Married Liu Youfu () in 1626 ** Princess Suiping (; 1611 – 8 February 1633), personal name Huijing (), seventh daughter *** Married Qi Zanyuan () in 1627, and had issue (four daughters) * Consort Kang, of the Li clan (; 1584–1674) ** Zhu Youmo, Prince Hui of Huai (; 30 November 1610 – 1615), fourth son ** Princess Le'an (; 1611–1643), personal name Huiti (), ninth daughter *** Married Gong Yonggu (; d. 1644), and had issue (three sons, two daughters) ** Zhu Huizhao, (; 1616–1617), tenth daughter * Consort Yi, of the Ding clan () ** Zhu Youxu, Prince Huai of Xiang (), sixth son * Consort Jing, of the Feng clan () ** Zhu Youshan, Prince Zhao of Hui (; b. 1620), seventh son * Concubine Shen, of the Shao clan () ** Princess Daowen (; 1621–1621), personal name Huizheng (), 11th daughter * Concubine Xiang, of the Zhang clan () * Concubine Ke, of the Li clan () * Concubine Ding, of the Guo clan () * Lady of Selected Service, of the Wang clan () ** Zhu Youji, Prince Si of Qi (; 14 August 1609 – 1616), third son * Lady of Selected Service, of the Zhao clan (; d. 1620) * Unknown ** Princess Daoyi (), first daughter ** Zhu Huiheng (朱徽姮), third daughter ** Princess Daoshun (; 1606–1607), personal name Huixian (), fourth daughter ** Zhu Huiweng, (; 1608–1609), fifth daughter ** Zhu Huiwan (), eighth daughter

Early life

Reign

Legacy

Family

Ancestry

See also

References

Further reading