Zhu Shouqian (; 1361–1392), the Prince of Jingjiang, was the grandnephew of Zhu Yuanzhang (the

Hongwu Emperor The Hongwu Emperor (21 October 1328 – 24 June 1398), personal name Zhu Yuanzhang (), courtesy name Guorui (), was the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty of China, reigning from 1368 to 1398. As famine, plagues and peasant revolts in ...

). His grandfather, Zhu Xinglong, Prince of Nanchang, was the eldest brother of the Hongwu Emperor, and his father was Zhu Wenzheng.

Biography

Childhood

Zhu Shouqian was born Zhu Tiezhu (). Zhu Shouqian's father, Zhu Wenzheng (), was stripped of his rank and imprisoned on charges of conspiring against Zhu Yuanzhang when Zhu Shouqian was only 4 years old; however, Zhu Yuanzhang personally reassured him, saying: "You have nothing to fear. Your father was unruly and gave me trouble, but I will not punish you for his misdeeds." His name was changed to "Wei" () when Zhu Yuanzhang claimed the title "King of Wu". In 1370, the third year of the Hongwu reign, he was then renamed Shouqian and enfeoffed as the Prince of Jingjiang — the only feudal prince who was not a child of Zhu Yuanzhang.

Enfeoffed as a vassal prince

Zhu Shouqian was awarded the status of a prince under the title "Prince of Jingjiang" by the

when he was 9 years old. He took his fief, Jingjiang (present-day

Guilin Guilin ( Standard Zhuang: ''Gveilinz''; alternatively romanized as Kweilin) is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It is situated on the west bank of the Li River and borders Hunan to the nort ...

), in 1376. His salary was the same as that of a second rank commandery prince, but his rank was half that of a first rank prince. Jingjiang has

Toghon Temür Toghon Temür ( mn, Тогоонтөмөр; Mongolian script: ; ; 25 May 1320 – 23 May 1370), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Huizong of Yuan () bestowed by the Northern Yuan dynasty and by his posthumous ...

's potential residence, which was changed to a palace, and Shouqian expressed his gratitude. The Hongwu Emperor said to the ministers who followed: "Zhu Shouqian is young and guards the southwest, and he must be well counseled."

Demoted twice and imprisoned

Zhu Shouqian was an educated person, but he often allied with villains and made the locals dissatisfied with him. The

summoned him in 1370 to reprimand him. After that, Zhu wrote a poem with some complaints and made the emperor angry. As a result, the emperor demoted him to a commoner. He was imprisoned in Fengyang for seven years until the Hongwu Emperor restored his title. The emperor ordered him to go defend

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is ...

with his brother-in-law, Xu Pu (). The emperor granted him an encyclical book, but Zhu still acted violently. Later, the emperor summoned him to Fengyang where Zhu stole horses; he was caught and imprisoned again.

Death and aftermath

Zhu Shouqian died in January 1392. His burial place is located on Purple Mountain. His son, Zhu Zanyi, was young and was named the Hereditary Prince (世子).

Family

Consorts and Issue: * Lady, of the Xu clan (徐氏) ** Zhu Zanyi, Prince Daoxi of Jingjiang (靖江悼僖王朱贊儀; 1382–1408), first son * Lady, of the Zhang clan (張氏) ** Zhu Zankan (朱贊侃), third son * Lady, of the Liu clan (劉氏) ** Zhu Zanjun (朱贊俊), fourth son * Lady, of the Zhao clan (趙氏) ** Zhu Zanxie (朱贊偕), fifth son * Lady, of the Lin clan (林氏) ** Zhu Zanlun (朱贊倫), sixth son * Lady, of the Xu clan (徐氏) ** Zhu Zanjie (朱贊傑), seventh son * Lady, of the Tian clan (田氏) ** Zhu Zanchu (朱贊儲), eighth son * Lady, of the Wang clan (王氏) ** Zhu Zanyi (朱贊億), ninth son * Unknown ** Zhu Zanyan (朱贊儼), second son

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhu, Shouqian 1361 births 1392 deaths Ming dynasty imperial princes