Today we will talk about Emperor Jianwen. Emperor Jianwen was the second emperor of the Ming Dynasty and the legal successor designated by Zhu Yuanzhang. After the death of Zhu Yuanzhang, King Zhu Di of Yan, who was dissatisfied with Emperor Jianwen's reduction of his rank, launched an army to rebel under the banner of "Qingjun side", which was known as the Battle of Jingnan in history. The Yan army soon invaded Beijing, and Emperor Jianwen disappeared without a trace. Regarding the whereabouts, life and death of Emperor Jianwen, there are different folk and official records. There are several theories about the ending of Emperor Jianwen.
One: Being burned to death. The history of the Ming Dynasty records that the army invaded the harem in Beijing and there was a raging gas fire. In the fire, there was a body that was burned beyond recognition. This body looked very much like Emperor Jianwen, so the official believed that Emperor Jianwen was burned to death. So is this statement credible? Of course it cannot be used as direct evidence. Because it is difficult to distinguish the authenticity of the charred corpse, of course it cannot directly prove that Emperor Jianwen was burned to death, but the official could not come up with a better explanation than this. In order to stabilize people's hearts and benefit the political situation, they recorded that Emperor Jianwen was burned to death. Burned to death. Because the matter is so strange, neither folk nor unofficial historians admit this statement.
Two: Being killed by Zhu Di. Because Zhu Yunwen was the only legal heir to the throne of Zhu Yuanzhang before his death, only by killing Emperor Jianwen could Zhu Di ascend the throne legitimately. However, this matter cannot be made public. Once people know that he killed him, he will be charged with regicide. Therefore, it is claimed that Emperor Jianwen was burned to death by fire. However, this statement still lacks evidence, and the theory of being killed can only be speculated by future generations.
Three: The theory of living among the people. There is a saying that Emperor Jianwen was not burned to death in the fire, but a stand-in who looked like Emperor Jianwen was burned to death. Emperor Jianwen had already fled to the people. This statement is relatively reliable. There are rumors that Emperor Jianwen may flee to Hunan and Hubei. Some people also suspected that Emperor Jianwen had fled overseas. One of the purposes of Zhu Di's sent Zheng He to the West was to secretly search for Emperor Jianwen's whereabouts. But I personally think that it is unlikely that Zhu Di spent a huge amount of money to send Zheng He to the West to find Emperor Jianwen, because the chance of such a search is too slim. If Emperor Jianwen really fled overseas, there would be no need to search for him. If a person is not in the country, he will lose the opportunity to raise troops again, because without the support of the army and old ministers, the threat to the throne is almost zero. Therefore, Zheng He's voyages to the West were to promote the prestige of the Ming Dynasty in various countries.
Four: Be a monk. This statement is very common, and both folk and unofficial historians believe it. Nowadays TV dramas have also adopted this statement, so can this statement be true? Legend has it that when the army invaded Beijing, the ministers shaved Emperor Jianwen's hair, put on cassocks, and fled through a secret passage with about twenty close followers. This statement should be more reliable, because people will never sit still and wait for death when they have the opportunity to escape. Then some people will ask why Chongzhen didn't escape at that time? Chongzhen was willing to escape at first, but he didn't escape because the ministers refused to let him go, and he lost the best opportunity to escape.
It is said that Emperor Jianwen fled to Longquan Temple in Jiangping City, Sichuan and became a monk. It is also said that he fled to Dongming Zen Temple in Yuhang to become a monk. There are rumors about Emperor Jianwen's whereabouts in many temples across the country, but it is still difficult to tell whether they are true or false.
In 2004, an old man named Rang said that he was the 15th grandson of Zhu Yunwen, Emperor Jianwen of the Ming Dynasty, and he had a family tree to prove it. According to him, Emperor Jianwen changed his surname to Rang after becoming a monk and named him Rang Luan. Luan is the Golden Luan Palace, which means that he gave up the throne to Zhu Di.