Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

After sorting out the source, Zhu Youjian asked his ministers:

"Zhu Zhishan's Yeji is unreliable, but can Li Xian's Tianshun Diary be trusted?"

The ministers were speechless and no one spoke for Li Xian.

In particular, the Tianshun Rilu contained many slanderous remarks about Emperor Jingtai and was looked down upon by upright ministers.

When selecting the Purple Pavilion Meritorious Officials, Li Xian was considered morally corrupt by the emperor and his officials. Now that the Jingtai Emperor has been given a temple title by the current emperor, naturally no one will defend him.

Seeing the ministers' behavior, Zhu Youjian immediately issued an order:

"The Tianshun Diary should also be banned, and all books that quote it should also be banned."

"Li Xian was born in the sixth year of the Yongle reign, and his record of Fang Xiaoru has already contained many misrepresentations."

"How trustworthy can people born later be?"

"When Mr. Liu compiled the biography of Fang Xiaoru, he must indicate the source of the historical materials and not add any false information."

After this order was issued, all the ministers were shocked, knowing that if this order was carried out, almost all of Fang Xiaoru’s books would be destroyed.

This was difficult for them to accept, and many people suggested that all books should not be banned just because of this.

When Zhu Youjian saw this, he said angrily:

"If we don't ban these books, will we allow the slanderous texts to spread throughout the world?"

"The matter of Jianwen has already been decided."

"But since the Tianshun Daily Record was circulated, objections have arisen."

"Especially the story of the extermination of ten clans, which was fabricated by Zhu Zhishan's Wild Notes and even appeared in private history books such as Huang Ming Tong Ji, causing some uneducated scholars to believe it to be true."

"If such books are not banned, will they continue to mislead the world?"

"The image of Emperor Chengzu in the world has been ruined by these people!"

After angrily scolding those who slandered Chengzu, Zhu Youjian took up the "Wild Notes" and scolded:
"And this Zhu Zhishan who fabricated the story of killing ten clans, doesn't he understand etiquette?"

"He only knows that ten is worse than nine, but he doesn't know that compared to killing nine clans, killing three clans is more serious."

"Mr. Liu, please tell me what the nine clans and three clans are."

Liu Zongzhou had always admired Fang Xiaoru. When he saw that Fang Xiaoru's ten clans were executed and even his entire clan was exterminated by the emperor, he was shocked.

However, facing the emperor's question, he still calmed down and answered:
"The nine clans, from the great-grandfather to the great-great-grandson, are all people with the same surname. The Ming Dynasty Code has a diagram of the five formal attire of the nine clans of this clan."

"The three clans are the paternal clan, the maternal clan, and the wife's clan. The laws of the Qin and Han dynasties were harsh, and there was an order to exterminate the three clans."

"At the beginning of the country, the Minister of State Xia Shu once quoted the Han law and requested that the law be written. Anyone who violated the law would be exterminated along with his entire family."

"Taizu thought the law was too severe, so he did not implement it."

"The Great Ming Code stipulates that the law of treason and high treason will punish the five generations of the family, including grandfather, father, son, grandson, brother, and the sons of uncles and brothers, who are sixteen years old or above."

"Therefore, there is no one in this dynasty who has his nine clans exterminated. The only one who has his three clans exterminated is Zhuo Jing."

Zhuo Jing was also a minister of Jianwen. When Zhu Youjian heard this name, his anger gradually subsided and he asked:

"The three clans that Zhuo Jing was exterminated, were they his father's clan, his mother's clan, and his wife's clan, or his father's clan, his son's clan, and his grandson's clan?"

"Why is it said in the world that the Fang family had the most people killed?"

No one has delved into this because Zhuo Jing's fame is far less than that of Fang Xiaoru.

Besides, Zhuo Jing was given a tomb and a temple during the Wanli period, which was actually a redress. Naturally, no one mentioned him or complained about his injustice.

Seeing that no one among the ministers answered, Zhu Youjian said:
"We must thoroughly investigate the matter of Zhuo Jing's extermination of his three clans, and stop spreading rumors."

"In the past, Emperor Chengzu also said: The country has nurtured scholars for thirty years, but only one outstanding scholar has been recognized."

"He was a talented and loyal minister, and Chengzu regretted killing him."

Because Zhuo Jing had already been buried and a temple built for him, Zhu Youjian issued an order:
"Zhuo Jing was a loyal minister. He should be honored by a temple. The Ministry of Rites should posthumously confer a posthumous title on him and give him due treatment."

"The Ming Dynasty has no law to exterminate three clans. If he has any descendants, I will confer them a title as compensation."

This attitude made the ministers who wanted to overturn the verdict on Emperor Jianwen feel relieved.

From the emperor's attitude, it is obvious that he still wants to reverse the verdict on the case of Emperor Jianwen and his ministers, but he just does not agree with some of the rumors.

Wen Tiren, the Minister of Rites, also understood the emperor's thoughts at this time and took the initiative to speak:

"Fang Xiaoru was also a loyal minister, but the story of him being executed along with his entire clan is completely false."

"I think that after we have clarified the truth, we can posthumously honor Fang Xiaoru."

Zhu Youjian nodded in agreement, he knew he had to compromise.

Fang Xiaoru had a great influence among the people, and people including Liu Zongzhou praised his integrity and righteousness.

If he had not been posthumously honored, the affairs of Emperor Jianwen and his ministers would have been endless and would never have come to an end.

That's why he decided to set the record straight and make things clear.

Even if we admit that Chengzu killed too many people, it is better than allowing the story of the extermination of ten clans to spread.

Official history must be made the mainstream to prevent unofficial history from spreading and becoming increasingly wild.

With this thought in mind, Zhu Youjian said:
"The matter of Fang Xiaoru must be clarified clearly."

"After we investigate thoroughly, we will draw a thorough conclusion."

"The Emperor Chengzu's punishment of implicated people may have been excessive."

"If Fang Xiaoru's descendants can confirm their genealogy, I will confer them a title as compensation."

"He, like Zhuo Jing, is a loyal minister of Emperor Jianwen."

This attitude made the solemn atmosphere more relaxed.

Liu Zongzhou requested:

"The killing of ten clans is completely false."

"But related books cannot be banned altogether."

"I think the court can revise it and use the newly published books to replace the old editions with errors."

Zhu Youjian nodded in agreement, knowing that banning all books related to Fang Xiaoru would face so much resistance that it would be impossible to implement.

So he ordered:
"Books and articles about Fang Xiaoru and other emperors and ministers of Jianwen should be based on official history in the future."

"Anything that contradicts this should be revised, otherwise it should not be circulated."

"Anyone who fabricates stories and spreads them without permission will have all his writings confiscated and all his books edited, and he will be exiled overseas."

"For example, Li Xian and Zhu Zhishan, the two initiators of fabricating the story, must have their births and titles revoked, and their books must be revised before they can be circulated."

This punishment is a little lighter than the previous complete ban, but it still frightens many people.

In particular, the punishment of Li Xian and Zhu Zhishan was unprecedented in the Ming Dynasty, which made some literati frown and instinctively want to advise against it.

However, Zhu Youjian did not give them a chance to speak. He stared at the Minister of State Zhu Guozhen and said:

"In the Three Dynasties Essentials, Cui Chengxiu once said, 'The great case failed, but the Yongchuang Xiaopin was published first. This Donglin was born out of a strange encounter and flourished because of its publicity.'"

"Now that the Sanchao Yaodian is being recompiled, what does Yongchuang Xiaopin say?" "Mr. Zhu, tell us!"

"Yongchuang Xiaopin" is a work by Zhu Guozhen, published during the Tianqi period, and was used by the eunuch party to make use of the topic.

When Zhu Guozhen heard the emperor quoting the words of the eunuch Cui Chengxiu and comparing his "Yongchuang Xiaopin" with "Sanchao Yaodian", he became furious and could not help but argue.

But Han Yu spoke first:

"This book was compiled by Zhu Xueshi alone, and contains anecdotes and unofficial history, so it may contain inappropriate content."

"I think we should let the National History Museum revise it and then republish it."

This made Zhu Guozhen feel like he was poured with a bucket of cold water and realized the current situation.

If he ignored the argument and continued on this point, perhaps there would be another party struggle, and Han Yu, the soon-to-be-appointed chief minister of the Donglin Party, would be implicated.

The other Donglin Party members also noticed this and understood why Han Yu rushed to speak.

It is really not appropriate to stir up party disputes at this time, and we must not allow any more turmoil in the court.

The reason why Zhu Youjian chose this time to draw a conclusion about Emperor Jianwen and his ministers was also to force the Donglin Party to agree.

If the Donglin Party does not even cooperate in this regard, then forget about holding power in the court.

Zhu Youjian was very satisfied with Han Yu's tactfulness and nodded slightly, saying:
"The Yongchuang Xiaopin does have some inappropriate parts and should be revised and improved."

"For example, in the section on clan punishment in the book, it says 'After the Warring States period, there were three-, five-, and nine-clan punishments. In the Ming Dynasty, there were ten-clan punishments.' This is clearly a false rumor."

"Even in this dynasty, only five clans are executed for treason and high treason. How can there be a saying of ten clans?"

"Do you all think that the Great Ming Code is too lenient and want to follow Xia Shu's example and make it more severe?"

These words made Zhu Guozhen break out in sweat, and the ministers did not dare to talk nonsense.

They were afraid that when the emperor remade the rites and music and revised the laws, he would add punishments of nine or ten clans.

At this time, Zhu Guozhen was already feeling fortunate that he had been ordered to return to the court to compile the national history.

Because not only did the Yongchuang Xiaopin mention the ten clans, but his privately compiled Huangming Shigai also included the ten clans’ execution.

According to the regulations set by the current emperor, he will most likely be punished for this, and even other books may be implicated.

Fortunately, "Outline of the History of Ming Dynasty" had not been published yet, and he was now the counselor, so the emperor saved his face.

As long as these relevant contents are modified, it will not affect the circulation.

After thinking this through, Zhu Guozhen couldn't help but feel grateful to Han Yu, because he now worked at the National History Museum and could revise his own book.

At this time, he had already decided to review all the books he had written and revise all the words such as "punishing ten clans" and "exterminating nine clans" to avoid being discovered in the future and affecting his birth and title.
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Completely denying the claim of exterminating ten clans and prohibiting its spread, Zhu Youjian continued:

"There are many misinformation about the affairs of Emperor Jianwen and his ministers. The imperial court needs to set the record straight and compile an official history."

"The National History Museum must take on this task and compile reliable history that is recognized by the world."

"The name of this book was decided to be "Records of the Jingnan Campaign", which records the deeds of Emperor Jianwen and his ministers, and Emperor Chengzu in the Jingnan Campaign."

This order once again caused an uproar among the ministers.

Li Ruoyu, the head of the Ministry of Justice, said:

"During his four years in office, Jianwen respected heaven and loved his people, respected Confucianism and accepted advice, and did not do anything wrong. It was only because he misused the Han Dynasty's plan to reduce the seven states that he was in trouble. How sad!"

"I think the reign title of Jianwen must be restored, the posthumous name of Jianwen Temple must be restored, and the loyal ministers who died for their country must be recorded."

"The Records of the Jingnan Rebellion should be the Records of Jianwen to correct the title of Jianwen."

Zhu Youjian was very uncomfortable with this and asked back:
"If Lord Jianwen had done nothing wrong, then why did the King of Xiang die, and why were the Kings of Zhou, Dai, Qi, and Min punished and even stripped of their titles?"

"Does it seem unreasonable to you that Cheng Zu raised an army to quell the rebellion?"

Li Ruoyu was speechless and did not dare to deny the legitimacy of the Jingnan Campaign.

Otherwise, it would be denying Chengzu and the Ming emperors after him.

Even if he didn't think Jianwen was immoral, he could only keep it to himself.

He then turned to Cheng Zu's actions and responded:
"After Emperor Chengzu established his throne, he asked about the funeral of his court officials. Wang Jing, a scholar of literature, said: It is better to use the rites of the emperor."

"Emperor Chengzu followed his advice, which shows that he also recognized Emperor Jianwen."

This is indeed true, Zhu Youjian did not deny it, and said:
"Jianwen Jun was indeed an emperor, so Chengzu buried him with the rites of an emperor."

"But he is immoral and disorderly, and is unfit to be an emperor."

"So he had no temple or posthumous title, and was simply called Emperor Jianwen."

As he spoke, he suddenly brought up another topic and asked his ministers:

"When Taizu passed away, if there was no grandson, who should inherit the throne according to etiquette?"

Minister of Rites Wen Tiren guessed the emperor's intention and replied:
"The heir apparent is chosen based on age, not virtue; the son is chosen based on nobility, not age."

"When Taizu passed away, his eldest son, Crown Prince Yiwen, had already passed away, as had his second son, Prince Qin, and his third son, Prince Jin."

"Chengzu is the eldest among all the princes, and he is also the legitimate son of Empress Xiaoci Gao. According to etiquette and law, Chengzu should succeed to the throne."

Naturally, some people disagreed with this statement. Li Biao, Minister of the Ministry of Rites and Right Vice Minister, said:
"The system of primogeniture not only includes legitimate sons, but also legitimate grandsons."

"The Tang Code Commentary states: The titles of king, duke, marquis, earl, son, and baron are all inherited by the legitimate son. If there is no legitimate son, the legitimate grandson shall be appointed; if there is no legitimate grandson, the legitimate son's half-brother shall be appointed; if there is no half-brother, the illegitimate son shall be appointed; if there is no half-brother, the illegitimate grandson shall be appointed; if there is no half-brother, the illegitimate grandson shall be appointed. The same shall apply to the great-great ...

"When Taizu passes away, his legitimate grandson, Jianwen, will succeed him."

Wen Tiren refuted him:
"The legitimate grandson mentioned in the Tang Law Commentary refers to the eldest legitimate grandson."

"The eldest grandson of Taizu is Prince Yu Huai Zhu Xiongying, not his younger brother Zhu Yunwen."

"The legitimate son and the same-mother brother are higher than the legitimate grandson and the same-mother brother. Therefore, if Taizu had not appointed Zhu Yunwen as the crown prince, Chengzu should have succeeded to the throne."

"Chengzu inherited the throne, which is in accordance with the rule of primogeniture!"

This statement made many officials unable to hold back. Li Ruoxing, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, said:
"The Tang Code is a Tang system, and this dynasty has its own system."

"The Imperial Ming Ancestor's Instructions states: If there is no prince in the imperial court, the younger brother must succeed the elder brother."

"Only when there is no prince can the throne be inherited by other branches."

"Jianwen Jun is the son of Prince Yiwen. When there is an imperial prince, the court naturally does not need to follow the elder brother's succession rule."

"Jianwen is the eldest of Prince Yiwen's sons, so he should inherit the throne."

Wen Tiren was somewhat unable to answer this, so Zhu Youjian took over and said:

"Jianwen Zhu Yunwen is the step-brother of Yu Huai Wang Zhu Xiongying. In terms of the order of succession, who comes first, him or Yu Huai Wang's half-brother Zhu Yunhuan?"

This issue caused a lot of discussion among the ministers.

Because this is a loophole in etiquette and law, there have been different opinions throughout the ages.

According to the "Lüshi Chunqiu", King Zhou had two brothers from the same mother, but they were both born to King Zhou's mother when she was a concubine, and their status was always illegitimate sons. King Zhou was born after his mother became his wife, and his status was the legitimate son, so he inherited the throne.

The comment of Lüshi Chunqiu was that "this method is worse than no method at all". The dynasties after the Shang Dynasty did not continue this method. After the concubine was promoted to the first wife, the sons of concubines could also be promoted to the first wife.

But this brings up a problem: if the illegitimate son is older than the legitimate son, after he is promoted to the legitimate son, will his order of succession be higher than the legitimate son born to the first wife?
This is the dispute between Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Yunhuan. (End of this chapter)