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Purges of Princely Retainers in the Jianwen Reign
During the Jianwen Emperor's campaign to curtail the princes, the court systematically purged princely households' retainers and guard officers while…
Timeline
- 1398Kaifeng · HenanWhen Li Jinglong led troops to surround and capture Prince of Zhou Zhu Su, he also arrested the prince's heir, consorts, and staff, escorting them to the capital. The prince's second son Zhu Youxun denounced his father for treason, providing a pretext for curtailing the princes, and the household's loyalists were uprooted.
- 1399Zhangzhou · FujianWhen the Prince of Min, Zhu Bian, was curtailed, the court stripped his guards and executed the commander Zong Lin for 'leading him astray.' Before the Prince of Xiang, Zhu Bo, was forced to immolate himself, the court also sent troops to compel his arrest. When the princes of Qi and Dai were deposed, their household guards and staff were likewise confiscated or detained.
- 1398–1399Beiping · BeipingIn the twelfth month of Hongwu 31, the Jianwen Emperor appointed Zhang Bing as administration commissioner of Beiping and Xie Gui as regional military commissioner, with secret orders to monitor the Prince of Yan. In the sixth month of Jianwen 1, after a Yanshan centurian reported a plot, the court arrested the Prince of Yan's staff Yu Liang, Zhou Duo, and others, executing them at the capital, and issued an edict rebuking the prince, completing the purge of his household.
Sources
- 明史·列传第三十一·张昺 — 张廷玉等 (1739) https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hans/%E5%BC%B5%E6%98%BA_(%E5%BB%BA%E6%96%87%E5%B0%87%E9%A0%98)
- 明史纪事本末·卷十五·削夺诸藩 — 谷应泰 (1679) https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E6%98%8E%E5%8F%B2%E7%B4%80%E4%BA%8B%E6%9C%AC%E6%9C%AB_(%E5%9B%9B%E5%BA%AB%E5%85%A8%E6%9B%B8%E6%9C%AC)/%E5%8D%B715