Heavenly Sovereign Transmission · Bright

Author: Liao Xinyi
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-10-01
Features: There were sixteen emperors in the Ming Dynasty, but only thirteen mausoleums in Beijing; between the uncle prince and the nephew emperor, who was higher in status, it took four years of battle to determine the outcome; between the elder brother who was a retired emperor and the younger brother who was the emperor, who was favored by heaven, the outcome was revealed overnight within the palace. These details, which are not well-known to general readers, reflect a uniquely colored imperial lineage map of the Ming Dynasty. In the year 1368, according to China's traditional sexagenary cycle, it was the year Wushen; according to the Yuan court's calendar, it was the 28th year of Zhizheng; according to the Wu regime of Zhu Yuanzhang, it was the 2nd year of Wu. On the fourth day of the first lunar month, the weather was bright and windy, and Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne in Nanjing, establishing the state name as Da Ming and setting the 2nd year of Wu as the first year of Hongwu. In the year 1644, according to the sexagenary cycle, it was the year Jia Shen; according to the Ming court's calendar, it was the 17th year of Chongzhen; according to the Qing regime's calendar, it was the first year of Shunzhi; according to the Daxun regime of Li Zicheng, it was the first year of Yongchang. On the 19th day of the third lunar month, the sky was overcast with dark clouds, and light rain mixed with snow fell. Emperor Chongzhen Zhu Youjian hanged himself on Wanshu Mountain (also known as Meishan, now Jingshan) in Beijing, announcing the downfall of the Ming Dynasty. Although the Northern Yuan regime existed for some time after the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, and although the Qing Dynasty and its predecessor, the Later Jin, had already existed for twenty or thirty years when the Ming Dynasty fell, and although the Southern Ming regime continued for a few years after the Ming regime in Beijing collapsed, conventionally, the 276 or 277 years between the first year of Hongwu and the 17th year of Chongzhen are defined as the Ming Dynasty. From the founding emperor Zhu Yuanzhang to the last emperor Zhu Youjian, there were sixteen emperors during the 276 or 277 years of the Ming Dynasty. Historical records show that emperors were referred to by their era names, temple names, posthumous names, or mausoleum names. In modern works, the most commonly used are their names or temple names.