The title "Retired Emperor" is not unfamiliar. Liu Bang's father, Liu Taigong, is the only person in Chinese history who was honored as Retired Emperor without ever being an emperor. The reason is that his son was an emperor, and he was also the first person to be honored as Retired Emperor while still alive.
Another notable example of a retired emperor in history is Li Yuan, but whether he abdicated voluntarily or for some other reason is hard to say. After all, his son, the Prince of Qin, staged the Xuanwu Gate Incident, which complicated matters.
Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Ji, was also once the retired emperor, but that was because he abdicated after the first Jin invasion of the south. Rumors circulated that he regretted his abdication and wanted to be reinstated. However, during the second Jin invasion, he and his son, Emperor Qinzong, were captured, and almost the entire imperial family was wiped out.
The Jingkang Incident and the "Knocking on the Gate" incident can be said to have lowered the bar for emperors.
Zhu Xiong Ying felt his historical record wasn't particularly good, but he couldn't allow unworthy descendants to run rampant. It seemed possible, for the time being, that the emperors of the Ming Dynasty wouldn't lower the bar any further. And it was best if figures like the "Great War God of the Ming Dynasty" didn't appear.
It seems that Zhu Yuanzhang is single-mindedly focused on becoming the retired emperor, a fact observed by many court officials, and he makes no attempt to conceal this ambition. As for his grandson, Zhu Xiong Ying, it's unclear when he suddenly changed his name.
The fact that the Crown Prince's name has now been officially changed to Zhu Yunying is a clear signal that preparations are underway for his ascension to the throne.
Therefore, many people believe that Duke Xu Huizu of Wei was one of the first to know about these matters, and changed his name from Xu Yungong to Xu Huizu early on to avoid using the same character. This was not just a matter of avoiding the taboo; it could also be seen as a way of expressing his intentions.
At the morning court session, Emperor Zhu looked at the civil and military officials in the hall, as well as some princes, and said, "I am old and frail, and I am no longer able to manage state affairs. The Empress passed away early, and the Crown Prince also died of illness. I am exhausted. Fortunately, my grandson has grown up and is quite brave and valiant. I am thinking of abdicating and enjoying a few more years of peace and quiet."
Zhu Yunying immediately knelt down. At this point, anything he said would be wrong, so it was better to say nothing. He still had to do the pretense of saving face.
Seeing that the civil and military officials below remained silent, Old Zhu frowned and continued, "Are you all mute? What do you think of this matter?"
Ren Hengtai gritted his teeth, stepped forward, and said, "The affairs of the nation are all decided by His Majesty's divine will. His Highness the Crown Prince is wise and insightful, and has observed the government for many years. Your Majesty..."
The old Zhu, seated high on the dragon throne, was displeased and corrected, "Our grandson is not an observer of the government; he has been ruling as regent for several years, and he has handled all the major affairs of the court! Has our grandson made any mistakes all these years?"
Zhu Yunying felt a warmth in his heart; Old Zhu was supporting him wholeheartedly!
Ren Hengtai, who was not exactly a staunch supporter of the Crown Prince, immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty is wise!"
Seeing that someone had finally taken the lead, many civil and military officials also stepped forward. They were all eager to express their opinions. They realized that the current emperor was not setting a trap, but genuinely wanted to pass the throne to the emperor. Naturally, they needed to seize the opportunity to show their loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince.
These people were basically not Zhu's confidants, nor could they be considered part of the Crown Prince's faction, so they were naturally even more eager to prove themselves.
Seeing that most people had stepped forward, Xu Huizu, Ru Chang, and others went along with it. Their special status made it difficult for them to hastily take sides, but everyone knew their true intentions. Following the crowd now was no problem, and it made Zhu De's proposal to step down seem more accepted, creating a powerful momentum for a time.
Amidst the chorus of praise for His Majesty's wisdom and noble character, Zhu Yuanzhang felt the tide had turned. Even his sons dared not voice any objections at this point, obediently agreeing with him.
At this moment, Old Zhu seemed to remember something and said, "I've been farming in my hometown since I was a child, and I also did odd jobs at the temple for a few years. Over the years, I've always considered myself to be in good health. It's just that as I get older, my energy just starts to wane. In later generations, emperors abdicated when they reached seventy."
Many civil and military officials were stunned. Although it was not the first or second time that Emperor Zhu had acted unpredictably, this time it seemed that Old Zhu had set some extraordinary rules.
Zhu Yunying, who had been silent until now, suddenly came to his senses and quickly said, "Grandfather Emperor stabilized the world and established the Ming Dynasty in a chaotic world. His descendants will never forget his great achievements!"
This set a precedent: no matter how capable future generations become, they will never surpass Zhu Yuanzhang.
It's not about the number of years on the throne, but rather that the emperor's age on the throne absolutely cannot exceed seventy. Considering Zhu Yuanzhang's current age, it's estimated that future emperors will likely have to consider abdication around sixty-eight or sixty-nine years old.
Otherwise, it would be considered a great disrespect, or a violation of ancestral rules, which would be a headache for the emperor and also a limitation for him.
Upon hearing Zhu Yunying's words, even those who had reservations quickly stepped forward to express their support. In truth, no one saw anything wrong with what Zhu Yunying said. After all, in that era, many people indeed considered filial piety an important criterion for judging character.
Filial piety is one of the core tenets of Confucianism and Chinese civilization, a weighty responsibility that even emperors could not bear.
The grandfather and grandson, working in perfect harmony, effectively sealed the deal. It was practically impossible for a Ming emperor to remain on the throne past seventy. Even if they were reluctant to relinquish power, they had to abdicate when they reached a certain age.
As for what happens after abdicating the throne, that's another matter. It's not that a retired emperor can only relinquish power; it's perfectly normal for a retired emperor to retain considerable power. Of course, according to historical precedents, emperors who live to seventy are relatively few, so to become a retired emperor, one needs to ensure longevity.
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