Childhood and youth, appointment as heir to the throne

Zhu Changluo, the future Taichang Emperor, was born in 1582, during the tenth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, as the emperor's first son. His mother, Lady Wang, was a servant of Empress Dowager Li, the Wanli Emperor's mother. Although the Wanli Emperor initially wanted nothing to do with the child, the empress dowager convinced him to acknowledge paternity by presenting records of his visits. She also pushed for Lady Wang's promotion to imperial concubine with the title "Consort Gong". However, the emperor's interest in Lady Wang quickly faded as he became infatuated with another concubine, Lady Zheng, who bore him another son, Zhu Changxun (1586–1641).

In 1586, the question of succession arose when the emperor promoted Lady Zheng to the rank of "Imperial Noble Consort" (Huang Guifei), placing her just below the empress and above his other concubines, including Lady Wang. It was evident to those around him that he preferred Lady Zheng's son Zhu Changxun—his third son (the second had died in infancy)—to succeed him rather than Zhu Changluo. This caused a division among officials, with some advocating for the rights of the first son based on legal primogeniture, while others supported Lady Zheng. In response to the widespread support for the eldest son, the emperor delayed making a decision. He justified the delay by stating that he was waiting for a son from the empress. When the request was made to appoint Zhu Changluo as crown prince at the age of eight so that his education could officially begin, the emperor defended himself by saying that princes were traditionally taught by eunuchs.

In 1589, the emperor agreed to appoint Zhu Changluo as his successor. However, this decision was met with opposition from Lady Zheng, causing controversy and, two years later, even arrests when a pamphlet was circulated in Beijing accusing her of conspiring against the emperor's eldest son with some high officials. Despite this, the emperor tried to portray Lady Zheng in a positive light to the public.

The failure to name a successor sparked protests from not only opposition-minded officials, but also high dignitaries such as grand secretaries Shen Shixing (in office 1578–91) and Wang Xijue (in office 1584–91 and 1593–94). The empress and Empress Dowager Li also supported the rights of Zhu Changluo, but the Wanli Emperor did not appoint him crown prince until 1601, after further protests and requests. At the same time, Zhu Changxun was given the title of Prince of Fu, but he was kept in Beijing instead of being sent to the province as originally planned when he turned eighteen in 1604. This fueled rumors that the question of succession was still open. It was not until 1614, after a long series of appeals and protests, that the empress dowager intervened and insisted on sending Zhu Changxun to the provincial seat.

Case of the attack with the stick

Related to the succession debates was the "case of the attack with the stick". In late May 1615, a man named Zhang Chai was arrested near the palace of Zhu Changluo for carrying a stick. It was later discovered that Zhang was mentally unstable and had intended to use the stick to resolve a conflict with two eunuchs he did not get along with. Initially, the case was closed and Zhang was executed. However, prison official Wang Zhicai intervened and pushed for a public investigation involving representatives from the Ministry of Justice. This new version of the case suggested that Zhang Chai was mentally sound and had been manipulated by two eunuchs close to Lady Zheng and her brother. This raised suspicions that their goal was to kill the heir and install Lady Zheng's son in his place. The case caused a stir at court and the Wanli Emperor took the unprecedented step of summoning civil and military officials from the Beijing authorities for a meeting. This was the first time the emperor had met with officials from the "outer court" since 1602. He appeared before them with his family, including the crown prince and his sons and daughter, and expressed his disappointment and disbelief that they would doubt his relationship with the heir in whom he trusted and relied upon. Zhu Changluo also confirmed his close relationship with his father and asked for an end to the affair. Despite this, the emperor ordered the execution of Zhang Chai and the two eunuchs involved in the case. However, representatives from the Ministry of Justice demanded further investigation and the grand secretaries brokered a compromise. Zhang Chai was executed the next day, but the suspected eunuchs were to be interrogated. The interrogation did take place, but both eunuchs remained under the supervision of the emperor's eunuchs. On the fifth day after the emperor's speech, the officials were informed that the two eunuchs had died under palace confinement.

Emperor

On 18 August 1620, the Wanli Emperor died. Zhu Changluo officially took the throne on 28 August 1620 (the first day of the 8th month of the Chinese calendar). He chose the name Taichang for his era, symbolizing peace and prosperity in contrast to the turmoil of the previous reign. Many people in Beijing saw the new monarch as a chance for a fresh start. Since he had not been his father's first choice and the two had never been close, there was hope that he would abandon the Wanli Emperor's policies and implement necessary reforms. On 19 August 1 million liang (37.3 tons) of silver from the palace treasury was sent to defend the northeastern borders, due to the critical situation in Liaodong, where Nurhaci's Jurchens were attacking. Additionally, the mining and commercial taxes that had been introduced in the 1590s were abolished, and the eunuch tax commissioners, who were responsible for collecting these taxes, were recalled from the provinces. All of these actions were carried out in accordance with the last wishes of the deceased emperor. On 21 August, the Taichang Emperor sent another million liang of silver to Liaodong.

To address the long-standing issue of vacant positions in the administration, the Taichang Emperor appointed many critics of the previous government who had been removed from their positions for opposing the Wanli Emperor. Among the first to be summoned were Zuo Yuanbiao (; 1551–1624) and Feng Congwu (; 1556–1627), both associated with the Donglin movement. Many officials who later became key Donglin figures had supported Zhu Changluo during the dispute over the succession in the 1580s and 1590s.

Illness and death, the Red Pill Case

Three days after his enthronement, the Taichang Emperor fell ill. On 5 September, his condition worsened, and he called for a physician. During audiences on 8 and 9 September, he appeared unwell and soon took to his bed. On 13 September, he was visited again by the physician and a group of officials. The emperor complained of insomnia and loss of appetite. The officials were concerned and when they heard that Cui Wensheng, the eunuch in charge of the imperial clinic, had given the emperor a laxative, they accused him of incompetence. The officials believed that the emperor needed strengthening medicine instead. The emperor refused to accept the accusation, but also stopped taking the mentioned medicine.

Several days passed with the emperor officiating from his bed, but on 17 September, he became overwhelmed and began to speak of his impending death. During a visit from concerned officials, led by Grand Secretary Fang Congzhe, on 25 September, the emperor requested red pills, which he had heard were being produced by Li Keshao, an assistant director in the Court of State Ceremonial. Li later testified that he believed his pills helped strengthen the emperor's diseased body. That same day, the imperial guards and eunuchs brought Li to the emperor, who ordered him to make the pills. In the presence of the aforementioned (thirteen) officials, Li made the pills using lead, autumn mineral, human milk and cinnabar—all tonic drugs in traditional Chinese medicine—which were provided to him by the emperor's eunuchs. He then gave one pill to the emperor, who felt relieved and became hungry, requesting another pill. However, Li refused, stating that one pill was enough and two would be too many. The emperor then sent Li and the officials home after midnight. The following morning at dawn, the eunuchs announced that the emperor had died. Some members of the Donglin movement accused Li Keshao and Fang Congzhe of poisoning the emperor, while others among the thirteen officials present took a more cautious approach, attempting to absolve themselves of any negligence. The controversy surrounding the red pills—whether they caused the emperor's death intentionally or unintentionally—sparked heated debates and accusations over the next few years.

After the Taichang Emperor's death, a power struggle emerged over the succession of his fourteen-year-old son, Zhu Youjiao. Lady Li, the Taichang Emperor's favored concubine, clashed with the ministers and grand secretaries for control. Despite Lady Li's resistance and that of her eunuchs, the eunuchs loyal to the officials ultimately handed the boy over to them and banished Lady Li to another palace. Zhu Youjiao officially ascended to the throne on 1 October 1620.

Consorts and issue

• Empress Xiaoyuanzhen of the Guo clan (; d. 1613)

　• Princess Huaishu (; 1604–1610), personal name Huijian, second daughter

• Empress Dowager Xiaohe of the Wang clan (; 1582–1619)

　• Zhu Youjiao, the Tianqi Emperor (; 23 December 1605 – 30 September 1627), first son

　• Zhu Youxue, Prince Huai of Jian (; 1607–1610), second son

• Empress Dowager Xiaochun of the Liu clan (; 1592–1614)

　• Zhu Youjian, the Chongzhen Emperor (; 6 February 1611 – 25 April 1644), fifth son

• Consort Gongyihuishunzhuang of the Li clan (; 1588–1624)

• Consort Yi of the Fu clan

　• Princess Ningde, personal name Huiyan, sixth daughter

　　• Married Liu Youfu in 1626

　• Princess Suiping (; 1611 – 8 February 1633), personal name Huijing, seventh daughter

　　• Married Qi Zanyuan in 1627, and had issue (four daughters)

　• Zhu Youxu, Prince Huai of Xiang, sixth son

• Consort Kang of the Li clan

　• Zhu Youmo, Prince Hui of Huai (; 30 November 1610 – 1615), fourth son

　• Princess Le'an (; 1611–1643), personal name Huiti, ninth daughter

　　• Married Gong Yonggu (; d. 1644), and had issue (three sons, two daughters)

　• Zhu Huizhao, (; 1616–1617), tenth daughter

• Consort Jing of the Feng clan

　• Zhu Youshan, Prince Zhao of Hui (; b. 1620), seventh son

• Concubine Shen of the Shao clan

　• Princess Daowen (; 1621–1621), personal name Huizheng, 11th daughter

• Concubine Xiang of the Zhang clan

• Concubine Ke of the Li clan

• Concubine Ding of the Guo clan (; b. 1591)

• Lady of Selected Service of the Wang clan

　• Zhu Youji, Prince Si of Qi (; 14 August 1609 – 1616), third son

• Lady of Selected Service of the Zhao clan (; d. 1620)

• Unknown

　• Princess Daoyi, first daughter

　• Zhu Huiheng, third daughter

　• Princess Daoshun (; 1606–1607), personal name Huixian, fourth daughter

　• Zhu Huiweng, (; 1608–1609), fifth daughter

　• Zhu Huiwan, eighth daughter

References

• Taichang_(era) (Wikipedia)

泰昌紀年及曆日問題

萬曆四十八年七月廿一日明神宗駕崩。同年八月初一日明光宗即位後，詔令第二年辛酉年元旦改元泰昌。但明光宗登基不久即染病，於九月初一日去世，在位僅一個月，來不及翌年改元。九月初六日，明熹宗繼位。明熹宗即位之際，紀年問題成為群臣論爭的焦點，形成三種意見：

• 削去泰昌年號。

• 改萬曆四十八年為泰昌元年

• 改第二年辛酉年（1621年）為泰昌元年，後年壬戌年（1622年）元旦改元天啟。

由於紀年是皇帝統治的象徵，這三種處理方式，實際上都意味著要犧牲神宗、光宗、熹宗祖孫三帝之一。第一者否認明光宗的統治，但這個意見是很難去同意的，因為這等于否定光宗的合法性，繼位認受性對熹宗不利（明朝時通常因政變發生皇位更替才會于政變當年改元，如建文四年（1402年）靖難之役結束後建文帝失蹤，燕王朱棣即皇帝位，是為明太宗，明太宗即皇帝位當年複用明太祖的年號洪武，第二年癸未年（1403年—1404年）元旦起改用自己的年號永樂；景泰八年正月十七日（1457年2月11日）明英宗發動奪門之變並複皇帝位，同年正月廿一日明英宗改元天順）。第二者將明神宗在位年份的最後一年削去，第三者則是有礙明熹宗于第二年辛酉年改元。經過爭論，最終確定採用第二個意見。同年九月二十日明熹宗下《泰昌元年、〈大統曆〉敕諭》，萬曆四十八年八月初一日（1620年8月28日）到除夕日十二月廿九日（1621年1月21日）改為泰昌元年，第二年辛酉年元旦（1621年1月22日）改元天啟。

明熹宗敕諭後，各地紛紛將準備於當年十月頒布的《大明泰昌元年歲次辛酉大統曆》統一為《大明天啟元年歲次辛酉大統曆》。由於當時交通條件限制，明廷敕諭自京師傳至全國各地的時日不會太短，以致部分偏遠地區在敕諭到達前按照慣例印造《大明泰昌元年歲次辛酉大統曆》並流入民間。

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紀年農曆對照表

表格中各月的幹支即為各月的第1日，「大」表示該月有30日，「小」表示該月有29日，「閏月」表格中的中文數字表示該年為閏某月，各月初一底下的數字表示對應的西曆日期。

同期存在的其他政權年號

• 中國

　• 天命（1616年－1626年）：後金—太祖努爾哈赤之年號

• 日本

　• 元和（1615年－1624年）：後水尾天皇之年號

• 越南

　• 永祚（1618年－1629年）：後黎朝—神宗黎維祺之年號

　• 隆泰（1594年－1628年）：莫朝—莫敬寬之年號

參考資料

• 泰昌 (維基百科)