On May 18th, the 18th year of Hongzhi (1505), Crown Prince Zhu Houzhao acceded to the throne at the age of fifteen, and changed his title to "Zheng De" in the following year.

Compared with some emperors who were full of intrigue and killing, Zhu Houzhao ascended the throne smoothly, but it also showed that he was very lucky. He is the only son of Emperor Xiaozong of Ming Dynasty and the empress Zhang Suosheng. He is both the youngest son and the eldest son. Therefore, he was not disturbed by various events outside the palace, nor was he damaged and corroded by the power struggle in the palace. Naturally, he would ascend to the throne after his father died. Therefore, Ming Xiaozong didn't say much in his last words, but only emphasized that the Crown Prince had a good time. Please be sure to discipline him in this respect.

Ming Xiaozong's miserable minister at that time probably didn't take this to heart too much. Perhaps in their view, the Crown Prince, who is "the quintessence of Chinese culture and smarter than Kethleen", will definitely become a saint. However, they didn't expect that this 15-year-old boy would make a mess of the Ming Dynasty in the next fifteen years and make himself the most mischievous emperor in China's history. Ironically, his title is called "Zheng De".

Ministers must be puzzled by this huge contrast. In their view, the result is unbelievable. Because Zhu Houzhao's father Xiao Zong is a model emperor, he stayed away from those yes-men-just acceded to the throne, and put those who were favored like Wan 'an to sacrifice their skills in the room; Diligence-needless to say, the early dynasty was restored every day and the afternoon dynasty was restored. In addition, the Wenhua Hall was opened to discuss politics, so that in the leisure time of the early and later dynasties, the cabinet could learn from the way of governing the country and discuss political affairs; Pay attention to the rule of law-restore the banquet system. In addition, he had great respect for his courtiers. The Ming emperor liked many courtiers very much, and he never used them. So in the eighteen years of his rule, politics was clear, the weather was good, the country was peaceful and the people were safe ... In short, there was nothing important to write down, and history was easily turned over here.

This is not a derogatory term. In fact, Ming Xiaozong did everything a stubborn emperor should do perfectly. He is not Mao, nor is he. His task is to build a dynasty and resist foreign enemies. He just needs to preserve the legacy left by his ancestors and hand it over to the next generation in good condition. His greatest and most important act is "inaction": don't do any new tricks, make sure everything is orderly and run step by step, and it is best to make everyone feel that the emperor exists, just as people praise Yao's rule that "the throne is nothing to me." Maybe it seems too "mediocre", but think about an understated record in history, which may be tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of lives. From the point of view of people at that time, perhaps an emperor like Xiaozong was the most commendable. Compared with what Ming Wuzong did later, it may make people feel more deeply about this.

Emperor Xiaozong of Ming Dynasty not only set an example for Zhu Houzhao as an emperor, but also gave him a harmonious and peaceful family. Compared with the numerous harem of the general emperor, with 3,000 famous ladies, Ming Xiaozong is also a rare model in the relationship between husband and wife. He may be the only emperor in the history of China who insisted on monogamy. He likes his queen Zhang very much and spends every day with her. He never married another concubine in his life, and even some courtiers advised him to marry another concubine because the queen was infertile, and he ignored it. So when Empress Zhang was finally born in Hongzhi four years (149 1), the joy of Emperor Xiaozong of Ming Dynasty can be imagined. The child's horoscope is also very unusual. The specific time of his birth should be the day of the full moon in the Year of the Sea, which is just the opposite of Xu Hai's birth order. In ancient times, it was considered a happy birthday, especially it was said that this birthday had some coincidences with Zhu Maoyuan Zhang. Hyosung is happier. He is full of expectations for this son. According to the system of the Ming Dynasty, he named him Hou Zhao, which was handed down from generation to generation. Supposedly, he hoped that he was "the world is wide, and the trillions of people are all under the light", and he was soon chased as a prince.