Early life

Zhu Changluo was born in 1582, the 10th year of the Wanli era, to the Wanli Emperor and a palace attendant, Lady Wang, who served under the Emperor's mother, Empress Dowager Xiaoding. After it was discovered that Lady Wang was pregnant, the Emperor was persuaded by his mother to make her a concubine and awarded her the title "Consort Gong of the Second Grade" (恭妃). However she was never one of the Wanli Emperor's favourite consorts. After his birth, Zhu Changluo was largely ignored by his father even though he, as the firstborn son of the emperor, was by default the heir apparent (crown prince) according to the Ming dynasty's traditional rules of succession. He was born shortly after his elder sister, the Princess Rongchang; the Wanli Emperor's eldest child and only child with his primary wife Empress Xiaoduanxian.

Zhu Changluo spent most of his life as a hapless pawn in a power struggle for the title of crown prince. The Wanli Emperor openly preferred naming Zhu Changxun, his younger son born to his favourite consort Noble Consort Zheng as crown prince over the seniority of Zhu Changluo, but his intention was met with vehement opposition by most of his Confucian-educated ministers who insisted that the Emperor adhered to dynastic traditions. Frustrated by the multiple petitions to install Zhu Changluo as crown prince, the Wanli Emperor decided to stonewall the issue and left the question of his designated heir in suspense. Some historians have suggested that the impasse on the selection of crown prince was part of the cause of the Wanli Emperor's withdrawal from daily government administration.

Caught in this political limbo, Zhu Changluo was deliberately not assigned a regular tutor or given any systematic Confucian education even after he started school at the age of 13, an unusually late age for Ming princes to begin their education. In 1601, the Wanli Emperor gave in to pressure from his ministers and more importantly from the empress dowager and a 19-year-old Zhu Changluo was formally instated as crown prince and heir apparent. However this formal recognition did not signal the end of court intrigues. Rumours of the Wanli Emperor's intention to replace Zhu Changluo with Zhu Changxun continued to surface through the years,

Palace Assault

In 1615, the Ming imperial court was hit by a mysterious scandal. A man called Zhang Chai, armed only with a wooden staff, managed to drive away the eunuchs guarding the palace gates and break into Ciqing Palace—then the crown prince's living quarters. Zhang Chai was eventually subdued and thrown in prison. Although initial investigations found him to be a lunatic, upon further investigations by a magistrate named Wang Zhicai, Zhang Chai confessed to being party to a plot instigated by two eunuchs working under Noble Consort Zheng. According to Zhang Chai's confession, the two eunuchs had promised him rewards for assaulting the crown prince, thus indirectly implicating Lady Zheng in an assassination plot. Presented with incriminating evidence and the gravity of the accusations, the Wanli Emperor, in an attempt to spare Lady Zheng, personally presided over the case and laid full blame on the two eunuchs, who were executed along with Zhang Chai. Although the case was quickly hushed up, it did not squelch public discussions and eventually became known as the "Case of the Palace Assault" (梃击案), one of three notorious mysteries of the late Ming dynasty.

In 1615, the crown prince became infuriated with his concubine, Lady Liu, who was the mother of the future Chongzhen Emperor. He ordered her punished, during which ordeal Lady Liu died. It is debated whether the crown prince ordered her to be killed or if her death was an accident. Fearing that this incident would further turn his father against him and towards Zhu Changxun, the crown prince had Lady Liu secretly buried in the Western Hills near Beijing and forbade palace staff from mentioning the affair. On his ascension to the throne, the Chongzhen Emperor had Lady Liu reburied in the Ming tombs next to her husband.

Reign

The Wanli Emperor died on 18 August 1620 and was succeeded by Zhu Changluo on 28 August 1620, the latter』s 38th birthday by Western calculation. Upon his coronation, Zhu Changluo adopted the era name "Taichang" (literally "grand prosperity") for his reign, hence he is known as the Taichang Emperor.

The first few days of his reign started promisingly enough as recorded in the Ming histories. Two million taels of silver was entailed as a gift to the troops guarding the border, important bureaucratic posts left vacant during the Wanli Emperor's long periods of administrative inactivity were finally starting to be filled, and many of the deeply unpopular extraordinary taxes and duties imposed by the Wanli Emperor were also revoked at this time. However, ten days after his coronation, the Taichang Emperor became so ill that celebrations for his birthday (by Chinese calculation) were cancelled.

The Red Pills

According to non-official primary sources, the Taichang Emperor's illness was brought about by excessive sexual indulgence after he was presented with eight maidens by Lady Zheng. The emperor's already serious condition was further compounded by severe diarrhoea after taking a dose of laxative, recommended by an attending eunuch Cui Wensheng on 10 September. Finally on 25 September, to counter the effects of the laxative, he asked for and took a red pill presented by a minor court official named Li Kezhuo, who dabbled in apothecary.

Death

It was recorded in official Ming histories that the Taichang Emperor felt much better after taking the red pill, regained his appetite and repeatedly praised Li Kezhuo as a "loyal subject". That same afternoon, the emperor took a second pill and was found dead the next morning on September 26, 1620.

The death of an emperor who was seemingly in good health within the span of a month sent shock waves through the Ming Empire and rumours started spreading. The much talked about mystery surrounding the Taichang Emperor's death became known as the infamous "Case of the Red Pills" (红丸案), one of three notorious 'mysteries' of the late Ming dynasty. Consort Kang of the Li Clan was also involved in this matter. The fate of Li Kezhuo, whose pills were at the center of this controversy, became a hotly contested subject between competing power factions of officials and eunuchs vying for influence at the Ming imperial court. Opinions ranged from awarding him money for the emperor's initial recovery to executing his entire family for murdering the emperor. The question was finally settled in 1625 when Li Kezhuo was exiled to the border regions on the order of the powerful eunuch Wei Zhongxian, signalling the total dominance of eunuchs during the reign of the Taichang Emperor's son, the Tianqi Emperor.

Legacy

The Taichang Emperor's unexpected death threw the Ming imperial court into some logistical disarray. Firstly, the court was still officially in mourning over the death of the Wanli Emperor, whose corpse at this point was still lying in state waiting for an auspicious date to be interred. Secondly, all imperial tombs were custom made by the reigning emperor and there was no proper place to bury the Taichang Emperor, who had only just ascended the throne. A tomb was hastily commissioned over the foundation of the demolished tomb of the Jingtai Emperor. The construction was finally completed on the eighth month of 1621 and consecrated Qingling (庆陵). Finally, on the question of naming the emperor's reign, although the emperor had taken the formal era name of "Taichang", it was sandwiched between the 48th year of the Wanli era (1620) and the first year of the Tianqi era (1621). After much discussion, the Ming imperial court accepted Zuo Guangdou's suggestion to designate the Wanli era as having ended in the seventh lunar month of 1620, while the Taichang era spanned from the 8th to 12th months in the same year. The Tianqi era officially started from the first lunar month of 1621.

From a historical perspective, the Taichang Emperor's reign by nature of its short time span amounts to nothing more than a footnote in Ming history. It exposed the constitutional weakness of the Ming dynasty's autocratic system when headed by a weak emperor as typified by the Taichang Emperor and his successor, the Tianqi Emperor. From the limited information gleaned from official Ming histories on the life of the emperor, he came across as an introverted half-literate alcoholic satirical weakling. Given this dismal track record there is no evidence that had the Taichang Emperor's reign lasted any longer than it did, he could have turned around the fortunes of the beleaguered Ming dynasty after the long steady decline of the later years of the Wanli Emperor's reign.

Family

Consorts and Issue:

• Empress Xiaoyuanzhen, of the Guo clan (孝元貞皇后 郭氏; 1580–1613)

　• Princess Huaishu Daoyi (懷淑悼懿公主; 1604–1610), personal name Huijuan (徽娟), second daughter

• Empress Dowager Xiaohe, of the Wang clan (孝和皇太后 王氏; 1582–1619)

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

　• Zhu Youxue, Prince Jianhuai (簡懷王 朱由㰒; 1607–1610), second son

• Empress Dowager Xiaochun, of the Liu clan (孝純皇太后 劉氏; 1588–1615)

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

• Consort Gongyizhuang, of the Li clan (恭懿莊妃 李氏; 5 December 1588 – 6 December 1624)

• Consort Yi, of the Fu clan (懿妃 傅氏; 1588–1644)

　• Princess Ningde (寧德公主), personal name Huiyan (徽妍), sixth daughter

　　• Married Liu Youfu (劉有福) in 1626

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

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

• Consort Kang, of the Li clan (康妃 李氏; 1584–1674)

　• Zhu Youmo, Prince Huaihui (懷惠王 朱由模; 30 November 1610 – 1615), fourth son

　• Princess Le'an (樂安公主; 1611–1643), personal name Huiti (徽媞), eighth daughter

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

　• Princess (公主; 1616–1617), personal name Huizhao (徽妱), tenth daughter

• Consort Yi, of the Ding clan (懿妃 定氏)

　• Zhu Youxu, Prince Xianghuai (湘懷王 朱由栩), sixth son

• Consort Jing, of the Feng clan (敬妃 馮氏)

　• Zhu Youjian, Prince Huizhao (慧昭王 朱由橏; b. 1620), seventh son

• Concubine Shen, of the Shao clan (慎嬪 邵氏)

　• Princess Daowen (悼溫公主; 1621), personal name Huizheng (徽姃), 11th daughter

• Xuanshi, of the Wang clan (選侍 王氏)

　• Zhu Youji, Prince Qisi (齊思王 朱由楫; 14 August 1609 – 1616), third son

• Unknown

　• Princess Daoyi (悼懿公主), first daughter

　• Third daughter (d. 1623), personal name Huiheng (徽姮)

　• Princess Daoshun (悼順公主; 1606–1607), personal name Huixuan (徽嫙), fourth daughter

　• Princess (公主; 1608–1609), personal name Huiweng (徽㜲), fifth daughter

　• Eighth daughter (b. 1611), personal name Huiwan (徽婉)

Ancestry

人物生平

早年

明神宗長子，萬曆十年（1582年）八月生，母恭妃王氏原是祖母李太后身邊的宮人。不久，明神宗鄭貴妃生三子朱常洵，深得寵愛。長子朱常洛一直受到冷遇，群臣紛紛上書要求立儲，是為國本之爭，明神宗要不是貶斥群臣，就是虛與委蛇地敷衍應付。祖母李太后以為不妥。一日，李太后詢問神宗未立朱常洛為太子的緣故。神宗說：他是宮人所生。李太后大怒：你也是宮人所生（李太后亦是宮人出身）。神宗聽後惶恐，伏地不敢起。

萬曆二十九年（1601年）十月，明神宗被迫冊立長子朱常洛為太子，同時，立三子朱常洵為福王、五子朱常浩為瑞王、六子朱常潤為惠王、七子朱常瀛為桂王。太子朱常洛以仁厚著稱，朝野皆認為其將來可為明君。但常洛的地位不穩固，鄭貴妃時時刻刻想要為朱常洵爭奪儲君之位，引發了兩次妖書案，牽連眾多大臣。而後，甚至有鄭貴妃手下的兩名宦官指使刺客，欲以木梃刺殺朱常洛，是為梃擊案，神宗為了不牽連鄭貴妃，將該刺客、宦官等三人全部殺死。

朱常洛被立為太子後，就移居慈慶宮，從此與其母王恭妃被隔絕不得相見。萬曆三十四年（1606年），朱常洛的妾侍王氏生下皇長孫朱由校（日後的明熹宗），神宗為表慶祝，為李太后加尊號，又進封王恭妃為皇貴妃，賜金冊金寶，但仍將其屏居景陽宮。萬曆三十九年九月十三日（1611年10月18日），王恭妃病篤，朱常洛聞言急往景陽宮探視，見景陽宮門深鎖，于是破壞門鎖入內探視。當時王恭妃已雙眼失明，于是以手代眼，拉著朱常洛的衣角：「兒長大如此，我死何恨！」言畢王恭妃便與世長辭。《酌中志》則記載為王恭妃病重時太子每日從蒼震門入內問安；《先撥志始》更記載王恭妃察覺到鄭貴妃家人偷聽，提醒太子，結果母子倆直到王恭妃去世也沒有說話。大學士葉向高說：「皇太子母妃薨，禮宜從厚。」神宗不應，複請，才得到允准。

明光宗即位與駕崩

萬曆四十八年（1620年）七月二十一日，明神宗駕崩。太子朱常洛立即發內帑（皇帝私房錢）百萬犒賞邊關將士。停止所有礦稅，召回以言得罪的諸臣。不久，再發內帑百萬犒邊。八月即位，改元泰昌，是為明光宗。福王生母鄭貴妃為了攏絡明光宗，獻上八個美女。明光宗縱慾過度不久病倒，太監崔文升進以瀉藥而狂瀉。在位不足三十天的明光宗在九月初一因服用李可灼的紅丸而猝死駕崩，史稱紅丸案。

明光宗遺詔：

為政舉措

在位一個月，明光宗於群臣幫助下，推行不少政策，如：廢礦稅、餉邊防、補官缺。

首先下令罷免全國範圍內的礦監、稅使，停止任何形式的的採榷活動。礦稅早為人們所厭惡，所以詔書一頒布，朝野歡騰。

其次是餉邊防。明光宗下令由大內銀庫調撥二百萬兩銀子，發給遼東經略熊廷弼和九邊巡撫按官，讓他們犒賞將士；並撥給運費五千兩白銀，沿途支用。明光宗還專門強調，銀子解到後，立刻派人下發，不得擅自入庫挪為它用。

第三件事是補充官缺。朱常洛先命令禮部右侍郎、南京吏部侍郎二人為禮部尚書兼內閣大學士；隨後，將何宗彥等四人均升為禮部尚書兼內閣大學士；啟用卸官歸田的舊輔臣葉向高，同意將因為「上疏」爭國本獲罪的三十三人和為礦稅等獲罪的十一人一概錄用。因此有人感慨明光宗矯枉過正，造成了前所未有的「官滿為患」的局面。

陵寢墓地

明光宗下葬的「慶陵」原是為明景帝所建，唯景帝為英宗所貶，葬于西郊金山，故空出一處皇陵。由于明光宗在位時間僅，來不及修建陵墓，故繼位的長子明熹宗朱由校將光宗安葬于此陵墓。

任用官吏

內閣首輔

• 方從哲

• 吳道南

名將

• 熊廷弼

太監

• 崔文升：鄭貴妃宮中內侍。

• 王安：司禮秉筆太監，勸帝行諸善政，為人剛直而疏，但善病，不能數見帝，因而魏忠賢始進。

• 魏忠賢：明末閹黨領袖，與東林黨激烈鬥爭，爆發東林黨爭。

家庭成員

后妃

• 皇太子妃郭氏：明神宗萬曆二十九（1601年年十月冊為皇太子妃，萬曆四十一（1613年）十一月薨，謚「恭靖」。明熹宗即位，加謚「孝元昭懿哲惠莊仁合天弼聖貞皇后」。

• 才人王氏：明熹宗生母。初為選侍，明神宗萬曆三十二（1604年）年進才人，萬曆四十七（1619年）三月薨。明熹宗即位，追謚「孝和恭獻溫穆徽慈諧天鞠聖皇太后」。

• 淑女劉氏：明思宗生母。明熹宗即位，追封賢妃。明思宗即位，追謚「孝純恭懿淑穆莊靜毘天毓聖皇太后」。

• 李康妃：深受明光宗寵愛，時稱「西李」，駕崩之前欲加封貴妃，未果。明熹宗天啟四（1624年），加封康妃。

• 李莊妃：時稱「東李」，明熹宗天啟四（1621年），加封莊妃。

• 趙選侍，天啟時候賜死。

• 王選侍，早逝。

• 傅懿妃。

• 馮敬妃。

• 邵慎嬪。

• 張襄嬪。

• 李恪嬪。

• 郭定嬪。

子女

子

• 明熹宗朱由校。

• 簡懷王朱由㰒：四歲殤。

• 齊思王朱由楫：八歲殤。

• 懷惠王朱由模，五歲殤。

• 明思宗朱由檢。

• 湘懷王朱由栩：早殤。

• 慧昭王朱由橏：早殤。

女

• 悼懿公主，早薨。明史未見記載，根據《熹宗實錄卷》記載，悼懿公主為熹宗之姊，而熹宗為光宗皇長子，因此斷定悼懿公主為光宗諸子女中最長者。而自懷淑公主以後諸公主之排行應依序順延。

• 懷淑公主 朱徽娟，母孝元皇后郭氏。七歲早薨，追冊。

• 朱徽姮，早逝。

• 朱徽嫙，早逝。

• 朱徽㜲，夭折。

• 寧德公主 朱徽妍，母傅懿妃。下嫁劉有福，卒康熙間。

• 遂平公主 朱徽婧，母傅懿妃。天啟七年下嫁齊贊元。22歲薨。

• 朱徽婉，早逝。

• 樂安公主 朱徽媞（一說「徽娖」），母李康妃。下嫁鞏永固。

• 朱徽妱，夭折。

• 悼溫公主 朱徽姃，母邵慎嬪。夭折。

人物評價

《明實錄》：「自古帝皇仁心仁聞洽于天下，未有不須久道而後成者，必世後仁聖人言之矣。乃光宗貞皇帝在位僅三旬，升遐之日，深山窮谷莫不奔走悲號，何？聖化之神感孚若是速也。蓋帝睿質夙成，蚤親師傳，養德青宮已洞悉四海之難艱。故當神皇晏駕時，遺詔未頒，德音據播 ；大寶初嗣，仁政沛施。捐朽蠹而九塞飽騰，撤狐蟊而廛勸動政。地廣股肱之助，諫垣充耳目之司。黃髮並升于公庭，白駒不滯于空谷。至于虛懷延接一月，而三召臣工銳意圖。幾浹旬而兩蠲而稅額 。德意獨行，獨斷爕理，莫施其功，威權自攬。自綜執月，御不參其柄。鑠乎盛矣，曠千古而僅見者也，乃其尤難者以何思何慮之天，處若危若疑之地。衝齡出講，已歷艱辛，而容色溫然，動止泰然。內庭有菀枯之形，若勿知也者；外庭有羽翼之激，若勿聞也者。即冊立，尋常事耳。時而舉碁，時而反汗。大臣去，小臣譴，宜何如動于耳目者。 而帝也，有夔夔無慄慄。潛之又潛，巧伺者不能窺，善孽者不能中。福藩就國，慟哭抱持。張差發難，帝侍神皇。左右親傳睿旨，曉諭百官群囂遂息，所全實多。登極後即遵遺命進封皇貴妃，廷臣力爭，竟不忍奪以戚畹，哀請而後止，毫不芥蔕于前事也。此即虞舜大孝何以加茲？以舜之孝，擴堯之仁，然則帝之所以感動人心又自有在，而非僅僅更張注措之跡者矣。夫官天下者，壽在令名；家天下者，壽在長世。神皇即不豫，何難四十日留也。使帝之出震未及而幹蠱，莫施天下之事將不可知。然則我國家億萬年無疆之祚，皆帝四十日之所延也。帝之功德又豈但在普天之思慕已哉，天眷宗社不虗也。」

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