Bringing the Railway to Daming

Chapter 224: Fourth Brother, why are there so many short-lived, absurd, and lustful people among your descendants? [Please subscribe]

Liu Kuan said: "No one knows the truth of history, but I think it is definitely more than just the impeachment of the ministers."

"Perhaps Wang Zhi, besides corruption and bribery, also committed other acts that Zhu Jianshen could not forgive. Or perhaps there were other reasons that were unknown to outsiders."

After saying this, Liu Kuan saw that the three people no longer asked any other questions about Wang Zhi, so he continued to talk about Zhu Jianshen.

"The last 'foolish act' of Zhu Jianshen that I know of was his superstitious devotion to monks, Taoist priests, and alchemists in the latter part of his reign. There were even rumors that he had people offer him sexual techniques."

"It is said that there was once a minor official named Li Zisheng who fled due to corruption. He later learned the Five Thunder Magic. Through his friendship with the eunuch Liang Fang, he was able to present talismans and sexual techniques to Zhu Jianshen. He was then granted an official position and rose to the rank of Tongzhengshi."

"Later, Li Zisheng colluded with Grand Secretary Wan'an, monk Jixiao, and eunuch Liang Fang to manipulate officials' positions, raising eyebrows among the court and the public."

"However, whether these things are true or false, future generations will never determine. Your Majesty, please listen to my humble opinion."

Zhu Yuanzhang said nonchalantly, "Even if it's true, so what? No one is perfect. Even Emperor Taizong of Tang made mistakes in his governance, let alone others."

"Zhu Jianshen alone was able to eliminate the chaos in the Ming Dynasty in the first few years of his reign and intimidate the barbarians with military force. He is worthy of being called the ruler of the Ming Dynasty's revival."

"Even if we consider his lifespan, he lived to be forty-one, which is better than Zhu Zhanji and Zhu Qizhen—but speaking of which, what's wrong with your lineage, Fourth Brother? Why are all of them short-lived?"

When Zhu Di heard Zhu Yuanzhang's conversation turn to his own affairs and asked such tortured questions, he immediately felt unwell.

He was also confused - why did everyone in his lineage have a short lifespan?

Could it be that in history he was punished by heaven for seizing the throne from his nephew? Or was it a curse?

Thinking of this, Zhu Di couldn't help but look at Liu Kuan pitifully and said, "Third brother-in-law, what's going on? Why do all of my family members die young?"

Seeing Zhu Di, a tall and strong man, looking as pitiful as a child, Liu Kuan couldn't help but shudder.

He hurriedly said, "Your Highness, Prince of Yan, don't let your imagination run wild. Although lifespan is somewhat related to bloodline, it's not entirely determined by bloodline. Moreover, even if it is related to bloodline, men only account for half of the factors, while women also account for half."

"Also, not all of His Highness's lineage is short-lived. There are still two relatively long-lived ones."

Zhu Di was cheered up after hearing this and said, "Oh, I actually have a long-lived descendant? How long-lived?"

It was no wonder that Zhu Di was so excited. He was actually frightened by the short lives of several Ming emperors that Liu Kuan had told him.

Historically, he lived to be sixty-five, which is not so bad, and is considered to be relatively high among the emperors' lifespans.

When it came to his son Zhu Gaochi's turn, he died at the age of 48.

It was even worse when it came to Zhu Zhanji, that evildoer. He only lived to be thirty-six years old!
The brothers Zhu Qizhen and Zhu Qiyu were no match for him either, one was thirty-seven and the other was only thirty.

Zhu Jianshen was slightly better, but he only lived to 41.

This made Zhu Di feel that future emperors of his lineage would hardly live past the age of fifty.

Liu Kuan organized his words and said, "Historically, Zhu Jianshen's son Zhu Youtang died at the age of 36. His son Zhu Houzhao ascended the throne at a young age, but he also only lived to the age of 30."

Zhu Di had been full of hope, but upon hearing Liu Kuan's opening words, his face immediately fell. He thought to himself: "Aren't there people who live long lives? How come two more people died in their thirties? Are you kidding me?"
Liu Kuan continued, "Zhu Houzhao not only died young, but also had no children. So the ministers at the time welcomed Zhu Houcong, the son of Zhu Jianshen's fourth son Zhu Youlang, to the throne according to the closeness of the royal family's blood relationship."

"Zhu Houcong ascended the throne at a young age, and in his middle and late years he became obsessed with practicing Taoism, refining elixirs, and taking elixirs. Even so, he reigned for over forty years and died at the age of sixty."

Died at the age of sixty?

Zhu Di was delighted after hearing this and thought to himself: Although he is not as long-lived as me, he has finally broken the curse that the Ming emperors of my lineage cannot live past fifty. Great!

At this time, Zhu Biao asked in confusion, "What did my brother-in-law just say? Could it be that Zhu Houcong lived to be sixty because of his Taoist practice and the elixirs he took?"

Liu Kuan shook his head. "Your Highness, you have misunderstood. What I just said was that Zhu Houcong could live to sixty despite taking the alchemist's elixirs for a long time. If he hadn't taken the elixirs, perhaps he could have lived to seventy."

"I wonder if I've ever mentioned this before—the ancient alchemists often added substances like lead and mercury to their elixirs. These substances are harmful to the human body and can even be considered highly toxic."

"Even a small amount of this substance in pills won't kill you instantly; instead, it can temporarily boost your spirits. However, long-term use can cause toxins like lead and mercury to accumulate in your body, damaging your health."

"Historical records show that Zhu Houcong wore thin clothing year-round in his later years, even in winter. This was clearly due to excessive accumulation of erysipelas in his body. Therefore, it is clear that the elixir he took must have been tainted with lead and mercury."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but snort, "How ridiculous! It's fine that Zhu Jianshen was superstitious about alchemists in his later years, but this Zhu Houcong is also like this, and he even ruined his good health!"

"Fourth Brother, we see that not only are there many young people in your lineage, but there are also many absurd people. You must be more careful in educating your children in the future!"

Zhu Di finally heard some "good news" and felt relieved, but he didn't expect to be scolded by Old Zhu again.

But what Old Zhu said made sense - he also thought it was ridiculous that Zhu Houcong took elixirs to shorten his lifespan.

But he couldn't help but say, "If it weren't for my third brother-in-law telling me, who would have known that the lead and mercury added by those alchemists and Taoists in their elixirs were so poisonous?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was furious. "Do I need to know this through Liu Kuan? Look through the history books and see which emperor who believed in alchemists and took elixirs ended up well?!"

Zhu Di pursed his lips and dared not refute anymore.

In order to change the subject, and also out of curiosity, Zhu Biao asked, "Brother-in-law, are there any other Ming emperors who lived long lives after Zhu Houcong?"

Liu Kuan said, "Zhu Houcong must have had good longevity genes. Although his son Zhu Zaigui only lived to be 35, it was due to excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures, excessive sexual activity, and the use of poisonous drugs." "Zhu Zaigui was succeeded by his son, the Wanli Emperor Zhu Yijun. Although he had a sweet tooth, preferred quietness and disliked activity, and was an opium addict, he also lived to be 58."

"Zhu Yijun's son, Zhu Changluo, suffered the most. He ascended the throne at the age of 38, but due to excessive sexual activity and improper treatment by the imperial physician, he died of illness just one month after taking the throne."

He died of illness one month after ascending the throne?

And he is a person who indulges in sensual pleasures and has excessive sex?

Old Zhu and Zhu Di both looked unhappy, and Zhu Biao's face was not much better either.

Coming back to his senses, Old Zhu couldn't help but glare at Zhu Di again: "Old Fourth, look at your descendants. Not only are they short-lived and ridiculous, but they are also lustful and have no self-control!"

Zhu Di lowered his head and said nothing, but in his heart he retorted: What's wrong with a man being lustful? If you weren't lustful, how could you have so many beauties in your harem? Could you have given me so many brothers and sisters?
Seeing this, Zhu Biao quickly changed the subject again and asked, "The new emperor's death after only one month on the throne is a terrible disaster for the country. Will this cause civil unrest in the Ming Dynasty?"

Liu Kuan shook his head. "There was no civil unrest. It was just a 'Palace Move Case'."

Zhu Biao was curious, "The palace relocation case?"

Liu Kuan said, "The Palace Relocation Case, along with the Wanli Emperor's Strike Case and the Red Pill Case involving Zhu Changluo's death, is known as one of the three great imperial mysteries of the late Ming Dynasty. Talking about them all involves many things, and it's not something I can explain in a short time. How about I leave it for another day?"

Zhu Biao was used to Liu Kuan's teasing, so when he heard this, he didn't insist on listening.

Seeing this, Liu Kuan continued with the previous topic, "Through the Palace Relocation Case, Emperor Tianqi Zhu Youxiao of the Ming Dynasty ascended the throne as a young man."

"I don't know whether he is in good health, but he has been on the throne for seven years and no son has grown up."

"Therefore, he fell into the water at the age of 23 and died of illness, and the throne fell to Emperor Chongzhen Zhu Youjian."

"He fell into the water and died of illness at the age of 23?" Old Zhu couldn't help but interrupt Liu Kuan. "Even if Zhu Youxiao was born with a weak constitution, he wouldn't die from illness just by falling into the water, right?"

Seeing Zhu's doubts, Liu Kuan couldn't help but say, "There's a saying in later generations about this matter, which is 'The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty is easily dissolved in water.'"

Is the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty easily soluble in water?

What the hell?

Old Zhu, Zhu Biao and Zhu Di were all confused.

Liu Kuan continued, "Because in addition to the Tianqi Emperor Zhu Youxiao, the Zhengde Emperor Zhu Houzhao also died of a long-term illness after falling into the water."

"The Ming Dynasty had a total of more than a dozen emperors, two of whom died of illness due to drowning. This is definitely a high ratio, which is why there is a saying that the Ming emperors are easily soluble in water."

"However, the deeper reason is probably that during the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the imperial physicians and the Imperial Hospital were no longer effective. As for why this was the case, there are many theories in later generations, and it is difficult for me to distinguish the truth from the false, so I will not reveal them to mislead Your Majesty."

The father and his two sons frowned.

Zhu Di was thinking: Could it be that my bloodline is truly water-soluble? Then I'll have to be careful next time I go to sea—I need to practice my swimming skills well enough, and I need to bring a good doctor with me.

By the way, I must leave a legacy of my ancestors in the future, so that all children in my lineage must be proficient in water. I don’t believe that it can be easily soluble in water!
After Old Zhu came to his senses, he said, "We are not afraid of being misled. Whatever the future generations say, just tell us and we will be able to distinguish them!"

Liu Kuan said, "Then I will end the previous discussion about the life span of the Ming emperors. Although Emperor Chongzhen Zhu Youjian also died in his thirties, he committed suicide, not died of illness."

"According to later historical records, Zhu Youjian was in excellent health and even had good riding and archery skills, making him quite capable of fighting."

"In addition, Zhu Youjian was neither obsessed with women nor superstitious about alchemy. If nothing unexpected happened, he should have been a long-lived emperor."

Hearing Liu Kuan's estimation of Zhu Youjian's lifespan based on his physical condition, Zhu Youjian and Zhu Biao couldn't help but sigh, while Zhu Di remained silent.

Because they all knew that in the situation at the end of the Ming Dynasty, it was better for Zhu Youjian to have a good mind than a good body - a good body could not save the Ming Dynasty.

After a moment of silence, Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Let's talk about the imperial physician and the Imperial Hospital."

Liu Kuan nodded. "From what I've learned from later generations, there are four main issues with the Imperial Hospital during the middle and late Ming Dynasty."

"First, because the imperial physicians treated the emperor, concubines, and princes, they preferred to be cautious in their treatments and medications. In other words, they would rather fail to cure the disease than be held responsible for a medication error."

"Secondly, it is said that in the early Ming Dynasty, if imperial doctors failed to diagnose and cure the concubines, princes, and royal relatives, they would be beheaded, their property confiscated, or even their entire families exterminated."

"Therefore, not only did the imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital seek to be extremely cautious in their treatment, but even the most skilled doctors in the public were unwilling to enter the Imperial Hospital to serve the royal family."

"Third, it is said that in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the power of the gentry infiltrated the Imperial Medical Bureau, and the cabinet ministers and ministers of the ministries and agencies could even influence the imperial physicians' prescriptions for the emperor."

"Therefore, there are conspiracy theories that suggest that the numerous instances of Ming emperors suffering from prolonged illnesses and ultimately dying from illness were likely the result of imperial physicians being manipulated by the gentry in an effort to replace the emperor."

"Fourthly, in the middle and late stages of the Imperial Medical Service, like the Ming Dynasty officialdom, bureaucratic practices were prevalent. As a result, those who controlled the Imperial Medical Service and the imperial physicians were more skilled at being officials than at treating patients."

After listening to Liu Kuan's story, Zhu Yuanzhang frowned deeply.

　First update.

　　
　　
　
(End of this chapter)