Taichang Emperor
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The Taichang Emperor (August 28, 1582 - September 26, 1620) was the 14th emperor of China (Ming dynasty) in 1620. Born Zhu Changluo, he was the Wanli Emperor's eldest son.
His mother was a palace girl and after Taichang's birth, the Wanli Emperor paid very little attention to him. Deprived of fatherly love, Taichang grew up all but forgotten and for the first 20 years of his life, Wanli would not even bestow Taichang the title of crown prince even though he was the eldest. Finally in 1601, Taichang was created crown prince but it would be almost another 20 years before he was able to rule. In 1615, there was a plot by Wanli's favourite concubine Lady Zheng to have Taichang murdered by a wandering madman set lose in the crown's prince palace. The plot was finally discovered but Lady Zheng was spared by the Wanli Emperor and all proof of the plot was systematically erased.
After the death of Wanli in 1620, Taichang ascended the throne but his reign lasted less than 1 month (the shortest of the Ming dynasty) and it was said that he died of illness brought on by sexual exhaustion when he was presented eight beautiful serving girls by Lady Zheng.¹ Taichang's reign was so short that at the time of his death in September of 1620, the late Wanli Emperor had not yet been buried.
Source
¹Imperial China - 900-1800, F.W. Mote, Page 740, First Harvard University Press, 2003.
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