1
諸王四○仁宗諸子
Biographies of the Princes, Part Four: Sons of Emperor Renzong
2
鄭王瞻飐 〈（廬江王載堙）〉 越王瞻墉蘄王瞻垠襄王瞻墡 〈（棗陽王祐楒）〉 荊王瞻堈淮王瞻墺滕王瞻塏梁王瞻垍衛王瞻埏○英宗諸子
The Prince of Zheng, Zhan Fei (Prince of Lujiang, Zai Yan))〉 The Prince of Yue, Zhan Yong; the Prince of Qi, Zhan Yin; the Prince of Xiang, Zhan Fan (Prince of Zaoyang, You Si))〉 The Prince of Jing, Zhan Kan; the Prince of Huai, Zhan Ao; the Prince of Teng, Zhan Kai; the Prince of Liang, Zhan Ji; the Prince of Wei, Zhan Yan — Sons of Emperor Yingzong
3
德王見潾許王見淳秀王見澍崇王見澤吉王見浚忻王見治徽王見沛○景帝子
The Prince of De, Jian Lin; the Prince of Xu, Jian Chun; the Prince of Xiu, Jian Shu; the Prince of Chong, Jian Ze; the Prince of Ji, Jian Jun; the Prince of Xin, Jian Zhi; the Prince of Hui, Jian Pei — Son of Emperor Jing
4
懷獻太子見濟○憲宗諸子
Crown Prince Huai Xian, Jian Ji — Sons of Emperor Xianzong
5
悼恭太子祐極岐王祐棆益王祐檳衡王祐楎 〈（新樂王載璽）〉 雍王祐枟壽王祐楮汝王祐梈涇王祐橓榮王祐樞申王祐楷○孝宗子
Crown Prince Dao Gong, You Ji; the Prince of Qi, You Lun; the Prince of Yi, You Bin; the Prince of Heng, You Kai (Prince of Xinle, Zai Xi))〉 The Prince of Yong, You Ting; the Prince of Shou, You Chu; the Prince of Ru, You Bing; the Prince of Jing, You Qian; the Prince of Rong, You Shu; the Prince of Shen, You Kai — Son of Emperor Xiaozong
6
蔚王厚煒
The Prince of Wei, Hou Wei
7
仁宗十子。 昭皇后生宣宗、越王瞻墉、襄王瞻墡。 李賢妃生鄭王瞻飐、蘄王瞻垠、淮王瞻墺。 張順妃生荊王蟾堈。 郭貴妃生滕王瞻塏、梁王瞻垍、衛王瞻埏。
Emperor Renzong had ten sons. Empress Zhao bore Emperor Xuanzong, the Prince of Yue Zhan Yong, and the Prince of Xiang Zhan Fan. Consort Li the Worthy bore the Prince of Zheng Zhan Fei, the Prince of Qi Zhan Yin, and the Prince of Huai Zhan Ao. Consort Zhang the Compliant bore the Prince of Jing, Zhan Kan. Consort Guo the Honored bore the Prince of Teng Zhan Kai, the Prince of Liang Zhan Ji, and the Prince of Wei Zhan Yan.
8
鄭靖王瞻飐，仁宗第二子。 永樂二十二年十月封。 仁宗崩，皇后命與襄王監國，以待宣宗，宣德元年，帝征樂安，仍命與襄王居守。 四年就藩鳳翔。 正統八年詔遷懷慶，留京邸，明年之國。 蟾飐暴歷，數斃人杖下。 英宗以御史周瑛為長史，稍戢。 成化二年薨。 子簡王祁锳嗣。 祁锳之為世子也，襄王朝京師，經新鄉，祁锳不請命，遣長史往迎。 英宗聞之不悅，賜書責讓。 及嗣王，多不法，又待世子寡恩。 長史江萬程諫，被責辱，萬程以聞。 帝遣英國公張懋、太監王允中賫敕往諭，始上書謝罪。 弘治八年薨。 世子見滋母韓妃不為祁锳所禮，見滋悒悒先卒。 子康王祐枔嗣，正德二年薨。 無子，從弟懿王祐檡嗣，十六年薨。 子恭王厚烷嗣。
Prince Jing of Zheng, Zhan Fei, was Emperor Renzong's second son. He was enfeoffed in the tenth month of Yongle 22. When Emperor Renzong died, the empress ordered him and the Prince of Xiang to supervise the realm until Xuanzong arrived. In Xuande 1, when the emperor marched against Le'an, the two princes were again left to hold the capital. In the fourth year he took up his fief at Fengxiang. In Zhengtong 8 an edict transferred his fief to Huaiqing. He stayed at his residence in the capital and went to his princedom the following year. Zhan Fei was brutal and tyrannical, and many died under his beatings. Emperor Yingzong appointed the censor Zhou Ying as his chief steward, and the prince was somewhat curbed. He died in Chenghua 2. His son Qi Rang, Prince Jian, succeeded him. While Qi Rang was still heir apparent, the Prince of Xiang came to the capital and passed through Xinxiang. Qi Rang did not ask leave but sent his chief steward out to receive him. Emperor Yingzong was displeased when he heard of it and sent a letter of rebuke. After he succeeded to the title he committed many unlawful acts and showed little kindness to his heir. His chief steward Jiang Wancheng remonstrated with him and was abused for it; Jiang reported the matter to the throne. The emperor sent the Duke of Ying, Zhang Mao, and the eunuch Wang Yunzhong with an edict to admonish him, and only then did he submit a letter of apology. He died in Hongzhi 8. The heir Jian Zi's mother, Consort Han, was ill-treated by Qi Rang; brooding over it, Jian Zi died before his father. His son You Si, Prince Kang, succeeded him and died in Zhengde 2. He had no son, so his younger cousin You Lin, Prince Yi, succeeded; he died in the sixteenth year. His son Hou Wan, Prince Gong, succeeded him.
9
世宗幸承天，厚烷迎謁於新鄉，加祿三百石。 疏奏母閻太妃貞孝事跡。 詔付史館。 其後帝修齋醮，諸王爭遣使進香，厚烷獨不遣。 嘉靖二十七年七月上書，請帝修德講學，進《居敬》、《窮理》、《克己》、《存誠》四箴，《演連珠》十章，以神仙、土木為規諫。 語切直。 帝怒，下其使者於獄。 詔曰：「前宗室有謗訕者置不治，茲復效尤。 王，今之西伯也，欲為為之。」 後二年而有祐橏之事，厚烷遂獲罪。
When Emperor Shizong traveled to Chengtian, Hou Wan met him at Xinxiang and was granted an additional three hundred shi of stipend. He memorialized the court on his mother Grand Consort Yan's chaste and filial conduct. An edict ordered the account sent to the Historiography Office. Later, when the emperor held fasting rituals, the princes competed to send envoys with incense offerings, but Hou Wan alone sent none. In the seventh month of Jiajing 27 he submitted a memorial urging the emperor to cultivate virtue and study, presenting his four admonitions 《Dwelling in Reverence》, 《Exhausting Principle》, 《Overcoming the Self》, and 《Preserving Sincerity》, together with ten chapters of 《Linked Pearls》, using the emperor's pursuit of immortals and building projects as his pointed warnings. His language was blunt and unsparing. The emperor was furious and threw his envoy into prison. An edict declared: "Before, when kinsmen of the imperial house slandered the throne, they were left unpunished; now he follows their bad example again. Prince, you are the Duke of the West of our day — do as you please." Two years later came the affair of You Fu, and Hou Wan was condemned.
10
初，祁锳有子十人，世子見滋，次盟津王見濍，次東垣王見氵貢。 見濍母有寵於祁锳，規奪嫡，不得，竊世子金冊以去。 祁锳索之急，因怨不復朝，所為益不法。 祁锳言之憲宗，革為庶人。 及康王薨，無子，見濍子祐橏應及，以前罪廢，乃立東垣王子祐檡。 至是祐橏求復郡王爵，怨厚烷不為奏，乘帝怒，摭厚烷四十罪，以叛逆告。 詔駙馬中官即訊。 還報反無驗，治宮室名號擬乘輿則有之。 帝怒曰：「厚烷訕朕躬，在國驕傲無禮，大不道。」 削爵，錮之鳳陽。 隆慶元年復王爵，增祿四百石。 厚烷自少至老，布衣蔬食。
Earlier, Qi Rang had ten sons: the heir Jian Zi; next Jian Yin, Prince of Mengjin; next Jian Bin, Prince of Dongyuan. Jian Yin's mother was favored by Qi Rang and plotted to displace the heir, but failed; she stole the heir's golden patent and fled. Qi Rang pressed the search hard; nursing a grudge, Jian Yin stopped attending court, and his conduct grew ever more lawless. Qi Rang reported him to Emperor Xianzong, who stripped him to commoner rank. When Prince Kang died childless, Jian Yin's son You Fu would have succeeded, but was passed over because of his father's crime; You Lin, son of the Prince of Dongyuan, was enthroned instead. By then You Fu was petitioning to have his commandery-prince rank restored. Angry that Hou Wan would not speak for him, he seized on the emperor's wrath, compiled forty charges against Hou Wan, and accused him of treason. An edict ordered imperial sons-in-law and palace eunuchs to investigate immediately. They reported back that treason could not be substantiated, though his residence did use names and titles reserved for the imperial carriage. The emperor raged: "Hou Wan has slandered my person; in his princedom he is arrogant and insolent — a capital offense." His title was stripped and he was imprisoned at Fengyang. In Longqing 1 his princely title was restored and his stipend increased by four hundred shi. From youth to old age Hou Wan dressed in plain cloth and ate sparingly.
11
世子載堉篤學有至性，痛父非罪見系，築土室宮門外，席槁獨處者十九年。 厚烷還邸，始入宮。 萬歷十九年，厚烷薨。 載堉曰：「鄭宗之序，盟津為長。 前王見濍，既錫謚復爵矣，爵宜歸盟津。」 後累疏懇辭。 禮臣言：「載堉雖深執讓節，然嗣鄭王已三世，無中更理，宜以載堉子翊錫嗣。」 載堉執奏如初，乃以祐橏之孫載璽嗣，而令載堉及翊錫以世子、世孫祿終其身，子孫仍封東垣王。 二十二年正月，載堉上疏，請宗室皆得儒服就試，毋論中外職，中式者視才品器使。 詔允行。 明年又上歷算歲差之法，及所著《樂律書》，考辨詳確，識者稱之。 卒謚端清。 崇禎中，載璽子翊鐘以罪賜死，國除。
The heir Zai Yin was a devoted scholar of deep filial feeling. Grieved that his father had been imprisoned without just cause, he built a hut of earth outside the palace gate and lived alone on a straw pallet for nineteen years. Only when Hou Wan returned to his residence did Zai Yin enter the palace. Hou Wan died in Wanli 19. Zai Yin said: "In the succession of the house of Zheng, the line of Mengjin is senior. The former Prince Jian Yin has already been given a posthumous title and had his rank restored; the title should pass to Mengjin." He later submitted repeated memorials earnestly declining the succession. The ritual officials said: "Although Zai Yin is deeply committed to yielding, the line of the Prince of Zheng has already passed three generations without a break in the middle; Zai Yin's son Yi Xi ought to succeed." Zai Yin persisted in his memorials as before. Thereupon You Fu's grandson Zai Xi was made heir, while Zai Yin and Yi Xi were granted heir and heir's-son stipends for life; their descendants were still enfeoffed as Princes of Dongyuan. In the first month of the twenty-second year, Zai Yin memorialized that all imperial clansmen be allowed to wear scholar's robes and sit for the examinations, without regard to inner or outer appointments, and that those who passed be employed according to talent and merit. An edict approved the proposal. The following year he submitted his methods for calendrical calculation and the precession of the equinoxes, together with his 《Treatise on Musical Temperament》; his scholarship was meticulous, and experts praised it. At his death he was posthumously titled Duan Qing, Upright and Pure. During the Chongzhen reign, Zai Xi's son Yi Zhong was sentenced to death for his crimes, and the princedom was abolished.
12
廬江王載堙，簡王元孫也。 崇禎十七年二月，賊陷懷慶，載堙整冠服，端坐堂上。 賊至，被執，欲屈之。 歷聲曰：「吾天朝藩王，肯降汝逆賊耶！」 詬罵不屈，遇害。 賊執其長子翊檭，擁之北行。 三月過定興，於旅店作絕命詞，遂不食死。
The Prince of Lujiang, Zai Yan, was a great-grandson of Prince Jian. In the second month of Chongzhen 17, when rebels took Huaiqing, Zai Yan straightened his cap and robes and sat upright in the hall. When the rebels came he was seized and they tried to force him to submit. He shouted: "I am a prince of the Celestial Dynasty — would I bow to rebel bandits like you!" He cursed them without yielding and was killed. The rebels seized his eldest son Yi Lin and marched him north. In the third month, passing through Dingxing, he wrote a final poem at an inn and starved himself to death.
13
越靖王瞻墉，仁宗第三子。 永樂二十二年封衢州。 未之藩，宣宗賜以昌平莊田。 正統四年薨。 妃吳氏殉，謚貞惠。 無後。
Prince Jing of Yue, Zhan Yong, was Emperor Renzong's third son. He was enfeoffed at Quzhou in Yongle 22. Before he took up his fief, Emperor Xuanzong granted him estate lands at Changping. He died in Zhengtong 4. Consort Wu died with him and was posthumously titled Zhen Hui, Chaste and Kind. He left no heir.
14
蘄獻王瞻垠，仁宗第四子。 初封靜樂王。 永樂十九年薨，謚莊獻。 仁宗即位，追加封謚。 無後。
Prince Xian of Qi, Zhan Yin, was Emperor Renzong's fourth son. He was first enfeoffed as Prince of Jingle. He died in Yongle 19 and was posthumously titled Zhuang Xian. When Emperor Renzong took the throne, his title and posthumous honors were conferred retroactively. He left no heir.
15
襄憲王瞻墡，仁宗第五子。 永樂二十二年封。 莊警有令譽。 宣德四年就藩長沙。 正統元年徙襄陽。 英宗北狩，諸王中，瞻墡最長且賢，眾望頗屬。 太后命取襄國金符入宮，不果召。 瞻墡上書，請立皇長子，令郕王監國，募勇智士迎車駕。 書至，景帝立數日矣。 英宗還京師，居南內，又上書景帝宜旦夕省膳問安，率群臣朔望見，無忘恭順。
Prince Xian of Xiang, Zhan Fan, was Emperor Renzong's fifth son. He was enfeoffed in Yongle 22. Solemn and dignified in bearing, he enjoyed an excellent reputation. In Xuande 4 he took up his fief at Changsha. In Zhengtong 1 his fief was moved to Xiangyang. When Emperor Yingzong was captured on the northern campaign, Zhan Fan was the eldest and most worthy among the princes, and public hope largely turned to him. The empress dowager ordered the golden tally of Xiang brought to the palace, but in the end he was never summoned. Zhan Fan memorialized the throne, urging that the eldest imperial son be named heir, that the Prince of Cheng supervise the realm, and that brave and capable men be enlisted to recover the emperor. By the time the memorial reached court, the Jing Emperor had already reigned for several days. After returning to the capital and settling in the Southern Palace, the Ying Emperor again wrote to the Jing Emperor, urging him to attend daily to his elder brother's meals and welfare, to lead the ministers in paying respects on the first and fifteenth of each month, and never to neglect his filial duty.
16
子定王祁鏞嗣，弘治元年薨。 子簡王見淑嗣，三年薨。 子懷王祐材嗣。 好鷹犬，蓄善馬，往返南陽八百里，日猶未晡。 妃父井海誘使殺人。 孝宗戒諭，戍海及其左右。 祐材好道術，賜予無節，又嘗與興邸爭地，連逮七十余家，獄久不決。 大理卿汪綸兩解之，乃得已。 十七年薨。 弟康王祐櫍嗣，亦好道術。 嘉靖二十九年薨。 無子，從子莊王厚颎由陽山王嗣，定王曾孫也。
He was succeeded by his son, Prince Ding Qi Yong, who died in Hongzhi 1. Prince Jian Jian Shu succeeded him and died three years later. He was succeeded by Prince Huai You Cai. Fond of falconry and hunting dogs, he kept fine horses and could cover the eight-hundred-li journey to Nanyang and back in a single day, arriving before mid-afternoon. His consort's father, Jing Hai, goaded him into ordering killings. Emperor Xiaozong reprimanded him and banished Hai and his associates to military service on the frontier. You Cai cultivated Daoist practices, lavished gifts without limit, and once disputed boundaries with the Prince of Xing's household, embroiling over seventy families in a lawsuit that dragged on for years. Chief minister of justice Wang Lun mediated twice before the dispute could finally be settled. He died in the seventeenth year of the reign. His younger brother Prince Kang You Zhi succeeded him and was likewise devoted to Daoist practices. He died in Jiajing 29. With no direct heir, the title passed from the Prince of Yangshan to his clansman's son Prince Zhuang Hou Feng, a great-grandson of Prince Ding.
17
時王邸災，先世蓄積一空。 厚潁折節為恭儉，節祿以餉邊，進金助三殿工。 兩賜書幣。 事嫡母王太妃及生母潘太妃，以孝聞。 潘卒，殯之東偏。 王太妃曰：「汝母有子，社稷是賴，無以我故避正寢。」 厚颎泣曰：「臣不敢以非禮加臣母。」 及葬，跣足扶櫬五十里。 士大夫過襄者，皆為韋布交。 四十五年薨。 子靖五載堯嗣，萬歷二十三年薨。 子翊銘嗣。 崇禎十四年，張獻忠陷襄陽，遇害。
A fire had recently destroyed the princely residence, wiping out the family's accumulated wealth. Hou Feng adopted a humble and austere manner, diverted part of his stipend to support frontier troops, and contributed gold toward rebuilding the Three Halls. The throne rewarded him twice with written commendations and gifts. He was renowned for his devotion to his stepmother, Grand Consort Wang, and his birth mother, Grand Consort Pan. When Grand Consort Pan died, he had her coffin placed in the eastern side-hall. Grand Consort Wang said: "Your mother bore the heir on whom the realm depends; do not refuse the main chamber on my account. Hou Feng wept and replied: "I cannot treat my mother with any breach of ritual propriety." At the funeral he walked fifty li barefoot alongside the coffin. Every scholar-official who passed through Xiang became his friend, often in the plain dress of mourning. He died in the forty-fifth year of the reign. He was succeeded by Prince Jing Zai Yao, who died in Wanli 23. Yi Ming succeeded him. In Chongzhen 14, when Zhang Xianzhong captured Xiangyang, the prince was killed.
18
初，大學士楊嗣昌之視師也，以襄陽為軍府，增堞浚隍，貯五省餉金及弓刀火器。 是年二月，獻忠邀殺嗣昌使於道，奪其符驗，以數十騎紿入襄城。 夜半火作，遲明，賊大至。 執翊銘南城樓，屬卮酒曰：「王無罪，王死，嗣昌得以死償王。」 遂殺王及貴陽王常法，火城樓，焚其屍。 賊去，僅拾顱骨數寸，妃妾輩死者四十三人。 福清王常澄、進賢王常淦走免。 事聞，帝震悼，命所司備喪禮，謚曰忠王。 嗣昌朝惠王於荊州，謁者謝之曰：「先生惠顧寡人，願先之襄陽。」 謂襄城之破，罪在嗣昌也。 十七年以常澄嗣襄王，寄居九江，後徙汀州，不知所終。
When Grand Secretary Yang Sichang took command of the campaign, he made Xiangyang his headquarters, strengthened its walls and moat, and stockpiled funds from five provinces along with arms and gunpowder weapons. In the second month that year, Xianzhong ambushed and killed Yang Sichang's courier, seized his official credentials, and tricked his way into Xiangcheng with a few dozen riders. Fire erupted at midnight, and at dawn the rebel army poured in. They seized Yi Ming on the south gate tower; Xianzhong offered him a cup of wine and said: "You are innocent, but when you die, Sichang will owe you a life in return. They then killed the prince and Prince of Guiyang Chang Fa, torched the gate tower, and burned the bodies. After the rebels withdrew, only a few inches of skull remained to be recovered; forty-three of his consorts and concubines were slain. Prince of Fuqing Chang Cheng and Prince of Jinxian Chang Gan managed to flee. The emperor was stricken with grief on hearing the news and ordered a full state funeral; the prince was posthumously titled Loyal. When Yang Sichang called on Prince of Hui at Jingzhou, an attendant brushed him off: "His Highness graciously receives you, but he asks that you visit Xiangyang first. The rebuff implied that the blame for Xiangcheng's fall lay with Sichang. In the seventeenth year Chang Cheng inherited the title of Prince of Xiang, took refuge at Jiujiang, and later relocated to Tingzhou; his ultimate fate is unknown.
19
棗陽王祐楒，憲王曾孫也，材武善文章，博涉星歷醫卜之書。 嘉靖初上書，請考興獻帝。 世宗以其議發自宗人，足厭服群心，褒之。 更請除宗人祿，使以四民業自為生，賢者用射策應科第。 寢不行。 時襄王祐櫍病廢不事事，承奉邵亨挾權自恣，至捶死鎮寧王舅。 祐楒誘致之，抉其目。 帝遣大理少卿袁宗儒偕中官、錦衣往訊。 亨論死，祐楒坐奪爵。 帝幸承天，念祐楒前疏，復之。
Prince of Zaoyang You Si, a great-grandson of Prince Xian, combined martial prowess with literary talent and was widely read in astronomy, medicine, and divination. Early in the Jiajing reign he memorialized the throne, requesting proper enshrinement for Emperor Xingxian. The Shizong Emperor praised him, holding that a proposal from within the imperial clan itself would better satisfy court and public opinion. He further urged abolishing princely stipends so that clansmen would earn their livelihood as ordinary farmers, artisans, merchants, and scholars, with the ablest competing through the regular examination system. The proposal was shelved and never enacted. At the time Prince of Xiang You Zhi was bedridden and inactive; his chief attendant Shao Heng abused his authority, going so far as to beat the Prince of Zhenning's uncle to death. You Si lured Shao Heng in and had his eyes put out. The emperor sent Vice Minister Yuan Zongru of the Court of Judicial Review, along with eunuchs and Imperial Guard officers, to conduct an inquiry. Shao Heng was condemned to death, while You Si was stripped of his princely rank. On a visit to Chengtian, the emperor remembered You Si's earlier petition and restored his rank.
20
荊憲王瞻堈，仁宗第六子。 永樂二十二年封。 宣德四年就藩建昌。 宮中有巨蛇，蜿蜒自梁垂地，或憑王座。 瞻堈大懼，請徙。 正統十年徙蘄州。 景泰二年上書請朝上皇。 不許。 四年薨。 子靖王祁鎬嗣，天順五年薨。 子見潚嗣。
Prince Xian of Jing, Zhan Ju, was Emperor Renzong's sixth son. He was enfeoffed in Yongle 22. In Xuande 4 he took up his fief at Jianchang. A gigantic serpent dwelt in the palace, slithering down from the beams to the floor and sometimes curling upon the prince's throne. Terrified, Zhan Ju petitioned to be moved elsewhere. In Zhengtong 10 his fief was transferred to Qizhou. In Jingtai 2 he memorialized the throne, asking permission to pay homage to the retired emperor. The request was denied. He died four years later. He was succeeded by Prince Jing Qi Hao, who died in Tianshun 5. Jian Su succeeded him.
21
子端王厚烇嗣。 性謙和，銳意典籍。 嘉靖中病，辭祿。 不允，令富順王厚焜攝朝謁。 厚焜，和王第二子，與弟永新王厚熿以能詩善畫名。 厚烇子永定王載墭長，厚焜即謝攝事，人尤以為賢。 嘉靖三十二年，厚烇薨。 載墭己前卒，其子恭王翊鉅嗣。
Prince Duan Hou Quan succeeded him. Gentle and unassuming by nature, he devoted himself to classical learning. During the Jiajing era he fell ill and asked to surrender his stipend. The court refused and instead appointed Prince of Fushun Hou Kun to represent him at official audiences. Hou Kun, second son of the Prince of He, and his younger brother Prince of Yongxin Hou Huang were celebrated poets and painters. When Hou Quan's eldest son, Prince of Yongding Zai Pei, came of age, Hou Kun voluntarily relinquished his proxy duties, a move widely admired as exemplary. Hou Quan died in Jiajing 32. Zai Pei had predeceased his father, so his son Prince Gong Yi Ju inherited the title.
22
荊自靖王諸子交惡，失令譽。 及厚烇兄弟感先世家難，以禮讓訓飭宗人。 見澋曾孫載埁尤折節恭謹，以文行稱。 郡王女例請祿於朝，載埁四女皆妻士人，不請封。 嘗上《應詔》、《正禮》二疏。 不報。 讀《易》窮理，著《大隱山人集》。 子翊𬫌、翊、翊皆工詩，兄弟嘗共處一樓，號花萼社。 翊鉅表載埁賢以訓諸子。 諸子不率教，世子常泠尤殘恣。 翊鉅言於朝，革為庶人。
Ever since the sons of Prince Jing, the Jing princes feuded among themselves and forfeited their family's good name. Hou Quan and his brothers, mindful of the family's earlier disgrace, taught their kinsmen courtesy and restraint. Zai Cheng, a great-great-grandson of Jian Huang, was especially humble and dutiful, and won renown for scholarship and moral character. Daughters of commandery princes customarily petitioned the court for stipends, but all four of Zai Cheng's daughters married common scholars without seeking titles or income. He once submitted two memorials, 《In Reply to the Imperial Edict》 and 《On Correct Ritual Practice》. The court never replied. Deeply versed in the 《Book of Changes》, he wrote the 《Collected Works of the Great Recluse》. His sons Yi Xi and his brothers, all accomplished poets, once shared a single tower and styled themselves the Flower-and-Calyx Society. Yi Ju held up Zai Cheng as a model of virtue for his sons to emulate. The sons refused to heed his teaching, and the heir Chang Ling was especially brutal and unrestrained. Yi Ju petitioned the throne, and Chang Ling was stripped of rank and reduced to commoner status.
23
淮靖王蟾墺，仁宗第七子。 永樂二十二年封。 宣德四年就藩韶州。 英宗即位之十月，以韶多瘴癘，正統元年徙饒州。 正統十一年薨。 子康王祁銓嗣，弘治十五年薨。 世子見濂早卒，無子，從子定王祐啟嗣。 遊戲無度，左右倚勢暴橫，境內苦之。 長史莊典以輔導失職自免。 詔不許。 推官汪文盛數持王府事。 有顧嵩者病狂，持刀斧入王門，官校執詰之，謬言出汪指使。 典白之守臣。 鎮守太監黎安嘗以事至饒，從騎入端禮門，被撻，銜祐棨甚。 先是，祐棨有名琴曰「天風環佩」，寧王宸濠求之，不得。 又求濱湖地，不與。 至是嗾安奏祐棨過失及文盛被誣事。 詔下撫按訊。 安與宸濠謀，不待報，遽系典及府中官校鞫之。 典辭倨，宸濠箠之，斃獄中，他所連坐甚眾。 於是祐棨奏安挾仇殺典庇嵩。 帝遣都御史金獻民、太監張欽往按治。 祐棨畏宸濠，不能自明。 欽等復言祐棨信奸徒為暴，請嚴戒之。 軍校坐戍者二十余人，典冤竟不白。
Prince Huai of Huai, Zhan Ao, was Emperor Renzong's seventh son. He was enfeoffed in Yongle 22. In Xuande 4 he took up his fief at Shaozhou. In the tenth month after the Ying Emperor's accession, because Shaozhou was rife with malaria, his fief was moved to Raozhou in Zhengtong 1. He died in Zhengtong 11. He was succeeded by Prince Kang Qi Quan, who died in Hongzhi 15. The heir Jian Lian died young without issue, and the title passed to his clansman's son Prince Ding You Qi. He indulged in endless amusements while his retainers abused their authority and terrorized the countryside. Chief administrator Zhuang Dian resigned, citing his failure as tutor and adviser. The court refused to accept his resignation. Investigating magistrate Wang Wensheng repeatedly intervened in the affairs of the princely household. A man named Gu Song, deranged, entered the palace gates armed with a knife and axe; when guards seized and questioned him, he falsely claimed Wang Wensheng had sent him. Zhuang Dian reported the matter to the provincial authorities. Garrison eunuch Li An had once visited Raozhou on official business; when his mounted escort entered the Duanli Gate they were beaten, and he nursed a deep grudge against You Qi. You Qi owned a celebrated zither called "Heavenly Wind and Ringing Jade," which Prince of Ning Zhu Chenhao had sought in vain. Chenhao also demanded lakeside land and was refused. At this juncture he prompted Li An to denounce You Qi's misconduct and the frame-up of Wang Wensheng. The throne ordered the provincial governor and censor to conduct an inquiry. Li An and Chenhao conspired to arrest Zhuang Dian and the princely guards and interrogate them before any official report came back. Zhuang Dian answered defiantly; Chenhao had him flogged to death in prison, and many others were implicated as well. You Qi then petitioned the throne, charging that Li An had murdered Zhuang Dian out of personal spite while protecting Gu Song. The emperor sent Censor-in-Chief Jin Xianmin and the eunuch Zhang Qin to conduct a full investigation. You Qi was afraid of Chenhao and could not vindicate himself. Zhang Qin and his party again reported that You Qi had trusted ruffians to commit outrages and petitioned that he be sternly admonished. More than twenty officers and guards were sentenced to frontier duty, and Zhuang Dian's wrongful conviction was never overturned.
24
梁莊王瞻垍，仁宗第九子。 永樂二十二年封。 宣德初，詔鄭、越、襄、荊、淮五王歲給鈔五萬貫，惟梁倍之。 四年就藩安陸，故郢邸也。 襄王瞻墡自長沙徙襄陽，道安陸，與瞻垍留連不忍去。 瀕別，瞻垍慟曰：「兄弟不復更相見，奈何！」 左右皆泣下。 正統元年言府卑濕，乞更爽塏地。 帝詔郢中歲歉，俟有秋理之。 竟不果。 六年薨。 無子，封除。 梁故得郢田宅園湖，後皆賜襄王。 及睿宗封安陸，盡得郢、梁邸田，供二王祠祀。
Prince Zhuang of Liang, Zhan Ji, was Emperor Renzong's ninth son. He received his princely title in the twenty-second year of Yongle. Early in Xuande, the throne ordered that the Princes of Zheng, Yue, Xiang, Jing, and Huai each receive fifty thousand strings of paper money annually, but the Prince of Liang was allotted twice that amount. In the fourth year he took up his fief at Anlu, which had been the seat of the Prince of Ying. When the Prince of Xiang, Zhan Fan, relocated from Changsha to Xiangyang, he traveled by way of Anlu and lingered with Zhan Ji, unwilling to part. As they were about to separate, Zhan Ji wept and said, "We brothers shall never see each other again -- what can be done!" Those around them all burst into tears. In the first year of Zhengtong he reported that his residence was low-lying and damp and asked to be moved to drier, more open ground. The emperor replied that the Ying region had suffered poor harvests that year and that the matter should wait until a better season. In the end nothing was done. He died in the sixth year of the reign. He left no son, and the princely line was extinguished. The Prince of Liang had originally held the fields, estates, gardens, and lakes of the Ying fief, but these were later all granted to the Prince of Xiang. When Emperor Ruizong was granted Anlu, he received all the lands of the Ying and Liang establishments to support the ancestral rites of the two princes.
25
見湜，英宗第三子。 早卒。 復辟後，不復追贈。
Jian Shi was Emperor Yingzong's third son. He died in childhood. After Yingzong's restoration to the throne, no further posthumous honors were conferred on him.
26
許悼王見淳，英宗第四子。 景泰三年封。 明年薨。 禮臣請用親王禮葬。 帝以王幼，殺其制。 秀懷王見澍，英宗第五子。 生於南宮，天順元年封。 成化六年就藩汝寧。 長史劉誠獻《千秋日鑒錄》，見澍朝夕誦之。 就藩時，慮途中擾民，令並日行。 王居隘，左右請遷文廟廣之。 見澍不聽，曰：「居近學宮，時時聞糸玄頌聲，顧不美乎！」 論《書》至《西伯戡黎》，長史誠主吳氏說，曰：「戡黎者，武王也。」 右長史趙銳主孔氏說，曰：「實文王事。」 爭之失色。 見澍曰：「經義未有定論，不嫌往復。 今若此，非先皇帝簡二先生意也。」 成化八年薨。 無子，封除。
Prince Dao of Xu, Jian Chun, was Emperor Yingzong's fourth son. He was enfeoffed in the third year of Jingtai. He died the following year. The ministers of rites requested a funeral according to the full rites for an imperial prince. The emperor, considering how young the prince had been, scaled back the prescribed rites. Prince Huai of Xiu, Jian Shu, was Emperor Yingzong's fifth son. Born in the Southern Palace, he was enfeoffed in the first year of Tianshun. In the sixth year of Chenghua he took up his fief at Runing. Chief steward Liu Cheng presented the 《Records for Days of a Thousand Autumns》, which Jian Shu recited every morning and evening. When he departed for his fief, fearing that the procession would burden the people along the way, he ordered that the entire journey be completed in a single day. His residence was cramped, and his attendants proposed relocating the Confucian temple to enlarge it. Jian Shu refused and said, "Living beside the academy, I can always hear the sounds of strings and recitation from the students -- is that not a delight!" When their discussion of the 《Book of Documents》 reached the chapter 《King Wu's Campaign against Li》, Chief Steward Liu Cheng took the Wu-school view and said: The conqueror of Li was King Wu." Right chief steward Zhao Rui held to the Kong-school view and said, "It was in fact an act of King Wen." They argued until both men flushed with anger. Jian Shu said, "The classics admit no final verdict on this point; there is no shame in debating back and forth. To quarrel like this now is not what the late emperor intended when he chose you two as teachers." He died in the eighth year of Chenghua. He left no son, and the princely line was extinguished.
27
崇簡王見澤，英宗第六子。 生於南宮，天順元年封。 成化十年就藩汝寧，故秀邸也。 弘治八年七月，皇太后春秋高，思一見王，帝特敕召之。 禮部尚書倪嶽言：「數年來三王之國，道路供億，民力殫竭。 今召王復來，往返勞費，兼水溢旱蝗，舟車所經，恐有他虞。 親王入朝，雖有故事，自宣德來，已鮮舉行。 英宗復辟，襄王奉詔來朝，雖篤敦敘之恩，實塞疑讒之隙，非故事也。」 大學士徐溥亦以為言。 帝重違太后意，不允。 既而言官交章及之，乃已。 十八年薨。 子靖王祐樒嗣，正德六年薨。 子恭王厚耀嗣。 三王並有賢名，而靖王尤孝友。 嘉靖十六年，厚耀薨。 子莊王載境嗣，三十六年薨。 子端王翊𨰜嗣，萬歷三十八年薨。 孫由樻嗣。 崇禎十五年閏十一月，李自成陷汝寧，執由樻去，偽封襄陽伯，令諭降州縣之未下者。 由樻不從，殺之於泌陽城。 弟河陽王由材、世子慈煇等皆遇害。
Prince Jian of Chong, Jian Ze, was Emperor Yingzong's sixth son. Born in the Southern Palace, he was enfeoffed in the first year of Tianshun. In the tenth year of Chenghua he took up his fief at Runing, which had been the seat of the Prince of Xiu. In the seventh month of the eighth year of Hongzhi, the empress dowager, now elderly, longed to see the prince once more, and the emperor issued a special summons. Minister of Rites Ni Yue argued, "In recent years the departures of three princes for their fiefs have drained the people dry with provisioning along every road. To summon the prince back now would impose the cost and hardship of another round trip, and with floods, drought, and locusts abroad, every route by land and water may bring unforeseen dangers. Although princes have occasionally attended court in the past, such visits have been rare since the Xuande reign. When Emperor Yingzong regained the throne, the Prince of Xiang came to court by edict; though that visit strengthened fraternal ties, it was really meant to close off suspicion and slander, not to set a precedent." Grand Secretary Xu Pu made the same argument. Unwilling to override the empress dowager's wishes, the emperor would not consent. Soon censorial officials submitted a stream of memorials on the subject, and the summons was canceled. He died in the eighteenth year of the reign. His son, Prince Jing, You Si, succeeded him and died in the sixth year of Zhengde. His son, Prince Gong, Hou Yao, succeeded him. All three princes enjoyed reputations for virtue, and Prince Jing was especially noted for filial piety and brotherly affection. Hou Yao died in the sixteenth year of Jiajing. His son, Prince Zhuang, Zai Jing, succeeded him and died in the thirty-sixth year of the reign. His son, Prince Duan, Yi Yue, succeeded him and died in the thirty-eighth year of Wanli. His grandson You Ku succeeded him. In the intercalary eleventh month of the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, Li Zicheng captured Runing, took You Ku prisoner, gave him the bogus title Marquis of Xiangyang, and ordered him to urge the remaining prefectures and counties to submit. You Ku refused, and Li Zicheng had him executed in Biyang. His younger brother, Prince of Heyang You Cai, the heir Cihui, and others were all killed as well.
28
吉簡王見浚，英宗第七子。 生於南宮。 天順元年封，時甫二歲。 成化十三年就藩長沙，刻《先聖圖》及《尚書》於嶽麓書院，以授學者。 嘉靖六年薨。 孫定王厚冒嗣。 請湘潭商稅益邸租，不許。 十八年薨。 子端王載均由光化王嗣，四十年薨。 子莊王翊鎮嗣，隆慶四年薨。 無子，庶兄宣王翊鑾由龍陽王嗣，萬歷四十六年薨。 孫由棟嗣，崇禎九年薨。 子慈煃嗣。 十六年，張獻忠入湖南，同惠王走衡州，隨入粵。 國亡後，死於緬甸。
Prince Jian of Ji, Jian Jun, was Emperor Yingzong's seventh son. He was born in the Southern Palace. He was enfeoffed in the first year of Tianshun, when he was only two. In the thirteenth year of Chenghua he took up his fief at Changsha, had the 《Illustrations of the Ancient Sage》 and the 《Book of Documents》 carved at Yuelu Academy, and used them to teach students. He died in the sixth year of Jiajing. His grandson, Prince Ding, Houyang Mao, succeeded him. He petitioned to have Xiangtan's commercial taxes added to his princely income, but the request was denied. He died in the eighteenth year of the reign. His son, Prince Duan, Zai Jun, succeeded from the line of the Prince of Guanghua and died in the fortieth year of the reign. His son, Prince Zhuang, Yi Zhen, succeeded him and died in the fourth year of Longqing. He left no son, so his elder half-brother, Prince Xuan, Yi Luan, succeeded from the line of the Prince of Longyang and died in the forty-sixth year of Wanli. His grandson You Dong succeeded him and died in the ninth year of Chongzhen. His son Cihui succeeded him. In the sixteenth year, Zhang Xianzhong invaded Hunan; Cihui fled with the Prince of Hui to Hengzhou and then on into Guangdong. After the dynasty collapsed, he died in Burma.
29
忻穆王見治，英宗第八子。 成化二年封。 未就藩，八年薨。 無後。
Prince Mu of Xin, Jian Zhi, was Emperor Yingzong's eighth son. He was enfeoffed in the second year of Chenghua. Before he could take up his fief, he died in the eighth year of the reign. He left no heirs.
30
徽莊王見沛，英宗第九子。 成化二年封。 十七年就藩鈞州。 承奉司自置吏，左布政使徐恪革之，見沛以聞。 憲宗書諭王：「置吏，非制也，恪無罪。」 正德元年薨。 子簡王祐枱嗣，嘉靖四年薨。 子恭王厚爵嗣，二十九年薨。 子浦城王載埨嗣。
Prince Zhuang of Hui, Jian Pei, was Emperor Yingzong's ninth son. He was enfeoffed in the second year of Chenghua. In the seventeenth year of the reign he took up his fief at Junzhou. The princely service bureau had been appointing its own officials; Left provincial administration commissioner Xu Ke abolished the practice, and Jian Pei reported the matter to the throne. Emperor Xianzong wrote to the prince, "Appointing officials on your own authority is not permitted by statute; Xu Ke is not at fault." He died in the first year of Zhengde. His son, Prince Jian, You Tai, succeeded him and died in the fourth year of Jiajing. His son, Prince Gong, Houyang Jue, succeeded him and died in the twenty-ninth year of the reign. His son, Prince of Pucheng Zai Kun, succeeded him.
31
初，厚爵好琴，斫琴者與知州陳吉交惡，厚爵庇之，劾吉，逮詔獄。 都御史駱昂、御史王三聘白吉冤。 帝怒，並逮之，昂杖死，三聘、吉俱戍邊。 議者不直厚爵。 時方士陶仲文有寵於世宗，厚爵厚結之。 仲文具言王忠敬奉道。 帝喜，封厚爵太清輔元宣化真人，予金印。 及載埨嗣王，益以奉道自媚於帝，命綰其父真人印。 南陽人梁高輔自言能導引服食，載埨用其術和藥，命高輔因仲文以進帝。 封高輔通妙散人，載埨清微翊教輔化忠孝真人。 載埨遂益恣，壞民屋，作臺榭苑囿。 庫官王章諫，杖殺之。 嘗微服之揚州、鳳陽，為邏者所獲，羈留三月，走歸。
Early on, Houyang Jue was devoted to the zither; when a lute maker fell out with Prefect Chen Ji, Houyang Jue shielded the craftsman, impeached Chen Ji, and had him thrown into the imperial prison. Censor-in-Chief Luo Ang and investigating censor Wang Sanpin declared that Chen Ji had been wronged. The emperor flew into a rage and had them all arrested; Luo Ang was beaten to death, while Wang Sanpin and Chen Ji were both banished to the frontier. Public opinion did not side with Houyang Jue. At the time the Daoist adept Tao Zhongwen enjoyed Emperor Shizong's favor, and Houyang Jue cultivated a close alliance with him. Tao Zhongwen repeatedly praised the prince's loyal and devout service to the Way. Delighted, the emperor ennobled Houyang Jue as Perfected Man of Great Clarity, Assistant to the Origin and Spreader of Transformation, and granted him a gold seal. When Zai Kun succeeded to the princely title, he curried favor with the emperor all the more through religious devotion and was ordered to keep his father's seal as a perfected man. Liang Gaofu of Nanyang claimed to know techniques of breath cultivation and elixir consumption; Zai Kun used his methods to compound drugs and had Gaofu present them to the emperor through Tao Zhongwen. Liang Gaofu was ennobled Recluse of Penetrating Wonder, and Zai Kun was made Perfected Man of Pure Subtlety, Assistant in Teaching, Supporter of Transformation, and Embodiment of Loyalty and Filial Piety. Zai Kun then grew ever more reckless, tearing down commoners' homes to build terraces, pavilions, gardens, and pleasure grounds. Treasury officer Wang Zhang tried to dissuade him and was flogged to death. He once traveled incognito to Yangzhou and Fengyang, was caught by patrol guards, held for three months, and then escaped home.
32
時高輔被上寵，不復親載埨，載埨銜之。 已而為帝取藥不得，求載埨舊所蓄者，載埨不與，而與仲文。 高輔大恨，乘間言載埨私往南中，與他過失。 帝疑之，奪真人印。 仲文知釁已成，不復敢言。 三十五年有民耿安者，奏載埨奪其女，下按治。 有司因發其諸不法事。 獄成，降為庶人，錮高墻。 時載埨居宮中，所司防守嚴，獄詞不得聞。 及帝遣內臣同撫按至，始大懼。 登樓，望龍亭後有紅板輿，嘆曰：「吾不能自明，徒生奚為！」 遂自縊死。 妃沈氏、次妃林氏爭取帛自縊。 子安陽王翊锜、萬善王翊鈁並革爵，及未封子女，皆遷開封，聽周王約束，國除。 景皇帝一子，懷獻太子見濟。 母杭妃。 始為成阝王世子。 英宗北狩，皇太后命立憲宗為皇太子，而以郕王監國。 及郕王即位，心欲以見濟代太子，而難於發，皇后汪氏又力以為不可，遲回久之。 太監王誠、舒良為帝謀，先賜大學士陳循、高穀百金，侍郎江淵、王一寧、蕭鎡，學士商輅半之，用以緘其口，然猶未發也。 會廣西土官都指揮使黃矰以私怨戕其弟思明知府岡，滅其家，所司聞於朝。 矰懼罪，急遣千戶袁洪走京師，上疏勸帝早與親信大臣密定大計，易建東宮，以一中外之心，絕覬覦之望。 疏入，景帝大喜，亟下廷臣會議，且令釋矰罪，進階都督。 時景泰三年四月也。
By then Liang Gaofu had the emperor's favor and no longer kept close ties with Zai Kun, who resented him bitterly. When the emperor later needed elixirs and could not obtain them, he asked for Zai Kun's old stock; Zai Kun refused him but gave the drugs to Tao Zhongwen instead. Liang Gaofu hated this and seized his chance to accuse Zai Kun of secretly traveling south and of other misconduct. The emperor grew suspicious and revoked his seal as a perfected man. Tao Zhongwen saw that the breach was beyond repair and dared not intervene. In the thirty-fifth year a commoner named Geng An petitioned that Zai Kun had abducted his daughter, and the case was referred for investigation. The investigating officials then uncovered a string of his illegal acts. Once the case was complete, he was stripped of rank, reduced to commoner status, and imprisoned within high walls. Zai Kun remained inside the palace under tight guard and never learned what the investigation had found. Only when the emperor sent palace eunuchs along with provincial investigators did he finally panic. He climbed a tower, saw a red palanquin waiting behind the Dragon Pavilion, and sighed: "If I cannot clear my name, what point is there in living on? He then hanged himself. Consort Shen and secondary consort Lin fought over the silk cord and hanged themselves as well. His sons Prince of Anyang Yi Qi and Prince of Wanshan Yi Fang were both stripped of rank; his unenfeoffed children were relocated to Kaifeng under the Prince of Zhou's supervision, and the fief was abolished. Emperor Jing had one son: Crown Prince Huai Xian, Jian Ji. His mother was Consort Hang. He had originally been heir to the Prince of Cheng. When the Ying Emperor was captured on the northern campaign, the empress dowager named Xianzong crown prince and had the Prince of Cheng supervise the realm. After the Prince of Cheng took the throne, he wanted to replace the crown prince with Jian Ji but could not bring himself to act; Empress Wang also strongly opposed the move, and he wavered for a long time. Eunuchs Wang Cheng and Shu Liang plotted on the emperor's behalf, bribing Grand Secretaries Chen Xun and Gao Gu with a hundred taels of gold each and half that to Vice Ministers Jiang Yuan, Wang Yining, and Xiao Zan and Academician Shang Lu to buy their silence, yet the emperor still held back. It happened that Huang Cian, a native-official commander in Guangxi, killed his younger brother Siming Prefect Gang in a private vendetta and wiped out his household; the case was reported to court. Fearing punishment, Huang Cian urgently sent chiliarch Yuan Hong to the capital with a memorial urging the emperor to settle the succession in secret with trusted ministers, install a new heir apparent, unify court and country, and forestall any bid for the throne. The Jing Emperor was delighted, immediately ordered a court conference, pardoned Huang Cian, and promoted him to commander-in-chief. This was the fourth month of Jingtai 3.
33
疏下之明日，禮部尚書胡濙，侍郎薩琦、鄒幹集文武群臣廷議。 眾相顧，莫敢發言。 惟都給事中李侃、林聰，御史朱英以為不可。 吏部尚書王直亦有難色。 司禮太監興安歷聲曰：「此事不可已，即以為不可者，勿署名，無持兩端。」 群臣皆唯唯署議。 於是濙苳等暨魏國公徐承宗，寧陽侯陳懋，安遠侯柳溥，武清侯石亨，成安侯郭晟，定西侯蔣琬，駙馬都尉薛桓，襄城伯李瑾，武進伯朱瑛，平鄉伯陳輔，安鄉伯張寧，都督孫鏜、張軏、楊俊，都督同知田禮、範廣、過興、衛穎，都督僉事張兒、劉深、張通、郭瑛、劉鑒、張義，錦衣衛指揮同知畢旺、曹敬，指揮僉事林福，吏部尚書王直，戶部尚書文淵閣大學士陳循，工部尚書東閣大學士高穀，吏部尚書何文淵，戶部尚書金濂，兵部尚書于謙，刑部尚書俞士悅，左都御史王文、王翺、楊善，吏部侍郎江淵、俞山、項文耀，戶部侍郎劉中敷、沈翼、蕭鎡，禮部侍郎王一寧，兵部侍郎李賢，刑部侍郎周瑄，工部侍郎趙榮、張敏，通政使李錫，通政欒惲、王復，參議馮貫，諸寺卿蕭維禎、許彬、蔣守約、齊整、李賓，少卿張固、習嘉言、李宗周、蔚能、陳誠、黃士俊、張翔、齊政，寺丞李茂、李希安、柴望、酈鏞、楊詢、王溢，翰林學士商輅，六科都給事中李訁贊、李侃、李春、蘇霖、林聰、張文質，十三道御史王震、朱英、塗謙、丁泰亨、強弘、劉琚、陸厚、原傑、嚴樞、沈義、楊宜、王驥、左鼎上言：「陛下膺天明命，中興邦家，統緒之傳宜歸聖子，黃矰奏是。」 制曰：「可。 禮部具儀，擇日以聞。」 即日，簡置東宮官，公孤詹事僚屬悉備。
The day after the memorial was circulated, Minister of Rites Hu Ying and Vice Ministers Sa Qi and Zou Gan convened the full civil and military court for deliberation. The assembled officials looked at one another in silence; no one dared speak first. Only supervising secretaries Li Kan and Lin Cong and censor Zhu Ying declared the move unacceptable. Minister of Personnel Wang Zhi also looked deeply troubled. Director of Ceremonies eunuch Xing An said sharply: "This must be done. Whoever objects need not sign; there will be no fence-sitting. The ministers all murmured agreement and signed the proposal. Thereupon Hu Ying, Xu Chengzong, Chen Mao, Liu Pu, Shi Heng, Yu Qian, Wang Zhi, Chen Xun, Gao Gu, Shang Lu, and more than a hundred civil and military officials at court submitted a joint memorial: "Your Majesty, having received Heaven's mandate and restored the dynasty, ought to pass the succession to your own son; Huang Cian's proposal is correct. The rescript read: "Approved. The Ministry of Rites was ordered to prepare the rites and report the chosen date." That same day the Eastern Palace staff was appointed, with tutors and attendants fully in place.
34
五月，廢汪後，立杭妃為皇后，更封太子為沂王，立見濟為太子。 詔曰：「天佑下民作之君，實遺安於四海； 父有天下傳之子，斯本固於萬年。」 大赦天下，令百官朔望朝太子，賜諸親王、公主、邊鎮、文武內外群臣，又加賜陳循、高穀、江淵、王一寧、蕭鎡、商輅各黃金五十兩。 四年二月乙未，太子冠。 十一月，以御史張鵬言，簡東宮師傅講讀官。 越四日，太子薨，謚曰懷獻，葬西山。 天順元年，降稱懷獻世子，諸建議易儲者皆得罪。 憲宗十四子。 萬貴妃生皇第一子。 柏賢妃生悼恭太子祐極。 紀太后生孝宗。 邵太后生興獻帝祐杬、岐王祐棆、雍王祐枟。 張德妃生益王祐檳、衡王祐楎、汝王祐梈。 姚安妃生壽王祐楮。 楊恭妃生涇王祐橓、申王祐楷。 潘端妃生榮王祐樞。 王敬妃生皇第十子。 第一子、第十子皆未名殤。
In the fifth month Empress Wang was deposed, Consort Hang was made empress, the former crown prince was demoted to Prince of Yi, and Jian Ji was installed as crown prince. The edict proclaimed: "Heaven blesses the people and sets over them a ruler, that peace may reach the four seas; a father who holds the realm passes it to his son, so that the foundation may stand for ten thousand years. A general amnesty was proclaimed; officials were ordered to attend the crown prince on the first and fifteenth of each month; princes, princesses, frontier garrisons, and the whole civil and military establishment received gifts; and Chen Xun, Gao Gu, Jiang Yuan, Wang Yining, Xiao Zan, and Shang Lu each received an additional fifty taels of gold. On the yimwei day of the second month in the fourth year, the crown prince underwent the capping ceremony. In the eleventh month, on censor Zhang Peng's recommendation, tutors and lecturers for the Eastern Palace were appointed. Four days later the crown prince died; he was posthumously titled Huai Xian and buried at the Western Hills. In Tianshun 1 he was demoted to heir Huai Xian, and all who had advocated changing the succession were punished. Emperor Xianzong had fourteen sons. Consort Wan bore the emperor's first son. Consort Bo Xian bore Crown Prince Daogong You Ji. Empress Dowager Ji bore Emperor Xiaozong. Empress Dowager Shao bore Emperor Xingxian You Yuan, Prince Qi You Lin, and Prince Yong You Cong. Consort Zhang De bore Prince Yi You Bin, Prince Heng You Yang, and Prince Ru You Bing. Consort Yao An bore Prince Shou You Chu. Consort Yang Gong bore Prince Jing You Fen and Prince Shen You Kai. Consort Pan Duan bore Prince Rong You Shu. Consort Wang Jing bore the emperor's tenth son. The first son and the tenth son both died in infancy without receiving names.
35
悼恭太子祐極，憲宗次子。 成化七年立為皇太子薨。
Crown Prince Daogong You Ji was Emperor Xianzong's second son. He was named crown prince in Chenghua 7 and died in the same year.
36
岐惠王祐棆，憲宗第五子。 成化二十三年與益、衡、雍三王同日封。 弘治八年之藩德安。 十四年薨。 無子，封除。
Prince Hui of Qi You Lin was Emperor Xianzong's fifth son. In Chenghua 23 he was enfeoffed on the same day as the Princes of Yi, Heng, and Yong. In Hongzhi 8 he took up his fief at De'an. He died in the fourteenth year of the reign. With no heir, the fief was abolished.
37
益端王祐檳，憲宗第六子。 弘治八年之藩建昌，故荊邸也。 性儉約，巾服浣至再，日一素食。 好書史，愛民重士，無所侵擾。 嘉靖十八年薨。 子莊王厚燁嗣，性樸素，外物無所嗜。 三十五年薨。 無子，弟恭王厚炫嗣，自奉益儉，辭祿二千石。 萬歷五年薨。 孫宣王翊鈏嗣，嗜結客，厚炫所積府藏，悉斥以招賓從，通聘問於諸藩，不數年頓盡。 三十一年薨。 子敬王常氵遷嗣，四十三年薨。 子由本嗣，國亡竄閩中。
Prince Duan of Yi You Bin was Emperor Xianzong's sixth son. In Hongzhi 8 he took up his fief at Jianchang, the former seat of the Prince of Jing. Frugal by nature, he wore his caps and robes until they had been washed twice and ate only one vegetarian meal a day. He loved books and history, treated the people and scholars with respect, and never harassed his domain. He died in Jiajing 18. His son Prince Zhuang Hou Ye succeeded him; plain and unworldly by nature, he cared nothing for luxury. He died in the thirty-fifth year of the reign. With no direct heir, his younger brother Prince Gong Hou Xuan succeeded and lived even more austerely, declining two thousand shi of stipend. He died in Wanli 5. His grandson Prince Xuan Yi Yin succeeded; addicted to patronage, he spent the entire princely treasury entertaining followers and exchanging envoys with other fiefs until the stores were empty within a few years. He died in the thirty-first year of the reign. His son Prince Jing Chang Qian succeeded and died in the forty-third year of the reign. His son You Ben succeeded; when the dynasty fell he fled into Fujian.
38
雍靖王祐枟，憲宗第八子。 初封保寧，弘治十二年之藩衡州。 地卑濕，宮殿朽敗不可居，邸中數有異，乞移山東東平州。 廷臣以擇地別建，勞民傷財，四川敘州有申王故府，宜徙居之。 詔可。 既而以道遠不可徙。 正德二年，地裂，宮室壞，王薨。 無子，封除。
Prince Jing of Yong You Cong was Emperor Xianzong's eighth son. Initially enfeoffed at Baoning, he took up his fief at Hengzhou in Hongzhi 12. The site was low and damp, the palace buildings were rotting and uninhabitable, strange occurrences plagued the residence, and he petitioned to be moved to Dongping in Shandong. Court ministers argued that building a new residence would waste public funds; they proposed moving him to the former Prince of Shen's residence at Xuzhou in Sichuan. The throne approved the proposal. The move was never carried out because the distance proved too great. In Zhengde 2 the earth split open, the palace collapsed, and the prince died. With no heir, the fief was abolished.
39
壽定王祐榰，憲宗第九子。 弘治四年與汝、涇、榮、申四王同日封。 十一年就藩保寧。 正德元年以岐王世絕，改就岐邸於德安。 校尉橫攖市民，知府李重抑之，奏逮重。 安陸民劉鵬隨重詣大理對簿，重未之識也，訝之。 鵬曰：「太守仁，為民受過，民皆得效死，豈待識乎！」 重卒得白。 祐榰聞而悔之，後以賢聞。 嘉靖二十四年薨。 無子，除封。
Prince Ding of Shou You Zhi was Emperor Xianzong's ninth son. In Hongzhi 4 he was enfeoffed on the same day as the Princes of Ru, Jing, Rong, and Shen. In the eleventh year he took up his fief at Baoning. In Zhengde 1, after the Prince of Qi's line died out, he was moved to the former Qi residence at De'an. Palace guards bullied townspeople; Prefect Li Zhong checked them and was memorialized for arrest. Anlu commoner Liu Peng followed Li Zhong to the Court of Judicial Review to face the charges; Li Zhong did not recognize him and was astonished. Liu Peng said: "Our prefect is benevolent and accepts punishment for the people's sake; we would all die for him without needing to know him first! Li Zhong was finally cleared of the charges. You Zhi heard of this and repented; he later won a reputation for virtue. He died in Jiajing 24. With no heir, the fief was abolished.
40
申懿王祐楷，憲宗第十四子。 封敘州，未就藩。 弘治十六年薨。 無子，封除。 孝宗二子。 武宗、蔚王厚煒，俱張皇后生。
Prince Yi of Shen You Kai was Emperor Xianzong's fourteenth son. Enfeoffed at Xuzhou, he never took up his fief. He died in Hongzhi 16. With no heir, the fief was abolished. Emperor Xiaozong had two sons. Emperor Wuzong and Prince Wei Hou Wei were both sons of Empress Zhang.
41
蔚悼王厚煒，孝宗次子，生三歲薨。 追加封謚。
Prince Dao of Wei, Hou Wei, was Emperor Xiaozong's second son and died at the age of three. His title and posthumous honors were conferred retroactively.