After the Tumu Crisis, the news that Emperor Yingzong of Ming, Zhu Qizhen, had been captured by the Oirats reached Beijing, shocking the entire court. To address the immediate crisis, officials quickly united and petitioned the Empress Dowager to establish Yingzong's younger brother, Zhu Qiyu, as emperor. Thus, less than a month after Yingzong's capture, Zhu Qiyu ascended the throne, and later generations commonly refer to him as Emperor Jingtai after his era name "Jingtai." After his coronation, Zhu Qiyu honored Yingzong as the Retired Emperor.
Zhu Qiyu was the second son of Zhu Zhanji, Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty, and his biological mother, Lady Wu, was a maidservant in the household of Zhu Zhanji's uncle, Zhu Gaoxu. Because Zhu Gaoxu was convicted of sending assassins to kill Zhu Zhanji, all the women in his household were implicated and sent to the imperial palace as slaves and servants.
Lady Wu was exceptionally beautiful and highly intelligent. Zhu Zhanji fell in love with her after just a single chance encounter. Because Lady Wu was a convicted criminal, she could not be officially appointed as a consort, so Zhu Zhanji secretly housed her outside the palace and frequently found opportunities to visit her. After Lady Wu gave birth to Zhu Qiyu, the mother and son lived permanently outside the palace.
It was not until just before Zhu Zhanji's death that he brought the mother and son into the palace. Zhu Zhanji entrusted his mother, Empress Dowager Zhang, and his wife, Empress Sun, with the care of Zhu Qiyu and his mother, and both Empress Dowager Zhang and Empress Sun readily agreed. After Zhu Zhanji's death, Zhu Qiyu was immediately enfeoffed as the Prince of Cheng, living a tranquil life with his mother, Lady Wu, in the prince's mansion.
Before personally leading the expedition against the Oirat Mongols, Zhu Qizhen ordered Zhu Qiyu to serve as regent. Zhu Qiyu initially believed this duty would be temporary, never expecting that his imperial brother would never return.
After the Tumu Crisis occurred, court officials immediately began searching for a suitable candidate for the new monarch. At that time, the crown prince Zhu Jianshen was only two years old and clearly unable to shoulder such a great responsibility. Under these circumstances, everyone turned their attention to the young Zhu Qiyu. Zhu Qiyu repeatedly tried to decline, but the civil and military officials at court insisted on supporting him as the new emperor, and even Empress Dowager Sun insisted that he take the throne. In the end, Zhu Qiyu had no choice but to reluctantly ascend the imperial throne.
The Tumu Crisis caused widespread panic both in the imperial court and among the people. Some ministers, fearing the powerful Oirat Mongols, proposed to the new emperor Zhu Qiyu that the capital be moved south. Court official Yu Qian firmly opposed this, and Zhu Qiyu sided with him. When Zhu Qiyu ascended the throne, it was a critical moment for the survival of the Ming Dynasty. Unlike the incompetent rulers of the Southern Song who chose to flee, he bravely supported Yu Qian in resisting the Oirats, ultimately successfully defending the capital. In addition, Zhu Qiyu promoted many loyal and righteous officials and implemented a series of measures to restore the Ming Dynasty's national strength. From these perspectives, Zhu Qiyu was a capable ruler. However, he reigned for only seven years before being overthrown by his brother Zhu Qizhen.
The leader of the Oirat Mongols, Esen, captured Zhu Qizhen during the Tumu Crisis, but faced a dilemma over how to handle this Ming Dynasty emperor. Esen's younger brother, Bayan Temur, suggested keeping Zhu Qizhen alive to use as leverage against the Ming government. Esen found this proposal reasonable, and thus Zhu Qizhen's life was spared. However, news soon arrived from the capital that Zhu Qiyu had ascended the throne as emperor, thwarting Esen's plan to use Zhu Qizhen to pressure the Ming government.
Since this path was blocked, Esen had no choice but to go to war with the Ming army once again. Under the command and leadership of Yu Qian, the Ming army defeated the Oirat forces, inflicting heavy losses on them. In the subsequent battles, the Oirat suffered repeated defeats. Not long after, the Ming government sent envoys to negotiate with the Oirat, demanding the return of Zhu Qizhen. Esen ultimately agreed to this request and released Zhu Qizhen.
In reality, Zhu Qiyu did not want to welcome his elder brother back to the country, fearing that his brother's return would threaten his own position as emperor. However, as his officials repeatedly requested the return of the retired emperor, Zhu Qiyu found it difficult to refuse.
After Zhu Qizhen returned, he was placed by Zhu Qiyu in the Southern Palace, which was essentially a form of house arrest. At this point, Zhu Qizhen had lost even basic personal freedom, so how could he possibly contend for the throne? However, Zhu Qiyu did not rest easy. After he ascended the throne, the position of crown prince remained with Zhu Qizhen's son, Zhu Jianshen. Seeing that his own rule was now unshakable, Zhu Qiyu planned to depose Crown Prince Zhu Jianshen and install his own son, Zhu Jianji, as crown prince. To achieve this goal, Zhu Qiyu bribed several key ministers at court, demanding they support Zhu Jianji as crown prince. Before long, Zhu Jianji replaced Zhu Jianshen as the new crown prince. Unfortunately, Zhu Jianji soon died young, and from then on, the position of crown prince in the Ming Dynasty remained vacant.
By the first month of the eighth year of the Jingtai era (1457), Zhu Qiyu suddenly fell gravely ill, and court officials began heated debates over who should be appointed crown prince. However, Zhu Qiyu was still young, and soon his condition improved. One night, while Zhu Qiyu was asleep, court officials Xu Youzhen and Shi Heng led over a thousand soldiers through the Chang'an Gate into the palace, staging a coup. They colluded with the eunuch Cao Jixiang and others, working together to restore Emperor Yingzong, Zhu Qizhen, to the throne. By the time Zhu Qiyu awoke, everything was already settled. This became known in history as the "Coup at the Gate." Thereafter, Zhu Qiyu was demoted to the Prince of Cheng and died of illness shortly after, while key ministers from his reign, such as Yu Qian, were ordered by Zhu Qizhen to commit suicide, sparking widespread discontent among court officials. Zhu Qizhen later came to his senses and deeply regretted his actions. He had acted this way solely out of hatred for his younger brother Zhu Qiyu. Even after Zhu Qiyu's death, he still felt unsatisfied and insisted on granting Zhu Qiyu the posthumous title "Li" (meaning cruel or violent), burying him in the tombs of vassal princes on the western hills of Beijing, refusing to acknowledge his former status as emperor.
Zhu Qizhen's actions appeared quite petty, but upon reflection, they were only human. After all, following the Tumu Crisis, he fell from being the ruler of a nation to a captive, first enduring humiliation among the Oirat forces, then returning home to continue bearing shame and hardship. On the surface, he was the exalted Retired Emperor, but in reality, his status was no different from that of a prisoner. During those years living in the Southern Palace, if not for the companionship of his wife, Empress Qian, Zhu Qizhen's life would have been even more unbearable.
At the age of fifteen, Zhu Qizhen married sixteen-year-old Qian, who was promptly crowned empress. In the long years that followed, she and Zhu Qizhen supported each other through thick and thin. He respected and loved her deeply, but unfortunately, Empress Qian never bore him any children.
Later, Zhu Qizhen was captured during the "Tumu Crisis." Empress Qian was powerless to rescue her husband and return him to the country, so she could only kneel on the ground day after day, crying and praying to heaven. The daily weeping and prayers ruined Empress Qian's health; she went blind in one eye and suffered a severe leg ailment. When Zhu Qizhen returned to the country and saw his wife in such a state, he was greatly shocked. However, upon learning the reason behind it, he couldn't help but be moved by her deep love and devotion. After returning, Zhu Qizhen was placed under house arrest in the Southern Palace for seven consecutive years. During this period, the only one by his side was the blind and lame Empress Qian.
Because the reigning emperor Zhu Qiyu regarded his elder brother Zhu Qizhen as a thorn in his side, the eunuchs and maids in the palace all took advantage of the deposed emperor's misfortune to make his life even harder. Zhu Qizhen endured plain meals and constant cold treatment, living in perpetual fear and anxiety, making his days extremely difficult. Without the support of Empress Qian, he would likely have been unable to hold on.
Seven years later, the "Coup at the Gate" erupted, and Zhu Qizhen successfully restored his reign. When deciding on the new empress, he unhesitatingly chose Qian. By then, Empress Qian had already aged and lost her looks, was physically disabled, and could no longer bear children. Empress Dowager Sun and others believed she was no longer fit to be empress and that the mother of Crown Prince Zhu Jianshen, Lady Zhou, should be appointed instead. However, Zhu Qizhen's mind was made up, and no one could sway him. In the end, he still enfeoffed Qian as empress. On his deathbed, he insisted on being buried together with Empress Qian. Yet, because Lady Zhou harbored a long-standing grudge against Empress Qian and obstructed the plan, Zhu Qizhen's wish was ultimately never fulfilled.