Zhu Jianji

Prince Huai Xian Zhu Jianji was born in the year 1445 and died on March 21, 1453, at the age of only nine. He was the only son of Emperor Jingzong Zhu Qiyu, born to the concubine Hang of the Cheng Wang. Initially, Zhu Jianji was the crown prince of King Cheng. After Emperor Yingzong Ming Shenzong was captured during the campaign against the Mongols, Zhu Qiyu became emperor, known as Emperor Jingzong Ming Shenzong. In the third year of the Jingtai reign (1452), Emperor Jingzong deposed the crown prince Zhu Jianshen, the eldest son of Emperor Yingzong Ming Shenzong, and appointed Zhu Jianji as crown prince. His reign was brief, as he died suddenly in February of the following year. After his death, he was posthumously honored as Crown Prince Huai Xian, and was also referred to as Crown Prince Huai Xian Shi. In the first year of the Tianshun reign (1457), Emperor Yingzong Ming Shenzong restored his position, and Zhu Jianji was posthumously demoted back to crown prince. He was buried on Jinshan; the exact location of his burial site is unknown. When the Southern Ming fell, Zhu Jianji was no longer recognized as crown prince.

Regarding his year of birth, there are different accounts. The *History of Ming* records his birth in the third year of Jingtai (1452), while *Yanshantang Bieji* indicates he was born on the second day of the seventh month of the tenth year of the Zhengtong era (1445), though this may be a mistaken record. He Qiaoyuan, in the *Mingshan Cang*, states that Zhu Jianji was eight years old in the third year of Jingtai and was born in the tenth year of Zhengtong (1445). The *Ming Shilu* also records that the Ministry of Rites submitted a memorial mentioning the date of February 20 as the "Qianqiu Festival for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."