Zhu Shuang

Zhu Shuang (3 December 1356 – 9 April 1395) was an imperial prince of the Ming dynasty in China. He was the second son of Zhu Yuanzhang, known as the Hongwu Emperor, the founder of the Ming dynasty. Zhu Shuang held the title of Prince of Qin and was granted a princely fiefdom in Xi'an in May 1370.

Biographical details indicate that Zhu Shuang was born on 3 December 1356 to Zhu Yuanzhang and his first wife, Lady Ma. At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang was actively leading the Red Turban Rebellion. After Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne as the Hongwu Emperor in 1368 and unified China, Zhu Shuang received the title of prince (王; wang) in May 1370, alongside six other sons, and was designated as the Prince of Qin (秦王).

In October 1371, Zhu Shuang married the sister of Mongol warlord Köke Temür. This marriage did not produce the diplomatic benefits anticipated, as Köke Temür remained loyal to the Mongol Khan Ayushiridara. Subsequently, Zhu Shuang married a second wife, the daughter of the general Deng Yu, in late 1375. He fathered six sons and two daughters.

In April 1378, Zhu Shuang reached adulthood and relocated to Xi'an, then the center of the former Qin dynasty and the capital of Shaanxi province. Although he did not possess official administrative authority, he maintained a personal guard comprising three regiments and a large household led by advisors and officials such as Zheng Jiucheng, Wang Kerang, and Wen Yuanji. This infrastructure provided him with considerable personal influence. From the late 1380s onward, Zhu Shuang was among several of the Emperor’s sons entrusted with commanding border troops along the northern and northwestern frontiers.

After the death of Zhu Biao, the crown prince designated by the Hongwu Emperor, in 1392, Zhu Shuang was considered a candidate to succeed him. However, advisor Liu Sanwu and other court officials supported Zhu Biao’s young son, Zhu Yunwen, as the next ruler. Zhu Shuang’s background as a military leader experienced in campaigns against the Mongols contrasted with Zhu Yunwen’s emphasis on civil governance and Confucian ideals. His reputation was marred by reports of violence, abuse of power, and various offenses, which impeded his elevation to the throne.

In early 1395, Zhu Shuang led a military expedition against Tibetan forces. He died shortly afterward in Xi'an on 9 April 1395. Accounts from the Taizu Huangdi Qinlu, a private record, suggest the possibility that Zhu Shuang may have been poisoned, although the official history, the History of Ming, does not specify a cause of death.

His primary consort was Lady Minlie of the Wang clan, the younger sister of Köke Temür. Following Zhu Shuang’s death, Lady Minlie was compelled to commit suicide by order of the Hongwu Emperor. He also had a secondary consort, Lady of the Deng clan, the daughter of Deng Yu, who likewise committed suicide by hanging after being condemned by the Emperor due to jealousy.

Zhu Shuang's children included:

- Zhu Shangbing, Prince Yin of Qin (1380–1412),

- Zhu Shanglie, Prince Yijian of Yongxing (1384–1417),

- Zhu Shangyu, Prince Daoxi of Bao'an (1385–1410),

- Zhu Shangzhou, Prince Gongjing of Xingping (1389–1449),

- Zhu Shanghong, Prince Huaijian of Yongshou (1390–1420),

- Zhu Shangkai, Prince of Anding (born 1394),

- Princess Pucheng, who married Wu Lun,

- Princess Chang'an, who married Ru Jian.

Zhu Shuang’s death date is recorded as 9 April 1395, and his titles and familial relations are documented primarily through Ming dynasty historical texts.