In the history of the Ming Dynasty, the story of Zhu Di's usurpation of power has always attracted much attention. Some people believe that if the Ming Dynasty's crown prince Zhu Biao had not died prematurely, Zhu Di might not have dared to rebel easily. So, is this argument valid? This article will explore this issue based on historical materials.

Firstly, the relationship between Zhu Biao and Zhu Di. Zhu Biao, the eldest son of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, was named the crown prince. He was intelligent and eager to learn, deeply loved by Zhu Yuanzhang. However, in the 25th year of Hongwu (1392), Zhu Biao died of illness at the age of only 25, leaving Zhu Yuanzhang deeply grieved over the loss of his beloved son.

Zhu Di, the fourth son of Zhu Yuanzhang, was named the Prince of Yan. He was brave and skilled in battle, having repeatedly established military feats. However, compared with Zhu Biao, Zhu Di's status and prestige were somewhat inferior. Therefore, during Zhu Biao's lifetime, Zhu Di did not have much ambition for the throne.

Secondly, the political landscape after Zhu Biao's death. After Zhu Biao's death, Zhu Yuanzhang named his second son Zhu Yunwen as the new crown prince in order to stabilize the political situation. However, Zhu Yunwen was not Zhu Yuanzhang's favorite, but rather because his mother, Empress Ma, was Zhu Yuanzhang's official wife. This led to Zhu Yunwen facing pressure and challenges from all sides after ascending the throne.

Meanwhile, Zhu Di took the opportunity to expand his influence and actively lobbied officials in the court, laying the foundation for his future usurpation. During this process, Zhu Di did not show a strong desire for the throne, but instead appeared quite low-key.

Thirdly, the reasons for Zhu Di's usurpation. There were two main reasons for Zhu Di's ultimate decision to usurp the throne: his desire for the throne and his dissatisfaction with Zhu Yunwen. After ascending the throne, although Zhu Yunwen received support from Zhu Yuanzhang, he appeared incompetent in handling state affairs. This led to officials losing confidence in him and turning to Zhu Di.

Under such circumstances, Zhu Di believed that the time was ripe and launched the Jingnan Rebellion, successfully usurping the throne and becoming Emperor Yongle. From this process, we can see that Zhu Di's decision to rebel was not because Zhu Biao was still alive, but because he believed the time was ripe.

In conclusion, the argument that Zhu Di would not dare to rebel if Zhu Biao had not died is not tenable. In fact, the main reasons for Zhu Di's rebellion were his desire for the throne and his dissatisfaction with Zhu Yunwen. Whether Zhu Biao was alive or not had little impact on Zhu Di's decision. Of course, this does not mean that we can ignore the relationships and interactions between historical figures, which largely influenced the direction of history.

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