Brief: This article explains the Case of the Stick Strike during the Wanli reign. A long succession dispute lingered between the emperor’s eldest son (Zhu Changluo) and favored son (Zhu Changxun). A man broke into the crown prince’s palace with a staff, arousing conspiracy suspicions. The emperor covered up the case to protect Noble Consort Zheng, leaving a lasting political rift.
The Struggle for the Succession
The troubles regarding the imperial succession began early in the reign of Emperor Ming Shenzong (Wanli) and plagued the court for decades. Although Empress Wang, chosen by the Dowager Empress Li, never bore a son, the Emperor fathered a child with a palace maid, also surnamed Wang. This child, Zhu Changluo, was the eldest son. However, the Emperor, ashamed of his liaison with a servant, disliked the boy and granted his mother only the low rank of Concubine Gong. Instead, he lavished affection on Noble Consort Zheng, who bore him a second son, Zhu Changxun. The Emperor’s preference for the younger, healthier prince over the sickly heir apparent sparked a prolonged political battle known as the “Dispute Over the Foundation of the State.”
Ministers argued that according to tradition, the eldest son must be the heir. They submitted numerous memorials demanding Zhu Changluo’s formal recognition as Crown Prince. The Emperor stubbornly refused, citing the boy’s poor health. The conflict escalated when official Jiang Yinglin pointed out the impropriety of Noble Consort Zheng outranking the mother of the firstborn. Furious, the Emperor demoted Jiang, but the bureaucratic pressure remained relentless.
The Matriarch’s Intervention
The stalemate was broken only when Dowager Empress Li intervened. When she asked her son why he delayed the investiture, the Emperor muttered that Zhu Changluo was merely the son of a palace maid. The Dowager retorted sharply, “Do not forget that you, too, are the son of a palace maid!” – a reference to her own humble origins. Humbled and terrified, the Emperor capitulated. However, he continued to delay the ceremony for over a decade. When Zhu Changluo was finally named Crown Prince, the Emperor compensated by enfeoffing Zhu Changxun as the Prince of Fu, granting him immense wealth and land in Luoyang, making him richer than the heir himself.
The Attack at Ciqing Palace
Years later, after the Prince of Fu had left for Luoyang, a bizarre incident occurred. One evening, a robust man named Zhang Chai, wielding a heavy wooden staff, breached the palace gates and charged toward the Ciqing Palace, the residence of Crown Prince Zhu Changluo. He injured a guard before being subdued by eunuchs. The implication was terrifying: an assassin had penetrated the inner sanctum to kill the heir.
Initial interrogations dismissed Zhang as a madman, but Judicial Secretary Wang Zhicai suspected a conspiracy. Through persistent questioning, he uncovered that Zhang, a poor peasant from Jizhou, had been recruited by two eunuchs, Pang Bao and Liu Cheng, who served under Noble Consort Zheng. They had promised him rewards to assault the Crown Prince, assuring him he would be saved if caught.
The Imperial Cover-Up
Wang Zhicai’s report implicated the Zheng faction, causing a scandal. Terrified, Noble Consort Zheng wept before the Emperor, pleading innocence. Following the Emperor’s advice, she knelt before the Crown Prince to beg for protection. In a display of political pragmatism – or perhaps genuine magnanimity – Zhu Changluo absolved her, stating the matter concerned only the madman.
To silence the rumors and protect the Consort, the Emperor convened a grand audience. Displaying the Crown Prince and his sons, he declared their relationship harmonious and ordered the execution of Zhang Chai for insanity, forbidding further inquiry. The two implicated eunuchs were quietly beaten to death in prison, and Wang Zhicai was stripped of his rank for “sowing discord.” The “Case of the Stick Strike” was officially closed as a mystery, leaving the court deeply suspicious. Shortly thereafter, both the Empress and the Emperor died, ending the long era of uncertainty just as the dynasty approached its final collapse.
Note
Emperor Ming Shenzong (Wanli Emperor)
Long-reigning Ming emperor who favored his second son over the eldest heir, triggering a decades-long succession crisis.
Zhu Changluo
Eldest son of Wanli, the rightful heir apparent (later Taichang Emperor). He was weak, neglected, and targeted in the stick‑attack case.
Zhu Changxun (Prince of Fu)
Second son, beloved child of Wanli and Noble Consort Zheng. He received massive wealth and land as compensation for not being made heir.
Noble Consort Zheng
Wanli’s favorite concubine. She was widely suspected of plotting to install her son Zhu Changxun by eliminating the crown prince.
Dowager Empress Li
Wanli’s mother. She forced the emperor to recognize Zhu Changluo as heir by reminding him he was also born to a low‑rank palace maid.
Zhang Chai
A peasant who broke into the crown prince’s palace with a wooden stick and attacked guards; he was used as a pawn in a political plot.
Wang Zhicai
Honest judicial official who uncovered the eunuch conspiracy behind the attack; he was later punished for exposing the truth.
Pang Bao & Liu Cheng
Eunuchs serving Noble Consort Zheng who recruited Zhang Chai; they were secretly killed in prison to cover up the scandal.
Dispute Over the Foundation of the State
Decades-long political fight over whether the eldest son (Zhu Changluo) or the favorite son (Zhu Changxun) should inherit the throne.
Succession Tradition
Ancient Chinese rule: the throne must pass to the eldest son of the main wife (or eldest son overall) to ensure stability.
Case of the Stick Strike (1615)
- A mysterious armed attack on the crown prince’s palace. The investigation linked to Noble Consort Zheng’s eunuchs, but the emperor covered it up to protect her.
- The case was officially ruled as the act of a “madman,” but most historians view it as a failed assassination plot.
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