Zhu Cilang

Zhu Cilang (26 February 1629 – June 1644 ) was a crown prince of the Ming dynasty. He was the eldest son of the Chongzhen Emperor and Lady Zhou, Empress Xiaojielie, and he was made the crown prince in 1630.

In April 1644, the army of the rebel Li Zicheng were approaching the capital through Juyong Pass. On 23 April, the Chongzhen Emperor held his last audience with his ministers. Li Zicheng offered Chongzhen the opportunity to surrender, but the emperor refused. The following day, the rebel army attacked the capital. The Chongzhen Emperor ordered the crown prince and his two brothers: Zhu Cijiong (朱慈炯) and Zhu Cizhao (朱慈炤) to hide in the home of relatives, and summoned the rest of his family. Rather than let them be captured by the rebels, the emperor started killing the female members of his family, concubines and consorts. Using his sword, he killed Consort Yuan and Princess Kunyi, and severed the arm of Princess Changping. Empress Zhou committed suicide by hanging herself in her palace in the Forbidden City. The emperor was said to have walked to Meishan, a small hill in present-day Jingshan Park, where he hanged himself on a tree. In their meeting, Li asked Zhu what caused his family to lose the Mandate of Heaven. The crown prince replied, "Because we made the mistake of employing treacherous ministers like Zhou Yanru." Zhu was held in Li's camp before his defeat by the Manchu Qing under Prince-Regent Dorgon and former Ming general Wu Sangui at the Battle of Shanhai Pass on 27 May 1644. Wu Sangui took the prince to Shanxi, where Wu was charged with subduing the last Shun remnants. Zhu Cilang died in Ningjiawan, Shaanxi in June 1644.

Zhu Cilang's crown princess was Ning Hong's (寧浤) daughter, Consort Ning (寧妃) who died at 19.