Taizu, the Hongwu Emperor, founded the Ming Dynasty in 1368. He ruled for 30 years of growing prosperity and prestige.

Taizu's empress was Xiaocigao, also known as Xiuying. She and Taizu had seven children in all:

• Zhu Biao
• Zhu Shuang
• Zhu Gang
• Zhu Di
• Zhu Su
• Princess Ning
• Princess Anqing

Thus, the oldest surviving son of Taizu when that emperor died was Zhu Di, his fourth son. However, Taizu named as his successor his grandson Zhu Yunwen, the oldest surviving son of Taizu's oldest son, Zhu Biao. Thus, Zhu Yunwen became the Jianwen Emperor.

Distrustful of his surviving uncles (who included not only his father's remaining sons, Zhu Di and Zhu Su, but also a handful of other sons of his father by other mothers), the Jianwen Emperor scaled back their power base and limited their influence. His suspicions proved correct, as Zhu Di led an insurrection against the new emperor, known as the Jingnan Campaign.

The two sides struggled for supremacy for a few years, with the emperor ordering Zhu Di's arrest and the latter's escaping capture. Zhu Di gradually turned enough people against his nephew to gain the upper hand and then delivered a military victory as well, capturing a government fleet and seizing control of Nanjing, the capital. The victorious Zhu Di, in 1402, ordered the capital grounds burned and then presented to the public at large the charred remains of three people, which Zhu Di claimed were the Jianwen Emperor and his wife, Empress Xiaominrang, and son, Zhu Wenkui.

Zhu Di then declared himself the Yongle Emperor, the rightful successor to Taizu, and ascended the Ming throne. He did not order a full burial for his nephew, who was also not given a temple name, in violation of custom.

One tradition has it that the young emperor escaped persecution and went into hiding, living out his life in obscurity, perhaps in a monastery. In any case, he was not heard from again.