Zhu Houcong

2015-05-08T20:27:15Z

104.157.196.176: Added links. Needs more Chronicles: China references.

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{{Character Infobox
|image = ACCC DB The Jiajing Emperor.jpg
|birth = 16 September 1507<br>{{Wiki|Hubei}}, [[China|Empire of the Great Ming]]
|death = 23 January 1567 (aged 59)<br>[[Beijing|Peking]], Empire of the Great Ming
|affiliates = [[Ming dynasty]]<br>[[Templars]]
|hider = yes}}
'''Zhu Houcong''' (1507 – 1567), known as the '''Jiajing Emperor''', was the 11th [[Ming dynasty]] {{Wiki|Emperor of China|Emperor}} of [[China]] who ruled from 1521 until his death. His ascendance as emperor was aided by the [[Templars]].<ref name="Encyclopedia">''[[Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia]]''</ref>

==Biography==
Jiajing, a cousin of the [[Zhengde Emperor]], was made the new emperor as the puppet of [[Zhang Yong]] and the [[Eight Tigers]]. His disdain for the duties of an Emperor was perfect for the Tigers, as they would rule his stead, making important decisions while he spent his time in brothels and private palaces.

In 1524, tired of the [[Chinese Assassins]]' meddling, he hunted the Assassins down, aiming to destroy all who opposed him. Almost the entire Chinese Assassin branch was eradicated, with only a few survivors fleeing West to seek support from other Assassins.<ref name="Encyclopedia" />

Jiajing sent men after them, following the Assassins as far as [[Italy]]. In [[Venice]], they killed the Chinese Assassin [[Mentor]] [[Zhu Jiuyuan]], who was travelling with a female Assassin named [[Shao Jun]], who managed to escape them. They followed her to [[Florence]], where she sought aid from the former [[Mentor]] of the [[Italian Assassins]], [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio Auditore]]. Shao explained to Ezio that both her and her late mentor wished to meet him in order to learn how to strengthen the Assassin Order in China and recruit new Assassins. At first he refused, stating that his time with the Assassin Order was over, but he later gave in and explained how to keep alive the hopes of men by fighting for the people and liberty. Jiajing's men tracked the two to a marketplace in Florence while Ezio ran errands, and one of the men confronted them in an alley.<ref name="ACE">''[[Assassin's Creed: Embers]]''</ref>

Shao fought and killed him, and both she and Ezio quickly fled, knowing more of Jiajing's men would most likely follow. On the carriage ride back to Ezio's home, Shao told him about Jiajing's cruel ways. She explained that Jiajing liked to inflict pain on his enemies with torturous deaths. Explaining that she had been a {{Wiki| Concubinage|concubine}} before her mentor had saved her, when they returned to save the other concubines, Jiajing had killed them all. He preferred {{Wiki|Lingchi|líng chí}} – a slow process of a thousand cuts until death – to simple beheadings.

Later that night, the rest of Jiajing's men faced both Ezio and Shao at Ezio's house. Most of the men employed Chinese sword-fighting techniques, but one of them instead used a Chinese hand [[Cannons|cannon]]. Though they fought well, the men were all killed by the two Assassins. The next day, Shao departed for China, but not before receiving a mysterious gift from Ezio – [[Precursor box|a tiny chest]], which he told her to only open if she lost her way.<ref name="ACE"/>

From 1542-1550, Jiajing's empire was harassed by the [[Mongol Empire|Mongol]] leader [[Altan Khan]]. The Jianjing emperor ended the conflict by offering the Mongol leader special trading rights. After the end of the conflict, the emperor expanded Peking by building the Outer City.

In his later years, the Jianjing emperor developed an interest in alchemy and immortality drugs. In 1567, the Assassins secretly arranged for him to ingest a lethal quantity of mercury, playing on his desire to find the [[elixir of life]]. <ref name="ACCC">''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China]]''</ref>

==Trivia==
*A [[Cryptic Messages|message]] that [[Clay Kaczmarek]] wrote in blood on the wall in [[Desmond Miles]]' room stated that "Within Emperor Jiajing's sin and {{Wiki|Quetzalcoatl}}'s hunger lies the answers."

==References==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:1507 births]]
[[Category:1567 deaths]]
[[Category:Individuals]]
[[Category:Chinese]]
[[Category:Emperors of China]]
[[Category:Templar puppets]]

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Zhu Houcong