text: One ongoing political issue during Jingtai's reign was the situation of Emperor Yingzong and the matter of who would succeed him. Despite being isolated, Emperor Yingzong still had allies within the government, including Minister of Rites Hu Ying. Typically, the emperor's adversaries would have been forced to resign, but the Jingtai Emperor was hesitant to address these issues and allowed them to remain in their positions.
  The crown prince had been the eldest son of Emperor Yingzong since 1449. However, the emperor eventually decided to reserve the throne for his own descendants. Through a combination of bribery and intimidation, he was able to gain enough support for his plan. On 20 May 1452, despite opposition from the grand secretaries and other officials, he created his current successor as the Prince of Yi and his son Zhu Jianji as the new crown prince. On the same day, Empress Wang was removed from her position and replaced by the mother of the heir, Lady Hang. This move, which appeared to prioritize personal interests, weakened the emperor's authority.
  Zhu Jianji died in 1453 and his mother in 1456. As the emperor had no other son, a new crown prince was not chosen. Some officials, including Zhang Lun (; d. 1483), Director of the Ministry of Rites, and Zhong Tong (; d. 1455), a censor, suggested reinstating Emperor Yingzong's eldest son, but they were imprisoned for their suggestion. Zhong Tong and others were even flogged to death. This event sparked the ambition of courtiers and government officials to conspire in favor of Emperor Yingzong.