In 1492, he inherited the title of Prince of Anhua and was based in Ningxia, the center of one of the frontier regional headquarters along the border of the Ming dynasty with Mongolia.
He justified the rebellion by attempting to remove the eunuch Liu Jin, who was the de facto head of the Ming government at the time.
However, the rebellion only lasted a few weeks and collapsed in late May 1510 when Qiu Yue, a loyalist who had apparently joined the rebels, captured Zhu Zhifan.
[1] He saw himself as destined for great deeds and surrounded himself with a group of loyal followers, including officers from the Ningxia garrison and members of the local gentry.
[3] Zhu Zhifan's ambitions were thwarted until 1510 when Liu Jin, a eunuch who held significant power in the government thanks to the trust and support of the Zhengde Emperor, sent an envoy to Shaanxi.
Before the army reached Shaanxi, loyalists led by garrison officer Qiu Yue (仇鉞) captured the prince on 30 May.