Why did the Jianwen emperor try to reduce the power of imperial princes?

The Jianwen emperor sought to reduce the power of imperial princes primarily to assert his own authority and consolidate control over the government. Influenced by Confucian scholar-officials, he viewed the regional influence held by his uncles—who had been enfeoffed as powerful regional viceroys by his grandfather, the Hongwu emperor—as a threat to the stability of his reign.12

To achieve this, the Jianwen emperor initiated a series of reforms between 1398 and 1399 aimed at stripping the princes of their regional power. During this period, he systematically imprisoned, exiled, or drove several princes to suicide. This aggressive policy of centralization directly targeted the prince of Yan (Zhu Di), who had become the de facto head of the imperial clan and felt increasingly isolated and endangered by his nephew's actions. Ultimately, these efforts to curtail princely power provoked the prince of Yan to launch a rebellion, which led to the overthrow of the Jianwen emperor and the rise of the Yongle emperor.12