•
The Struggle for the Succession The troubles regarding the imperial succession began early in the reign of Emperor Ming Shenzong (Wanli) and plagued the court for decades. Although Empress Wang, chosen by the Dowager Empress Li, never bore a son, the Emperor fathered a child with a palace maid, also surnamed Wang. This child,…
•
The “Little Shizong” and the Hunger for Wealth After assuming personal rule, Emperor Ming Shenzong (Wanli) initially managed state affairs with some diligence. However, he was headstrong and increasingly resembled his grandfather, Emperor Shizong (Jiajing). Like his predecessor, he grew to loathe court audiences, eventually ceasing them entirely in favor of “quiet governance.” He…
•
The Rise to Power Upon the death of the Longqing Emperor, the ten-year-old Wanli Emperor ascended the throne. Real power was vested in a triumvirate: the Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng, the eunuch director of the Eastern Depot Feng Bao, and the Emperor’s mother, Empress Dowager Li. With their full support, Zhang launched a comprehensive…
•
Hai Rui’s Land Reform After his release from prison, Hai Rui was appointed as the Grand Coordinator of Yingtian. He discovered that the retired Grand Secretary Xu Jie had illegally seized vast amounts of farmland. Hai Rui ordered the return of this land to the poor. Despite Xu’s previous help in saving his life,…
•
The Martyrdom of Shen Lian Shen Lian, a righteous official in the Imperial Guard, openly criticized Grand Secretary Yan Song for his corruption and cowardice during the Altan Khan invasion. He wrote a memorial listing Yan’s ten crimes but was flogged and exiled to Bao’an by the Jiajing Emperor. There, he shot arrows at…
•
The Rise of the Wokou and the Fall of Zhu Wan Since the late Yuan Dynasty, Japanese pirates known as “Wokou” – comprising ronin, merchants, and Chinese smugglers – had plagued China’s coast. By the Zhengtong era, weakened coastal defenses allowed these pirates to occupy islands and raid inland. Official Zhu Wan was appointed…
•
The Great Ritual Controversy When Zhu Houcong ascended the throne as the Jiajing Emperor, he immediately clashed with Grand Secretary Yang Tinghe over the posthumous title of his father. While Yang insisted the Emperor adopt the previous Hongzhi Emperor as his father to maintain ritual propriety, Zhu refused. This dispute, known as the “Great…
•
The Unconventional Scholar Wang Shouren, better known as Wang Yangming, was born into a scholarly family in Yuyao, Zhejiang. Unlike typical children, he did not speak until age six but possessed a deep curiosity about the world. His early poetry hinted at his philosophical bent, questioning the relativity of perception with lines about the…
•
The Chenghua Era and the Wan Conspiracy Following the restoration, the Tianshun Emperor (Zhu Qizhen) reinstated his son Zhu Jianshen as Crown Prince. Upon ascending the throne as the Chenghua Emperor, Zhu Jianshen initially showed benevolence by restoring the posthumous reputation of the Jingtai Emperor and rehabilitating the family of Yu Qian. However, his…