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 Ritual Controversy,” culminated in a brutal crackdown. When hundreds of officials protested by kneeling and weeping outside the palace, the Emperor ordered them beaten with court staves. Seventeen men died from the beatings, and prominent figures like Yang Tinghe and his son Yang Shen were exiled or dismissed. This victory emboldened the Emperor to rule autocratically, ignoring the counsel of his ministers.
Obsession with Taoism and the Ren Yin Palace Incident
The Jiajing Emperor became obsessed with Taoism, spending lavishly on rituals and elixirs to extend his life and produce male heirs. He favored alchemists like Shao Yuanjie and Tao Zhongwen, whose “immortality pills” often contained toxic substances that made the Emperor irritable and violent. His cruelty towards palace maids led to the “Ren Yin Palace Incident” in 1542. A group of maids, led by Yang Jinying, attempted to strangle him while he slept in Concubine Cao’s palace. Due to a knotting error, they failed to kill him. All conspirators, including the innocent Concubine Cao, were executed. Terrified, the Emperor moved out of the Forbidden City to the West Park and never held court again, ruling through intermediaries.
The Rise of Yan Song
Isolated in the West Park, the Emperor demanded “Green Words” (Qingci) – ritualistic poetry written on green paper – to be used in Taoist ceremonies. Yan Song, a talented but unscrupulous official, gained favor by excelling at this task. He ruthlessly undermined his patron Xia Yan, who had supported a military campaign to retake the Ordos Loop. Yan Song convinced the Emperor that Xia Yan was treasonous, leading to Xia’s execution. Yan Song then dominated the Grand Secretariat for twenty years, relying on his corrupt son Yan Shifan to handle state affairs in exchange for bribes.
The Gengxu Incident
In 1550 (the Year of Gengxu), the Mongol leader Altan Khan invaded. The general Qiu Luan, a protégé of Yan Song, bribed the invaders to bypass his garrison at Datong, directing them toward Beijing. During this crisis, Minister of War Ding Rukui sought Yan Song’s advice. Yan advised against fighting to avoid personal risk, predicting the Mongols would leave after looting. Consequently, the capital was ravaged. To cover his own negligence, Yan Song allowed Ding Rukui to be executed for the disaster, leaving the northern frontier vulnerable.
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