Ke Shi

  • The Uprising in Suzhou [Ming]

    This article records the Suzhou Uprising against Wei Zhongxian’s tyranny. Locals revolted to protect upright official Zhou Shunchang from arrest by the Eastern Depot. Five citizens surrendered to save the city and were martyred. Later, the Chongzhen Emperor toppled Wei, and the five were honored as symbols of justice.

  • The Dictatorship of the Eunuch Faction [Ming]

    This article covers the tyrannical rule of eunuch Wei Zhongxian in the late Ming. He manipulated the carpentry-obsessed Tianqi Emperor, formed the pro-eunuch faction, and brutally suppressed the reformist Donglin Party. Officials were persecuted and killed, plunging the court into terror and accelerating the Ming’s decline.