Zhang Juzheng assists in politics
During the reign of Emperor Muzong of the Ming Dynasty, the great scholar Zhang Juzheng gained his trust due to his outstanding talents. In 1572 AD, Emperor Mu passed away and Crown Prince Zhu Yijun ascended to the throne, becoming Emperor Ming Shenzong. Emperor Muzong ordered three ministers, including Zhang Juzheng, to assist in politics.
Shortly after Emperor Mingshen ascended the throne, Zhang Juzheng became the first assistant. According to Mu Zong's instructions, Zhang Juzheng truly guided Ming Shenzong, who was only ten years old, like a teacher teaching students. He compiled a historical storybook with pictures and text, called 'The Emperor's Mirror and Illustrations', and explained it to Emperor Shenzong every day. Emperor Shenzong was delighted to read this book and eagerly listened to Zhang Juzheng's explanation. Once, after Zhang Juzheng finished telling the story of Emperor Wen of Han rewarding his army in Xiliu, he said, "Your Majesty should pay attention to military preparation. Now that the days of peace have been long, military preparation is becoming more and more lax, and we must pay attention in a timely manner
Ming Shenzong quickly shook his head and said yes.
Once again, Zhang Juzheng finished telling the story of Emperor Renzong of Song not liking to decorate with pearls and jade. Ming Shenzong said, "Yes, as a king, one should treat virtuous officials as treasures. What is the use of pearls and jade
Zhang Juzheng was pleased to see a ten year old child say these words and said, "A wise monarch values food and despises pearls and jade. Because the people rely on food for their livelihoods, pearls and jade cannot satisfy hunger when hungry, and cannot keep warm when cold
Zhang Juzheng was very strict with the education of Emperor Shenzong. Emperor Shenzong treated Zhang Juzheng as a strict teacher, both respected and feared. With the support of the Empress Dowager and eunuch Feng Bao, almost all major political affairs were decided by Zhang Juzheng.
Zhang Juzheng was a capable politician in the Ming Dynasty. After he gained real power, he carried out a sweeping rectification in military, political, and economic aspects.
At that time, although the Japanese pirates along the coast had slowed down, the Tatar nobles in the north still occasionally invaded the interior, becoming a great threat to the Ming Dynasty. Zhang Juzheng transferred the famous anti Japanese general Qi Jiguang to the north and stationed him in Jizhou (now northern Hebei). Qi Jiguang built more than 3000 fortresses on the Great Wall from Shanhaiguan to Juyongguan. The Qi family army commanded sternly, with excellent weapons, and repeatedly defeated the Tatar attacks. The leader of the Tatars, I, expressed his willingness to live in harmony and requested trade. Zhang Juzheng reported to the court and conferred the title of Shunyi King on Anda. On the one hand, he traded with the Tartars and on the other hand, he trained troops and stationed fields at the border to enhance defense. For the next two to three decades, there was no war between the Ming Dynasty and the Tatars. The lives of various ethnic groups in the north have also become much more stable.
Prior to this, the Yellow River had been in disrepair for a long time, and the river often overflowed, flooding a large number of farmland and affecting agriculture and transportation. Zhang Juzheng appointed Pan Jixun, who specializes in water conservancy, to oversee the construction of the Yellow River water conservancy project. Pan Jixun built embankments, blocked the breaches, prevented the Yellow River from flooding, ensured smooth transportation, and restored and developed agricultural production.
Originally, due to political corruption, large landlords annexed land and evaded taxes, while some powerful landlords became increasingly wealthy, the national treasury became increasingly poor. Zhang Juzheng ordered the measurement of land, and after investigation, a batch of land that had been concealed by imperial relatives and powerful landlords was discovered. As a result, some powerful landlords were suppressed and the country's income increased.
After measuring the land, Zhang Juzheng merged various taxes and labor under various pretexts and collected them in silver taels, known as the "one whip method". After this tax reform, it prevented some officials from engaging in corrupt practices, increased the country's income, and somewhat alleviated the burden on farmers.
Zhang Juzheng spent ten years of hard work and carried out bold reforms, which brought about a turning point in the highly corrupt politics of the Ming Dynasty. The national granary has sufficient grain storage, enough to sustain for ten years. But these reforms naturally violated the interests of some powerful aristocrats. They were forced to obey on the surface, but secretly hated Zhang Juzheng to the bone.
In the fifth year of Zhang Juzheng's reign, his elderly father died in his hometown of Jiangling. According to feudal etiquette, he had to resign and observe filial piety for three years. But Zhang Juzheng is afraid that his departure will affect the ongoing reforms. Under the persuasion of Emperor Ming Shenzong and some ministers, he had his son attend the funeral and stayed in the capital to serve himself. As a result, many people seized on the fact that Zhang Juzheng's father was unable to attend his funeral and made a big fuss, submitting petitions to Emperor Ming Shenzong to impeach him. Some even posted confessions on the streets to attack Zhang Juzheng, causing a stir throughout the city. Afterwards, Emperor Mingshen had no choice but to order the execution of all those who opposed Zhang Juzheng's retention, and the attack was finally quelled.
Zhang Juzheng's power was too concentrated. As Ming Shenzong grew up, he had nothing to do and a group of close eunuchs in the inner palace used various methods to entertain him. Once, Emperor Shenzong got drunk and beat two eunuchs to half death for no reason. The Empress Dowager found out about this matter and immediately brought Ming Shenzong to scold him severely. She even asked him to read the biography of Huo Guang in the Book of Han. During the reign of Huo Guang in the Western Han Dynasty, there was a Changyi king named Liu He who ascended the throne but was deposed by the Empress Dowager and Huo Guang? The current status of Zhang Juzheng is like that of Huo Guang in the past. When Emperor Shenzong thought of this, he was so scared that he trembled all over and knelt in front of Taiqian begging for mercy.
Afterwards, Zhang Juzheng took the initiative to drive away all the eunuchs who had tempted Emperor Shenzong to cause trouble. The Empress Dowager also asked Zhang Juzheng to draft a self blame edict on behalf of Emperor Shenzong. Although this matter has passed, Ming Shenzong has developed from fear to resentment towards Zhang Juzheng.
In 1582 AD, Zhang Juzheng died of illness. Ming Shenzong personally ruled. The ministers who were originally dissatisfied with Zhang Juzheng attacked him for being domineering and overbearing. In the second year, Emperor Shenzong of Ming Dynasty unexpectedly revoked all of Zhang Juzheng's official titles and even sent people to raid his home. More than ten descendants of the Zhang family were locked up in a house and starved to death. The eldest son committed suicide after being tortured. Zhang Juzheng's reform measures were also undermined, and the Ming Dynasty's politics, which had just had a slight turning point, went downhill again.