The Ming Dynasty was the dynasty in Chinese history that inherited the Yuan Dynasty and started the Qing Dynasty. In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang destroyed the Yuan Dynasty and proclaimed himself emperor. Jianwen) Ming Chengzu (Yongle) Ming Renzong (Hongxi) Ming Xuanzong (Xuande) Ming Yingzong (Zhengtong/Tianshun) Ming Dynasty (Jingtai) Ming Xianzong (Chenghua) Ming Xiaozong (Hongzhi) Ming Wuzong (Zhengde) Ming Shizong (Jiajing) ) Ming Mu Zong (Longqing) Ming Shenzong (Wanli) Ming Guang Zong (Taichang) Ming Xi Zong (Tianqi) Ming Sizong (Chongzhen)

1. Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang (1328-1398) Year "Hongwu" 1368 He was proclaimed emperor in 2011 and reigned for 31 years.

The Ming Dynasty was established in 1368 and its capital was Nanjing. He died in 1398 at the age of 71.

Hui Emperor Zhu Yunwen (1377-1402) ascended the throne in 1398 with the reign name "Jianwen" and reigned for 5 years.

2. Emperor Hui of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yunwen, had no posthumous title in the Ming Dynasty. In the first year of Qianlong’s reign in the Qing Dynasty, he was given the posthumous title of “Emperor Gong Minhui” and was called Emperor Jianwen in historical records. Sexually indecisive.

Emperor Hui, the grandson of Taizu, the second son of Crown Prince Zhu Biao. When Zhu Yuanzhang was alive, he was granted a large number of royal titles. More than 20 of his sons were named princes and stationed in various places. After Emperor Hui ascended the throne, he cut down the vassalage. , to unify the military, angered the kings, King Zhu Di of Yan sent troops to Beijing, and invaded Nanjing in 1402. Emperor Hui was burned to death and fled.

3. Chengzu Zhu Di (1360-1424) ascended the throne in 1402 with the reign name "Yongle" and reigned for 23 years.

The founder Zhu Di, the fourth son of Zhu Yuanzhang, overthrew Emperor Hui of the Ming Dynasty and established himself in 1420. In 1421, he moved the capital to Beijing and ordered the compilation of the "Yongle Dadian". Died in 1424 at the age of 65.

4. Renzong Zhu Gaochi (1378-1425), whose reign was titled "Hongxi", ascended the throne in 1424 and reigned for one year.

Renzong, the eldest son of Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, was relatively clear in politics and took some measures to ease social conflicts. He reigned for one year and died in 1425 at the age of 48.

5. Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji (1398-1435), whose reign was "Xuande", ascended the throne in 1425 and reigned for 11 years.

Xuanzong, the eldest son of Renzong, like his father, was more able to listen to the opinions of his ministers. He was also known as the "Renzong of Renzong". During the reign of Xuanzong, the relationship between the emperor and his ministers was harmonious, and the economy developed steadily. Xuanzong died in 1435 at the age of 38.

6. Yingzong Zhu Qizhen (1427-1464) reigned as "Zhengtong"; "Tianshun" (1435-1449; 1457-1464) reigned for 23 years.

Yingzong, the eldest son of Xuanzong, was only 9 years old when he came to the throne. He was monopolized by the eunuch Wang Zhen. In 1449, Wala invaded the south on a large scale. Wang Zhenni personally conquered Yingzong, and Yingzong was captured. It was known as the "Tumu Incident" in history in 1450. , was released, and did not ascend the throne again until 1457. Died in 1464 at the age of 38.

7. Emperor Jing Zhu Qiyu (1428-1457) came to the throne in 1449 with the reign name "Jingtai" and reigned for 9 years.

Xuanzong's second son, Yingzong, was proclaimed emperor after he was captured. After he ascended the throne, he served as Minister of War, smashed Walla's attack on Beijing, and forced Walla to return Yingzong. After Yingzong was released, , Emperor Jing placed him under house arrest. It was not until 1475, when Emperor Jing was critically ill, that Yingzong was proclaimed emperor again. Emperor Jing died in 1457 at the age of 30.

8. Xianzong Zhu Jianshen (1447-1487) ascended the throne in 1464 with the reign name "Chenghua" and reigned for 24 years.

Xianzong, the eldest son of Yingzong, was good at alchemy and addicted to women, causing the eunuchs to "treacherously deceive the state." In 1487, Xianzong died at the age of 41.

9. Xiaozong Zhu Youtang (1470-1505) ascended the throne in 1487 with the reign name "Hongzhi" and reigned for 19 years.

Xiaozong, the third son of Xianzong. Xiaozong "updated the common government and opened up the road of speech", which changed the situation of traitors and sycophants in power since the Yingzong Dynasty. Known as the "Lord of ZTE". Died in 1505 at the age of 36.

10. Wuzong Zhu Houzhao (1491-1521), whose reign was "Zhengde", ascended the throne in 1505 and reigned for 17 years.

Wuzong, the eldest son of Xiaozong. He was a famous and absurd emperor of the Ming Dynasty who loved pleasure and lust for women. He died in 1521 at the age of 31 due to excessive lewdness.

11. Sejong Zhu Houcong (1507-1566) came to the throne in 1521 with the reign name "Jiajing" and reigned for 46 years.

Shizong was the grandson of Xianzong, and his father Xingxian was the king. Sejong did quite a lot in the early period, killing eunuchs and exercising restraint and liberalizing the people. However, in the later period, he was extravagant, politically corrupt, and peasant uprisings broke out many times. Sejong died of poisoning from taking elixir at the age of 60.

12. Mu Zong Zhu Zaigu (1537-1572) ascended the throne in 1566 with the reign name "Longqing" and reigned for 7 years.

Mu Zong, the third son of King Sejong. He reigned for 7 years and died in 1572 at the age of 36.

13. Shenzong Zhu Yijun (1563-1620) ascended the throne in 1572 with the reign name "Wanli" and reigned for 48 years.

Shenzong, the third son of Mu Zong. He was only 10 years old when he ascended the throne, and the empress dowager Chen and Concubine Li were in charge of government affairs. After Shenzong came to power, he lived deep in the palace, engaged in debauchery and political corruption. During Shenzong's time, Nurhaci in the north established the Houjin Dynasty and peeked into the Central Plains. Shenzong died in 1620 at the age of 58.

14. Guangzong Zhu Changluo (1582-1620), whose reign was "Taichang", ascended the throne in 1620 and reigned for one month.

Guangzong, the eldest son of Shenzong. He was a greedy and lustful emperor. Due to excessive lust, he fell ill on the day he came to the throne and later died from taking excessive cinnabar. He was 39 years old.

15. Emperor Xizong Zhu Youxiao (1605-1627) ascended the throne in 1620 with the reign name "Tianqi" and reigned for 8 years.

Xi political corruption. Nurha Chizong, the eldest son of Guangzong. When he was in power, he appointed the eunuch Wei Zhongxian and took the opportunity to capture Shenyang. Xizong died in 1627 at the age of 23.

16. Emperor Sizong Zhu Youjian (1610-1644), whose reign was "Chongzhen", ascended the throne in 1627 and reigned for 17 years.

Sizong, the fifth son of Guangzong. After he came to the throne, he executed Wei Zhongxian, worked diligently, and tried his best to cheer up, but he had no choice but to resist. Peasant uprisings continued to break out in various places, and Huang Taiji from the north continued to harass and invade. He also worshiped Zhen's suspicious and self-willed nature. Finally in 1644, Li Zicheng invaded Beijing, and Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself in Jingshan. He was 35 years old. Before his death, he wrote in large letters on his blue robe, "Don't hurt any of the people."

Emperors of the Southern Ming Dynasty:

Zhu Yousong, An Zongjian, Emperor Hongguang (1644-1645) are to be tested

Zhu Yujian, Shao Zongxiang, Emperor Longwu (1645) Year - 1646) Longwu Mausoleum

Zhu Yuyan, Emperor Wenzongjie Emperor Shaowu (1646) Shaowu Mausoleum

Zhu Youlang, Emperor Zhaozong Kuang Yongli (1646-1662) Yongli Mausoleum

The list of Ming Dynasty emperors refers to the 16 Ming Dynasty emperors starting from Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang to Ming Sizong Zhu Youjian.

There are two clues for studying the history of political changes in ancient China. One is the power struggle between the central and local governments, and the other is the power struggle between the emperor and the prime minister. But people tend to ignore another group that is slightly less powerful in the power game—the interest group formed by the bureaucratic group composed of ordinary bureaucrats. Referring to the names of imperial power and prime ministerial power, we might as well call it ministerial power.

Most of the time, the ministerial power cannot compete with the imperial power or the prime minister's power due to its strength. It can only play a role that is completely suppressed by the imperial power and the prime minister's power, and there is nothing outstanding on the historical stage. Performance. However, under certain historical conditions, ministerial power can influence the development direction and even the final destiny of a dynasty. This specific historical condition means that the power of the prime minister is extremely weakened or even completely missing.

Throughout history, the power of the prime minister has been continuously divided and weakened. From one phase in the Han Dynasty, to two phases in the Tang Dynasty, to multiple phases in the Song Dynasty, to no phase in the Ming Dynasty. The power of the prime minister has gone from concentration to dispersion, from strength to emptiness, from existence to non-existence, while the power of ministers has continued to grow stronger amid the accelerated decline of the power of the prime minister. In the Ming Dynasty, the long-dormant ministerial power waited for the spring of recovery.

1. Abolition of Prime Minister Power and Strengthening Imperial Power

From 1380 to 1392 AD, Zhu Yuanzhang used the small incident of Prime Minister Hu Weiyong to kill a carriage driver in anger as a motivation to go crazy and set off a war. The Hu Weiyong case storm lasted for twelve years and resulted in the death of more than 30,000 heads. This storm not only completely wiped out the group of heroes who founded the Ming Dynasty, but also completely declared the death of the prime minister system that had lasted for thousands of years - heirs were not allowed to re-establish prime ministers, and those who dared to request the ministers would be punished... Anyone who talks about changing the ancestral system will be judged as a treacherous official.

Killing Hu Weiyong and clearing out the power struggles within the ruling class of the hero group. Let’s not discuss Zhu Yuanzhang’s rights and wrongs for the time being, but abolishing the prime minister system was definitely the biggest mistake of Zhu Yuanzhang’s life.

Existence is reasonable, and it is natural that the prime minister system has existed tenaciously for thousands of years. The prime minister system has at least three major advantages. First, the prime minister is more "professional" than the emperor in governing the country and managing the ministers. The dual-head system of the emperor and prime minister is also in line with the modern enterprise management thinking of separation of ownership and management rights; second, the prime minister, as the emperor, The spokesperson of the prime minister acted as a buffer layer between the emperor and his subjects; finally, the prime minister could serve as the scapegoat for political responsibility when necessary, becoming a vent for the dissatisfaction of the general public and the prime minister, and could use his political life and even physical life to protect the emperor's " Always wise."

But the prime minister system also has a fatal flaw, that is - the prime minister who leads the ministers objectively has the political capital to challenge the imperial power. There are many examples of prime ministers in the past dynasties misappropriating part of the imperial power. If the prime minister If there is any dissatisfaction, it will definitely be catastrophic for the safety of the imperial power.

Out of his fascination with the inviolable and absolute imperial power, Zhu Yuanzhang made up his mind to completely ban the prime minister system.

After the abolition of the prime minister, the emperor needed to directly command the ministers and had to personally handle all matters, big and small. The workload and difficulty of the emperor's work undoubtedly increased, which may not be suitable for the superhuman and workaholic Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di. It's nothing, but it was a bit powerless for Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Gaochi, and Zhu Zhanji who took over later. Therefore, the cabinet system was initially formed during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong and Zhu Zhanji of the Ming Dynasty. The so-called cabinet was actually the emperor's team of personal secretaries, helping the emperor plan and handle some of his daily work. On the surface, the cabinet has some of the functions of the prime minister, and it seems that it can be regarded as a "copycat version" of the prime minister. But in fact, the cabinet and the prime minister are two completely different concepts.

First of all, the number of prime ministers is small and power is relatively concentrated, while the cabinet is composed of several members. In most cases, the members are from different political factions. Powers are dispersed and severely restrict each other, making it difficult to form a strong government. secondly, the issue of status. If you have a right name, your words will not go smoothly. Cabinet members are generally of low rank. After all, they are just private secretaries. Their status and prestige cannot reach the height of the prime minister; finally, political stance The problem is that the prime minister has a closer relationship with the emperor and is the emperor's loyal spokesman. He wears the same pants as the emperor, while the relationship between the cabinet members and the ministers is even closer. When the imperial power and the ministerial power confront each other, they tend to favor the ministerial power.

In short, the cabinet, as a copycat version of the prime minister's power, has been severely dispersed and weakened. It no longer has the strength to overpower the ministers, and its political stance is even more often in favor of the ministerial power. At this point, the prime minister system is completely dead in name only.

At the same time, a large number of ordinary bureaucrats (even cabinet members) gathered into a powerful group of ministers to express their common interests. Although this group does not have a clear organization, their collaborative organizational capabilities surpass those of many well-organized groups. Based on the herd mentality and the psychological advantage of not being punished by the law, they are often able to form an offensive and defensive alliance in a tacit understanding and quickly form a powerful political pressure and public opinion pressure, thereby forcing the emperor to submit. But when the emperor wanted to launch a counterattack or retaliate, he would have no choice but to kill all the ministers, right? Therefore, most of the emperor's iron fists hit the air, but the fists of the ministers hit the flesh. The emperor's counterattack against his ministers is like the American and British coalition forces encountering the guerrillas - where were they when you attacked them? When they beat you, the ground is full of them. Starting from Zhu Zhanji, and in the subsequent Ming Dynasty, ministerial power almost completely suppressed imperial power. This was really far from Zhu Yuanzhang's original intention. Quite ironic indeed. Zhu Yuanzhang's original intention of abolishing the power of the prime minister and strengthening the imperial power was not realized. After the abolition of the prime minister system, instead of strengthening the imperial power of later emperors, it weakened step by step until it was completely marginalized.

Zhu Yuanzhang’s movement to abolish the prime minister’s power and strengthen the imperial power began with the tragedy of the prime minister, but ended with the tragedy of the emperor. You sow dragon seeds, but you reap fleas.

2. The complete defeat of imperial power against ministerial power

One of the most important nodes in the struggle between imperial power and ministerial power in the Ming Dynasty was the Tumubao Incident.

Ming Yingzong Zhu Qizhen was the sixth emperor of the Ming Dynasty and ascended the throne at a young age. At this time, after decades of hard work in the Ming Dynasty, a group of ministers had taken shape. The young masters and old ministers were naturally the masters of the weak and the strong ministers. The emperor's power had been divided among the ministers. The young and energetic Zhu Qizhen is obviously dissatisfied with the distribution plan of the power cake and is very keen on grabbing back his own piece.

Zhu Qizhen, who felt that he was single and weak, found the eunuch Wang Zhen who he thought was a suitable plenipotentiary spokesperson. Although Wang Zhen's prestige and ability have many inherent shortcomings, at this moment he is the only one who wears the same pants as the emperor. It was extremely helpless for Zhu Qizhen to choose him. It is undeniable that Wang Zhen did achieve considerable results in suppressing ministerial power and strengthening imperial power. However, the conflicts between the two sides are also constantly accumulating and escalating.

In 1449 AD, a diplomatic mistake by Wang Zhen triggered a border conflict between the Mongolian Oara tribe and the Ming Dynasty. This incident also became the trigger for the outbreak of conflicts between the emperor and his ministers. Since the cause of the incident was Wang Zhen, the officials generally looked at the upcoming armed conflict with a spectator mentality. They even viciously recommended Wang Zhen, who had no military experience, to lead the expedition. The vicious mentality of watching Wang Zhen's jokes was gained. Received the unanimous approval of all ministers. No one is willing to wipe Wang Zhen's butt, and of course no one dares to go, because this will offend the public, and he will die without a burial place. The ministers are waiting for Wang Zhen's defeat. As soon as the news of Wang Zhen's defeat comes, the long-awaited movement to overthrow the king will be unveiled. Triggering border conflicts, having a bad start, eunuchs not allowed to interfere in politics... there are many deadly hats.

Wang Zhen, who had no military ability or experience, was forced to go on an expedition. In order to build up his momentum and find the greatest shield for himself, Wang Zhen encouraged the 23-year-old Zhu Qizhen to go on the expedition himself. So 500,000 Ming troops set off in a mighty manner.

There is nothing worth writing about the process of this war. The military incompetence of the commander Wang Zhen and the indifference of the officials (an extreme example is when the Ming army was trapped in the earthen fort at the critical moment, the Zhengzhen soldiers However, Yang Hong, the commander-in-chief of Yuxuan Mansion, ordered the city to be closed and delayed for fifteen days before sending troops to clean up the mess). There was no longer any suspense about the outcome of the war.

The Ming army encountered a surprise attack by the Mongolian army in Tumubao. The Ming army was almost completely wiped out. Wang Zhen died in the rebellion, and Zhu Qizhen, the Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty, became a prisoner of the Mongols. The Mongols, who had obtained a treasure, took advantage of Zhu Qizhen's victory and went straight to Beijing to kill him.

The emperor was captured, foreigners invaded, and the country reached its most dangerous moment. When the news reached Beijing, the first reaction of the ministers was not to consider urgent issues such as "the country has no king" and "defending the capital", but to purge Wang Zhen's forces. The purge process was so crazy that there was even a farce in which three of Wang Zhen's cronies were beaten to death in the court hall. It wasn't until Wang Zhen's forces were completely purged that the ministers remembered that the empire still lacked an emperor - which showed that in the minds of the ministers, the emperor was just that.

The ministers elected Zhu Qizhen’s good-for-nothing brother Zhu Qiyu as the new emperor, completely abandoning Zhu Qizhen who made them very unhappy.

This kind of abandonment was not only political, they even wanted to kill Zhu Qizhen directly - when the Mongols came to the city of Beijing, the Ming army guarding Beijing fired artillery at the Mongolian army without any scruples, although they clearly I knew that Zhu Qizhen was in the Mongolian army.

The dissatisfaction and abandonment of the powerful emperor by the ministers tore off the last fig leaf.

After that, the defense battle of Beijing led by Yu Qian made the Mongols return defeated. Zhu Qizhen began his seven-year prison career. After seven years, he was released. Because the Mongols also discovered that this poor guy who had been abandoned by the Ming Dynasty's subjects was already a waste with no use value. After being released, Zhu Qizhen returned home sadly and became a prisoner named "Tai Shang Huang" in Nangong.

But the struggle between the imperial power and the ministerial power is not over, because after seven years of experience, the waste Zhu Qiyu is becoming less and less like a waste, and gradually becomes stronger, and a new round of battle between the emperor and his ministers has begun. prelude.

For the ministers, in the game between imperial power and ministerial power, in order to maximize the interests of the ministers, the state machinery can only be in the hands of the ministers, and the emperor must be a waste. If the emperor is not a waste and tries to interfere in national affairs, he will inevitably be abandoned by his ministers and replaced by a waste. Zhu Qiyu obviously did not realize the truth behind the Tumubao incident and his support.

Zhu Qiyu’s good days are over.

In the eighth year of Jingtai (1457), general Shi Heng and eunuch Cao Jixiang led troops to attack Nangong, released him, and re-established Zhu Qizhen as emperor, deposing Zhu Qiyu's throne, which is known in history as the Seizing of the Gate incident.

The change of seizing the door is actually a political gamble by a small group of political speculators. The future political situation will be determined not by the speculators, but by the officials. If the ministers opposed the coup, they could quickly wipe out this small group of counter-revolutionary thugs. Therefore, throughout the whole process of seizing the gate, the attitude of the officials towards the coup was the decisive factor in determining the final outcome. So what is the attitude of the officials towards the coup? acquiescence. This time, the ministers abandoned Zhu Qiyu and chose Zhu Qizhen.

The reason for such a choice is that Zhu Qizhen is more like a waste now - in terms of prestige, does being captured by a foreign enemy still have prestige? In terms of personality, so many years as a prisoner have smoothed his edges. In terms of enlightenment, after suffering so much, it’s time to remember. Zhu Qizhen is more like a waste, and naturally more like an emperor. The officials voted for him this time.

As expected by the ministers, Zhu Qizhen, Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty after the restoration, wisely chose to live in the palace and not care about political affairs. He has completely lost the capital and courage to confront the officials.

The cowardice of imperial power towards ministerial power has continued for several generations. We even doubt whether Zhu Qizhen secretly passed on his life insights to future generations. After Zhu Qizhen, five useless emperors appeared one after another: Zhu Jianshen, Zhu Youtang, Zhu Houzhao, Zhu Houcong, and Zhu Zaiye. They continued to evade and compromise challenges to their vassal power.

Among these five emperors, only Jiajing Emperor Zhu Houcong launched a tentative attack. This is the famous great etiquette dispute in the history of the Ming Dynasty.

The biological father of Emperor Jiajing Zhu Houcong was King Xingxian, and he was originally unable to inherit the throne. However, because the previous emperor Zhu Houzhao had no heirs, Zhu Houcong was able to succeed to the throne as a vassal king.

The first thing Jiajing did after he ascended the throne was to posthumously crown his dead father, King Xingxian, as emperor. Strictly speaking, this is against etiquette, but it is not a big deal. After all, it is just giving a dead person a false name. But the ministers with keen political sense did not think so. Their interpretation of this incident was a tentative attack by the emperor to intervene in government affairs. The emperor chose a seemingly insignificant node to attack. If successful, the results would be expanded and the ministers would be squeezed step by step. We don’t know whether Jiajing’s original intention was this, at least that’s what the officials thought.

The opponent’s offensive intentions must not be allowed to succeed, and the ministers reached an offensive and defensive alliance with a tacit understanding. A petition was filed against the emperor's proposal until more than 220 officials knelt down at Zuoshun Gate to put pressure on the emperor through collective petitions. Some radical ministers even shouted the slogan "Death Day for Righteousness, Today" to commemorate death. force. Is it a serious crime that could lead to death? If this is not a deliberate attempt to cause trouble for the emperor, what is it?

The furious Jiajing used the ultimate weapon to safeguard the emperor's authority - the scepter. More than 180 officials had their pants taken off and spanked in public, and 17 unlucky ones were killed as a result. Surprisingly, many officials actively signed up to be spanked. Being spanked by the emperor even became the highest ideal for many Ming Dynasty officials later (Hai Rui even went so far as to be proud of being killed by the emperor). The collective consciousness of the subject power The herd mentality and the mentality of not blaming the crowd under the law have once again been brought to the extreme.

The battle for great etiquette ended with the victory of Emperor Jiajing, but he won face but lost face. After the Great Etiquette Controversy, the confrontation between imperial power and ministerial power became almost irreconcilable. Emperor Jiajing, who was unable to move even an inch, also gradually lost his political enthusiasm and courage, and became obsessed with cultivating immortality and alchemy. What I am practicing is not elixir, but loneliness.

Jiajing did not escape the fate of waste after all.

The three contests between imperial power and ministerial power - the Tumu Fort Incident, the Gate Seizing Incident, and the Great Ceremony Controversy - all ended in the emperor's complete defeat. In the face of powerful ministers, the emperor could only behave like a waste.

3. The restoration of the new prime minister's power completely defeated the ministerial power

In a social form where the emperor, ministers, and people coexist, the emperor and the ministers are natural Allies, they all belong to the ruling class, and in most cases they realize their own interests by squeezing the people. However, as the dynasty develops, the ruling class's oppression of the people will gradually escalate due to luxury and corruption. When the burden on the people is so heavy that it is almost revolutionary, the emperor will use a powerful figure (usually the prime minister) to continue the dynasty. Vested interest groups represented by ministers suppressed the situation in order to reduce the burden on the people and alleviate class conflicts.

Most of the reforms in the middle and late feudal dynasties were for this purpose. The most typical examples are Wang Anshi's reform in the Song Dynasty and Zhang Juzheng's reform in the Ming Dynasty.

Speaking of Zhang Juzheng, he is definitely an alternative in the history of the Ming Dynasty. As the chief minister of the early Wanli cabinet. He received the full support of the imperial power (the actual owner of the imperial power at that time was the Queen Mother Li) and the eunuch group (Feng Bao). At the same time, due to his extraordinary tactics and iron-fisted methods, the power he actually possessed far exceeded that of the prime ministers of the past dynasties. Even comparable to the Prince Regent. Zhang Juzheng, a teacher and half-father of the young Wanli emperor, even said without any secret, "I am not the prime minister (prime minister), but the regent (regent)."

Zhang Juzheng launched vigorous reforms. A series of reform measures greatly touched the vested interest groups represented by the ministers, and the class contradictions in the Ming Dynasty were alleviated to a certain extent. The reason why Zhang Juzheng was able to make such a big move was not only because of his extraordinary power skills and iron-fisted character, but also because he received the full support of the imperial power. In this sense, Zhang Juzheng's reform was not so much an economic reform focusing on fiscal reform, but rather a suppression and liquidation of ministerial power by the new prime minister with the support of imperial power.

This kind of suppression was immediately resisted by the group of ministers, and the confrontation between the two sides finally reached a fever pitch in the "Love Stealing Case".

In 1577 AD, Zhang Juzheng’s father died of illness. According to the practice of the Ming Dynasty, when an official's father died, the official should leave office and return to his hometown to mourn for three years. He could not return to office until the mourning period expired. However, this was not absolute, because the emperor could exercise the power of "seizing love" and forcibly stay in office. The official does not have to be placed in mourning. The ministers naturally agreed to let Zhang Juzheng go home and mourn for three years. Three years was not only a chance to breathe, but also an excellent opportunity to unite and eliminate Zhang Juzheng completely. Naturally, Zhang Juzheng hopes to stay in office. This is where the wrestling between the two sides begins.

At the critical moment of the struggle between the two sides, the imperial power chose to maintain the power of the new prime minister, and Emperor Wanli exercised the power of "seizing love". Not surprisingly, Wanli's proposal was immediately opposed by almost all ministers. The "Great Etiquette Controversy" of the Jiajing Dynasty was staged again. The emperor's proposal - the ministers petitioned collectively - took off their pants and spanked - the emperor won. The storyline is exactly the same, just the characters are different. The love-stealing case finally ended with Wanli and Zhang Juzheng's apparent victory.

But the victory of imperial power and prime minister power did not last long. Zhang Juzheng's death in 1582 AD became another important node in the struggle for imperial power and ministerial power in the Ming Dynasty. After Zhang Juzheng's death, the new prime minister's power quickly collapsed due to the lack of new leaders, and the ministers immediately seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack. Zhang Juzheng was completely liquidated, his coffin was almost opened and his body was slaughtered, his family property was confiscated, and his eldest son died tragically in prison. He was politically designated as a traitor, and the reformer died and the government died. The dispute between emperors and ministers returned to the situation before Zhang Juzheng appeared. Emperor Wanli began his twenty-seven-year career as an emperor regardless of political affairs.

When scholars in the past studied this period of history, they mostly explained Wanli's liquidation of Zhang Juzheng from psychological perspectives such as "adolescent teenagers' rebellion against their fathers". I think this explanation is very superficial, because Wanli was only 18 years old at the time, and was still controlled by Empress Dowager Li. Although Empress Dowager Li could not influence the development of the political situation, she could at least curb the crazy behavior of Zhu Yijun, the younger Wanli. What is very intriguing is that Empress Dowager Li chose to acquiesce to Wanli's crazy behavior, completely ignoring her friendship with Zhang Juzheng. If Xiao Wanli's actions were "adolescent rebellion", could it be that Queen Mother Li's soy sauce was "menopausal syndrome"?

There is only one reasonable explanation, and that is that after the decline and collapse of the new prime minister's power, the imperial power (mainly Queen Mother Li) lost its most powerful ally and did not have enough ability to fight against the ministerial power. After repeated weighing, the imperial power chose to compromise with the ministers and agreed with the ministers' revenge against Zhang Juzheng.

The death of Zhang Juzheng ended the restoration of the new prime minister's power. The crazy revenge of the ministers group against Zhang Juzheng also blocked the possibility of the emergence of a new Zhang Juzheng, because no one would risk his reputation and his descendants. It touched the ministers group. There is no more Zhang Juzheng in the world, and the restoration of prime minister power is no longer possible.

4. The last carnival night of the powerful ministerial power - the death of Chongzhen

Following the disastrous defeat of the imperial power and the new prime minister, the ministerial power lost its final restraining power. The state machinery was completely in the hands of the ministers and became a tool for them to seize personal interests. The lack of restraint of the ministerial power gradually escalated the oppression of the people, and the society gradually reached the edge of collapse. The entire Ming Dynasty was like a big firewood pile. Just a spark can ignite a raging fire.

On the other hand, many small groups have been divided into small groups due to the struggle for interests within the ministerial power. These small groups often use small things as big as sesame seeds and mung beans as their motivation to fight against differences and suppress their opponents, quarreling back and forth.

The three major cases of "Tingqi", "Hongwan" and "Palace Relocation" during the period of Zhu Yijun and Zhu Changluo in the Ming Dynasty are the best portrayals. The dispute between the Eunuch Party and the Donglin Party during the period of Emperor Zhu Youxiao of Tianqi pushed the party struggle in the Ming Dynasty to its highest peak. The interests and prospects of a minister are not determined by his moral character and political performance, but by whether he is on the right side of the party struggle. These meaningless party disputes exhausted the last vitality of the Ming Dynasty.

So when Emperor Chongzhen Zhu Youjian took over, he was already facing a completely dead end. The emperor's hands and feet were completely tied. The ministers only cared about personal gains and party disputes, and no one cared about the country and the people's livelihood. The people had been squeezed to the brink of collapse. The collapse of the dynasty was only a matter of time.

Faced with such a dead situation, Zhu Youjian, who was unwilling to be a waste and a subjugated king, could only hope to try his luck by changing the cabinet crazily, hoping to "find" a Zhang. A formal figure is needed to save the situation. Of course, theoretically speaking, Chongzhen could also turn the tide as both the emperor and prime minister, but this was only a theoretical possibility, because Chongzhen's ability and prestige were still far from that of a real prime minister.

A poor family misses a good wife and a country misses a good husband. Zhu Youjian vindicated Zhang Juzheng's rebellion, and expressed emotion that "after the upheaval, I miss the old ministers; after the relocation, I miss the senior officials." However, there is no Zhang Juzheng in the world anymore, and the restoration of prime minister power is no longer possible.

After changing 50 cabinet members in a row (known as the Fifty Prime Ministers of Chongzhen in history), the new Zhang Juzheng never appeared, Zhu Youjian’s last effort failed, and the dead game faced by Chongzhen was no longer Any living mouth.

From 1637 to 1643 AD, there was a severe drought in the north. The straw that broke the camel's back finally fell.

In 1644 AD, Li Zicheng captured the city of Beijing, Ming Sizong Zhu Youjian committed suicide by hanging on Meishan Mountain, and the Ming Dynasty was destroyed.

"I am not the king of the subjugated country, but all of my ministers are the ministers of the subjugated country." Perhaps this is really not Zhu Youjian's excuse to shirk responsibility, but his helplessness towards the strong vassal politics and his concern for his own destiny. Endless lamentation.

After-reading thoughts: Imperial power represents centralized rule, and there is only one person responsible for everything. Ministerial power represents decentralization of power, and group responsibility means that no one is responsible, the emperor is just a decoration, and the interests of the group come first in everything. Cheating and abducting, oppressing the people, only focusing on the present, regardless of the consequences are the inevitable results of the continuous party and government of the Ming Dynasty. In an era where ministerial power was paramount, Chongzhen could not change it, and the transfer of officials could not change the reality that no one was really responsible for the country. When there was a risk, the bureaucracy took care of itself, and the life and death of the Ming Dynasty was determined. So that's it. It’s no wonder that 200,000 Manchus entered the Central Plains as if they were deserted. Hundreds of millions of people with no country, no leaders, no faith, and no organization could only be lambs to be slaughtered. The demise of the Ming Dynasty and the rise of the Qing Dynasty are inevitable.