"The phoenix feathers are full of strength, straight up to the end of the pole"

In the fourth year of Jiajing (1525), Zhang Juzheng lived in the home of a scholar in Jiangling, Jingzhou (now part of Hubei) When he was born, the shadow of his ancestors could no longer care for him, and what greeted him was only a white turtle dream of his great-grandfather. The moon in the dream fell into the water urn, illuminating the surrounding area with light, and then a white turtle floated leisurely out of the water. The great-grandfather believed that Bai Gui was his great-grandson, so he gave him the nickname "Bai Gui", hoping that he would be able to honor his ancestors in the future.

Bai Gui is indeed very smart, and he became a well-known child prodigy in Jingzhou Prefecture at a very young age. In the fifteenth year of Jiajing's reign, 12-year-old Bai Gui applied for examination. His cleverness won the affection of Li Shi'ao, the prefect of Jingzhou. He told young Bai Gui to have great ambitions since childhood and to serve the country loyally when he grew up. He changed his name to Ju Zheng. . This year, I am a student in the government. Four years later, the arrogant Zhang Juzheng successfully passed the provincial examination and became a young scholar. Gu Lin, the governor of Huguang, admired him very much. He once said to others, "This son will be a talented person." He took off his rhinoceros belt and gave it to Ju Zheng, saying: "I hope you will set up lofty ambitions, be Yi Yin, be Yan Yuan, not just Become a young man who will become famous. "In the 26th year of Jiajing's reign, 23-year-old Zhang Juzheng was awarded the second-class Jinshi and was awarded the title of Shujishi.

Shujishi is a kind of trainee official. As a rule, he has to study in the Hanlin Academy for three years. After the expiration, he can be awarded the title of editor. Zhang Juzheng was selected as a Shujishi, and he was taught by Xu Jie, an important minister in the cabinet. Xu Jie attached great importance to the knowledge of economic development and economic development. Under his guidance, Zhang Juzheng worked hard to study the laws and regulations of the country, which laid a solid foundation for him to enter the political arena in the future.

In the early Ming Dynasty, in order to strengthen the centralization of power, the prime minister was abolished and a cabinet was established, whose functions were equivalent to the emperor's secretarial office. The chief cabinet scholar is called the chief assistant, which is actually the prime minister. When Zhang Juzheng entered the Hanlin Academy to study, a fierce political struggle was going on in the cabinet. At that time, there were only two bachelors in the cabinet, Xia Yan and Yan Song. The two competed for the position of chief assistant. As a result, Xia Yan became the chief assistant, and then he was slandered and killed by Yan Song. Yan Song became the chief assistant of the cabinet.

As for the cabinet struggle, Zhang Juzheng, as a new scholar, naturally has no say. But through several years of cold-eyed observation, he gained an intuitive understanding of the political corruption and ineffective border defense of the imperial court. For this reason, in the twenty-eighth year of Jiajing (1549), Zhang Juzheng first mentioned one of the diseases of "congestion of blood and Qi" in "On Current Affairs" (Volume 15 of "The Complete Works of Zhang Wenzhonggong"), and then referred to the fifth disease of "bloat, flaccidity and paralysis". Disease, systematically expounded his ideas for reforming politics. Naturally, these did not attract the attention of Ming Shizong and Yan Song. After that, except for routine memorials during the Jiajing Dynasty, Ju Zheng never gave any memorials.

In the thirty-third year of Jiajing reign, Zhang Juzheng left the capital and came to his hometown Jiangling on the pretext of taking leave to recuperate. During his three-year vacation, he still did not forget state affairs and personally contacted farmers. Juzheng, who came from a poor family, experienced the hard work, hunger, cold and pain of the people in the countryside. He said in "Inscriptions of Jingzhou Prefecture" (Volume 9 of "The Complete Works of Zhang Wenzhonggong"): "The land distribution is uneven, the poor are unemployed, and the people are suffering from annexation." All this can't help but make him excited, and his sense of responsibility makes him return to the political arena.

In the thirty-sixth year of Jiajing reign, Zhang Juzheng still returned to serve in the Hanlin Academy. At this time, he gradually matured in his depressed thinking. Amid the political turmoil, he imitated his teacher Xu Jie, who said he was "uncomfortable on the inside and has no trace of his external desires" and moved his camera. In the forty-third year of Jiajing's reign, Juzheng entered the palace in Youyude, Youchunfang. The far-sighted Xu Jie recommended Juzheng to serve as the minister of King Yu, Zhu Zaihe. Yuode is just a false title, but since King Yu is likely to inherit the throne, attending Yu's residence and giving lectures is no longer an idle position. During his stay in Yudi, "all the kings had good things, and all the people in the palace and in the palace were good at being upright" ("History of the Ming Dynasty. Zhang Juzheng Biography"). Forty-five years later, he took charge of the affairs of the Hanlin Academy.

In this year, Emperor Shizong died and King Yu came to the throne as Emperor Muzong of the Ming Dynasty. Zhang Juzheng's opportunity came. In the first year of Longqing (1567), as an old minister of King Yu, he was promoted to the left minister of the Ministry of Personnel and the bachelor of Wenyuan Pavilion, entered the cabinet, and participated in government affairs. In April of the same year, he was appointed Minister of Rites and Bachelor of Wuyingdian. Zhang Juzheng is forty-three years old this year. At this time, he will probably not forget the poem he wrote when he was thirteen years old, "The phoenix feathers are full of strength, straight to the end of the pole." Thirty years later, he finally "reached the ultimate goal" in a secret contest.

"Shoot the riots of the barbarians and hoe the orchids"

After joining the cabinet, Zhang Juzheng was not complacent about his personal promotion.

At this time, in the Ming Dynasty, internally, land was being annexed, refugees were scattered, misfortunes were occurring, the country's treasury was empty, and funds were scarce; externally, the northern Tatars were marching into the Central Plains, creating the "Gengxu Rebellion", and the southern chieftains were vying for power, especially Cen. There was a violent rebellion, "the two rivers were shocked", and Japanese pirates from the southeast harassed the coastal areas, making the people miserable. Faced with this, Zhang Juzheng could not relax.

What worries Zhang Juzheng even more is the increasingly fierce political struggle within the cabinet. After the fall of Yan Peng in the 41st year of Jiajing (1562), Xu Jie succeeded him as the first assistant. He and Zhang Juzheng jointly drafted the imperial edict of King Sejong, which corrected the shortcomings of building temples, rituals, and large-scale construction projects during the King Sejong period. He restored palace duties to diligent courtiers who were convicted of unjust cases, and was generally welcomed by the government and the public. But soon, in July of the second year of Longqing (1568), Xu Jie was finally forced to return to his fields due to old age and illness, and he was at a loss for money. The following year, Xu Jie's old rival Gao Gong returned to the cabinet and took charge of the ministry, taking control of the cabinet power. During Gao Gong's reign, a group of talents were appointed, and the official career path became somewhat clearer.

Zhang Juzheng was once Gao Gong's confidant, but there was a rift later. Gao Gong was at odds with the powerful eunuch Feng Bao. In the sixth year of Longqing's reign, Mu Zong died of illness, and Shenzong, who was only more than ten years old, succeeded to the throne. Gao Gong's unbridled speech touched the Queen Mother's nerves, and Feng Bao fanned a will-o'-the-wisp. The Queen Mother ordered Gao Gong to return to his place of origin for the crime of "dictatorship and abuse of power." (It was Zhang Juzheng who was the one who got in the way.) In this way, Zhang Juzheng became the first assistant, and he has been in sole control of the country for ten years.

To be fair, Xu Jie and Gao Gong were both very capable chief ministers. They made many specific and partial efforts to consolidate the rule of the Ming Dynasty. However, in the end they lacked far-sighted strategic vision and reformed bad policies. With his talent and courage, by the time Zhang Juzheng succeeded him as chief minister, the Ming Dynasty was still in crisis. Zhang Juzheng clearly realized that small repairs and repairs could no longer save Mingming's demise. Only drastic and comprehensive reforms could bring the country out of the predicament. As early as August of the second year of Longqing, he entrusted "Chen Liushi Shu" (Volume 36 of "The Complete Works of Zhang Wenzhonggong") to discuss the provincial affairs, Zhenji Gang, Chongmao Order, verify names and facts, consolidate the foundation of the state, and order military preparations, etc. The six aspects propose a plan for political reform, the core of which is to rectify the administration of officials and enrich the country and strengthen the army. He criticized those who make empty debates about kings and hegemons as "ignoring that the debate between kings and hegemons and the relationship between justice and benefit are not in their hearts" and mistakenly believe that "benevolence and righteousness are kings, and wealth and power are hegemons" ("The Complete Works of Zhang Wenzhonggong" Volume 31 "Answers" Fujian Governor Geng Chutong talks about the debate between kings and hegemons"). He clearly regards solving the country's "big financial shortage" as his goal in governing the country. To achieve this goal, we must first consolidate national defense and rectify officialdom.

Also during the Longqing period, Zhang Juzheng, who had just joined the cabinet, presided over the work of consolidating border defense with the support of Xu Jie, the chief minister, and Gao Gong, an important minister of the cabinet.

In the fourth year of Longqing, the Tatar leader Anda Khan attacked Datong and planned to proclaim himself emperor. When Ju Zheng heard that An Da's grandson brought Han Naji, his wife Biji and wet nurse's husband Ali Ge to more than a dozen people, he asked for help. Fang Fengshi, the governor of Datong, and Wang Chonggu, the governor of Xuanda, decided to surrender. In view of the seriousness of this matter, Zhang Juzheng wrote a letter asking Chou Gu to "secretly reveal" the details to him immediately. It turns out that when Anda's third son died, he left behind a child, Bianhan Naji. Bianhan Naji grew up and married Biji. Later, he fell in love with Sanniangzi, the daughter of his aunt, and married him again. However, as a grandfather, Anda also fell in love with Sanniangzi and took her as his own. So there was a grudge between grandparents and grandchildren over a little girl, and a scene of a lovelorn young man running away from home to join the Han Dynasty was staged.

Ju Zheng received the report and wrote to Chonggu again, asking him to make proper arrangements for the capture of Hannaji. He also sent someone to inform me: "The law of China is that if the chieftain is the leader of his descendants, he will be rewarded with ten thousand yuan." Jin, Jue Tonghou. I can't cut off your grandson's head to ask for a reward, but he comes here because of your righteousness, and you are your grandson, so I can't bear to kill him. "The Beginning of the Answer") Then, he gave instructions on the strategy, which was to pay close attention to the ancient times and report to the emperor at the right time to accept surrender. Many people in the DPRK strongly opposed it, believing that the enemy's situation was unpredictable. Sure enough, Anda's cavalry pressed down on the city like black clouds and reached the northern border. Chong Gu had already prepared for war under Ju Zheng's instructions and threatened him with his grandson. Anda was finally forced to compromise. Juzheng pushed the boat along the current to respond to An Da's request, and sent Shuang Naji back to his hometown as a gift, while An Da kidnapped Zhao Quan and other rebel officials and sent them to the Ming Dynasty.

Wearing the red silk robe given by the emperor, Han Naji returned to the Tatar tent. Anda was very moved when he saw it, and said that he would never invade Datong again, and decided to ask for tribute, mutual trade, and a friendly relationship with Ming Dynasty.

In the fifth year of Longqing's reign, Mu Zong, under the urging of Ju Zheng and others, conferred the title of King of Shunyi on Anda, and opened horse markets in three towns along the border to conduct trade with Tatars. The consolidation of northern border defense allowed Zhang Juzheng to turn his attention to domestic issues.

“Serve the world with your heart, without seeking self-interest”

As a talented and ambitious politician, Zhang Juzheng had a deep understanding of the problems faced by the Ming Dynasty. He believed that the lack of national power and rampant thieves at that time were all caused by unclear official governance. Corruption by officials and annexation by landlords caused "private households to become increasingly rich and public households to become increasingly poor" (Volume 26 of "The Complete Works of Zhang Wenzhonggong" "Promise to Governor Song Yangshan on Evening Food for the People"), coupled with the emperor's extravagance and lust, the people became poor. Hungry and cold, falling grass becomes a bandit. Because Zhang Juzheng objectively analyzed the social contradictions at that time and correctly grasped the essence and key of the problem, his reforms were able to follow the trend of history and were widely welcomed.

Based on the above views, Zhang Juzheng decided to start his reform by rectifying the administration of officials. In November of the first year of Wanli (1573), Zhang Juzheng went to Shangshu to implement the "test method" and clarify his responsibilities. He controlled six ministries with six departments, and then controlled six departments with cabinet. Regarding the things to be done, from the cabinet to the six subjects, and from the six subjects to the yamen, we must take exams at all levels to be well aware of it. It has changed the procrastination phenomenon in the past that "although those who supervise the superiors are earnest, but those who listen to the subordinates are always disdainful" (Volume 38 of "The Complete Works of Zhang Wenzhonggong" "Please inspect the chapter report and test it with the matter to cultivate practical political notes") . The implementation of the examination law improved the efficiency of departments at all levels, and clarified responsibilities, rewards and punishments, so that the decrees issued by the imperial court were "implemented morning and night even though they were thousands of miles away" ("History of the Ming Dynasty. Zhang Juzheng").

The main purpose of Zhang Juzheng's rectification of officialdom was to "enrich the country and strengthen the army." This red line ran through his reforms, and the biggest gain from the implementation of the examination method was also here.

When Zhang Juzheng implemented the examination method, he used the collection of Fu as the standard for examination success. It was stipulated in the fourth year of Wanli that any local official who collected less than 90% of the tax on a trial basis would be punished. In December of the same year, according to the Huke report, seventeen local officials in Shandong and two in Henan were demoted for this reason; two in Shandong and nine in Henan were dismissed. This makes officials at all levels who are afraid of reduced penalties dare not slack off and supervise household heads to pay the tax and grain for the year. Due to the change in the situation of tax and grain arrears, the national treasury has become increasingly abundant. According to the statistics of the Ministry of Household Affairs in the fifth year of Wanli, the annual income of the whole country reached more than 4.35 million taels, which was more than 2.5 million taels per year than the annual income of Longqing (including discounts, money, grain and salt lessons, stolen goods redemption cases, etc.) The number increased by 74% (Volume 67 of "Ming Tongjian"). The fiscal revenue and expenditure were evenly matched, with a balance of more than 850,000 taels, reversing the long-term fiscal deficit. Just as Zhang Juzheng himself said in April of the ninth year of Wanli: "In recent years, the official gifts have not been lost, and the treasury has been enriched, all because of the examination of the Dharma and the execution of the expedition as scheduled." ("The Complete Works of Zhang Wenzhonggong" Volume 45) It can be seen that , although the implementation of the examination law is a political reform, it has played a great role in rectifying land taxes and increasing national fiscal revenue.

However, the income increased by taking the exam alone is still limited, and it is still far from being able to satisfy the unlimited squandering of the princes and nobles. Zhang Juzheng believes that "people who manage money in ancient times should eliminate excesses instead of excessive income, and save expenses without opening up profits." Financial management should still focus on frugality. Almost all of the reforms he carried out revolved around this center.

For example, he strengthened the assessment of officials, cut redundant staff, and saved the court's salary expenditure. It is said that "the nine ministers and their subordinates in the two capitals, big and small, will be cut off if they are excessive", and "two or three redundant personnel will be eliminated". Similarly, Zhang Juzheng also reduced the court's military expenditure through various channels. On the one hand, they made peace with the Tatars, exchanged tribute and trade, maintained border stability, and reduced war expenses. On the other hand, they also greatly reduced the expenditure on rewards. By the second year of Wanli, "the three towns in the north spent no more than ten thousand in two years, but saved more than one million." They also reduced expenditures by reducing guest troops and clearing out food supplies. "Every year saved, the children gained tens of millions."

At the same time, Zhang Juzheng also asked the emperor, the supreme ruler of feudal society, to tighten his belt and live a tight life with everyone. Not only did he repeatedly propose to Shenzong to "spend money sparingly and love the people" and "protect the foundation of the country", but he also paid every penny and never gave in when it came to the royal family's extravagant spending. In the seventh year of Wanli, Emperor Shenzong requested 100,000 gold from the Ministry of Household Affairs to prepare for the imperial meals at Guanglu Temple. Juzheng argued hard, but Shangshu said that the income and expenditure of the Ministry of Household Affairs was no longer enough. If there are floods and droughts in all directions or unexpected changes on the battlefield, how can we provide them?" He asked Shenzong to save "all useless expenses." As a result, not only the expenditure of one hundred thousand taels of silver was exempted, but the Lantern Festival lights and lantern fees in the palace were also abolished. With Zhang Juzheng's efforts, he also stopped rebuilding the Ciqing, Cining Second Palace and Wuying Palace, stopped losing money to the inner treasury for rewards, saved royal service costs, and reduced Su Song Yingtian's weaving, etc., which made the feudal rulers' extravagant consumption phenomenon appear. converged.

Zhang Juzheng also abstains from luxury when it comes to his own expenses. When compiling the true records of the late emperor, he was given a banquet. Zhang Juzheng participated in the seal script compilation of Muzong's Records and offered to resign and give him a banquet. He said: "A banquet costs hundreds of gold. Saving this matter is not necessarily a way to save money." He also requested that the time for Ming Shenzong's daily lecture be placed in the morning, so as to avoid the cost of lighting at night.

In the process of rectifying the administration of officials and practicing economy, Zhang Juzheng not only acted with integrity,[1] but also had strict requirements on his family members. When his son returned to Jiangling to take the exam, he asked his son to hire a car. On his father's birthday, he asked his servant to bring birthday gifts and ride a donkey back to celebrate his birthday. In the eighth year of Wanli, Juzheng's second brother Zhang Jujing was seriously ill and returned to his hometown for treatment. Zhang Lu, the governor of Baoding, made an exception and issued a "kanhe" (certificate for using the post). Juzheng immediately returned it with a letter saying that he wanted to enforce the law for the imperial court. Lead by example. For the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Juzheng was indeed a rare talent for governing the country. As early as when the cabinet was fighting and his political life was in danger, he wrote a verse: "I am willing to serve the world with my deep heart and not seek personal gain." He did indeed do it.

"Measure all the mountains and paddy fields, leaving only the sea and the blue sky"

As an outstanding financial planner, Zhang Juzheng knows that just cutting expenditures is not enough to solve the problem. To completely improve the country's financial situation, we need to further develop financial resources and increase revenue.

However, Zhang Juzheng was opposed to managing money through "opening up profit sources" because in his opinion, "there is only this amount of wealth in the world, and you can't increase it by trying to get it cleverly." In his early years, he had more contact with the lower class people. Deeply understanding the principle of reassuring and nourishing the people and then making the country rich, he pointed out: "The key to gaining knowledge lies in reassuring the people." So, how can we increase the national fiscal revenue? At that time, the huge machinery of the Ming Dynasty was supported by Tian Fu, and Tian Fu It is difficult to increase income due to land annexation and uneven burdens. To this end, Zhang Juzheng proposed three measures: punishing corruption, clearing up tax arrears, and inventorying land acres. Among them, the inventory of land acres was particularly popular.

In the sixth year of Wanli (1578), Zhang Juzheng used Fujian as a pilot project to clear land. As a result, "Fujian people thought it was convenient." So in the eighth year of Wanli, Zhang Juzheng was granted permission to gradually clear land across the country, and on this basis he redrawn the fish scale atlas.

Most areas across the country have carefully cleared their fields in accordance with the "Regulations on Clearance of Tenure" promulgated by the Ministry of Household Affairs, but there are also some local officials who shorten their steps and seek more credit. For example, in Haiyan, Zhejiang, "there are empty bows in the grass cuttings at the end of the water, and ancient tombs and empty cemeteries, all of which are taxed in real terms. As for those in the fields and across the border, they have the strength to bribe and the wisdom to commit adultery, moving east to west, pretending to be entrusted to the other. What's more, There are still fields that have not yet been added to the bow, but Tufan people have accumulated many square feet, and they are all running private cellars. As a result, the number of households has increased, and the fields have become narrower." However, due to the thorough clearing of land in most counties, Ge Haoyou. Hidden possession, the frontal field will increase greatly. In the eighth year of Wanli, the country's total farmland was 7,013,976 hectares, an increase of 2,336,026 hectares compared with the fifth year of Longqing (1571). With the increase in the amount of land and the crackdown on the nobility and gentry landlords to hide their land and evade taxes, the income from land tax in the Ming Dynasty increased greatly. Although Zhang Juzheng's approach of clearing the land and equalizing taxes was considered by Hai Rui and others as a bad idea, it could not really solve the problem of uneven taxation among the people. However, from the perspective of financial management, the clearing of Zhang Zhangmu played a positive role in the court's relatively comprehensive and accurate grasp of the country's land and increased fiscal revenue. More importantly, it also created conditions for the soon-to-be-implemented "One Whip Law" tax reform. .

Zhang Juzheng knew very well that clearing the land alone was far from being able to completely change the problem of uneven taxation and exploitation of subordinate officials. Without further reform of the tax system, it was impossible to ensure the stable growth of central fiscal revenue, and there would be more The poor people have gone bankrupt, which is not conducive to social stability. The reform of taxes and servitude is a very difficult matter. Once it violates the interests of powerful officials and wealthy people too much, it will cause strong opposition and make all your hard work go to waste.

At that time, many regions were already trying out tax and labor reform plans adapted to their regions, such as the "Lijia Silver" in Yingtianfu (now Nanjing, Jiangsu), the "Junping Silver" in Zhejiang and Guangdong, and the "Junping Silver" in Fujian. "Gang Yin", "Shi Duan Brocade" from Jiangnan, and "One Whip Method" in some areas.

The one-piece whip method was first implemented in Jiangxi by Tao Xie, the censor of the southern Gansu capital, in February of the 10th year of Jiajing (1531), and achieved great results. At that time, Fu Hanchen, the imperial censor, once wrote in a book: "The method of whipping is carried out in one stroke. ... The general will send a small amount of grain to a province, and each province will have a corvee. ... Then the corvee will be fair, and there will be no sigh of inequality." After that, Wang Zongmu was in Jiangxi. Pan Jixun was in Guangdong, Pang Shangpeng was in Zhejiang, Hai Rui was in Yingtian, and Wang Qi was in Caoxian County, Shandong Province.

Hai Rui "implemented a whipping method in Jiangning and Shangyuan counties in Yingtian Prefecture. From then on, the service was unbiased and tiring. People began to realize the benefits of farming, and the rich in the city were willing to buy their fields, and the poor in the countryside were unwilling to abandon their fields." ", and achieved "the fields will not be deserted, people will not flee, and money and grain will not be in arrears."

In the fifth year of Wanli, Bai Dong, Dong'ezhi County, Shandong Province, implemented a whip method, and the county's money and grain were all based on land. However, because this approach offended the interests of the officials and gentry, they started to make lies. The Ministry of Household Affairs told Guangmao about the matter: "In the last years of Jiajing, the whip was established, and everyone was apportioned one by one, regardless of whether they were rich or poor;...but then This method is still said to be convenient in the south of the Yangtze River, but it is most inconvenient in the north of the Yangtze River. For example, Bai Dong, the magistrate of Dong'e County, recently traveled to Shandong. People were frightened and wanted to abandon their real estate to avoid it. Ding, and punished Bai Dong for his shortcomings." Fortunately, Zhang Juzheng sent someone to Dong'a to inspect in time, and only then did he find out that Guang Mao had distorted the facts. So Zhang Juzheng drafted an edict to reply: "The law is valuable and suitable for the people. How can we distinguish between the north and the south? Each governor carefully planned and discussed according to the local conditions and obeyed the convenience of the people, and no one was allowed to force it. Bai Dong continued to encourage and serve." He also wrote a letter to support Bai Dong's left Li Shida, the imperial censor of the capital, said: "The law of strips and whips has been fully implemented in recent times, and it is inconvenient to explain it to one or two ears. The law should be suitable for the people, and government should be implemented by people. If the people are willing to adopt it, how can it be divided into north and south."

Zhang Juzheng believes that the whip method should not only not be opposed, but can also be widely promoted across the country "regardless of north and south". In the ninth year of Wanli, he finally issued an order to implement a whipping law nationwide.

The strip whip method is another major reform in the history of China’s land tax system after the Two Taxes Law of the Tang Dynasty. It simplified the items and collection procedures of taxes and levies, unified taxes and levies, and led to the trend of "dividing a small amount into an acre". Later in the Qing Dynasty, the Di Ding Heyi system was the application and development of the one-whip method.

The implementation of the One Whip Law changed the extremely chaotic and seriously uneven taxation system at that time. It reduces the unreasonable tax burden on farmers, limits the fraud of subordinate officials, and especially eliminates serious power gaps, allowing farmers to have more time to engage in agricultural production. Of course, we should also see that there is no provision for the total amount of taxes and levies imposed by the Yiyi Whip Law, which leaves an opportunity for subordinate officials to collect excessive taxes. This is its main shortcoming.

Zhang Juzheng's financial management was not limited to blindly seeking profits for the imperial court, but also attached great importance to the people's actual life. He tried to reduce the people's tax burden through various channels, and sometimes directly proposed to reduce the people's tax burden. In the tenth year of Wanli, with the completion of the land clearing work and the implementation of the One Whip Method, the financial situation of the Ming Dynasty further improved. At this time, the silver deposits in Taipu Temple amounted to four million taels. Adding the silver deposits in Taicang, the total amount reached approximately seven to eight million taels. The grain stored in Taicang can also be used for ten years. In February of this year, Zhang Juzheng asked to be exempted from the money and grain arrears accumulated by various provinces from the first year of Longqing (1567) to the seventh year of Wanli (1579). In addition, Zhang Juzheng also opposed the traditional concept of "emphasis on agriculture and light on business", believing that both agriculture and business should be given equal emphasis, and proposed the idea of ??"provincial levy and distribution to support agriculture and business;... lighten the city's focus on business and benefit farmers". Therefore, we also oppose arbitrary increases in business taxes and infringement on the interests of businessmen. These practices conform to the trend of historical development, reduce the burden on the people to a certain extent, ease the looming class conflicts, and play a positive role in promoting the development of history.

"The face is exhausted from state affairs, and the people die and the government rests"

Zhang Juzheng was busy day and night in state affairs. His father Wenming, who he had not seen for nineteen years, passed away. None of them could observe the mourning system. In the ninth year of Wanli (1581), the fifty-seven-year-old Ju Zheng finally fell ill from fatigue.

On June 20, the tenth year of Wanli, Ju Zheng died of illness, giving up the power he had held on to for sixteen years. The emperor who had been supporting the emperor wholeheartedly for ten years passed away. After his death, Shenzong resigned from the court for him and gave it to Shangzhu Kingdom, with the posthumous title of "Wenzhong". He was buried in Jiangling's cemetery with his lifelong ambition, but little did he know that the merits of his hard work and hard work for the country throughout his life were actually catastrophic for his family's descendants.

All Zhang Juzheng’s reforms were for the long-term interests of the landlord class, so he had to harm the interests of some bureaucrats and big landlords in some aspects. He himself also made some mistakes in policy and employment. After his death, some people began to retaliate and attack wantonly. And what about Shenzong? When he was in power, didn't he always respect him as his teacher? It was out of necessity and helplessness. He has long been obsessed with the power of Ju Zheng. It is said that one day when Wanli was studying, when he read "色波如ye", he mistakenly read "博" as "back". Suddenly, he heard a loud roar next to him: "This character should be pronounced 'bo'!" Ju Zheng's roar made Wanli really feel "boru". But due to the legitimate rights and interests of the people, there was no attack.

But from then on, what stayed in Wanli's heart was not respect and love, but awe. After being in the country for ten years, the power he took over was the power of Shenzong. This was the need for Zu Zheng to serve the country, but his rise to power meant that Shenzong lost his throne. In terms of power, Juzheng and Shenzong became opposites. Juzheng's loyalty to state affairs and sole control of power was a sign of contempt for the Lord in Shenzong's heart. This is the logic of an emperor! After Juzheng died, Shenzong, an adult young emperor whose nature was to enjoy and pursue wealth accumulation, began to look for the comfort of revenge.

On the fourth day after Zhang Juzheng's death, the imperial censor Lei Shiji and other seven famous officials impeached Pan Sheng, and Shenzong ordered Pan to become an official. Pan Sheng was recommended by Juzheng during his lifetime, and his resignation marked Zhang Juzheng's fall from favor.

Soon, Yan Gong pointed the finger at Zhang Juzheng. Emperor Shenzong then ordered his family to be confiscated, and his palace rank was reduced. He forcibly took away the seals and imperial edicts given to him during his lifetime, and showed his guilt to the world. He almost carved a coffin and killed his body. His family members starved to death, committed suicide, were exiled, and fled. The family of a capable prime minister ended up with such a sad end.

When a person dies, his government ceases to exist. Some of the officials he used when he was in power were reduced from their posts, and some abandoned their positions. And the policies implemented by the imperial court also restored the old views that were full of disadvantages. As a result, the Ming Dynasty, which had just been revived, went downhill again. In the entire Shenzong dynasty, no one dared to complain about Ju Zheng.

However, when the country is in decline, we miss our good ministers. It was not until the second year of Tianqi (1622) that Emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty remembered Zhang Juzheng, a great hero in the past, and reinstated him in order to encourage his officials. But it's already too late!