Emperor Jiajing's ascension to the throne was full of controversy and contradictions. His ascension to the throne at a young age was always questioned, but he dispelled the concerns with his talent and decisive actions. He purged the corrupt forces, disbanded the Praetorian Guard, and released extravagant goods, which amazed the government and the public. However, in order to consolidate his position, Emperor Jiajing fell into a controversy over his identity. Nanjing officials and Beijing ministers competed for each other, and Emperor Jiajing was clearly on the side of Nanjing, but he remained neutral on the surface. Eventually, he gradually gained power by pulling Zhang Xuan and other Nanjing officials under his command. On the issue of Taimiao and Zhu Houxuan's father's posthumous respect for the temple number, Emperor Jiajing was more decisive and gave his father emperor-like treatment by changing the legitimacy of the previous dynasty. However, this practice caused a reaction among the public, who questioned the change of the ancestral temple number.
As a young emperor, Emperor Jiajing should have handled the issue of power struggle more wisely. In the process of fighting for power, he ignored the overall situation of the country and the well-being of the people, and satisfied his selfish desires for a while. Ignoring the legitimacy of his ancestral system and history, he made the wrong decision just to consolidate his position. This kind of behavior of forcibly repudiating the ancestors and correcting history has had a bad impact on the people. The various measures taken by Emperor Jiajing when he ascended the throne laid the root of the bane, which led to the large-scale rectification of the country in the subsequent period of Emperor Longqing to ensure the tranquility of the Ming Dynasty.
Therefore, Emperor Jiajing did not gain the country properly, and the way to lose the country was also. As a monarch, he should go beyond personal feelings and consider problems from the perspective of the country and the people, rather than being blinded by personal self-interest. Emperor Jiajing only pursued the consolidation of power, ignoring the long-term development of the country and the happiness of the people. His actions became a blatant error in the beginning of his ascension to the throne, and the abnormal development of the end was also predictable.
The lessons of history tell us that a good monarch should adhere to the rule of law and traditions, transcend selfish interests, and put the interests of the country and the people first. A stable regime must have a legitimate power base, and only the legitimacy of orthodoxy can keep the country. Therefore, in the process of power struggle, we should be cautious about changing the ancestral system and history, and ensure that the well-being of the country and the people always comes first.
