Zhang Xuan, a life that has gone through several ups and downs and twists and turns. He failed in the imperial examination seven times, until he finally won the Jinshi at the age of 48. thought that he could enter the official career, but fate made a big joke. In order to gain a position of power, he openly supported the then emperor Jiajing and supported Jiajing to posthumously crown his late father as the first emperor, which triggered the "Great Etiquette" incident that shocked the government and the opposition. Zhang Xuan did not hesitate to oppose the civilian clique and was criticized as a flattering minister. But in the end, he unexpectedly became a generation of virtuous ministers, and during his reign, he was diligent and conscientious, implemented reforms, swept away accumulated defects, and made outstanding contributions to the development of the country. How can a down-and-out scholar become a prime minister? How does a person who is accused of being "flattering" gain the reputation of a "virtuous minister"? What kind of legendary story does Zhang Zhang's life experience contain? Let us find out.
Seven times off the list, at the age of forty-eight, he was finally a junior high
Zhang Xuan was born in a scholarly family in Yongjia County, Wenzhou Prefecture, Zhejiang. His father, Zhang Ruji, was a teacher at Yongjia County School and was very strict with his son's education. Since he was a child, Zhang Xuan has been cultivated into a diligent and studious child.
Zhang Xuan when he was a teenager, although he was short, he was very ambitious and ambitious. He is determined to be famous, embark on a career in office, and fight for his family and the township. At the age of 15, Zhang Xuan took the Yongjia County Child Student Examination for the first time, but unfortunately failed to pass the test. Since then, Zhang Xuan has begun a long road to the imperial examination.
The following year, Zhang Xuan applied for the student examination in Yongjia County, and this time he finally got his wish and obtained the student qualification. In the following ten years, Zhang Xuan has been participating in examinations at all levels in Wenzhou, and has been defeated repeatedly, seven times for the lift, and seven times for failure. During this period, he once doubted his ability and thought about giving up his studies to find another way. But every time he thought of his father's expectations, he once again mustered up the courage to continue to prepare for the imperial examination.
Until the first year of Jiajing, Zhang Xuan, who was forty-eight years old, came to the capital and participated in the palace examination. This time, he finally stood out among thousands of competitors with his extraordinary talent and perseverance, and obtained the first step to fame - he was admitted to the Jinshi.
Zhang Xuan's father, Zhang Ruji, heard the news of his son's Zhongjinshi that year, and was so happy that he cried. He once said to Zhang Xuan: "If you get into the Jinshi, I can close my eyes." Now that his son has finally achieved fame, his long-cherished wish can come true.
However, whether Zhang Xuan can enter the official career depends on his performance in the capital. As a jinshi who is over half a hundred years old, can he make a breakthrough in this career competition and move towards another peak in his life? This depends on Zhang Zhang's next opportunities and choices.
Speculation "flattered" and triggered a "great etiquette" incident
After Zhang Xuan entered the sergeant, he watched the government in the Ministry of Rites. As a new jinshi who is over half a hundred years old, he originally wanted to rely on his talent and experience to start step by step in the court. Who knew that by chance, he was involved in a "great ceremony" incident that shocked the government and the opposition, and his fate changed dramatically.
Everything starts with the death of Ming Wuzong Zhu Houzhao. Wuzong had no children, and according to the rule of "brother to brother", his cousin Zhu Houxi succeeded to the throne as Emperor Jiajing. However, after Jiajing ascended the throne, he encountered a thorny problem - who should he recognize as his biological father?
According to common sense, Jiajing should recognize his biological father Xingxian Wang Zhu Youqi as his father. However, Yang Tinghe, the first assistant at that time, and others asked Jiajing to recognize the late Hongzhi Emperor Zhu Jianshen as his father, on the grounds that Zhu Jianshen had been elected as the prince for a time.
For Emperor Jiajing, this was undoubtedly an extremely ridiculous request. Throughout history, there is no precedent for an emperor to recognize his biological father? This is tantamount to severing family ties and violating morality. As a result, serious contradictions and confrontations arose between Jiajing and the civilian clique.
At this juncture, Zhang Xuan saw the opportunity and stood on Jiajing's side without hesitation. He publicly expressed his support for Jiajing's posthumous title of his biological father, Xingxian Wang, as the first emperor, and severely rebuked the absurd idea that the civil officials wanted Jiajing to "recognize Hongzhi as his father".
The reason why Zhang Xuan is so "flattering" is that he has some calculations. He was well aware that he was getting old, and it was almost impossible to do it with a normal career. Now that the government and the opposition are opposed, it is a good time for him to show his skills. As long as he can be appreciated by Jiajing, he is expected to obtain a higher official position and status.
In order to curry favor with Jiajing, Zhang Xuan did not hesitate to oppose most civil officials in the DPRK and China, and was criticized as a "courtier" and a "sycophant". He even put forward a seemingly reasonable and well-founded theory for Jiajing's practice - "succession is not succession".
The so-called "succession but not succession" means that the emperor only inherited the ruling power of the previous dynasty, not the heir of the emperor of the previous dynasty. Therefore, Jiajing can completely disown Emperor Hongzhi as his father, and posthumously crown his biological father as the first emperor.
Zhang Zhang's theory gave Jiajing a reasonable excuse and theoretical support. Jiajing was naturally ecstatic about this, and looked at Zhang Xuan differently from then on. The civil official group rebuked Zhang Xuan's "flattery" behavior, believing that he was pleasing the emperor on the back.
In this way, Zhang Xuan was involved step by step in the "big etiquette" incident that shocked the government and the opposition. He did not hesitate to oppose the civilian clique, and was even demoted to an "old fox" and a "slanderer", just to be able to gain the emperor's appreciation and promotion. This opportunistic approach is undoubtedly a big bet for Zhang Xuan in the Game of Thrones.
Reform is promising, and sweep away accumulated defects
With his performance in the "Great Etiquette" incident, Zhang Xuan finally won the appreciation of Emperor Jiajing. In the first year of Jiajing, Zhang Xuan was appointed as a cabinet bachelor, and since then he has started his career as prime minister. A Jinshi, who had failed the list seven times and was over half a hundred years old, became an important minister in the court, which was an exciting thing at that time.
After taking office, Zhang Xuan immediately showed outstanding political wisdom and the courage to dare to reform. He pointed out the disadvantages of the annexation of royal land and the occupation of land by monks, and insisted on a large-scale clean-up of the imperial estate and the property of monks' temples.
At that time, the Ming Dynasty royal family, princes, nobles and officials owned a large number of imperial estates and private land, which were exempt from taxation. In addition, Buddhist monasteries also occupy a large number of tax-free land, resulting in a significant reduction in state tax revenue, and the financial situation is increasingly stretched.
Zhang Xuan knows very well that if this contradiction is not resolved, it will be difficult for the country to maintain long-term peace and stability. Therefore, he resolutely put forward a reform plan of "great clean-up", preparing to start from the Gyeonggi area and gradually expand to the whole country, and nationalize the Huangzhuang and Sanseraji fields on a large scale.
As soon as this reform was proposed, it met with strong opposition from the royal family and the Buddhist community. Some of the children of the clan directly wrote to Jiajing, asking for exemption from the investigation. But Zhang Xuan was unmoved and insisted on his determination to reform.
In the sixth year of Jiajing, Zhang Xuan began to clean up the Huangzhuang and the monk's temple fields in the Gyeonggi area. After three years of hard work, a total of 528 Huangzhuang and more than 57,400 hectares were seized, of which more than 26,000 hectares were nationalized and returned to the original owners.
This reform not only increased the country's tax revenue by a large amount, but also alleviated the contradiction of land annexation to a certain extent, and brought about social stability. Since then, Zhang Xuan has won the reputation of "diligent government and love the people" in the government and the opposition.
However, Zhang's road to reform has not been easy. In the ninth year of Jiajing, he was framed by eunuchs and was once dismissed from his post and investigated. Fortunately, Emperor Jiajing still believed in and appreciated Zhang Xuan, and finally rehabilitated the turmoil.
After this ordeal, Zhang Xuan became more cautious and cautious, but his determination to reform did not waver. He continued to carry out a nationwide clean-up of the estates of the Imperial Village and the Monastery, and set his sights on another long-standing problem: corruption.
As the prime minister, Zhang Xuan himself is a model of honesty and diligence. He strictly demanded that the officials around him never tolerate corruption and bribery. Some people say that Zhang Xuan "regards greedy officials as tigers and wolves, which is tantamount to killing." It is precisely with this iron-faced and selfless style that Zhang Xuan can stand tall in the DPRK and win Jiajing's appreciation and popular support.
Highly respected, respected as a "virtuous minister"
With his outstanding political achievements during his reign, Zhang Xuan soon won the high appreciation of the Jiajing Emperor and the widespread respect of the government and the opposition. Jiajing respects Zhang Xuan so much that he doesn't even call him by his name, but respectfully calls him "Xianggong" or "Old Xianggong".
It is said that whenever someone mentions Zhang Zhang's name to Jiajing, Jiajing will wave his hand again and again and say: "Don't call him by his name, he is the elder of the court, and he should be honored as 'Xianggong'." "It was a great deal at the time.
There is a reason why Jiajing respects Zhang Xuan so much. On the one hand, Zhang Xuan strongly supported Jiajing in the "Great Etiquette" incident and relieved Jiajing's urgent needs; on the other hand, Zhang Xuan was diligent and conscientious in his tenure, carried out reforms, swept away accumulated defects, and made outstanding contributions to the country's development.
It is precisely because of Zhang Zhang's outstanding performance that Jiajing appreciates him. Whenever Zhang Xuan wrote a book, Jiajing would personally review it and attach great importance to it. Once, Zhang Xuan asked for the border defense to be strengthened, and Jiajing not only adopted his suggestion, but also personally inscribed the four characters "Don't lose the pillar" for Shushu.
In addition to Jiajing, the ministers of the DPRK and China also have great respect for Zhang Xuan. At that time, Wang Shouren, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, once commented on Zhang Xuan: "The prime minister is highly respected, diligently pursues his righteousness, does not avoid the powerful, and is not a villain, which can be described as a model for a generation of prime ministers." ＂
Even those civil officials who used to oppose Zhang Xuan now have to admit his virtue and political achievements. Some people say that Zhang Xuan "Although he is the best because of his flattery, he is a generation of virtuous ministers after all, and he deserves it."
Zhang Xuan served as an official in the DPRK for more than 20 years, and served as the first assistant to the cabinet three times, during which he repeatedly advocated reform, cleared up the accumulated shortcomings, and made the country embark on the road of Zhongxing for a time. His achievements are obvious to all.
In the fourteenth year of Jiajing, Zhang Xuan had to ask Zhishi to return to his hometown due to the aggravation of his illness. At that time, Jiajing was very reluctant, not only allowed Zhang Xuan to return to his hometown to recuperate, but also personally inscribed the poem "The old minister rests" for him, and gave him a generous travel fee.
Four years later, Zhang Xuan died of illness at the age of 65. After Jiajing learned the bad news, he was very sad, and not only gave Zhang Xuan a grand funeral, but also posthumously presented the title of Taishi, nicknamed "Wenzhong". This was the highest honor at the time.
From a down-and-out scholar to a prime minister who is respected as a "virtuous minister", Zhang Zhang's life experience can be described as legendary and wonderful. He not only had the dark side of being criticized for being "flattering," but also had the glorious achievements of carrying out reforms and sweeping away accumulated defects. It is this kind of ups and downs in life that has created the unique charm of Zhang Xuan's character.
A legend of life, an inspirational model
Looking back on Zhang Zhang's life, it is not difficult for us to find that the prime minister, who was respected as a "virtuous minister" by later generations, actually experienced a legendary and tortuous life course. From a down-and-out scholar to a prime minister, from being accused of being "flattering" to gaining the reputation of "virtuous minister", Zhang Zhang's life path can be described as bumpy.
Zhang Xuan was born in a scholarly family, and since he was a child, he was determined to pass the imperial examination and embark on a career in office. But fate played a big joke, he was repeatedly defeated on the road to the imperial examination, and he failed seven times in seven times, and it was not until he was 48 years old that he finally won the Jinshi.
After becoming a sergeant, Zhang Xuan originally wanted to follow the rules and start step by step in the court. Who knew that he was opportunistic in the "Great Etiquette" incident and openly supported Emperor Jiajing, which caused a storm that shocked the government and the opposition. For this reason, Zhang Xuan did not hesitate to oppose the civilian clique, and was criticized as a "courtier" and a "sycophant".
However, it was this "flattery" that Zhang Xuan was able to gain Jiajing's appreciation and embarked on the road of prime minister. Once at the pinnacle of power, Zhang Xuan showed remarkable political wisdom and courage for reform. He had the courage to sweep away accumulated defects, implement reforms, and make outstanding contributions to the country's development.
With his outstanding performance during his reign, Zhang Xuan soon won Jiajing's high appreciation and widespread respect from the government and the opposition. Jiajing respected him so much that he didn't even call him by his name, but respectfully called him "Xianggong" or "Old Xianggong". Even those civil officials who once opposed Zhang Xuan now have to admit his virtues and achievements, calling him "a generation of virtuous ministers".
Zhang Zhang's life experience can be called an inspirational legend. He went from a down-and-out scholar to the pinnacle of his life step by step, and became a promising prime minister and minister. His life has witnessed the perseverance of his philosophy of life, and he has also shown the courage to reform and sweep away the accumulated evils of a politician.
It is with this indomitable spirit that Zhang Xuan was finally able to get rid of his down-and-out fate at the age of 48. It is with this courage to act boldly that he was able to gamble on his future in the "Great Etiquette" incident. It is precisely with this kind of reform courage that he can sweep away the accumulated shortcomings in his tenure as prime minister and promote the development of the country.
It can be said that Zhang Zhang's life is a process of continuous self-transcendence. From downfall to fame, from "flattery" to "virtuous", he broke through himself and surpassed himself every time, and finally achieved this legendary life.
If Zhang Zhang's early years were an inspirational model, his later years were a model of reform. During his tenure as prime minister, he was diligent and conscientious, swept away accumulated defects, implemented reforms, and made outstanding contributions to the development of the country. It is this spirit of reform that has made Zhang Xuan gain the reputation of "virtuous appearance", and also made his life a model for future generations to forge ahead.