Emperor Mingshizong Zhu Houxi (16 September 1507 – 23 January 1567) was a grandson of Emperor Mingxianzong Zhu Jianshen, nephew of Emperor Mingxiaozong, son of Emperor Xingxian of Zhu Youzhao, and cousin of Emperor Mingwuzong Zhu Houzhao. The eleventh emperor of the Ming Dynasty (reigned 27 April 1521 – 23 January 1567), the era name "Jiajing". In the second year of Zhengde (1507), Zhu Houxi was born in the palace of Anluxing in Hubei Province, and in the sixteenth year of Zhengde (1521), Emperor Wuzong of Ming died without heirs, and his biological mother Empress Zhang and the first assistant of the cabinet, Yang Tinghe, decided that Zhu Houxi, the royal family of Jinzhi and cousin of Emperor Wuzong, would inherit the throne.
At the beginning of Zhu Houxi's reign, he gradually grasped the imperial power through great ceremonial discussions. In the early days of his reign, he was wise and strict, strictly controlling officials, governing the people with leniency, rectifying the program of the dynasty, and reducing the number of military personnel, which is known in history as the "Jiajing New Deal". However, after almost dying at the hands of the palace maid in the "Renyin Palace Change" in the twenty-first year of Jiajing (1542), Zhu Houxi ignored the government for a long time, which led to internal and external troubles in the Ming Dynasty. The Mongol Khun Khun Khan was on the Koubian side for many years, and even in the twenty-ninth year of Jiajing (1550), the army came to the city of Beijing, known in history as the "Change of Gengzhi"; the Wokou also attacked the southeast coast. The "Southern Wu and Northern Raiders" have always plagued the Jiajing Dynasty, causing a great negative impact. Below, let's talk about emperor Zhu Houxi of the Ming Dynasty.
One
First of all, Zhu Houxi was very intelligent when he was young, and his father taught him to read poems a few times before he could recite them accurately. Not only that, but his father also let him participate in the sacrifices and ceremonies of the royal palace, so he became familiar with various etiquette and norms at a very young age. In this regard, in the author's opinion, this actually laid the groundwork for Zhu Houxi to ascend the throne smoothly and seize power through the great ceremony. In other words, Zhu Houxi's father, as the king of the Ming Dynasty, obviously did not think that his son would one day inherit the throne of the Ming Emperor, so his cultivation of his son can be said to be unintentional.
On March 14, 1521 (April 20, 1521), Emperor Mingwuzong died. Because Emperor Mingwu Zhu Houzhao had no heirs of his own, zhu Houzhao was able to inherit the throne under the principle of brother and brother. On April 21, 1521 (May 27, 1521), Zhu Houxi officially assumed the throne as emperor and changed his name to Yuan Jiajing the following year. Soon after Emperor Mingshizong succeeded to the throne, he ordered his courtiers to discuss the title of King Xingxian together. Because of this problem, Zhu Houxi and Yang Tinghe and other ministers engaged in a ceremonial dispute for several years, known in history as the "Great Ceremonial Discussion". The great ceremonial discussion finally ended with the victory of Emperor Ming, and in order to allow his father, King Xingxian, to enter the temple, Zhu Houxi changed Zhu Di's temple name from Taizong to Chengzu. In other words, Zhu Di's original temple name was Ming Taizong, which was the same as Tang Taizong Li Shimin. However, after the "Great Ceremony Discussion" incident, Zhu Di's temple number eventually became Ming Chengzu.
In this regard, in the view of many historians, the dispute over etiquette helped Zhu Houxi grasp the power of the Ming Dynasty and laid a good foundation for his efforts. When Emperor Mingshizong succeeded to the throne, he re-employed the ministers who had been not used for their outspoken advice during the Zhengde period on a series of maladministrations during the reign of Emperor Wuzong of the Qing Dynasty, and halved the rent for next year's land.
Two
When it comes to the Jiajing Emperor, many people's first reaction is that he has not been in the dynasty for a long time and does not handle the government. However, in fact, Jiajing, who reigned for the first twenty years, was a diligent emperor. According to the "History of Ming" and other historical records, after Zhu Houxi ascended the throne and became emperor, he immediately began to rectify the imperial program. He learned the lessons of eunuchs interfering in the government during the Zhengde years, and chose to strictly control eunuchs, such as cutting the power of the celebrant and abolishing the eunuchs, all of which limited the power of eunuchs to a certain extent. After all, in the history of the Ming Dynasty, eunuchs interfering in the government often had a very negative impact, such as Ming Yingzong's favored eunuch Wang Zhen, which eventually led to the change of Tumu Fort. As far as Emperor Mingwu Zhu Houzhao was concerned, there was also the problem of eunuchs interfering in the affairs of the dynasty during his reign. All these things prompted Zhu Houxi to correct and adjust.
At the same time, after Zhu Houxi ascended the throne, he attached importance to the appointment of Zhang Xuan, Xia Yan and other sages. In order to be able to obtain more talents, Ming Shizong said: "If there are talents and excellent talents who are worthy of heavy responsibilities, they should be unqualified, and if the officials encounter vacancies, they should also be used simply as appropriate, and they should not avoid suspicion and prevarication." In this regard, in the author's opinion, Zhu Houxi's attitude of seeking talents is naturally commendable.
Three
Culturally, after Emperor Ming ascended the throne, he immediately rectified the imperial examination system. For Emperor Ming Shizong Zhu Houxi, he advocated the simultaneous use of the three ways to stimulate morale. Correct the titles and rituals of Confucius. In this regard, in the view of many historians, in the early days of Jiajing, culture and science and technology were unprecedentedly prosperous, and a large number of outstanding literary works and outstanding figures emerged. And this, of course, is a relatively high evaluation. However, during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor, perhaps because of certain achievements, or perhaps because of the long-term peace in the world, which made Zhu Houxi gradually slack. From this point of view, Emperor Mingshizong Zhu Houxi and Tang Xuanzong Li Longji are more similar. For the latter, the early days of his reign created the Kaiyuan dynasty and pushed the Tang Dynasty to its peak. However, an Anshi rebellion caused the Tang Dynasty to decline. Now, for Emperor Ming Shizong Zhu Houxi, there was also a change, which was the "change of the Palace of Nongyin".
In October of the twenty-first year of Jiajing (1542), more than a dozen palace ladies, led by Yang Jinying, resolved to kill Emperor Mingshizong, but later failed, and the history called "Nongyin Palace Change". Afterwards, Emperor Mingshizong moved to the Wanshou Palace in Xiyuan and did not dare to live in the Forbidden City's dormitory. From then on, Emperor Mingzong Zhu Houxi paid even more attention to the government. And this also led to internal and external troubles in the Ming Dynasty, and many problems broke out.
In June of the twenty-ninth year of Jiajing (1550), in order to force Emperor Ming shizong to agree to the mutual market, Li Da led an army to invade Datong, and the chief officer Zhang Da and the deputy general Lin Chun were killed. In this battle, Li Da led an army that threatened the capital of the Ming Dynasty. It is worth noting that the last similar incident was after the change of Tumu Fort, and he also led a large army to attack the capital of the Ming Dynasty. In this regard, after receiving the promise of tribute from the Ming Dynasty, he retreated from the Ming Dynasty, which is known in history as the "Change of Gengji".
Four
Finally, in the middle and late Jiajing period, Emperor Ming favored the traitor Yan Song, which also caused a great negative impact. In this regard, in the author's opinion, it is precisely because Jiajing ignores the government and politics that Yan Song and his henchmen gradually grow. In the thirty-first year of Jiajing (1552), Yan Song successively removed Xia Yan, Qiu Luan and other ministers, and the imperial court was unmatched for a while, but he was well aware of Emperor Mingshizong's suspicion of the ministers, and in order to maintain his power, he dealt a cruel blow to all the civilian generals who impeached him, the light ones were gone, and the heavy ones were killed. All these aggravated the internal troubles of the Ming Dynasty. On the other hand, the outbreak of problems in all aspects has also prompted Jiajing to slack off the government even more, thus forming a vicious circle.
It is worth noting that in the forty-first year of Jiajing (1562), Zou Yinglong denounced Yan Song's father and son, and Emperor Ming shizong ordered the arrest of Yan Shifan, ordering Yan Song to return to his hometown, and Xu Jie replaced Yan Song as the first assistant. In March of the forty-fourth year of Jiajing (1565), Yan Shifan was killed. Although Jiajing eventually eliminated Yan Song's father and son, Jiajing at this time was already in the last year of his reign. On December 14, 1567 (January 23, 1567), Emperor Ming died at the Qianqing Palace at the age of 60.
For Jiajing, he ascended the throne at the age of 15 and died at the age of 60, reigning for 45 years, making him the second-longest-reigning emperor in the history of the Ming Dynasty. As for the longest-reigning emperor of the Ming Dynasty, it was Jiajing's grandson, the Wanli Emperor. In general, for Emperor Ming Shizong Zhu Houxi, in the first twenty years of his reign, he worked hard to rule and could be called a Ming Emperor. However, in the twenty years after his reign, he ignored the government and watched the Ming Dynasty fall into a situation of internal and external troubles, which prompted the Jiajing Emperor's historical evaluation, which was naturally mixed.