Zhang Juzheng was born in a military family of low-level intellectuals, which determined that he had the opportunity to change his destiny through knowledge, and also because his lower-class life allowed him to better see the sufferings of the world. As he continued to study and rise in his official career, he was able to better think about the problems of the imperial government's governance policies. As a reformer, discovering problems is as important as solving them.
When a person walks on the mountainside of his official career, the next step is the top of the mountain. This kind of condescending temptation is difficult to resist. Therefore, after his teacher retired, he had the desire to be a top performer, so he and Feng Bao completed the Gaogong , and the first assistant was pocketed. The handsome Zhang Juzheng also won the trust of the emperor's biological mother. As the teacher of the Wanli emperor, the idea that a strict teacher produces a good disciple has always been well implemented in Zhang Juzheng's life dogma. But his student is the king of a country.
Zhang Juzheng's reforms were carried out in many aspects such as politics, economy, and military, and achieved remarkable results, and he also won recognition from above and below. However, his actions in daily life were contrary to the restrictions imposed on Emperor Wanli. His sedan was so big that it was said that 32 bearers were needed to carry it. The toilets and bedrooms inside were quite impressive. He also returned home in a sedan chair. Although this incident was a bit exaggerated, the emperor could tolerate it. I think the most important thing that the emperor could not tolerate was the relationship between Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang . Historical records indicate that Qi Jiguang once sent a musketry team to Zhang Juzheng to be responsible for his daily safety. The close relationship between courtiers and border generals has always been a taboo for emperors. In addition, reforms will inevitably offend some old vested interests. Therefore, after Zhang Juzheng's death, opposition forces will inevitably impeach and attack him.
Emperor Wanli's repressed spirit was thus released, and no one could control him anymore. As an emperor in his twenties, his youth and unfettered life would inevitably make his life disorderly.
Many people say that the fifteenth year of Wanli was the starting point of the decline of and in the Ming Dynasty, but I think the demise of the Ming Dynasty was more caused by natural disasters. Of course, the external post-Jin Manchu Qing forces and the internal peasant uprising were the last straw that broke the Ming Dynasty, and the party struggle within the court was the real factor that truly disintegrated the Ming Dynasty.
