Finally, from the author's grand historical view, it is concluded that 1587, that is, the fifteen years of Wanli, has nothing to remember on the surface, but under the surface of universal peace, the hidden danger of the collapse of the Millennium Empire has long been buried. All the characters described in the book have tragic endings (even the emperor). The Ming Dynasty lasted 276 years from 1368 when Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed himself emperor to 1644 when he died. Combined with the history of China, it has been almost two thousand years since Qin Shihuang began the feudal system in China. Emperor Wanli was the longest-serving emperor in the Ming Dynasty, and he was the highest among all emperors in terms of educational level. The fifteen-year history of Wanli is also a history of failure!
The main idea of his book is put forward in the last paragraph of the book:? When a country with a large population, everyone's actions are limited by the simple and superficial principles of Confucianism, and the law lacks creativity, so the degree of social development is bound to be limited. Even if the purpose is good, technology cannot be subsidized. ? When the empire held high the moral banner, the Ming Dynasty was doomed to perish. There is no room for improvement in technology and management, and social progress is bound to be restricted by rough morality.
I like this passage in the book best:? A talented person, in the process of contributing to public welfare, will not cherish his reputation too much, so he looks forward and backward and limits his actions. He can endure humiliation or succeed in his career by hook or by crook. This practice of taking the overall situation into account is considered to be justified, and its premise is to take public interests as a refuge, while the ethical explanation is that public morality is different from private morality, and the pure purpose may be impure. ?