Mr. Wang Jinsong, the interpreter of the elderly Wanli Emperor in "A Good Book", said that you should look at the Wanli Emperor with a normal mind. It was after watching "A Good Book"'s interpretation of "The Fifteen Years of Wanli" that I decided to read this book again.
Wanli is a poor man. Wanli ascended the throne of emperor at the age of ten. From then on, he had to follow all kinds of etiquette. In the next fifteen years, he worshiped heaven and earth, worshiped ancestral temples, celebrated New Year's Day, and enjoyed the Dragon Boat Festival. Fifteen years later, he was only twenty-five years old. Wanli's childhood was very hard. Wanli himself said that he could read at the age of five. In the autumn of 1572, Wanli had three homework assignments every day: scriptures, calligraphy, and history. After studying the scriptures, the teacher can rest, but Wanli still has to give instructions on this chapter. In the second half of the day, I was still asked to review my homework and practice calligraphy. The next day, Mr. Zhang Juzheng would ask questions about his homework. If he stuttered about his memorization, Mr. Zhang would severely reprimand Wanli, making Wanli feel ashamed. Wanli's learning tasks are much more arduous than when we were young.
Wanli’s calligraphy made outstanding progress. Wanli was less than ten years old and could write large characters larger than a ruler. But Mr. Zhang canceled the calligraphy class. Zhang Juzheng said: The sage should govern the world with virtue, and the exquisiteness of art is of no benefit to the common people. For example, Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Yuan of the Liang Dynasty, Emperor Chen of the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Huizong of the Sui Dynasty, and Emperor Ningzong of the Song Dynasty. They were all great musicians, painters, poets, and poets, but because they were so absorbed in art that they did not cultivate their political affairs, they had problems. They also suffered from the tragedy of national subjugation. The little emperor could only obey. From then on, calligraphy was eliminated from his daily classes and only classics and history were left. I feel ashamed when I think of my own words. Today, if a child likes calligraphy, his parents must be extremely supportive and very pleased.
Not only study and write, but also eating and sleeping are all subject to your own preferences. Don't eat too much and don't sleep too much. Not only that, even if it rains more or less, or if a certain star changes, it's all his fault. If you think about it today, probably not many people would be willing to exchange identities with him.
The emperor got married in 1578, when he was only 16 years old. Wanli was not interested in the queen, and he was also not interested in other concubines. At this time he felt empty and restless. In the time that passes according to a fixed rhythm, there is a lack of soul-stirring events and enviable adventures.
When Wanli was twenty, he fell in love. What's even more unusual is that their love lasted a lifetime. Zheng and Wanli have the same interest in reading, and at the same time they can take good care of Wanli. She came into his life at the most opportune time and filled his spiritual deficiencies. She saw through that although he was the emperor and was rich all over the world, he was actually weak and had no one to give him sympathy or protection. She saw him as a flesh-and-blood man, impulsive and sentimental. She had no scruples and dared to tease and ridicule the emperor. At the same time, she listened to the emperor's complaints and encouraged him to increase his confidence. She said to him coquettishly and sarcastically: "Your Majesty, you are such an old lady." The love between the two of them was a romantic love. The reason why Zheng was able to win the favor of Wanli also has an enlightening effect on us women today. Although today we advocate the status of women and we do not deliberately try to please anyone, it is also beneficial to the relationship between couples and lovers and the self-improvement of women. Whether you are a single woman or a couple in a relationship, grooming your appearance is of course essential, but an interesting soul and a rich spiritual world are what impress people for a long time.
In the few months from the winter of 1582 to the spring of 1583, Wanli's emotions fell into chaos. Zhang Juzheng, whom Wanli trusted very much, was dead, and the anti-Zhang movement was raging. All this made Wanli feel that his trust in Zhang Juzheng was an unfortunate historical mistake. In the past ten years, he has been in the ninth position, but he has been restricted to the point where he has no money to reward the palace maids. However, Zhang Juzheng's words and deeds have been inconsistent, and he has taken advantage of what he says and what he means. Feng Bao was also liquidated during the liquidation movement.
After the death of Yuanfu Zhang Juzheng, he was liquidated, and his great companion Feng Bao was expelled from the capital. Wanli had now actually taken control of the government. But soon, he will find that the autonomy he gained after getting rid of Zhang and Feng is still subject to various constraints. Even if he is the emperor, it is just a product needed to subdue him.
In 1587, Emperor Wanli was only twenty-five years old, but it had been sixteen years since he ascended the throne of emperor. To him, these fifteen years seemed particularly long, because there were many repeated events and unchanging rituals for him to deal with. People close to him could tell that he was increasingly feeling the monotony and fatigue of life. In the palace examination last year, the topic he asked was "Governing by doing nothing." His boredom with life has transcended his inner world and is beginning to manifest itself in action.