Emperor Jiajing reigned for 45 years and was the emperor who actually ruled for the longest time in the Ming Dynasty. He made great achievements in the first 20 years of his administration. He created a situation of resurgence with his non-conformist innovative spirit. He followed the trend of history, dared to break tradition, showed consideration for scholars, farmers, industry and commerce, and was beneficial to social development. We should also see that his Many buildings of the era, such as the Four Altars of Heaven, Earth, Sun and Moon in Beijing, Zhongxiang's Mingming Mausoleum, Yuanyou Palace, etc., still show the artistic creativity of the working people and contribute to the development of culture; but in the 21st year of Jiajing After that, the government became increasingly corrupt, and the government became worse and worse. The ministers were whipped with ceremonial sticks, worshiped Taoism to their own detriment, sought for great prisons, misused sycophants, and were self-willed, and the situation was in turmoil. Emperor Jiajing was an extremely smart and confident emperor, and he was somewhat arrogant, but he was also very stingy, liked to spend money randomly, and was very concerned about face. The only people he could deal with were veterans of officialdom such as Xu Jie and Yan Song.
The forty-five years of Emperor Jiajing’s reign was the period when capitalism sprouted in China. “It is generally considered to be a period of very active economy, development of agricultural technology and production, and large-scale development of textile and handicraft production. era."
Emperor Jiajing and his father were obsessed with reading sages' books, which is still rare in history. This can also be related to his tough attitude in the etiquette dispute. In addition to competing for power with the veterans of the previous dynasty, Emperor Jiajing was more concerned about fighting for his beloved parents' status, so he ignored his own power. With little strength, he decided to fight for a more honorable position for his parents amidst the turbulent public sentiment. Emperor Jiajing was a completely filial son, but he pursued his own personal filial piety and ignored the justice of the world. After all, he was too stingy and too narrow, which went against the broad and mighty way of being a king. Later generations said that he was the "master of Chinese materials", which seems inappropriate. Confirm the opinion.
Historians of later generations said that Jiajing never loved anyone except himself and his parents. During his forty-five years of rule, he was merciless in killing ministers and officials, and even the harem was filled with his tyranny. The relationship between Emperor Jiajing and his sons could not be said to be harmonious. He did not establish a prince until his death. It can be said that after the death of his parents, Emperor Jiajing had no one with whom he could get along warmly. During festivals and the anniversaries of his parents' deaths, Emperor Jiajing would always withdraw from the crowd, kneel before his parents' memorial tablets, weep and silently pray, with a miserable look on his face, which moved even the palace maids who peeked at him. It was only at this time that the strong emperor Only then did he show some warmth and vulnerability in his bones. "Records of Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty": "The Lord who is sacred and unborn"; "Adhere to the sacred qualifications, bring good luck, root out the evil and pick out the beetles, raise the king's outline, and establish the human history. Li Jianzhong is established, and the human history is established." All the changes in major political orders and the creation of major ceremonies are based on heaven's guidance, understanding the past and present, drawing from the heart, resolutely making decisions, and washing away the traces of common officials, and keeping the shackles of writing. When it was completed, all the surnames fell in love with it. The soldiers were bright and cohesive, the Chinese and foreign ministers were peaceful, the teachings were popular in Jiaonan, and the powerful spirit was in Qiong Shuo. "It's so prosperous!"
"History of the Ming Dynasty" praised: At the beginning of Emperor Shizong's reign, he tried his best to eliminate all bad governance, and the world was ruled. Gu Die discussed the great gift, and the public opinion was boiling. Fortunately, the ministers pretended to be in trouble, and sought to make the prison prosperous. The husband is affectionate by nature and has great righteousness as a monarch and relatives. It is appropriate to build a temple after his honor. However, to be promoted to the temple of his nephew and to be ranked above the Wuzong is not an exaggeration! If there are many troubles at that time, we will be tired on the outside, and the thieves will fight within. Instead, we will advocate Taoism, enjoy worshiping Buddhist scriptures, build prosperous buildings, and the government will be in short supply. The prosperity and peace that have been achieved for more than a hundred years will gradually be replaced by this. Although he is a powerful and treacherous person, he still has the authority to control him, and he must also be the master of the best materials. Shi Chen: "Although (Shizong) did not stay in the palace in his later years, he approved and approved advisors, and never stopped the dial. Although he lived in silence, he relaxed and controlled, and his authority remained unchanged."
Yang Weizhen: "Shizong enjoyed The country is long-lasting. This dynasty is unique. I have been living for decades, and the world is in my hand. I am a true hero! The new capital (Yang Tinghe) (Zhang Cong), Huating (Xu Jie) has done a great job. The officials are corrupt and the military is lazy, which is why Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty has failed to do so."
Hai Rui: "In Jiajing, every house is clean."
Zhang Juzheng: "During the Zhengde period, the political system was in chaos. Emperor Shizong succeeded to the throne with his wisdom and sage, and corrected all the previous bad governance to restore the old practices of our ancestors and uphold what we should abide by today."; "After the Shimiao inherited Zhengde and the gang of traitors who caused chaos in the government, they used their power to invigorate them, restore the imperial outline, and enforce laws and disciplines, and the country's dignity was once again enhanced."; "Sejong's ban on removing relatives and conferring titles was a "super-worldly view. The two ancestors of Tongfu are beyond the reach of modern emperors.
"; "Zhen Yao Qianyou, flourishing the order of things, the virtue of hundreds of kings, rules and imitation for eternity. With Yong Ning to bless your destiny, in the prosperous period, you will have the best discipline!"; "I secretly believe that my emperor is at a young age, and everything is done only by the ancestors of the Charter. Then the Taizu’s decrees and the ancestors’ edicts should be read and followed. "; "The ancestor of the emperor was extremely intelligent. During the twenty years after he succeeded to the throne, he worked hard to govern and study diligently. His wisdom, wisdom and judgment were beyond the reach of the previous emperors. "; "I begged to the Imperial Procuratorate to examine the principles of the constitution established in the early years of Jiajing's reign, and to add further instructions to uphold justice and promote moral integrity, so as to assist the emperor in promoting the rule of law, keeping the common people in order, and the court respecting them. The law is observed. ”
Tan Qian: “Changing old habits means being honest and heroic”; “Control officials with strictness and govern the people with leniency; use Confucian classics as a teacher and law as a supplement; cultivate internal governance with strictness and clarity, Control border defense with tranquility. ”
Mao Zedong: “He who practices elixirs and practices Taoism is a fatuous old man. He has been in the world for more than forty years, but he just doesn’t do anything.” Fortunately, the upright people in the country were suppressed and suppressed, and the atmosphere and customs of the bureaucrats were greatly deteriorated. There was no hope for the politics of the generation.
Bu Jian: "The thoughts and culture of the Jiajing Dynasty. Towards prosperity, a large number of outstanding figures and excellent works appeared. Sejong not only had the power to advocate and lead, but also had the merits of tolerance and protection." "Sejong's life journey was complicated because of his family and country, and the six interests, which made him full of hope and loss. Full of pursuit and disillusionment, full of expectations, but also melancholy. "; "In essence, this is a very talented emperor, a scholarly emperor, a responsible and courageous monarch. Sejong had a good character and outstanding talents, but he just took more detours in life and governance. ”
Mao Peiqi: “In fact, in our opinion, Emperor Shizong Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty was the emperor who should have made a difference among the 17 emperors of the Ming Dynasty. He launched a great ceremony not long after he came to court. In today's terms, it can be said to be a political movement. This great etiquette involved all the officials from the top to the bottom of the court. ”
Ming Yue: He was the smartest emperor in the history of the Ming Dynasty. Among the dozen or so emperors of the Ming Dynasty, if we were to rank him by IQ level, he would be at least third. His intelligence was no less than Zhu Yuanzhang was poor, very cunning, and good at controlling the overall situation; Jiajing was concentrating on practicing Taoism during the day, and he was revising memorials at night. This was the key to his ability to control the officials. He did not lie down to sleep for a while until five o'clock in the morning. He never misses any opportunity to control his ministers. Since ancient times, there have been stupid emperors, but there were no stupid emperors in the Ming Dynasty. Jiajing practiced Taoism to live for two more years, because he mastered the rules of being an emperor, and no one could shake him. For him, this is the foundation of Taoism.
Wang Jiafan: "Emperor Jiajing believed in alchemy to the point of becoming obsessed with it. ". "Jiajing Xiuzhai lived in isolation without forgetting to make arbitrary decisions. Rather than saying "inaction", it is better to say that he had learned the harshness and cruelty of the Legalists and brought the tyranny of the imperial system to the extreme. ”
Chen Baoguo: “This emperor is very interesting. He does not wear dragon robes and does not go to court, but he knows everything about the court, and he still firmly holds military power; I have almost no role in the play. Sitting on the Dragon Throne is so different from "Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty". This emperor is very different. ”