Zhang bronze statue
Yan Song and Zhang have similarities in status and morality, but they also have many connections. For example, when Jinshi entered imperial academy to study Zhang, Yan Song had joined the cabinet, and before that, he had worked in imperial academy for more than ten years. Later, Yan Song overthrew Xia Yan and became the cabinet record. According to the regulations of the Ming dynasty, the cabinet records should also supervise the Hanlin Academy, which is equivalent to the principal there. Therefore, Zhang, who was in the academician courtyard at that time, was not only Yan Song's colleague, but also his junior and student.
It was the power struggle between Yan Song and Zhang that made Zhang see the corruption of state affairs and had the idea of political reform. Although Zhang systematically expounded his reform thoughts in the above article, neither Shi Zongming nor Yan Song paid attention to it. It was not until he came to power that he began his own reform measures. Thus, Yan Song can be regarded as a negative example of Zhang.
In addition, there is a great connection between Yan Song and Zhang because of one person, and that person is Xu Jie. Xu Jie and Yan Song are both cabinet graduates for many years. When they gradually fell out of favor in Yan Song, he made a surprise attack and succeeded in obtaining the order of Emperor Jiajing to surrender to Yan Song. When Zhang was in the Imperial Academy, Xu Jie was one of his teachers, and later he took care of and recommended Zhang.
Is Yan Song a traitor? To judge whether a person is a loyal minister or a traitor, we generally analyze him from two aspects: his merits and moral character. Together, merit is greater than excesses, and good is greater than evil, which is loyalty and vice versa. However, judging from Yan Song's life, he is not good at these two aspects, so he is a traitor.
Yan Song in film and television dramas.
Yan Song has been an official for more than 40 years, including 20 years in a high position. Even as a cabinet record, he was on an equal footing with the prime minister and was authoritarian for a while. In addition, Emperor Jiajing of Ming Shizong trusted him very much. Yan Song could have made great achievements and made a career to change the chaos of state affairs and the corruption of officialdom at that time. But as far as the known historical materials are concerned, he has made no achievements. Instead of discouraging the emperor from concentrating on political affairs, he encouraged him to indulge in Taoism. Yan Song did many things that endangered the country in his life. For example, Yan Song framed many loyal people, such as Xia Yan who promoted him and Yang Jisheng who impeached him. For example, selling officials and titles, madly collecting money; For example, conniving at sons and subordinates to do evil.
As far as Yan Song's personal character is concerned, there are some controversies in later generations. After all, human nature is complicated. Judging from the evil deeds listed above, Yan Song's moral character should be described as corruption. But Yan Song also has many bright spots: for example, he is diligent and studious, and he has been writing all his life; For example, there is only one wife in life, no concubines, and she has always been loyal to her; For example, I am passionate about my hometown and have built many bridges and roads for my hometown.
No matter whether Yan Song's personal morality is good or bad, at least it is not beautiful, but it is full of evil without merit. Anyway, it can only be called a traitor. On the contrary, although Zhang was autocratic and corrupt, his personal morality was poor, but his political reform was out of the heart of serving the country and he was a loyal minister on the whole.
Yan Song overthrew Yan Song for twenty years and finally fell. Not only was he dismissed and returned to his hometown, but his son was quickly convicted and beheaded. And Yan Song himself later became homeless. After two years of wandering outside, he died of illness, and there was nowhere to be buried after death. No one mourned him. It can be said that this tragedy is very tragic.
Yan Song in the play.
Yan Song's position and power, in the final analysis, came from the love of Emperor Jiajing, so the final downfall of Yan Song must be related to the emperor. Emperor Jiajing of Ming Shizong was a very clever emperor. He saw officialdom and power clearly and thoroughly. Yan Song's father and son dominated the state affairs, framed Zhongliang, embezzled and accepted bribes, and ran amok. It's not that he couldn't see it, but he just didn't take it to heart. So a minister impeached Yan Song, and he didn't take it seriously. When Yan Song and his son began to offend Jiajing, it was the end of Yan Song, especially the fire in Wanshou Palace, and Yan Song lost the favor of the emperor more and more.
The mastermind behind Yan Song's downfall was Xu Jie, who was second only to him at that time. Xu Jie had been forbearing for many years before, but now he felt that Jiajing's attitude towards Yan Song had changed and he began to fight against Yan Song. He introduced a Taoist who was good at Fu Ying, Lan Daoxing, to Jiajing who was superstitious about Taoism. However, when Landaoxing got the second help, the result was "separation of father and son, treachery and playing politics", and the target was clearly Yan Song and his son. Jiajing asked why God didn't punish him, and the Taoist replied that it was left to the emperor to do the right thing. Later, under the impeachment of others and the encouragement of Xu Jie, Jiajing deposed Yan Song and ordered him to go home.
Later, under the premeditation of Xu Jie and others, Yan Shifan, the son of Yan Song, was also impeached and imprisoned. After the case was closed in the second year, Yan Shifan was beheaded, and Yan Song lost his property and completely collapsed.
How did Yan Song die? 1562, Yan Song was impeached, and Emperor Jiajing of Ming Sejong finally ordered Yan Song to be removed from all his official posts and returned to his original place. A few years later, he was deprived of his official position, demoted to Shu Ren, and all his possessions were copied. 1567, he died of poverty and disease, leaving a tragic ending.
Yan Song in film and television dramas.
Yan Song was initially dismissed. Sejong didn't want him to die, but he was punished in the end, which led to his final death. And the second depraved curse is on his son Yan Shifan, that is to say, he was implicated by his son.
When Yan Song ordered to go home from office, his son and his henchmen were also sent to the frontier. But soon, Yan Shifan and his party fled back to their hometown privately on the way. Later, Yan Shifan and his henchmen Luo Longwen and others trapped Jiang Yang thieves and other lawless elements and ran roughshod over the village. Because of this, someone wrote a letter to impeach Yan Shifan, and the two major charges of prosecution were insurrection and Japanese aggression, which Sejong Jiajing hated most, so he was beheaded by Yan Shifan and even implicated in his father Yan Song. It turns out that Luo Longwen, Yan Shifan's confidant, is a relative of an enemy, and their close ties naturally become the handle of people who hate Yan Song's family, even adding a charge of intentional insurrection.
After Yan Song was deprived of his property, he was homeless and penniless, and it was common for him to be seriously ill because of his advanced age. So Yan Song, who had been living in other people's cemeteries, died on 1567 at the age of 87. It is said that he wrote two sentences before he died: "I have been loyal to my country all my life, and I will distinguish right from wrong when I die." After his death, Yan Song was buried without a coffin, and no one dared to mourn. It was not until Emperor Wanli that he was buried.
Yan Song, Zhang, Zhang and Yan Song were all prime ministers of the Ming Dynasty. In their lives, they also have similarities. Although Yan Song has been called a traitor for a long time by later generations, Yan Song and Zhang had similar experiences to some extent.
Portrait of Yan Song
Zhang and Yan Song are both geniuses. Both of them showed great talent in their youth and entered the officialdom at a young age. The second point is that Zhang and Yan Song are highly accomplished in calligraphy and literature. Zhang's calligraphy is very good, and his poems are also good, while Yan Song's calligraphy attainments are very high, and he is good at writing green ci. The third point is that both Zhang and Yan Song have mentors. Zhang's mentor is Jeff, and Yan Song's mentor is. Xia Yan and Yan Song are fellow villagers. Xia Yan promoted and reused Yan Song, but Yan Song betrayed and persecuted Xia Yan. Finally, before Xia Yan died, he wooed and trained Xu Jie. Finally, Xu Jie overthrew Yan Song. On the one hand, Zhang's becoming prime minister is the result of his own struggle; On the other hand, Zhang benefited from the struggle against the high arch. Besides, the fate of both of them is tragic. Zhang was brilliant after his death, but soon after, he was persecuted by the opposition. Ordered a search of Zhang's home and exiled all his family. In the end, there were very few people left at home. In his later years, Yan Song starved to death in the streets and suffered eternal infamy.
However, their different pursuit of politics led to their different evaluations in history. When Yan Song became prime minister, he took advantage of his position to collect a lot of money and became a traitor. Zhang carried out the Wanli New Deal, which made the rule of the Ming Dynasty last for more than 60 years, all of which could not be separated from the contribution of the opening.