Zhang Cong is not afraid of Jiajing, and speaks for Xiaozong and Zhang Taihou, which shows that his character is worthy of recognition.
When discussing the evolution of the political situation between Zheng De and Jiajing, the academic circles almost unanimously pointed out that Sejong suppressed the Yang Tinghe Group to strengthen the imperial power, or highlighted that Sejong constantly strengthened the imperial power with gifts. Actually, this is a false proposition. What needs to be faced squarely is that the imperial power of the Ming Dynasty has never been weakened, and it is very stable. After Zhu Yuanzhang, no other forces could covet the imperial power except the enfeoffment clan, which threatened the imperial power to some extent. In some people's imagination, the cabinet can still restrict the emperor, which is also a wrong view. The cabinet of the Ming Dynasty was the product of adapting to the imperial power, and it was a part of the imperial power itself, so it was impossible to confront the imperial power. We can't regard the differences or even fierce arguments between cabinet ministers and the emperor on a certain matter as the restriction of cabinet power on imperial power, let alone the opposition to imperial power. Because in the decision-making process, arguments are extremely normal, and authoritarian politics does not refuse arguments. Otherwise, there would be no deliberation system in the Ming Dynasty. In fact, only with the permission and support of the emperor can cabinet ministers make a difference. Once his behavior goes beyond the provisions of the system, not only the emperor does not allow it, but also the Ming society does not allow it, so cabinet ministers generally do not break through this red line. In the history of the Ming Dynasty, Yang Tinghe was indeed a little special during the vacancy of the throne, but this particularity did not change the attribute of the cabinet, let alone give Yang Tinghe a legitimate reason to override the imperial power. Because the new emperor is not a dou, not a puppet. Sejong ascended the throne, and the particularity of Yang Tinghe ceased to exist. As for the administration of Emperor Jiajing, that is a question that the new emperor should consider. Since Zhu Hou was promoted to the throne, we should respect the new emperor. After Sejong ascended the throne, Yang Tinghe became a cabinet minister under Sejong's leadership. He must obey Sejong and be loyal to Sejong. Otherwise, there will be no administrative space in Yang Tinghe. But the fact is, after choosing a new monarch, Yang Tinghe did not seriously consider how to establish a new relationship with the new monarch who was about to enter Beijing, let alone listen to Sejong's administrative philosophy as a courtier. Yang Tinghe's "contribution", which was excavated and amplified by academic circles, was actually superficial, not the main problem at that time. In other words, at the prosperous time, it was not Yang Tinghe who seized the opportunity to do anything specific, but how he gained the trust of the emperor and obtained the prerequisite for doing practical things and even making changes. The gift he designed advocated putting himself on the opposite side of Sejong at the beginning of his reign, completely losing the possibility of establishing mutual trust with Sejong. Thus, what Sejong wants to do most after he acceded to the throne is to clear the Yang Tinghe Group. This is the starting point for understanding Jiajing's political governance, especially Jiajing's innovation.
The gift was Yang Tinghe's choice to quit Huarong Road in Jiajing's political arena and be loyal to Xiaozong or Sejong's duel field. Yang Tinghe's failure in the gift ceremony is inevitable and fully conforms to the political interests of the Ming Dynasty. The academic circles should face up to the positive significance of the failure of Yang Tinghe Group, change their pessimistic consciousness, restore their confidence, and understand that Jiajing government will run better without Yang Tinghe. Sejong completely wiped out the huge Yang Tinghe Group with the help of the ceremony, which is a miracle, and it is enough to show his political and administrative ability. Through the gift, the emperor met Zhang Cong, a middle-aged scholar who was born as a village man, and a new relationship between monarch and minister was formed. Zhang Cong "has only been a teacher for more than eight years, and his rank has reached the top." In his works, poems describing the new relationship between monarch and minister can be seen everywhere, such as: "it is difficult for monarch and minister to meet each other since ancient times, and it is difficult to repay kindness and enmity"; "This unity, and. L was scared to be reasonable "; "It is difficult for the monarch and the minister to meet each other, but they only hate the grace god for not killing"; "The monarch and the minister share weal and woe, and the distance can be shared"; "I am so grateful, I can't stand loneliness and knowing the Lord. It is really inappropriate for an old disease to invade the mausoleum. " Such a close relationship between monarch and minister is rare among ministers in Ming Dynasty, especially in comparison with the sadness that Yang Tinghe was left out by Wuzong and Sejong. In the Ming dynasty, only ministers, especially cabinet ministers, were sincerely appointed by the emperor to make a difference. Zhang Cong rose up and replaced Yang Tinghe with a grand ceremony, which basically ended the political shock caused by Ming Wuzong's refusal to inherit, and the era of Jiajing reform really came.
The ceremony was an open debate and a deliberation attended by South African officials at all levels. With his keen, brave and self-confident, Zhang Cong fully demonstrated his spirit of seeking truth from facts and being brave in innovation through this platform, and won the trust of Sejong. In other words, Zhang Cong expressed his gift proposition within the scope permitted by the system, which is neither illegal nor immoral. For a long time, some scholars have inherited the unhealthy trend of Yang Tinghe Group's wanton abuse of Zhang Cong and others, and have doubts about Zhang Cong's motive of proposing gifts, thinking that it is "a' villain' who caters to Sejong, and only regards the appearance of Zhang Cong as the embodiment of Zhang Cong's personal self-interest, that is, Zhang Cong has benefited from personal promotion! This argument is also reflected in the current works. If this is true, it will undoubtedly elevate Zhang Cong, not belittle Zhang Cong, indicating that he had foresight and foresaw the end of the ceremony at the beginning! In fact, at the beginning of the ceremony, Zhang Cong didn't expect the final result. In the face of Yang Tinghe Group's revenge, he did not fear power, did not compromise, insisted on his own ideas, stood up and refuted, and finally won the ceremony. The theory of "catering" is obviously the expression of Zhang Cong haters' dissatisfaction with Zhang Cong's rapid promotion due to courtesy! Obviously, it is necessary to defeat Zhang Cong with the "moral" stick! This is a superficial and even meaningless argument! In some researchers' works, they are indiscriminate, cursing at the sight of the emperor, opposing at the sight of the emperor, and holding high all those who oppose the emperor indefinitely. Yang Tinghe Group's irrational abuse of Zhang Cong is understandable, but researchers can't just pick up some historical materials and delete them at will, let alone praise or criticize them with their own prejudices without analysis. People who despise Zhang Cong are unwilling to face up to Zhang Cong's spirit of propriety and righteousness, Zhang Cong's innovative activities and Zhang Cong's historical position! In other words, I just don't want to make a comprehensive and in-depth study of Jiajing's administration. Only by changing this style of study can we rationally treat Zhang Cong's outstanding contribution to the political management in Ming Dynasty, especially the reform in Ming Dynasty. Only by placing Zhang Cong in a prominent position can we truly understand the historical trend of Jia Zheng and Jiaqing, the characteristics of Jiajing's political management, and the 60-year reform process of the Ming Dynasty. Ming Shizong, an emperor who grew up in Hubei; Zhang Cong, a minister coming out of rural Zhejiang. A young son of heaven and a middle-aged courtier came from outside Beijing at the same time, and they had nothing to do with the abuses of the previous dynasty, no interest relationship with the old bureaucratic group, and no corruption record. Such a strange combination is unique in the history of China. This combination itself is a new atmosphere, which will inevitably bring about great changes in politics and governance. As Zhang Cong said, "Jinna met a wise master, and he was spoiled. He didn't know how to repay, but he committed himself to forgetting his home and dare to promise himself. " After the real combination of the relationship between monarch and minister was completed with the help of the ceremony, specific political reforms followed. During the sixty years' reform from the first year of Jiajing (1522) to the tenth year of Wanli (1582), there were Zhang Cong before and Zhang after. They made due contributions to the reform in Ming Dynasty in different historical stages. Mr. Cai Meibiao once brilliantly demonstrated: "There were two Wenzhong in the Ming Dynasty, both of whom took it as their duty to promote reform." If you don't know Zhang Cong, you can't really know Zhang. It can be said that Zhang Cong was the initiator, the first minister and the real reformer in the history of the Ming Dynasty. I hope the landlord will adopt it