Dynasties of ChinaMing dynastyMing dynasty lineage
Chenghua · Reign 1464—1487
After he ascended the throne, he was named Emperor Yu Qian Zhaoxue and Emperor Jingtai, but he doted on Wan Guifei and Wang Zhi, established Xichang, and granted officials indiscriminately.
Zhu Jianshen is the eldest son of Yingzong. After the Tumu Crisis in 1449, he was made Crown Prince by the Empress Dowager Sun at a young age; he was deposed as King Yi by his uncle Emperor Jingtai in 1452, and was reestablished only after the restoration of Yingzong in 1457. After he came to the throne in 1464, he rehabilitated Yu Qian and restored the title of Emperor Jingtai. His generous move was very popular. He put down the uprising of the refugees in Jingxiang and established Yunyang Prefecture to resettle the refugees. He sent troops to conquer the Jurchens in Jianzhou. He ordered Yu Zijun to build the Yansui border wall, and the border defense was consolidated for a time.
He doted on Wan Guifei, who was more than ten years older, and trusted the eunuchs Wang Zhi, Liang Fang, and the alchemist Li Zisheng. In 1477, he established Xichang, where spies were rampant. There were thousands of ministers who were appointed directly by the imperial edict without going through the official department. He rarely summoned ministers, and the cabinet was ridiculed as "three ministers made of paper and six ministers made of clay". Guifei died in the late spring of 1487, and Xianzong died of illness in August of the same year.
When Xianzong came to the throne, he was Yu Qian Zhaoxue and restored the title of Jingtai Emperor. He was generous and sensible, and he was also quite effective in border defense and Jingxiang management. However, he doted on Wan Guifei, eunuchs, and alchemists, established Western factories, granted officials excessively, and neglected to summon ministers for a long time, which led to the deterioration of the government. This was a critical period of political decline in the mid-Ming Dynasty.
PoliticsTwice established as Crown Prince
After the Tumu Crisis, Queen Mother Sun appointed the young Zhu Jianshen as Crown Prince to reassure people. In 1452, Emperor Jingtai changed his name to his own son and deposed him as King Yi. In 1457, when Yingzong was restored to the throne, he was reestablished as Crown Prince. It is said that childhood panic caused him to stutter.
PoliticsIndiscriminate appointment of ministers
Not long after he ascended the throne, he was directly conferred an official title by the eunuch, without being selected by the Ministry of Personnel and recommended by the court. He was called "passed official". Craftsmen, painters, monks, alchemists, and even relatives of eunuchs became officials one after another, resulting in an increase in redundant staff and a serious failure of official administration.
SocietyJingxiang refugees
A large number of refugees fled from famine gathered in the Jingxiang Mountain area at the junction of Huguang, Henan, and Shaanxi. Liu Tong rose up in 1465 and Li Yuan rose up again in 1470, but both were suppressed. In 1476, Yuan Jie, the imperial censor of the capital, adopted a policy of appeasement, allowing the refugees to register on the spot and establishing Yunyang Mansion for management.
Lasting legacyThe administrative seat of Yunyang Prefecture is now Yunyang District, Shiyan City, Hubei Province. Yunyang's status as the administrative center of the border area between Hubei, Henan and Shaanxi was thus established.
CultureThe stereotype of eight-part essay
The articles explaining the classics and meanings of the Four Books and Five Classics in the imperial examinations gradually formed a fixed format of breaking the topic, continuing the topic, starting the lecture, and four sets of dual paragraphs. Gu Yanwu's "Rizhilu" states that "the text of classics and meanings, commonly known as eight-legged writing, began after Chenghua".
Lasting legacyThe word "eight-legged writing" is still used to describe rigid, empty and stereotyped writing styles, such as "party stereotypes" and "foreign stereotypes".
PoliticsFor Yu Qian Zhaoxue
Yu Qian's son Yu Mian returned after being pardoned and went to Shangshu to redress his father's grievances. Xianzong issued an edict to restore his former official position, and sent officials to offer sacrifices. The words of the memorial include "When the country is in trouble, protect the country from danger", which is recited all over the world.
MilitaryChenghua Liting
Jianzhou Jurchens repeatedly raided the border. The Ming court detained and executed Dong Shan, the leader of Jianzhou, and sent Zhao Fu to lead an army to split with the Korean army to attack Jianzhou. The Korean army attacked and killed Li Manzhu and his son, burned a large number of villages, and Jianzhou Jurchens suffered heavy losses.
MilitaryBuild Yansui Border Wall
Yu Zijun, the governor of Yansui, mobilized soldiers and civilians to build a border wall for more than 1,700 miles from Qingshui Camp in the east to Huamachi in the west. Piers and forts were set up along the line to block the entry of Mongolian cavalry. This is regarded as the beginning of large-scale construction of the Great Wall in the mid-Ming Dynasty.
PeoplePrince Zhu Youtang appears
The prince Zhu Youtang, born to the palace maid Ji, was secretly raised until he was six years old. After the eunuch Zhang Min reported it, Xianzong learned that he had a son. The father and son recognized each other and were named Crown Prince in the same year. The Ji family died violently soon, and it is said that he was killed by Wan Guifei.
PoliticsEstablished West Factory
Xianzong ordered the favored young eunuch Wang Zhi to supervise the newly established West Factory. He commanded twice as many Tiqi as those of Dongchang, repeatedly raised large prisons, and his power overwhelmed Dongchang and Jinyiwei. It was once revoked due to the impeachment of the chief minister Shang Lu and others, and was immediately reinstated. It was not finally abolished until 1482.
PeopleWan Guifei passed away
In the spring, Wan Guifei, who had been his favorite for more than 20 years, died of illness. Xianzong was deeply saddened. It is said that he once sighed, "Wan Guifei has gone, and I will go too." In August of the same year, Xianzong died of illness and Crown Prince Zhu Youtang came to the throne.
The maid who served Xianzong since she was a child is more than ten years older than Xianzong and has been her favorite for more than twenty years. After the prince died in infancy, according to "History of the Ming Dynasty", she often tried to abort the pregnant concubines in the palace, and she also colluded with Wang Zhi, Liang Fang and others both internally and externally.
A native of the Yao tribe in Datengxia, Guangxi, he entered the palace at a young age and was favored for his agility. He became the admiral of Xichang and had great power for a while. He also served as a border supervisor for many times. In 1482, after the West Factory was abolished, he gradually fell out of favor and was demoted to Nanjing.
He ranked first in the provincial examination, the general examination, and the palace examination. He was one of the only two "Three Yuans" in the Ming Dynasty. During the Chenghua period, he joined the cabinet and led the public to impeach Wang Zhi, forcing Xichang to be dismissed for a time. Later, Wang Zhi regained his favor and became an official.
He used the imperial censor of Zuo Fudu to govern the refugees in Jingxiang, conducted house-to-house inspections and registrations, allowed a large number of refugees to attach local registrations, and set up Yunyang Mansion. After the completion of the work, he died of overwork and illness on the way back to Beijing.