Episode 5
During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, father and son Yan Song and Yan Shifan relied on their power and wealth to form a powerful Yan Party in the court and controlled the government for more than 20 years.However, their power play led to the alienation and exclusion of one outstanding official, Hu Zongxian.
Hu Zongxian was a man who could understand the general situation, consider the overall situation, and be willing to act with sincerity. In his position as governor of Zhejiang, with his wisdom and talent, he successfully appeased the people, resisted the invasion of Japanese pirates, and protected the imperial court's tax-rich areas.However, Yan Shifan deceived Yan Song, causing them to misunderstand and alienate Hu Zongxian.
Although Emperor Jiajing has learned that Yan Shifan was the instigator of the incident of destroying dikes and flooding fields, he still needs to rely on the Yan Party to make money.Therefore, he accepted Yan Song's suggestion and asked Hu Zongxian to resign from his part-time job as governor of Zhejiang and only serve as governor of Zhejiang.Such an arrangement would not only allow Hu Zongxian to grasp the overall situation, but also concentrate on suppressing Japanese pirates, opening up maritime trade routes, and ensuring the normal conduct of foreign trade.
However, Yan Dang's behavior has caused dissatisfaction with Qingliu of the imperial court.When Zhang Juzheng was discussing matters in Prince Yu's Mansion, he expressed strong indignation against Yan Dang's behavior.He even planned to plunge Zhejiang into chaos and overthrow the Yan Party in one fell swoop.But Concubine Li's intervention made him calm down.She reminded King Yu that as the crown prince, he could not act on his own impulse. He needed to consider all the people of the Ming Dynasty.Although Hu Zongxian knew how to care for the people in his territory, King Yu and his loyal ministers should not turn a blind eye.
Concubine Li's words undoubtedly sounded the alarm to Zhang Juzheng, Tan Lun and others.They began to realize that although Yan Dang had great power in the court, their actions had aroused widespread resentment.And Hu Zongxian's experience made them understand that the victims of the power game were not only Hu Zongxian, but also the innocent people.
In the struggle for power, Yan Song and Yan Shifan may temporarily have the upper hand, but their actions will eventually trigger a greater crisis.For Emperor Jiajing, he needed to understand that the real national affairs were not just about amassing money and maintaining power, but also the long-term development of the country and the well-being of the people.
