Chapter 4 From prime minister to cabinet minister

The abolition of the prime minister system was planned by Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang for a long time.His idea was that all political affairs would be managed by the six departments, and the emperor would directly control the six departments, excluding the middle school, which was sandwiched between the emperor and the six departments.After Hongwu's thirteenth year, the Ministry of Education was abolished, and he began to try to follow his vision.But everything is concentrated in the emperor, but it is absolutely difficult to take care of it, especially the clerical work such as customization, drafting orders, and instructions, which cannot be handled by one person.To solve this problem, he used some bachelors and lecturers working in the inner court, and the editors of history and books in the Imperial Academy to do these writing tasks.These people are like some manuscript editors or secretaries. At the beginning, there was no fixed number of people, and there was no fixed name. From the 13th year of Hongwu to the fourth year of Jianwen (1402) of Zhu Yunqi (wen), the emperor's grandson who succeeded him as the emperor, there were more than 20 people. During the past year, this is how state affairs were handled.Zhu Di, the fourth son of Zhu Yuanzhang, king of Yan, invaded Nanjing and seized the throne under the name of "the side of the Qing emperor". in this way.

These bachelors who handle the maintenance on behalf of the emperor are called "cabinet ministers" after they have a fixed number of people. Dian University, Wenyuan Pavilion, Dongge University, etc., so people called them "Ge Chen", and later they used to name them.Cabinet ministers may also be called "auxiliary ministers", which is often used by the emperor to call them, and they are often called auxiliary ministers in writing.In the folk, cabinet ministers are often called "Ge Lao", which is a verbal honorific title. At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, there were seven people who were appointed as cabinet ministers. They were Huang Huai, Hu Guang, Yang Rong, Xie Jin, Yang Shiqi, Jin Youzi and Hu Yan.They were all appointed when Zhu Di entered Nanjing and ascended the throne as emperor, before changing Yuan Yongle.

Since there are cabinet ministers, it can be said that there is really no prime minister in the political organization.However, although the power of the cabinet ministers is much smaller than that of the prime ministers, their duties are still a link between the past and the future, issuing government orders, and also carrying part of the powers of the prime ministers, so people still habitually regard them as prime ministers and are appointed as cabinet ministers. "Joining the cabinet", and "entering the cabinet" and "worshiping the prime minister" have become synonymous, and are often used together. Once someone enters the cabinet, people say that someone has "enrolled in the cabinet and worshiped the prime minister".The poems and essays congratulating people on entering the cabinet are often congratulated by "enrollment".Therefore, in the Ming Dynasty, the prime minister can be said to be "dead in reality but survived in name".

But having said that, there is still a big difference between a prime minister and a cabinet minister.The biggest difference between the two is that the prime minister has his office and an organization to exercise government orders.In the past, the prime ministers of all dynasties had their own prime minister's mansion, and there were many family members up and down in the mansion.In the Ming Dynasty, the Prime Minister's Mansion was called Zhongshu Province, and there were also Zuo Cheng, You Cheng, Shen Zhizhengshi and other subordinate officials in the province.The cabinet ministers don't have these at all, he just works in the palace and the cabinet, and the staff under him are only some subordinate officials who manage files and copy documents.In terms of grade, the two are also very different.The prime minister is an extremely personable position, and only those who are above the hundred officials can get the position; while the cabinet ministers have no such restrictions, all kinds of bachelor ranks are only fifth rank, and even those with lower ranks are not eligible. Can be appointed as a cabinet minister.That is to say, in terms of the seven people who were originally appointed as cabinet ministers, Xie Jin, who had the highest rank among them, should be ranked fourth. Bachelor, only from the fifth grade.Hu Yan, who was ranked seventh, had an official position before entering the cabinet, and his official position was even lower if he was only from the seventh rank.Of course, this is in the early days. Later, the system of cabinet ministers was respected. Those who joined the cabinet were often appointed as ministers of the Ministry of Rites or ministers, and then entered the pre-engineering department as a part-time XX University scholar. The position was much higher than in the early days. up.However, the character of the people who joined the cabinet was not limited by their ranks, which was still maintained until the Ming Dynasty was on the verge of extinction. For example, Wei Zaode, who entered the cabinet in the 16th year of Chongzhen (1643), was promoted to Shaozhan Shi before entering the cabinet. , the official is only four grades.There is also a big difference between the prime minister and the cabinet ministers in their positions. The prime minister has the executive power, and he can act on every occasion, and it is common to even announce it after the completion of the case; the cabinet ministers can only obey the emperor's orders. According to his opinion, the measures are drawn up, and after they are approved, they can be promulgated according to the draft purpose.The difference between the two in office is the key to Ming Taizu's eagerness to abolish the prime minister system.What he wants is to have some people who can do things but have little real power.In terms of the number of people in office, the prime minister and the cabinet ministers are also somewhat different. There are not many prime ministers, usually one left minister and one right minister, and at most one or two more; There are as few as four or five people, as many as seven or eight people, and as many as a dozen people at the most.However, there are some exceptions. For example, during the Wanli period, Ming Shenzong was tired of working hard, and the cabinet ministers were always unwilling to fill in the vacancies. It often happened that there was only one person in the cabinet, and they became alone.

After the cabinet ministers became custom-made, some unique systems were soon formed. These systems were not written, but sometimes they were more rigid than the systems with specific rules.Among the seven people who were appointed as cabinet ministers at the beginning, there was a certain ranking. The person listed first was called the "first assistant", and the second person was called the second assistant.From the very beginning, Shoufu has a meaning like a foreman.But at the beginning, although the rankings are arranged, they are not immutable. The first ones can be lowered, and the latter ones can jump to the front.For example, the first seven people were originally headed by Huang Huai, and Xie Jin ranked fourth, but within a year, Xie Jin jumped to become the first assistant, but the original first assistant Huang Huai dropped down.Another example is Yang Shiqi, who was ranked fifth and behind Yang Rong, who ranked third. By the 22nd year of Yongle (1424), Yang Rong and him were both in the pavilion, but he jumped ahead of Yang Rong and became a As the first assistant, Yang Rong had to be the second assistant.But this practice of being able to go up and down did not last long, and soon formed another rigid system that absolutely ranked seniority and always clearly distinguished the front and back.The main point of this system is that once the ranking in the court has been arranged, it will become an irreversible order. The first assistant will always be the first assistant, and the second assistant will always be the second assistant before the first assistant leaves. The first assistant must be this second assistant.The same is true for the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth members, who have to wait for the person in the first place to leave or die before they can be promoted in turn.Not only that, if the chief assistant is dismissed, no matter how long he leaves, as long as he enters the cabinet again and ranks behind him, the person who is already in the chief assistant should also step down, and the old chief assistant should return to the top position. .This kind of dead rule has never existed in the previous prime minister system. If there was, then Wang Guangyang would be the one who was promoted to the left prime minister, not Hu Weiyong.

The cabinet ministers later formed another regulation, that is, those who join the cabinet must be of Jiake background, that is to say, they must be of Jinshi background.There were no such regulations at first, and they were formed later.Still taking the first seven people as an example, Yang Shiqi and Hu Yan among the seven people were not born as Jinshi.However, although they were not Jinshi, they all served in the Imperial Academy when they entered the cabinet. Yang Shiqi was an editor, and Hu Yan was a reviewer. So strictly speaking, although the first seven were not all Jinshi, they were all ministers. This seems to have something to do with the later ban on joining the cabinet without a family background.In fact, this is no wonder, because those who are selected to join the cabinet must first be good at pen and ink, and they can only choose from places such as Zhan Shifu, Hanlin Academy, etc. that edit and write literature and history, or work as lecturers.And these places are also the places where the members of the Jia family gather. Later, they formed the non-Jia family and were not allowed to enter the cabinet. Since, no wonder.

Because there are many cabinet ministers in the cabinet at the same time, and the first assistant has the role of a foreman, he is always the first to deal with problems, and the first assistant is the one who has the most contact with the emperor, so the competition between each other has been constant from the beginning. It was very intense. As far as the first seven people were concerned, there was a fierce struggle between Huang Huai and Xie Jin. As a result, Xie Jin was killed and died a miserable death; Not good either. Although Xie Jin was originally ranked fourth among the first batch of seven cabinet ministers, his official rank was the highest among the seven when he entered the cabinet; he is also extremely talented, with good writing skills and many strategies , So soon after entering the cabinet, he stood out, and within a year of entering the cabinet, he overwhelmed Huang Huai and became the first assistant.Huang Huaiyuan is a person who is keen on power and position. How could he be willing to be taken to the front by Xie Jin?So he devoted himself to weaving Xie Jin's faults, and when he had the opportunity, he secretly reported to Yongle. Finally, in the fifth year of Yongle (1407), he removed Xie Jin from the position of chief assistant, and he regained the first place.Although he drove Xie Jin out of the cabinet and went to Guangxi to serve as the chief secretary, he was still not reconciled. In the eighth year of Yongle (1410), he set up a large prison on the charge of "forming a party for personal gain", and jailed Xie Jin and Zhongshu. Li Guan, Zanshan Wang Ruyu, editor Zhu Hong, Xiao Yingao and others were all arrested and sent to imperial prison.Li, Wang, Zhu, Xiao and others had all died in prison due to long-term detention. Only Xie Jin, who had been imprisoned for five years, was still alive.It was the twelfth year of Yongle (1414).That winter, when the Son of Heaven was recorded as a prisoner, when Yongle saw Xie Jin's name in the list of prisoners, he asked casually, "Is this Xie Jin still alive?" When I asked, I didn't mean anything else; it might be because I was surprised by Xie Jin's vitality, and he was still alive after being imprisoned for so long; It can't be ruled out that these words are actually synonymous with "Why, isn't Xie Jin dead yet?"At that time, it was Ji Gang, the commander-in-chief of Jin Yiwei, who presented the list of prisoners. He was a well-known courtier, and he was favored by Yongle because of his good insight into people's thoughts and his vicious and cruel methods.Hearing Yongle's question, he didn't make a sound, but he had already made up his mind.After coming down, he invited Xie Jin to his room, entertained him with wine, said some happy words, and made him drink.Once Xie Jin was drunk, he ordered someone to drag him out and bury him in the snow outside.Due to cold and suffocation, Xie Jin died soon, and his name was ticked off from the prisoner's roster.Ji Gang's approach can be said to be both vicious and clever.By doing this, no matter what the purpose of Yongle's questioning is, he can handle it with ease.If Yongle is getting rid of Xie Jin, he will naturally do so first, which will show his ability and loyalty; if Yongle didn't expect Xie Jin to die, and even wanted to use him again, then it's nothing, he The cause of his death can be ascertained, it was completely drunk lying down and suffering from the cold, so it is really impossible to blame him, Ji Gang.Xie Jin was only forty-seven when he died. At that time, many people felt sad because of his wronged talent and early death in middle age.Just three or two months before Xie Jin's death, Huang Huai had been imprisoned for repeatedly assassinating ministers. From this point of view, if Xie Jin was not drunk and killed, it would be impossible to use him repeatedly. In addition to trying to cater to the emperor's heart, there are other subtle reasons, but it is also very possible.

After the bloody struggle between Huang and Xie, there was a long period of time when the cabinet ministers did not fight each other very fiercely, and there was even a situation where they helped each other in harmony.This one is that Wang Zhen, Wang Zhi, Liu Jin, etc. have appeared in succession since then, and they have been fighting for power with the cabinet ministers. The cabinet ministers need to work together to ease the contradictions between each other; Waiting quite patiently for the country, played some good influence. Yang Shiqi was the longest cabinet minister in the Ming Dynasty. He joined the cabinet in the fourth year of Jianwen (1402) until his death in the ninth year of Zhengtong (1444). He served as a cabinet minister for a total of 43 years. In the second year (1424), he surpassed Yang Rong and became the first assistant for 21 years.Among the cabinet ministers of the Ming Dynasty, the length of service and the professionalism they relied on were unparalleled.He, Yang Rong, and Yang Pu who entered the cabinet in the first year of Hongxi (1425) were called "Three Yangs" by historians and were considered the three most virtuous prime ministers in the Ming Dynasty. Indeed, it was also the most peaceful time in the Ming Dynasty.

After Sanyang, although the cabinet ministers were still able to live in peace with each other, small conflicts and struggles were still common. In the early years of Jiajing, Zhang Cong (cong) entered the cabinet with a ceremony, and the competition among the cabinet ministers began again. It became intense, and the rivalry between Xia Yan and Yan Song, and between Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong reached its climax. The so-called "discussion of rites" was a major event that caused unrest in the early years of Jiajing.It turned out that this Jiajing was named Zhu Houcong (cong), and he became emperor after Ming Wuzong Zhu Houzhao.He and Zhu Houzhao, who was named Zhengde, were cousins ​​of the same grandfather. After Zhu Houzhao died, because he had no children or brothers, Yang Tinghe, the chief assistant at that time, was the closest to the Zongzhi. The imperial edict is called the "legacy edict", and most of it was drafted by Shoufu on behalf of him), Zhu Houcong, who had been proclaimed the king of Xingxian, was selected to succeed him as emperor.Zhu Houcong ascended the throne as the empress, but he still wanted to make his deceased father Zhu Youhang the emperor and enshrine him in the Taimiao, and honor his biological mother as the empress dowager.This approach violated the formal etiquette, so almost all court officials strongly opposed it.Jiajing was also very stubborn. He wanted to achieve his wish, but he suffered from no theoretical basis, unable to argue with the opposing ministers, and felt isolated and distressed.Zhang Cong was a man who failed in seven trials and was awarded a Jinshi at the age of forty-seven. He saw that this was an opportunity to advance, so he explained in Shangshu that "inheritance is not an successor", which found a theoretical basis for Jiajing .Later, he wrote "Great Gifts or Questions", which won the favor of Jiajing.With the help of Zhang Cong, and later Gui E, Xi Shu, Fang Xianfu and others, Jiajing started disputes and debates with the opposing ministers of the Tong Dynasty, and the debate lasted for several years.This kind of debate was called "Yi Li" or "Yi Da Li" at that time, and Zhang Cong, Gui E and others were called "Yi Li Zhu Chen".

Jiajing was very happy to get the help of those "officials discussing etiquette" when he was alone. He regarded them all as his confidantes. Zhang Cong, who is on the subject, is regarded as the first person who made the first contribution, and he spared no effort to promote him. From him, he was promoted to a senior official in just six years. It is really rare for someone who is a minister of the Ministry of Rites and a scholar of Wenyuan Pavilion to join the cabinet as a chancellor and be promoted so quickly.He was a Jinshi of Xinsike in the sixteenth year of Zhengde (1521), and he was admitted to the cabinet after six years in middle school, which shows Jiajing's reliance on him.In the Ming Dynasty, there were only two people faster than Zhang Cong from Shi Brown (that is, the Chinese style of winning an official) to entering the cabinet: one was before Zhang Cong, that was the thirteenth year of Zhengtong (1448), Peng Shi, the number one scholar of the Wuchen Division In the second year of Yuanyuan, he entered the cabinet as a editor. Among the cabinet ministers in the Ming Dynasty, he was the fastest to enter the cabinet.The other is Wei Zaode after Zhang Cong. He was the champion of Gengchen Division in the thirteenth year of Chongzhen (1640). It only took three years to get into the cabinet, which is second only to Peng Shi.However, although Peng and Wei entered the cabinet quickly, they were very different from Zhang Cong. First of all, they were both ranked first in the list, and they were both top-ranked champions; It was because of the increasing foreign aggression that Wei Zaode had caught up with Li Zicheng who was about to attack the capital. Chongzhen had a plan to let him assist the crown prince in fleeing to the south, so that he might be able to save a front line, so he was brought into the cabinet.Zhang Cong has nothing that Peng and Wei have. That's why his Quick Pavilion is even more unusual.Another minister who was slightly inferior to Zhang Cong, Gui E, also received excellent favors. He was appointed as the official title of Shaobao and Prince Taifu in February of the eighth year of Jiajing (1529). The Minister of the Ministry of Officials and the Bachelor of Wuyingdian entered the pre-engineering service.He entered the cabinet later than Zhang Cong, and he was ten years earlier than Zhang Congke in terms of academic scores. He was a Jinshi in the sixth year of Zhengde (1511).To be honest, the rankings of Zhang Cong and Gui E are both relatively low. Zhang Cong's ranking is the 78th in the second class. His ranking was even lower, as low as the 62nd in the top three, and even the opportunity to be an official in Beijing was rare. He had served as a county magistrate for several terms before the ceremony, and later moved to become the head of the Nanjing Ministry of Criminal Justice. .He and Zhang Cong met when they were colleagues in the Nanjing Ministry of Criminal Justice, and he was also the first person to sponsor the ceremony.

The "officials discussing rites" echoed Jiajing's idea of ​​proclaiming his father emperor and enshrining his god in the Taimiao. High-ranking officials have to do it, and they are among the Jiuqing (the six ministers and the chiefs of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, the Department of General Affairs, and the Dali Temple are collectively called the Jiuqing), but although they say that their official career is prosperous, they have also paid a lot of sacrifices, especially in terms of character. He was despised by the whole country, especially Zhang and Gui.Because that kind of practice is in great conflict with the etiquette and law inherited from the past dynasties, and everyone who claims to read and know the etiquette will strongly oppose it, and some people will come out to agree with it, and even defend it, and they will be regarded as villains who are evil to the king. Some people even regard it as a scourge and avoid it for fear.For example, Yang Shen, the son of the first assistant Yang Tinghe, who was considered the leader of the young Ci officials at the time, publicly stated that he was ashamed to stand in the court with Zhang Cong and Gui E.Gui E and above Shu praised Yili and was quietly summoned to Beijing, which once made the crowd angry.Many people agreed that according to the story of the previous court, when Gui E entered the court, they would stop him outside Zuoshun's gate and beat him to death.This so-called former dynasty story refers to the 14th year of orthodoxy (1449), when a "civil change" occurred. When the news of Ming Yingzong Zhu Qizhen's captivity to the north reached Beijing, the crowd was furious and beat Wang Zhen's buddy Ma Shun lethal thing.At that time, Jingdi Zhu Qiyu, who was still in prison, was hindered by the public opinion, not only did not take this as a crime, but at the request of the group, he kidnapped two inner eunuchs who were as evil as Wang Zhen, handed them over to the officials, and executed them there.The laws of the Ming Dynasty put the most emphasis on old rules, so legal provisions are sometimes called "laws"; the so-called stories refer to these old rules.At that time, many people decided to beat Gui E to death in the Zuo Shun Gate, because there were stories of beating the rebels and thieves to death without offending them. , Gui E is a traitor!This premeditated siege did not actually happen. It turned out that Gui E learned of the situation as soon as he entered Beijing. He fled to the house of Guo Xun, Marquis of Wuding, and hid himself to escape the siege. Lethal. Because of the support of the emperor, the number of "officials discussing rites" has slightly increased, and on the surface they all won the victory.But in fact they are still not tolerated by public opinion, despised, and have always been isolated. It was also not easy for Jiajing to maintain his courtiers, especially Zhang Cong and Gui E were introduced as cabinet ministers, and it took a lot of effort to do so.Although the generation of cabinet ministers in the Ming Dynasty seemed to come from the dispatch at first, regulations were soon established, and the addition of cabinet ministers had to be promoted by the old cabinet ministers in conjunction with the Jiuqing.Huitui is also called Tingtui, that is, relevant courtiers first meet regularly to discuss the candidate who they all think is the most suitable candidate for the cabinet in all aspects, and then the chief minister briefly writes everyone's evaluation of the recommended people And opinion, play please the emperor choose to approve.The number of people who will be introduced is always slightly more than the number of people who will be added to the cabinet, so that the emperor can choose according to his opinion.Only the cabinet ministers who have been pushed by the meeting and approved by the emperor to join the cabinet are in compliance with the rules and will not cause objections.It is considered extremely illegal for the emperor to appoint directly with the central purpose, and for the chief assistant to make a briefing request by himself.The imperial edict of the emperor's appointment will be rejected by the chief assistant, explain the reasons, return the imperial edict, and ask him to reconsider. All kinds of officials have talked about it one after another, causing a storm.The natural risk is greater if the chief assistant recommends himself, no matter whether the emperor agrees or not, he will be attacked by the officials and often fails.Therefore, this method was formulated between the monarch and his ministers in accordance with the "Taizu Bao Xun" to keep each other in check so as not to shake the emperor's foundation.Restricting the emperor is to avoid going his own way, and employing people to satisfy the will of the people; restricting the chief minister is to avoid the monopoly of one person.But having said that, the emperor and the first minister can still play a decisive role in who wants to join the cabinet.On the emperor's side, he can secretly signal the relevant ministers to nominate them to play according to their own wishes.If the hint is unsuccessful, he still has a last resort, that is, if there is no candidate in his mind, he will not approve any of them, once, twice... until he agrees.This method is very effective, often nine out of ten.The convenience of the first assistant is that he will preside over the push. Whoever he wants to push is mentioned in the opening remarks. Because of face, others will often reluctantly agree even if they don't want to.If the Shoufu who presides over the meeting is a very powerful person like Zhang Juzheng, others will rarely dare to say anything during the meeting, and it will become a situation where he has the final say.When the emperor was in the Eastern Palace, it was a common practice for the main lecturer to join the cabinet. Even before the new emperor ascended the throne, the chief assistant at that time had already introduced that lecturer into the cabinet.Xu Jie had previously wooed Gao Gong in this way. Although it was very convenient for the emperor to introduce people into the cabinet, Jiajing still succeeded in bringing Zhang Cong into the cabinet through various methods and cautious waiting.Very early on, before the meeting, he signaled many times that he wanted to push Zhang Cong out, but because no one paid any attention, he failed.He also knew that Zhang Cong's image was too bad, no matter how he signaled, it was rare to be pushed out.He didn't dare to try it lightly because he was appointed by the central government, because he would definitely be rejected and cause trouble, and the image would be even more unbearable, and it would be even more difficult to introduce it.He must sit still and wait for his opportunity.In August of the sixth year of Jiajing, Yang Yiqing was promoted to the chief assistant. He not only did not object to Zhang Cong's discussion of rites and essays, but also praised them. He will deny it; if he doesn't deny it, the matter will be considered.In this way, the plan was settled, and this Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty made Zhang Cong into the cabinet with the imperial decree in October of the sixth year of Jiajing.After more than a year, in February of the eighth year of Jiajing, in the same way, Gui E became a cabinet minister.There have been cases of appointing cabinet ministers with Zhongzhi before, but they are very rare. In less than two years, there have been two consecutive appointments. Cabinet ministers who are appointed by the central government are despised both inside and outside the cabinet, and they think that "not getting them according to their morals" is a major defect in their character.Later, many people were deeply ashamed of being appointed by the central decree, and they tried their best to ask for resignation from the beginning of joining the cabinet, and they would never stop unless they were appointed by Yu Yun.Of course, Zhang Cong is not that kind of person. He failed to sell after seven attempts, and he was half a hundred years old when he won the Jinshi. He has been in the lower ranks for many years, which made him develop a sense of anger. In order to make a fortune quickly, he dared to do anything. , willing to risk the disapproval of the world to discuss rituals, is just out of desperation.Not only was he not ashamed to enter the cabinet with the central decree, but he also thought that he had won the emperor's family, so he appeared extremely arrogant and would not buy it from anyone. Before Zhang Cong entered the cabinet, he had dealt with Yang Tinghe and other chief assistants in order to discuss etiquette.Since he was charging for Jiajing, those capital assistants were defeated by his men.This made him even more defiant, and he felt that no one in the world could be his enemy, and no one could withstand a blow from him.After he entered the cabinet, he felt that many regulations in the cabinet restricted him, and he felt very uncomfortable.The chief assistant at that time was Yang Yiqing, who not only admired Zhang Cong very much, but also knew that Zhang Cong was recalled because Zhang Cong recommended him to Jiajing, so he was willing to give up many things to Zhang Cong.However, the chief minister has the sole power in the cabinet, and the chief minister is solely responsible for all matters that come out, and the first minister is also the most important in drafting and other work. Other cabinet ministers, even the second minister, have to follow the chief minister's instructions According to his instructions, write a written document according to his opinion, and send it to the chief assistant for review and correction, without any self-discipline.These situations made Zhang Cong extremely unbearable, but this was a long-established rule, and Yang Yiqing couldn't let it go even if he wanted to. On the contrary, entering the pavilion made Zhang Cong almost cut off contact with Jiajing, which made them very uncomfortable.But it was difficult to get past Shoufu, so Jiajing thought about it and came up with another idea.He thought that Ming Renzong had bestowed a silver medal on Yang Shiqi, the chief assistant, and stamped this seal on his secret performances for identification.Yang Shiqi was the chief assistant at that time, and he had to handle all the cabinet documents. The silver medal was only given to identify the secret documents and to show the honor.But if it wasn't for the first assistant, with this kind of silver badge, it would have become a secret document, which could only be opened by the emperor himself, and the first assistant would not be able to intervene.If Zhang Cong had this kind of silver medal, even though Yang Yiqing was the chief assistant, he would not be able to participate in the secret discussions between them.After thinking about it this way, Jiajing gave Zhang Cong two silver medals, one with the inscription "Zhongliang Zhenyi" and the other with "Rope and Bivii", and ordered him to use these two silver medals to perform his affairs closely. .Later, when Gui E joined the cabinet, he was also given a silver medal with the inscription "Loyalty, Respect and Prudence" and "Correction, Conviction and Violation", so that he can see it with ease.Both Zhang and Gui got this kind of silver medals, Jiajing suddenly felt that if he didn't also give the first assistant Yang Yiqing two, it would be too cold for him, so he also gave him two silver medals to save his face.The inscriptions on the two silver medals are "Ji De Loyalty and Uprightness" and the other is "Correction of Violations".He bestowed silver medals so much that it became popular for a while, and later Xia Yan and Yan Song also received this kind of silver medals.In this way, although the monopoly of the chief minister and assistant was slightly broken, the conflicts in the cabinet were intensified, and the competition between them reached a climax, and mutual cliques were formed, which formed the subsequent family disputes. Zhang Cong got the silver medal to seal the event, although he was much more comfortable than before, but he was still very unhappy with the chief assistant pressed tightly on it, and finally ordered the officials to attack Yang Yiqing, and pushed Yang out of the pavilion. Later, Yang Yiqing was even imprisoned in Zhu Jizong's prison, saying that Yang Yiqing had accepted bribes, which made him "dismissed from duty and live idle".Yang Yiqing found out later that all the bad things he encountered were a trap played by Zhang Cong, so he cursed angrily: "I'm old, but I was sold by a child!" Finally, he died of gangrene on his back. When Zhang Cong failed to be the first assistant, he was extremely saddened by the various privileges of the first assistant. After Yang Yiqing was squeezed out, he ascended to the throne of the first assistant. What's more.His domineering, "History of the Ming Dynasty" said that "there is no one who dares to resist."He is so domineering, not only the staff are extremely dissatisfied, even Jiajing is gradually feeling a little bit, and he is getting a little bit displeased with him. In this situation, he has already felt a little bit, and desperately wants to find ways to cater to the emperor's heart and consolidate his favor, but at that time All the matters of the ceremony have been discussed, and he no longer has any ability to express himself prominently.After much thinking, he finally found a way to show his loyalty to the emperor.He came up with some tricks from his own and Jiajing's name.Jiajing's name is Zhu Houcong. The word "熜" is different from Zhang Cong's "璁". Although the word is different, the sound is the same. So he went to Shu and said that the sound of his name is the same as the holy taboo. Uneasy, so I decided to change my real name, so as not to increase my own crimes, and hope that the sage will give me a good name, so I will be more gracious and reinvented.Jiajing is a person who likes to be flattered very much. After being separated from him, he was very happy, and immediately delivered an order to reward him, and named him "Fujing" and the word "Maogong", and wrote these four characters in big characters by himself. The post was ordered to be given to Zhang Cong.At this point, the holy family, who had been a little cold, became enthusiastic again. Since Yili, Zhang Cong has claimed that he has no enemy, and the fact seems to be the same. It was not until he met Xia Yan that he really met a tough opponent. Xia Yan, like Zhang Cong, also joined Jiajing with the above-mentioned sparse discussions, and thus became prosperous.Xia Yan was a Jinshi in the twelfth year of Zhengde (1517), and ranked third in the top three. Because he entered the top three, he was selected as a good scholar, or assigned to the Imperial Academy, Zhan Shifu, etc. It was hopeless.He was awarded as a pedestrian in the Department of Pedestrians. Although his rank is only eighth, he is still a Beijing official. There is always a little bit of edge. Although Qianzhuan is not as good as Cichen, it is slightly better than those foreign officials.Although Xia Yan didn't get high marks in the middle school, he was actually very good at writing, sensitive and understanding, and had great ambitions. Although he was awarded as a pedestrian, he refused to stay silent. Soon he was promoted to the military department of Gishizhong, not only promoted a little bit to reach the seventh rank, but also belonged to the eloquent officer, who can talk as much as he wants, and go straight to heaven, which is one step closer to heaven than pedestrians.Since Xia Yan became a speech official, he wanted to see for himself more, so he kept talking about things. Jiajing was only the heir to the throne, so he talked about all kinds of evils such as obstruction and deceit in the court, and proposed how to put an end to them. disadvantageous method.His beautiful diction has impressed Jiajing deeply from the beginning, and he has passed on a commendation. Soon, he was transferred from the military department to the official department. Although the officials are still the same, in terms of the order of the six departments, Officials, rites, households, soldiers, criminals, and workers, it is really an upward transfer from the military department to the official department. In the seventh year of Jiajing's reign, Xia Yan published a letter saying that heaven and geography should be worshiped separately.This prose just fit Jiajing's wishes, and thus became Xia Yan's ladder for Qingyun to climb straight up.It turned out that Jiajing was very proud of his victory in discussing rituals, and felt that he was already very good at rituals. At that time, he suddenly felt that the combination of heaven and earth seemed too general, as if heaven, earth, sun, and moon were divided into four. Combining the four suburbs is something that has never been done before; this ceremony was initiated by him, and it will surely last forever.Thinking in this way, he summoned Zhang Cong, Zhai Luan, Huo Tao and other ministers who discussed the etiquette, whispered to them, and asked them to study it to see if it was feasible.Although Zhang Cong and others obtained the highest positions by catering to the emperor's will, after the adventure and difficulty have been successful, they have lost the courage of the past. Regarding this matter, they really lack the courage to come forward again.First of all, because they have seldom studied it, and they really can't explain any reason; second, their image is very bad, and the whole country regards them as deviant, flattering and shameless villains. It is still difficult to change the old rules slightly, so how can they withstand another toss?What's more, they also know that in the temple, there are always people who are content with the "old rules". Even if the reasons for the reform are sufficient, they will be opposed. Still in a situation that everyone despises?Due to a lot of scruples, Zhang Cong, Huo Tao and others discussed each other, and they all advised Jiajing not to make more changes because there was no evidence in the past.Jiajing himself didn't have much confidence. Since his think tanks thought it was impossible, he wanted to forget it quietly.Just at this moment, Xia Yan handed over his essay on heaven and earth suitable for separate sacrifices. Not only did his ideas agree with him, but he also spoke clearly and logically, and there were evidences of ancient rituals everywhere.This is really "the mountain is heavy and the river is full of doubts, there is no way out, and the willows are dark and the flowers are bright, and there is another village", Jiajing praised it repeatedly and applauded.The reason why Jiajing was so happy was that Xia Yan had thought of a place with him at this moment, which surprised him.He felt that Xia Yan's move was very different from Zhang Cong and others' efforts for him in the ceremony.The matter of discussing the ceremony was clearly proposed by him a long time ago, and it was opposed by the Tong Dynasty. Everything is clear, and there is no coincidence that Zhang Cong and others contributed to the sponsorship.However, he had only discussed this discussion with Zhang Cong and others in secret, and it was difficult for outsiders to know about it. Xia Yan and him thought of this matter at the same time, it seemed that they had a good understanding, and their hearts were connected, and there was even God's will. When Jiajing was extremely happy, he immediately handed over Xia Yan's prose to the outer court for discussion.At that time, Yili had already won a complete victory, and all the plans had been jointly controlled by the ministers of Yili. They were very afraid that an outsider would squeeze in and compete with them for favor.Zhang Cong, who is the leader, is even more jealous of Xia Yan.Because although Xia Yan is younger than him and has a much lower official position, he is a Jinshi in the Ding Chou Department in the 12th year of Zhengde, and he is ahead of him; It also made him deeply jealous, and he had long thought of ways to attack him so that he would not dare to be arrogant.If there is nothing to do, I still want to find trouble. Now I hand over Xia Yan's prose to them for review. How can I be willing to let it go?They all try their best to slander Xia Yan as ignorance and nonsense, especially Zhan Shihuo Tao's slander is the most harsh, it is close to ridicule.They tried their best to reject Xia Yan, but they forgot that Jiajing also held this saying. Attacking and mocking Xia Yan was tantamount to attacking and mocking Jiajing.Jiajing is a self-willed person, how can he tolerate this?He was furious at the moment, immediately threw Huo Tao, who was the most aggressive, into prison, and awarded Xia Yan with a letter of conferring a seal, and bestowed four-rank clothing and salary, which clearly showed his love and hatred. Since then, Xia Yan, Zhang Cong and others have become even more incompatible and often criticize each other.Xia Yan was said in history to be "heroic and talented, he can argue freely, and no one can be subdued".He was alone, single-handedly, fighting Zhang Cong and others, not only without fear, but also defeated them one by one.他笔锋犀利，语言便给，当然是个取胜的条件，但来自上面的嘉靖对他的支持，实在更有决定作用。还有，夏言与张璁等奋争更赢得了举朝人士的赞美和支持。这是由于议礼诸臣的得势是由于嘉靖的袒护之故，多少和他们争持的人都受到了不同的打击，有的被迫罢官，有的被投入狱，有的受了廷杖，有的甚至丧了性命……由于和他们相争总不免于得祸，人们才静下来，不敢与之相争了，但是鄙视他们，憎恨他们却仍始终如故。忽然半路里杀出个夏言来，不但敢于相争，且还一个一个统统打败了他们，无异给举朝上下出了一口恶气，人们对他的支持、赞扬，自然可想而知。这对夏言，当然也是极大的鼓舞。夏言那时的行事真可说是无往而不利，真是样样都中在点子上了。最后，夏言的仪表对他也起了不小的帮助。夏言议郊礼得胜后，嘉靖还想把那郊礼编辑成书，因而便把他调入翰林院，授为侍读学士，并充《郊礼》的纂修官。侍读学士例有在一定的日期要为皇帝进讲的职任，史称夏言是“眉目疏朗，美须髯，吐音宏畅，不掭乡音，每进讲，帝必目属，欲大用之”。夏言受到嘉靖这样的激赏，升迁得十分迅速，由侍读学士而为翰林学士，掌翰林院事，兼少詹事，进而兼礼部左侍郎，最后代李时成为礼部尚书，掌翰林院事和直日讲都一直兼任如故。调为词臣不及一年而得升任尚书，达于六卿之列，晋升之速，实在是极少见的。 夏言是在张璁已因帝眷少替，请求致仕后才于嘉靖十五年（1536），以礼部尚书兼武英殿大学士初次入阁。当时为首辅的是翟銮，不久翟銮以丁忧（父母之丧，为官者要回家守孝三年，谓之“丁忧”）离去，李时晋位首辅，这两位首辅都不敢与夏言的气势相撄，事事让他，因为夏言不但才干远出他们之上，而且嘉靖专听他的，并也赐给夏言一枚文为“学博才忧”的密封奏事的银章，有什么话都可以直接上达，所以那时的夏言虽然未为首辅，而却是“政由言出”。夏言那时由于独自一人便曾打败张璁、霍韬等多人，皇帝对他已是言听计从，人已变得骄横恣肆，不可一世，对人的颐指气使，已比张璁更甚，内阁由首辅垄断一切的旧规，对他也更无效。夏言所以比张璁还更跋扈，并非全由气性才干有所不同，处境有异，关系却似更大。张璁虽然得君，但举朝上下对他却是攘拳怒目，人人喊打，他的目无首辅，倚势凌人，很多都是出于以攻为守，不得不然，心中常怀戒备，所以遇到夏言，接连为其所挫，便即因病致仕，退身回乡，得到善终。夏言得君比张璁更甚，又是举朝上下心目中的英雄，骄恣之性便一发而不可收拾，连对倚以为贵的皇帝也不免有些轻慢起来，结果为人所算，竟至弃身西市。 斗倒夏言、使之弃市的却是由他自己引入内阁中作为助手的严嵩。严嵩是江西分宜人，和夏言是同乡，他是明代有名的奸相，为人阴狠毒辣，但却都以柔媚出之，对人善笑会哭，使之无从捉摸。他和夏言正好相反，夏言刚愎自用，他却巧笑取容；二人一刚一柔，所以相争都在暗中，真是柔能克刚，夏言终于命丧其手。 严、夏之争，由于严嵩是以阴柔取胜，所反复之多，历时之久，手段之毒，在明代的阁臣争夺中都达到了高峰，前此的夏言与翟銮、李时之争固远难与之相比，即后来的徐阶与高拱，高拱与张居正之间，争持间也都很用了些阴谋、权术，但和严嵩之与夏言，却仍要差一着。夏言原就以才智自负，骤然顺达，越更目中无人，无论尊卑，一概等闲视之，严嵩是由他引进的，得不到礼遇自然更不待言。夏言入阁后，自始便是名非首辅，实如首辅；而且为时不久，便适逢翟銮丁忧，李时病故，真成了首辅。上面无人，对下就更凶了。后来翟銮丁忧期满，重又入阁，夏言依例退居次辅，但实际上却丝毫未变，翟銮的首辅仍然是只有其名。史称翟銮重入阁后对夏言是“恂恂若属吏然，不敢少龃龉”。夏言对于别的阁臣自然更不客气，未为首辅之时已以首辅自居，身居首辅之后，把历来的首辅特权更发挥至尽，什么都只由他出头，什么都得听他分派，所有阁臣遵命照拟的文稿也都得呈送给他，由他批改。严嵩照夏言看来，是在他的庇荫之下的私属，对之就更苛些，呈送的文稿常给改得一塌糊涂，有时还要掷还给他，命其重做。严嵩无论受到任何侮辱，表面上总能做到谦恭和顺，但在心中却又另有打算。他是个权欲熏心、巧于营运的人，夏言即便以前辈待他（他比夏言中式还早四科，以科分论，已应是个前辈），遇有机会，也难保他不会乘机排挤倾陷；对之无礼至此，如何不会怀恨在心，暗中下手？ 严嵩倾害夏言，是极隐蔽，又极全面，用的是慢慢浸透的办法。在上，他已看出，由于夏言的疏慢，嘉靖对之已很有些不满，自己便更做得诚惶诚恐，和夏言成为尖锐的对比，特别是二人共同入对时，严嵩在夏言的傲然无视下，越发做出一副俯首低眉、极其怯惧的神态，很引起了嘉靖对他的怜念，因之也赐给了他一枚文曰“忠勤敏达”的银章，使他也得密封言事。到嘉靖二十年以后，这位以精于礼学自命的皇帝，他已避居西苑，除去征伐诛杀等事而外，别的已很少过问，每日只是和一些方士在一道，讲求服食成仙之道。那时的阁臣，则都在西苑赐有直庐，他们除了代为办理国政外，还要代撰一些焚化祭天的“青词”。那是一种赋体的文章，要能以极其华丽的文笔表达皇帝求仙的诚心和对上苍的祈求。嘉靖原本性急，加以求仙心切，对于青词的要求既多且急，有时想到一点新意，常会把在直庐的阁臣召来，命其即就其意撰写新的青词，即或时在深夜，也不容稍缓。能写出深得帝心的青词，已成为扶摇直上的条件，当时有很多阁臣竟是以善写青词而得入阁，而入阁后也是专门只写青词，不干别的。对这些人，当时称为“青词宰相”，既是直陈，却也颇有讽意。嘉靖不但要阁臣代撰青词，还要求他们的服饰打扮也都表现出求道的诚意。他制有一种道家服用的香叶冠，赐给阁臣每人一顶，要他们入西苑时戴上。他还传谕，进入西苑只准骑马，不许坐轿。严嵩对此不但谨遵，还在香叶冠上笼以轻纱，以示虔敬。这使嘉靖很为快慰。夏言忙于国事，对求仙不甚留意，领到了香叶冠也不肯戴，以为那不是正式朝服，为大臣者绝不宜戴。入西苑他也不肯骑马，仍是坐轿，其意也在那才不失体统。夏言与严嵩二人，一正一反，对比之下，嘉靖的宠任越见转向严嵩了。 对上面所用的工夫，还只是严嵩进攻的一个方面，对下，他也下了不少的工夫。他的策略也和向上时一样，仍是处处都与夏言形成对比：夏言严峻，他就宽和；夏言傲岸凌人，他就谦恭下士；夏言轻于处分，他却到处救援。这种一正一反，严嵩很收拾了人心，助他而攻夏言的人日见其多。明代的言官，种数都较以前各代为多，这也是明太祖想要诸臣相互制约，在订立官制上的一种反映。初时虽也有人利用言官作为打击他人的工具，但还只是偶然，没能成为风气。张璁等人入阁前后都曾拉拢言官，利用他们造成气氛，已开始了阁臣与言官间相互利用的苗头。夏言也抓住了这一点，以其纵横之才，对之利用得更多，但也还是多以声威驱使，没能形成派势。严嵩则对言官有了更进一步的勾结，尤其是对有嫌怨于夏言的言官，他在暗中更对他们封官许愿，嗾使他们帮助他来疏论夏言，已经为后来所形成的门户之争，开创出了一些作为门户的规模。 严嵩攻击夏言还用了更毒的一手，便是利用嘉靖宠信方士，夏言却很贱视他们，他们因而对夏言很为不满这一点。严嵩曾悄悄去找最为得宠的方士陶仲文，要陶设法攻击夏言，把他赶走，以便自己可以升为首辅。他这事办得虽很机密，但却没能逃过夏言的手眼。夏言很快便得知此事，于是立刻调动言官，对严嵩纷纷疏劾。幸而严嵩正在受到嘉靖的怜念，所以疏劾虽猛，还得无事。一天，严嵩单独见到嘉靖，嘉靖和他谈到夏言，并对他们之间的不协略有所询。严嵩认为，这可是个千载一时的机会，立即全身颤抖，伏地叩头，痛哭不已。嘉靖望着跪伏在自己面前的这个痛哭失声的老人，越发动了怜念之情，更想知道夏言到底为何欺压这个老人，竟使他伤心到这种情况，于是连连催他，叫他有话尽管放胆诉说，不要害怕。至此，严嵩才觉得戏已做足，于是便将平日搜藏在心的夏言的种种罪状，加枝添叶，一一哭诉出来。这一着，已经使得嘉靖对于夏言由不满变得有些恼恨。这事过后不久，却巧碰上了一次日全食，那时还在深信日为帝像，嘉靖想到夏言的种种情况，便下了一道手诏，说是，“日食过分，正坐下慢上咎，其落（夏）言职闲住”。一个首辅竟至受到这样的处分，其获罪之重、恩宠之衰，可说都已相当严重。 夏言一去，严嵩不但得为首辅，而且朝中少了一个他最为惧怕的人，精神上也舒展开了。他对嘉靖还是以柔媚取容，尽力入直西苑，小心伺候。对外，则大权独揽，一切专决，而且呼群结党，纳贿行私，日渐毫无忌惮，上下左右，很快便都安插满了他的私人，威福自恣已经到了人人侧目的地步。 嘉靖这人，终究并非十分昏庸，他虽僻居西内，不大过问朝事，而于很多大政，仍还有些敏锐感觉。严嵩虽会哄他，但他于严嵩的贪婪恣肆还是感觉到了，同时想到，处分夏言未免失诸过重，也很有些悔意。夏言虽已落职家居，但每逢元旦或是嘉靖的生日，总还要上表祝贺，由于已无官职，所以便自称为“草土臣”。这个自称，平实大方，哀而不怨，嘉靖在有悔意时看了，不觉心驰念远。嘉靖二十四年（1545），夏言又有贺表，嘉靖更为心动，他想起夏言的才干，觉得还是由他来主政功效更好，于是尽复夏言所有职衔，派人捧敕前往夏言家中，召来重复起用。 夏言被恢复的官衔是“少师”，严嵩还没能得到，召回夏言之时，嘉靖也使严嵩晋有此号，此其用意，一在安慰严嵩，并且使他感到可与夏言成为敌体；二则意在暗示夏言收敛着点。严嵩虽将退为次辅，然却恩信正隆，不可过于轻慢。这种做法，有如明太祖召回汪广洋，原是有明诸帝都极惯用的制约之道。其实这种办法用于温良谦退之人还可有效，施之夏言这种骄恣自肆、睚眦必报的人，如何得成呢！夏言这次重复入阁，便憋足了一股报仇雪恨之气，对待严嵩不但轻慢如故，而且处处加以打击，严嵩决定过的事，立予全部推翻；严嵩所安置的人，无不一一斥退。不但视严嵩如无物，而且轻践之色毕露。严嵩还是极怕夏言，尽管备遭凌辱，还是只有笑语周旋。他眼睁睁地看着，自己的亲信心腹被逐殆尽，有的且被投入狱中，或被遣戍，也不敢稍露欲救之意。但在心里，他把夏言却更恨之入骨。他由此总结出了一番道理：夺取首辅，不能把在位的搞出算数，必须置之死地，才可安心。他杀机已动，笑在脸上，恨在心里，更狠毒地蓄谋伺机，决心非要夏言的命不可。 夏言和曾铣共同筹划的“复套”之议，却给严嵩带来了机会。原来河套一带肥沃地方，明初虽然已入版图，后来渐渐又被左近各族游牧之人所占。那时职任陕西总督的曾铣，默察边情，认为恢复故套实并不难，只要再略加些兵力由他调度，便足够了。正好赶上重入内阁的夏言也大有趁此机会建立一番功业的雄心，得知曾铣此议，也认为此举可以永绝套患，可以一劳永逸，极为赞许。他一面与曾铣通过书信往来，不断商议；一面多次向嘉靖荐举曾铣，说是群臣之中，忠诚才干，谁也比不上曾铣。嘉靖很为夏言所动，不但多次命夏言拟旨奖谕曾铣，并也真在筹划兵饷，想要完成复套之功。但是嘉靖的兴致虽有，却又时怀隐忧，特别是想到“土木之变”，更怕轻启边衅，惹起祸端。严嵩看出了这是个很好的机会，于是立刻动手。 严嵩这次的做法仍是多方发动，齐力进攻。他先勾通嘉靖的近侍，要他们时常以语言影响嘉靖，让他感到“复套”之议实在是个祸根。在外廷，严嵩又在暗中发动言官，要他们有人亟论边衅不可轻开，有人则疏劾曾铣结纳阁臣、大言欺君。严嵩又已知道，曾铣的岳父苏纲和夏言素有交谊，夏、曾之间的往来，苏纲也曾助成，觉得更有利于构成夏、曾二人的罪名，于是联通边将仇鸾，要他力言查得曾铣贿通夏言的细节。 嘉靖受到左右近侍的影响，实已很怕“复套”会惹出事来，但他多次曾命夏言拟旨奖谕曾铣，授人以柄，又难改过口来。为此时常暴怒，闲时又常喃喃自语：“搞不好，杀一个曾铣能了事么？”至此，严嵩觉得事已成熟，便力言河套实已难复，并攻击夏言赞助此举别有用心。严嵩很了解嘉靖的想法，他已自悔孟浪，却又羞于自承，说夏言别有用心正是给嘉靖找个借口。使他借着怒责夏言可以脱身出来，夏言为此曾和严嵩往来疏辩，这使嘉靖更加冒火，于是又夺去夏言的官阶，命他以尚书致仕。 又赶走了夏言，但是仍然没能致其死命，严嵩对此当然不能放心。他知道嘉靖是个极其护短的人，奖谕曾铣是他落在夏言手里的一个短处，单凭这个，就足以致夏言于死。于是他命人向宫中传出谰言，说夏言离京之时很是不平，口中曾出怨言。这个精心制造的挑动，很使嘉靖惊心，不由已动杀念。这时严嵩又代仇鸾做了一道劾疏，说曾铣贿通夏言，其实意在加官晋爵，并把苏纲也牵连进去，说苏纲是为他们相互串通，共谋奸利。这事又给嘉靖造成了杀夏言的有利借口，于是一面把曾铣和苏纲都投入诏狱，一面派遣校尉去追捕夏言。这次夏言终于没能逃过严嵩的毒手，他和曾铣终于都被判了斩刑，死在法场。 严嵩在夏言之后又做了将近十五年的首辅，这次他无所畏惧，恣意而办，做了很多坏事，害了不少好人，成了直至后世还很有名的奸相。这些年中，严嵩虽说极力拉帮结派，聚集了很多党徒，但论奏他的人还是很多，几乎一直没有停过。严嵩受到的攻击虽然最多，而且都有实据，但却都没能把他攻倒，反而是攻他的人几乎反都得罪而去，或打或杀，又有很多人送了性命。这是由于攻击严嵩的人都没能掌握到嘉靖极为护短的这一要点。凡属被严嵩害了的人，都是像害夏言那样，利用嘉靖易于羞怒的弱点，激起他的火来得遂心意的。以此来论奏他，无异是指摘嘉靖，而严嵩用以激怒嘉靖的手法更自易行，攻者必然倒霉也就毫无足怪了。认识到这一点的人，严嵩而外还有徐阶，最后徐阶为极多愿以一死劾倒严嵩的人主谋，改了他们的疏稿，不谈那些被害人的冤案，却说他一贯庇护贪污盗窃，且曾勾通倭寇，其子世蕃，母丧中身系牢狱，却还日夕饮宴，恣为淫乐，既亏孝道，又且目无王法。徐阶这一改动，果然有效，竟把严嵩的儿子严世蕃也给问了斩罪，和夏言一样，也在西市身首异处。 徐阶是江南华亭人，人极聪明能干，嘉靖二年（1523），他才二十一岁便得中了一甲第三名的探花，授编修，进了翰林院。夏言很看重他，对他多予提携，所以有些人说，徐阶主谋搞垮了严嵩，也可以说替对他有知遇之情的夏言报了一箭之仇。徐阶入阁并不为早，他是在嘉靖三十一年（1552），释褐已达三十年才得入阁的。他遇事从容，正也由在阁外历官多年，阅历繁多，有以致之。徐阶入阁时，首辅便是严嵩，次辅则为李本，徐阶在阁中名列第三。由于徐阶人聪明，科名高，严嵩自始对他便很忌怕，多次加以倾害，《明史》记载说是，“中伤之百方”。然而徐阶从容应付，严嵩终于无法奈何得他。徐阶的文笔甚佳，所撰青词很得嘉靖的称赏，他的声誉日起，严嵩始终搞不倒他，这倒也是原因之一。嘉靖四十年（1561），李本丁忧离阁，徐阶升任次辅。那时嘉靖对徐阶宠任渐已有些超过严嵩，严嵩也看出了，徐阶接替他而为首辅，不过是指顾间事，他害怕报复，便又使出了流涕乞哀的柔术。他设宴把徐阶请到家中，要家人都围着徐阶环拜，自己还说：“我是即将下世的人了，他们此后还望我公加以哺育。” 徐阶任首辅后，深知这个位子并不易坐，要想平安无事地离开更得好自为之。因此，他进能思退，很早便着意为自己的退路做了安排。他首先想到的是，要找一个和厚守正的人，把他引入阁中，共事时是个助手，致仕后不会存心不良，多所为难。他选中的是嘉靖二十六年（1547）丁未科的状元李春芳。他还想到，裕王虽尚未被立为太子，将来入居帝位的必定是他，那时他的讲官高拱，自也定将入阁。既是定然如此，何不先走一步，就把高拱引入阁中，使他知情感激，免于将来或会成为对手？他这两着，看来似乎都好，其实却是一失一得。对李春芳，他这着棋算下对了。李是个好好先生，向以恬退为怀，一切正如徐阶所料。对于高拱，他却看走了眼。高拱倨傲尚气，自觉已在裕邸主讲多年，入阁是铁定了的，对徐阶的引进简直毫不在意。入阁之后反而发生了不少误会，两人之间竟已渐似势如水火。 徐阶想着，将来李春芳即便位居首辅，怕也难与高拱相敌，必须更找一个雄鸷果敢的人，引入阁中，用来抵制高拱日后可能会有的报复。他意中的人选，是一直都在给高拱做副手的张居正。徐阶对张居正在早便已有深刻的印象，觉得此人虽久居高拱之下，但论举止气度，高拱还不及他。这次徐阶比以前更为谨慎，在把张居正引入内阁之前，便先和他接近，示以厚待之意，要到彼此相投之后，再作援引的打算，到为嘉靖草遗诏时，徐阶对张居正的拉拢达到了极点。依例皇帝去世时所发出的最后一道遗诏，应由首辅主草，他如需要有人商议，多半也是邀约一或两位阁臣。但是徐阶这次却把阁臣全都撇开，单单约了张居正来共同商议。这个做法使张居正很为感激，而阁臣之中，别人还好，尚气的高拱则大为不平，不仅更恨徐阶，并也迁怒于张居正。这种迁怒似乎倒正是徐阶所需要的，高拱与徐阶相比，究竟差着一着，入了徐的算中，还不觉得。 张居正是在裕王即位，改元隆庆后才入阁的，当时首辅是徐阶，次辅是李春芳，以下则有高拱与和张居正同时入阁的陈以勤。张居正与李春芳是同年，他也是丁未科的进士；他与高拱共事多年，一向都是高的副手，在裕邸，二人也是同为讲官。本来高拱也很看重张居正，并且同以相业相期。徐阶一意厚待张居正，使高拱极为不满，草遗诏后更加有了距离。在内阁中，高拱虽说名列第三，但自觉是裕邸旧人，很不把首辅、次辅放在眼里，遇事常都坚持己意与徐阶相争，有时甚至出言不逊，给人以很恶劣的印象，终于闹到难以继续，隆庆改元后不久，便被迫去职。 徐阶知道，隆庆信爱的还是高拱，他之不肯相下，必使高拱被迫离去，是不想使自己显得软弱，有个被人逐出的形象。高拱去后，他又从容布置，干了一年多一点，才于隆庆二年（1568）七月，致仕回家。 徐阶去后，李春芳晋居首辅，以下则有陈以勤和张居正。张居正虽居末位，却是对人严正，颇具相体，他对李、陈二人，全都看不上眼。一天，在阁中闲谈，李春芳感到自己办事很难，人言啧啧，不觉叹道：“以徐公之贤，都还以人言而去，我还能久在么，只有早晚乞身而退而已。”坐在旁边的张居正，看了看他，不觉冲口而出：“这么做，倒还能保住名声！”话说得这么轻率，竟使素有好好先生之名的李春芳也不由大吃一惊，愕然不已。 隆庆三年十二月，高拱终于又被召回，位居次辅。他把首辅李春芳更是视为无物，凡事全以己意出之，并且专向徐阶寻事，不但尽反徐阶所为，而