Chapter 6 Wanli—the cause of the three cases
Of the three cases of Tapping, Hongwan, and Yigong, only the taping case occurred in the forty-third year of Wanli (1615) when Ming Shenzong was alive, and the other two cases occurred in the forty-eighth year of Wanli (1620). after death.Although two of the three cases occurred behind Wanli, because the three cases are related to each other, the cause is the same, and it has accumulated for a long time, so if we talk about the cause of the three cases, we should also say Wanli is the most important.
In this way, in order to find out the causes of the three cases, it is really necessary to talk about Wanli.
Zhu Yijun was the thirteenth person who ascended the throne in the Ming Dynasty. His year name was Wanli, and he was posthumously named Shenzong after his death.Before Wanli, there were twelve emperors in the Ming Dynasty, but there were thirteen reign names. This was due to the "Civil Change". Times; the first name is orthodox, and then called Tianshun.
Among the sixteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yijun reigned the longest.He was established as a prince at the age of six, and when his father Ming Muzong Zhu Zaihou (hou) died at the age of ten, he ascended the throne as emperor, and the year name was changed to Wanli at the age of eleven the following year.Counting from his accession to the throne in June of the sixth year of Longqing (1572) to his death in July of the forty-eighth year of Wanli (1620), Wanli has been on the throne for a little more than 48 years.He is not only famous for being the longest in power, but also famous for being greedy for money and good goods, lazy and procrastinating, tired of being in court for many years, and messing up state affairs.The reason why he is like this is not difficult to see some clues from the education and influence he received since childhood and growing up.
Wanli was only ten years old when he became emperor, and he was still a child. There were three main people who supported him to become emperor: his mother Li Guifei, eunuch Feng Bao, and chief assistant Zhang Juzheng.These three people used each other and were closely united. Wanli grew up under their joint management in the early years.These three people cooperate with each other and control Wanli very tightly, so they have a great influence on Wanli.Seriously speaking, the alliance of Concubine Li Gui, Feng Bao, and Zhang Juzheng is obviously against the precepts of the ancestors.Because concubines are not allowed to interfere in politics, Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang not only often said it before his death, but also listed a special article in his "Bao Xun".Although Concubine Li Gui was later honored as the Queen Mother, she was still not allowed to interfere in politics.Not to mention Feng Bao, there is an iron plate at the gate of the palace: "The ministers are not allowed to interfere in political affairs, and those who commit crimes will be beheaded!" He committed the capital crime first.Zhang Juzheng was a cabinet minister, and it was his duty to assist the government, but foreign ministers colluding with internal ministers, and foreign ministers secretly colluding with the palace violated extremely serious regulations, and not a few people died because of this.However, for their own interests, they are brazenly and closely united, and the supreme ruling power has fallen into their hands, and the "Sermons" and iron cards are still there.
The combination of the three of them was successfully brokered by Feng Bao, and their initial common goal was to get rid of Shoufu Gao Gong.Feng Bao hated Gao Gong because Gao Gong twice prevented him from being promoted to be in charge of the supervisor of ceremonies.Due to the policy of mutual containment, if there is a vacancy for the eunuch in charge of the chief inspector of ceremonies (the admiral and the palm seal are often combined together), for example, the chief assistant should recommend it. But Gao Gong, the chief assistant at that time, was dissatisfied with Feng Bao, so he recommended that position to the eunuch Chen Hong, the imperial supervisor.After Chen Hong was dismissed, Gao Gong withdrew Feng Bao and recommended Meng Chong from Shangshan Supervisor.According to the rule, Supervisor Shangshan was not qualified to be promoted to Supervisor of Rites, so Feng Bao hated Gao Gong even more.Feng Bao was extremely scheming, and he single-mindedly accepted the empress and concubine Li very early on. He told them that it was improper for Meng Chong to be in charge of the supervisor of ceremonies, and finally when Mu Zong Zhu Zaihou passed away, he took the position of supervisor of ceremonies. snatched it.He knew very well that if Gao Gong was not removed, his position would never be stable, but to remove Gao Gong, he had to get the cooperation of Concubine Li Gui and Zhang Juzheng, and attack from both inside and outside.
Feng Bao knew Li Guifei's thoughts very clearly.He knew that what Concubine Li Gui wanted most was how to control her son, who became the emperor, in her own hands. It would be best if she was honored as the empress dowager and she could get rid of the power of the empress who had always been above her.As the emperor's biological mother, there is a precedent for being honored as the empress dowager, but she did not dare to dream of becoming an enemy indistinguishable from the empress, because she was the biological mother of Ming Xianzong who won the right to be the empress dowager for her biological mother. Trying hard, but only won a naked "Queen Dowager", who is not comparable to the Queen, and there is another emblem above the Queen Dowager.In order to drive away Gao Gong and cater to Concubine Li Gui, Feng Bao secretly thought of a way. He told Concubine Li that as long as Gao Gong was driven away, Zhang Juzheng would be the head assistant, and Zhang would be able to control everything when discussing the honorary title. She is the same as the queen, and the same emblem is added on top of the queen mother.This became the first agreement between them.
Although Feng Bao was not liked by Gao Gong, the first assistant, but he had always had a close relationship with Zhang Juzheng, the second assistant. Perhaps this was one of the reasons why Gao Gong was not happy with him.Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong had already gotten into trouble because of Xu Jie's matter, and it was even more difficult to work together when Mu Zong was dying.That matter was also provoked by Feng Bao.As usual, when the emperor dies, he always draws up a will and announces it to the world.This edict has always been the work of the chief assistant alone.However, in order to add his name to the list of Gu Ming ministers, Feng Bao secretly made an appointment with Zhang Juzheng, hoping that the two of them would draft the same edict first.Not wanting to keep things secret, Gao Gong rushed to disperse them, Gao Gong asked Zhang Juzheng: "I am the country, how can I write the edict with the palace people alone?" No, it's really embarrassing.Feng Bao knew these things very well, so he came to discuss with Zhang Juzheng how to get rid of Gao Gong, and proposed to Zhang Juzheng the prerequisite that the empress dowagers of the two palaces should be respected as one.Of course Zhang Juzheng was very happy to get rid of Gao Gong and be promoted to the first assistant, but the condition made him embarrassed.Because of being the first assistant, virtue is also very important. This is not respected as the empress dowager, but it is different in the emblem. It was ordered by Peng Shi and Li Xian's biological mother who resisted Xianzong when they were cabinet ministers. They are praised by the world, and even Emperor Xianzong Zhu Jianshen once secretly sent middle officials to praise them, saying that "Shangyi is solid, but he is forced by the Queen Mother and dare not be independent. It is not due to the struggle between the two princes, and it is a big mistake."Peng Shi and Li Xian gained a great reputation for being upright, but Zhang Juzheng wanted to break this method, what would be the result?Therefore, it was difficult for Zhang Juzheng to decide whether he could accept this condition for a long time.However, from now on, he has to be the chief assistant, and he is no longer suppressed by Gao Gong. This kind of temptation will eventually become stronger, so that he finally agreed to this condition, and when he presided over the court meeting, it was agreed that the empress should be respected as a benevolent saint. The empress dowager respects Concubine Li Gui as the empress dowager, benevolent and benevolent, benevolent and benevolent, both of them are known, and they have really achieved the same respect.
While connecting with Feng Bao, Gao Gong is also hastily arranging his plans.Feng Bao regained the eunuch's handprint from the supervisor of ceremonies, and wanted to add his name to Minister Gu Ming, which made him furious.He said that the master was young, saying that in order to avoid the dictatorship of middle officials, it was best to remove the power of the supervisor of ceremonies to approve Zhu and other powers, and return them to the cabinet.Important reform proposals were put forward.At the same time, he also ordered Luo Zun and Cheng Wen to work together to impeach Feng Bao. As soon as the impeachment of the two came in, he himself immediately drafted an order to expel Feng Bao from the palace.He had already made arrangements, and he was very unselfish, and even told Zhang Juzheng everything.On the surface, Zhang Juzheng was submissive, but secretly notified Feng Bao of the situation quickly, asking him to make preparations and act first.Feng Bao used Gao Gong to cry bitterly in the pavilion when he said "How can a ten-year-old prince rule the world", slightly changed it, and told the two queen mothers that Gao Gong actually said, "How can a ten-year-old child rule the world?" Son of Heaven"!Obviously there is disobedience.These words not only shocked the two empress dowagers, even the ten-year-old emperor did not change his face when he heard it.In this way, the decision to expel Gao Gong has already been made in the palace.
Gao Gong never expected that he would be plotted against, so he came to the pavilion early the next morning, waiting for the news.Soon, the Chinese envoy sent an order, saying that the empress dowagers of the two palaces summoned the cabinet ministers to enter the palace and read out the imperial edicts of the empress dowagers and the emperor.Gao Gong thought that the imperial edict to be read must be to approve and punish Feng Bao, so he was very happy and immediately led everyone into the palace.Unexpectedly, after entering the palace, he realized that the one who was punished was not someone else, but him Gao Gong.The empress dowagers of the two palaces declared Gao Gong's various crimes, and immediately reprimanded him, ordering him to leave Beijing immediately.This unexpected sudden change, like a thunderbolt from the blue sky, made Gao Gong kneel on the ground, unable to move.In the end it was Zhang Juzheng who helped him up and helped him out of the palace before he had to leave.
After Gao Gong was expelled, Zhang Juzheng was immediately promoted to the position of chief assistant. This time, the battle between the first and second assistants was done most swiftly.But the matter is not over yet, Feng Bao hates Gao Gong deeply and wants to put him to death.Soon, there happened to be a man named Minister Wang, who was dressed in the clothes of a servant, sneaked into the palace, and was caught until he was near the Qianqing Palace, and sent to Dongchang.At that time, Feng Bao was already in charge of Dongchang, so he wanted to take this opportunity to avenge family crimes, so he discussed with Zhang Juzheng to see how to start.In order to avoid the future trouble of Gao Gong's possible recovery, Zhang Juzheng also agrees.So the two negotiated and ordered Feng Bao's servant Xin Ru to collude with the king's minister and give him a knife, telling him that Gao Gong was sent to assassinate the emperor because of resentment after he was dismissed.Since the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, there have been many cases of using things to constitute the crime of treason and framing the enemy's family for the crime of extermination. Therefore, Feng and Zhang's plot was quickly seen by many people, so Gao Gong's disciples, even Zhang The people living under the main gate all came to try to get rid of it one after another. They all stated their interests and advised Zhang Juzheng not to do such a murderous thing.Due to public opinion, Zhang Juzheng already felt that there would be little benefit if he insisted on doing it. In addition, Minister Wang overturned his confession during the meeting (ju, interrogation), so Zhang Juzheng changed his mind. He smiled slightly and said: "There will be no You can tell him what's going on, don't be scared to death!"
Empress Dowager Li, Feng Bao, and Zhang Juzheng conspired to drive away Gao Gong, and they were very satisfied with each other, so they worked together again to share the work of managing the child emperor.
At that time, Empress Dowager Li was most concerned about how to teach her son well so that he could become a decent emperor soon.For this reason, she moved out of the Compassionate Palace where she used to live, and moved to the Qianqing Palace to live with Wanli, and she was supervised everywhere.Every time when she was in court, Empress Dowager Li always went to Wanli's dormitory in person at five o'clock to call him up, so as not to cause trouble.Wanli's reading matter, she grasped the most tightly, not only taught him to recite it every day, but also asked him to re-tell the new books that the official had taught.If he can't recite or speak well, he will be punished to kneel down and read aloud until he can do it well.If there is any behavior of truancy, the punishment will be more severe, not only kneeling, but sometimes beating.If Wanli committed some deviant behavior, the Empress Dowager punished him even more severely.Once, Wanli drank too much wine and ordered his servant to sing a new song. The servant refused, so Wanli wanted to kill him with a sword. head".The next day, the Empress Dowager heard about this, she called Zhang Juzheng in, and ordered him to go to the Shuzhong to remonstrate, and in the Shuzhong to forcefully report all the wrongdoings of doing such things, and asked him to correct his mistakes.At the same time, he also ordered Zhang Juzheng to draft a "Guild Letter of Repentance" for Wanli on behalf of Wanli, and hand it in for later use.On the one hand, she called the emperor who had been in trouble again, told him to kneel down, listened to her interrogation and reprimanded him for his crimes, and it was not until the emperor was so reprimanded that he wept bitterly, kowtowed and pleaded guilty, and promised to change, the queen mother remonstrated Zhang Juzheng. Shuhe's drafted "Zui Ji Yu Zha" was thrown to him, and he was ordered to read the Shuwen aloud, deeply guilty, and asked him to copy the "Zui Ji Yu Zhe" by himself and make it public.Among the three guardians in the early days of Wanli, Empress Dowager Li was the only one who could be punished directly, and Wanli was actually the most afraid of her, but they were mother and son, so they were still afraid but not hated in the end, and the relationship has always been very good.
As the assistant of the queen mother, Feng Bao supervised Wanli in both the inner and outer courts.Wanli is also very afraid of him, because he is the eyes and ears of the queen mother, and if he has made a mistake, even if Feng Bao finds out about it, he will not be able to escape. If he made a mistake, he would report to him, and every time he responded, the Queen Mother's punishment would follow.According to the practice in the palace, Wanli called Feng Bao "big companion".This Feng Bao really regarded himself as a big companion, and treated Wanli like a child, supporting him and hugging him, never leaving his side.When Wanli first went to the enthronement ceremony, Feng Bao still followed closely. Wanli had already sat on the throne, but he still followed closely, standing near the throne.This action made the ministers who came to pay homage to the uproar, and they commented one after another, saying: All the ministers pay homage to the emperor, who is Feng Bao, is he worthy of our congratulations?
Wanli has extremely complicated feelings about Feng Bao, and the changes before and after are also great.Wanli still relied on him very much at first, and Feng Bao gave him a lot of courage when he met the officials.Wanli has indeed learned a lot from Feng Bao. Being overbearing, rude and arrogant is probably the example Feng Bao set for him.Of course Wanli was dissatisfied with Feng Bao always telling the Queen Mother, but what made him most resentful was that Feng Bao broke up and punished his playmates many times.Not long after Wanli got married, for a while, like his ancestor Ming Wuzong, he was fond of night outings. Some of his favorite little eunuchs lured him, with small clothes and narrow sleeves, horses and knives, and ran around.Feng Bao not only reported all these things to the queen mother, but also made Wanli kneel down to be blamed, and copied Zhang Juzheng's "crime edict" on behalf of Zhang Juzheng, and even those little eunuchs he loved the most, Sun Hai, Ke Yong, etc. The others were also punished with sticks and were all expelled from the palace gate.There are also many deacons and eunuchs who were favored by Wanli, and they were often expelled because they offended Feng Bao. For example, Zhang Cheng, who was very capable of serving Wanli, forcibly removed Feng Bao from his post and was resettled to Nanjing.Because Wanli was afraid of Feng Bao, whenever he played with the little eunuchs, he always sent many people to watch outside. Seeing Feng Bao approaching from a distance, he hurriedly flew to report: "The big companion is here!" Zuo was reading or writing to escape Feng Bao's inspection.In order to please Feng Bao, Wanli imitated the previous method of giving silver medals to cabinet ministers to show his honor and favor, and gave Feng Bao many times tooth badges with commendatory words, such as "bright and upright", "er is the salt plum", "you As a boat", "fish and water meet", "wind and cloud meet", and so on.Some of these compliments may really come from the heart, while others are just perfunctory with clichés, and even have some irony.For example, Feng Bao secretly reported to the Queen Mother, Wanli was very annoyed, and it was a kind of ridicule to give it as a "fair and honest" article?Among them, the chapter "You Make a Boat" can be said to be a stroke of genius, which is very intriguing.On the surface, this is all praise for Feng Bao's support and burden. However, if you look closely at the meaning, it also contains the meaning of "reaching the shore and throwing the boat" and "crossing the river and demolishing the bridge".If Feng Bao can appreciate this, maybe the ending will be better.
Among the three, Zhang Juzheng is mainly responsible for the task of teacher security.Empress Dowager Li respected him very much, entrusted him with state affairs, and hoped that he would devote himself to Wanli's growth.Zhang Juzheng also did his part. In terms of governing, he was the least hindered among all the cabinet ministers in the Ming Dynasty.When he was the chief assistant, although the formalities of drawing up votes and approving Zhu were still the same, everything was done according to the routine, but in fact it was just a formality. Among all the cabinet ministers, in terms of the power he holds, it can be said that he is the only one who can be compared with the prime ministers of the previous dynasties.During Zhang Juzheng's ten years in the country, he has made a lot of achievements both internally and externally, showing a scene of peace and prosperity, and people can even rise and gradually reach the prosperity of the world, all because of his various ideas. If you can do what you can, you will not encounter unwarranted criticism.
Wanli's reading problem is also one of the problems that Empress Dowager Li looked up to Zhang Juzheng very much. In this regard, Zhang Juzheng also put in a lot of effort.Since Wanli ascended the throne as emperor, although his lecturers Shen Li and Ma Ziqiang gave readings and explanations on a daily basis, Zhang Juzheng was responsible for what he said and what arrangements he had to make outside of the regular lectures. To decide and arrange.At the beginning, Zhang Juzheng focused on the reasons for the chaos, and compiled the major events of the chaos since ancient times into a set of "little man's books".He wanted to use this to enable Wanli to have a preliminary understanding of the way of being a king.After this set of textbooks, Zhang Juzheng ordered the Confucian officials of the Hanlin Academy to select some materials from the "Records" of the emperors of the past dynasties and the "Treasures" of the Ming Taizu, categorize them separately, and edit them into a book. Forty books with titles such as Difficulty, Hard Work, Diligence, and Respect for Heaven, after those small books with pictures and texts, enable Wanli to have a further understanding of the emperor's career.In addition, every time Zhang Juzheng had an opportunity, he always solemnly declared to Wanli some positive theories on how to be a king. He also played a lot on all kinds of etiquette and governance, such as the order of the elders and the young, the distinction between the sons and the concubines, etc. .Wanli was in awe of this master when he was young, and he listened quietly, and it had a deep influence on him before he knew it.Later, he always felt very embarrassed about the issue of Li Chang and Li Ai, and he seemed quite timid. Zhang Juzheng's teachings really played a big role.
Empress Dowager Li and Wanli's mother and son, when Zhang Juzheng was alive, respected and believed in Zhang Juzheng very much.As far as Empress Dowager Li is concerned, Zhang Juzheng is not only the pillar of the sky who undertakes major national affairs on her behalf, but also the best teacher who teaches her sons to become talents on her behalf so that they can become a righteous king. Therefore, apart from respect, there is also some gratitude. And fear, and often passed this feeling to Wanli.Whenever Wanli made a mistake, or did not study hard enough, she would lift up the respected teacher in a solemn tone, which made Wanli feel timid.Every time she reprimanded Wanli, she would often say: "How can Mr. Zhang know?" or, "In this case, what will Mr. Zhang say"?This made Wanli feel that Mr. Zhang's power was far above the Empress Dowager's, and his awe grew day by day.During Zhang Juzheng's lifetime, Wanli's awe and reliance on him was indeed increasing day by day, there is no doubt about it.This is one of the reasons why Zhang Juzheng's power was overwhelming for a while.
However, Wanli is often dissatisfied with Zhang Juzheng.This is due to the fact that there is also some conflict of interest between them.Wanli was an emperor known for his greed and good goods, which he inherited from his biological mother, the Empress Dowager Li, who had been showing up from time to time when he was a child.Long before Wanli got married, and when the Empress Dowager was still living with him in the Qianqing Palace, Wanli had already been lured by some young eunuchs to search for some rare toys outside the palace to fill his small private treasury.At that time, he already felt that although he was honored as the son of heaven and was said to be "rich all over the world", he actually had no money in his hands, which was really irritating.The little eunuchs are very good at coming up with fancy ideas and teaching him how to get some extra money.But the money obtained by using those tricks is not only very little, but Zhang Juzheng will often know about it, and will also hand over advice. , and sometimes even have to copy a "crime edict".After Wanli got married, he had more ways to spend money, and he felt more and more short of money.After all, he has been on the throne for a long time, and he already knows some tricks. He has used the Taikuang Bank several times by himself.But soon this was known to Zhang Juzheng. He not only set up a sparse discussion to preach the right and wrong of money, but also listed the figures of the annual income and annual expenditure submitted by the Ministry of Households, and said that he was unable to make ends meet every year. Put this watch in the sitting corner so that you can read it day and night, and you can live within your means and save floating costs.Wanli was extremely disgusted by this, but there was nothing he could do about it. From this, he came up with his own opinion. He felt that what he was often taught, that the emperor should regard the whole world as his home, and that the family and the country should be the same, etc., was actually somewhat illusory. The property seems to be his, but it takes a lot of trouble to use it. It is only convenient to use it if it is transferred to his own small private treasury.His thoughts became more and more serious over time, and he wanted to break through these obstacles more and more. In the middle of Wanli period, he almost always put himself in a situation of confrontation with the cabinet ministers. No matter what the cabinet ministers wanted him to do, he would If you want to bargain, you have to earn a little before you are willing to give up.
Another point of Wanli's dissatisfaction with Zhang Juzheng is that Zhang Juzheng's drafting of the "Guild Letter of Guilt" and "Edict of Guilt", etc., are too harsh, and it makes people blush to copy them.In particular, the article about him and the little eunuchs walking around with knives and visiting other palaces at night was even more vitriolic. At that time, he was eighteen years old and knew everything. , Thinking about it, I feel that Zhang Juzheng is deliberately making a fool of him, the ninth emperor.He thought about not writing it many times, but he was forced by the Queen Mother's order and dared not resist.He had to write, but he was very angry.
However, despite these dissatisfaction, Wanli's awe and reliance on Zhang Juzheng is still increasing day by day.At first, because of his mother's teachings, he couldn't help but respect him. Later, he gradually became sensible, and he also deeply felt that he had to rely on Zhang Juzheng for those troublesome state affairs. Those small dissatisfaction, if compared with his reliance on him, It's just too insignificant.It can be said that Zhang Juzheng has always been respected with a very grand etiquette. Wanli is not only called Mr. or Mr. Zhang in person, but also on the back. Palace title to show grandeur.When Zhang Jia had the title of Master Master, he was often called "Mr. Zhang Shaoshi" or "Mr. Zhang Shaoshi Yuanfu". Mr. Zhang", or, "Mr. Taishi Zhang Taiyue".Zhang Juzheng's name is Shuda, and his nickname is Taiyue. It is really rare for the emperor to be called a minister by the title.In the Ming Dynasty, there were only three people who had the title of Grand Master during their lifetime. Before Zhang Juzheng, there was Li Shanchang, and after him, there was Gu Bingqian.However, Li Shanchang added the title of Grand Master to comfort him before he became an official. Gu Bingqian was promoted to Grand Master, which is exactly the same as Li Shanchang, and it was completely done by Wei Zhongxian, which is somewhat different from Zhang Juzheng.
Zhang Juzheng's greatest influence on Wanli was to develop his laziness. Wanli initially developed Zhang Juzheng's overestimation, took him as the reliance of Mount Tai, and dared not ask about everything.After Zhang Juzheng, someone else replaced him, and Wanli couldn't do anything for a while, but things were done as usual, so he felt that this was the case, so he slacked off with more peace of mind.
Wanli's reliance on Zhang Juzheng is most obvious from Zhang Juzheng's "defeating love" and his panic when he was seriously ill.
Regarding "Duoqing", it happened in the fifth year of Wanli (1577).That year, Zhang Juzheng's father died of illness in Jiangling, Huguang, where he was originally from.According to the practice of the past dynasties, those who are sons of man must observe filial piety for three years at the funeral of their parents, and those who are officials must go back to their hometowns and observe filial piety at home. After three years, they will be reinstated.This act of going home to keep filial piety is called "Ding You".Although Zhang Juzheng is the chief assistant, there is no exception at all, because in the feudal period, all dynasties were known as "governing the world with filial piety", and the ruler should be an example for people.However, after going home to observe filial piety for three years, Zhang Juzheng, as a filial son, was very worried at first.Before him, it was the most intense period of mutual exclusion and strife between the cabinets. He himself defeated Gao Gong by extraordinary means, so he was able to be the chief assistant.Although his power and influence greatly surpassed that of the previous chief ministers, the other cabinet ministers were suppressed like subordinate officials, and no one dared to say anything. However, people's hearts are unpredictable, and it is difficult to guarantee that nothing will go wrong in three years.For this reason, he was extremely worried and didn't know what to do.Feng Bao, who worked hand in hand with him in the inner court, was also extremely worried about this.The two of them are not honest and honest people. Because they hold great power, they have made many profits in many ways, and they have arranged many private persons. Once a new chief assistant is replaced, these private aspects will not be exposed or even be accused. used as an excuse to attack them.Also, Empress Dowager Li and Wanli, especially Wanli, were also extremely worried about Zhang Juzheng's going to Ding You.For their mother and son, Zhang Ju is the main source of safety. Once he goes, how can others stand up?Although the four of them have the same thoughts, they are all helpless, because this is a major matter related to the establishment of a country and a person, and it is really difficult to avoid it.
At that time, the ministers of the foreign court were also talking about it.Many upright people were quite dissatisfied with Zhang Juzheng's failure to go to the funeral quickly, and believed that a dutiful son should go as soon as he heard the news, and that was the right thing to do without delay.There are also people who think that Zhang Juzheng is not better than others. He has a heavy responsibility for the country, and he arranges the important affairs first, and then goes to the funeral, but it is also very reasonable.There are also some people who feel that Zhang Juzheng's body at this time is really a danger to the country.The empress dowager and the emperor were afraid of him leaving, but they were unable to persuade him to stay.If someone can come up with a wonderful way to return to heaven, it can be regarded as a great achievement, that is, to make a fortune, it is really a promise.During the discussions throughout the court, there was indeed a person who searched his brains, and finally made him think of a magic method to keep Zhang Juzheng.This person is not him, but Li Youzi, the servant of the household department. The method he thought of was to ask the court to discuss it, so that Zhang Juzheng could "take his love".
The so-called "duoqing" is actually an ancient ritual, it is a flexible system used for expedition generals, commanders and others.Because if the generals and commanders who go to the expedition have their parents mourned, if they still go home to observe the filial piety as usual, it will definitely affect the military situation greatly, and it may cause defeat; The family keeps filial piety, and still wears filial piety in the front to join the army.This kind of decision is called "seizing love". Those who seize love take away the affection of their parents and children, and use it for other purposes.
Although the theory of "capturing love" has its roots in etiquette, it is only applicable to generals and commanders who go out to war. Even if they are generals and commanders, it is not applicable if there is no war. And there is no battle. To put forward this statement is really far away from the topic.But having said that, it's always an excuse, so when I said it, it immediately caused a lot of reaction.Empress Dowager Li, Wanli, and Feng Bao were naturally very happy, and Zhang Juzheng was also very happy.Of course there are a lot of people below who are vying to please them, and everyone expresses their support, lest they will be disappointed.However, there are quite a few people who insist on the ancient rites, and they also speak out loudly and discuss it one after another, thinking that this is a major matter related to human relations and must be denounced.Among these essays, Wu Zhongxing, the editor, spoke the most profoundly and poignantly.He started from the relationship between father and son, the righteousness of the monarch and his ministers, the laws of the ancestors, the virtuous teachings of the Bible, etc., and considered that seizing love in one fell swoop would cause great harm, and he thought it was absolutely impossible.He also said at the end, "Things are the norms of the ages, and the four sides are watching and listening, but there is nothing wrong today, and there will be no discussion in future generations. There is no way to change."Wu Zhongxing was a Jinshi of Xinweike in the fifth year of Longqing (1571), and Zhang Juzheng was the chief examiner of that subject. According to the law, Wu Zhongxing was Zhang Juzheng's student, and Zhang Juzheng was Wu's "teacher".This kind of "teacher friendship" and "family friendship" has been valued by people from Kejia since the beginning. "Friendship", "teacher friendship", "door friendship", etc., were already highly valued conditions of combination at that time.However, Wu Zhongxing didn't pay attention to his favorable condition, not only did not attach himself to Zhang Juzheng, but also gave a memorial, which seemed a bit unnatural at that time.Not only that, Wu Zhongxing brought a copy to Zhang Juzheng after handing over the booklet, and asked him to read it first. " Wu Zhongxing said: "Of course I have handed it in, if I haven't handed it in, how dare I ask my master to come and see it." Zhang Juzheng was already very angry with those who were opposed to "duoqing", but he was even more angry with Wu Zhongxing. Because this Wu Zhongxing was actually his disciple.He mentioned Yan Song who was even more notorious behind him. He said: "There were so many people who talked about Fenyi back then. But none of them were his disciples. It seems that I can't even compare with Fenyi!" He called Yan Song It is appropriate to divide it, and it is called on behalf of the strict township and county.Calling people by place originally existed in ancient times, and it was especially popular in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. For example, Zhang Jutong is also called "Jiangling", which also belongs to this category.At that time, there were already many people who talked about "duoqing", and Wu Zhongxing's essays played a role in promoting them. There was a sudden surge of wind and clouds, and a huge wave was formed. Mu, Shen Sixiao and others.
In order to stop this wave of opposition, Zhang Juzheng and Feng Bao continued to discuss in secret. Finally, the two agreed that Feng Bao would come forward to instigate Wanli, arrest the most vocal people and put them in imperial prison, and give them imperial sceptres. This wind can be stopped.Wan Liyuan also deeply hated those who were careless and seductive, and of course had no objection to Feng Bao's method, so he immediately arrested Wu Zhongxing, Zhao Yongxian, Ai Mu, Shen Sixiao and other four people and ordered them to be sent to court. stick.However, the imprisoning of these four people caused even greater disturbances. Not only did many people seek help, Wang Xijue, a scholar of the Imperial Academy, even led dozens of poets to Zhang Juzheng's residence, and asked him to exonerate everyone. .Zhang Juzheng said that this matter was all ordered by the Holy Spirit, and he had no choice but his heart became even more furious. Not only did Wu Zhongxing, Zhao Yongxian and other four people be blamed, but Zou Yuanbiao, who had the most intense discussion on rescue, was also included in the blame list. The number of court rods.Although these five people were all severely punished with sticks, they became famous because of it. At that time, they were given the honorary title of "Five Straight Ministers".
Under the great coercion, the theory of "capturing love" finally passed smoothly. Zhang Juzheng hurried back to his hometown, buried his father, and then hurried back to Beijing to deal with the cabinet affairs.When he left Beijing, except for the small matters that were discussed and handled by the people in the cabinet, Wanli ordered all important affairs to be sent to Jiangling in the starry night, which still had to be decided by Mr. Zhang.Wanli's trust in Zhang Juzheng is even more conceivable here.
During Zhang Juzheng's illness, Wanli's fear of losing his pillar of the sky became more obvious.Not only did he continue to send envoys to issue edicts to inquire about illnesses, but he also frequently issued huge sums of money as medical expenses.Regarding the various affairs of the court, Wanli is still the same as when Zhang Juzheng returned to his hometown to bury his father. He ordered his assistant Zhang Siwei and others to only do some minor affairs in the cabinet. , Even when he is already bedridden, he still has to send those important tasks to his bedside.At that time, all the officials in Beijing, big and small, saw that the emperor respected the chief minister so much. One was for the sake of the emperor's heart, and the other was to see better than the ministers, so they kept asking for safety and greetings. The altar was set up to pray for Zhang Juzheng's longevity and blessings.In the feudal society, people and ministers came to this way, and they felt that it was a bit too much. Although Wanli didn't also pray for blessings, he also secretly acquiesced and didn't express anything.Later, this matter spread to the outside world, and foreign officials from all over the country, such as Nanjing, Huguang, Henan, Shanxi and other places, also set up altars and built sacrifices one after another to pray for the blessing and disaster relief of this person who is in danger to the world with one body. , one after another, into a mess.
After Zhang Juzheng's death, he was extremely mournful at first. Wanli also showed great courtesy and mourning to his important minister. Sitting in the court, mourning with aspirations), and ordered the nine altars to be sacrificed, and the ceremony was held according to the same method as a person who is a prince of the country and a teacher of the emperor.After all the ceremonies have been completed, he ordered the fourth-rank Jingqing, Jinyi Weitang officials, ceremonial supervisors and eunuchs to escort him, transport the coffin back to his hometown, and bury him in the earth.It is extremely rare among all the courtiers of the Ariake generation to have such a grand gift after death.But this good time was short-lived, only in the next year, the situation changed drastically. At that time, Zhang Juzheng was stripped of all his official ranks, and later ransacked his home. In the end, he was called a rebellious minister, and he was almost in danger of being dissected. The point of killing corpses.
So there was such an upheaval very soon, it was because although Zhang Juzheng was capable and made great achievements in government affairs, he was too powerful and self-indulgent, but he also attracted a lot of resentment.Especially because he is not a clean and honest person, he recruits power and accepts bribes, and even swallows the property of the vassal king who has been confiscated (ransacked).These weaknesses, Zhang Juzheng is in power, naturally few people mention them, people are gone, but it is difficult to prohibit people from uncovering them.Zhang Juzheng and Feng Bao have always been in harmony with each other, fighting for power and gain for each other. They are very serious, so there are conflicts from time to time, but they also understand that the two of them, one inside and the other outside, are really Cooperation benefits both, and separation hurts both. Therefore, during conflicts, both parties are willing to restrain themselves. Although the subordinates of the two parties are still provoking from time to time, they can always reconcile after conflicts.Their move was indeed very far-sighted. As expected, when Zhang Juzheng died, Feng Bao immediately saw that he could not do anything alone, and soon he was in trouble together.
Feng Bao had also seen this kind of crisis long ago. When he saw that Zhang Juzheng's illness was about to recover, he made arrangements.有师谊的潘晟推荐入阁，以便彼此又能内外呼应，立定脚跟。那时张居正已经病在垂危，昏昏沉沉，也就答应了他，推荐潘晟入阁。不由廷推，而由首辅推引入阁，原是不合正规的，但在以前却也并非仅见，而对张居正来说则更是件常事。但话虽如此，却是多少也要有些布置，还要倚仗他自己主持廷推的威力才得纵横自如。这次张居正的病危已是尽人皆知，他还想以一纸疏文便将潘晟推为阁臣，如何得成呢？况且潘晟与冯保的关系人们都很清楚，推他入阁是想干些什么，人人更都心里明白，所以一闻此事，很多言官便都纷纷疏论，都说潘晟这人实不可用。自从阁臣们争着拉拢言官成为自己争权夺势的助力以来，言官的势力便已日益增大，积至当时，已有些可以左右朝权：资历不够的人，群起一捧，便能捧上台去；为他反对的人，群起而攻，上了台的也要垮掉。潘晟是个老官僚，他很明白这些，所以虽然已经奉召入京，但在道上便已上疏力辞这份入阁之命。他这样做，一是顺应那时的惯例，一经疏论，便得恳辞，以示推让；二则，那份辞疏也是一种试探，前途如何，从疏文递上去后的反应便可供为揣摸。他递出疏文以后，一路缓行，等候信息。那时阁中的首辅是张四维，次辅是申时行。张四维在张居正的窒压之下，一直默默无闻，如今才将出头，很想做出点顺乎人心的事，让人们看看。潘晟的来头他很清楚，一旦入阁，他与冯保一唱一和，必会把他和申时行都压下去；但是，如果顺水推舟，拟旨准其辞退，不但可无后患，而且还会大得人心，何乐而不为呢？寻思已定，票拟时就这么做了，万历也即报“可”，于是潘晟入阁一事，也就和他的入京一样，都是半途而止了。
潘晟的入阁告吹，冯保正在病中，病后得知此事，不由怒道：“我才害点小病，眼睛里就没有我了么？”他所怒骂的，正是张四维等人。他与阁臣又不断发生纠纷，却不料真正的祸事已在内廷酝酿，很快就要爆发了。这事的导火线是前些年因得罪冯保而被赶出宫去的张诚已经又回到万历的身边。这张诚原就很受万历的宠信，冯保便是出于畏忌才一心要赶走他的。张诚离宫之时，万历很是难舍，又恨造成事端的冯保和张居正，所以在张诚拜辞之时，便暗自交给张诚一项任务，要他在暗中探明冯保和张居正之间有何种勾结，得便秘密奏知。张诚也自深恨冯、张二人，对于这项任务如何肯不尽心，几年之中，他将冯、张二人种种勾结情况以至所有各项罪行，全都探知得清清楚楚，但却无由回京，不得入宫详奏。张居正死后，外间的阻力已无，张诚这才又得入宫，把他所探知的一切都一一陈奏，并且建议万历可以把冯保发往南京安置，免得再在宫中为患。那时万历虽已年满二十，张居正死后并已开始自理朝政，但是慑于冯保的余威，始终有些畏畏缩缩，不敢即行决定。张诚和另一名内监张鲸都是极恨冯保，并且深知万历很为贪财，于是不断在万历的耳边叨念冯保如何富有，甚至竟说冯保的家财早已富过皇宫，只要把他赶出京去，立刻便可抄他的家，把他的家财全部据为己有。万历的贪欲被他们大大扇起，已很跃跃欲试，但他还是很怕。一次，他向张鲸、张诚说出了他的惧怯之处，他说：“想着倒好，可是大伴如果冲上殿来，朕可怎么办呀！”张鲸、张诚同声都说：“已经有旨处分了他，他如何还敢来呢！”他们说的确是实话，这里又是明代诸帝陆续立下的一些保卫帝室的条款起到了它的作用。
抄了冯保的家，财物果然不少，但与想象中的数目却又差得很远，万历不免有些失望。为了满足万历的贪欲，张鲸等人开始引诱着他再向张居正下手。他们替张居正大加吹嘘，说他比冯保可又阔多了。万历被冯保这块肥肉已经引得胃口大开，这次毫不犹豫便同意了，而且为了防止走漏，声势步骤也比抄冯保的家时要紧密得多。这次万历特别派了已在司礼监供职的张诚和右通政丘橓二人作为指挥，由他们率领锦衣卫指挥和几个给事中，一同办理查抄事宜。张诚等人还没赶到江陵，地方官便已先到张府点验了人口，把他们都关锁在一些空房间里，封了门，不许随便出入。等张诚到时，开门查看，那些被锁的人，由于缺乏食物，饿死的人已达十数人之多了。这次共抄得黄金一万余两，白银十几万两，数目虽已不少，依然比预计的要少得多。张诚感到无法交差，便把张居正的长子，礼部主事张敬修抓来拷问，要他说出把财物已经转寄到哪里去了。张敬修支不住拷问，只得信口乱说，诬称还有三十多万两银子，都分藏在曾省吾、王篆和傅作舟等人的家里。于是曾、王、傅等人便也跟着倒了大霉，他们的家也都被抄了。张敬修诬服只不过为了逃刑，他自知抄不出来还得找他，便偷个空子自己上吊死了。
连连抄家，使万历的贪欲益炽，他觉得抄家这个办法实在太好，比向国库伸手还要方便，从此便把这一着看成法宝，凡是有人获罪，不拘内侍、外官，论罪之后，便要继以抄家。有些狡猾的内侍，看出了这个苗头，奉命外出，更加放胆胡为，一旦为人论奏，势将难免，便不等到论罪抄家，先自便把部分赃银献给这位贪馋的皇帝，结果不但罪行可予免究，还可照样干他的富有油水的美差。历代皇帝极为贪婪的倒也不少，但公然受贿如万历的却又很难找到。
在张居正之后对万历起到很多影响的，是万历六年（1578）入阁，十一年晋居首辅的申时行。申时行是嘉靖四十一年（1562）的状元，为人极其聪明便给，很为张居正所看重。张居正将于万历六年三月回家葬父，阁中颇感缺人。他觉得申时行这人很会办事，又极柔顺听话，不但是个很好的帮手，如果在他之后得任首辅，对他自己也必会有好处，因而便在临行之前把申时行从吏部右侍郎升为左侍郎，兼东阁大学士入预机务，使他成为阁臣。张居正死后，继之为首辅的是张四维，但到次年张四维又丁忧回籍，申时行真如张居正所盘算的那样，在他之后，很快便位居首辅了。不过张居正想在身后受到申时行的保护却又算差了。申时行这个人太聪明，太乖巧，出头干些费力又不讨好的事，他可绝不肯来。他的聪明、能干，万历也很欣赏，他出的主意，常使万历出乎意外地称心，因此万历倒很乐意向他请教，听他的话。
申时行对万历的最大影响，是教会了他很多偷懒的办法。最先，申时行便教会了万历把奏疏“留中”。“留中”这个办法，由来倒已很久，但都不过是偶一用之，所以万历为帝虽说已逾十年，却还没有晓得，他常给那些谏疏、论疏扰得头疼，却又没有办法躲过。他常向申时行抱怨，申时行便趁机教他：“这些其实看看也就行了，不必出示外廷，反而引起争论，更添麻烦。把这些'留中'，还有很多好处，最要紧的是上疏人一心想着他的疏文，不会再生出别的事端。”万历并不好学，但于这事却心领神会学得很好，很多奏疏，最初倒是还肯看看，后来则是只看几行，便丢开算了，再后则是有些人的奏疏他竟看也不看，便留中了。万历得以公开逃课，也是申时行给他想出了个妙招。原来历代帝王虽已身登帝位，也得定期学习，到时便得出御经筵，听经筵讲官讲读经籍。万历自来很不好学，大婚以前由李太后逼着，张居正经管着，还是常要设法逃课。大婚以后，李太后搬出了乾清宫，迁回她向来居住的慈宁宫去了，在迁出前，她虽再次郑重抬出先皇的顾托之重，把教管万历的工作托付给张居正，但张忙于政务，哪里能如李太后的督管之严，万历在读书上就更松了。张居正死后，越见稀松，每逢讲期，常常要托故传免。不过这种推托搪塞，长久了也很为难，光是想些传免的理由就越来越难。申时行又给万历解脱了这份困难。他做得倒像关心皇帝的讲习，请求即或免讲，讲官仍应把讲章进上，请皇帝自读。由此，递进讲章倒成了讲官的正务，皇帝出御经筵就此声息俱无了。言官论事的奏疏一向便使万历最为头疼，后来发生了立储（即立太子）问题，奏疏更是有如雪片一样，不断飞来，更使万历大为冒火。在这一点上申时行也使万历轻松了不少。巧妙的是，申时行是从侧面着手，他请万历敕谕御史、给事中等言官，要他们各理本职，不得越科言事，以期各本所职。这从表面看来倒像是在改进工作，骨子里却是取消了言官们可以放言内外诸事的权力。譬如十三道监察御史，职分所在虽仅止于一道，其实道外诸事以前他都可以论奏，如今可只限于一道了。又如给事中们一向虽分为吏、礼、户、兵、刑、工六科，但从无只论本科之事的，也是举国上下，宫廷内外，所有各事都得论列。有了这个敕旨，他们便得各守本职，吏科的不能言礼、言财，兵科的不能言工、言刑，除了本职以外，什么都不能顾了。当然敕谕初下不免引起不少抗争，有些骨鲠之士还是一直不肯遵从，但毕竟敢于抗旨不遵的只有很少数，大多数人都给限制住了，每日的奏疏数量明显地减少了很多。凡此种种，都使万历格外高兴，十分倚信申时行，但外间对他的评价却反越来越低，甚至有人说他是以“媚行取悦”，或者说他惯于“逢君之恶”。但是申时行以其聪明巧辩也还很有些事竟能救祸于未发，深为人所赞许。万历十七年（1589），申时行巧妙地使大理寺评事雒于仁得免杀身之祸，最为受人称赏。这个雒于仁，颇为尚气敢为，他虽非言官，但因见万历好酒贪杯，贪财好色，颇以为忧，便曾上疏亟谏，还在疏后附有酒、色、财、气四箴，用词极为尖刻，颇具讽刺意味。万历是好气的，看了很是愤怒，但以时值岁暮，一时忙于别的事情，只好暂把此事丢开。待到元旦召见阁臣，万历便将雒于仁的疏本取出，交给申时行看，一面极力为自己申辩，一面表示必须把雒于仁置于重典方能消恨。申时行觉得如果因此便把雒于仁判为死罪，必会大招物议，他又已看出万历此时确是色厉内荏，既想重办，又怕张扬，于是便说，“办虽该办，不过并不妥善。因为那样便要把疏本宣付外廷，议明处罪。雒于仁说的都是无稽之谈，万岁实在并不如此。但宫禁深密，外间岂能尽知。此疏传出，如或引起外间猜疑，反而不好。不如暂行搁下，容臣在私下里予以斥责，命其辞官回家，一尘不惊，岂不更好？”这番话很对习于因循苟安的万历的胃口，果然一拍即合，雒于仁不仅逃脱了性命，而且还能太太平平地辞去官职，回乡家居。还有巧为张居正解脱了剖棺戮尸之祸，也是申时行极其为人称道的事情之一。张居正把申时行引入阁中，原本是想申时行如为首辅，对于他家应该多予维护。这一点，他是把算盘打错了，申时行这个机灵人，白费力的事他是不干的。张居正的家被抄后，万历的余怒仍在日甚一日，凡有略似为张居正说话的人，无不立即获罪；反之，毁谤他的，追论其罪的人，无不受到褒奖。行之日久，用尽心机以攻击张居正作为自己的进身之阶的人，真如风起云涌一样，越来越多，用心也更险毒。后来御史丁此吕竟至疏劾侍郎高启愚，说高在会试时竟以“舜亦以命禹”为题，暗以大禹影射张居正，含有“劝进”（即是劝张居正自立为帝）之意。此论一出，风波更险，攻讦张居正的人更多，竟有人疏请应将张居正以大逆论处，虽已死了，也应剖棺戮尸。万历对此是满意的，但还是把那些疏文拿给申时行看，想听听他的意见。申时行很不赞成这种一朝势去纷纷“下井投石”的做法，但他知道，如果为张居正辩解，结果反会适得其反，于是便单就丁此吕一疏着手，说：“此吕以暧昧陷人大辟，恐谗言接踵至，非清明之朝所宜有。”他的话不多，却以“暧昧”二字推开了疏中的要点，下面著一“陷”字，微示其意，却也是定下了格调。万历是够昏庸的，却又极怕世人以此目之，申时行以清明之世为称，正投合了万历的隐衷，使之心甘情愿地不再追论。在内，申时行总算稍稍扭住了一点陷人的歪风；在外，人们也都为他轻易地就救下了张居正和高启愚，对他的这一举动很为钦佩。申时行的聪明便都是在此等去处格外显得奇妙。
申时行给予万历的印象可以说一直都是极好的，但外间的舆论却又不同。最初，申时行几乎是紧接着张居正之后便成了首辅，他一反张居正的严峻刻细，务以宽大和平待人，因而赢得了很好的声誉。但是这些都是他的聪明的做工，实在他却是很忮（zhi）刻的，得罪了他的人，没有一个能逃开他的打击和惩罚。他不像张居正那样，有所不快，迅即爆发，灾祸立即飞降；申时行有所不满却总是不露声色，按下再说，以后抓个别的事端才来动手打击。他还有更迷人的一手，便是命人将你打到晕头转向之后，有时还会自己出来，稍行抚慰，甚至给点颇为意外的好处，因此人心悦服，常被称为长者。但是戏法变得太多，总不免要有些露相，人们也越来越感到，他这个人其实却是个更为可怕的“笑面虎”，竟说他是“专横过于张居正”！
申时行对于自己的进退做得也很聪明，到了万历十八年（1590），他的声名日替，外廷对他的攻击已是越来越多，又已看出万历对于政事已很厌倦，觉得长久恋栈下去，结果并不会好，便开始疏请致仕。万历对他的倚信还隆，多次慰留，不肯放他，但申时行一直力请，终于在次年九月，万历应允了他，放他回到长洲家里安居去了。那时申时行年才五十七岁，比起他的很多前辈们来，可以算是深得急流勇退之道的人。他在家里安居了二十多年，直到万历四十二年（1614），年已八十，才始去世。万历一直很眷念他，常派行人到他家里存问。最后一次正巧是他去世之时，诏书到门，申时行已不在了。
申时行是于万历颇有影响的最后一人，他离京后，继为阁臣的，终万历之世还有十五六人，但因万历已经学会了很多偷懒的法门，倦于理事，后来更竟躲入深宫，长久不肯视朝，阁臣们连见到他都难，更不必说想要对他有些影响了。
万历虽然久居深宫，不理朝政，但弄钱的心思却从来也没停过，遇有机会便向国库伸手，这已是他的常伎，诸臣但凡获罪，必以抄家继之，则是他的外快。此外，他还不断想出很多怪招，随处都想捞点油水。碰到廷臣有所请求，不拘是要兴办某事，或是禁绝哪些弊端，后来竟都成他讨价勒索的大好机会。你要我批准某事么，行呀，我可正在缺钱，想办点事，还差若干若干银子，你给我想法办来，我就一定照批！这种商人式的，讨价、要价的口吻，后来竟成了他的日常习惯，不拘什么事，开口就是要钱，有钱万事都行，没钱你就免开尊口！光是福王之国一事，他就一直拖着，不知讹索了多少钱财、土地，最后才算应承了让福王之国。这福王是他最钟爱的一个儿子，“之国”便是放他到被封定的藩地上去。由于福王是个与太子争立的人，廷臣希望快些让他之国，免得多起争端，万历抓住了这一点，便就借机大敲竹杠。万历所以如此贪财，很多史家都说那是出于他的生母李太后的身教。原来这李太后出身于小商之家，贪财好利，是其习性，不觉便也影响到了万历。在为万历的弟弟潞王办理婚事时，他们母子所谈的一些话，倒很可证明此说。那是由于太后问起潞王婚事要用的珠宝等物何以长久还没办妥而引起的。万历向太后解释道：“这都由于臣僚们无耻，把珠宝都搜罗了去，献给张、冯两家，所以货缺又价高。”太后又追问道：“他们的家都抄了，还没都得到么？”万历恨恨地说，“他们狡猾得很，不知都分藏到谁家去了，哪里能都抄到！”这些话，《明史》和一些野史、笔记之类都有大同小异的记载，这也活画出万历母子孜孜为利的神气。
万历所想的一些生财之道中，为害最大的便是当时称为“矿税”的一事。开矿取利，原本是好事，但做法不良，目的又仅在牟利，不管有矿无矿，只要有人报称哪里有矿，便就派出大批内监前往坐索，多方搜刮，这便成为害民之举了。万历早在万历十二年（1584）时便已有意于此，但因勘察有误、廷臣驳议等等原因，一直没能搞成。到万历二十四年（1596），乾清、坤宁两宫都遭到火灾，次年，皇极、建极、中极三殿又被焚毁，万历急欲修建，而财力却又不足，这才决意由此入手，捞上一把。他先后派出内监多批，几乎遍布国中各地，虽统名为矿税，其实远不限于矿业，大概通都大邑则立税监，两淮则有盐监，广东则有珠监……总之凡有名目，无不设监取税，大小内监布满各地，敲骨吸髓，扰得民不聊生。其中尤以陈增、陈奉、高淮三人为恶最多，不断激起民变。陈奉在襄阳时，冒称“千岁”，作恶多端，人民围了他的税署，把在署中的耿文登等一十六人全部投入了江中。陈奉见势不妙，先行逃入楚王府中，才逃脱了性命。
矿税如此为害，诸臣都曾多次论及，甚至内监也有很多人谈到它的危害之大。但万历一心要钱，什么都不理会。然而这事的病民之甚，他其实也很清楚。这从万历三十年（1602）他自觉病危要立遗诏废除矿税一事，可以看出。这事，《明史》的记载如下：
这份遗诏办得真是又快又好，可谓大快人心。然而变得却也很快，相隔只几小时，天才刚亮，就又有中使到来，说是奉命就要取回遗诏。原来万历的病变化真怪，前是感到必死，所以力意悔过，想在死后捞个好一点的名声。但到天光近晓，病又忽然好了。既然已无性命之忧，废除矿税便太肉疼了，于是接连打发中使前往内阁索取遗诏，说是矿税万不可停，别的你们看着办吧。史称那时“中使来者二十辈”，真可说是不绝如流，急如星火。沈一贯本想不给，但禁不得“中使辄搏颡流血”，便也只得给了他们了。据说，万历最初想要收回成命时，司礼太监田义曾据理力争，加以阻拦，恼得万历竟想用刀砍他。这事过后，田义一见到沈一贯，便啐着埋怨他道：“相公稍持之，矿税撤矣，何怯也！”
万历为了取回遗诏，甚至不惜动刀，其贪可以想见。然而他的胆怯却也明白显出。若真顶回他去，他倒不见得会如他的祖父嘉靖那样，有不顾一切，硬来到底的勇气。由于沈一贯没能顶住，矿税之害便终万历一朝都没能废去，一直为害到万历身后。
Notes:
Notes: