The Rise and Reign of Zhang Juzheng

Zhang Juzheng (1525–1582) was one of the most powerful and controversial grand secretaries of the Ming Dynasty, serving as the de facto ruler during the reign of the Wanli Emperor (Zhu Yijun). His decade-long administration (1572–1582) was marked by sweeping reforms aimed at revitalizing the faltering Ming bureaucracy, strengthening state finances, and curbing corruption. However, his authoritarian methods and consolidation of power earned him both fierce loyalty and bitter enemies.

Zhang’s policies—such as the Kaochengfa (考成法, a strict performance evaluation system for officials) and restrictions on noble privileges—alienated many within the imperial court. His alliance with the influential eunuch Feng Bao further deepened resentment among officials who saw him as manipulating the young emperor. Yet, as long as Zhang lived, dissent was suppressed. His death in 1582 became the catalyst for a dramatic political reckoning.

The Immediate Aftermath: A Power Vacuum Exploited

Zhang Juzheng’s death unleashed a wave of pent-up grievances. Officials who had chafed under his rigid governance saw an opportunity to dismantle his legacy. The first target was Pan Sheng, a protégé recommended by Zhang for a high-ranking position. Almost immediately, censors submitted memorials denouncing Pan’s incompetence. Sensing danger, Pan abandoned his journey to the capital and retreated home—a decision that likely spared him imprisonment or worse.

Emperor Wanli, now freed from Zhang’s shadow, seized the moment. When his chief grand secretary, Zhang Siwei, cautiously suggested that Pan Sheng’s appointment might still hold merit due to Feng Bao’s influence (Pan was Feng’s tutor), Wanli erupted: “Even if he was recommended by Zhang Juzheng—no, by ‘Master Zhang’—that doesn’t make him qualified!” The emperor’s uncharacteristic defiance signaled a seismic shift. Pan was dismissed, and the court braced for further upheaval.

The Downfall of Feng Bao and the Turning Tide

With Zhang gone, Feng Bao—the once-untouchable eunuch—became the next casualty. Officials, emboldened by Wanli’s hostility toward Feng, accused him of amassing illicit wealth. The emperor, reveling in his newfound autonomy, ordered Feng’s arrest and the confiscation of his estate. The haul—over a million taels of silver and troves of jewels—stunned Wanli, who reportedly exclaimed, “This slave was richer than me!”

The purge expanded rapidly. Feng’s associate Xu Jue was arrested, and censors like Li Zhi openly linked Feng’s corruption to Zhang Juzheng. Though none dared attack Zhang directly at first, Wanli’s remark to Empress Dowager Li—”Feng Bao was misled by Zhang Juzheng”—was interpreted as tacit approval to dismantle Zhang’s legacy.

The Systematic Erasure of Zhang’s Reforms

One by one, Zhang Juzheng’s policies were overturned:
– Kaochengfa: Officials decried its harshness, arguing it gave the Grand Secretariat excessive control. Wanli abolished it without hesitation.
– Restrictions on Nobility: Privileges like hereditary titles for imperial relatives were reinstated.
– Postal Reforms: Revised to favor bureaucrats’ travel comforts.

Each reversal was met with Wanli’s gleeful approval—”Aha! Cancel it!”—as he relished his unrestrained authority. By 1583, the emperor took the symbolic step of revoking Zhang’s posthumous title, “Duke of Loyalty and Culture” (文忠公), just nine months after his death.

The Final Blow: The Persecution of Zhang’s Family

The assault turned personal when the widow of Prince Liao accused Zhang of fabricating charges to seize the prince’s wealth. Wanli, eager to justify a confiscation, ordered the raid of Zhang’s family estate in Jiangling. The results disappointed him—only 10,000 taels of gold and 100,000 taels of silver were found—but the human cost was devastating. Over a dozen family members starved during the siege; one son died by suicide under torture.

Legacy and Historical Reflection

Zhang Juzheng’s posthumous downfall underscores the fragility of power in imperial China. His reforms, though effective, were inseparable from his autocratic style. The speed of his disgrace reveals how quickly institutional memory can be rewritten—and how vengeance, once unleashed, consumes even the dead.

Modern historians debate whether Zhang’s harsh methods were necessary to stabilize the Ming Dynasty. His defenders argue that his policies delayed the dynasty’s decline; critics contend his centralization bred the very corruption he sought to eradicate. Either way, his story remains a cautionary tale about the perils of absolute power—and the price of its loss.

In the end, Zhang’s own words resonate: “If you choose to serve the state, you must march through storms… even if it leads to a mountain of blades.” For Zhang Juzheng, that mountain awaited him in death.