In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, there were two famous ministers, one was Zhang Juzheng and the other was Hai Rui. They all entered the first class during the Jiajing period, and they are all known for their honesty and honesty, serving the country and the people. However, they have never cooperated, and it can even be said that they are mutually exclusive. Zhang Juzheng, as the first assistant of the cabinet, has always refused to use Hai Rui, and once frankly said that once this person enters the court, the Ming Dynasty will never have peace. Hai Rui, as a Qing official Hai Qingtian, also disdained to take refuge in Zhang Juzheng, and once wrote a letter criticizing Zhang Juzheng's reform measures. Why do they have such an attitude? What is the contradiction between them?
Zhang Juzheng and Hai Rui are both incorruptible, but their personalities and opinions are very different. Zhang Juzheng is a practical person, a mature bureaucrat, and he needs capable officials to do things for him. His reform goal was to solve the financial problems of the Ming Dynasty, and his reform measures were to reform the tax system with the "One Whip Law" as the core, and to strengthen the promotion of reform with the "Examination Law". The basis of his reform was the development of domestic and foreign activities in the late Ming Dynasty, and the circulation of the market was unprecedentedly prosperous.
His attitude towards corruption is tolerance and exploitation, and he himself has vanity and desires, and he will also be greedy for ink and beauty. He was an ambitious man who wanted to consolidate his power through reforms, and even wanted to change the political system of the Ming Dynasty so that the cabinet would replace the emperor in real power.
Hai Jui is a tenacious person, although he is upright, but it is difficult to control things, and he is a radical idealist, only suitable for hanging high, and cannot be put into actual work. His idea is retro, and he calls for the restoration of various harsh laws during the Zhu Yuanzhang period to rectify the corruption of ink. He admired Zhu Yuanzhang very much, and he regarded this torment as a test, the only way to reach the sainthood. He was completely contrary to Zhang Juzheng's reform measures, and he even exalted the ancestral teachings of Taizu and demanded that things be done according to the rules of the Hongwu period.
His attitude towards corruption is to resolutely oppose and crack down, and he himself is also incorruptible to the extreme, he is not greedy, does not marry, is not afraid, and is not yielding. He is a person with ideals, he wants to revitalize the Ming Dynasty through honesty and integrity, and even wants to change the social system of the Ming Dynasty so that the common people can get fairness and dignity.
Zhang Juzheng and Hai Jui are both incorruptible, but their political positions are very different. Zhang Juzheng was a reformer, and his reform was to adapt to the changes of the times, enhance the national strength of the Ming Dynasty, and continue the rule of the Ming Dynasty. His reforms were top-down and needed the support of the emperor and the implementation of the localities.
Hai Jui is a Qing school, and his clear stream is to restore the old scenery, maintain the orthodoxy of the Ming Dynasty, and correct the shortcomings of the Ming Dynasty. His clear stream is bottom-up, does not need the emperor's appreciation, does not need the approval of the cabinet.
The two men differed in their political positions, which led to a big difference in their choice of allies. Zhang Juzheng needs to make friends with powerful people, he needs to deal with the emperor, the cabinet, the locality, merchants, scholars and other aspects, he needs to use various means to consolidate his position, and he needs to use various methods to promote his reforms. Hai Jui doesn't need to make friends with powerful people, he only needs to be in the company of a few people such as the common people, clean officials, loyal ministers, etc., he only needs to do things with his own conscience, and he only needs to use his own justice to clear the stream.
Although Zhang Juzheng's reform was opposed and slandered by many people, he brought a short-lived revival to the Ming Dynasty, and his reform greatly increased the financial revenue of the Ming Dynasty, improved the military strength of the Ming Dynasty, stabilized the social order, and prospered the arts. His reforms also provided reference and inspiration for the later Qing Dynasty and the reform of the first dynasty, his reform is considered to be the most successful reform in Chinese history, and his reform is also known as "Wanli Zhongxing".
Although Hai Jui's clear stream has been praised and admired by many people, he has not brought any substantial changes to the Ming Dynasty, and his clear stream is only a personal character, not an effective governance. His clear stream also did not enjoy the support of the emperor and the cabinet. His clear stream is only an empty ideal, not a realistic action.
Zhang Juzheng, as the first assistant of the cabinet, has always refused to use Hai Rui, and once frankly said that once this person enters the court, the Ming Dynasty will never have peace. Hai Rui, as a Qing official Hai Qingtian, also disdained to take refuge in Zhang Juzheng, and once wrote a letter criticizing Zhang Juzheng's reform measures. Let us see two different attitudes towards life.