He can be described as an incomparably sharp scalpel in the reality of the officialdom struggle in the Ming Dynasty, all of which deeply reveal the true face of that era. He and his contemporaries were hailed as the pillars of the auxiliary state, but these sympathetic comrades-in-arms often fought fiercely in the face of power and interests due to different political views, and the former best friends were likely to turn into old enemies in an instant. This vivid picture is just like their protagonist, the first assistant of the Ming Dynasty, Gao Gong, who did not forget to liquidate Zhang Juzheng after his death!
Gao Gong was born in a prominent official family in Xinzheng County, Henan Province. Since childhood, he has been extremely intelligent, he has been good at recitation since he was 5 years old, and he can memorize thousands of words by memorization at the age of 8, which is really talented! At the age of 17, he successfully passed the palace examination and won the first place! What a teenager is proud of! By 1541 A.D., many talented scholars entered the Hanlin Academy and served as the Shujishi, and then gradually promoted to the rank of editor. It took only 9 years for him to be promoted to the rank of Hanlin Attendant. By 1552, Gao Gong had become the chief lecturer of the Yu King Zhu Zaihuang. However, at this time, King Yu was not favored by Emperor Jiajing, and Gao Gong was distressed by this, and taught King Yu painstakingly, which deeply moved and encouraged.
Although Jiajing was very partial to King Jing (the half-brother of Ming Dynasty Emperor Zhu Houxi), Gao Gong remained firmly on the side of King Yu and taught him with all his might. In this context, the relationship between Gao Gong and the two cabinet ministers Yan Song and Xu Jie has also become increasingly delicate. When Yan Song was powerful, Gao Gong also dared to criticize Yan Song bluntly, which undoubtedly set up many enemies for himself. Subsequently, Yan Song lost power, and Xu Jie became the new first assistant. In order to win over Gao Gong, Xu Jie promoted him to the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, and promoted him to the cabinet. But Gao Gong was not grateful to Dade for this.
After Gao Gong entered the cabinet, he and Xu Jie's policies often disagreed. Soon, Emperor Jiajing died, and King Yu succeeded to the throne and changed to Longqing. Gao Gong once again stood at the forefront of reform, and he actively advocated the lifting of the maritime ban policy, the relaxation of tax policies, and the encouragement of merchant ships to go to sea**. However, conservative ministers, represented by Xu Jie, were firmly opposed to this policy. In the face of obstacles, Gao Gong, with his wisdom and strong will, succeeded in convincing the emperor and making his views adopted. Since then, the Ming Dynasty began to implement an enlightened policy of opening up to the outside world, which promoted economic prosperity and cultural exchanges.
However, Gao Gong did not escape the arrangement of tragic fate after all. His political career, though dynamic and passionate, was quickly isolated by his resolute character. In his later years, he was forced to leave the court and died in his hometown, which is really embarrassing!
In general, Gao Gong, a man of the year in history, despite his controversial and criticized life, still insisted on independent thinking and the courage to change, setting a glorious example for later reformers!