Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 23 Historical Easter Egg Chapter: Introducing the Hobbies of the Otaku Sect

Emperor Wanli was an extremely complex and contradictory emperor with a lust for power but a dislike for ruling the country.

His character is very contradictory in historical records. He was lazy in handling government affairs, but he was also extremely power-hungry. He would make decisions on all matters, no matter how big or small, and would never easily delegate power to others.

In addition to this, I would like to introduce his personal hobbies to you based on historical materials.

1. Reading leisure books
Wanli often asked eunuchs to buy various new books for him in the streets outside the palace, including Zhudian alchemy classics, medical and divination novels, and picture and song books. There was nothing he did not read.

[…In his spare time, he read widely. He ordered the officials of the Imperial Household Department and the officials of the Palace of Heavenly Purity to buy new books from the market and read them. He bought all the books on the classics of alchemy, medical and divination novels, and picture and song scripts. My predecessor, Chen Taijian Ju, read every book he received. For example, he received books like "Ren Jing Yang Qiu", "Gui Fan Tu Shuo", "Xian Fo Qi Zong" and so on several times a year, and received dozens of books.]

2. Calligraphy

Wanli loved calligraphy since he was a child, and it is said that his handwriting was indeed very good:

[The emperor has been skilled in the eight methods since he was a child. For example, the plaques he gave to the officials of Jiangling and Wumen were already magnificent, and later gradually became divine. When he was young, he saw the golden fan in Zhonggui's hand, with dragons and phoenixes flying, which made people admire him. Later, he went to the house of the Prime Minister of Taicang and was able to see all the imperial edicts he wrote. There were also some revisions in them. The wonderful use of the brush is beyond the reach of Yan and Liu. It can be said that he is a natural genius. ]

He often gave his calligraphy to his ministers and close associates. In his early years, he also liked to invite Zhang Juzheng to watch him write:
[At first, the emperor, in his spare time, indulged in calligraphy and often wrote the twelve characters "Learn the Great Principles of the Two Emperors and Three Kings to Rule the World" and hung them in the Wenhua Hall. He also told the assistant minister Zhang Juzheng in person: "I want to give you and the nine ministers and the daily lecturers a piece of calligraphy to express my encouragement. You can come to see my calligraphy on the 25th."

After the lecture, Ju Zheng and others went to the Wenhua Palace, and the eunuchs held dozens of pieces of gold-colored paper. The emperor wrote quickly, writing "Zhai Kui Bao Heng", "Tong Xin Jia Fu" on one piece, "Zheng Yi Leading Subordinates" on nine pieces, "Criticizing Chen Shan" on five pieces, and "Respecting and Awe" on two pieces. Each word was more than a foot long, and it was finished in an instant.

On the 11th year of Xinchou, the emperor held court and ordered the eunuchs of the Imperial Household Department to present imperial calligraphy at the Huiji Gate. He gave the words "Zhai Kui Bao Heng" to the assistant minister Zhang Juzheng, "Tong Xin Jia Fu" to the assistant minister Lü Diaoyang, nine copies of "Zheng Yi Leading His Subordinates" to the six ministries, the capital, the general office, and the grand seal-holding officials, five copies of "Zei Nan Chen Shan" to the daily lecture officials, and two copies of "Wei Wei" to the correct characters officials.

Later, Zhang Juzheng probably got fed up with it and even taught Emperor Wanli a lesson, telling him not to "lose his ambition on writing." What's the point of writing as well as Zhong Yao or Wang Xizhi?

[The emperor summoned his minister Zhang Juzheng to the front of the warm pavilion, and personally wrote the eight characters "Assist me alone, and forever protect the mandate of heaven" as a gift to him.

The next day, the lecturer read, and Ju Zhengyin reported: "Your Majesty has paid attention to calligraphy for several years. Yesterday, I saw the large calligraphy you gave me. The brushstrokes are vigorous and the structure is solemn. Even the rulers of previous dynasties who were good at calligraphy could not surpass it. But in my humble opinion, I think that the study of emperors should focus on the great things. Since Yao and Shun, up to the Tang and Song dynasties, the wise and virtuous rulers were all known for their virtues, administration, and peace of mind. I have never heard of any skillful skills. Only Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty knew music and could play the flute and compose music; Emperor Yuan of Liang, Emperor Hou of Chen, Emperor Yang of Sui, Emperor Huizong of Song, and Emperor Ningzong of the Six Dynasties were all good at writing and painting, but they were all unable to save the country from chaos and destruction. It can be seen that the great virtue of a monarch does not lie in his skills. Now that your majesty is wise and intelligent, you should pay attention to governance in a timely manner, pay attention to government affairs, and follow the example of the sage emperors and wise kings. As for the matter of writing, it is just a way to relax your mind. Even if you work hard and try to catch up with Zhong Wang, what is the use?"

The emperor said: "Sir, you are right. I understand."

After Zhang Juzheng's death, he was free, and no one cared about him anymore. He could write whatever he wanted. According to Zhuozhongzhi, there may be calligraphy left by Emperor Wanli in many places in the palace, so that when people in the palace saw some words, they said they were imperial calligraphy in the temple.

In addition, Emperor Wanli's calligraphy was also very popular in Korea at that time. Nan Gongzhe, a minister during the reign of Emperor Sunjo of Joseon, once said: "The word 'dragon' written by Emperor Shenzong of Ming Dynasty flowed out of Korea, and the nobles and officials who were interested in calligraphy rushed to copy it and keep it at home."

3. In his early years, he also liked to play with fists, kicks, sticks, swords and knives.

[The eunuchs on the left and right of the temple, such as Sun Hai and Ke Yong, used dogs, horses, fists and sticks to teach the temple martial arts. One day, the temple got drunk and went out at night with a sword. He chopped off the hair of a eunuch and beat two more eunuchs to death.

The old lady Ci Sheng knew about it, and the next morning she changed into a blue cloth robe and put away her hairpins and earrings, and announced that she wanted to summon the ministers of the cabinet to pay a visit to the imperial temple, and that she would abolish the temple and establish Prince Lu. She also first made the news in the palace, and the temple became very frightened, and knelt and cried for a long time before she relaxed. Then she expelled Ke Yong and Sun Hai, and Sun Dexiu, Wen Xiang, and Zhou Hai all lived in private homes. This happened in November of the eighth year of the Wanli reign.

When his mother found out about this, she almost killed him. Wanli knelt down and cried for a long time.

In addition, after Zhang Juzheng's death, no one cared, and Wanli even gathered 3,000 eunuchs to perform martial arts in the Forbidden Palace:
【Since the internal training started, on the day of noon in the year of Jiashen, 3,000 strong young eunuchs were selected in advance. They were all trained in riding and shooting. When the time came, they were able to bend the bow and ride the reins, and they were like a group of clouds and brocades, which was beyond the reach of the Beijing garrison. The emperor was very pleased and gave his party more than 20,000 gold. However, it was a very hot day, and the people on duty were training the cannons, wearing armor and training the soldiers, waiting for orders in the scorching sun, and several people were killed by shouting. According to the rules, the imperial court was not a place for military observation. Now, because the emperor visited the mausoleum in the year of Guiwei, he began to select eunuchs to accompany him with military appearances. After returning to the palace, he expanded the number of eunuchs, all because of the defeat in Jiangling. In recent years, the internal training ground has become overgrown with grass, and I think military affairs have been ignored. 】

Later, perhaps because of my poor health and difficulty walking, I did not hold the event again.

4. Alcoholism In the article, it is written that on the 21st day of the 12th month of the 17th year of the Wanli reign, Luo Yuren, the Left Reviewer of the Dali Temple, submitted a memorial entitled "Four Admonitions on Wine, Sex, Money and Anger". Wanli was so angry that he dragged the cabinet ministers to appeal for justice on the first day of the first lunar month:
[The emperor gave the book written by Luo Yuren to Shi Xing, saying: "Teachers, every time you read this book, you say that I am addicted to wine, women, money and anger. Please comment on it for me."

At that time, Xing Fang was showing his memorial, but before he could reply, the emperor said, "He said that I like wine, and everyone likes wine. If I dance with a sword after drinking, it is not the behavior of an emperor, so how can it be possible?"

Wanli said, "Who doesn't drink?", which was a complete admission that he was addicted to alcohol. What's even funnier is that he said, "If you dance with a sword after drinking, it's not the behavior of an emperor." In fact, dancing with a sword after drinking was exactly what he did ten years ago.

Among Wanli’s personal burial objects was the following: a golden wine decanter.

Take it into the grave, and you will be inseparable no matter life or death.

5. Watching a play

Wanli kept a group of actors in the palace to learn and perform operas. He and Empress Dowager Li loved to watch them. He even asked someone to perform a play called "Losing City". However, he never watched the play again until the Jianlu Rebellion broke out and the cities of Fushun, Kaiyuan and others were actually lost.

[The temple honors the Holy Mother and has more than 200 attendants from four quarters to practice palace and other operas.

The temple also appointed more than 300 attendants to the Yuxi Palace to practice palace and outdoor performances, and to perform whenever the emperor ascended the throne. In addition, there were more than 40 people including Cai Xue, many of whom were extravagant and lawless.
A few years later, the "Dropping City" play was popular in the temple palace. A square city was drawn more than ten steps away from the emperor's front. Inside the city, a cross was drawn diagonally to divide it into eight cities. The amount of money was written in a row ranging from ten to three taels. The seal of the Imperial Household Department, the pen of the East Factory, and the management board were ordered to pass silver beans and eight treasures to throw. If the city fell, the reward would be based on the number. If the city fell outside the city or on the line, the money would be collected. In the year of Wuwu, there was a rebellion in Jianzhou, and Fushun and Kaiyuan were lost. This play was no longer performed. 】

There is a scene of watching a play in the text, but it does not mention that he invited Empress Dowager Li to watch it with him. Because of his psychological trauma, Wanli probably only invited Empress Dowager Li to watch it with him on important festivals.

6. Superstitious Belief in Buddhism and Taoism

Wanli was also superstitious, and unlike Empress Dowager Li, he believed in both families and even planned to select dozens of palace maids to be female Taoist priests.

[When it comes to the birthday of the emperor, the first day of the lunar year, the Zhongyuan Festival, etc., a temple is built in the palace, and the ministers are sent to pay homage, and banners are hoisted and signs are hung, just like the monks in the outside world. Their monk caps, robes, and black clothes are also the same as those of monks, but they do not cut their hair. After the ceremony is completed, they change into the clothes of the ministers. The temple once selected several people who were familiar with the scriptures, had mature minds and actions, and kept fasts, and released dozens of palace maids, who could also perform rituals in front of the Buddha, burn incense and chant scriptures, just like nuns.

During the reign of Emperor Wanli, in mid-August, on the occasion of the temple's longevity festival, the Fanjing Factory was held in the Yinghua Hall, but the place was narrow, so they danced and shouted inside the gate of the Longde Hall. There were more than ten people chanting Buddhist chants, and dozens of people studying, each wearing a square-top hat and a five-colored robe with large sleeves. One person was in front, blowing a large conch shell; one was in the back, holding a large gong, and the rest held a round drum in their left hand and a curved hammer in their right hand, hitting them together, slow and fast, sparse and dense, each with a rhythm. They entered in a line according to the five-colored directions. They advanced and retreated according to the chanting under the five-colored umbrella, as if dancing. The dance lasted for three or four hours before it was over. The person who supervised the fasting god was a puppet with a true body, armor and equipment, as tall as a human, like a door god. With a black face and erect hair, he looked terrifying. He was placed at the palace gate of the main hall, and after the ritual was completed, he was put in the main hall's storehouse.

The temple initially wanted to select dozens of palace maids to learn Yuanjiao and become female Taoist priests. However, the eunuchs in charge of the altar, Li Sheng, Bai Zhong, and Lin Chao, insisted that it was not possible. Buddhism is compassionate and can tolerate even the most minor and indecent acts. However, if the Yuanjiao gods and generals were to be recruited, the women might be ignorant and cause trouble. Therefore, the plan was aborted.

Only the Han elder of Fanjingchang is highly respected in the temple and is called the elder without any name. 】

7. Picking on others and beating them

This was a very bad "hobby" of Wanli. He stayed in the palace for a long time, and the people he spent the most time with were the palace maids and eunuchs, but he was quite cruel to them, and often beat the palace maids and eunuchs with a stick for a small matter, and many of them were beaten to death. This matter was spread outside the palace, so Luo Yuren said that he "beat the palace maids today and the eunuchs tomorrow."

Emperor Wanli argued that "some eunuchs and palace servants who committed crimes or made mistakes in their duties have been caned, but some have died of disease or epidemics, so how can we say they were all caned to death?" Not all of them were beaten to death.

There is another point about Wanli: he hated to see palace maids and eunuchs having affairs, and would beat them if he found out, and many of them died as a result.

[Among the palace ladies, there are very few who are unmarried. The current emperor hates this the most. Whenever he hears of a marriage, he often punishes them with death, or he also implicates the matchmaker, who is often executed by the stick.]

Finally, hang a portrait: pay attention to the head-to-body ratio.

(End of this chapter)