Zhang Juzheng’s Soul Enters the Wanli Emperor: Rebuilding the Ming Dynasty

In the tenth year of the Wanli era, in the sixth month, Zhang Juzheng suddenly passed away. With the powerful minister no longer holding them in check, undercurrents began to swirl through the imperial court. The opposition, led by Zhang Siwei, saw an opportunity to overturn every reform that had come before. The local gentry across the country were just as quick to sense it. They planned to join forces with officials in the capital to eliminate all of Zhang Juzheng's remaining supporters and undo every policy he had introduced over the past decade. Then, three days after his death, Zhang Juzheng's soul unexpectedly entered the body of the twenty-year-old Wanli Emperor. This capable minister, who had once governed the realm, had not yet had a chance to put his plans into action. Before the morning audience, Feng Bao, the Chief Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, brought him news of the latest upheaval at court. Most of the censorate had already been purged. Those who remained had all defected to Zhang Siwei, the current Grand Secretary. The collapse of Zhang Juzheng's censor faction led to a blizzard of memorials pounding the Directorate of Ceremonial. They impeached Feng Bao, Zhang Juzheng's former confidants, and every official who supported reform. Even Pan Sheng, whom Zhang Juzheng had fervently recommended on his deathbed, was unfortunately set upon by the censors during the morning audience. Now incarnated as the emperor, Zhang Juzheng faced betrayal by members of the Grand Secretariat and a furious court. He could only reorganize the officials at court if he hoped to keep the reforms that would save the Great Ming moving forward. As the saying goes, when the people are unsettled, the nation cannot be at peace; when the nation is not at peace, the realm falls into chaos. If the realm is to remain secure, then ensuring the people's well-being must come first.