The Great Ming Dynasty's Emperor Wanli

In 1572, Emperor Muzong of the Great Ming entrusted his ten-year-old heir, Zhu Yijun, to his ministers before his death. The young crown prince ascended the throne. In 1572, Gao Gong, the Grand Secretary, staunchly advocated abolishing the Directorate of Ceremonial, hoping to give the Grand Secretariat sole control of the government. Feng Bao, a eunuch of the Directorate, secretly altered the late emperor's edict, using his appointment as a regent to legally interfere in state affairs. Zhang Juzheng submitted his Memorial on Six Matters, laying the groundwork for the reforms to come. In 1572, Gao Gong wielded power at its height, demanding of the ten-year-old emperor, “How will you govern the realm?” Feng Bao, the emperor's close attendant, stood before the throne as the officials paid homage to him. Zhang Juzheng began to mend the Great Ming's wounds. At this point, only ten years remained before his family would be destroyed and his home confiscated after his death. In 1572, potatoes had reached the Central Plains, but the Jiaxu Department kept the seed potatoes and cultivation methods under tight lock and key, forbidding their spread as “royal secrets.” In 1572, smuggling networks beneath the Grand Canal's transport system were deeply entrenched, allowing Jiangnan gentry to evade taxes and grow fabulously wealthy. With trade with the Mongols newly reopened, Shanxi merchants seized the opportunity to smuggle ironware and amass vast fortunes. By contrast, the court's annual revenue at the Imperial Treasury had fallen below two million taels. Its finances worsened by the day, leaving it utterly unable to make ends meet. So, faced with this dire crisis, how did Zhang Juzheng turn the tide and keep the Great Ming alive for another fifty years? And if a transmigrator arrived at this pivotal moment, taking the form of Zhu Yijun before he had even turned ten, how could he plan to save a collapsing empire? Could Zhang Juzheng's fate be rewritten as well? If you, too, have regrets in your heart, come in and see for yourself.