With the Zhengde Emperor dead without an heir, the succession is in question and rebellion brewing. Fortunately, Grand Secretary Yang Tinghe has planned for this and calls in his backup - the 13-year-old Prince of Xing, Zhengde's younger cousin. He'll come to power as the Jiajing Emperor... but Secretary Yang will very quickly find out that, though young, Jiajing is a spitfire who's here to play the game, not be played.

Time Period Covered:

1519-1524 CE

Major Historical Figures:

Zhu Houcong (The Jiajing Emperor) [r. 1521-1567]

Grand Secretary Yang Tinghe [1459-1529]

Empress Dowager Zhang [1471-1541]

Lady/Empress Dowager Jiang

Major Works Cited:

Geiss, James. “The Cheng-te reign, 1506-1521” in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Part I.”

Legge, James. The Chinese Classics, Vol. III.

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#234 - Ming 24: The Grand Rites Controversy 37:16 Share

The History of China

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#234 - Ming 24: The Grand Rites Controversy