The personal name of Wanli Emperor, Zhu Yijun, became the 14th emperor of the Ming Dynasty at the age of nine. Obviously, he was a child and could not shoulder the responsibility of running the country.
Such a problem had been considered by his father. For Wanli to manage the country effectively, his father specially formed the best tutor team for him to cultivate a paradigmatic emperor.
In addition to being responsible for the education of Wanli, this tutor team would also help the emperor handle government affairs. The main members of the group were Zhang Juzheng, Gaogong and Gaoyi.
Due to the power struggle, Gaogong and Gaoyi successively withdrew from the team. In the end, Zhang Juzheng took on the heavy education task of Wanli.
Please Don’t Envy The Emperor’s Childhood
Although the 9-year-old Wanli has become the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, to become a qualified emperor, he had to curb his playful nature and be busy studying.
In order to cultivate an excellent emperor for the dynasty, Zhang Juzheng personally formulated a detailed study plan for Wanli, and united Wanli’s mother to urge him strictly.
At the same time, to urge Wanli to study hard, Wanli’s mother also asked eunuch Fengbao to report to her. As long as Wanli couldn’t recite the content of yesterday, his mother and Zhang Juzheng would punish him.
In general, Wanli had the best educational resources of the Ming Empire, but his learning was not free. Because Zhang Juzheng, Fengbao and his mother were always monitoring the learning situation of Wanli.
Under such high pressure, although Wanli was the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he still needed to follow the instructions of his teacher and mother.
In fact, if you are familiar with the history of ancient China, you will find that any dynasty attached great importance to the cultivation of successors.
In the eyes of the people, the emperor is the son of God, a perfect man. In a way, the emperor is the symbol of the empire. He not only holds the supreme power but also needs to set an example for people, so that he can establish the authority.
In Conclusion
Wanli’s childhood is not happy, because he can’t enjoy childhood like ordinary children. He has to bear enormous study pressure every day.
As an emperor, he was so young and had to cede the emperor’s decision-making power. In dealing with imperial affairs, the young Wanli need to rely on Zhang Juzheng. But when Wanli grew up, he didn’t seem to be a model emperor.
