Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, and Emperor Wanli, Zhu Yijun, were two emperors separated by hundreds of years. One was the founder of the prosperous era of the Tang Dynasty, and the other was the longest reigning emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Both of them are controversial figures in history and have had both merits and demerits. Emperor Wanli Zhu Yijun once made some evaluations of Emperor Taizong of Tang, but these evaluations were not good words. Zhu Yijun publicly criticized Li Shimin in the court. What’s going on?
Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yijun, reigned for 48 years and was the longest reigning emperor of the Ming Dynasty. During his long reign, Emperor Wanli experienced many major historical events, the most commendable of which were the famous “Three Great Campaigns of Wanli”: quelling the Baibai Rebellion, the Korean War, and the Yang Yinglong Rebellion. He not only promoted the national power of the Ming Dynasty, but also was recognized by historians in later generations.
Of course, Emperor Wanli also had many flaws, such as being passive and neglectful in governance,
Greedy for money and lust, corrupt officials, exploitation of the people, allowing officials to compete for power and profit, and the failure of the Jurchen War, etc., can be said that in these aspects, Wanli was a complete tyrant, seriously damaging the national strength of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, some people say, “The fall of the Ming Dynasty was actually caused by Wanli
However, Wanli, the incompetent ruler, had a deep prejudice against Li Shimin, the most wise emperor of the Tang Dynasty, and believed that Li Shimin was not a good emperor, let alone a good person. Wanli expressed his dissatisfaction with Li Shimin at the banquet in Wenhua Hall, where Cabinet Minister Shen Shixing and others were present.
Emperor Wanli said to his ministers such as Shen Shixing, “I love you all, what kind of person do you think Wei Zheng of the Tang Dynasty was?” Shen Shixing replied, “Wei Zheng dared to speak frankly and give advice. He was a loyal and patriotic minister
Wanli sneered and retorted, “No, I think Wei Zheng is a fickle villain. Wei Zheng first followed Li Mi, then defected to Li Jiancheng, and finally followed Tang Taizong Li Shimin. Such a person is not a wise minister
Shen Shixing and others were awkwardly criticized by Wanli, who explained that it was because Li Mi and Li Jiancheng were ignorant and incompetent that Wei Zheng left them. He also cited the example of Liu Bowen, who had served in the Yuan Dynasty and later surrendered to Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. However, Wanli always insisted on his own opinion, and the ministers had no choice but to stop arguing.
The minister did not expect that after criticizing Wei Zheng, Wanli began to criticize the “eternal emperor” Tang Taizong Li Shimin again. Wanli said, “Li Shimin is known as the eternal wise ruler, but in my opinion, in order to seize the throne, Li Shimin coerced his father Tang Gaozu Li Yuan and killed his brother Li Jiancheng. This is not something that a person should do, so Li Shimin is not a good person, let alone a good emperor
The ministers were so excited by Wanli’s actions that they could only say that although Li Shimin was not a good person, he was good at receiving advice and had achieved great results in governing the country. Wanli finally gave up.
