Dire Facts About Wanli, The Traitor Emperor
We usually remember historical figures for what they do, but what about Wanli—the emperor of China who became famous for what he didn’t do.
Wanli went on strike for 15 years, leaving his country like a ship without a sail, while he ate and drank the house down.
The infuriating thing was that, for many years, no one knew why the heck Wanli stopped doing his job—and when they found out, things got even worse. But, as we'll see, even that was nothing compared to his dark and disastrous end...
1. He Had A Bad Education
Wanli came into this world on September 4, 1563, as Zhu Yijun. His parents weren’t exactly equals. His father was the Longqing Emperor of the Ming Dynasty—the 13th emperor of China. Mom, on the other hand, was a maid.
Because mom had no experience with courtly life, the job of educating Wanli went to dad. It turned out, however, that dad was the absolute worst choice for teaching Wanli anything.
2. He Needed Direction
Wanli’s father had an utterly terrible reputation. He was less interested in being emperor and more interested in...let’s just say...pursuing his earthly desires.
Because dad spent most of his days chasing skirts, he didn’t really have much to teach his son about all things royal. But, as luck would have it, he didn’t end up spending too many days as a teacher.
3. He Suffered A Tragedy
Wanli was just 10 years old when he faced a devastating family tragedy. His father suddenly and unexpectedly passed. His hedonistic father was only 35 at the time, but it turned out that he wasn’t as self-centered as originally thought. He had, in fact, prepared for his untimely demise—maybe he knew his lifestyle left him with a short shelf life.
So he did, indeed, prepare for his untimely end…but it was in a weird way.
Wan li shou fu Zhang Juzheng (2010– ), Beijing Hualu Baina Film & TV
4. He Received A Gift
Wanli became emperor at the tender age of 10, and would most definitely need some help with the heavy lifting. Wanli’s father had seen this coming and provided something to help his son. It was a replacement father.
He’d commissioned Zhang Juzheng as a sort of mentor to Wanli, and also to take on the responsibilities of the emperor.
Juzheng stepped in as replacement emperor and left Wanli with an invaluable gift: loads and loads of free time.
