Suppression of Wang Zhi's Misrule

Timeline

1. 1477–1483Beijing · BeijingIn the thirteenth year of Chenghua, the eunuch Wang Zhi headed the Western Depot, his power surpassing that of the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He formed factions, fabricated cases, and persecuted court officials, a period known as Wang Zhi's autocracy or misrule. The Western Depot was briefly abolished in the eighteenth year of Chenghua; in the nineteenth year Wang Zhi was transferred to the Directorate of Imperial Horses in Nanjing after falling out with Commander-in-Chief Xu Ning, but Liang Fang and others continued to abuse their influence.
2. 1487Forbidden City · BeijingWithin days of ascending the throne, the emperor ordered the dismissal and varying degrees of exile of Li Zisheng, Liang Fang, Wan Xi, and their followers. In the tenth month he purged the palace of hereditary appointees, dismissing over a thousand people including Ren Jie and Kuai Gang, and stripped the titles of dharma kings, buddha sons, state preceptors, and perfected men. Liang Fang and Li Zisheng were imprisoned, and Grand Secretary Wan An was also dismissed; the clique of sycophants formed during Wang Zhi's misrule was comprehensively purged.
3. 1487Beijing · BeijingWith the sycophants dismissed and virtuous ministers entering the Grand Secretariat, the Western Depot's secret police apparatus and the system of hereditary Buddhist and Daoist appointees were dismantled, and the capital was cleansed. Although Wang Zhi himself was already living in exile in Nanjing, the eunuch–imperial relative–sycophant network he had cultivated was completely uprooted in 1487, marking the final suppression of the political consequences of Wang Zhi's misrule.