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Yan Song's Dictatorship (from 1542)

Type Event Region China Time 1542–1550

After the Renyin Palace Plot of 1542, the Jiajing Emperor moved to the Western Park and held no court audiences for over twenty years, allowing Grand…

Timeline

  1. 1542–1543Forbidden City — Western Park · ChinaAfter the 1542 Renyin Palace Plot, the Jiajing Emperor moved to the Western Park and stopped holding court. Yan Song won imperial favor with his qingci (Daoist prayer writings), replaced Xia Yan as Grand Secretary, and began monopolizing policy drafting and personnel decisions.
  2. 1544–1550Beijing · ChinaAs Vice Minister of Works, Yan Shifan acted on his father's behalf, controlling memorials to the Six Ministries, selling offices, and cultivating grand coordinators such as Hu Zongxian; by the mid-to-late 1540s the Yan faction's power reached its peak.

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