Sky Curtain: The opening scene explains the four major cases of the Ming Dynasty plus the early Ming

We can re-examine this "Buddhist Empress Dowager" from the following "dark dimensions":

Zhu Dijun pulled over a portable whiteboard and wrote a few words.

By replacing Confucianism with Buddhism, the legitimacy of the cabinet is undermined.

In the early years of the Wanli reign, Zhang Juzheng implemented reforms relying on Confucian "Legalist methods" (strict laws and punishments, performance evaluation system), which met with fierce opposition from many civil officials at the time. However, Empress Dowager Li was well-versed in this approach. Instead of confronting the civil officials head-on in court, she directly invoked "divine authority."

She fervently worshipped Buddhism, not only practicing vegetarianism and chanting Buddhist scriptures herself, but also requiring the Wanli Emperor to follow her in worship. From a conspiracy theory perspective, she was actually constructing a system of "divine right of kings + divine right of mother." When Wanli and Zhang Juzheng clashed, she only needed to invoke "the will of Buddha" or "the intervention of Bodhisattvas" to easily override the "ancestral laws" of the Confucian scholar-officials. She used the Buddhist concept of "karma" to intimidate and discipline Wanli: if you don't listen to Mr. Zhang, you are going against the will of Buddha and will go to hell in the future.

Money laundering and clique formation behind large-scale construction projects

Empress Dowager Li oversaw the construction of numerous temples during the Wanli reign (such as the famous Wanshou Temple and Cishou Temple), at enormous cost. We all know that any large-scale construction project can be lucrative for those with the right connections.

Therefore, some conspiracy theorists believe that this is not just about accumulating merit.

Economic control: The construction of temples required the mobilization of enormous national and private resources. By controlling these projects, Empress Dowager Li was effectively bypassing the cabinet and establishing her own "shadow financial system." The Rose Garden in front of America's gate, for example, was built from the time of Lucian to the reign of King Donald Trump; you can look up the details of how many years it took and how much money was spent.

Cultivating Power: By bestowing honors upon eminent monks and granting titles to temple abbots, she transformed the Buddhist community into her "unofficial political force." These eminent monks could not only pray for her, but also create public opinion among the people that "the Empress Dowager is a Bodhisattva reincarnated," providing a popular basis for her long-term interference in politics.

This can be seen in historical figures such as Empress Feng of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty, Empress Xiao of the Liao Dynasty, and Empress Li of the Ming Dynasty, as well as the infamous Empress Dowager Cixi of the Qing Dynasty. What they all share is that women used Buddhism to intervene in politics. The core logic is often consistent: when Confucian ethics naturally suppressed women's political participation, Buddhism provided a "sacred discourse system" that transcended the secular gender order. By playing the role of "devout Buddhists" or "incarnations of bodhisattvas," they not only gained a moral high ground but also controlled financial resources (temple economy) and public opinion independent of the bureaucratic system.

Using the concept of "karma and reincarnation" to mentally strangle Emperor Wanli! Emperor Wanli's decades-long absence from court, besides childhood trauma, may also be related to the "nihilism" of Buddhism. Conspiracy theories suggest that Empress Dowager Li's Buddhist education of Wanli was essentially a form of "spiritual anesthesia."

She instilled in Wanli the ideas that "all things in the world are empty" and "imperial power and wealth are fleeting." An emperor who has been brainwashed by his mother with Buddhist thought since childhood is easily averse to worldly politics. Empress Dowager Li may have taken advantage of this, making Wanli subconsciously feel that "attending court and handling state affairs is meaningless," thus leading him to voluntarily relinquish imperial power and retreat to the inner palace to "cultivate immortality and worship Buddha." In this way, the power of the court naturally fell into the hands of this "devout Buddhist disciple."

Empress Dowager Li's "dimensional reduction attack" on her birth mother, Lady Wang, combined with the background we discussed earlier that "Wanli's birth mother was Lady Wang from the palace," shows that Empress Dowager Li's use of Buddhism to suppress Lady Wang reached the level of "destroying her spirit."

In Buddhist hierarchical thought, there is a strong emphasis on "order of rank and status." Empress Dowager Li portrayed herself as a "protector of the nation," while firmly nailing Lady Wang to the pillar of shame as a "lowly palace maid." She may even have used the Buddhist concept of "karma" to imply that Lady Wang's existence was a "demonic obstacle" on Emperor Wanli's path of spiritual practice. This kind of religious-level subjugation caused Wanli to develop a deep sense of alienation and guilt towards his birth mother, thus completely severing any possibility of Lady Wang's redemption.

Finally, Judy Jun turned his attention to Empress Dowager Li, writing "Buddhist Conspiracy Theory Version" under her name, and then said:

Empress Dowager Li Caifeng of the Ming Dynasty was a master strategist who deeply understood the art of theocracy. She saw through the constraints that the Confucian scholar-official class placed on imperial power, and cleverly introduced Buddhism as a weapon to break the deadlock. She used the sound of wooden fish drums to mask the clashes of power, and the aroma of incense to conceal the bloody palace intrigues. The "restoration" of the first half of the Wanli reign was, in fact, the result of a meticulously orchestrated "royal Buddhist kingdom" she had created, where she ruled from behind the curtain, Zhang Juzheng presided over the proceedings, and Wanli acted as a puppet in the background.

Isn't this perspective even more chilling than simple palace intrigue? After all, the most sophisticated power struggles are often hidden beneath the most sacred beliefs.

Zhu Dijun wrote Li Caifeng on the whiteboard and then drew a long horizontal line—the civil service group.

"Family members, as we all know, starting with the Xuande Emperor Zhu Zhanji of the Ming Dynasty, the empresses and empress dowagers in the harem were of one mind with the civil official group. Some of them were carefully selected by the civil official group and sent into the palace with the false identity of a so-called 'commoner' to monitor and control the emperor."

"During the life-or-death struggle between the emperor and the civil service, the empresses and empress dowagers repeatedly sided with the civil service, helping them to victory. This Li Caifeng, who knew how to use religion to manipulate politics, was surely someone who had been carefully selected and cultivated."

"If they were truly so-called 'commoners,' how would they know so much about this kind of thing?"

He walked to the whiteboard and wrote the second item.

"Wanli was disciplined harshly, and the emperor was threatened with the deposition of the emperor. He also used Feng Bao to monitor the monarch."

"Details from folk notes: When Wanli was young, he was playful and drunk, and harassed a palace maid. Empress Dowager Li was furious and ordered the emperor to kneel for six hours. She forced him to read the biography of Huo Guang and threatened to emulate Huo Guang in deposing the tyrannical emperor. All his daily life and behavior were reported by Feng Baoquan. The Empress Dowager imposed a comprehensive house arrest on him."

"Historical facts: Strict discipline is a fact, as recorded in the 'Veritable Records of the Ming Dynasty.' However, the claim of using the 'Biography of Huo Guang' to intimidate the emperor is an exaggeration by scholars, and there was no actual intention to depose the emperor."

"Conspiracy Theory Interpretation: The iron triangle of Empress Dowager Li, Feng Bao, and Zhang Juzheng deliberately suppressed the young emperor's power to prevent Wanli from assuming power too early and undermining reforms. Through strict education, they established the combined ruling authority of the Empress Dowager, the Grand Secretary, and the Directorate of Ceremonial, effectively sidelining the monarch for a long period."

One last line was added to the whiteboard.

"The Empress Dowager indulged in the rampant corruption of her relative Li Wei. Popular rumors circulated that Li Wei, the Earl of Wuqing, relied on his status as the Empress Dowager to monopolize the salt and iron trade in the north, embezzle funds and grain from the border troops, and steal millions of taels of silver. All the impeachments from the officials were suppressed by the Empress Dowager."

"According to official history: Li Wei was indeed corrupt, but Zhang Juzheng took the initiative to report him. Empress Dowager Li eventually reduced his father's salary and ordered him to return the embezzled funds. She did not cover up his corruption without any bottom line."

"Conspiracy theory interpretation: The civil service group amplified the misdeeds of the Empress Dowager's relatives to attack her for interfering in politics and indulging her relatives, thereby weakening the legitimacy of her interference in court affairs."

Zhu Dijun erased everything on the whiteboard and rewrote a summary.

"The underlying logic behind the emergence of unofficial histories. From the perspective of official history—the vast majority of unofficial histories are products of three types: smear campaigns by political enemies during the reform era, prejudices of later generations of literati based on social class, and the public's curiosity. From the perspective of dark conspiracy theories—all unofficial histories are tools for power propaganda warfare."

The whiteboard lists four sources.

"The anti-Zhang group: fabricated rumors of illicit relations, dismantled the Li-Zhang alliance, and abolished the Single Whip Law. Officials of different ranks: exaggerated her humble origins, her supposed devotion to Buddha, and the corruption of her relatives, thus denying the legitimacy of the empress dowager's role in governing. The court after Wanli Emperor assumed personal rule: tacitly allowed the spread of rumors, downplayed the achievements of the Empress Dowager and Zhang Juzheng's ten years of joint rule, and established the orthodox image of 'the emperor's absolute power.' Later Ming and Qing dynasty literati: used the scandals surrounding Empress Dowager Li and the legend of women ruining the country to warn the current empress dowager and empress dowager against interfering in politics, serving their own era's political demands."

Zhu Dijun put down his pen and turned to face the camera.

"One last thing."

His tone was flat, but every word he uttered was delivered with conviction.

"The beneficiaries of Zhang Juzheng's reforms were not the Ming Dynasty, nor the common people, military households, and garrison troops—the core cornerstones of the empire. The real beneficiaries were the gentry of Jiangnan, the smuggling groups in the Northwest, and the interest groups that used the name of reform to reshuffle the nation's wealth and pocket it themselves."

"What did the common people get? Taxes were converted into silver, but they had no money in their hands and were fleeced three times by money changers. What did the military households get? Their military pay was skimmed off at every level, and what they received was coarse rice mixed with sand. What did the garrisons get? Their land was annexed, and they existed in name only."

"Zhang Juzheng's reforms were essentially no different from the Longqing New Policies. It was just that a different group of people were dividing the cake, and the knife was sharper. The common people didn't even get a crumb."