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Beyond reason and as expected, Zhu Yunming's confidence did not lead to a successful promotion. After seven attempts, all of which failed, he had no choice but to go to Xingning County, Guangdong Province.
In the Jiangnan region, there were four great literati, each facing the hierarchical examinations of the imperial system. At age 26, Wen Zhengming traveled to the Nanjing Capital to take the examination, but after many years, at age 53, his tenth attempt still yielded no success; only after being recommended by the Suzhou Prefect Li did he receive an imperial decree granting him a position in the Hanlin Academy. At age 29, Tang Yin passed the examination for the Imperial Library, but was later imprisoned for cheating in the following year’s exam, eventually dismissed and forced into exile. At age 23, Xu Zhenqing traveled to Nanjing to sit for the regional examination. At age 26, he became a mid-career scholar, yet was barred from entering the Hanlin Academy due to his unattractive appearance; he turned toward Daoism but died young. In a certain sense, Zhu Yunming could only conquer this city.
In Zhu Yunming’s aliases, Zhu Jingzhao is posterity’s final verdict on Zhu Yunming’s official career. The name “Zhu Zhaojing” originates from Zhu Yunming’s promotion to Nanjing’s Ying天府 in the first year of the Jiajing reign.
From the "Putian Collection" (Figure 1) to Zhu Yunming’s "Nineteen Poems Written on the Back of Books" (Figure 2), Qian Gu’s "Wu Cui" (Figure 3), to Wang Shizhen’s "Four Drafts" (Figure 4), Hu Yinglin’s "Shoushi Mountain House Collection" (Figure 5), and Dong Qichang’s "Painting Chan Studio."
From later figures such as Wen Zhengming, Wen Jia, and Qian Gu, to Ming dynasty scholars like Wang Shizhen, Hu Yinglin, Dong Qichang, Zhang Chou, and Wen Zhenheng, and then to Qing dynasty compilers such as the Shiqu Baoji and Miao Miao Zhulin, posterity all referred to them as "Xuyuanjing."
The general judgment: responsibility, the independent observational eye of the world
Tianfu and Song-Ming三代 should be established as capital prefectures or metropolitan administrations. The first prefect was appointed; after Hongwu Year 3, it was changed to Superintendent, with one vice-prefect assigned to governance and two magistrates.
In the Ming Dynasty, the Beijing Shuntian Prefecture and Nanjing Ying天府 officials were collectively called the Two Metropolitan Administrations. Beijing’s Ying天府 and Beijing’s Governor imitated ancient models. In antiquity, Jing was one of the three auxiliary districts of the Han Dynasty. During the Qin Dynasty, the Neishi oversaw the capital, later dividing the capital into Left and Right Neishi.
The Tongpan, also known as the Council of Elders. According to the "History of Ming: Official Annals: Prefecture Records": "One prefect, fourth rank; magistrate, fifth rank; tongpan, no fixed quota, six ranks. Magistrates and Tongpans managed matters such as clearing military registers, patrolling defenses, grain administration, agriculture, water control, land reclamation, and horse breeding—all irregular duties."
The Tongpan was neither the deputy nor subordinate officer of the Zhizhou. He possessed authority to jointly handle state affairs—administration, civil governance, military matters, finance, household registration, taxation, and justice—with the Zhizhou. Official documents from each prefecture required the signatures of both the Zhizhou and the Tongpan to become valid.
The Tongpan supervised administration and inspection. Thus, they were termed state supervisors. They had the authority to monitor the Zhizhou and his subordinates, and could directly report illegal rulings by the Zhizhou to the emperor.
The compilers of the "Wanli Yingtian Tax Register" were once Zhizhou of Yingtian—all resolute, upright individuals who either devoted themselves to alleviating poverty or resigned from office due to illness, regardless of court corruption.
In other words, during his tenure, Zhu Yunming’s responsibilities and powers were those of a “special envoy,” authorized to sign official prefectural documents and supervise officials. Although holding the sixth rank, his status was exceptionally high—he was a member of the imperial network of local surveillance constructed by the throne.