Qing Ci of Ming Dynasty
In the Ming Dynasty, Qing Ci was a memorial to the throne to the gods when Taoism performed rituals. It was generally in a parallel style. It originated from the Tang Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, Li Zhao's "Hanlin Zhi" recorded that the words recommended by the Taoist temple of Taiqing Palace were written on green vine paper and red characters, which were called green words. It reached its peak during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty. Emperor Jiajing believed in Taoism and was obsessed with the art of immortality. He was keen to pray to heaven with "Qing Ci". During this period, a group of scholars who specialized in writing Qing Ci appeared in the cabinet, such as Yuan Wei, Li Chunfang, Yan Ne, Guo Pu, etc. Yan Song was also good at writing Qing Ci, and because of this, he was awarded the position of chief minister of the cabinet and was ridiculed as the "Prime Minister of Qing Ci". In some activities at that time, such as the Yuxi Palace Cup Green Ci Competition in the Ming Dynasty 1566, green Ci also became a political means. Jiajing used this to express his attitude towards the case of Zheng Michang and He Maocai in Zhejiang Province, as well as to beat the ministers.
Qing Ci in the Ming Dynasty
Qing Ci was a kind of literary genre written in the style of Li Pianzi, which was used to express respect for the gods and the desire to pray for blessings. During the Jiajing period, Emperor Jiajing believed in Taoism and liked the art of longevity. Every time there was a fasting ceremony in the palace, he ordered the Ci minister to draft such sacrificial articles and write them on green vine paper with a red pen, which was called "Qing Ci". In the political environment at that time, Qing Ci had a special meaning. Only when it was done flawlessly in the two most enthusiastic things of the emperor, the ceremony and the praise of the mysterious, could it be favored for a long time. Ci ministers like Li Chunfang, Yan Ne, Guo Pu, Yuan Wei, etc. were all favored by "Qing Ci" and rose step by step. They were prime ministers (Grand Scholars) and were called Qing Ci prime ministers. According to statistics, in the 17th year of Jiajing, nine of the 14 auxiliary ministers in the cabinet started by writing Qing Ci. Yan Song was also a famous "Qing Ci Prime Minister". On the basis of his favor in the ceremony, he was promoted from the Ministry of Rites to the cabinet by virtue of his Qing Ci. He created Qing Ci works such as "Qingyun Fu," but Yan Song's later Qing Ci was basically written by Yan Shifan. In "Daming Dynasty 1566," there were also scenes such as the Qing Ci Competition. Behind this competition, there was a hint of the Jiajing Emperor's attitude towards the important officials of the imperial court.
Qing Ci of Ming Dynasty
Green Ci, also known as Green Zhang, originated in the Tang Dynasty. At first, it was a memorial to the heavens when Taoism held a fasting ceremony. The recommendation of the Taoist temple of Taiqing Palace was written on green vine paper and vermilion characters. It was generally in a parallel style, requiring neat form and gorgeous words. During the Tianbao period of the Tang Dynasty, officials began to wear official robes and use green Ci to offer sacrifices to heaven. As Taoism flourished, the number of people who wrote green Ci increased. Many scholars also followed suit, and green Ci gradually evolved into a style. In the Ming Dynasty, Qing Ci was still related to Taoism, and Emperor Jiajing especially loved Qing Ci. Apart from stating his personal wishes, Qing Ci also discussed and narrated. At that time, there was a saying of "Qing Ci Prime Minister", which referred to the scholars who wrote Qing Ci during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty. Some cabinet ministers started their career by writing Qing Ci. In " Darming Dynasty 1566," there was also a scene like the Qing Ci Competition, which indirectly reflected the special status of Qing Ci in the imperial court at that time.
Qing Ci of the Ming Dynasty
Green Ci, also known as Green Zhang, originated in the Tang Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, Li Zhao's "Hanlin Zhi" recorded: "All the words recommended by the Taoist temple of Taiqing Palace are written on green vine paper, with red characters, which are called green words." It was a memorial to the heavens when Taoism held a fasting ceremony. It was usually written in a parallel style, written on green vine paper with red paint. The form was neat and the words were gorgeous. In addition to stating personal wishes, the content also discussed and narrated. For example, the Luo Water Black Tortoise first presented auspicious signs. The Yin number was nine, the Yang number was nine, and the nine nine eighty-one number. The number was connected to the Dao, and the Dao was connected to the Primordial Heavenly Lord. The red phoenix of Qishan is auspicious, with six male cries and six female cries. The sound is heard in the sky, and the emperor of Jiajing is born with a long life." During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, Qing Ci was greatly developed. Emperor Jiajing believed in Taoism and was obsessed with the art of immortality. He was keen to pray to heaven with "Qing Ci". During this period, a group of scholars who specialized in writing Qing Ci appeared in the cabinet, such as Yuan Wei, Li Chunfang, Yan Ne, Guo Pu, etc. Yan Song was also good at writing Qing Ci and won Jiajing's favor. He was awarded the position of chief minister of the cabinet. They were ridiculed as "Qing Ci Prime Minister" by people at that time. In essence, Qing Ci in the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty was similar to the funeral rites burned by Taoist priests to the gods such as Taishang Laojun. It had the same function as ordinary people burning paper to pray for their deceased relatives, but the form and meaning of Qing Ci were more complicated and mysterious.
What is the Qing Ci of the Ming Dynasty?
Green Ci, also known as Green Chapter, was a memorial to the heavens when Taoism held a fasting ceremony. It originated from the Tang Dynasty. Li Zhao of the Tang Dynasty recorded in the Hanlin Annals that: " All the words recommended by the Taoist temple of Taiqing Palace are written on green vine paper, with red characters, called green words." It was usually written in a parallel style, using red paint to write on green vine paper, requiring neat and gorgeous writing. Apart from stating his personal wishes, Qing Ci also discussed and narrated. In the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, because the Jiajing Emperor believed in Taoism and was obsessed with immortality, he was keen to use "Qing Ci" to pray to heaven. Qing Ci was valued to a special degree at that time. In the Ming Dynasty, many scholars who succeeded in writing Qing Ci and became prime ministers appeared.
The Rhythm of Qing Ci in Ming Dynasty
Qing Ci was mostly composed of four or six characters in a sentence. It was written in parallel prose style, requiring neat form, gorgeous words, and emphasizing meter. However, there was not enough information about the detailed rules of meter, so it was impossible to describe it accurately.
A master of the Qing Ci in the Ming Dynasty
In the Ming Dynasty, there were many masters of the Qing Ci. For example, Yan Song, his Qing Ci was once unmatched. He relied on his Qing Ci to be ranked first and suppress the younger generation like Xu Jie. Li Chunfang was also good at writing green poems. He was the top scholar. Not only was he excellent in eight-part essays, but his ability to write green poems was also very strong. Therefore, he was favored by the Jiajing Emperor and was called to work in Xiyuan. The Jiajing Emperor even made an exception and gave him a crane robe that only first-grade civil officials could wear. Xu Jie was also a master of Qing Ci. In order to overthrow Yan Song, he used his advantage as a master of Qing Ci to figure out the Jiajing Emperor's intentions and cater to the Emperor's thoughts. From then on, he was promoted to the cabinet to become the second assistant. In the end, he successfully overthrew Yan Song and became the chief assistant. In addition, Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng, and others were also masters of the Qing Ci. In the Jiajing period, most of those who could enter the cabinet were masters of the Qing Ci.
Qing Ci of Ming Dynasty, Yan Song's Qing Ci
Yan Song was the famous "Qing Ci Prime Minister" of the Ming Dynasty. Green Ci was a memorial to the heavens when Taoism held a fasting ceremony. It was a parallel style. Emperor Jiajing believed in Taoism and was keen to pray to heaven with "green Ci". Every time there was a fasting ceremony in the palace, he ordered the Ci minister to draft such sacrificial articles written on green vine paper with red pen. Yan Song's meticulously concocted Qing Ci was mostly grotesque superstition, crafty flattery, but it was very suitable for Emperor Jiajing's mind. Most of the poems written by other scholars did not conform to the emperor's will. Only Yan Song's "most suitable for the emperor's will" was praised by the emperor. He relied on his ability to write green poems and gained favor from the Ministry of Rites. He was promoted to the cabinet and became the chief minister of the cabinet. He had been in office for more than 20 years and stabilized his position. In his anthology, there were also many articles related to auspicious signs, such as Ode, Fu, Table, and articles on praying to gods. He was also good at writing auspicious congratulatory tables. Yan Song's son Yan Shifan, Sun Yanhu, adopted son Zhao Wenhua and others were also influenced by him to frequently offer auspicious signs. Yan Song's works include Qing Ci "Qingyun Fu" and so on.
What are the Qing Ci of the Ming Dynasty used for?
Qing Ci was essentially a kind of writing style used by Taoism to write memorials to the gods. Its main purpose was to apologize to heaven, eliminate disasters, and bless peace. During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, Qing Ci became a political tool. Some ministers were favored and promoted by the emperor because of their good Qing Ci.
Qing Ci Prime Minister of Ming Dynasty
The " Qing Ci Prime Minister " of the Ming Dynasty referred to the Grand Secretary who wrote Qing Ci during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty. Green Ci was a memorial to the gods during Taoist rituals. It was usually written in a parallel style. Because it was written on green vine paper with a red pen, it was called Green Ci. In the late Jiajing period, the emperor believed in Taoism and was obsessed with the art of immortality. He was keen to pray to heaven with "Qing Ci". Therefore, a group of scholars who specialized in writing Qing Ci appeared in the cabinet, such as Yuan Wei, Li Chunfang, Yan Ne, Guo Pu, etc. Gu Dingchen also presented seven chapters of "Buxu Ci," with green words to make friends with the monarch, known as the prime minister of green words. Yan Song was good at writing Qing Ci and won the favor of Jiajing. He was awarded the position of chief minister of the cabinet and was also ridiculed as the "Prime Minister of Qing Ci" by people at that time.
Who was the Qing Ci Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty?
The Qing Ci prime minister of the Ming Dynasty referred to the scholars who wrote Qing Ci during the Jiajing period, such as Yuan Wei, Li Chunfang, Yan Ne, Guo Pu, etc. Yan Song was also good at writing Qing Ci. He used Qing Ci to win the favor of Jiajing and was awarded the position of chief minister of the cabinet. He was also ridiculed as the "Prime Minister of Qing Ci" by people at that time.