#anyways the more i read about the zhengde emperor the more i’m like oh ok girl power

[romanceyourdemons]

love how the ming dynasty has a long series of really competent and hardworking and idealistic emperors who each get on the throne and go i’m going to be the best emperor ever, unlike my good-for-nothing predecessor who let the bureaucrats make all the decisions while he sat back and worked in his hobbies! and then they realize that the squabbling confucian bureaucracy has gridlocked the government so badly that the emperor couldn’t make any decisions even if he wanted to and they’re like ohhhh i get it now