A Study On The Rise And Ebb Of Power Between The Ministry Of Rites And Cabinet In Zhengde And Jiajing Period Of The Ming Dynasty

The Ministry of Rites and Cabinet were the two powerful official governing assistant systems of the Ming Dynasty. They implemented each other, and were the important components of backbone operation and guarantee ensuring the operation of emperor power smoothly.On the basis of previous-scholars' studies, this paper attached great importance to transformation of eunuch power and cabinet power, and briefly reviewed the developments and changes before Zhengde period, explored why eunuch power expanded and cabinet power shrank rapidly in early Zhengde period according to the case of Liujin's intervention in politics.This paper also analyzed the process sycophantic official, another important political group, acquired power and how they combined the two power and why they were driven away from political arena by alliance of eunuch and cabinet.Through discussing the effects that various political group had brought in emperor vacancy period and historical background the Great Ritual Controversy happened after Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty died, this paper analyzed how the emperor power controlled cabinet through the issue, and inquired into development of cabinet ,expansion of power, establishment process of Cabinet Prime Minister Style and relation between eunuch and cabinet under emperor's strong control in highly expandable emperor situation. This paper is to reveal the source of eunuch power and cabinet power, transformation, position and effects of the two power in backbone operation of the Ming Dynasty.