Great Rites Controversy: Difference between revisions
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The '''Great Rites Controversy''' was a decade-long operation led by the [[Eight Tigers]], a group of [[Templars|Templar]] [[eunuch]]s who controlled the court of [[ | The '''Great Rites Controversy''' was a decade-long operation led by the [[Eight Tigers]], a group of [[Templars|Templar]] [[eunuch]]s who controlled the court of the [[Zhu Houcong|Jiajing Emperor]] of the [[Ming dynasty|Ming]]. It was their aim to eradicate all those who opposed their rule, from court officials to {{Wiki|Neo-Confucianism|Neo-Confucian}} philosophers. This included their hereditary enemies, the [[Chinese Brotherhood of Assassins|Chinese Assassins]], resulting in the near-eradication of the Chinese Brotherhood. | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
===Failed attack=== | ===Failed attack=== | ||
In 1521, the | In 1521, the [[Zhu Houzhao|Zhengde Emperor]] died without an heir.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China]]'' – [[Database: Scroll 4 (China)|Database: Scroll 4]]</ref> Seizing the opportunity, the powerful Templar eunuchs known as the Eight Tigers—who had remained discrete after the execution of their leader [[Liu Jin]] in 1510<ref>''Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China'' – [[Database: Liu Jin]]</ref>—began to plot again in order to use the situation to their advantage by placing a puppet on the throne and silencing any opposition. The Templars discovered that [[Wang Yangming]], the governor of {{Wiki|Jiangxi}} province and leading figure of the Neo-Confucian current, was also the [[Assassin leader|leader of the Assassins]] and began to spy on him, identifying many of his allies.<ref name="Scroll6">''Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China'' – [[Database: Scroll 6 (China)|Database: Scroll 6]]</ref> | ||
The Tigers prepared a massive operation to purge the Assassins from [[Beijing]] during the confusion caused by the absence of a declared | The Tigers prepared a massive operation to purge the Assassins from [[Beijing]] during the confusion caused by the absence of a declared emperor, but luckily the plot leaked to the [[concubine|imperial concubines]], and one of them, [[Shao Jun]], was able to warn Yangming in time.<ref name="Scroll6" /> In order to counter the Templars, Wang Yangming called his best Assassins to the [[Forbidden City]] in an attempt to kill the Tigers before they could strike, but they were defeated.<ref name="Scroll7">''Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China'' – [[Database: Scroll 7 (China)|Database: Scroll 7]]</ref> | ||
After this debacle, those captured were tortured and executed by [[Ma Yongcheng]], the Tiger known as "the Butcher", and all those suspected to have any ties or immediate relations to the Assassins were murdered. The man designated to investigate the palace attack, a Templar named [[Wei Bin]], opportunely blamed officials who were innocent but were threats for the Templars' plans, | After this debacle, those captured were tortured and executed by [[Ma Yongcheng]], the Tiger known as "the Butcher", and all those suspected to have any ties or immediate relations to the Assassins were murdered. The man designated to investigate the palace attack, a Templar named [[Wei Bin]], opportunely blamed officials who were innocent but were threats for the Templars' plans, accusing them as culprits and having them executed as well.<ref name="Scroll7">''Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China'' – [[Database: Scroll 7 (China)|Database: Scroll 7]]</ref> | ||
Understanding that none of his allies would escape the Tigers' wrath, the [[Mentor]] ordered a full retreat of all the Assassins and their allies from the Forbidden City.<ref name="Scroll7" /> Having lost his influence in the palace, but still in Beijing, Wang Yangming hoped to find a weakness in the Tigers' organization and take them down before they could completely steal imperial power. Yangming used his new recruit, Shao Jun, to gather information critical to Assassins' operations.<ref>''Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China'' – [[Database: Scroll 8 (China)|Database: Scroll 8]]</ref> | Understanding that none of his allies would escape the Tigers' wrath, the [[Mentor]] ordered a full retreat of all the Assassins and their allies from the Forbidden City.<ref name="Scroll7" /> Having lost his influence in the palace, but still in Beijing, Wang Yangming hoped to find a weakness in the Tigers' organization and take them down before they could completely steal imperial power. Yangming used his new recruit, Shao Jun, to gather information critical to Assassins' operations.<ref>''Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China'' – [[Database: Scroll 8 (China)|Database: Scroll 8]]</ref> | ||
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===The Great Rites Controversy=== | ===The Great Rites Controversy=== | ||
[[File:The Return China (3).jpg|thumb|250px|The Maijishan Grottoes burning during the Great Rites Controversy]] | [[File:The Return China (3).jpg|thumb|250px|The Maijishan Grottoes burning during the Great Rites Controversy]] | ||
The same year, Zhu Houcong, | The same year, Zhu Houcong, the Zhengde Emperor's fourteen-year-old cousin, was coronated as the Jiajing Emperor with the support of the Tigers. However, the Tigers ruled in his stead as the young boy was not interested in imperial affairs. This allowed the Tiger [[Yu Dayong]] to enforce the [[Slavery|slave]] trade, selling the Templars' opponents to the [[Portugal|Portuguese]] and exiling their enemies out of China while also making himself huge profits.<ref>''Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China'' – [[Database: Scroll 9 (China)|Database: Scroll 9]]</ref> Another Tiger, [[Gao Feng]], was given command of the Templars' secret prison in the former Assassin headquarters of the [[Maijishan Grottoes]], with Ma Yongcheng torturing the prisoners.<ref name="TheEscape">''Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China'' – [[The Escape (China)|The Escape]]</ref> | ||
In the following years, the Tigers' leader [[Zhang Yong]] set up the Great Rites Controversy in order to eradicate his rivals in court. The Controversy was a dispute between the Jiajing Emperor, who did not wish to be posthumously adopted by the Zhengde Emperor according to the tradition when a new | In the following years, the Tigers' leader [[Zhang Yong]] set up the Great Rites Controversy in order to eradicate his rivals in court. The Controversy was a dispute between the Jiajing Emperor, who did not wish to be posthumously adopted by the Zhengde Emperor according to the tradition when a new emperor was not the son of the former emperor, and traditional officials who protested that he had no right to posthumously elevate his own father {{Wiki|Zhu Youyuan}} to the rank of emperor instead.<ref>{{WP|Great Rites Controversy}}</ref> | ||
Using the Controversy, Yong's | Using the Controversy, Zhang Yong's subordinates Wei Bin and [[Qiu Ju]] murdered or exiled many of their political opponents while chasing the remaining Assassins. This forced Wang Yangming, who was a famed and known opponent of the Tigers, to disappear. A new Mentor, [[Zhu Jiuyuan]], was chosen by the Brotherhood and under his supervision, a renewed [[Assassin-Templar War|secret war]] began in Beijing and all over China between the Assassins and the Templars. Primarily using Shao Jun, who had become a fully-trained Assassin and a formidable warrior, the Assassins tracked the Templars' agents and attempted to stop their growing control over the Empire.<ref>''Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China'' – [[Database: Scroll 10 (China)|Database: Scroll 10]]</ref> | ||
Unfortunately, the Brotherhood's actions were not decisive enough, and soon the Tigers effectively controlled China, retreating in luxurious palaces to enjoy their new power and placing puppets in court such as [[Yan Song]], the administration's new public face. In the shadows, the Tigers completed their hunt for the Assassins, raiding most of the Brotherhood's safe houses, destroying its information network, and finally killing all but three of the Chinese Assassins: Wang Yangming, Zhu Jiuyuan, and Shao Jun. They also began to search for ancient [[Isu]] [[Piece of Eden|artifacts]], as well as | Unfortunately, the Brotherhood's actions were not decisive enough, and soon the Tigers effectively controlled China, retreating in luxurious palaces to enjoy their new power and placing puppets in court such as [[Yan Song]], the administration's new public face. In the shadows, the Tigers completed their hunt for the Assassins, raiding most of the Brotherhood's safe houses, destroying its information network, and finally killing all but three of the Chinese Assassins: Wang Yangming, Zhu Jiuyuan, and Shao Jun. They also began to search for ancient [[Isu]] [[Piece of Eden|artifacts]], as well as consolidate their grip and financial power through diverse operations throughout the country.<ref>''Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China'' – [[Database: Scroll 12 (China)|Database: Scroll 12]]</ref> | ||
===Tracking the Mentor=== | ===Tracking the Mentor=== | ||
In 1524, with all their brothers dead and Yangming having gone into hiding, Shao Jun and Zhu Jiuyuan despaired and finally decided to leave China in order to seek the help of foreign Assassins. Zhu suggested meeting with the retired [[Italy|Italian]] Mentor [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio Auditore]], whose reputation and fame had spread over the [[Earth|world]], to which the pair traveled to [[Macau]] in order to take a [[ship]] for [[Europe]].<ref>''Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China'' – [[Database: Scroll 13 (China)|Database: Scroll 13]]</ref> Shao Jun and Zhu Jiuyuan eventually reached [[Venice]] and thought they were safe from the Tigers, but were in fact followed by Templar agents. The elite [[soldier]]s, armed with [[ | In 1524, with all their brothers dead and Yangming having gone into hiding, Shao Jun and Zhu Jiuyuan despaired and finally decided to leave China in order to seek the help of foreign Assassins. Zhu suggested meeting with the retired [[Italy|Italian]] Mentor [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio Auditore]], whose reputation and fame had spread over the [[Earth|world]], to which the pair traveled to [[Macau]] in order to take a [[ship]] for [[Europe]].<ref>''Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China'' – [[Database: Scroll 13 (China)|Database: Scroll 13]]</ref> Shao Jun and Zhu Jiuyuan eventually reached [[Venice]] and thought they were safe from the Tigers, but they were in fact followed by Templar agents. The elite [[soldier]]s, armed with [[musket]]s, ambushed the two Assassins,<ref>''Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China'' – [[Database: Scroll 14 (China)|Database: Scroll 14]]</ref> and Zhu Jiuyuan sacrificed himself so that Shao Jun could escape alive and find Ezio.<ref name="Embers">''[[Assassin's Creed: Embers]]''</ref> | ||
Now truly alone, Jun managed to reach Ezio Auditore's villa in [[Tuscany]] and persuaded the grizzled and reluctant Mentor to share his wisdom and teach her how to rebuild her Order. | Now truly alone, Shao Jun managed to reach Ezio Auditore's villa in [[Tuscany]] and persuaded the grizzled and reluctant Mentor to share his wisdom and teach her how to rebuild her Order. The Templar soldiers had followed the Chinese Assassin to [[Florence]] and attacked Ezio's villa, but Ezio and Jun successfully killed them.<ref name="Embers" /> After some training with Ezio<ref name="TheEscape"/><ref>''Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China'' – [[The Return]]<br>↑ ''Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China'' – [[The Port]]<br>↑ ''Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China'' – [[Consequences (China)|Consequences]]<br>↑ ''Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China'' – [[The Search]]</ref> and a parting gift of a [[Precursor box|box]] he told never to open unless she lost her way, Shao Jun decided to return to China in order to rebuild the Chinese Brotherhood and exact revenge on the Templars, who were more powerful than ever, muzzling all opposition to their rule.<ref name="Embers"/> | ||
==Appearances== | ==Appearances== | ||
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*''[[Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun]]'' {{1st}} | *''[[Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun]]'' {{1st}} | ||
==Non-canonical appearances== | ===Non-canonical appearances=== | ||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: The Ming Storm]]'' {{Mo}} | *''[[Assassin's Creed: The Ming Storm]]'' {{Mo}} | ||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: The Desert Threat]]'' {{Mo}} | *''[[Assassin's Creed: The Desert Threat]]'' {{Mo}} | ||
Revision as of 02:06, 21 February 2023
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Patience, brothers. Soon we will reveal the secrets of Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun. This article has been identified as being out of date. Please update the article to reflect recent releases and then remove this template once done. |
The Great Rites Controversy was a decade-long operation led by the Eight Tigers, a group of Templar eunuchs who controlled the court of the Jiajing Emperor of the Ming. It was their aim to eradicate all those who opposed their rule, from court officials to Neo-Confucian philosophers. This included their hereditary enemies, the Chinese Assassins, resulting in the near-eradication of the Chinese Brotherhood.
History
Failed attack
In 1521, the Zhengde Emperor died without an heir.[1] Seizing the opportunity, the powerful Templar eunuchs known as the Eight Tigers—who had remained discrete after the execution of their leader Liu Jin in 1510[2]—began to plot again in order to use the situation to their advantage by placing a puppet on the throne and silencing any opposition. The Templars discovered that Wang Yangming, the governor of Jiangxi province and leading figure of the Neo-Confucian current, was also the leader of the Assassins and began to spy on him, identifying many of his allies.[3]
The Tigers prepared a massive operation to purge the Assassins from Beijing during the confusion caused by the absence of a declared emperor, but luckily the plot leaked to the imperial concubines, and one of them, Shao Jun, was able to warn Yangming in time.[3] In order to counter the Templars, Wang Yangming called his best Assassins to the Forbidden City in an attempt to kill the Tigers before they could strike, but they were defeated.[4]
After this debacle, those captured were tortured and executed by Ma Yongcheng, the Tiger known as "the Butcher", and all those suspected to have any ties or immediate relations to the Assassins were murdered. The man designated to investigate the palace attack, a Templar named Wei Bin, opportunely blamed officials who were innocent but were threats for the Templars' plans, accusing them as culprits and having them executed as well.[4]
Understanding that none of his allies would escape the Tigers' wrath, the Mentor ordered a full retreat of all the Assassins and their allies from the Forbidden City.[4] Having lost his influence in the palace, but still in Beijing, Wang Yangming hoped to find a weakness in the Tigers' organization and take them down before they could completely steal imperial power. Yangming used his new recruit, Shao Jun, to gather information critical to Assassins' operations.[5]
The Great Rites Controversy
.jpg)
The same year, Zhu Houcong, the Zhengde Emperor's fourteen-year-old cousin, was coronated as the Jiajing Emperor with the support of the Tigers. However, the Tigers ruled in his stead as the young boy was not interested in imperial affairs. This allowed the Tiger Yu Dayong to enforce the slave trade, selling the Templars' opponents to the Portuguese and exiling their enemies out of China while also making himself huge profits.[6] Another Tiger, Gao Feng, was given command of the Templars' secret prison in the former Assassin headquarters of the Maijishan Grottoes, with Ma Yongcheng torturing the prisoners.[7]
In the following years, the Tigers' leader Zhang Yong set up the Great Rites Controversy in order to eradicate his rivals in court. The Controversy was a dispute between the Jiajing Emperor, who did not wish to be posthumously adopted by the Zhengde Emperor according to the tradition when a new emperor was not the son of the former emperor, and traditional officials who protested that he had no right to posthumously elevate his own father Zhu Youyuan to the rank of emperor instead.[8]
Using the Controversy, Zhang Yong's subordinates Wei Bin and Qiu Ju murdered or exiled many of their political opponents while chasing the remaining Assassins. This forced Wang Yangming, who was a famed and known opponent of the Tigers, to disappear. A new Mentor, Zhu Jiuyuan, was chosen by the Brotherhood and under his supervision, a renewed secret war began in Beijing and all over China between the Assassins and the Templars. Primarily using Shao Jun, who had become a fully-trained Assassin and a formidable warrior, the Assassins tracked the Templars' agents and attempted to stop their growing control over the Empire.[9]
Unfortunately, the Brotherhood's actions were not decisive enough, and soon the Tigers effectively controlled China, retreating in luxurious palaces to enjoy their new power and placing puppets in court such as Yan Song, the administration's new public face. In the shadows, the Tigers completed their hunt for the Assassins, raiding most of the Brotherhood's safe houses, destroying its information network, and finally killing all but three of the Chinese Assassins: Wang Yangming, Zhu Jiuyuan, and Shao Jun. They also began to search for ancient Isu artifacts, as well as consolidate their grip and financial power through diverse operations throughout the country.[10]
Tracking the Mentor
In 1524, with all their brothers dead and Yangming having gone into hiding, Shao Jun and Zhu Jiuyuan despaired and finally decided to leave China in order to seek the help of foreign Assassins. Zhu suggested meeting with the retired Italian Mentor Ezio Auditore, whose reputation and fame had spread over the world, to which the pair traveled to Macau in order to take a ship for Europe.[11] Shao Jun and Zhu Jiuyuan eventually reached Venice and thought they were safe from the Tigers, but they were in fact followed by Templar agents. The elite soldiers, armed with muskets, ambushed the two Assassins,[12] and Zhu Jiuyuan sacrificed himself so that Shao Jun could escape alive and find Ezio.[13]
Now truly alone, Shao Jun managed to reach Ezio Auditore's villa in Tuscany and persuaded the grizzled and reluctant Mentor to share his wisdom and teach her how to rebuild her Order. The Templar soldiers had followed the Chinese Assassin to Florence and attacked Ezio's villa, but Ezio and Jun successfully killed them.[13] After some training with Ezio[7][14] and a parting gift of a box he told never to open unless she lost her way, Shao Jun decided to return to China in order to rebuild the Chinese Brotherhood and exact revenge on the Templars, who were more powerful than ever, muzzling all opposition to their rule.[13]
Appearances
- Assassin's Creed: Embers (first mentioned) (indirect mention only)
- Assassin's Creed: Rebellion (mentioned in Database entry only) (indirect mention only)
- Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun (first appearance)
Non-canonical appearances
- Assassin's Creed: The Ming Storm (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: The Desert Threat (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Turbulence in the Ming Dynasty (mentioned only)
References
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Database: Scroll 4
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Database: Liu Jin
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Database: Scroll 6
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Database: Scroll 7
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Database: Scroll 8
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Database: Scroll 9
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – The Escape
- ↑
Great Rites Controversy on Wikipedia
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Database: Scroll 10
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Database: Scroll 12
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Database: Scroll 13
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Database: Scroll 14
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Assassin's Creed: Embers
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – The Return
↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – The Port
↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Consequences
↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – The Search
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