晚明言路政策的调整与言路秩序的再造

Policy Change and Order Reconstruction of the Avenues of Speech in Late Ming Dynasty

晚明言路失序始于对张居正的清算,新进言官的崛起动摇了既有的权力与名分秩序,造成新旧对立与公论解体。以出位之禁为起点,明代言路政策屡次调整,士大夫亦提出重塑言路秩序的诸多方案。东林视公论为天理之公的外在发用,以道德的正当性作为政治活动合法性的基础;亦有士大夫主张讲求职掌、别白虚实,通过制度裁衡公论。但前者缺乏制度化的表达渠道,后者需仰赖运转有效的行政机制,在万历天启年间无从实现,遂形成公论纷纭、言路为政的局面。崇祯年间限制言路风闻,旨在以实行消弭浮言、淡化派系之争对言路的影响,虽未彻底解决言路失序问题,却为清初言路政策的形成留下了丰富的政治遗产。对公论的再界定以及对言路制度约束的强化,两者相互关联,构成了晚明言路秩序再造的核心议题。

The disorder of the avenues of speech in late Ming Dynasty started with the stigmatization of Zhang Juzheng,while the existing power relations and orders were challenged by newly promoted junior officials,causing oppositions between senior and junior officials as well as collapse of a consensus on public opinion.Since the banning of Chuwei,the policy changed several times from theWanli to the Chongzhen eras,while scholar-officials also came up with many proposals,both of which aimed at the reordering of the avenues of speech.For the Donglin scholars,who considered public opinion as the external present of the heavenly principle,their political legitimacy originated from morality.Other scholar-officials claimed an institutional approach to judge public opinion by distinguishing false and true as well as defining official responsibilities.However,Donglin s moral approach showed a lack of a legal channel,while the institutional approach needed an efficient governance system.The infeasibility of both approaches during the Wanli and Tianqi eras made the meaning of public opinion confused and monopolized by censors.The policy in the Chongzhen era aimed at replacing empty words by practice,and eliminating the impact of factionalism.Although this policy was not fully effective,it became a considerable political legacy for the formation of early Qing s policy towards the avenues of speech.The redefinition of public opinions and the reinforcement of institutional constraints were interrelated and became the basic issues of the reordering of the avenues of speech during the late Ming Dynasty.