In the winter of the fifty-fourth year of Jiajing, Zhu Houcong died of illness in the Palace of Ten Thousand Longevities. His temple name was Shizong, and his posthumous title was Emperor Su, Who Revered Heaven and Followed the Way, Heroic and Resolute, Sagely and Divine, Civilly Accomplished and Militarily Mighty, Vastly Benevolent and Filially Devoted.
Neither his temple name nor his posthumous title had changed.
For Jiajing, even though Wang Yan had altered history and infinitely elevated his achievements as emperor, ensuring that he would occupy an important place in history, this temple name and posthumous title were already sufficient as his final judgment.
Shizong was a highly positive temple name. It meant that the imperial line began anew from this point, that a new era had been opened, and it was quite fitting. On the other hand, a temple name was the name used in the emperor's ancestral temple, for descendants to worship their forebear. No one would give their own ancestor a bad temple name.
As for the posthumous title, "Revered Heaven and Followed the Way" referred to the legitimacy of Jiajing's succession; "Heroic and Resolute, Sagely and Divine" meant bold and wise; "Civilly Accomplished and Militarily Mighty" naturally praised his civil and military achievements; and "Vastly Benevolent and Filially Devoted" spoke of benevolence and filial piety. Filial piety was always a virtue, and emperors often had it added to their posthumous titles. Besides, Jiajing had the Great Rites Controversy to his name.
Su was an honorable posthumous epithet. "Firm in virtue and able to overcome" was called Su; "resolute in heart and decisive in judgment" was called Su; "upright in governing oneself and commanding subordinates" was called Su. Jiajing had certainly not fully lived up to it, but he had done reasonably well.
With his original