The History of Ming records the late years of the Wanli Emperor. In the fourth month of 1612, the censors of Nanjing wrote to the throne: “The ministries are empty, and all affairs are in decay. The emperor has lived in seclusion for more than twenty years and has not once received his high officials.” The entry ends with two words: bu bao, “no reply.”
In 1619, as war in Liaodong went badly, the officials knelt at the palace gate and begged him to hold court and govern. Again the record says: “No reply.”