嘉靖中后期,严嵩擅权乱政二十余年,言官对他进行了长期的弹劾和抗争。由于世宗刚愎暴戾,厌薄言官,喜谀恶谏.严嵩善于趋媚迎合,并利用各种手段分化打击言官,因而言官得祸颇重,而严嵩则屡劾不倒。嘉靖时言官与严嵩的颃颉抗争是明代言官与阁臣关系的转折点,此后言官蜕变加剧.与阁臣閧斗不已.对明亡产生了恶劣影响。
In the late period of Jia-jing Reign, Yan Song had usurped authority for more than twenty years and the supervisors' impeachment and fight against him had never stopped. Emperor Jia-jing disliked those supervisors and their advice, but Yan Song was good at pleasing the emperor. Owing to Yan Song's evil-minded attack, many supervisors were severely suppressed. The endless fight between the supervisors and Yan Song in Jia-jing's time is a turning point of the relationship between supervisors and Cabinet ministers in Ming Dynasty. From then on, the conflict between the two groups became increasingly intensified, which greatly influenced the fall of Ming Dynasty.