Zhang Cong

Zhang Cong, also known as Zhang Fujing, was a Chinese scholar-official who held high office during the early reign of the Ming emperor Jiajing. After the Jiajing Emperor ascended the throne, Zhang supported him in the Great Rites Controversy, which led to a highly successful career. From 1527 to 1535, with some interruptions, he served as grand secretary, and in 1529 he became the head of the Grand Secretariat. From the early 1530s, the Emperor paid less attention to Zhang and showed more favor to another official, Xia Yan. Zhang resigned as grand secretary in 1535, and he died four years later.