隆慶五年發生的「窮治徐階三子」事件是當時一件轟動朝野的大案。自始至今，論及此案者皆從其政治性質立說，將這起事件視為當朝首輔高拱與前首輔徐階之間政治鬥爭的一環，而直接負責調查並審理此案的前蘇州知府蔡國熙，則被描述為一個既意欲諂媚執政高拱以圖利、又藉機挾怨報復徐家的卑鄙人物。本文從蔡國熙在蘇州知府任上與這種評價完全相反的「治行第一」形象出發，引用日本學者溝口雄三先生的論述，以當時江南士紳階層「殖產欲望」觀念的變遷為視角，探索蔡國熙形象遽落的際遇以及「窮治徐階三子」事件本身在明代中葉社會、經濟、思想變遷大脈絡下所蘊含的意義。本文認為，這起事件不僅是高層政治鬥爭或私人恩怨的表現，亦是徐階家族所代表的「容認殖產欲望的滿足」與蔡國熙所代表的「強調寡欲道德的實踐」新舊兩種對立概念之衝突的表現。事後，江南縉紳的輿論多支持徐階而否定蔡國熙，則反映了明中葉以後江南地區思潮「肯定士大夫殖產欲望」的走向。

The conviction of Xu Jie's three sons in 1542 was one of the most sensational events of sixteenth century Ming China. Most scholars examine this case through the lens of the power struggle between Gao Gong, the sitting prime minister at the time, and his predecessor, Xu Jie. In these studies, Cai Guoxi, the official responsible for the conviction of the Xu brothers, was generally seen as despicable because Cai turned his back on his former superior, Xu Jie, and allied with Gao to launch vicious attack against the Xu family. His role in this case crippled his image as a capable prefect of Suzhou who governed with integrity. Employing the ＂the desire to get rich＂ theory of Mizoguch Yuzo, this paper will re-examine the conviction of Xu Jie's three sons in the historical context of rapid economic, social and ideological changes during the middle of the Ming dynasty. The conviction of Xu Jie's three sons was not simply a clash between high-ranking officials or a scandal of personal morality; it was the product of a conflict between old and new attitudes of officials and the literati toward the desire to become rich. While Cai Guoxi insisted on the old value that an austere ethic was required for officials, Xu Jie represented the new value that justified the desire to get rich under certain conditions. After the conviction, most Jiangnan literati stood by Xu Jie and his new values and severely criticized the conservative Cai Guoxi. This phenomenon reveals the changing attitudes of the literati in their embrace of the desire to get rich by the late Ming.