Volume 140 Biographies 28: Wei Guan, Tao Houzhong, Liu Shihuan, Wang Zongxian, Lu Wensui, Wang Guan, Dao Tong, Lu Xi, Qing Wensheng

魏觀陶垕仲〈（王佑）〉劉仕貆〈（王溥徐均）〉王宗顯〈（王興宗呂文燧王興福蘇恭讓趙庭蘭）〉王觀〈（楊卓羅性）〉道同〈（歐陽銘）〉盧熙〈（兄熊王士弘倪孟賢郎敏）〉青文勝

Wei Guan; Tao Houzhong (Wang You appended)〉 Liu Shihuan (Wang Pu and Xu Jun appended)〉 Wang Zongxian (Wang Xingzong, Lu Wensui, Wang Xingfu, Su Gongrang, and Zhao Tinglan appended)〉 Wang Guan (Yang Zhuo and Luo Xing appended)〉 Dao Tong (Ouyang Ming appended)〉 Lu Xi (Elder brother Xiong, Wang Shihong, Ni Mengxian, and Lang Min appended)〉 Qing Wensheng

魏觀，字杞山，蒲圻人。元季隱居蒲山。太祖下武昌，聘授國子助教，再遷浙江按察司僉事。吳元年，遷兩淮都轉運使。入為起居註。奉命偕吳琳以幣帛求遺賢於四方。洪武元年，建大本堂，命侍太子說書及授諸王經。未幾，又命偕文原吉、詹同、吳輔、趙壽等分行天下，訪求遺才，所舉多擢用。三年，轉太常卿，考訂諸祀典。稱旨，改侍讀學士，尋遷祭酒。明年坐考祀孔子禮不以時奏，謫知龍南縣，旋召為禮部主事。五年，廷臣薦觀才，出知蘇州府。前守陳寧苛刻，人呼「陳烙鐵」。觀盡改寧所為，以明教化、正風俗為治。建黌舍。聘周南老、王行、徐用誠，與教授貢潁之定學儀；王彜、高啟、張羽訂經史；耆民周壽誼、楊茂、林文友行鄉飲酒禮。政化大行，課績為天下最。明年擢四川行省參知政事。未行，以部民乞留，命還任。

Wei Guan, whose style was Qishan, came from Puqi. In the closing years of the Yuan dynasty he withdrew to live in seclusion on Pu Mountain. After the Founding Emperor captured Wuchang, Guan was summoned and made an assistant instructor at the Directorate of Education, then promoted to vice commissioner of the Zhejiang surveillance commission. In the first year of the Wu regime he was appointed director of transport for the Two Huai region. He was brought into the capital as recorder of imperial actions. On imperial command he joined Wu Lin in traveling the realm with gifts of silk and cloth to seek out neglected men of talent. In Hongwu 1 the Great Foundation Hall was established, and he was charged with attending the crown prince in classical instruction and teaching the imperial princes. Soon afterward he was again sent out with Wen Yuanji, Zhan Tong, Wu Fu, Zhao Shou, and others to scour the empire for overlooked talent; most of their nominees were raised to office. In the third year he became minister of ceremonies and undertook a systematic review of the state ritual codes. The Emperor was pleased with his work and made him a reader-in-waiting, then shortly afterward promoted him to libationer of the Directorate of Education. The following year he was punished for failing to submit his review of Confucian temple rites on schedule and was demoted to magistrate of Longnan County, but was soon recalled as a principal clerk in the Ministry of Rites. In the fifth year court officials recommended Guan's ability, and he was appointed prefect of Suzhou. His predecessor Chen Ning had ruled with harsh severity, and the people nicknamed him "Iron Brand Chen." Guan reversed everything Ning had put in place and made his administration a project of moral instruction and the reform of local custom. He founded a school. He engaged Zhou Nanlao, Wang Xing, and Xu Yongcheng, and together with the instructor Gong Yingzhi drew up the school's ceremonial regulations; Wang Yi, Gao Qi, and Zhang Yu edited the classical and historical texts; and the village elders Zhou Shouyi, Yang Mao, and Lin Wenyou presided over the community drinking rites. His policies took deep root, and his administrative rating ranked first in the empire. The following year he was promoted to vice administrator of the Sichuan branch secretariat. Before he could leave, the populace petitioned to keep him, and the throne ordered him to resume his post.

初，張士誠以蘇州舊治為宮，遷府治於都水行司。觀以其地湫隘，還治舊基。又浚錦帆涇，興水利。或譖觀興既滅之基。帝使御史張度廉其事，遂被誅。帝亦尋悔，命歸葬。

Earlier, Zhang Shicheng had turned Suzhou's old government compound into a palace and relocated the prefectural offices to the waterways directorate. Finding the new site damp and cramped, Guan moved the government back to its former location. He also dredged the Brocade Sail Canal and undertook hydraulic works. Someone accused him of rebuilding on ground associated with a defeated regime. The Emperor dispatched Censor Zhang Du to investigate on the spot, and Guan was put to death. The Emperor soon came to regret the decision and ordered Guan's remains sent home for burial.

陶垕仲，名鑄，以字行，鄞人。洪武十六年，以國子生擢監察御史。糾彈不避權貴。劾刑部尚書開濟至死，直聲動天下。未幾，擢福建按察使。誅贓吏數十人，興學勸士，撫恤軍民。帝下詔褒異。布政使薛大方貪暴，垕仲劾奏之。大方辭相連，並逮至京。訊實，坐大方罪，詔垕仲還官。垕仲言：「臣父昔為方氏部曲，以故官例徙鳳陽。臣幼弱，依兄撫養，至於有成。今兄亦為鳳陽軍吏。臣叨聖恩，備位司憲。欲推祿養報生育恩，使父母兄弟得復聚處，實戴聖天子孝治天下至意。」帝特許迎養，去徙籍。垕仲清介自持，祿入悉以贍賓客。未幾，卒官。

Tao Houzhong, whose personal name was Zhu and who was known by his style Houzhong, came from Yin. In Hongwu 16 he was raised from the ranks of Directorate students to investigating censor. In his impeachments he showed no deference to the powerful. He impeached the minister of justice Kai Ji on a capital charge, and his fearless reputation resounded throughout the empire. Before long he was appointed surveillance commissioner of Fujian. He executed dozens of corrupt officials, revived schooling and encouraged scholars, and looked after both soldiers and civilians. The Emperor issued an edict singling him out for praise. When administrative commissioner Xue Dafang proved greedy and brutal, Houzhong impeached him. Dafang's testimony implicated others in turn, and they were all brought to the capital for trial. The inquiry confirmed the charges; Dafang was convicted, and Houzhong was ordered back to his post. Houzhong memorialized, "My father had once served in the Fang clan's forces and, under the usual rule for such men, was relocated to Fengyang. I was a small child and was raised by my elder brother until I came of age. My brother now serves there as a military clerk as well. I have been favored with the sage Emperor's grace and now hold office as a surveillance official. I wish to use my salary to repay those who raised me and to bring my parents and brothers together again—truly reflecting the sage Emperor's purpose of governing the realm through filial devotion. The Emperor granted the request, allowed him to bring his family for support, and struck his name from the relocation register. Houzhong lived with austere integrity and spent his entire salary entertaining guests. Before long he died in office.

時廣西僉事王佑，泰和人。按察使尋適嘗咨以政體。佑曰：「蠻方之人瀆倫傷化，不及此時明禮法、示勸懲，後難治」適從之，廣西稱治。蜀平，徙佑知重慶州。招徠撫輯，甚得民和。坐事免官，卒。

At that time Wang You, a vice commissioner in Guangxi, came from Taihe. The surveillance commissioner Xun Shi once sought his counsel on the fundamentals of administration. You replied, "The people of these frontier regions violate moral order and corrupt custom; unless ritual and law are made clear and rewards and punishments displayed now, they will be difficult to govern later." Xun Shi followed his advice, and Guangxi came to be known as well governed. After Sichuan was pacified, You was transferred to serve as prefect of Chongqing. He drew people back, soothed them, and won their deep trust. He was dismissed for an offense and later died.

劉仕貆，字伯貞，安福人。父闬，元末隱居不仕。仕貆少受父學。紅巾賊亂，掠其鄉，母張氏率群婦女沈茨潭死。賊械仕貆，久之得釋。洪武初，以供役為安福丞張禧所辱，仕貆憤，益力學。十五年應「賢良」舉，對策稱旨，授廣東按察司僉事，分司瓊州。瓊俗善蠱。上官至，輒致所產珍貨為贄。受則喜，不受則懼按治，蠱殺之。仕瓊者多為所汙。仕貆廉且惠，輕徭理枉，大得民和。雖卻其贄，夷人不忍害也。辱仕貆者張禧，適調丞瓊山，以屬吏謁，大慚怖。仁貆待之與他吏等。未幾，朝議省僉事官，例降東莞河泊使。渡河遇風，歿於水。同僚張仕祥葬之鴉磯。

Liu Shihuan, whose style was Bozhen, came from Anfu. His father Han lived in seclusion and refused office as the Yuan dynasty collapsed. Shihuan studied under his father from boyhood. When Red Turban rebels ravaged the countryside, they looted his home district; his mother, Lady Zhang, led a group of women who drowned themselves in Citan Pond. The rebels put him in chains, but he was eventually released. Early in the Hongwu reign, while performing corvée labor he was humiliated by Zhang Xi, assistant magistrate of Anfu; stung by the insult, Shihuan threw himself even harder into his studies. In the fifteenth year he entered the "worthy and good" examination; his policy essay pleased the throne, and he was made vice commissioner of the Guangdong surveillance commission with jurisdiction over Qiongzhou. The people of Qiong were practiced in gu sorcery. Whenever a superior official arrived, they would present local treasures as gifts. If the official accepted, they were pleased; if he refused, they feared prosecution and would kill him with gu poison. Most officials who served in Qiong fell victim to this practice. Shihuan was incorruptible and benevolent; he eased corvée burdens and redressed grievances, and won the people's deep trust. Even when he refused their gifts, the indigenous peoples could not bring themselves to harm him. Zhang Xi, who had once humiliated him, happened to be transferred to assistant magistrate of Qiongshan and came to pay his respects as a subordinate; he was overcome with shame and fear. Shihuan treated him no differently from any other clerk. Before long the court decided to abolish vice commissioner posts, and he was demoted by precedent to river berth officer at Dongguan. While crossing a river he was caught in a storm and drowned. His colleague Zhang Shixiang buried him at Yaji.

後有王溥者，桂林人。洪武末為廣東參政，亦以廉名。其弟自家來省，屬吏與同舟，贈以布袍。溥命還之，曰：「一衣雖微，不可不慎，此汙行辱身之漸也。」糧運由海道多漂沒，溥至庾嶺，相度形勢，命有司鑿石填塹，修治橋梁，易以車運。民甚便之。居官數年，笥無重衣，庖無兼饌。以誣逮下詔獄，僚屬饋贐皆不受，曰：「吾豈以患難易其心哉！」事白得歸，卒。

Later there was Wang Pu, who came from Guilin. At the end of the Hongwu reign he served as administrative commissioner of Guangdong and was likewise famed for integrity. When his younger brother came from home to visit, a subordinate who shared the boat gave him a cloth robe. Pu ordered it returned, saying, "A single garment may seem trifling, but one must be careful—this is how tainted conduct and personal disgrace begin. Grain shipments by sea were often lost at sea. When Pu reached Dayu Ridge, he surveyed the terrain and ordered officials to cut stone, fill gullies, repair bridges, and switch to overland cart transport. The people found the change a great convenience. After several years in office his wardrobe held no fine garments and his kitchen never served more than one dish at a meal. Falsely accused, he was sent to the imperial prison; when colleagues offered gifts he refused them all, saying, "Would I let hardship change what I am? When the matter was cleared he was allowed to return home, and he died not long afterward.

時有徐均者，陽春主簿也。地僻，土豪得盤踞為奸。邑長至，輒餌以厚賂。從而把持之。均至，吏白：「應往視莫大老。」莫大老者，洞主也。均曰：「此非王民邪？不來且誅！」出雙劍示之。大老恐，入謁。均廉得其不法事，系之獄。詰朝，以兩瓜及安石榴數枚為饋，皆黃金美珠也。均不視，械送府。府官受賕縱之歸，復致前饋。均怒，欲捕治之，而府檄調均攝陽江，陽江大治。以憂去官。

At that time there was Xu Jun, chief clerk of Yangchun. The district was remote, and local strongmen had entrenched themselves in wrongdoing. Whenever a new magistrate arrived, they would ply him with lavish bribes. They thereby kept them under their control. When Jun arrived, his clerks told him, "You ought to call on the great elder Mo. The great elder Mo was the local cave chieftain. Jun said, "Are they not subjects of the throne? If he does not come, he will be put to death! He displayed a pair of swords as a warning. Terrified, the chieftain came in to pay his respects. Jun investigated and uncovered his crimes, then had him thrown into prison. The next morning he sent gifts of two melons and several pomegranates, each hollowed out and filled with gold and fine pearls. Jun refused even to look at them and sent the man in chains to the prefectural seat. The prefectural officials took bribes and let him go; he returned and offered the same gifts again. Jun was furious and meant to arrest him, but the prefecture reassigned Jun to administer Yangjiang, where his governance was outstanding. He later resigned on account of mourning.

王宗顯，和州人，僑居嚴州。胡大海克嚴，禮致幕中。太祖征婺州，大海以宗顯見。太祖曰：「我鄉里也。」命至婺覘敵。宗顯潛得城中虛實及諸將短長，還白太祖。太祖喜曰：「我得婺，以爾為知府。」既而元樞密同僉寧安慶與守將帖木烈思貳，遣都事縋城請降，開東門納兵，與宗顯所刺事合。改婺州為寧越府，以宗顯知府事。宗顯故儒者，博涉經史。開郡學，聘葉儀、宋濂為《五經》師；戴良為學正；吳沈、徐源等為訓導。自兵興，學校久廢，至是始聞弦誦聲。未幾，卒官。

Wang Zongxian came from Hezhou but had settled in Yanzhou. When Hu Dahai took Yanzhou, he welcomed Zongxian into his staff with full courtesy. During the campaign against Wuzhou, Dahai introduced Zongxian to the Founding Emperor. The Emperor said, "He is a man from my own country. He ordered him to go to Wu and spy out the enemy. Zongxian secretly learned the city's defenses and each general's strengths and failings, then returned to report to the Emperor. The Emperor was delighted and said, "When I take Wu, you shall be its prefect. Soon afterward the Yuan vice censor-in-chief Ning Anqing broke with the defender Temürlesi, lowered an official over the wall by rope to sue for surrender, and opened the east gate to the army—exactly as Zongxian's intelligence had predicted. Wuzhou was renamed Ningyue Prefecture, and Zongxian was appointed to govern it. A former scholar, Zongxian was widely read in the classics and histories. He founded a prefectural school and engaged Ye Yi and Song Lian to teach the Five Classics; appointed Dai Liang director of studies; and Wu Shen, Xu Yuan, and others as instructors. Schools had lain abandoned since the wars began; for the first time in years the sound of students reciting their lessons was heard again. Before long he died in office.

太祖之下婺也，又以王興宗為金華知縣。興宗，故隸人也，李善長、李文忠皆以為不可。太祖曰：「興宗從我久，勤廉能斷，儒生法吏莫先也。」居三年，果以治行聞。遷判南昌，改知嵩州。時方籍民為軍，興宗奏曰：「元末聚民為兵，散則仍為民。今軍民分矣，若籍為軍，則無民，何所征賦？」帝曰：「善。」遷懷慶知府。上計至京，帝以事詰諸郡守，至興宗，獨曰：「是守公勤不貪，不須問。」再遷蘇州，擢河南布政使。陛辭，帝曰：「久不見爾，老矣，我須亦白。」宴而遣之，益勤其職。後坐累得白，卒於官。

When the Emperor conquered Wu, he also appointed Wang Xingzong magistrate of Jinhua. Xingzong had once been a bondservant, and both Li Shanzhang and Li Wenzhong objected to the appointment. The Emperor replied, "Xingzong has served me for years. He is diligent, incorruptible, and decisive—no scholar-official or legal clerk surpasses him. Within three years his reputation for good governance was established. He was promoted to judge of Nanchang and later appointed prefect of Songzhou. The court was then registering civilians as soldiers. Xingzong memorialized, "At the end of the Yuan, men were mustered as soldiers and, when disbanded, returned to civilian life. Now soldiers and civilians are distinct. If all are registered as soldiers, there will be no taxpayers left. How then shall revenue be raised? The Emperor said, "Well said." He was appointed prefect of Huaqing. When he came to court to report, the Emperor questioned each prefect about local affairs. Of Xingzong alone he said, "This man is diligent, upright, and incorruptible. I need ask him nothing. He was transferred again to Suzhou and then promoted to administrative commissioner of Henan. At his farewell audience the Emperor said, "It has been a long time since I saw you. You have grown old—and so have I; my beard is white now. The Emperor gave him a feast and sent him on his way, and Xingzong threw himself even harder into his duties. Later he was implicated in a case but cleared, and died in office.

同時有呂文燧，字用明，永康人。元末盜起，文燧散家財，募壯士得三千人，與盜連戰，破走之。三授以官，皆不受。太祖定婺，置永康翼，以文燧為左副元帥兼知縣事。尋召為營田司經歷，擢知廬州府。浙西平，徙知嘉興。松江民作亂，寇嘉興，文燧柵內署，帥壯士拒守。李文忠援至，賊就擒，諸將因欲屠城。文燧曰：「作亂者賊也，民何罪？」力止之。滿三載，入朝。奉詔持節諭阇婆國，次興化，疾卒。明年，嘉興佐貳以下坐鹽法死者數十人，有司以文燧嘗署名公牘，請籍其家。帝曰：「文燧誠信，必不為奸利，且沒於使事，可念也，勿籍。」

At the same time there was Lu Wensui, whose style was Yongming, from Yongkang. When banditry erupted at the end of the Yuan, Wensui spent his family fortune to raise three thousand fighting men, battled the raiders again and again, and drove them off. Office was offered him three times, and each time he declined. After the Emperor pacified Wu, he established the Yongkang garrison and made Wensui left vice commander while also serving as acting magistrate. He was soon summoned to the farming office and then promoted to prefect of Luzhou. After western Zhejiang was pacified, he was transferred to prefect of Jiaxing. When the people of Songjiang rebelled and attacked Jiaxing, Wensui fortified the inner government compound and led his men in defense. When Li Wenzhong's relief force arrived the rebels were captured, and the generals wanted to slaughter the city. Wensui said, "The rebels are guilty, not the people. What crime have the common folk committed? He pressed them hard until they abandoned the plan. After completing three years in office he went to court. On imperial orders he carried credentials as envoy to Java, but fell ill and died at Xinghua. The following year dozens of Jiaxing's subordinate officials were executed over salt-law violations. Because Wensui had once signed official documents, the authorities asked to confiscate his family's property. The Emperor said, "Wensui was honest and trustworthy and would never have sought illicit gain. He died on a mission abroad, which is reason enough for pity. Do not confiscate his estate."

一時郡守以治行稱者，又有王興福、蘇恭讓二人。

Among the prefects of that era famed for good governance were Wang Xingfu and Su Gongrang.

興福，隨人。初守徵州，有善政，遷杭州。杭初附，人心未安。興福善撫輯，民甚德之。秩滿當遷，郡人遮道攀留。興福諭遣之曰：「非余能惠父老，父老善守法耳。」太祖嘉之，擢吏部尚書。坐事左遷西安知府，卒官。

Xingfu came from Sui. He first governed Huizhou with distinction and was then transferred to Hangzhou. Hangzhou had only recently submitted, and the populace was still uneasy. Xingfu soothed and reassured the people, who came to esteem him deeply. When his term ended and he was due for transfer, the people blocked the road and begged him to stay. Xingfu urged them to let him go, saying, "It is not that I have been generous to you; you have been good at obeying the law. The Founding Emperor praised this and promoted him to minister of personnel. Implicated in a case, he was demoted to prefect of Xi'an and died in office.

恭讓，玉田人。舉「聰明正直」。任漢陽知府，為治嚴明而不苛。有重役，輒詣上官反復陳說，多得減省。

Gongrang came from Yutian. He was recommended in the "intelligent and upright" category. As prefect of Hanyang he governed with firm clarity but without harshness. Whenever heavy levies were imposed, he went again and again to his superiors to plead the people's case, and many burdens were lifted.

而知漢陽縣者趙庭蘭，徐人。亦能愛民任事。朝廷嘗遣使征陳氏散卒，他縣多以民丁應，庭蘭獨言縣無有。漢陽人言郡守則稱「恭讓」，言縣令則稱「庭蘭」雲。

The magistrate of Hanyang County was Zhao Tinglan, from Xu. He too loved the people and handled affairs capably. When the court sent envoys to round up scattered Chen loyalists, other counties supplied civilian levies; Tinglan alone reported that his county had none. Among the people of Hanyang, when they spoke of the prefect they said "Gongrang," and when they spoke of the magistrate they said "Tinglan."

王觀，字尚賓，祥符人。性耿介，儀度英偉，善談論。由鄉薦入太學，擢知蘇州府。公廉有威。黠吏錢英屢陷長官，觀捶殺之。事聞，太祖遣行人賫敕褒之，勞以禦酒。歲大，民多逋賦，部使者督甚急。觀置酒，延諸富人，勸貸貧民償，辭指誠懇，富人皆感動，逋賦以完。朝廷嘉其能，榜以勵天下。守蘇者前有季亨、魏觀，後有姚善、況鐘，皆賢，稱「姑蘇五太守」，並祀學宮。

Wang Guan, whose style was Shangbin, came from Xiangfu. Upright and unyielding by nature, he had a commanding presence and was an engaging speaker. Recommended from his district, he entered the Directorate of Education and was appointed prefect of Suzhou. He was upright, incorruptible, and commanded respect. A crafty clerk named Qian Ying had repeatedly framed his superiors; Guan had him beaten to death. When word reached the throne, the Founding Emperor sent an envoy with an edict of praise and rewarded him with imperial wine. In a year of severe drought many taxpayers fell into arrears, and the ministry envoy pressed collection relentlessly. Guan held a feast for the wealthy and urged them to lend money so the poor could pay their taxes. His appeal was so sincere that the rich were moved to comply, and the arrears were cleared. The court praised his resourcefulness and posted his example to encourage officials throughout the empire. The worthy prefects of Suzhou included Ji Heng and Wei Guan in the early years and Yao Shan and Kuang Zhong later; with Guan they were known as the "Five Prefects of Gusu" and all were enshrined in the school temple.

楊卓，字自立，泰和人。洪武四年進士，授吏部主事。逾年，遷廣東行省員外郎。田家婦獨行山中，遇伐木卒，欲亂之。婦不從，被殺。官拷同役卒二十人，皆引服。卓曰：：「卒人眾，必善惡異也，可盡抵罪乎？」列二十人庭下，熟視久之，指兩卒曰：「殺人者，汝也！」兩卒大驚，服罪。坐事謫田鳳陽，復起為杭州通判。有兄弟爭田者，累歲不決，卓至，垂涕開諭，遂罷爭。卓精吏事，吏不能欺。而治平恕，民悅服焉。病免，卒。

Yang Zhuo, whose style was Zili, came from Taihe. A jinshi of Hongwu 4, he was appointed a principal clerk in the Ministry of Personnel. A year later he was transferred to vice director of the Guangdong branch secretariat. A farmer's wife was walking alone in the hills when she met lumber soldiers who tried to assault her. She resisted and was murdered. Officials tortured twenty soldiers who had served together, and all confessed. Zhuo said, "There are many soldiers here; surely good and bad are mixed. Can we convict them all? He lined the twenty men up in the courtyard, studied them at length, then pointed to two and said, "You are the murderers!" The two men were terrified and confessed. Implicated in a case, he was banished to labor at Fengyang, then restored and appointed vice prefect of Hangzhou. Two brothers had disputed their fields for years without resolution. When Zhuo arrived he spoke to them with tears in his eyes, and they abandoned the quarrel. Zhuo was a master of administrative detail, and clerks could not deceive him. Yet he governed with even-handed mercy, and the people were glad to obey. He resigned on account of illness and died.

卓同邑羅性，字子理。洪武初舉於鄉，授德安同知。有大盜久不獲，株連系獄者數百人。性至郡，悉出所系。約十日得賊即盡貸。眾叩頭願盡力，七日果得。嘗治蔬圃，得窖鐵萬余斤。會方賦鐵造軍器，民爭求售。性曰：「此天所以濟民也，吾何預焉。」悉以充賦。秩滿赴京，坐用棗木染軍衣，謫戍西安。性博學。時四方老師宿儒在西安者數十人，吳人鄒奕曰：「合吾輩所讀書，庶幾羅先生之半。」年七十卒。

Zhuo's fellow townsman was Luo Xing, whose style was Zili. Early in the Hongwu reign he was recommended in his district and appointed vice prefect of De'an. A notorious bandit had long eluded capture, and hundreds of people were implicated and thrown into prison. When Xing arrived at the prefecture, he released everyone who had been held. He promised that if the bandit were caught within ten days, all would be fully pardoned. The crowd kowtowed and vowed to do their utmost; on the seventh day the bandit was captured. While tending a vegetable garden he uncovered a cache of more than ten thousand jin of iron. Just then the court was levying iron for military equipment, and the people rushed to sell it. Xing said, "Heaven sent this to help the people. What claim have I on it? He turned it all over to meet the levy. When his term ended he went to court, but was banished to garrison duty at Xi'an for using jujube wood to dye military garments. Xing was a scholar of wide learning. Dozens of eminent scholars from across the realm were then at Xi'an. Zou Yi of Wu remarked, "If we pooled all the books our circle has read, we might amount to half of Master Luo's learning. He died at the age of seventy.

道同，河間人。其先蒙古族也。事母以孝聞。洪武初，薦授太常司贊禮郎，出為番禺知縣。番禺故號「煩劇」，而軍衛尤橫，數鞭辱縣中佐吏，前令率不能堪。同執法嚴，非理者一切抗弗從，民賴以少安。

Dao Tong came from Hejian. His family was of Mongol descent. He was famed for the filial devotion with which he cared for his mother. Early in the Hongwu reign he was recommended and appointed a ceremonial officer in the Directorate of Ceremonies, then sent out as magistrate of Panyu. Panyu had long been known as a difficult posting, and the military garrisons were especially overbearing, repeatedly flogging county clerks. Previous magistrates had rarely been able to stand up to them. Tong enforced the law strictly and refused every unreasonable demand, and the people found some relief in his firmness.

未幾，永嘉侯朱亮祖至，數以威福撼同，同不為動。土豪數十輩抑買市中珍貨，稍不快意，輒巧詆以罪。同械其魁通衢。諸豪家爭賄亮祖求免。亮祖置酒召同，從容言之。同厲聲曰：「公大臣，奈何受小人役使！」亮祖不能屈也。他日，亮祖破械脫之，借他事笞同。富民羅氏者，納女於亮祖，其兄弟因怙勢為奸。同復按治，亮祖又奪之去。同積不平，條其事奏之。未至，亮祖先劾同訕傲無禮狀。帝不知其由，遂使使誅同。會同奏亦至。帝悟，以為同職甚卑，而敢斥言大臣不法事，其人骨鯁可用。復使使宥之。兩使者同日抵番禺，後使者甫到，則同已死矣。縣民悼惜之，或刻木為主祀於家，卜之輒驗，遂傳同為神雲。

Before long the Marquis of Yongjia, Zhu Liangzu, arrived and repeatedly tried to intimidate Tong with his power; Tong would not yield. Dozens of local strongmen forced down prices to buy up market goods, and if anyone displeased them they would contrive charges against him. Tong had their ringleader shackled in the public square. The powerful families competed to bribe Liangzu for his release. Liangzu invited Tong to a feast and spoke to him in a friendly tone. Tong replied sharply, "You are a great minister of state. How can you let yourself be used by petty men? Liangzu could not sway him. On another occasion Liangzu broke the man's shackles and set him free, then had Tong flogged on a pretext. A wealthy man named Luo had given his daughter to Liangzu, and Luo's brothers then used that connection to commit crimes. Tong investigated and punished them again, and Liangzu again intervened to free them. Tong's resentment mounted, and he memorialized the throne with a detailed account. Before the memorial arrived, Liangzu had already impeached Tong for insolence and disrespect. Unaware of the background, the Emperor sent an envoy to execute Tong. Tong's memorial arrived the same day. The Emperor understood and thought that although Tong held a humble post, he had dared to denounce a great minister's crimes—a man of such integrity could be useful. He immediately sent another envoy to pardon him. Both envoys reached Panyu on the same day, but the second arrived only to find that Tong was already dead. The people mourned him deeply. Some carved wooden images of him for household worship; divination through them always proved accurate, and the story spread that Tong had become a god.

當同未死時，布政使徐本雅重同。同方笞一醫未竟，而本急欲得醫，遣卒語同釋之。同岸然曰：「徐公乃亦效永嘉侯耶？」笞竟，始遣。自是上官益嚴憚，然同竟用此取禍。

Before Tong's death, administrative commissioner Xu Ben held him in high regard. Tong was in the middle of flogging a physician when Ben, who urgently needed the man, sent a soldier to order his release. Tong replied coldly, "Lord Xu, are you imitating the Marquis of Yongjia now? He finished the flogging before letting the man go. From then on his superiors feared him all the more, yet it was this very stubbornness that brought about his downfall.

先是有歐陽銘者，亦嘗以事抗將軍常遇春。

Earlier there had been Ouyang Ming, who likewise once stood up to the general Chang Yuchun.

銘，字日新，泰和人。以薦除江都縣丞。兵燹後，民死徙者十七八。銘招徠拊循，漸次復業。有繼母告子不孝者，呼至案前，委曲開譬，母子泣謝去，卒以慈孝稱。嘗治廨後隙地，得白金百兩，會部符征漆，即市之以輸。遷知臨淄。遇春師過其境，卒入民家取酒，相毆擊，一市盡嘩。銘笞而遣之。卒訴令罵將軍，遇春詰之。曰：「卒，王師，民亦王民也。民毆且死，卒不當笞耶？銘雖愚，何至詈將軍？將軍大賢，奈何私一卒，撓國法？」遇春意解，為責軍士以謝。後大將軍徐達至，軍士相戒曰：「是健吏，曾抗常將軍者，毋犯也。」銘為治廉靜平恕，暇輒進諸生講文藝，或單騎行田間，課耕獲。邑大治。秩滿入覲，卒。

Ming, whose style was Rixin, came from Taihe. On recommendation he was made assistant magistrate of Jiangdu. After the devastation of war, seven or eight people in ten had died or fled. Ming drew people back, soothed them, and gradually restored livelihoods. When a stepmother accused her stepson of unfilial conduct, he summoned them before the bench and spoke to them with gentle persuasion until mother and son wept, thanked him, and left reconciled; they were afterward praised for their renewed devotion. While tending vacant land behind the yamen he found one hundred taels of silver. When the ministry ordered a lacquer levy, he sold the silver at once to meet it. He was transferred to magistrate of Linzi. When Yuchun's army passed through, soldiers entered a civilian home to seize wine and brawled until the whole market was in an uproar. Ming had them flogged and sent them on their way. The soldiers complained that the magistrate had insulted the general, and Yuchun summoned him for questioning. Ming answered, "Soldiers are the King's army, but civilians are the King's people too. They were beaten nearly to death. Should the soldiers not be flogged? I may be foolish, but I would never insult a general. You are a man of great worth. How can you favor one soldier and bend the law of the state? Yuchun's anger cooled; he rebuked his soldiers and apologized. Later, when Grand General Xu Da arrived, the soldiers warned one another, "That is the tough magistrate who stood up to General Chang. Do not cross him. Ming governed with integrity, calm, and mercy. In his spare time he lectured students on the classics, or rode alone through the fields to inspect the harvest. The district prospered under his rule. When his term ended he went to court for his farewell audience and died.

盧熙，字公暨，昆山人。兄熊，字公武，為兗州知府。時兵革甫定，會營魯王府。又浚河，大役並興。熊竭心調度，民以不擾。後坐累死。熙以薦授睢州同知。有惠愛，命行知府事。適御史奉命搜舊軍，睢民濫入伍者千人，檄熙追送。熙令民自實，得嘗隸尺籍者數人畀之。御史怒，系曹吏，必盡得，不則以格詔論。同官皆懼。熙曰：「吾民牧也。民散，安用牧？」乃自詣御史曰：「州軍籍盡此矣。迫之，民且散，獨有同知在耳，請以充役。」御史怒斥去，堅立不動。已，知不能奪，乃罷去。後卒於官。貧不能喪，官為具殮。喪歸，吏民挽哭者塞道，大雨，無一人卻者。

Lu Xi, whose style was Gongji, came from Kunshan. His elder brother Xiong, whose style was Gongwu, served as prefect of Yanzhou. The wars had only just ended when construction of the Prince of Lu's residence began. River dredging was ordered as well, and major public works piled up at once. Xiong threw himself into organizing the work, and the people were spared undue hardship. He later died from overwork. Xi was recommended and appointed vice prefect of Suizhou. Beloved for his kindness, he was ordered to act as prefect. A censor was then ordered to round up former soldiers. A thousand Suizhou civilians had been improperly enrolled, and Xi was commanded to deliver them. Xi had the people report honestly and turned over only the few who had actually once been on the military rolls. The censor was furious, imprisoned the bureau clerks, and demanded every man be produced or he would charge them with defying the imperial edict. His colleagues were terrified. Xi said, "I am these people's shepherd. If the people scatter, what use is a shepherd? He went in person to the censor and said, "This is everyone on the prefecture's military register. Press harder and the people will flee. Only the vice prefect remains here—take me instead to fill your quota. The censor shouted at him to leave, but Xi stood his ground and would not budge. Seeing he could not prevail, the censor gave up and withdrew. He later died in office. His family was too poor to bury him properly, and the government provided the funeral. When the coffin was borne home, officials and commoners lined the road in mourning. Though rain poured down, not one person stepped aside.

又王士弘者，知寧海縣。靖海侯吳禎奉命收方氏故卒。無賴子誣引平民，臺、溫騷然。士弘上封事，辭極懇切。詔罷之，民賴以安。

There was also Wang Shihong, who served as magistrate of Ninghai. The Marquis of Jinghai, Wu Zhen, was ordered to round up former soldiers of the Fang clan. Ruffians falsely implicated innocent civilians, throwing Taizhou and Wenzhou into turmoil. Shihong submitted an earnest sealed memorial to the throne. An edict halted the operation, and the people were spared further harm.

倪孟賢，南昌人。知麗水縣。民有賣卜者，幹富室不應，遂詣京告大姓陳公望等五十七人謀亂。命錦衣衛千戶周原往捕之。孟賢廉得實，謂僚屬曰：「朝廷命孟賢令是邑，忍坐視善良者橫被茶毒耶？」即具疏聞。復令耆老四十人赴闕訴。下法司鞫實，論告密者如律。

Ni Mengxian came from Nanchang. He served as magistrate of Lishui. A local fortune-teller, rebuffed by a wealthy family, went to the capital and accused fifty-seven leading families, including Chen Gongwang, of plotting rebellion. Zhou Yuan, a chiliarch of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was sent to arrest them. Mengxian investigated and learned the truth. He told his staff, "The court made me magistrate of this district. How can I stand by while innocent people are destroyed? He immediately memorialized the throne. He also sent forty village elders to the capital to plead the case. The judiciary investigated, confirmed the facts, and punished the informer according to law.

又樂平奸民亦詣闕訴大姓五十余家謀逆，饒州知州郎敏力為奏辨。詔誅奸民，而被誣者得盡釋。

At Leping another schemer likewise accused more than fifty leading families of treason. Lang Min, prefect of Raozhou, vigorously memorialized in their defense. An edict ordered the accuser executed, and all the falsely accused were released.

青文勝，字質夫，夔州人。仕為龍陽典史。龍陽瀕洞庭，歲罹水患，逋賦數十萬，敲撲死者相踵。文勝慨然詣闕上疏，為民請命。再上，皆不報。嘆曰：「何面目歸見父老！」復具疏，擊登聞鼓以進，遂自經於鼓下。帝聞大驚，憫其為民殺身，詔寬龍陽租二萬四千余石，定為額。邑人建祠祀之。妻子貧不能歸，養以公田百畝。萬歷十四年，詔有司春秋致祭，名其祠曰「惠烈」。

Qing Wensheng, whose style was Zhifu, came from Kuizhou. He served as the clerk of Longyang. Longyang lay on Dongting Lake and suffered floods every year. Tax arrears ran into the hundreds of thousands, and people died under the tax collectors' beatings one after another. Wensheng went to the capital in indignation and submitted a memorial pleading for the people's lives. He submitted again, but received no reply. He sighed and said, "How can I face the elders of my district again? He drafted another memorial, struck the Petition Drum to present it, and hanged himself beneath it. The Emperor was deeply shaken and pitied him for dying on the people's behalf. He ordered Longyang's grain levy reduced by more than twenty-four thousand shi and fixed that as the permanent quota. The people of the district built a shrine in his honor. His wife and children were too poor to return home and were supported on one hundred mu of public land. In Wanli 14 the court ordered seasonal sacrifices at his shrine and named it "Benevolent and Ardent."

贊曰：太祖起閭右，稔墨吏為民害，嘗以極刑處之。然每旌舉賢能，以示勸勉，不專任法也。嘗遣行人賫敕並鈔三十錠、內酒一尊，賜平陽知縣張礎。又建陽知縣郭伯泰、丞陸鎰，為政不避權勢，遣使勞以酒醴，遷其官。丹徒知縣胡夢通、丞郭伯高，金壇丞李思進，坐事當逮，民詣闕，言多善政。帝並賜內尊，降敕褒勞。永州守余彥誠、齊東令鄭敏等十人坐事下獄，部民列政績以請，皆復官。宜春令沈昌等四人更擢郡守。其自下僚不次擢用者，寧遠尉王尚賢為廣西參政，祥符丞鄒俊為大理卿，靜寧州判元善為僉都御史，芝陽令李行素為刑部侍郎。至如懷寧丞陳希文、宜興簿王復春，先以善政擢，已知其貪肆，旋置重典。所以風厲激勸者甚至，以故其時吏治多可紀述雲。

The eulogist writes: The Founding Emperor rose from humble origins and knew well how corrupt clerks preyed on the people; he sometimes punished them with the harshest penalties. Yet he also repeatedly honored worthy officials to encourage others and did not rely on punishment alone. He once sent an envoy with an edict, thirty ingots of paper money, and a jar of imperial wine as gifts to Zhang Chu, magistrate of Pingyang. When Jianyang magistrate Guo Botai and assistant magistrate Lu Yi governed without fear of the powerful, he sent envoys with wine to honor them and promoted them. When Dantu magistrate Hu Mengtong, assistant magistrate Guo Bogao, and Jintan assistant magistrate Li Sijin were to be arrested on charges, the people went to court to testify to their good governance. The Emperor rewarded them all with imperial wine and issued edicts of praise. Yongzhou prefect Yu Yancheng, Qidong magistrate Zheng Min, and eight others were imprisoned on charges. Their constituents petitioned listing their achievements, and all were restored to office. Yichun magistrate Shen Chang and three others were further promoted to prefects. Among those promoted out of turn from junior posts: Wang Shangxian, assistant magistrate of Ningyuan, became administrative commissioner of Guangxi; Zou Jun, assistant magistrate of Xiangfu, became minister of the Court of Judicial Review; Yuan Shan, judge of Jingning, became censor-in-chief; and Li Xingsu, magistrate of Zhiyang, became vice minister of justice. Chen Xiwen, assistant magistrate of Huaining, and Wang Fuchun, clerk of Yixing, were first promoted for good governance but, once their greed became known, were soon punished severely. His methods of warning, rewarding, and exhorting officials were carried to an extraordinary degree; for that reason the governance of the age left much worth recording.

Cite this Chapter