Volume 240 Biographies 128: Ye Xianggao, Liu Yijing, Han Kuang, Zhu Guozuo, He Zongyan, Sun Ruyou

葉向高

Ye Xianggao

葉向高，字進卿，福清人。父朝榮，養利知州。向高甫妊，母避倭難，生道旁敗廁中。數瀕死，輒有神相之。舉萬曆十一年進士，授庶吉士，進編修。遷南京國子司業，改左中允，仍視司業事。二十六年，召為左庶子，充皇長子侍班官。礦稅橫行，向高上班，引東漢西邸聚錢事為鑒，不報。尋擢南京禮部右侍郎。久之，改吏部。再陳礦稅之害，又請罷遼東稅監高淮，語皆切至。妖書獄興，移書沈一貫力諫。一貫不悅，以故滯南京九年。後一貫罷，沈鯉亦去，朱賡獨當國。帝命增閣臣。三十五年五月，擢向高禮部尚書兼東閣大學士，與王錫爵、于慎行、李廷機並命。十一月，向高入朝，慎行已先卒，錫爵堅辭不出。明年，首輔賡亦卒，次輔廷機以人言久杜門，向高遂獨相。

Ye Xianggao, courtesy name Jinqing, came from Fuqing. His father Ye Chaorong had served as prefect of Yangli. While his mother was still carrying him, she fled the Japanese raids and bore him in a ruined roadside latrine. He came close to death again and again, yet each time seemed to be spared by some providential hand. He took his jinshi degree in Wanli 11 (1583), entered the Hanlin Academy as a bachelor, and rose to compiler. He was posted to Nanjing as vice director of the Directorate of Education, then made left junior mentor while continuing to handle the vice director's work. In Wanli 26 (1598) he was recalled to serve as left senior mentor and attendant at the crown prince's lectures. With mining taxes running unchecked, he memorialized the throne, citing how the Eastern Han Western Residence had hoarded wealth as a cautionary example; the memorial went unanswered. He was soon promoted to right vice minister of Rites in Nanjing. After some time he was moved to the Ministry of Personnel. He again laid out the damage done by mining levies and called for the dismissal of Gao Huai, the Liaodong tax superintendent; his words were blunt and forceful. When the seditionous-book affair broke, he wrote to Shen Yiguan urging him to protest vigorously. Yiguan took offense, and for that reason Xianggao languished in Nanjing for nine years. Later, after Yiguan was removed and Shen Li had also left, Zhu Geng alone ran the government. The emperor ordered additional Grand Secretaries appointed. In the fifth month of Wanli 35 (1607) he was made minister of Rites and Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion, along with Wang Xijue, Yu Shenxing, and Li Tingji. In the eleventh month Xianggao came to court; Shenxing had already died, and Xijue steadfastly refused to serve. The following year Chief Minister Zhu Geng also died; Second Minister Li Tingji had long stayed home amid public criticism, and Xianggao became the sole chief minister.

當是時，帝在位日久，倦勤，朝事多廢弛，大僚或空署，士大夫推擇遷轉之命往往不下，上下乖隔甚。廷臣部黨勢漸成，而中官榷稅、開礦，大為民害。帝又寵鄭貴妃，福王不肯之國。向高用宿望居相位，憂國奉公，每事執爭效忠藎。帝心重向高，體貌優厚，然其言大抵格不用，所救正十二三而已。東宮輟講者五年，廷臣屢請不得命。三十七年二月，向高擇吉以請，亦不報。自是歲春秋必懇請，帝皆不納。貴妃王氏，太子生母也，薨四日不發喪。向高以為言，乃發喪。而禮官上其儀註，稽五日不行。向高復爭之，疏乃下。福王府第成，工部以之國請，向高擬旨上。帝不發，改明春。及期迫，向高請先飭儀衛舟車，帝不納。四十一年春，廷臣交章請，復諭改明春。已，忽傳旨，莊田非四萬頃不行，廷臣大駭。向高因進曰：「田四萬頃，必不能足，之國且無日，明旨又不信於天下矣。且王疏引祖制，而祖制無有是事。曩惟世宗時景王有之。景王久不之國，皇考在裕邸，危疑不安，此何可效也？」帝報曰：「莊田自有成例，且今大分已定，何猜？」向高因疏謝，言：「皇考時，名位雖未正，然講讀不輟，情意通。今東宮輟講八年，且不奉天顏久，而福王一日兩見，以故不能無疑。惟堅守明春期，而無以莊田藉口，天下疑自釋。」帝報福王無一日兩見事。

By then the emperor had reigned so long that he had grown weary of governing; court business languished, senior posts often stood empty, and appointments for scholar-officials frequently never issued—the court and the throne had grown far apart. Court factions were taking shape among the officials, while eunuchs levied transit taxes and opened mines to the people's great harm. The emperor also favored Consort Zheng, and the Prince of Fu refused to leave for his assigned domain. Xianggao held the chief ministership on the strength of his long-standing reputation; grieving for the realm and serving the public interest, he contested issue after issue with loyal zeal. The emperor held Xianggao in esteem and treated him generously, yet most of his advice was set aside; only a tenth or so of what he tried to set right was accepted. Instruction for the crown prince had been suspended for five years, and repeated petitions from the court brought no response. In the second month of Wanli 37 (1609) Xianggao chose an auspicious day to petition again; still there was no answer. Thereafter he pleaded earnestly every spring and autumn, but the emperor would not consent. Consort Wang, the crown prince's own mother, had died, yet four days passed with no mourning proclaimed. Only after Xianggao spoke up was mourning finally ordered. When the ritual officials submitted the prescribed rites, they sat for five days without approval. Xianggao protested again, and only then was the order issued. When the Prince of Fu's residence was finished, the Ministry of Works petitioned for his departure to his fief; Xianggao drafted the rescript and submitted it. The emperor withheld it and postponed departure until the following spring. As the deadline approached, Xianggao asked that escorts, boats, and carriages be prepared in advance; the emperor refused. In the spring of Wanli 41 (1613) officials submitted memorial after memorial, and again the court was told to wait until the following spring. Then suddenly came word that he would not leave unless his estate lands totaled forty thousand qing; the court was appalled. Xianggao stepped forward and said: "Forty thousand qing can never be supplied; his departure has no date in sight, and the throne's clear word will no longer be believed under heaven. Moreover, the prince's memorial cites ancestral precedent, yet no such precedent exists. In the past only the Prince of Jing under Emperor Shizong had such a case. The Prince of Jing long delayed his departure; your father's own father lived at the Residence of Plenty in fear and uncertainty—how can we follow that example? The emperor replied: "Estate lands follow established precedent, and the succession is settled—why suspect anything?" Xianggao submitted a follow-up memorial, saying: "In your father's day, though his status was not yet secure, lectures never stopped and the bond between father and son remained open. Now the crown prince has gone eight years without instruction and long without seeing your face, while the Prince of Fu is received twice in a single day—how can there be no suspicion? Hold firm to next spring's deadline and give no pretext over estate lands, and suspicion under heaven will lift of itself." The emperor replied that the Prince of Fu was not received twice in one day.

向高有裁斷，善處大事。錦衣百戶王曰乾者，京師奸人也，與孔學、趙宗舜、趙思聖等相訐告。刑官讞未竟，曰乾乃入皇城放炮上疏。刑官大驚，將擬曰乾死罪。曰乾遂訐奏鄭妃內侍姜嚴山與學等及妖人王三詔用厭勝術詛咒皇太后、皇太子死，擁立福王。帝震怒，繞殿行半日，曰：「此大變事，宰相何無言？」內侍即跪上向高奏。奏言：「此事大類往年妖書，然妖書匿名難詰，今兩造具在，一訊即情得。陛下當靜處之，稍張皇，則中外大擾。至其詞牽引貴妃、福王，尤可痛恨。臣與九卿所見皆同，敢以聞。」帝讀竟太息曰：「吾父子兄弟全矣。」明日，向高又言：「曰乾疏不宜發。發則上驚聖母，下驚東宮，貴妃、福王皆不安。宜留中，而別諭法司治諸奸人罪，且速定明春之國期，以息群喙，則天下帖然無事。」帝盡用其言，太子、福王得相安。貴妃終不欲福王之國，言明年冬太后七十壽，王宜留慶賀。帝令內閣宣諭。向高留上諭弗宣，請今冬預行慶壽禮，如期之國。帝遣中使至向高私邸，必欲下前諭。向高言：「外廷喧傳陛下欲假賀壽名留福王，約千人伏闕請。今果有此諭，人情益疑駴，將信王曰乾妖言，朝端必不靜。聖母聞之，亦必不樂。且潞王聖母愛子，亦居外藩，何惓惓福王為？」因封還手諭。帝不得已從之，福王乃之國。

Xianggao was decisive and adept at handling crises. Wang Rigian, a hundred-household officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was a scoundrel of the capital who had been trading accusations with Kong Xue, Zhao Zongshun, Zhao Sisheng, and others. Before the judges had finished their inquiry, Rigian entered the Imperial City, fired cannon, and submitted a memorial. The judges were alarmed and were about to sentence Rigian to death. Rigian then accused Consort Zheng's attendant Jiang Yanshan, Kong Xue and his associates, and the sorcerer Wang Sanzhao of using witchcraft to curse the empress dowager and crown prince to death and install the Prince of Fu. The emperor was furious, paced the hall for half a day, and cried: "This is a calamity—why has the chief minister said nothing? A eunuch at once knelt and presented Xianggao's memorial. It read: "This resembles the seditionous-book affair of years past, but that case was anonymous and hard to pursue; here both sides are at hand, and one interrogation will settle the truth. Your Majesty should handle this calmly; the slightest panic will throw the realm into turmoil. As for dragging in the honored consort and the Prince of Fu, that is especially hateful. Your servant and the nine ministers share this view and venture to report it. When the emperor had finished reading, he sighed and said: "My father and son, my brothers—all are safe." The next day Xianggao said again: "Rigian's memorial should not be circulated. If it is issued, it will alarm the empress dowager above and the crown prince below, and neither the honored consort nor the Prince of Fu will be at ease. Keep it within the palace, separately instruct the judicial offices to punish the villains, and fix next spring's departure date at once to silence the clamor—then all under heaven will be calm." The emperor followed his advice entirely, and the crown prince and Prince of Fu were able to coexist in peace. The honored consort still did not want the Prince of Fu to leave, saying that the empress dowager's seventieth birthday fell the next winter and the prince should stay to celebrate. The emperor ordered the Grand Secretariat to announce this. Xianggao held back the imperial instruction and did not announce it, proposing instead to hold the birthday celebration early this winter and send the prince to his fief on schedule. The emperor sent a palace messenger to Xianggao's home, insisting the earlier instruction be issued. Xianggao said: "Outside court it is widely rumored that Your Majesty means to use the birthday celebration as a pretext to keep the Prince of Fu, with a thousand men ready to petition at the palace gates. If this instruction is now issued, suspicion will only deepen; people will believe Rigian's sorcerous claims, and the court will not be calm. The empress dowager, hearing of it, will surely be displeased as well. Moreover, the Prince of Lu, whom she loves as a son, also lives in an outer fief—why be so set on keeping the Prince of Fu? He sealed the handwritten instruction and returned it. The emperor had no choice but to agree, and the Prince of Fu finally departed for his fief.

向高嘗上疏言：「今天下必亂必危之道，蓋有數端，而災傷寇盜物怪人妖不與焉。廊廟空虛，一也。上下否隔，二也。士大夫好勝喜爭，三也。多藏厚積，必有悖出之釁，四也。風聲氣習日趨日下，莫可挽回，五也。非陛下奮然振作，簡任老成，布列朝署，取積年廢弛政事一舉新之，恐宗社之憂，不在敵國外患，而即在廟堂之上也。」其言絕痛切。帝知其忠愛，不能行。

Xianggao once memorialized: "The paths by which the realm will surely fall into chaos and danger are several, and natural disasters, bandits, strange omens, and sorcery are not among them. The halls of state stand empty—that is the first. Throne and officials are cut off from one another—that is the second. Scholar-officials love victory and relish strife—that is the third. Those who hoard great wealth will surely breed violent upheaval—that is the fourth. Public morals sink day by day beyond recall—that is the fifth. Unless Your Majesty rouses yourself, appoints seasoned men of experience throughout the court, and in one stroke renews years of neglected government, I fear the danger to the dynasty lies not with foreign enemies but within these very halls. His words were painfully blunt. The emperor recognized his loyal devotion but could not act on it.

初，向高入閣。未幾，陳用人理財策，力請補缺官，罷礦稅。見帝不能從，乃陳上下乖離之病。兩疏乞罷，帝不允。向高自獨相，即請增閣臣，帝不聽。及吏部尚書孫丕揚以薦賢不用求去，向高特疏請留，亦不報，遂引疾。屢諭，乃出視事。已，又言：「臣屢求去，輒蒙恩諭留。顧臣不在一身去留，而在國家治亂。今天下所在災傷死亡，畿輔、中州、齊魯流移載道，加中外空虛，人才俱盡。罪不在他人，臣何可不去。且陛下用臣，則當行其言。今章奏不發，大僚不補，起廢不行，臣微誠不能上達，留何益？誠用臣言，不徒縻臣身，臣溘先朝露，有餘幸矣。」帝不省。京師大水，四方多奏水旱。向高又言：「自閣臣至九卿臺省，曹署皆空，南都九卿亦止存其二。天下方面大吏，去秋至今，未嘗用一人。陛下萬事不理，以為天下長如此，臣恐禍端一發，不可收也。」帝亦不省。四十年春，向高以歷代帝王享國四十年以上者，自三代迄今止十君，勸帝力行新政。因復以用人行政請，亦不報。向高誌不行，無月不求去，帝輒優旨勉留。向高復言：「臣進退可置不問，而百僚必不可盡空，臺諫必不可盡廢，諸方巡按必不可不代。中外離心，輦轂肘腋間，怨聲憤盈，禍機不測，而陛下務與臣下隔絕。帷幄不得關其忠，六曹不得舉其職，舉天下無一可信之人，而自以為神明之妙用，臣恐自古聖帝明王無此法也。」

When Xianggao first entered the Grand Secretariat, he soon laid out policies on appointments and finances, urgently calling for vacant posts to be filled and mining levies abolished. When he saw the emperor would not comply, he set forth the malady of estrangement between throne and court. He twice petitioned to resign; the emperor refused. Once he became sole chief minister, he at once asked for additional Grand Secretaries; the emperor would not hear of it. When Sun Piyang, minister of Personnel, asked to resign because his recommended candidates were not appointed, Xianggao specially memorialized to keep him; again there was no reply, and he cited illness. After repeated imperial messages he returned to duty. Later he said again: "Your servant has repeatedly asked to leave, yet each time been graciously told to stay. Yet my concern is not whether one man stays or goes, but whether the state is governed or in chaos. Today disasters and death afflict every region; in the capital district, the central provinces, and Qi and Lu the roads are crowded with refugees; court and country alike stand empty, and talent is exhausted. The fault is not others'—how can your servant not leave?" Moreover, if Your Majesty employs me, you ought to act on my words. Now memorials go unanswered, senior posts unfilled, and dismissed officials unreinstated—my modest counsel cannot reach you; what good is my staying? If you truly act on my counsel, it will not merely keep me in office; even if I die at once, I would count myself fortunate. The emperor paid no heed. Great floods struck the capital, and reports of flood and drought poured in from every quarter. Xianggao said again: "From the Grand Secretariat down through the nine ministries, the censorate, and the provincial offices, every bureau stands empty; of Nanjing's nine ministries only two posts remain filled. Among the realm's regional governors, not one appointment has been made from last autumn until now. Your Majesty attends to nothing, as though the realm could long remain thus; I fear that once trouble breaks out it cannot be contained. Again the emperor paid no heed. In the spring of Wanli 40 (1612) Xianggao observed that from the Three Dynasties to the present only ten rulers had held the throne for more than forty years, and urged the emperor to press forward with real reform. He again petitioned on appointments and governance, and again received no answer. With his aims blocked, Xianggao asked to resign nearly every month, yet the emperor each time graciously urged him to stay. Xianggao said again: "Whether I stay or go may be set aside, but the ministries must not all stand empty, the censorate must not be abandoned, and regional inspectors must not all go unreplaced. Court and country have lost heart for one another; within the capital itself resentment runs high and disaster may strike at any moment—yet Your Majesty strives to cut yourself off from your ministers. Your inner council cannot reach you with loyal counsel, the six ministries cannot do their work, and under heaven there is no one left to trust—yet Your Majesty calls this divine subtlety; I fear no sage ruler in history has ever governed thus."

先是，向高疾，閣中無人，章奏就其家擬旨者一月。及是，向高堅臥益久，即家擬旨如前，論者以為非體，向高亦自言其非，堅乞去。帝卒不命他相，遣鴻臚官慰留。至帝萬壽節，始起視事。其後，向高主癸丑會試，章奏皆送闈中，尤異事云。帝考選科道七十餘人，命久不下。向高懇請數十疏，越二年乃下。言官既多，攻擊紛起。帝心厭之，章悉留中。向高請盡付所司，定其去留。因言：「大臣者，小臣之綱。今六卿止趙煥一人，而都御史十年不補，彈壓無人，人心何由戢？」帝但責言官妄言，而大僚迄不補。向高請增置閣臣，章至百餘上，帝始用方從哲、吳道南。向高疏謝，因引退，優詔不允。

Earlier, when Xianggao fell ill and the Grand Secretariat stood empty, rescripts were drafted at his home for a month. Now he lay abed even longer, and rescripts were again drafted at his home as before. Critics called this improper; Xianggao himself acknowledged it and firmly asked to resign. The emperor still would not appoint another chief minister and sent an official of the Court of State Ceremonial to console him and urge him to remain. Only at the emperor's birthday did he rise and return to duty. Later he presided over the guichou metropolitan examination, and all memorials were sent into the examination compound—an especially unusual practice. The emperor had examined and selected more than seventy censors and investigating censors, but the appointments long went unissued. Xianggao petitioned earnestly in dozens of memorials; only after two years were the appointments issued. With so many censors in place, attacks and counterattacks multiplied. The emperor grew weary of it and kept all memorials within the palace. Xianggao asked that they all be sent to the relevant offices to decide who should stay or go. He added: "Great ministers are the guiding net for lesser officials. Now among the six ministers only Zhao Huan remains, while the censor-in-chief has gone unfilled for ten years; with no one to enforce discipline, how can popular feeling be quieted? The emperor only blamed the censors for reckless speech, while senior posts still went unfilled. Xianggao asked for additional Grand Secretaries; after more than a hundred memorials the emperor at last appointed Fang Congzhe and Wu Daonan. Xianggao submitted thanks and tried to withdraw; gracious edicts refused.

四十二年二月，皇太后崩。三月，福王之國。向高乞歸益數，章十餘上。至八月，允其去。向高以三載考績，進太子太保、文淵閣大學士；敘延綏戰功，加少保兼太子太保，改戶部尚書、武英殿；一品三載滿，加少傅兼太子太傅，改吏部尚書、建極殿。至是，命加少師兼太子太師，賜白金百，彩幣四，表裏大紅坐蟒一襲，遣行人護歸。

In the second month of Wanli 42 (1614) the empress dowager died. In the third month the Prince of Fu departed for his fief. Xianggao begged to return home with growing urgency, submitting more than ten memorials. In the eighth month his departure was finally granted. At his triennial review he was promoted to Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent and Grand Secretary of the Hall of Literary Depth; for reporting military achievements in Yan-sui he was made Junior Guardian and concurrent Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent, minister of Revenue, and Grand Secretary of the Hall of Martial Glory; when his first-rank term was complete he was made Junior Mentor and concurrent Grand Mentor of the Heir Apparent, minister of Personnel, and Grand Secretary of the Hall of Establishing the Ultimate. On his departure he was made Junior Preceptor and concurrent Grand Preceptor of the Heir Apparent, granted one hundred taels of silver, four sets of colored silks, a grand red python robe, and an envoy to escort him home.

向高在相位，務調劑群情，輯和異同。然其時黨論已大起，御史鄭繼芳力攻給事中王元翰，左右兩人者相角。向高請盡下諸疏，敕部院評曲直，罪其論議顛倒者一二人，以警其餘，帝不報。諸臣既無所見得失，益樹黨相攻。未幾，又爭李三才之事，黨勢乃成。無錫顧憲成家居，講學東林書院，朝士爭慕與遊。三才被攻，憲成貽書向高暨尚書孫丕揚，訟其賢。會辛亥京察，攻三才者劉國縉以他過掛察典，喬應甲亦用年例出外，其黨大嘩。向高以大體持之，察典得無撓，而兩黨之爭遂不可解。及後，齊、楚、浙黨人攻東林殆盡。浸尋至天啟時，王紹徽等撰所謂《東林點將錄》，令魏忠賢按氏名逐朝士。以向高嘗右東林，指目為黨魁云。

While chief minister, Xianggao strove to mediate among factions and harmonize differences. Yet factional strife was already rising; Censor Zheng Jifang fiercely attacked Supervising Secretary Wang Yuanhan, and the two wings clashed. Xianggao asked that all memorials be circulated, the ministries instructed to judge right and wrong, and one or two whose arguments were perverse punished as a warning; the emperor did not reply. With no official judgment of right and wrong, officials only formed factions and attacked one another more fiercely. Soon they clashed again over Li Sancai, and factional power took shape. Gu Xiancheng of Wuxi lived at home, lecturing at the Donglin Academy, and court officials vied to study with him. When Sancai came under attack, Xiancheng wrote to Xianggao and Minister Sun Piyang pleading his worth. At the xinhai capital evaluation, Liu Guojin, who had attacked Sancai, was caught in the evaluation roster for other faults, and Qiao Yingjia was also sent out by seniority rule; their faction erupted in protest. Xianggao held to the larger principle and the evaluation stood, but the struggle between the two factions became irreconcilable. Later the Qi, Chu, and Zhe factions attacked the Donglin faction nearly to extinction. By the Tianqi reign Wang Shaohui and others had compiled the so-called Record of Donglin Generals, enabling Wei Zhongxian to pursue court officials by name. Because Xianggao had once favored the Donglin faction, he was singled out as its chieftain.

向高歸六年，光宗立，特詔召還。未幾，熹宗立，復賜敕趨之。屢辭，不得命。天啟元年十月還朝，復為首輔。言：「臣事皇祖八年，章奏必發臣擬。即上意所欲行，亦遣中使傳諭。事有不可，臣力爭，皇祖多曲聽，不欲中出一旨。陛下虛懷恭己，信任輔臣，然間有宣傳滋疑議。宜慎重綸音，凡事令臣等擬上。」帝優旨報聞。旋納向高請，發帑金二百萬，為東西用兵之需。

Six years after his return, when Emperor Guangzong ascended, a special edict summoned him back. Before long, when Emperor Xizong ascended, an imperial letter again urged him to hurry. He repeatedly declined but could not obtain permission. In the tenth month of Tianqi 1 (1621) he returned to court and again became chief minister. He said: "I served your grandfather for eight years; memorials were always issued from drafts I prepared. Even when your grandfather wished something done, a palace messenger was sent to convey the instruction. When something could not be done, I argued forcefully, and your grandfather often listened; he was unwilling to issue a single edict from within the palace. Your Majesty is open-minded and trusting of your ministers, yet occasional palace announcements breed suspicion. You ought weigh imperial pronouncements carefully and have us ministers draft everything for submission. The emperor replied graciously. Soon the emperor accepted Xianggao's request and issued two million taels from the treasury for campaigns east and west.

熹宗初政，群賢滿朝，天下欣欣望治。然帝本沖年，不能辨忠佞。魏忠賢、客氏漸竊威福，構殺太監王安，以次逐吏部尚書周嘉謨及言官倪思輝等。大學士劉一燝亦力求去。向高言：「客氏出復入，而一燝顧命大臣不得比保姆，致使人揣摩於奧穾不可知之地，其漸當防。」忠賢見向高疏刺己，恨甚。既而刑部尚書王紀削籍，禮部尚書孫慎行、都御史鄒元標先後被攻致仕去。向高爭不得，因請與元標同罷。帝不聽，而忠賢益恨向高。

At the start of Xizong's reign worthy men filled the court, and the realm looked eagerly for good governance. Yet the emperor was still young and could not distinguish loyal from treacherous men. Wei Zhongxian and Lady Ke gradually usurped power, framed and killed the eunuch Wang An, and in succession drove out Minister Zhou Jiamo and Censor Ni Sihui and others. Grand Secretary Liu Yijing also strove to resign. Xianggao said: "Lady Ke left and returned, yet Yijing, an entrusted minister on the deathbed, could not compare with a wet nurse—leading people to speculate in the unknowable recesses of the inner palace; this trend must be checked. Zhongxian, seeing that Xianggao's memorial targeted him, hated him deeply. Then Minister of Punishments Wang Ji was struck from the rolls, while Ministers of Rites Sun Shenxing and Censor-in-Chief Zou Yuanbiao were successively attacked into retirement. Xianggao could not prevail and asked to resign together with Yuanbiao. The emperor refused, and Zhongxian hated Xianggao all the more.

向高為人光明忠厚，有德量，好扶植善類。再入相，事沖主，不能謇直如神宗時，然猶數有匡救。給事中章允儒請減上供袍服。奄人激帝怒，命廷杖。向高論救者再，乃奪俸一年。御史帥眾指斥宮禁，奄人請帝出之外，以向高救免。給事中傅櫆救王紀，將貶謫，亦以向高言僅奪俸。紀既罷去，御史吳甡、王祚昌薦之，部議以故官召。忠賢怒，將重譴文選郎，向高亦救免。給事中陳良訓疏譏權奄，忠賢摘其疏中「國運將終」語，命下詔獄，窮治主使。向高以去就爭，乃奪俸而止。熊廷弼、王化貞論死，言官勸帝速決。向高請俟法司覆奏，帝從之。有請括天下布政司、府、州、縣庫藏盡輸京師者，向高言：「郡邑藏已竭，藩庫稍餘。倘盡括之，猝有如山東白蓮教之亂，何以應之？」帝皆不納。

Xianggao was open, loyal, and generous, with moral stature and a fondness for supporting worthy men. Serving a second time under a young sovereign, he could not be as blunt as under Shenzong, yet he still often intervened to save others. Supervising Secretary Zhang Yunru asked to reduce imperial tribute robes and garments. Eunuchs provoked the emperor's anger, and he ordered a court beating. Xianggao argued twice for his rescue; only then was the punishment reduced to forfeiture of one year's salary. Censor Shuai Zhong denounced the inner palace; eunuchs asked the emperor to banish him, but Xianggao rescued him. Supervising Secretary Fu Huai defended Wang Ji; facing demotion and exile, he too was spared through Xianggao's intervention with only salary forfeited. After Ji left office, Censors Wu Shen and Wang Zuochang recommended him; the ministry deliberated recalling him to his former post. Zhongxian was furious and was about to punish the personnel selection director severely; Xianggao again rescued him. Supervising Secretary Chen Liangxun mocked the powerful eunuch in a memorial; Zhongxian seized the phrase "the nation's fortune is nearing its end" and ordered him to the imperial prison to find who was behind it. Xianggao threatened to resign over it; only then was the punishment reduced to salary forfeiture. Xiong Tingbi and Wang Huazhen were sentenced to death; censors urged the emperor to decide quickly. Xianggao asked to await the judicial review; the emperor agreed. When someone proposed sweeping all provincial, prefectural, and county treasuries and shipping everything to the capital, Xianggao said: "County and prefectural stores are already exhausted; only provincial treasuries have any surplus. If you sweep them bare, how will you respond if something like the White Lotus rebellion in Shandong breaks out suddenly? The emperor accepted none of it.

忠賢既默恨向高，而其時朝士與忠賢抗者率倚向高。忠賢乃時毛舉細故，責向高以困之。向高數求去。四年四月，給事中傅櫆劾左光斗、魏大中交通汪文言，招權納賄，命下文言詔獄。向高言：「文言內閣辦事，實臣具題。光斗等交文言事曖昧，臣用文言顯然。乞陛下止罪臣，而稍寬其他，以消縉紳之禍。」因力求速罷。當是時，忠賢欲大逞，憚眾正盈朝，伺隙動。得櫆疏喜甚，欲藉是羅織東林，終憚向高舊臣，並光斗等不罪，止罪文言。然東林禍自此起。

Zhongxian already hated Xianggao in silence, and court officials who resisted him mostly relied on Xianggao. Zhongxian then picked at petty matters and blamed Xianggao to wear him down. Xianggao repeatedly asked to resign. In the fourth month of the fourth year, Supervising Secretary Fu Huai impeached Zuo Guangdou and Wei Dazhong for associating with Wang Wenyuan, usurping power and taking bribes; the emperor ordered Wenyuan to the imperial prison. Xianggao said: "Wenyuan handled affairs in the Grand Secretariat; I myself submitted the proposal. Guangdou's association with Wenyuan is obscure; my use of him is obvious. I beg Your Majesty to punish only me and be lenient toward the others, to avert disaster among the gentry. He thereupon pressed urgently to resign. At that time Zhongxian wished to act freely but feared the upright men who filled the court; he watched for an opening. Delighted with Huai's memorial, he wished to use it to entangle the Donglin faction; in the end he still feared Xianggao as an old minister, and neither Guangdou nor the others were punished—only Wenyuan. Yet the Donglin calamity began from this point.

至六月，楊漣上疏劾忠賢二十四大罪。向高謂事且決裂，深以為非。廷臣相繼抗章至數十上，或勸向高下其事，可決勝也。向高念忠賢未易除，閣臣從中挽回，猶冀無大禍。乃具奏稱忠賢勤勞。朝廷寵待厚，盛滿難居，宜解事權，聽歸私第，保全終始。忠賢不悅，矯帝旨敘己功勤，累百餘言。向高駭曰：「此非奄人所能，必有代為草者。」探之，則徐大化也。忠賢雖憤，猶以外廷勢盛，未敢加害。其黨有導以興大獄者，忠賢意遂決。於是工部郎中萬燝以劾忠賢廷杖，向高力救，不從，死杖下。無何，御史林汝翥亦以忤奄命廷杖。汝翥懼，投遵化巡撫所。或言汝翥向高甥也，群奄圍其邸大噪。向高以時事不可為，乞歸已二十餘疏，至是請益力。乃命加太傅，遣行人護歸，所給賜視彜典有加。尋聽辭太傅，有司月給米五石，輿夫八。

In the sixth month Yang Lian submitted a memorial impeaching Zhongxian for twenty-four great crimes. Xianggao said the affair would soon rupture and deeply disapproved. Court officials submitted dozens of resisting memorials; some urged Xianggao to issue Yang's memorial, saying victory was at hand. Xianggao thought Zhongxian was not easily removed; if the Grand Secretaries mediated, he still hoped to avoid great disaster. He submitted a memorial praising Zhongxian's diligence. The court had favored him richly; at the height of fortune it is hard to remain—he ought to relinquish power, retire to his home, and preserve his good name to the end. Zhongxian was displeased and forged an imperial edict narrating his own merits in more than a hundred words. Xianggao was alarmed and said: "A eunuch could not have written this—someone must have drafted it for him. Investigation showed it was Xu Dahua. Although furious, Zhongxian still feared the outer court's strength and did not dare strike. His faction urged him to launch a great prosecution; Zhongxian's mind was made up. Thereupon Bureau Director Wan Lian of the Ministry of Works, for impeaching Zhongxian, was beaten at court; Xianggao strove to save him in vain, and he died under the rods. Before long, Censor Lin Ruzhu was likewise ordered beaten at court for defying the eunuchs. In fear, Ruzhu fled to seek refuge with the grand coordinator of Zunhua. When word spread that Ruzhu was Ye Xianggao's nephew-in-law, a throng of eunuchs surrounded his residence and raised an uproar. Convinced that the times were beyond remedy, Ye Xianggao had already submitted more than twenty memorials asking to retire; now he pressed the request still harder. The court then promoted him to Grand Tutor and dispatched an imperial envoy to escort him home; the honors and gifts surpassed the usual ceremonial standards. Shortly afterward he was allowed to decline the Grand Tutorship; the government granted him five piculs of rice per month and eight sedan-bearers.

向高既罷去，韓爌、朱國禎相繼為首輔，未久皆罷。居政府者皆小人，清流無所依倚。忠賢首誣殺漣，光斗等次第戮辱，貶削朝士之異己者，善類為一空云。熹宗崩，向高亦以是月卒，年六十有九。崇禎初，贈太師，謚文忠。

After Ye Xianggao's departure, Han Kuang and Zhu Guozhen served in turn as chief minister, but neither lasted long. The government was now filled with lesser men, and the reform-minded officials had no one to rely upon. Zhongxian first had Yang Lian framed and killed; Zuo Guangdou and others were executed in turn; dissenters were demoted or purged until the ranks of upright officials were virtually emptied. When the Tianqi Emperor died, Ye Xianggao also passed away that same month, at the age of sixty-nine. Early in the Chongzhen reign he was posthumously honored as Grand Preceptor with the posthumous title Wenzhong ("Loyal in Letters").

劉一燝

Liu Yijing

劉一燝，字季晦，南昌人。父曰材，嘉靖中進士，陜西左布政使。萬曆十六年，一燝與兄一焜、一煜並舉於鄉。越七年，又與一煜並舉進士。改庶吉士，授檢討。

Liu Yijing, courtesy name Jihui, came from Nanchang. His father Liu Cai, a jinshi of the Jiajing era, had served as left administrative commissioner of Shaanxi. In Wanli 16 (1588), Liu Yijing passed the provincial examination together with his elder brothers Yikun and Yiyu. Seven years later he and Yiyu both passed the jinshi examination. He entered the Hanlin Academy as a bachelor and was appointed a compiler.

一焜為考功郎，掌京察。大學士沈一貫欲庇其私人錢夢臯、鐘兆鬥等，屬一燝為請。一燝謝不可，夢臯等竟以中旨留，由是忤一貫意。尋歷祭酒，詹事，掌翰林院事。四十五年春，京察，黨人用事，謀逐孫承宗、繆昌期等，一燝力保持得免。故事，掌院無滿歲不遷者，一景居四年，始遷禮部右侍郎，教習庶吉士。光宗即位，擢禮部尚書兼東閣大學士，參預機務，偕何宗彥、韓爌並命。時內閣止方從哲一人。

Yikun served as director in the Bureau of Evaluation and oversaw the Beijing metropolitan evaluation. Grand Secretary Shen Yiguan sought to shield his protégés Qian Menggao and Zhong Zhaodou, and asked Liu Yijing to intercede for them. Liu Yijing refused; Qian Menggao and the others were kept in office anyway by an edict from within the palace, and Liu thus fell out of Shen Yiguan's favor. He soon served in succession as chancellor of the Directorate of Education, grand secretary of the heir apparent's household, and director of Hanlin Academy affairs. In the spring of Wanli 45 (1617), during the Beijing evaluation, faction leaders plotted to purge Sun Chengzong and Miao Changqi; Liu Yijing fought to protect them, and they were spared. By custom, directors of the Hanlin Academy were transferred within a year; Liu Yijing served four years before he was finally made right vice minister of Rites and instructor to the Hanlin bachelors. When the Guangzong Emperor succeeded to the throne, Liu Yijing was elevated to minister of Rites and Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion to join in state deliberations, in the same edict as He Zongyan and Han Kuang. At that point the Grand Secretariat consisted of Fang Congzhe alone.

萬曆末年，神宗欲用史繼偕、沈纮。兩人方在籍，帝命召之。未及至，帝復命宗彥、一燝、爌。明日，復命朱國祚及舊輔葉向高。而宗彥、國祚、向高亦皆在籍，惟一燝、爌入直。甫拜命，帝已得疾，一燝偕諸臣召見乾清宮。明日九月朔，帝崩。諸臣入臨畢，一燝詰群奄：「皇長子當柩前即位，今不在，何也？」群奄東西走，不對。東宮伴讀王安前曰：「為李選侍所匿耳。」一燝大聲言：「誰敢匿新天子者？」安曰：「徐之，公等慎勿退。」遂趨入白選侍。選侍頷之，復中悔，挽皇長子裾。安直前擁抱，疾趨出。一燝見之，急趨前呼萬歲，捧皇長子左手，英國公張惟賢捧右手，掖升輦。及門，宮中厲聲呼：「哥兒卻還！」使使追躡者三輩。一燝傍輦疾行，翼升文華殿，先即東宮位，群臣叩頭呼萬歲。

Near the end of the Wanli reign, the Wanli Emperor had intended to recall Shi Jijie and Shen Hong. Both men were still at home on leave when the emperor ordered them recalled. Before either could reach the capital, the emperor instead appointed He Zongyan, Liu Yijing, and Han Kuang. The following day he also recalled Zhu Guozuo and the veteran minister Ye Xianggao. He Zongyan, Zhu Guozuo, and Ye Xianggao were all still at home; only Liu Yijing and Han Kuang took up their posts at court. Hardly had they accepted their commissions when the emperor fell ill; Liu Yijing and the other ministers were summoned to audience in the Qianqing Palace. The next day—the first day of the ninth month—the emperor died. After the officials had finished paying respects, Liu Yijing confronted the eunuchs: "The crown prince should succeed before the coffin's presence—where is he now? The eunuchs scurried about and would not answer. Wang An, tutor to the crown prince, stepped forward: "Lady Li the concubine-attendant has him hidden away. Liu Yijing cried out: "Who would dare conceal the new emperor?" Wang An said: "Wait—you gentlemen must not leave." With that he hurried in to inform Lady Li. Lady Li nodded assent, then changed her mind and seized the crown prince by the hem of his robe. Wang An rushed forward, swept the boy into his arms, and hurried out. Seeing this, Liu Yijing rushed forward shouting "Long live the emperor!" He took the crown prince's left hand while Zhang Weixian, Duke of Ying, took his right, and they helped him into the imperial sedan. At the gate a shrill voice from within the palace cried: "Little prince, come back! Three successive groups of messengers were sent in pursuit. Liu Yijing kept pace with the sedan, escorted the prince to the Wenhua Hall, and had him take the heir apparent's seat; the assembled officials kowtowed and shouted their acclamations.

事稍定，選侍猶趨還乾清。時選侍居乾清。一燝曰：「乾清不可居，殿下宜暫居慈慶。」皇長子心憚選侍，然之。一燝語安曰：「主上沖年，無母後。外庭有事，吾受過；宮中起居，公等不得辭責。」明日，周嘉謨及左光斗疏請移宮。時首輔從哲徘徊其間，已，又欲緩移宮。一燝曰：「本朝故事，仁聖，嫡母也，移慈慶；慈聖，生母也，移慈寧。今何日，可姑緩耶？」初五日，偕同官請即日降旨，佇立宮門以俟。選侍不得已，移噦鸞宮，天子復還乾清，事始大定。帝既踐阼，從哲被劾在告，一燝遂當國，與爌相得甚歡。念內廷惟王安力衛新天子，乃引與共事。安亦傾心向之。所奏請，無不從。發內帑，抑近侍，搜遺逸，舊德宿齒布滿九列，中外欣欣望治焉。

Once the immediate crisis had passed, Lady Li still tried to hurry back to the Qianqing Palace. Lady Li was still lodged in the Qianqing Palace. Liu Yijing said: "You cannot remain in Qianqing Palace; Your Highness should move temporarily to Ciqing. The crown prince, still afraid of Lady Li, agreed. Liu Yijing told Wang An: "The emperor is still a child and has no empress dowager to oversee him. Whatever goes wrong in the outer court, I will take the blame; but for life within the palace, you may not shirk your duties. The next day Zhou Jiamo and Zuo Guangdou submitted memorials demanding that Lady Li be moved from the palace. Chief Minister Fang Congzhe wavered on the issue and soon wished to slow the move. Liu Yijing said: "By dynastic precedent, Empress Dowager Rensheng, as the legitimate mother, moved to Ciqing; Empress Dowager Cisheng, as the birth mother, moved to Cining. On what grounds can we delay now? On the fifth day he and his colleagues asked for an immediate edict and stood waiting at the palace gate. Lady Li had no choice but to move to Huanyuan Palace; the emperor returned to Qianqing, and the succession crisis was finally resolved. After the emperor's accession, Fang Congzhe was impeached and left on sick leave; Liu Yijing thus directed the government and worked in close harmony with Han Kuang. Recognizing that Wang An had been the eunuch who had forcefully protected the new emperor, Liu Yijing brought him into joint administration. Wang An in turn gave Liu Yijing his full loyalty. Whatever they proposed, the emperor approved. They tapped the inner treasury, reined in palace favorites, sought out neglected talent, and filled the high offices with veteran statesmen; court and country alike rejoiced and looked forward to a new era of order.

明年，天啟改元，沈陽失。廷臣多請復用熊廷弼。一燝亦言：「廷弼守遼一載，殘疆宴然，不知何故翦除。及下廷議，又皆畏懼，不敢異同。嗣後軍國大事，陛下當毅然主持，賴諸臣洗心滌慮，悉破雷同附和，其憂國奉公。」帝優旨褒答。尋有詔盡謫前排廷弼者姚宗文等官。言路多怨一燝。一燝嘗言：「任天下事者，惟六官。言路張，則六官無實政。善治天下者，俾六官任事，言路得繩其愆，言官陳事，政府得裁其是，則天下治。」於是一切條奏悉下部議，有不經者，詔格之。

The following year the Tianqi reign began—and Shenyang fell. Many at court urged that Xiong Tingbi be brought back. Liu Yijing also argued: "Xiong Tingbi held Liaodong for a year and kept what remained of the frontier secure—why ever was he removed? Yet when the matter went to deliberation, everyone was too frightened to speak out of turn. Henceforth on matters of war and state, Your Majesty must decide resolutely. I look to your ministers to set aside fear and faction, stop echoing one another, and truly serve the realm. The emperor answered with an edict of warm praise. Soon an edict dismissed all the officials who had led the charge against Xiong Tingbi, including Yao Zongwen. The censorial and memorialist faction largely resented Liu Yijing for this. Liu Yijing once said: "The six ministries alone should bear responsibility for governing the realm. When memorialists hold too much sway, the six ministries cannot govern in earnest. Good governance means letting the six ministries do the work while the memorialists hold them accountable. Memorialists may raise issues; the government may judge them—but only then is the realm truly governed. Thereafter every detailed memorial went to the ministries for review; edicts blocked those that were irregular.

初，選侍將移宮，其內豎李進忠、劉朝、田詔等盜內府秘藏，過乾清門仆，金寶墮地。帝怒，悉下法司，案治甚急。群奄懼，構蜚語，言帝薄先朝妃嬪，致選侍移宮日，跣足投井，以搖惑外廷。御史賈繼春遂上安選侍書。刑部尚書黃克纘、給事中李春曄、御史王業浩輩張大其辭，欲脫盜奄罪。帝惡繼春妄言，且疑其有黨，將嚴譴之。一燝謂天子新即位，輒疑臣下朋黨，異時奸人乘間，士大夫必受其禍。乃具疏開帝意，為繼春解，而反覆言朋黨無實。繼春得削籍去。御史張慎言、高弘圖疏救繼春，帝欲並罪，亦以一燝言而止。帝憾選侍甚，必欲誅盜奄。王安為司禮，亦惡之。諸奄百方救，卒不得。久而帝漸忘前事，安亦為魏忠賢排死，諸奄乃厚賄忠賢為地，而上疏辨冤。帝果免朝、詔死，下其疏法司。一燝執奏，詔等議誅久，無可雪，疏直下部，前無此制。帝不得已，下其疏於閣。一燝復言：「此疏外不由通政司，內不由會極門，例不當擬旨，謹封還原疏。」由是忠賢輩大恨，朝等亦竟免死，益任用。

Earlier, as Lady Li prepared to move out, her eunuchs Li Jinzhong, Liu Chao, and Tian Zhao stole treasures from the inner storehouse; passing through Qianqing Gate one of them stumbled and jewels spilled onto the ground. The emperor was furious and handed them all over to the judiciary for urgent prosecution. Terrified, the eunuchs spread rumors that the emperor despised his predecessors' consorts, forcing Lady Li—on the day of her eviction—to go barefoot and throw herself into a well, hoping to sway the outer court. Censor Jia Jichun submitted a memorial pleading on Lady Li's behalf. Minister of Punishments Huang Kezuan, Li Chunye of the Secretariat, Censor Wang Yehao, and others inflated the charges in language designed to exonerate the thieving eunuchs. The emperor loathed Jia Jichun's reckless talk and suspected him of factional backing; he was about to punish him severely. Liu Yijing argued that a newly enthroned emperor who immediately suspected his officials of faction would one day leave scholars vulnerable when schemers moved in. He submitted a detailed memorial to dissuade the emperor, defended Jia Jichun, and insisted repeatedly that talk of faction was groundless. Jia Jichun was merely stripped of office and sent home. When Censors Zhang Shenyan and Gao Hongtu memorialized in Jia Jichun's defense, the emperor wanted to punish them too—but again Liu Yijing intervened. The emperor still bore deep resentment toward Lady Li and was determined to have the thieving eunuchs put to death. Wang An, now head of the Directorate of Ceremonial, also wanted them punished. The eunuchs tried every means to save them but failed. In time the emperor's anger faded; Wang An was hounded to his death by Wei Zhongxian; the eunuchs then lavished bribes on Zhongxian and submitted memorials pleading their innocence. The emperor did spare Liu Chao and Tian Zhao from execution and referred their memorials to the judiciary. Liu Yijing objected: Tian Zhao and the others had long been marked for execution and had no case to clear; sending such memorials straight to the ministries broke all precedent. The emperor reluctantly forwarded their memorials to the Grand Secretariat. Liu Yijing replied: "These memorials bypassed the Transmission Office and the Gate of Supreme Harmony; by precedent we may not draft a rescript. I respectfully return the originals. From that point Wei Zhongxian and his allies despised Liu Yijing; Liu Chao and the others escaped death after all and gained still greater favor.

定陵工成，忠賢欲以為功。一燝援故事，內臣非司禮掌印及提督陵工不得濫蔭，止擬加恩三等。諸言官論客氏被謫者，一燝皆疏救，又請出客氏於外。及言官交章論沈纮，纮疑一燝主之，與忠賢、客氏等比，而齮一燝。一燝持大體，不徇言路意。言路頗怨。又密窺魏、客等漸用事，一燝勢孤，是年四月，候補御史劉重慶遂力詆一燝不可用。帝怒謫重慶。一燝再論救，不聽。而職方郎中余大成、御史安伸、給事中韋蕃、霍維華交章劾一燝。帝不問。既而維華外轉，其同官孫傑疑一燝屬嘉謨為之，上疏力攻一燝。一燝疏辨求罷。帝已慰留，給事中侯震旸、御史陳九疇復劾之，並刺其結納王安。於是一燝四疏乞歸，忠賢從中主之，傳旨允其去。

When construction of the Dingling mausoleum was finished, Wei Zhongxian sought credit for the achievement. Liu Yijing cited precedent: only eunuchs who held the seal of the Directorate of Ceremonial or supervised tomb construction might claim enfeoffment; he proposed only a modest third-degree promotion of honors. He memorialized in defense of every censor punished for criticizing Ke Shi, and also asked that she be sent out of the inner palace. When censors submitted a barrage of memorials against Shen Hong, Shen suspected Liu Yijing was directing them; he joined Wei Zhongxian and Ke Shi in working to undermine Liu. Liu Yijing held to the larger good and refused to defer to the memorialists. The censorial faction grew still more resentful toward him. They also watched in secret as Wei Zhongxian, Ke Shi, and their allies steadily gained influence, leaving Liu Yijing increasingly isolated. That April, probationary censor Liu Chongqing launched a fierce attack declaring Liu unfit for office. The emperor was furious and demoted Liu Chongqing. Liu Yijing memorialized again to defend him, but the emperor refused to relent. Meanwhile Military Appointments Director Yu Dacheng, Censor An Shen, and Supervising Secretaries Wei Fan and Huo Weihua filed successive impeachments against Liu Yijing. The emperor took no action. When Huo Weihua was soon transferred to an outside post, his colleague Sun Jie suspected Liu Yijing had engineered it through Jiamo and submitted a fierce memorial against Liu. Liu Yijing submitted a rebuttal and asked to resign. The emperor had already urged him to stay; Supervising Secretary Hou Zhenyong and Censor Chen Jiuchou impeached him again, accusing him of cultivating ties with Wang An. Liu Yijing then submitted four memorials begging to retire. Wei Zhongxian steered the outcome from behind the scenes, and an edict was issued approving his departure.

先是，從哲去，帝數稱一燝為首輔，一燝不敢當，虛位俟葉向高。及向高至，入讒言，謂一燝尼己。至是，知其無他，力稱一燝有翼衛功，不可去。帝復慰留，一燝堅臥不起。二年三月，疏十二上，乃令乘傳歸。既歸，兵部尚書張鶴鳴興奸細杜茂、劉一巘獄，欲指一巘為一燝族，株連之。刑部尚書王紀不可，遂被斥去，而一燝得白。鶴鳴，一燝向所推轂者也。已而忠賢大熾，矯旨責一燝誤用廷弼，削官，追奪誥命，勒令養馬。崇禎改元，詔復官，遣官存問。一燝在位，累加少傅、太子太傅、吏部尚書、中極殿大學士。八年卒，贈少師。福王時，追謚文端。

Earlier, after Fang Congzhe left office, the emperor had repeatedly named Liu Yijing chief grand secretary. Liu demurred, leaving the post vacant while awaiting Ye Xianggao's return. When Ye Xianggao arrived, slanders reached the court claiming Liu Yijing was blocking his path. By then Ye Xianggao knew Liu had no ulterior motive and vigorously argued that Liu's service in crowning and protecting the emperor made him indispensable. The emperor again urged him to stay, but Liu Yijing stubbornly kept to his sickbed. In the third month of Tianqi 2, after twelve memorials, he was at last permitted to return home on official relay transport. After Liu Yijing retired, War Minister Zhang Heming opened a trial of alleged spies Du Mao and Liu Yiyan, seeking to portray Yiyan as a kinsman of Liu Yijing and implicate him by association. Justice Minister Wang Ji refused to cooperate and was himself forced out, but Liu Yijing was cleared. Zhang Heming was a man Liu Yijing himself had once promoted. Before long Wei Zhongxian's power surged. Forging an edict, he charged Liu Yijing with wrongly appointing Xiong Tingbi, stripped his rank, revoked his patents of nobility, and reduced him to the disgrace of keeping horses. At the start of the Chongzhen reign, an edict restored his rank and dispatched officials to visit him. During his tenure Liu Yijing had risen through Junior Tutor, Grand Tutor of the Heir Apparent, Minister of Personnel, and Grand Secretary of the Central Peak Hall. He died in the eighth year and was posthumously granted the title Junior Preceptor. Under the Prince of Fu he was posthumously granted the title Wenduan, "Cultivated and Upright."

兄一焜一煜

His elder brothers were Liu Yikun and Liu Yiyu.

一焜，字元丙。萬曆二十年進士。授行人。歷考功郎中，佐侍郎楊時喬典京察，盡斥執政私人。已，改文選，遷太常少卿，以憂去。久之，由故官擢右僉都御史，巡撫浙江。帝遣中官曹奉建鎮海寺於普陀山。一焜偕巡按李邦華爭不可，不聽。織造中官劉成卒，一焜屢疏請勿遣代。已得請，會命中官呂貴護成遺裝，奸人遂請留貴督織造，疏直達禁中。一焜與邦華極論其罪，帝卒命貴代之。一焜復疏爭，不報。貴既任，條行十事，多侵擾。一焜疏駁，且禁治其爪牙，貴為斂威。一焜以暇築龕山海塘千二百丈，浚復餘杭南湖，民賴其利。御史沈珣誣訐其贓私，一焜自引去。卒，贈工部右侍郎。

Liu Yikun, courtesy name Yuanbing. He earned his jinshi degree in Wanli 20 (1592). He was appointed a courier in the Ministry of Rites. After serving as Director of the Evaluations Bureau, he assisted Vice Minister Yang Shiqiao in the capital evaluation and expelled every protege of the ruling faction. He then moved to the Appointments Bureau, rose to Vice Minister of Imperial Sacrifices, and left office to observe mourning. After a long interval he was restored as Right Vice Censor-in-Chief and appointed Grand Coordinator of Zhejiang. The emperor sent the eunuch Cao Feng to build Zhenhai Temple on Mount Putuo. Liu Yikun and Touring Inspector Li Banghua protested vigorously, but the emperor would not listen. When the weaving eunuch Liu Cheng died, Liu Yikun repeatedly memorialized asking that no successor be sent. He had just won the argument when the emperor ordered the eunuch Lü Gui to collect Liu Cheng's effects. Schemers then petitioned to keep Lü Gui as weaving supervisor, and the memorial went straight to the inner palace. Liu Yikun and Li Banghua denounced the scheme in the strongest terms, but the emperor ultimately ordered Lü Gui to take over. Liu Yikun memorialized again in protest but received no response. Once in office Lü Gui issued ten directives, most of them intrusive and disruptive. Liu Yikun rebutted them in memorial and moved to suppress his agents, forcing Lü Gui to curb his excesses. In quieter moments Liu Yikun built twelve hundred zhang of sea wall at Kan Mountain and dredged the South Lake in Yuhang, works on which the people came to depend. When Censor Shen Xun falsely accused him of corruption, Liu Yikun resigned on his own initiative. After his death he was posthumously made Right Vice Minister of Works.

一煜，兵部郎中。

Liu Yiyu served as a bureau director in the Ministry of War.

韓爌，字象雲，蒲州人。萬曆二十年進士。選庶吉士。進編修，歷少詹事，充東宮講官。四十五年，擢禮部右侍郎，協理詹事府。久之，命教習庶吉士。

Han Kuang, courtesy name Xiangyun, was a native of Puzhou. He earned his jinshi degree in Wanli 20 (1592). He entered the Hanlin Academy as a bachelor. He rose to compiler, served as junior tutor, and was appointed lecturer to the heir apparent. In Wanli 45 he was promoted to Vice Minister of Rites and put in charge of the Household of the Heir Apparent. After some time he was appointed to instruct the Hanlin bachelors.

天啟元年正月，兩人以帝為皇孫時，未嘗出閣讀書，請於十二日即開經筵，自後日講不輟，從之。遼陽失，都城震驚。爌、一燝以人情偷玩，擬御劄戒勵百官，共圖實效，帝納之。廷臣以兵餉大絀，合詞請發帑，爌、一燝亦以為言，詔發百萬兩。大婚禮成，加少保、吏部尚書、武英殿大學士，蔭一子尚寶司丞。未幾，以貴州平苗功，加少傅、太子太傅、建極殿大學士。帝封乳母客氏為奉聖夫人，大婚成，當出外，仍留之宮中。御史畢佐周切諫，六科、十三道復連署爭，皆不納。爌、一燝引祖制為言，乃命俟梓宮發引，擇日出宮。

In the first month of Tianqi 1, noting that the emperor had never received formal schooling as imperial grandson, the two asked that the classics lecture begin on the twelfth and continue daily without interruption. The emperor agreed. When Liaoyang fell, the capital was shaken with fear. Han Kuang and Liu Yijing, alarmed at the prevailing laxity, drafted an imperial message urging every official to pursue real results. The emperor accepted it. Court officials, citing severe shortfalls in military funds, petitioned together for treasury disbursement. Han Kuang and Liu Yijing supported them, and an edict released one million taels of silver. After the grand wedding ceremony he was promoted to Junior Guardian, Minister of Personnel, and Grand Secretary of the Hall of Military Eminence, and one son received a hereditary appointment as vice director of the Imperial Credentials Office. Soon afterward, rewarded for pacifying the Miao in Guizhou, he was made Junior Tutor, Grand Tutor of the Heir Apparent, and Grand Secretary of the Hall of Establishing the Ultimate. The emperor had ennobled his wet nurse Ke Shi as Lady of Consecrated Sage. After the grand wedding she should have left the palace, yet he kept her within. Censor Bi Zuozhou remonstrated forcefully. The Six Offices and Thirteen Circuits submitted a joint petition in protest. The emperor rejected them all. Han Kuang and Liu Yijing cited ancestral precedent, and the emperor agreed to send Ke Shi out only after the late emperor's coffin had departed, on a chosen day.

二年四月，禮部尚書孫慎行劾方從哲用李可灼紅丸藥，罪同弒逆，廷議紛然。一燝已去位，爌特疏白其事，曰：

In the fourth month of Tianqi 2, Rites Minister Sun Shenxing impeached Fang Congzhe for administering Li Kezhuo's red pill, a crime he equated with regicide. Court opinion erupted into furious debate. Liu Yijing had already left office. Han Kuang submitted a special memorial to set the record straight, stating:

先帝以去年八月朔踐阼。臣及一燝以二十四日入閣。適鴻臚寺官李可灼云有仙丹欲進。從哲愕然，出所具問安揭，有「進藥十分宜慎」語。臣等深以為然，即諭之去。二十七日召見群臣，先帝自言不用藥已二十餘日。至二十九日遇兩內臣，言帝疾已大漸，有鴻臚寺官李可灼來思善門進藥。從哲及臣等皆言彼稱仙丹，便不敢信。是日仍召見。諸臣問安畢，先帝即顧皇上，命臣等輔佐為堯、舜。又語及壽宮，臣等以先帝山陵封，則云：「是朕壽宮。」因問有鴻臚官進藥。從哲奏云：「李可灼自謂仙丹，臣等未敢信。」先帝即命傳宣。臣等出，移時可灼至，同入診視，言病源及治法甚合。先帝喜，命速進。臣等復出，令與諸醫商榷。一燝語臣，其鄉兩人用此，損益參半。諸臣相視，實未敢明言宜否。須臾，先帝趨和藥，臣等復同入。可灼調以進，先帝喜曰：「忠臣，忠臣。」臣等出，少頃，中使傳聖體服藥後暖潤舒暢，思進飲膳，諸臣歡躍而退。比申末，可灼出云：「聖上恐藥力不繼，欲再進一丸。」諸醫言不宜驟。乃傳趨益急，因再進訖。臣等問再服復何狀，答言平善如初。此本日情事也。次日，臣等趨朝，而先帝已於卯刻上賓矣，痛哉！

The late emperor took the throne on the first day of the eighth month of the previous year. Liu Yijing and I entered the Grand Secretariat on the twenty-fourth. At that very time Honglu Temple official Li Kezhuo announced that he had an elixir to present. Fang Congzhe was startled and produced the health-inquiry note he had prepared, which contained the words, "Medicine must be administered with the utmost caution." We fully agreed and told him to leave at once. On the twenty-seventh the late emperor received the ministers and said he had gone without medicine for more than twenty days. On the twenty-ninth we met two palace eunuchs who reported that the emperor's illness had taken a grave turn and that Honglu Temple official Li Kezhuo had come to the Gate of Reflecting on Goodness to offer medicine. Fang Congzhe and the rest of us all replied that because he called it an elixir, we could not trust it. That same day the emperor received us again. After we had paid our respects, the late emperor turned to the heir and charged us to help him become a ruler worthy of Yao and Shun. He also spoke of his tomb. When we noted that construction of the imperial mausoleum had been sealed off, he said, "That is my longevity palace. He then asked whether a Honglu official had come to offer medicine. Fang Congzhe reported: "Li Kezhuo himself claims it is an elixir; we have not dared to trust it. The late emperor immediately ordered Li Kezhuo summoned. We withdrew; shortly afterward Li Kezhuo arrived and we entered together to examine the emperor. His diagnosis and proposed treatment seemed entirely apt. The late emperor was pleased and ordered the medicine brought at once. We withdrew again and told Li Kezhuo to consult with the attending physicians. Liu Yijing told me that two men from his home district had taken this medicine with mixed results— some benefited, some were harmed. We looked at one another; none of us dared openly say whether the medicine should be given. Before long the emperor pressed for the medicine to be prepared, and we entered again together. Li Kezhuo prepared and administered the dose. The late emperor exclaimed with pleasure, "A loyal subject— a loyal subject! We withdrew. Soon a palace messenger reported that after taking the medicine the emperor felt warm, comfortable, and at ease, and wished to eat. Overjoyed, we withdrew. Near dusk Li Kezhuo came out and said, "His Majesty fears the medicine's effect will fade and wishes to take another pill. The physicians said another dose would be inadvisable so soon. But the emperor's summons grew ever more urgent, and a second dose was administered. We asked how the emperor was after the second dose and were told he was as calm and well as before. Such was the course of events that day. The next morning we hurried to court, only to learn that the late emperor had passed away at dawn. Alas!

方先帝召見群臣時，被袞憑幾，儼然顧命。皇上焦顏侍側，臣等環跪仿徨，操藥而前，籲天以禱。臣子際此，憾不身代。凡今所謂宜慎宜止者，豈不慮於心，實未出於口，抑且不以萌諸心。念先帝臨御雖止旬月，恩膏實被九垓。為臣子者宜何如頌揚，何如紀述。乃禮臣忠憤之激談，與遠邇驚疑之紛議，不知謂當時若何情景，而進藥始末實止如此。若不據實詳剖，直舉非命之兇稱，加諸考終之令主，恐先帝在天之靈不無恫怨，皇上終天之念何以為懷。乞渙發綸音，布告中外，俾議法者勿以小疑成大疑，編摹者勿以信史為謗史。

When the late emperor last received us, robed in imperial garments and propped on his couch, he looked for all the world like a ruler delivering his final charge. The heir stood at his side, face drawn with grief. We ministers knelt in anguish around them, bringing medicine forward and praying to Heaven. Faced with such a moment, every minister would have gladly traded his own life for the emperor's. As for the cautions and objections now being spoken of— we had never voiced them, had never even entertained them in our hearts. Though the late emperor reigned scarcely ten months, his grace had reached every corner of the realm. What tribute, what record, could a loyal subject offer such a ruler? Yet rites officials speak in loyal outrage, and near and far the court buzzes with suspicion— as though they imagine some scene we never witnessed. The truth of the medicine affair was exactly as I have described. If we do not examine the facts but instead brand our virtuous late sovereign with the charge of violent death, I fear his spirit in Heaven would be aggrieved beyond measure, and how could the emperor bear such eternal grief? I beg Your Majesty to issue an edict at once, proclaiming the truth throughout the realm, so that those who judge the case may not magnify a small doubt into a grave one, and historians may not turn faithful record into libel.

文震孟建言獲譴，論救甚力。三年，以山東平妖賊功，加少師、太子太師。時葉向高當國，爌次之。及楊漣劾魏忠賢二十四大罪，忠賢頗懼，求援於爌。爌不應，忠賢深銜之。既向高罷，爌為首輔，每事持正，為善類所倚。然向高有智術，籠絡群奄，爌惟廉直自持，勢不能敵。而同官魏廣微又深結忠賢，遍引邪黨。其冬，忠賢假會推事逐趙南星、高攀龍，爌急率朱國禎等上言：「陛下一日去兩大臣，臣民失望。且中旨徑宣，不復到閣，而攀龍一疏，經臣等擬上者，又復更易，大駭聽聞，有傷國體。」忠賢益不悅，傳旨切責。未幾，又逐楊漣、左光斗、陳於廷，朝政大變，忠賢勢益張。

When Wen Zhenmeng was punished for his memorial, Han Kuang fought strenuously for his reinstatement. In Tianqi 3, rewarded for suppressing rebel bandits in Shandong, he was made Junior Preceptor and Grand Preceptor of the Heir Apparent. Ye Xianggao was then directing affairs of state, with Han Kuang as his deputy. When Yang Lian impeached Wei Zhongxian on twenty-four capital crimes, Zhongxian grew alarmed and turned to Han Kuang for help. Han Kuang refused him, and Wei Zhongxian never forgave the snub. After Ye Xianggao left office, Han Kuang became chief grand secretary. He stood firm on principle in every affair, and men of integrity looked to him for leadership. Ye Xianggao, however, had been shrewd enough to win over the eunuchs. Han Kuang relied on nothing but personal integrity, and could not hold his ground against such forces. Meanwhile his colleague Wei Guangwei had forged close ties with Wei Zhongxian and was filling the court with allies from the corrupt faction. That winter Wei Zhongxian used the collective nomination process as a pretext to purge Zhao Nanxing and Gao Panlong. Han Kuang hastily led Zhu Guozhen and others in a memorial: 'Your Majesty has dismissed two senior ministers in a single day. The court and the people have lost heart. Moreover, palace edicts were now issued directly, bypassing the Grand Secretariat altogether. A memorial from Gao Panlong that we had drafted for submission was altered again. The news shocked everyone who heard it and damaged the dignity of the state. Wei Zhongxian was further enraged and had an edict issued sharply rebuking them. Before long Yang Lian, Zuo Guangdou, and Chen Yuting were driven out as well. Court politics turned sharply, and Wei Zhongxian's power swelled.

故事，閣中秉筆止首輔一人。廣微欲分其柄，囑忠賢傳旨，諭爌同寅協恭，而責次輔毋伴食。爌惶懼，即抗疏乞休。略言：「臣備位綸扉，咎愆日積。如詰戎宜先營衛，而觀兵禁掖，無能紓宵旰憂。忠直尚稽召還，而榜掠朝堂，無能回震霆怒。後先諸臣之罷斥，諭旨中出之紛更，不能先時深念，有調劑之方，又不能臨事執持，為封還之戇。皆臣罪之大者。皇上釋此不問，責臣以協恭，責同官以協贊。同官奉詔以從事，臣欲補過無由矣。乞亟褫臣官，為佐理溺職之戒。」得旨：「卿親承顧命，當竭忠盡職。乃歸非於上，退有後言。今復悻悻求去，可馳驛還籍。」諸輔臣請如故事，加以體貌，不報。爌疏謝，有「左右前後務近端良，重綸綍以重仕途，肅紀綱以肅朝寧」語。忠賢及其黨益恨。爌去，朱國禎為首輔。李蕃攻去之，顧秉謙代其位。公卿庶僚，皆忠賢私人矣。

By precedent, only the chief grand secretary held the brush in the Grand Secretariat. Wei Guangwei wanted a share of that authority. He had Wei Zhongxian issue an edict instructing Han Kuang's colleagues to cooperate harmoniously, while rebuking the second grand secretary for holding office without doing the work. Han Kuang, alarmed, immediately submitted a forthright memorial asking to retire. He wrote in summary: 'I hold a place in the Grand Secretariat, yet my faults mount by the day. When military affairs were discussed, camp defenses should have come first—yet troops were reviewed inside the palace precincts, and I could not ease Your Majesty's ceaseless worries. Loyal and upright men still had not been recalled, while floggings were carried out in the hall of audience, and I could not turn aside Your Majesty's thunderous anger. The successive dismissals of ministers, the edicts issued from the palace that kept changing—I could neither foresee them and find a way to mediate, nor when the moment came hold firm and return a memorial unapproved. These are my gravest failures. Your Majesty overlooks these failures, yet demands that I cooperate harmoniously and that my colleagues assist one another. My colleagues will obey the edict and act accordingly. I have no way left to redeem my failures. I beg that my office be taken from me at once, as a warning to those who share in governance yet neglect their duties. The reply came: 'You personally received the late emperor's deathbed charge. You should serve with full loyalty and diligence. Instead you shift blame upward, and even after withdrawing you keep airing grievances. Now you resentfully seek to leave again. Take the courier relay and return to your native place.' The grand secretaries asked that he be granted the customary ceremonial honors on departure, as precedent required. No answer came. Han Kuang submitted a farewell memorial containing the words: 'Those around the throne must keep upright men close; give weight to imperial rescripts so that office carries weight; enforce discipline so that the court may know peace.' Wei Zhongxian and his allies hated him all the more for it. After Han Kuang left, Zhu Guozhen became chief grand secretary. Li Fan attacked him until he was removed, and Gu Bingqian took his place. Ministers high and low were now Wei Zhongxian's own men.

五年七月，逆黨李魯生劾爌，削籍除名。又假他事坐贓二千，斃其家人於獄。爌鬻田宅，貸親故以償，乃棲止先墓上。

In the seventh month of the fifth year of the Tianqi reign, Li Lusheng of the eunuch faction impeached Han Kuang, who was stricken from the rolls and expelled from office. On another pretext he was convicted of embezzling two thousand taels, and members of his household were beaten to death in prison. Han Kuang sold his land and house, borrowed from relatives and friends to pay the fine, and took shelter beside his family's ancestral graves.

莊烈帝登極，復故官。崇禎元年，言者爭請召用，為逆黨楊維垣等所扼，但賜敕存問，官其一子。至五月，始遣行人召之。十二月還朝，復為首輔。帝御文華後殿閱章奏，召爌等，諭以擬旨務消異同，開誠和衷，期於至當。爌等頓首謝，退言：「上所諭甚善，而密勿政機，諸臣參互擬議，不必顯言分合。至臣等晨夕入直，勢不能報謝賓客。商政事者，宜相見於朝房，而一切禁私邸交際。」帝即諭百僚遵行。

When Emperor Chongzhen took the throne, Han Kuang's former rank was restored. In the first year of Chongzhen, officials clamored for his recall, but Yang Weiyuan and others of the old eunuch faction blocked it. The emperor sent only a letter of inquiry and granted an office to one of his sons. Not until the fifth month was a palace messenger sent to summon him back. He returned to court in the twelfth month and again became chief grand secretary. The emperor reviewed memorials in the rear hall of Wenhua Palace, summoned Han Kuang and the others, and instructed them that when drafting rescripts they should settle disagreements, speak openly and in good faith, and aim at what was truly right. Han Kuang and the others kowtowed in thanks. On withdrawing they said: 'Your Majesty's instruction is excellent. Yet in the confidential business of state, when ministers deliberate together, there is no need to speak openly of who agrees and who does not. As for us, we attend duty morning and evening and cannot in that time receive and entertain visitors as courtesy requires. Those who wish to discuss state affairs should meet in the court rooms, and all social calls at private residences should be forbidden. The emperor immediately ordered the entire bureaucracy to comply.

二年正月，大學士劉鴻訓以張慶臻敕書事被重譴，爌疏救，不聽。溫體仁訐錢謙益，御史任贊化亦疏訐體仁。帝召見廷臣，體仁力詆贊化及御史毛羽健為謙益死黨。帝怒，切責贊化。爌請寬贊化以安體仁。帝因謂：「進言者不憂國而植黨，自名東林，於朝事何補？」爌退，具揭言：「人臣不可以黨事君，人君亦不可以黨疑臣。但當論其才品臧否，職業修廢，而黜陟之。若戈矛妄起於朝堂，畛域橫分於宮府，非國之福也。」又率同官力救贊化，不納。皇長子生，請盡蠲天下積逋，報可。

In the first month of the second year, Grand Secretary Liu Hongxun was severely punished over Zhang Qingzhen's commission letter. Han Kuang memorialized in his defense, but the emperor would not heed him. Wen Tiren attacked Qian Qianyi, and Censor Ren Zanhua memorialized attacking Wen Tiren in turn. The emperor summoned the court. Wen Tiren fiercely denounced Ren Zanhua and Censor Mao Yujian as Qian Qianyi's diehard partisans. The emperor grew angry and sharply rebuked Ren Zanhua. Han Kuang asked that Ren Zanhua be treated leniently so as to reassure Wen Tiren. The emperor then said: 'Those who speak up do not worry for the state but build factions. They call themselves Donglin—what good does that do the court? Han Kuang withdrew and submitted a detailed memorial: 'Ministers must not serve their sovereign through faction, and a sovereign must not judge his ministers through faction. They should be judged only on talent and character, on whether their work is sound or neglected, and promoted or dismissed accordingly. If spears are raised recklessly in the hall of audience and the palace and the ministries are carved into hostile camps, that is no blessing for the state.' He again led his colleagues in a strenuous plea for Ren Zanhua, but the emperor would not accept it. When the crown prince was born, he requested a full remission of accumulated tax arrears nationwide. The request was approved.

時大治忠賢黨，爌與李標、錢龍錫主之。列上二百六十二人，罪分六等，名曰「欽定逆案」，頒行天下。言者爭擊吏部尚書王永光，南京禮部主事王永吉言之尤力。帝怒，將罪之。爌等言永吉不宥，永光必不安，乃止奪俸一年。工部尚書張鳳翔奏廠、庫積弊。帝怒，召對廷臣詰責。巡視科道王都、高賚明二人力辨，帝命錦衣官執之，爌、標、龍錫並救解。而是日永光以羽健疏劾，請帝究主使者。爌退，申救都等，因言永光不宜請究言官。帝不納，然羽健卒獲免。

At that time the court was conducting a major purge of Wei Zhongxian's faction, led by Han Kuang, Li Biao, and Qian Longxi. They listed 262 names, divided crimes into six grades, titled the list the 'Imperially Designated Treason Case,' and promulgated it throughout the empire. Memorialists competed in attacking Minister of Personnel Wang Yongguang. Wang Yongji, a secretary in the Nanjing Ministry of Rites, spoke against him with particular force. The emperor grew angry and was about to punish Wang Yongji. Han Kuang and the others argued that if Wang Yongji were not pardoned, Wang Yongguang would never settle down. The emperor relented and reduced the penalty to one year's loss of salary. Minister of Works Zhang Fengxiang memorialized on long-standing abuses in the imperial factories and storehouses. The emperor grew angry, summoned the court for audience, and sharply interrogated the ministers. The inspecting censors Wang Du and Gao Ziming argued their case forcefully. The emperor ordered the brocade-clad guards to seize them. Han Kuang, Li Biao, and Qian Longxi together interceded for their release. That same day, citing Mao Yujian's impeachment memorial, Wang Yongguang asked the emperor to investigate who had instigated it. Han Kuang withdrew and again pleaded for Wang Du and the others, adding that Wang Yongguang should not demand an investigation of the censor who had spoken out. The emperor did not accept the plea, but Mao Yujian ultimately escaped punishment.

初，熊廷弼既死，傳首九邊，屍不得歸葬。至是，其子詣闕疏請。爌等因言：「廷弼之死，由逆奄欲殺楊漣、魏大中，誣以行賄，因盡殺漣等，復懸坐廷弼贓銀十七萬，刑及妻孥，冤之甚者。」帝乃許收葬。

Earlier, after Xiong Tingbi's execution his head had been sent through the nine border regions as a warning, and his body was never allowed a proper burial. At this point his son came to the capital and submitted a memorial requesting burial. Han Kuang and the others wrote: 'Xiong Tingbi died because the eunuch faction wanted to destroy Yang Lian and Wei Dazhong. They framed them for bribery and killed them, then falsely imputed 170,000 taels of corrupt silver on Tingbi and punished his wife and children. The injustice was extreme. The emperor then granted permission for the body to be recovered and buried.

時遼事急，朝議汰各鎮兵。又以兵科給事中劉懋疏，議裁驛卒。帝以問爌，爌言：「汰兵止當清占冒及增設冗兵爾。沖地額兵不可汰也。驛傳疲累，當責按臣核減，以蘇民困，其所節省，仍還之民。」帝然之。御史高捷、史褷以罪免，永光力引之。都御史曹於汴持不可，永光再疏爭。爌言，故事當聽都察院咨用。帝方眷永光，不從。九月，以將行慶典，請停秋決，亦不從。

The Liaodong crisis was urgent, and the court debated cutting troops across the border garrisons. On a memorial from Liu Mao, supervising secretary in the Bureau of Military Affairs, they also debated cutting personnel from the courier relay system. The emperor asked Han Kuang, who replied: 'Troop reductions should target only falsely claimed slots and redundantly added supernumeraries. Front-line quota troops must not be cut. The courier relay system has become an unbearable burden. Investigating censors should be charged with verifying reductions to relieve the people's distress, and whatever is saved should be returned to them. The emperor agreed. Censors Gao Jie and Shi Shi had been dismissed for misconduct. Wang Yongguang strongly pressed for their reinstatement. Censor-in-chief Cao Yubian objected. Wang Yongguang memorialized again in protest. Han Kuang said that by precedent such appointments required the Censorate's recommendation. The emperor was then favoring Wang Yongguang and would not agree. In the ninth month, with a celebratory rite approaching, he asked that autumn executions be suspended. That request was also rejected.

時逆案雖定，永光及袁弘勛、捷、褷輩日為翻案計。至十月，大清兵入畿甸，都城戒嚴。初，袁崇煥入朝，嘗與錢龍錫語邊事。龍錫，東林黨魁也，永光等謀因崇煥興大獄，可盡傾東林。倡言大清兵之入，由崇煥殺毛文龍所致。捷遂首攻龍錫，逐之。明年正月，中書舍人加尚寶卿原抱奇故由輸貲進，亦劾爌主款誤國，招寇欺君，郡邑殘破，宗社阽危，不能設一策，拔一人，坐視成敗，以人國僥幸，宜與龍錫並斥。其言主款者，以爌，崇煥座主也。帝重去爌，貶抱奇秩。無何，左庶子丁進以遷擢愆期怨爌，亦劾之，而工部主事李逢申劾疏繼上。爌即三疏引疾。詔賜白金彩幣，馳驛遣行人護歸，悉如彜典。進、逢申並爌會試所舉士也。爌先後作相，老成慎重。引正人，抑邪黨，天下稱其賢，獨嘗庇王永光云。十七年春，李自成陷蒲州，迫爌出見，不從。賊執其孫以脅。爌止一孫，乃出見，賊釋其孫。爌歸，憤郁而卒，年八十矣。

Although the treason case had been settled, Wang Yongguang, Yuan Hongxun, Gao Jie, Shi Shi, and their allies were daily scheming to reverse the verdicts. By the tenth month Qing forces had entered the capital region, and Beijing was placed under martial alert. Earlier, when Yuan Chonghuan came to court, he had discussed border affairs with Qian Longxi. Qian Longxi was a leader of the Donglin faction. Wang Yongguang and his allies plotted to use Yuan Chonghuan to launch a major prosecution that would bring down the entire Donglin faction. They spread the claim that the Qing invasion had come about because Yuan Chonghuan had executed Mao Wenlong. Gao Jie then led the attack on Qian Longxi and drove him from office. In the first month of the following year, Yuan Baoqi—a secretarial receptionist who had bought his way to Vice Commissioner of the Imperial Stud—also impeached Han Kuang for advocating appeasement and ruining the state, for inviting the enemy and deceiving the sovereign. Counties lay in ruins, the dynasty stood on the brink of collapse, yet he had offered no plan, raised up no man, and merely watched fortune turn while gambling with the nation's fate. He ought to be expelled together with Qian Longxi. The charge of advocating appeasement rested on the fact that Han Kuang had been Yuan Chonghuan's chief examiner. The emperor was reluctant to lose Han Kuang and demoted Yuan Baoqi in rank instead. Before long, Left Sub-Reader Ding Jin, resentful that Han Kuang had delayed his promotion, also impeached him. A memorial from Li Fengshen, a secretary in the Ministry of Works, followed in quick succession. Han Kuang immediately submitted three memorials citing illness and asking to retire. An edict granted him silver and silken brocade gifts, sent a palace messenger by courier relay to escort him home, and accorded him every customary honor on departure. Both Ding Jin and Li Fengshen were men Han Kuang had passed in the metropolitan examination. Han Kuang had served as chief minister twice. He was mature and cautious. He brought upright men forward and checked the corrupt faction, and the realm praised his integrity—though he had once sheltered Wang Yongguang. In the spring of the seventeenth year Li Zicheng captured Puzhou and demanded that Han Kuang come out to meet him. He refused. The rebels seized his grandson to coerce him. Han Kuang had only this one grandson. He then went out to meet them, and the rebels released the boy. Han Kuang returned home and died of grief and indignation at the age of eighty.

朱國祚

Zhu Guozuo

朱國祚，字兆隆，秀水人。萬曆十一年進士第一。授修撰。進洗馬，為皇長子侍班官，尋進諭德。日本陷朝鮮，石星惑沈惟敬言，力主封貢。國祚面詰星：「此我鄉曲無賴，因緣為奸利耳，公獨不計辱國乎？」星不能用。二十六年，超擢禮部右侍郎。湖廣稅監陳奉橫甚。國祚貽書巡按御史曹楷，令發其狀。帝怒，幾逮楷，奉亦因此撤去。尚書余繼登卒，國祚攝部事。

Zhu Guozuo, courtesy name Zhaolong, was a native of Xiushui. In the eleventh year of the Wanli reign he placed first in the jinshi examinations. He was appointed drafting compiler in the Hanlin Academy. He was promoted to reader-in-waiting and served as an attendant in the crown prince's court, soon advancing to preceptor. When Japan invaded Korea, Shi Xing was taken in by Shen Weijing and pressed hard for a policy of granting investiture and accepting tribute. Guozuo confronted Shi Xing in person: "He is a local scoundrel from my home district who twists every chance for illicit gain—surely you cannot ignore the dishonor this brings upon the realm? Shi Xing would not heed him. In Wanli 26 (1598) he was promoted out of turn to right vice minister of Rites. Chen Feng, the Huguang tax superintendent, was flagrantly abusive in his power. Guozuo wrote to the touring censor Cao Kai urging him to bring Chen's misconduct to light. The emperor flew into a rage and nearly had Cao Kai arrested; Chen Feng was also recalled because of the affair. When Minister Yu Jideng died, Guozuo took charge of the ministry in his place.

時皇長子儲位未定，冠婚逾期，國祚屢疏諫。戚臣鄭國泰請先冠婚，後冊立。國祚抗疏言：「本朝外戚不得與政事。冊立大典，非國泰所宜言。況先冊立，後冠婚，其儀仗、冠服之制，祝醮、敕戒之辭，升降、坐立之位，朝賀拜舞之節，因名制分，因分制禮，甚嚴且辨。一失其序，名分大乖。違累朝祖制，背皇上明綸，犯天下清議，皆此言也。」又言：「冊立之事，理不可緩。初謂小臣激聒，故遲之。後群臣勿言，則曰待嫡。及中官久無所出，則曰皇長子體弱，須其強。今又待兩宮落成矣。自三殿災，朝廷大政令率御文華殿。三禮之行，在殿不在宮。頃歲趨辦珠寶，戶部所進，視陛下大婚數倍之。遠近疑陛下借珠寶之未備，以遲典禮。且詔旨采辦珠寶，額二千四百萬，而天下賦稅之額乃止四百萬。即不充國用，不給邊需，猶當六年乃足。必待取盈而後舉大禮，幾無時矣。」已，又言：「太祖、成祖、仁宗，即位初，即建儲貳。宣宗、英宗冊為皇太子時，止二歲，憲宗、孝宗止六歲，陛下亦以六歲。未聞年十九而不冊立者。」國祚攝尚書近二年，爭國本至數十疏，儲位卒定。

The crown prince's status was still unsettled and his coming-of-age and wedding ceremonies long overdue; Guozuo memorialized again and again in protest. Zheng Guotai, a kinsman of the consort, asked that the prince be capped and wed before being formally invested as heir. Guozuo submitted a forceful memorial: "Consort relatives have never been permitted to meddle in government under this dynasty. The solemn rite of investiture is no business of Guotai's to discuss. Moreover, when investiture precedes capping and wedding, the rules governing ceremonial escorts and regalia, the sacrificial prayers and admonitions, the prescribed positions for rising, sitting, and kneeling, and the choreography of court congratulations—all calibrated to rank and rank to ritual—are rigorously ordered. A single reversal of that order would throw rank and propriety into chaos. It would defy ancestral precedent, contradict Your Majesty's own decree, and affront public opinion nationwide—that is what this proposal amounts to. He continued: "The investiture can no longer be deferred on any principled grounds. At first the delay was attributed to the clamor of low-ranking remonstrators. When the court was enjoined to keep silent, the excuse became waiting for a son by the empress. When the inner palace produced no heir for years, the reason shifted to the crown prince's poor health—he must first grow sturdier. Now the court must wait until the two palaces are finished. Ever since the fire that destroyed the three main halls, imperial audiences on major state business have routinely been held in Wenhua Hall. The three ceremonies could be conducted in the hall; they need not wait on the palace. Pearls and jewels have lately been rushed into procurement at many times the scale of Your Majesty's own wedding. People far and near suspect that the unfinished jewel collection is being used to postpone the ceremonies indefinitely. The edict called for twenty-four million taels' worth of jewels, yet the empire's total tax intake was only four million. Even if every penny were devoted to the jewels alone—not a coin for the treasury or the frontier—it would still take six years to meet that quota. To defer the great ceremony until the quota is filled is to defer it forever." He went on: "Taizu, Chengzu, and Renzong all designated heirs soon after taking the throne. Xuanzong and Yingzong were invested at two; Xianzong and Xiaozong at six—Your Majesty yourself was six. No heir has ever reached nineteen without investiture." For nearly two years as acting minister, Guozuo fought the succession issue in dozens of memorials until the heir was finally established.

陜西狄道山崩，其南湧小山五，國祚請修省。社稷壇枯樹生煙，復陳安人心、收人望、通下情、清濫獄四事。雲南巡撫陳用賓進土物，國祚劾之。尋轉左侍郎，改吏部。御史湯兆京劾其縱酒逾檢，帝不問，國祚遂引疾歸。

When a mountain collapsed at Didao in Shaanxi and five small peaks rose to its south, Guozuo urged the emperor to examine his conduct and amend policy. When a dead tree at the Altar of Soil and Grain began to smoke, he again urged four reforms: reassuring the people, restoring public confidence, hearing grievances from below, and cleaning up abusive prisons. When the Yunnan grand coordinator Chen Yongbin sent local tribute goods to court, Guozuo impeached him. He was soon made left vice minister and transferred to the Ministry of Personnel. When Censor Tang Zhaojing accused him of drunken excess, the emperor took no action, and Guozuo cited illness and retired.

光宗即位，以國祚嘗侍潛邸，特旨拜禮部尚書兼東閣大學士，入閣參機務。天啟元年六月還朝。尋加太子太保，進文淵閣。國祚素行清慎，事持大體，稱長者。明年會試，故事，總裁止用內閣一人，是科用何宗彥及國祚，有譏其中旨特用者。國祚既竣事，即求罷，優詔不允。都御史鄒元標侍經筵而躓，帝遣中使問狀。國祚進曰：「元標在先朝直言受杖，故步履猶艱。」帝為之改容。刑部尚書王紀為魏忠賢所逐，國祚合疏救，復具私揭爭之。紀為禮部侍郎時，嘗以事忤國祚者也。

When Emperor Guangzong took the throne, Guozuo—who had served him before his elevation—was specially appointed minister of Rites and Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion, entering the cabinet to help govern. He returned to court in the sixth month of Tianqi 1 (1621). He was soon made Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent and moved to the Wenyuan Pavilion. Guozuo was known for integrity and restraint; he kept sight of larger principles and was respected as a senior figure of the court. At the next metropolitan examination, custom allowed only one grand secretary as chief examiner—but both He Zongyan and Guozuo were appointed, drawing whispers of a secret edict from the throne. As soon as the examinations were over, Guozuo asked to step down; the emperor's gracious reply refused him. When Censor-in-Chief Zou Yuanbiao stumbled during an imperial lecture, the emperor sent a eunuch to ask what had happened. Guozuo replied: "Zou Yuanbiao was beaten for speaking out under the previous emperor—his gait has never fully recovered. The emperor's expression softened. When Minister of Justice Wang Ji was hounded out by Wei Zhongxian, Guozuo signed collective memorials in his defense and filed a private remonstrance as well. Wang Ji had once crossed Guozuo when he was vice minister of Rites.

三年，進少保、太子太保、戶部尚書，改武英殿。十三疏乞休，詔加少傅兼太子太傅，乘傳歸。明年卒。贈太傅，謚文恪。從子大啟，文選郎中，終刑部左侍郎。

In Tianqi 3 (1623) he was promoted to Junior Guardian and Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent, made minister of Revenue, and transferred to the Wuying Pavilion. After thirteen petitions to retire, he was granted the titles of Junior Mentor and Junior Mentor of the Heir Apparent and sent home by official courier. He died the following year. He was posthumously ennobled as Grand Mentor with the posthumous name Wenge ("Cultured and Reverent"). His nephew Zhu Daqi, who had served as a director in the Bureau of Appointments, rose to left vice minister of Justice.

朱國禎

Zhu Guozhen

同時朱國禎，字文寧，烏程人。萬曆十七年進士。累官祭酒，謝病歸，久不出。天啟元年，擢禮部右侍郎，未上。三年正月，拜禮部尚書兼東閣大學士，與顧秉謙、朱延禧、魏廣微並命。閣中已有葉向高、韓爌、何宗彥、朱國祚、史繼偕，又驟增四人，直房幾不容坐。六月，國禎還朝，秉謙、延禧以列名在後，謙居其次。改文淵閣大學士，累加少保兼太子太保。魏忠賢竊國柄，國禎佐向高，多所調護。四年夏，楊漣劾忠賢，廷臣多勸向高出疏，至有詬者。向高慍甚，國禎請容之。及向高密奏忤忠賢，決計去，謂國禎曰：「我去，蒲州更非其敵，公亦當早歸。」蒲州謂爌也。向高罷，爌為首輔，爌罷，國禎為首輔。廣微與忠賢表裏為奸，視國禎蔑如。其冬為逆黨李蕃所劾，三疏引疾。忠賢謂其黨曰：「此老亦邪人，但不作惡，可令善去。」乃加少傅，賜銀幣，蔭子中書舍人，遣行人送歸，月廩、輿夫皆如制。崇禎五年卒。贈太傅，謚文肅。

A contemporary, Zhu Guozhen—courtesy name Wening—was a native of Wucheng. He took his jinshi degree in Wanli 17 (1589). He rose to chancellor of the Imperial Academy, retired citing illness, and stayed out of public life for many years. In Tianqi 1 (1621) he was promoted to right vice minister of Rites but never reported to office. In the first month of Tianqi 3 (1623) he was appointed minister of Rites and Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion, along with Gu Bingqian, Zhu Yanxi, and Wei Guangwei in the same edict. The Grand Secretariat already held Ye Xianggao, Han Kuang, He Zongyan, Zhu Guozuo, and Shi Jixie; the sudden addition of four more left barely room to sit in the duty chamber. When Guozhen returned in the sixth month, Gu Bingqian and Zhu Yanxi—listed after him in seniority—ranked below him, with Gu Bingqian next in precedence. He was moved to the Wenyuan Pavilion and eventually rose to Junior Guardian and Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent. When Wei Zhongxian seized power, Guozhen worked alongside Ye Xianggao to mitigate and shield where he could. In the summer of Tianqi 4 (1624), when Yang Lian impeached Wei Zhongxian, many urged Ye Xianggao to speak out—and some denounced him when he would not. Ye Xianggao was furious; Guozhen begged the others to show him patience. When Ye Xianggao's confidential memorial provoked Wei Zhongxian and he decided to go, he told Guozhen: "Once I leave, Han Kuang will be no match for him—you should retire while you still can." Puzhou" was Han Kuang. Ye Xianggao left office; Han Kuang became chief grand secretary; when Han Kuang fell, Guozhen took his place. Wei Guangwei and Wei Zhongxian worked hand in glove and treated Guozhen with utter contempt. That winter the hostile-faction censor Li Fan impeached him; Guozhen petitioned three times to retire on grounds of illness. Wei Zhongxian told his allies: "The old man is one of us in spirit, but he does no harm—let him take a graceful exit. Guozhen was granted the title of Junior Mentor, silver and silk, and a hereditary secretaryship for his son; an envoy escorted him home with full salary and sedan-chair bearers as regulation prescribed. He died in Chongzhen 5 (1632). He was posthumously ennobled as Grand Mentor with the posthumous name Wensu ("Cultured and Stern").

何宗彥

He Zongyan

何宗彥，字君美。其父由金谿客隨州，遂家焉。宗彥舉萬曆二十三年進士。累官詹事。四十二年遷禮部右侍郎，署部事。福王之國河南，請求無已。宗彥上疏，言可慮者有六，帝不聽。又屢疏請東宮講學，皇孫就傅，及瑞、惠、桂三王婚禮。太子生母王貴妃薨，不置守墳內官，又不置墳戶贍地，宗彥力爭之。梃擊事起，宗彥因言：「天下疑陛下薄太子久。太子處積輕之勢，致慈慶宮門止守以耄年二內侍，中門則寂無一人。乞亟下張差廷訊，凡青宮諸典禮，悉允臣部施行，宗社幸甚。」不報。尋轉左侍郎，署部如故。四十四年冬，隆德殿災，宗彥請通下情，修廢政，補曠官。明年，皇長孫年十三，未就傅，宗彥再疏力言。自是頻歲懇請，帝終不納。四十六年六月，京師地震。上修省三事。時帝不視朝已三十載，朝政積弛，庶官盡曠。明年秋，遼事益棘。宗彥率僚屬上言：「自三路喪師，開原、鐵嶺相繼沒，沈陽孤危。請陛下臨朝，與臣等面籌兵食大計。」帝亦不報。

He Zongyan, courtesy name Junmei. His father had left Jinxi to live in Suizhou as a guest and settled there permanently. Zongyan took his jinshi degree in Wanli 23 (1595). He rose through the ranks to Grand Mentor of the Heir Apparent. In Wanli 42 (1614) he became right vice minister of Rites and took charge of the ministry. When the Prince of Fu took up residence in Henan, his demands never ceased. Zongyan memorialized with six points of concern; the emperor ignored him. He repeatedly urged imperial lectures for the Eastern Palace, tutors for the imperial grandson, and wedding ceremonies for the Princes Rui, Hui, and Gui. When Consort Wang, the crown prince's mother, died, the court assigned no eunuchs to watch her tomb and granted no maintenance households or lands—Zongyan fought bitterly against both omissions. After the club-assault incident, Zongyan wrote: "For years the realm has suspected that Your Majesty holds the crown prince in low regard. The crown prince has been left in a position of accumulating neglect: at the gate of Ciqing Palace only two aged eunuchs stand watch, and the inner gate stands entirely deserted. I beg Your Majesty to have Zhang Cha interrogated at once and to authorize my ministry to carry out every ceremony owed the Eastern Palace—the altars of state and grain would be greatly served. The memorial received no response. He was soon made left vice minister while continuing to run the ministry as before. When Longde Hall burned in the winter of Wanli 44 (1616), Zongyan called for hearing the people, restoring neglected reforms, and filling vacant posts. The next year the imperial grandson turned thirteen without tutors; Zongyan memorialized again, pressing the point urgently. He pleaded year after year; the emperor never complied. In the sixth month of Wanli 46 (1618), Beijing was struck by an earthquake. He submitted three proposals for imperial self-examination and reform. By then the emperor had avoided court audiences for thirty years; government had grown slack and ordinary posts stood empty. The next autumn the Liaodong crisis grew desperate. Zongyan and his staff memorialized: "Since our armies were destroyed on three fronts, Kaiyuan and Tieling have fallen in turn, and Shenyang stands alone and in peril. I beg Your Majesty to hold court and meet with us face to face to decide the strategy for troops and supplies. Again the emperor did not respond.

弟宗聖，由鄉舉歷官工部主事。以附魏忠賢，驟加本部右侍郎。崇禎初，削籍，論配，名麗逆案。

His younger brother Zong Sheng, a provincial degree holder, rose to chief clerk in the Ministry of Works. By attaching himself to Wei Zhongxian, he was abruptly promoted to right vice minister of Works. At the outset of the Chongzhen reign he was stricken from the rolls, sentenced to penal exile, and his name was entered on the Treason Case.

孫如游

Sun Ruyou

孫如遊，字景文，餘姚人，都御史燧曾孫也。萬曆二十三年進士。累官禮部右侍郎。四十七年冬，左侍郎何宗彥去位，署印無人，大學士方從哲屢以如遊請。明年三月始得命。部事叢積，如遊決遣無滯。時白蓮、無為諸邪教橫行，宗彥嘗疏請嚴禁，如遊復申其說。帝從之。七月，帝疾大漸，偕諸大臣受顧命。

Sun Ruyou, courtesy name Jingwen, was from Yuyao and a great-grandson of Censor-in-Chief Sun Sui. He took his jinshi degree in Wanli 23 (1595). He rose through the ranks to right vice minister of Rites. In the winter of Wanli 47 (1619), left vice minister He Zongyan vacated his post. With no one left to hold the ministry seal, Grand Secretary Fang Congzhe repeatedly recommended Ruyou. The appointment did not come until the third month of the following year. Ministry business had piled up in heaps; Ruyou cleared the backlog without a hitch. The White Lotus, Wuwei, and other heterodox sects were running rampant. Zongyan had once memorialized for a strict ban, and Ruyou now pressed the same case. The emperor agreed. In the seventh month the emperor's illness turned critical, and Ruyou joined the chief ministers in receiving the deathbed charge.

帝崩，鄭貴妃懼禍，深結李選侍，為請封後。選侍喜，亦為請封太后以悅之。楊漣語如遊曰：「皇長子非選侍所愛。選侍後，嫡矣，他日將若何？亟白執政，用遺詔舉冊立。登極三日，公即援詔以請。」如遊然之。八月朔，光宗即位。三日，如遊請建東宮，帝納之。俄遵遺旨諭閣臣，封貴妃為皇太后。如遊奏曰：「考累朝典禮，以配而後者，乃敵體之經；以妃而後者，則從子之義。祖宗以來，豈無抱衾之愛，而終引去席之嫌，此禮所不載也。先帝念貴妃勞，不在無名之位號；陛下體先帝誌，亦不在非分之尊崇。若義所不可，則遵命非孝，遵禮為孝。臣不敢曲徇，自蹈不忠之罪。」疏入，未報。

After the emperor's death, Consort Zheng, fearing retribution, cultivated a close tie with Lady Li the concubine-attendant and asked that she be made empress. Lady Li was delighted and, to please her in return, asked that Consort Zheng be made empress dowager. Yang Lian told Ruyou: "The crown prince is not loved by Lady Li. If she becomes empress, she will be the legitimate consort—what then will become of the heir? Inform the chief ministers at once and invoke the deathbed edict to press for investiture. Three days after the new emperor takes the throne, cite the edict and submit the request yourself." Ruyou agreed. On the first day of the eighth month the Guangzong Emperor succeeded to the throne. On the third day Ruyou requested that the Eastern Palace be established; the emperor agreed. Before long, acting on the late emperor's will, he instructed the grand secretaries to ennoble Consort Zheng as empress dowager. Ruyou memorialized: "Reviewing the ritual precedents of successive reigns, an empress who was the principal consort embodies the constant rule of equal standing; an empress who was merely a consort follows the principle of standing in relation to the son. Since the founding of the dynasty, emperors have known intimate favor, yet in the end the suspicion of usurping the empress's place has always been invoked—and such a title the rites do not provide for. The late emperor, mindful of the consort's service, did not mean to grant a title without proper standing; Your Majesty, honoring the late emperor's intent, should likewise not bestow honor beyond what is due. Where righteousness forbids it, obedience to the command is not filial piety—obedience to ritual is. I dare not bend to please and thereby invite the charge of disloyalty." The memorial went in; no answer came.

如遊尋進本部尚書。帝既命建東宮，又言皇長子體質清弱，稍緩冊立期。如遊力持不可。二十三日，命封選侍為皇貴妃。期已定矣，越三日，帝又趨之。如遊奏曰：「先奉諭上孝端皇后、孝靖皇太后尊諡，又封郭元妃、王才人為皇后，禮皆未竣，貴妃之封宜在後。既聖諭諄切，且有保護聖儲功，即如先所定期，亦無不可。」帝許之。選侍以貴妃為未足，必欲得皇后。二十九日，再召廷臣，選侍迫皇長子言之。如遊曰：「上欲封選侍為皇貴妃，當即具儀進。」帝漫應曰：「諾。」選侍聞，大不悅。明日，帝崩，朝事大變。如遊請改冊封期，報可。熹宗為皇孫時，未就傅。即位七日，如遊即請開講筵，亦報可。

Ruyou was soon promoted to minister of Rites. Having ordered the Eastern Palace established, the emperor also said the crown prince's constitution was frail and wished to delay the investiture somewhat. Ruyou firmly objected. On the twenty-third day he ordered Lady Li ennobled as imperial noble consort. The date had been set, but three days later the emperor pressed again to hurry matters along. Ruyou memorialized: "We were first commanded to confer posthumous titles on Empress Xiaoduan and Empress Dowager Xiaojing, and also to ennoble Consort Guo Yuan and Lady Wang the Talented Lady as empresses—none of these rites is yet complete, so the noble consort's ennoblement should wait. Since Your Majesty's instruction is earnest, and she has merit in protecting the heir, proceeding on the date already fixed would also be acceptable." The emperor agreed. Lady Li found imperial noble consort insufficient and insisted on becoming empress. On the twenty-ninth day the emperor again summoned the court ministers, and Lady Li forced the crown prince to speak for her. Ruyou said: "If Your Majesty wishes to ennoble Lady Li as imperial noble consort, the rites should be prepared and submitted at once." The emperor answered offhandedly: "Very well." Lady Li heard this and was furious. The next day the emperor died, and court affairs were transformed overnight. Ruyou asked that the ennoblement date be changed; the request was approved. When the future Xizong Emperor was still imperial grandson, he had not yet been given tutors. Seven days after his enthronement, Ruyou at once requested that the heir's lecture hall be opened; that too was approved.

孫嘉績

Sun Jiaji

孫嘉績，字碩膚。崇禎十年進士。授南京工部主事，召改兵部。大清兵薄都城，按營不動，眾莫測。嘉績曰：「此待後至者，即舉眾南下爾。」越三日，蒙古兵數萬果從青山口入，即日南下。於是尚書楊嗣昌以嘉績知兵，調為職方員外郎。進郎中。督師中官高起潛譖之，會有發其納賄事，遂下獄。已，黃道周亦下獄。嘉績躬親飲食湯藥，力調護之，因從受《易》。會諸生塗仲吉疏救道周，帝益怒，移獄錦衣嚴訊。諸生與道周往來者多詭詞自脫，獨嘉績無所隱。擬雜犯死罪，繼擬煙瘴充軍，皆不允。保定總督張福臻陛見，薦嘉績才，請用為參謀，不聽。徐石麒為刑部尚書，具爰書奏，乃釋之。福王時，起九江兵備僉事，未赴。魯王監國紹興，擢右僉都御史，累進東閣大學士。王航海，嘉績從至舟山。其年遘疾卒。

Sun Jiaji, courtesy name Shuofu. He took his jinshi degree in Chongzhen 10 (1637). He was appointed chief clerk in the Nanjing Ministry of Works, then recalled and transferred to the Ministry of War. Qing troops pressed close to the capital and encamped without moving; no one could fathom their intent. Jiaji said: "They are waiting for reinforcements—then the whole army will march south." Three days later tens of thousands of Mongol troops entered through Qingshan Pass and marched south the same day. Minister Yang Sichang, judging that Jiaji understood military affairs, transferred him to assistant director in the Bureau of Operations. He was promoted to director. The supervising eunuch Gao Qiqian slandered him; when his taking bribes was exposed, he was thrown into prison. Before long Huang Daozhou was imprisoned as well. Jiaji personally tended his food, drink, and medicines, nursing him with devoted care, and in the process studied the Book of Changes under his tutelage. When the student Tu Zhongji memorialized to save Daozhou, the emperor grew still angrier and transferred the case to the Brocade Guard for harsh interrogation. Many students who had associated with Daozhou used evasive words to save themselves; Jiaji alone held nothing back. A mixed capital offense carrying death was proposed, then exile to the malarial frontier—neither was approved. Baoding governor-general Zhang Fuzhen had an audience at court, praised Jiaji's talent, and asked that he be employed as a staff officer; the request was refused. Xu Shiqin, as minister of Justice, prepared the case report and memorialized; only then was Jiaji released. Under the Prince of Fu he was appointed military intendant at Jiujiang but never took up the post. When the Prince of Lu acted as regent at Shaoxing, Jiaji was promoted to right vice censor-in-chief and eventually rose to Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion. When the prince took to the sea, Jiaji followed him to Zhoushan. That same year he fell ill and died.

贊曰：熹宗初，葉向高以宿望召起，海內正人倚以為重，卒不能有所匡救。蓋政柄內移，非一日之積，勢固無如何也。劉一燝、韓爌諸人，雖居端揆之地，而宵小比肩，權珰掣肘，紛撓杌隉，幾不自全。朱國祚、何宗彥絀於黨人，孫如遊又皆以中旨特用，為外廷所詬。於是而知明良相遭，誠千載之一遇也夫！

The commentator says: Early in the Xizong reign, Ye Xianggao was recalled for his long-standing repute, and upright men throughout the realm looked to him as a pillar of the court—yet in the end he could not set things right. Political power had been shifting inward for years, not days—and against such a tide there was little to be done. Liu Yijing, Han Kuang, and their peers held the chief minister's seat, yet petty men crowded in beside them, powerful eunuchs held them in check, and turmoil left them barely able to preserve themselves. Zhu Guozuo and He Zongyan were pushed aside by factional rivals; Sun Ruyou too was specially appointed by secret edict—all were reviled by the outer court. From this one sees that the meeting of a wise ruler and able ministers is truly an encounter once in a thousand years!

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