Overview
Feng Bao was an eunuch.
Life and dates
Attested activity
Events and relationships
Powerful eunuch who supported Zhang Siwei’s appointment, later accepted bribes and was driven from power.
Biographical event · Participant
References in the histories
No matching passages.
History of Ming, Chapter 219Volume 219 Biographies 107: Zhang Siwei, Ma Ziqiang, Xu Guo, Zhao Zhigao, Zhang Wei, Zhu Geng · 4 passages
四維家素封，歲時餽問居正不絕．武清伯李偉，慈聖太后父也，故籍山西，四維結為援．萬曆二年復召掌詹事府．明年三月，居正請增置閣臣，引薦四維，馮保亦與善，遂以禮部尚書兼東閣大學士入贊機務．當是時，政事一決居正．居正無所推讓，視同列蔑如也．四維由居正進，謹事之，不敢相可否，隨其後，拜賜進官而已．居正卒，四維始當國．累加至少師、吏部尚書、中極殿大學士．
The Siwei family had long been wealthy, and year round they kept up gifts and courtesies to Zhang Juzheng. Li Wei, the Military Noble of Wuqing and father of the Empress Dowager Cisheng, was originally registered in Shanxi; Siwei cultivated him as a backer. In the second year of Wanli he was recalled to head the Household of the Heir Apparent. The following March, Juzheng asked to add Grand Secretaries and recommended Siwei; Feng Bao also favored him, and Siwei entered the secretariat as Minister of Rites and Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion. At that time all policy flowed from Juzheng alone. He made no show of deference and treated his colleagues with open contempt. Siwei had risen through Juzheng and served him carefully, never daring to disagree; he simply followed along, accepting honors and promotions as they came. Only after Juzheng's death did Siwei take charge of the government, rising eventually to Junior Preceptor, Minister of Personnel, and Grand Secretary of the Central Peak Hall.
於是居正黨大懼．王篆、曾省吾輩，厚結申時行以為助．而馮保欲因兩宮徽號封己為伯，惡四維持之．篆、省吾知之，厚賄保，數短四維；
Juzheng's faction was now deeply alarmed. Wang Zhuan, Zeng Shengwu, and others cultivated Shen Shixing as an ally. Feng Bao, hoping to use the posthumous titles of the two palaces to secure an earldom for himself, resented Siwei's opposition. Zhuan and Shengwu learned of this, bribed Bao heavily, and repeatedly slandered Siwei;
而使所善御史曹一夔劾吏部尚書王國光媚四維，拔其中表弟王謙為吏部主事．時行遂擬旨罷國光，並謫謙．四維以帝慰留，復起視事．命甫下，御史張問達復劾四維．四維窘，求保心腹徐爵、張大受賄保，保意稍解．時行乃謫問達於外，以安四維．四維以時行與謀也，卒銜之．已而中官張誠譖保，保眷大衰，四維乃授意門生李植輩發保奸狀．保及篆、省吾皆逐，朝事一大變．
They set up Censor Cao Yikui to impeach Minister of Personnel Wang Guoguang for fawning on Siwei and promoting Wang Qian, Guoguang's cousin by marriage, to a principal clerk in the Ministry. Shixing drafted an edict removing Guoguang and demoting Qian. The emperor had reassured Siwei and kept him in office, so he resumed his duties; but the order had barely gone out when Censor Zhang Wenda attacked Siwei again. Cornered, Siwei turned to Bao's confidants Xu Jue and Zhang Dashou and bribed Bao, who softened somewhat. Shixing then sent Wenda away to an outside post to calm Siwei. Siwei believed Shixing had been in on the scheme and never forgave him. Before long the eunuch Zhang Cheng slandered Bao; Bao's influence collapsed, and Siwei prompted his disciples Li Zhi and others to expose Bao's crimes. Bao, Zhuan, and Shengwu were all driven out, and court affairs shifted dramatically.
禮官所掌，宗藩事最多，先後條例自相牴牾，黠吏得恣為奸利．自強擇其當者俾僚吏遵守，諸不可用者悉屏之．每藩府疏至，應時裁決，榜之部門，明示行止，吏無所牟利．龍虎山正一真人，隆慶時已降為提點，奪印敕．至是，張國祥求復故號，自強寢其奏．國祥乃重賄馮保固求復，自強力持不可，卒以中旨許之．初，俺答通貢市，賞有定額，後邊臣徇其求，額漸溢．自強請申故約，濫乞者勿與，歲省費不貲．世宗實錄成，加太子少保．
The Ministry of Rites handled more clan affairs than anything else; successive regulations contradicted one another, and clever clerks profited at will. Ziqiang chose the sound rules for his staff to follow and discarded the rest. Whenever a princely memorial arrived, he decided it promptly, posted the ruling at the ministry gate, and left clerks no room to profit. The Zhengyi Perfected Man of Longhu Mountain had already been reduced during Longqing to Supervisory Commissioner and stripped of seal and patent. Now Zhang Guoxiang sought restoration of his old title; Ziqiang shelved the memorial. Guoxiang then bribed Feng Bao heavily to press the case; Ziqiang held firm that it could not be allowed, but an edict from the inner court permitted it in the end. When Altan first opened tribute and markets, rewards had fixed quotas; later frontier officials indulged his requests until the quotas swelled. Ziqiang asked that the old agreement be enforced and excessive demands refused, saving incalculable yearly expense. When the Veritable Records of Emperor Shizong were completed, he was given the additional title of Junior Tutor of the Crown Prince.