Ming · Official and Statesman

Xia Yuanji 夏原吉

c. AD 1366 - AD 1430

Passages
75
Chapters
1
Histories
1

Overview

Xia Yuanji was an official and Statesman.

PeriodMing
IdentityHistorical · Male

Other names

TypeEnglishChinesePinyin
Courtesy name Weizhe 維喆 Weizhe
Posthumous name Zhongjing 忠靖 Zhongjing

Life and dates

Death

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Attested activity

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Career and standing

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Source notes

References in the histories

75 passages

History of Ming, Chapter 149Volume 149 Biographies 37: Jian Yi, Xia Yuanji · 75 passages
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俞士吉，字用貞，象山人。建文中，為兗州訓導。上書言時政，擢御史。出按鳳陽、徽州及湖廣，能辨釋冤獄。成祖即位，進僉都御史。奉詔以水利書賜原吉，因留督浙西農政。湖州逋糧至六十萬石，同事者欲減其數以聞。士吉曰：「欺君病民，吾不為也。」具以實奏，悉得免。尋為都御史陳瑛所劾，與大理少卿袁復同繋獄。復死獄中，士吉謫為事官，治水蘇、松。既而復職，還上《聖孝瑞應頌》。帝曰：「爾為大臣，不言民間利病，乃獻諛耶！」擲還之。宣德初，仕至南京刑部侍郎，致仕。 Yu Shiji, style Yongzhen, came from Xiangshan. During Jianwen he was training instructor at Yanzhou. After submitting a memorial on current policy, he was promoted to censor. Sent to inspect Fengyang, Huizhou, and Huguang, he distinguished and released wrongfully imprisoned men. When Chengzu took the throne, Yu was advanced to Assistant Censor-in-Chief. By imperial order he carried books on water management to Yuanji, and he stayed on to supervise agricultural administration in western Zhejiang. Huzhou owed as much as six hundred thousand shi of grain, and his colleagues wanted to report a reduced figure. Shiji said, "To deceive the ruler and harm the people is something I will not do." He reported the facts in full, and all the arrears were remitted. Soon afterward he was impeached by Censor-in-Chief Chen Ying and imprisoned together with Yuan Fu, Vice Director of the Court of Judicial Review. Yuan Fu died in prison, and Shiji was demoted to managing official and assigned to water control in Suzhou and Songjiang. Later he was restored to office. On his return he submitted the Shengxiao ruiying song. The emperor said, "You are a great minister, yet instead of speaking of the people's benefits and harms, you offer flattery?" and threw it back to him. Early in Xuande, Shiji reached the post of Vice Minister in the Nanjing Ministry of Justice and retired.