Volume 302 Biographies 89: Xu Ben, Wang Youdun, Wang Chengpei, Lai Bao, Liu Lun, Liu Yueyun, Liu Tongxun, Liu Yong, Liu Huanzhi

徐本汪由敦來保劉綸劉統勳

Xu Ben, Wang Youdun, Lai Bao, Liu Lun, and Liu Tongxun

徐本，字立人，浙江錢塘人，尚書潮子。本，康熙五十七年進士，改庶吉士，授編修。雍正五年，提督貴州學政，授贊善，遷侍讀。七年，擢貴州按察使。八年，調江蘇，遷湖北布政使。十年，擢安慶巡撫。奏定比緝盜賊章程，竊案責府州，盜案責臬司。案多而未獲，巡撫親提。比立限，定勸懲。上嘉之。十一年，疏言：「雲、貴、廣西改流土司安置內地，例十人給官房五楹，地五十畝。安慶置二十一人，地遠在來安。請變價別購，俾耕以食。」又疏言：「州縣徵糧，例由府道封櫃，請改州縣自封。完糧十截串票改仍用三連由票，零戶銀以下以十錢當一分。」又疏言：「壽州濱淮，盜聚族而居，假捕魚為業，每出劫掠，已次第捕治，令漁船編甲。孫、平、焦、鄧諸姓設族正，有盜不時舉發。」皆下部議行。

Xu Ben, whose style name was Liren, came from Qiantang in Zhejiang and was the son of Minister Xu Chao. Xu Ben earned his jinshi degree in 1718, entered the Hanlin Academy as a bachelor, and received appointment as a compiler. In 1727 he was appointed educational commissioner of Guizhou, then reader-in-waiting, and soon after promoted to reader. In 1729 he was promoted to surveillance commissioner of Guizhou. In 1730 he was transferred to Jiangsu and then promoted to provincial treasurer of Hubei. In 1732 he was promoted to governor of Anqing. He submitted regulations for tracking down bandits, assigning petty theft cases to prefectural authorities and robbery cases to the provincial surveillance commissioner. When many cases remained unsolved, the governor personally took charge of the investigations. He also established deadlines and defined incentives and penalties. The emperor praised his work. In 1733 he memorialized: "When native chieftains from Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi were brought under direct administration and resettled inland, the rule allotted five bays of official housing and fifty mu of land for every ten people. Twenty-one such persons were settled at Anqing, but their allotted land lay far away in Lai'an. He asked that the distant plots be sold and other land bought nearby so they could farm for their sustenance." He also proposed that grain tax collection, which customarily required sealing by prefectural and circuit offices, be changed so that counties and districts sealed the funds themselves. He restored the three-part tax warrant in place of the ten-section receipt for completed payments, and set ten cash equal to one fen for fractional household payments." He further reported that along the Huai at Shouzhou, bandit clans posing as fishermen had been raiding in turn; after successive arrests, fishing boats were now organized into militia units. Clan heads were appointed among the Sun, Ping, Jiao, and Deng families to report banditry promptly." All these proposals were sent to the ministries for deliberation and enactment.

召授左都御史。十二年，遷工部尚書、協辦大學士。浙江衢州民王益善邪教惑眾，命本會總督程元章按治，請改設衢州總兵、金衢嚴巡道以下官，並更定營製，下部議行。十三年五月，命同寶親王，果親王，大學士鄂爾泰、張廷玉等辦理苗疆事務。高宗即位，命在辦理軍機處行走，調刑部尚書。尋命協辦總理事務。

He was recalled to the capital and appointed left censor-in-chief. In 1734 he was made minister of works and associate grand secretary. When Wang Yishan of Quzhou, Zhejiang, led a heterodox sect that misled the populace, Xu Ben was ordered to join Governor-General Cheng Yuanzhang in suppressing it. He proposed creating a Quzhou regional commander and revising posts through the Jinhua-Quzhou-Yanzhou circuit intendant, along with reorganizing the garrison; the proposal was sent to the ministries for approval. In the fifth month of 1735 he was ordered, together with Princes Bao and Guo and Grand Secretaries Ortai and Zhang Tingyu, to manage affairs on the Miao frontier. When the Qianlong Emperor took the throne, Xu Ben was assigned to the Grand Council and transferred to minister of justice. He was soon ordered to assist in managing general state affairs.

乾隆元年，授東閣大學士兼禮部尚書，充世宗實錄總裁。二年，直南書房。以協辦總理事務，予拖沙喇哈番世職。三年，授辦理軍機大臣。四年，加太子太保。七年，兼管戶部尚書。九年六月，以病乞休，加太子太傅致仕。遣御前侍衛永興齎賜御用衣冠、內府文綺貂皮，上親臨其第慰問賜詩。命其子侍講學士以烜送歸里，在籍食俸。明年，上念本歸將一載，复賜詩。十二年，本卒，加少傅，發白金千治喪。浙江巡撫顧琮往祭，諡文穆。上南巡，所經郡縣遣祭舊臣，禮部奏請未及本，上特命遣祭。祀京師賢良祠。

In 1736 he was appointed grand secretary of the Eastern Pavilion and concurrent minister of rites, and named chief compiler of the Veritable Records of the Yongzheng Emperor. In 1737 he was assigned to the Southern Study. For his service assisting in general state affairs, he was granted the hereditary rank of Dashala ha. In 1738 he was appointed a Grand Councilor. In 1739 he received the additional title Junior Tutor of the Heir Apparent. In 1742 he was given concurrent charge as minister of revenue. In the sixth month of 1744 he retired on grounds of illness, receiving the additional title Junior Preceptor of the Heir Apparent. The emperor sent the imperial bodyguard Yongxing with robes, palace silks, and sable fur, then visited Xu Ben's home in person to console him and presented a poem. His son, reader-in-waiting Xu Yixuan, was ordered to escort him home, where he continued to draw his salary while on leave in his native place. The following year, mindful that nearly a year had passed since Xu Ben's return home, the emperor bestowed another poem. In 1747 Xu Ben died; he was posthumously given the title Junior Preceptor and a thousand taels of silver for funeral expenses. Zhejiang Governor Gu Cong conducted the memorial rites, and Xu Ben was given the posthumous name Wenmu. During the emperor's southern tour, each locality he passed was to offer sacrifices to former ministers, but the ministry of rites had not yet listed Xu Ben; the emperor specially ordered rites performed for him. He was enshrined in the capital's Shrine of Worthies.

以烜，進士，官至禮部侍郎。

Xu Yixuan was a jinshi who rose to vice minister of rites.

汪由敦，字師茗，浙江錢塘人，原籍安徽休寧。雍正二年進士，選庶吉士。遭父喪，以篡修明史，命在館守制。喪終，三遷內閣學士，直上書房。乾隆二年，廷臣妄傳除目，為言官執奏，語連由敦，未得旨，由敦具疏辨。上詰由敦何以先知，足見有為之耳目者，其人必不謹。左授侍讀學士。累遷工部尚書，調刑部，兼署左都御史。十一年，命在軍機處行走。十四年，金川平，加太子少師。是歲命協辦大學士。由敦出大學士張廷玉門，其直軍機處，廷玉薦也。時軍機處諸大臣，鄂爾泰已卒，廷玉為班首，而訥親被上眷，日入承旨，出令由敦屬草，慮不當上意，輒令易稿，至三四不已，傅恆為不平。及訥親誅，傅恆自金川還朝，引諸大臣共承旨以為常。廷玉致仕將歸，以世宗遺詔許配享太廟，乞上一言為券，謝恩未親至。傳旨詰責，傅恆與由敦承旨，由敦免冠叩首，言廷玉蒙恩體恤，乞終始矜全，若明旨詰責，則廷玉罪無可逭。次日，廷玉早入朝，上責由敦漏言，徇師生私恩，不顧公議。解協辦大學士，並罷尚書，仍在尚書任贖罪。十五年，命復任。

Wang Youdun, whose style name was Shiming, came from Qiantang in Zhejiang, though his ancestral home was Xiuning in Anhui. He earned his jinshi degree in 1724 and was selected as a Hanlin bachelor. When his father died, he was ordered to remain at the academy observing mourning while continuing work on the History of Ming. After mourning he was promoted three times to grand secretary and assigned to the Upper Study. In 1737 court officials falsely circulated word of impending appointments; censors reported it, implicating Youdun, who had received no edict and submitted a memorial in his own defense. The emperor demanded to know how Youdun had known in advance, concluding that someone must have been leaking information to him and that such conduct was inexcusably careless. He was demoted to reader-in-waiting. He rose through successive promotions to minister of works, was transferred to the ministry of justice, and served concurrently as acting left censor-in-chief. In 1746 he was assigned to the Grand Council. In 1749, after the pacification of Jinchuan, he received the additional title Junior Preceptor of the Heir Apparent. That same year he was made associate grand secretary. Youdun had been a protégé of Grand Secretary Zhang Tingyu, who recommended him for the Grand Council. At the time Ortai had died and Zhang Tingyu led the council, but Ne Qin, favored by the emperor, received instructions daily and had Youdun draft edicts, repeatedly ordering revisions—sometimes three or four times—lest they miss the emperor's intent; Fu Heng resented this. After Ne Qin's execution, Fu Heng returned from Jinchuan and established the practice of councilors receiving instructions together. As Zhang Tingyu prepared to retire, he cited the Yongzheng Emperor's testament allowing him posthumous enshrinement in the Imperial Ancestral Temple and asked for a confirming edict, but failed to appear in person to give thanks. A rebuking edict was issued; Fu Heng and Youdun received it, and Youdun kowtowed bareheaded, pleading that Zhang Tingyu had enjoyed the emperor's gracious favor and begging mercy throughout; an explicit rebuke, he said, would leave Zhang Tingyu with no defense. The next day Zhang Tingyu came to court early; the emperor rebuked Youdun for leaking the edict, putting private loyalty to his teacher ahead of public duty. He was stripped of his associate grand secretary title and ministerial rank, yet kept at his ministerial post to atone for the offense. In 1750 he was ordered to resume his posts.

上閱永定河工，令由敦同大學士傅恆、總督方觀承會勘南岸建壩，請於張仙務、雙營葺舊壩二，馬家鋪及冰窖以東增新壩亦二，如所議。四川學政硃荃以匿喪黷賄得罪，由敦所薦舉，吏議奪職。上以由敦謹慎，長於學問，命降授兵部侍郎。俄，永定河堤決，復命赴固安監塞口。有請別開新河者，由敦主仍濬舊河，亦如所議。十六年，調戶部侍郎。命同大學士高斌勘天津等處河工，請濬永定河下流，疏王慶坨引河，增鳳河堤壩，培東岸堤障東淀。十七年，授工部尚書。十九年，加太子太傅，兼刑部尚書。二十年，準噶爾平，軍機大臣得議敘。二十一年，調工部尚書。二十二年，授吏部尚書。二十三年，卒，上親臨賜奠，贈太子太師，諡文端。

While inspecting Yongding River works, the emperor sent Youdun with Grand Secretary Fu Heng and Governor-General Fang Guancheng to survey south-bank dike construction. They proposed repairing two old dikes at Zhangxianwu and Shuangying and building two new ones east of Majiapu and Bingjiao, which was approved. Zhu Quan, educational commissioner of Sichuan, was punished for concealing mourning and taking bribes; as Youdun had recommended him, the personnel office proposed stripping Youdun of office. Considering Youdun careful and learned, the emperor merely demoted him to vice minister of war. Soon afterward the Yongding dike burst, and he was again sent to Gu'an to supervise closing the breach. When some proposed cutting a new channel, Youdun argued for dredging the old river, and this too was approved. In 1751 he was transferred to vice minister of revenue. Ordered with Grand Secretary Gao Bin to survey river works around Tianjin, they proposed dredging the lower Yongding, clearing the Wangqingtuo diversion, strengthening Feng River dikes, and raising the east bank to protect the Eastern Marshes. In 1752 he was appointed minister of works. In 1754 he received the additional title Junior Preceptor of the Heir Apparent and concurrent appointment as minister of justice. In 1755, after the pacification of Dzungaria, Grand Councilors became eligible for merit review. In 1756 he was transferred to minister of works. In 1757 he was appointed minister of personnel. In 1758 he died; the emperor came in person to offer funeral rites, posthumously granted him Grand Preceptor of the Heir Apparent, and gave him the posthumous name Wenduan.

由敦篤內行，記誦尤淹博，文章典重有體。內直幾三十年，以恭謹受上知。乾隆間，大臣初入直軍機處，上以日所製詩用丹筆作草，或口授令移錄，謂之「詩片」。久無誤，乃使撰擬諭旨。由敦能彊識，當上意。上出謁陵及巡幸必從，入承旨，耳受心識，出即傳寫，不遺一字。其卒也，諭稱其「老誠端恪，敏慎安詳，學問淵深，文辭雅正」，並賦詩悼之。又以由敦善書，命館臣排次上石，曰時晴齋法帖。上賦懷舊詩，列五詞臣中，稱其書比張照云雲。

Youdun was known for personal integrity, exceptional erudition and memory, and writing that was dignified and well structured. He served in the inner palace for nearly thirty years and won the emperor's trust through respectful diligence. During the Qianlong reign, new Grand Councilors first copied the emperor's daily poems—drafted in cinnabar brush or dictated for transcription—in exercises called "poem slips." Only after long service without error were they entrusted to draft edicts. Youdun's exceptional memory suited the emperor's expectations. He always accompanied the emperor on tomb visits and tours, received instructions by ear, memorized them, and transcribed them afterward without omitting a word. At his death an edict praised him as "sincere and upright in old age, keen yet calm and thorough, deep in learning, elegant in literary style," and the emperor composed an elegy. As Youdun was also celebrated for calligraphy, academicians arranged his works for stone engraving as the Shiqing Studio Model Calligraphy. In a nostalgic poem the emperor ranked him among five leading literary ministers and compared his calligraphy to Zhang Zhao's.

子承沆、承霈、承𩆩。

His sons were Chenghang, Chengpei, and Cheng Hao.

承霈，字春農。由敦既卒，喪終，承霈以賜祭葬入謝。傅恆為言承霈書類由敦，授兵部主事，充軍機處章京。累遷郎中，除福建邵武知府。時母年八十，請軍機大臣為陳情，留京供職，复補戶部郎中。三十六年，師討小金川，上命戶部侍郎桂林出督餉，以承霈從。三十七年，阿爾泰、宋元俊劾桂林以金與土酋贖所掠軍士，辭連承霈，命逮治。俄，事白，仍以郎中充軍機處章京。累遷工部右侍郎。甘肅冒賑事發，部議凡在甘肅納捐監生，應禁革毋許應試，及自別途出身。承霈奏人數甚多，乞開自新之路，令納金如例，許考試及自別途出身，得旨俞允。四十年，上校射，承霈連發中的，賞花翎。調戶部右侍郎。五十四年，坐監臨順天鄉試失察，左遷通政使。累遷復至侍郎。嘉慶五年，授左都御史，遷兵部尚書，兼領順天府尹。六年，永定河水溢，上命治賑，得旨獎敘。七年，上將幸木蘭，承霈請罷停圍，不許。尋改左都御史，署兵部尚書。北城盜發，上責承霈不稱職，以二品冠服致仕。十年，卒，詔視尚書例議卹。

Chengpei, whose style name was Chunnong. After Youdun's death, when mourning ended Chengpei came to court to thank the emperor for the granted funeral rites. Fu Heng remarked that Chengpei's calligraphy resembled his father's; he was appointed a secretary in the ministry of war and assigned as a Grand Council clerk. He rose to director and was appointed prefect of Shaowu in Fujian. His mother was then eighty; he asked the Grand Councilors to intercede and was kept at a post in the capital, later reappointed as a director in the ministry of revenue. In 1771, during the campaign against Lesser Jinchuan, the emperor sent Vice Minister Guilin to supervise supplies, with Chengpei accompanying him. In 1772 Altai and Song Yuanjun impeached Guilin for paying native chieftains gold to ransom captured soldiers, implicating Chengpei; he was ordered arrested. Soon he was cleared and restored as a director and Grand Council clerk. He rose to right vice minister of works. When the Gansu relief-fund fraud scandal broke, the ministry proposed barring all donation-purchased students in Gansu from examinations and alternate routes to office. Chengpei noted the large number affected and asked that they be allowed to pay fines as usual and resume examinations and alternate advancement; the emperor approved. In 1775, at the imperial archery review, Chengpei hit the target repeatedly and was rewarded with a peacock feather. He was transferred to right vice minister of revenue. In 1789, for failing to detect misconduct while supervising the Shuntian provincial examination, he was demoted to commissioner of the Court of Transmission. Through successive promotions he again rose to vice minister. In 1800 he was appointed left censor-in-chief, then minister of war, with concurrent charge as Shuntian metropolitan magistrate. In 1801, when the Yongding overflowed, the emperor ordered relief efforts and commended his service. In 1802, as the emperor prepared to visit Mulan, Chengpei asked to suspend the autumn hunt enclosure; the request was denied. He was soon made left censor-in-chief with acting charge as minister of war. After bandits raided the northern city, the emperor blamed Chengpei for incompetence and let him retire with second-rank honors. In 1805 he died; an edict ordered funeral benefits according to ministerial precedent.

來保，字學圃，喜塔臘氏，滿洲正白旗人。初隸內務府。康熙中，自庫使授侍衛，再奪職。五十七年，复授三等侍衛。雍正初，擢內務府總管。坐內務府披甲裁額，眾閧廉親王允禩第，來保等奏不實，复奪職。起景陵掌關防郎中，再遷復為內務府總管，署工部尚書。疏言：「滿洲騎射較優，沿邊古北口諸處提鎮以下，請兼用滿洲，資控制。」從之。乾隆元年十二月，大學士管浙江總督嵇曾筠、江蘇巡撫邵基疏請停辦戊午銅運，下部議。來保奏：「積欠數盈六百萬，應停辦一年，以清舊款。但己未以後，仍招商採買，行之數年，積欠復多，又當停辦。請敕部並下各直省督撫曉諭，聽商具貲本出洋採買，不必先給價值，隨到即收，不拘多寡，但不得剋扣抑勒，重滋商累。」總理王大臣議覆允行。

Lai Bao, whose style name was Xuepu, of the Xitala clan, was a Manchu of the Plain White Banner. He began in the Imperial Household Department. Under Kangxi he rose from storehouse clerk to bodyguard and twice lost his post. In 1718 he was again appointed a third-rank bodyguard. Early in the Yongzheng reign he became superintendent of the Imperial Household Department. When armor quotas were cut and a mob stormed Prince Lian Yunsi's residence, Lai Bao and others filed an inaccurate report and he again lost his post. He was reappointed director of the Jingling seal office, then again made Household superintendent with acting charge as minister of works. He proposed that because Manchu horsemanship and archery were superior, regional commanders along the frontier at Gubeikou and elsewhere should include Manchu officers to strengthen control." The proposal was approved. In the twelfth month of 1736, Grand Secretary and acting Zhejiang Governor-General Ji Zengjun and Jiangsu Governor Shao Ji asked to suspend the wuwu-year copper transport; the matter went to the ministries. Lai Bao reported arrears exceeding six million and proposed a one-year suspension to clear old accounts. After the jiwei year, however, contracted merchant purchases had resumed; within a few years arrears mounted again, warranting another suspension. He asked the ministries and all provincial governors to inform merchants they might supply their own capital for overseas purchases without advance payment, accepting goods upon arrival in any quantity, but forbidding deductions or coercion that would burden them further." The supervising prince-ministers approved the plan.

二年六月，上以運河水淺，糧船至臨清以北，尤多阻滯，由於衛河上游各渠口居民私洩過多。敕直隸、河南督撫等照前河臣靳輔題准定例，稽查嚴禁。來保奏言：「水淺運阻，查禁不得不嚴。但衛水發源河南，至臨清五百餘裡。沿河居民不知幾千萬家，待溉之地不知幾千百頃。今秋成在望，已非灌溉之期，所慮者有司奉行過當。後雖運河未至淺阻，而一入五月，渠口盡行堵塞，坐使有用之利置之無用，恐不無廢時失業者，不稱仁育萬民之意。當使漕運不致淺阻，民田亦得灌溉，或暫禁於淺阻之年，而不禁於深通之歲。應令督撫、河道諸臣悉心調劑，以期兩便。」疏入，上命侍郎趙殿最、侍衛安寧會同督撫查勘，請於漕船將抵臨清，視運河水盈縮，定渠閘啟閉。十二月，授工部尚書，兼議政大臣。四年，病，請解任，上不許。十二月，授內大臣，賜紫禁城內騎馬。五年，調刑部尚書。

In the sixth month of 1737 the emperor noted shallow canal waters and severe delays for grain boats north of Linqing, caused by excessive private diversion at Wei River canal mouths upstream. He ordered Zhili and Henan authorities to enforce the regulations once approved by the river official Jin Fu through strict inspection. Lai Bao replied that shallow waters required strict enforcement. But the Wei River rises in Henan and runs more than five hundred li to Linqing. Millions of households line its banks, and thousands of qing await irrigation. With harvest near and irrigation season past, he feared officials might enforce the rules excessively. Even when the canal was not shallow, blocking every outlet from the fifth month onward would waste irrigation and leave farmers idle—contrary to the emperor's intent to nurture the people. Grain transport and field irrigation should both be served—temporary bans in shallow years, but not when the channel ran deep. Governors and river officials should balance both needs carefully." The emperor sent Vice Minister Zhao Dianzui and bodyguard Anning to survey with provincial authorities, proposing that sluice gates be opened or closed as grain boats neared Linqing according to canal water levels. In the twelfth month he was appointed minister of works and deliberative minister. In 1739, ill, he asked to resign; the emperor refused. In the twelfth month he became an inner minister and was granted the privilege of riding inside the Forbidden City. In 1740 he was transferred to minister of justice.

上以來保奉職勤，命改隸正白旗滿洲，所立佐領準世襲。六月，御史沈世楓奏來保誠愨有餘，習練不足，不勝刑部繁要之任。諭曰：「來保人實可信，然世楓所言，頗中其病。儻因此自知省惕，則心志虛公，而才識亦將日進。此聞過而喜，所以稱賢也。」九年，命如奉天按將軍額洛圖侵餉納賄狀，論如律。十年，調禮部尚書，加太子太保，授領侍衛內大臣。尋授吏部尚書，協辦大學士。十二月，授武英殿大學士。十三年九月，命為軍機大臣。十四年，金川凱旋，進太子太傅，兼管兵部、刑部事。十五年三月，來保年七十，上製詩賚之。十六年，兼管吏部事。二十五年，來保年八十，复賜御製詩。二十六年，兼管禮部事。二十九年，卒，年八十四，贈太保，祀賢良祠，諡文端。四十四年，御製懷舊詩，列五閣臣中。

Finding Lai Bao diligent, the emperor transferred him to the Manchu Plain White Banner and made his assistant commandership hereditary. In the sixth month Censor Shen Shifeng reported that Lai Bao was sincere but inexperienced and unfit for the demanding ministry of justice. An edict said: "Lai Bao is trustworthy, yet Shen Shifeng's criticism hits the mark. If he takes this to heart, his mind will grow more impartial and his abilities will improve daily. Delighting in criticism is the mark of a worthy man." In 1744 he was ordered to try Fengtian investigating general Eluotu for embezzling rations and taking bribes according to law. In 1745 he was made minister of rites, Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent, and leading bodyguard inner minister. He was soon appointed minister of personnel and associate grand secretary. In the twelfth month he was appointed grand secretary of the Hall of Military Glory. In the ninth month of 1748 he was appointed Grand Councilor. In 1749, after the Jinchuan victory, he was promoted to Junior Preceptor of the Heir Apparent with concurrent charge of the ministries of war and justice. In the third month of 1750, when Lai Bao turned seventy, the emperor composed and bestowed a congratulatory poem. In 1751 he was given concurrent charge of the ministry of personnel. In 1760, when Lai Bao turned eighty, the emperor again bestowed an imperial poem. In 1761 he was given concurrent charge of the ministry of rites. In 1764 he died at eighty-four; he was posthumously granted Grand Guardian, enshrined in the Shrine of Worthies, and given the posthumous name Wenduan. In 1779 the emperor's nostalgic poem ranked him among five leading grand secretaries.

來保能知人。舒赫德官烏里雅蘇台將軍，疏請徙阿睦爾撒納眷屬於邊。上以其傷遠人心，震怒，遣使封刀斬之。來保爭甚力，以為才可大用。上亦悔，第曰：「已降旨！」來保曰：「即上有恩命，臣子成麟善騎，遣追前使還。」上允之。歸召成麟，使齎詔追前使還。成麟日夜馳三百餘裡，先前使三日到，舒赫德賴以免。來保善相馬，上嘗為相馬歌賜之。

Lai Bao had a gift for recognizing talent. Shuhede, as Uliastai general, proposed moving Amursana's dependents to the frontier. The emperor, deeming this would alienate distant peoples, was furious and sent an envoy bearing a sealed sword to execute him. Lai Bao argued forcefully that Shuhede's talent was too valuable to lose. The emperor also regretted it but said only: "The edict has already gone out!" Lai Bao said: "Even if Your Majesty grants mercy, Cheng Lin is an excellent rider—send him to overtake the earlier envoy and bring him back." The emperor agreed. On returning he summoned Cheng Lin and sent him with the edict to overtake the earlier envoy. Cheng Lin rode day and night over three hundred li and arrived three days ahead of the executioner; Shuhede was thus spared. Lai Bao was skilled at judging horses; the emperor once composed a horse-judging song and bestowed it on him.

劉綸，字蜰涵，江蘇武進人。少俊穎，六歲，能綴文，長工為古文辭。乾隆元年，以廩生舉博學鴻詞，試第一，授編修。預修世宗實錄，遷侍講，進太常寺少卿。四遷，擢內閣學士。十二年，扈蹕木蘭，奏秋郊大獵、哨鹿二賦，稱旨。十四年，直南書房，授禮部侍郎，調工部。十五年，命軍機處行走。十六年，土默特貝子哈木噶巴雅斯朗圖不按原議年限驅種地流民，命綸偕侍讀學士麒麟保往勘。六月，疏言：「出口民價典旗地，應遵原議三年、五年限外撤還原主。其領地耕種為佃戶，受僱力作為傭工，皆浮寄謀生，初無佔地意，應許力耕餬口。至領地墾荒，積累辛勤，始得成熟，不同價典，年滿先還原主。所需自種地有贏，仍給種以償前勞。木頭城、三座塔居人稠密，許照常居住。設三座塔巡檢一，資彈壓。」詔從其議。父憂歸。服闋，十八年，除戶部侍郎。

Liu Lun, whose style name was Weihan, came from Wujin in Jiangsu. As a boy he was brilliant; at six he could compose essays, and as an adult he excelled at classical prose. In 1736, nominated from the government school for the erudition examination, he placed first and was appointed compiler. He helped compile the Veritable Records of the Yongzheng Emperor, rose to expositor, and became vice minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. After four promotions he was made grand secretary. In 1747 he accompanied the emperor to Mulan and presented rhapsodies on the autumn hunt and whistle-hunting that pleased the throne. In 1749 he served in the Southern Study, was made vice minister of rites, then transferred to the ministry of works. In 1750 he was assigned to the Grand Council. In 1751 the Tumed prince Hamigabayaslangtu failed to remove tenant farmers from seed land within the agreed term; Liu Lun was sent with reader-in-waiting Qilinbao to investigate. In the sixth month he reported that Han commoners who mortgaged banner land beyond the pass should return it after the agreed three- or five-year limits. Tenants and hired laborers on banner estates were merely sojourners seeking livelihood without intent to seize land and should be allowed to farm for subsistence. Land opened on banner estates through years of labor differed from mortgaged plots and should revert to the owner when terms expired. If self-cultivated surplus remained, seed grain should compensate prior labor. The densely settled areas of Mutoucheng and Santa were permitted to remain inhabited as before. A Santa inspector was appointed to maintain order." The emperor approved his recommendations. He returned home to mourn his father. After mourning, in 1753 he was appointed vice minister of revenue.

十九年，兼順天府尹。故事，順天府公牘，治中、通判不署名。綸請以錢穀屬治中，獄訟屬通判，先署牘呈尹可否之。大軍西征準噶爾，師行，役車供偫，壹切辦治無誤。二十年，準噶爾平，予獎敘。浙江按察使富勒渾劾巡撫鄂樂舜授意布政使同德勒派商銀，命綸如浙江偕兩江總督尹繼善等會訊。二十一年，覆奏鄂樂舜受銀屬實，擬絞候；同德未知情；富勒渾誣劾，擬杖流。上以富勒渾參款已實，不應議罪，責綸等失當。部議奪官，有旨從寬留任，罷直軍機處。二十二年，命仍入直。二十四年六月，奏薊州、寶坻等縣蝻子萌動，州縣官事繁，督捕未能周遍，飭千總、外委同佐雜分捕，參將偕監司巡察勤惰，報可。進左都御史。二十五年，偕侍郎伊祿順赴西安勘將軍嵩阿禮剋兵糧、勒餽送等款，得實，論如律。二十六年，進兵部尚書。二十八年，調戶部，協辦大學士，加太子太保。三十年，母憂歸。甫除喪，詔起吏部尚書，仍協辦大學士。三十六年，授文淵閣大學士，兼工部尚書。三十八年，卒，命皇子臨其喪，贈太子太傅，祀賢良祠，諡文定。

In 1754 he was given concurrent charge as Shuntian metropolitan magistrate. By precedent Shuntian documents did not bear the assistant prefect's or vice prefect's signatures. Liu Lun proposed assigning grain taxes to the assistant prefect and lawsuits to the vice prefect, who would sign drafts for the magistrate's approval. When the army marched west against Dzungaria, he supplied transport and provisions without a hitch. In 1755, after the pacification of Dzungaria, he received a merit commendation. When Zhejiang surveillance commissioner Fulehun impeached Governor Eleshun for instructing Provincial Treasurer Tongdele to levy merchant silver, Liu Lun was sent to Zhejiang to investigate jointly with Liangjiang Governor-General Yin Jishan and others. In 1756 they reported Eleshun's taking of silver substantiated and proposed deferred strangulation; Tongdele was found unaware of the scheme; Fulehun's impeachment was deemed false and he was proposed for beating and exile. The emperor held Fulehun's charges substantiated and should not be punished, rebuking Liu Lun and others for error. The ministry proposed stripping his office; the emperor showed leniency and kept him in post but removed him from the Grand Council. In 1757 he was ordered back to the Grand Council. In the sixth month of 1759 he reported locust nymphs hatching in Jizhou and Baodi; with county officials overburdened, he ordered company commanders and deputies to divide capture duties and regional commanders with surveillance officials to inspect diligence; the plan was approved. He was promoted to left censor-in-chief. In 1760, with Vice Minister Yilushun, he investigated Xi'an General Song'a for embezzling military grain and extorting gifts; the charges were proved and Song'a was sentenced by law. In 1761 he was promoted to minister of war. In 1763 he was transferred to the ministry of revenue, made associate grand secretary, and given the title Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent. In 1765 he returned home to mourn his mother. Just as mourning ended, an edict recalled him as minister of personnel and associate grand secretary. In 1771 he was appointed grand secretary of the Hall of Literary Depths with concurrent charge as minister of works. In 1773 he died; princes were ordered to attend his funeral; he was posthumously granted Junior Preceptor of the Heir Apparent, enshrined in the Shrine of Worthies, and given the posthumous name Wending.

綸性至孝，親喪三年不御酒肉。直軍機處十年，與大學士劉統勳同輔政，有「南劉東劉」之稱。器度端凝，不見有喜慍色。出入殿門，進止有恆處。自工部侍郎歸，買宅數楹。後服官二十年，未嘗益一椽半甓。衣履垢敝不改作，朝必盛服，曰：「不敢褻朝章也！」侍郎王昶充軍機處章京，嘗嚴冬有急奏具草，夜半詣綸，綸起燃燭，操筆點定。寒甚，呼家人具酒脯，而廚傳已空，僅得白棗十數枚侑酒。其清儉類此。校士尤矜慎，嘗曰：「衡文始難在取，繼難在去。文佳劣相近，一去取間於我甚易，獨不為士子計乎？」較量分寸，輒至夜分不伴奏倦。文法六朝，根柢漢、魏；於詩喜明高啟，謂能入唐人門閾。

Liu Lun was deeply filial, abstaining from wine and meat throughout the three-year mourning period. After ten years on the Grand Council assisting government alongside Grand Secretary Liu Tongxun, they were known as "the southern Liu and the eastern Liu." His bearing was dignified and steady, and neither joy nor anger ever showed on his face. When entering and leaving the palace hall, he always took the same fixed route. When he retired from the vice ministership of works, he bought a modest house of a few bays. Over the next twenty years in office he never added so much as a rafter or half a tile. Though his clothes and shoes were worn and soiled, he would not have them replaced; for court he always wore full dress, saying, "I dare not slight the insignia of office!" Vice Minister Wang Chang, serving as a Grand Council clerk, once brought an urgent memorial draft on a bitter winter night; Liu Lun rose at midnight, lit a candle, and edited it with his brush. It was bitterly cold, and he asked his household for wine and dried meat, but the larder was bare—he could offer only a dozen white jujubes to go with the wine. His austerity and frugality were typical of this sort. In examining candidates he was especially strict and careful, and once said, "Evaluating examination essays is hard first in choosing whom to pass, and harder still in choosing whom to fail. When essays differ only slightly in quality, passing or failing them is easy for the examiner—but should one not consider what that means for the candidates?" Weighing every fine distinction, he often worked until midnight without showing fatigue. In prose he modeled himself on the Six Dynasties, with foundations in the Han and Wei. In poetry he admired the Ming poet Gao Qi, holding that he had crossed the threshold into Tang-level mastery.

子躍雲，字服先。乾隆三十一年進士及第，授編修。累遷禮部侍郎。六十年，充會試副考官，以校閱失當下吏議，左遷奉天府府丞，罷歸。嘉慶四年，召為大理寺少卿，遷工部侍郎。上御門，躍雲誤班未至，左遷內閣學士。复授兵部侍郎。休致，卒。殿試例糊名，躍雲對策，高宗親置上第，喜曰：「此劉綸子，不意朕竟得之！」及視學江西，有清名。高宗意鄉用，以忤和珅，主會試，坐浮言，黜。仁宗召起，老矣，終不竟其用。子逢祿，見儒林傳。

His son Liu Yueyun, whose style name was Fuxian. In 1766 he passed the jinshi examination and was appointed a Hanlin compiler. He rose in succession to vice minister of rites. In 1795 he served as associate chief examiner of the metropolitan examination; for improper grading he was referred for investigation, demoted to assistant prefect of Fengtian Prefecture, and sent home. In 1799 he was recalled as vice minister of the Court of Judicial Review and soon promoted to vice minister of works. When the emperor held gate audience, Liu Yueyun was absent from his proper place in the ranks and was demoted to grand secretary. He was later reappointed vice minister of war. He retired from office and died. Palace examination papers were normally submitted under sealed names; when Liu Yueyun answered the policy questions, the Qianlong Emperor personally ranked him at the top and said with delight, "This is Liu Lun's son—I never expected I would get him!" As provincial education commissioner in Jiangxi, he earned a reputation for integrity. The Qianlong Emperor had intended to appoint him to provincial service, but after he offended Heshen and chaired the metropolitan examination, he was dismissed on a charge of spreading rumors. The Jiaqing Emperor recalled him to office, but he was already old and never fully used again. His son Fenglu is recorded in the Biographies of Scholars.

劉統勳，字延清，山東諸城人。父棨，官四川布政使。統勳，雍正二年進士，選庶吉士，授編修。先後直南書房、上書房，四遷至詹事。乾隆元年，擢內閣學士。命從大學士嵇曾筠赴浙江學習海塘工程。二年，授刑部侍郎，留浙江。三年，還朝。四年，母憂歸。六年，授刑部侍郎。服闋，詣京師。

Liu Tongxun, whose style name was Yanqing, came from Zhucheng in Shandong. His father Qi served as financial commissioner of Sichuan. Liu Tongxun earned his jinshi degree in 1724, entered the Hanlin Academy as a bachelor, and was appointed compiler. He served successively in the Southern Study and Upper Study and, after four promotions, became tutor to the heir apparent. In 1736 he was promoted to grand secretary. He was ordered to accompany Grand Secretary Ji Zengyun to Zhejiang to study sea-dike construction. In 1737 he was appointed vice minister of justice and remained in Zhejiang. In 1738 he returned to the capital. In 1739 he returned home to observe mourning for his mother. In 1741 he was appointed vice minister of justice. When his mourning period ended, he proceeded to the capital.

擢左都御史。疏言：「大學士張廷玉歷事三朝，遭逢極盛，然晚節當慎，責備恆多。竊聞輿論，動雲'張、姚二姓佔半部縉紳'，張氏登仕版者，有張廷璐等十九人，姚氏與張氏世婚，仕宦者姚孔鋹等十人。二姓本桐城巨族，其得官或自科目薦舉，或起襲廕議敘，日增月益。今未能遽議裁汰，惟稍抑其遷除之路，使之戒滿引嫌，即所以保全而造就之也。請自今三年內，非特旨擢用，概停升轉。」又言：「尚書公訥親年未強仕，綜理吏、戶兩部。典宿衛，贊中樞，兼以出納王言，時蒙召對。屬官奔走恐後，同僚亦爭避其鋒。部中議覆事件，或輾轉駁詰，或過目不留，出一言而勢在必行，定一稿而限逾積日，殆非懷謙集益之道。請加訓示，俾知省改。其所司事，或量行裁減，免曠廢之虞。」兩疏入，上諭曰：「朕思張廷玉、訥親若果擅作威福，劉統勳必不敢為此奏。今既有此奏，則二臣並無聲勢能箝制僚寀可知，此國家之祥也。大臣任大責重，原不能免人指摘。聞過則喜，古人所尚。若有幾微芥蒂於胸臆間，則非大臣之度矣。大學士張廷玉親族甚眾，因而登仕籍者亦多。今一經察議，人知謹飭，轉於廷玉有益。訥親為尚書，固不當模棱推諉，但治事或有未協，朕時加教誨，誡令毋自滿足。今見此奏，益當自勉。至職掌太多，如有可減，侯朕裁定。」尋命以統勳疏宣示廷臣。

He was promoted to left censor-in-chief. He memorialized: "Grand Secretary Zhang Tingyu has served three reigns at the height of imperial favor, yet in his later years he should be cautious, for criticism of him is frequent. I have heard it said that 'the Zhang and Yao clans occupy half the ministry's gentry ranks'; nineteen Zhangs hold office, including Zhang Tinglu, and ten Yaos, intermarried with the Zhangs for generations, including Yao Kongqiang. Both were great Tongcheng clans whose members entered office through examinations, recommendations, or inherited privilege, their numbers growing steadily. They cannot be abruptly purged, but restraining their promotions would teach them restraint and withdrawal when propriety demands it—and thus preserve and cultivate them. I ask that for the next three years, except by special edict, all their promotions and transfers be suspended." He also wrote: "Minister Ne Qin is still young, yet he supervises both the ministries of personnel and revenue. He oversees the palace guard, assists the central administration, transmits imperial instructions, and is frequently summoned for private audience. Subordinates scrambled to obey him, and colleagues competed to avoid crossing him. Ministry business was sometimes sent back repeatedly for revision or dismissed without review; a single word from him became mandatory, and deadlines piled up—hardly the way of humble consultation and collective judgment. I ask that he be admonished so that he may reflect and reform. Some of his responsibilities might be reduced as appropriate, lest overextension lead to neglect." When both memorials arrived, the emperor said: "If Zhang Tingyu and Ne Qin truly abused their power, Liu Tongxun would never have dared submit these memorials. That these memorials were submitted shows neither minister could suppress his colleagues—a good sign for the state. Great ministers bear heavy burdens and cannot escape criticism. Rejoicing when one's faults are pointed out is what the ancients valued. If the slightest resentment lodges in one's heart, one lacks the measure of a great minister. Grand Secretary Zhang Tingyu has a large extended family, and many kinsmen hold office. Now that this scrutiny has occurred, people will know to be careful— which will benefit Zhang Tingyu. Ne Qin as minister should not be evasive, but if his handling of affairs falls short, I constantly instruct and warn him against self-satisfaction. Seeing this memorial, he should redouble his efforts. If any of his duties can be reduced, I shall decide." The emperor soon ordered Liu Tongxun's memorial read to the court.

命勘海塘。十一年，署漕運總督。還京。十三年，命同大學士高斌按山東賑務，並勘河道。時運河盛漲，統勳請濬聊城引河，分運河水注海。德州哨馬營、東平戴村二壩，皆改令低，沂州江楓口二壩，俟秋後培高，俾水有所洩。遷工部尚書，兼翰林院掌院學士，改刑部尚書。十七年，命軍機處行走。十八年，以江南邵伯湖減水二閘及高郵車邏壩決，命偕署尚書策楞往按。合疏言河員虧帑誤工，詔奪河督高斌、協辦河務巡撫張師載職，窮治侵帑諸吏。九月，銅山小店汛河決，統勳疏論同知李焞、守備張賓呈報稽誤。上以焞、賓平日侵帑，聞且窮治，自知罪重，河漲任其衝決，立命誅之，並縶斌、師載令視行刑。統勳駐銅山督塞河，十二月，工成。統勳偕策楞疏陳稽察工料諸事，詔如所議行。大學士陳世倌疏言黃河入海，套櫃增多，致壅塞，命統勳往勘。統勳疏言：「海口舊在雲梯關，今海退河淤，增長百餘裡，櫃套均在七曲港上，河流無所阻遏。」上又命清察江南河工未結諸案，統勳疏言未結款一百一十一萬有奇，請定限核報。又以河道總督顧琮請於祥符、滎澤諸縣建壩，並濬引河，命統勳往勘。統勳議擇地培堤壩，引河上無來源，中經沙地，易淤墊，當罷，上從之。

He was ordered to inspect the sea dikes. In 1746 he served as acting director-general of grain transport. He returned to the capital. In 1748 he was ordered, with Grand Secretary Gao Bin, to oversee Shandong famine relief and inspect river works. The Grand Canal was then at flood stage; Liu Tongxun proposed dredging the Liaocheng diversion channel to split canal water toward the sea. The dams at Shaomaying in Dezhou and Daicun in Dongping were lowered; those at Jiangfengkou in Yizhou were to be raised after autumn so water could drain. He was made minister of works and chief Hanlin academician, then transferred to minister of justice. In 1752 he was assigned to the Grand Council. In 1753, after sluice gates at Shaobo Lake and the Che'er dam in Gaoyou burst, he was sent with Acting Minister Celen to investigate. They jointly reported that river officials had embezzled funds and botched the work; the emperor stripped River Director Gao Bin and assisting governor Zhang Shizai of their posts and prosecuted the embezzlers. In the ninth month the river burst at Xiaodian station in Tongshan; Liu Tongxun reported that Sub-Prefect Li Chun and Garrison Commander Zhang Bin had delayed their reports. The emperor, knowing Li Chun and Zhang Bin had long embezzled funds and, hearing prosecution was imminent, had let the flood break through unchecked, immediately ordered their execution and bound Gao Bin and Zhang Shizai to witness it. Liu Tongxun remained at Tongshan to supervise the repair; the work was completed in the twelfth month. Liu Tongxun and Celen reported on auditing labor and materials; the emperor approved their proposals. Grand Secretary Chen Shigu reported that sediment bars at the Yellow River's mouth were causing blockage; Liu Tongxun was ordered to investigate. Liu Tongxun reported: "The river mouth was once at Yuntiguan; the sea has since receded and the river silted up over a hundred li; sediment bars lie above Qiqu Harbor, and the current is unobstructed." The emperor also ordered an audit of unsettled Jiangnan river-work accounts; Liu Tongxun reported over 1.11 million taels outstanding and asked for a deadline to settle them. When River Director Gu Zong proposed building dams in Xiangfu, Xingze, and other counties and dredging diversion channels, Liu Tongxun was sent to inspect. Liu Tongxun approved building embankments and dams but rejected the diversion channel, which had no upstream source and would silt up in sandy terrain; the emperor agreed.

十九年，加太子太傅。五月，命協辦陝甘總督，賜孔雀翎。時方用兵準噶爾，統勳請自神木至巴里坤設站一百二十五，並裁度易馬、運糧諸事，命如所議速行。二十年，廷議駐兵巴里坤、哈密，命察勘。統勳至巴里坤，阿睦爾撒納叛，攻伊犁，伊犁將軍班第死事，未得報。定西將軍永常自木壘引師退，統勳疏請還守哈密。上責其附和永常，置班第於不問，命並永常奪職，逮治。其子墉亦奪職，與在京諸子皆下刑部獄，籍其家。旋上怒解，諭：「統勳所司者糧餉馬駝，軍行進止，將軍責也。設令模棱之人緘默不言，轉可不至獲罪。是其言雖謬，心尚可原。永常尚不知死綏，何怪於統勳？統勳在漢大臣中尚奮往任事，從寬免罪，發往軍營交班第等令治軍需贖罪。」釋其諸子。

In 1754 he was granted the title of Junior Preceptor of the Heir Apparent. In the fifth month he was assigned to assist the governor-general of Shaanxi-Gansu and was granted a peacock feather. With war underway against the Dzungars, Liu Tongxun proposed establishing 125 relay stations from Shenmu to Barkol and arranging horse exchange and grain transport; the emperor ordered immediate implementation. In 1755 the court debated garrisoning Barkol and Hami; Liu Tongxun was ordered to survey the sites. When Liu Tongxun reached Barkol, Amursana rebelled and attacked Ili; Ili General Ban Di had died in battle, though the news had not yet arrived. Dingxi General Yongchang withdrew his army from Mori; Liu Tongxun memorialized proposing to fall back and hold Hami. The emperor rebuked him for echoing Yongchang and ignoring Ban Di's fate, stripped both men of office, and ordered their arrest. His son Liu Yong was also stripped of office; all his sons in the capital were imprisoned in the ministry of justice, and the family property was confiscated. The emperor's anger soon eased, and he said: "Liu Tongxun was responsible for grain, pay, horses, and camels; troop movements were the general's responsibility. An equivocal man who kept silent might never have been punished. Though his advice was wrong, his motives may be forgiven. Yongchang did not yet know Ban Di had died defending his post—how could Liu Tongxun be blamed? Among Han ministers Liu Tongxun still showed bold initiative; he was leniently pardoned and sent to the army camp under Ban Di and others to manage military supplies in atonement." His sons were released.

二十一年六月，授刑部尚書。尋命勘銅山縣孫家集漫工，解總河富勒赫任，即命統勳暫攝。是冬，工竟。二十二年，命赴徐州督修近城石壩，加太子太保。二十三年，調吏部尚書。二十四年，命協辦大學士。二十六年，拜東閣大學士，兼管禮部、兵部。八月，偕協辦大學士兆惠查勘河南楊橋漫工。十二月，工竟。二十七年，上南巡，復命偕兆惠勘高、寶河湖入江路，疏請開引河，擇地築閘壩。上諭謂：「所議甚合朕意。」又以直隸景州被水，命勘德州運河，疏請移吏董理四女寺、哨馬營兩引河，毋使淤閼。二十八年，充上書房總師傅，兼管刑部，教習庶吉士。三十三年，命往江南酌定清口疏濬事宜。三十四年，复勘疏運河。

In the sixth month of 1756 he was appointed minister of justice. He was soon ordered to inspect flood-control work at Sunjiaji in Tongshan County; Grand Canal Director Fulehe was dismissed and Liu Tongxun was appointed acting director-general. The work was completed that winter. In 1757 he was ordered to Xuzhou to supervise repair of the city stone dam and was granted the title of Senior Preceptor of the Heir Apparent. In 1758 he was transferred to minister of personnel. In 1759 he was appointed assistant grand secretary. In 1761 he was made grand secretary of the Eastern Pavilion with concurrent charge of the ministries of rites and war. In the eighth month he joined Assistant Grand Secretary Zhaohui in inspecting flood-control work at Yangqiao in Henan. The project was finished in the twelfth month. In year 27, during the emperor's southern tour, he was again ordered to join Zhaohui in surveying how the Gao and Bao rivers flow into the Yangtze route. They memorialized requesting the excavation of a diversion channel and the construction of sluice gates and dams at a suitable site. The emperor said, "Your proposal matches my thinking perfectly." Because Jing Prefecture in Zhili had been inundated, he was also ordered to inspect the Grand Canal at Dezhou and memorialized that officials be reassigned to manage the Sinüsi and Shaomaying diversion channels, so they would not silt shut. In year 28 he became Chief Tutor of the Upper Study, concurrently headed the Ministry of Punishments, and tutored Hanlin probationers. In year 33 he was sent to Jiangnan to settle plans for dredging at Qingkou. In year 34 he conducted another survey and dredging of the Grand Canal.

三十八年十一月，卒。是日夜漏盡，入朝，至東華門外，輿微側，啟帷則已瞑。上聞，遣尚書福隆安齎藥馳視，已無及。贈太傅，祀賢良祠，諡文正。上臨其喪，見其儉素，為之慟。回蹕至乾清門，流涕謂諸臣曰：「朕失一股肱！」既而曰：「如統勳乃不愧真宰相。」

He died in the eleventh month of year 38. That very night, after the final watch, he set out for court. Outside the East Flowery Gate his sedan tilted slightly; when attendants lifted the curtain, he was already dead. On hearing this, the emperor sent Minister Fu Long'an with medicine posthaste, but it was too late. He was posthumously made Grand Tutor, honored in the Shrine of Worthy Officials, and given the posthumous title Wenzheng ("Upright in Letters"). The emperor attended the funeral and, struck by its austerity, wept for him. On returning through the Gate of Heavenly Purity, he wept and told his ministers, "I have lost one of my chief supports!" Then he added, "Only someone like Tongxun truly deserves the name of prime minister."

統勳歲出按事，如廣東按糧驛道明福違禁折收，如雲南按總督恆文、巡撫郭一裕假上貢抑屬吏賤值巿金，如山西按布政使蔣洲抑屬吏補虧帑，如陝西按西安將軍都賚侵餉，如歸化城按將軍保德等侵帑，如蘇州按布政使蘇崇阿誤論書吏侵帑，如江西按巡撫阿思哈受賕，皆論如律。其視楊橋漫工也，河吏以芻茭不給為辭，月餘事未集。統勳微行，見大小車載芻茭凡數百輛，皆弛裝困臥。有泣者，問之，則主者索賄未遂，置而不收也。即令縛主者至，數其罪，將斬之。巡撫以下為固請，乃杖而荷校以徇，薪芻一夕收立盡。踰月工遂竟。方金川用兵，統勳屢議撤兵，及木果木軍覆，上方駐熱河，統勳留京治事，天暑甚，以兼上書房總師傅，檢視諸皇子日課。廷寄急召，比入對，上曰：「昨軍報至，木果木軍覆，溫福死綏。朕煩懣無計，用兵乎，抑撤兵乎？」統勳對曰：「日前兵可撤，今則斷不可撤。」復問誰可任者，統勳頓首曰：「臣料阿桂必能了此事。」上曰：「朕正欲專任阿桂，特召卿決之。卿意與合，事必濟矣。」即日令還京師。戶部疏論諸行省州縣倉庫多空缺，上欲盡罷州縣吏不職者，而以筆帖式等官代之。召統勳諭意，且曰：「朕思之三日矣，汝意云何？」統勳默不言。上詰責，統勳徐曰：「聖聰思至三日，臣昏耄，誠不敢遽對，容退而熟審之。」翌日入對，頓首言曰：「州縣治百姓者也，當使身為百姓者為之。」語未竟，上曰：「然。」事遂寢。上為懷舊詩，列五閣臣中，稱其「神敏剛勁，終身不失其正」云。子二：墉、堪。

On his annual inspection tours, Tongxun prosecuted every case to the letter of the law: in Guangdong, grain transport courier director Ming Fu for unlawful discount collections; in Yunnan, Governor-General Heng Wen and Governor Guo Yiyu for using imperial tribute as a pretext to force subordinates to sell gold cheaply; in Shanxi, Provincial Administration Commissioner Jiang Zhou for extorting subordinates to cover treasury deficits; in Shaanxi, Xi'an General Du Lai for seizing military stipends; at Guihuacheng, General Baode and others for treasury embezzlement; in Suzhou, Provincial Administration Commissioner Su Chong'a for wrongfully convicting clerks of embezzlement; in Jiangxi, Governor Asiha for bribery—all were punished according to law. While overseeing the Yang Bridge levee project, river officials claimed for over a month that they lacked fodder, and the work remained unfinished. Dressing as a commoner, Tongxun found hundreds of carts laden with fodder, their drivers sleeping off their exhaustion with harnesses slack. One driver was weeping. Asked why, he said the receiving officer had demanded a bribe, and when it was not paid, refused to accept the load. Tongxun had the officer bound, listed his crimes, and was ready to execute him. The governor and others pleaded desperately, so Tongxun had the man beaten and paraded in the cangue instead; all the fodder was accepted and cleared overnight. Within a month the project was finished. During the Jinchuan campaign Tongxun had repeatedly urged withdrawal. When the army was wiped out at Mugemu, the emperor was at Rehe while Tongxun remained in Beijing to govern. In the sweltering heat, while also serving as Chief Tutor of the Upper Study, he inspected the princes' daily coursework. An urgent palace summons arrived. When Tongxun came before the emperor, the emperor said, "Yesterday's dispatch reported the army destroyed at Mugemu and Wen Fu killed in battle. I am anguished and see no way forward—do we fight on, or pull back?" Tongxun answered, "Before, withdrawal might have been possible; now it is absolutely out of the question." Asked who could take command, Tongxun kowtowed and said, "I believe A Gui is the man to finish this." The emperor said, "I was already set on putting A Gui solely in charge—I summoned you especially to confirm it. Your judgment matches mine; the matter will surely succeed." That same day A Gui was ordered back to Beijing. The Ministry of Revenue reported widespread empty granaries and treasury shortfalls across the provinces. The emperor wanted to remove all incompetent local officials and replace them with bithesi and similar functionaries. He summoned Tongxun to explain his plan and said, "I have been thinking about this for three days. What do you think?" Tongxun said nothing. When the emperor pressed him, Tongxun replied carefully, "Your Majesty has pondered this for three days; I am old and dull and dare not answer rashly. Allow me to withdraw and think it through." The next day he kowtowed and said, "Prefectures and counties exist to govern the people—they should be run by men who are of the people themselves." Before he could finish, the emperor said, "Exactly." The proposal was dropped. In a nostalgic poem listing the five Grand Secretaries, the emperor praised him as "keen and unyielding, never once losing his integrity to the end of his days." He had two sons, Yong and Kan.

墉，字崇如，乾隆十六年進士，自編修再遷侍講。二十年，統勳得罪，並奪墉官下獄，事解，賞編修，督安徽學政。疏請州縣約束貢監，責令察優劣。督江蘇學政，疏言府縣吏自瞻顧，畏刁民，畏生監，兼畏吏胥，闒冘怠玩。上嘉其知政體，飭兩江總督尹繼善等淬厲除舊習。授山西太原知府，擢冀寧道。以官知府時失察僚屬侵帑，發軍台效力。逾年釋還，命在修書處行走。旋推統勳恩，命仍以知府用，授江蘇江寧知府，有清名。再遷陝西按察使。丁父憂，服闋，授內閣學士，直南書房。遷戶部、吏部侍郎。授湖南巡撫，遷左都御史，仍直南書房。命偕尚書和珅如山東按巡撫國泰貪縱狀，得實，授工部尚書，充上書房總師傅。署直隸總督，授協辦大學士。五十四年，以諸皇子師傅久不入書房，降為侍郎銜。尋授內閣學士，三遷吏部尚書。嘉慶二年，授體仁閣大學士。命偕尚書慶桂如山東讞獄，並按行河決，疏請寬濬下游。四年，加太子少保。疏陳漕政，僉丁不慎，途中盜米，致有鑿舟自沉，或鬻及檣舵，舟存而不可用，請飭各行省僉丁宜求殷實，皆如所議行。九年，卒，年八十五，贈太子太保，祀賢良祠，諡文清。墉工書，有名於時。

Yong, styled Chongru, became a jinshi in Qianlong 16 and rose from Compiler to Lecturer. In year 20, when Tongxun fell from favor, Yong was stripped of rank and imprisoned. After the case closed he was restored as Compiler and appointed Educational Commissioner of Anhui. He memorialized urging prefectures and counties to rein in tribute students and licentiates and to inspect their conduct. As Jiangsu Educational Commissioner, he reported that local officials looked out only for themselves, fearing troublemakers, licentiates, and even their own clerks—growing slack and indifferent. The emperor applauded his grasp of good governance and ordered Governor-General Yin Jishan of the Two Jiangs and others to root out these entrenched habits. He was made Prefect of Taiyuan, Shanxi, then promoted to Circuit Intendant of Jining. While serving as prefect he failed to detect subordinates' embezzlement and was sentenced to penal service on the military courier route. A year later he was released and assigned to the imperial book-compilation office. Soon, through his father's credit, he was restored as a prefect and appointed to Jiangning in Jiangsu, where he earned a name for probity. He was later promoted to Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Shaanxi. After mourning his father, he became a Grand Secretariat Academician and served in the Southern Study. He rose to Vice Minister of Revenue and Vice Minister of Personnel. He became Governor of Hunan, then Censor-in-Chief of the Left, continuing to serve in the Southern Study. Ordered with Minister Heshen to Shandong to investigate Governor Guotai's corruption and excess, the charges were confirmed. He was then made Minister of Works and Chief Tutor of the Upper Study. He served as acting Governor-General of Zhili and was made Associate Grand Secretary. In year 54 he was demoted to Vice Minister rank for long neglecting his duties as the princes' tutor in the study. He was soon restored as a Grand Secretariat Academician and later thrice promoted to Minister of Personnel. In Jiaqing 2 he became Grand Secretary of the Tiren Pavilion. He was sent with Minister Qing Gui to Shandong to review cases and inspect river breaches, memorializing for broader dredging downstream. In year 4 he was made Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent. He memorialized on grain transport: careless hired boatmen stole grain along the route, sometimes scuttling boats or selling off masts and rudders until vessels survived but could not sail. He urged provinces to hire only reliable men—all measures were adopted. He died in year 9 at eighty-five, posthumously honored as Senior Guardian of the Heir Apparent, enshrined in the Shrine of Worthy Officials, and given the posthumous title Wenqing ("Pure in Letters"). Yong was an accomplished calligrapher renowned in his day.

鐶之，統勳次子堪之子也。乾隆四十四年進士。自檢討累遷至戶部尚書，兼領順天府府尹。嘉慶二十二年，上自熱河還京師，鐶之入見。上以順天府奏事稀、捕教匪不時得詰，鐶之不能對，但言方旱災不敢急捕賊。上又問賑災當設粥廠幾所、需米若干，鐶之又不能對。上降旨責其玩愒，命以侍郎候補。复累遷吏部尚書，加太子少保。道光元年，卒，諡文恭。

Huanzhi was the son of Kan, Tongxun's second son. He became a jinshi in Qianlong 44. Rising from Proofreader, he eventually became Minister of Revenue while also serving as Prefect of Shuntian. In Jiaqing 22, when the emperor returned from Rehe to Beijing, Huanzhi was summoned to audience. The emperor pressed him on Shuntian's infrequent reports and failure to catch White Lotus rebels promptly. Huanzhi had no answer, pleading only that drought made aggressive policing imprudent. Asked how many relief kitchens were needed and how much rice they would require, Huanzhi again had nothing to say. The emperor rebuked his negligence and demoted him to reserve Vice Minister rank. He was later reinstated and rose again to Minister of Personnel, with the rank of Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent. He died in Daoguang 1 and was posthumously titled Wengong ("Respectful in Letters").

論曰：明內閣主旨擬，承旨撰敕，其在唐、宋，特知制誥之職。以王命所出入，密勿獻替，遂號為宰相。軍機處制與相類。世謂大學士非兼軍機處，不得為真宰相。勝此任者，非以其慎密，則以其通敏。慎密則不洩，通敏則不滯，不滯不洩，樞機之責盡矣。本，世宗舊臣，由敦、來保、綸、統勳次第入直。由敦左遷而未罷直，統勳罷而復入，尤以決疑定計見契於高宗，許為有古大臣風，亮哉！

Commentary: The Ming Grand Secretariat chiefly drafted rescripts and composed edicts on imperial order—roles that in Tang and Song amounted to little more than drafters of proclamations. Because imperial commands flowed through them and they offered confidential counsel at the sovereign's side, they came to be styled prime ministers. The Grand Council operated along similar lines. It was commonly held that a Grand Secretary who did not also serve in the Grand Council was no true prime minister. Men who excelled in this office did so either through discretion or through quick-wittedness. Discretion prevented leaks; quick-wittedness prevented bottlenecks. Where there was neither delay nor disclosure, the duties of the pivot were fully met. This section treats Yongzheng's veteran ministers: You Dun, Laibao, Lun, and Tongxun, who entered imperial service in turn. You Dun was demoted yet kept his place in the inner circle; Tongxun was dismissed but returned. Above all, Tongxun won Emperor Gaozong's trust by resolving doubts and fixing strategy—a man said to bear the air of the great ministers of old. Admirable indeed!

Cite this Chapter