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列傳一百五十二
Biography 152
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Jueluo Baoxing, the imperial clansmen Jingzheng and Xi'en, Chen Guanjun, and Zhuo Bingtian
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Jueluo Baoxing (style name Xianshan) belonged to the Bordered Yellow Banner. He took his jinshi degree in Jiaqing 15 (1810), entered the Hanlin as a bachelor, and was appointed a compiler. He rose step by step to vice chamberlain of the Hanlin Academy and was assigned to the Upper Study on standing duty. In Jiaqing 18 (1813), while the Jiaqing Emperor was at Rehe, Lin Qing's rebels broke into the Forbidden City. Baoxing was between shifts; at the East Flowery Gate he ran into the assailants and dashed inside to sound the alarm. The future Daoguang Emperor was in the Upper Study; once the warning spread, the palace was put on guard and the rebels were thwarted. After the emperor returned to Beijing, Baoxing was promoted to Grand Secretariat academician. In Jiaqing 19 (1814) he was made vice minister of Rites. He later offended the throne on another matter; an edict called him unlearned, demoted him to president of the Court of Judicial Review, and stripped him of Upper Study duty. He was penalized again when regulations his ministry published for the civil service examinations named 'Gaozu' instead of 'Gaozong'; he dropped two ranks and was reassigned. Shortly afterward he received the rank of third-class imperial bodyguard and was sent as the Turpan expedition commissioner.
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道光二年，召為大理寺少卿。 復因事降通政司參議，歷左副都御史、兵部侍郎，出為泰宁鎮總兵。 八年，授理籓院侍郎，調兵部。 迭命偕戶部尚書王鼎察治長蘆、兩淮鹽務，籌議整頓，詳王鼎傳。 十年，出為吉林將軍，疏言：「松花江西岸、輝發河北岸舊例封禁，其餘閒曠山場均設卡倫，惟許兵丁打捕牲畜，以備貢品。 民人無照，私出挖蓡斫木者，查拏治罪。」 又言：「伯都訥珠爾山荒田先後開墾五千二百六十二晌，其租息請自道光十五年為始，以其半分賞兵丁，半存備報修工程。 此外尚有可墾荒地五萬六千餘晌，作為官荒，將來奏請招佃徵租。 烏拉涼水泉已墾七萬三千九百餘晌，請撥二道河東二萬晌，以七成給烏拉總管衙門，三成給協領衙門，資為津貼。 餘未墾地五萬三千餘晌，亦作官荒。」 並從之。 調盛京，又調成都。
In Daoguang 2 (1822) he was recalled to serve as vice president of the Court of Judicial Review. After another demotion he became a secretary in the Office of Transmission, then Left Vice Censor-in-chief and vice minister of War, before leaving the capital as commanding general of Taining. In Daoguang 8 (1828) he was made vice president of the Lifan Court, then transferred to the Ministry of War. He was repeatedly ordered, together with Wang Ding of the Ministry of Revenue, to investigate salt affairs at Changlu and the Huai region and propose reforms; see Wang Ding's biography. In Daoguang 10 (1830) he was posted General of Jilin. He memorialized: "Lands west of the Songhua and north of the Huifa had long been under closure edicts, while other vacant hills were patrolled by guard posts and only garrison troops might hunt for tribute game. Anyone without a license who ventured out to dig ginseng or harvest timber was to be arrested and punished." He also asked: "Rents from 5,262 shang of reclaimed wasteland at Boduna Zhuer Mountain should begin in Daoguang 15 (1835), with half disbursed to the troops and half banked for maintenance projects. Another 56,000-odd shang of reclaimable land should be held as official wasteland until the court could approve tenant settlement and taxation. At Wula's Liangshui Spring some 73,900 shang were already under cultivation; he proposed setting aside 20,000 shang east of the Second River—seventy percent to the Wula commandant and thirty percent to the assistant commandant—as stipends. The remaining 53,000-plus shang not yet opened would likewise remain official wasteland." The throne approved everything. He was transferred first to Shengjing, then to Chengdu.
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十七年，署四川總督，逾年實授。 時馬邊、越巂邊外夷匪數出為患。 十九年，疏言：「禦邊之策，不外剿、撫、防三者，撫之之道，在施於平時，斷無失利之後轉而就撫之理。 比來勞師糜餉，迄無成功。 為今計者，以修邊防為急務，陳防邊五事：一、增兵額，請於馬邊增兵千二百，雷波、普安、安阜、越巂、寧越各增兵八百，瓘邊、屏山各增兵四百； 一、改營製，請以綏定協副將移駐馬邊廳城，游擊、都司以下各增設移駐有差； 一、築碉堡，飭各廳縣因地制宜，多修堡寨，責令各集團練，官給抬砲，督率教演，擇要隘築砲台，增設大砲； 一、定期巡閱，歲春夏之交，建昌道赴越巂、瓘邊，永寧道赴馬邊、雷波、屏山，週曆巡閱各一次，秋冬責成提督與建昌總兵分赴巡行察勘邊隘； 一、優獎邊吏，馬邊、越巂兩廳同知，請三年俸滿，以題調選缺知府升補。」 疏下議行。 言官論奏四川提督應如湖南例，半年駐越巂等處。 寶興議：「馬邊、越巂相距遼遠，請於春秋夷匪出沒之時，提督往駐馬邊、瓘邊、雷波三廳，建昌總兵往駐越巂、寧越。」 又言：「越巂邊防以大路為重，麥子營、利濟站均應增駐弁兵，乾溝諸汛應酌量移撤，分設於馬日槓諸處。 越巂、寧越兩營相距頗遠，聲勢不能相及。 前請以建昌左營游擊移駐大菩薩地，遠在寧越之東，而越巂營參將復與游擊不相統屬。 請越巂、寧越適中之界牌樓，以建昌鎮右營都司移駐，專管麥子營、利濟站兩汛。」 並從之。
In Daoguang 17 (1837) he acted as governor-general of Sichuan and received the full appointment a year later. Along the Ma Bian and Yuexi frontiers, Yi and other tribesmen were raiding repeatedly. In Daoguang 19 (1839) he argued in a memorial: "Frontier policy rests on suppression, conciliation, and defense, but conciliation works only in quiet times—not as a fallback after military failure. Campaigns had drained men and money without result. His immediate proposal was to fortify the frontier. He listed five measures: first, raise troop quotas—1,200 more at Ma Bian, 800 each at Leibo, Pu'an, Anfu, Yuexi, and Ningyue, and 400 each at Huanbian and Pingshan; second, reorganize the garrison layout—move the Suiding brigade deputy commander to Ma Bian city and add or redeploy brigade, battalion, and company officers as needed; third, build forts and stockades—each subprefecture and county should adapt to terrain, multiply fortified villages, drill local militia, issue swivel guns, supervise training, erect batteries at key passes, and add heavy artillery; fourth, institute regular inspections—in late spring the Jianchang intendant would tour Yuexi and Huanbian, the Yongning intendant Ma Bian, Leibo, and Pingshan, each once a year; in autumn the provincial commander and Jianchang regional commander would split patrols to survey the passes; fifth, reward frontier officials—after three years' service the subprefects of Ma Bian and Yuexi should be elevated by special selection to prefectural posts." The memorial was sent down for deliberation and carried out. Memorialists argued that the Sichuan commander-in-chief, like his Hunan counterpart, should spend half the year on the Yuexi frontier. Baoxing countered: "Ma Bian and Yuexi were too far apart: in spring and autumn, when raiders were active, the commander-in-chief should camp at Ma Bian, Huanbian, and Leibo, while the Jianchang regional commander held Yuexi and Ningyue." He also urged: "Strengthening the main road through Yuexi is vital—more troops at Maiziying and Lijizhan, and shifting detachments from Qiangou to Marigang and similar posts. The Yuexi and Ningyue garrisons lay too far apart to lend each other mutual support. An earlier plan to move the Jianchang Left Battalion brigade commander to Dapusa—far east of Ningyue—left the Yuexi colonel outside his command. He proposed stationing the Jianchang Right Battalion commander at Jiepailou, midway between Yuexi and Ningyue, to command Maiziying and Lijizhan directly." The throne approved everything.
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先是寶興以馬邊諸廳縣增設防兵，籌議邊防經費，請按糧津貼，計可徵銀百萬兩，以三十萬為初設防兵之需。 每歲經費，即以餘銀七十萬兩生息，置田供支。 上以津貼病民，撥部帑銀百萬。 翰林院侍讀學士王炳瀛奏：「四川前買義田，遍及百餘州縣，若更以數十萬帑銀於各州縣買田收租，膏腴將盡歸公產。 請限於四廳近邊地收買，安置屯防。」 下寶興妥議，疏言：「邊防完竣，用銀二十二萬兩有奇，以三十七萬發鹽茶各商，歲得息三萬七千餘兩，足敷增設練勇餉械之需。 餘銀四十萬，聽部撥別用。」 遂罷買田議，二十一年，拜文淵閣大學士，留四川總督任。 時大學士琦善、協辦大學士伊里布相繼罷，在朝滿洲大臣鮮當上意，故有是授。 二十六年，入覲，命留京管理刑部，充上書房總師傅，兼翰林院掌院學士。 二十八年元旦，加恩年老諸臣，加太保。 十月，卒，年七十二，諡文莊。
To pay for new garrisons along the Ma Bian line, Baoxing had proposed a grain surcharge expected to yield one million taels—three hundred thousand for startup costs. The remaining seven hundred thousand taels would be invested and used to buy land whose rents would cover yearly upkeep. The emperor rejected the surcharge as burdensome and allotted one million taels from central funds instead. Hanlin reader Wang Bingying warned: "Sichuan already held charitable estates in over a hundred jurisdictions; spending hundreds of thousands more taels to buy land province-wide would turn most fertile soil into government holdings. He asked that purchases be confined to land near the four frontier subprefectures for garrison settlement." Baoxing was told to work out the details. He reported: "Finishing the frontier works would take just over 220,000 taels; lending 370,000 to salt and tea merchants would yield 37,000 taels a year—enough for the new militia's pay and equipment. The remaining 400,000 taels would revert to the ministry for other uses." The land-purchase scheme was dropped. In Daoguang 21 (1841) he became a Grand Secretary of the Hall of Literary Glory while remaining governor-general of Sichuan. Qishan and Yilibu had just been removed from office, and few Manchu ministers in Beijing still enjoyed the emperor's trust—hence Baoxing's elevation. In Daoguang 26 (1846) he was summoned to court, kept in Beijing to head the Ministry of Justice, made chief tutor of the Upper Study, and named chancellor of the Hanlin Academy. At the New Year audience of Daoguang 28 (1848) he received the honorary rank of Grand Tutor among favors granted to senior ministers. He died in the tenth month at seventy-two and was posthumously titled Wenzhuang.
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宗室敬徵，隸鑲白旗，肅親王永錫子。 嘉慶十年，封輔國公，授頭等侍衛，兼委散秩大臣、副都統。 十九年，授內閣學士，兼鑾儀使，充總族長。 二十二年，失察宗室海康等習紅陽教，褫職，謫居盛京。 尋予四等侍衛，乾清門行走。 道光初，累遷工部侍郎，授內務府大臣，調戶部。 八年，偕尚書王鼎察治長蘆鹽務，奏定歸補帑課章程，詳王鼎傳。 十二年，南河奸民陳堂等盜決於家灣官堤，命偕尚書硃士彥往勘。 疏陳：「諸口已合，壩下尚未閉氣，間有蟄陷。 陳堂等聽從逸犯陳端糾眾，以為從例問擬，疏防各官遣戍。 通判張懋祖賠修壩工不實，罰賠枷號。 覆勘湖河各工，請擇要興修，高堰、山盱卑矮石工，分年改砌碎石； 信壩補還石工，智壩、仁河、義河壩改修石底； 里河福興閘塌卸，急築； 揚河西岸加高磚工，改拋碎石。」 並從之。 又會同兩江總督陶澍議定淮鹽票引兼行，言官所論官票運私、侵礙暢岸、爭佔馬頭三者皆可無慮，詔如原議行。
The imperial clansman Jingzheng belonged to the Bordered White Banner and was a son of Prince Su Yongxi. In Jiaqing 10 (1805) he was made Duke Who Assists the State, given first-class imperial bodyguard rank, and also served as an extraordinary minister and lieutenant-general. In Jiaqing 19 (1814) he became a Grand Secretariat academician, also directed the Imperial Procession, and served as chief clan head. In Jiaqing 22 (1817) he was dismissed for failing to detect clansmen including Haikang practicing the Hongyang sect and was exiled to Shengjing. He was soon restored as fourth-class imperial bodyguard with duty at the Gate of Heavenly Purity. Early in the Daoguang reign he rose to vice minister of Works, headed the Imperial Household, and was transferred to the Ministry of Revenue. In Daoguang 8 (1828) he and Wang Ding investigated Changlu salt administration and framed rules for repaying arrears to the treasury; see Wang Ding's biography. In Daoguang 12 (1832), when ruffians led by Chen Tang cut the official dike at Yujiawan on the Southern Rivers, he was sent with Zhu Shiyan to inspect the damage. He reported: "The breaks were sealed but the foot of the dam had not fully compacted and sinkholes still appeared. Chen Tang's gang had followed the fugitive Chen Duan; as accomplices they received reduced sentences, while negligent officials were banished. Subprefect Zhang Maozu had falsified his dike-repair accounts and was fined, ordered to make restitution, and put in the cangue. Re-inspecting lake and river projects, he urged repairs where most needed—the low stone revetments at Gaoyan and Shanyu to be rebuilt in rubble over several years; restore stonework at Xin Dam; rebuild the stone foundations at Zhi Dam and the Renhe and Yihe barrages; the collapsed Fuxing Sluice on the inner canal needed urgent rebuilding; raise the brick facing on the Yangzhou River's west bank and replace it with dumped rubble." The throne approved everything. With Tao Shu, governor-general of the Two Jiangs, he finalized the combined ticket-and-permit system for Huai salt. Memorialists' fears—that official tickets would smuggle private salt, squeeze licensed markets, or monopolize wharves—were dismissed, and the original scheme was approved.
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In Daoguang 14 (1834) he was made left censor-in-chief. With Vice Minister Wu Chun he surveyed Zhejiang's seawalls and reported: "Fascine works from Nianli Pavilion to Jianshan still helped break the surf and stone dikes needed repair; proposed bamboo baskets at Zhenhai and Daijiaqiao were inferior to the older strip-stone apron method. Winter construction east of Wulong Temple could wait." Back in Beijing he was promoted to minister of War, then transferred to Works. In Daoguang 15 (1835), after an ill-chosen date for entombing Empresses Xiaomu and Xiaoshen at Longquan Valley, he lost his posts as minister and banner commander but kept his Imperial Household portfolio. In Daoguang 16 (1836) he acted as vice minister of Revenue, then rose to minister of Works while also commanding a banner. When Eastern Rivers governor Li Yumei favored brick revetments, Censor Li Chun objected, and Jingzheng was sent with Li Chun to inspect. He reported: "Existing brickworks were still sound and local opinion held they were useful for protecting banks and cliffs. In deep, fast water they were less reliable than fascine revetments, and emergency repairs at danger spots could not be relied on indefinitely. He recommended halting new brick kilns and using rubble stone instead." The throne agreed. In Daoguang 18 (1838) he was transferred to the Ministry of Revenue.
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二十二年，南河揚河漫口，水由灌河入海。 有議即改新河，河督麟慶以河流未定，遽難決議，命敬徵偕尚書廖鴻荃往勘。 疏言：「改河之議，在因勢利導。 今查灌河海口至蕭莊口門三百六十餘裡。 新河正溜，由六塘出達灌口，其下游東北一百十里，滔滔直注。 惟當潮漲時，黃水相逼，壅閼不前，而上游自口門至響水口二百餘裡，支流忽分忽合，必須兩岸築堤束水，方免汎濫。 計工長三百餘裡，經費難籌。 且中河運道為黃流橫截，不得不移塘灌運。 清水本弱，仍恃借黃以濟。 空船引轉需時，重運更形艱滯。 是移塘乃權宜之計，常年行之，恐妨運道。 舊黃河自蕭莊迄舊海口四百二十餘裡，尾閭寬暢。 自漫口斷流，河身益淤。 若挽歸故道，堵口挑河，共費五六百萬，較改河築堤撙節實多。 請定明歲春融興工，俟軍船回空後築壩合龍。」 詔如議行。 尋以戶部尚書協辦大學士。
In Daoguang 22 (1842) the Yangzhou River on the Southern Rivers overflowed and the current poured to sea through the Guan River. Some urged an immediate course change, but River Governor Lin Qing argued the stream was still unstable; Jingzheng was dispatched with Liao Hongquan to survey the scene. They memorialized: "Redirecting the river meant working with the terrain, not against it. From the Guan estuary to the Xiaozhuang outlet they measured more than 360 li. The new main channel ran from Liutang to the Guan mouth, then northeast for 110 li in a straight, roaring torrent. At high tide Yellow River water backed up and stalled the flow; upstream, over 200 li from the mouth to Xiangshui, channels split and rejoined unpredictably—only twin dikes could confine the water and prevent floods. Dikes along 300-plus li would be prohibitively expensive. The Grand Canal trunk was cut by Yellow River water, forcing grain transport onto the Liutang–Guan detour. The clear-water section was already weak and still depended on Yellow River water to keep moving. Empty barges took longer to turn; laden grain convoys would fare even worse. The Liutang detour was a temporary fix; making it permanent would likely cripple the canal. The old Yellow River course from Xiaozhuang to the former mouth ran 420-plus li with a wide, open outlet. Since the breach cut off the flow, the old channel had silted even further. Returning the river to its old bed—sealing the breach and dredging—would cost five or six million taels but still save far more than building new dikes on the Guan route. He proposed starting when the ice broke the following spring and closing the breach after the grain fleet had returned empty." The emperor approved the plan. He was soon appointed Associate Grand Secretary while retaining the Ministry of Revenue.
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二十三年，偕侍郎何汝霖赴南河勘工，又赴河南察視中河廳漫口。 疏陳築壩挑河工費需銀五百十八萬兩，較祥符工費為節省，允之。 二十五年，奏：「河南下北河廳廟工，乃北岸七廳適中之所，河臣宜常年駐此，便於控制。」 詔河督每於伏汛前移駐廟工，立冬後仍回濟寧。 尋坐濫保駐藏大臣孟保，降內閣學士。 未幾，复授工部尚書。 又坐濫保科布多參贊大臣果勒明阿，褫職。 三十年，署正白旗滿洲副都統。 咸豐元年，卒，詔念前勞，予一品銜，依尚書例賜卹，諡文愨。 子恆恩，左副都御史； 孫盛昱，自有傳。
In Daoguang 23 (1843) he and Vice Minister He Rulin inspected Southern Rivers projects, then surveyed the Middle River breach in Henan. He reported that sealing the breach and dredging would cost 5.18 million taels—less than the Xiangfu works—and the court agreed. In Daoguang 25 (1845) he proposed: "The Henan river governor should keep his headquarters at Miaogong, centrally placed among the seven north-bank offices." The throne ordered river governors to camp at Miaogong before the summer floods and return to Jining after winter. He was soon demoted to Grand Secretariat academician for improperly recommending Tibet resident minister Mengbao. Shortly afterward he was restored as minister of Works. He lost his post again for improperly recommending Kobdo commissioner Guoleming'a. In Daoguang 30 (1850) he acted as lieutenant-general of the Plain White Banner. He died in Xianfeng 1 (1851); the court honored his past service with first-rank insignia, ministerial burial rites, and the posthumous title Wenque. His son Heng'en became left vice censor-in-chief; his grandson Sheng Yu is treated in a separate biography.
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The imperial clansman Xi'en (style name Zhongfan) belonged to the Plain Blue Banner and was a son of Prince Rui Chunying. In Jiaqing 6 (1801) he received first-rank insignia, became a first-class imperial bodyguard, and served at the Gate of Heavenly Purity. In Jiaqing 10 (1805) he rose to imperial guard before the throne, also commanding a banner, directing the Imperial Procession, and heading the Imperial Stud, then the Imperial Parks, and finally the Grand Secretariat. In Jiaqing 18 (1813) he became vice president of the Lifan Court. In Jiaqing 20 (1815) he headed the Imperial Household, then moved to vice minister of Revenue. When the Jiaqing Emperor died suddenly at Rehe in 1820, Xi'en—present in the inner court—argued that the Daoguang Emperor, who had merit in quelling disorder, should succeed. Grand councillors Tuojin and Dai Junyuan wavered, but Xi'en's insistence carried the day. Once the sealed succession edict appeared, he helped install the Daoguang Emperor and was ranked above the chief palace guards.
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In Daoguang 2 (1822) he became minister of the Lifan Court. Kazakh groups were gathering covertly at Ulianghai; the court debated resettlement and new guard posts. Because Minister Songyun knew frontier affairs, Xi'en consulted him whenever the emperor asked. The outspoken Songyun took it upon himself to edit Xi'en's memorial. Xi'en complained to the throne; Songyun was punished for meddling beyond his office. He soon moved to the Ministry of Works while continuing to act for the Lifan Court. In Daoguang 6 (1826) he transferred to Revenue. In Daoguang 8 (1828) he received the Junior Guardian rank and acted as minister of Personnel. On the Shengjing tour in Daoguang 9 (1829), the court honored Dorgon's service and granted Xi'en double peacock feathers.
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In Daoguang 12 (1832), when the Yao leader Zhao Jinlong rose in Jianghua, Xi'en was sent with General Husong'e—but Lu Kun and Luo Siju had already crushed the revolt and killed Jinlong before they arrived. Accustomed to privilege, Xi'en marched in high style and refused to believe the victory reports, insisting Jinlong might still be alive. Luo Siju produced Jinlong's charred body and belongings, ending the argument. When the Guangdong Yao rebel Zhao Zaiqing fled into Hunan, he led Yu Buyun and Zeng Sheng in pursuit; and with Governor Wu Rongguang memorialized on postwar arrangements. Hunan was quiet, but in Guangdong Li Hongbin's campaign against the Lianshan Yao stalled for six months. Li Hongbin was arrested and Xi'en took over as acting governor-general, advancing from Hunan. He sent Buyun and Sheng to rout the rebels, capture leaders Deng San and Pan Wenli, and destroy their strongholds. Within a month the Yao surrendered. The court praised his speed, gave him triple peacock feathers, and made him Duke Who Assists the State outside the eight grades. On the march home he entered mourning for his mother; the emperor sent condolences.
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In Daoguang 13 (1833), while arranging Empress Xiaoshen's funeral, he lost his guard, Revenue, and Imperial Household posts for improper ritual citations. He was soon restored as Lifan minister. Censor Zhao Dunshi accused him of taking birthday gifts from subordinates; Xi'en's defense prevailed and Zhao was punished. In Daoguang 14 (1834), for surveying the imperial tomb site at Longquan Valley, he received the Grand Guardian rank. He became minister of War while also acting for Rites and Revenue. In Daoguang 18 (1838) the emperor blamed him for declining herds in the Southern Park and stripped his concurrent offices. Clerical corruption then came to light; he lost every concurrent post and dropped to Grand Secretariat academician. In Daoguang 22 (1842) he acted as Shengjing governor-general and became Lifan vice president while keeping that command. When the English invaded inland and the coast was on alert, he was ordered to prepare Shengjing's defenses. After the peace settlement he proposed ten coastal reforms and patrol rules, all adopted.
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二十五年，以病解職。 坐失察內地民人越朝鮮界墾地，削公爵，降二等輔國將軍。 三十年，起署馬蘭鎮總兵、密雲副都統。 咸豐元年，召授戶部侍郎。 二年，擢戶部尚書，協辦大學士，管理籓院事。 尋卒，贈太子太保，諡文莊。
In Daoguang 25 (1845) he retired citing illness. He lost his dukedom for failing to stop Chinese settlers encroaching on Korean territory and was reduced to second-rank brigadier general. In Daoguang 30 (1850) he returned as Malan garrison commander and Miyun deputy commander. In Xianfeng 1 (1851) he was recalled as vice minister of Revenue. In Xianfeng 2 (1852) he became Revenue minister, Associate Grand Secretary, and head of Lifan affairs. He died shortly after, posthumously made Grand Guardian with the title Wenzhuang.
16
Favored from early Daoguang, Xi'en backed the impecunious family of the future Empress Xiaoquan and grew still more powerful. He monopolized palace posts and ministries alike, bullying peers until courtiers watched him with resentment. When the empress later fell from favor, Xi'en was punished and dismissed repeatedly. Under the Xianfeng Emperor he was restored and reached the Grand Secretariat within two years.
17
Chen Guanjun (style name Weitang) was from Weixian, Shandong. He took his jinshi in Jiaqing 13 (1808), entered the Hanlin, became a compiler, and rose to mentor of the heir. In Jiaqing 21 (1816) he joined the Upper Study. After placing second class in the palace examination he became groom of the heir's stable and then right vice director of the Studies. He ran the Shaanxi provincial exams and served as Shanxi education commissioner. In Daoguang 1 (1821), when the court ordered provinces to abolish informal fees, most officials objected; Guanjun agreed and was commended and marked for promotion. Entrusted with secret orders to report on officials, he grew arrogant, trusting in his old intimacy with the emperor. He was soon made attendant reader, recalled to Beijing, and kept on Upper Study duty. Shanxi Governor Cheng Ge then accused him of beating runners, buying a concubine, and encouraging corruption while education commissioner. The emperor noted Guanjun had confessed to the beating and concubine, and that his nominees Wei Yuanlang and Qiu Mingtai showed he could still judge talent; but the story of eunuchs investigating salt at Hedong was fiction. Guanjun was dismissed to stand trial; Changling was sent to confront Cheng Ge, who could not prove his charges, and both men were removed.
18
Guanjun was reduced to compiler and expelled from the Upper Study. He later ran the Guizhou and Jiangxi exams and held posts from vice director of studies to Grand Secretariat academician. In Daoguang 16 (1836) he became vice minister of Rites, then Personnel. In Daoguang 19 (1839) he was made minister of Works. When Eastern Tombs official Qingyu embezzled funds and was ruined, clerk Quan Fu had tipped him off and much property was hidden. Word spread through Guanjun's loose talk; he then covered up in his memorial and was dismissed for unworthy conduct. In Daoguang 21 (1841) he returned as transmission commissioner. He served as vice minister of Revenue and Personnel and managed the three treasuries. He rose to minister of Rites, then Works. In Daoguang 24 (1844) he became Associate Grand Secretary while heading Personnel.
19
Restored to favor, he repeatedly chaired provincial, metropolitan, and palace examinations. He became chief tutor of the Upper Study. Compiler Tong Fucheng, notoriously dissolute, still taught princes in the Upper Study. Censor Chen Tan impeached him, citing an overwrought funeral elegy Tong had written for Guanjun's wife. Tong was dismissed; Guanjun was rebuked for shielding him, stripped of the chief tutorship, and spared demotion on leniency. He died in Daoguang 29 (1849) with generous rites, praised as frank-hearted, posthumously made Grand Guardian, enshrined among worthies, and titled Wenque. His grandsons Houchong and Houzi were both granted juren degrees.
20
He had tutored the Daoguang Emperor's eldest son Yiwei; the emperor praised his teaching. After the crown prince died young, the grieving emperor favored Guanjun throughout, pardoning repeated faults.
21
His son Jieqi, a Daoguang 25 jinshi, became a compiler. In the Xianfeng era he contributed to military funds and received attendant reader rank. At home he raised militia, defended the city, and ran famine relief, earning second-rank insignia. Jieqi was a scholar-collector whose bronzes and epigraphy ranked among the finest of his day.
22
Zhuo Bingtian (style name Jingyuan) was from Huayang, Sichuan. He took his jinshi in Jiaqing 7 (1802), entered the Hanlin at barely twenty, and became a reviser. He ran the Shaanxi provincial examination. In Jiaqing 18 (1813) he became a censor, then supervising secretary, filing dozens of memorials. He argued banditry persisted because constables and thieves colluded—constables profited, thieves enjoyed protection, lawsuits went nowhere, and victims were punished again; worst in Daming, Cangzhou, Weihui, Chenzhou, Caozhou, Dongchang, Wuding, and Xuzhou; he demanded stern enforcement. Inspecting the Shandong canal he surveyed Tai'an and Yanzhou, opened forty-three springs, and recorded their names on stone. He rose to vice minister of the Court of State Ceremonial and vice prefect of Shuntian.
23
二十五年，疏言：「由陝西略陽迄東至湖北鄖西，謂之南山老林； 由陝西寧羌迄南而東，經四川境至湖北保康，謂之巴山老林。 地皆磽瘠，糧徭極微。 無業遊民，給地主錢數千，即租種數溝數嶺。 歲薄不收則徙去，謂之棚民。 良莠莫辨，攘奪時聞。 一遇旱澇，一二奸民為之倡，即蟻附蜂起。 州縣以地方遼闊，莫能追捕，遂至互相容隱。 迨釀成大案，即加參劾，事已無濟。 且事連三省，大吏往返諮商，州縣奉文辦理，恆在數月之後。 與其即一隅而專謀之，何如合三省而共議之。 請於扼要之地，專設大員控制。」 宣宗深韙之，詔下三省會議，未果行，僅將邊境文武酌就要地改駐添設。
In Jiaqing 25 (1820) he memorialized: "From Lueyang in Shaanxi east to Yunxi in Hubei lay the Southern Mountains Old Forest; from Ningqiang south and east through Sichuan to Baokang in Hubei lay the Ba Mountains Old Forest. The soil was poor and taxes light. Jobless migrants paid landlords a few thousand cash to farm scattered ravines and hillsides. They moved on after bad harvests and were known as shed dwellers. Good and bad mixed together, and robbery was common. Drought or flood could set a few agitators off and crowds would rise like swarming insects. Local officials, unable to police such vast terrain, covered for one another. Impeachment came only after full-blown outbreaks, when it was too late. Cases spanned three provinces; provincial leaders took months to coordinate, and local orders arrived still later. Better to govern the region jointly than to treat each corner separately. He proposed posting senior officials at key points to supervise the area." The Daoguang Emperor approved, but interprovincial talks came to nothing; only a few border posts were reinforced or relocated.
24
In Daoguang 4 (1824) he was transferred to vice prefect of Fengtian, then left for mourning for his father. After mourning he rose through the Stud and Judicial Review courts, the Clan Court, the Grand Secretariat, and chaired the Jiangnan provincial exams. In Daoguang 15 (1835) he became vice minister of Rites, then Personnel. He served as Zhejiang education commissioner. Promoted to left censor-in-chief, he returned to Beijing and also ran Shuntian prefecture. He headed War, Revenue, and Personnel in turn and became Associate Grand Secretary. In Daoguang 24 (1844) he entered the Grand Secretariat at the Hall of Literary Profundity and moved to the Hall of Military Eminence. He oversaw War, Revenue, and Works in turn and received peacock feathers. He died in Xianfeng 5 (1855) at seventy-four, posthumously made Grand Guardian with the title Wenduan.
25
Bingtian ran the capital prefecture longer than anyone—eighteen years in all. At ministerial conferences a prince or grand councillor led while the rest rubber-stamped. Bingtian often spoke up in debate, which displeased the power holders. His son Yun, a Daoguang 20 jinshi, became vice minister of Personnel.
26
The historians comment: After the Grand Council was created, Grand Secretariat ministers no longer handled core state secrets. At first the court still chose men of real standing; later mediocrities rose by seniority and favor to the highest offices. Baoxing was considered capable in administration yet suspected of loose integrity; Jingzheng earned some credit on repeated river inspections; Xi'en and Chen Guanjun both rode private favor back into power after falls; Zhuo Bingtian, who entered as a memorializing censor, stood somewhat apart from officials who kept quiet to stay safe.