1
沈桂芬，字經笙，順天宛平人，本籍江蘇吳江。 道光二十七年進士，選庶吉士，授編修。 咸豐二年，大考一等，擢庶子。 累遷內閣學士。 先後典浙江、廣東鄉試，督陝甘學政，充會試副總裁。 八年，丁父憂。 服闋，補原官。 晉禮部左侍郎。 同治二年，出署山西巡撫，明年，實授。 連上移屯、練兵諸疏，並稱旨。 桂芬以山西民食不敷，自洋藥弛禁，栽種罌粟，糧價踴增。 於是刊發條約，飭屬嚴禁。 疏陳現辦情形，上韙之，頒行各省，著為令。 旋丁母憂。 六年，起禮部右侍郎，充經筵講官，命為軍機大臣。 歷戶部、吏部，擢都察院左都御史，兼總理各國事務大臣。 遷兵部尚書，加太子少保。 光緒元年，以本官協辦大學士。 京畿旱，編修何金壽援漢代天災策免三公為言，請責斥樞臣，諭交部議。 桂芬坐革職，特旨改為革職留任。 旋復原官，充翰林院掌院學士，晉太子太保。
Shen Guifen, courtesy name Jingsheng, was registered in Wanping, Shuntian, though his family hailed from Wujiang in Jiangsu. He earned his jinshi degree in 1847, entered the Hanlin Academy as a probationer, and was appointed a compiler. In 1852 he placed in the top class in the palace examination and was promoted to junior tutor in the Eastern Palace. He rose step by step to become a grand secretary of the Grand Secretariat. He later served as chief examiner for the provincial examinations in Zhejiang and Guangdong, as educational commissioner for Shaanxi and Gansu, and as associate chief examiner of the metropolitan examination. In 1858 he withdrew to observe mourning for his father. When his mourning ended, he returned to his former office. He was promoted to Left Vice Minister of Rites. In 1863 he was sent out as acting governor of Shanxi, and the following year received the substantive appointment. He submitted a series of memorials on frontier settlement and military training, each of which met with the emperor's approval. Guifen argued that Shanxi could not feed its people: once the ban on imported opium was eased, farmers turned to poppy cultivation and grain prices shot up. He therefore published the treaty provisions and ordered his subordinates to enforce a strict ban. In a memorial he described the measures he had taken; the court endorsed his approach, ordered it circulated to every province, and made it standing policy. He soon withdrew again to mourn his mother. In 1867 he was recalled as Right Vice Minister of Rites, appointed lecturer at the Classics Colloquium, and named to the Grand Council. He served in the Ministries of Revenue and Personnel, was promoted to Left Censor-in-Chief, and concurrently became a minister for foreign affairs. He was transferred to Minister of War and given the additional title Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent. In 1875, while retaining his ministerial rank, he was appointed associate grand secretary. When drought struck the capital region, compiler He Jinshou cited the Han precedent of dismissing the Three Excellencies after natural disasters and demanded that the Grand Councilors be held responsible; the throne ordered the ministries to deliberate. Guifen was found liable for dismissal, but a special edict allowed him to remain in office despite the demotion. He was soon restored to his former rank, appointed chancellor of the Hanlin Academy, and promoted to Senior Guardian of the Heir Apparent.
2
桂芬遇事持重，自文祥逝後，以諳究外情稱。 日本之滅琉球也，廷論多主戰，桂芬獨言勞師海上，易損國威，力持不可。 及與俄人議還伊犁，崇厚擅訂約，朝議紛然； 桂芬委曲斡旋，易使往議，改約始定，而言者猶激論不已。 桂芬久臥病，六年，卒，年六十有四，贈太子太傅，諡文定。
Guifen was known for his steady judgment; after Wen Xiang's death he was regarded as the councilor best versed in foreign affairs. When Japan annexed Ryukyu, most at court favored war, but Guifen alone argued that sending troops to sea would squander strength and damage national prestige, and he firmly opposed hostilities. When negotiations with Russia over the return of Ili began, Chonghou had signed a treaty on his own authority, throwing the court into uproar; Guifen worked behind the scenes to arrange a new mission; only then was a revised treaty settled, though critics at court continued to argue without end. Guifen had been ill for a long time; he died in 1880 at sixty-four, was posthumously made Grand Tutor of the Heir Apparent, and was given the posthumous title Wending.
3
桂芬躬行謹飭，為軍機大臣十餘年，自奉若寒素，所處極湫隘，而未嘗以清節自矜，人以為難雲。
Guifen was scrupulous in his private life; for more than a decade on the Grand Council he lived as frugally as a poor scholar in cramped quarters, yet never flaunted his integrity—an example people found hard to equal.
4
李鴻藻，字蘭孫，直隸高陽人。 咸豐二年進士，選庶吉士，授編修。 典山西鄉試，督河南學政。 十年，上擇儒臣為皇子師，大學士彭蘊章以鴻藻應。 召來京，明年，特詔授大阿哥讀。 穆宗登極，皇太后懿旨命直弘德殿。 同治元年，擢侍講。 累遷內閣學士。 署戶部左侍郎。 四年，命直軍機。 五年，授禮部右侍郎。 遭母憂，皇太后懿旨，援雍正、乾隆年大臣孫嘉淦等故事，命鴻藻開缺守孝，百日後仍授讀，兼參機務。 並諭：「移孝作忠，勿以守禮固辭。」 鴻藻懇終制，不允。 倭仁等亦代為陳請，仍命恭親王傳諭慰勉。 鴻藻連疏稱疾，遂得賜告，卒終制始出。
Li Hongzao, courtesy name Lansun, was from Gaoyang in Zhili. He earned his jinshi degree in 1852, entered the Hanlin Academy as a probationer, and was appointed a compiler. He presided over the Shanxi provincial examination and served as educational commissioner for Henan. In 1860 the emperor sought Confucian scholars to tutor the princes; Grand Secretary Peng Yunzhang recommended Hongzao. He was summoned to the capital, and the following year a special edict named him tutor to the heir apparent. When Emperor Tongzhi ascended the throne, the Empress Dowager ordered him to serve in Hongde Hall. In 1862 he was promoted to lecturing reader. He rose step by step to grand secretary of the Grand Secretariat. He served as acting Left Vice Minister of Revenue. In 1865 he was appointed to the Grand Council. In 1866 he was appointed Right Vice Minister of Rites. When his mother died, the Empress Dowager cited precedents from the Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns involving ministers such as Sun Jiaxian and ordered Hongzao to leave office for mourning, but after a hundred days to resume tutoring the emperor while continuing to serve on the Grand Council. She also instructed: "Let filial duty become loyal service; do not refuse on grounds of ritual propriety." Hongzao pleaded to observe the full mourning term, but was refused. Woren and others petitioned on his behalf as well, but the court still had Prince Gong convey the edict and urge him to comply. Hongzao repeatedly memorialized that he was ill and was granted leave; he did not return until he had completed the full mourning period.
5
七年，捻擾畿疆，鴻藻方里居，以各路統兵大員事權不一，疏請特派親王為大將軍，坐鎮京師，以固北路； 左宗棠、李鴻章為參贊大臣，分扎保定、河間東西兩路，各率所部兵勇相機剿辦； 陳國瑞為幫辦軍務，專統一軍為游擊之師； 直隸總督官文專顧省城，籌備諸軍餉需，以資接濟； 丁寶楨駐紮直、東交界，防賊東竄； 李鶴年駐紮直、豫交界，防賊南竄； 直、晉交界，由左宗棠等分撥勁旅扼要駐紮； 並請敕下各該大臣和衷商辦，迅奏膚功。 奏入，上遂命各路統兵大臣均歸恭親王節制。 旋起禮部左侍郎，仍直弘德殿及軍機如故。
In 1868, while the Nian rebels threatened the capital region, Hongzao was at home on leave; noting that commanders along the various fronts lacked unified authority, he memorialized that a prince of the blood be appointed grand general, stationed at the capital to secure the northern approaches; with Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang as deputy commanders, encamped at Baoding and Hejian on the eastern and western routes respectively, each leading his own forces to pursue the rebels as opportunity allowed; Chen Guorui should assist in military affairs and command a separate army as a mobile strike force; Governor-General Guanwen of Zhili should remain at the provincial capital to provision the armies; Ding Baozhen should be posted on the Zhili-Shandong border to block an eastern breakout; Li Henian should be posted on the Zhili-Henan border to block a southern breakout; at the Zhili-Shanxi border, Zuo Zongtang and others should detach elite troops to hold the key passes; and he asked that an edict order all these commanders to cooperate in good faith and report swift success. When the memorial reached the throne, the emperor ordered all field commanders placed under Prince Gong's command. He was soon recalled as Left Vice Minister of Rites and resumed his duties in Hongde Hall and on the Grand Council.
6
十年，擢都察院左都御史，加太子少保。 時有修葺圓明園之旨，朝臣同起力爭。 鴻藻亦言：「粵、捻初平，回氛方熾，宜培養元氣，以固根本。 不應虛糜帑糈，為此不急之務。」 乃止。 十三年，上有疾，命代批答章奏； 旋崩，自劾輔導無狀，罷弘德殿行走。
In 1871 he was promoted to Left Censor-in-Chief and given the additional title Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent. When an edict ordered repairs to the Old Summer Palace, officials at court protested in unison. Hongzao also argued: "The Taiping and Nian rebellions have only just ended and Muslim unrest is still fierce; the court should conserve its strength and shore up its foundations. Treasury funds should not be squandered on so inessential a project." The project was halted. In 1874 the emperor fell ill and ordered him to draft replies to memorials; the emperor soon died; Hongzao impeached himself for failing as tutor and was dismissed from Hongde Hall.
7
光緒二年，命兼總理各國事務衙門。 尋丁本生母憂，服闋，起故官，以兵部尚書協辦大學士，調吏部。 時崇厚與俄擅定伊犁約，鴻藻堅持不可，爭於廷。 卒治崇厚罪，議改約。 及法越啟釁，言路愈奮發，劾罷樞臣。 鴻藻謫遷內閣學士。 後復累遷禮部尚書。
In 1876 he was appointed concurrently to the foreign affairs yamen. He soon mourned his birth mother; when mourning ended he returned to office as Minister of War and associate grand secretary, then was transferred to the Ministry of Personnel. When Chonghou signed the Ili treaty with Russia on his own authority, Hongzao firmly opposed it and argued the matter at court. Chonghou was eventually punished and a revised treaty negotiated. When war broke out between France and Vietnam, censors grew bolder still and impeached the Grand Councilors from office. Hongzao was demoted to grand secretary of the Grand Secretariat. He was later promoted again to Minister of Rites.
8
十三年，河決鄭州，上命鴻藻馳往督辦。 先是河道總督李鶴年、河南巡撫倪文蔚議於西壩興工，鴻藻至，仍之。 又續興東壩工。 疊遇奇險，皆力為固守。 會伏秋汛至，西壩失事，請暫停工。 上以鴻藻督率無方，革職留任； 並奪李鶴年河道總督，命鴻藻暫行署理。 尋回京，復以禮部具奏典禮漏繕簽改日期，再議革職，上特寬免。 大婚禮成，復原官。
In 1887 the Yellow River burst its banks at Zhengzhou; the emperor ordered Hongzao to hurry there and supervise the works. Canal director Li Henian and Henan governor Ni Wenwei had already decided to begin work on the western embankment; when Hongzao arrived, he continued their plan. He also pressed ahead with work on the eastern embankment. Despite repeated crises, he threw all his strength into holding the works. When the summer and autumn floods arrived, the western embankment gave way and he requested a temporary halt. The emperor found Hongzao's supervision inadequate and ordered him dismissed from office while retaining his duties; Li Henian was stripped of the canal directorship and Hongzao was ordered to act in his place. He soon returned to the capital; the Ministry of Rites then reported that a date on a ritual memorial had been omitted and altered, and dismissal was proposed again, but the emperor granted special leniency. After the grand wedding ceremony his former rank was restored.
9
二十年，日韓事棘，命鴻藻商辦軍務，再授軍機大臣。 與翁同龢皆主戰，並爭和約，卒不能阻。 旋以禮部尚書協辦大學士，調吏部。 歷蒙頒賞書畫及諸上方珍物。 充鄉試、會試、殿試等閱卷大臣。 二十三年，以病乞假，疾篤，賞給藥餌，命御醫往視。 卒，年七十有八。 遺疏入，上震悼，予諡文正，贈太子太傅。 子焜瀛、煜瀛，均賞給郎中。
In 1894, as tensions between Japan and Korea mounted, Hongzao was ordered to handle military affairs and was again appointed to the Grand Council. He and Weng Tonghe both favored war and fought the peace treaty together, but in the end could not stop it. He was soon made associate grand secretary while Minister of Rites, then transferred to the Ministry of Personnel. He received repeated gifts from the throne of paintings, calligraphy, and other imperial treasures. He served as chief examiner for the provincial, metropolitan, and palace examinations. In 1897 he asked leave on grounds of illness; when his condition worsened, the court sent medicines and an imperial physician. He died at the age of seventy-eight. When his final memorial arrived, the emperor was deeply grieved, granted him the posthumous title Wenzheng, and made him Grand Tutor of the Heir Apparent. His sons Kunying and Yuying were both granted the rank of director in a ministry.
10
鴻藻性至孝，為學守程硃，務實踐，持躬儉約。 傅穆宗十餘年，盡心啟沃。 一日，穆宗學書，故為戲筆。 鴻藻立前捧上手曰：「皇上心不靜，請少息。」 穆宗改容謝之。 其在樞府，獨守正持大體。 御史王鵬運諫止修頤和園，幾獲重譴，鴻藻力解之，得免。 德宗間日一往頤和園侍起居，時留駐蹕。 言官有言其不便者，太后大怒，欲黜之，鴻藻謂如此必失天下臣民之望，乃止。 所薦引多端士。 朝列有清望者，率倚以為重，然亦不免被劫持雲。
Hongzao was deeply filial by nature; in scholarship he followed the Cheng-Zhu school and stressed practical conduct, living frugally himself. He tutored Emperor Tongzhi for more than a decade and devoted himself wholeheartedly to the young emperor's education. One day, while the emperor was practicing calligraphy, he deliberately made playful strokes. Hongzao stood before him, took the emperor's hands in his own, and said: "Your Majesty's mind is unsettled; please pause a moment." The emperor changed his manner and apologized. On the Grand Council he alone upheld principle and kept sight of the larger stakes. Censor Wang Pengyun protested repairs to the Summer Palace and nearly incurred severe punishment; Hongzao interceded vigorously and saved him. Emperor Guangxu went every other day to the Summer Palace to attend the Empress Dowager, and sometimes remained there for extended stays. When censors protested the arrangement, the Empress Dowager was furious and wished to dismiss them; Hongzao warned that this would lose the trust of officials and subjects alike, and she relented. Those he recommended were mostly men of talent. Officials at court with reputations for integrity generally looked to him for support, yet he could not escape being manipulated, it is said.
11
翁同龢，字叔平，江蘇常熟人，大學士心存子。 咸豐六年一甲一名進士，授修撰。 八年，典試陝甘，旋授陝西學政，乞病回京。 同治元年，擢贊善。 典山西試。 父憂歸，服闋，轉中允。 命在弘德殿行走，五日一進講，於簾前說治平寶鑑，兩宮皇太后嘉之。 累遷內閣學士。 母憂服闋，起故官。 同龢居講席，每以憂勤惕厲，啟沃聖心。 當八年武英殿之災也，恭錄康熙、嘉慶兩次遇災修省聖訓進禦，疏言：「變不虛生，遇災而懼。 宜停不急之工，惜無名之費。 開直臣忠諫之路，杜小人幸進之門。」 上覽奏動容。 又圓明園方興工，商人李光昭矇報木價，為李鴻章所劾論罪。 廷臣多執此入諫，恭親王等尤力諍，上不懌。 同龢面陳江南輿論，中外人心惶惑，請聖意先定，待時興修。 乃議定停園工，並有停工程、罷浮費、求直言之諭。
Weng Tonghe, courtesy name Shuping, was from Changshu in Jiangsu, son of Grand Secretary Weng Xincun. In 1856 he took first place in the jinshi examination and was appointed drafting compiler. In 1858 he presided over the Shaanxi-Gansu examination, was soon appointed educational commissioner of Shaanxi, then asked leave on grounds of illness and returned to the capital. In 1862 he was promoted to attendant in the Eastern Palace. He presided over the Shanxi provincial examination. After his father's death he returned home to mourn; when mourning ended he was transferred to junior mentor in the Eastern Palace. He was ordered to serve in Hongde Hall, lecturing every five days; before the screen he expounded the Mirror of Governance and Peace, and both Empress Dowagers praised him. He rose step by step to grand secretary of the Grand Secretariat. When his mourning for his mother ended, he returned to his former office. At the lectern Tonghe constantly urged diligence and restraint upon the young emperor and nurtured his mind. When the Hall of Martial Glory burned in 1872, he respectfully copied the Kangxi and Jiaqing emperors' instructions on self-examination after disasters and presented them to the throne, writing: "Calamities do not strike without cause; one must tremble when they come. Nonessential projects should be halted and wasteful spending curtailed. The path for upright ministers to speak frankly should be opened, and the door for petty men to advance by favor should be closed." The emperor was visibly moved when he read the memorial. Work had meanwhile begun on the Old Summer Palace; merchant Li Guangzhao had fraudulently inflated timber prices and was impeached and punished by Li Hongzhang. Many officials used the case to remonstrate; Prince Gong and others argued especially forcefully, and the emperor was displeased. Tonghe reported in person the public mood in Jiangnan: officials and people at home and abroad were anxious; he asked the emperor to settle his mind first and undertake repairs when the time was right. The palace works were halted, and edicts followed to stop projects, cut wasteful spending, and invite frank counsel.
12
光緒元年，署刑部右侍郎。 明年四月，上典學毓慶宮，命授讀，再辭，不允。 旋遷戶部，充經筵講官，晉都察院左都御史。 遷刑部尚書，調工部。 六年，廷臣爭俄約久不決，懿旨派惇親王、醇親王及同龢與潘祖廕每日在南書房看摺件電報，擬片進呈取進止，至俄約改定始止。 八年，命充軍機大臣。 十年，法越事起，同龢主一面進兵，一面與議，庶有所備。 又言劉永福不足恃，非增重兵出關不可。 旋與軍機王大臣同罷，仍直毓慶宮。 前後充會試總裁、順天鄉試考官，兩蒙賜「壽」，加太子太保，賜雙眼花翎、紫韁。 嘗請假修墓，傳旨海上風險，命馳驛回京，恩眷甚篤。
In 1875 he served as acting Right Vice Minister of Justice. The following April the emperor began his studies at the Palace of Accumulated Joy; Tonghe was ordered to tutor him, declined twice, and was not allowed to refuse. He was soon transferred to the Ministry of Revenue, appointed lecturer at the Classics Colloquium, and promoted to Left Censor-in-Chief. He was transferred to Minister of Justice, then to the Ministry of Works. In 1880 the court disputed the Russian treaty for months; an imperial decree assigned Princes Dun and Chun, together with Tonghe and Pan Zuyin, to review memorials and telegrams daily in the Southern Library and draft recommendations for the throne, continuing until the treaty was revised. In 1882 he was appointed to the Grand Council. In 1884 war broke out between France and Vietnam; Tonghe argued for advancing troops while negotiating, so the court would not be caught unprepared. He also argued that Liu Yongfu could not be relied upon and that substantial reinforcements must be sent beyond the frontier passes. He was soon dismissed along with the princely Grand Councilors but continued to serve at the Palace of Accumulated Joy. He served as chief examiner of the metropolitan examination and examiner for the Shuntian provincial examination, twice received the character for longevity as an imperial gift, was made Senior Guardian of the Heir Apparent, and was granted double-eyed peacock feathers and a purple bridle. Once he asked leave to repair his family's tombs; an edict cited the dangers at sea and ordered him back to the capital by courier post—a mark of exceptional favor.
13
二十年，再授軍機大臣。 懿旨命撤講，上請如故。 同龢善伺上意，得遇事進言。 上親政久，英爽非復常度，剖決精當。 每事必問同龢，眷倚尤重。 時日韓起釁，同龢與李鴻藻主戰，孫毓汶、徐用儀主和。 會海陸軍皆敗，懿旨命赴天津傳諭李鴻章詰責之，同龢並言太后意決不即和。 歸薦唐仁廉忠赤可用，請設巡防處籌辦團防。 於是命恭親王督辦軍務，同龢、鴻藻等會商辦理。 上嘗問諸臣：「時事至此，和戰皆無可恃！」 言及宗社，聲淚並發。 及和議起，同龢與鴻藻力爭改約稿，並陳：「寧增賠款，必不可割地。」 上曰：「台灣去，則人心皆去。 朕何以為天下主？」 毓汶以前敵屢敗對，上責以賞罰不嚴，故至於此。 諸臣皆引咎。 上以和約事徘徊不能決，天顏憔悴。 同龢以俄、英、德三國謀阻割地，請展期換約，以待轉圜。 與毓汶等執爭，終不可挽，和約遂定。 明年，兼總理各國事務大臣。 二十三年，以戶部尚書協辦大學士。
In 1894 he was again appointed to the Grand Council. An imperial decree ordered his tutoring duties withdrawn; the emperor asked that they continue unchanged. Tonghe was skilled at reading the emperor's mind and seized occasions to offer counsel. The emperor had long ruled in person; his keen intelligence and precise judgments were no longer those of an ordinary monarch. On every matter he consulted Tonghe; his reliance on him was especially heavy. When war broke out between Japan and Korea, Tonghe and Li Hongzao favored fighting while Sun Yuwen and Xu Yongyi favored peace. When both navy and army were defeated, an imperial decree sent him to Tianjin to rebuke Li Hongzhang; Tonghe also reported that the Empress Dowager was firmly set against immediate peace. On his return he recommended Tang Renlian as loyal and capable and asked that a patrol defense office be established to organize local militia. Prince Gong was then ordered to supervise military affairs, with Tonghe, Hongzao, and others to consult and handle matters jointly. The emperor once asked his ministers: "Affairs have come to this pass—neither peace nor war offers any hope!" Speaking of the fate of the dynasty, his voice broke and tears flowed together. When peace talks began, Tonghe and Hongzao fought vigorously to revise the draft treaty, arguing together: "Better to increase indemnities than to cede territory." The emperor said: "If Taiwan is lost, the hearts of the people will go with it. How can I remain sovereign over the realm?" Yuwen cited repeated defeats in reply; the emperor blamed lax discipline in rewards and punishments for having brought matters to this pass. All the ministers accepted blame. The emperor wavered over the peace treaty, unable to decide; his face showed the strain. Tonghe argued that Russia, Britain, and Germany were working to block territorial cession and asked to postpone ratification in hope of a better outcome. He argued fiercely with Yuwen and others, but could not turn the tide, and the peace treaty was settled. The following year he was concurrently appointed minister for foreign affairs. In 1897, as Minister of Revenue, he was made associate grand secretary.
14
二十四年，上初召用主事康有為，議行新政。 四月，硃諭：「協辦大學士翁同龢近來辦事多不允協，以致眾論不服，屢經有人參奏。 且每於召對時諮詢事件，任意可否，喜怒見於詞色，漸露攬權狂悖情狀，斷難勝樞機之任。 本應查明究辦，予以重懲； 姑念其在毓慶宮行走有年，不忍遽加嚴譴。 翁同龢著即開缺回籍，以示保全。」 八月，政變作，太后復訓政。 十月，又奉硃諭：「翁同龢授讀以來，輔導無方，往往巧藉事端，刺探朕意。 至甲午年中東之役，信口侈陳，任意慫恿。 辦理諸務，種種乖謬，以致不可收拾。 今春力陳變法，濫保非人，罪無可逭。 事後追維，深堪痛恨！ 前令其開缺回籍，實不足以蔽辜，翁同龢著革職，永不敘用，交地方官嚴加管束。」 三十年，卒於家，年七十有五。 宣統元年，詔復原官。 後追諡文恭。
In 1898 the emperor first summoned the chief clerk Kang Youwei and discussed implementing the new policies. In April an edict in vermilion ink stated: "Associate Grand Secretary Weng Tonghe has of late handled affairs in ways that accord poorly with others, provoking widespread dissatisfaction and repeated impeachments. At imperial audiences he arbitrarily assents or denies, his joy and anger plain in word and face, gradually revealing a disposition to usurp power in reckless defiance—clearly unfit for the Grand Council. He ought to be investigated and severely punished; yet considering his many years of service at the Palace of Accumulated Joy, severe punishment is withheld for now. Weng Tonghe is forthwith to leave office and return home, as an act of leniency." In August a coup occurred and the Empress Dowager resumed regency. In October another vermilion edict read: "Since Weng Tonghe began tutoring, his guidance has been inept; he often craftily seized pretexts to probe my intentions. In the Sino-Japanese War of 1894–95 he spoke recklessly and urged me on at will. In handling affairs he erred in every way until matters became beyond repair. This spring he strongly urged reform and recklessly recommended unworthy men—crimes that admit no excuse. Looking back, this is deeply to be regretted! The earlier order to send him home in truth does not cover his guilt; Weng Tonghe is dismissed from office, never to be employed again, and handed over to local officials for strict supervision." In 1904 he died at home at the age of seventy-five. In 1909 an edict restored his former rank. He was later given the posthumous title Wengong.
15
同龢久侍講幃，參機務，遇事專斷。 與左右時有爭執，群責怙權。 晚遭讒沮，幾獲不測，遂斥逐以終。 著有瓶廬詩稿八卷、文稿二十卷。 其書法自成一家，尤為世所宗雲。
Tonghe long served at the imperial lectures and on confidential affairs, deciding matters on his own authority. He frequently quarreled with colleagues, and many blamed him for monopolizing power. In his later years he suffered slander, nearly met with disaster, and ended by being driven out in disgrace. He left eight juan of poetry and twenty juan of prose from the Pinglu Studio. His calligraphy formed a school of its own and was especially revered, it is said.
16
孫毓汶，字萊山，山東濟寧州人，尚書瑞珍子。 咸豐六年，以一甲二名進士授編修。 八年，丁父憂。 十年，以在籍辦團抗捐被劾，革職遣戍。 恭親王以毓汶世受國恩，首抗捐餉，深惡之。 同治元年，以輸餉復原官。 五年，大考一等一名，擢侍講學士。 先後典四川鄉試，督福建學政。 光緒元年，丁母憂。 服闋，起故官。 尋遷詹事，視學安徽。 擢內閣學士，授工部左侍郎。 十年，命赴江南等省按事。 時法越事起，毓汶以習於醇親王，漸與聞機要。 適奉硃諭盡罷軍機王大臣，毓汶還，遂命入直軍機，兼總理各國事務大臣。 時當國益厭言路紛囂，出張佩綸等會辦南北洋、閩海軍務，餘亦因事先後去之，風氣為之一變。 十五年，擢刑部尚書，尋調兵部，加太子少保。 歷典會試、順天鄉試，賞黃馬褂、雙眼花翎、紫韁。 二十年，中日媾和，李鴻章遣人齎約至。 廷臣章奏凡百上，皆斥和非計。 翁同龢、李鴻藻主緩，俄、法、德三國亦請毋遽換約。 毓汶素與鴻章相結納，力言戰不可恃，亟請署，上為流涕書之，和約遂成。 明年，稱疾乞休。 二十五年，卒，予諡文恪。
Sun Yuwen, courtesy name Laishan, was from Jining Prefecture in Shandong, son of Minister Sun Ruizhen. In 1856 he took second place in the jinshi examination and was appointed a compiler. In 1858 he withdrew to mourn his father. In 1860, for organizing local militia at home and resisting tax levies, he was impeached, dismissed, and banished. Prince Gong deeply detested him, holding that a family long favored by the state should not have been foremost in resisting tax levies. In 1862 he was restored to office for contributing supplies to the war effort. In 1866 he placed first in the palace examination and was promoted to lecturing academician. He presided over the Sichuan provincial examination and served as educational commissioner for Fujian. In 1875 he withdrew to mourn his mother. When mourning ended he returned to his former office. He was soon made junior mentor and sent to inspect education in Anhui. He was promoted to grand secretary and appointed Left Vice Minister of Works. In 1884 he was ordered to Jiangnan and other provinces to investigate affairs. When war broke out between France and Vietnam, Yuwen, being close to Prince Chun, gradually gained access to confidential affairs. Just then a vermilion edict dismissed all the princely Grand Councilors; when Yuwen returned he was appointed to the Grand Council and concurrently made minister for foreign affairs. Those in power had grown weary of censorial clamor; Zhang Peilun and others were sent out to handle naval affairs, and the rest left one after another on various pretexts—the political climate changed at once. In 1889 he was promoted to Minister of Justice, soon transferred to the Ministry of War, and made Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent. He presided over the metropolitan and Shuntian provincial examinations and was rewarded with a yellow jacket, double-eyed peacock feathers, and a purple bridle. In 1894 China and Japan made peace; Li Hongzhang sent an envoy bearing the treaty. Court officials submitted hundreds of memorials, all denouncing peace as folly. Weng Tonghe and Li Hongzao favored delay; Russia, France, and Germany also asked that ratification not be rushed. Yuwen had long been allied with Li Hongzhang; he argued that war was hopeless and urgently pressed for signature; the emperor wept as he gave his approval, and the peace treaty was concluded. The following year he asked to retire on grounds of illness. In 1899 he died and was given the posthumous title Wenkai.
17
毓汶權奇饒智略，直軍機逾十年。 初，醇親王以尊親參機密，不常入直，疏牘日送邸閱，謂之「過府」。 諭旨陳奏，皆毓汶為傳達。 同列或不得預聞，故其權特重雲。
Yuwen was resourceful and shrewd; he served on the Grand Council for more than a decade. At first Prince Chun, as an imperial kinsman in confidential affairs, did not regularly attend council sessions; memorials were sent daily to his residence for review—called "passing through the mansion." Imperial instructions and memorials all passed through Yuwen. His colleagues sometimes learned of matters only afterward; his authority was therefore especially great, it is said.
18
論曰：光緒初元，复逢訓政，勵精圖治，宰輔多賢，頗有振興之象。 首輔文祥既逝，沈桂芬等承其遺風，以忠懇結主知，遇事能持之以正，雖無老成，尚有典型。 及甲申法越、甲午日韓，外患內憂，國家多故。 慈聖倦勤，經營園囿，稍事遊幸，而政紀亦漸弛矣。 鴻藻久參樞密，眷遇獨隆。 桂芬以持重見賞，同龢以專斷致嫌。 毓汶奔走其間，勤勞亦著，大體彌縫，賴以無事。 然以政見異同，門戶之爭，牽及朝局，至數十年而未已。 賢者之責，亦不能免焉。
The historian comments: At the beginning of Guangxu's reign, with regency resumed, the court strove to govern well and many capable ministers served at the top—there was an air of revival. After Chief Minister Wen Xiang died, Shen Guifen and others inherited his approach; with loyal sincerity they won the ruler's trust and upheld principle in affairs—though lacking seasoned maturity, they still offered a model to follow. By the Franco-Vietnamese War of 1884 and the Sino-Japanese War of 1894–95, foreign threats and domestic troubles multiplied and the state faced one crisis after another. The Empress Dowager grew weary of governing, devoted herself to gardens and parks, undertook occasional excursions, and governance gradually slackened. Hongzao long served on the Grand Council and enjoyed uniquely lofty favor. Guifen was valued for his steadiness; Tonghe incurred dislike for deciding matters on his own authority. Yuwen shuttled among them with notable diligence; by smoothing matters over in the main, the court relied on him to keep affairs running. Yet differences in political views and factional struggles drew in the court itself, and this continued for decades without end. Even worthy men could not escape blame for it.