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卷一百三十 列傳第十七: 徹里 不忽木 完澤 阿魯渾薩理

Volume 130 Biographies 17: Cheli, Buhumu, Wanze, Aluhunsali

Chapter 130 of 元史 · History of Yuan
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History of Yuan, Volume 130, Biography 17
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Cheli
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访 饿 使访 使 广
Cheli belonged to the Yanzhijitai clan. His great-grandfather Taichi had been commander-in-chief of horse and foot. He followed Taizu in the conquest of the Central Plain and, rewarded for his service, was granted Xu and Pi prefectures, where the family made its home. Cheli lost his father in childhood. His mother, a Pucha, taught him to read. In the eighteenth year of the Zhiyuan era (1281), Kublai summoned him. Cheli answered with polish and ease, and the emperor was pleased. He kept Cheli constantly at his side and would consult him from time to time on conditions among the people. On his return from a campaign on the northeastern frontier, he reported that wherever the main army had marched, the populace had been harried beyond endurance and many were perishing from cold and hunger. Relief should be sent, he urged. The emperor agreed, and grain, cloth, cattle, and horses were distributed to the border people in proportion to their need. Many lives were saved. He was promoted to the Directorate of Utilization. In the twenty-third year (1286), he was dispatched to Jiangnan to survey local customs and seek out recluses and men of talent. The provincial administration was then urgently raising revenue and was selling school lands throughout the region, forwarding the proceeds to the court. Cheli said, "School lands exist to fund sacrifices and nurture talent. How can they be sold off?" He stopped the sale at once. On his return to court he reported what he had done, and the emperor praised and approved it. In the twenty-fourth year (1287), the Central Secretariat was divided and a Ministry Secretariat was set up. Sangge became chief minister, installed his faction, and launched a sweeping audit of revenue and grain accounts empire-wide. Arrears that had piled up for years under the former powerful minister Ahmad were blamed on the Central Secretariat for lax collection; two vice grand councilors were put to death. Provincial administrations seized the moment and pressed collection with especial harshness. When the debtor could not pay, kin were held liable; neighbors and associates were sometimes seized, shackled, imprisoned, and beaten. The people could not endure the suffering. Suicides and deaths in custody ran into the hundreds, and unrest spread through the court and the provinces alike. Court officials were afraid and none dared speak out. Cheli then laid out before the emperor in full Sangge's treachery, greed, and the harm he had done to state and people, speaking with fierce urgency. The emperor flew into a rage, saying Cheli was slandering a senior minister and had overstepped propriety, and ordered attendants to slap his face. Cheli argued all the more forcefully. "I bear Sangge no personal grudge," he said. "I enumerate his crimes at the risk of my life solely for the sake of the realm. If I fear Your Majesty's wrath and fall silent, how will treacherous ministers be removed and the people's suffering be ended! Moreover, it would give Your Majesty a name for rejecting honest counsel — that is what I fear." At this the emperor saw clearly. He immediately sent three hundred guards of the Imperial Guard to inventory Sangge's household. The treasures seized amounted to half the imperial treasury. Once Sangge had been executed, all who had been wrongly imprisoned were at last released. He was again ordered to Jiangnan to seize the property of Sangge's kin and allies: the Jiang-Zhe provincial ministers Umar, Mielie, Xindu, and Wang Ji, and the Huguang minister Yaosumu, among others. All were executed in the marketplace, and the empire rejoiced. On all his journeys Cheli passed through Xu four times and each time went past his own gate without entering. He was promoted to vice censor-in-chief and soon made pacification commissioner of Fujian Province, with a grant of fifty taels of gold and five thousand taels of silver. The fierce bandit Ougou in Ting and Zhang had long defied pacification. Cheli led troops against him. His orders were strict and discipline firm; wherever the army passed, not a stalk of grain was touched. When men surrendered, he feasted them with wine and food, comforted them, and sent them home, saying, "I do not believe you were rebels at heart. This was surely brought on by corrupt and brutal officials. Now that you have come back, you are simply common people. How could I bear to punish you? Go back to your fields and mulberry groves, settle your homes, and have no fear." When other stockades heard this, all submitted in good faith. Before long Ougou's own followers bound him and delivered him to the army. His head was displayed as a warning, and not one coerced follower was put to death. Ting and Zhang were pacified. In the thirty-first year (1294) the emperor fell ill. Cheli galloped back to the capital and attended him with medicines. When the emperor died, he joined the princes and senior ministers in settling the succession and welcomed Chengzong to the throne. In the first year of the Dade era (1297) he was appointed censor-in-chief of the Jiangnan regional censorate. One day he summoned his secretariat officer Jia Jun and said, "The state established the Censorate to keep officials honest, refine custom, and promote moral transformation. Yet lately censors have lost sight of the larger purpose. On inspection tours they take harshness for clarity; in pursuing illicit gains they take quantity for merit — even forcing sons to testify against fathers, younger brothers against elders, and slaves to accuse their masters. Nothing does more harm to custom and moral teaching than this. Tell all the censors for me that they must not imitate such excess." When the emperor heard of this he approved, and Cheli was transferred to pacification commissioner of Jiang-Zhe Province. Jiang-Zhe's tax grain led the empire. Pingjiang, Jiaxing, and Huzhou together accounted for six or seven tenths of Jiang-Zhe's yield, yet their land was extremely low-lying and the waters gathered in Lake Tai. Lake Tai's outflow passed through the Wusong River to reach the sea. Over the years the river silted up. Powerful families profited by enclosing the land as fields, and the waterways clogged. The waters then spread and overflowed, ruining the grain crops of the prefectures. The court ordered the province to dredge and clear the waterways. Tens of thousands of laborers were mobilized, and Cheli supervised the work. The project was completed in four months. In the ninth year (1305) he was summoned to the capital as pacification commissioner of the Central Secretariat. In the tenth month he died of illness, aged forty-seven. On the day of his death his household possessions amounted to less than two hundred strings of cash. All admired his integrity. He was posthumously granted the title Meritorious Minister Who Promotes Loyalty, Upholds Rectitude, and Assists in Governance, together with Grand Tutor, Grand Master of the Palace with credentials equal to the Three Excellencies, and Pillar of the State of the First Rank. He was enfeoffed posthumously as Duke of Xu with the posthumous name Zhongsu (Loyal and Solemn). In the second year of Zhizhi (1322) he was further granted the title Meritorious Minister Who Proclaims Loyalty, Shares Virtue, and Illuminates with Aid, together with Grand Preceptor, Grand Master of the Palace with credentials equal to the Three Excellencies, and Pillar of the State of the First Rank. He was enfeoffed posthumously as Prince of Wuning with the posthumous name Zhengxian (Upright and Law-abiding). His son Duorezhi served as left vice councilor of Jiang-Zhe Province.
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Buhumu
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西使 殿 使 使 退 使 使 西驿使 使 使使 使 使 便 使 使 仿 退 使 齿 簿 访便 使 使 使怀 怀 · 使使 西 贿 西 使 使 使 西 便殿 贿使 使 西
Buhumu, also called Shiyong, style Yunchen, came from a line of great men of the Kangli tribe. The Kangli were the Gaoche people of Han times. His grandfather Hailanbo had once served Wang Khan of the Kerait. When Wang Khan fell, he abandoned his household and rode northwest with several thousand horsemen. Taizu sent envoys to summon him. He replied, "Your Majesty and I once served Wang Khan together. Now that Wang Khan is gone, I cannot bear to change whom I serve." He then departed, and none knew where he went. His ten sons were all captured by Taizu. Yan Zhen was the youngest, only six years old, and Taizu gave him to Empress Zhuang Sheng. The empress took pity on him and raised him, then sent him to attend Kublai at the princely residence. As a man he followed on campaigns and distinguished himself. Kublai's renown grew daily. When Möngke prepared to campaign against Song, he ordered Kublai to remain behind and guard the residence. Yan Zhen said, "The Great Khan has long been suspicious. Now he goes far into peril while Your Highness, his younger brother, remains alone in safety. Is that fitting?" Kublai saw he was right and asked to join the southern campaign. Möngke was pleased. He divided the army, ordering Kublai to advance on Ezhou while he himself led the attack on Diaoyu Mountain in Shu and left Ariq Böke to guard the rear. When Möngke died, Yan Zhen commanded the forces Kublai had left behind. Seeing that Ariq Böke harbored divergent ambitions, he escorted the empress and gradually withdrew south, joining Kublai at Shangdu. When Kublai took the throne, Yan Zhen died before he could be greatly employed. His highest office was commandant of the guard. Buhumu was his second son. He was exceptionally gifted and carried himself with refined ease. Kublai took notice and assigned him to the Eastern Palace of Crown Prince Yuzong, where he studied under the crown prince's tutor Wang Xun. When Wang Xun went on the northern campaign, Buhumu studied under Xu Heng, chancellor of the Imperial Academy. Each day he wrote several thousand characters. Xu Heng often praised him, saying he had the makings of a chief minister. Kublai once wished to see specimens of the students' calligraphy. Buhumu, aged sixteen, alone copied out several dozen passages from the Essentials of Government in the Zhenguan Reign and presented them. The emperor saw the admonitory intent and praised him at length. Xu Heng compiled the posthumous names, titles, lines of descent, and reign years of emperors through the ages into a book for the students. Buhumu read it a few times and could recite it entire. The emperor summoned him for examination and he omitted not a single character. In the thirteenth year of Zhiyuan (1276), together with his fellow students Jiantong, Taida, Tulü, and others he submitted a memorial: We have heard that the Record of Learning says, "If the gentleman wishes to transform the people and perfect custom, must he not do so through learning?" "Jade unworked does not become a vessel; a person who does not study does not know the Way." Therefore the kings of antiquity, in founding the state and ruling the people, put instruction first. From the age of Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Wen, and Wu, none lacked schools. Their governance flourished above and custom was refined below, and they became models for later ages. Down to the Han dynasty, schools were also established, and students were examined and appointed to office according to merit. Emperor Daowu of Wei rose from the north. After he settled the Central Plain he added three thousand students, and Confucian learning flourished. This shows that every dynasty had maintained schools. We now cite for Your Majesty the rulers who pacified the south and established schools. After Emperor Wu of Jin had pacified Wu, he first established the Imperial Academy. After Emperor Wen of Sui had destroyed Chen, he made the Directorate of the Imperial Academy independent of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. After Emperor Gaozu of Tang had destroyed Liang, he ordered schools established in all prefectures, counties, and townships. Under Taizong he often visited the Imperial Academy, expanded the school buildings to twelve hundred rooms, and increased enrollment in the Imperial Academy, the National University, and the Four Gates Academy. He appointed erudites for the schools of writing and calculation. Even chieftains of Goryeo, Baekje, Silla, Gaochang, and Tibet sent their sons to study. The Imperial Academy came to hold more than eight thousand students. Gaozong followed this and ordered the Directorate of the Imperial Academy to oversee six schools: the Imperial Academy, the National University, the Four Gates Academy, the School of Law, the School of Writing, and the School of Calculation, each with a fixed number of students — all continuing Gaozu's intent. Yet Jin in pacifying Wu gained only five hundred twenty thousand households; Sui in destroying Chen gained only five hundred prefectures and counties; Tang in destroying Liang gained only a little more than six hundred thousand households — and still they honored schools to this degree. How much more so for our great and august state, which holds the lands south of the Yangtze. The households of the fallen Song are estimated at no fewer than ten million. This is Your Majesty's divine achievement, unmatched since antiquity — not to be compared with Jin, Sui, or Tang. Yet the policy on schools has not been fully carried out. We regret this deeply. We have been favored by Your Majesty's grace and ordered to study Confucian learning. Reverently considering Your Majesty's intent — is it not because people of various categories already fill office while Mongols in office are still few, and you wish us to understand affairs of state so we may serve your commissions? Yet because the school system is not yet settled and our companions are few — it is like demanding fine grain from a few seedlings or fine steeds from a few horses — we fear they will not easily be found. For the present, if you wish talent to be numerous and thoroughly versed in Han institutions, you must, as in antiquity, establish schools everywhere — only then will it suffice. If you say there is not yet leisure, you should for the present expand the Imperial Academy at Dadu. Select a hundred fine Mongol youths between ten and fifteen years of age, and a hundred sons of officials and outstanding commoners, and grant them stipends according to fixed regulations. Choose men of complete virtue and learning sufficient to serve as models, and appoint them vice chancellors, erudites, and assistant instructors to teach them. Let instruction be rooted in human relations and clear on the principles of things. Expound the classics and commentaries for them and teach them the way of cultivating the person, regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to all under Heaven. Below this establish several branches, such as elementary learning, law, writing, and calculation. For each branch appoint instructors and have each teach according to his specialty. For the elementary-learning branch, students should read and recite the classics and be taught the proprieties of conversation, deportment, and serving their elders. The law branch should focus on mastering administrative and clerical affairs. The writing branch should focus on mastering script and characters. The calculation branch should focus on becoming thoroughly skilled in arithmetic. Students may proceed to a new subject only after mastering one art, or rotate through subjects within a single day. The officials of the Directorate of Education should oversee the whole program, conduct regular inspections, require students to master every subject, and always treat moral principles as primary. Those with spare capacity may be permitted to study literary composition. By month, season, and year, according to each student's aptitude, assess the lessons completed, measure diligence and idleness, and mete out rewards and punishments. Diligent students are promoted to the upper dormitory; idle ones are demoted to the lower dormitory and restored only after they reform. On holidays students may practice archery; except on holidays, they may not leave the academy without good cause. After several years, upper-dormitory students who have achieved success in their studies may be recommended by academy officials — specifying what rank Mongols should receive and what offices persons of other categories should enter. Those who have not yet succeeded should continue their studies. When they are ready to serve in government, academy officials may each year recommend the worthy and capable among them for office according to established precedent. Those who prove unteachable after three years may be dismissed from the academy. If changes in school administration and enrollment can be reported promptly to the throne, corrupt practice in education will be prevented, and talented men throughout the realm will be inspired to come forward. Schools could then be established in the commanderies and districts in succession, transforming the people and completing local custom — nothing would be beyond reach. We, your servants, young and ignorant as we are, have learned no more than what books and our teachers have taught us. We dare not insist that our proposal will surely work. We humbly beseech Your Majesty in your sacred compassion to receive this memorial and charge the senior ministers, together with Left Chancellor Wang Zanshan and others, to discuss it, submit detailed recommendations, and implement what is agreed — this is our deepest wish. When the memorial was submitted, the Emperor read it and was pleased. In the fourteenth year, he was appointed vice director of the Directorate for Profit and Use. In the fifteenth year, he was appointed vice intendant of the Commission for Punishments and Inspection for the Yan South and Hebei Circuit. The Emperor dispatched the interpreter Tuoheduo to escort a Western monk to perform Buddhist rites. On their return through Zhending, Tuoheduo beat a courier-station clerk nearly to death. The clerk lodged a complaint with the intendant, who dared not investigate. Buhumu accepted the complaint and imprisoned the monk. Tuoheduo immediately sought to free the monk, speaking in a stubborn and defiant tone. Buhumu had his cap removed in open court and rebuked him for dereliction of duty. Tuoheduo fled home and reported the matter. The Emperor said, "Buhumu has always been upright and firm; you must have broken the law — that is why." Soon afterward the report from Yan South arrived. The Emperor said, "I knew it all along." In the nineteenth year, he was promoted to intendant of the Commission for Punishments and Inspection. When an official of Jingzhou was accused of stealing government property, the Emperor specially ordered Buhumu — though Jingzhou normally fell under Hedong — to investigate. His report on returning pleased the Emperor, who rewarded him with one thousand taels of silver and five thousand strings of paper money. In the twenty-first year, he was summoned to serve as a deliberative official of the Secretariat. At the time the tea monopoly transport commissioner Lu Shirong had curried favor with the commissioner of political affairs Sangge, claiming that if put to use he could increase state revenue tenfold. The Emperor asked Buhumu, who replied, "Revenue-grabbing ministers of old, men like Sang Hongyang and Yuwen Rong, used schemes of profit to beguile their rulers. At first all called them loyal servants; but when their crimes matured and their evil became plain, both state and people were ruined — and regret came too late. I urge Your Majesty not to accept his proposal." The Emperor would not listen. He made Lu Shirong right chancellor, and Buhumu declined the deliberative post and refused to accept the appointment. In the twenty-second year, Lu Shirong was executed for his crimes. The Emperor said, "I am deeply ashamed before you." Buhumu was promoted to minister of personnel. At the time the government was confiscating the property of Ahama's household. Ahama's slave Zhang Sanzhar, who deserved death for his crimes, falsely claimed that much of the family's wealth had been hidden elsewhere and that recovering it all would replenish the treasury. Officials launched sweeping investigations and arrests, implicating innocent people as well and throwing the capital into turmoil. The Emperor grew suspicious and ordered Chancellor Antong to convene the heads and deputies of the Six Ministries to examine the matter. Buhumu said, "That slave was Ahama's trusted henchman; he deserved death many times over. He said this only to drag out his days and hope by luck to escape death. How can we accept his deceit again and shift calamity onto innocent people? Execute these men at once, and public resentment will die down of its own accord." The chancellor reported Buhumu's words to the throne. The Emperor saw the truth, ordered Buhumu to try the case, and the full facts came out. Sanzhar and his accomplices were executed, and all who had been arrested were released. In the twenty-third year, he was transferred to minister of works. In the ninth month, he was transferred to the Ministry of Punishments. The Hedong intendant Ahama used his wealth to flatter the powerful. He borrowed money from the government on promise of repayment in sheep and horses, but when payment came due he forcibly seized the produce of local people to cover it. When the affair came to light, investigators were sent, but all denied wrongdoing. Only when Buhumu went in person were more than a hundred of Ahama's unlawful acts uncovered. When the people of Datong suffered famine, Buhumu used his discretionary authority to open the granaries and provide relief. A minister favored by Ahama memorialized that Buhumu had issued military stores on his own authority, and also framed Ahama to force a false confession. The Emperor said, "Issuing grain to save our people is his duty. Where is the crime in that?" He ordered the case transferred to the capital for review, and Ahama was ultimately executed. Tutuha sought to augment his army with Kipchak men who had been others' slaves, but in the process he also enrolled many registered civilians. Wang Yu of the Secretariat checked the registers and corrected the irregularities. Tutuha then memorialized that Wang Yu had spoken words of disloyalty. The Emperor was furious and wanted to execute him. Buhumu remonstrated, "Wang Yu was originally ordered to enroll Kipchak men who had been others' slaves as soldiers — not registered civilians. If every guard unit followed this example, the population registers would be depleted. If Wang Yu is executed, who afterward will dare serve Your Majesty faithfully?" The Emperor's anger subsided, and Wang Yu was spared. In the twenty-fourth year, Sangge memorialized to establish the Ministry of State Affairs and had the grand councillors Yang Jukuan and Guo You falsely charged and executed. Buhumu argued against it without success. Sangge came to hate him deeply and once pointed at Buhumu and told his wife, "This is the man who will one day confiscate our household." Seizing on Buhumu's leaving at mealtimes, Sangge accused him of neglecting office duties and sought to attach guilt to him. Buhumu was then dismissed on grounds of illness. When the imperial procession returned from Shangdu, Buhumu's younger brother Yelizhenban sat in attendance within the carriage. The Emperor said, "Your elder brother will surely come to welcome us on a certain day." Buhumu did indeed arrive on that day. Seeing how emaciated he was, the Emperor asked how much salary he received. Attendants replied that those who had exhausted sick leave received none by regulation. Mindful of Buhumu's poverty, the Emperor ordered his full salary restored. In the twenty-seventh year, he was appointed academician expositor-in-chief of the Hanlin Academy, drafter of imperial edicts, and concurrently compiler of the national history. In the spring of the twenty-eighth year, while the Emperor was hunting at Willow Grove, Cheli and others impeached Sangge and memorialized his crimes. The Emperor summoned Buhumu and questioned him; he answered with the full truth. The Emperor was greatly shocked and resolved to have Sangge executed. The Ministry of State Affairs was abolished and the Six Ministries restored to the Secretariat. The Emperor wished to appoint Buhumu chancellor, but he firmly declined. The Emperor said, "I listened too much to Sangge and brought unrest to the empire. Though I regret it now, it is already too late. I knew you as a child and had you schooled precisely to prepare you for a day like this. Do not decline so much." Buhumu said, "Many meritorious elders of the court still outrank me in age and rank. If you promote me out of turn, you will not win the assent of others." The Emperor said, "Then who is suitable?" He replied, "Grand Mentor of the Heir Apparent Wanze would be suitable. When Ahama's household was confiscated earlier, ledgers recorded his bribes to court favorites — Wanze's name appeared on none of them; and he once said that Sangge as chancellor would ruin state affairs — which has now proved true. That is why I know he is suitable." The Emperor said, "But without you there is no one who can handle my affairs." Thereupon Wanze was appointed right chancellor and Buhumu grand councillor. The Shangdu garrison commander Mubalasha argued that converting the inspection commissions into integrity-visitation commissions was impracticable and should be abolished, and sought corrupt crimes among censorial officials to sway the Emperor. The Emperor blamed Vice Censor-in-Chief Cui Yu, who pleaded illness and claimed ignorance. Buhumu rebuked Cui Yu to his face for failing to speak plainly, then set forth at length why the commissions should not be abolished, and the Emperor's doubts were resolved. After the imperial army's failed expedition against Jiaozhi, the court again planned a major campaign. Buhumu said, "The island peoples are crafty. When imperial majesty presses upon them, will they not tremble with fear? A cornered beast will bite — that is what circumstance drives them to do. Now his son Ridian has succeeded to the throne. If a single envoy is sent to explain the consequences of fortune and disaster, and they repent and reform, they will submit without the trouble of armies. If they do not repent, it will not be too late to send troops." The Emperor accepted his advice. Jiaozhi, awed by fear, sent its envoy the so-called King Zhaoming and others to the court to apologize and submit the tribute owed for the previous six years in full. The Emperor said with pleasure, "This is the power of a single word from you." He immediately offered Buhumu half of the tribute as a gift. Buhumu declined, saying, "This came about through Your Majesty's divine martial virtue and restraint from killing — what merit have I?" He accepted only an agarwood rockery, an ivory paperweight, and a crystal brush rack — and nothing more. Maiduding requested re-establishing the Ministry of State Affairs to take exclusive charge of the three right departments. Buhumu rebuked him in open court: "Ahama and Sangge in succession misled the state and were executed with their households confiscated — the warning is still recent. How can you wish to repeat their example!" The proposal was thereupon dropped. When some urged campaigns against Liuqiu and the imposition of the baoyin tax in Jiangnan, he remonstrated and blocked both proposals. After Sangge's followers Nasir al-Din and others were executed, the Emperor, believing Xindu excelled at fiscal management, wished to spare him. Buhumu argued vigorously against it, but the Emperor would not listen. Within a single day he memorialized seven times, until at last the proper sentence was fixed. The Buddhist clergy requested gold, silver, silk, and cloth to sacrifice to their deity, and the Emperor was reluctant. Buhumu said, "The Buddha treasures the relinquishment of greed." The request was thereupon denied. Some argued that Mongols in the capital should live intermixed with Han people as a precaution against unforeseen trouble. Buhumu said, "The new subjects have only just moved and are not yet settled. Further upheaval will surely deprive them of their livelihoods. This is surely the work of scoundrels who wish to monopolize trade profits, colluding with court favorites and dressing their scheme up as loyal counsel." He then submitted a map showing how throughout the capital the mansions of the nobility already interlocked with common dwellings like teeth in a jaw — and the proposal was dropped. When someone slandered Wanze for favoritism, the Emperor asked Buhumu about it. He replied, "Wanze and I both serve at the Secretariat under shared responsibility. If things were as alleged, how could he act alone? Though we ministers are unremarkable men, we hold the highest offices of state. When someone is accused of hidden faults, he ought to be brought face to face with his accuser and the charge openly examined. To act on secret suspicion alone is not the way of a truly just sovereign." The slanderer was indeed refuted. The Emperor was angry and ordered his attendants to slap the man's cheeks and drive him out. That day was bitterly cold; the Emperor took off his own black sable fur coat and bestowed it on Buhumu. The Emperor would often turn to his attending ministers and praise Saidian Zhan's abilities. Buhumu calmly asked why. The Emperor said, "When he served Möngke Khan, he secretly supplied me with funds — your father knew of this. You had not yet been born; you truly would not know. Buhumu said, "That is what we call a minister who serves two masters. If someone were now to use imperial treasury goods to cultivate a prince in secret, what would Your Majesty think of that? The Emperor hastily waved his hand. "Enough," he said. "I spoke out of turn. In the thirtieth year (1293), a comet appeared near the Imperial Throne constellation. The Emperor was troubled. At night he summoned Buhumu into the inner palace and asked how to avert the heavenly omen. Buhumu replied, "Wind and rain descend from Heaven — and men build roofs and halls to receive them; Rivers mark the boundaries of the land — and men build boats to cross them. Where Heaven and Earth fall short, men must act — and that is how humans share in the work of Heaven and Earth. When a parent is angry, a dutiful child does not dare resent it — he can only respond with reverence and filial devotion. The Image of Thunder in the Book of Changes enjoins: "The noble man, in fear and trembling, examines himself." The Book of Songs says, "Revere Heaven's wrath," and again: "When calamity strikes, be afraid." The sage kings of the Three Dynasties who heeded Heaven's warnings rarely failed to meet a good end. Under Emperor Wen of Han, twenty-nine mountains collapsed on the same day, and eclipses and earthquakes came year after year. By following this course, Heaven itself relented, and the realm was at peace. These are the lessons of the past, Your Majesty — I urge you to follow their example. He then recited Emperor Wen's edict calling for remonstrance after a solar eclipse. The Emperor was shaken. "Your words strike deeply at my heart," he said. "Recite them again. Buhumu then expounded at length, and the audience lasted until the fourth watch. The next morning at breakfast, the Emperor presented him with delicacies from his own table. In that thirtieth year the Emperor fell ill. By established custom, only Mongols of old merit were permitted to enter the royal bedchamber. Because of his steadfast loyalty, Buhumu attended him daily, supervising his medicine and never leaving his side. When the Emperor's condition turned critical, Buhumu, together with Censor-in-Chief Yelü Nayin and Grand Preceptor Bayan, received the deathbed testament and remained in the inner palace. Grand Chancellor Wanze arrived but was refused entry. When Yelü Nayin and Bayan emerged, he asked, "I am both older and senior in rank to Buhumu — yet I am excluded from a deliberation of state importance. Why? Bayan sighed. "If the Grand Chancellor had Buhumu's insight," he said, "we would never have been burdened with such labor! Wanze had no answer and went in to speak with the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager summoned the three men and questioned them. Yelü Nayin said, "We received the Emperor's final charge. Your Majesty need only watch us fulfill it. If we fail the state, execute us that very day. Affairs of dynasty and realm are not matters the inner palace should learn of in advance. The Empress Dowager accepted this, and the great decision was settled. Thereafter Buhumu oversaw the funeral procession, the enshrinement rites, and the petition for a posthumous title at the Southern Altar. When Chengzong ascended the throne, the chief ministers all went north of Shangdu to welcome him. The Grand Chancellor was admitted alone, while Buhumu waited several days before he could see the new Emperor. When Chengzong learned of this, he sought Buhumu out and said, "You were my father's most trusted adviser. I am young and untested — instruct me day and night, correct my failings, that I may not betray the weight of trust my father placed in us both. Chengzong personally handled affairs of state. His judgments were swift and clear, and in deliberations on weighty matters the court often followed Buhumu's counsel. The Empress Dowager likewise treated Buhumu, as a veteran minister of the previous reign, with the utmost respect. The governor of Hedong presented stalks of extraordinary grain, and senior ministers proposed reporting it to the throne as an auspicious sign. Buhumu asked him, "Did your entire province produce such grain — or only these few stalks? He answered, "Only these few stalks. Buhumu said, "If that is so, it brings no benefit to the people — how can it count as an auspicious omen? The proposal was dropped and the envoy dismissed. Western Buddhist monks performing religious rites requested the release of criminals to earn merit — a practice called tuluoma. Wealthy lawbreakers bribed the monks to secure their release. Murderers of masters and husbands alike — the monks would dress them in robes reserved for the Emperor and Empress, seat them on yellow calves, and escort them out the palace gates to freedom, claiming the act would earn divine blessing. Buhumu protested, "Human relationships are the foundation of governance and the bedrock of public morals — how can we tolerate such contempt for the law! The Emperor rebuked the Grand Chancellor. "I told you to keep this from Buhumu," he said. "Now I have heard what he says, and I am deeply ashamed. He sent word to Buhumu: "Let the matter rest for now. I accept your counsel this once — but hereafter it shall remain established custom. When a slave denounced his master and the master was executed, an edict immediately granted the slave his master's official position. Buhumu objected, "Such a policy will destroy public morality, erode all bonds of loyalty, and obliterate the distinction between high and low. The Emperor saw the wisdom of this and revoked his earlier edict. The chief ministers recommended appointing Buhumu Grand Councillor of the Shaanxi Branch Secretariat. The Empress Dowager told the Emperor, "Buhumu is the conscience of this court — your father entrusted the realm to him. How can you send him away? The Emperor kept him at court. In the end, finding himself at odds with his fellow ministers on too many matters, he pleaded illness and withdrew from court. In the spring of 1296, the Emperor summoned him to the side hall. "I understand the cause of your illness," he said. "You cannot follow others — and others cannot follow you. I propose to replace you with Duan Zhen. What do you think? Buhumu replied, "Duan Zhen is indeed the better man. He was then appointed Grand Academician of the Zhaowen Hall and Grand Councillor for Military and State Affairs. He declined, saying, "In our dynasty only Shi Tianze has held that office. What merit have I to dare accept it? The appointment was revised to drop the word "Important" from the title. In 1298, when Censor-in-Chief Cui Yu died, Buhumu was specially ordered to act in his stead. The following year he was additionally placed in charge of the Directorate of Court Ceremonies. When a man took bribes through his father's office and the censor insisted on charging the father, Buhumu said, "The Censorate exists to uphold policy and encourage proper conduct. If we compel a son to testify against his father, how can we promote filial piety! When a Privy Council minister accepted a jade belt as a bribe and, after restitution, was merely barred from office, the censor protested that the penalty was too lenient. Buhumu said, "By ritual propriety, a corrupt minister is rebuked with the phrase 'his vessels are unpolished.' To add beating and public humiliation violates the principle that punishment does not reach up to the Grandee. People praised his fairness and moderation. In 1300 his illness returned. The Emperor sent physicians, but to no avail. Buhumu submitted a final memorial: "Your worthless subject has enjoyed undeserved favor; my appointed span is ended, and I take everlasting leave of this enlightened age. He raised his cup, drained it, and died. He was forty-six. The Emperor was stricken with grief, and the scholar-officials wept aloud. His family had always been poor. He cooked and drew water himself; his wife wove cloth to support his mother. Once, returning from an official mission, he found his mother already dead. He wailed until he vomited blood and nearly died of grief. In daily life he dressed plainly in the Confucian style and scorned ornament. Whenever his salary and gifts exceeded his needs, he gave the surplus to relatives and old friends. He had a keen eye for talent and recommended many men for office — Grand Chancellor Qalaqsun Dalan among them. In his learning he placed moral conduct above literary accomplishment. In private he was quiet and reserved; before the Emperor he spoke with force and clarity, citing principle with unwavering rectitude. He took the welfare of the realm as his personal charge and held nothing back. Kublai once told him, "Taizu said: governing the realm is like holding something in the right hand — you need the left hand to steady it, or the grip will fail. You are truly my left hand. At every informal audience Buhumu would expound the essentials of governance, ancient and modern. Kublai would slap his thigh and sigh, "I regret you came to me so late — yet my descendants will be the richer for it. On his deathbed Kublai left Buhumu a white jade disc, saying, "Keep this — one day bring it when you come to see me again. Under Wuzong he was posthumously ennobled as Pure Loyalty, Assisting Governance Meritorious Subject, Grand Preceptor, and Duke of Lu with the posthumous name Wen Zhen. His son Huihui served as Grand Councillor of the Shaanxi Branch Secretariat; His son Ququ rose from Grand Councillor of the Jiang-Zhe Branch Secretariat to Academician Expositor-in-Chief of the Hanlin Academy.
6
Wanze
7
宿
Wanze was of the Tübiyan clan. His grandfather Tüshe followed Taizu from the northern frontier and helped pacify the tribes. When Ögedei invaded Jin, he ordered Prince Ruizong to advance through Shaanxi and strike where the enemy was unready. Tüshe served as vanguard, broke through Wuxiu Pass, crossed the Han River, swept through Fangcheng, and routed Jin forces at Yangzhai. After the fall of Jin he joined campaigns against Xingyuan, Lang, Li, and other prefectures, and was appointed Grand Marshal. He captured the Song city of Chengdu, executed the Song general Chen Longzhi, and was granted a fief of six hundred households. His father Wozhen served in the inner guard and managed the imperial kitchens. At the start of the Zhongtong era (1260), he joined Kublai's northern campaign. In 1263 he was appointed Right Grand Chancellor of the Secretariat and, together with Confucian advisers, helped establish the court's institutions. Wanze, as the son of a senior minister, was selected to serve on the staff of Prince Yuzong's household. When Yuzong was installed as Crown Prince, Wanze was named Chief Steward of his household. He advised the prince on policy within the palace and commanded his guard without. Meticulous and trustworthy, he won the Crown Prince's deep confidence. Once, at a gathering of the imperial clan, the Crown Prince pointed to Wanze and told the assembly, "Drawing near the virtuous and keeping the wicked at a distance — these are a ruler's first duties. A man like Wanze is not easily found among all the officials! From then on Wanze regularly commanded the Crown Prince's guard. After Yuzong's death, Chengzong as imperial grandson took command in the north, and Wanze accompanied him on both northern campaigns. In 1291, after Sangge's execution, Kublai consulted the court and specially appointed Wanze Right Grand Chancellor. As chancellor, Wanze abolished Sangge's abusive policies and petitioned to remit all taxes and grain levies in arrears since the beginning of the Zhongtong era. The people benefited greatly from his relief. In 1294, when Kublai died, Wanze received the deathbed testament. Conferring with the imperial clan and senior ministers, he informed the Empress Dowager and installed Chengzong on the throne. He issued proclamations throughout the realm, recalled the army from Annam, proposed honorific posthumous titles for the imperial ancestors, and set an example of filial devotion to the Empress Dowager for the entire empire. From the Yuanzhen era onward the court adhered faithfully to established law. Edicts poured forth distributing treasure and grain to the people without stint, and at the time Wanze was widely praised as a worthy chancellor. In 1300 he was further appointed Grand Tutor and entrusted with overseeing affairs of military and state importance. His rank and prestige rose ever higher, and Chengzong relied on him more heavily still. Yet Wanze conducted himself with quiet steadiness, never pressing for quick profit or visible achievement. Officials and commoners kept to their duties in contentment, and the age hailed him as a worthy chancellor. He died in 1303, aged fifty-eight. Posthumously enfeoffed as Prince of Xingyuan, he was given the posthumous title Loyal and Lawful.
8
Aluhunsali
9
西 西 使 宿 西 使 宿 使 使使 使 使 使 使 使 使 使 使 使 宿 使 使 使 使 使 西 西 使 使西 使 广 便 使 寿
Aluhunsali was a Uighur. His grandfather Atai Sali followed Taizu to Yan when the founder returned from pacifying the Western Regions. When the Uighur king Idikut petitioned the court to restore his people in full, the request was granted by edict, and Atai Sali returned west. He was deeply versed in Buddhist learning. He had a son, Qitai Sali, who inherited the family vocation and mastered the sutras, monastic discipline, and treatises. When his training was complete, his teacher gave him the name Wanquan, Wholly Complete. In 1275 he entered court service as Overall President of the Buddhist clergy, was appointed Righteousness Discussion Grandee and associate director of the Directorate for General Regulation, and was further promoted to Virtuous Virtue Grandee and regulatory commissioner. He died at the age of seventy. He had three sons. The eldest, Weiwu'er Sali, rose to Virtuous Virtue Grandee, right vice minister of the Secretariat, and acting director of the Directorate of the Treasury; the youngest was Diaowachi Sali; Aluhunsali was the middle son. He took his father's courtesy name and bore the surname Quan. Bright from childhood, he studied under State Preceptor Phagspa, mastered that learning, and also understood the languages of the various peoples. When Kublai heard of his abilities, he had him study the Chinese learning of the realm. Aluhunsali thereupon mastered the classics and histories, the teachings of the hundred schools, and the arts of yin-yang, calendrical reckoning, portents, and technical skill. He later served Yuzong, entered the palace guard, and won deep trust and esteem. In 1283 a monk from the Western Regions claimed he could read the heavenly signs, yet none of the court interpreters could follow what he said. The emperor asked his attendants whom he could send. Attendant Tolie replied, "Aluhunsali will do." Aluhunsali was summoned at once to debate with him, and the monk was thoroughly bested. The emperor was pleased and ordered him to attend court audiences as a member of the palace guard. It happened that someone from Jiangnan reported that members of the Song imperial clan were plotting rebellion, and the emperor ordered envoys sent to seize them and bring them to court. The envoys had already set out when Aluhunsali hurried in to remonstrate, "The accuser must be lying — the mission must not be sent." The emperor said, "On what grounds do you say this?" He replied, "If they had truly rebelled, how would the prefectures and counties not know? The accuser did not come through prefecture or county but brought word straight to the imperial court — he must be their enemy. Moreover, Jiangnan has only just been pacified and the people's loyalty is still uncertain. If on a commoner's idle rumor we at once seize people, I fear everyone will feel imperiled — and we would only play into the accuser's scheme." The emperor understood at once, recalled the envoys, had the accuser shackled and sent down to the local authorities for trial. The accuser promptly confessed — he had slandered them because they had once refused him a loan. The emperor said, "But for your words I would nearly have erred — I only regret putting you to use so late." From then on he was ordered to attend daily at the emperor's side. In 1284 he was promoted to Court Rank Grandee and left attendant of ceremonial service. He then urged the emperor that to govern the realm one must employ Confucian methods, and that recluses and men of talent from mountains and marshes should be summoned and kept ready for appointment. The emperor praised and accepted this counsel, dispatched envoys to seek out men of talent, and established the Hall of Assembled Worthies to receive them. In the ninth month of autumn he was ordered to direct the institute's affairs. Aluhunsali said, "Your Majesty first established the Hall of Assembled Worthies to await scholars — you should choose a minister of great repute to head it, so as to refresh public regard." He asked that Minister of Works Sariman take charge of the matter, and the emperor consented. Aluhunsali was then appointed Central Harmoniousness Grandee and academician of the Hall of Assembled Worthies, concurrently serving in the Directorate of Astronomy while retaining his post as left attendant of ceremonial service. All scholars who answered the imperial summons were lodged and fed at the hall; in food, provisions, carriages, and raiment they were all delighted beyond expectation. Even those who did not meet the emperor's expectations were additionally granted gifts and sent on their way. An official of the Household Supply Directorate wished secretly to undermine the project, so he lavishly displayed the rations provided before the inner palace, hoping the emperor would see them. The emperor did pass by and asked about it. The official replied, "This is one scholar's daily provision." The emperor angrily said, "Do you wish me to see this and cut it back? Ten times this to receive the scholars of the realm — I still fear they will not come; how much less if you wish to reduce it — who would be willing to come?" Aluhunsali spoke again to the emperor, "The National University is the root of talent. In establishing the Directorate of Education with doctorate and student posts, their rations should be generously provided so that scholars daily increase." The emperor consented. In the sixth month of summer of 1285 he was transferred to Distinguished Counsel Grandee. In 1286 he was promoted to grand academician of the Hall of Assembled Worthies and Central Submission Grandee. In the spring of 1287 the Ministry of Works was established and Sangge held power. An edict called Aluhunsali to join in the administration of affairs. He firmly declined but was not permitted. He was granted Virtuous Virtue Grandee and right vice minister of the Ministry of Works, then successively appointed Honorific Salary Grandee and grand councillor. Sangge governed with violence and overbearing arrogance, and he advanced his own faction. Aluhunsali remonstrated with him sharply again and again. Long estranged and at odds, he held to integrity and rectitude alone. Sangge memorialized to establish the Tax Recovery Office to pursue tax arrears throughout the realm. Envoys filled the roads one after another, prisons everywhere were packed, travelers averted their eyes — and none dared speak out. When an earthquake struck Beiping, Aluhunsali petitioned to abolish the Tax Recovery Office in order to appease the heavenly portent. On the day the edict was issued, the people rejoiced together. Before long Sangge fell. By implication of guilt, Aluhunsali's property was also confiscated. The emperor asked, "Sangge governed thus — why did you not say a single word?" He replied, "Your subject never failed to speak — only my words were not heeded. Your Majesty was then trusting Sangge deeply. He hated none but me alone. My repeated remonstrances had no effect — like carrying faggots to put out a fire, they would only increase his violence. Better to patch matters between you so as not to harm the state's great foundation; in time Your Majesty would surely awaken of yourself." The emperor also agreed, and added, "I am deeply ashamed before you." At Sangge's execution the officials still questioned him about Aluhunsali. Sangge said, "It was only because I did not heed his words that I came to ruin — what has he to do with it?" The emperor believed all the more in his innocence, ordered his confiscated property returned, and dispatched Zhang Jiusi to bestow gold and silk — but Aluhunsali declined and would not accept. In the autumn of 1291 he requested dismissal from administration and also to be relieved of the directorship of the Directorate of Astronomy. By edict he was appointed grand academician of the Hall of Assembled Worthies. Astronomical Supervisor Liu reported that when Aluhunsali was at the Directorate of Astronomy he repeatedly spoke of the state's auspices and calamities — a grave impropriety — and requested that he be handed over to the judicial officers for punishment. The emperor was greatly angered, deeming it slander of a great minister and fit for punishment. Aluhunsali kowtowed and said, "Your subject is without talent, relying on Your Majesty's heaven-and-earth breadth of forbearance — though I should die ten thousand deaths I could not repay it. Yet if you would punish the one who spoke, I fear that from this there will be no one who speaks to Your Majesty on affairs of state." He argued strenuously, and the accuser was released. The emperor said, "You are truly a man of noble character." Later, though he had left office, sometimes he would be summoned through the night to discuss affairs, and he spoke fully on all he knew. In 1293 he again took charge of the Directorate of Astronomy. The next year Kublai died. Chengzong was on the frontier. Yuzong's empress dowager ordered Aluhunsali to write urging Chengzong to enter and take the throne, and also ordered him to lead Hanlin, Assembled Worthies, and rites officials to prepare the ceremonial patent of investiture. The next spring he was additionally made guardian minister of works and director of the Academy of Assembled Worthies, while continuing to head the Directorate of Astronomy. Earlier, when Yuzong died, Kublai wished to settle the succession but did not know whom to install. He asked Aluhunsali, who at once pointed to Chengzong and said that Chengzong was filial, benevolent, reverent, and frugal — he should be installed. Thereupon the great decision was settled; Chengzong and Yuzong's empress knew nothing of it. Chengzong many times summoned Aluhunsali, but he did not go. Chengzong held troops in the north; the emperor sent Aluhunsali to deliver the crown prince's seal to Chengzong — only then did he visit his residence once. When Chengzong took the throne he said to Aluhunsali, "When I was in my private estate, who did not wish to serve me? Only you, though summoned, did not come. Now I know you truly possess the bearing of a great minister." From then on when summoned to audience his name was not called; he was granted a seat on a level with the feudal princes. He once told those around him, "A man like Grand Councillor Quan is truly a wholly complete talent — in our day there is scarcely his equal." In 1299 he was again appointed grand councillor of the Central Secretariat. He died in 1307, aged sixty-three. In 1317 he was posthumously given the title Meritorious Minister for Supporting Loyalty, Assisting Governance, and Illuminating Brightness, grand preceptor, with carriage, seal, and Three Excellencies of a feudatory opening establishment, and senior pillar of state; posthumously enfeoffed as Duke of Zhao with the posthumous title Cultured and Settled. He had three sons. The eldest was Yuezhu; the second, Jiuzhu, who ended as Hanlin associate reader; the third, Maizhu, who died young. Yuezhu has his own biography. Atai Sali was posthumously given the title Meritorious Minister for Preserving Virtue, Silver-Green Honorific Salary Grandee, minister of works, and pillar of state; posthumously enfeoffed as Duke of Zhao with the posthumous title Upright and Sincere; Qitai Sali was cumulatively posthumously given the title Meritorious Minister of Pure Sincerity and Upright Guarding, grand guardian, with carriage and seal and Three Excellencies, and senior pillar of state; posthumously enfeoffed as Duke of Zhao with the posthumous title Comprehensive and Keen. Yuezhu, courtesy name Zhisuo, also styled Jianshan. From youth his bearing was dignified and decorous; by nature he was quick-witted and far-sighted. At just eight years old, viewing the painter He Cheng's Lady Tao Shearing Her Hair, Yuezhu pointed at the golden bracelet in Lady Tao's hand and asked, "The bracelet could be exchanged for wine — why shear hair instead?" He Cheng was greatly startled and at once regarded the boy as extraordinary. When he grew older and entered upon his studies, he wrote a thousand words each day. At eighteen he followed Chancellor Dashman in palace guard duty, entering and leaving the inner palace with the bearing of a seasoned elder. In 1308 he was appointed academician of Assembled Worthies at the rank of Righteousness Discussion Grandee, and at once took recommending the worthy and advancing the capable as his business. In 1312 he was promoted to Central Submission Grandee and pacification commissioner of Hunan Circuit. Each day he received Confucian scholars and inquired into the people's grievances. In 1316 he was promoted to Nurture-the-Good Grandee and director of the Directorate of Imperial Blessings. In 1320 he was appointed director of the Directorate of Astronomy. Emperor Yingzong observed his composed and unhurried demeanor, turned and said to Vice Administrator Susu, "Director Quan is truly a noble scion of an old family." In 1324 he was transferred to director of the Directorate of Imperial Rites and Ceremonials. In 1327 he was appointed minister of rites and placed in charge of the Hall of Mutual Association, and shortly thereafter made vice administrator of the Branch Secretariat of Jiangxi and elsewhere. In 1328 he was promoted to Honorific Salary Grandee and grand academician of the Hall of Assembled Worthies. In the second year of Zhishun (1331) he was appointed pacification commissioner of the Jiangxi regional secretariat. At the time false accusations claimed that wealthy households owed more than eight hundred ingots from the Prince of Yongning's official treasury. The Central Secretariat sent envoys to all circuits to collect the sums. When the envoy reached Jiangxi, Yuezhu said, "The matter involves false accusation. I cannot obey this order." His subordinates feared defying the chief ministers. Yuezhu said, "The people are the foundation of the state. To wound that foundation and gather resentment is no blessing for a chancellor either." He had the envoy return and report in these terms. El Temür was then chief minister. Hearing Yuezhu's words, he was moved and ordered the Ministry of Punishments to investigate. The false accusation was proved, and several accusers were punished. The chief minister reported this to the throne. The emperor commended Yuezhu and specially granted him silks and wine of the highest grade. Zhang Sijin and others of Guiyang Prefecture gathered more than two thousand followers in a band. The prefecture and county could not control them, and the Guangdong pacification commission requested troops to capture them. Yuezhu said, "The officials cannot pacify the border people, yet hope by luck to raise troops and bring harm to the people? That cannot be done." The chief ministers all paled. The censorate also said raising troops was inadvisable. Yuezhu held firm and sent the chiliarch Wang Ying to inquire into the facts. Wang Ying went straight to the bandits' lair and lectured them on fortune and disaster. The bandits said, "Only the two patrol offices drove us to this — how would we dare harbor rebellious hearts!" He lectured their followers, and all were made to return to their occupations. The region was pacified. In the third year (1332) he was transferred to pacification commissioner of the Henan and Jiangbei regional secretariat. Soon afterward, on military business he reached Yangzhou and fell ill. In the twelfth month of the following year he died sitting upright, aged fifty-three. Yuezhu was filial and fraternal by nature. His younger brother by the same mother, Jiuzhu, died young, and he mourned him with the utmost grief. He was especially fond of the classics and histories. From astronomy to medicine, no book escaped his thorough study. His breadth of mind was great. When others deceived him, he remained calmly unconcerned. When asked about it, he would say, "They deceive themselves. What has that to do with me?" His mother, Lady Gao, also often said of him, "My son is a man of antiquity." He had four sons: the eldest, Puda, served as associate commissioner of the regional commission for Buddhist and Tibetan affairs; the second, Anseng, was posthumous heir to Jiuzhu and supervisor of the Directorate of Insignia; the third, Renshou, was grand master of palace attendance and director of the Directorate of the Autumn Palace.
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