1
王都中
Wang Douzhong
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王都中，字元俞，福之福寧州人。 父積翁，仕宋為寶章閣學士、福建制置使。 至元十三年，宋主納土，乃以全閩八郡圖籍來，入覲世祖於上京，降金虎符，授中奉大夫、刑部尚書、福建道宣慰使，兼提刑按察使，尋除參知政事，行省江西。 俄以為國信使，宣諭日本，至其境，遇害於海上。 都中生三歲，即以恩授從仕郎、南劍路順昌縣尹。 七歲，從其母葉訴闕下，世祖閔焉，給驛券，俾南還，賜平江田八千畝、宅一區。 已而世祖追念其父功不置，特授都中少中大夫、平江路總管府治中，時年甫十七。 僚吏見其年少，頗易視之。 都中遇事剖析，動中肯綮，皆咢眙不敢欺。 崑山有詭易官田者，事覺，而八年不決，都中為披故牘，洞見底里，其人乃伏辜。 吳江有違拒有司築堤護田之令而歸過於眾人者，都中詢知其故，皆置不問，其人乃無所逃罪。 學舍久壞不治，而郡守缺，都中曰：「聖人之道，人所共由，何獨守得為乎？」 乃首募大家，合錢新其禮殿。 秩滿，除浙東道宣慰副使。 金華有毆殺人者，吏受賕，以為病死。 都中摘屬吏覆按，得其情。 獄具，縣長吏而下，皆以贓敗。 餘姚有豪民張甲，居海濱，為不法，擅制一方，吏無敢涉其境。 都中捕系之，痛繩以法。 遷荊湖北道宣慰副使。 適歲昆，都中躬履山谷，以拯其飢，民賴以全活者數十萬。 武宗詔更鈔法，行銅錢，以都中為通才，除江淮泉貨監。 凡天下為監者六，惟江淮所鑄錢號最精。
Wang Douzhong, styled Yuanyu, was a native of Funing Prefecture in Fujian. His father Jiweng had served the Song as Academician of the Baozhang Pavilion and Commissioner for Pacification of Fujian. In 1276, when the Song sovereign submitted his realm, Jiweng brought the registers of all eight prefectures of Fujian, went to the Upper Capital to pay homage to Kublai Khan, surrendered his golden tiger tally, and received appointment as Central Submitter Grand Master, Minister of Punishments, Pacification Commissioner of the Fujian Circuit, and concurrent Investigating Censor; shortly afterward he was made Vice Administrator of the Jiangxi Branch Secretariat. Before long he was appointed credentialed envoy to Japan, but was killed at sea when he reached Japanese waters. Douzhong was only three when, by grace of the throne, he was appointed Attendant Gentleman and magistrate of Shunchang County in Nanjian Circuit. At the age of seven he accompanied his mother Ye to appeal at court; Kublai Khan took pity on them, issued travel warrants for their return south, and granted them eight thousand mu of land in Pingjiang and a residence. Later Kublai Khan, ever mindful of his father's service, specially appointed Douzhong Junior Central Grand Master and Assistant Administrator of the Pingjiang Circuit General Administration when he was only seventeen. The staff officials, seeing how young he was, tended to take him lightly. Whenever a matter arose, Douzhong analyzed it to the quick, always striking the heart of the issue, until his colleagues could only stare in astonishment and dared not try to deceive him. In Kunshan a man had fraudulently exchanged official land; though the case came to light, it remained unresolved for eight years until Douzhong examined the old records, saw straight through to the truth, and the culprit finally submitted to punishment. In Wujiang men who had defied the government's order to build dikes to protect their fields tried to shift blame onto the community at large; Douzhong investigated, learned the truth, and declined to pursue the others—whereupon the ringleader had no way to escape his guilt. The schoolhouse had long lain in ruins, and the prefect's post was vacant; Douzhong said, "The Way of the sages is a path for everyone—why should restoring it be the prefect's task alone?" He then took the lead in soliciting contributions from leading families, pooled their funds, and rebuilt the ritual hall. When his term expired he was appointed Vice Pacification Commissioner of the Zhedong Circuit. In Jinhua a man had been beaten to death, but the clerk took a bribe and reported the victim had died of illness. Douzhong assigned subordinate clerks to reinvestigate the case and uncovered the truth. Once the case was closed, every official from the county magistrate down was ruined by bribery charges. In Yuyao a powerful local magnate named Zhang Jia lived on the coast, breaking the law and ruling his own stretch of territory so absolutely that no official dared set foot there. Douzhong had him arrested and punished him to the full extent of the law. He was transferred to the post of Vice Pacification Commissioner of the Huguang North Circuit. That year brought severe famine; Douzhong went in person through valleys and hills to relieve the starving, and several hundred thousand people owed their survival to him. Emperor Wuzong ordered reforms to the paper-note system and the circulation of copper cash; deeming Douzhong a man of wide talent, the court appointed him Supervisor of Currency for the Jianghuai region. There were six such mint supervisors throughout the empire, but only the coins cast under Jianghuai supervision were of the finest quality.
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改郴州路總管。 郴居楚上流，溪洞徭獠往來民間，憚其強猾，莫敢與相貿易。 都中煦之以恩，懾之以威，乃皆悅服。 郴民染於蠻俗，喜鬥爭，都中乃大治學舍，作籩豆簠簋、笙磬琴瑟之屬，使其民識先王禮樂之器，延宿儒教學其中，以義理開曉之，俗為之變。 鄰州茶陵富民覃乙死，無子，惟一小妻，及其贅婿，妻誣其婿拜屍成婚，藏隱玉杯夜明珠，株連八百餘人，奉使宣撫移其獄，諉之都中，窮治，悉得其情，而正其罪。 州長吏而下，計其贓至十一萬五千餘緡，人以為神明。 遷饒州路總管。 年飢，米價翔踴，都中以官倉之米，定其價為三等，言於行省，以為須糶以下等價，民乃可得食，未報。 又於下等價減十之二，使民就糴。 時宰怒其專擅，都中曰：「饒去杭幾二千里，比議定往還，非半月不可。 人七日不食則死，安能忍死以待乎！」 其民亦相與言曰：「公為我輩減米價，公果得罪，我輩當鬻妻子以代公償。」 時宰聞之乃罷。 郡歲貢金，而金戶貧富不常，都中考得其實，乃更定之。 包銀之法，戶不過二兩，而州縣征之加十倍，都中責之，一以詔書從事。 父老或以兩岐之麥、六穗之禾為獻，都中曰：「此聖主之嘉瑞，非臣下所敢當。」 遂以聞於朝。 以內憂去郡，民生為立祠。
He was reassigned as General Administrator of Chenzhou Circuit. Chenzhou lay in the upper reaches of the Chu region, where Yao and Liao tribesmen from the hill country moved among the populace; the people feared their fierceness and cunning and dared not trade with them. Douzhong treated them with kindness and restrained them with authority, until they all submitted willingly. The people of Chenzhou had been steeped in frontier custom and were prone to brawling; Douzhong therefore renovated the schoolhouse on a large scale, commissioned ritual vessels and musical instruments of the ancient kind, and had the people learn to recognize the implements of the sages' rites and music; he invited veteran Confucian scholars to teach there and enlightened the people with moral principle, and local custom was transformed. In neighboring Chaling a wealthy man named Qin Yi died childless, leaving only a young wife and her uxorilocal son-in-law; the wife falsely accused the son-in-law of marrying over the corpse, concealed a jade cup and a night-luminous pearl, and implicated more than eight hundred people; when an imperial pacification commissioner transferred the case to Douzhong, he investigated to the end, uncovered the full truth, and secured proper convictions. From the prefectural chief clerk downward, the bribes uncovered amounted to more than 115,000 strings of cash, and the people regarded him as uncannily perceptive. He was transferred to General Administrator of Raozhou Circuit. During a famine year rice prices soared; Douzhong took grain from the government granary, set three price grades, and reported to the Branch Secretariat that grain must be sold at the lowest grade if the people were to eat—but received no answer. He then cut the lowest grade price by a further twenty percent and opened the granary for the people to buy grain. The chief minister was furious at his unauthorized action; Douzhong replied, "Raozhou is nearly two thousand li from Hangzhou; by the time a decision is made and word travels back and forth, half a month will have passed. A man who goes seven days without food dies—how can the starving be expected to wait for death while we deliberate!" The people among themselves said, "Our lord lowered the price of rice for us; if he is truly punished, we will sell our wives and children to pay his fine for him." When the chief minister heard this, he dropped the matter. The prefecture paid an annual gold tribute, but the wealth of gold-mining households fluctuated; Douzhong investigated the true circumstances and revised the assessments. Under the wrapped-silver levy no household owed more than two taels, yet prefectures and counties were collecting ten times that amount; Douzhong held them to account and enforced the edict as written. Local elders once presented wheat with double ears and grain with six stalks to a single head; Douzhong said, "These are auspicious omens belonging to the sage ruler—they are not for a subject such as myself to accept." He forwarded them to the court instead. When he left the prefecture on account of domestic mourning, the people erected a shrine to him in his lifetime.
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服闋，除兩浙都轉運鹽使，未上，擢海北海南道肅政廉訪使。 中書省臣奏國計莫重於鹽策。 乃如前除鹽亭灶戶，三年一比附推排，世祖舊制也。 任事者恐斂怨，久不舉行。 都中曰：「為臣子者，使皆避謫，何以集事？」 乃請於行省，遍曆三十四場，驗其物力高下以損益之。 役既平而課亦足，公私便之。 擢福建閩海道肅政廉訪使，俄遷福建道宣慰使都元帥，又改浙東道宣慰使都元帥。 天歷初，被省檄，整點七路軍馬，境內晏然。 徙廣東道宣慰使都元帥，三易鎮，皆佩元降金虎符。 元統初，朝廷以兩淮鹽法久壞，詔命都中以正奉大夫、行戶部尚書、兩淮都轉運鹽使，仍賜襲衣法酒。 都中既至，參酌前所行於兩浙者，次第施行之，鹽法遂修。 尋拜河南行省參知政事，中道以疾作南歸。 於是天子閔其老，詔即其家拜江浙行省參知政事。 至正元年卒。 贈昭文館大學士，諡清獻。
After the mourning period he was appointed Director of Salt Transport for the Two Zhe circuits, but before he could take up the post he was promoted to Purifying Censor of the Haibei and Hainan Circuit. A Central Secretariat official memorialized that nothing weighed more heavily on state finance than the salt policy. Accordingly the old practice was restored of reassessing salt-pavilion and stove households every three years—an institution established by Kublai Khan. Officials in charge had long feared provoking resentment and had not carried it out. Douzhong said, "If every official shunned blame, how would anything ever get done?" He petitioned the Branch Secretariat for permission to visit all thirty-four salt fields, assess each household's means, and adjust levies accordingly. Corvée burdens were eased, revenues were met, and both government and people benefited. He was promoted to Purifying Censor of the Fujian Minhai Circuit, soon afterward made Pacification Commissioner and Commander-in-Chief of Fujian, and then transferred to the same posts in the Zhedong Circuit. At the beginning of the Tianli reign he was ordered by the Branch Secretariat to muster troops across seven circuits, and the region remained entirely tranquil. He was transferred to Pacification Commissioner and Commander-in-Chief of Guangdong; over three successive postings he wore the golden tiger tally bestowed by the Yuan court. At the beginning of the Yuantong reign, seeing that the Liang-Huai salt system had long been in disarray, the court appointed Douzhong Regular Submitter Grand Master, Acting Minister of Revenue, and Director of Salt Transport for the Two Huai circuits, and granted him court robes and ritual wine. Once Douzhong arrived, he adapted the reforms he had carried out in the Two Zhe circuits and applied them in sequence, and the salt system was restored. Shortly afterward he was appointed Vice Administrator of the Henan Branch Secretariat, but fell ill en route and returned south. The emperor, taking pity on his age, then appointed him Vice Administrator of the Jiang-Zhe Branch Secretariat at his own home. He died in the first year of the Zhizheng reign (1341). He was posthumously granted the title Grand Academician of the Zhaowen Hall, with the posthumous epithet Qingxian (Clear Offering).
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都中歷仕四十餘年，所至政譽輒暴著，而治郡之績，雖古循吏無以尚之。 當世南人以政事之名聞天下，而位登省憲者，惟都中而已。 又其清白之操，得於家傳，所賜田宅之外，不增一疃，不易一椽，廩祿悉以給族姻之貧者，人尤以是多之。 幼留京師，及拜許衡，即知所趨向。 中年尤致力於根本之學，自號曰本齋。 有詩集三卷。
Douzhong served in office for more than forty years; wherever he went his reputation for governance was immediately conspicuous, and his achievements as a prefectural administrator would have done credit even to the compassionate officials of antiquity. Among southerners of his day who won a national reputation for administrative talent and rose to provincial or censorial rank, Douzhong stood alone. His integrity, inherited from his family tradition, was equally renowned: beyond the fields and residence granted by the throne he added not a single plot nor altered a single beam, and he gave his entire official salary to poor kinsmen and in-laws, for which people admired him all the more. He spent his youth in the capital, and once he paid his respects to Xu Heng he knew at once the path he should follow. In middle age he devoted himself especially to fundamental learning and took the style Benzhai (Root Studio). He left a poetry collection in three juan.
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○王克敬
○ Wang Kejing
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王克敬，字叔能，大寧人。 幼奇穎，嘗戲道旁，丞相完澤見之，謂左右曰：「是兒資貌秀偉，異日必令器也。」 大寧朔土，習尚少文，而克敬獨孜孜為儒者事。 既仕，累遷江浙行省照磨，尋升檢校。 徽州民汪俊上變，誣富人反，省臣遣克敬往驗之。 克敬察其言不實，中道數為開陳禍福，俊悔，將對簿，竟仰藥以死。 調奉議大夫、知順州，以內外艱不上。 除江浙行省左右司都事。 延祐四年，往四明監倭人互市。 先是，往監者懼外夷情叵測，必嚴兵自衛，如待大敵。 克敬至，悉去之，撫以恩意，皆帖然無敢嘩。 有吳人從軍徵日本陷於倭者，至是從至中國，訴於克敬，願還本鄉。 或恐為禍階，克敬曰：「豈有軍士懷恩德來歸而不之納邪！ 脫有釁，吾當坐。」 事聞，朝廷嘉之。 番陽大饑，總管王都中出廩粟賑之，行省欲罪其擅發，克敬曰：「番陽距此千里，比待命，民且死，彼為仁，而吾屬顧為不仁乎！」 都中因得免。
Wang Kejing, styled Shuneng, was a native of Daning. As a boy he was exceptionally bright; once while playing by the roadside he was seen by Chancellor Wanze, who said to his attendants, "This boy is handsome and gifted; one day he will surely prove a man of consequence." Daning was frontier country, where learning was little valued, yet Kejing alone devoted himself diligently to Confucian studies. After entering office he rose through successive appointments to Registrar and then Proofreader of the Jiang-Zhe Branch Secretariat. A commoner of Huizhou named Wang Jun submitted an urgent memorial falsely accusing wealthy men of rebellion; the provincial authorities sent Kejing to investigate. Kejing saw that the accusation was false and several times along the way explained to Jun the consequences he faced; Jun repented, and on the eve of trial took poison and died. He was appointed Grand Master for Discussion and Prefect of Shunzhou, but did not take up the post on account of mourning obligations. He was appointed Chief Clerk of the Left and Right Bureaus of the Jiang-Zhe Branch Secretariat. In 1317 he was sent to Siming to supervise trade with Japanese merchants. Previously supervisors had feared the unpredictability of foreign traders and always went heavily armed, as if facing a major enemy. When Kejing arrived he dismissed all such precautions, treated the traders with kindness, and they became entirely docile, none daring to cause trouble. A man of Wu who had been captured in Japan while serving in the campaign against that country now came to China with the traders, appealed to Kejing, and asked to return home. Some feared this might invite trouble; Kejing said, "How can we refuse a soldier who comes in good faith seeking to return home! If trouble should arise from this, I alone will bear the blame." When the matter was reported, the court commended him. When Poyang suffered severe famine, Wang Douzhong released government grain to relieve the starving; the Branch Secretariat wished to punish him for unauthorized distribution; Kejing said, "Poyang is a thousand li away; by the time orders arrive the people will be dead—he acted humanely, and are we to be inhumane instead!" Douzhong was thereby spared punishment.
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拜監察御史，用故事監吏部選。 有履歷當升者，吏故抑之，問故，吏曰：「有過。」 克敬曰：「法，笞四十七以上不升，今不至是。」 吏曰：「責輕罪重。」 曰：「失出在刑部，銓曹安知其罪重！」 卒升之。 治書侍御史張伯高曰：「往者監選以減駁為能，今王御史乃論增品級，可為世道賀矣。」 尋遷左司都事。 時英宗厲精圖治，丞相拜住請更前政不便者，會議中書堂，克敬首言：「江南包銀，民貧有不能輸者，有司以責之役戶，甚無謂也，當罷之。 兩浙煎鹽戶牢盆之役，其重者尤害民，當免其它役。」 議定以聞，悉從之。
He was appointed Investigating Censor and, following precedent, supervised the Ministry of Personnel's civil-service selection. A candidate whose record qualified him for promotion was deliberately held back by a clerk; when Kejing asked why, the clerk said, "He has a disciplinary record." Kejing said, "The law bars promotion only for offenses of forty-seven strokes of the cane or more; this does not reach that threshold." The clerk replied, "The formal charge was light, but the actual offense was serious." Kejing said, "Errors in sentencing belong to the Ministry of Punishments—how should the selection bureau know whether the offense was truly serious!" He promoted the man in the end. Secretariat Censor Zhang Bogao remarked, "In the past censors supervising selection prided themselves on blocking promotions; now Censor Wang argues for raising grades—this is something the age may celebrate." Shortly afterward he was transferred to Chief Clerk of the Left Bureau. At that time Emperor Yingzong was vigorously pursuing good governance; Chancellor Bayiju called for revision of inconvenient policies from the previous reign; at a meeting in the Central Secretariat hall Kejing spoke first: "In Jiangnan the wrapped-silver levy falls on the poor who cannot pay, and officials shift the burden to corvée households—this is absurd and should be abolished. In the Two Zhe circuits the heaviest corvée burdens on salt-boiling households, especially work on the salt pans, are especially harmful and those households should be exempted from other corvée duties." When the proposals were reported to the throne, all were approved.
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泰定初，出為紹興路總管，郡中計口受鹽，民困於誅求，乃上言乞減鹽五千引。 運司弗從，因歎曰：「使我為運使，當令越民少蘇矣。」 行省檄克敬抽分舶貨，拗蕃者例籍其貨，商人以風水為解，有司不聽。 克敬曰：「某貨出某國，地有遠近，貨有輕重，冒重險，出萬死，捨近而趨遠，棄重而取輕，豈人情邪！」 具以上聞，眾不能奪，商人德之。 擢江西道廉訪司副使，轉兩浙鹽運司使，首減紹興民食鹽五千引。 溫州逮犯私鹽者，以一婦人至，怒曰：「豈有逮婦人千百里外，與吏卒雜處者，污教甚矣！ 自今毋得逮婦人。」 建議著為令。 明年，擢湖南道廉訪使，調海道都漕運萬戶。 是歲，當天歷之變，海漕舟有後至直沽者，不果輸，复漕而南還，行省欲坐罪督運者，勒其還趨直沽。 克敬以謂：「脫其常年而往返若是，信可罪。 今蹈萬死，完所漕而還，豈得已哉！」 乃請令其計石數，附次年所漕舟達京師，省臣從之。
At the beginning of the Taiding reign he was appointed General Administrator of Shaoxing Circuit, where salt was allotted per capita and the people were crushed by exactions; he memorialized requesting a reduction of five thousand yin of salt. The transport office refused; he sighed and said, "If I were transport commissioner, I could give the people of Yue some relief." The Branch Secretariat ordered Kejing to assess duties on incoming ship cargo; by precedent merchants who forced down prices on foreign goods had their entire cargo confiscated; when merchants pleaded that storms had driven them off course, the authorities would not listen. Kejing said, "Each cargo comes from a particular country; distances vary and goods differ in value; to brave deadly perils, abandon nearby ports for distant ones, and leave valuable goods for lighter ones—how is that human nature!" He reported the full reasoning to the court; none could overturn his judgment, and the merchants were grateful. He was promoted to Vice Censor of the Jiangxi Circuit and then appointed Commissioner of the Two Zhe Salt Transport Office, where his first act was to reduce Shaoxing's salt allotment by five thousand yin. When Wenzhou arrested private-salt offenders and brought a woman prisoner a thousand li away to be confined among clerks and soldiers, he said angrily, "How can a woman be dragged a thousand li to be mixed among male officials and soldiers—this is a gross violation of propriety! Henceforth women must not be arrested." He memorialized that this provision be enacted as law. The following year he was promoted to Vice Censor of the Hunan Circuit and transferred to Wanhu of the Maritime Grand Grain Transport Office. That year, during the Tianli succession crisis, sea-transport ships that arrived late at Zhigu could not unload their cargo and had to sail south again; the Branch Secretariat wished to punish the transport supervisors and ordered them back to Zhigu. Kejing said, "If in ordinary years they had traveled back and forth in this fashion, they could indeed be punished. But having braved deadly perils and completed their transport before returning, how could they have done otherwise!" He petitioned that they count the grain by shi and have it delivered to the capital on the following year's transport ships; the provincial authorities agreed.
10
召為參議中書省事。 有以飛語中大臣者，下其事，克敬持古八議之法，謂勳貴可以不議，且罪狀不明而輕罪大臣，何以白天下。 宰相傳旨大長公主為皇外姑，賜錢若干； 平雲南軍還，賜錢若干； 英後入覲，賜錢若干。 克敬乞覆奏，宰相怒曰：「參議乃敢格詔命邪！」 克敬曰：「用財宜有道，大長公主供饋素優，今賜錢出無名，不當也。 自諸軍征討以來，賞格未下，平雲南省獨先受賞，是不均也。 英後遠還，徒禦眾多，非大錫賚，恩意不能洽，今賜物鮮少，是不周也。」 宰相以聞，帝可其議。 拜中奉大夫、參知政事，行省遼陽。 俄除江南行台治書侍御史，又遷淮東廉訪使，以正綱紀為己任，不縱貪墨，不阿宗戚，聲譽益著。 入為吏部尚書，乘傳至淮安，墜馬，居吳中養疾。
He was summoned to serve as Councilor of Central Secretariat affairs. Someone used slander to attack a high minister; when the case was referred down, Kejing invoked the ancient law of the Eight Deliberations, arguing that meritorious nobles were exempt from such proceedings, and that to punish a great minister lightly when the charges were unclear—how could this be justified to the world. The chancellor transmitted orders that the Grand Princess, as the emperor's maternal aunt, was to receive a grant of money; the army returning from pacifying Yunnan was to receive a grant of money; and the Empress, upon entering the capital to pay homage, was to receive a grant of money. Kejing requested that the orders be reported back for reconsideration; the chancellor said angrily, "How dare a Councilor obstruct imperial commands!" Kejing said, "Public funds should be spent with good reason; the Grand Princess already enjoys ample provisions—granting money without cause is improper. Since the various armies began their campaigns, reward schedules have not yet been issued, yet the Yunnan pacification force alone is rewarded first—this is inequitable. The Empress returns from afar with many attendants; without a generous grant her favor cannot be fully shown—yet the gifts granted are meager—this is inadequate." The chancellor reported to the throne, and the emperor approved his reasoning. He was appointed Central Submitter Grand Master and Vice Administrator of the Liaoyang Branch Secretariat. Shortly afterward he was appointed Secretariat Censor of the Jiangnan Branch Censorate, then transferred to Vice Censor of the Huaidong Circuit; he made rectifying discipline his duty, refused to indulge corruption, would not curry favor with imperial clansmen, and his reputation grew still greater. He was appointed Minister of Personnel; while traveling by relay post to Huai'an he fell from his horse and remained in Wu to recover from illness.
11
元統初，起為江浙行省參知政事，請罷富民承佃江淮田，從之。 松江大姓，有歲漕米萬石獻京師者，其人既死，子孫貧且行乞，有司仍歲徵，弗足則雜置松江田賦中，令民包納。 克敬曰：「匹夫妄獻米，徼名爵以榮一身，今身死家破，又已奪其爵，不可使一郡之人均受其害，國用寧乏此耶！」 具論免之。 江浙大旱，諸民田減租，唯長寧寺田不減，遂移牘中書，以謂不可忽天變而毒疲民。 嶺海徭賊竊發，朝廷調戍兵之在行省者往討之，會提調軍馬官缺，故事，漢人不得與軍政，眾莫知所為，克敬抗言：「行省任方面之寄，假令萬一有重於此者，亦將拘法坐視邪！」 乃調兵往捕之，軍行給糧有差。 事聞於朝，即令江西、湖廣二省給糧亦如之。 視事五月，請老，年甫五十九。 謂人曰：「穴趾而峻墉，必危； 再實之木，必傷其根。 無功德而忝富貴，何以異此？ 故常懷止足之分也。」 又曰：「世俗喜言勿認真，此非名言。 臨事不認真，豈盡忠之道乎？」 故其歷官所至，俱有政績可紀，時稱名卿。
At the beginning of the Yuantong reign he was recalled as Vice Administrator of the Jiang-Zhe Branch Secretariat and petitioned to abolish the practice of wealthy households contracting Jiang-Huai fields; his petition was granted. In Songjiang a great clan had annually presented ten thousand shi of transport grain to the capital; after the donor died his descendants were poor and even begged, yet the authorities still levied it yearly, and when the amount fell short they folded it into Songjiang land tax for the people to pay collectively. Kejing said, "A commoner rashly presented grain to win an honor for himself alone; now he is dead, his family ruined, and his rank already revoked—we cannot let an entire commandery suffer for this; will state revenue truly lack this amount!" He memorialized in full for exemption. Jiang-Zhe suffered severe drought; rent was reduced on commoners' fields, but Changning Temple fields alone were not reduced; he sent a memorial to the Central Secretariat arguing that one must not ignore heaven's warnings and harm the exhausted populace. Yao bandits in Linghai rose in rebellion; the court mobilized garrison troops of the Branch Secretariat to suppress them; when the post for coordinating military horses fell vacant, precedent held that Han Chinese could not hold military posts, and no one knew what to do; Kejing declared boldly, "The Branch Secretariat bears responsibility for an entire region—if something even graver than this arose, would we still sit bound by law and do nothing!" He then mobilized troops to capture them, with graded grain rations for troops on campaign. When the matter was reported, the court immediately ordered Jiangxi and Huguang provinces likewise to supply grain. After five months in office he requested retirement, though he was only fifty-nine. He told others, "To dig away the toes and raise the wall high must bring danger; a tree that bears fruit twice must injure its roots. To enjoy wealth and rank without merit or virtue—how is this different? Therefore I always keep in mind the boundary of knowing when to stop." He also said, "People like to say 'do not take things too seriously'—this is not wise counsel. If in handling affairs one is not serious, how can that be the way of full loyalty?" Therefore wherever he held office he left achievements worth recording, and his contemporaries called him a renowned minister."
12
克敬喜讀書，其有所得者，輒抄為書。 又有所著詩文奏議傳於世。 元統三年卒，年六十一。 贈中奉大夫、陝西等處行省參知政事，追封梁郡公，諡文肅。
Kejing loved reading; whatever insights he gained he copied into books. He also left literary works, memorials, and policy papers that circulated in his day. He died in the third year of the Yuantong reign (1335), at the age of sixty-one. He was posthumously granted Central Submitter Grand Master and Vice Administrator of the Shaanxi Branch Secretariat, enfeoffed as Duke of Liang, with the posthumous epithet Wensu.
13
子時，以文學顯，歷仕中書參知政事，至左丞，以翰林學士承旨致仕。
His son Shi, distinguished in letters, rose to Vice Administrator of the Central Secretariat, then Left Chancellor, and retired as Hanlin Academician Exemplar.
14
○任速哥
○ Ren Suge
15
任速哥，渤海人。 自幼事父母以孝稱。 性倜儻，尤峭直，疏財而尚氣，不尚勢利。 義之所在，必亟為之，有古俠士風。 而家居恂恂，儒者不能過。 初襲父官，為右衛千戶。 公卿以其賢，薦於朝。 英宗召見，與語奇之。 由是出入禁闥，待以心腹，將擇重職處之。 未幾，鐵失與倒剌沙構謀，英宗遇弒，遂引去。 自是不復出仕，居常扼腕，或醉歸，慟哭過市，時人目以為狂，莫知其意也。
Ren Suge was a native of Bohai. From childhood he served his parents and was known for filial piety. By nature he was bold and unconventional, especially stern and upright, generous with wealth and valuing honor, and disdainful of power and profit. Where righteousness lay he acted at once, displaying the spirit of the knights-errant of old. Yet at home he was respectful and cautious beyond what most Confucians could match. He first inherited his father's post as chiliarch of the Right Guard. Dukes and ministers, recognizing his worth, recommended him to court. Emperor Yingzong summoned him for an audience and, in conversation, found him remarkable. Thereafter he moved in and out of the forbidden precincts and was treated as a trusted confidant; the court was about to place him in a weighty post. Before long Tieshi and Daula Shah plotted together; Emperor Yingzong was assassinated, and Suge then withdrew from office. From then on he never served again; he often clenched his fists in grief, and sometimes when drunk would wail as he passed through the market; people regarded him as mad and did not understand his purpose.
16
泰定中，倒剌沙用事，天變數見。 速哥乃密與平章政事速速謀曰：「先帝之仇，孤臣朝夕痛心而不能報者，以未有善策也。 今吾思之，武宗有子二人，長子周王，正統所屬，然遠居朔方，難以達意。 次子懷王，人望所歸，而近在金陵，易於傳命。 若能同心推戴，以圖大計，則先帝之仇可雪也。」 速速深然之。 時燕帖木兒方僉樞密院事，實握兵柄，二人深結納之。 冬，乃告以所謀，燕帖木兒初聞之矍然。 因徐說之曰：「天下之事，惟順逆兩途，以順討逆，何患不克。 況公國家世臣，與國同休戚，今國難不恤，他日有先我而謀者，禍必及矣。」 於是燕帖木兒許之。 致和元年，懷王自金陵遷江陵，俄而泰定帝崩，倒剌沙踰月不立君，物情洶洶，速哥乃與速速從燕帖木兒奉豫王令，率諸豪傑，乘時奮義，以八月四日執居守省臣，發兵塞居庸諸關，召文武百僚集闕下，諭以翊戴大義，遣使迎懷王於江陵。 懷王至京師，群臣請正大統，遂即皇帝位，是為文宗。 論功行賞，擢速哥為禮部尚書，速哥辭曰：「臣曩備宿衛，南坡之變，不能勇效一死，以報國士之知。 今日之舉，皆諸將相之力，在臣未足贖罪，又曷敢言功乎！」 文宗慰勉之，乃拜命。 而其他賞賚，一無所受。 尋遷長寧寺卿，繼出為安豐路總管，又入為壽福府總管，又為都水使者，居官恂恂，無幾微自伐之意。 人或詢以翊戴之事，往往遜謝，終無所言，君子尤以是多之。
During the Taiding reign Daula Shah held power, and heaven's warnings appeared repeatedly. Suge then said secretly to Vice Administrator Susu, "The former emperor's enemy—as a lone subject I grieve day and night yet cannot repay him, for I have had no good plan. Now I have considered: Emperor Wuzong had two sons; the eldest, the Prince of Zhou, holds the legitimate succession, yet he dwells far on the northern frontier and is hard to reach with our intent. The second son, the Prince of Huai, commands popular regard and is nearby at Jinling, where orders are easy to convey. If we can unite in supporting and enthroning him to carry out the great plan, the former emperor's enemy can be avenged." Susu deeply agreed. At that time El Temür held concurrent office in the Bureau of Military Affairs and in fact controlled military power; the two men cultivated a deep bond with him. In winter they revealed the plan to him; El Temür at first started in alarm. He then slowly persuaded him, saying, "Affairs under heaven have only two paths, compliance and defiance; to use the compliant to attack the defiant, what fear is there of failure. Moreover you are a hereditary minister of the state, sharing weal and woe with the realm; if national crisis is not addressed now, another day someone may act before us and disaster will reach us too." Thereupon El Temür agreed. In the first year of Zhihe the Prince of Huai moved from Jinling to Jiangling; soon Emperor Taiding died, and Daula Shah for more than a month enthroned no ruler; popular feeling grew turbulent; Suge then with Susu, following El Temür under the Prince of Yu's order, led the heroes of the age to seize the moment and rise in righteousness; on the fourth day of the eighth month they seized the provincial officials holding the capital, sent troops to block the Juyong passes, summoned civil and military officials below the palace gate, explained the great principle of enthronement, and dispatched envoys to welcome the Prince of Huai from Jiangling. When the Prince of Huai reached the capital the officials requested that the great succession be set right, and he ascended the throne—this was Emperor Wenzong. When merits were assessed and rewards distributed, Suge was promoted to Minister of Rites; Suge declined, saying, "I formerly served in the night guard; at the Nanpo incident I could not bravely die in one stroke to repay what the state warrior knew of me. Today's achievement rests on the generals and ministers; for me it is not enough to redeem guilt—how dare I speak of merit!" Emperor Wenzong comforted and encouraged him, and he then accepted the appointment. But other rewards and gifts he accepted not a single one. Soon he was transferred to Director of Changning Temple, then posted out as General Administrator of Anfeng Circuit, then recalled as Director of the Shoufu Office, then appointed Commissioner of Waterworks; in office he was respectful and cautious, without the slightest hint of self-congratulation. When people inquired about the enthronement affair he often demurred and in the end said nothing; men of discernment especially admired him for this.
17
○陳思謙
○ Chen Siqian
18
陳思謙，字景讓，其家世見祖祐傳中。 思謙少孤，警敏好學，凡名物度數、綱紀本末，考訂詳究，尤深於邵子《皇極經世書》。 文宗天歷初政，收攬賢能，丞相高昌王亦都護舉思謙，時年四十矣。 召見興聖宮。 明年二月，授典寶監經歷。 十一月，改禮部主事，首言：「教坊、儀鳳二司，請併入宣徽，以清禮部之選。 其官屬不當與文武臣並列朝會，宜置百官之後、大樂之前。」 詔從之。 而二司隸禮部如故。 至順元年，拜西行台監察御史，建明八事：一曰正君道，二曰結人心，三曰崇禮讓，四曰正綱紀，五曰審銓衡，六曰勵孝行，七曰紓民力，八曰修軍政。 先是，關陝大饑，民多鬻產流徙，及來歸，皆無地可耕，思謙言：「聽民倍直贖之，使富者收兼入之利，貧者獲已棄之業。」 從之。 監察御史李擴行部甘肅，金州民劉海延都，其男元元，自稱流民王延祿，非海延都之子，告海延都掠其財。 擴聽之，以酷法抑其父。 思謙劾擴逆父子之天，壞朝廷之法，遂抵擴罪。
Chen Siqian, styled Jingrang—his family history appears in the biography of his ancestor You. Siqian lost his father young; alert and clever, he loved learning; in all names and things, measures and numbers, and the essentials of institutions from root to branch, he investigated with meticulous care, especially mastering Shao Yong's Huangji Jingshi. At the beginning of Emperor Wenzong's Tianli administration the court gathered worthy men; Chancellor Yidu Hu of Gaochang recommended Siqian when he was already forty. He was summoned for audience at the Xingsheng Palace. In the second month of the following year he was appointed Manager of the Directorate of Imperial Treasures. In the eleventh month he was transferred to Clerk of the Ministry of Rites and spoke first, saying, "The Music Bureau and the Ceremonial Phoenix Office should be merged into the Imperial Entertainment Commission to clarify the Ministry of Rites's selections. Their personnel should not stand together with civil and military ministers at court assemblies; they should be placed after the hundred officials and before the great music." An edict approved this. Yet the two offices remained subordinate to the Ministry of Rites as before. In the first year of Zhishun he was appointed Investigating Censor of the Western Branch Censorate and set forth eight proposals: first, rectify the ruler's Way; second, bind the people's hearts; third, honor ritual and deference; fourth, rectify institutions; fifth, examine civil-service selection; sixth, encourage filial conduct; seventh, relieve the people's burdens; eighth, repair military administration. Earlier Guan-Shaan had suffered severe famine; many people sold their property and wandered away; when they returned they had no land to till; Siqian proposed, "Let the people redeem their land at double the sale price, so the rich receive fair profit and the poor regain their abandoned livelihood." The proposal was adopted. Investigating Censor Li Kuo toured Gansu; a Jinzhou commoner named Liu Haiyandu had a son Yuanyuan who claimed to be the refugee Wang Yanlu, not Haiyandu's son, and accused Haiyandu of seizing his property. Kuo believed him and used harsh law to suppress the father. Siqian impeached Kuo for violating the natural bond of father and son and undermining the court's law, and Kuo was punished.
19
明年二月，遷太禧宗禋院都事。 九月，拜監察御史，首陳四事，言：「上有宗廟社稷之重，下有四海烝民之生，前有祖宗垂創之艱，後有子孫長久之計。 中論秦、漢以來，上下三千餘年，天直一統者，六百餘年而已。 我朝開國，百有餘年，混一六十餘年，土宇人民，三代、漢、唐所未有也。 民有千金之產，猶謹守之，以為先人所營，況君臨天下，承祖宗艱難之業，而傳祚萬世者乎！ 臣愚以興亡懇懇言者，誠以皇上有元之聖主，今日乃皇上盛時圖治之機，茲不可失也。」 又言：「戶部賜田，諸怯薛支請，海青獅豹肉食，及局院工糧，好事布施，一切泛支，以至元三十年以前較之，動增數十倍。 至順經費，缺二百三十九萬餘錠。 宜節無益不急之費，以備軍國之用，苟能三分損一以惠民，夫豈小哉！」 又言：「軍站消乏，簽補則無殷實之戶，接濟則無羨餘之財，倘有徵行，必括民間之馬，苟能修馬政，亦其一助也。 方今西越流沙，北際沙漠，東及遼海，地氣高寒，水甘草美，無非牧養之地，宜設置群牧使司，統領十監，專治馬政，並畜牛羊，數年之後，馬實蕃盛，或給軍以收兵威，或給站以優民力，牛羊之富，又足以給國用，非小補也。」 又言：「銓衡之弊，入仕之門太多，黜陟之法太簡，州郡之任太淹，朝省之除太速，欲設三策，以救四弊。 一曰，至元三十年以後增設衙門，冗濫不急者，從實減並，其外有選法者，併入中書。 二曰，宜參酌古制，設辟舉之科，令三品以下，各舉所知，得才則受賞，失實則受罰。 三曰，古者刺史入為三公，郎官出宰百里，蓋使外職識朝廷治體，內官知民間利病。 今後歷縣尹有能聲善政者受郎官御史，歷郡守有奇才異績者任憲使尚書，其餘各驗資品通遷，在內者不得三考連任京官，在外者須歷兩任，乃遷內職。 績非出類、守不敗官者，則循以年勞，處以常調。 凡朝缺官員，須二十月之上，方許遷除。」 帝可其奏，命中書議行之。 時有官居喪者，往往奪情起復，思謙言：「三年之喪，謂之達禮，自非金革，不可從權。」 遂著於令。 有詔起報嚴寺。 思謙曰：「兵荒之餘，當罷土木，以紓民力。」 帝嘉之曰：「此正得祖宗立台憲之意。 繼此事有當言者，無隱。」 賜縑綺旌之。 未幾，遷右司都事。 元統二年五月，轉兵部郎中。 十一月，改御史臺都事。 重紀至元元年五月，出為淮西道廉訪副使，至淮未期月，引疾歸。 六月，召為中書省員外郎，上言：「強盜但傷事主者，皆得死罪，而故殺從而加功之人，與鬥而殺人者，例杖一百七下，得不死，與私宰牛馬之罪無異，是視人與牛馬等也，法應加重。 因姦殺夫，所
In the second month of the following year he was transferred to Chief Clerk of the Directorate of Imperial Ancestral Sacrifice. In the ninth month he was appointed Investigating Censor and first set forth four matters, saying, "Above lies the weight of the ancestral temples and altars of soil and grain; below lies the life of the myriad people; before lies the hardship of the ancestors' founding enterprise; behind lies the long-term plan for sons and grandsons. Between them he observed that from Qin and Han down through more than three thousand years, periods of direct unity under heaven totaled only a little more than six hundred years. Our dynasty has ruled for more than a hundred years and been unified for more than sixty; in territory and population it surpasses the Three Dynasties, Han, and Tang. A commoner with a thousand-cash estate still guards it carefully as what his ancestors built—how much more for one who rules all under heaven, inherits the ancestors' arduous enterprise, and transmits the throne for ten thousand generations! Your servant speaks earnestly of rise and fall because Your Majesty is a sage ruler of the Yuan, and today is the emperor's flourishing age and the opportunity to seek good governance—this must not be lost." He also said, "Grant fields from the Ministry of Revenue, various keshig requests, rations of meat for hunting birds and lions and leopards, craftsmen's grain for bureaus and offices, charitable donations, and all miscellaneous expenditures—compared with the period before the thirtieth year of Zhiyuan they have generally increased several tens of times. Zhishun expenditures fell short by more than 2,390,000 ding of paper notes. One should cut useless and non-urgent expenses to prepare for military and state needs; if one could reduce expenditures by a third to benefit the people, would that not be a great gain!" He also said, "Military relay stations are depleted; when registering replacements there are no wealthy households, when providing relief there is no surplus funds; if a campaign arises the people's horses must be conscripted; if horse administration can be restored, that too would help. Today from the western deserts beyond the drifting sands, north to the desert, east to the Liao sea—the land is high and cold, the water and grass excellent—almost nowhere is unsuited to pasturage; a Directorate of Herds should be established to oversee ten superintendencies, specialize in horse administration, and also raise cattle and sheep; after several years horses would flourish abundantly, supplied either to the army to strengthen military power or to relay stations to ease the people's burdens; the wealth of cattle and sheep would also suffice for state use—a substantial benefit." He also said, "The abuses of civil-service selection: too many paths into office, demotion and promotion too simplistic, prefectural posts held too long, metropolitan appointments made too swiftly—I propose three policies to remedy four abuses. First, government offices added after the thirtieth year of Zhiyuan that are redundant and non-essential should be reduced and merged as warranted; those with selection procedures should be consolidated under the Central Secretariat. Second, the court should consult ancient practice and establish a recommendation examination, requiring officials of third rank and below each to recommend those they know; success brings reward, false recommendation brings punishment. Third, in antiquity regional prefects rose to become the Three Dukes, and court gentlemen went out to govern counties—so that local officials would understand how the court governed and central officials would know the people's hardships. Henceforth county magistrates of proven ability should be promoted to court gentleman or censor; prefects of exceptional achievement should be appointed censor-in-chief or minister; the rest should advance by verified qualification; metropolitan officials may not hold capital posts for three consecutive evaluations; provincial officials must complete two terms before transfer to central posts. Officials whose achievements were not outstanding and who did not fail in office should advance by seniority through regular rotation. All metropolitan vacancies must remain open for at least twenty months before appointment." The emperor approved his memorial and ordered the Central Secretariat to deliberate and implement it. At the time officials in mourning were often recalled prematurely; Siqian said, "The three-year mourning is the comprehensive rite; except in time of war one may not set it aside by expedient." This was then written into law. An edict ordered reconstruction of Baoyan Temple. Siqian said, "In the aftermath of war and famine, construction projects should be halted to relieve the people's burdens." The emperor praised him, saying, "This truly captures the intent of the ancestors in establishing the censorate. If hereafter there is something that should be said, speak without concealment." He was granted silk gauze in commendation. Shortly afterward he was transferred to Chief Clerk of the Right Bureau. In the fifth month of the second year of Yuantong he was transferred to Director of the Bureau of Military Affairs. In the eleventh month he was transferred to Chief Clerk of the Censorate. In the fifth month of the first year of Chongji Zhiyuan he was posted as Vice Censor of the Huaixi Circuit; he reached Huai but before a month had passed cited illness and returned. In the sixth month he was summoned as Outer Director of the Central Secretariat and memorialized, saying, "Robbers who merely injure their victims all receive the death penalty, yet those who deliberately kill accomplices who aided them, and those who kill in brawling, by statute receive one hundred and seven strokes of the cane and escape death—no different from the crime of privately slaughtering cattle and horses; this treats human life as equal to livestock; the law should be strengthened. For killing a husband through adultery, the
20
姦妻妾同罪，律有明文，今止坐所犯，似失推明。」 遂令法曹議，著為定制。
adulterer and the wife or concubine share the same guilt; the code states this explicitly, yet now only the principal offender is punished, which seems to fail to apply the principle fully." The Legal Bureau was ordered to deliberate, and this was enacted as a fixed regulation.
21
至正元年，轉兵部侍郎。 俄丁內艱，服除，召為右司郎中。 歲凶，盜賊蜂起，剽掠州邑，思謙力言於執政，當竭府庫以賑貧民，分兵鎮撫中夏，以防後患。 五年，參議中書省事。 轉刑部尚書，改湖南廉訪使。 八年，遷淮東宣慰司都元帥。 九年，遷浙西廉訪使、湖廣行中書省參知政事，辭。 十一年，改淮西廉訪使。 廬州盜起，思謙亟命廬州路總管杭州不花領弓兵捕之，而賊已不可撲滅矣。 言於宣讓王帖木兒不花曰：「承平日久，民不知兵，王以帝室之冑，鎮撫淮甸，豈得坐視！ 思謙願與王戮力殄滅。 且王府屬怯薛人等，數亦不少，必有能摧鋒陷陣者，惟王圖之。」 王曰：「此吾責也，但鞍馬器械未備，何能禦敵？」 思謙括官民馬，置兵甲，不日而集，分道並進，遂禽渠賊，廬州平。 既而潁寇將渡淮，又言於王曰：「潁寇東侵，亟調芍陂屯卒用之。」 王曰：「非奉詔，不敢調。」 思謙言：「非常之變，理宜從權，擅發之罪，思謙坐之。」 王感其言，從之。 其侄立本為屯田萬戶，召語曰：「吾祖宗以忠義傳家，汝之職，乃我先人力戰所致，今國家有難，汝當身先士卒，以圖報效，庶無負朝廷也。」
In the first year of Zhizheng he was transferred to Vice Minister of the Bureau of Military Affairs. Soon he encountered inner mourning; when mourning ended he was summoned as Director of the Right Bureau. In a famine year bandits rose everywhere and plundered towns; Siqian urgently told those in power to exhaust the treasuries to relieve the poor and deploy troops to pacify central China against future troubles. In the fifth year he was appointed Councilor of Central Secretariat affairs. He was transferred to Minister of Punishments and then to Vice Censor of Hunan. In the eighth year he was transferred to Pacification Commissioner and Commander-in-Chief of the Huaidong Circuit. In the ninth year he was transferred to Vice Censor of Zhexi and Vice Administrator of the Huguang Branch Secretariat, but declined. In the eleventh year he was transferred to Vice Censor of Huaixi. Bandits rose in Luzhou; Siqian urgently ordered the Luzhou General Administrator Hangzhou Buhua to lead bow troops against them, but the bandits could no longer be suppressed. He said to Prince Xuanrang Temür Buhua, "Peace has lasted so long that the people know nothing of war; Your Highness, as a member of the imperial clan charged with pacifying the Huai region, how can you sit and watch! Siqian wishes to join Your Highness in united effort to destroy them. Moreover the prince's household keshig and attendants are numerous—there must be men able to break the enemy's line; this is for Your Highness to decide." The prince said, "This is my responsibility, but saddles, horses, and weapons are not ready—how can we face the enemy?" Siqian collected government and private horses, prepared arms and armor, and within days assembled a force; advancing by separate routes they captured the ringleader bandits and pacified Luzhou. When Ying bandits were about to cross the Huai, he again said to the prince, "The Ying bandits are advancing eastward—urgently mobilize the garrison troops at Shaobo Pond." The prince said, "Without an imperial edict I dare not mobilize them." Siqian said, "In extraordinary circumstances reason permits expedient action; if unauthorized mobilization is a crime, Siqian will bear it." The prince was moved by his words and agreed. His nephew Liben was Wanhu of military colonies; he summoned him and said, "Our ancestors transmitted loyalty and righteousness through the family; your post was won by my forebears' hard fighting; now the state is in crisis—you should lead the troops in person to repay your service, lest you fail the court."
22
尋召入，為集賢侍講學士，修定國律。 十二年，拜治書侍御史。 明年，升中丞，年近七十，上章乞老，不允，特旨進一品，授榮祿大夫，仍御史中丞。 入謝，感疾，及命下，強拜受命，明日卒。 贈宣猷秉憲佐治功臣、翰林學士承旨、榮祿大夫、柱國，追封魯國公，諡通敏。
Soon he was recalled as Academician Lecturer of the Hall of Gathered Talents to revise the national code. In the twelfth year he was appointed Secretariat Censor. The following year he was promoted to Vice Censor-in-Chief; nearing seventy he memorialized for retirement but was refused; by special edict he was advanced one rank, granted Honored Grand Master, and remained Vice Censor-in-Chief. He entered to give thanks but fell ill; when the appointment arrived he forced himself to bow and accept it, and died the next day. He was posthumously granted Meritorious Minister Assisting Governance with Upright Counsel, Hanlin Academician Exemplar, Honored Grand Master, and Pillar of the State, enfeoffed as Duke of Lu, with the posthumous epithet Tongmin.
23
○韓元善
○ Han Yuanshan
24
韓元善，字大雅，汴梁之太康人。 唐檢校司空贈司徒充，以宣武軍節度使兼統義成軍，留鎮汴，子孫遂為太康韓氏。 父克昌，至大間仕為監察御史，以論事有名聲。 元善由國子監生積分中程，釋褐，除新州判官，累擢江南行台監察御史，歷中書左司郎中、吏部侍郎、吏部尚書、僉樞密院事。 至正三年，拜中書參知政事。 五年，遷大司農卿，尋出為江南行御史臺中丞、燕南肅政廉訪使。 九年，召拜中書左丞、同知經筵事。 十一年，丞相脫脫奏事內廷，以事關兵機，而元善及參知政事韓鏞皆漢人，使退避，勿與俱，由是遂與右丞玉樞虎兒吐華同分省彰德以給饋餉。 十二年，御史大夫也先帖木兒總兵討汝寧，元善至衛輝，以病卒。
Han Yuanshan, styled Daya, was a native of Taikang in Bianliang. The Tang Acting Minister of Works posthumously granted Minister of Works Han Chong, as Military Commissioner of the Xuanwu Army while also commanding the Yicheng Army, remained to garrison Bian; his descendants thus became the Han clan of Taikang. His father Kechang served as Investigating Censor during the Zhide period and was renowned for his forthright memorials. Yuanshan passed the Guozijian examination, entered office as Assistant Prefect of Xinzhou, and rose through successive appointments to Investigating Censor of the Jiangnan Branch Censorate, Director of the Left Bureau of the Central Secretariat, Vice Minister of Personnel, Minister of Personnel, and Vice Minister of the Bureau of Military Affairs. In the third year of Zhizheng he was appointed Vice Administrator of the Central Secretariat. In the fifth year he was transferred to Director of the Directorate of Agriculture, then posted out as Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Jiangnan Branch Censorate and Purifying Censor of the Yannan Circuit. In the ninth year he was summoned as Left Vice Administrator of the Central Secretariat and Associate Commissioner of the Classics Collegium. In the eleventh year Chancellor Toghto reported affairs in the inner court; because matters concerned military secrets and Yuanshan and Vice Administrator Han Yong were Han Chinese, they were ordered to withdraw and not attend; he was therefore assigned with Right Vice Administrator Yushu Qurtughua to divide the province at Zhangde to supply provisions. In the twelfth year Censor-in-Chief Yeshan Temür led troops against Runing; Yuanshan reached Weihui and died of illness.
25
元善性純正，明達政體，揚歷臺閣三十餘年，遂躋丞轄，以文學治才，羽翼廟謨，論議之際，秉義陳法，不偭鄉上官，國是所在，倚之以為重。 嘗以謁告侍親居家，效範文正公遺規，置田百畝為義莊，以周貧族。 至正交鈔初行，賜近臣各三百錠，元善復以買田六百畝，為義塾，延名士，以教族人子弟云。
Yuanshan was pure and upright by nature and clear in governmental institutions; over more than thirty years in the censorate and secretariat he rose to vice chancellorship; with literary learning and administrative talent he aided court deliberations; in debate he upheld righteousness and cited law, never bending to superiors; on matters of state policy the court relied on him heavily. Once while on leave serving his parents at home he followed Fan Zhongyan's charitable estate model, setting aside a hundred mu of fields to relieve poor clansmen. When the Zhizheng paper notes were first issued, close ministers were each granted three hundred ding; Yuanshan used his grant to buy six hundred mu of fields for a charity school, inviting renowned scholars to teach the clan's younger generation.
26
○崔敬
○ Cui Jing
27
崔敬，字伯恭，大寧之惠州人。 通刑名法律之學。 淮東、山南廉訪司皆辟書吏。 天歷初，辟御史臺察院書吏，歷刑部令史、徽政院掾史，遂升中書掾。 至元五年，用累考及格，授刑部主事。 六年，遷樞密院都事，拜監察御史。 時既毀文宗廟主，削文宗後皇太后之號，徙東安州，而皇弟燕帖古思，文宗子也，又放之高麗。 敬上疏，略曰：「文皇獲不軌之愆，已徹廟祀； 叔母有階禍之罪，亦削洪名。 盡孝正名，斯亦足矣。 惟念皇弟燕帖古思太子，年方在幼，罹此播遷，天理人情，有所不忍。 明皇當上賓之日，太子在襁褓之間，尚未有知，義當矜憫。 蓋武宗視明、文二帝，皆親子也，陛下與太子，皆嫡孫也。 以武皇之心為心，則皆子孫，固無親疏； 以陛下之心為心，未免有彼此之論。 臣請以世俗喻之：常人有百金之產，尚置義田，宗族困厄者，為之教養，不使失所。 況皇上貴為天子，富有四海，子育黎元，當使一夫一婦無不得其所，今乃以同氣之人，置之度外，適足貽笑邊邦，取辱外國。 況蠻夷之心，不可測度，倘生他變，關係非輕。 興言至此，良為寒心！ 臣願殺身以贖太子之罪，望陛下遣近臣迎歸太后、太子，以全母子之情，盡骨肉之義，天意回，人心悅，則宗社幸甚！」 不報。 又上疏，諫天子巡幸上都，宜禦內殿。 其略曰：「世祖以上都為清暑之地，車駕行幸，歲以為常，閣有大安，殿有鴻禧、睿思，所以保養聖躬，適起居之宜，存畏敬之心也。 今失剌斡耳朵思，乃先皇所以備宴遊，非常時臨御之所。 今陛下方以孝治天下，屢降德音，祗行宗廟親祀之禮，雖動植無知，罔不歡悅，而國家多故，天道變更，臣備員風紀，以言為職，願大駕還大內，居深宮，嚴宿衛，與宰臣謀治道。 萬機之暇，則命經筵進講，究古今盛衰之由，緝熙聖學，乃宗社之福也。」 時帝數以歷代珍寶分賜近侍，敬又上疏曰：「臣聞世皇時，大臣有功，所賜不過槃革，重惜天物，為後世慮至遠也。 今山東大饑，燕南亢旱，海潮為災，天文示儆，地道失寧，京畿南北，蝗飛蔽天，正當聖主恤民之日。 近侍之臣，不知慮此，奏禀承請，殆無虛日，甚至以府庫百年所積之寶物，遍賜僕禦閽寺之流、乳稚童孩之子。 帑藏或空，萬一國有大事，人有大功，又將何以為賜乎！ 乞追回所賜，以示恩不可濫，庶允公論。」
Cui Jing, styled Bogong, was a native of Huizhou in Daning. He mastered penal law and legal studies. The Huaidong and Shannan Purifying Censorates both recruited him as a clerk. At the beginning of the Tianli reign he was recruited as clerk of the Censorate Inspection Bureau, served as Clerk of the Ministry of Punishments and the Imperial Entertainment Commission, then rose to Clerk of the Central Secretariat. In the fifth year of Zhiyuan, having passed accumulated examinations, he was appointed Clerk of the Ministry of Punishments. In the sixth year he was transferred to Chief Clerk of the Bureau of Military Affairs and appointed Investigating Censor. At the time Emperor Wenzong's temple tablets had been destroyed, the posthumous title of Wenzong's empress dowager was stripped, and she was moved to Dong'anzhou; moreover the emperor's younger brother Yantugh, Wenzong's son, was also banished to Goryeo. Jing memorialized, saying in summary, "Emperor Wen incurred improper conduct and his temple worship was already removed; the empress dowager incurred the crime of bringing disaster by steps and her great title was also stripped. To fulfill filial piety and rectify names is already sufficient. Only consider the emperor's younger brother, Crown Prince Yantugh, still young, suffering this displacement—heaven's principle and human feeling cannot bear it. When Emperor Ming departed, the crown prince was still in swaddling clothes and had no knowledge; justice demands compassion. Emperor Wuzong regarded Emperors Ming and Wen both as his own sons; Your Majesty and the crown prince are both legitimate grandsons. With Emperor Wuzong's heart as heart, all are descendants and naturally there is no near and far; with Your Majesty's heart as heart, one cannot avoid the discussion of insider and outsider. Your servant asks to use a worldly comparison: a common man with a modest estate still sets up a charity field so that distressed clansmen may be taught and nourished and not lose their place. How much more for Your Majesty, noble as Son of Heaven, rich with the four seas, nurturing all the people—should ensure that not one man or woman fails to obtain their place; now to set aside one of the same breath invites laughter from border states and shame from foreign countries. Moreover barbarian hearts cannot be measured; if another change should arise the consequences are grave. To speak to this point chills the heart! Your servant wishes to offer his life to redeem the crown prince's crime; I hope Your Majesty will send a close minister to welcome back the empress dowager and crown prince, to complete mother-son affection and flesh-and-blood duty; if heaven's intent turns and hearts rejoice, the altars of soil and grain will be greatly blessed!" There was no reply. He again memorialized, remonstrating that the Son of Heaven on touring the Upper Capital should dwell in the inner palace. In summary he said, "Kublai Khan took the Upper Capital as a summer retreat; the imperial carriage traveled there yearly as a matter of course; the pavilion had Great Peace, the halls Hongxi and Ruisi, to preserve the sage body, suit the rhythm of rising and resting, and keep a heart of reverent caution. Now the Shalaghor encampment was where the former emperor prepared banquets and excursions—not a place for the emperor to hold court in ordinary times. Now Your Majesty governs the realm with filial piety, repeatedly issuing virtuous edicts and reverently performing the ancestral temples' personal sacrifice rites; though even plants and animals without understanding cannot fail to rejoice—yet the state has many troubles and heaven's way changes; your servant fills a disciplinary post and takes speech as duty; I wish the great carriage would return to the great inner city, dwell in the deep palace, tighten night guards, and with chancellors discuss the way of governance. In leisure from the myriad affairs, order the Classics Collegium to lecture, investigate the causes of rise and fall through antiquity, and brighten sagely learning—this is the fortune of the altars of soil and grain." The emperor frequently distributed historical treasures to close attendants; Jing again memorialized, saying, "Your servant has heard that in Kublai Khan's time, when great ministers had merit, what was granted did not exceed leather vessels; he treasured heaven's goods and planned far ahead for posterity. Now Shandong suffers great famine, Yan South severe drought, sea tides bring disaster, astronomy shows warnings, and the earth loses tranquility; north and south of the capital locusts blot the sky—this is precisely when the sage ruler should pity the people. Close attendants do not consider this, memorializing and requesting almost daily, even bestowing treasures accumulated in the treasury for a century on runners, gatekeepers, temple servants, wet nurses, and infant children. If the treasury is emptied, should great affairs arise or a man achieve great merit, with what will gifts be made! I beg that what was granted be recalled to show that favor cannot be lavished indiscriminately, and thereby satisfy public discussion."
28
是年，出僉山北廉訪司事，按部全寧。 獄有李秀，以坐造偽鈔，連數十人，而皆與秀不相識，敬疑而讞之。 秀曰：「吾以訓童子為業，居村落間，有司至秀舍，謂秀為偽造鈔者，捶楚之下，不敢不誣服耳。」 敬詢知始謀者，乃大同王濁，十餘年事不洩，而有司誤以李秀為王濁也。 移文至大同，果得王濁為真造偽鈔者。 至正初，遷河南，又遷江東。 所至抑豪強，惠下窮，洗冤滯，興學勸農，百廢具舉。 除江西行省左右司郎中，入為諸路寶鈔提舉，改工部侍郎。 十一年，遷同知大都路總管府事。 直沽河淤數年，中書省委敬浚治之，給鈔數万錠，募工萬人，不三月告成，咸服其能。 除刑部侍郎，遷中書左司郎中。 十二年，歷兵部尚書，為樞密院判官。 十四年，遷刑部尚書。 廣東府憲仇殺，以沙加班處大逆，敬詳憲府以私相害，致有是變，殺人者自有典章，得坐一人，大逆非謀反，則不科得坐一家，敬立論舍重而就輕，朝廷咸以為然。 十五年，復為樞密院判官，尋拜參知政事，行省河南，復為兵部尚書，兼濟寧軍民屯田使。 朝廷給以鈔十萬錠，散於有司，招致居民、軍士，立營屯種，歲收得百萬斛，以給邊防。 居歲餘，其法井井。
That year he was posted as Commissioner of the Shanbei Purifying Censorate and inspected Quanning. In the prison was Li Xiu, convicted of counterfeiting notes and implicating several dozen people who all did not know him; Jing doubted the case and reinvestigated. Xiu said, "I make my living teaching children and dwell in a village; when officials came to my house they said I was a counterfeiter; under torture I dared not but falsely confess." Jing inquired and learned the original plotter was the Prince of Datong, Wang Zhuo; for more than ten years the matter had not leaked, and the authorities mistakenly took Li Xiu for Wang Zhuo. He sent documents to Datong and indeed obtained Wang Zhuo as the true counterfeiter. At the beginning of Zhizheng he was transferred to Henan, then to Jiangdong. Wherever he went he suppressed powerful families, aided the poor and weak, cleared wrongful convictions, revived learning and encouraged agriculture, and undertook a hundred neglected reforms. He was appointed Director of the Left and Right Bureaus of the Jiangxi Branch Secretariat, entered office as Commissioner of Treasure Note Transport for all circuits, and was transferred to Vice Minister of Works. In the eleventh year he was transferred to Associate Administrator of the Dadu Circuit General Administration. The Zhigu River had silted for several years; the Central Secretariat entrusted Jing to dredge it, providing tens of thousands of ding of paper notes and recruiting ten thousand workers; in less than three months the work was completed, and all admired his efficiency. He was appointed Vice Minister of Punishments and transferred to Director of the Left Bureau of the Central Secretariat. In the twelfth year he served as Minister of Military Affairs and Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs. In the fourteenth year he was transferred to Minister of Punishments. In Guangdong a prefectural censor was killed in a private feud; by precedent the Saban class was punished for great treason; Jing argued to the censorate that this was private mutual harm—the killer falls under ordinary statutes and only one person should be punished; great treason applies only to rebellion and does not extend to an entire family; Jing argued for the lighter penalty, and the court agreed. In the fifteenth year he again became Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs, soon appointed Vice Administrator of the Henan Branch Secretariat, again Minister of Military Affairs, and concurrently Commissioner of Military Colonies for Jining. The court gave him one hundred thousand ding of notes to distribute to relevant offices, summon residents and soldiers, and establish military colonies; the yearly harvest reached a million hu to supply border defense. After more than a year the system was running in perfect order.
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十有七年，召為大司農少卿，遂拜中書參知政事。 盜據齊魯，敬與平章政事答蘭、參知政事俺普，分省陵州。 陵州乃南北要衝，無城郭，而居民散處，敬兼領兵、刑、戶、工四部事，供給諸軍，事無不集。 丞相以其能上聞，賜之上尊，仍命其便宜行事。 敬與俺普密議曰：「我軍強且勝，彼將敗而降，如得仗義之士，直抵其巢穴而招安之，亦方面之幸也。」 有國子生王恪等，願請往，敬以便宜授以官，俾之行，至鄆城，見李秉彝、田豐等，諭以逆順禍福之理，豐與秉彝皆悔過自新。 山東郡邑之复，敬之策居多。 敬以軍馬供給浩繁，而民力日疲，乃請行納粟補官之令，中書以其言聞，詔從之。 河北燕南士民踵躡而至，積粟百萬石、綺段萬匹，用以給軍費，民獲少蘇。 十八年，除山東行樞密院副使，俄遷江浙行省左丞。 卒，年六十七。 贈資善大夫，江浙行省左丞如故，諡曰忠敏。
In the seventeenth year he was summoned as Vice Director of the Directorate of Agriculture, then appointed Vice Administrator of the Central Secretariat. Bandits held Qi and Lu; Jing with Vice Administrator Tala and Vice Administrator Emu divided the province at Lingzhou. Lingzhou was a vital north-south thoroughfare without walls, its residents scattered; Jing concurrently oversaw military, punishment, revenue, and works affairs, supplying all armies—nothing was left wanting. Because he could report effectively to the throne, the chancellor granted him superior wine and authorized him to act at discretion. Jing secretly discussed with Emu, saying, "Our army is strong and will prevail; the enemy will be defeated and surrender; if we can find men of principle to go straight to their stronghold and offer submission, that would be a blessing for the region." Guozijian students Wang Ke and others volunteered to go; Jing granted them office by discretion and sent them; reaching Yuncheng they met Li Bingyi and Tian Feng and explained the logic of compliance and defiance, fortune and misfortune; Feng and Bingyi both repented and submitted. In the recovery of Shandong commanderies and districts Jing's strategy counted for much. Because military supply was vast and the people's strength daily exhausted, Jing requested implementation of the policy allowing grain purchases in exchange for office; the Central Secretariat reported his proposal and an edict followed. Scholars and commoners of Hebei and Yan South followed in succession; grain accumulated to a million shi and silk to ten thousand bolts, used to supply military expenses, and the people obtained slight relief. In the eighteenth year he was appointed Vice Commissioner of the Shandong Branch Bureau of Military Affairs, soon transferred to Left Vice Administrator of the Jiang-Zhe Branch Secretariat. He died at the age of sixty-seven. He was posthumously granted Grand Master for Assisting Goodness, retaining the post of Left Vice Administrator of the Jiang-Zhe Branch Secretariat, with the posthumous epithet Zhongmin.