Lèibó gǎo 類博稿
Class-and-Broad Manuscripts by 岳正 (撰), 李東陽 (編)
About the work
Lèibó gǎo 類博稿 in 10 juǎn (with appendix in 2 juǎn) — the writings of Yuè Zhèng 岳正 (1418–1472), zì Jìfāng 季方, hào Méngquán 蒙泉, native of Zhāngdé 漳德 (modern Wǎnpíng xiàn, Bei-jīng vicinity). The Sìkù tíyào emphasizes Yuè’s principled stand in the immediate aftermath of the Tiānshùn restoration (1457): with the Duómén coup faction (Shí Hēng 石亨, Cáo Jíxiáng 曹吉祥) acting xiégōng jiāozì (puffed up with their service-merit), and Yīngzōng intimidated, Yuè yǐ shūshēng zhīchēng qí jiān (as a mere student took on the burden of standing among them); he tried to divide the alliance of Cáo Jíxiáng and Shí Hēng. The scheme failed and Yuè was banished — twice (first to the southern wastes, then to the western garrisons). Even after the rebels were destroyed and orthodox men recalled, Yuè was blocked by Lǐ Xián’s 李賢 (李賢, KR4e0104) màojí (jealousy) and lúnluò yǐ zhōng (sank-and-died). Posthumously rehabilitated in early Jiājìng with the title Tàichángsì qīng. Yuè was once a pupil of Lǐ Dōngyáng 李東陽 (李東陽, cf. KR4e0120) and Lǐ Dōngyáng married Yuè’s daughter — so Lǐ Dōngyáng is editor and son-in-law-cum-pupil. The collection’s prefacer and bǔzhuàn (supplementary biography) author is again Lǐ Dōngyáng (correcting Yè Shèng 葉盛’s tomb-inscription which suppresses many things). The Sìkù editors note that Yuè in his later years took up the Huángjí jīngshì shū 皇極經世書 (Shào Yōng’s cosmology) and composed Lèiyán 類言 essays expounding Shào’s learning; his poetry is purely in the Jīrǎng jí mode (cf. KR4e0099 Cáo Duān). The Sìkù editors prefer Yuè’s prose-energy and qígǔ (vigour-and-bone) to Lǐ Dōngyáng’s yōngróng (leisurely-and-mild) style — Lǐ Dōngyáng’s leisurely is in excess, his vigour-and-bone finally not the equal of Zhèng — what’s called words being the heart’s voice.
Tiyao
Lèibó gǎo in 10 juǎn — by Yuè Zhèng of the Míng. Zhèng has Lèibó záyán, already recorded. After Tiānshùn’s restoration, the Duómén officials, presuming on their merit, were arrogant-and-self-indulgent; the imperial heart feared them and did not dare to plan directly. Zhèng, as a mere student, took on his support between them — wishing to design some way to divide the alliance of Cáo Jíxiáng and Shí Hēng. The matter could not be done; instead he was injured by them, to the point of being banished and almost dying. His policy was rough, but his intention was loyalty-and-fidelity. After the various rebels in turn were defeated, [Yuè was] again blocked by Lǐ Xián’s jealousy, sinking-and-dying. Jiāngguì zhī xìng (ginger-and-cassia nature — i.e. spicy character) was unchanged from start to finish. In early Jiājìng, posthumously gifted Tàichángsì qīng; the imperial zhìcí (edict-words) says: “He hated the wicked too much; received slander to a deep degree. Left-banished to southern wastes; banished again to western garrison; soon the rebellious officials lay on the block; the upright scholars received-gift-of-return. We had planned to elevate him to the cabinet of ministers — hoping that the consensus would consent — when he went out to share the fúshǒu (split-tally officer of a circuit); in the end his straight way was hard to accommodate.” — recording the truth. His prose is also tiānzhēn lànmàn, luòluò zìjiàng (heaven-true-and-flowing, luòluò self-supporting). History says what he drafted of the Chéngtiānmén xuānyù tíngchén zhào (Chéng-tiān-Gate proclamation-decree-to-the-Court) was kǎiqiè gǎnrén (sincere-cutting, moving people); the whole court transmitted it — sufficient to glimpse it. The present collection was assembled by his pupil Lǐ Dōngyáng out of surviving manuscripts: 2 juǎn poetry, 8 juǎn miscellaneous prose; with fùlù in 2 juǎn: the first juǎn contains the various men’s zhìlù zhuànzàn compositions; the second juǎn contains Dōngyáng’s bǔzhuàn — because Yè Shèng’s mùzhìmíng concealed much. History says Zhèng in his late years was fond of the Huángjí jīngshì shū, so the Lèiyán two pieces all expound Shàozǐ’s 邵子 learning, and his poetry too is purely in the Shàozǐ Jīrǎng jí mode. Dōngyáng’s Huáilùtáng shīhuà says: “Méngwēng’s talent is very high, looking down at his age; alone did not deign to write poetry, saying: It requires píngzè, and again requires duìǒu — where do I get so much spare time? — etc.” Clearly this captures the truth. But the biography then praises Yuè as yǎjiàn tuōsú (elegant-strong, free of vulgarity) — unavoidably partial to what is loved. As for praising him as gāojiǎn jùnbá zhuī gǔ zuòzhě (high-and-spare, distinguished-and-rising, tracking ancient writers) — that is not lacking as fair-comment. From ZhèngtǒngChénghuà onward, the Táigé style gradually became chǎnhuǎn zhī yīn (slack-and-soft sound). Only Zhèng’s literary-style fēnggé qiàojìng rú qí wéi rén (style-and-form precipitous-and-strong, like his person). Dōngyáng received learning from Zhèng and again married Zhèng’s daughter; his Huáilùtáng jí is also called yī dài cízōng (one age’s literary master), yet yōngróng yǒuyú, qìgǔ zhōng bùjí Zhèng yě — what is called words are the heart’s voice. Compiled and presented respectfully in the tenth month of Qiánlóng 46 (1781). Chief Compilers: Jì Yún, Lù Xīxióng, Sūn Shìyì. General Editor: Lù Fèichí.
Abstract
Yuè Zhèng is the Tiān-shùn-era victim of the Lǐ Xián (KR4e0104) faction — banished twice for his attempts to break the Cáo Jíxiáng / Shí Hēng post-coup alliance, then blocked from cabinet by Lǐ Xián’s jealousy. The dual catalog of KR4e0104 (Lǐ Xián from the perpetrator’s side) and KR4e0109 (Yuè Zhèng from the victim’s side, both works edited by Lǐ Xián’s son-in-law Chéng Mǐnzhèng for KR4e0104 and by Yuè Zhèng’s son-in-law Lǐ Dōngyáng for KR4e0109) is a remarkable case of the Sìkù preserving documentary witnesses to the same Tiān-shùn-era political conflict from both sides.
The Sìkù literary judgement — that the son-in-law-pupil Lǐ Dōngyáng’s yōngróng style is technically more accomplished but morally less qìgǔ than the father-in-law-teacher’s prose — is candid and historiographically significant: the yán wéi xīnshēng (words are the heart’s voice) principle is invoked to ground a literary-judgement on biographical-moral substance.
CBDB id 34513 (1418–1472) confirms catalog meta.
The 2-juǎn fùlù — Lǐ Dōngyáng’s bǔzhuàn (supplementary biography) of his father-in-law that corrects Yè Shèng’s 葉盛 evasive epitaph — is one of the cleaner cases of documentary supplement to a politically-fraught earlier biographical record.
Translations and research
- L. Carrington Goodrich and Chaoying Fang, eds., Dictionary of Ming Biography 1368–1644. New York: Columbia UP, 1976. Notice of Yuè Zhèng.
- Frederick W. Mote and Denis Twitchett, eds. The Cambridge History of China, vol. 7, The Ming Dynasty. Cambridge UP, 1988.
- Wilkinson, Chinese History: A New Manual, §28.4 (Míng bié-jí).
- Míng shǐ j. 176 — Yuè Zhèng biography.
Other points of interest
The dual catalog with KR4e0104 — perpetrator and victim of the same Tiān-shùn-era political conflict, both editions made by family-connected later editors — is one of the cleanest documentary cases in the Sìkù corpus of the Sìkù editors preserving both sides of a politically-fraught record.