Biography of Tang Xianzu in the History of the Ming Dynasty

Tang Xianzu, courtesy name Ruoshi, was a native of Linchuan. From youth he excelled in literary composition and quickly gained renown. Zhang Juzheng sought to have his son pass the imperial examinations and enlisted the aid of prominent scholars throughout the realm to promote him. When it became known that Tang Xianzu also enjoyed a reputation for learning, Zhang ordered his sons to summon him. Tang Xianzu politely declined to attend. Consequently, Tang’s fellow scholar, together with Zhang Juzheng’s son, Si Xiu, both passed the exams. It was not until the eleventh year of the Wanli reign that Tang finally obtained the jinshi degree. He was appointed as a junior official at the Imperial Academy in Nanjing, and soon thereafter transferred to the Ministry of Rites as a chief clerk. In the eighteenth year, in response to an astrological omen, the emperor severely reprimanded the censors for deceit and concealment, and suspended their salaries for one year. Tang Xianzu submitted a memorial stating: “Are all censors utterly unworthy? Rather, the emperor’s authority over rewards and punishments has been secretly usurped by the ministers; thus, the sentiments of the censors—whether they side with or oppose the court—have likewise shifted unnoticed. Censor Ding Cilü first exposed corruption in the examination system, yet when Shen Shixing, under the influence of Yang Wei, moved to impeach and remove him, nothing came of it. Censor Wan Guoqin vehemently denounced bribery and fraud in the appointment of officials, but when Shen Shixing, through subtle pressure, had his colleague Xu Guoyuan banished, no further action ensued. Whenever a single word of criticism is voiced, it is invariably brought to light. As a result, shameless individuals care only to curry favor with those in power, regarding the ranks and emoluments they receive as gifts from the ruling clique. Even if they cannot safeguard their reputations tomorrow, today they are already secure in wealth and status. Censor Yang Wenju, acting on imperial edict to oversee fiscal administration in the frontier regions, extorted bribes amounting to tens of thousands. Upon arriving in Hangzhou, he held daily banquets on West Lake, selling judicial favors and recommending candidates for lucrative posts. The ministers, in turn, rewarded him for his report, elevating him to a position on the Censorate. Censor Hu Runing attacked Rao Shen, yet this man was merely a lackey of powerful cliques, promoted solely on the basis of personal connections. While Your Majesty sternly rebukes the censors for their habitual deceit, if we fail to address these abuses now, I fear four grave losses: First, the court’s practice of conferring titles and salaries upon worthy men has degenerated into a means of enriching private factions—this is a loss of noble purpose. Second, the widespread moral decay among officials, who have lost all sense of integrity and shame—this is a loss of talent. Third, the ministers’ habit of bestowing wealth and honor without regard for merit or propriety—this is a loss of constitutional principle. Fourth, after twenty years of governing the empire, during the first decade, Zhang Juzheng’s rigid yet ambitious policies were undermined by the clamor of private interests; in the second decade, Shen Shixing’s lax and overly accommodating approach was similarly corrupted by the same forces. Such a failure of governance is truly lamentable. I beseech Your Majesty to dismiss Yang Wenju and Hu Runing, and to issue stern admonitions to the ministers, urging them to reflect on their faults and repent.” Enraged, the emperor demoted Tang Xianzu to the post of magistrate in Xuwén, later promoting him to the county magistrate of Suichang. In the twenty-sixth year, while reporting to the capital for the annual assessment, he submitted a petition and returned home. The following year, during another major review, the authorities resolved to strip him of his office. Li Weizhen, then a supervising commissioner, vigorously defended him, but to no avail; ultimately, Tang was stripped of his rank. He spent the last twenty years of his life in retirement and died there.
Xianzu was generous and magnanimous, and he favored Li Hualong, Li Sancai, and Mei Guozhen; all of them later rose to prominence and achieved great success, while Xianzu himself languished in poverty until old age. When Sancai was in charge of grain transport along the Huai River, he sent a letter inviting Xianzu to join him, but Xianzu declined.