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minds in the country during the mid-Ming shift of initiative things failing his own son in an examination. See his epitaph in Xu
away from the throne and into the hands of ministers. Hong 1505, 8/19.
Scholar-official Ni Qian 倪謙 (1415–79) wrote that Wulun shu, 22 On Lü Yuan, see his epitaph in Li Xian c. 1470, 20/23, and in Xu
Hong 1505, 8/12; his 1462 death notice in MSL Yingzong shilu 346.5a
Taizu’s Great Warning (Yuzhi da gao 御制大誥) and two (6/11/庚申); and his biography in Liao Daonan 1545, 3/32. On
collections compiled under the Yongle emperor urging Yang Ding, see his death notice in MSL Xianzong shilu 267/3a–b
secret good deeds and filiality all showed how the Ming (21/6/甲午). On Qian Xili, see Wang Zhi c. 1465, 24/59. Peng Shi
emperors, like the sage-kings, led through rites and 彭時 (1416–75) may also have worked on the collection, while at the
National University; see Li Xian c. 1470, 15/16.
69
education. But in fact Wulun shu is not like the others. Aside 23 DMB, 970. MSL Yingzong shilu 151.8b (12/3/己丑) (printing), 157.5a
from the preface, Wulun shu is not written in the emperor’s (12/8/乙亥) (storage). MS 8/98/2425-6 reports that the Xuande
voice, and it targets not ordinary people, but the powerful, as emperor made the book and the Zhengtong emperor prefaced and
did Liu Yan’s next project, the Mirror for Rulers (Lidai junjian printed it. See also Jang 2008, 122 n. 22, but the citation to the
Huidian should be to the Yingzong shilu.
歷代君鑑). My brief introduction has overlooked the 24 MSL Yingzong shilu 170.7b (13/9/癸丑).
contemporary relevance of the work as well as the Hanlin 25 Huang Zuo 1560–6, 13.10b; the catalogue is Qianqingtang shumu,
Academy authors, who may have discussed their work on Huang Yuji c. 1690, 11/41.
Wulun shu somewhere at more length than I have found. But 26 Memorial from the Ministry of Rites (Libu 禮部). Yu Ruji et al.
70
I propose that this fascinating, beautiful, mid-15th century 1620, 94/26, and MSL Yingzong shilu 172.6a (13/11/庚子).
court production may be best understood as a Hanlin work 27 Mengzi 34A.
28 Xia Liangsheng c. 1530, ch. 20.
of history offering practical moral guidance to both rulers 29 They were bound variously: the Qing catalogue lists five versions
and ministers in their joint responsibility to the country and in 32, 60 or 62 fascicles, in four or six cases. Yu Minzhong 1775,
the people. 9/11–12.
30 Oh 2013, 173.
31 Zhu Zhanji 1443, 59/7, story of Zheng Shutong 鄭叔通.
Notes 32 Zhu Zhanji 1443, 59/6–7, from Songshi 宋史, 459/1. Husbandly
I am grateful to Young Kyun Oh, Sixiang Wang, David fidelity may have political overtones like wifely fidelity.
Robinson, Julia Murray, Bruce Tindall and the conference 33 Zhu Zhanji 1443, 60/17.
organisers. 34 Zhu Zhanji 1443, 60/26.
35 Ching 2013, 277.
36 That it is a royal family, exceptionally, which was portrayed as a
group may underline problems with the view that the imperial
1 Clark 1988, 290–1; Ye Quanhong 1991, 134; MSL Xuanzong shilu family was ‘the pattern and model of all families within the
96.9b (7/10/辛未) and for tribute missions in the Xuande period empire’. See Clunas 2013, 94. Ordinary wives could not be
pp. 108.3a, 108.4a, 108.10a, 108.13b, 108.14a, 110.1b, 110.3b, 110.4b, demoted to concubine, nor vice versa; imperial consorts could be
113.13a, 115.4a–b. shifted around. Ordinary sons inherited equally; there was only
2 DMB, 970. one throne.
3 Clark 1988, 288. 37 Zhu Zhanji 1443, 59/4.
4 Huang Yuji c. 1690, 11.41. 38 Zhu Zhanji 1443, 54/4. Ye Chunji 1570–4, 14/12–13 cites this case
5 Oh 2013, 96 and personal communication 3 June 2014. For the from Wulun shu.
journey, see Wang Sixiang 2013. 39 Ni Qian 1493, 25/16–17 notes this unevenness of categories.
6 For example, Samgang has 26 stories of Yuan-era wives, Wulun shu 40 Zhu Zhanji 1443, Table of Contents 1–7.
has 11. Six are the same; but the wording varies, and all of the 41 Zhu Zhanji 1443, 7/1–8.
overlapping stories come from the official history of the Yuan 42 Zhu Zhanji 1443, Table of Contents 7–15.
(Yuanshi 元史). 43 Zhu Zhanji 1443, 51/7.
7 See Oh 2013, 105 for a brilliant interpretation of this arrangement. 44 MS 2/24/335.
8 For discussion of these features, see Jang 2008, 125–8 and Oh 2013, 45 A mid-19th century primer includes the three terms together: ruler
94 ff. My measurement is of the Harvard rare book copy; Jang (jun 君), shown as originally having handlike elements on both
reports on a smaller one that may be the Harvard microfilmed sides of a box (kou 口), is explained as facing forwards, while both
edition. minister (chen 臣) and people (min 民) face right towards the
9 Yu Minzhong 1775, 9/11–12. sovereign. ‘To recline’ (wo 臥) is explained as depicting both
10 Deuchler 1992, 26–7, 115–17. ministers and ordinary folk kowtowing to the sovereign. Bai 2005,
11 Oh 2013, 53. 131.
12 Oh 2013, 61. 46 See MSL Yingzong shilu 179.13b (14/6/丙子), 206.7b (2/7/ 戊午),
13 Oh 2013, 62. 209.3a (2/10/庚午); MSL Xiaozong shilu 132.7a (10/12/壬辰); MSL
14 Deuchler 1992, ch. 1. Oh 2013, 75. This combines Oh’s explanation Shizong shilu 205.3a (16/10/乙卯), 205.2a (16/10/癸丑). Other
and my speculation. bestowals: MSL Yingzong shilu 212.8a (3/1丙辰) (an official’s wife);
15 Oh 2013, 100. MSL Yingzong shilu 216/11a (3/5/戊辰) (a new county school); MSL
16 Oh 2013, 117. Wuzong shilu 171/11a–b (14/2/辛卯) (replacement copy in
17 Rather ungrateful, considering that Ban’s own younger brother Confucius’s hometown); and MSL Shizong shilu 174/5b (14/4/ 己巳)
rescued him from prison. See Zhu Zhanji 1443, 60/9. Ban Gu and 180/6b (14/10/甲寅).
writes: ‘What is it I call the Three Bonds? Ruler–minister, 47 On Ke Qian, see epitaph by Wang Yu王 (1422–95, js. 1451), in Xu
father–son, husband–wife.’ See Ban Gu c. 80, 7/1. Hong 1505, 13/11, who like Huang Zuo 1560–6 (16/16) adduces the
18 King Sejo (r. 1455–68) ordered his ministers to compile a Record of gift to prove how good ruler–minister relations were then. On Wei
the Five Relationships. See Sejo sillok 36.23b (1465/7/25#2). In 1518, a Qi, see Mao Qiling c. 1690, 73/4. On Li Kui, see Xie Min and Tao
group of scholars supplemented Samgang with an Illustrated Guide to Cheng 1731, 40/32.
Two Relationships. See Oh 2013, 227; Zhu Zhanji 1443, preface and 48 Xu Hong 1505, 17/8. DMB, 1039–40.
62/14. 49 Zhu Zaiyu c. 1600, 1/1.
19 Yang Shiqi wrote a poem about Wulun shu; see Yang Shiqi c. 1445, 50 Li Dongyang 1516, 38/21. See He 2013, 113–14.
58/26. 51 Xia Liangsheng c. 1530, 12/77.
20 DMB, 293; Brook 1996, 106; Brook 1998, 652, 654. 52 Kuang Yuche and Ren Chongyue 1984, 51.
21 DMB, 970. Liu Yan eventually got in trouble for among other 53 Jang 2008, 169. Historian Chen Jian noted this use of Wulun shu

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