Yan Song (嚴嵩) | 24 Histories

Overview

Yan Song was a Ming Official and Statesman.

Life and dates

Age

80
AD 1522 to AD 1566 嘉靖間 · Reckoning Sui · Statement 年及八旬
Directly stated · History of Ming 65, passage 347

Attested activity

AD 1542 to AD 1562 前明嘉靖權臣
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passages 246, 258
AD 1538 嘉靖十七年
Dated from the passage context · History of Ming 115, passages 143, 145
AD 1539 嘉靖十八年四月
Directly stated · History of Ming 115, passage 162
AD 1542 to AD 1562 嘉靖年間專權
Strongly inferred · Draft History of Qing 319, passages 240-241
AD 1522 to AD 1566 嘉靖間
Dated from the passage context · History of Ming 65, passage 347
AD 1522 to AD 1562 嚴嵩
Strongly inferred · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 180

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Minister of Rites 禮部尚書
Held
Directly stated · History of Ming 115, passage 145
Granted
AD 1522 to AD 1566 嘉靖間 · Special palanquin privilege
Directly stated · History of Ming 65, passage 347

Places and affiliations

Polity Ming 明 · Relation Served
Strongly inferred · History of Ming 65, passage 347; Draft History of Qing 319, passage 180
Polity Ming 明 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passages 241, 246

Works and attributed material

Biography of Yan Song 嚴嵩傳
Relation Subject of
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passages 241, 258
Memorial · Author
Directly stated · History of Ming 115, passages 145-147

Events and relationships

Cited in Qianlong edict
Commemorative comparison · Alluded villain · With Yu Minzhong (於敏中)
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passages 240-241
Monopolized power and concealed truth
AD 1522 to AD 1566 嘉靖年間 · Political · Monopolizer of power
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 240
Ordered to serve at imperial park
AD 1522 to AD 1566 嘉靖間 · Political · Appointee · With Jiajing Emperor
Directly stated · History of Ming 65, passage 347
Permitted shoulder litter when coming and going
AD 1522 to AD 1566 嘉靖間 · Ritual · Beneficiary
Directly stated · History of Ming 65, passage 347

Assessments and attributes

Assessment cited as a parallel in the edict removing Minzhong from the temple of worthies · Mode named-source-report
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 180
Assessment previous-dynasty powerful minister used as negative comparison · Mode edict
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 246
Assessment privilege not according to regulation · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · History of Ming 65, passages 347, 349
Assessment worst villain of the former Ming; bribery openly practiced; life and death arbitrarily dispensed; authority secretly usurped · Mode named-source-report Speaker Qianlong Emperor (乾隆帝)
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passages 240-241

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · History of Ming 65, passage 347; Draft History of Qing 319, passage 240

References in the histories

Search passages

History

8 passages

History of Ming, Chapter 65Volume 65 Treatises 41: Carriages and Clothing 1 · 1 passage

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嘉靖間，嚴嵩奉詔苑直，年及八旬，出入得乘肩輿。 During Jiajing, Yan Song, ordered to serve at the imperial park at age eighty, was permitted a shoulder litter when coming and going.

History of Ming, Chapter 115Volume 115 Biographies 3: Emperor Xingzong Xiaokang, Emperor Ruizong Xingxian · 2 passages

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而禮部尚書嚴嵩等言：「靈駕北來，慈宮南詣，共一舉耳。 Minister of Rites Yan Song argued: "The imperial coffin travels north while the Kind Palace goes south—one journey serves both.

四月，帝謁長陵，諭嚴嵩曰：「大峪不如純德。」 In the fourth month, visiting Changling, he told Yan Song: "Dayu is inferior to Chunde."

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 319Volume 319 Biographies 106: Yu Minzhong, He Shen Son: Feng Shenyinde, Younger Brother: He Lin, Su Linga · 5 passages

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五十一年，詔曰：「朕幾馀詠物，有嘉靖年間器皿，念及嚴嵩專權煬蔽，以致國是日非，朝多稗政。 In the fifty-first year an edict said, "While at leisure composing poems on objects, I came upon vessels from the Jiajing reign and thought of Yan Song's monopoly of power and concealment of truth, which caused the affairs of state daily to go astray and the court to abound in harmful policies.

取閱嚴嵩傳，見其賄賂公行，生死予奪，潛竊威柄，實為前明奸佞之尤。 I took up and read the biography of Yan Song and saw how bribery was openly practiced, life and death were arbitrarily dispensed, and authority was secretly usurped—he was truly the worst villain of the former Ming.

究之亦止侍直承旨，不特非前朝嚴嵩可比，並不能如康熙年間明珠、徐乾學、高士奇等； In the end he only attended duty and drafted edicts; he was not only incomparable to Yan Song of the previous dynasty, but also could not match such men as Nalan Mingzhu, Xu Qianxue, and Gao Shiqi in the Kangxi reign;

朕久有此心，因覽嚴嵩傳，觸動鑑戒。 I have long had this thought; reading the biography of Yan Song stirred my sense of warning.

觀罷祠之詔，至引嚴嵩為類，傳聞有無未可知矣。 Observing the edict removing him from the temple of worthies, which even cited Yan Song as a parallel, whether the rumor is true or false cannot be known.