Page:Eminent Chinese Of The Ch’ing Period - Hummel - 1943 - Vol. 2.pdf/67

 in abusive terms, and blamed the other co-regents for failure to follow his suggestion to make their own powers absolute.

Other members of Su-shun's party were punished lightly. Ching-shou was spared, probably because he was I-hsin's brother-in-law. The four Grand Councilors were discharged from their offices. Ch'ên Fu-ên, regarded as a close associate of Su-shun, was banished to Ili where he was murdered in 1866 by bandits. A son of Ch'i-ying asked that his father's name be cleared, but this was denied on the ground that the father had in any case deserved punishment. The death penalty for Ch'i-ying had admittedly been too severe, and for Su-shun's part in it his descendants were forbidden to hold office.

The downfall of Su-shun resulted in the regency of the two Empresses and finally in the concentration of almost all power in the person of Empress Hsiao-ch'in. It is owing to her vindictiveness perhaps that the official reports relating to Su-shun are unfavorable to him. But in the opinion of Su-shun was a real statesman, and the victory of the Government over the Taiping Rebels was due at least in part to his policy of recommending and putting absolute trust in a few talented Chinese such as,  and. Su-shun was apparently on good terms with the secretary-teachers in his home—men like Kao Hsin-k'uei 高心夔, Shêng K'ang (see under ), , and Wang K'ai-yün 王闓運 —and on many questions he accepted their advice.

Su-shun had another older brother, Ên-hua 恩華 , who attained some note. Having served in various posts after 1833, he was made president of the Colonial Court (1853) and was sent to Yangchow to help and others in combating the Taipings. Later in 1853, he was transferred to northern Honan where he won a battle over the rebels, but was soon cashiered for his failure to reach Chihli in time to stem the rebel advance. He was then allowed to redeem himself by serving under Sêng-ko-lin-ch'in, but died a few months later. He left a volume of verse entitled 求眞是齋詩草 Ch'iu-chên-shih chai shih-ts'ao, 2 chüan, printed in 1861.

[1/393/1a; 2/47/27b; 1/221/11b;, Yüeh-man-t'ang jih-chi, pu, 己/89a, 庚上/21b, 庚末, 辛上/1a, 91a, 95a, 107b, 辛下/12b–31b; Rennie, D. F., Peking and the Pekingese (1865), vol. 2, pp. 1252–66; , Yung-an pi-chi, chüan 1; Wang Kai-yün, 湘綺樓詩集 Hsiang-ch'i lou shih-chi, 7/5a, 19b; idem., 王志 Wang-chih, 1/39a; idem., 祺祥祕辛 Ch'i-hsiang mi-hsin in 安雅 An-ya, vol. 1, nos. 5,7,9,11 (1935); Lo Tun-jung 羅惇曧 (d. 1924), 賓退隨筆 Pin-t'ui sui-pi, in 庸言 Yung-yen, vol. 2, no. 5 (1914).]

2em

 SUN Ch'êng-tsê 孫承澤, Nov. 29, 1593–1675, scholar and official under two dynasties, was a native of Tahsing, which includes part of Peking, his ancestor in the sixth generation having moved to the neighborhood of Peking from I-tu, Shantung. He became a chin-shih in 1631, serving first as magistrate of Ch'ên-liu and then of Hsiang-fu (1635–1637), Honan. In recognition of his ability, he was rapidly promoted under the Ming dynasty to the post of senior metropolitan censor. When took Peking in April 1644, Sun made three unsuccessful attempts at suicide, but was kept from harm by one of Li's followers who had known him in Honan. He accepted office under Li Tzŭ-ch'êng's short-lived regime, and for this was later censured by the Ming government under the Prince of Fu (see under ). With the establishment of the Ch'ing dynasty he accepted office under it in June or early July 1644 as a senior metropolitan censor. Late in the same year he was promoted to be sub-director of the Court of Sacrificial Worship and superintendent of Residence for Envoys of the Four Tributary States (四譯館). After a number of promotions he was finally made senior vice-president of the Board of Civil Offices in 1652. He also had conferred on him the honorary titles of Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent and President of the Censorate. In 1653, when the presidency of the Board of Civil Office was vacant, Sun petitioned that a Grand Secretary,, be made president of this Board. But as charges had previously been brought against Ch'ên, this request displeased the Emperor and led to Sun's being suspected of improper motives. Early in 1654 he asked to be relieved of his post, and although this was disallowed, he was permitted to retire after a second request two months later. He was then accused by a censor, Yang I 楊義 (chin-shih of 1628, d. 1662), of being a follower of Ch'ên Ming-hsia, and was permanently relieved of office.

After his retirement Sun devoted himself to 669