Shi Songzhi

Life and career

In the thirteenth year of the Jiading era (1220), he passed the jinshi examination and was appointed as a Household Registrar in the Guanghua Army. In the third year of the Baoqing era (1227), he became assistant prefect of Xiangyang; he later administered Zaoyang Military Prefecture and served as prefect of Longxing, concurrently Pacification Commissioner for Jiangxi. He also served as Military Commissioner for Jingxi and Hubei while governing Xiangyang, and rose to Vice Minister of Justice. Other recorded appointments included Assistant Commissioner of the Directorate of Military Equipment (軍器監丞), Associate Transport Intendant for the Jingxi South Circuit (京西南路轉運判官), Commissioner for Ever-Normal Granaries and related matters (京西南路提舉常平等事), Vice and Chief Ministers of the Court of Judicial Review (大理少卿、大理卿), Minister of Justice (刑部尚書), Prefect and Pacification Commissioner of Luzhou (廬州知州兼安撫使), and the regional fiscal and military command over Huguang, Jiangxi, Hubei, and Jingxi (湖廣江西總領財賦湖北京西軍馬錢糧). He also served as Prefect of Ezhou (鄂州知州). He held the posts of 端明殿學士, 龍圖閣待制, 華文閣直學士, and 寶章閣直學士.

In the first year of the Duanping era (1234), after the Jin fell, the Song court considered taking advantage of its collapse to recover Henan; another account says Hebei. Shi opposed the plan, requested a temple appointment, and returned home; after the army was defeated, he was recalled. In the third year of the Jiaxi era (1239), he successively became Executive Councillor and Right Chancellor with concurrent commission as Commissioner of the Privy Council. One account says that he commanded the forces of Jianghuai, Jinghu, and Sichuan; another lists Lianghuai, Sichuan, Jingxi, and Hubei.

During Chunyou he was enfeoffed as Duke of Yong. In the fourth year of the Chunyou era (1244), after his father's death, he was recalled to office; he then advocated peace, which public opinion rejected, and lived in retirement for thirteen years. The recall drew opposition from Xu Yuanjie; the Taixue student Liu Shiju, with Wang Yuanye and ninety-four others, memorialized against it. Liu Kezhuang and Xu Lin also attacked him.

Family

His son was 史志潛; his nephew was 史璟卿, his grandson 史似伯, his great-grandson 史公埜, and his niece 史棣卿 was the wife of 袁洪.

Later years

He died in the fourth year of the Baoyou era (1256), although 1257 is also given. He was posthumously titled Zhongjian (忠簡), later changed to Zhuangsu (莊肅); at the beginning of the Deyou era under Emperor Gong, the posthumous title was stripped.

Writings

His work 《野樂編》 is lost; three poems are recorded.