Yan Song (born 3 March 1480, died 29 May 1567; the year of his death is also given as 1565) was a Ming-dynasty statesman. His courtesy name was Weizhong, his sobriquet was Jiexi, and he was also known as Mian'an; he was from Fenyi in Jiangxi.
Jiexi is also written 介谿. Other recorded names include Fenyi and Xiang Song. His studio names or sobriquets included 寶翰堂, 忠正堂, and 耆德樓, and he was third in birth order. His great-grandfather was 嚴璉, his grandfather was 嚴廷獻, and his father was 嚴淮; his mother was 晏氏, his younger brother was 嚴獄, and his wife was 歐陽氏.
Life
He was a shengyuan ranked sixteenth and a xianggong ranked thirty-eighth. In the eighteenth year of the Hongzhi era (1505), he passed the jinshi examination in the second class, second place, and was appointed a Hanlin compiler; he soon took sick leave and returned home. Another account places a Hanlin shujishi appointment before the compiler post. After returning home, he associated with notable figures and studied at Qianshan for eight to ten years; his poetry and prose brought him considerable reputation. In the eleventh year of Zhengde (1516), he returned to court and resumed office, later becoming a lecturer.
In the seventh year of Jiajing (1528), he was ordered to perform a sacrificial announcement at Xianling. On his return he emphasized auspicious omens, winning the Jiajing Emperor's favor. In the following years he became Vice Minister of Personnel, Nanjing Minister of Rites, and two years later Minister of Personnel; he held the Nanjing Rites and Personnel posts in Jiajing 11 and 12, respectively. In the fifteenth year of Jiajing (1536), he came to the capital to offer congratulations at the emperor's longevity celebration. When the court debated revising the History of Song, he stayed in the capital as Minister of Rites concurrently holding the title of Hanlin academician and presided over the project; he was also made Grand Protector of the Crown Prince.
He cultivated the emperor's favor through Daoist ritual qingci. In Jiajing 21 (1542), he was appointed Grand Academician of the Wuying Hall, entered duty at Wenyuan Pavilion, and continued to oversee the Ministry of Rites; in Jiajing 23, he succeeded Zhai Luan as chief grand secretary. After relinquishing the Rites portfolio, he served exclusively at Xiyuan and successively held the posts of Minister of Personnel, Grand Academician of the Jinshen Hall, Junior Tutor concurrently Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, Junior Preceptor, and Grand Academician of the Huagai Hall; he was elevated to Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince.
Political career
Yan Song dominated the government for nearly two decades. Together with his son Yan Shifan, he acted wrongfully and overrode the court; he engineered the deaths of Xia Yan, Zeng Xian, and Zhang Jing, had Yang Jisheng and others who impeached him prosecuted to death, and installed his allies Zhao Wenhua and Yan Maoqing in important positions. Scholar-officials watched him in fear, unscrupulous men crowded his gate, and bribe-givers came in an unending stream. He also embezzled military provisions, allowed frontier defenses to decay, traded in influence, accepted bribes, and intensified the social tensions of his time.
Toward the end of his career, the Jiajing Emperor became increasingly weary of his arrogance. In Jiajing 41, Censor Zou Yinglong, a confidant of Xu Jie, submitted a memorial attacking Yan Shifan's unlawful conduct, and Yan Song was dismissed. After Censor Lin Run impeached unlawful conduct in his household while he was living at home, Yan Song was stripped of office and reduced to commoner status. His property was confiscated, and he lived by food from a tomb lodge until his death.
Literary work
His literary reputation first grew during his years of study at Qianshan. He wrote Qianshan tang ji (鈐山堂集), a collection of forty juan.
References
- CBDB Yan Song (125411)
- 搜韵 嚴嵩 (42191)
- Wikidata Yan Song (Q698700)
- 法鼓佛教人名规范数据库 嚴嵩 (A007384)