Cheng Xin

Life

He began as a prefectural school student and passed the provincial examination; in 1442, the seventh year of the Zhengtong reign, he became a jinshi, ranked ninety-first in the third class, and was appointed supervising secretary in the Office of Scrutiny for Personnel (吏科給事中).

Early in the Jingtai reign, during the defence of the capital, Cheng Xin earned merit in guarding the city and was charged with commanding the troops on its western wall. When the commander Sun Tang was defeated in battle against Esen and wished to withdraw into the city, Cheng Xin refused him entry and instead directed arrows and cannon from the wall in his support; Sun Tang fought the harder and drove Esen back.

In 1450 he asked for relief for the starving people of the capital region, was promoted to left supervising secretary, and served as deputy envoy for the investiture of the Prince of Huayang and of his consort. In the Jingtai period he was appointed right administration commissioner of Shandong and supervised the supply of the army in Liaodong; after falling out with the grand coordinator Kou Shen he left office for mourning, and once the mourning period ended he was appointed administration commissioner of Sichuan and joined the vice minister Luo Qi in breaking the Heihu stockades.

In 1457 he was transferred to be vice minister of the Court of the Imperial Stud (太僕寺少卿); one account gives the office as chief minister of that court. He took charge again of the requisitioning of horses. As Shi Heng, Sun Tang and Cao Qin, generals of the three camps and heroes of the emperor's restoration, shielded their subordinates and regarded Cheng Xin as harsh and impatient, they asked that his office be transferred to the Ministry of War; Cheng Xin reasoned with them, and Emperor Yingzong kept him in charge of the Court of the Imperial Stud. In 1458 he was made left assistant censor-in-chief and grand coordinator of Liaodong. When the assistant commissioner Hu Ding impeached the regional commander Xia Lin for unlawful acts, Cheng Xin arrested Hu Ding and imprisoned him by imperial order; Men Da, commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, held that Cheng Xin had exceeded his authority in submitting the memorial on Hu's behalf, and as Kou Shen was then in charge of the Censorate he impeached Cheng Xin, who was thrown into prison and demoted to vice minister of the Court of the Imperial Stud at Nanjing. In 1461 he was summoned to be right vice minister of Justice, but returned home to mourn his mother.

In 1465 he was appointed left vice minister of War. In 1467, when the Shanduzhang people of Sichuan rose in revolt, the court made Li Jin, Earl of Xiangcheng, commander-in-chief and the eunuch Liu Heng overseer, and advanced Cheng Xin to minister of War; his dispositions were successful, and he then concurrently became chief minister of the Court of Judicial Review, sharing the direction of the Ministry of War with Bai Gui. When censors impeached him one after another, he four times petitioned to resign, but was not permitted to do so. In 1470 he was transferred to be minister of War at Nanjing and to assist in the direction of military affairs. In 1471 he retired.

His year of death is disputed, one account giving 1479 and another 1472. After his death he was granted the title Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent and the posthumous name Xiangyi.

Writings

He wrote the Rongxuan gao (容軒藁), the Qingzhou ji (晴洲集) and the Qingchuan diaozhe ji (晴川釣者集), and also the memorials Zhongxing guben shi ce (中興固本十策) and Xiude shu (修德疏).

Family

His great-great-grandfather was Cheng She (程社), his great-grandfather Cheng Jifu (程吉輔, also written 程吉甫), his grandfather Cheng Dushou (程杜壽, also written 程社壽), his father Cheng Sheng (程晟) and his mother née Zhang; he married a woman of the Lin family. His younger brother was Cheng Ming (程佲, 1429–1488); his son Cheng Minzheng (程敏政, 1445–1499); his nephew Cheng Mincong (程敏聰); and his grandsons Cheng Qi (程圻) and Cheng Kai (程塏). Li Xian once recommended him, and Yang Shouchen wrote him parting words. After his death, Liu Xu composed his tomb inscription, He Qiaoxin a sacrificial address, Li Dongyang and Ni Yue dirges, his son Cheng Minzheng his conduct record and stele inscription, and Peng Hua a shrine record.