Fang Liangyong

Life

His father was Fang Chaoshen and his mother Chen; his grandfather was Fang Xianghui and his great-grandfather Fang Mengzhang. His recorded collateral kin included the paternal uncles Fang Chaozong and Fang Chaoqing, younger brothers Fang Liangjie, Fang Liangsheng, and Fang Liangcai, his wife Chen, and his grandson Fang Youji.

Early in life he was a licentiate and ranked forty-sixth in the Fujian provincial examination; in Hongzhi 3 (1490), in the gengxu examination, he passed the jinshi examination and placed twenty-ninth in the second class. After passing the examination, he went to the two Guang regions to supervise arrears in tax payments, returned to the capital as a secretary in the Guangdong Office of the Ministry of Justice, was valued by Liu Daxia, the Right Provincial Administration Commissioner in Guangdong, and was promoted to an associate director before becoming a surveillance commissioner in Guangdong; he also followed Liu Daxia in suppressing a popular uprising in Qiongzhou.

Official career

At the beginning of the Zhengde era, Fang was demoted after opposing Liu Jin, under the pretext of a homicide case in Hainan; he was later restored as a vice surveillance commissioner in Huguang, promoted to surveillance commissioner in Guangxi, and impeached the investigating censor Zhu Zhirong for misconduct. From Zhengde 8 (1513) through Zhengde 10 (1515), he served successively as Right Provincial Administration Commissioner in Shandong and Left Provincial Administration Commissioner in Zhejiang.

While serving in Zhejiang, he submitted a memorial opposing Qian Ning's use of the manufacture of twenty thousand paper notes to accept bribes and extort wealth; fearing that trouble would reach him and concerned for his aged mother, he submitted three memorials requesting retirement. After the accession of the Jiajing Emperor, he was recommended by officials inside and outside the court, appointed Vice Censor-in-Chief, and placed in charge of Yunyang; because his mother was old, he memorialized to remain home and care for her.

Censor-in-Chief Yao Mo requested that he receive exceptional honours, while the ministers Qiao Yu and Sun Jiao said that his household possessed no surplus wealth and asked that he be granted a grain stipend under the precedent of Vice Minister Pan Li and Censor Chen Maolie; the emperor ordered a monthly grant of three shi. After his mother died, the emperor ordered that sacrifices and burial be provided; when the mourning period ended, Fang was appointed Governor of Yingtian in his former office, and the imperial commission was issued while he was still at home.

He fell ill while passing through Quzhou, submitted a memorial seeking retirement, and, before receiving a reply, abruptly returned home and died. After his death, an appointment as Nanjing Minister of Justice was issued; when the news reached the court, the emperor granted mourning honours according to regulation and bestowed the posthumous name Jiansu.

Writings and literary relations

His writings include 《方簡肅文集》, also titled 《方簡肅公文集》, in ten juan with an appendix of one juan. Fang sent letters to Wei Xiao, Liu Daxia, Tang Zhou, Zhu Jie, Lei Yinglong, and Lin Younian, and received a reply from Lin Jun.

He also presented poems and prose to Zheng Yue, Huang Gong, Zhu Feng, Zhou Ren, Zhang Qi, Lei Yinglong, and Cai Zongyan. He wrote a zi-shuo and ming-shu for Wang Dayong, a tomb epitaph for Zhou Jinlong, a biography of Lei Yinglong, and a sacrificial text for Xu Xian; he also wrote prefaces for the poetry and prose of Tian Duo and Zhou Jifeng, and a colophon for Zhou Jifeng's poetry and prose. Peng Ze composed his tomb epitaph, and Yao Mo composed his tomb inscription.