Wan Tang

Life

His examination record lists him as a shengyuan and a provincial examination candidate. In the seventeenth year of the Hongzhi reign (1504), he placed second in the Jiangxi provincial examination; in the eighteenth year (1505), he passed the metropolitan examination in the second degree, ranked 95th, and was appointed a secretary in the Ministry of Justice (Xingbu zhushi).

During the Zhengde reign, he rose through the Ministry of Personnel to become Director of the Office of Personnel Selection. The office was damaged by fire, and he was imprisoned; after redemption, he was restored to office. He subsequently served as a Vice Minister in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and as Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, advancing to its Left Vice Minister in the fifth month of the sixteenth year of Zhengde.

After the Jiajing emperor’s accession, Wan was rewarded with gold and silk because he had written to the magistrate Liu Yuanqing urging him to guard against Zhu Chenhao’s rebellion. In the second month of the first year of Jiajing (1522), he became Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, but left office to observe mourning; after completing the mourning period, he was restored to the same office in the sixth month of Jiajing 5 (1526).

In the tenth month of Jiajing 6 (1527), he was promoted to Right Vice Censor of the Nanjing Censorate; in the seventh month of Jiajing 7 (1528), he became Vice Minister of War in Nanjing; and in the seventh month of Jiajing 8 (1529), he was promoted to Right Censor-in-Chief of the Nanjing Censorate. In the winter of Jiajing 11 (1532), after speaking on a comet-related matter, he angered the emperor, was stripped of office, and was ordered by the Ministry of Personnel to remain barred from appointment; he spent the next ten years at home, with repeated recommendations for his reappointment rejected.

After Yan Song came to dominate the court, Wan benefited from his patronage. In the third month of Jiajing 22 (1543), he was recalled as Right Vice Censor to investigate affairs in Huguang and Guizhou and to participate in both military suppression and pacification. He accepted the stratagem of the native commander Tian Yingchao, lured out the chieftain, and directed troops to defeat him; after the pacification in Jiajing 24, he was recalled to the capital and appointed Vice Minister of War. When the Tongping chieftain Long Zixian rebelled again, Censor Miao Wenlong claimed that Wan had failed in both suppression and pacification; the emperor ordered the provincial military and civil authorities to review the case, and after responsibility was assigned to Military Brigade Commander Li Jing, the matter was settled.

In the first month of Jiajing 25 (1546), Wan became Left Vice Minister of War; in the third month of Jiajing 26 (1547), he was made Minister of Justice in Nanjing; in the second month of Jiajing 28 (1549), he was transferred to Minister of Rites in Nanjing; and in the third month of Jiajing 30 (1551), he was recalled as Minister of Justice, replacing Li Mo as Minister of Personnel in the tenth month. After completing nine years in office in the third month of Jiajing 32 (1553), he was granted the title Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent.

As Minister of Personnel, Wan acted under Yan Song’s patronage, generally following Yan’s wishes and becoming involved in corruption and bribery. When the post of Censor-in-Chief for the Xunyang region became vacant, he recommended the Director of the Transmission Office, Zhao Wenhua; when Censorate Secretary Zhu Bochen impeached Zhao, Zhao in turn accused Wan of using the affair to push him aside. In the eighth month of Jiajing 32, the emperor, enraged, dismissed Zhu and Wan together. Wan died in 1565. His office was restored in the early Longqing reign. He was posthumously presented with the title Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent.

Family and associations

Wan Fu (1447–1522) was his father.

His great-grandfather was Wan Dequan, his grandfather Wan Yuanhe, his mother was Lady Rao, and his wife was Lady Yang. His elder brothers were Wan Shisheng, Wan Shilu, Wan Zi, Wan Qin, Wan Rui, Wan Biao, and Wan Sui; his younger brother was Wan Hao, and his son was Wan Fen.

At partings, Wan received farewell writings—farewell poems and prefaces—from Lü Nan, Shu Fen, and Liu Long. He also received poems and prose from Jin Xueyan and letters from Zhang Yue, Wang Weizhen, and Fei 宷; he was impeached by Yuan Hongyu, and Lin Yingqi offended him.

Works

His works include 《治齋集》; other titles associated with him are 《治齋文集》 in four juan, 《治齋集》 in seventeen juan, and 《萬太宰奏疏》.