Ye Sheng

Life

His great-grandfather was Ye Mao, his grandfather Ye Ming, and his father Ye Chun; his mother is variously named Tang or Chen, and Shen is listed as a stepmother. His elder brothers were Ye Mou and Ye Chang, and his younger brothers were Ye Yi, Ye Zhen, and Ye Deng; his wife was Jin, and his grandson was Ye Mengqi.

His examination career included the shengyuan, xianggong, and jinshi ranks; in the tenth year of the Zhengtong era (1445), he attained the jinshi degree, placing twenty-ninth in the second class. The listed ranks for xianggong and shengyuan were 30 and 21, respectively.

He was appointed bingke jishizhong. After the Tumu Crisis, he joined his colleagues in calling for punishment of the generals who had fled; when Esen attacked Beijing, he repeatedly submitted memorials setting out plans for attack and defense and was promoted to du jishizhong. From 1447 to 1449, he served as bingke jishizhong; in 1449 he became bingke du jishizhong and also took charge of the section’s affairs. During the Jingtai era he became right provincial administration commissioner in Shanxi and supervised grain transport at Xuanfu.

During his tenure overseeing grain at Xuanfu, he also managed tuntian and military affairs in Dushi and Maying; after earning merit on the frontier, he left office to observe mourning for his father. After the restoration of the Yingzong emperor, he was promoted to you qiandu yushi and in 1458 became governor of the Two Guang. After Xianzong’s accession, he returned to the capital, was transferred to zuo qiandu yushi, and governed Xuanfu; during the debate over the Hetao proposal, he argued that no capable generals were available and forcefully opposed it. He later successively served as vice minister of Rites, right vice minister of Personnel, and left vice minister of Personnel, with terms respectively in the third to fifth, fifth to ninth, and ninth to tenth years of the Chenghua era (1467–1474). He died in the tenth year of the Chenghua era (1474) and received the posthumous name Wenzhuang.

Writings and calligraphy

Ye Sheng was skilled in xingkai calligraphy, and his brushwork was said to possess the manner of Su Wenzhong.

His works include Shui dong riji in 38 fascicles, Shui dong gao in 8, Jing dong gao in 8, and Lü zhu tang gao in 8. Other works include Ye Wenzhuang zou shu in 40 fascicles, Shanggu zou cao in 8, Liangguang zou cao in 16, Zou cao in 30, Xiyuan zou cao in 9, Bianzou cungo in 7, Kaifeng xingji gao in 5, Wengao in 2, Qiutai shihua in 1, Shandong shenglan shi in 1, Shi in 1, and Lü zhu tang shumu. Some titles and volume counts vary: variants include Jing dong xiao gao in 8 fascicles, He Shandong shenglan shi in 1, Ye Wenzhuang zou yi, and Jing dong gao written with the graph 槀; the volumes of Lü zhu tang gao and Kaifeng xingji gao are given as 8 and 5, respectively.

Commentators described him as learned and broad in his scholarship, a leading figure of his time; they praised his love of antiquity, austere conduct, and admiration for Fan Wenzheng, and said that his prose was measured, comprehensive, and governed by rules. His poetic reputation was divided: one view held that he was not known for poetry, while another praised the forceful style of his seven-character recent-style verse, saying that even experts in prosody could not surpass it.

Literary and commemorative connections

His literary association with Han Yong involved a preface; he wrote epitaphs for Wu Kai and Wei Ji, while Lü Nan wrote his biography. Wu Kuan and Wen Lin wrote sacrificial texts for him; a congratulatory text for Zheng Wenkang, Peng Shi’s spirit-way stele, and tomb inscriptions for Bai Kan and Shen Cong are likewise associated with him; Wu Kuan also wrote a shrine inscription. Wang Ao recommended him; Shang Lu presented him with poetry and prose, Liu Chang praised his administrative achievements, and Wang Shizhen supplied inscriptions, a note, and a name for a building associated with him.