Chen Xun

Life and official career

In the Jiawu provincial examination of the twelfth year of Yongle, Chen ranked first and became the jieyuan; in the Yiwei palace examination of the following year, the thirteenth year of Yongle (1415), he placed first overall, becoming the zhuangyuan, and was appointed a Hanlin Academy xiuzhuan.

His career spanned the Yongle, Hongxi, Xuande, Zhengtong, and Jingtai reigns. At the beginning of Hongxi he advanced to a Hanlin lecturer; early in Xuande he became a Hanlin academician-lecturer, and during Zhengtong he became a Hanlin academician and entered the Wenyuan Pavilion to handle state affairs.

In 1444 he entered the Wenyuan Pavilion to handle state affairs; in 1445 he became Vice Minister of Revenue while concurrently serving as a Hanlin academician, and in 1449 he became Minister of Revenue. In 1451 he was made Junior Guardian and Grand Academician of the Wenyuan Pavilion; in 1452 he was additionally appointed Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent, and in 1456 he became Grand Academician of the Huagai Hall. He also served as chief editor of the Huanyu tongzhi.

During the Zhengtong period he served as a court lecturer, a metropolitan examination examiner, and a provincial examination official. He read palace-examination scripts four times: in 1445, 1448, 1451, and 1454.

During the Tumu Crisis of 1449, the Zhengtong Emperor was captured by the Oirat and the capital was thrown into alarm. Chen joined Minister of War Yu Qian in planning the defense and backed opposition to moving the capital south; some court officials enthroned the Prince of Cheng as emperor. During the Jingtai reign, Chen took a middle position in the dispute over the succession and won the Jingtai Emperor's confidence; long established in government, he was familiar with state affairs, resolute and decisive, and many of his proposals were adopted.

After the Zhengtong Emperor's restoration in the Coup of Seizing the Gate, Chen was punished because he had followed the Jingtai Emperor's wishes in making the latter's son heir apparent. He was beaten one hundred times and sent to garrison Tieling Guard. In 1461, after the downfall of Shi Heng and his associates, Chen was released as a commoner but remained in Tieling; he died there of illness the following year. After Yu Qian was rehabilitated, Chen too was posthumously rehabilitated and received a state sacrifice in his former rank.

Literary work

While on daily duty at the Southern Palace during the Xuande era, Chen once wrote the Ode to the Star of Longevity in place of the imperial composition; during the Zhengtong era he was ordered to compose a text for a ritual bell and completed it extemporaneously.

His works include 《東行百詠集句》 in nine juan and 《芳洲集》 in ten juan; the latter is also written 《芳州集》. He also had 《芳洲文集》 in ten juan and its six-juan continuation.

Associations and family

Wang Xiang was his pupil and Wei Ji his disciple; Chen also wrote epitaphs for Ma Yu, Kuang Ye, and Wang Yonghe, among others. Chen Yuyue was his fifth-generation descendant, also termed a lai-sun.