Pan Zhen

Life and official career

At the 1498 Wuwu provincial examination held at Yingtian, Pan Zhen became a provincial graduate; the provincial-graduate entry is numbered 139. He passed the jinshi examination in 1502 and was placed eightieth in the third class; an earlier shengyuan entry is numbered 87.

Appointed magistrate of Zhuji County in Zhejiang, he later served as Left Evaluator, Left Assistant Director, and acting Left Director of the Court of Judicial Review.

In Zhengde 6 (1511), he became an Assistant Surveillance Commissioner in Shandong; in Zhengde 11 (1516), he served as Vice Surveillance Commissioner in Shandong and is also associated with the same office in Fujian.

In Jiajing 2 (1523), he became Shandong Surveillance Commissioner and later Right and Left Provincial Administration Commissioner of Huguang; the Huguang Left Provincial Administration Commissionership is also placed in the Zhengde period.

In Jiajing 7 (1528, also dated 1538), he became Right Vice Chief Censor of the Censorate and Governor of Liaodong; in Jiajing 11 (1532, also dated 1542), he moved to the Nanjing Censorate as Right Vice Chief Censor and was placed in charge of Caojiang; in Jiajing 12 (1533, also dated 1543), he became Vice Minister of War in Nanjing.

In Jiajing 15 (1536, also dated 1546), he served as Vice Minister of War and was changed to Left Vice Minister; his listed titles also include Vice Minister of Justice.

After opposing the campaign against Annam, he was dismissed and returned home; he was soon restored to office and later retired.

He died in Jiajing 27 (1548) at the age of seventy-two and was posthumously granted the title Right Chief Censor.

Family

His genealogy traces back to 潘逢辰 as a direct ancestor; it names 潘初 as a thirteenth-generation ancestor, 潘松年 as an eleventh-generation ancestor, 潘汶 as a tenth-generation ancestor, 潘執禮 as a ninth-generation ancestor, 潘涇 as an eighth-generation ancestor, 潘崇龍 as a seventh-generation ancestor, 潘廷璧 as a sixth-generation ancestor, 潘克勉 as a fifth-generation ancestor, and 潘侑 as a great-grandfather.

His great-grandfather and grandfather are given in two forms: 潘琥 and 潘思文 in one version, and 潘虎 and 潘勤才 in another; his father was 潘坦.

His younger brothers were 潘珵, 潘珙, and 潘瓘; his wife was 張氏. His sons were 潘鏊 and 潘鑾, his daughters were 潘元英, 潘京玉, and 潘桂英, and his son-in-law was 戴滎; his clan nephew 潘旦 lived from 1476 to 1549.

Associations and writings

費宏 wrote a preface for one of his books, while 韓邦奇 and 嚴嵩 wrote his epitaph. 林文俊 gave him a farewell message, 顧璘 presented him with poems and prose, and 呂柟 supplied inscriptions, notes, or a name for a building associated with him; he also opposed the policies of 朱厚熜 and offended 嚴嵩.

The titles associated with Pan Zhen include 《三錫錄》, 《世業錄》, 《兩峰存稿》, 《年紀錄》, 《愚衷錄》, 《榮樂集》, 《珍珠集》, and 《省愆錄》。