sach a way that he was ordered to Taog-chia in Chehkiang ai Gt)Yernor; whereupon he produced his {amons lampoon, entitled 3t ^ ^ . This was bitterly resented by the persons attacked ; howe? er the Emperor Wdn Ti shielded him from any serious conseqneneee. This Emperor was always sending for Yen to come to Ckmrt, but he was generally too drunk to attend. On one occasion, when he was sufficiently sober, his Majesty was questioning him as to the talents of his four sons. '*The eldest, named ]^ Chilian,** he replied, ^^has inherited my handwriting; the second, j^ Ts'£, my style; the third, »)^ Huan, my sense of duty; and the fourth, Yao, my love for wine.'* **And which of them," enquired the Emperor, **has got your wildness?" "Ah," replied Yen, "not one of them equals me in that.** He was actually known as |S |^ Wild Yen, chiefly from his habit of speaking too unguardedly on all subjects. Id 454 he became a Director of the Imperial Banqueting Court, and at his death was canonised as ^ -^.
2482 Yen Yen-nien jg ^ ^ (T. 3^ ^ ). Died B.C. 58. A native
of "7^^ Hsia-p'ei in Eiangsu, and son of a Minister of State. He studied law, and became a Censor. On the accession of the Emperor Hstlan^ Ti in B.C. 73 he denounced the treasonable designs of the Minister T4en Yen-nien , and when his complaint was dismissed he placarded the palace gates. For this he was condemned to death, but fled and lay in hiding until a general pardon. He was then appointed Magistrate at P4ng-ling in Shensi, but was cashiered for putting innocent people to death. After serving with success against the Tibetan tribes of the west he was appointed Gevernor of |^ j|{ Cho-ch^n in Chihli, and then of Honan, where his short stature and ferocious disposition gained him the nickname of ^ "fQ the Butcher. It was said that the blood which flowed &om his prison reached to a distance of several It. He was ultimately executed on the accusation of an o£Scial who committed suicide to call attention to his wrongB.
