as chin $hih in 1400, he shared the &voar of the Emperor Yung
Lo with Hsieh Chin and the three Yangs (see Fang P^u), He
accompanied the Emperor on two northern expeditions, the eyeots
of which he duly recorded. In 1414 he aided in preparing a new
edition of the Four Books ^ and six years later was made a Grand
Secretary. He was left in charge of the Emperor's remains in
1424, while Yang Jung hastened to Peking with the news of
his decease. He continued to be greatly trusted, drawing three
salaries, as President of the Board of Rites, as Orand Secretary,
and as Han-lin Chancellor, until in 1425 he retired to attend
on his aged mother. On her death in 1426 he was entrusted
with the preparation of the biographical records of the third and
fourth Ming Emperors. In 1428 he was sent on a mission to
1^ ^ Ning-hsia in Eansuh, and reported on the grievances of
the people. He named his house ^ ^ The Retreat, and is
himself always spoken of by his "style." Canonised as ^d||.
385 Chin Shêng-t'an (T. ^^. H. A^)- Born A.D. 1627. Editor of the four novels ^^MM^^^VM IE » ^ i^^^ and ;|C ;^ ^ , which he published with commentaries and entitled the ^^ 3^ "^ ^ Four Wonderful Works, Being suspected of treasonable tendencies shortly after the accession of the Emperor E'ang Hsi in 1662, he was executed, together with sixteen other men of letters.
386 Chin-shun Died A.D. 1886. A Bannerman of Eirin, who left his native place in 1853. He did good service against the T^ai-p4ngs in Hupeh and Anhui, rising in 1872 to be Military Governor of Uliasutai. From 1873—77 he was occupied in suppressing the Mahomedau rebels in Eansuh and Eashgaria, becoming Military Governor of Hi in December 1876. He and Liu Chin-t^ang did most of the hard fighting as lieutenants to Tso
Tsung-t^ang, under whom he was Assistant Administrator of the
