'Decree issued to the Grand Secretariat, the Nine Ministries of State [1] etc.
'Ch'ên Mêng-lei was originally a follower of the rebel Kêng; in spite of which Our Imperial Father, now deceased, refrained in his abounding mercy from putting him to death, but banished him to Manchuria; and on a subsequent tour of inspection, bethinking him that the said Ch'ên possessed some small measure of scholarship, brought him back to the capital and attached him in an official capacity to the household of Ch'êng, Prince of the Blood. As years went on, however, instead of endeavouring to amend his faults, he displayed overweening arrogance and committed numerous acts of lawlessness. In view of the fact that he received grace in former days from Our Imperial Father, We cannot bring ourselves to put him to death; yet, on the other hand, it is certain that he cannot be suffered to remain in Peking. For his late Majesty left behind him strict injunctions as to the consolidation of harmony; and if Ch'ên Mêng-lei continues on the establishment of Prince Ch'êng, he is sure to occasion trouble in the future. Among the Nine Ministers, etc., there are not a few who are personally acquainted with Ch'ên Mêng-lei; if they know of any circumstances which might extenuate his guilt, they must not hesitate to declare the same, and We will then freely pardon him. But if the charges that We bring are true, Ch'ên Mêng-lei and his son must both be banished to some outlying region beyond the frontier. And if there are any adherents of Ch'ên Mêng-lei residing outside the precincts of the capital and stirring up trouble, their names must be reported and their presence notified. There was also one Yang Wên-yen, so-called Minister to the rebel Kêng, who having slipped through the meshes of justice, openly took refuge in Peking, where he published pamphlets and gave rise to seditious talk. He himself has now paid his penalty to the Gods of the Underworld, but if any of his followers should happen to be in the capital, they also must be denounced and driven into exile, and no private considerations should induce you to shelter or conceal them.
'With regard to the work entitled Ku Chin T'u Shu Chi Ch'êng, now lying at the house of Ch'ên Mêng-lei, this was entirely planned under the instructions of the late Emperor my father, who drew up the scheme of the whole, and expended his divine energy thereupon for several decades. He has thus succeeded in linking ancient and modern lore, bringing together classics, history, astronomy and geography, accompanied in every case by illustrations and comments, and including details relating to mountains and rivers, plants and trees, the manifold productions of various arts and industries, and the mysterious inventions of the West. Not one of these things but is treated in full, the result being what may be truly described as a prodigy of literary compilation. As the work of preparing this encyclopaedia is still unfinished, the aforesaid Ministers are hereby directed publicly to appoint one or two scholars of profound learning as editors to complete the task. Seeing that the original draught contains a number of mistakes and other undesirable features, the said editors shall supply the requisite finish, adding or cutting out at their discretion, in order that the work may realise his late Majesty's sublime intention, as a means for delving into antiquity and affording a wide survey of our national literature'.
- ↑ These were: 都察院 The Court of Censors, 通政司 The Office of Transmission, 大理寺 The Grand Court of Revision, and the Six Boards of 吏, Civil Office, 戶 Revenue, 禮 Ceremonies, 兵 War, 刑 Punishments, and 工 Works.
