Zi Wenyuan was from Jianchang, Jiangxi Province. He passed the imperial examination in the fourth year of the Yongle era (1406) and was appointed as an Inspectorate Censor. In the first year of the Hongxi era (1425), he was sent out as Deputy Inspector-General of Zhejiang. In the third year of the Xuande era (1428), he was transferred to serve as Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Punishments. In the fifth year of the Xuande era, he was appointed Left Administrator of Henan. Together with Vice Minister Xu Kuo and Administrator Li Changqi, he opened granaries, exempted the people from corvée labor and miscellaneous taxes, and gradually brought back displaced refugees. In the eighth year of the Xuande era, he was recalled to serve as Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Punishments. After Emperor Yingzong ascended the throne, Zi Wenyuan was promoted to Minister of the Ministry of Punishments. In the second year of the Zhengtong era (1437), he was ordered to rectify frontier affairs in Datong and Xuanfu, granted discretionary powers to act as he saw fit, replace officers and soldiers, reinforce watchtowers and fortifications, and strengthen military units. Thanks to his efforts, border defenses were greatly reinforced, earning him a reputation as an outstanding official of his time. In the sixth year of the Zhengtong era, due to a foot ailment, he was ordered to attend court on the first and fifteenth days of each lunar month. On the 28th day of the third month of the eighth year of the Zhengtong era (1443), he retired from office. He passed away at home on the 27th day of the seventh month of the ninth year of the Zhengtong era, at the age of 63.

Appendix: “Biography of Wei Yuan from the Ming History”

Wei Yuan, courtesy name Wenyuan, was a native of Jianchang County. He passed the imperial examination in the fourth year of the Yongle era and was appointed as an Inspectorate Censor. He successfully defended Huang Ziwei, the magistrate of Songjiang, against false accusations. He submitted a memorial recommending a reduction in fishing taxes along the coastal regions of eastern Zhejiang. Later, he was sent to inspect Shaanxi Province. During a severe epidemic in Xi'an, he provided extensive medical care and saved countless lives. In his memorial, he pointed out: “The granaries of various prefectures currently hold over 19 million shi of grain—enough to last ten years. Now that the epidemic has disrupted agricultural production, I suggest that taxpayers be allowed to pay half of their land taxes in paper currency instead.” His proposal was approved. When bandits in Liangzhou were about to launch a rebellion, he urgently requested military action, and the unrest was soon quelled. Twice bereaved of family members, he was always reinstated to office after each loss. In the first year of the Hongxi era, he was appointed as Deputy Inspector-General of Zhejiang Province.

In the third year of Xuande, he was summoned to serve as Deputy Minister of the Right Division of the Ministry of Punishments. In the fifth year, Henan suffered from drought and famine, causing many people to migrate elsewhere. The emperor, recognizing Yuan’s integrity and competence, appointed him Left Vice Governor and ordered him to proceed immediately by express courier. At that time, Deputy Minister Xu Kuo had been sent to pacify the region; meanwhile, the court also decided to reinstate Li Changqi, the former Vice Governor who was then in mourning, to his original post. Yuan, together with Kuo and Changqi, opened the granaries, waived arrears in taxes and corvée labor, and gradually persuaded displaced people to return home. Soon after, rain began to fall again, and the year turned out exceptionally bountiful. After serving for three years, Yuan was recalled and appointed Deputy Minister of the Left Division of the Ministry of Punishments. The following year, Xia Jiuxu and others from Yongfeng took refuge in the vast Pan Mountain and launched a rebellion. Since Yuan was from Jiangxi, the emperor ordered him to pacify the rebels, and Commander Ren Li led troops to accompany him. Before Yuan arrived, the government forces captured Jiuxu. Consequently, the emperor assigned both Yuan and Ren Li to collect timber in Sichuan and also to oversee border defense affairs.

Upon Emperor Yingzong’s accession to the throne, Yuan was promoted to Shangshu. In the fifth month of the second year of the Zhengtong era, he was ordered to put the frontier defenses of Datong and Xuanfu in order and was granted discretionary authority to act as he saw fit. Yuan dispatched Du Duqian Shi Li Qian to garrison Dushi, with Yang Hong serving as his deputy, and impeached Du Heng, the commander of Wanquan Wei, for being stationed in Guangxi. The following year, Yuan reported that the commander-in-chief of Datong, Tan Guang, was growing old. The emperor then appointed Huang Zhen and Yang Hong as left and right deputy commanders to assist in the defense, causing all generals to fall into strict discipline. Yuan inspected the strategic passes of Tiancheng and Shuzhou, ordering officers and soldiers to take up their posts there. He established Weiyuan Wei, reinforced and expanded Kaiping and Longmen cities, and from Dushi to Xuanfu, he ordered the construction of additional beacon towers and watchposts. He also exempted the garrison troops from paying rent for one year, stockpiled firearms for border defense, and compelled all those who had been evading military service by relying on powerful patrons to rejoin the ranks. Soon after, Yuan petitioned for the recall of the circuit inspector and vice-censor Lu Rui, citing long-standing neglect of military affairs in Xuanfu and the Great Army, and recommended Yu Qian, the Assistant Minister of War, for the post of military advisor. However, the court, noting that Yu Qian was then governing Shanxi and Henan, refused to comply. Consequently, the censors accused Yuan of improperly replacing officials along the frontier and submitted a joint memorial denouncing him. They further claimed that Yuan, having previously been a censor himself, had committed corruption and thus fraudulently obtained his imperial appointment. Although the emperor recognized Yuan’s past contributions and chose not to pursue the matter further, upon Yuan’s return to the capital after completing his mission, he engaged in a heated verbal altercation with the chief censor Chen Zhi in the official residence. When Chen Zhi reported this incident, the emperor issued an imperial edict rebuking both Yuan and Chen Zhi.

During a severe drought, he submitted reports on disputed cases and requested that these measures be implemented nationwide; his request was approved. Soon after, however, he was accused of improper judgment in sentencing cases and was imprisoned along with Assistant Minister He Wenyuan. Later pardoned, he again submitted reports on the crimes committed by Prince Guihu of Liaoning, but omitted any mention of internal disturbances. As a result, he and all officials from the Three Boards were thrown into the imperial prison. After several months, they were released and reinstated to their posts.

Yuán had long served in the Ministry of Punishments and was known for his fair and lenient approach to judicial matters. Ji Ziyan, a censor from Shaanxi, proposed that military officials convicted of miscellaneous offenses should receive only half their salary and be exiled to the remotest frontier regions. Yuán, finding this proposal overly harsh, submitted a memorial recommending its shelving. Langzhong Lin Hou then put forward four proposals—prohibiting frivolous lawsuits and malicious accusations, selecting qualified judges, and ensuring that investigations into serious criminals were based solely on solid evidence—and all these proposals were adopted following Yuán’s recommendations.

In the sixth year, he was ordered to attend court on the first and fifteenth days of each lunar month due to a foot ailment. In the eighth year, he retired and passed away.