In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

74 5 Speculations About Contemporary Events It is people just like ourselves who are most affected by passion. —Wang Yan, A New Account of Tales of the World, p. 324 Even if the reader should acquire a taste for the manner in which Huang Xun incorporates obscure allusions, he is still unlikely to ¤nd the collected works appetizing. The type ofmourning vestmentsa sonshould wear at hismother’s funeral—to recall one memorable example from the early twelfth century he discusses at length—could become a point of controversy if the mother had previously put the son up for adoption. In such a case it might be more proper for the son to wear the vestments that would normally be worn during the funeral of an aunt, although some precedents suggest that the bond between a natural mother and her son should never be slighted in such a fashion.1 Sometimes Huang Xun illustrates such controversies with even more obscure precedents that would numb the imagination of most readers. But it would be a mistake to assume that Huang Xun’s allusions are always meant to be obscure or pedantic. In many cases his purpose is quite the opposite. Frequently he assumes that his arguments are transparent and that he can afford to summarize them in a manner the uninitiated might¤nd abrupt and confusing. This is often the case when he is writing about contemporary events. When Huang Xun’s observations do not seem to describe the text he is purporting to analyze or he lapses into a protracted digression of questionable relevance, we must examine the larger context in which his observations were written. Huang Xun’s analysis of the Ruyijun zhuan is one of these cases. He condemns the immoral example of Emperor Taizong, a character who is mentioned only brie¶y at the beginning. He then denounces the incest committed Speculations about Contemporary Events 75 byEmperor Xuanzong,anaffairthatwouldnotevenoccuruntil WuZetianwas long dead. And by the end of the “Du Ruyijun zhuan,” it is perhaps most surprising that Wu Zetian is granted a special dispensation. Despite her incest, adultery, torture, murder, corruption, and lechery—critical lapses in judgment and personal failures for which she appears to be completely responsible— Huang Xun ¤nds that the blame rests with Emperors Gaozong and Taizong. And although the incestuous affairs of Taizong and Xuanzong are not even mentioned in the Ruyijun zhuan, to Huang Xun they are part of its moral: “An elder brother was not an elder brother, a son was not a son, and a father was notafather.Howcouldtheyhavebeenhuman?Moreover,howcouldtheyhave been rulers? Finally, how could they have governed a country?”2 One might conclude that Huang Xun does not fully comprehend the text he is purporting to discuss. Yet it is not hard to demonstrate that in fact he knows a great deal about this work, its sources, and the way it incorporates obscure allusions. But why would he have made a series of erudite observations that do not appear to be supported by the text itself? Some of the more arcane passages in Huang Xun’s Dushu yide—like the passage discussing the rituals that should be used by an adopted son when he attends the funeral of his natural mother—are more signi¤cant, and in¤nitely more interesting , when read in the light of current events. This is the case with Huang Xun’s appraisal of the Ruyijun zhuan as well. Was this work supposed to be read, in whole or in part, as a description of current events? Before addressing this question we must explore in some detail one of the most famous controversies of Huang Xun’s time, an issue that deranged the political climate during the last two decades of his life: the accession of Emperor Shizong.3 The Accession of Emperor Shizong The preceding emperor Ming Wuzong (r. 1506–1522) had just died after a long illness contracted during a freak boating accident.4 He had not designated an heir apparent and had not left any instructions concerning a possible successor. But Chief Grand Secretary Yang Tinghe (1459–1529) was con¤dent he had the situation under control, and few could have doubted the ultimate success of his proposals.5 While rumors of an imminent uprising circulated throughout the capital and one of the deceased emperor’s favorites was reportedly on the verge of staging a coup, the grand secretary’s choice of a successor could make these dangers evaporate as rapidly as...

Share