Mingju [Nara]

Mingju 明珠 (T. 端範), 1635-1708, official, was a grandson of Gintaisi [q.v.] of the Nara clan. Gintaisi was one of the two rulers of the Yehe nation which was conquered by Nurhaci [q.v.] in 1619. Mingju was nine years old when his family, serving under the Manchu Plain Yellow Banner, moved to Peking in 1644 as nobles of the new dynasty. At first an officer of the Imperial Bodyguard, he rose by degrees to be a sub-chancellor of the Hung-wên yüan 弘文院 in 1666. In 1668 he became president of the Board of Punishments; a year later president of the Censorate; and in 1671 president of the Board of War.

When Wu San-kuei [q.v.], in 1673, pretended to Emperor Shêng-tsu that he was willing for the three frontier garrisons or San-fan of South China (of which the one at Yunnan was under his command) to be transferred to Liaotung, most officials in Peking advised the Emperor not to carry out the program for fear that it would lead to civil war. Mingju and Mishan [q.v.], however, insisted on accepting the challenge and even resorting to arms if Wu failed to comply. The young Emperor approved the suggestion, thus precipitating the San-fan Rebellion which covered ten provinces and lasted eight years. During the war the Emperor relied much on Mingju, appointing him president of the Civil Office in 1675 and a Grand Secretary in 1677.

Mingju was friendly to Chinese scholars and saw to it that his sons were well-versed in Chinese literature. But in politics he followed the example of Oboi and Songgotu [qq.v.] in permitting the formation of a political group which stooped to bribery and corruption. By appointing his followers to key positions, he became in the sixteen-eighties the most powerful official in the empire. However, early in 1688, Kuo Hsiu [q.v.], then a censor, memorialized the throne on eight instances of corruption practiced by this group and designated Mingju as the leader. Having been long aware of the situation, the Emperor acted at once and punished all who were involved. Mingju was deprived of his titles and offices, but in the same year was made a senior assistant chamberlain of the Imperial Bodyguard, a post he held until his death twenty years later. During the wars against Galdan [q.v.] he served as commissioner of grain transport for the expeditionary forces.

A skillful business executive, he spent most of his later years in commercial enterprises (see under An Ch'i) and thus accumulated a vast fortune which remained in the family till the close of the eighteenth century when one of his descendants, Ch'êng-an 成安, was falsely accused by Ho-shên [q.v.], and the family property was confiscated.

The family of Mingju was closely related by marriage to the Ch'ing imperial house. His great-aunt was the mother of Abahai [q.v.], and he himself married a daughter of Ajige [q.v.]. The youngest of his three sons, K'uei-fang 揆芳, married a woman of the imperial clan. His eldest son, Singde, was a well known poet and the second son, K'uei-hsü [qq.v.], also a poet, was one of the powerful political figures in the later K'ang-hsi period.

[ 1/275/2b; 3/9/19a; 34/151/4b; Pa-ch'i Man-chou shih-tsu t'ung-p'u (see under Anfiyanggû), 22/2a; Tung-hua-lu, Ch'ien-lung 37: 10; Chao-lien [q.v.], Hsiao-t'ing hsü-lu 5/23a; Ku-tung so-chi (see bibl. under Lang Ving-chi) 6/19a; Haenisch, E., T'oung Pao, 1913, p. 91; Shêng-yü [q.v.], Hsüeh-chi hsün-pei lu, 13/4a.]

FANG CHAO-YING

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明珠，字端範，納喇氏，滿洲正黃旗人，葉赫貝勒金台石孫。父尼雅哈，當太祖滅葉赫，來降，授佐領。明珠自侍衛授鑾儀衛治儀正，遷內務府郎中。康熙三年，擢總管。五年，授弘文院學士。七年，命閱淮、揚河工，議復興化白駒場舊閘，鑿黃河北岸引河。旋授刑部尚書。改都察院左都御史，充經筵講官。十一年，遷兵部尚書。十二年，上幸南苑，閱八旗甲兵於晾鷹台。明珠先布條教使練習之，及期，軍容整肅，上嘉其能，因著為令。

康熙初，南疆大定，留重兵鎮之：吳三桂雲南，尚可喜廣東，耿精忠福建。十馀年，漸跋扈，三桂尤驕縱。可喜亦憂之，疏請撤籓，歸老海城。精忠、三桂繼請。上召諸大臣詢方略，戶部尚書米思翰、刑部尚書莫洛等主撤，明珠和之。諸大臣皆默然。上曰：「三桂等蓄謀久，不早除之，將養癰成患。今日撤亦反，不撤亦反，不若先發。」因下詔許之。三桂遂反，精忠及可喜子之信皆叛應之。時爭咎建議者，索額圖請誅之。上曰：「此出自朕意，他人何罪？」明珠由是稱上旨。十四年，調吏部尚書。十六年，授武英殿大學士，屢充實錄、方略、一統志、明史諸書總裁，累加太子太師。迨三叛既平，上諭廷臣以前議撤籓，惟明珠等能稱旨，且曰：「當時有請誅建議者，朕若從之，皆含冤泉壤矣！」

明珠既擅政，簠簋不飭，貨賄山積。佛倫、餘國柱其黨也，援引致高位。靳輔督南河，主築堤束水，下游不濬自通。于成龍等議濬下游，與異議。輔興屯田，議者謂不便於民，多不右輔，明珠獨是其議。蔡毓榮、張汧皆明珠所薦引者也，迨得罪按治，恐累舉者，傅輕比，上諭斥，始定。與索額圖互植黨相傾軋。索額圖生而貴盛，性倨肆，有不附己者顯斥之，於朝士獨親李光地。明珠則務謙和，輕財好施，以招來新進，異己者以陰謀陷之，與徐乾學等相結。索額圖善事皇太子，而明珠反之，朝士有侍皇太子者，皆陰斥去。薦湯斌傅皇太子，即以傾斌。會天久不雨，光地所薦講官德格勒明易，上命筮，得夬，因陳小人居鼎鉉，天屯其膏，語斥明珠。事具德格勒傳。

二十七年，御史郭琇疏劾：「明珠、國柱背公營私，閣中票擬皆出明珠指麾，輕重任意。國柱承其風旨，即有舛錯，同官莫敢駁正。聖明時有詰責，漫無省改。凡奉諭旨或稱善，明珠則曰'由我力荐'；或稱不善，明珠則曰'上意不喜，我從容挽救'；且任意附益，市恩立威，因而要結群心，挾取貨賄。日奏事畢，出中左門，滿、漢部院諸臣拱立以待，密語移時，上意罔不宣露。部院事稍有關係者，必請命而行。明珠廣結黨羽，滿洲則佛倫、格斯特及其族侄富拉塔、錫珠等，凡會議會推，力為把持；漢人則國柱為之囊橐，督撫籓臬員缺，國柱等展轉徵賄，必滿欲而後止。康熙二十三年學道報滿應升者，率往論價，缺皆預定。靳輔與明珠交結，初議開下河，以為當任輔，欣然欲行。及上欲別任，則以于成龍方沐上眷，舉以應命，而成龍官止按察使，題奏權仍屬輔，此時未有阻撓意也。及輔張大其事，與成龍議不合，乃始一力阻撓。明珠自知罪戾，對人柔顏甘語，百計款曲，而陰行鷙害，意毒謀險。最忌者言官，惟恐發其奸狀，考選科道，輒與訂約，章奏必使先聞。當佛倫為左都御史，見御史李興謙屢疏稱旨，吳震方頗有彈劾，即令借事排陷。明珠智術足以彌縫罪惡，又有國柱奸謀附和，負恩亂政。伏冀立加嚴譴。」

疏入，上諭吏部曰：「國家建官分職，必矢志精白，大法小廉。今在廷諸臣，自大學士以下，惟知互相結引，徇私傾陷。凡遇會議，一二倡率於前，眾附和於後，一意詭隨。廷議如此，國是何憑？至於緊要員缺，特令會同推舉，原期得人，亦欲令被舉者警心滌慮，恐致累及舉者，而貪黷匪類，往往敗露。此皆植黨納賄所致。朕不忍加罪大臣，且用兵時有曾著勞績者，免其發覺。罷明珠大學士，交領侍衛內大臣酌用。」未幾，授內大臣。後從上徵噶爾丹，督西路軍餉，敘功復原級。

明珠自罷政後，雖權勢未替，然為內大臣者二十年，竟不復柄用。四十七年，卒。子性德、揆敘自有傳。