Wang Hongxu 王鴻緒

WANG Hung-hsü 王鴻緒 (T. 季友, H. 儼齋, 橫雲山人, original ming 度心), Sept. 22, 1645–1723, Sept. 14, official and calligrapher, was a native of Hua-t'ing, Kiangsu. He was the youngest brother of Wang Hsü-ling [q.v.]. After taking the chin-shih degree and becoming a Hanlin compiler in 1673, he held various official posts at Court and educational positions in the provinces. In 1682 he was made one of the chief editors of the official history of the Ming Dynasty (明史 Ming-shih) with which he was connected off and on for the ensuing forty years. After mourning the death of his father, he returned to Peking in 1689 but was soon ordered to retire owing to a charge of corruption brought against him by the president of the Censorate, Kuo Hsiu [q.v.]. Kuo accused him of being in collusion with Kao Shih-ch'i [q.v.], Wang Hsü-ling, and others who had received bribes. In 1694 Wang Hung-hsü was recalled to Peking as a co-director for the compilation of the Ming-shih. Not long after, he was made president of the Board of Works, and in 1708 president of the Board of Revenue. During this time and in later years he acted as a spy for Emperor Shêng-tsu, submitting secret reports about other officials, sometimes with scandalous details. However, early in 1709 he was again forced to retire, this time for having taken the side of Maci [q.v.] in support of Yin-ssŭ [q.v.] on the question of the succession to the throne.

In 1714 Wang Hung-hsü submitted to the throne 208 chüan of biographical sketches intended for the Ming-shih, which he had compiled at home with a staff under his direction. The next year he was recalled to Peking for editorial work. In a private capacity, during the following years, he expanded his draft of the Ming-shih to include not only biographies but also other sections, using, without recognition, the manuscripts of many historians, especially that of Wan Ssŭ-t'ung [q.v.], who had died in 1702 after almost completing a draft of the history. In 1723 Wang submitted to the throne his draft of the Ming-shih, entitled Ming-shih kao (稿), 310 chüan. Although the work was based on the labors of Wan and other historians, Wang treated it as his own work and had his name inscribed on the margin of every page of the manuscript as though it constituted a part of his collected works. He did spend some time in editing it, but the changes and omissions which he made were frequently unwarranted.

Wang Hung-hsü was a celebrated calligrapher. His collected poems, entitled 橫雲山人集 Hêng-yün-shan-jên chi, 27 chüan, were printed in 1719.

[1/277/3a; 3/58/16a pu-lu; 29/2/12a; Hua-t'ing hsien-chih (1879) 16/14a; Wên-hsien ts'ung-pien (see bibl. under Dorgon), nos. 2, 3; Ch'ên Shou-shih, "A Study of the Ming-shih kao" (in Chinese), Kuo-hsüeh lun-ts'ung (Chinese Classical Review, Tsinghua University), 1927; Li Chin-hua, Ming-shih tsuan-hsiu k'ao (A History of the Compilation of the Ming Dynastic History), Harvard-Yenching Monograph Series, no. 3 (1933).]

Tu Lien-chê

《清史稿》卷271

王鴻緒，初名度心，字季友，江南婁縣人。康熙十二年一甲二名進士，授編修。十四年，主順天鄉試。充日講起居注官。累遷翰林院侍講。十九年，聖祖諭獎講官勤勞，加鴻緒侍讀學士銜。時湖廣有朱方旦者，自號二眉山人。造中說補，聚徒橫議，常至數千人。自詡前知，與人決休咎。巡撫董國興劾其左道惑眾，逮至京，得旨寬釋。及吳三桂反，順承郡王勒爾錦駐師荊州，方旦以占驗出入軍營，巡撫張朝珍亦稱為異人。上密戒勒爾錦勿為所惑。方旦乃避走江、浙，會鴻緒得其所刊中質秘書，遂以奏進，列其誣罔君上、悖逆聖道、搖惑人心三大罪。方旦坐誅。二十一年，轉侍讀，充明史總裁。累擢內閣學士、戶部侍郎。二十四年，典會試。二十五年，疏請回籍治本生母喪，遣官賜祭。二十六年，擢左都御史。疏劾廣東巡撫李士楨貪劣，潮州知府林杭學嘗從吳三桂反，乃舉其清廉。士楨坐罷，杭學奪職。會靈臺郎董漢臣疏陳時事，以諭教元良、慎簡宰執為言。御史陶式玉劾漢臣摭拾浮言，欺世盜名，請逮治。鴻緒疏言：「欽天監靈臺郎、博士等官，不擇流品，星卜屠沽之徒，粗識數字，便得濫竽。請敕下考試，分別去留。」下部議行。漢臣及博士賈文然等十五人並以詞理舛誤黜。初，以式玉疏下九卿集議，尚書湯斌謂大臣不言，慚對漢臣。漢臣既黜，鴻緒偕左都御史璙丹、副都御史徐元珙合疏劾斌務名鮮實，並追論江寧巡撫去任時，巧飾文告，以博虛譽。上素重斌清廉，置弗問。

鴻緒論各省駐防官兵累民，略言：「駐防將領恃威放肆，或占奪民業，或重息放債，或強娶民婦。或謊詐逃人，株連良善；或收羅奸棍，巧生紥詐。種種為害，所在時有。如西安、荊州駐防官兵紀律太寬，牧放馬匹，驅赴村莊，累民芻秣；百十成群，踐食田禾，所至驛騷。其他苦累，又可類推。請嚴飭將軍、副都統等力行約束。綠旗提、鎮縱兵害民，以及虛冒兵糧者，不一而足，請飭督撫立行指參。」上命議行。

未幾，以父憂歸。二十八年，服闋，將赴補。左都御史郭琇劾鴻緒與高士奇招權納賄，並及給事中何楷、編修陳元龍，皆予休致。語具士奇傳。嘉定知縣聞在上為縣民訐告私派事，按察使高承爵按治。在上言嘗以銀餽舉人徐樹敏，至事發退還，因坐樹敏罪。巡撫鄭端覆訊，在上言嘗以銀五百餽鴻緒，亦事發退還。端乃劾乾學縱子行詐，鴻緒竟染贓銀，有玷大臣名節，乞敕部嚴議。上特諭曰：「朕崇尚德教，蠲滌煩苛。凡大小臣工，咸思恩禮下逮，曲全始終；即因事放歸，仍令各安田里。近見諸臣彼此傾軋，伐異黨同，私怨相尋，牽連報復；雖業已解職投閒，仍復吹求不已，株連逮於子弟，顛覆及於身家。朕總攬萬機，已三十年，此等情態，知之甚悉。媢嫉傾軋之害，歷代皆有，而明季為甚。公家之事，置若罔聞，而分樹黨援，飛誣排陷，迄無虛日。朕於此等背公誤國之人，深切痛恨。自今以往，內外大小諸臣，宜各端心術，盡蠲私忿，共矢公忠。儻仍執迷不悟，復踵前非，朕將窮極根株，悉坐以朋黨之罪。」時鴻緒方就質，詔至，得釋。

三十三年，以薦召來京修書。尋授工部尚書，充經筵講官。四十七年，調戶部。其年冬，皇太子允礽既廢，詔大臣保奏儲貳，鴻緒與內大臣阿靈阿、侍郎揆敘等謀，舉皇子允禩，詔切責，以原品休致。

五十三年，疏言：「臣舊居館職，奉命為明史總裁官，與湯斌、徐乾學、葉方靄互相參訂，僅成數卷。及臣回籍多年，恩召重領史局，而前此纂輯諸臣，罕有存者。惟大學士張玉書為監修，尚書陳廷敬為總裁，各專一類：玉書任志，廷敬任本紀，臣任列傳。因臣原銜食俸，比二臣得有餘暇，刪繁就簡，正謬訂訛。如是數年，彙分成帙，而大學士熊賜履續奉監修之命，檄取傳稿以進，玉書、廷敬暨臣皆未參閱。臣恐傳稿尚多舛誤，自蒙恩歸田，欲圖報稱，因重理舊編，搜殘補闕，復經五載，成列傳二百八卷。其間是非邪正，悉據公論，不敢稍逞私臆。但年代久遠，傳聞異辭，未敢自信為是。謹繕寫全稿，齎呈御鑒，請宣付史館，以備參考。」詔俞之。

五十四年，復召來京修書，充省方盛典總裁官。雍正元年，卒於京。乾隆四十三年，國史館進鴻緒傳，高宗命以郭琇劾疏載入，使後世知鴻緒輩罪狀。