Shen Lun ( 909 – 16 November 987,

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theob ...

Shunyi), known as Shen Yilun before 976, was a

scholar-official The scholar-officials, also known as literati, scholar-gentlemen or scholar-bureaucrats (), were government officials and prestigious scholars in Chinese society, forming a distinct social class. Scholar-officials were politicians and governmen ...

who successively served the Later Han,

Later Zhou Zhou, known as the Later Zhou (; ) in historiography, was a short-lived Chinese imperial dynasty and the last of the Five Dynasties that controlled most of northern China during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Founded by Guo Wei ( ...

and

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetit ...

dynasties. He was one of the Song dynasty

grand councilor The grand chancellor (''zaixiang, tsai-hsiang''), also translated as counselor-in-chief, chancellor, chief councillor, chief minister, imperial chancellor, lieutenant chancellor and prime minister, was the highest-ranking executive official in th ...

s between 973 and 982.

Emperor Zhenzong Emperor Zhenzong of Song (23 December 968 – 23 March 1022), personal name Zhao Heng, was the third emperor of the Song dynasty of China. He reigned from 997 to his death in 1022. His personal name was originally Zhao Dechang, but was change ...

Consort Shen Consort Shen (personal name unknown) (disappeared 759), formally Empress Ruizhen (睿真皇后, literary meaning "the wise and true empress"), was a Tang Dynasty woman who served as a consort of Emperor Daizong of Tang (Li Chu) while he was the Pr ...

was his granddaughter.

During the Five Dynasties

Early in his career, Shen Yilun studied the "Three Rites" ('' Rites of Zhou'', ''

Book of Rites The ''Book of Rites'', also known as the ''Liji'', is a collection of texts describing the social forms, administration, and ceremonial rites of the Zhou dynasty as they were understood in the Warring States and the early Han periods. The ''Book ...

'', and ''

Etiquette and Ceremonial The ''Book of Etiquette and Ceremonial'' is a Chinese classic text about Zhou dynasty social behavior and ceremonial ritual as it was practiced and understood during the Spring and Autumn period. The ''Book of Etiquette and Ceremonial'', along ...

'') and taught these classics between

Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang ...

and Sōng Prefecture to support himself. During Later Han, he joined the staff of Bai Wenke (), the prefect of Shǎn Prefecture. In 954 during the

, Shen Yilun was referred by a friend and became a retainer to general

Zhao Kuangyin Emperor Taizu of Song (21 March 927 – 14 November 976), personal name Zhao Kuangyin, courtesy name Yuanlang, was the founder and first emperor of the Song dynasty of China. He reigned from 960 until his death in 976. Formerly a distinguish ...

, then a

military governor A military government is generally any form of government that is administered by military forces, whether or not this government is legal under the laws of the jurisdiction at issue, and whether this government is formed by natives or by an occup ...

administering Hua Prefecture, Xǔ Prefecture, and

Sòng Prefecture Songzhou or Song Prefecture () was a '' zhou'' (prefecture) in imperial China centering on modern Shangqiu, Henan, China. It existed (intermittently) from 596 to 1006. The Song dynasty was named after this prefecture because its founder Emperor ...

. Shen was able to manage the finances of all 3 prefectures, and had an incorruptible reputation.

During the Song dynasty

In February 960, Zhao Kuangyin usurped the Later Zhou throne and founded the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

. At that time, Shen Yilun was a mere surveillance circuit judge stationed in Sòng Prefecture, but now that his former boss had become the

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

, he was summoned to the capital (and his hometown)

Kaifeng Kaifeng () is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, China. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and is best known for having been the Chinese capital during the No ...

and made director of the

Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal Statistical System of the United States, U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the Americans, Ame ...

. In early 962, returning from a diplomatic trip to Song's tributary state Wuyue, Shen offered more than 10 recommendations to the new emperor, all of which were accepted. One of recommendations was loaning out grain from military granaries to relieve the mass starvation Shen witnessed in Si and Yang Prefectures. Shen argued that peasants would repay the loan come harvest time in the autumn. However, another minister soon objected: :"If starvation continues, where would the repayment come from? And who would be accountable for that?" To which Shen responded: :"A nation should govern humanely. This will automatically ensure peace, prosperity and a ripe harvest." Zhao Kuangyin was pleased with the reply and ordered government officials in

Huainan Circuit Huainan Circuit or Huainan Province was one of the major circuits during the Tang dynasty, Five Dynasties period, and early Song dynasty. Huainan was also the name of Wu, whose territorial claims was nearly identical to the circuit. In 1072 dur ...

to dispense grain to starved people. In 962, Shen was made a supervising secretary. The following spring he was made fiscal commissioner of Shaanxi Circuit. When the Song dynasty

invaded An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...

the

Later Shu Shu (referred to as Later Shu () to differentiate it from Former Shu, other states named Shu in Chinese history), also known as Meng Shu (), was one of the Ten Kingdoms during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in China. It was located ...

in 964, Shen was in charge of the military finances.

Notes and references

* * 900s births 987 deaths Later Zhou politicians Later Han (Five Dynasties) politicians Song dynasty politicians from Henan Song dynasty chancellors People from Taikang County Song dynasty Buddhists Politicians from Zhoukou {{China-hist-stub