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Yan Song(严嵩), the infamous corrupt official of the Ming Dynasty, asked Tang Shunzhi(唐顺之), an intellectual with a reputation for integrity and literary talent, to write a preface for his collection of poems. Yan Song was the prime minister of the empire. Without his support, it was difficult for Tang Shunzhi to achieve his political ideas. So, he could not refuse Yan Song's request. But he didn’t want to ruin his reputation because of this action, so he wrote such an ingenious and meaningful preface. Interpreting this preface carefully, we can discover Tang Shunzhi's subtle mentality and true literary ideas.
Zunju Liu is Associate Professor of Ancient Chinese Literary at Capital Normal University.