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The first thing one has to say about TREASON BY THE BOOK by Jonathan Spence is this
--- it will demand every bit of your time and will deserve every minute of it. Spence is a
premier Sinologist whose previous titles (THE DEATH OF WOMAN WANG, THE QUESTION OF HU,
just to name a few) have brought him the reputation of being a detailed historian and a
remarkable storyteller. TREASON reaffirms his talents as both.
Spanning the years 1728-1736, it recounts the unique method through which Chinese Emperor
Yongzheng discovers and refutes the treasonous writings of a Hunanese named Zeng Jing.
Spence notes, "It is a book about a world most of us have lost, in which the arrival
of every stranger in one's home village was an event, to be mulled over and reflected upon
for years." The treason that Yongzheng and his officials root out is only possible in
such a world. It allowed long-past events to be recalled as if they occurred yesterday.
This world also allowed fiction to become fact and rumor to become truth.
While Zeng Jing's misconceptions about the Qing dynasty have their origins in overheard
tales and lying wanderers, the affair begins simply. It begins with a letter.
In October 1728, a messenger delivers a letter to a general. The messenger is Zeng Jing's
student, Zhang Xi, also a Hunanese from the same poor, country, mountainous region as his
teacher. The general is governor-general Yue Zhonqui, a bureaucrat who is favored by the
Emperor Yongzheng. As soon as General Yue opens the letter from Zeng Jing, he recognizes
it as treason. In the letter, Zeng Jing claims that China has no "ruler under
Heaven." He also exhorts General Yue to raise the true Chinese people to rebellion
against the Manchu rulers. General Yue does what any loyal government official would do:
He arrests Zhang Xi and alerts the Emperor.
The story unfolds as a detective novel with various officials questioning suspects and
untangling memories. Slowly the interrogators map the conspiracy of rumors. Throughout
all, Emperor Yongzheng meticulously ponders the mystery, looking for a solution to the
invidious problem of rumors in a country as large as China and a time as remote as the
1700s.
With the conspirators and various treasonous writings in hand, Emperor Yongzheng begins
his journey to dispel the false stories. He chooses a unique mixture of candor and
Imperial edicts to confront Zeng Jing. He shares records and secret reports with Zeng Jing
and orders him to comment on them. Zeng Jing's reactions to the facts are as passionate as
his reactions to the rumors were. At once, he sees the error of his ways and is astonished
that anyone dared spread such negative stories to him about Yongzheng and the Manchus.
Thus, the contrite and remorseful Zeng Jing is pardoned. But this story is only partly
about the conspiracy of lies. TREASON is also about the world of 18th century Chinese
scholarship, which was limited by constant bureaucratic examinations and imperial
benevolence. Emperor Yongzheng publishes the written dialogue between himself and Zeng
Jing along with certain edicts and Zeng Jing's new commentaries. This "Awakening from
Delusion" is circulated to everyone in China and is added to the educational
curriculum.
The resulting reaction among students and scholars is harsh. They are outraged that Zeng
Jing went free, while a long-dead noted scholar, Lü Liuliang, whom Zeng Jing implicated,
was branded a criminal of the worst sort. While Emperor Yongzheng tries to devise ways of
involving these scholars in shaping the future of China, he fails to placate them. Then,
in 1735, Emperor Yongzheng dies, and the affair ends as abruptly as it begins.
Spence has created a lesson in governing, compassion, and investigation procedures. The
Yongzheng he reveals to us ruled with balance, neither punishing too quickly nor pardoning
too lightly. In the retelling of the events surrounding Zeng Jing, Spence finds a
scholar-Emperor, whose musings are lyrical and erudite. A thoroughly enthralling journey
in the heart of a poor scholar and an imperial ruler, TREASON BY THE BOOK presents history
as a fantastic narrative of intrigue and human frailties.
--- Reviewed by Amee Vyas
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