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Geng Yu
Palace Gentleman under Emperor Cheng of Western Han who used a policy memorial to plead for the exiled Chen Tang, quoted in full in the Han History.
At dawn in a palace courtyard, a large drum hangs in a small roofed frame beside a red pillar, with a bound bundle of scrolls on a low stand in front; a stone balustrade leads toward a large hall in the mist, and a row of tiny people stands far away.
Also known as Geng the Palace Gentleman
- Roles
- Remonstrators
Geng Yu was a Palace Gentleman of Western Han whose dates and origin are unknown. The Han History records that under Emperor Cheng, Gentleman Geng Yu submitted a policy memorial that became a plea for Chen Tang. He argued that Chen Tang and Gan Yanshou had carried Han prestige to distant lands in the campaign against the Xiongnu chieftain Zhizhi, that the late emperor had approved their achievement but the chancellor Kuang Heng had blocked their rewards, and that jailing and exiling Chen Tang to Dunhuang for minor faults chilled loyal officials. Chen Tang was later recalled to Chang'an and died there. The memorial is included in the Guwen cileizuan.
Life and times
Dates Dates unknown; served as Palace Gentleman under Emperor Cheng of Western Han (33–7 BCE)