Translation of the classical Chinese text "Zhou Chen Biography" (Chen Su Le Yi... I am happy to visit you)

Zhou Chen, whose courtesy name is Xunru, is from Jishui, Jiangxi. In the second year of Yongle, he became a Jinshi and was elected as a Shujishi. The next year, Chengzu selected twenty-eight people among them and ordered them to study in Wenyuan Pavilion. Zhou Chen told the emperor that he was young and asked to study in Wenyuan Pavilion. The emperor praised him for his ambition and approved him. Soon, Zhou Chen was promoted to head of the Criminal Department, and then to Yuanwai Lang. In September of the fifth year of Xuande's reign, the emperor had poor management of most of the world's wealth and taxes, especially in Jiangnan. In Suzhou alone, the accumulated tax arrears amounted to eight million shi, and he wanted to find a capable minister to manage it. Therefore, on the recommendation of the bachelor Yang Rong, Zhou Chen was promoted to the right minister of the Ministry of Industry, to inspect various prefectures in the south of the Yangtze River, and to supervise the local taxation of grain.

Zhou Chen handles everything in a simple and convenient way. He had served as an officer in the Jiangnan area for a long time, and he was familiar with the local officials and people, just like father and son in his family. Zhou Chen often patrols the villages without any horseback entourage, talking face to face with the farmers and women, asking them about their sufferings in a calm manner, and giving them plans to solve their problems. He controlled his subordinates, and even the low-level and idle officials frankly asked and adopted their opinions. When meeting talented officials, such as Kuang Zhong and Zhao Yu, the prefect of Songjiang, we discussed plans with them heart to heart and made sure to make full use of their strengths, so nothing could not be accomplished. Zhou Chen often went to Songjiang Prefecture to inspect the water conservancy situation. He saw lush weeds growing along the river between Jiading and Shanghai, and many places were blocked by siltation. So he dredged the upper reaches and allowed the rivers in Kunshan and Gupu to flow down quickly, leaving all the siltation areas. washed away. In his free time, he rode a horse back and forth by the river (inspection). Those who saw him did not know that he was the governor.

At that time, people believed that no official who managed money could surpass Zhou Chen in talent. The amount of money and grain was huge, and Zhou Chen counted everything on his fingers. He once secretly wrote down the weather conditions in a book. One person said that one day there was a wind in the river and he lost some rice from the official family. Zhou Chen immediately pointed out that there was no wind in the river that day. The man was surprised and confused. admire. There was a treacherous man who deliberately messed up his past cases to test Zhou Chen's skills. Zhou Chen said: "You come to me for judgment at some point. I have already judged and cooked for you. Do you still dare to come and deceive me?" Soon, the emperor ordered the manufacture of millions of pairs of armor. Zhou Chen figured out that the iron plating of the armor would take too much work, so he ordered his men to use tin pouring for the time being. As a result, the task of making the armor was completed in a few days.