Background

It is not known when Sun Sheng was born (under the name of Sun Feng), but it is known that he was from Gaomi. He was also known as Sun Ji at one point, but later came to be named Sun Sheng. In his young days, he was said to be studious and capable of writing, particularly at poetry.

Also during his youth, Sun passed the imperial examinations in the Jinshi class. (It is unclear whether this was in the late Tang Dynasty or early in its successor state Later Liang.) At that time, however, the intelligentsia at then-capital Luoyang favored men who paid attention to details and appearance, and Sun did not pay attention to such things, and therefore was not regarded highly. He thus left the capital scene and journeyed to Mount Lu to become a Taoist monk at Jianji Temple (简寂宫). However, his custom of hanging up a portrait of the Tang poet Jia Dao and offering sacrifices to the portrait caused fellow monks to believe that he was a sorcerer, and they chased him out of the temple. He then changed back into the robes of a scholar, and went north to Later Liang's northern rival Jin, meeting Jin's prince Li Cunxu at Zhen Prefecture (镇州, in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei), although it was not stated whether Li gave him any positions in the government at that time.

During Later Tang

In 923, Li Cunxu claimed imperial title of a new Later Tang, and shortly after destroyed Later Liang and took over its territory. One of the chancellors he commissioned for his new imperial government was Doulu Ge. Doulu had long known of Sun Sheng's capability, and he retained Sun to serve as a secretary to him, and Sun later received the title of Zhuzuo Zuolang (著作佐郎), as an assistant editor at the Palace Library.

As of 927, by which time Li Cunxu had died and been succeeded by his adoptive brother Li Siyuan as emperor, Sun was serving as a secretary to Zhu Shouyin the military governor (Jiedushi) of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan). In winter 927, Li Siyuan suddenly announced that he was going to visit Xuanwu's capital Bian Prefecture (汴州) from the imperial capital Luoyang, leading to two rumors — either that he was intending to launch a major attack on Later Tang's southeastern neighbor Wu, or that he was going to act against one of the rebellious governors to the east. Sun suggested to Zhu that he resist the emperor, and Zhu agreed, closing the city and preparing to defend it. However, Li Siyuan's generals Fan Yanguang and Shi Jingtang quickly arrived at Bian before its defenses could be fully ready and began the siege, and when Li Siyuan himself shortly arrived thereafter and continued the siege in earnest, the people of Bian began to desert Zhu in droves. Zhu committed suicide.

Sun, meanwhile, abandoned his wife and children, and hid himself in the region. Li Siyuan's chief of staff An Chonghui hated him for encouraging Zhu's rebellion, and therefore put out reward posters for his arrest, but could not have him arrested, and therefore slaughtered his family. Sun fled to Zhengyang (正阳, on the border of modern Fuyang and Lu'an, Anhui), on the border between Later Tang and Wu. Before he could cross the Huai River into Wu territory, however, he was intercepted by suspicious Later Tang border guards. He sat on the bank of the Huai and acted crazy by grabbing his clothes and eating the fleas thereon, so the guards ignored him. He thereafter crossed the river into Wu territory.

During Wu

Upon entering Wu territory, Sun Sheng was taken in by the Wu military governor of Fengguo Circuit (奉国, headquartered in modern Lu'an), Liu Jin (刘金). For reasons not explained in history, Sun pretended to be unable to speak when Liu spoke with him. However, one day, when Sun went to pray at the temple of the Han Dynasty prince Liu An, Liu Jin had someone hide under Liu An's statue to listen to Sun's prayers, and therefore found out more about him. Liu Jin thereafter had him delivered to Jinling, where the headquarters of the Wu regent Xu Zhigao was.

At that time, Xu was trying to gather all kinds of talented people to serve on his staff, and was glad to have Sun added to his staff. It was said that Sun spoke with a stutter, but once he had a chance to talk with people further, he communicated effectively and persuasively. Xu favored him greatly and had him be in charge of drafting Xu's orders. Xu also consulted him secretly on Xu's plans to eventually take over the Wu throne, and each time they spoke, they spoke for over two hours, but Sun was able to keep secrets and not reveal what Xu was talking with him about. In 932, when Xu established a Lixian Hall at his headquarters with collections of books, where he would often spoke with his advisors, Sun and Chen Jue were frequent visitors to the hall.

During Southern Tang

During Li Bians reign

In 937, Wu's final emperor Yang Pu yielded the throne to Xu Zhigao, ending Wu. Xu Zhigao took the throne as emperor of a new state of Southern Tang, and shortly after changed his last name back to his birth last name of Li while taking a new personal name of Bian. During Li Bian's reign as emperor, Sun Sheng successively served as Zhongshu Sheren (中书舍人, a mid-level official at the legislative bureau of government (中书省, Zhongshu Sheng)), imperial scholar (翰林学士, Hanlin Xueshi), and Zhongshu Shilang (中书侍郎, deputy head of the legislative bureau). There was a time when the official Feng Yanji, a close associate of Li Bian's oldest son and heir presumptive Li Jing the Prince of Qi, joked with Sun, "What abilities do you have, Lord, that you get to be Zhongshu Shilang?" Sun, who had long despised Feng, responded:

When Li Bian fell ill and then shortly after died in 943, Sun was concerned that Feng and his associates would become powerful, and therefore considered claiming that Li Bian left a will naming his wife Empress Song regent over the new emperor Li Jing. However, when the imperial scholar Li Yiye (李贻业) objected, pointing out that LI Bian himself had often spoken against the idea of female regents and that it would be unnatural for Li Jing, well into his adulthood, to have a regent in any case — going as far as stating that if the emperor will were published with the directions to name Empress Song regent that he would publicly tear the edict apart — Sun relented and did not forge such a will. Li Jing shortly after took the throne as the new emperor.

During Li Jings reign

After Li Jing took the throne, at the urging of his younger brother Li Jingda (李景达), who apparently did not like Sun Sheng, Sun was sent away from the imperial administration to serve as the military governor of Yongtai Circuit (永泰, headquartered in modern Anqing, Anhui). It was said that Sun governed the circuit's army with strict discipline. In 944, when the official Xiao Yan (萧俨) offended Li Jing by comparing his palace to that of Chen Dynasty's last emperor Chen Shubao, Li Jing had Xiao exiled to Yongtai's capital Shu Prefecture (舒州). Sun subsequently sent guards to put Xiao under strict guard. Xiao met him and rebuked him for doing so, while pointing out that Sun himself had nearly disrupted the proper imperial succession. Sun, humbled, withdrew the guards. At one point, two soldiers at Yongtai, apparently resenting Sun for his discipline, entered headquarters and wanted to assassinate Sun. However, Sun happened to be not at the headquarters at that time, so they assassinated the officer Li Jianchong (李建崇) and then escaped. As a result of this incident, Sun was demoted to be the minister of palace supplies (光禄卿, Guanglu Qing). However, Li Jing, who had respected Sun, did not further punish him, and later made him You Puye (右仆射, one of the heads of the executive bureau (尚书省, Shangshu Sheng)).

In 952, Li Jing named Sun, along with Feng Yanji and Xu Jingyun (徐景运), chancellors with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中书门下平章事). When hearing of this, Sun, who had long disrespected Feng, made the comment, "Is it that gold goblets and jade bowls are going to contain dog feces?"

At the time that Sun, Feng, and Xu became chancellors, Southern Tang had just destroyed its southwestern neighbor Chu, but was in effective control of only one of the three main circuits of Chu — Wu'an (武安, headquartered at Chu's formal capital Changsha, Hunan); the other two main circuits, Wuping (武平, headquartered in modern Changde, Hunan), and Jingjiang (静江, headquartered in modern Guilin, Guangxi), remained out of Southern Tang's effective control, with Wuping effectively under the control of the warlord Liu Yan, and Jingjiang's having been seized by Southern Han when Chu fell to Southern Tang. Li Jing initially did not want to carry out further campaigns over Chu territory, and therefore considered effectively letting Southern Han retain Jingjiang and bringing Wuping under only formal and not actual control by issuing a commission to Liu, allowing him to retain Wuping. Sun agreed with this idea, but Feng opposed, believing that this would cause Southern Tang's conquest effectively meaningless. Under Feng's advice, Li Jing maintained the campaigns to take Jingjiang and Wuping, but those campaigns were unsuccessful, and, in winter 952, Liu attacked Changsha and took control of it, effectively chasing Southern Tang out of the former Chu territory. Hearing of the defeat, Feng and Sun submitted petitions blaming themselves and asking to be relieved from their posts. Li Jing initially declined, but upon Sun's insistence, removed them from their chancellorships and leaving them as Puyes.

During the more than two decades that Sun served under Li Bian and Li Jing, he accumulated great wealth. It was said that each time at dinner, Sun did not use dinner tables; rather, he had his servant girls each hold a vessel of food and surround him (and perhaps dinner guests), calling them "fleshy dining tables." The rich people of the Southern Tang realm much imitated this style.

By 956, Southern Tang was under serious attack by its northern neighbor Later Zhou. Faced with this great crisis, Li Jing bestowed the grand title of Sikong (司空, one of the Three Excellencies) on Sun, and sent him with the minister Wang Chongzhi (王崇直) as emissaries to Later Zhou's emperor Guo Rong, offering to formally submit as a vassal and offering gifts, begging Guo to stop his attack. (It was said that before departing on the mission, Sun believed that he would not return alive, and stated to Feng, "While this mission should have belonged to the Zuo Xiang an alternative way of referring to Zuo Puye), if I, Sun Sheng, do not go, I would be neglectful in my duties to the deceased emperor." The instructions that Li Jing gave him were to offer to Guo the terms of 1) Li Jing would no longer refer to himself as an emperor and become a vassal; 2) cede six prefectures to Later Zhou; and 3) offer yearly tributes of gold and silk — the same instructions that Li Jing had given earlier emissaries Li Deming (李德明) and Zhong Mo (锺谟).

After Sun and Wang arrived at Guo's camp — with Guo then sieging the major Southern Tang border city of Shou Prefecture (寿州, in modern Lu'an), Guo had Sun taken to just outside Shou's walls to show him to Shou's defender Liu Renzhan (刘仁瞻) the military governor of Qinghuai Circuit (清淮, i.e., the circuit formerly named Fengguo), to try to persuade Liu to surrender. When Liu saw Sun, he bowed in his armor. Sun, however, stated to him, "You, sir, had received great grace from the state. You shall not open your gates to welcome the bandits the Later Zhou army)." When Guo heard what happened, he was angry with Sun, but Sun stated to him, "I, your subject, is a chancellor of Tang. How can I teach a military governor to defect?" Guo thus did not punish him.

However, the terms that Li Deming and Zhong, and later Sun and Wang, offered Guo on their emperor's behalf, was not sufficient enticing to Guo, with his generals repeatedly prevailing over Southern Tang forces, causing him to want to take control of all of Southern Tang territory north of the Yangtze River, so he refused Li JIng's offer. Li Deming, concerned about Later Zhou advances, requested to return to Li Jing's court to persuade Li Jing to yield all of the territory north of the Yangtze. Guo agreed, and, at Sun's request, allowed Li Deming and Wang to return to Southern Tang's capital Jinling. Upon their arrival in Jinling, Li Deming reported to Li Jing the capabilities that Guo had as well as the strength of the Later Zhou army, advocating increasing the Southern Tang offer, to cede all territory north of the Yangtze. However, the chancellor Song Qiqiu opposed any cession of territory. With Chen Jue, then chief of staff, and his deputy Li Zhenggu (李徵古), long disliking Li Deming and Sun, Chen and Li Zhenggu enticed Wang into giving a different report than Li Deming. Chen and Li Zhenggu then accused Li Deming of selling the state out. Li Jing, in anger, executed Li Deming.

Subsequently, Southern Tang forces, under the overall command of the general Zhu Yuan (朱元), made much gains on their counterattack, taking back several prefectures that Later Zhou forces had taken. Guo decided to return to his capital Kaifeng to reorganize his attack, while leaving the matters of the front to his generals, one of which was his cousin Li Chongjin (the son of the sister of his adoptive father, Later Zhou's founding emperor Guo Wei). Guo took Sun and Zhong with him back to Kaifeng, and initially treated them with respect. However, news came that Li Jing had tried to entice Li Chongjin into rebelling against Later Zhou by sending him letters that were much accusatory against Guo — letters that Li Chongjin then submitted to Guo. (Sun had previously, in his attempts to try to persuade Guo to accept peace, claimed that Li Jing was very respectful and fearful of Guo.) Seeing the letters, Guo angrily confronted Sun and accused him of lying. Sun did not beg for his life, instead responding with dignity and asking for death. Guo then asked Sun to give him secrets of the Southern Tang state, and Sun refused. When Guo subsequently had his general Cao Han (曹翰) again ask Sun to do so, Sun also refused Cao's overtures. Cao then stated to Sun, "The Emperor issued an edict, granting death to you, Lord Chancellor." Hearing of this, Sun's expression did not change. He asked for his shoes and dressed with formality, bowing to the south (toward Southern Tang), stating, "I, your subject, now will repay the state with my death." He was then killed, as were over 100 of his attendants. Guo then exiled Zhong. However, he then regretted killing the faithful Sun and recalled Zhong. Meanwhile, hearing of Sun's death, Li Jing wept, and gave him the posthumous honors of Taifu (太傅) and Duke of Lu, and he gave much wealth to Sun's family.

Notes and references

• Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms, vol. 27.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 276, 277, 283, 290, 291, 293.

早年

孙晟生年不详，出生于高密。孙晟好学，善于文辞，特别是作诗。

孙晟年轻时参加科举，中进士，到洛阳。不清楚当时是唐朝末年还是后梁初年。当时的文人注意细节和外观，孙晟为人豪放，不修边幅，于是弃功名而去，南游庐山。在简寂宫出家为道士。他在墙上画上唐代诗人贾岛的肖像，早晚祭拜，道士们认为他中邪了，把他逐出简寂宫。他于是重新穿上儒服，到镇州（今河北省石家庄市）拜谒晋王李存勖。

后唐时期

923年，李存勖即位为帝，建立后唐，和不久后灭亡后梁，并有其领土。后唐宰相豆卢革得知孙晟的名声，徵召他为判官，之后孙晟转任著作佐郎。

926年，李存勖死后，他的义兄李嗣源即位为唐明宗，927年，孙晟作为宣武军节度使（治所在河南省开封市）朱守殷的判官。927年冬天，李嗣源突然宣布他要从国都洛阳到汴州视察，导致两个谣言——他打算攻打后唐的东南邻国吴，或者他要对付东方诸侯。孙晟建议朱守殷不接纳皇帝，朱守殷同意，闭城自保。李嗣源在朱守殷防御准备好之前就派范延光和石敬瑭率军开始围攻，不久之后李嗣源亲自到达，继续围攻，汴州的人开始成群结队地背弃朱守殷。朱守殷于是自杀。

孙晟于是抛弃了他的妻儿，亡命在陈州、宋州之间。李嗣源的重臣安重荣厌恶孙晟，说他煽动朱守殷谋反，画影图形通缉他，没有抓到，于是将孙晟全家杀死。陆游的《南唐书》说孙晟是依附李从荣，李从荣失败后，孙晟亡命。孙晟到达正阳（今安徽省阜阳市、六安市边境），是后唐和吴国的边境。在渡过淮河到达吴国之前, 他被后唐边境巡逻骑兵拦下，他坐在淮河岸上，抓住他的衣服吃跳蚤，所以巡逻骑兵不再理他。之后他渡过淮河进入吴国领土。

吴国时期

进入吴国，孙晟在寿春为奉国军节度使刘金所得。孙晟在刘金面前假装不能说话。有一天，孙晟去汉朝淮南王刘安庙里祈祷，刘金派人躲在神座下听到了孙晟祷告的声音，因此送他到金陵，当时吴国的执政者徐知诰就在金陵。

当时，徐知诰正在招揽四方豪杰，对孙晟归附非常高兴。孙晟口吃，所以和他寒暄并不会留下深刻印象，但是一旦他有机会和他神探，就会发现他知识渊博，很有说服力。徐知诰很器重他，命他负责起草教令。徐知诰也谘询他关于取代杨吴的计划，每一次他们商谈，都要超过一个时辰，不过孙晟能够保守秘密，没有透露他和徐知诰谈论的内容。932年，徐知诰在金陵府舍作礼贤院，聚集图书，延揽士大夫，与孙晟及陈觉议论时事。

南唐时期

李昪统治时

937年，吴国末代皇帝杨溥禅位给徐知诰，吴国灭亡。徐知诰即位为皇帝，建立齐国。两年后，徐知诰改回自己的原姓李，改国号唐，即南唐，改名李昪。李昪在位时，孙晟官至中书舍人、翰林学士、中书侍郎。当时李昪长子齐王李璟的心腹冯延巳嘲笑孙晟：「您有什么本事，当了中书郎？」孙晟一直看不起冯延巳，回答说：

当李昪生病，然后于943年驾崩后不久，孙晟担心冯延巳和他的同党将把持朝政，想宣告遵照先帝遗诏，命宋皇后临朝称制。翰林学士李贻业指出李昪曾说过：妇人干预政事，是致乱的根源。而且嗣君李璟年已长成，声望昭著，后宫临朝是亡国之说；他表示定要向百官揭露抵制。孙晟害怕，没有这样做。李璟登基成为皇帝。

李璟统治时

李璟即位后，皇弟李景达不喜欢孙晟，孙晟离开朝廷外任永泰军节度使（治所在舒州，今安徽省安庆市潜山县），孙晟治军严明。944年，李璟在宫中建造高楼，召集侍臣观看，萧俨说：「只恨楼下没有修个井。」李璟不解。萧俨回答说：「因为这个不如陈后主的景阳楼而已。」用隋朝灭陈时，陈后主投枯井的典故讽刺皇帝。李璟发怒，把他贬官到舒州，舒州观察使孙晟派兵防备他。萧俨说：「我因直言进谏得罪，不是有异志。先帝顾命时，孙公差点把社稷引向危亡，那种罪过不比我萧俨更重吗？今天你却来防备我！」孙晟惭愧惶恐，立即解除防设。一度有永泰军两名士兵憎恨孙晟严明的军纪，进入府衙，想要刺杀孙晟。孙晟刚好没有在府衙，以他们杀了都押牙李建崇之后逃跑。孙晟因此被贬为光禄卿。但是李璟还是尊敬孙晟，没有进一步地惩罚他，后来让他担任尚书省右仆射。

952年，李璟任命太弟太保、昭义节度使冯延巳，前镇海节度使徐景运为中书侍郎，和孙晟都是同中书门下平章事。孙晟素来轻视冯延巳，对人说：「金杯玉碗，竟然盛了狗屎！」

当时孙晟、冯延巳和徐景运拜相时，南唐刚刚击灭其西南邻国楚国，但是楚国三个节度使，南唐只控制了其中一部武安军节度使（治所在楚国的国都今湖南省长沙市），其他两部武平军节度使（治所在今湖南省常德市）被刘言割据, ，静江军节度使（治所在今广西壮族自治区桂林市）被南汉趁机占据。李璟打算停止桂林的战役，收回益阳的屯兵，将武平军的指挥权授于刘言。孙晟表示同意，冯延巳反对，说这将导致南唐征服楚国劳而无功。在冯延巳的建议下，李继续攻打静江和武平，但终归失败，952年冬，刘言占领长沙，将南唐全部逐出楚国的故土。孙晟、冯延巳上表请罪，请求皇帝将他们免职。李璟宽恕了他们。但在孙晟的坚持下，李璟让他和冯延己一同被罢免同平章事，而只担任原来仆射的官职。

孙晟在李昪、李璟父子手下为官二十多年，积累了巨大的财富。据说他每次吃饭时，不用餐桌，他让使女各执一个盛著食物的盘子围绕著他，称之为「肉台盘」。南唐的富人竞相仿效。

956年，后周南征南唐。李璟任命孙晟为司空，派他和礼部尚书王崇质出使后周，面见周世宗郭荣，献金千两，银十万两，罗绮二千匹，请求后周停止南征。据说孙晟出使之前，认为他不会活著回来，对左仆射冯延巳说：「此行应当由左相出使，然而我孙晟如果推辞，那就有负先帝烈祖厚望。」李璟向郭荣承诺：1，李璟放弃皇帝尊号，向后周称臣；2，割让寿州、濠州、泗州、楚州、光州、海州六州；3，每年进贡黄金绢帛百万。之前的使臣李德明、锺谟也接到了李璟的议和命令。

三月十三日，孙晟等人到达周世宗所在之处。三月十七日，后周世宗派人带孙晟到寿春城下，并且让他招安南唐寿州守将、清淮军节度使刘仁赡。刘仁赡见到孙晟，在城上身著戎装行拜礼。孙晟对刘仁赡说：「您身受主上深厚恩泽，不可开门迎纳敌寇。」周世宗听说后，十分恼怒，孙晟说：「臣下我身为宰相，岂能教唆节度使叛变投敌！」周世宗于是释放了他。

李德明、锺谟、孙晟、王崇质，先后向郭荣请和，郭荣认为军事上后周有优势，他想控制南唐长江以北所有的领土，所以他拒绝了李璟的提议。李德明担心后周继续进攻，要求回朝说服李璟放弃长江以北的所有领土。郭荣同意了，在孙晟的请求下，允许李德明和王崇质回到南唐首都金陵。在他们抵达金陵后，李德明报告李璟郭荣的声威德行以及后周军队的力量，建议南唐放弃长江以北所有领土。但是，宰相宋齐丘反对割让任何领土。他与枢密使陈觉、枢密副使李徵古长期与李德明、孙晟不和，让王崇质说得同李德明不一样，趁势对李璟说李德明的坏话道：「李德明出卖国家求取私利。」李璟勃然大怒，将李德明在街市斩首。

南唐驾部员外郎朱元利用奏报政事论述用兵策略，南唐主认为他有才能，命他统领军队收复长江以北各州。朱元反击，收回几个被后周占领的州舒州、蕲州、和州。郭荣于是回到开封府重新部署南征，派李重进等人留守前线，后周开国皇帝周太祖郭威是周世宗的姑父，是李重进的舅舅。郭荣把孙晟带回到开封，开始对他们很尊重。每次朝会，让他们排在中书省官员的后面，时常召见，给他们喝美酒，询问南唐情况。李璟派人将封有书信的蜡丸带给李重进，用高官厚禄来引诱，书信中都是毁谤后周朝廷和策反离间的话；李重进将来信奏报。之前，孙晟在向郭荣声称李璟非常敬畏郭荣。看到来信，郭荣愤怒地指责孙晟撒谎。孙晟神色严正言辞激昂，只求一死。郭荣再问南唐国中虚实，孙晟缄口不答。十一月十七日，世宗命令都承旨曹翰送孙晟到右军巡院，酒过几巡以后，和言悦色地问他，孙晟始终不说。曹翰宣旨：「有诏赐相公死。」孙晟神色不变，寻找朝袍朝笏，整理衣帽，向南叩拜说：「臣下我谨以死报国。」于是赴死。连同随从一百多人一起被处死，钟谟被贬为耀州司马。事后世宗后悔杀死忠诚的孙晟，召回钟谟，授予卫尉少卿。李璟听说孙晟被杀，赠他为太傅，追封鲁国公，谥号文忠。擢升他的儿子为祠部郎中，赐名鲁嗣。