References

• 《四庫全書總目提要·卷140 子部·小說家類一》

Source: "Xiangshan Yelu" (Chinese: 《湘山野錄》) is a three-volume work, complemented by a one-volume continuation, "Xu Lu" (Chinese: 《續錄》), written by the Song dynasty monk Wen Ying. Wen Ying, whose courtesy name was Dao Wen, was from Qiantang. According to the Wenxian Tongkao, which cites the Dushu Zhi by Chao Gongwu, Wen Ying was a monk from Wu, but this is an error as the Dushu Zhi does not specify Wu. The work was completed during the Xining period and primarily records miscellaneous events of the Northern Song dynasty. Since it was written at the Jinlun Temple in Jingzhou, it is named after Xiangshan. The Dushu Zhi lists the work as having four volumes, while the Wenxian Tongkao states that the continuation also has three volumes, differing from the current version. The exact number of volumes remains unclear. In his Song Shi Jishi, Li E mentions that Wen Ying knew Su Shunqin and was invited by him to meet Ouyang Xiu, but Wen Ying declined. However, a record in the work states that Wen Ying had once presented a letter from Su Shunqin to Ouyang Xiu and was seen off upon his return to Wu, contradicting Li E's account. This discrepancy suggests that Li E might have relied on another source without verifying this particular account. In the continuation, the section about Emperor Taizong's ascension was cited by Cheng Minzheng in his Song Ji Shouzhong Kao, leading to much debate. Despite criticisms, the text does not contain any direct accusations of treason, and any misunderstandings are due to later interpretations. Therefore, these criticisms should not be considered a flaw of the book. However, there are noted inaccuracies. Zhu Yi in his Yijue Liao Zaji points out an error in attributing a poem by Yang Xunbo to Chen Pengnian. Yao Kuan in his Xixi Congyu criticizes the misattribution of a qin piece to He Ruoyi instead of He Ruobi. Wang Shizhen in his Gufuying Zalu notes a common error in the story of Wang Qinruo encountering Tang dynasty's Pei Du, which is typical of anecdotal literature and not a significant flaw. The most significant criticism comes from Zhu Bian in his Quweiji Xianwen, who states that Wen Ying was a guest of Ding Jinguo and often wrote favorably about him in "Xiangshan Yelu". This bias, while understandable, is a genuine flaw of the work. Despite these issues, "Xiangshan Yelu" remains a valuable historical record of the Northern Song period. ==References== * 《四庫全書總目提要·卷140 子部·小說家類一》