Preface to the Collected Works of Master Duanjie, the Eminent Scholar of the Ming Dynasty

The spirit of my ancestor of the seventh generation, Master Duanjie referring to Wang Zheng (1571–1644), was endowed with the essence of rivers and mountains, and his learning spanned both heaven and humanity. From his youth, he took the well-being of the world and the state as his own responsibility. Throughout his life, he drew his strength from the study of "Serving Heaven" a reference to the Neo-Confucian practice of aligning one’s conduct with the moral principles of the universe, prioritizing reverence for Heaven and love for mankind, while keeping the statecraft of the sages in his heart.

Thus, in his personal conduct and his interactions with others, as well as in his official service and his concern for the people, whether he was in or out of government, all his scholarship and methods of governance—whenever they related to the state, daily life, or the benefit of the people—were carried out with absolute sincerity. At that time, the famous scholars of the realm looked up to him like the North Star and Mount Tai metaphor for someone of supreme authority and respect. There was no one who did not delight in his company. The great men of the Guanzhong school, such as Wei Gongxiang, Ben Sumin, Sun Gongjie, Wen Gongyi, and Feng Gongding, all regarded him as the foremost scholar of the Guanzhong school. Furthermore, state ministers such as Ye Taishan, Xu Konglü, Grand Preceptor Sun, and the Chief Minister of Gaoyang, Jing?ting,