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C'u-ts'ai was born in Yanjing, Jin Dynasty to Lady Yang and Yeh-lu Lu. His family was related to the Liao Dynasty.
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He was placed in Hopei after placing first in an exam on Chinese Classics.
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To be a secretary, C'u-ts'ai returned to the capitol, where he stayed through 1215, witnessing the fall of Peking to the Mongol forces.
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He did not enter the service of the Mongols until 1218.
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C'u-ts'ai had developed in interest in Buddhism and was a lay disciple when Genghis Kahn summoned him. He later accompanied Kahn as secretary-astrologer when he went against the Khwarezmian empire. He later dissuaded Kahn from continuing to fight using the legend of the unicorn. One of his biggest achievements was instituting the Taoist Chiu Ch'iu-chi as an advisor to Genghis Kahn on religious matters.
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Genghis Kahn had returned to Peking in 1222, but C'u-ts'ai delayed his return. Genghis Kahn died the same year.
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Hsi-Yu Lu was a recording of C'u-ts'ai's Asian travels. It was published one year later, in 1229.
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He placed land taxes, poll taxes, commerce taxes, and taxes on liquor, vinegar, salt, iron smelters, and mining products.
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Ogodei had to annihilate the Chin and come up with a way to use the conquered territory to his advantage. While many court members suggested killing all townspeople, C'u-ts'ai suggested a new taxation program and won. He was put in charge and presented the Emperor with an 18-point plan to better control China .
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The revenue gained by all the taxes C'u-ts'ai placed was exactly what he had guessed. He gained new respect within court and was appointed chief of the secretariat. He found it difficult to widen the scope of the taxes due to famine, war, and the fact that many people were not citizens.
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The census was completed two years later, in 1236.
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The volume had 14 chapters.
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Against C'u-ts'ai's advice, Ogodei decided to divide China's land up amongst Mongolian officials. C'u-ts'ai argued that this would further weaken the central government, and insisted that the officals should at least be examined to ensure they could run the land competently.
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The exams C'u-ts'ai devised to test land-owners were thrown out.
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Due to the growing anti-Chinese movement, the rise of Asian merchants, and several conflicts with Ogodei, C'u-ts'ai left court. Even before 1240, he had stopped playing a large role in government.
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This poem was written to a young official whom C'u-ts'ai greatly admired. The poem reflects many of his own political policies. The translation is: Half the population of Yun[zhong] and Xuan[de] have fled
their homes;
Only the few thousand people under your care are secure.
You are among our dynasty's most able administrators.
Your good name is as lofty as Mount Tai. The poem is currently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. -
The death of Ogodei causes more tension between C'u-ts'ai and the Mongolian empire because he pushes for the election of Siremun rather than Ogodei's son, Guyug, who was the favorite of Ogodei's widow and regent. (Guyug eventually is elected in 1246.)
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He dies in Karakorum, Yuan Dynasty (Mongol Empire) at age 53-54.
