1
仁自兩漢以來，外戚之家罕有全者，其傾覆之跡，逆亂之機，皆詳諸前史。 齊氏后妃之族，多自保全，唯胡長仁以譖訴貽禍，斛律光以地勢被戮，俱非女謁盛衰之所致也。 今依前代史官，述《外戚》云爾。
Since the Han dynasties, few consort clans have survived unscathed—their falls and the seeds of rebellion are fully recorded in earlier histories. Among Northern Qi empresses’ kin, many kept themselves safe; only Hu Changren fell to denunciation, and Hulu Guang was killed for his territorial power—neither owed simply to the waxing and waning of palace women. Following earlier historians, I here present the account of Imperial Affines.
2
趙猛，太安狄那人。 姊為文穆皇帝繼室，生趙郡王琛。 猛性方直，頗有器幹。 高祖舉義，遷南營州刺史，卒。
Zhao Meng was from Di in Tai’an. His elder sister was Emperor Wenmu’s successor consort and bore Zhao Commandery Prince Chen. Meng was upright and capable. When Gaozu rose in arms, Meng was made inspector of South Ying Province, where he died in office.
3
婁叡，字佛仁，武明皇後兄子也。 父壯，魏南部尚書。 叡少好弓馬，有武幹，為高祖帳內都督。 從破尒朱於韓陵，累遷開府儀同、驃騎大將軍。 叡無器幹，唯以外戚貴幸，而縱情財色，為時論所鄙。 皇建初，封東安王。 高歸彥反於冀州，詔叡往平之。 還，拜司徒公。 周兵寇東關，叡率軍赴援，頻戰有功，擒周將楊檦等。 進大司馬，出總偏師，赴懸瓠。 叡在豫境，留停百餘日，侵削官私，專行非法，坐免官。 尋授太尉。 薨。
Lou Rui, styled Foren, was a nephew of Empress Wuming. His father Zhuang served Wei as Minister of the Southern Department. In youth Rui loved archery and horsemanship, showed martial talent, and served in Gaozu’s personal guard. He fought at Hanling in the defeat of the Erzhu and rose through the ranks to Director of the Bureau of Ceremonial Parallels and General of Cavalry with Rapid Steeds. Rui had little talent and owed his rank only to kinship with the throne; he squandered himself on wealth and women, and contemporaries held him in contempt. At the opening of Huangjian he was made Prince of Dong’an. When Gao Guiyan rebelled in Ji Province, Rui was ordered to suppress him. On his return he was appointed director of the Department of State. When Zhou troops threatened the eastern passes, Rui marched to their relief, won repeated victories, and captured the Zhou general Yang Biao and others. Promoted to grand marshal, he took a detached command at Xuanhu. Rui lingered in Yu more than a hundred days, plundering public and private goods and acting with impunity, until he was dismissed. He was soon appointed grand commandant. He died in office.
4
尒朱文暢，榮第四子也。 初封昌樂王。 其姊魏孝莊皇後，及四胡敗滅，高祖納之，待其家甚厚，文暢由是拜肆州刺史。 家富於財，招致賓客，既籍門地，窮極豪侈，與丞相司馬任胄、主簿李世林、都督鄭仲禮、房子遠等深相愛狎，外示杯酒之交，而潛謀逆亂。 自魏氏舊俗，以正月十五日夜為打竹簇之戲，有能中者，即時賞帛。 任胄令仲禮藏刀於袴中，因高祖臨觀，謀為竊發，事捷之後，共奉文暢為主。 為任氏家客薛季孝告高祖，問皆具伏。 以其姊寵故，止坐文暢一房。
Erzhu Wenchang was Erzhu Rong’s fourth son. He was first enfeoffed prince of Changle. His sister had been Empress Xiaozhuang of Wei; after the Erzhu were overthrown, Gaozu married her and treated her kin lavishly, and Wenchang became inspector of Si Province. Rich and hospitable, he leaned on his birth to live in extreme splendor. With Ren Zhou, Li Shilin, Zheng Zhongli, and Fang Ziyuan he feigned convivial friendship while secretly plotting revolt. By Wei custom, on the fifteenth night of the first month people played at striking bamboo targets; a hit won silk on the spot. Ren Zhou hid a blade in Zhongli’s trousers; when Gaozu came to watch, they meant to strike—and if they succeeded, to set Wenchang on the throne. Ren’s retainer Xue Jixiao exposed them to Gaozu, and under questioning all confessed. Thanks to his sister’s favor, only Wenchang’s own household was punished.
5
弟文略，以兄文羅卒無後，襲梁郡王。 以文暢事，當從坐，高祖特加寬貸。 文略聰明儁爽，多所通習。 世宗嘗令章永興於馬上彈胡琵琶，奏十餘曲，試使文略寫之，遂得其八。 世宗戲之曰：「聰明人多不老壽，梁郡其慎之。」 文略對曰：「命之修短，皆在明公。」 世宗愴然曰：「此不足慮也。」 初，高祖遺令恕文略十死，恃此益橫，多所淩忽。 平秦王有七百里馬，文略敵以好婢，賭而取之。 明日，平秦致請，文略殺馬及婢，以二銀器盛婢頭馬肉而遺之。 平秦王訴之於文宣，系於京畿獄。 文略彈琵琶，吹橫笛，謠詠，倦極便臥唱挽歌。 居數月，奪防者弓矢以射人曰：「不然，天子不憶我。」 有司奏之，伏法。 文略嘗大遺魏收金，請為其父作佳傳，收論尒朱榮比韋、彭、伊、霍，蓋由是也。
Younger brother Wenlüe inherited the Liang Commandery princedom when Wenluo died heirless. He should have shared Wenchang’s guilt, but Gaozu spared him. Wenlüe was brilliant, quick-witted, and accomplished in many arts. Shizong once had Zhang Yongxing play the pipa on horseback through more than ten pieces and asked Wenlüe to write them down; he caught eight. The emperor teased him: “Clever men seldom live long—take care, Prince of Liang.” Wenlüe answered, “Long life or short is entirely for Your Majesty to decide.” The emperor said, moved, “That is nothing to worry about.” Gaozu’s will had granted Wenlüe ten stays of execution; emboldened, he grew ever more insolent. Prince Pingqin owned a horse said to run seven hundred li in a day; Wenlüe wagered a fine maid against it and won. When Pingqin came to claim his stake, Wenlüe slaughtered horse and maid and sent back their flesh and her head in silver dishes. Pingqin appealed to Wenxuan, and Wenlüe was thrown into the metropolitan prison. In prison he played pipa and flute, sang songs, and when tired would lie down and chant dirges. After months in custody he seized his guards’ bow and shot at people, crying, “Otherwise the emperor would never think of me.” Officials reported him, and he was put to death. Wenlüe once paid Wei Shou heavily to glorify his father in print—hence Shou’s likening of Erzhu Rong to Wei Qing, Peng Yue, Yi Yin, and Huo Guang.
6
鄭仲禮，滎陽開封人，魏鴻臚嚴庶子也。 少輕險，有膂力，高祖嬖寵其姊，以親戚被昵，擢帳內都督。 嘗執高祖弓刀，出入隨從。 任胄為好酒不憂公事，高祖責之，胄懼，謀為逆。 賴武明婁後為請，故仲禮死，不及其家。
Zheng Zhongli was from Kaifeng in Xingyang, son of Yan, Wei’s director of ceremonial. Young and reckless, strong of body, he rose through Gaozu’s fondness for his sister to a post in the personal guard. He even bore Gaozu’s bow and sword and attended him everywhere. Ren Zhou drank and neglected duty; rebuked by Gaozu, he turned to treason. Empress Wuming Lou pleaded for him, so only Zhongli died and his kin were spared.
7
李祖升，趙國平棘人，顯祖李皇後之長兄。 父希宗，上黨守。 祖升儀容瑰麗，垂手過膝，睦姻好施，文學足以自通。 仕至齊州刺史，為徒兵所害。
Li Zusheng was from Pingji in Zhao and the elder brother of Xianzu’s Empress Li. His father Xizong had been administrator of Shangdang. Handsome and open-handed, with hands reaching past his knees, he was gracious to kin and literate enough for polite society. He reached the post of Qi inspector before conscript soldiers killed him.
8
弟祖勳，顯祖受禪，除秘書丞。 及女為濟南王妃，除侍中，封丹陽王。 濟南廢，為光州刺史。 祖勳性貪慢，兼妻崔氏驕豪干政，時論鄙之。 以數坐贓免官。 無才幹，自少及長，居官皆因內寵，無可稱述，卒。
Younger brother Zuxun became palace librarian when Xianzu took the throne. When his daughter married the Prince of Jinan, he was made palace attendant and prince of Danyang. After Jinan’s deposition he was sent to Guang as inspector. Greedy and arrogant, with a domineering Cui wife who meddled in affairs, he was widely scorned. Repeated corruption charges cost him his posts. Without talent he held office only through court favor; nothing in his career merits praise—he simply died.
9
元蠻，魏太師江陽王繼子，肅宗元皇後之父也。 歷光祿卿。 天保十年，大誅元氏，肅宗為蠻苦請，因是追原之，賜姓步六孤氏。 尋病卒。
Yuan Man was the adopted son of Wei Grand Tutor Prince Jiangyang Ji and father of Suzong’s Empress Yuan. He rose to director of the imperial household. In Tianbao year ten, when the Yuan were massacred, Suzong’s pleas won Man a pardon and the surname Buliugu. He soon died of illness.
10
胡長仁，字孝隆，安定臨涇人，武成皇後之兄。 父延之，魏中書令。 長仁累遷右樸射及尚書令。 世祖崩，預參朝政，封隴東王。 左丞鄒孝裕、郎中陸仁惠、盧元亮厚相結托。 長仁每上省，孝裕必方駕而來。 省務既繁，簿案堆積，令史欲諮都座者日有百數。 孝裕屏人私話，朝退亦相隨，仁惠、元亮又伺間而往，停斷公事，時人號為三佞。 長仁私遊密席，處處追尋。 孝裕勸其求進，和士開深疾之，於是奏除孝裕為章武郡守，元亮等皆出。 孝裕又說長仁曰：「王陽臥疾，士開必來，因而殺之。 入見太后，不過百日失官，便代其處。」 士開知謀，徙孝裕為北營州建德郡守。 後長仁倚親，驕豪無畏憚。 士開出為齊州刺史。 長仁怨憤，謀令剌士開，事覺，遂賜死。 尋而後主納長仁女為后，重加贈謚，長仁弟等前後七人並賜王爵，合門貴盛。
Hu Changren, styled Xiaolong, was from Linjing in Anding and elder brother of Wucheng’s Empress Hu. His father Yanzhi had been Wei’s secretariat director. Changren rose to right vice director of the Masters of Writing and director of the Department of State Affairs. At Shizu’s death he joined in governing and was made prince of Longdong. Left assistant Zou Xiaoyu and gentlemen Lu Renhui and Lu Yuanliang attached themselves to him. Whenever Changren entered the provincial offices, Xiaoyu arrived in a matching carriage. Paperwork overwhelmed the offices; a hundred clerks a day might seek the chief seat. Xiaoyu drew him aside for private talk and followed him from court; Renhui and Yuanliang slipped in between sessions and stalled the bureaucracy—contemporaries dubbed them the Three Flatterers. His secret feasts and private parties were notorious. Xiaoyu urged him to climb higher; He Shikai, loathing this, had Xiaoyu sent to Zhangwu and the others posted away. Xiaoyu told Changren, “Feign illness—when Shikai comes, kill him. See the empress dowager; within a hundred days you lose your post, then you take his.” Shikai uncovered the plot and sent Xiaoyu to Jiande in North Ying Province. Later, secure in his kinship, Changren grew arrogant and fearless. Shikai left the capital to be inspector of Qi Province. Changren, bitter, plotted assassination; discovered, he was ordered to take his own life. Soon the Later Lord married Changren’s daughter; honors were heaped on the dead, and seven brothers in all were made princes—the clan blazed with rank.
11
全文以中華書局、一九七二年十一月、第一版《北齊書》為本校。
This text has been collated against the Zhonghua Book Company first edition of the Book of Northern Qi (November 1972).