Volume 56 Biographies 44: Wei Shou, Wei Zhangxian, Wei Jijing, Wei Langen

魏收魏長賢魏季景魏蘭根

Wei Shou, Wei Changxian, Wei Jijing, and Wei Langen

列傳第四十四

Biography 44

魏收魏長賢魏季景子澹魏蘭根族子愷

Wei Shou; Wei Changxian; Wei Jijing (and his son Dan); Wei Langen (and his clansman Kai)

魏收，字伯起，小字佛助，钜鹿下曲陽人也。自序：漢初魏無知封高良侯，子均。均子恢。恢子彥。彥子歆，字子胡，幼孤，有志操，博洽經史，位終本郡太守。子悅，字處德，性沉厚，有度量，宣城公趙國李孝伯見而重之，以女妻焉。位濟陰太守，以善政稱。

Wei Shou, whose courtesy name was Boqi and childhood name Fozhu, came from Xiaquyang in Julu commandery. In his own account of the family line: in early Han, Wei Wuzhi was made Marquis of Gaoliang, and his son was Jun. Jun was succeeded by his son Hui. Hui was succeeded by his son Yan. Yan's son Xin, courtesy name Zihu, lost his father early yet showed firm purpose; widely read in the classics and histories, he ended his career as grand administrator of his home commandery. His son Yue, courtesy name Chude, was sober and steady, with breadth of mind; Li Xiaobo of Zhao, Marquis of Xuan-cheng, took a liking to him and gave him his daughter in marriage. He held the post of grand administrator of Jiyin and was known for effective, humane rule.

悅子子建，字敬忠，釋褐奉朝請，累遷太尉從事中郎。初，宣武時平氏，遂于武興立鎮，尋改為東益州。其後鎮將刺史，乖失人和，群氏作梗，遂為邊患。乃除子建東益州刺史。子建布以恩信，遠近清靜。正光五年，南北二秦城人莫折念生、韓祖香、張長命相繼構逆。僉以州城之人，莫不勁勇，同類悉反，宜先收其器械。子建以為城人數當行陣，盡皆驍果，安之足以為用，急之腹背為憂。乃悉召居城老壯，曉示之，並上言諸城人本非罪坐而來者，悉求聽免。明帝優詔從之。子建漸分其父兄子弟，外居郡戍，內外相顧，終獲保全。及秦賊乘勝，屯營黑水，子建乃潛使掩襲，前後斬獲甚眾，威名赫然。先反者，及此悉降。乃間使上聞，帝甚嘉之，詔子建兼尚書，為行台刺史如故。於是威振蜀土。其梁、巴、二益、兩秦之事，皆所節度。

Yue's son Zijian, courtesy name Jingzhong, began his career as a court attendant and rose step by step to attendant gentleman on the staff of the Grand Commandant. In Emperor Xuanwu's time, after the Di clans were subdued, a garrison was set up at Wuxing and shortly afterward redesignated Eastern Yizhou. Later garrison commanders and inspectors alienated the populace, the tribal groups turned restive, and the border became chronically troubled. Zijian was then named regional inspector of Eastern Yizhou. He governed through kindness and good faith, and peace returned throughout the district. In Zhengguang 5, the townsmen of the two Qin prefectures north and south—Moqi Niansheng, Han Zuxiang, and Zhang Changming—staged successive revolts. Opinion held that everyone in the prefectural city was fierce in battle, that their kinsmen had all joined the rebels, and that their arms should be confiscated at once. Zijian argued that these townsmen were born soldiers, every one bold; treat them well and they would fight for you, but drive them hard and you would have enemies before and behind. He gathered every adult and elder in the city, explained his policy to them, and petitioned that these settlers—most of whom had not been sent as convicts—be permitted to return home. Emperor Ming approved the request with a favorable edict. He gradually sent fathers, brothers, and younger kin to garrison towns in the commanderies so that families could support one another from within and without, and in the end everyone was kept safe. As the Qin rebels followed up their victories and camped on the Heishui, he launched a secret raid; the slaughter and captures were immense, and his fame spread far and wide. The earlier rebels all surrendered at this point. He reported through a secret channel; the emperor was much pleased and named Zijian concurrent Minister of the Secretariat, while he continued as regional inspector on the frontier headquarters staff. His prestige now dominated the Shu region. He held overall authority over Liang, Ba, the two Yizhou districts, and the two Qin prefectures.

梁州刺史傅豎眼子敬仲心以為愧，在洛大行貨賄，以圖行台。先是子建亦屢求歸京師，至此，乃遣刺史唐永代焉。豎眼因為行台。子建將還，群氏慕戀，相率斷道。主簿楊僧覆先行曉喻，諸氏忿曰：「我留刺史，爾送出也？」斫之數創，幾死。子建徐加慰譬，旬月方得前行。吏人贈遺，一無所受。而東益氏、蜀尋反，攻逼唐永，永棄城而走，乃喪一籓矣。初永之走，子建客有沙門雲璨及钜鹿人耿顯皆沒落氏手，及知子建之客，垂泣追衣物還之，送出白馬。遺愛所被如此。

Fu Shuyan of Liangzhou, stung because his son Jingzhong had been eclipsed, spent heavily on bribes in Luoyang to secure the frontier headquarters command. Zijian had for some time been petitioning to return to the capital; now Tang Yong was sent to replace him as regional inspector. Shuyan was appointed to head the frontier headquarters in his place. When Zijian prepared to leave, the tribal peoples, unwilling to part with him, massed together and cut the road. Registrar Yang Sengfu rode ahead to reason with them, but the tribesmen cried in anger, "We mean to keep our inspector—are you the ones sending him away?" They hacked him repeatedly and left him near death. Zijian soothed them with patient persuasion, and only after a full month could the party resume its journey. He refused every gift offered by officials and commoners alike. Before long the Eastern Yizhou tribes and the Shu peoples rose again, besieged Tang Yong, and Yong fled the city—the region was lost to the realm. When Yong fled, two of Zijian's companions—the monk Yuncan and Geng Xian of Julu—were seized by the tribes; once they learned these men were Zijian's guests, they wept, restored their goods, and saw them safely out at Baima. Such was the depth of affection he had won.

初，子建為前軍將軍，十年不徙，在洛閒暇，與吏部尚書李歆、歆從弟延寔頗為弈棋，時人謂為耽好。子建每曰：「棋于廉勇之際，得之深矣。且吾未為時用，博弈可也。」及一臨邊事，凡經五年，未曾對局。

Earlier, during ten years as General of the Vanguard without a new posting, he had leisure in Luoyang and often played chess with Li Xin, Minister of Personnel, and Xin's cousin Yanbao—contemporaries said he was addicted to the game. Zijian used to say, "Chess teaches you the balance between caution and boldness. Besides, the times have no use for me yet—a game is harmless enough." Once he took charge on the border, he played no game at all for five years.

還洛後，累遷衛尉卿。初，元顥內逼，莊帝北幸，子建謂所親盧義僖曰：「北海自絕社稷，稱籓蕭衍，吾老矣，豈能為陪臣！」遂攜家口居洛南。顥平乃歸。先苦風痹，及此遂甚。以卿任有務，屢上書乞身，特除右光祿大夫。邢杲之平，太傅李延寔子侍中彧為大使，撫慰東土。時外戚貴盛，送客填門，子建亦往候別。延實曰：「小兒今行，何以相助？」子建曰：「益以盈滿為誡。」延實悵然久之。及莊帝殺爾硃榮，遇禍于河陰者，其家率相吊賀。太尉李虔第二子仁曜，子建之女婿，往亦見害。子建謂姨弟盧道虔曰：「朝廷誅翦權強，凶徒尚梗，未聞有奇謀異略，恐不可濟。此乃李門禍始，吊賀無乃匆匆！」及永安之後，李氏宗族流離，或遇誅夷，如其所慮。後曆左光祿大夫，加散騎常侍、驃騎大將軍。

After his return to Luoyang he rose step by step to Commandant of the Guards. When Yuan Hao threatened the capital and Emperor Zhuang fled north, Zijian told his friend Lu Yixi, "The Prince of Beihai has renounced the dynasty and bowed to Xiao Yan of Liang—I am too old to play the courtier to a usurper!" With that he moved his family to the south bank of the Luo. He came back only after Yuan Hao was defeated. He had long been afflicted with rheumatic paralysis, and now the condition worsened sharply. Finding the duties of his office too heavy, he petitioned repeatedly to retire and was specially named Grand Master of Splendid Brightness of the Right. When Xing Gao's rebellion was put down, Yu—son of the Grand Tutor Li Yanbao and a palace attendant—was sent as chief envoy to reassure the east. The imperial in-laws were then at the height of power, and well-wishers thronged the gate; Zijian went too, to bid him farewell. Yanbao asked, "My son leaves today—what counsel can you give him?" Zijian replied, "Tell him to beware of reaching the peak." Yanbao fell silent for a long while, deeply troubled. When Emperor Zhuang killed Erzhu Rong, the kin of those slaughtered at Heyin mostly exchanged condolences—and congratulations. Renyao, second son of Grand Commandant Li Qian and Zijian's son-in-law, was among those killed. Zijian told his cousin Lu Daoqian, "The court has struck down the powerful, but the ringleaders are still loose, and I hear of no bold plan to finish the work—I doubt this will end well. This is only the start of trouble for the Li family—aren't your condolences and congratulations a bit premature!" After the Yong'an period the Li kindred were driven into exile or put to death, exactly as he had warned. He later held the post of Left Grand Master of Splendid Brightness and was further named Regular Attendant of the Scattered Cavalry and General-in-Chief of Agile Cavalry.

子建自出為籓牧，董司山南，居脂膏之中，遇天下多事，正身潔已，不以財利經懷。及歸京師，家人衣食，常不周贍，清素之跡，著於終始。性存重慎，不雜交遊，唯與尚書盧義僖、姨弟涇州刺史盧道裕雅相親昵。及疾篤，顧敕二子曰：「死生大分，含氣所同。世有厚葬，吾平生不取；遽除裸身，又非吾意。氣絕之後，斂以時服。吾平生契闊，前後三娶，合葬之事，抑又非古。且汝二母，先在舊塋，墳地久固，已有定別。唯汝次母墓在外耳，可遷入兆域，依班而定行於吾墓之後，如此足矣，不須附合。當順吾心，勿令吾有遺恨。」永熙二年春，卒於洛陽孝義裏舍，時年六十。又贈儀同三司、定州刺史，諡曰文靜。

Once he left the capital to govern the south, he ruled a rich province in an age of chaos yet kept his conduct clean and never let gain guide his decisions. Back in the capital his family often lacked enough to live on, yet his reputation for austerity never wavered from start to finish. He was by nature cautious and reserved in company, confiding only in Minister Lu Yixi and his cousin Lu Daoyu, regional inspector of Jingzhou. As his illness worsened he called his two sons and said, "Life and death are the great divide—every living soul must face it. The world loves lavish funerals, but I have never approved of them; nor do I wish to be laid out naked, as some now do. When I am gone, dress me in ordinary clothes of the day. I have married three times in the course of my life; joint burial, besides, is not the old custom. Your first two mothers lie already in the family graveyard—their plots are long established and should not be disturbed. Only your stepmother's grave lies elsewhere; move her into the family ground and, by proper order, set her row behind mine—that will suffice; do not bury us together in one mound. Do as I ask, so that I may die without regret." He died in spring of Yongxi 2 at his home in Xiaoyi Lane, Luoyang, at the age of sixty. Posthumously he was honored with the Three Excellencies of Equal Rank and the title regional inspector of Dingzhou; his temple name was Wenjing, "Cultured and Tranquil."

二子，收、祚。

He left two sons, Shou and Zuo.

收少機警，不持細行。年十五，頗已屬文。及隨父赴邊，好習騎射，欲以武藝自達。滎陽鄭伯調之曰：「魏郎弄戟多少？」收慚，遂折節讀書。夏月，坐板床，隨樹陰諷誦。積年，床板為之銳減，而精力不輟。以文華顯。

As a youth Shou was clever but careless about propriety in small matters. By fifteen he was already writing creditable prose. When he went with his father to the border he took up riding and archery, hoping to rise by military prowess. Zheng Bo of Xingyang mocked him: "Master Wei, how many tricks do you know with a halberd?" Mortified, he turned from arms to books. In summer he sat on a plain plank bed, moving with the shade of the trees as he recited his texts. Over the years the boards were worn paper-thin, yet he never slackened his effort. He won fame through literary talent.

初除太學博士。及爾硃榮于河陰濫害朝士，收亦在圍中，以日晏獲免。吏部尚書李神雋重收才學，奏授司徒記室參軍。永安三年，除北主客郎中。節閔帝立，妙簡近侍，詔試收為封禪書。收下筆便就，不立槁草，文將千言，所改無幾。時黃門郎賈思同侍立，深奇之，白帝曰：「雖七步之才，無以過此。」遷散騎侍郎，尋敕典起居注，並修國史，俄兼中書侍郎，時年二十六。

His first post was Erudite of the Imperial Academy. When Erzhu Rong massacred court officials at Heyin, Shou was caught in the roundup but was spared because dusk was falling. Li Shenjun, Minister of Personnel, admired his gifts and had him named recorder on the Minister of State's staff. In Yong'an 3 he was made Director of the Northern Hosts Bureau. When Emperor Jiemin came to the throne and chose his inner circle with care, Shou was commanded to draft a fengshan proclamation as a trial. He wrote it straight off without a draft—nearly a thousand words, with hardly a change. Jia Sitong, Yellow Gate Gentleman, stood by in wonder and told the emperor, "Not even Cao Zhi's gift at seven paces could match this." He was promoted to Gentleman of the Scattered Cavalry, soon put in charge of the imperial diary and the national history, and not long after named concurrent Gentleman of the Palace Secretariat—at twenty-six.

孝武初，又詔收攝本職，文誥填積，事咸稱旨。黃門郎崔甗從齊神武入朝，熏灼於世，收初不詣門。甗為帝登阼赦云：「朕托體孝文。」收嗤其率直。正員郎李慎以告之，甗深忿忌。時節閔帝殂，令收為詔。甗乃宣言：收普泰世出入幃忄屋，一日造詔，優為詞旨，然則義旗之士，盡為逆人。又收父老，合解官歸侍。南台將加彈劾，賴尚書辛雄為言于中尉綦俊，乃解。收有賤生弟仲同，先未齒錄，因此怖懼，上籍，遣還鄉扶侍。孝武嘗大發士卒，狩于嵩山之南，旬有六日。時寒，朝野嗟怨。帝與從官及諸妃王，奇伎異飾，多非禮度。收欲言則懼，欲默不能已，乃上《南狩賦》以諷焉，年二十七。雖富言淫麗，而終歸雅正。帝手詔報焉，甚見褒美。鄭伯謂曰：「卿不遇老夫，猶應逐兔。」

Early in Emperor Xiaowu's reign he was recalled to his posts; imperial documents piled up, and everything he wrote pleased the throne. Cui Yan of the Yellow Gate, who had come to court with Gao Huan of Northern Qi, was the man of the hour; Shou at first refused to pay court to him. Yan wrote the accession amnesty with the line, "Our person derives from Emperor Xiaowen." Shou laughed at its bluntness. Li Shen, a regular gentleman, repeated the remark to Yan, who nursed a deep grudge. When Emperor Jiemin died, Shou was ordered to draft the mourning edict. Yan then declared openly: "In the Putai era Shou haunted the inner chambers; he can turn out a polished edict in a day—by which token every man who took up arms for the righteous cause becomes a traitor." He added that Shou's father was elderly and that Shou ought to resign and go home to care for him. The censorate was ready to impeach him, but Minister Xin Xiong pleaded with Commandant of Justice Qi Jun, and the charge was dropped. Shou had a half-brother Zhongtong, born to a concubine and never entered in the register; frightened by the scandal, he entered him on the rolls and sent him home to care for their father. Emperor Xiaowu once mustered a huge force and hunted south of Mount Song for sixteen days. The season was bitterly cold, and the whole realm groaned in protest. The emperor, his attendants, and the consorts and princes indulged in exotic entertainments and outlandish finery, most of it in breach of proper ritual. Shou wanted to speak out but was afraid; wanted to hold his tongue but could not. He submitted his "Southern Hunt Rhapsody" as an indirect remonstrance. He was twenty-seven. Though lavish and ornate in expression, the piece ultimately returned to refined propriety. The emperor answered with a personal edict in his own hand, lavishing praise upon him. Zheng Bo said to him, "If you had not met me, you would still be out chasing rabbits."

神武固讓天柱大將軍，魏帝敕收為詔，令遂所請。欲加相國，問收相國品秩，收以實對，帝遂止。收既未測主、相之意，以前事不安，求解，詔許焉。久之，除帝兄子廣平王贊開府從事中郎，收不敢辭，乃為《庭竹賦》以致已意。尋兼中書舍人。與濟陰溫子升、河間邢子才齊譽，世號「三才」。時孝武內有間隙，收遂以疾固辭而免。舅崔孝芬怪而問之，收曰：「懼有晉陽之甲。」尋而神武南上，帝西入關。

Gao Huan firmly declined the post of Tianzhu Grand General. The Wei emperor ordered Shou to draft an edict granting the request. When they wished to confer the title of Chancellor, they asked Shou about its rank and grade. Shou answered truthfully, and the emperor dropped the matter. Unable to read the minds of the emperor and the chancellor, and still unsettled by past events, Shou asked to resign. An edict approved his request. After a time he was appointed Attendant Gentleman in the household of the emperor's nephew, Prince Zan of Guangping. Shou did not dare refuse, and wrote the "Courtyard Bamboo Rhapsody" to express what he felt. He soon also served concurrently as a Secretariat Drafter. He was ranked alongside Wen Zisheng of Jiyin and Xing Zicai of Hejian, and the age called them the "Three Talents." Emperor Xiaowu was then riven by internal discord, and Shou firmly pleaded illness until he was released from office. His uncle Cui Xiaofen thought it odd and asked why. Shou said, "I fear there will be armed men from Jinyang." Soon after, Gao Huan marched south while the emperor fled west through the Pass.

收兼通直散騎常侍，副王昕聘梁。昕風流文辯，收辭藻富逸，梁主及其群臣咸加敬異。先是，南北初和，李諧、盧元明首通使命，二人才器，並為鄰國所重。至此，梁主稱曰：「盧、李命世，王、魏中興，未知後來，復何如耳。」收在館，遂買吳婢入館；其部下有賣婢者，收亦喚取，遍行奸穢。梁朝館司，皆為之獲罪。人稱其才，而鄙其行。在途作《聘遊賦》，辭甚美盛。使還，尚書右僕射高隆之求南貨於昕、收，不能如志，遂諷御史中尉高仲密禁止昕、收於其台，久之得釋。

Shou also served as Regular Attendant of the Palace Library and went to Liang as Wang Xin's deputy on a diplomatic mission. Xin was graceful and quick with words; Shou's prose was lush and fluent. The Liang ruler and his entire court treated them with marked respect. Earlier, when north and south first made peace, Li Xie and Lu Yuanming had been the first envoys exchanged, and both were highly regarded in the neighboring court. Now the Liang ruler said, "Lu and Li were talents of their generation; Wang and Wei revive the tradition. Who knows what those who come after will be like?" While staying in the embassy lodge, Shou bought a Wu slave girl and brought her inside; whenever slave girls were offered among his attendants, he summoned them too and debauched them without restraint. The Liang officials in charge of the guest house were all punished for it. People praised his talent but scorned his behavior. On the road he wrote the "Rhapsody on the Diplomatic Tour," a piece of exceptionally fine prose. After the mission returned, Vice Director Gao Longzhi asked Xin and Shou for southern goods. When they could not satisfy him, he prompted Commandant of Justice Gao Zhongmi to detain them at the censorate. Only after a long while were they released.

及孫搴死，司馬子如薦收，召赴晉陽，以為中外府主簿。以受旨乖懺，頻被嫌責，加以箠楚，久不得志。會司馬子如奉使霸朝，收假其餘光。子如因宴戲言于神武曰：「魏收，天子中書郎，一國大才，願大王借與顏色。」由此轉府屬，然未甚優禮。

After Sun Qian died, Sima Ziru recommended Shou. He was summoned to Jinyang and made chief secretary of the combined internal and external offices. He repeatedly failed to carry out orders as expected, was often blamed and rebuked, and was beaten with rods. For a long time he could not make his way. When Sima Ziru went on mission to the hegemonic court, Shou basked in his reflected prestige. At a banquet Ziru said playfully to Gao Huan, "Wei Shou is a Secretariat Gentleman of the Son of Heaven and a great talent of the realm. My lord, please show him a little kindness." Because of this he was transferred to staff duty in the office, though he still did not receive much special treatment.

收從叔季景有文學，曆官著名，並在收前，然收常所欺忽。季景、收初赴並，頓丘李庶者，故大司農諧之子也，以華辯見稱，曾謂收曰：「霸朝便有二魏。」收率爾曰：「以從叔見比，例邪輸之比卿。」邪輸者，故尚書令陳留公繼伯之子，愚癡有名，好自入市肆，高價買物，商買共所嗤玩。收忽以季景方之，不遜例多如此。

Shou's clansman uncle Ji Jing was a man of letters who had held distinguished posts in succession, all of them before Shou's own rise, yet Shou often treated him with contempt. When Ji Jing and Shou first went to Bing, there was Li Shu of Dunqiu, son of the former Minister of Finance Li Xie, famed for his brilliant eloquence. He once said to Shou, "The hegemonic court already has two Weis." Shou blurted out, "If I am matched with my clansman uncle, then by the same logic Xie Yu is your match." Xie Yu was the son of the former Minister Ji Bo, Duke of Chenliu. He was notorious for stupidity, loved to go into the markets himself and pay inflated prices for goods, and the traders all laughed at him. That Shou should suddenly compare Ji Jing to Xie Yu was typical of his habitual insolence.

收本以文才，必望穎脫見知，位既不遂，求修國史。崔暹為言于文襄曰：「國史事重，公家父子霸王功業，皆須具載，非收不可。」文襄乃啟收兼散騎常侍，修國史。武定二年，除正常侍，領兼中書侍郎，仍修國史。

Shou had counted on his literary gifts to win recognition and rise; when advancement failed him, he asked to compile the national history. Cui Xuan spoke to Gao Cheng on his behalf: "The national history is a weighty matter. Your family's hegemonic achievements, father and son together, must all be fully recorded, and no one but Shou can do it." Gao Cheng then petitioned that Shou be appointed Regular Cavalry Attendant and put in charge of compiling the national history. In the second year of Wuding he was appointed Regular Attendant and concurrently Secretariat Vice Director, and continued to compile the national history.

魏帝宴百僚，問何故名「人日」，皆莫能知。收對曰：「晉議郎董勳答問禮俗云：正月一日為雞，二日為狗，三日為豬，四日為羊，五日為牛，六日為馬，七日為人。」時邢邵亦在側，甚恧焉。自魏、梁和好，書下紙每云：「想彼境內寧靜，此率土安和。」梁後使其書乃去「彼」字，自稱猶著「此」，欲示無外之意。收定報書云：「想境內清晏，今萬國安和。」梁人復書，依以為體。

At a banquet for the hundred officials, the Wei emperor asked why the day was called "Human Day." No one could answer. Shou answered, "The Jin Protocol Gentleman Dong Xun, in his answers on rites and customs, said that the first day of the first month is the Day of the Chicken, the second the Day of the Dog, the third the Day of the Pig, the fourth the Day of the Sheep, the fifth the Day of the Ox, the sixth the Day of the Horse, and the seventh the Day of the Human." Xing Shao was standing nearby at the time and was deeply embarrassed. Since Wei and Liang made peace, their diplomatic letters had routinely read, "May your realm within be tranquil; may this land under Heaven be peaceful and harmonious." Later Liang had the word for "your" dropped from its letters while still keeping "this" for itself, intending to suggest that there was no outside world. Shou fixed the reply formula to read, "May the realm within be clear and calm; may the myriad states now be peaceful and harmonious." In their replies, the Liang side adopted this as the standard form.

後神武入朝，靜帝授相國，固讓，令收為啟。啟成呈上，文襄時侍側，神武指收曰「此人當復為崔光。」四年，神武於西門豹祠宴集，謂司馬子如曰：「魏收為史官，書吾善惡，聞北便利時諸貴常餉史官飲食，司馬僕射頗曾餉不？」因共大笑。仍謂收曰：「卿勿見元康等在吾目下趨走，謂吾以為勤勞。我後世身名在卿手，勿謂我不知。」尋加兼著作郎。

Later Gao Huan came to court. Emperor Jing offered him the Chancellorship, and when he firmly declined, Gao Huan had Shou draft the memorial of refusal. When the memorial was finished and presented, Gao Cheng was in attendance at his side. Gao Huan pointed at Shou and said, "This man will be another Cui Guang." In the fourth year, at a banquet at the shrine of Ximen Bao, Gao Huan said to Sima Ziru, "Wei Shou is the historiographer who records my good and evil deeds. I hear that in the north the great families often treated historiographers to food and drink. Vice Director Sima, did you ever treat him?" At that they all burst out laughing. He then said to Shou, "Do not see Yuankang and the others scurrying before my eyes and think I mistake that for real diligence. My reputation in posterity is in your hands. Do not imagine I do not know it." Soon afterward he was additionally appointed Compiler.

收昔在京洛，輕薄尤甚，人號云「魏收驚蛺蝶。」文襄曾遊東山，令給事黃門侍郎顥等宴。文襄曰：「魏收恃才無宜適，須出其短。」往復數番，收忽大唱曰：「楊遵彥理屈，已倒。」愔從容曰：「我綽有餘暇，山立不動。若遇當塗，恐翩翩遂逝。」當塗者魏，翩翩者蝶也。文襄先知之，大笑稱善。文襄又曰：「向語猶微，宜更指斥。」愔應聲曰：「魏收在並作一篇詩，對眾讀訖，云：'打從叔季景出六百斗米，亦不辨此。 '遠近所知，非敢妄說。」文襄喜曰：「我亦先聞。」眾人皆笑。收雖自申雪，不復抗拒，終身病之。

In the old capital Shou had been notoriously frivolous, and people called him "Wei Shou the Butterfly-Startler." Gao Cheng once visited Eastern Hill and had Attendant Gentleman of the Yellow Gate Yang Yan and others hold a banquet. Gao Cheng said, "Wei Shou is insufferably proud of his talent. We must expose his weak points." After several rounds of debate, Shou suddenly cried out, "Yang Zunyan's argument is broken—he has fallen!" Yang Yan replied calmly, "I am ample and unhurried, standing like a mountain and unmoved. But if he met 'the one on the road,' I fear he would flutter away at once." 'The one on the road' meant Wei; 'fluttering' meant butterfly. Gao Cheng had seen the barb coming and laughed heartily in approval. Gao Cheng added, "That was still too subtle. Press the attack more plainly." Yang Yan answered at once, "At Bing, Wei Shou wrote a poem and, after reading it aloud before the company, said, 'Beat six hundred dou of grain out of my clansman uncle Ji Jing—and still he does not recognize this. Everyone near and far knows it. I would not say so without cause." Gao Cheng said with pleasure, "I heard that one too." Everyone laughed. Shou tried to defend himself, but did not press the matter further, and carried the wound for the rest of his life.

侯景叛入梁，寇南境。文襄時在晉陽，令收為檄五十餘紙，不日而就。又檄梁朝，令送侯景，初夜執筆，三更便了，文過七紙。文襄善之。魏帝曾委秋大射，普令賦詩，收詩末云：「尺書征建鄴，折簡召長安。」文襄壯之，顧謂人曰：「在朝今有魏收，便是國之光采。雅俗文墨，通達縱橫。我亦使子才、子升，時有所作，至於詞氣，並不及之。吾或決有所懷，忘而不語，語而不盡，意有未及，收呈草，皆以周悉。此亦難有。」又敕兼主客郎，接梁使謝珽、徐陵。侯景既陷梁，梁鄱陽王范時為合州刺史，文襄敕收以書喻之。范得書，仍率部伍西上，州刺史崔聖念入據其城。文襄謂收曰：「今定一州，卿有其力，猶恨'尺書征建鄴'未效耳。」

Hou Jing rebelled, fled into Liang territory, and raided the southern frontier. Gao Cheng was then at Jinyang and ordered Shou to draft more than fifty proclamations. They were finished within days. He also drafted a proclamation to Liang demanding Hou Jing's surrender. Shou began writing at the first watch of the night and finished by the third, producing more than seven sheets of text. Gao Cheng was greatly pleased. The Wei emperor once held the autumn grand archery ceremony and ordered everyone to compose poems. At the end of Shou's poem came the lines, "A brief letter summons Jiankang; a folded note calls Chang'an." Gao Cheng was stirred by it and, turning to those around him, said, "With Wei Shou in court today, the state has its ornament. He moves with equal ease through refined and plain styles, through every kind of writing. I have Zicai and Zisheng write from time to time as well, but in force of language none of them equals him. When I have made up my mind but forget to say it, or say it but not fully, or leave something unsaid, Shou's drafts always say everything that needed saying. That is rare indeed." He also ordered Shou to serve additionally as Master of Guests and receive the Liang envoys Xie Yue and Xu Ling. After Hou Jing had overrun Liang, Prince Fan of Poyang was serving as governor of He Province. Gao Cheng ordered Shou to write and persuade him. Fan received the letter and marched west with his forces, while the provincial governor Cui Shengian entered and took the city. Gao Cheng said to Shou, "We have secured a province today, and you had a hand in it. All the same, I still regret that your line about summoning Jiankang with a brief letter has not yet come true."

文襄崩，文宣如晉陽，令與黃門郎崔季舒、高德正、吏部郎中尉瑾于北第參掌機密。轉秘書監，兼著作郎，又除定州大中正。時齊將受禪，楊愔奏收置之別館，令撰禪代詔冊諸文，遣徐之才守門，不聽出。

After Gao Cheng died, Gao Yang went to Jinyang and ordered Shou, together with Gentleman of the Yellow Gate Cui Jishu, Gao Dezheng, and Bureau Director Wei Jin, to handle confidential affairs at the Northern Residence. He was transferred to Director of the Secretariat, continued as Compiler, and was also appointed Chief Rectifier of Ding Province. When Qi was about to receive the abdication, Yang Kai memorialized that Shou be lodged separately and ordered to draft the abdication edicts and related documents. Xu Zhicai was sent to guard the door and keep him from leaving.

天保元年，除中書令，仍兼著作郎，封富平縣子。二年，詔撰魏史。四年，除魏尹，故優以祿力，專在史閣，不知郡事。初，帝令群臣各言志，收曰：「臣願得直筆東觀，早出魏書。」故帝使收專其任。又詔平原王高隆之總監之，署名而已。帝敕收曰：「好直筆，我終不作魏太武誅史官。」

In the first year of Tianbao he was appointed Director of the Secretariat, continued as Compiler, and was enfeoffed as Viscount of Fuping County. In the second year an edict ordered the compilation of the History of Wei. In the fourth year he was appointed Mayor of the Wei Capital, but was given preferential salary and support so that he could devote himself entirely to the History Office and leave prefectural affairs alone. Earlier the emperor had ordered each official to declare his ambition. Shou said, "Your servant wishes to wield an honest brush at the Eastern Pavilion and finish the History of Wei soon." For that reason the emperor put Shou in sole charge of the task. An edict also named Prince Gao Longzhi of Pingyuan as general supervisor, though in practice he only affixed his name. The emperor charged Shou, "Write honestly. I will never do what Emperor Taiwu of Wei did and kill the historiographers."

始，魏初鄧彥海撰代記十餘卷，其後崔浩典史，游雅、高允、程駿、李彪、崔光、李琰之郎知世修其業。浩為編年體，彪始分作紀、表、志、傳，書猶未出。宜武時，命邢巒追撰孝文起居注，書至太和十四年。又命崔鴻、王遵業補續焉，下訖孝明，事甚委悉。濟陰王暉業撰辨宗室錄三十卷。收於是與通直常侍房延佑、司空司馬辛元植、國子博士刁柔、裴昂之、尚書郎高孝幹專總斟酌，以成魏書。辯定名稱，隨條甄舉。又搜采亡遺，綴續後事，備一代史籍，表而上聞之。勒成一代大典：凡十二紀，九十二列傳，合一百一十卷。五年三月，奏上之。秋，除梁州刺史。收以志未成，奏請終業，許之。十一月復奏十志：天象四卷，地形三卷，律曆二卷，禮樂四卷，食貨一卷，刑罰一卷，靈徵二卷，官氏二卷，釋老一卷，凡二十卷。續于紀傳，合一百三十卷。分為十二表，其史三十五例，二十五序，九十四論，前後二表一啟，皆獨出於收。

At the beginning, in early Wei, Deng Yanhai compiled the Dynastic Record in more than ten scrolls. Later Cui Hao took charge of the history, and You Ya, Gao Yun, Cheng Jun, Li Biao, Cui Guang, Li Yanzhi, and others carried on the work through successive generations. Hao wrote in annalistic form; Biao was the first to divide the work into annals, tables, treatises, and biographies, but the book had still not appeared. Under Emperor Xuanwu, Xing Luan was ordered to continue compiling Emperor Xiaowen's Daily Records, bringing the account down to the fourteenth year of Taihe. Cui Hong and Wang Zunye were then ordered to supplement and continue it down to Emperor Xiaoming, in very full detail. Prince Hui Ye of Jiyin compiled the Record for Identifying the Imperial Clan in thirty scrolls. Shou then worked with Regular Attendant Fang Yanyou, Minister of Works Secretary Xin Yuanzhi, National University Doctor Diao Rou, Pei Angzhi, and Secretariat Gentleman Gao Xiaogan to weigh and organize the material and complete the History of Wei. They settled names and titles and selected entries category by category. They also gathered lost records, appended later events, and assembled a complete history of the dynasty, which they memorialized and submitted to the throne. The finished canon of the dynasty comprised twelve annals and ninety-two biographies, one hundred ten scrolls in all. In the third month of the fifth year it was memorialized and submitted to the throne. That autumn he was appointed Governor of Liang Province. Wei Shou, because the treatises were still unfinished, memorialized asking leave to complete them, and his request was granted. In the eleventh month he submitted the ten treatises again: Celestial Phenomena in four scrolls, Geography in three, Calendars and Chronology in two, Rites and Music in four, Food and Currency in one, Punishments in one, Portents in two, Offices and Clans in two, and Buddhism and Daoism in one—twenty scrolls altogether. Added to the annals and biographies, the work came to one hundred thirty scrolls in all. The work was divided into twelve tables. Its thirty-five principles, twenty-five prefaces, ninety-four disquisitions, and the two memorials and one report at the beginning and end were all Wei Shou's work alone.

收所引史官，恐其陵逼，唯取學流先相依附者。其房延祐、辛元植、眭仲讓雖夙涉朝位，並非史才；刁柔、裴昂之以儒業見知，全不堪編緝；高孝幹以左道求進。修史諸人，宗祖姻戚，多被書錄，飾以美言。收頗急，不甚能平，夙有怨者，多沒其善。每言：「何物小子，敢共魏收作色！舉之則使上天，按之當使入地。」初，收在神武時為太常少卿，修國史，得陽休之助。因謝休之曰：「無以謝德，當為卿作佳傳。」休之父固，魏世為北平太守，以貪虐為中尉李平所彈獲罪，載在魏起居注。收書云：「固為北平，甚有惠政，坐公事免官。」又云：「李平深相敬重。」爾硃榮于魏為賊，收以高氏出自爾硃，且納榮子金，故減其惡而增其善，論云：「若修德義之風，同韓、彭、伊、霍，夫何足數。」

Among the history officials Wei Shou enlisted, fearing they might overbear him, he chose only scholars who had long relied on him. Fang Yanyou, Xin Yuanzhi, and Sui Zhongrang had long held court office, yet none possessed the talent for history; Diao Rou and Pei Angzhi were esteemed for Confucian scholarship but were altogether unfit for editorial work; Gao Xiaogan sought promotion through unorthodox methods. The ancestors and in-laws of those who worked on the history were widely entered in the record and dressed up in flattering language. Wei Shou was quick-tempered and not very fair-minded; those who had long borne him a grudge often found their good deeds omitted. He often said, "What kind of stripling dares stand up to Wei Shou! Lift him up and I can raise him to heaven; press him down and I can drive him into the ground. Earlier, under Gao Huan, Wei Shou had served as Vice Director of the Imperial Ancestral Temple and compiled the national history with Yang Xiuzhi's help. He therefore thanked Xiuzhi, saying, "I have no adequate way to repay your kindness; I shall write you a fine biography. Xiuzhi's father Gu had served as Governor of Beiping under Wei. He was impeached and convicted by Chief Commandant Li Ping for greed and cruelty, a fact recorded in the Wei Daily Records. In Wei Shou's history it says, "Gu governed Beiping with notable benevolence and was removed from office on official grounds. It also says, "Li Ping held him in deep esteem. Erzhu Rong had been a rebel against Wei. Because the Gao clan traced its descent to the Erzhu line and because Wei Shou had accepted gold from Rong's son, he softened Rong's crimes and magnified his virtues, writing in a disquisition, "If one cultivated virtue and righteousness, standing with Han Xin, Peng Yue, Yi Yin, and Huo Guang, what would there be to reckon?"

時論既言收著史不平，文宣詔收于尚書省與諸家子孫共加論討。前後投訴，百有餘人，雲遺其世職位；或云其家不見記錄；或云妄有非毀。收皆隨狀答之。，范陽盧斐父同附出族祖玄傳下；頓丘李庶家傳，稱其本是梁國家人。斐、庶譏議，雲史書不直。收性急，不勝其憤，啟誣其欲加屠害。帝大怒，親自詰責。斐曰：「臣父仕魏。位至儀同，功業顯著，名聞天下，與收無親，遂不立傳。博陵崔綽，位至本郡功曹，更無事蹟，是收外親，乃為傳首。」收曰：「綽雖無位，道義可嘉，所以合傳。」帝曰：「卿何由知其好人？」收曰：「高允曾為綽贊，稱有道德。」帝曰：「司空才士，為人作贊，正應稱揚。亦如卿為人作文章，道其好者，豈能皆實？」收無以對，戰慄而已。但帝先重收才，不欲加罪。時太原王松年亦謗史，及斐、庶並獲罪，各被鞭配甲坊，或因以致死。盧思道亦抵罪。然猶以群口沸騰，敕魏史且勿施行，令群官博議。聽有家事者入署，不實者陳牒。於是眾口喧然，號為「穢史」，投牒者相次，收無以抗之。時左僕射楊愔、右僕射高德正二人勢傾朝野，與收皆親。收遂為其家並作傳，二人不欲言史不實，抑塞拆辭，終文宣世，更不重論。

Once public opinion declared that Wei Shou's history was biased, Gao Yang ordered him to the Ministry of State Affairs to review it together with descendants of the affected families. More than a hundred people lodged complaints, saying their families' hereditary offices had been left out; or that their families had not been entered in the history at all; or that they had been slandered without cause. Wei Shou answered each complaint according to its particulars. Lu Fei of Fanyang's father Tong had been appended under the biography of his clan forebear Lu Xuan; In Li Shu's family record from Dunqiu, it was said that his family had originally been household retainers of Liang. Fei and Shu attacked the work, declaring that the history was not truthful. Wei Shou, quick-tempered by nature and unable to contain his rage, memorialized falsely accusing them of plotting to kill him. The emperor was enraged and personally cross-examined and rebuked them. Fei said, "My father served Wei. He rose to the rank of Grand Equal-in-Attendance, his achievements were distinguished and his name known throughout the realm, yet though he had no kinship with Wei Shou, no biography was written for him. Cui Chuo of Boling had risen only to Merit Officer in his home commandery and had no further achievements to his name, yet as Wei Shou's affinal kinsman he was made the lead subject of a biography. Wei Shou said, "Though Chuo held no high office, his moral conduct was admirable, and so he was included in a combined biography. The emperor said, "How do you know he was a good man? Wei Shou said, "Gao Yun once composed a eulogy for Chuo, praising his moral character. The emperor said, "The Minister of Works was a man of talent; when he wrote a eulogy for someone, of course he would speak in praise. It is the same as when you write for others and speak of their virtues—can it all be true? Wei Shou had no answer and could only tremble. But the emperor had long valued Wei Shou's talent and did not wish to punish him. At the time Wang Songnian of Taiyuan also attacked the history. He, Fei, and Shu were all convicted, flogged, and assigned to the armorers' ward, and some died from it. Lu Sidao was punished as well. Still, because public opinion continued to boil over, he ordered that the Wei History not be promulgated for the time being and directed the officials to debate it at length. Those with family interests at stake were allowed to enter the office, and anyone who found inaccuracies could submit a memorial. Then voices rose in uproar, calling it the "Filthy History." Memorials poured in one after another, and Wei Shou could not hold out against them. At the time the Left Vice Director Yang Yin and the Right Vice Director Gao Dezheng, whose power dominated court and countryside alike, were both on intimate terms with Wei Shou. Wei Shou then wrote biographies for both their families. Unwilling to say the history was false, the two men suppressed and picked apart the complaints, and throughout Gao Yang's reign the matter was never reopened.

又尚書陸操嘗謂愔曰：「魏收魏書可謂博物宏才，有大功于魏室。」愔嘗謂收曰：「此謂不刊之書，傳之萬古。但恨論及諸家枝葉親姻，過為繁碎，與舊史體例不同耳。」收曰：「往因中原喪亂，人士譜牒遺逸略盡，是以具盡其枝派。望公觀過知仁，以免尤責。」

The Minister Lu Cao once said to Yang Yin, "Wei Shou's Book of Wei is a work of broad learning and great talent, a major service to the house of Wei. Yang Yin once told Wei Shou, "This is what people call an irrevocable book, one to be handed down for ten thousand generations. I only regret that in treating the branches, collateral lines, and affinal kin of the various families it is excessively detailed, unlike the format of earlier histories. Wei Shou said, "In the past, because of the chaos and ruin in the Central Plains, gentlemen's genealogical records were largely lost, and so I set forth their branches in full. I hope you will read my intent through my fault and spare me harsh censure."

八年夏，除太子少傅，監國史。復參修律令。三台成，文宣曰：「台成，須有賦。」愔先以告收，收上《皇居新殿台賦》，其文甚壯麗。時所作者自邢邵已下，咸不逮焉。收上賦前數日，乃告邢邵，邵後告人曰：「收甚惡人，不早言之。」帝曾遊東山，敕收作詔，宣揚威德，譬喻關西。俄頃而訖，辭理宏壯，帝對百僚大嗟賞之。仍兼太子詹事。收娶其舅女，崔昂之妹，產一女，無子。魏太常劉芳孫女、中書郎崔肇師女，夫家坐事，帝並賜收為妻。時人比之賈充置左右夫人。然無子。後病甚，恐身後嫡媵不平，乃放二姬。及疾瘳追憶，作《懷離賦》以申意。

In the summer of the eighth year he was appointed Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince and put in charge of the national history. He again took part in revising statutes and ordinances. When the Three Terraces were completed, Gao Yang said, "The terraces are finished; there must be a rhapsody. Yang Yin told Wei Shou beforehand, and Shou submitted his "Rhapsody on the New Palatial Terraces of the Imperial Residence," a piece of writing bold and splendid in the extreme. Among those who wrote at the time, from Xing Shao on down, none could equal it. Only a few days before submitting his rhapsody did Wei Shou tell Xing Shao. Shao later said to others, "Shou is a contemptible man—not telling me sooner. The emperor once toured the Eastern Hills and ordered Wei Shou to draft an edict proclaiming imperial might and virtue, with pointed metaphors about the western passes. In no time it was finished, its argument and language grand and forceful. Before the assembled officials the emperor admired and praised it at length. He continued to serve concurrently as Grand Steward of the Heir Apparent. Wei Shou married his maternal uncle's daughter, the sister of Cui Angzhi. She bore one daughter, but there were no sons. The granddaughters of Liu Fang, Director of the Ancestral Temple under Wei, and of Secretariat Gentleman Cui Zhaoshi, whose husbands' families had been implicated in crimes, the emperor bestowed on Wei Shou as wives. People of the time compared this to Jia Chong's arrangement of consorts on his left and right. Yet he still had no sons. Later, when he fell gravely ill, fearing strife between his principal wife and concubines after his death, he released his two secondary wives. When he recovered and looked back with longing, he composed the "Rhapsody on Cherishing Separation" to give voice to his feelings.

文宣每以酣宴之次，雲太子性懦，宗社事重，終當傳位常山。收謂楊愔曰：「古人云：太子國之根本，不可動搖。至尊三爵後，每言傳位常山，令臣下疑貳。若實，便須決行；若戲此言，魏收既忝師傅，正當守之以死，但恐國家不安。」愔以收言奏帝，自此便止。帝數宴喜，收每預侍從。皇太子之納鄭良娣也，有司備設牢饌。帝既酣飲，起而自毀覆之，仍詔收曰：「知我意不？」收曰：「臣愚謂良娣既東宮之妾，理不須牢，仰惟聖懷，緣此毀去。」帝大笑，握收手曰：「卿知我意。」安德王延宗納趙郡李祖收女為刀，後帝幸李宅宴，而妃母宋氏薦二石榴於帝前。問諸人，莫知其意，帝投之。收曰：「石榴房中多子，王新婚，妃母欲子孫眾多。」帝大喜，詔收：「卿還將來。」仍賜收美錦二疋。

At the height of his revels Gao Yang would say that the Crown Prince was timid by nature, that the fate of state and altar was weighty, and that the throne would ultimately pass to the Prince of Changshan. Wei Shou said to Yang Yin, "The ancients said, 'The Crown Prince is the root of the state and must not be shaken. After His Majesty has drunk three rounds, he repeatedly speaks of passing the throne to Changshan, leaving his ministers divided and uncertain. If he means it, the transfer must be carried out decisively; if these words are only jest, then Wei Shou, unworthy though he is as tutor, ought to defend the heir even unto death—yet I fear the realm will not be secure. Yang Yin reported Wei Shou's words to the emperor, and from then on Gao Yang stopped. The emperor often held feasts and celebrations, and Wei Shou was always among those in attendance. When the Crown Prince took Lady Zheng as a secondary consort, the relevant offices prepared a full sacrificial feast. Already deep in drink, the emperor rose and overturned the feast himself, then said to Wei Shou, "Do you understand what I mean? Wei Shou said, "This foolish subject thinks that since Lady Liangdi is a concubine of the Eastern Palace, a full sacrificial feast is not properly required. Reverently pondering Your Majesty's intent, you overturned it for that reason. The emperor laughed heartily, took Wei Shou's hand, and said, "You understand me. Prince Yan Zong of Andre took the daughter of Li Zushou of Zhao commandery as a concubine. Later, when the emperor visited the Li residence for a banquet, the consort's mother, Lady Song, presented two pomegranates before him. He asked those present, but none understood the meaning, and the emperor cast the fruit aside. Wei Shou said, "Pomegranates are full of seeds within. The prince has just married, and the consort's mother wishes for many descendants. The emperor was delighted and ordered Wei Shou, "Go back and bring them again. He also bestowed on Wei Shou two bolts of fine brocade.

十年，除儀同三司。帝在宴席，口敕以為中書監，命中書郎李愔以收一代盛才，難於率爾，久而未訖。比成，帝已醉醒，遂不重言，愔仍不奏，事竟寢。及帝崩于晉陽，驛召收及中山太守陽休之參議吉凶之禮，並掌詔誥。仍除侍中，遷太常卿，文宣諡及廟號、陵名，皆收議也。

In the tenth year he was appointed Grand Equal-in-Attendance of the Third Rank. At a banquet the emperor orally ordered that he be made Director of the Secretariat and charged Secretariat Gentleman Li Yin with drafting the appointment. Because Wei Shou was a supreme talent of his generation, the wording could not be dashed off casually, and the draft was long in coming. By the time it was finished the emperor had drunk himself sober and did not mention it again. Li Yin still did not memorialize it, and the matter was quietly dropped. When the emperor died at Jinyang, couriers summoned Wei Shou and Yang Xiuzhi, Governor of Zhongshan, to consult on the rites of mourning and celebration, and both were put in charge of edicts and proclamations. He was again appointed Palace Attendant and promoted to Director of the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Gao Yang's posthumous title, temple name, and tomb name were all Wei Shou's work.

帝以魏史未行，詔收更加研審，收奉詔，頗有改正。及詔行魏史，收以為直置秘閣，外人無由得見，於是命送一本付並省，一本付鄴下，任人寫之。

Because the Wei History had not yet been promulgated, the emperor ordered Wei Shou to examine it further. Shou obeyed the edict and made considerable corrections. When an edict promulgated the Wei History, Wei Shou felt that if it were placed directly in the Secret Archives outsiders would have no way to see it. He therefore ordered one copy sent to the capital secretariat and one to Ye, where anyone might copy it.

太甯元年，加開府。河清二年，兼右僕射。時武成酣飲終日，朝事專委侍中高元海，凡庸不堪大任。以收才名振俗，都官尚書畢義雲長於斷割，乃虛心倚仗。收畏避，不能匡救，為議者所譏。帝于華林別起玄洲苑，備山水台觀之麗，詔於閣上畫收，其見重如此。

In the first year of Taiping he was granted the Grand Prefecture establishment. In the second year of Heqing he served concurrently as Right Vice Director. At the time Emperor Wucheng drank through the day, entrusting court affairs wholly to Palace Attendant Gao Yuanhai, a mediocrity unfit for great responsibility. Because Wei Shou's literary reputation dominated the age and Bi Yiyun, Minister of Justice, excelled at decisive judgment, the emperor leaned on them with an open mind. Wei Shou shrank back in fear and could not set things right, and critics satirized him for it. The emperor separately built the Xuanshou Garden at Hualin, complete with the splendor of mountains, waters, terraces, and pavilions, and ordered Wei Shou painted on a pavilion wall—such was the esteem in which he was held.

始收比溫子升、邢邵稍為後進，邵既被疏出，子升以罪死，收遂大被任用，獨步一時。議論更相訾毀，各有朋黨。收每議陋邢文。邵又云：「江南任昉，文體本疏，魏收非直模擬，亦大偷竊。」收聞乃曰：「伊常于沈約集中作賊，何意道我偷任。」任、沈俱有重名，邢、魏各有所好。武平中，黃門郎顏之推以二公意問僕射祖珽。珽答曰：「見邢、魏之臧不，即是任、沈之優劣。」收以溫子升全不作賦，邢雖有一兩首，又非所長，常云：「會須能作賦，始成大才士。唯以章表碑誌自許，此外更同兒戲。」自武定二年以後，國家大事詔命，軍國文詞，皆收所作。每有警急，受詔立成。或時中使催促，收筆下有同宿構，敏速之工，邢、溫所不逮也。其參議典禮，與邢相埒。

At first Wei Shou, compared with Wen Zisheng and Xing Shao, had been somewhat the junior. After Shao was estranged and sent away and Zisheng died in disgrace, Shou came into great favor and stood alone in his age. In debate they slandered one another in turn, each with his own faction. In discussion Wei Shou always belittled Xing Shao's writing. Shao also said, "Ren Fang of Jiangnan wrote in a style inherently loose. Wei Shou not only imitates him but plunders him wholesale. When Wei Shou heard this he said, "He is always plundering Shen Yue's collected works—how dare he say I stole from Ren Fang! Both Ren Fang and Shen Yue enjoyed great fame; Xing Shao and Wei Shou each had his own preference. During the Wuping era, Yellow Gate Attendant Yan Zhitui asked Vice Director Zu Ting what the two men thought. Ting replied, "To see whether Xing Shao and Wei Shou are good or bad is to see the relative merit of Ren Fang and Shen Yue. Wei Shou held that Wen Zisheng never wrote fu at all, and that although Xing Shao had one or two pieces, they were not his strength. He often said, "Only one who can write fu deserves to be called a great man of letters. They pride themselves only on memorials, stele inscriptions, and epitaphs; everything else, to his mind, was child's play. From the second year of Wuding onward, every major state edict and proclamation and every military or civil dispatch was written by Wei Shou. Whenever there was an emergency, he received the edict and finished the draft at once. Sometimes when palace envoys pressed him, what flowed from Wei Shou's brush seemed already composed overnight—a swiftness and mastery that neither Xing Shao nor Wen Zisheng could equal. In deliberating ritual propriety, he was the equal of Xing Shao.

收以子侄年少，申以戒曆，著枕中篇。其詞曰：

Because his nephews were still young, Wei Shou set forth admonitions drawn from the lessons of past ages and wrote the Pillow Essay. It reads:

吾曾覽管子之書，其言曰：「任之重者莫如身，途之畏者莫如口，期之遠者莫如年。以重任行畏途至遠期，惟君子為能及矣。」追而味之，喟然長息。

I once read the book of Master Guan, which says, "Of all burdens, none is heavier than the body; of all paths, none is more to be feared than the mouth; of all terms, none is more distant than the year. To bear a heavy charge, walk a perilous path, and reach a distant term—only the noble man can achieve this. Reflecting on these words and savoring them, I sighed long and deep.

若夫嶽立而重，有潛戴而不傾；山藏稱固，亦趨負而不停；呂梁獨浚，能行歌而匪惕；焦原作險，或躋踵而不驚。九陔方集，故眇然而迅舉；五紀當定，想窅乎而上征。苟任重也有度，則任之而愈固。乘危也有術，蓋乘之而靡恤。彼期遠而能通，果應之而可必。豈神理之獨爾，亦人事其如一。

Consider how a peak stands upright and massive, bearing hidden weight yet never toppling; or hidden mountains famed for their firmness, yet hurrying onward under their load without pause; at Liang ford alone the waters run deep, yet one can walk and sing without fear; the heights of Jiaoyuan are perilous, yet some climb step by step unstartled. When the nine embankments are gathered, one soars swiftly into the distant blue; when the five chronologies are fixed, one mounts upward into the deep beyond. If the burden has measure, then bearing it only makes one firmer. If danger has its art, then meeting it only leaves one untroubled. One who keeps a distant term yet can pass through it will surely meet it in the end. Is this principle divine alone? Human affairs follow the same law.

嗚呼！處天壤之間，勞死生之地，攻之以嗜欲，牽之以名利，粱肉不期而共臻，珠玉無足而俱致，於是乎驕奢仍作，危亡旋至。然同上智大賢，惟幾惟哲，或出或處，不常其時。其舒也濟世成務，其卷也聲銷跡滅。玉帛子女，椒蘭律呂，諂諛無所先；稱肉度骨，膏辱挑舌，怨惡莫之前。勳名共山河同久，志業與金石比堅。斯蓋厚棟不橈，遊刃砉然。逮于厥德不常，喪其金璞，馳騖人世，鼓動流俗，挾湯日而謂寒，包溪壑而未足。源不清而流濁，表不端而影曲。嗟乎！膠漆詎堅，寒暑甚促，反利而成害，化榮而就辱，欣戚更來，得喪仍續。至有身禦魑魅，魂沉狴獄。詎非足力不強，迷在當局！孰可謂車戒前傾，人師先覺？

Alas! Living between heaven and earth, toiling on the ground where life and death meet, assailed by appetite and dragged by fame and profit, fine grain and meat arrive unbidden together, pearls and jade come though one has not a foot to walk—and so arrogance and extravagance arise in turn, and peril and ruin follow at once. Yet for the supreme wise and the greatest worthies, discerning the subtle and wise in judgment, whether they emerge or withdraw, they do not keep to one season. In their expansion they aid the age and fulfill its tasks; in their withdrawal voice vanishes and traces disappear. Silks and jade, sons and daughters, spice orchids and pitch pipes—flattery never leads the way before them; Nitpicking slander, humiliating words and wagging tongues—hatred and malice never go before them. Meritorious fame endures as long as mountains and rivers; resolve and achievement are hard as metal and stone. This is like a great beam that does not warp, or a blade that slices with a clean sound. When one's virtue is not constant, one loses one's golden core; racing through the human world and stirring vulgar currents, one clutches a scorching sun yet calls it cold, hoards ravines and gorges yet never finds enough. If the source is not clear the stream runs muddy; if the stem is not straight the shadow bends. Ah! Can glue and lacquer claim to be firm? Cold and heat pass swiftly. Gain turns to harm, glory to disgrace; joy and sorrow alternate, and gain and loss follow unbroken. Some come to bodies assailed by demons and souls sunk in prison. Was their strength insufficient? The delusion lay in being caught in the moment! Who can say the cart warns of leaning forward, yet men believe their teacher saw it all beforehand?

聞諸君子，雅道之士，遊遨經術，厭飫文史。筆有奇鋒，談有勝理。孝悌之至，神明通矣。審蹈而行，量路而止。自我及物，先人後已。情無系于榮悴，心靡滯於慍喜。不養望於丘壑，不待價於城市。言行相顧，慎終猶始。有一于斯，鬱為羽儀。恪居展事，知無不為，或左或右，則髦士攸宜，無悔無吝，故高而不危。異乎勇進忘退，苟得患失；射千金之產，徼萬鐘之秩；投烈風之門，趣炎火之室。載蹶而墜其貽宴，或蹲乃喪其貞吉。可不畏歟！可不戒歟！

I have heard, gentlemen, that men of refined principle roam through the classics, sated with letters and history. Their brushes hold keen edge; their talk holds winning reason. When filial piety and brotherly respect reach their utmost, the spirits are moved. Tread carefully and walk; measure the road and stop. From oneself extend to things; put others first and oneself after. Feeling is not bound to glory or decline; the heart does not stall on anger or joy. Do not cultivate reputation in mountain streams; do not wait for a price in the marketplace. Word and deed look to each other; be careful at the end as at the beginning. Have one of these, and you may rise to be an exemplar of grace. Dwell reverently and extend your duties; where you know something can be done, do it, whether left or right—then the eminent man is fit for the task. Without regret or shame, one stands high yet not endangered. Unlike those who press forward bravely and forget retreat, grasping gain and fearing loss; staking a fortune of a thousand gold to chase a salary of ten thousand bushels; casting oneself into gates of fierce wind, rushing toward chambers of blazing fire. Tripping and falling from the feast one's ancestors bequeathed, or crouching and losing the firm good fortune promised by the hexagram. Can one not stand in awe! Can one not take warning!

門有倚禍，事不可不密；牆有伏寇，言不可而失。宜諦其言，宜端其行。言之不善，行之不正，鬼執強梁，人囚徑廷，幽奪其魄，明夭其命。不服非法，不行非道。公鼎為己信，私玉非身寶。過涅為紺，逾藍作青，持繩親直，置水觀平。時然後取，未若無欲，知止知足，庶免於辱。是以為必察其幾，舉必慎於微。知幾慮微，斯亡則稀；既察且慎，福祿攸歸。昔蘧瑗識四十九非，顏子鄰幾三月不違。跬步無已，至於千里；覆蕢而進，及于萬仞。故云行遠自邇，登高自卑，可大可久，與世推移。

At the door misfortune may lean—affairs must not lack secrecy; In the wall lurk hidden foes—words must not slip. Consider your words carefully; keep your conduct upright. Speak what is not good, act what is not upright—ghosts seize the violent, men bind you in the open court; in darkness your soul is taken, in daylight your life is cut short. Do not submit to what is not lawful; do not walk what is not the Way. The public cauldron is one's trust; private jade is not the body's treasure. Pass through indigo and become dark blue; cross beyond blue and become green; hold the plumb line to see straight; set water to observe level. Take only when the time is right—better still to have no desire; know when to stop and know when you have enough, and you may escape disgrace. Therefore in acting one must scrutinize the subtle signs; in every undertaking one must be careful at the small. Know the subtle and consider the minute, and ruin will be rare; Having scrutinized and been careful, fortune and rank will come to you. Long ago Qu Boyu looked back on the forty-nine faults he had corrected; Yan Hui was nearly there—for three months he did not stray. Half-steps without cease reach a thousand li; Heaping basket upon basket, one advances to ten thousand ren. Hence it is said: to go far, start from what is near; to climb high, start from what is low. Great yet lasting, one shifts with the age.

月滿如規，後夜則虧；槿榮於枝，望暮而萎。夫奚益而不損？孰有損而不害？益不欲多，利不欲大。唯居德者畏其甚，體真者懼其大。道尊則群謗集，任重而眾怨會。其達也則尼父棲遑，其忠也而周公狼狽。無曰人之我狹，在我不可而覆；無曰人之我厚，在我不可而咎。如山之大，無不有也；如穀之虛，無不受也。能剛能柔，重可負也；能信能順，險可走也；能智能愚，期可久也。

When the moon is full as a round, after night it wanes; Hibiscus blooms on the branch, and at evening sight it withers. What increases yet does not diminish? What diminishes yet does not harm? Increase is not to be desired in excess; profit is not to be desired in magnitude. Only one who dwells in virtue fears its excess; only one who embodies truth dreads its greatness. When the Way is honored, slander gathers; when the burden is heavy, resentment converges. In attaining office Confucius was unsettled; in fulfilling loyalty the Duke of Zhou was harried. Do not say men are narrow toward me—in myself I must not overturn what should not be overturned; Do not say men are generous toward me—in myself I must not blame when blame is not due. Great as a mountain—there is nothing it does not contain; Empty as a valley—there is nothing it does not receive. Able to be firm and able to be soft, a heavy load can be borne; Able to be faithful and able to be yielding, peril can be passed; Able to be wise and able to be dull—then endurance may be hoped for.

周廟之人，三緘其口，漏邑在前，欹器留後，俾諸來裔，傳之坐右。

The man in the Zhou temple thrice sealed his mouth; with the leaking cup set before him and the tipping vessel left behind, entrust this to posterity and keep it at your right hand.

其後群臣多言魏史不實，武成復敕更審。收又回換，遂為盧同立傳，崔綽反更附出。楊愔家傳本云「有魏以來，一門而已」，至是改此八字。又先云「弘農華陰人」，乃改「自雲弘農」以配王慧龍「自雲太原人」，此其失也。尋除開府、中書監。武成崩，未發喪，在內諸公以後主即位有年，疑於赦令。諸公引收訪焉。收固執宜有恩澤，乃從之。掌詔誥，除尚書右僕射，總議監一禮事，位特進。收奏請趙彥深、和士開、徐之才共監，先以告士開，士開驚，辭以不學。收曰：「天下事皆由王，五禮非王不決。」士開謝而許之。多引文士令執筆，儒者馬敬德、熊安生、權會實主之。

Afterward many ministers said the Wei History was not factual, and Emperor Wucheng again ordered a further review. Wei Shou again reversed his changes, creating a separate biography for Lu Tong while Cui Chuo was instead attached elsewhere. Yang Yin's family biography had originally read "since Wei began, one clan alone"—at this point those eight characters were changed. It had also first said "a man of Hongnong Huayin," then changed to "himself claimed Hongnong" to match Wang Huilong's "himself claimed Taiyuan"—this was his error. Soon he was appointed Grand Prefecture establishment and Supervisor of the Secretariat. When Emperor Wucheng died, before the mourning was announced, the lords within the palace, because the Late Ruler had already reigned for years, were uncertain about issuing an amnesty. The lords brought Wei Shou in to consult him. Wei Shou firmly maintained that grace should be shown, and they followed him. He directed imperial edicts and pronouncements, was appointed Right Vice Director of the Secretariat, oversaw deliberation and supervision of ritual affairs, and held the rank of Special Promotion. Wei Shou memorialized requesting Zhao Yanshen, He Shikai, and Xu Zhicai to supervise jointly; he first told Shikai, who was alarmed and declined on grounds of lacking learning. Wei Shou said, "All affairs under heaven are decided by Your Highness; the five rites cannot be settled without Your Highness. Shikai apologized and agreed. He invited many literati to hold the brush, but the Confucian scholars Ma Jingde, Xiong Ansheng, and Quan Hui were the ones who actually directed the work.

武平三年薨，贈司空、尚書左僕射，諡文貞。有集七十卷。

In the third year of Wuping he died; he was posthumously granted Minister of Works and Left Vice Director of the Secretariat, with the posthumous name Wenzhen. He left collected works in seventy fascicles.

收碩學大才，然性褊，不能達命體道。見當塗貴遊，每以言色相悅。然提獎後輩，以名行為先，浮華輕險之徒，雖有才能，弗重也。初，河間邢子才、子明及季景與收，並以文章業，世稱大邢小魏，言尤俊也。收少子才十歲，子才每曰：「佛助，僚人之偉。」後收稍與子才爭名，文宣貶子才曰：「爾才不及魏收。」收益得志，自序云：「先稱溫、邢，後曰邢、魏。」然收內陋邢，心不許也。收既輕疾，好聲樂，善胡舞。文宣末，數於東山與諸優為獼猴與狗鬥，帝寵狎之。收外兄博陵崔岩嘗以雙聲嘲收曰：「遇魏收衰日愚魏。」魏答曰：「顏岩腥瘦，是誰所生，羊頤狗頰，頭團鼻平，飯房答籠，著孔嘲玎。」其辯捷不拘若是。既緣史筆，多憾于人，齊亡之歲，收塚被髮，棄其骨於外。

Wei Shou was a learned man of great talent, yet by nature he was narrow-minded and could not grasp fate or embody the Way. When he met those in power and the wealthy elite, he always sought to please them with his words and manner. Yet he encouraged younger men and valued reputation and conduct above all; frivolous and reckless men, however talented, he did not respect. In their early days, Xing Zicai and Ziming of Hejian, Jijing, and Wei Shou all made their careers in literature; contemporaries called them Great Xing and Little Wei, for their prose was especially brilliant. Wei Shou was ten years younger than Zicai; Zicai often said, "Fozhu is a towering figure among his peers. Later Wei Shou gradually vied with Zicai for literary fame, and Emperor Wenxuan belittled Zicai, saying, "Your talent does not match Wei Shou's." Wei Shou became all the more triumphant and wrote in his own preface, "At first they spoke of Wen and Xing; later they said Xing and Wei." Yet in his heart Wei Shou looked down on Xing and never truly accepted it. Wei Shou was both frivolous and quick-tempered; he loved music and was skilled at foreign dances. Near the end of Emperor Wenxuan's reign, he often staged monkey-versus-dog fights with entertainers on Mount Dong, and the emperor favored and treated him familiarly. Shou's maternal cousin Cui Yan of Boling once mocked him with a double-alliteration pun: "Meeting Wei Shou on a day of decline — absurd Wei. Wei Shou replied with a retort in kind: "Yan the face, rank and lean — whose offspring? A goat's chin, a dog's cheeks, a round head and flat nose — rice bin, bamboo cage, dressed in tatters to mock a ding." His wit was quick and unrestrained in just this fashion. Because he had wielded the historian's brush, he had made many enemies; in the year the Qi dynasty fell, his tomb was desecrated, his hair left unkempt, and his bones cast outside.

先養弟子仁表為嗣，位至尚書膳部郎中。隋開皇中，卒于溫縣令。

He had earlier adopted his disciple Renbiao as his heir; Renbiao rose to Gentleman of the Catering Section in the Ministry of Works. During the Kaihuang era of Sui, he died while serving as magistrate of Wen county.

子建族子惇，字仲讓。容貌魁偉，性通率。永安末，除安東將軍、光祿大夫。爾硃仲遠鎮東郡，以事捕惇，遇出外，執惇兄子胤而去。惇聞哭曰：「若害胤寧無吾也。」乃見仲遠，叩頭曰：「家事在惇，胤何知也？乞以身罪。」仲遠義而舍之。天平中，拜衛將軍，右光祿大夫，卒。

Dun, a clansman of Zijian, whose courtesy name was Zhongrang. He was imposing in appearance and straightforward by nature. At the end of the Yong'an era, he was appointed General Who Pacifies the East and Grand Master of Splendid Happiness. When Erzhu Zhongyuan was stationed in Dong commandery, he sought to arrest Dun over a certain matter; finding Dun away from home, he seized Dun's nephew Yin instead and took him away. When Dun heard this, he wept and said, "If Yin is harmed, better that I not exist at all. He then went to see Zhongyuan, kowtowed, and said, "Household affairs are my responsibility — what could Yin know of them? I beg to bear the guilt myself." Zhongyuan, moved by his righteousness, released him. During the Tianping era, he was appointed General of the Guard and Right Grand Master of Splendid Happiness, and then died.

惇叔偃，字盤蚪。有當世幹用，位驍騎將軍。性浮動，晚乃曲附高肇。彭城王勰之死也，偃構成其事，為時所惡。

Dun's uncle Yan, whose courtesy name was Panqiu. He had practical ability suited to his times and held the post of General of Valiant Cavalry. Restless and unstable by nature, he abjectly attached himself to Gao Zhao only late in life. When Prince Xie of Pengcheng was killed, Yan fabricated the case against him and was widely despised.

子質，字懷素。幼有立志，年十四，啟母求就徐遵明受業，母以其年幼，不許。質遂密將一奴，遠赴徐學，留書一紙，置所臥床。內外見之，相視悲歎。五六年中，便通諸經大義。自學言歸，生徒輻湊，皆同衣食，情若兄弟。後避葛榮難，客居趙國飛龍山，為亂賊所害。士友傷惜之。興和二年，侍中李俊、秘書監常景等三十二人申辭于尚書，為請贈諡。事下太常，博士考行，諡曰貞烈先生。

His son Zhi, whose courtesy name was Huaisu. From boyhood he was resolved in purpose; at fourteen he asked his mother to let him study under Xu Zunming, but she refused, thinking him too young. Zhi then secretly took a servant and traveled far to study with Xu, leaving a note on his bed. When the household found it, they looked at one another and sighed in grief. Within five or six years he had mastered the essential meaning of the classics. When he announced his return from study, students flocked to him; they shared food and clothing and treated one another like brothers. Later, fleeing the chaos of Ge Rong, he lived as a guest on Feilong Mountain in Zhao state and was killed by bandits. Scholars and friends mourned his loss. In the second year of Xinghe, Chief Minister Li Jun, Director of the Secretariat Chang Jing, and thirty-two others petitioned the Ministry of Works to request a posthumous title for him. The matter was referred to the Minister of Ceremonies; the academicians examined his conduct and granted the posthumous title Master Zhenlie.

魏長賢，收之族叔也。祖釗，本名顯義，字弘理，魏世祖賜名，仍命以顯義為字。雅性俊辯，博涉群書，有當世才，兼資文武，知名梁、楚、淮、泗之間。世祖南伐，聞而召之，既至，與語大悅。謂釗曰：「今我此行，是卿建功之日，勉之，勿憂不富貴也。」授內都直，侍左右。師次淮南，諸城未有下者。釗乃進曰：「陛下百萬之軍，風行電掃，攻城掠地，所向無前，雖有智者，莫能為計。然而師次淮南，已經累日，義陽諸城，猶敢拒守，此非不懼亡滅，自謂必可保全也。但陛下卒徒果銳，殺掠尚多，人皆畏威，未甚懷惠，恐一旦降下，妻子不全，所以遲疑，未肯先發。臣請間入城內，見其豪右，宣達聖心，示以誠信，必當大小相率，面縛請罪。陛下拔其英楚，因而任之，此外諸城，可不勞兵而自定。」世祖大喜曰：「所以召卿，本為是耳。卿今所言，副吾所望。」釗遂夜入城中，示以危亡之期，開以生全之路，城中大小欣悅，明旦開門出降。自此而南，望塵款附。世祖謂釗曰：「卿之一言，逾于十萬之師。揚我信義，播於四表，實卿一人之力。」即授義陽太守、陵江將軍。又令釗與諸將，統兵討襲，所當無不摧破，軍中服其勇敢。世祖益喜，謂群臣曰：「中國士人，吾拔擢咸盡，文武膽略，未有若釗儔。」加授建忠將軍，追贈其父處順州刺史。時經略江左，方大用之，遇風疾發動，頻降醫藥，竟不痊復。卒時年六十四。

Wei Changxian was Wei Shou's uncle by clan relation. His grandfather Zhao, whose original name was Xianyi and courtesy name Hongli, was given the name Zhao by Emperor Shizu of Wei, who also designated Xianyi as his courtesy name. Elegant, brilliant, and eloquent by nature, he read widely and possessed both civil and military talent; he was renowned throughout the regions of Liang, Chu, the Huai, and the Si. When Emperor Shizu marched south, he heard of Zhao and summoned him; once Zhao arrived and they spoke, the emperor was greatly pleased. He said to Zhao, "On this campaign, this is your day to win distinction — exert yourself, and do not worry that wealth and honor will not follow. He was appointed Inner Capital Attendant and served at the emperor's side. When the army halted at Huainan, none of the cities had yet submitted. Zhao then stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty's army of a million men sweeps like wind and lightning; besieging cities and seizing land, it advances wherever it goes — even the wisest men could devise no counterplan. Yet the army has halted at Huainan for many days, and the cities of Yiyang still dare to resist — not because they do not fear destruction, but because they believe they can still save themselves. But Your Majesty's troops are fierce, and there has been much killing and plunder; the people fear your might but have not yet felt your mercy. They fear that if they surrender, their wives and children will not be spared — and so they hesitate and will not be the first to submit. I ask to enter the city secretly, meet its leading families, proclaim Your Majesty's intentions, and show good faith — then surely great and small alike will follow one another and come bound to beg forgiveness. Your Majesty may select their best men and appoint them, and the other cities will submit without need of arms. The emperor was delighted and said, "The reason I summoned you was precisely for this. What you say now matches exactly what I hoped for." Zhao then entered the city by night, showed them the hour of destruction and the path to survival; the whole city rejoiced, and at dawn they opened the gates and surrendered. From that point southward, cities submitted in droves at the mere sight of advancing dust. The emperor said to Zhao, "Your single speech is worth more than an army of a hundred thousand. You have spread my good faith to the four quarters — truly this is the work of you alone. He immediately appointed Zhao Administrator of Yiyang and General Who Crosses the River. He further ordered Zhao to join the other generals in leading punitive raids; wherever they went nothing withstood them, and the army respected his courage. The emperor was still more pleased and said to his ministers, "Of the Chinese gentlemen I have promoted, none matches Zhao in civil and military courage and strategy. He further appointed Zhao General Who Establishes Loyalty and posthumously granted his father the post of Governor of Shunzhou. At the time the court was planning to seize the lower Yangtze and was about to employ Zhao on a great scale, when he suffered a relapse of paralysis; the emperor repeatedly sent physicians and medicine, but he never recovered. He died at the age of sixty-four.

父彥，字惠卿，博學善屬文。趙郡王幹避開府參軍，廣陵王羽辟記室，並不行。陳留公李崇甚重之，引為鎮西參軍事。崇討叛氏陽珍、叛蠻魯北燕，又請為記室參軍。中山王英討淮南，又請為記室參軍。軍還，求為著作郎，思樹不朽之業。以晉書作者多家，體制繁雜，欲正其紕繆，刪其遊辭，勒成一家之典。俄而彭城王聞李崇稱之，復請為掾，兼知主客郎中，書遂不成。王遇害，退歸田里。清河王復引為諮議。王勢高名重，深為權幸所疾，恐罹其禍，固辭以疾。肅宗初，拜驃騎長史，尋轉光州刺史。年六十八，卒。

His father Yan, whose courtesy name was Huiqing, was learned and skilled at literary composition. When Prince Gan of Zhao commandery offered him a post on his staff and Prince Yu of Guangling invited him as record keeper, he accepted neither. Li Chong, Duke of Chenliu, valued him highly and brought him in as staff officer of the Western Garrison. When Li Chong campaigned against the rebellious Di chieftain Yang Zhen and the tribal rebel Lu Beiyan, he again asked Yan to serve as record keeper on his staff. When Prince Ying of Zhongshan campaigned against Huainan, he again asked Yan to serve as record keeper on his staff. When the army returned, he requested appointment as Compiler in the History Office, hoping to establish a work that would outlast him. Because many men had written versions of the History of Jin and the form was complex and disorderly, he wished to correct its errors, cut its superfluous rhetoric, and compile a definitive edition. Soon the Prince of Pengcheng, hearing Li Chong praise him, again invited him onto his staff and additionally made him Master of Guests Attendant — and the book was never finished. When the prince was killed, he withdrew to the countryside. The Prince of Qinghe again brought him in as adviser. The prince was powerful and eminent, and deeply hated by the powerful and favored at court; fearing to be caught up in the disaster, Yan firmly declined on grounds of illness. At the beginning of Emperor Suzong's reign, he was appointed chief administrator to the General of Flying Cavalry; soon after he was transferred to Governor of Guang province. He died at the age of sixty-eight.

兄伯胤之歸也，留長賢與弟德振，使宦學於洛中。孝靜北遷，亦徙居鄴。博涉經史，詞藻清華，舉秀才，除汝南王悅參軍事。入齊，平陽王淹辟為法曹參軍，轉著作佐郎。更撰晉書，欲還成先志。

When his elder brother Boyin returned home, he left Changxian and his younger brother Dezheng in Luoyang to pursue official studies. When Emperor Xiaojing moved the capital north, they relocated to Ye as well. He read widely in the classics and histories; his prose was clear and elegant; raised as Presented Scholar, he was appointed staff officer to Prince Yue of Runan. After the Qi regime was established, Prince Yan of Pingyang invited him as legal section staff officer, and he was later transferred to Assistant Compiler in the History Office. He took up the History of Jin again, hoping to fulfill his father's earlier ambition.

河清中，上書譏刺時政，大忤權幸，為上黨屯留令。親故以長賢不相時而動，或為書以相規責。長賢復書曰：

During the Heqing era, he submitted a memorial satirizing current affairs, greatly offending the powerful and favored at court, and was demoted to Magistrate of Tunliu in Shangdang commandery. Relatives and friends, thinking Changxian had acted without regard for the times, sometimes wrote to admonish and reprove him. Changxian replied in a letter:

日者惠書，義高旨遠。誨僕以自求諸已，思不出位，國之大事，君與執政所圖。又謂僕祿不足以代耕，位不登於執戟，幹非其議，自貽悔咎。勤勤懇懇，誠見故人之心。靜言再思，無忘寤寐。

The other day you graciously sent a letter — lofty in principle and far-reaching in intent. You admonished me to look within myself, to keep my thoughts within my station, and to leave the great affairs of state to the ruler and those who govern. You also said my salary is insufficient to live on, my rank does not reach that of Halberd Bearer, my interference was outside my proper role, and I have brought remorse upon myself. Earnest and sincere — truly this shows the heart of an old friend. On quiet reflection, again and again, I shall not forget it waking or sleeping.

僕雖固陋，亦嘗奉教于君子矣。以為士之立身，其路不一。故有負鼎俎以趨世，隱漁釣以待時，操築傅岩之下，取履圯橋之上者矣。或有釋賃車以匡霸業，委挽輅以定王基，由斬祛以見禮，因射鉤而受相者矣。或有三黜不移，屈身以直道；九死不侮，甘心於苦節者矣。皆奮於泥滓，自致青云。雖事有萬殊，而理終一致，榷其大要，歸乎忠孝而已矣。

Though I am stubborn and uncultivated, I have also received instruction from gentlemen. I believe that in how a gentleman establishes himself, the paths are not all the same. Some rushed into public life bearing cooking vessels and sacrificial stands; others hid in fishing and angling to await their hour; some labored with building tools beneath Mount Fu, and others retrieved a shoe above the Broken Bridge. Some cast aside a hired cart to aid a hegemonic enterprise; others entrusted a hand-drawn carriage to establish a royal foundation; some won favor by cutting off a sleeve, and others became chancellor because of an arrow shot at a hook. Some were dismissed three times yet never swayed, humbling themselves to uphold the straight Way; others endured nine deaths without regret, content in bitter steadfastness. All rose from the mud to reach the azure heights themselves. Though circumstances differ in countless ways, the principle is ultimately one: weighed in the largest sense, it comes down to loyalty and filial piety, nothing more.

夫孝則竭力所生，忠則致身所事，未有孝而遺其親，忠而後其君者也。僕自射策金馬，記言麟閣，寒暑迭運，五稔於茲。不能勒成一家，潤色鴻業，善述人事，功既闕如，顯親揚名，邈焉無冀。每一念之，曷雲其已。自頃王室板蕩，彝倫攸斁，大臣持祿而莫諫，小臣畏罪而不言，虛痛朝危，空哀主辱。匪躬之故，徒聞其語；有犯無隱，未見其人。此梅福所以獻書，硃雲所以請劍者也。抑又聞之，嫠不恤緯而憂宗周之亡，女不懷歸而悲太子之少，況僕之先人，世傳儒業，訓僕以為子之道，曆僕以事君之節？今僕之委質，有年世矣，安可自同於匹庶，取笑於兒女子哉！是以腸一夕而九回，心終朝而百慮，懼當年之不立，恥沒世而無聞，慷慨懷古，自強不息，庶幾伯夷之風，以立懦夫之志。吾子又謂僕幹進務入，不畏友朋；居下訕上，欲益反損。僕誠不敏，以貽吾子之羞，默默苟容，又非平生之意。故願得鋤彼草茅，逐茲鳥雀，去一惡，樹一善，不違先旨，以沒九泉。求仁得仁，其誰敢怨？

Filial piety means devoting one's full strength to those who gave one life; loyalty means giving one's body to one's lord — there has never been filial piety that abandoned one's parents, or loyalty that put one's lord last. Since I passed the policy examination at the Golden Horse Gate and served as a recorder in the Unicorn Pavilion, five years of seasons have passed. I have not been able to finish a work of my own, polish the grand imperial enterprise, or ably recount human affairs—my achievements fall woefully short, and to bring honor to my parents and make a name for myself is a hope I must abandon. Each time these thoughts arise, how could they ever cease? In recent years the royal house has been shaken to its foundations and moral order has collapsed. Great ministers clung to their stipends but offered no remonstrance; minor officials feared punishment and held their tongues. They grieved in vain over the court's peril and mourned in vain the sovereign's humiliation. People speak of sacrificing oneself for the sovereign, but one hears only the words; They cite the principle of remonstrating without concealment, yet no one who actually does so is to be found. This is precisely why Mei Fu submitted his memorial and Zhu Yun demanded the sword to execute the minister who deceived the emperor. I have also heard it said that a widow will neglect her weaving to grieve over the fall of the house of Zhou, and a woman will set aside her longing for home to mourn that the crown prince is still young. How much more ought I to act thus, when my ancestors handed down Confucian learning for generations, teaching me the duty of a son and drilling into me the integrity owed to one's lord? I have pledged myself to service for many years now. How could I lower myself to the level of common people and become a laughingstock for women and children? For this reason my thoughts churn through the night and my mind weighs a hundred anxieties by morning. I fear accomplishing nothing while I still have strength, and I am ashamed to die without leaving any mark upon the world. Inspired by the past and striving without rest, I hope in some small way to emulate the spirit of Boyi and awaken even the faint-hearted to resolve. You also accuse me of scrambling for advancement and thrusting myself forward heedlessly, without respect for my friends; of standing below yet mocking those above, intending to do good but achieving the opposite. I am indeed dull-witted and have brought shame upon you. Yet to remain silent and passively endure is equally contrary to what I have stood for all my life. Therefore I wish to root out that harmful growth and drive off these destructive birds—to remove one evil and establish one good, not betraying my ancestors' teaching, even unto death. Having sought righteousness and found it, who could have grounds for complaint?

但言與不言在我，用與不用在時。若國道方屯，時不我與，以忠獲罪，以信見疑，貝錦成章，青蠅變色，良田敗於邪徑，黃金鑠於眾口，窮達運也，其如命何！吾子忠告之言，敢不敬承嘉惠。然則僕之所懷，未可一二為俗人道也。投筆而已，乂復何言！

Whether I speak or stay silent is my own choice; whether my words are heeded depends on the times. If the nation's course remains troubled and the times are not with me—if loyalty earns punishment and sincerity invites suspicion, if calumny weaves its patterns and rumor darkens the truth, if good land is ruined by ill paths and pure gold is corroded by many tongues—then success and failure belong to fortune. What can one do against destiny? Your sincere counsel—I dare not fail to receive it with gratitude and respect. What I carry in my heart, however, cannot readily be explained to the common run of people. I lay down my brush and have nothing more to say!

是出也，人皆為之怏怏，而長賢處之怡然，不屑懷抱，識者以此多焉。

On this dismissal, everyone resented it on his behalf, but Changxian accepted it with equanimity, refusing to dwell on resentment. Those who understood admired him for it.

武平中，辭疾去職，終於齊代，不復出仕。周武平齊，搜揚才俊，辟書屢降，固以疾辭。卒年七十四。貞觀中，贈定州刺史。子征。

During the Wuping era he resigned on grounds of illness and lived out his days in the Qi region, never holding office again. After Emperor Wu of Zhou conquered Qi and sought out men of talent, appointment letters arrived again and again, but he consistently declined on grounds of illness. He died at the age of seventy-four. During the Zhenguan era he was posthumously honored as Governor of Ding Prefecture. His son was Zheng.

魏季景，收族叔也。父鸞字雙和，為魏文賜名。有器幹，體貌魁偉，以有容儀，為奉車都尉。曾升輅車，觸毀金翼，斂容請罪。帝笑曰：「卿體貌過人，素不便習，何足懼也？」車駕南征漢陽，除鸞統軍。帝曆幸其營，歎賞之。及在馬圈不豫，敕兼武衛將軍，領宿衛左右。景明中，六輔之廢，鸞頗預其事。後除光州刺史，更滿還朝，卒。諡曰夷。子季景少孤，清苦自立，博學有文才，弱冠有名京師。時邢子明稱有才學，殆與子才相侔，季景與收相亞，洛中號兩邢二魏。莊帝時，為中書侍郎。普泰中，為尚書右丞。季景善附會，宰要當朝，必先事其左右。爾硃世隆特賞愛之。于時才名甚盛，頗過其實。太昌中，位給事黃門侍郎，甚見信待，除定州大中正。孝武帝釋奠，季景與溫子升、李業興、竇瑗等俱為摘句。天平初，因遷都，遂居柏人西山。內懷憂悔，乃為擇居賦。元象初，兼給事黃門侍郎，後兼散騎常侍，使梁。還，曆大司農卿、魏郡尹。卒，家無餘財，遺命薄葬，贈散騎常侍、衛尉卿。所著文筆二百餘篇。子澹知名。

Wei Jijing was Wei Shou's clansman and elder uncle. His father Luan, courtesy name Shuanghe, received that name as a bestowment from Emperor Wen of Wei. He possessed talent and capability and a tall, imposing physique. Because of his dignified appearance he was appointed Commandant of the Imperial Carriages. Once when boarding the imperial carriage he accidentally damaged the golden wing ornament; he composed himself and asked to be punished. The emperor laughed and said, "Your stature exceeds that of most men, and you are naturally unused to such things—what is there to fear? When the emperor marched south against Hanyang, Luan was appointed army commander. The emperor repeatedly visited his camp and expressed admiration. When he fell ill at Maquan, he was ordered to serve concurrently as General of the Martial Guard, commanding the palace guards. During the Jingming era, in the removal of the Six Assistants, Luan played a significant role. He was later appointed Governor of Guang Prefecture. When his term expired he returned to court and died. His posthumous title was Yi ("Plain"). His son Jijing lost his father young. He endured hardship and supported himself, was widely learned and possessed literary talent, and was already renowned in the capital before reaching twenty. At the time Xing Ziming was acclaimed for scholarship, nearly equal to Xing Zicai. Jijing was ranked just below Wei Shou. In Luoyang they were known as the Two Xings and the Two Weis. During the reign of Emperor Zhuang he served as Vice Director of the Secretariat. During the Putai era he served as Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs. Jijing was adept at ingratiating himself. When a powerful minister held sway, he would always cultivate that minister's close associates first. Erzhu Shilong especially valued and favored him. At the time his reputation for talent ran very high, considerably beyond what he deserved. During the Taichang era he served as Attendant Gentleman of the Yellow Gate, enjoyed great trust, and was appointed Chief Rectifier of Ding Prefecture. At Emperor Xiaowu's libation ceremony for Confucius, Jijing joined Wen Zisheng, Li Yexing, Dou Yuan, and others in selecting passages for recitation. At the beginning of the Tianping era, following the move of the capital, he settled on West Mountain near Bairen. Troubled inwardly by grief and regret, he composed the "Rhapsody on Choosing a Dwelling." At the beginning of the Yuanxiang era he concurrently served as Attendant Gentleman of the Yellow Gate; later he also served as Regular Attendant and was sent as envoy to Liang. On his return he successively served as Minister of Grand Granaries and Prefect of Wei Commandery. He died leaving no surplus wealth at home. His final instructions called for a simple burial. He was posthumously honored as Regular Attendant and Commandant of the Guard. He authored more than two hundred literary works. His son Dan became well known.

澹子彥深。年十五而孤，專精好學，高才善屬文。仕齊，殿中侍御史，預修五禮，及撰御覽。除殿中郎、中書舍人，與李德林修國史。入周為納言中士。隋初，為行台禮部侍郎，尋為聘陳使主。還，除太子舍人。廢太子勇深禮之，令注庚信集，撰笑苑，世稱博物。遷著作郎，仍為太子學士。

Dan, styled Yanshen. Orphaned at fifteen, he devoted himself to study with singular dedication. He possessed great talent and excelled at literary composition. He served Northern Qi as Palace Attendant Censor, participated in compiling the Five Rites, and helped draft the Imperial Overview. He was appointed Palace Gentleman and Secretariat Aide, and collaborated with Li Delin on revising the national history. After Zhou conquered Qi he served as Senior Clerk in the Palace Secretariat. In the early Sui he served as Vice Director of Rites on the Executive Board, and soon afterward headed an embassy to Chen. On his return he was appointed Attendant to the Crown Prince. The deposed Crown Prince Yong treated him with great respect, commissioned him to annotate Yu Xin's collected works and to compile the Garden of Laughter, and he was widely acclaimed as a man of encyclopedic learning. He was promoted to Gentleman of the Palace Library and continued to serve as an academician to the crown prince.

帝以魏收所撰後魏書褒貶失實，平繪為中興書事不倫序，詔澹別成魏史。澹自道武下及恭帝，為十二紀，七十八列傳。別為史論及例，各一卷，合九十二卷。義例與魏收多所不同。

The emperor judged that Wei Shou's History of Later Wei distorted praise and blame, and that Ping Hui's account of the restoration was disorderly. He ordered Yanshen to compile a separate history of Wei. Yanshen's work, from Emperor Daowu down to Emperor Gongdi, comprised twelve annals and seventy-eight biographies. He also wrote separate historical appraisals and precedents, one scroll each, for a total of ninety-two scrolls. Its principles and precedents differed considerably from those of Wei Shou.

其一曰：「臣聞天子者繼天立稱，終始絕。故谷梁傳：'太上不名。 '曲禮：'天子不言出，諸侯不生名。 '諸侯尚不生名，況天子乎？若為太子，必須書名。良由子者對父生稱，父前子名，禮之意也。至如馬遷，周之太子，並皆言名，漢之儲兩，俱沒其諱，以尊漢卑周，臣子之意也。竊謂雖立此理，恐非其義。何者？春秋、禮記，太子必書名，天王不言出，此仲尼之褒貶，皇王之稱謂，非當時與異代，遂為優劣也。班固、范曄、陳壽、王隱、沈約參差不同，尊卑失序。至於魏收諱儲君之名，書天子之字，過又甚焉。今所撰，諱皇帝名，書太子字，欲尊君卑臣，依春秋之義。」

The first principle states: "I have heard that the Son of Heaven inherits the Mandate of Heaven to establish his title—a rule that holds absolutely from first to last. Thus the Guliang Commentary says, 'The Supreme One is not referred to by personal name. The Record of Rites says, 'The Son of Heaven does not speak of going out; feudal lords are not named by their personal names while still living. If even feudal lords are not named while alive, how much more so the Son of Heaven? If the subject is the crown prince, his personal name must be recorded. This is because a son uses his birth name when addressing his father—to name the son before the father is the proper meaning of ritual. Sima Qian, for instance, names the Zhou crown princes outright, yet obscures the taboo names of Han heirs—honoring Han while demeaning Zhou, reflecting the bias of a Han subject. I venture to say that although this principle has been established, it is likely not sound in substance. Why is this so? In the Spring and Autumn Annals and the Record of Rites, crown princes are always named and the Heavenly King is never said to 'go out.' These reflect Confucius's standards of praise and blame and the proper forms of address for sovereigns—they do not mean that contemporary versus later dynasties are inherently superior or inferior. Ban Gu, Fan Ye, Chen Shou, Wang Yin, and Shen Yue applied inconsistent standards, reversing proper order of respect. Wei Shou went even further, tabooing the crown prince's name while recording the emperor's style name. In the present work we taboo the emperor's personal name and record the crown prince's style name, seeking to honor the sovereign and humble the subject in accordance with the principles of the Spring and Autumn Annals."

二曰「魏氏平文以前，部落之君長耳。太祖遠追二十八帝，並極崇高，違堯舜憲章，越周公典禮。但道武出自結繩，未師典誥，當須南董直筆，裁而正之；反更飾非，豈是觀過？但力微天女所誕，靈異絕世，尊為始祖，得禮之宜。平文、昭成，雄據塞表，英風漸盛，圖南之業，基自此始。長孫斤之亂也，兵交御坐，太子授命，昭成獲免。道武此時，後緡方娠，宗廟復存，社稷有主，大功大孝，實在獻明。此之三世，稱諡可也；自茲以外，未之敢聞。」

The second principle states: "Before Emperor Pingwen, the house of Wei were merely tribal chieftains. The Grand Ancestor traced the lineage back twenty-eight generations, elevating all to the highest eminence—in violation of the model of Yao and Shun and beyond the canonical rites established by the Duke of Zhou. Emperor Daowu belonged to an age that predated written law and had no training in the classical canon. What was needed was the impartial brush of a true historian to judge and set matters right; Instead errors were glossed over—is this the way to observe and correct faults? Emperor Liwei, however, was born of a heavenly maiden and possessed miraculous gifts beyond the ordinary. Honoring him as Founding Ancestor was ritually appropriate. Emperors Pingwen and Zhaocheng held the northern frontier with force; their prestige steadily grew, and the ambition to advance south had its foundation in their reigns. During the uprising of Changsun Jin, fighting reached the imperial throne itself. The crown prince took command and Zhaocheng was saved. At that time Emperor Daowu was not yet born—the empress dowager was newly pregnant with him. The ancestral temple was preserved and the realm had its sovereign. The great achievement and great filial devotion truly belonged to Emperor Xianming. These three generations may properly receive posthumous titles; Beyond these, no others deserve such honor—or so I maintain."

其三曰：「幽王死於驪山，厲王出奔於彘，未嘗隱諱，直筆書之，欲以勸善懲惡，詒誡將來。而太武、獻文，並遭非命，前史立紀，不異天年，言論之間，頗露首尾。殺主害君，莫知姓名，逆臣賊子，何所懼哉？今分明直書，不敢回避。」

The third principle states: "When King You died at Mount Li and King Li fled to Zhi, the historians did not conceal these events but recorded them plainly, seeking to encourage virtue and punish evil and to admonish posterity. Yet Emperors Taiwu and Xianwen both met violent deaths, while the earlier history recorded their reigns as though they had died natural deaths—yet in the narrative, hints of the truth show through. When regicides go unnamed, what do traitorous ministers and wicked sons have to fear? In the present work we record these events plainly, without evasion."

四曰：「自晉德不競，宇宙分崩，或帝或王，各自署置。其生略如敵國，書死便同庶人。凡處華夏之地者，皆書曰卒，同之吳、楚。」

The fourth principle states: "After Jin virtue declined and the realm fragmented, rulers proclaimed themselves emperors or kings as they saw fit. In life they were treated nearly as rival sovereigns, yet in death they were recorded no differently from commoners. All rulers within the heartland shall be recorded with zu (died)—the same term applied to Wu and Chu."

澹又以為「司馬遷創立紀傳已來，述者非一，人無善惡，皆為立論。計在身行跡，具在正書，事既無奇，不足懲勸，再述乍同銘頌，重敘唯覺繁文。案丘明亞聖之才，發揚聖旨，言'君子曰'者，無非甚泰；其間尋常，直言而已。今所撰史，竊有慕焉，可為勸戒者，論其得失；其無損益者，所不論也。」上覽而善之。未幾而卒。有集三十卷。子罕言。

Yanshen further argued: "Since Sima Qian established the annal-biography format, historians have routinely composed evaluative essays on every figure, whether worthy or wicked. Since a person's conduct is already fully recorded in the main text, and when there is nothing remarkable to admonish by, composing another essay merely repeats what reads like an epitaph—adding only redundant prose. Consider Zuo Qiuming, whose talent was second only to the Sage: when he expounded the Sage's intent with 'the noble man says,' it was always to render the highest praise; For ordinary matters he simply stated the facts. In the present history I aspire to follow this model: where there is something to admonish by, I discuss gains and losses; Where there is nothing to admonish by, I offer no commentary. The emperor read it and expressed approval. He died soon afterward. He left collected writings in thirty juan. His son was Hanyan.

澹弟彥玄，位洧州司馬。子滿行。

Yanshen, younger brother of Dan, served as military aide of Weizhou. His son was Manxing.

魏蘭根，字蘭根，收族叔也。父伯成，中山太守。蘭根身長八尺，儀貌奇偉，博學高才，機警有識悟。起家北海王國侍郎。母憂，居喪有孝稱。將葬，常山郡境先有董卓祠，祠有柏樹，蘭根以卓凶逆，不應遺祠至今，乃啟刺史，請伐為槨。左右人言有靈，蘭根了無疑懼。父喪，廬於墓側，負土成墳，憂毀殆於滅性。

Wei Lange, styled Lange, was a clansman uncle of Wei Shou. His father Bocheng served as Administrator of Zhongshan. Lange stood eight chi tall, with a singularly imposing presence. Deeply learned and highly gifted, he was quick-witted and keenly perceptive. He began his career as an attendant in the principality of Beihai. Upon his mother's death he observed mourning and earned a reputation for filial devotion. When preparing her burial, he found a shrine to Dong Zhuo with a cypress tree still standing in Changshan commandery. Considering Zhuo a traitor whose shrine ought not to endure, he petitioned the inspector to fell the tree for his mother's coffin. Those around him warned that the tree was sacred, but Lange showed not the slightest fear. When his father died, he lived in a hut beside the tomb and carried earth to build the mound himself, grieving so deeply that he nearly destroyed himself.

正光末，尚書令李崇為大都督，討蠕蠕，以蘭根為長史。因說崇曰：「緣邊諸鎮，控攝長遠，昔時初置，地廣人稀，或徵發中原強宗子弟，或國之肺腑寄以爪牙。中年以來，有司乖實，號曰府戶，役同廝養，官婚班齒，致失清流。而本宗舊類，各各榮顯，顧瞻彼此，理當憤怨。宜改鎮立州，分置郡縣。凡是府戶，悉免為平人，入仕次第，一準其舊。此計若行，國家庶無北顧之慮。」崇以奏聞，事寢不報。

At the end of the Zhenguang era, Li Chong, Minister of State Affairs, was appointed Grand Commander to campaign against the Rouran and made Lange his chief administrator. He then said to Chong: "The frontier garrisons guard vast territories. When first established, the land was sparsely populated. Some garrison troops were drawn from powerful central plain clans; others were chosen from the empire's most trusted loyalists as its claws and fangs. From the mid-dynasty onward, officials misrepresented their status, designating them as garrison households and treating their service like that of servants. Marriage was arranged by bureaucratic rank rather than pedigree, stripping them of their standing among the elite. Meanwhile their clansmen back in the central plains rose to eminence one after another. Comparisons between the two groups naturally bred resentment. The garrisons should be converted into prefectures and subdivided into commanderies and counties. All garrison households should be granted ordinary civilian status, with official advancement restored to its original criteria. If this plan were adopted, the state would no longer need to worry about its northern frontier. Chong submitted the proposal to the throne, but it was shelved without response.

孝昌初，為岐州刺史，從行台蕭實夤討破宛川。俘其人為奴婢，以美女十人賞蘭根。蘭根辭曰：「此縣介於強虜，故成背叛。今當恤其饑寒，奈何並充僕隸？」於是盡以歸其父兄。部內麥多五穗。鄰州田鼠為災，犬牙不入岐境。及蕭寶夤敗於涇州，岐州人囚蘭根降賊。寶夤兵威復振，城人復斬賊刺史侯莫陳仲和，推蘭根復任。朝廷以蘭根得西土人心，加都督涇、岐、東秦、南岐四州諸軍事，兼四州行台尚書。

At the beginning of the Xiaochang era he was appointed Inspector of Qizhou and accompanied Xiao Baoyin's field headquarters in the suppression of Wanchuan. The captives were taken as slaves, and ten beautiful women were offered to Lange as a reward. Lange declined, saying: "This county rebelled because it was caught between powerful enemies. They should now be relieved from hunger and cold. How can we turn them all into slaves? He then returned them all to their families. Within his jurisdiction wheat often bore five ears to the stalk—a sign of abundance. Field mice ravaged neighboring prefectures, but did not enter Qizhou. When Xiao Baoyin was defeated at Jingzhou, the people of Qizhou imprisoned Lange and submitted to the rebels. When Baoyin's forces rallied, the city people killed the rebel inspector Houmo Chen Zhonghe and reinstated Lange. The court, recognizing that Lange commanded the loyalty of the western territories, appointed him Commander-in-Chief over the four prefectures of Jing, Qi, Eastern Qin, and Southern Qi, and concurrently Mobile Headquarters Minister for all four.

孝昌末，河北流人南度，以蘭根兼尚書，使齊、濟、二兗四州安撫，並置郡縣。蘭根甥邢杲反於青、光間，復詔蘭根慰勞。杲不下，仍隨元天穆討之。還，拜中書令。

At the end of the Xiaochang era, refugees from Hebei flooded southward. Lange was appointed concurrent Minister and charged with pacifying Qi, Ji, and the two Yan prefectures, establishing commanderies and counties as needed. When Lange's nephew Xing Shao rebelled in Qing and Guang provinces, Lange was again ordered to go and negotiate with him. Shao refused to surrender, and Lange joined Yuan Tianmu's campaign against him. On his return he was appointed Director of the Secretariat.

莊帝之將誅爾硃榮，蘭根泄之于兄子周達，周達告爾硃世隆。及榮死，蘭根憂，不知所出。時應詔王道習見信于莊帝，蘭根乃托附之，求出立功。乃兼尚書右僕射、河北行台，定州率募鄉曲，欲防井陘。為榮將侯深所敗，走依勃海高乾。屬乾兄弟義舉，固在其中。神武以宿望深禮之。中興初，為尚書右僕射。神武將入洛陽，時廢立未決，令蘭根察節閔帝。帝神采高明，蘭根恐於後難測，遂與高乾兄弟及黃門侍郎崔甗同請。神武不得已，遂立武帝。太昌初，加侍中、開府儀同三司、钜鹿縣侯，啟授兄子周達。蘭根既預勳業，位居端副，始敘復岐州勳，封永興侯。高乾之死，蘭根懼，以病免。天平初，言病篤，以開府儀同歸本鄉，門施行馬。武定三年，薨。贈司徒公，諡曰文宣。長子相如襲爵。

When Emperor Zhuang was plotting to kill Erzhu Rong, Lange leaked the plan to his nephew Zhou Da, who informed Erzhu Shilong. After Rong's death, Lange was deeply anxious and uncertain what to do. Wang Daoxi, a court confidant of Emperor Zhuang, was then in favor. Lange attached himself to Wang and sought a field assignment where he might redeem himself through service. He was appointed concurrent Right Vice Director of the Secretariat and Hebei Mobile Headquarters Minister, and at Dingzhou he raised local militia to defend Jingxing Pass. He was defeated by Rong's general Hou Shen and fled to Gao Gan of Bohai. When the Gao brothers launched their uprising, he naturally joined them. Gao Huan, respecting his long-standing reputation, treated him with deep honor. At the beginning of the Zhongxing era he was appointed Right Vice Director of the Secretariat. As Gao Huan prepared to enter Luoyang with the question of deposition still unresolved, he dispatched Lange to assess Emperor Jiemin. The emperor's bearing was sharp and commanding. Fearing he would prove unpredictable, Lange joined the Gao brothers and Gentleman of the Yellow Gate Cui Yan in recommending his removal. Gao Huan, left with no alternative, installed Emperor Wu. At the beginning of the Taichang era he was granted Attendant-in-Ordinary, Grand Master of the Palace with Golden Seal, and Marquis of Julu, and petitioned to confer office on his nephew Zhou Da. Having shared in the founding enterprise and holding a senior vice-ministerial post, Lange at last had his Qizhou service recognized and was enfeoffed as Marquis of Yongxing. After Gao Gan's execution, Lange, fearing for himself, resigned citing illness. At the beginning of the Tianping era, citing grave illness, he returned home with full ceremonial honors; horses were stationed at his gate as a mark of rank. He died in the third year of the Wuding era. He was posthumously awarded the title Duke of Education with the posthumous name Wenxuan. His eldest son Xiangru inherited the marquisate.

相如性亢直，有文藻，與族兄愷齊名，雅為當時所貴。早卒。孝昭時，佐命功臣配饗，不及蘭根，次子敬仲表訴，竟不允。敬仲以才器稱，卒于章武太守。子餉，字孝衡。幼孤，學涉有時譽，居喪以孝聞。隋饒州司倉參軍事。子景義、景禮並有才行，鄉人呼為雙鳳，早卒。敬仲弟少政，位至洛州刺史。子孝該、孝幾。

Xiangru was upright and outspoken, possessed of literary gifts, and shared equal renown with his clansman Kai—both were held in high esteem. He died young. During Emperor Xiaozhao's reign, founding ministers were granted ancestral rites, but Lange was excluded. His second son Jingzhong petitioned on his behalf, but the request was denied. Jingzhong was noted for talent and ability and died while serving as Administrator of Zhangwu. His son was Xiang, styled Xiaoheng. Orphaned at a young age, he was broadly learned and enjoyed a contemporary reputation; he was known for filial devotion during mourning. Under the Sui he served as granary officer of Raozhou. His sons Jingyi and Jingli both possessed talent and character; their townspeople called them the Twin Phoenixes. They died young. Jingzhong's younger brother Shaozheng rose to Inspector of Luozhou. His sons were Xiaogai and Xiaoji.

愷自散騎常侍遷青州長史，固辭。文宣大怒曰：「何物漢子，與官不就！」時帝已失德，朝廷為之懼，愷容色坦然。帝曰：「死與長史，任卿所擇。」答曰：「能殺臣者陛下，不受長史者愚臣。」帝謂楊愔曰：「何慮無人，苦用此漢！放還，永不須收。」由是積年沈廢。後遇愔于路，微自陳。愔云：「咸由中旨。」愷應聲曰；「雖復零雨自天，終待雲興四嶽，公豈得言不知？」楊愔欣然曰：「此言極為簡要。」數日，除霍州刺史，在職有政理。後卒于膠州刺史。

Kai was transferred from Attendant Cavalry Regular to Chief Administrator of Qingzhou, but firmly declined the appointment. Emperor Wenxuan flew into a rage: "What kind of Han wretch refuses an appointment when one is offered! The emperor had already fallen into debauchery, and the court trembled for Kai's safety, but he remained perfectly composed. The emperor said: "Death or the chief administrator's post—choose as you please. Kai replied: "Only Your Majesty may take my life; only a fool would accept the chief administrator's post." The emperor said to Yang Yin: "Are we so short of men that we must bother with this Han wretch! Release him—and never summon him again. Thereafter he languished in obscurity for many years. Later he encountered Yang Yin on the road and briefly made his case. Yin said: "That was entirely by imperial decree. Kai answered at once: "Even when rain falls from heaven, clouds must still gather on the four peaks—surely you cannot claim ignorance? Yang Yin smiled and said: "Well put—and admirably concise." Within days he was appointed Inspector of Huozhou, where he governed effectively. He later died while serving as Inspector of Jiaozhou.

論曰：伯起少頗疏放，不拘行檢，及折節讀書，鬱為偉器。學博今古，才極從橫，體物之旨，尤為富贍，足以入相如之室，游尼父之門。勒成魏籍，追從班、馬，婉而有則，繁而不蕪，持論序言，鉤深致遠。但意存實錄，好抵陰私，到於親故之家，一無所說，不平之議，見於斯矣。王松年、李庶等並論正家門，未為謗議，遂憑附時宰，鼓動淫刑，庶因鞭撻而終，此公之失德。長賢思樹風聲，抗言昏俗，有硃子遊之風。季景父子，雅業相傳，抑弓冶之義。蘭根道冠時英，功參霸業，亦一代之偉人也。

The historian comments: In youth Boqi was rather dissolute and unconstrained in conduct, but when he applied himself to study he ripened into a man of great capacity. His learning spanned antiquity and the present; his talent was prodigiously versatile, and his descriptive power especially rich—worthy of a place beside Sima Xiangru and at the threshold of Confucius. In compiling the history of Wei he followed in the footsteps of Ban Gu and Sima Qian—elegant yet principled, elaborate yet never excessive; his prefaces and appraisals probed deep and reached far. Yet his commitment to truthful recording led him to expose private failings, even among kin and old friends—and the complaints of bias are evident here. Wang Songnian, Li Shu, and others had merely argued for moral reform in their own households, not slander—yet by allying with the chief minister he incited savage punishments; Li Shu died under the lash. This was his moral failing. Changxian sought to uphold upright standards and spoke boldly against a debased age, evoking the spirit of Zhu Yun. Jijing and his son carried on a refined literary tradition in the spirit of the craftsman passing his art to his son. Lange's character stood above the eminent men of his age; his achievements contributed to the founding of a new dynasty—truly a great man of his generation.

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