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卷三十六 列傳第三十: 始興王叔陵 新安王伯固

Volume 36: Chen Shuling, Prince of Shixing; Chen Bogu, Prince of Xin'an

Chapter 36 of 陳書 · Book of Chen
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Chapter 36
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Book of Chen, Volume 36
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Biography 30
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Prince of Shixing Chen Shuling; Prince of Xin'an Chen Bogu
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Prince of Shixing Chen Shuling
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Prince of Shixing Chen Shuling, styled Zisong, was Emperor Gaozong's second son. During Liang's Chengsheng reign, Emperor Gaozong was at Jiangling as direct-gate general when Shuling was born. After Jiangling fell, Emperor Gaozong withdrew to Guanzhong while Shuling stayed behind at Rangcheng. On Emperor Gaozong's return, the Last Ruler and Shuling were held as hostages. In Tianchen year 3 he followed the Last Ruler home to court and was made Marquis of Kangle with a fief of five hundred households.
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使 使 使 使
As a youth Shuling was sharp and argumentative, hungry for fame, and so overbearing that no one could stand up to him. In the first year of Guangda he was made vice director of the Secretariat. In year 2 he went out bearing the staff, as commander of Jiang military affairs, southern central-guard general, and inspector of Jiang. In the first year of Taijian he was made Prince of Shixing to carry on the sacrifices to Prince Zhaolie. He was further granted the credential staff, command over Jiang, Ying, and Jin, and the rank of army mentor general while keeping the inspectorate. Shuling was then sixteen; policy came only from him, and his aides were shut out. He was harsh by nature, and his subordinates lived in dread. Imperial nephews and dismissed county and prefectural heads alike were forced into his service. When Yuzhang inner administrator Qian Facheng came to the princely residence to pay court, Shuling immediately detailed Facheng's son Jiqing to lead horse and arms. Jiqing, mortified, delayed; Shuling flew into a rage and abused Facheng until Facheng, bitter and aggrieved, hanged himself. He even hauled in and prosecuted counties and prefectures outside his command; any court noble or petty official who offended him he would falsely denounce and trap in a capital sentence. Soon he was promoted to cloud-banner general with the added title of scattered-cavalry regular attendant. In year 3 he was also made palace attendant. In year 4 he was moved to command Xiang, Heng, Gui, and Wu, made general who pacifies the south and inspector of Xiang, while retaining palace attendant and the credential staff. Garrisons throughout the provinces shook with terror when they heard he was coming. Shuling grew daily more brutal; on campaigns against the Yi he kept every prize for himself and never gave the least reward. His demands for labor and corvée knew no bounds. He seldom slept at night, kept candles burning till dawn, called in guests, and gossiped over village trifles, joking without restraint. He did not drink, but heaped the table with meats and ate constantly, day and night. Only from morning till noon did he finally sleep. Office papers might not be submitted unless he called for them. Anyone flogged was thrown into prison and often left unvisited for years. South of the Xiao and Xiang he pressed everyone into personal service until the hamlets were nearly emptied. Any who escaped he killed along with their wives and children. Local officials dared not report up the chain, and Emperor Gaozong never learned of it. Soon he was promoted to general who guards the south with a suite of pipes and drums and transferred to central guard general. In year 9 he received the credential staff, command of Yang, Xu, Eastern Yang, and Southern Yu, and the Yangzhou inspectorate, while keeping palace attendant, his general's rank, and the pipes and drums.
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In year 10 he arrived at the capital and was granted sedan bearers and an oil-canopy carriage. Shuling governed from the Eastern Mansion and routed much business through the provincial ministries. Offices that flattered him he pushed for imperial appointment; the least resistance brought a capital charge, even dismemberment. Rumors on every road said he nursed treasonous ambition. Shuling cultivated a false reputation; entering court he would read aloud from a scroll in his carriage or on his horse, declaiming loudly with an air of ease. Back in his study he sometimes took up hatchet and adze to play the monkey masquerader. He loved wandering graveyards; whenever a tombstone gave a readable name he had attendants open the mound, seize stone epitaphs and antiquities, even arm and shin bones, and kept them as toys in his storehouse. Within the mansion he forced every young wife or maiden of even slight beauty into his bed.
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使
In year 11 he left office to mourn his birth mother, Lady Peng. Soon he was recalled as central guard general with the same credential staff, command, and inspectorate. In Jin many nobles were buried at Meiling; when Peng died Shuling asked to bury her there, opened Grand Tutor Xie An's old tomb, cast out An's coffin, and laid his mother in the grave. On the first day of mourning he faked grief, claiming he copied the Nirvana Sutra in his own blood; within ten days he had the kitchen serve fresh slaughter and daily delicacies. He secretly summoned attendants' wives and daughters and lay with them; his conduct was utterly lawless, and word reached the throne. Emperor Gaozong rebuked censor-in-chief Wang Zheng for not reporting him, stripped Zheng of office, dismissed his recorder and personal staff, and had them flogged besides. Emperor Gaozong had long favored Shuling and would not restrain him by law, only scold him. When mourning ended he again became palace attendant and grand general of the central army.
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殿
When Emperor Gaozong fell ill, the crown prince and all princes came in to attend him. Emperor Gaozong died in the Hall of Extending Blessings; at dawn the next day, as the Last Ruler lay prostrate in grief, Shuling struck him in the back of the neck with a medicine knife. The empress dowager rushed to save him; Shuling hacked her several times as well. The Last Ruler's wet nurse, Lady Wu, stood beside the empress dowager and pulled his elbow from behind, so the Last Ruler was able to rise. Shuling still clutched the Last Ruler's robe, but the Last Ruler wrenched free. Prince of Changsha Chen Shujian grappled Shuling, snatched away his knife, dragged him to a pillar, and bound him with his own robe sleeve. By then Lady Wu had helped the Last Ruler escape; Shujian looked for the Last Ruler to receive orders. Shuling shook free his sleeve, bolted out the Cloud Dragon Gate, raced to the Eastern Mansion, rallied his guards, scattered gold and silver as bounty, and called the princes and generals—but only Prince of Xin'an Chen Bogu came when he heard.
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西 紿 [1]
Shuling mustered barely a thousand men and at first meant to hold the city, but right guard Xiao Mohe soon brought troops to the mansion's western gate. In panic Shuling sent staff recorder Wei Liang with his pipes and drums and promised, "If we win, you will sit among the highest ministers." Mohe lied in answer: "I must wait until Your Highness's own trusted commanders come before I dare obey." Shuling sent Dai Wen and Tan Qilin to Mohe's camp; Mohe seized them, sent them to the tribunal, and they were beheaded under the gallery. Knowing all was lost, Shuling went inside and drowned his consort Lady Zhang and seven favored concubines in a well. Some of his men were already at Xinlin; he led several hundred horse and foot across the small ferry, meaning to reach Xinlin and flee north by ship. At Baiyang Road the court army blocked them; Bogu, seeing soldiers, slipped into an alley; Shuling spurred after him with blade drawn, and Bogu returned. Shuling's men mostly threw off armor and fled; Mohe on horseback Collation variant: (guest). Collation variant: (Rong); adopted reading: Chen Zhishen came forward to stab Shuling. [1] He stiffened and fell dead; the eunuch Wang Feiqin drew his blade and hacked him more than ten times; on horseback Collation variant: (guest). Collation variant: (Rong); adopted reading: Chen Zhonghua then cut off his head and sent it to the tribunal. From dawn till mid-morning order was restored.
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輿 [2]
The eight secretariat ministers memorialized: "The traitor, the late palace attendant and grand general of the central army, Prince of Shixing Chen Shuling, was savage from childhood and in manhood wallowed in greed and cruelty. As governor south of Xiang and later on the Nine Waters, he left both regions' common folk swept bare. With bee eyes and jackal voice he consorted with the worthless; unfilial, unkind, he trusted to arms and delighted in cruelty; without rite or right, only killing followed his name. During his mother's mourning he abandoned himself to lust; when sons were born he lodged them in guest quarters, one birth after another without pause. He hid by day and prowled by night, ever scheming, plundering townsfolk and opening grave after grave. Grand Tutor Xie had aided Jin in founding the realm and shaping the southeast; to break open his coffin and bare his bones horrified all who heard. From the day the late emperor fell ill, by the morrow he had not recovered; Shuling, in honored rank at the bedside, showed no sorrow outwardly while nursing regicide within. When the emperor was failing, as the sacred person wailed and beat his breast, Shuling used the prostration to lay hands on the imperial person. When the empress dowager came in person he struck her again; such extreme villainy had no parallel in antiquity. Only Prince of Changsha Chen Shujian, utterly earnest in loyalty, seized him with his own hands and shielded the emperor with his body. Shuling still fled to the eastern quarter, rallied his ruffians, and even murdered his own wife and children. Though he was promptly beheaded, our rage is not spent. We jointly ask, as in Song precedent, to cast his corpse into mid-river, befoul his house, destroy his mother Lady Peng's tomb and shrine, and restore the Xie burial mound." The edict read: "The traitor, more beast than man, turned to savage the inner palace; thanks to the imperial ancestors' spirits he was swiftly destroyed. [2] Considering the matter in grief and speaking to the facts, bitterness and indignation fill my breast; the court's deliberation is in order, and it is fitting to follow what was memorialized."
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便
Shuling's sons were all ordered to die that same day. Former Hengyang inner administrator Peng Hao, deliberation officer and recorder Zheng Xin, central recorder and recorder Wei Liang, and recorder Yu Gongxi were all put to death. Hao was Shuling's uncle on his mother's side; he had followed Emperor Gaozong in Guanzhong with some merit and, through Shuling's favor, held command over Liyang and Hengyang. Xin was skilled at shorthand and enjoyed favor; he took part in every plan. Liang came from Jingzhao, son of Liang attendant-in-ordinary and protector-general Can, and was recruited by Shuling for his scholarship.
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[3]
For killing Shuling, Chen Zhishen was made inner administrator of Baling and enfeoffed as Viscount of You'an. Chen Zhonghua was made administrator of Xia Gui and enfeoffed as Viscount of Xinyi. Wang Feiqin was made general who crosses the waves. [3] Gold was bestowed in differing amounts to each.
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Prince of Xin'an Chen Bogu
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使
Prince of Xin'an Chen Bogu, styled Laozhi, was Emperor Wen's fifth son. He was born with a pigeon chest and eyes whose whites showed bright; though slight in stature he was handsome in debate and fluent in speech. In Tianchen year 6 he was made Prince of Xin'an with a fief of two thousand households. When the Deposed Emperor succeeded, he received the credential staff, command of southern Langye, Pengcheng, and Donghai, the rank of cloud-banner general, and the Pengcheng and Langye administratorates. Soon he entered court as governor of Danyang, keeping his general's rank.
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滿 使 使 祿 鹿使使
In the first year of Taijian he was promoted to general of intelligent martiality while keeping the Danyang post. When his term expired he was promoted to general who assists the right. Soon he received the credential staff and was made area commander of Wuxing military affairs, Pacify-the-East general, and administrator of Wuxing. In year 4 he entered the capital as palace attendant and forward aide general, then became pacify-the-front general and central army inspector. In year 7 he went out bearing the credential staff as regular attendant of the scattered cavalry, area commander of South Xu, South Yu, North Xu, and North Yan, pacify-the-north general, and inspector of South Xuzhou. Bogu loved wine and would not save; his salary vanished without plan, and when drunk he often begged from others. Among the princes he was the poorest, and Emperor Gaozong often pitied him and gave special gifts. Bogu was frivolous by nature and fond of the whip. In his province he ignored government, hunted by day, sometimes rode a sleeping litter into the meadows, and called commoners to join him for outings that could last ten days. The deer and boar he took he mostly had brought in alive. Emperor Gaozong knew of it and sent envoys to rebuke him more than once.
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In year 10 he came to court and again became palace attendant and pacify-the-right general; soon he was made protector of the army general. That year he was made libationer of the National University and concurrently led the left valiant cavalry; palace attendant and pacify-the-right remained unchanged. Bogu knew something of arcane learning yet mastered no art; when he posed lines and pressed others in debate, he often showed a striking turn of mind. As an administrator he was harsh. Students in the National University who idled instead of studying he beat heavily with the cudgel; they feared him, and study thereafter advanced sharply.
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使
In year 12 he also held director of the imperial clan. In year 13 he was made credential-bearing area commander of Yang, South Xu, East Yang, and South Yu and inspector of Yangzhou; palace attendant and general remained as before.
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使 便 [4]
When the Last Ruler was still crown prince in the Eastern Palace, he and Bogu were very close. Bogu was also skilled at banter, and Emperor Gaozong often summoned him to feasts. Shuling was in Jiangzhou and resented Bogu's favor; he secretly looked for faults and meant to bring him down by law. When Shuling came to court, Bogu feared punishment and fawned on him to learn his mind; together they slandered court worthies and abused civil and military men in turn—even elders of years and high rank they confronted to the face without fear. Bogu loved shooting pheasants and Shuling loved opening tombs; abroad in the wilds they always went together, their feelings matched, and they plotted treason. Bogu attended within the palace; whenever there was a secret word he reported it to Shuling. When Shuling fled to the Eastern Palace he sent word to Bogu; Bogu rode alone at full speed to join him and helped direct the fighting. Seeing the cause was lost, he meant to flee; the four gates were already shut and he could not leave, so together they made for Baimang Road. Platform horse Collation variant: (guest). [Rong] arrived; mutinous troops killed him; his body lay at the gate of the Dongchang hostel; he was twenty-eight. An edict said, "Bogu shared in this rebellion and perished on the road. Following outside opinion, our mind still cannot bear it; he may be buried with commoner rites as a special grace." Another edict said, "Bogu followed the great rebel and cut himself off from Heaven; to leave no descendants is the constant statute. Yet the children know nothing and share the family tie; to set them among common folk is true compassion; and Wang, who bore Bogu, [4] may both be specially pardoned as commoners. The fief was abolished.
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The historiographer says: Confucius said, "Wealth and honor are what men desire; if not obtained by the proper way, one does not dwell in them." From emperors and kings down to the common multitude, none lacks distinction between principal wife and concubine or order between elder and younger. Shuling was dangerous, restless, and driven to outstrip others, then carried out rebellion. Sundering his body by the cart-wheel did not reach his crime; defiling pools at his dwelling did not suffice to show his fault—alas!
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Collation notes
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便
On "Mohe horse" Collation variant: (guest). On "[Rong] Chen Zhishen intercepted and stabbed Shuling": emended per the Southern History; the same below. The Comprehensive Mirror also reads Ma Rong; Hu's note says that on campaign men chosen for ease in the saddle and stout frame ride ahead to enhance the army's bearing and are called Ma Rong.
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殿
On "at that time the followers were destroyed": followers in the Southern Supervisory edition reads released; the Northern Supervisory, Hall, and Palace editions read exterminated. The Ji edition also reads exterminated, with a small note that one reading is released.
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On "Wang Feiqin made General Who Subdues the Waves" 〈Biography of the Prince of Shixing〉 "Wang Feiqin made General Who Subdues the Waves"—some texts read Staff Rear General; doubtful.
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On "and Wang, who bore Bogu" 〈Biography of the Founder's Nine Sons〉 The preface says Pan Ronghua bore Prince of Xin'an Bogu—this differs from the present text.
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