Volume 75: Sui, two Xiahous, Jing, Ji and Li

眭弘字孟，魯國蕃人也。少時好俠，鬥雞走馬，長乃變節，從嬴公受《春秋》。以明經為議郎，至符節令。

Sui Hong, style Meng, came from Fan in the kingdom of Lu. As a young man he took to bravado, cockfights, and galloping horses; in maturity he changed course and took instruction in the Spring and Autumn Annals from Master Ying. His classical learning won him appointment as a gentleman consultant; he eventually reached the post of Bearer of Tallies and Seals.

孝昭元鳳三年正月，泰山、萊蕪山南匈匈有數千人聲，民視之，有大石自立，高丈五尺，大四十八圍，入地深八尺，三石為足。石立後有白烏數千下集其旁。是時，昌邑有枯社木臥復生，又上林苑中大柳樹斷枯臥地，亦自立生，有蟲食樹葉成文字，曰「公孫病已立」，孟推《春秋》之意，以為「石、柳，皆陰類，下民之象；泰山者，岱宗之岳，王者易姓告代之外。今大石自立，僵柳復起，非人力所為，此當有從匹夫為天子者。枯社木復生，故廢之家公孫氏當復興者也。」孟意亦不知其所在，即說曰：「先師董仲舒有言，雖有繼體守文之君，不害聖人之受命。漢家堯後，有傳國之運。漢帝宜誰差天下，求索賢人，禪以帝位，而退自封百里，如殷、周二王后，以承順天命。」孟使友人內官長賜上此書。時，昭帝幼，大將軍霍光秉政，惡之，下其書廷尉。奏賜、孟妄設襖言惑眾，大逆不道，皆伏誅。後五年，孝宣帝興於民間，即位，征孟子為郎。

In the first month of the third year of Yuanfeng under Emperor Zhao, south of Mount Tai and Mount Laiwu a sound like thousands of murmuring voices was heard. When people went to look, they found a huge boulder standing upright—fifteen feet tall, forty-eight arm-spans around, sunk eight feet into the ground, propped on three smaller stones like legs. After the stone rose, thousands of white crows settled around it. About the same time in Changyi, a dead ritual tree that had fallen flat at the earth altar put out new growth. In the imperial park at Shanglin, a great willow—snapped off and dry—lay on the ground yet rose and lived again. Insects chewed the leaves into legible words: "Gongsun Bingyi shall rise." Meng read these signs through the Spring and Autumn Annals: stone and willow, he argued, belong to yin; they stand for the people beneath the throne. Mount Tai is the sacred height of Dai Zong—the ground where a new dynasty proclaims the change of mandate. A boulder that stands by itself and a dead willow that lives again are beyond human contrivance. They point to someone of no rank who will mount the throne. The dead altar tree coming back to life means the fallen Gongsun line is destined to flourish again." Meng had no idea where this heir might be found, but he argued as follows: "My teacher Dong Zhongshu taught that even a legitimate heir who merely preserves the letter of the law cannot block a sage from receiving Heaven's mandate." The Han house traces its line to Yao; it was granted the fortune to hand the realm down in succession. The Han emperor should cast the net across the empire, find a worthy successor, abdicate in his favor, and retire to a modest fief of his own—on the model of the two royal houses that survived after Shang and Zhou—so as to answer Heaven's will." Meng had his friend Ci, chief of the inner attendants, present the memorial. Emperor Zhao was still a child; Grand General Huo Guang ran the government. He took offense and sent the document to the commandant of justice. The court ruled that Ci and Meng had spread occult nonsense to mislead the people—capital treason. Both were put to death. Five years later Emperor Xuan emerged from obscurity among the people. Once enthroned, he called up Meng's son and gave him a post in the palace corps.

夏侯始昌，魯人也。通《五經》，以《齊詩》、《尚書》教授。自董仲舒、韓嬰死後，武帝得始昌，甚重之。始昌明於陰陽，先言柏梁台災曰，至期日果災。時，昌邑王以少子愛，上為選師，始昌為太傅。年老，以壽終。族子勝亦以儒顯名。

Xiahou Shichang came from Lu. He was versed in the Five Classics and lectured on the Qi recension of the Odes and on the Documents. After Dong Zhongshu and Han Ying were gone, Emperor Wu prized Shichang as soon as he came to court. Shichang excelled at yin-and-yang lore. He predicted the day the Boliang Terrace would burn, and on that very day the fire came. The king of Changyi was the emperor's beloved younger son, so the throne chose him a teacher: Shichang became his grand tutor. He died in advanced age, having lived out his years. A nephew by clan, Sheng, likewise won fame as a Confucian scholar.

夏侯勝字長公。初，魯共王分魯西寧鄉以封子節侯，別屬大河，大河後更名東平，故勝為東平人。勝少孤，好學，從始昌受《尚書》及《洪範五行傳》，說災異。後事□卿，又從歐陽氏問。為學精孰，所問非一師也。善說禮服。徵為博士、光祿大夫。會昭帝崩，昌邑王嗣立，數出。勝當乘輿前諫曰：「天久陰而不雨，臣下有謀上者，陛下出欲何之？」王怒，謂勝為襖言，縛以屬吏。吏白大將軍霍光，光不舉法。是時，光與車騎將軍張安世謀欲廢昌邑王。光讓安世以為洩語，安世實不言。乃召問勝，勝對言：「在《洪範傳》曰『皇之不極，厥罰常陰，時則下人有伐上者』，惡察察言，故云臣下有謀。」光、安世大驚，以此益重經術士。後十餘日，光卒與安世白太后，廢昌邑王，尊立宣帝。光以為群臣奏事東宮，太后省政，宜知經術，白令勝用《尚書》授太后。遷長信少府，賜爵關內侯，以與謀廢立，定策安宗廟，益千戶。

Xiahou Sheng, style Zhanggong. Long before, the Prince Gong of Lu had carved out Ning township west of Lu for his son, the Marquis of Jie. The fief lay under Great River commandery, later renamed Dongping—which is why Sheng counted as a man of Dongping. Orphaned while young, Sheng loved books. He took the Documents and the treatise on the Five Phases in the "Great Plan" from Shichang and made a specialty of interpreting omens. He later entered the service of a high minister—the graph for the office is lost in the text—and pursued further study with the Ouyang masters. His scholarship was deep and exacting, and he did not rely on a single teacher. He was an authority on ritual and the gradations of mourning dress. The court called him up as an erudite and then as supernumerary grandee of the palace. Emperor Zhao died; the king of Changyi took the throne and began riding out of the palace again and again. Sheng stepped in front of the royal chariot and warned him: "The sky has stayed gray for days without rain—an omen that someone below is plotting against the throne. Where do you mean to ride, Your Majesty?" The king flew into a rage, denounced Sheng's words as occult nonsense, and had him bound and handed to the magistrates. The officials reported the matter to Grand General Huo Guang, who declined to press charges. By then Huo Guang and Chariot-and-Cavalry General Zhang Anshi were already planning to remove the king of Changyi. Guang suspected Anshi of having leaked their secret; Anshi had said nothing of the kind. Guang had Sheng brought in. Sheng answered: "The commentary on the 'Great Plan' reads, 'When the ruler fails the supreme norm, Heaven's penalty is endless gloom—then subjects rise against their lord.' I softened the wording because I did not wish to speak too bluntly; that is why I spoke only of ministers plotting." Guang and Anshi were stunned—and from that day they held men of classical learning in even higher regard. A little over ten days later Huo Guang and Zhang Anshi went to the empress dowager, secured the deposition of the king of Changyi, and raised Emperor Xuan to the throne. Guang reasoned that ministers reporting to the Eastern Palace and the empress dowager overseeing the realm ought to be guided by the classics. He arranged for Sheng to teach her the Documents. Sheng was promoted to steward of the Changxin Palace and ennobled as a marquis within the passes for his part in the coup that set the succession and steadied the imperial shrines; his income was raised by a thousand households.

勝、霸既久系，霸欲從勝受經，勝辭以罪死。霸曰：「『朝聞道，夕死可矣』。」勝賢其言，遂授之。系再更冬，講論不怠。

Sheng and Huang Ba had been in chains a long time when Ba asked to study the classics under him. Sheng refused: he was a condemned man awaiting execution. Ba replied, "The Master said, 'Hear the Way in the morning, and dying that evening is no regret.'" Sheng judged the sentiment noble and took him on as a pupil. They remained jailed through two winters, yet never broke off their lessons and debate.

至四年夏，關東四十九郡同日地動，或山崩，壞城郭室屋，殺六千餘人。上乃素服，避正殿，遣使者弔問吏民，賜死者棺錢。下詔曰：「蓋災異者，天地之戒也。朕承洪業，托士民之上，未能和群生。曩者地震北海、琅邪，壞祖宗廟，朕甚懼焉。其與列侯、中二千石博問術士，有以應變，補朕之闕，毋有所諱。」因大赦。勝出為諫大夫、給事中，霸為揚州剌吏。

In the summer of the fourth year, forty-nine commanderies east of the Pass were shaken on the same day. Mountains gave way, cities and homes were smashed, and more than six thousand people perished. The emperor put on mourning white, quit the main hall, sent out envoys to comfort officials and commoners alike, and paid stipends toward the burial of the dead. He issued an edict: "Portents are Heaven and Earth warning the throne. I have inherited a vast charge and stand above the realm, yet I have failed to bring peace to the people. Not long ago the earth shook in Beihai and Langye and shattered the shrines of my forebears. I am terrified at the thought. Let the full marquises and all ministers at the two-thousand-picul level cast widely for men of learning who can read these signs and tell me how to mend my rule. Speak freely; hold nothing back." A general amnesty followed. Sheng was released and appointed grandee remonstrant with standing as palace attendant; Huang Ba was sent out as inspector of Yang province.

勝為人質樸守正，簡易亡威儀。見時謂上為君，誤相字於前，上亦以是親信之。嘗見，出道上語，上聞而讓勝，勝曰：「陛下所言善，臣故揚之。堯言佈於天下，至今見誦。臣以為可傳，故傳耳。」朝廷每有大議，上知勝素直，謂曰：「先生通正言，無懲前事。」

Sheng was blunt, honest, and informal—he carried none of the courtier's studied gravitas. In audience he once addressed the emperor as "my lord" and slipped into the familiar "you" to his face; the emperor took it as a mark of sincerity and drew him close. After one audience he repeated the emperor's remarks in the street. When word got back, the emperor rebuked him. Sheng replied, "Your Majesty spoke well; I was only giving your words wider currency." Yao's sayings were broadcast across the realm and people still quote them today. I thought them worth passing on, so I passed them on." Whenever weighty policy was debated, the emperor, knowing Sheng's blunt honesty, would tell him, "Speak plainly, sir; do not mind what happened before."

勝復為長信少府，遷太子太傅。受詔撰《尚書》、《論語說》，賜黃金百斤。年九十卒官，賜塚塋，葬平陵。太后賜錢二百萬，為勝素服五日，以報師傅之恩，儒者以為榮。

Sheng returned to the stewardship of Changxin and was raised to grand tutor of the heir apparent. He was commissioned to write expository works on the Documents and the Analects and received a gift of a hundred catties of gold. He died in office at ninety and was granted a burial plot at Pingling. The empress dowager sent two million cash, wore mourning for him five days in return for his service as her teacher—a gesture the scholars counted among the highest honors.

始，勝每講授，常謂諸生曰：「士病不明經術，經術苟明，其取青紫如俯拾地芥耳。學經不明，不如歸耕。」

In his teaching Sheng often told his pupils, "A scholar's worst failing is not to master the canon. Once the canon is clear, high office is yours for the stooping—it is like plucking greens from the ground." If you cannot make sense of the classics, you might as well go home and farm."

勝從父子建字長卿，自師事勝及歐陽高，左右采獲，又從《五經》諸儒問與《尚書》相出入者，牽引以次章句，具文飾說。勝非之曰：「建所謂章句小儒，破碎大道。」建亦非勝為學疏略，難以應敵。建卒自顓門名經，為議郎、博士，至太子少傅。勝子兼為左曹太中大夫，孫堯至長信少府、司農、鴻臚，曾孫蕃郡守、州牧、長樂少府。勝同產弟子賞為梁內史，梁內史子定國為豫章太守。而建子千秋亦為少府、太子少傅。

Jian—Sheng's grand-nephew on the younger line—style Zhangqing, studied under both Sheng and Ouyang Gao, cast his net wide among the Five Classics, and wove every gloss that touched the Documents into an orderly, elaborately argued system. Sheng dismissed his work: "That is the pedantry of line-by-line glosses—it splinters the great Way." Jian shot back that Sheng's scholarship was too loose to stand up in debate. Jian nonetheless made a name as a classicist in his own school, rose to gentleman consultant and erudite, and ended as junior tutor to the heir apparent. His son Jian rose to senior clerk of the left and grandee of the palace; his grandson Yao served as steward of Changxin, minister of agriculture, and herald; a great-grandson, Fan, governed commanderies and provinces and became junior steward of Changle. A son of his full brother, Shang, became inner governor of Liang; Shang's son Dingguo held Yuzhang as governor. Jian's son Qianqiu likewise reached junior steward and junior tutor to the heir apparent.

京房字君明，東郡頓丘人也。治《易》，事梁人焦延壽。延壽字贛。贛貧賤，以好學得幸梁王。梁王共其資用，令極意學。既成，為郡史，察舉補小黃令。以候司先知奸邪，盜賊不得發。愛養吏民，化行縣中。舉最當遷，三老官屬上書願留贛，有詔許增秩留，卒於小黃。贛常曰：「得我道以亡身者，必京生也。」其說長於災變，分六十四卦，更直日用事，以風雨寒溫為候：各有占驗。房用之尤精。好鐘律，知音聲。初元四年以孝廉為郎。

Jing Fang, style Junming, came from Dunqiu in Dong commandery. He took the Book of Changes from Jiao Yanshou of Liang. Yanshou's style name was Gan. Though poor and obscure, Gan won the king of Liang's favor through sheer devotion to study. The king of Liang paid his bills and told him to spare no effort in his studies. When his training was done, he became a commandery clerk, then was recommended and named magistrate of Xiaohuang. By reading omens he foreknew crime and treachery, so thieves never got a foothold in his district. He cared for his officials and the people, and his moral influence spread through the county. Rated top in the circuit, he was due for promotion, but the elders and his staff petitioned to keep him; the throne raised his rank and let him stay, and he died in office at Xiaohuang. Gan used to say, "The disciple who masters my teaching and pays for it with his life will be Jing." His specialty was portents: he mapped the sixty-four hexagrams to the calendar, assigning each day its hexagram and reading wind, rain, cold, and warmth as omens, each with its rule of interpretation. Jing Fang applied this method with exceptional skill. He had a passion for acoustics and pitch pipes and understood tone. In the fourth year of Chuyuan he entered the palace corps on a recommendation for filial piety and clean conduct.

永光、建昭間，西羌反，日蝕，又久青亡光，陰霧不精。房數上疏，先言其將然，近數月，遠一歲，所言屢中，天子說之。數召見問，房對曰：「古帝王以功舉賢，則萬化成，瑞應著，末世以毀譽取人，故功業廢而致災異。宜令百官各試其功，災異可息。詔使房作其事，房奏考功課吏法。上令公卿朝臣與房會議溫室，皆以房言煩碎，令上下相司，不可許。上意鄉之。時，部刺史奏事京師，上召見諸刺史，令房曉以課事，刺史復以為不可行。唯御史大夫鄭私、光祿大夫周堪初言不可，後善之。

During Yongguang and Jianzhao the Western Qiang rose, the sun was eclipsed, and for long stretches the sky stayed dim under a haze that would not lift. Fang sent memorial after memorial, predicting events weeks or a year ahead, and he was right so often that the emperor took a liking to him. Summoned repeatedly for counsel, Fang said: "The sage-kings of old chose ministers on merit, and the realm responded with good omens; late ages pick favorites by gossip, and that is why government fails and Heaven sends warnings." Let every office be examined on its performance—then these omens will subside. The emperor told him to put the idea into practice; Fang drafted a statute for grading officials by results. The emperor had the high ministers meet Fang in the greenhouse; they dismissed his scheme as petty mutual surveillance and voted it down. The emperor himself still leaned toward Fang's plan. When the regional inspectors came to the capital, the emperor assembled them and had Fang explain the grading system; they too said it would not work. Only Imperial Counsellor Zheng Si and Supernumerary Grandee Zhou Kan opposed it at first, then came around.

房罷出，後上令房上弟子曉知考功課吏事者，欲試用之。房上中郎任良、姚平，「願以為刺史，試考功法，臣得通籍殿中，為奏事，以防雍塞。」石顯、五鹿充宗皆疾房，欲遠之，建言宜試以房為郡守。元帝於是以房為魏郡太守，秩八百石居，得以考功法治郡。房自請，願無屬刺史，得除用它郡人，自第吏千石已下，歲竟乘傳奏事。天子許焉。

After Fang left court, the emperor asked him to name pupils who understood his grading system, intending to test the idea through them. He nominated Ren Liang and Yao Ping of the palace corps: "Appoint them inspectors and trial the merit law; grant me standing in the hall to memorialize so nothing is blocked." Shi Xian and Wulu Chongzong detested Fang and wanted him out of the capital; they urged the throne to send him out as a commandery governor. Emperor Yuan named him governor of Wei at eight hundred piculs' salary, with authority to run the commandery by the new merit rules. Fang asked to report directly without answering to the regional inspector, to pick his own subordinates below the thousand-picul grade from other commanderies, and to ride the post relays to the capital at year's end with his accounts. The emperor approved his request.

房自知數以論議為大臣所非，內與石顯、五鹿充宗有隙，不欲遠離左右，及為太守，憂懼。房以建昭二年二月朔拜，上封事曰：「辛酉已來，蒙氣衰去，太陽精明，臣獨欣然，以為陛下有所定也。然少陰倍力而乘消息。臣疑陛下雖行此道，猶不得如意，臣竊悼懼。守陽平侯鳳欲見未得，至己卯，臣拜為太守，此言上雖明下猶勝之效也。臣出之後，恐必為用事所蔽，身死而功不成，故願歲盡乘傳奏事，蒙哀見許。乃辛巳，蒙氣復乘卦，太陽侵色，此上大夫覆陽而上意疑也。已卯、庚辰之間，必有欲隔絕臣令不得乘傳奏事者。」

Fang knew his policy debates had earned the enmity of the high ministers, and that Shi Xian and Wulu Chongzong were set against him; he had wanted to stay near the throne, and once he was sent out as a governor, dread took hold of him. He was invested on the new moon of the second month, Jianzhao 2, and at once sent up a sealed note: "After the xinyou day the murky haze lifted and the imperial sun shone clear—I dared hope Your Majesty had made up your mind." But minor yin has redoubled and rides the cycle of rise and fall—Heaven's balance is still unsettled. I fear that even if you follow this course, you may not get what you seek—I grieve and tremble at the thought. Marquis Feng of Yangping tried to see me and could not; by jimao I had my commission as governor—proof that clarity above does not stop malice below from carrying the day. Once I leave the capital, the faction in power will smother me—I may die before anything is achieved. I beg leave to ride the post stages at year's end and report to you; grant me that mercy. On xinsi the veil closed over the omens again and the sovereign sun dimmed—high ministers are eclipsing yang and sowing doubt in the ruler's heart. Between jimao and gengchen someone will move to cut me off from the post roads and keep my memorials from reaching you."

房未發，上令陽平侯鳳承製詔房，止無乘傳奏事。房意愈恐，去至新豐，因郵上封事曰：「臣前以六月中言《遁卦》不效，法曰：『道人始去，寒，湧水為災。』至其七月，湧水出。臣弟子姚平謂臣曰：『房可謂知道，未可謂信道也。房言災異，未嘗不中，今湧水已出，道人當遂死，尚復何言？』臣曰：『陛下至仁，於臣尤厚，雖言而死，臣猶言也。』平又曰：『房可謂小忠，未可謂大忠也。昔秦時趙高用事，有正先者，非刺高而死，高威自此成，故秦之亂，正先趣之。』今臣得出守郡，自詭效功，恐未效而死。惟陛下毋使臣塞湧水之異，當正先之死，為姚平所笑。」

Fang had not yet left when the emperor had Marquis Feng of Yangping deliver an edict: he was to stop asking for post-stage access to memorialize. His fear deepened. At Xinfeng he sent another sealed memorial by the courier post: "In the sixth month I said the Retiring hexagram would fail its sign; the canon runs, 'When the Wayfarer first goes forth, there is cold—boiling flood is the calamity.'" In the seventh month the floods came, just as foretold. My pupil Yao Ping told me, 'You may know the Way, Master, but you do not yet trust it. Your predictions have never failed; the waters have risen—the Wayfarer should accept death. What is left to say?' I answered, 'The Son of Heaven is utmost in kindness and has shown me singular favor; I will speak though it cost my life.' Ping went on: 'That is petty loyalty, not the great sort. In the Qin days Zhao Gao ruled the court; Zheng Xian spoke against him and was killed for it, and Zhao Gao's terror dated from that hour—the ruin of Qin, Zheng Xian sped it on.' Now I am sent to govern a county on a boast that I will deliver results—I may die before a single result appears. Do not let me choke off the flood-omen only to share Zheng Xian's fate and become Yao Ping's jest."

房至陝，復上封事曰：「乃丙戌小雨，丁亥蒙氣去，然少陰並力而乘消息，戊子益甚，到五十分，蒙氣復起。此陛下欲正消息，雜卦之黨並力而爭，消息之氣不勝。強弱安危之機不可不察。己丑夜，有還風，盡辛卯，太陽復侵色，至癸巳，日月相薄，此邪陰同力而太陽為之疑也。臣前白九年不改，必有星亡之異。臣願出任良試考功，臣得居內，星亡之異可去。議者知如此於身不利，臣不可蔽，故云使弟子不若試師。臣為刺史又當奏事，故復雲為刺史恐太守不與同心，不若以為太守，此其所以隔絕臣也。陛下不違其言而遂聽之，此乃蒙氣所以不解，太陽亡色者也。臣去朝稍遠，太陽侵色益甚，唯陛下毋難還臣而易逆天意。邪說雖安於人，天氣必變，故人可欺，天不可欺也，願陛下察焉。」房去月餘，竟征下獄。

From Shan he sent a third sealed memorial: "On bingxu a light rain fell; on dinghai the haze lifted, yet minor yin massed and rode the cycle; by wuzi it was worse—at the fiftieth mark the murk returned. You mean to straighten the cosmic pulse, but the clique of 'mixed' hexagrams pushes back until the true rise-and-fall breath cannot win. The turning point between strength and weakness, safety and ruin, cannot be ignored. That night of jichou a backing wind blew until xinmao; the sovereign sun dimmed again; by guisi sun and moon closed on each other—wicked yin has joined ranks and left the great yang uncertain. I warned before: nine years without reform would bring the omen of a vanishing star. Let Ren Liang trial the merit law in the provinces while I stay at court—that omen can still be lifted. The critics knew that plan would hurt them; they could not silence me outright, so they said, 'Test the teacher, not the pupils.' If I were an inspector I could still memorialize—so they argued an inspector might feud with his governor; better make me the governor himself—that is how they walled me off. You did not reject their advice but went along with it—hence the haze will not lift and the imperial sun has lost its color. The farther I am driven from the capital, the deeper the sun is eclipsed—do not think it too hard to call me back and so lightly defy Heaven. False doctrine may comfort men for a season, but Heaven's temper will turn—men can be fooled, Heaven cannot. I beg you to weigh this." Within a month of his departure he was arrested and thrown into jail.

初，淮陽憲王舅張博從房受學，以女妻房。房與相親，每朝見，輒為博道其語，以為上意欲用房議，而群臣惡其害己，故為眾所排。博曰：「淮陽王上親弟，敏達好政，欲為國忠。今欲令王上書求入朝，得佐助房。」房曰：「得無不可？」博曰：「前楚王朝薦士，何為不可？」房曰：「中書令石顯、尚書令五鹿君相與合同，巧佞之人也，事縣官十餘年；及丞相韋侯，皆久亡補於民，可謂亡功矣。此尤不欲行考功者也。淮陽王即朝見，勸上行考功，事善；不然，但言丞相、中書令任事久而不治，可休丞相，以御史大夫鄭弘代之，遷中書令置他官，以鉤盾令徐立代之，如此，房考功事得施行矣。」博具從房記諸所說災異事，因令房為淮陽王作求朝奏草，皆持柬與淮陽王。石顯微司具知之，以房親近，未敢言。及房出守郡，顯告房與張博通謀，非謗政治，歸惡天子，詿誤諸侯王，語在《憲王傳》。初，房見道幽、厲事，出為御史大夫鄭弘言之。房、博皆棄市，弘坐免為庶人。房本姓李，推律自定為京氏，死時年四十一。

At the outset Zhang Bo—maternal uncle to Prince Xian of Huaiyang—had been Fang's student and married him a daughter. They were close; at each court meeting Fang repeated the emperor's remarks, sure that the throne meant to use his reforms, while the ministers, fearing for their own positions, had closed ranks against him. Bo said, "The Prince of Huaiyang is your own brother—quick-witted and eager for good government, anxious to serve the realm. Have him memorialize for permission to attend court—there he can lend you his voice." Fang asked, "Is there any risk in that?" Bo answered, "The king of Chu once came to court to recommend talent—where is the harm?" Fang replied, "Palace Secretary Shi Xian and Secretary Wulu Jun move as one pair of sycophants; they have clung to the Han court for more than a decade; and Chancellor Wei Xuan together—they have long done nothing to benefit the people. They are men without real achievement. Above all they dread your merit system. If the prince reaches audience and urges the merit law, well and good; if not, let him say plainly that chancellor and palace secretary have grown stale in power yet rule badly—dismiss the chancellor and elevate Imperial Counsellor Zheng Hong; transfer the palace secretary and put Hook-and-Shield Director Xu Li in his place—then my reforms can go forward." Bo wrote down every omen Fang had discussed, had Fang draft the prince's request to attend court, and carried the papers to Huaiyang. Shi Xian's informers learned every detail, but while Fang stayed near the emperor they held their tongues. Once Fang left for his post, Xian denounced him and Zhang Bo for conspiracy, defaming the government, shifting blame onto the emperor, and misleading a feudal prince—the full account is in the biography of Prince Xian. Earlier, when Fang had spoken of King You and King Li on the road, he had repeated the same to Imperial Counsellor Zheng Hong. Fang and Bo were executed in the marketplace; Zheng Hong was dismissed to commoner status for his connection. Fang had been born a Li; working from the pitch-pipes he took the surname Jing. He was forty-one when he died.

時，平昌侯王臨以宣帝外屬侍中，稱詔欲從奉學其術。奉不肯與言，而上封事曰：「臣聞之於師，治道要務，在知下之邪正。人誠鄉正，雖愚為用；若乃懷邪，知益為害。知下之術，在於六情十二律而已。北方之情，好也；好行貪狼，申子主之。東方之情，怒也；怒行陰賊，亥卯主之。貪狼必待陰賊而後動，陰賊必待貪狼而後用，二陰並行，是以王者忌子卯也。《禮經》避之，《春秋》諱焉。南方之情，惡也；惡行廉貞，寅午主之。西方之情，喜也；喜行寬大，己酉主之。二陽並行，是以王者吉午酉也。《詩》曰：『吉日庚午。』上方之情，樂也；樂行奸邪，辰未主之。下方之情，哀也；哀行公正，戌丑主之。辰未屬陰，戌丑屬陽，萬物各以其類應。今陛下明聖虛靜以待物至，萬事雖眾，何聞而不諭，豈況乎執十二律而御六情！於以知下參實，亦甚優矣，萬不失一，自然之道也。乃正月癸未日加申，有暴風從西南來。未主奸邪，申主貪狼，風以大陰下抵建前，是人主左右邪臣之氣也。平昌侯比三來見臣，皆以正辰加邪時。辰為客，時為主人。以律知人情，王者之秘道也，愚臣誠不敢以語邪人。」

Meanwhile Marquis Wang Lin of Pingchang, a kinsman on Emperor Xuan's mother's side, served as palace attendant and, claiming imperial word, asked to study under Feng's methods. Feng would not lecture him and sent up a sealed note instead: "My teacher taught me that the crux of rule is to know which subordinates are straight and which are crooked. Men who lean toward integrity remain useful even if dull; men who nurse treachery only grow more dangerous the cleverer they are. The way to read them is the six emotions set against the twelve pitch-pipes—nothing more arcane than that. In the north the dominant mood is desire—'fondness'; when it moves it turns greedy and rapacious; the branches shen and zi govern it. In the east the mood is anger; when it stirs it becomes covert malice; hai and mao govern it. Rapacity waits on stealth to strike, and stealth needs rapacity to serve—two yin forces in harness; that is why the sage-kings feared the zi and mao days. The ritual canon shuns them; the Spring and Autumn records them as unlucky. In the south the mood is loathing; when it moves it hardens into stern integrity; yin and wu govern it. In the west the mood is joy; when it stirs it opens into generosity; ji and you govern it. Two yang forces in concert—hence the wu and you days are reckoned fortunate for the throne. The Odes says, 'Lucky is the gengwu day.' Above, the mood is pleasure; when it runs unchecked it slides into treachery; chen and wei govern it. Below, the mood is grief; when it deepens it steadies into justice; xu and chou govern it. Chen and wei are yin branches, xu and chou are yang—creation answers each class in kind. Your Majesty is clear-sighted and still, waiting on events as they come; though affairs crowd in, what reaches your ear that you do not grasp—and how much more if you wield the twelve pitches to master the six emotions! From that you can test men below with near infallibility—ten thousand in ten thousand, the natural course of Heaven. On guiwei in the first month, at the shen hour, a gale blew from the southwest. Wei stands for treachery, shen for rapacity; the wind drove great yin against the Jian position—the breath of corrupt ministers flanking the throne. Marquis Pingchang called on me three times, each visit falling when a true chen hour met a false time-branch. In that reckoning chen is the guest, the hour the host. Reading human hearts through the pipes is the sovereign's hidden art—your humble servant dare not divulge it to the crooked."

上以奉為中郎，召問奉：「來者以善日邪時，孰與邪日善時？」奉對曰：「師法用辰不用日。辰為客，時為主人。見於明主，侍者為主人。辰正時邪，見者正，侍者邪；辰邪時正，見者邪，侍者正。忠正之見，侍者雖邪，辰時俱正；大邪之見，侍者雖正，辰時俱邪。即以自知侍者之邪，而時邪辰正，見者反邪；即以自知侍者之正，而時正辰邪，見者反正。辰為常事，時為一行。辰疏而時精，其效同功，必參五觀之，然後可知。故曰：察其所繇，省其進退，參之六合五行，則可以見人性，知人情。難用外察，從中甚明，故詩之為學，情性而已。五性不相害，六情更興廢。觀性以歷，觀情以律，明主所宜獨用，難與二人共也。故曰：『顯諸仁，臧諸用。』露之則不神，獨行則自然矣，唯奉能用之，學者莫能行。」

The emperor named Feng a gentleman of the palace and asked: "Which counts for more—a lucky day with an unlucky hour, or the reverse?" Feng answered, "Our school relies on the stem-branch chen, not on the calendar day. Chen plays guest to the hour's host. In audience with a wise ruler, the attendant becomes the host. If chen is true and the hour false, the petitioner is straight and the attendant crooked; if chen is false and the hour true, the petitioner is crooked and the attendant straight. When a loyal man comes forward, even a wicked attendant cannot spoil the hour if chen and the time align; when a great villain presents himself, even an honest attendant cannot save the omen if chen and the hour both turn false. Thus you may detect a corrupt attendant yet find the hour false while chen stays true—the petitioner then seems false; or you may trust an upright attendant while the hour is true and chen false—then the petitioner seems true when he is not. Chen governs the standing pattern; the hour marks a single line of change. Chen is broad, the hour fine-grained; both must be weighed together—cross-check five ways before you judge. Hence the saying: trace every motive, watch advance and retreat, set the six coordinates and five phases against one another—then you will see nature and read the heart. Outward signs mislead; the inner pattern is plain—that is why the Odes are finally a study of temperament and inborn character. The five temperaments do not cancel one another; the six emotions wax and wane in turn. Read nature through the calendar, disposition through the pipes—an instrument fit for the sovereign alone, not to be shared with a partner. As the classic says, 'It displays as humanity; it stores itself in use.' Lay it bare and the mystery dies; keep it in solitary practice and nature takes its course—only Feng can wield it; other students cannot."

是歲，關東大水，郡國十一饑，疫尤甚。上乃下詔江海陂湖園池屬少府者以假貧民，勿租稅；損大官膳，減樂府員，損苑馬，諸官館稀御幸者勿繕治；太僕、少府減食谷馬，水衡省食肉獸。明年二月戊午，地震。其夏，劉地人相食。七月己酉，地復震。上曰：「蓋聞賢聖在位，陰陽和，風雨時，日月光，星辰靜，黎庶康寧，考終厥命。今朕共承天地，托於公侯之上，明不能燭，德不能綏，災異並臻，連年不息。乃二月戊午，地大震於隴西郡，毀落太上皇廟殿壁木飾，壞敗道縣城郭官寺及民室屋，厭殺人眾，山崩地裂，水泉湧出。一年地再動，天惟降災，震驚朕躬。治有大虧，咎至於此。夙夜兢兢，不通大變，深懷郁悼，未知其序。比年不登，元元因乏，不勝饑寒，以陷刑辟，朕甚閔焉，□怛於心。已詔吏虛倉廩，開府臧，振救貧民，群司其茂思天地之戒，有可蠲除減省以便萬姓者，各條奏。悉意陳朕過失，靡有所諱。」因赦天下，舉直言極諫之士。奉奏封事曰：

That year the country east of the Pass drowned in flood; eleven commanderies starved, and plague struck hardest there. The emperor ordered marshes, lakes, and imperial ponds under the privy treasurer thrown open to the poor, rent-free; cut the grand provisioner's kitchen budget, trim the music bureau's staff, reduce the stud herds, and leave untended any lodge the court rarely visited; the grand coachman and privy treasurer cut grain for carriage horses; the waterworks office slashed meat for the palace menagerie. The next year, on wuwu in the second month, the earth shook. That summer, in the old Liu heartland, people turned to cannibalism. In the seventh month, day jiyou, the earth shook again. The emperor said: "They say that when true kings hold power, yin and yang balance, the seasons keep time, the luminaries shine clear, the stars hold their stations, and the common folk live out their years in peace." Yet I have received Heaven and earth and rest on my nobles, and my light is too dim and my virtue too weak to quiet the realm—omens pile up year after year without end." On wuwu in the second month Longxi was hit by a violent quake: the shrine to the Grand Progenitor lost its carved panels, Dao county's walls and towers fell, and countless people were crushed as hills split and water burst from the ground." Twice in one year the ground has buckled—Heaven is punishing me personally." The fault lies in grave failures of government." I lie awake anxious, unable to fathom these great convulsions, heavy with grief and still searching for their meaning." Harvests have failed again and again; the people are worn down, driven by cold and hunger into crime. My heart aches for them—the manuscript marks a damaged graph in the text." I have ordered granaries opened and stores unlocked for famine relief. Every office must search its conscience for what can be cut or waived to ease the people—memorialize each item plainly." Lay my errors before me; hide nothing." He proclaimed a general amnesty and called for blunt counsel. Feng answered with a sealed memorial:

臣聞之於師曰，天地設位，懸日月，布星辰，分陰陽，定四時，列五行，以視聖人，名之曰道。聖人見道，然後知王治之象，故畫州土，建君臣，立律歷，陳成敗，以視賢者，名之曰經。賢者見經，然後知人道之務，則《詩》、《書》、《易》、《春秋》、《禮》、《樂》是也。《易》有陰陽，《詩》有五際，《春秋》有災異，皆列終始，推得失，考天心，以言王道之安危。至秦乃不說，傷之以法，是以大道不通，至於滅亡。今陛下明聖，深懷要道，燭臨萬方，布德流惠，靡有闕遺。罷省不急之用，振救困貧，賦醫藥，賜棺錢，恩澤甚厚。又舉直言，求過失，盛德純備，天下幸甚。

My teacher taught: Heaven and earth fix their stations, hang sun and moon, scatter stars, sort yin from yang, set the seasons, line up the five agents—all to instruct the sage. That pattern is called the Way. The sage reads that pattern and grasps how kings should rule—so he maps the realm, orders ruler and minister, fixes pitch and calendar, and lays out what succeeds and fails for worthy men to study. That corpus is called the classics. The worthy opens those books and learns what humanity must do: the Odes, Documents, Changes, Spring and Autumn, Rituals, and Music. The Changes tracks yin and yang; the Odes marks the five cosmic hinges; the Spring and Autumn records omens—each traces beginnings and ends, weighs success against failure, and reads Heaven's mind so we may judge whether the kingly Way stands or falls. The Qin rejected such teaching and tried to silence it with law—so the great Way was choked off and the dynasty perished. Your Majesty is wise and holds the essential Way dear; your light reaches every quarter, your kindness flows out with nothing withheld. You have slashed needless spending, fed the hungry, paid for physic and burial—your grace runs deep. You have called for honest criticism and asked where you err—such completeness of virtue is the empire's good fortune.

臣奉竊學《齊詩》，聞五際之要《十月之交》篇，知日蝕、地震之效昭然可明，猶巢居知風，穴處知雨，亦不足多，適所習耳。臣聞人氣內逆，則感動天地；天變見於星氣日蝕，地變見於奇物震動。所以然者，陽用其精，陰用其形，猶人之有五髒六體，五臟象天，六體象地。故髒病則氣色發於面，體病則欠申動於貌。今年太陰建於甲戌，律以庚寅初用事，歷以甲午從春。歷中甲庚，歷得參陽，性中仁義，情得公正貞廉，百年之精歲也。正以精歲，本首王位，日臨中時接律而地大震，其後連月久陰，雖有大令，猶不能復，陰氣盛矣。古者朝廷必有同姓以明親親，必有異姓以明賢賢，此聖王之所以大通天下也。同姓親而易進，異姓疏而難通，故同姓一，異姓五，乃為平均。今左右亡同姓，獨以舅後之家為親，異姓之臣又疏。二後之黨滿朝，非特處位，勢尤奢僭過度，呂、霍、上官足以卜之，甚非愛人之道，又非後嗣之長策也。陰氣之盛，不亦宜乎！

I have studied the Qi Odes and the lesson of the five hinges in 'The Tenth Month's Encounter'—there eclipses and quakes read as clearly as a bird in a nest foretells wind or a beast in its den foretells rain. That is no marvel, only habit of study. I am told that when human breath turns inward against the norm, it stirs Heaven and earth; Heaven shows it in stars and eclipses; earth in monsters and tremors. Yang works through spirit-substance, yin through solid form—as in the body: the five organs mirror heaven, the six limbs mirror earth. Sickness in the inner organs shows on the complexion; sickness in the frame shows in restless gesture. This year the Grand Yin cycle sets on jiaxu; the pipes begin their rule at gengyin; the calendar's spring rides on jiawu. Jia and geng in the calendar align three yang forces; in human nature they match benevolence and right; in temperament they match fair and steadfast mind—this is the distilled year of a full century. At the year's hinge, as the sovereign hour met the pipes, the land convulsed; then month on month the sky stayed dark—great edicts could not lift the gloom. Yin has swollen to excess. Ancient courts balanced royal kin against outside talent—kin to bind the family, strangers to bring wisdom—by that mix the sage-kings held all under heaven. Kin are near and quick to promote; outsiders are remote and hard to hear—so the old ratio was one royal name against five others to keep the scales level. Today no Liu clansmen flank the throne; only the two maternal houses count as family, while unrelated ministers stand far off. The two dowager cliques pack the court—not merely in office but swollen past all measure. Lü, Huo, and the Shangguans foretell the end—this is no way to love the people or secure the next reign. Small wonder yin has grown so strong!

臣又聞未央、建章、甘泉宮才人各以百數，皆不得天性。若杜陵園，其已御見者，臣子不敢有言，雖然，太皇太后之事也。及諸侯王園，與其後宮，宜為設員，出其過制者，此損陰氣應天救邪之道也。今異至不應，災將隨之。其法大水，極陰生陽，反為大旱，甚則有火災，春秋宋伯□是矣。唯陛下財察。

I hear that Weiyang, Jianzhang, and Ganquan each keep hundreds of palace ladies—none of them able to fulfill their natural lives. As for the tombs at Duling and those the late emperor favored, a subject should hold his tongue—still, that touches the Grand Empress Dowager's domain. Princes' gardens and harems need fixed limits; send home everyone above quota—that cuts yin excess, answers Heaven, and checks wantonness. If these signs go unanswered, worse will follow. The sequence runs flood, then yin pushed to the limit flips to scorching drought, then to fire—as with the Song lord in the Spring and Autumn annals—the text here is damaged. I beg you to weigh this carefully.

明年夏四月乙未，孝武園白鶴館災。奉自以為中，上疏曰：「臣前上五際地震之效，曰極陰生陽，恐有火災。不合明聽，未見省答，臣竊內不自信。今白鶴館以四月乙未，時加於卯，月宿亢災，與前地震同法。臣奉乃深知道之可信也。不勝拳拳，願復賜間，卒其終始。」

The next summer, yiwei of the fourth month, fire destroyed the White Crane Lodge at Emperor Wu's tomb park. Feng believed his omen had struck home and wrote: "I warned that when yin peaks it turns to yang and brings fire—" I heard nothing back from the throne and began to doubt myself—" The lodge burned on yiwei at the mao hour while the moon stood in Kang—the same configuration as the earlier quake—" —which proves the Way can be trusted." I press my case again, begging a hearing so I may carry the argument to its conclusion."

上復延問以得失。奉以為祭天地於雲陽汾陰，及諸寢廟不以親疏迭毀，皆煩費，違古制。又宮室苑囿，奢泰難供，以故民困國虛，亡累年之畜。所繇來久，不改其本，難以末正，乃上疏曰：

The emperor summoned him again and asked what should be kept or changed. Feng argued that worship at Yunyang and Fenyin and the round of imperial shrines, without the classical rotation of distant versus near temples, wasted wealth and broke old rite. Palaces and parks had grown too rich to maintain, beggaring the people and draining the treasury of its grain reserve. The evil is deep-rooted; trim the twigs without healing the trunk and nothing holds—so he sent up a memorial:

臣聞昔者盤庚改邑以興殷道，聖人美之。竊聞漢德隆盛，在於孝文皇帝躬行節儉，外省徭役。其時未有甘泉、建章及上林中諸離宮館也。未央宮又無高門、武台、麒麟、鳳皇、白虎、玉堂、金華之殿，獨有前殿、曲台、漸台、宣室、溫室、承明耳。孝文欲作一台，度用百金，重民之財，廢而不為，其積土基，至今猶存，又下遺詔，不起山墳。故其時天下大和，百姓洽足，德流後嗣。

I have read how Pan Geng moved the Shang capital to renew the dynasty, and the sages praised him for it. Han's golden age was Emperor Wen, who lived plainly and lightened the people's labor. Then there were no Sweet Springs, Jianzhang, or the string of lodges in Shanglin. Weiyang held only the front hall, the curved and gradual terraces, the Bright Chamber, the hothouse, and Chengming—none of the later towers that crowd the site today. Emperor Wen once planned a terrace, priced it at a hundred catties of gold, and dropped the project rather than tax the people—the earthen base is still visible—and his death edict forbade a high tumulus. Under that rule the empire knew great peace, the people were full-fed, and virtue passed to his heirs.

如令處於當今，因此制度，必不能成功名。天道有常，王道亡常，亡常者所以應有常也。必有非常之主，然後能立非常之功。臣願陛下徙都於成周，左據成皋，右阻黽池，前鄉崧高，後介大河，建滎陽，扶河東，南北千里以為關，而入敖倉；地方百里者八九，足以自娛；東厭諸侯之權，西遠羌胡之難，陛下共已亡為，按成周之居，兼盤庚之德，萬歲之後，長為高宗。漢家郊兆寢廟祭祀之禮多不應古，臣奉誠難但居而改作，故願陛下遷都正本。眾制皆定，亡復繕治宮館不急之費，歲可余一年之畜。

Those institutions could not sustain the empire as it stands now. Heaven's pattern is fixed; the king's method must shift—the shifting answers what never moves. An extraordinary age needs an extraordinary ruler before extraordinary deeds can be done. Move the seat to the old Zhou capital: Chenggao on your left, the Meng ford on your right, Mount Song before you, the Yellow River at your back, Xingyang as your shield, a thousand li of rampart north and south, and the granaries of Ao within reach. Eight or nine domains of a hundred li each would suffice for the court's needs. You would pin the eastern princes in place, push the Qiang and Hu troubles far to the west, rule from the Zhou plain in quiet like Pan Geng, and leave a name to rival Gaozong of Shang. Han suburban rites and shrines no longer match the classics; patching them in place is hopeless—I urge removal of the capital to set the root straight. Once the new order is fixed, stop pouring silver into needless lodges—you can bank a full year's surplus every year.

臣聞三代之祖積德以王，然皆不過數百年而絕。周至成王，有上賢之材，因文、武之業，以周、召為輔，有司各敬其事，在位莫非其人。天下甫二世耳，然周公猶作詩、書深戒成王，以恐失天下。《書》則曰：「王毋若殷王紂。」其《詩》則曰：「殷之未喪師，克配上帝；宜監於殿，駿命不易。」今漢初取天下，起於豐沛，以兵征伐，德化未洽，後世奢侈，國家之費當數代之用，非直費財，又乃費士。孝武之世，暴骨四夷，不可勝數。有天下雖未久，至於陛下八世九主矣，雖有成王之明，然亡周、召之佐。今東方連年饑饉，加之以疾疫，百姓菜色，或至相食。地比震動，天氣混濁，日光侵奪。繇此言之，執國政者豈可以不懷怵惕而戒萬分之一乎！故臣願陛下因天變而徙都，所謂與天下更始者也。天道終而復始，窮則反本，故能延長而亡窮也。今漢道未終，陛下本而始之，於以永世延祚，不亦優乎！如因丙子之孟夏，順太陰以東行，到後七年之明歲，必有五年之餘蓄，然後大行考室之禮，雖周之隆盛，亡以加此。唯陛下留神，詳察萬世之策。

The founders of the three ancient dynasties piled up virtue to win the throne, yet none lasted more than a few centuries. At King Cheng of Zhou the throne had a prodigy of a boy king, the legacy of Wen and Wu, the dukes of Zhou and Shao at his side, and every office filled by the right man. The realm had seen only two reigns, yet the Duke of Zhou still wrote Documents and Odes to frighten the young king with the cost of losing all. The Documents warns: "Do not become another King Zhou of Shang." The Odes add: "While Shang still held its armies, it could stand before High God; Take the fall of Yin as your mirror—the great mandate is not easily kept." Han rose from Feng and Pei by the sword before virtue had spread; later reigns spent what several generations should have hoarded—wasting not only gold but men. Emperor Wu left bones whitening among the four barbarians beyond number. We have had nine rulers in eight generations since the founding; you may match King Cheng in wit, but you lack Zhou and Shao at your elbow. The east starves year on year, plague on top of famine; faces are the gray-green of hunger, and some have turned to cannibalism. The ground keeps shaking, the sky stays foul, and daylight is eaten away. If that does not terrify whoever holds the reins of state, nothing will. I beg you: read these omens as Heaven's order to move the capital and give the empire a new beginning. Heaven's cycle runs to its end and starts anew; spent force returns to the root—only so can the mandate renew without end. The Han mandate is not yet spent; you can reopen its spring at the source and win ages of blessing. Ride the bingzi early summer, march east with Grand Yin, and seven years from now you will have five years' grain in store—then you may hold the "examining the chamber" rite in a splendor even Zhou never matched. Fix your mind on it, sire, and weigh a policy for endless generations.

書奏，天子異其意，答曰：「問奉：今園廟有七，雲東徙，狀何如？」奉對曰「昔成王徙洛，般庚遷殷，其所避就，皆陛下所明知也。非有聖明，不能一變天下之道。臣奉愚戇狂惑，唯陛下裁赦。」

The emperor found the proposal startling and wrote back: "You speak of seven imperial shrines and an eastern move—explain what you mean." Feng answered: "King Cheng's shift to Luo and Pan Geng's crossing to Yin—you know what they fled and what they sought." Without a sage's clarity no single reform can reset the Way of the world." I have spoken rashly; I await your judgment and mercy."

其後，貢禹亦言當定迭毀禮，上遂從之。及匡衡為丞相，奏徙南北郊，其議皆自奉發之。

Later Gong Yu urged fixing the classical rotation of distant temples, and the emperor adopted it. When Kuang Heng took the chancellorship, his memorial to shift the suburban altars grew from seeds Feng had planted.

奉以中郎為博士、諫大夫，年老以壽終。子及孫，皆以學在儒官。

Feng rose from gentleman of the palace to erudite and grandee remonstrant, and died full of years. His sons and grandsons all won office as Confucian scholars.

李尋字子長，平陵人也。治《尚書》，與張孺、鄭寬中同師。寬中等守師法教授，尋獨好《洪範》災異，又學天文月令陰陽。事丞相翟方進，方進亦善為星曆，除尋為吏，數為翟侯言事。帝舅曲陽侯王根為大司馬票騎將軍，厚遇尋。是時多災異，根輔政，數虛己問尋。尋見漢家有中衰厄會之象，其意以為且有洪水為災，乃說根曰：

Li Xun, style Zichang, came from Pingling. He studied the Documents under the same master as Zhang Ru and Zheng Kuanzhong. Zheng and the others taught the orthodox line; Xun alone pursued the "Great Plan," omens, astronomy, monthly commands, and yin-yang lore. He entered the service of Chancellor Zhai Fangjin, who was skilled in star lore and took him on as a clerk; Xun often briefed the marquis on policy. The emperor's uncle, Marquis Wang Gen of Quyang, served as grand marshal and general of agile cavalry and favored Xun. Omens multiplied while Gen held power; he humbled himself again and again to ask Xun's reading. Xun saw in the Han stars the shape of mid-dynasty decline and believed a great flood was coming—so he warned Gen:

《書》云「天聰明」，蓋言紫宮極樞，通位帝紀，太微四門，廣開大道，五經六緯，尊術顯士，翼張舒布，燭臨四海，少微處士，為比為輔，故次帝廷，女宮在後。聖人承天，賢賢易色，取法於此。天官上相上將，皆顓面正朝，憂責甚重，要在得人。得人之效，成敗之機，不可不勉也。昔秦穆公說諓□之言，任仡仡之勇，身受大辱，社稷幾亡。悔過自責，思惟黃髮，任用百里奚，卒伯西域，德列王道。二者禍福如此，可不慎哉！

The Documents says Heaven hears and sees—meaning the pole star and Purple Palace chart the sovereign's fate, the four gates of Grand Tenuity open the great thoroughfare, the five canons and six wefts exalt learning, wings of stars spread light over the seas, Lesser Tenuity marks recluses who aid the throne, and the harem ranks behind the court of ministers. The sage takes his cue from Heaven, prizing worthies over mere beauty—just as the sky ranks stars and consorts. The stars of chief minister and chief general face the throne squarely; their office is heavy—everything turns on choosing the right men. Success and failure hinge on those appointments; nothing deserves your effort more. Duke Mu of Qin once trusted slick flattery and reckoned on sheer bravado—he was humiliated on the field and nearly lost his state. He turned, blamed himself, listened to old men's counsel, raised Baili Xi, and ended as lord protector of the west—virtue fit for a true king. Two paths—ruin and recovery. Which lesson will you take?

夫士者，國家之大寶，功名之本也。將軍一門九候，二十硃輪，漢興以來，臣子貴盛，未嘗至此。夫物盛必衰，自然之理，唯有賢友強輔，庶幾可以保身命，全子孫，安國家。

Men of worth are the state's chief treasure and the foundation of lasting name. Nine marquises and twenty scarlet-wheeled chariots in a single clan—since Han began no ministerial house has climbed so high. Fullness invites reversal—that is nature's law. Worthy friends and firm allies alone can save your life, your line, and the realm.

《書》曰：「歷象日月星辰」，此言仰視天文，俯察地理，觀日月消息，侯星辰行伍，揆山川變動，參人民謠俗，以製法度，考禍福。舉措悖逆，咎敗將至，征兆為之先見。明君恐懼修正，側身博問，轉禍為福；不可救者，即蓄備以待之，故社稷亡憂。

The Documents tells kings to chart sun, moon, and stars—that means read the sky, study the land, track lunar phases and stellar courses, note how mountains and rivers shift, listen to folk songs, and from all that frame law and foresee fortune or ruin. When policy runs against the norm, defeat follows—and Heaven sends warnings first. A wise king takes alarm, mends his ways, seeks wide counsel, and can turn ill omens to good; what cannot be mended he meets with stored grain and ready arms—so the altars stay unshaken.

竊見往者赤黃四塞，地氣大發，動土竭民，天下擾亂之征也。彗星爭明，庶雄為桀，大寇之引也。此二者已頗效矣。城中訛言大水，奔走上城，朝廷驚駭，女孽入宮，此獨未效。間者重以水泉湧溢，旁宮闕仍出。月、太白入東井，犯積水，缺天淵。日數湛於極陽之色。羽氣乘宮，起風積雲。又錯以山崩地動，河不用其道。盛冬雷電，潛龍為孽。繼以隕星流彗，維、填上見，日蝕有背鄉。此亦高下易居，洪水之征也。不憂不改，洪水乃欲蕩滌，流彗乃欲掃除；改之，則有年亡期。故屬者頗有變改，小貶邪猾，日月光精，時雨氣應，此皇天右漢亡已也，何況致大改之！

Lately the sky ran red and yellow, earth-breath boiled up, corvée stripped the people—that is the sign of a realm in turmoil. Comets flared like rival suns; bold men played tyrant—the prelude to great rebellion. Both omens have already begun to prove true. The capital buzzed with false tales of flood; crowds fled to the ramparts; the court panicked; a woman's omen entered the harem—that part of the sign has not yet played out. Since then springs have burst and flooded again and again at the palace gates. Moon and Venus entered the Eastern Well, struck the "stored water" stars, and broke the "heavenly abyss" formation. The sun again and again drowned in a glare of excess yang. Mist like feathers veiled the palace; wind rose and clouds stacked. Add to that landslides, quakes, and the Yellow River abandoning its bed. Thunder rolled in deep winter—hidden dragons stirring ill. Then meteors and comets; Jupiter and Saturn climbed the sky; eclipses showed a dark bite on the edge. These too mean heaven and earth trading places—the omen of deluge. Ignore them and the flood will scour the realm, the comet sweep it clean; heed them and you win harvests without end. Lately small reforms have already thinned the court of sharpers; sun and moon shine clearer; rains come on time—Heaven still favors Han. Think what a great reform could do!

宜急博求幽隱，拔擢天士，任以大職。諸□茸佞諂，抱虛求進，乃用殘賊酷虐聞者，若此之徒，皆嫉善憎忠，壞天文，敗地理，湧躍邪陰，湛溺太陽，為主結怨於民，宜以時廢退，不當得居位。誠必行之，凶災銷滅，子孫之福不旋日而至。政治感陰陽，猶鐵炭之低卬，見效可信者也。及諸蓄水連泉，務通利之。修舊堤防，省池澤稅，以助損邪陰之盛。案行事，考變易，訛言之效，未嘗不至。請征韓放，掾周敞、王望可與圖之。

Cast the net for hidden talent, raise heaven-sent men, give them weighty posts—at once. Sweep out the hollow sycophants and the cruel favorites—the text marks a damaged graph—who warp Heaven's chart, wreck the land's harmony, swell yin and dim the sovereign sun, and store up popular hate. Strip them of office. Do it, and calamity dissolves; your heirs' fortune returns before the day is out. Policy steers yin and yang the way iron and charcoal answer heat—reliably, visibly. Dig out blocked pools and linked springs; keep the waters moving. Mend old levees, cut taxes on ponds—another way to bleed off excess yin. Track how rumor has always foretold change—it never misses. Summon Han Fang; aides Zhou Chang and Wang Wang can help draft the plan.

《易》曰：「縣象著明，莫大乎日月。」夫日者，眾陽之長，輝光所燭，萬里同晷，人君之表也。故日將旦，清風發，群陰伏，君以臨朝，不牽於色。日初出，炎以陽，君登朝，佞不行，忠直進，不蔽障。日中輝光，君德盛明，大臣奉公。日將入，專以一，君就房，有常節。君不修道，則日失其度，暗昧亡光。各有雲為：其於東方作，日初出時，陰雲邪氣起者，法為牽於女謁，有所畏難；日出後，為近臣亂政；日中，為大臣欺誣；日且入，為妻妾役使所營。間者日尤不精，光明侵奪失色，邪氣珥蜺數作。本起於晨，相連至昏，其日出後至日中間差愈。小臣不知內事，竊以日視陛下志操，衰於始初多矣。其咎恐有以守正直言而得罪者，傷嗣害世，不可不慎也。唯陛下執乾剛之德，強志守度，毋聽女謁邪臣之態。諸保阿乳母甘言悲辭之托，斷而勿聽。勉強大誼，絕小不忍；良有不得已，可賜以貨財，不可私以官位，誠皇天之禁也。日失其光，則星辰放寬。陽不能制陰，陰桀得作。間者太白正晝經天。宜隆德克躬，以執不軌。

The Changes says the clearest emblems hung in the sky are sun and moon. The sun heads all yang; under one noon shadow the realm is one—emblem of the Son of Heaven. At false dawn a clean wind rises and yin flees—the king should face his ministers, not linger in the harem. At sunrise yang flares—the king holds court; sycophants hold back, honest men speak. Noon: full light, the king's virtue at flood, ministers serve the common weal. Sunset: one disk alone—the king withdraws to the inner rooms on a steady schedule. Neglect the Way and the sun loses its course, dull and lightless. East at dawn: if dark clouds rise, the sign points to harem intrigue and hidden fear; after sunrise, favorites meddle with rule; at noon, high ministers lie; near sunset, wives, concubines, and servants pull the strings. Of late the sun has sickened—its light eaten away, halos and mock-suns again and again. The smear begins at dawn and lasts till dusk, worst between sunrise and noon. I know nothing of the inner palace; I read only the sun—and it says your will has slipped far from what it was at first. I fear straight men punished for honest words—that way lies hurt to the heir and ruin for ages. Beware. Cling to the firm virtue of Qian, hold your course, and deafen your ears to harem whispers and crooked ministers. Nurses and foster-mothers cooing pity—cut them off. You must choose the great right over petty sentimental weakness. When you must show favor, give gold, not posts—Heaven forbids the latter. Dim the sun and the stars wander where they should not. When yang cannot check yin, yin rises in violence. Venus has lately crossed the meridian in broad day. Heap up inner virtue, master yourself, and seize traitors while you can.

臣聞月者，眾陰之長，銷息見伏，百里為品，千里立表，萬里連紀，妃後大臣諸侯之象也。朔晦正終始，弦為繩墨，望成君德，春夏南，秋冬北。間者，月數以春夏與日同道，過軒轅上後受氣，入太微帝廷揚光輝，犯上將近臣，列星皆失色，厭厭如滅，此為母后與政亂朝，陰陽俱傷，兩不相便。外臣不知朝事，竊信天文即如此，近臣已不足仗矣。屋大柱小，可為寒心。唯陛下親求賢士，無強所惡，以崇社稷，尊強本朝。

The moon governs yin; wax and wane mark fiefs near and far—emblem of empress, ministers, and princes. New and dark moons fix the cycle; first quarter is the plumb-line; full moon shows the king's virtue; spring and summer she rides south, autumn and winter north. Lately the moon has run with the sun through spring and summer, crossed the Handle, entered the imperial asterism, glared on the chief general and inner circle—every star paled. That is empresses meddling in government, yin and yang wounding each other. We outsiders cannot know the inner court; the sky says your intimates are no longer trustworthy. A broad roof on narrow timbers should freeze your heart. Seek worthies yourself, do not fill posts with men you despise—raise the state and thicken the dynasty's root.

臣聞五星者，五行之精，五帝司命，應王者號令為之節度。歲星主歲事，為統首，號令所紀，今失度而盛，此君指意欲有所為，未得其節也。又填星不避歲星者，後帝共政，相留於奎、婁，當以義斷之。熒惑往來亡常，周歷兩宮，作態低卬，入天門，上明堂，貫尾亂宮。太白髮越犯庫，兵寇之應也。貫黃龍，入帝庭，當門而出，隨熒惑入天門，至房而分，欲與熒惑為患，不敢當明堂之精。此陛下神靈，故禍亂不成也。熒惑厥弛，佞巧依勢，微言毀譽，進類蔽善。太白出端門，臣有不臣者。火入室，金上堂，不以時解，其憂凶。填、歲相守，又主內亂。宜察蕭牆之內，毋急親疏之微，誅放佞人，防絕萌牙，以蕩滌濁濊，消散積惡，毋使得成禍亂。辰星主正四時，當效於四仲；四時失序，則辰星作異。今出於歲首之孟，天所以譴告陛下也。政急則出早，政緩則出晚，政絕不行則伏不見而為彗□。四孟皆出，為易王命；四季皆出，星家所諱。今幸獨出寅孟之月，蓋皇天所以篤右陛下也，宜深自改。

The five planets embody the five agents and the five celestial emperors; they answer the king's edicts and set his calendar. Jupiter rules the year's business; now he strays and swells—the throne means to act but has not found the right pace. Saturn will not give way to Jupiter—two powers share the sky in Kui and Lou; righteousness must cut the knot. Mars roams wild through the two celestial palaces, bowing and rearing, enters the Gate, climbs Bright Hall, stabs the Tail and disorders the harem. Venus bristling over the armory-stars means arms and raiders. Venus crossed the Yellow Dragon, entered the throne stars, followed Mars through the Gate, reached Room and forked—plotting mischief with Mars yet shrinking from Bright Hall's pure fire. Your own spirit blocked the omen from ripening into coup. Mars slacks his string; slick men ride power, whisper slander, promote their clique, and smother the good. Venus at the outer gate means subjects who mean to be more than subjects. Fire in the inner room, metal in the hall—if not eased in time, the omen is deadly. Jupiter and Saturn locked together spell civil strife. Search within your own walls; do not fuss over kin versus stranger—purge flatterers at the root, scour filth, scatter stored-up vice before it flowers into revolt. Mercury should appear at each season's midpoint to set the calendar; when seasons slip, Mercury acts strange. Now it has shown in the first month of the year—Heaven's rebuke to you. Harsh rule brings it early, lax rule late; dead policy hides it until it bursts as a comet—the text is damaged here. Appear in all four opening months and the mandate shifts; appear in all four closing months and astrologers turn pale. It has shown only in yin's first month—Heaven still singles you out for favor; reform yourself deeply.

治國故不可以戚戚，欲速則不達。經曰：「三載考績，三考黜陟。」加以號令不順四時，既往不咎，來事之師也。間者春三月治大獄，時賊陰立逆，恐歲小收；季夏舉兵法，時寒氣應，恐後有霜雹之災；秋月行封爵，其月土濕奧，恐後有雷雹之變。夫以喜怒賞罰，而不顧時禁，雖有堯、舜之心，猶不能致和。善言天者，必有效於人。設上農夫而欲冬田，肉袒深耕，汗出種之，然猶不生者，非人心不至，天時不得也。《易》曰：「時止則止，時行則行，動靜不失其時，其道光明。」《書》曰：「敬授民時。」故古之王者，尊天地，重陰陽，敬四時，嚴月令。順之以善政，則和氣可立致，猶□鼓之相應也。今朝廷忽於時月之令，諸侍中、尚書近臣宜皆令通知月令之意，設群下請事；若陛下出令有謬於時者，當知爭之，以順時氣。

Rule cannot be driven by panic; haste misses the mark. The canon says: three years to test merit, three tests to raise or fall. Edicts out of season are a fault of the past—let them instruct the future, not draw blame. Great spring trials fed yin against yang—expect a thin harvest. Military drills in late summer drew cold—expect frost and hail. Autumn enfeoffments in a muggy month invite thunder and hail. Reward and punish by mood, ignore the seasons—even Yao and Shun could not keep harmony. He who reads the sky must show its lesson in human affairs. The best farmer cannot force a winter crop—intent is not enough if Heaven withholds the hour. The Changes says: stop when time stops, move when it moves—never miss the moment, and the Way shines. The Documents says: reverently hand the people their seasons. Ancient kings honored heaven and earth, weighed yin and yang, revered the four seasons, and kept the monthly rules. Good policy tracks the months as mallet answers drum—the text marks a damaged graph. The court neglects seasonal edicts; every attendant and secretary should learn the monthly ordinances; when your order breaks the calendar, they must object—to keep the year's breath true.

臣聞五行以水為本，其星玄武婺女，天地所紀，終始所生。水為準平，王道公正修明，則百川理，落脈通；偏黨失綱，則踴溢為敗。《書》云「水曰潤下」，陰動而卑，不失其道。天下有道，則河出圖，洛出書，故河、洛決溢，所為最大。今汝、穎畎澮皆川水漂踴，與雨水並為民害，此《詩》所謂「燁燁震電，不寧不令，百川沸騰」者也。其咎在於皇甫卿士之屬。唯陛下留意詩人之言，少抑外親大臣。

Among the five agents water is root; its asterism is the Dark Warrior and Maid—Heaven and Earth's tally, source of all cycles. Water seeks the level—when the Way is just, rivers run true and channels stay clear; when bias snaps the net, they boil over in ruin. The Documents calls water 'the soaking downward force'—yin moves low and keeps its course. When the Way prevails, the Yellow River brings forth the chart and the Luo the writing—so when those rivers burst their banks, the damage is worst of all. The channels of Ru and Ying now run wild with river flood on top of rain—exactly the Odes' 'Glaring lightning, ill omens all around, every stream boiling up.' The fault lies with favorites like Grand Steward Huangfu. Heed the classic poets, sire, and rein in your in-laws and great ministers a little.

臣聞地道柔靜，陰之常義也。地有上、中、下：其上位震，應妃、後不順；中位應大臣作亂；下位應庶民離畔。震或於其國，國君之咎也。四方中央連國歷州俱動者，其異最大。間者關東地數震，五星作異，亦未大逆，宜務崇陽抑陰，以救其咎；固志建威，閉絕私路，拔進英雋，退不任職，以強本朝。夫本強則精神折衝，本弱則招殃致凶，為邪謀所陵。聞往者淮南王作謀之時，其所難者，獨有汲黯，以為公孫弘等不足言也。弘，漢之名相，於今亡比，而尚見輕，何況亡弘之屬乎？故曰朝廷亡人，則為賊亂所輕，其道自然也。天下未聞陛下奇策固守之臣也。語曰，何以知朝廷之衰？人人自賢，不務於通人，故世陵夷。

Earth's nature is soft and still—that is yin's constant law. The earth's upper zone trembles when consorts and empresses defy order. Its middle zone shakes when great ministers plot rebellion. Its lower zone shakes when the common people turn disloyal. A quake centered in one state is that ruler's fault. When every region and province trembles as one, the omen is gravest. The east has quaked repeatedly and the five wanderers act strange—yet all is not lost: exalt yang, damp yin, and answer Heaven's rebuke; steel your will, shut private shortcuts, promote the able, cashier the useless, and thicken the court's spine. A strong root turns back malice; a weak root invites plotters to trample you. When Huainan plotted revolt, he feared only Ji An; men like Gongsun Hong he dismissed. Hong was a famous Han chancellor—none today match him—yet plotters sneered at him; what of lesser men? Hence the saying: an empty court invites contempt from every rebel—that is nature's rule. The empire has yet to hear of ministers who guard your throne with singular strategy. There is an old test for a failing court: every man calls himself wise and will not learn from another—then the age slides downhill.

馬不伏歷，不可以趨道；士不素養，不可以重國。《詩》曰「濟濟多士，文王以寧」，孔子曰「十室之邑，必有忠信」，非虛言也。陛下秉四海之眾，曾亡柱干之固守聞於四境，殆聞之不廣，取之不明，勸之不篤，傳曰：「士之美者善養禾，君之明者善養士。」中人皆可使為君子。詔書進賢良，赦小過，無求備，以博聚英雋。如近世貢禹，以言事忠切蒙尊榮，當此之時，士厲身立名者多。禹死之後，日日以衰。及京兆尹王章坐言事誅滅，智者結舌，邪偽並興，外戚顓命，君臣隔塞，至絕繼嗣，女宮作亂。此行事之敗，誠可畏而悲也。

A horse not broken to the curb cannot keep the road; a scholar not long trained cannot bear the state's weight. The Odes praises King Wen's many officers; Confucius said even ten roofs hide loyalty—these are not idle boasts. You command the four seas, yet no champion of the borders makes his name heard—perhaps you listen too narrowly, choose too dimly, urge too coldly. The saying runs: good farmers tend the crop; wise kings tend the men. Even middling talents can be shaped into gentlemen. Your edict calls the worthy, forgives small slips, asks no perfection—so gather talent widely. When Gong Yu spoke blunt truth and won glory, many scholars strove to make a name. After Gong Yu died, the courage drained away day by day. Then Wang Zhang died for memorializing—the wise fell silent, knaves multiplied, in-laws seized the voice of power, ruler and minister stopped hearing each other, the line nearly died, and the harem brewed revolt. That is how policy fails—terrifying and pitiful.

本在積任母后之家，非一日之漸，往者不可及，來者猶可追也。先帝大聖，深見天意昭然，使陛下奉承天統，欲矯正之也。宜少抑外親，選練左右，舉有德行道術通明之士充備天官，然後可以輔聖德，保帝位，承大宗。下至郎吏從官，行能亡以異，又不通一藝，及博士無文雅者，宜皆使就南畝，以視天下，明朝廷皆賢材君子，於以重朝尊君，滅凶致安，此其本也。臣自知所言害身，不辟死亡之誅，唯財留神，反覆復愚臣之言。

The rot came from long favor to maternal clans—not overnight; the past is gone, the future can still be mended. The late emperor read Heaven's will clearly and left you the succession to set it right. Curb the in-laws, drill your attendants, fill heaven's offices with men of clear virtue and learning—then you aid the sage virtue, secure the throne, and carry the great line. Even petty clerks who show no talent and master no single art, and erudites without polish—send them back to the plough; let the world see the court stuffed with true men—that steadies the throne and ends disaster. I know this speech may cost my life—I do not shun death; only fix your mind, sire, and read my foolish words twice.

是時，哀帝初立，成帝外家王氏未甚抑黜，而帝外家丁、傅新貴，祖母傅太后尤驕恣，欲稱尊號。丞相孔光、大司空師丹執政諫爭，久之，上不得已，遂免光、丹而尊傅太后。語在《丹傳》。上雖不從尋言，然采其語，每有非常，輒問尋。尋對屢中，遷黃門侍郎。以尋言且有水災，故拜尋為騎都尉，使護河堤。

Emperor Ai had just taken the throne: the Wangs were not yet cut back, while the Ding and Fu houses rose, and Grand Empress Dowager Fu demanded an exalted style. Kong Guang and Shi Dan fought the title in council; at last the emperor gave way—he cashiered both ministers and granted Fu her grand style. The details stand in Dan's biography. The emperor spurned Xun's larger advice but kept his lore—at every strange omen he called Xun in. Xun's readings came true again and again; he rose to gentleman of the yellow gates. Expecting flood from Xun's word, the court named him chief of cavalry to oversee the dikes.

初，成帝時，齊人甘忠可詐造《天官曆》、《包元太平經》十二卷，以言「漢家逢天地之大終，當更受命於天，天帝使真人赤精子，下教我此道。」忠可以教重平夏賀良、容丘丁廣世、東郡郭昌等，中壘校尉劉向奏忠可假鬼神罔上惑眾，下獄治服，未斷病死。賀良等坐挾學忠可書以不敬論，後賀良等復私以相教。哀帝初立，司隸校尉解光亦以明經通災異得幸，白賀良等所挾忠可書。事下奉車都尉劉歆，歆以為不合《五經》，不可施行。而李尋亦好之。光曰：「前歆父向奏忠可下獄，歆安肯通此道？」時，郭昌為長安令，勸尋宜助賀良等。尋遂白賀良等皆待詔黃門，數詔見，陳說：「漢歷中衰，當更受命。成帝不應天命，故絕嗣。今陛下久疾，變異屢數，天所以譴告人也。宜急改元易號，乃得延年益壽，皇子生，災異息矣。得道不得行，咎殃且亡，不有洪水將出，災火且起，滌蕩民人。」

Under Cheng, Gan Zhongke of Qi forged the Celestial Calendar and a twelve-scroll Great Peace scripture, claiming Han had reached cosmic year's end and must take a new mandate—the Red Essence True Man had taught him so. He taught disciples until Liu Xiang had him jailed for feigning spirits to fool the court; he confessed under torture and died before sentencing. His pupils were fined for studying the forbidden book, then went on teaching it in secret. At Ai's accession Xie Guang, skilled in classics and omens, denounced the same scriptures. The case went to Liu Xin, who ruled it contradicted the Five Classics and could not be used. Li Xun, however, favored the teaching. Xie Guang said, 'Xin's own father jailed Gan Zhongke—would Xin embrace that doctrine?' Guo Chang, magistrate of Chang'an, urged Xun to back Xia Liang. Xun then had them posted as yellow-gate expectants; they won audiences and declared Han's calendar spent and due for renewal. Emperor Cheng defied Heaven—so his line failed. Your long illness and the string of portents are Heaven scolding mankind. Change the era title and the court style at once—then you will live longer, get an heir, and the omens will stop. Hold the doctrine but refuse the deed, and calamity follows—flood and cleansing fire will scour the people.'

後月餘，上疾自若。賀良等復欲妄變政事，大臣爭以為不可許。賀良等奏言大臣皆不知天命，宜退丞相御史，以解光、李尋輔政。上以其言亡驗，遂下賀良等吏，而下詔曰：「朕獲保宗廟，為政不德，變異屢仍，恐懼戰慄，未知所繇。待詔賀良等建言改元易號，增益漏刻，可以永安國家。朕信道不篤，過聽其言，幾為百姓獲福。卒無嘉應，久旱為災。以問賀良等，對當復改制度，皆背經誼，違聖制，不合時宜。夫過而不改，是為過矣。六月甲子詔書，非赦令，它皆蠲除之。賀良等反道惑眾，奸態當窮竟。」皆下獄，光祿勳平當、光祿大夫毛莫如與御史中丞、廷尉雜治，當賀良等執左道，亂朝政，傾覆國家，誣罔主上，不道。賀良等皆伏誅。尋及解光減死一等，徙敦煌郡。

A month passed; the emperor was as sick as ever. Xia Liang tried to reorder the government; the ministers blocked him. They demanded the chancellor and imperial counsellor be dismissed for ignorance of Heaven and replaced by Xie Guang and Li Xun. Their prophecy failed; the emperor jailed them and wrote: 'I have kept the shrines yet lack virtue; omens pile up and I tremble, not knowing their source. The expectants said new era name, new style, longer water-clock would save the state. I trusted too lightly and nearly brought the people a blessing— —but no blessing came; drought followed instead. Questioned again, they demanded more institutional upheaval—every item breached the classics and sage precedent. Fault uncorrected is doubled fault. The sixth month's jiazi edict was no general pardon—everything in it but the amnesty is void. Xia Liang and his party perverted the Way and misled the people—let their crime be fully tried.' All went to prison; Ping Dang, Mao Moruo, and the judges found them guilty of left-hand doctrine, sedition, ruining the state, and deceiving the throne. Xia Liang and his fellows were executed. Li Xun and Xie Guang had sentence commuted one step—to exile in Dunhuang.

贊曰：幽贊神明，通合天人之道者，莫著乎《易》、《春秋》。然子贛猶云「夫子之文章可得而聞，夫子之言性與天道不可得而聞」已矣。漢興，推陰陽言災異者，孝武時有董仲舒、夏侯始昌；昭、宣則眭孟、夏侯勝；元、成則京房、翼奉、劉向、谷永；哀、平則李尋、田終術。此其納說時君著明者也。察其所言，彷彿一端。假經設誼，依托象類，或不免乎「億則屢中」。仲舒下吏，夏侯囚執，眭孟誅戮，李尋流放，此學者之大戒也。京房區區，不量淺深，危言刺譏，樞怨強臣，罪辜不旋踵，亦不密以失身，悲夫！

The summation runs: no texts join Heaven and man like the Changes and the Spring and Autumn. Yet Zigong said we might learn the Master's culture but not his teaching on nature and Heaven—that was all he claimed. Han omens-masters began with Dong Zhongshu and Xiahou Shichang under Emperor Wu; under Zhao and Xuan came Sui Meng and Xiahou Sheng; Emperors Yuan and Cheng heard Jing Fang, Ji Feng, Liu Xiang, and Gu Yong. The last pair, under Ai and Ping, were Li Xun and Tian Zhongshu. These were the ones whose counsel to their emperors rang clearest. Read their memorials and you find each seized one corner of truth. They draped guesswork in classical garb and hit often enough by luck. Dong fell to jail, Xiahou to chains, Sui Meng to the block, Li Xun to exile—object lessons for scholars. Jing Fang was a small man who gauged neither depth nor danger, mocked power, and earned a strong minister's hate—dead before his foot could pivot, never learning silence—pitiful!

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