1
世宗昭德皇后生顯宗、趙王孰輦、越王斜魯。 元妃張氏生鄗王允中、越王允功。 元妃李氏生鄭王允蹈、衛紹王允濟、潞王允德。 昭儀梁氏生豫王允成。 才人石抹氏生夔王允升。 孰輦、斜魯皆早卒。
Shizong's Empress Zhaode gave birth to Xianzong, to Shunian, Prince of Zhao, and to Xielu, Prince of Yue. The primary consort, Lady Zhang, bore Yun Zhong, Prince of Hao, and Yun Gong, Prince of Yue. The primary consort, Lady Li, bore Yun Dao, Prince of Zheng; Yun Ji, Prince of Wei-Shao; and Yun De, Prince of Lu. Lady Liang, a zhaoyi, bore Yun Cheng, Prince of Yu. The talented lady Shimozhi bore Yun Sheng, Prince of Kui. Shunian and Xielu both died in youth.
2
二十一年,改判大宗正事。 永中不悅,顯宗勸之曰:「宗正之職,自親及疏,自近及遠,此親賢之任也。 且皇子之貴,豈以官職閑劇為計邪?」 永中乃喜。 二十四年,世宗幸上京,顯宗居守,並留永中。 顯宗先遣章宗、宣宗奉表問起居於上京,既而遣永中子光祿大夫石古乃奉表。 世宗喜謂豫國公主曰:「皇太子孝德天成,先遣二子,繼遣此子,兄弟之際相友愛如此也。」
In the twenty-first year he was reassigned to head the Imperial Clan Court. Yong Zhong took offense, but Xianzong persuaded him: "The Imperial Clan Court's charge runs from the nearest kin outward to the most distant — it is the task of honoring the worthy among one's relatives. Besides, is a prince's standing really to be reckoned by how grand or humble his post may be?" With that, Yong Zhong was satisfied. In the twenty-fourth year Shizong went to the Upper Capital; Xianzong stayed behind to guard the realm, and Yong Zhong was left behind as well. Xianzong first dispatched Zhangzong and Xuanzong to the Upper Capital with memorials inquiring after the emperor's health; he then sent Yong Zhong's son Shigu Nai, Grand Master of Splendid Happiness, with another memorial. Delighted, Shizong told the Princess of Yu: "The crown prince's filial devotion is inborn. He sent his two sons first, then this son — such brotherly affection as this!"
3
明昌二年正月辛酉,孝懿皇后崩。 判真定府事吳王永成、判定武軍節度使隋王永升奔喪後期,各罰俸一月,杖其長史五十。 永中適有寒疾,不能至。 上怒,頗意諸王有輕慢心,遣使責永中曰:「已近公除,亦不須來。」 二月丙戌,禫祭,永中始至,入臨。 辛卯,始克行燒飯禮。 壬辰,永中及諸王朝辭,賜遺留物,禮遇雖在,而嫌忌自此始矣。
On the xinyou day of the first month in the second year of Mingchang, Empress Xiaoyi passed away. Prince Wu Yongcheng, who was administering Zhending, and Prince Sui Yongsheng, commissioner of the Dingwu army, came late to the mourning. Each was docked a month's pay, and their chief administrators were flogged fifty times. Yong Zhong was laid up with a chill and could not attend. The emperor grew angry and came to suspect the princes of contempt. He sent someone to rebuke Yong Zhong: "The mourning period is almost finished — you need not come at all." On bingxu in the second month, at the final mourning rites, Yong Zhong arrived at last and went in to pay his respects. On xinmao he was at last able to carry out the burnt-offering ceremony. On renchen, Yong Zhong and the other princes took their leave of court and were given parting gifts. The forms of honor were still observed, but distrust began from that moment.
4
四月,進封並王。 三年,判平陽府事,進封鎬王。 初置王傅、府尉官,名為官屬,實檢制之也。 府尉希望風旨,過為苛細。 永中自以世宗長子,且老矣,動有掣制,情思不堪,殊鬱鬱,乃表乞閒居。 詔不許。 四年,鄭王永蹈以謀逆誅。 增置諸王司馬一員,檢察門戶出入,球獵遊宴皆有制限,家人出入皆有禁防。 河東提刑判官把里海坐私謁永中,杖一百,解職。 前近侍局副使裴滿可孫嘗受永中請托,為石古乃求除官,可孫已改同知西京留守,猶坐免。 故尚書右丞張汝弼,永中母舅也。 汝弼妻高陀斡自大定間畫永中母像,奉之甚謹,挾左道為永中求福,希覬非望。 明昌五年,高陀斡坐詛祝誅。 上疑事在永中,未有以發也。
In the fourth month he was promoted to Prince of Bing. In the third year he was put in charge of Pingyang Prefecture and raised to Prince of Hao. Tutors and prefectural marshals for princes were instituted for the first time: in name they were household staff, but in practice they were there to restrain them. The marshals, straining to divine the court's wishes, went to petty extremes. Yong Zhong regarded himself as Shizong's eldest son and, now advanced in years, felt thwarted at every turn until he could endure it no longer. Deeply dispirited, he submitted a memorial asking to live in seclusion. The court refused. In the fourth year Prince Zheng Yong Dao was put to death for treason. An extra chief clerk for princes was appointed to watch over comings and goings at their gates; ball games, hunting, and feasting were all curtailed, and even their households were barred from moving freely. Ba Li Hai, the investigating commissioner in Hedong, was flogged a hundred times and removed from office for visiting Yong Zhong in private. Peiman Kesun, formerly vice commissioner of the Inner Service Bureau, had once taken Yong Zhong's commission and lobbied for an appointment for Shigu Nai. Though Kesun had already been made co-administrator of the Western Capital garrison, he was still stripped of his post on that account. The late Right Vice Director Zhang Rubi was Yong Zhong's uncle on his mother's side. Rubi's wife Gaotuowo had painted a portrait of Yong Zhong's mother as far back as the Dading era and tended it with scrupulous devotion; she turned to unorthodox rites to win blessings for Yong Zhong and harbored forbidden hopes. In the fifth year of Mingchang Gaotuowo was executed for curse-magic and imprecation. The emperor suspected Yong Zhong was implicated, but had no occasion to move against him.
5
會鎬王傅尉奏永中第四子阿離合懣因防禁嚴密,語涉不道。 詔同簽大睦親府事袴、禦史中丞孫即康鞫問,並求得第二子神徒門所撰詞曲有不遜語。 家奴德哥首永中嘗與侍妾瑞雪言:「我得天下,子為大王,以爾為妃。」 詔遣官複按狀同。 再遣禮部尚書張暐、兵部侍郎烏古論慶裔複之。 上謂宰臣曰:「鎬王只以語言得罪,與永蹈罪異。」 參知政事馬琪曰:「永中與永蹈罪狀雖異,人臣無將,則一也。」 上曰:「大王何故輒出此言?」 左丞相清臣曰:「素有妄想之心也。」 詔以永中罪狀宣示百官雜議,五品以下附奏,四品以上入對便殿。 皆曰:「請論如律。」 惟宮籍監丞盧利用乞貸其死。 詔賜永中死,神徒門、阿離合懣等皆棄市。 敕有司用國公禮收葬永中,平陽府監護,官給葬具,妻子威州安置。 泰和七年,詔複永中王爵,賜諡曰厲。 敕石古乃於威州擇地,以禮改葬,歲時祭奠。 貞祐二年,詔徙永中妻、子石古乃等鄭州安置。
Just then the Prince of Hao's tutor and marshal reported that Yong Zhong's fourth son Alikemian, chafing under the tight restrictions, had uttered words that smacked of sedition. The court ordered Ku, co-signatory of the Imperial Clan Court, and Censor-in-Chief Sun Jikang to question him, and they also recovered song lyrics by his second son Shentumen that contained irreverent lines. A household slave named Degé reported that Yong Zhong had once told his concubine Ruixue: "When I win the realm, my son will be a great prince and you shall be my consort." Officials were sent to reinvestigate, and the account was confirmed. Zhang Wei of the Ministry of Rites and Wugulun Qingyi, vice minister of war, were dispatched to examine the matter once more. The emperor told his chief ministers: "The Prince of Hao has offended only in speech — his case is not the same as Yong Dao's." Vice Director Ma Qi replied: "Yong Zhong's and Yong Dao's crimes may look different, but in the presumption of a subject to rule, they are one and the same." The emperor said: "Great Prince, why do you blurt out such words?" Left Director Qingchen said: "He has long nursed delusions of power." An edict made Yong Zhong's crimes known to the officials for joint deliberation: those of fifth rank and below submitted attached memorials, while those of fourth rank and above were received in the side hall. All said: "We ask that he be judged according to law." Only Lu Liyong, assistant supervisor of the palace register, pleaded that his life be spared. An edict allowed Yong Zhong to take his own life; Shentumen, Alikemian, and the rest were executed in public. The authorities were ordered to bury Yong Zhong with the rites of a state duke under Pingyang's supervision, with state-provided funeral goods, while his wife and children were resettled at Weizhou. In the seventh year of Taihe an edict restored Yong Zhong's princely title and gave him the posthumous name Li. Shigu Nai was ordered to choose a site at Weizhou and rebury him according to ritual, with sacrifices at the proper seasons. In the second year of Zhenyou an edict relocated Yong Zhong's wife, his son Shigu Nai, and the rest to Zhengzhou.
6
貞祐三年,太康縣人劉全嘗為盜,亡入衛真界,詭稱愛王。 所謂愛王,指石古乃。 石古乃實未嘗有王封,小人妄以此目之。 劉全欲為亂,因假託以惑眾,誘王氏女為妻,且言其子方聚兵河北。 東平人李甯居嵩山,有妖術。 全同縣人時溫稱寧可論大事,乃使範元書偽號召之。 甯至,推為國師,議僭立。 事覺,全、溫、寧皆伏誅。
In the third year of Zhenyou Liu Quan of Taikang County, a former bandit, fled into the Weizhen district and passed himself off as the Beloved Prince. The "Beloved Prince" in question was Shigu Nai. Shigu Nai had never in fact held a princely title; petty men had invented the name for him. Liu Quan meant to stir up trouble and used the imposture to mislead the people; he lured a Wang clanswoman into marriage and claimed that his son was raising an army in Hebei. Li Ning of Dongping lived on Mount Song and practiced occult arts. A fellow townsman named Shi Wen said Ning was fit to counsel on great matters, and had Fan Yuan draft a forged imperial summons to bring him. When Ning arrived they proclaimed him National Preceptor and debated setting up a rival ruler. When the plot came to light, Quan, Wen, and Ning were all put to death.
7
貞祐四年,潼關破,徙永中子孫于南京。 興定二年,亳州譙縣人孫學究私造妖言雲:「愛王終當奮發,今匿跡民間,自號劉二。」 衛真百姓王深等皆信以為誠然。 有劉二者出而當之,遣歐榮輩結構逆黨,市兵仗,大署旌旗,謀忄栗立。 事覺,誅死者五十二人,緣坐者六十餘人。 永中子孫禁錮,自明昌至於正大末,幾四十年。 天興初,詔弛禁錮。 未幾,南京亦不守雲。
In the fourth year of Zhenyou, after Tong Pass fell, Yong Zhong's descendants were relocated to Nanjing. In the second year of Xingding Sun Xuejiu of Qiao County in Bozhou spread seditious prophecy: "The Beloved Prince will surely rise at last; he now hides among the common people and styles himself Liu the Second." Wang Shen and other commoners of Weizhen took it all for truth. A man calling himself Liu the Second stepped forward to play the part; he sent Ou Rong and others to knit together a rebel band, bought arms, unfurled great banners, and plotted to seize the throne. When the plot was exposed, fifty-two were put to death and more than sixty were punished as accomplices. Yong Zhong's line was kept under confinement from Mingchang down to the end of Zhengda — nearly forty years in all. At the opening of Tianxing an edict lifted the restrictions. Before long Nanjing too was lost.
8
初,崔溫、郭諫、馬太初與永蹈家奴畢慶壽私說讖記災祥,畢慶壽以告永蹈:「郭諫頗能相人。」 永蹈乃召郭諫相已及妻子。 諫說永蹈曰:「大王相貌非常,王妃及二子皆大貴。」 又曰:「大王,元妃長子,不與諸王比也。」 永蹈召崔溫、馬太初論讖記天象。 崔溫曰:「醜年有兵災,屬兔命者來年春當收兵得位。」 郭諫曰:「昨見赤氣犯紫微,白虹貫月,皆注醜後寅前兵戈忄栗亂事。」 永蹈深信其說,乃陰結內侍鄭雨兒伺上起居,以崔溫為謀主,郭諫、馬太初往來遊說。 河南統軍使僕散揆尚永蹈妹韓國公主,永蹈謀取河南軍以為助,與妹澤國公主長樂謀,使駙馬都尉蒲剌睹致書於揆,且先請婚,以觀其意。 揆拒不許結婚,使者不敢複言不軌事。 永蹈家奴董壽諫永蹈,不聽。 董壽以語同輩奴千家奴,上變。 是時,永蹈在京師,詔平章政事完顏守貞、參知政事胥持國、戶部尚書楊伯通、知大興府事尼龐古鑒鞫問,連引甚眾,久不能決。 上怒,召守貞等問狀。 右丞相夾谷清臣奏曰:「事貴速絕,以安人心。」 於是,賜永蹈及妃卞玉,二子按春、阿辛,公主長樂自盡。 蒲剌睹、崔溫、郭諫、馬太初等皆伏誅。 僕散揆雖不聞問,猶坐除名。 董壽免死,隸監籍。 千家奴賞錢二千貫,特遷五官雜班敘使。 自是諸王制限防禁密矣。
Earlier Cui Wen, Guo Jian, and Ma Taichu had privately discussed omens and prognostic writings with Yong Dao's slave Bi Qingshou. Bi Qingshou told Yong Dao: "Guo Jian is rather good at physiognomy." Yong Dao thereupon summoned Guo Jian to read his own face and those of his wife and sons. Jian told Yong Dao: "Your features, Great Prince, are extraordinary; your consort and both sons are marked for the highest fortune." He added: "Great Prince, as the primary consort's eldest son, you stand apart from the other princes altogether." Yong Dao then called in Cui Wen and Ma Taichu to discuss prognostic writings and the signs in the heavens. Cui Wen said: "In the year of the Ox there will be war; someone born in the year of the Rabbit will sheathe the armies and take the throne the following spring." Guo Jian said: "Yesterday I saw red vapor strike the Purple Forbidden Enclosure and a white rainbow pierce the moon — both foretell war and rebellion between the Ox year and the Tiger." Yong Dao believed them utterly. He secretly enlisted the eunuch Zheng Yu'er to spy on the emperor's comings and goings, made Cui Wen his chief strategist, and set Guo Jian and Ma Taichu to canvass support. Pusan Kui, who commanded the Henan army, was married to Yong Dao's sister, the Princess of Han. Yong Dao plotted to bring the Henan forces over to his side. With his sister Changle, Princess of Ze, he had the imperial son-in-law Pula'adu write to Kui and first propose a marriage tie to sound him out. Kui refused the match, and the messenger did not dare broach sedition again. Yong Dao's slave Dong Shou tried to dissuade him, but he would not heed him. Dong Shou told a fellow slave named Qianjianu, who laid the matter before the throne. Yong Dao was then in the capital. The court ordered Grand Councilor Wanyan Shouzhen, Vice Director Xu Chiguo, Revenue Minister Yang Botong, and Daxing prefect Nipanggu Jian to investigate. The net of implication grew very wide, and for a long time no verdict could be reached. The emperor grew angry and summoned Shouzhen and the rest to account for the delay. Right Director Jiagu Qingchen submitted: "This affair must be ended quickly if hearts are to be steadied." Thereupon Yong Dao, his consort Bian Yu, his sons Anchun and Axin, and Princess Changle were all allowed to take their own lives. Pula'adu, Cui Wen, Guo Jian, Ma Taichu, and the others were all put to death. Though Pusan Kui was never formally tried, he was still removed from office and struck from the rolls. Dong Shou was spared execution and placed on the supervised register. Qianjianu was rewarded with two thousand strings of cash and specially promoted to clerk in the Five Offices mixed roster. From then on the curbs and surveillance imposed on the princes grew far tighter.
9
泰和七年,詔複王封,備禮改葬,賜諡曰剌,以衛王永濟子按辰為永蹈後,奉其祭祀。
In the seventh year of Taihe an edict restored his princely rank; he was reburied with full honors and given the posthumous name La. An Chen, son of Prince Wei Yong Ji, was appointed Yong Dao's heir to maintain his ancestral rites.
10
越王永功,本名宋葛,又名廣孫,貞元二年生。 沉默寡言笑,勇健絕人,涉書史,好法書名畫。 大定四年,封鄭王。 七年,進封隋王。 十一年,進封曹王。 十五年,除刑部尚書。 上曰:「侍郎張汝霖,汝外舅行也,可學為政。」 十七年,授活活土世襲猛安。 十八年,改大興尹。
Yong Gong, Prince of Yue, born Songge and also known as Guangsun, was born in the second year of Zhenyuan. Quiet and sparing of words and laughter, he was unmatched in courage and strength, well read in history, and devoted to fine calligraphy and celebrated paintings. In the fourth year of Dading he was made Prince of Zheng. In the seventh year he was promoted to Prince of Sui. In the eleventh year he was promoted to Prince of Cao. In the fifteenth year he was appointed Minister of Punishments. The emperor said: "Vice Director Zhang Rulin stands in your maternal uncle's generation — you may learn the art of governing from him." In the seventeenth year he was granted the hereditary meng'an of Huohuotu. In the eighteenth year he was made Administrator of Daxing.
11
世宗幸金蓮川,始出中都,親軍二蒼頭縱馬食民田,詔永功:「蒼頭各杖一百。 彈壓百戶二人失覺察,勒停。」 上次望京澱,永功奏曰:「親軍人止一蒼頭、兩彈壓服勤,為日久矣。 臣昧死違詔,量決蒼頭,使彈壓待罪,可使償其田直,惟陛下憐察。」 上皆從之。
When Shizong went to Jinlianchuan and left the Central Capital for the first time, two attendants of the imperial guard let their horses graze in the people's fields. The court ordered Yong Gong: "Beat each attendant a hundred strokes. The two centurions responsible for keeping order had failed to notice; they were ordered to stand down from duty." On Shizong's last visit to Jingdian, Yong Gong reported: "The imperial guard had only one attendant and two centurions standing watch — they had been at it a long time. I have ventured to go beyond the edict in punishing the attendant as circumstances warranted, while leaving the centurions to await sentence; they can make good the damage to the fields — I beg Your Majesty to look on this with compassion." The emperor approved it all.
12
老嫗與男婦憩道傍,婦與所私相從亡去,或告嫗曰:「向見年少婦人自水邊小徑去矣。」 嫗告伍長蹤跡之。 有男子私殺牛,手持血刃,望見伍長,意其捕己,即走避之。 嫗與伍長疑是殺其婦也,捕送縣,不勝楚毒,遂誣服。 問屍安在? 詭曰:「棄之水中矣。」 求之水中,果獲一屍,已半腐。 縣吏以為是男子真殺若婦矣,即具獄上。 永功疑之曰:「婦死幾何日,而屍遽半腐哉。」 頃之,嫗得其婦於所私者。 永功曰:「是男子偶以殺人就獄,其拷掠足以稱殺牛之科矣。」 遂釋之而去。 武清黃氏、望雲王氏豪猾不逞,永功發其罪,畿內肅然。
An old woman and her daughter-in-law rested by the road; the wife slipped away with her lover. Someone told the old woman: "I saw a young woman take the footpath along the water just now." The old woman reported this to the squad chief and asked him to follow her trail. A man who had butchered an ox in secret, still holding a bloody knife, caught sight of the squad chief, assumed he was about to be arrested, and ran. The old woman and the squad chief took him for the murderer of the daughter-in-law; he was hauled to the county seat, broke under torture, and confessed to a crime he had not committed. They asked where the body was. He lied: "I threw it in the river." They dragged the river and found a corpse, already half decomposed. The county officials concluded the man had indeed killed her and drew up the case for the higher authorities. Yong Gong had his doubts: "How long could she have been dead for the body to be half rotted already?" Before long the old woman found her daughter-in-law with the lover. Yong Gong said: "The man was thrown into jail on a murder charge by chance; what he has already endured in interrogation is punishment enough for killing an ox." He was released and sent on his way. The Huang of Wuqing and the Wang of Wangyun were powerful bullies; Yong Gong exposed their crimes, and the capital district grew quiet.
13
二十三年,判東京留守。 是月,改河間尹。 閱月,改北京留守。 居無何,上謂宰臣曰:「朕聞永功到北京為政無良,雖朕子,萬一敗露,法可廢乎。 朕已戒敕永功,卿等可諭其長史,俾匡正之。」 到北京凡七月,改東京留守。 世宗幸上京,過東京,永功從。 明年,上還至天平山好水川,皇太子薨。 詔永功護喪事,尋拜御史大夫。 章宗封原王,加開府儀同三司。 趙王永中及永功兄弟皆加開府儀同三司。 明年,判大宗正事。
In the twenty-third year he was made regent of the Eastern Capital. That month he was reassigned as Administrator of Hejian. A month later he was made regent of the Northern Capital. Before long the emperor told his ministers: "I hear Yong Gong has governed badly at the Northern Capital. He is my son, but if wrongdoing comes to light, can the law be waived? I have already warned Yong Gong; you should tell his chief administrator to set him straight." After seven months in the north he was reassigned as regent of the Eastern Capital. When Shizong went to the Upper Capital and passed through the Eastern Capital, Yong Gong went with him. The following year, as the emperor was returning to Haoshuichuan on Tianping Mountain, the crown prince died. Yong Gong was ordered to supervise the funeral rites and was soon made Censor-in-Chief. Zhangzong was made Prince of Yuan and given the rank of Grand Preceptor with honors equal to the Three Excellencies. Prince Zhao Yong Zhong and Yong Gong's brothers received the same honor. The following year he was put in charge of the Imperial Clan Court.
14
應州僧與永功有舊,將訴事于彰國軍節度使移剌胡剌,求永功手書與胡剌為地。 胡剌得書,奏之。 上謂宰臣曰:「永功以書囑事胡剌,此雖細微,不可不懲也。 凡人小過不治,遂至大咎。 有犯必懲,庶幾能改,是亦教也。」 皆曰:「陛下用法無私,臣下敢不敬畏。」 於是永功解職。 未幾,複判大宗正事。
A monk from Yingzhou who knew Yong Gong was going to bring a grievance before Yelü Hula, commissioner of the Zhangguo army, and asked Yong Gong for a personal letter to smooth the way with Hula. Hula received the letter and reported it to the throne. The emperor told his ministers: "Yong Gong used a letter to ask Hula to handle a matter for him. Small as it is, it cannot go unpunished. When small faults go uncorrected, they grow into great disasters. Punish every offense, and there is hope of reform — that itself is a form of teaching." All said: "Your Majesty applies the law without favor; how could we servants not revere it?" Yong Gong was then dismissed from his post. Before long he was restored to head the Imperial Clan Court.
15
宣宗即位,免常參。 明年,從遷汴京。 久之,詔永功每月朔一朝。 興定四年,詔永功無朝。 五年,有疾,賜禦藥。 疾革,賜尚醫診視,一日五遣使候問。 是歲,薨。 上哭之慟,諡曰忠簡。
When Xuanzong came to the throne, Yong Gong was excused from daily court attendance. The following year he followed the court's move to Bianjing. After some time an edict required Yong Gong to attend court on the first day of each month. In the fourth year of Xingding an edict relieved Yong Gong of all court attendance. In the fifth year he fell ill and was given medicine from the imperial pharmacy. When his illness turned grave, imperial physicians were sent to treat him, and five times a day couriers were sent to ask after him. That year he died. The emperor mourned him deeply and gave him the posthumous name Zhongjian.
16
子福孫、壽孫、粘沒曷。 大定二十六年,詔賜福孫名璐,壽孫名璹,粘沒曷名琳。 是年,璐加奉國上將軍。 章宗即位,加銀青榮祿大夫,封蕭國公。 初為興陵崇妃養子,常居京師,奉朝請。 泰和五年,卒。 章宗輟朝,百官進名奉慰。
His sons were Fusun, Shousun, and Zhanmoye. In the twenty-sixth year of Dading an edict gave Fusun the name Lu, Shousun the name Shu, and Zhanmoye the name Lin. That year Lu was made General-in-Chief Who Supports the State. When Zhangzong came to the throne, Lu was made Silver-Green Glory Grandee and created Duke of Xiao. He had been adopted in youth by the Chong consort of Xingling, lived permanently in the capital, and attended court on summons. He died in the fifth year of Taihe. Zhangzong suspended court, and the officials presented their names in condolence.
17
子璹
His son: Shu
18
璹本名壽孫,世宗賜名,字仲實,一字子瑜。 資質簡重,博學有俊才,喜為詩,工真草書。 大定二十七年,加奉國上將軍。 明昌初,加銀青榮祿大夫。 衛紹王時,加開府儀同三司。 貞佑中,封胙國公。 正大初,進封密國公。
Shu, born Shousun, received his name from Shizong. His style was Zhongshi, and he also went by Ziyu. Plain and grave in manner, widely learned and brilliantly gifted, he loved poetry and excelled in both regular and cursive calligraphy. In the twenty-seventh year of Dading he was made General-in-Chief Who Supports the State. Early in Mingchang he was made Silver-Green Glory Grandee. Under Prince Wei-Shao he was given the rank of Grand Preceptor with honors equal to the Three Excellencies. During Zhenyou he was made Duke of Zuo. Early in Zhengda he was promoted to Duke of Mi.
19
璹奉朝請四十年,日以講誦吟詠為事,時時潛與士大夫唱酬,然不敢明白往來。 永功薨後,稍得出遊,與文士趙秉文、楊雲翼、雷淵、元好問、李汾、王飛伯輩交善。 初,宣宗南遷,諸王宗室顛沛奔走,璹乃盡載其家法書名畫,一帙不遺。 居汴中,家人口多,俸入少,客至,貧不能具酒肴,蔬飯共食,焚香煮茗,盡出藏書,談大定、明昌以來故事,終日不聽客去,樂而不厭也。
For forty years Shu lived on court summons, devoting his days to study, recitation, and poetry; he would quietly exchange verses with scholar-officials, but never dared to visit them openly. After Yong Gong died he was able to travel more freely and became close to the literati Zhao Bingwen, Yang Yunyi, Lei Yuan, Yuan Haowen, Li Fen, Wang Feibo, and others of that circle. When Xuanzong moved the court south, the princes and imperial kin scattered in turmoil; Shu took along every scroll of his family's calligraphy and paintings without losing a single one. In Bian his household was large and his income thin. When guests arrived he could not afford a proper feast; they ate simple vegetable meals together, burned incense and brewed tea, brought out his whole library, and talked of times since Dading and Mingchang — he would keep them all day and never tire of it.
20
平生詩文甚多。 自刪其詩,存三百首,樂府一百首,號《如庵小稿》。 第五子守禧,字慶之,風神秀徹,璹特鍾愛,嘗曰:「平日所蓄書畫將以付斯子。」 及汴城降,守禧病卒,年未三十。
Over his lifetime he wrote a great deal of poetry and prose. He edited his own poems down to three hundred pieces and a hundred yuefu lyrics, collected under the title Minor Drafts from the Ru'an Studio. His fifth son Shouxi, styled Qingzhi, was exceptionally refined in bearing; Shu doted on him and once said: "The books and paintings I have collected through the years will go to this boy." When Bian fell, Shouxi died of illness before he was thirty.
21
豫王永成,本名鶴野,又曰婁室。 母昭儀梁氏。 永成風姿奇偉,博學,善屬文。 世宗尤愛重之。 大定七年,始封沈王,以太學博士王彥潛為府文學,永成師事之。 十一年,進封豳。 十五年,就外第。 十六年,判秘書監。 明年,授世襲山東東路把魯古猛安,判大睦親府事。 既而改中都路胡土靄哥蠻猛安。 二十年,改授翰林學士承旨。 二十三年,判定武軍節度使事,尋改判廣寧府。 二十五年,世宗幸上京,命留守中都,判吏部尚書,進開府儀同三司,為御史大夫。
Yong Cheng, Prince of Yu, born Heye and also known as Loushi. His mother was Lady Liang, a zhaoyi. Yong Cheng was striking in appearance, widely learned, and a gifted writer. Shizong loved and valued him above all his sons. In the seventh year of Dading he was first made Prince of Shen; Wang Yanqian of the Imperial Academy was appointed literary tutor to his household, and Yong Cheng studied under him. In the eleventh year he was promoted to Prince of Bin. In the fifteenth year he moved to an estate outside the palace. In the sixteenth year he was put in charge of the Directorate of Archives. The following year he received the hereditary meng'an of Balugu in eastern Shandong and was made director of the Imperial Clan Court. He was soon reassigned to the meng'an of Hutu'aige on the Central Capital circuit. In the twentieth year he was made chief academician of the Hanlin Academy. In the twenty-third year he was made commissioner of the Dingwu army; soon after he was reassigned to administer Guangning Prefecture. In the twenty-fifth year, when Shizong went to the Upper Capital, Yong Cheng was left to guard the Central Capital, given charge of the Ministry of Personnel, promoted to Grand Preceptor with honors equal to the Three Excellencies, and made Censor-in-Chief.
22
章宗即位,起複,進封吳,判真定府事。 明昌元年,改山東西路盆買必剌猛安。 明年,進封兗。 坐率軍民圍獵,解職,奉表謝罪。 上賜手詔曰:「卿親實肺腑,夙著忠純,侍顯考于春宮,曲盡友于之愛,洎沖人之繼統,愈明忠赤之心,艱難之中,多所裨益。 朕心簡在,毫楮莫窮,用是起之苫塊之中,授以維城之任。 自典籓服,歲月薦更,蕞爾趙邦,知驥足之難展,眇哉鎮府,固牛刀之莫施。 方思驛召以赴朝,何意遽罹于國憲。 偶因時獵,頗擾部民,法所不寬,憲台聞上。 朕尚含容累月,未忍即行,雖欲遂於私恩,竟莫違于公議,解卿前職,即乃世封。 噫,祖宗立法,非一人之敢私; 骨肉至親,豈千里而能間。 以此退閑之小誡,欲成終始之洪恩。 《經》雲:'在上不驕,高而不危。 '是以知節慎者修身之本,驕矜者敗德之源。 朕每自勵,今以戒卿。 昔東平樂善,能成不朽之名,梁孝奢淫,卒致憂疑之悔。 前人所行,可為龜鑑。 卿兼資文武,多藝多才,履道而行,何施不可。 如能德業日新,無慮牽複之晚。 朕素不工詞翰,臨文草草,直寫所懷,冀不以辭害意也。」 未幾,授沁南軍節度使。 三年,改判咸平府事,未赴,移判太原府事。 上以永成誕日,親為詩以賜,有「美譽自應輝玉牒,忠誠不待啟金滕」之語,當世榮之。
When Zhangzong came to the throne, Yong Cheng was recalled, made Prince of Wu, and put in charge of Zhending Prefecture. In the first year of Mingchang he was reassigned to the meng'an of Penmaibila in western Shandong. The following year he was promoted to Prince of Yan. He was dismissed for leading troops and civilians on a battue hunt and submitted a memorial of apology. The emperor sent a personal edict: "You are truly of my own flesh, long famed for loyalty. You served my late father in the Eastern Palace with perfect brotherly devotion; when the young sovereign succeeded, your loyal heart shone all the brighter, and in hardship you gave much help. My heart holds you close beyond what words can tell; that is why I raised you from mourning and gave you the charge of guarding the realm. Since you took up a fief the years have turned; in petty Zhao you found no room for a thoroughbred's stride, and in so small a prefecture even a master butcher's knife had little to cut. I was about to summon you urgently to court — who would have thought you would suddenly run afoul of the law? You happened to hunt at the season and greatly disturbed the people under your command; the law cannot excuse it, and the Censorate reported it to me. I bore with it for months and could not bring myself to act; though I wished to honor private feeling, I could not defy public opinion — I remove you from your former post but leave your hereditary title intact. Alas — the laws our ancestors laid down are not for any one man to bend to private ends; kin of flesh and blood — can a thousand li put us apart? Take this small lesson in withdrawal as the price of a lasting grace between us from beginning to end. The Classic says: 'He who in high place is not arrogant remains lofty yet unendangered.' From this we know that restraint is the foundation of character, and arrogance the wellspring of moral ruin. I urge myself on this constantly; now I offer it as a warning to you. Long ago the Prince of Dongping loved goodness and won an immortal name; Prince Xiao of Liang lived in luxury and lust and ended in sorrow and suspicion. The deeds of those who came before may serve as a mirror. You unite civil and military gifts, with many arts and many talents; walk the right path and what could you not achieve? If your virtue and achievement grow day by day, you need not worry that recall will be long delayed. I have never been skilled with the pen; when I write I do so hastily, putting down what I feel directly, in hope that the words will not obscure my meaning." Before long he was made commissioner of the Qinnan army. In the third year he was reassigned to Xianping Prefecture; before he could take up the post he was moved to Taiyuan. On Yong Cheng's birthday the emperor wrote him a poem in his own hand, including the lines "Fine repute should naturally grace the imperial registers; loyalty needs no golden casket to prove it" — contemporaries regarded it as a signal honor.
23
七年,改判平陽府事。 承安改元,以覃恩進封豫。 明年冬,進馬八十疋,以資守禦之備。 上賜詔獎諭曰:「卿夙有雋望,時惟茂親,通達古今,砥礪忠義。 方分憂於外服,來輸駿於上閑,欲助邊防,以增武備。 惟盡心于體國,乃因物以見誠。 載念懇勤,良深嘉獎。」 五年,再任。 俄召還,以疾不能入見。 上親幸其第臨視。 泰和四年,薨。 訃聞,上為之震悼,賻贈甚厚,諡曰忠獻。
In the seventh year he was reassigned to administer Pingyang Prefecture. At the proclamation of the Cheng'an era he was promoted to Prince of Yu in a general amnesty. The following winter he presented eighty horses to help with frontier defense. The emperor sent an edict of praise: "You have long enjoyed a fine reputation; you are a flourishing kinsman of our house, versed in past and present, and you temper loyalty and righteousness. While you bear my cares in an outer post, you have sent fine horses to the imperial stables, wishing to strengthen the frontier and add to our military readiness. In giving your whole heart to the state, you have shown your sincerity through this gift. Mindful of your earnest devotion, I commend you warmly." In the fifth year he was reappointed. He was soon recalled, but illness kept him from appearing at court. The emperor went in person to his home to visit him. He died in the fourth year of Taihe. When news of his death arrived, the emperor was deeply shaken; funeral gifts were lavish, and he was given the posthumous name Zhongxian.
24
永成自幼喜讀書,晚年所學益醇,每暇日引文士相與切磋,接之以禮,未嘗見驕色。 自號曰「樂善居士」,有文集行於世雲。
Yong Cheng loved books from childhood; in later years his learning grew ever richer. On his free days he would invite literary men to study with him, treating them courteously and never showing arrogance. He took the style "Retired Scholar Who Delights in Goodness," and a collection of his writings circulated in his day.
25
贊曰:世宗保全宗室,無所不至,雖矯海陵之失,亦由天資仁厚而然也。 其子永中、永蹈皆死章宗之手,其理蓋有不可詰者。 章宗無後,則厥報不爽矣。
The eulogist writes: Shizong spared no effort to protect the imperial clan; though this corrected Hailing's excesses, it also sprang from a nature that was generous and mild by birth. His sons Yong Zhong and Yong Dao both died at Zhangzong's hands — the justice of it is perhaps beyond full reckoning. Zhangzong left no heir — and so the retribution was not long delayed.