Volume 40 Biographies 10: Jia Chong; Guo Zhang; Yang Jun

賈充〈（郭彰）〉楊駿〈(弟珧珧弟濟)〉

Jia Chong Guo Zhang)〉 Yang Jun younger brother Yang Yao; Yao's younger brother Yang Ji)〉

賈充，字公閭，平陽襄陵人也。父逵，魏豫州刺史、陽里亭侯。逵晚始生充，言後當有充閭之慶，故以為名字焉。充少孤，居喪以孝聞。襲父爵為侯。拜尚書郎，典定科令，兼度支考課。辯章節度，事皆施用。累遷黃門侍郎、汲郡典農中郎將。參大將軍軍事，從景帝討毌丘儉、文欽于樂嘉。帝疾篤，還許昌，留充監諸軍事，以勞增邑三百五十戶。

Jia Chong, whose courtesy name was Gonglü, came from Xiangling in Pingyang commandery. His father, Jia Kui, had served Wei as inspector of Yu Province and held the village marquisate of Yangli. Jia Kui was already old when Chong was born; he declared that the family would one day know the omen of a child who would "fill the gate" with renown, and so he chose Chong's name and courtesy name accordingly. Chong lost his father while still young and earned a reputation for filial devotion during the mourning rites. He succeeded to his father's marquisate. He was appointed gentleman clerk at the Masters of Writing, where he oversaw the drafting of statutes and regulations and also managed fiscal reviews and performance assessments. He clarified procedures and balanced priorities so that every measure could actually be put into practice. He rose through several posts to gentleman attendant at the Yellow Gates and commandant of agriculture for Ji commandery. He served on the staff of the grand general and accompanied Emperor Jing on the campaign against Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin at Lejia. When the emperor grew desperately ill and withdrew to Xuchang, he left Jia Chong to oversee military operations; for this service another three hundred fifty households were added to his fief.

後為文帝大將軍司馬，轉右長史。帝新執朝權，恐方鎮有異議，使充詣諸葛誕，圖欲伐吳，陰察其變。充既論說時事，因謂誕曰：「天下皆願禪代，君以為如何？」誕曆聲曰：「卿非賈豫州子乎，世受魏恩，豈可欲以社稷輸人乎！若洛中有難，吾當死之。」充默然。及還，白帝曰：「誕在再揚州，威名夙著，能得人死力。觀其規略，為反必也。今征之，反速而事小；不征，事遲而禍大。」帝乃征誕為司空，而誕果叛。復從征誕，充進計曰：「楚兵輕而銳，若深溝高壘以逼賊城，可不戰而克也。」帝從之。城陷，帝登壘以勞充。帝先歸洛陽，使充統後事，進爵宣陽鄉侯，增邑千戶。遷廷尉，充雅長法理，有平反之稱。

He later served Emperor Wen as marshal to the grand general, then moved to the post of senior administrator on the right. The emperor had just seized control at court and worried that frontier commanders might object; he dispatched Jia Chong to Zhuge Dan under the pretense of planning a campaign against Wu while secretly sounding out Dan's loyalty. Once they had finished reviewing the political situation, Chong said to Zhuge Dan, "Everyone expects the throne to change hands; what is your view?" Zhuge Dan answered sharply, "You are the son of Jia Kui of Yu Province; your family has enjoyed Wei's favor for generations—how dare you speak of handing the realm to another! If Luoyang faces peril, I will die defending it." Jia Chong said nothing. On his return he told the emperor, "Zhuge Dan is back in Yangzhou; his prestige is long-standing, and men will fight to the death for him. Judging from his designs, rebellion is only a matter of time. Summon him now and he will rebel quickly, yet the crisis stays manageable; leave him be and trouble comes later, but the disaster will be far worse." The emperor accordingly summoned Zhuge Dan to the capital as minister of works, and Dan rose in rebellion as predicted. When the army marched again against Zhuge Dan, Chong urged a strategy: "The enemy from Chu country is mobile and aggressive; starve them out with deep trenches and high walls against their fort and you win without a pitched battle." The emperor agreed. After the city fell, the emperor climbed the siege works to commend Jia Chong before the army. The emperor rode back to Luoyang first and left Chong to manage the rear echelon; Chong was promoted to village marquis of Xuanyang with another thousand households added to his fief. Promoted to commandant of justice, Chong excelled at statutory reasoning and earned praise for correcting unjust verdicts.

轉中護軍，高貴鄉公之攻相府也，充率眾距戰于南闕。軍將敗，騎督成倅弟太子舍人濟謂充曰：「今日之事如何？」充曰：「公等養汝，正擬今日，復何疑！」濟於是抽戈犯蹕。及常道鄉公即位，進封安陽鄉侯，增邑千二百戶，統城外諸軍，加散騎常侍。

Transferred to central protector of the army, Chong led troops against the duke of Gaoguixiang when that puppet emperor assaulted the grand chancellor's headquarters, fighting at the southern portal. As the lines began to buckle, Cheng Ji—commandant of cavalry Cheng Cui's brother and an attendant at the heir apparent's residence—asked Chong, "What are we to do now?" Chong replied, "Your masters kept you fed for exactly this moment—what more is there to hesitate over?" Cheng Ji then drew his spear and struck at the emperor's guard. After the duke of Changdao village mounted the throne, Chong was promoted to village marquis of Anyang with twelve hundred more households, took charge of the armies beyond the capital walls, and received the concurrent title of regular attendant at cavalry.

鐘會謀反於蜀，帝假充節，以本官都督關中、隴右諸軍事，西據漢中，未至而會死。時軍國多事，朝廷機密，皆與籌之。帝甚信重充，與裴秀、王沈、羊祜、荀勖同受腹心之任。帝又命充定法律。假金章，賜甲第一區。五等初建，封臨沂侯，為晉元勳，深見寵異，祿賜常優於群官。

When Zhong Hui rebelled in Shu, the emperor gave Chong the imperial baton and, while retaining his current rank, placed him in overall command of Guanzhong and Longyou and sent him west toward Hanzhong—Zhong Hui died before Chong arrived. With warfare and administration both demanding constant attention, the throne consulted Chong on every sensitive decision. The emperor relied deeply on Chong and assigned him, along with Pei Xiu, Wang Chen, Yang Hu, and Xun Xu, to the emperor's inner circle of confidential advisers. The emperor further charged him with codifying the legal statutes. He received temporary use of the gold seal of office and was awarded a walled mansion of the first rank. When the five-tier nobility was instituted he became marquis of Linyi; as one of Jin's founding pillars he enjoyed extraordinary favor, with stipends and gifts routinely exceeding those of his peers.

充有刀筆才，能觀察上旨。初，文帝以景帝恢贊王業，方傳位於舞陽侯攸。充稱武帝寬仁，且又居長，有人君之德，宜奉社稷。及文帝寢疾，武帝請問後事。文帝曰：「知汝者賈公閭也。」帝襲王位，拜充晉國衛將軍、儀同三司、給事中，改封臨潁侯。及受禪，充以建明大命，轉車騎將軍、散騎常侍、尚書僕射，更封魯郡公，母柳氏為魯國太夫人。

Chong had a clerk's sharp pen and an instinct for reading his sovereign's wishes. At first Emperor Wen believed Emperor Jing had done most to enlarge the Sima enterprise and planned to pass the succession to Sima You, marquis of Wuyang. Chong argued that Emperor Wu—Sima Yan—was magnanimous by nature, the eldest son, and possessed true monarchical virtue, and therefore should inherit the realm. When Emperor Wen took to his sickbed, Sima Yan sought guidance on what would follow. Emperor Wen answered, "Jia Gonglü is the man who knows your worth." After Sima Yan assumed the princely throne he named Chong general who guards the armies of the Jin principality with Three Offices protocol and concurrent palace attendant, and transferred his title to marquis of Linying. When Wei yielded the throne, Chong—honored for proclaiming the new mandate—became general of chariots and cavalry, regular cavalry attendant, and vice director of the Masters of Writing; he was raised to duke of Lu, and his mother, Lady Liu, received the title of grand lady of Lu.

充所定新律既班于天下，百姓便之。詔曰：「漢氏以來，法令嚴峻。故自元成之世，及建安、嘉平之間，咸欲辯章舊典，刪革刑書。述作體大，歷年無成。先帝湣元元之命陷於密網，親發德音，厘正名實。車騎將軍賈充，獎明聖意，諮詢善道。太傅鄭沖，又與司空荀顗、中書監荀勖、中軍將軍羊祜、中護軍王業，及廷尉杜友、守河南尹杜預、散騎侍郎裴楷、潁川太守周雄、齊相郭頎、騎都尉成公綏荀煇、尚書郎柳軌等，典正其事。朕每鑒其用心，常慨然嘉之。今法律既成，始班天下，刑寬禁簡，足以克當先旨。昔蕭何以定律受封，叔孫通以制儀為奉常，賜金五百斤，弟子皆為郎。夫立功立事，古之所重。自太傅、車騎以下，皆加祿賞。其詳依故典。」於是賜充子弟一人關內侯，絹五百匹。固讓，不許。

Once the new code Chong had drafted went into force across the empire, ordinary people found it easier to live under. An edict declared: "From Han times onward the laws had grown harsh and intricate. So from the reigns of Yuan and Cheng through the Jian'an and Jiaping periods, successive courts tried to rationalize ancient precedent and streamline the criminal code. The project was enormous, and year after year it remained unfinished. The late emperor lamented how common folk were caught in a tangled web of statutes and himself issued humane orders to align law with justice. General of chariots and cavalry Jia Chong carried forward the sovereign's intent and guided deliberation on sound legal principles. Grand Tutor Zheng Chong joined Ministers Xun Yi and Xun Xu, Generals Yang Hu and Wang Ye, the commandants Du You and Du Yu, attendant Pei Kai, regional officials Zhou Xiong and Guo Qi, cavalry commandants Cheng Gongsui and Xun Hui, clerk Liu Gui, and their colleagues in supervising the revision. Whenever We observed their dedication, Our admiration deepened. Now that the code is finished and published empire-wide, punishments are moderate and statutes succinct—exactly what Our predecessors intended. Long ago Xiao He earned his marquisate by drafting Han law; Shusun Tong rose to chamberlain of ceremonies for designing court ritual and received five hundred jin of gold while his students became palace gentlemen. Merit earned through service has always been honored. Everyone from the grand tutor and General Jia Chong downward shall receive augmented stipends and gifts. Specific grants shall follow established precedent." One of Chong's junior kinsmen was enfeoffed as secondary marquis within the passes, and five hundred bolts of silk were awarded. He protested repeatedly but the throne would not hear of refusal.

後代裴秀為尚書令，常侍、車騎將軍如故。尋改常侍為侍中，賜絹七百匹。以母憂去職，詔遣黃門侍郎慰問。又以東南有事，遣典軍將軍楊囂宣諭，使六旬還內。

He later succeeded Pei Xiu as director of the Masters of Writing while keeping his posts as regular attendant and general of chariots and cavalry. Shortly afterward his title was upgraded from regular attendant to palace attendant, with a gift of seven hundred bolts of silk. He resigned to observe mourning for his mother, and the court sent a gentleman attendant at the Yellow Gates with condolences. Because campaigns were underway in the southeast, camp general Yang Xiao brought word that Chong must resume duty within sixty days.

充為政，務農節用，並官省職，帝善之，又以文武異容，求罷所領兵。及羊祜等出鎮，充復上表欲立勳邊境，帝並不許。從容任職，褒貶在已，頗好進士，每有所薦達，必終始經緯之，是以士多歸焉。帝舅王恂嘗毀充，而充更進恂。或有背充以要權貴者，充皆陽以素意待之。而充無公方之操，不能正身率下，專以諂媚取容。

As chief minister he stressed agriculture and frugality, merging redundant offices; the emperor praised him, and Chong—claiming civil and military roles ill suited one another—asked to surrender command of his troops. After Yang Hu and others took frontier commands, Chong repeatedly volunteered for border duty to earn glory; each time the emperor refused. He stayed comfortable at court, controlling reputations as he pleased. He liked cultivating protégés; whenever he sponsored someone he followed that man's career from start to finish, so scholars flocked to his faction. The emperor's uncle Wang Xun had spoken ill of Chong, yet Chong arranged further promotions for him. Those who betrayed him to curry favor with grandees still found Chong greeting them with pretended goodwill. Yet Chong lacked upright principle; he could not set an example for subordinates and relied on flattery alone to stay in favor.

侍中任愷、中書令庾純等剛直守正，咸共疾之。又以充女為齊王妃，懼後益盛。及氐羌反叛，時帝深以為慮，愷因進說，請充鎮關中。乃下詔曰：「秦涼二境，比年屢敗，胡虜縱暴，百姓荼毒。遂使異類扇動，害及中州。雖復吳蜀之寇，未嘗至此。誠由所任不足以內撫夷夏，外鎮醜逆，輕用其眾而不能盡其力。非得腹心之重，推轂委成，大匡其弊，恐為患未已。每慮斯難，忘寢與食。侍中、守尚書令、車騎將軍賈充，雅量弘高，達見明遠，武有折沖之威，文懷經國之慮，信結人心，名震域外。使權統方任，綏靜西夏，則吾無西顧之念，而遠近獲安矣。其以充為使持節、都督秦涼二州諸軍事，侍中、車騎將軍如故，假羽葆、鼓吹，給第一駙馬。」朝之賢良欲進忠規獻替者，皆幸充此舉，望隆惟新之化。

Palace attendant Ren Kai and director Yu Chun—men of stubborn integrity—joined others in detesting him. Chong's daughter had married the prince of Qi as his consort, stoking fears that his clan would grow unstoppable. When Di and Qiang tribes rose in revolt, the emperor grew anxious; Ren Kai seized the moment and urged that Chong be posted to Guanzhong. An edict followed: "Qin and Liang have suffered defeat after defeat; nomads raid at will while common people endure misery. Alien peoples stir rebellion and their violence spills into the heartland. Even the devastations wrought by Wu and Shu never grew this dire. The fault lies with ill-chosen commanders who neither pacify tribes and Han settlers within nor crush rebels beyond, wasting armies without bringing their full strength to bear. Without a trusted minister empowered to lead wholeheartedly and set these failures right, the crisis will not end. These worries rob Us of sleep and appetite. Palace attendant, acting director of the Masters of Writing, and general of chariots and cavalry Jia Chong combines breadth of mind with foresight—bold enough to overawe foes in war, thoughtful enough to steward the realm in peace—winning devotion at home and renown abroad. Invest him with frontier command to pacify the western reaches and We need no longer glance anxiously toward the west; border and interior alike will rest easier. Appoint Chong credential-bearing commander of Qin and Liang with his existing titles retained; grant him feather canopy, martial music, and the finest mount from the imperial stable." Court reformers who hoped to speak frankly welcomed this posting, expecting it to herald broader renewal.

充既外出，自以為失職，深銜任愷，計無所從。將之鎮，百僚餞於夕陽亭，荀勖私焉。充以憂告，勖曰：「公，國之宰輔，而為一夫所制，不亦鄙乎！然是行也，辭之實難，獨有結婚太子，不頓駕而自留矣。」充曰：「然。孰可寄懷？」對曰：「勖請行之。」俄而侍宴，論太子婚姻事，勖因言充女才質令淑，宜配儲宮。而楊皇后及荀顗亦並稱之。帝納其言。會京師大雪，平地二尺，軍不得發。既而皇儲當婚，遂不西行。詔充居本職。先是羊祜密啟留充，及是，帝以語充。充謝祜曰：「始知君長者。」

Banishment westward felt like loss of power to Chong; he nursed a bitter grudge against Ren Kai yet saw no way to strike back. As he prepared to leave for his command, courtiers gathered at Sunset Pavilion to bid farewell; Xun Xu drew him aside. Chong poured out his worries; Xu replied, "You lead the realm yet let one man dictate your fate—how unworthy! Refusing the posting outright is impossible; marry your daughter to the heir apparent and you never need mount the carriage west—you stay in Luoyang by royal marriage." Chong said, "You're right. Who will carry this out?" Xu answered, "Leave it to me." Soon afterward at a palace banquet the conversation turned to the heir's marriage; Xu praised Chong's daughter as refined and virtuous—ideal for the eastern palace. Empress Yang and Xun Yi echoed his endorsement. The emperor approved. Heavy snow then blanketed the capital two feet deep, blocking any march west. Once the heir's nuptials were arranged, Chong never went west after all. The emperor commanded Chong to stay at his current duties in the capital. Yang Hu had privately urged the throne to keep Chong in Luoyang; now the emperor told Chong what Hu had done. Chong thanked him: "Now I see what a generous patron you are."

時吳將孫秀降，拜為驃騎大將軍。帝以充舊臣。欲改班，使車騎居驃騎之右。充固讓，見聽。尋遷司空，侍中、尚書令、領兵如故。

Sun Xiu, a Wu commander who had defected, had just been named grand general of agile cavalry. The emperor wished to honor Chong as a veteran of his house. He proposed reshuffling precedence so that general of chariots and cavalry would rank above grand general of agile cavalry. Chong protested until the emperor dropped the plan. He was soon promoted to minister of works while keeping his posts as palace attendant, director of the Masters of Writing, and troop command.

會帝寢疾，充及齊王攸、荀勖參醫藥。及疾愈，賜絹各五百匹。初，帝疾篤，朝廷屬意於攸。河南尹夏侯和謂充曰：「卿二女婿，親疏等耳，立人當立德。」充不答。及是，帝聞之，徙和光祿勳，乃奪充兵權，而位遇無替。尋轉太尉、行太子太保、錄尚書事。咸寧三年，日蝕於三朝，充請遜位，不許。更以沛國之公丘益其封，寵倖愈甚，朝臣咸側目焉。

When the emperor fell seriously ill, Chong joined Prince Sima You of Qi and Xun Xu in supervising his medical care. After the emperor recovered, each of them received five hundred bolts of silk. Earlier, during the emperor's grave illness, court opinion favored Sima You as successor. Xiahou He, governor of Henan, told Chong, "Your two royal sons-in-law stand equally close as kin—choose the heir by moral worth." Chong kept silent. Learning of this exchange, the emperor transferred Xiahou He to chamberlain of the palace garrison and stripped Chong of military command while leaving his civil honors untouched. He was soon made grand commandant, acting junior tutor to the heir apparent, with overall charge of the Masters of Writing. In Xianning 3 a solar eclipse darkened the triple audience halls; Chong offered to resign, but the emperor refused. His fief absorbed Gongqiu in Pei, his influence grew more intoxicating, and fellow ministers watched him with narrowed eyes.

河南尹王恂上言：「弘訓太后入廟，合食于景皇帝，齊王攸不得行其子禮。」充議以為：「禮，諸侯不得祖天子，公子不得禰先君，皆謂奉統承祀，非謂不得復其父祖也。攸身宜服三年喪事，自如臣制。」有司奏：「若如充議，服子服，行臣制，未有前比。宜如恂表，攸喪服從諸侯之例。」帝從充議。

Wang Xun of Henan argued that once Empress Dowager Hongxun entered the ancestral shrine to share offerings with Emperor Jing, Prince Sima You could no longer mourn her as a son." Chong countered that ritual barred heirs who inherited the imperial sacrifice from treating earlier rulers as direct fathers—not that a prince could never honor his blood parents. Sima You should still observe three years' mourning while otherwise behaving as a subject." Officials replied that Chong's formula—mourning as a son while acting publicly as a minister—had no precedent. They urged adopting Wang Xun's memorial so You's mourning would follow the rules for regional princes." The emperor sided with Chong.

伐吳之役，詔充為使持節、假黃鉞、大都督，總統六師，給羽葆、鼓吹、緹幢、兵萬人、騎二千，置左右長史、司馬、從事中郎，增參軍、騎司馬各十人，帳下司馬二十人，大車、官騎各三十人。充慮大功不捷，表陳「西有昆夷之患，北有幽並之戍，天下勞擾，年穀不登，興軍致討，懼非其時。又臣老邁，非所克堪。」詔曰：「君不行，吾便自出。」充不得已，乃受節鉞，將中軍，為諸軍節度，以冠軍將軍楊濟為副，南屯襄陽。吳江陵諸守皆降，充乃徙屯項。

For the conquest of Wu the emperor named Chong credential-bearing commander-in-chief of all six armies with the yellow battle-axe, feather canopy, martial bands, silk banners, ten thousand foot soldiers and two thousand horse, full headquarters staff, extra adjutants, escort troops, carriages, and mounted guards. Fearing failure, Chong memorialized that western tribes, northern garrisons, exhausted taxpayers, and poor harvests made this the wrong moment for war. He added that he was too old for such a burden." The emperor answered, "If you refuse, I will take the field myself." Chong had to accept the command, taking the central army as overall coordinator with champion general Yang Ji as deputy and establishing headquarters south at Xiangyang. When Wu's garrisons along the Jiangling front capitulated, Chong shifted his base to Xiang.

王浚之克武昌也，充遣使表曰：「吳未可悉定，方夏，江淮下濕，疾疫必起，宜召諸軍，以為後圖。雖腰斬張華，不足以謝天下。」華豫平吳之策，故充以為言。中書監荀勖奏，宜如充表。帝不從。杜預聞充有奏，馳表固爭，言平在旦夕。使及至轘轅，而孫皓已降。吳平，軍罷。帝遣侍中程咸犒勞，賜充帛八千匹，增邑八千戶；分封從孫暢新城亭侯，蓋安陽亭侯；弟陽裏亭侯混、從孫關內侯眾增戶邑。充本無南伐之謀，固諫不見用。及師出而吳平，大慚懼，議欲請罪。帝聞充當詣闕，豫幸東堂以待之。罷節鉞、僚佐，仍假鼓吹、麾幢。充與群臣上告成之禮，請有司具其事。帝謙讓不許。

After Wang Jun seized Wuchang, Chong sent a memorial urging withdrawal: Wu was not yet subdued, summer heat and river damp would breed plague, so recall the armies and plan anew. Even executing Zhang Hua would not atone to the realm—an allusion to Zhang Hua's plan for the southern campaign." Zhang Hua had helped draft the Wu strategy, so Chong cited him to shift blame. Xun Xu as supervisor of the Secretariat backed Chong's memorial. The emperor rejected it. When Du Yu learned of Chong's withdrawal plea he sent an urgent counter-memorial insisting victory was hours away. By the time Chong's messenger reached the Huanyuan pass, Sun Hao had capitulated. With Wu conquered the armies stood down. The emperor sent Cheng Xian with rewards: eight thousand bolts of silk for Chong and eight thousand extra households for his fief; his kinsmen Chang and Gai received minor marquisates at Xincheng and Anyang; while his brother Hun and grand-nephew Zhong likewise gained households. Chong had opposed the southern campaign from the start, yet his warnings went unheeded. When the armies triumphed despite him, he was mortified and considered confessing his obstruction. Learning Chong meant to present himself for punishment, the emperor waited for him in the Eastern Hall. He stripped Chong of command credentials and staff but let him keep honorary bands and banners. Chong joined other ministers in proposing the victory ceremony and asked the bureaus to arrange it. The emperor modestly refused.

充婦廣城君郭槐，性妒忌。初，黎民年三歲，乳母抱之當閣。黎民見充入，喜笑，充就而拊之。槐望見，謂充私乳母，即鞭殺之。黎民戀念，發病而死。後又生男，過期，復為乳母所抱，充以手摩其頭。郭疑乳母，又殺之，兒亦思慕而死。充遂無胤嗣。及薨，槐輒以外孫韓謐為黎民子，奉充後。郎中令韓咸、中尉曹軫諫槐曰：「禮，大宗無後，以小宗支子後之，無異姓為後之文。無令先公懷腆后土，良史書過，豈不痛心。」槐不從。咸等上書求改立嗣，事寢不報。槐遂表陳是充遺意。帝乃詔曰：「太宰、魯公充，崇德立勳，勤勞佐命，背世殂隕，每用悼心。又胤子早終，世嗣未立。古者列國無嗣，取始封支庶，以紹其統，而近代更除其國。至於周之公旦，漢之蕭何，或豫建元子，或封爵元妃，蓋尊顯勳庸，不同常例。太宰素取外孫韓謐為世子黎民後。吾退而斷之，外孫骨肉至近，推恩計情，合于人心。其以謐為魯公世孫，以嗣其國。自非功如太宰，始封無後如太宰，所取必以己自出不如太宰，皆不得以為比。」及下禮官議充諡，博士秦秀議諡曰荒，帝不納。博士段暢希旨，建議諡曰武，帝乃從之。自充薨至葬，賻賜二千萬。惠帝即位，賈后擅權，加充廟備六佾之樂，母郭為宜城君。及郭氏亡，諡曰宣，特加殊禮。時人譏之，而莫敢言者。

Chong's wife, Lady Guo Huai of Guangcheng, was fiercely jealous. When their son Limin was three, his nurse held him near the chamber entrance. The boy brightened when Chong entered; Chong stepped over to pat him. Lady Guo assumed Chong was sleeping with the nurse and had her flogged to death on the spot. The grieving child sickened and died. Another son arrived; after his first month another nurse held him while Chong stroked the infant's head. Lady Guo suspected that nurse too and killed her; the baby died of grief like the first. Thus Chong was left without male heirs. When Chong died, Lady Guo installed her grandson Han Mi as heir in Limin's place. Han Xian and Cao Zhen urged Lady Guo to observe ritual: when the main line lacked heirs a cousin carried it on—law never sanctioned adopting outsiders. Do not make your late husband blush before Heaven and earth while historians record the scandal—that should break your heart." She refused. They memorialized to overturn the adoption, but the petition vanished without answer. Lady Guo then claimed the adoption had been Chong's dying wish. The emperor responded: "Grand tutor and duke of Lu Jia Chong served the dynasty with merit until death—Our grief is constant. His natural heirs died young; the main line stood empty. Ancient states without heirs adopted cadets from the founding line, though modern precedent sometimes abolished fiefs outright. Zhou's Duke of Zhou and Han's Xiao He enjoyed special privileges—early designation of heirs or honors for wives—because extraordinary merit broke ordinary rules. The grand tutor had already chosen grandson Han Mi to continue Limin's line. We weighed the matter: a daughter's son is close kin, and extending favor to him fits human feeling. Let Han Mi inherit the duchy of Lu as Chong's designated grandson. Unless merit equals the grand tutor's, unless the founding line fails as his did, and unless the heir springs from one's own issue as Han Mi did, no one may cite this case." When ritual officers debated Chong's posthumous name, Erudite Qin Xiu proposed "Desolate"; the emperor rejected it. Erudite Duan Chang, angling for imperial favor, suggested "Martial," which the emperor accepted. Between his death and burial the court lavished twenty million cash in funeral grants. Under Emperor Hui, Empress Jia dominated politics: Chong's shrine gained six rows of ritual dancers and Lady Guo received the title lady of Yicheng. When Lady Guo died she received the posthumous name "Declarative" and honors beyond the usual. Contemporaries sneered but kept silent.

初，充前妻李氏淑美有才行，生二女褒、裕，褒一名荃，裕一名浚。父豐誅，李氏坐流徙。後娶城陽太守郭配女，即廣城君也。武帝踐阼，李以大赦得還，帝特詔充置左右夫人，充母亦敕充迎李氏。郭槐怒，攘袂數充曰：「刊定律令，為佐命之功，我有其分。李那得與我並！」充乃答詔，托以謙沖，不敢當兩夫人盛禮，實畏槐也。而荃為齊王攸妃，欲令充遣郭而還其母。時沛國劉含母，及帝舅羽林監王虔前妻，皆毌丘儉孫女。此例既多，質之禮官，俱不能決。雖不遣後妻，多異居私通。充自以宰相為海內準則，乃為李築室於永年裏而不往來。荃、浚每號泣請充，充竟不往。會充當鎮關右，公卿供帳祖道，荃、浚懼充遂去，乃排幔出於坐中，叩頭流血，向充及群僚陳母應還之意。眾以荃王妃，皆驚起而散。充甚愧愕，遣黃門將宮人扶去。既而郭槐女為皇太子妃，帝乃下詔斷如李比皆不得還，後荃恚憤而薨。初，槐欲省李氏，充曰：「彼有才氣，卿往不如不往。」及女為妃，槐乃盛威儀而去。既入戶，李氏出迎，槐不覺腳屈，因遂再拜。自是充每出行，槐輒使人尋之，恐其過李也。初，充母柳見古今重節義，竟不知充與成濟事，以濟不忠，數追罵之。侍者聞之，無不竊笑。及將亡，充問所欲言，柳曰：「我教汝迎李新婦尚不肯，安問他事！」遂無言。及充薨後，李氏二女乃欲令其母祔葬，賈后弗之許也。及後廢，李氏乃得合葬。李氏作《女訓》行於世。

Chong's first wife, Lady Li, was talented and lovely; she bore two daughters—Bao, also called Quan, and Yu, also called Jun. When her father Li Feng was executed, Lady Li was banished as his kin. He then married Guo Pei's daughter—Lady Guo Huai of Guangcheng. After Sima Yan took the throne a general amnesty allowed Lady Li home; the emperor ordered Chong to install both women as formal wives, and Chong's mother urged him to bring Li back. Lady Guo flared with rage, sleeves rolled up: "I helped codify the laws that founded this dynasty—I earned my place. Lady Li cannot rank beside me!" Chong declined the dual-wife arrangement, citing humility when he was simply terrified of Lady Guo. His daughter Quan, Prince Sima You's consort, wanted Chong to divorce Lady Guo and restore Lady Li. Liu Han's mother in Pei and Wang Qian's first wife—both granddaughters of Guanqiu Jian—faced similar disputes. So many cases arose that ritual specialists could not settle them. Men kept later wives in separate households and conducted affairs in secret. Chong, posing as the moral model for the empire, built Lady Li a house in Yongnian ward but never visited. Quan and Jun wept and pleaded; Chong still refused to go. When Chong left to command the west, officials lined the road to see him off; fearing he would never return, Quan and Jun burst through the curtains, kowtowing until they bled, begging him before the whole assembly to restore their mother. Onlookers, recognizing the prince's consort, fled in confusion. Mortified, Chong had eunuchs and maids lead the women away. Once Lady Guo's daughter became crown princess, the emperor ruled that no banished first wife might return as Lady Li had hoped; Quan died of bitterness soon after. When Lady Guo meant to confront Lady Li, Chong warned, "She outclasses you—stay away or regret it." After her daughter became consort, Lady Guo marched over in full state. Inside, Lady Li greeted her with such grace that Lady Guo's knees buckled and she curtsied twice unthinkingly. After that Lady Guo had spies follow Chong whenever he left home lest he visit Lady Li. Chong's mother Lady Liu prized loyalty above all yet never knew her son had ordered Cheng Ji to kill the emperor; she cursed Cheng Ji as a traitor again and again. Servants who heard her snickered behind their sleeves. On her deathbed Chong asked her wishes; she snapped, "You would not even fetch Lady Li when I told you—do not speak to me of anything else!" She fell silent. After Chong died the daughters asked to bury Lady Li beside him; Empress Jia refused. Only after Empress Jia's fall could Lady Li be interred beside Chong. Lady Li's "Instructions for Women" circulated widely.

謐字長深。母賈午，充少女也。父韓壽，字德真，南陽堵陽人，魏司徒暨曾孫。美姿貌，善容止，賈充辟為司空掾。充每宴賓僚，其女輒於青钅巢中窺之，見壽而悅焉。問其左右識此人不，有一婢說壽姓字，雲是故主人。女大感想，發於寤寐。婢後往壽家，具說女意，並言其女光麗豔逸，端美絕倫。壽聞而心動，便令為通殷勤。婢以白女，女遂潛修音好，厚相贈結，呼壽夕入。壽勁捷過人，逾垣而至，家中莫知，惟充覺其女悅暢異于常日。時西域有貢奇香，一著人則經月不歇，帝甚貴之，惟以賜充及大司馬陳騫。其女密盜以遺壽，充僚屬與壽燕處，聞其芬馥，稱之於充。自是充意知女與壽通，而其門閣嚴峻，不知所由得入。乃夜中陽驚，托言有盜，因使循牆以觀其變。左右白曰：「無餘異，惟東北角如狐狸行處。」充乃考問女之左右，具以狀對。充秘之，遂以女妻壽。壽官至散騎常侍、河南尹。元康初卒，贈驃騎將軍。

Han Mi's courtesy name was Changshen. His mother was Jia Wu, Jia Chong's youngest daughter. His father, Han Shou (courtesy name Dezhen), came from Duyang in Nanyang and was the great-grandson of Wei minister Han Ji. Renowned for looks and graceful manners, he joined Jia Chong's staff as registrar to the minister of works. During Chong's banquets his daughter would spy from behind a pierced green screen; one glimpse of Han Shou captivated her. She asked her attendants who he was; a maid supplied Han Shou's name and said he had once served their household. She burned with longing night and day. The maid visited Han Shou and relayed the girl's passion, praising her mistress as incomparably beautiful. Han Shou agreed and sent her back with intimate messages. When the maid reported back, the girl began secret correspondence, sent lavish gifts, and invited Han Shou to visit after dark. Han Shou scaled the wall—the household noticed nothing—but Chong saw his daughter glowing unlike before. The emperor had received tribute incense from the west whose fragrance clung to the skin for a month; only Chong and Grand Marshal Chen Qian received any. The daughter stole some for Han Shou; when Chong's aides dined with Shou they caught the scent and mentioned it to Chong. Chong realized the affair but could not see how anyone breached his fortified gates. He feigned a midnight alarm about thieves and ordered patrols along the walls to watch what happened. Guards reported nothing unusual except scratches near the northeast corner "like a fox's path." Questioning his daughter's maids, Chong extracted the full story. Chong hushed the scandal and married his daughter to Han Shou. Han Shou rose to regular cavalier attendant and governor of Henan. He died early in Yuankang with posthumous appointment as grand general of agile cavalry.

謐好學，有才思。既為充嗣，繼佐命之後，又賈后專恣，謐權過人主，至乃鎖系黃門侍郎，其為威福如此。負其驕寵，奢侈逾度，室宇崇僭，器服珍麗，歌僮舞女，選極一時。開閣延賓。海內輻湊，貴游豪戚及浮競之徙，莫不盡禮事之。或著文章稱美謐，以方賈誼。渤海石崇歐陽建、滎陽潘岳、吳國陸機陸雲、蘭陵繆征、京兆杜斌摯虞、琅邪諸葛詮、弘農王粹、襄城杜育、南陽鄒捷、齊國左思、清河崔基、沛國劉瑰、汝南和郁周恢、安平牽秀、潁川陳眕、太原郭彰、高陽許猛、彭城劉訥、中山劉輿劉琨皆傅會於謐，號曰二十四友，其餘不得預焉。

Han Mi was bookish and clever. As Chong's heir and with Empress Jia ruling unchecked, Mi wielded more power than the emperor—once shackling a gentleman at the Yellow Gates—such was his arrogance. Drunk on privilege he built mansions beyond his rank, stocked treasures, and assembled the finest singers and dancers of the day. He threw open his salons to host guests. Elite adventurers, powerful in-laws, and opportunists flocked from across the realm to court him. Some poets compared him to Han dynasty prodigy Jia Yi. Shi Chong, Ouyang Jian, Pan Yue, the Lu brothers, Zuo Si, Guo Zhang, and other glittering literati from the capital and the provinces all curried favor with Han Mi in a clique known as the Twenty-Four Friends; lesser talents were shut out.

尋轉侍中。領秘書監如故。謐時從帝幸宣武觀校獵，諷尚書于會中召謐受拜，誡左右勿使人知，於是眾疑其有異志矣。謐既親貴，數入二宮，共湣懷太子游處，無屈降心。常與太子弈棋爭道，成都王穎在坐，正色曰：「皇太子國之儲君，賈謐何得無禮！」謐懼，言之於後，遂出穎為平北將軍，鎮鄴。

He was soon made palace attendant. He kept his concurrent post as director of the palace library. While Mi accompanied the emperor on a hunt at Xuanwu Watch, his allies quietly arranged through the Masters of Writing to invest him with office mid-event—sworn to secrecy—so courtiers began whispering that Mi harbored treasonous ambitions. Once favored by both palace complexes, Mi haunted Crown Prince Yu's apartments yet refused to humble himself. During one contentious weiqi match Prince Sima Ying of Chengdu rebuked him: "Heir apparent is the foundation of the state—how dare you slight him?" Mi complained to Empress Jia, who banished Sima Ying to Ye as general who pacifies the north.

及為常侍，侍講東宮，太子意有不悅，謐患之。而其家數有妖異，飄風吹其朝服飛上數百丈，墜於中丞台，又蛇出其被中，夜暴雷震其室，柱陷入地，壓毀床帳，謐益恐。及遷侍中，專掌禁內，遂與後成謀，誣陷太子。及趙王倫廢後，以詔召謐於殿前，將戮之。走入西鐘下，呼曰：「阿後救我！」乃就斬之。韓壽少弟蔚有器望，及壽兄鞏令保、弟散騎侍郎預、吳王友鑒、謐母賈午皆伏誅。

As regular attendant lecturing in the eastern palace, Mi grew anxious at the crown prince's evident dislike. Ill omens multiplied—a gale lofted his court robes onto the censorate tower, a snake crawled from his bedding, lightning shattered his hall—and Mi panicked. Promoted to palace attendant with access to the inner quarters, he plotted with Empress Jia to frame the heir apparent. After Prince Sima Lun deposed the empress he summoned Mi to the palace steps for execution. He darted beneath the western bell tower screaming, "Mother empress, save me!" They dragged him out and beheaded him. Han Wei, Han Bao, Han Yu, Jian who served as friend to the prince of Wu, and Mi's mother Jia Wu were all executed alongside the clan.

初，充伐吳時，嘗屯項城，軍中忽失充所在。充帳下都督周勤時晝寢，夢見百餘人錄充，引入一逕。勤驚覺，聞失充，乃出尋索，忽睹所夢之道。遂往求之。果見充行至一府舍，侍衛甚盛。府公南南坐，聲色甚曆，謂充曰：「將亂吾家事，必爾與荀勖，既惑吾子，又亂吾孫。間使任愷黜汝而不去，又使庾純詈汝而不改。今吳寇當平，汝方表斬張華。汝之暗戇，皆此類也。若不悛慎，當旦夕加罪。」充因叩頭流血，公曰：「汝所以延日月而名器如此者，是衛府之勳耳。終當使系嗣死于鐘虡之間，大子斃于金酒之中，小子困於枯木之下。荀勖亦宜同，然其先德小濃。故在汝後，數世之外，國嗣亦替。」言畢，命去。充忽然得還營，顏色憔悴，性理昏喪，經日乃復。及是，謐死于鐘下，賈后服金酒而死，賈午考竟用大杖。終皆如所言。

During the Wu campaign Chong once headquartered at Xiang—one day he vanished from camp. His aide Zhou Qin napped and dreamed of a hundred bailiffs hauling Chong down a narrow lane. Startled awake to news that Chong was missing, Zhou Qin rushed out and recognized the dream path. He followed it. He found Chong entering a guarded mansion. A stern official faced south and accused Chong: "You and Xun Xu will ruin my house—you misled my heir and now poison my grandson. Ren Kai tried to exile you and Yu Chun cursed you in court—yet you never changed. Even as Wu falls you demand Zhang Hua's head to sabotage victory. Every scheme of yours is this foolish. Unless you mend your ways, punishment comes at once." Chong kowtowed until he bled; the specter said, "You owe rank and life only to service rendered under Wei. Your heir will die beneath the bell, your crown prince will swallow poisoned wine, your cadets will perish like dry wood. Xun Xu shares your guilt, though his ancestors earned slightly more grace. His line falls after yours; within generations his house too ends." With that he dismissed Chong. Chong woke back in camp, drained and confused for days. Years later Mi died beneath that bell, Empress Jia drank poison, and Jia Wu was beaten to death—each doom matching the curse. Every prophecy came true.

趙王倫之敗，朝廷追述充勳，議立其後。欲以充從孫散騎侍郎眾為嗣，眾陽狂自免。以子禿後充，封魯公，又病死。永興中，立充從曾孫湛為魯公，奉充後，遭亂死，國除。泰始中，人為充等謠曰：「賈、裴、王，亂紀綱。王、裴、賈，濟天下。」言亡魏而成晉也。

After Sima Lun fell the court remembered Chong's service and debated restoring his line. Officials proposed Chong's grand-nephew Zhong as heir, but he feigned madness to escape. His son Tu inherited the duchy of Lu but soon died young. In Yongxing great-grand-nephew Zhan revived the title until war killed him and ended the fief. Taishi-era rhymesters sang: "Jia, Pei, Wang—chaos in the law. Wang, Pei, Jia—they rescue the realm." Meaning Wei fell so Jin might rise.

充弟混，字宮奇，篤厚自守，無殊才能。太康中，為宗正卿。曆鎮軍將軍，領城門校尉，加侍中，封永平侯。卒，贈中軍大將軍、儀同三司。

Chong's younger brother Hun (courtesy Gongqi) was steady but undistinguished. Under Taikang he directed the bureau of imperial clan affairs. He rose to general who guards the army, colonel of the city gates, palace attendant, and marquis of Yongping. Posthumously he received grand general of the central army with Three Offices honors.

充從子彝、遵並有鑒裁，俱為黃門郎。遵弟模最知名。

Nephews Yi and Zun were discerning critics who both served as gentlemen at the Yellow Gates. Mo, Zun's younger brother, became the famous one.

模字思範，少有志尚。頗覽載籍，而沈深有智算，確然難奪。深為充所信愛，每事籌之焉。充年衰疾劇，恆憂己諡傳，模曰：「是非久自見，不可掩也。」起家為邵陵令，遂曆事二宮尚書吏部郎，以公事免，起為車騎司馬。豫誅楊駿，封平陽鄉侯，邑千戶。及楚王瑋矯詔害汝南王亮、太保衛瓘，詔使模將中騶二百人救之。

Jia Mo (courtesy Sifan) aimed high from youth. Well read and quietly calculating, he held firm opinions. Chong relied on him for every decision. When Chong fretted over his posthumous name, Mo answered, "Truth outs with time—it cannot be buried." He began as magistrate of Shaoling, served both palaces as personnel director of the Masters of Writing, briefly fell from office, then became marshal to the general of chariots and cavalry. For helping execute Yang Jun he became village marquis of Pingyang with a thousand-household fief. When Prince Sima Wei forged orders against Sima Liang and Wei Guan, Mo led two hundred imperial escort riders in a rescue attempt.

是時賈后既豫朝政，欲委信親黨，拜模散騎常侍，二日擢為侍中。模乃盡心匡弼，推張華、裴顗同心輔政。數年之中，朝野寧靜，模之力也。乃加授光祿大夫。然模潛執權勢，外形欲遠之，每有啟奏賈后事，入輒取急，或托疾以避之。至於素有嫌忿，多所中陷，朝廷甚憚之。加貪冒聚斂，富擬王公。但賈后性甚強暴，模每盡言為陳禍福，後不能從，反謂模毀己。於是委任之情日衰，而讒間之徒遂進。模不得志，憂憤成疾。卒，追贈車騎將軍、開府儀同三司，諡曰成。子遊字彥將嗣，曆官太子侍講、員外散騎侍郎。

Empress Jia, already meddling in policy, promoted Mo to regular cavalier attendant and within two days to palace attendant. Mo threw his weight behind Zhang Hua and Pei Yi as co-regents. For several years court and countryside stayed calm thanks largely to Mo. He received the additional title grand master of splendid happiness. Yet Mo hoarded influence while pretending distance—whenever petitioners raised Empress Jia's misconduct he pleaded sudden illness. Those who crossed him suffered trumped-up charges; the bureaucracy feared him. Greedy extortion made him as rich as princes. Empress Jia was vicious; Mo warned her honestly of consequences until she accused him of slandering her. Her trust faded while flatterers advanced. Frustrated and embittered, Mo fell ill. Posthumously named general of chariots and cavalry with independent headquarters and posthumous epithet "Accomplished." His son You (courtesy Yanjiang) inherited his titles and served as lecturer to the heir apparent and supernumerary cavalier attendant.

郭彰，字叔武，太原人，賈后從舅也。與賈充素相親遇，充妻待彰若同生。曆散騎常侍、尚書、衛將軍，封冠軍縣侯。及賈后專朝，彰豫參權勢，物情歸附，賓客盈門。世人稱為「賈郭」，謂謐及彰也。卒，諡曰烈。

Guo Zhang (courtesy Shuwu) of Taiyuan was Empress Jia's uncle by marriage. Chong had long favored him, and Lady Guo treated him like a full brother. He rose through regular cavalier attendant and minister posts to general who guards the army and county marquis of Champion. Under Empress Jia's dictatorship he shared her power; clients packed his courtyard. People paired him with the Jia clan as the "Jia-Guo" faction alongside Han Mi. He died with posthumous epithet "Fierce."

楊駿，字文長，弘農華陰人也。少以王官為高陸令，驍騎、鎮軍二府司馬。後以後父超居重位，自鎮軍將軍遷車騎將軍，封臨晉侯。識者議之曰：「夫封建諸侯，所以籓屏王室也。后妃，所以供粢盛，弘內教也。後父始封而以臨晉為侯，兆於亂矣。」尚書褚䂮、郭奕並表駿小器，不可以任社稷之重。武帝不從。帝自太康以後，天下無事，不復留心萬機，惟耽酒色，始寵後黨，請謁公行。而駿及珧、濟勢傾天下，時人有「三楊」之號。

Yang Jun (courtesy Wenzhang) came from Huayin in Hongnong commandery. He began as magistrate of Gaolu on princely nomination, then served as marshal to the agile cavalry and army-guarding headquarters. As empress dowager's father he vaulted to grand general of chariots and cavalry and marquis of Linjin. Critics said: "Feudal enfeoffments exist to shield the throne. Consorts supply ancestral offerings and spread virtue within the palace. Giving an empress's father Linjin as his first fief foretells disaster." Ministers Chu Xie and Guo Yi memorialized that Yang Jun lacked stature for the realm's burdens. Emperor Wu ignored them. After Taikang the emperor ignored government, drowned in wine and women, elevated the empress's clan, and sold offices openly. Jun and his brothers Yao and Ji dominated the realm—the "Three Yangs."

及帝疾篤，未有顧命，佐命功臣，皆已沒矣，朝臣惶惑，計無所從。而駿盡斥群公，親侍左右。因輒改易公卿，樹其心腹。會帝小間，見所用者非，乃正色謂駿曰：「何得便爾！」乃詔中書，以汝南王亮與駿夾輔王室。駿恐失權寵，從中書借詔觀之，得便藏匿。中書監華廙恐懼，自往索之，終不肯與。信宿之間，上疾遂篤，後乃奏帝以駿輔政，帝頷之。便召中書監華暠、令何劭，口宣帝旨使作遺詔，曰：「昔伊望作佐，勳垂不朽；周霍拜命，名冠往代。侍中、車騎將軍、行太子太保，領前將軍楊駿，經德履吉，鑒識明遠，毗翼二宮，忠肅茂著，宜正位上臺，擬跡阿衡。其以駿為太尉、太子太傅、假節、都督中外諸軍事，侍中、錄尚書、領前將軍如故。置參軍六人、步兵三千人、騎千人，移止前衛將軍珧故府。若止宿殿中宜有翼衛，其差左右衛三部司馬各二十人、殿中都尉司馬十人給駿，令得持兵仗出入。」詔成，後對暠、劭以呈帝，帝親視而無言。自是二日而崩，駿遂當寄託之重，居太極殿。梓宮將殯，六宮出辭，而駿不下殿，以武賁百人自衛。不恭之跡，自此而始。

As the emperor sank without naming regents—his veteran advisers gone—officials panicked with no plan. Yang Jun drove senior ministers away and alone attended the dying emperor. He reshuffled the high command and packed offices with loyalists. During a lucid moment the emperor saw Jun's appointments and snapped, "How dare you!" He ordered the Secretariat to name Prince Sima Liang of Runan co-regent with Yang Jun. Fearing loss of power, Jun borrowed the draft edict from the Secretariat and hid it. Hua Yi demanded the edict back in person; Jun refused. Within days the emperor worsened; Empress Yang memorialized to make Jun regent and received a nod. She summoned Hua Yi and He Shao to draft a will: "Yi Yin and the Duke of Zhou served as regents whose fame endures. The Zhou and Huo regencies crowned their eras. Palace attendant, general of chariots and cavalry, acting junior tutor and van leader Yang Jun served both palaces with loyalty—install him as chief minister like Yi Yin. Appoint Jun grand commandant, grand tutor to the heir, commander of all armies with imperial baton, retaining his palace attendant, recorder of the Masters of Writing, and van leader posts. Grant six staff officers, three thousand foot, one thousand horse, and headquarters in former General Yang Yao's compound. If he sleeps in the palace, assign forty guards from the left and right guards plus ten hall marshals so he may carry arms within the halls." When the edict was ready Empress Yang showed it with Hua Yi and He Shao; the emperor looked it over in silence. Two days later the emperor died; Jun assumed regency and occupied the Taiji Hall. When the catafalque left the palace women came to mourn but Jun never left the hall, ringed by a hundred guardsmen. His arrogance began here.

惠帝即位，進駿為太傅、大都督、假黃鉞，錄朝政，百官總己。慮左右間己，乃以其甥段廣、張劭為近侍之職。凡有詔命，帝省訖，入呈太后，然後乃出。駿知賈后情性難制，甚畏憚之。又多樹親黨，皆領禁兵。於是公室怨望，天下憤然矣。駿弟珧、濟並有俊才，數相諫止，駿不能用，因廢於家。駿暗于古義，動違舊典。武帝崩未逾年而改元，議者咸以為違《春秋》逾年書即位之義。朝廷惜於前失，令史官沒之，故明年正月復改年焉。

Emperor Hui promoted Jun to grand tutor and commander-in-chief with the yellow axe, controlling government while officials answered only to him. Fearing intrigue he installed nephews Duan Guang and Zhang Shao as palace attendants. Every edict passed before Emperor Hui, then Empress Dowager Yang, before publication. Jun dreaded Empress Jia's uncontrollable temper. He packed the palace guard with kinsmen. The imperial clan seethed and the realm grew furious. His talented brothers Yao and Ji urged restraint until Jun sidelined them. Jun ignored precedent at every turn. Changing the era name before completing mourning violated the Spring and Autumn rule. The court hushed the historians and issued another era change the next New Year.

殿中中郎孟觀、李肇，素不為駿所禮，陰構駿將圖社稷。賈后欲預政事，而憚駿未得逞其所欲，又不肯以婦道事皇太后。黃門董猛，始自帝之為太子即為寺人監，在東宮給事于賈后。後密通消息於猛，謀廢太后。猛乃與肇、觀潛相結托。賈后又令肇報大司馬、汝南王亮，使連兵討駿。亮曰：「駿之凶暴，死亡無日，不足憂也。」肇報楚王瑋，瑋然之。於是求入朝，駿素憚瑋，先欲召入，防其為變，因遂聽之。及瑋至，觀、肇乃啟帝，夜作詔，中外戒嚴，遣使奉詔廢駿，以侯就第。東安公繇率殿中四百人隨其後以討駿。段廣跪而言於帝曰：「楊駿受恩先帝，竭心輔政。且孤公無子，豈有反理？願陛下審之。」帝不答。

Palace gentlemen Meng Guan and Li Zhao—men Jun had snubbed—claimed he plotted treason. Empress Jia wanted power but Yang Jun blocked her and refused to defer to Empress Dowager Yang. Eunuch Dong Meng had served Empress Jia since crown prince days. She used Meng to plot the empress dowager's ouster. Meng allied secretly with Li Zhao and Meng Guan. She told Li Zhao to summon Grand Marshal Sima Liang against Jun. Sima Liang replied, "Jun's brutality will doom him soon—ignore him." Li Zhao won Prince Sima Wei of Chu's support. When Wei requested audience Jun—who feared him—allowed entry to prevent defiance. Once Wei arrived Guan and Zhao secured Emperor Hui's warrant by night, mobilized the guards, and ordered Jun stripped to his marquisate. Duke Sima You of Dong'an followed with four hundred palace troops. Duan Guang knelt before Emperor Hui: "Yang Jun served your father faithfully. A childless widower hardly rebels. Consider carefully, sire." Emperor Hui said nothing.

時駿居曹爽故府，在武庫南，聞內有變，召眾官議之。太傅主簿硃振說駿曰：「今內有變，其趣可知，必是閹豎為賈后設謀，不利於公。宜燒雲龍門以示威，索造事都首，開萬春門，引東宮及外營兵，公自擁翼皇太子，入宮取奸人。殿內震懼，必斬送之，可以免難。」駿素怯懦，不決，乃曰：「魏明帝造此大功，奈何燒之！」侍中傅祗夜白駿，請與武茂俱入雲龍門觀察事勢。祗因謂群僚「宮中不宜空」，便起揖，於是皆走。

Jun was quartered in Cao Shuang's old compound near the armory when news of the coup arrived. Clerk Zhu Zhen urged Jun: "Palace eunuchs serve Empress Jia—move against them now. Burn Cloud Dragon Gate as signal, open Wanchun Gate, march eastern-palace troops beside the heir apparent, and arrest the plotters. Panic inside would force them to surrender heads—your only escape." Jun quailed: "Mingdi built that gate—I cannot burn it!" Fu Zhi offered to enter Cloud Dragon Gate with Wu Mao to scout. Fu Zhi told colleagues the palace could not be abandoned—then bowed and fled; others scattered.

尋而殿中兵出，燒駿府，又令弩士於閣上臨駿府而射之，駿兵皆不得出。駿逃於馬廄，以戟殺之。觀等受賈后密旨，誅駿親黨，皆夷三族，死者數千人。又令李肇焚駿家私書，賈后不欲令武帝顧命手詔聞于四海也。駿既誅，莫敢收者，惟太傅舍人巴西閻纂殯斂之。

Palace troops torched his compound and shot anyone trying to flee. They cornered Jun in the stables and speared him. Acting on Empress Jia's orders Guan annihilated Jun's faction—thousands died across three kin circles. Li Zhao burned Jun's papers to hide Emperor Wu's deathbed instructions. Only Yan Zuan dared bury Yang Jun.

初，駿征高士孫登，遺以布被。登截被於門，大呼曰：「斫斫刺刺！」旬日托疾詐死，及是，其言果驗。永熙中，溫縣有人如狂，造書曰：「光光文長，大戟為牆。毒藥雖行，戟還自傷。」及駿居內府，以戟為衛焉。

Long ago Jun had summoned recluse Sun Deng and gifted a quilt. Sun Deng shredded it at the gate shouting "Blades and spearheads!" Ten days later he feigned death—prophecy fulfilled when halberds slew Jun. In Yongxi a Wen county madman circulated a rhyme: "Glittering Wenzhang—halberds for walls. Poison may strike yet halberds wound him still." Jun later guarded himself with halberds—exactly as warned.

永甯初，詔曰：「舅氏失道，宗族隕墜，渭陽之思，孔懷感傷。其以{艸務}亭侯楊超為奉朝請、騎都尉，以慰《蓼莪》之思焉。」

An Yongning edict read: "The Yang clan fell—We grieve for maternal kin. Appoint Mao village marquis Yang Chao as court presenter and cavalry commandant to honor mourning rites described in the ode "Deer Veitch's Cry."

珧字文琚，歷位尚書令、衛將軍。素有名稱，得幸于武帝，時望在駿前。以兄貴盛，知權寵不可居，自乞遜位，前後懇至，終不獲許。初，聘後，珧表曰：「曆觀古今，一族二後，未嘗以全，而受覆宗之禍。乞以表事藏之宗廟，若如臣之言，得以免禍。」從之。右軍督趙休上書陳：「王莽五公，兄弟相代。今楊氏三公，並在大位，而天變屢見，臣竊為陛下憂之。」由此珧益懼。固求遜位，聽之，賜錢百萬、絹五千匹。

Yang Yao (courtesy Wenju) rose to director of the Masters of Writing and general who guards the army. Once favored above Jun by Emperor Wu. Seeing his brother's excess he begged to resign—always refused. After Empress Yang's selection Yao warned: "Two empresses from one clan doom every clan that tries it. Archive this memorial in the ancestral shrine—if I am right it may save us." The emperor agreed. Zhao Xiu cited Wang Mang's five brother dukes as warning. Three Yangs hold power while omens multiply—I fear for Your Majesty." Yao grew terrified. This time his resignation stuck—plus a million cash and five thousand bolts of silk.

珧初以退讓稱，晚乃合朋黨，構出齊王攸。中護軍羊琇與北軍中侯成粲謀欲因見珧而手刃之。珧知而辭疾不出。諷有司奏琇，轉為太僕。自是舉朝莫敢枝梧，而素論盡矣。珧臨刑稱冤，云：「事在石函，可問張華。」當時皆謂宜為申理，合依鐘毓事例。而賈氏族党待諸楊如仇，促行刑者遂斬之。時人莫不嗟歎焉。

Once praised for humility, Yao later joined factions that drove Prince Sima You from court. Yang Xiu and Cheng Can plotted to stab Yao at audience. Yao feigned illness and stayed home. He maneuvered Yang Xiu aside as minister coachman. After that no one crossed him—yet his honor died. At execution Yao protested: "The iron-clad edicts in the stone chest prove my case—ask Zhang Hua." Court opinion favored review per Zhong Yu's precedent. Jia partisans hated the Yangs and rushed the executioner. Onlookers groaned at the injustice.

珧弟濟

Yang Ji—Yao's younger brother

濟字文通，歷位鎮南、征北將軍，遷太子太傅。濟有才藝，嘗從武帝校獵北芒下，與侍中王濟俱著布袴褶，騎馬執角弓在輦前。猛獸突出，帝命王濟射之，應弦而倒。須臾復一出，濟受詔又射殺之，六軍大叫稱快。帝重兵官，多授貴戚清望，濟以武藝號為稱職。與兄珧深慮盛滿，乃與諸甥李斌等共切諫。駿斥出王佑為河東太守，建立皇儲，皆濟謀也。

Yang Ji (courtesy Wentong) commanded southern and northern armies before becoming grand tutor to the heir apparent. Gifted and athletic, he once rode beside Wang Ji in hunting dress before Emperor Wu's chariot at Mang Mountain. When a beast charged Emperor Wu ordered Wang Ji to shoot it dead. Another beast followed; Yang Ji killed it on command—the army roared approval. While military posts went to well-connected nobles, Yang Ji earned praise as truly capable. He and Yao warned Jun against hubris with nephews like Li Bin. Jun's posting Wang You to Hedong and settling the heir apparent followed Ji's counsel.

初，駿忌大司馬汝南王亮，催使之籓。濟與斌數諫止之，駿遂疏濟。濟謂傅咸曰：「若家兄征大司馬入，退身避之，門戶可得免耳。不爾，行當赤族。」咸曰：「但征還，共崇至公，便立太平，無為避也。夫人臣不可有專，豈獨外戚！今宗室疏，因外戚之親以得安，外戚危，倚宗室之重以為援，所謂脣齒相依，計之善者。」濟益懼而問石崇曰：「人心云何？」崇曰：「賢兄執政，疏外宗室，宜與四海共之。」濟曰：「見兄，可及此。」崇見駿，及焉，駿不納。後與諸兄俱見害。難發之夕，東宮召濟。濟謂裴楷曰：「吾將何之？」楷曰：「子為保傅，當至東宮。」濟好施，久典兵馬，所從四百餘人皆秦中壯士，射則命中，皆欲救濟。濟已入宮，莫不歎恨。

Jun had pressed Grand Marshal Sima Liang toward his fief. Ji and Li Bin protested until Jun turned against Ji. Yang Ji told Fu Xian: "If my brother recalls Grand Marshal Sima Liang to court and we step aside, our kin might survive. Otherwise we face total extermination." Fu Xian replied: "Recall Liang to share power openly and peace follows—no retreat needed. Ministers must not monopolize authority—why blame only in-laws! The imperial house and empress's clan are lip and teeth—each needs the other; that is wise policy." Growing desperate Yang Ji asked Shi Chong what men thought of the regime." Shi Chong answered: "Your brother rules yet alienates the Sima princes—share power with the realm." Yang Ji said he would urge Jun when they met." Shi Chong relayed this to Jun, who ignored it. Later Yang Ji died with his brothers. The eastern palace summoned Yang Ji on the coup's eve. He asked Pei Kai where he should go." Pei Kai answered: "You tutor the heir—you must attend the eastern palace." Generous and long a commander, Yang Ji led four hundred crack bowmen from Qin who wanted to fight for him. Once he obeyed the summons his men groaned with frustration.

史臣曰：賈充以諂諛陋質，刀筆常材，幸屬昌辰，濫叨非據。抽戈犯順，曾無猜憚之心；杖鉞推亡，遽有知難之請，非惟魏朝之悖逆，抑亦晉室之罪人者歟！然猶身極寵光，任兼文武，存荷台衡之寄，沒有從享之榮，可謂無德而祿，殃將及矣。逮乎貽厥，乃乞丐之徒，嗣惡稔之餘基，縱奸邪之凶德。煽茲哲婦，索彼惟家，雖及誅夷，曷雲塞責。昔當塗闕翦，公閭實肆其勞，典午分崩，南風亦盡其力，可謂「君以此始，必以此終」，信乎其然矣。楊駿階緣寵倖，遂荷棟樑之任，敬之猶恐弗逮，驕奢淫泆，庸可免乎？括母以明智全身，會昆以先言獲宥，文琚識同曩烈，而罰異昔人，裴夫！

The historians write: Jia Chong was a petty flatterer of modest talent who rose only because times were flush—yet he seized offices beyond his worth. He drew arms against his sovereign without flinching; brandished command against defeat yet pleaded ignorance when conquest loomed—traitor to Wei and criminal to Jin alike! Still he enjoyed supreme favor, civil and military power, regent's burden in life and sacrifice honors in death—rank without virtue invites disaster. His heirs were mere adventurers who piled evil higher and unleashed wickedness. They inflamed that clever woman and devastated the house—execution hardly atoned. He labored to topple Wei and helped tear Jin apart—proving "what begins in treason ends in ruin." Yang Jun climbed through palace favor yet mishandled the pillar's burden—revere him he still failed—could arrogance and excess spare him? Wise mothers and candid brothers survived while Wenju shared earlier heroes' insight yet suffered worse—alas!

贊曰：公閭便佞，心乖雅正。邀遇時來，遂階榮命。乞丐承緒，凶家亂政。瑣瑣文長，遂居棟樑。據非其位，乃底滅亡。珧雖先覺，亦罹禍殃。

Eulogy: Jia Chong flattered his way forward with a heart estranged from integrity. Fortune lifted him to undeserved honors. His heirs—upstarts—ruined house and state. Petty Yang Jun nonetheless bore the state's beam. Usurping rank he marched to ruin. Even foresight could not spare Yang Yao.

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