1
向雄段灼閻纘
Xiang Xiong; Duan Zhuo; Yan Zuan
2
向雄,字茂伯,河內山陽人也。 父韶,彭城太守。 雄初仕郡為主簿,事太守王經。 及經之死也,雄哭之盡哀,市人咸為之悲。 後太守劉毅嘗以非罪笞雄,及吳奮代毅為太守,又以少譴系雄於獄。 司隸鐘會於獄中辟雄為都官從事,會死無人殯斂,雄迎喪而葬之。 文帝召雄而責之曰:「往者王經之死,卿哭王經於東市,我不問也。 今鐘會躬為叛逆,又輒收葬,若復相容,其如王法何!」 雄曰:「昔者先王掩骼埋胔,仁流朽骨,當時豈先卜其功罪而後葬之哉! 今王誅既加,於法已備。 雄感義收葬,教亦無闕。 法立於上,教弘於下,何必使雄違生背死以立于時! 殿下仇枯骨而捐之中野,為將來仁賢之資,不亦惜乎!」 帝甚悅,與談宴而遣之。
Xiang Xiong, courtesy name Maobo, came from Shanyang in Henei commandery. His father, Xiang Shao, was prefect of Pengcheng. He began as the commandery chief clerk under Prefect Wang Jing. When Wang Jing was executed, Xiang Xiong mourned him without restraint, and the crowd in the market wept with him. Later Prefect Liu Yi had him flogged on a trumped-up charge; when Wu Fen succeeded Liu, he jailed Xiang Xiong again over a petty fault. Colonel Director Zhong Hui recruited him from prison as an adjutant; when Zhong Hui died with no one to lay him out, Xiang Xiong claimed the body and gave him burial. Emperor Wen summoned him and scolded him: "When Wang Jing died you wailed for him at the Eastern Market—I let that pass. Zhong Hui was a declared traitor, yet you buried him too. If the law indulges that, what becomes of the statute?" Xiang Xiong replied: "The kings of old gathered exposed bones and buried the dead; their kindness reached dry bones—did they first judge guilt and merit before they buried anyone? Royal punishment has already been inflicted; the law has run its course. I buried him out of decency toward a fallen man; that offends no moral teaching I know of. Statute comes from the throne and custom from the people—must I betray the living and insult the dead just to please the fashion? Would you leave bleached bones in the ditch as a lesson to future good men—would that not be the greater shame?" The emperor was pleased, talked with him over wine, and sent him home.
3
累遷黃門侍郎。 時吳奮、劉毅俱為侍中,同在門下,雄初不交言。 武帝聞之,敕雄令復君臣之好。 雄不得已,乃詣毅,再拜曰:「向被詔命,君臣義絕,如何?」 於是即去。 帝聞而大怒,問雄曰:「我令卿復君臣之好,何以故絕?」 雄曰:「古之君子進人以禮,退人以禮; 今之進人若加諸膝,退人若墜諸川。 劉河內於臣不為戎首,亦已幸甚,安復為君臣之好!」 帝從之。
He rose by stages to gentleman of the yellow gate. Wu Fen and Liu Yi were both palace attendants in the same bureau, and Xiang Xiong refused to speak with either. When Emperor Wu heard of it, he ordered Xiang Xiong to mend fences with Liu Yi. He went to Liu Yi, bowed twice, and said, "The edict has just cut off all duty between superior and subordinate—what is left to say?" With that he turned and left. The emperor was furious and demanded, "I told you to make peace with Liu Yi—why did you break it off?" Xiang Xiong said, "The gentlemen of old advanced men with courtesy and dismissed them with courtesy; today people lift a favorite onto their knees and drop a fallen man into the pit. Liu Yi of Henei did not strike the first blow against me—that is mercy enough; how can you call us cordial lord and minister again?" The emperor let the matter drop.
4
泰始中,累遷秦州刺史,假赤幢、曲蓋、鼓吹,賜錢二十萬。 咸甯初,入為御史中丞,遷侍中,又出為征虜將軍。 太康初,為河南尹,賜爵關內侯。 齊王攸將歸籓,雄諫曰:「陛下子弟雖多,然有名望者少。 齊王臥在京邑,所益實深,不可不思。」 帝不納。 雄固諫忤旨,起而徑出,遂以憤卒。
During the Taishi era he rose to inspector of Qin province with crimson banner, curved awning, military band, and a grant of two hundred thousand cash. Early in Xianning he became metropolitan censor, then palace attendant, then left the capital as general who conquers the barbarians. Early in Taikang he served as governor of Henan and received a secondary marquisate within the passes. When Prince Qi, Sima You, was ordered to his fief, Xiang Xiong remonstrated: "Your sons are many, but few enjoy real prestige among the people. To keep the prince of Qi at the capital would do the dynasty deep good—think twice before you send him away." The emperor would not listen. Xiang Xiong pressed his advice until it angered the throne, then rose and walked out; he died of grief and rage.
5
弟匡,惠帝世為護軍將軍。
His younger brother Xiang Kuang became general who guards the army under Emperor Hui.
6
段灼,字休然,敦煌人也。 世為西土著姓,果直有才辯。 少仕州郡,稍遷鄧艾鎮西司馬,從艾破蜀有功,封關內侯,累遷議郎。 武帝即位,灼上疏追理艾曰:
Duan Zhuo, courtesy name Xiuran, was a native of Dunhuang. For generations his clan had been a leading house of the west; he was blunt, upright, and a sharp debater. He began in provincial posts, rose to chief of staff under Deng Ai, the general who guarded the west, followed him in the conquest of Shu, earned a secondary marquisate, and advanced to discussion gentleman. When Emperor Wu took the throne, Duan Zhuo addressed a memorial to clear Deng Ai’s name:
7
故征西將軍鄧艾,心懷至忠,而荷反逆之名; 平定巴、蜀,而受三族之誅,臣竊悼之。 惜哉,言艾之反也! 以艾性剛急,矜功伐善,而不能協同朋類,輕犯雅俗,失君子之心,故莫肯理之。 臣敢昧死言艾所以不反之狀。
The late General Who Pacified the West, Deng Ai, was utterly loyal yet was labeled a traitor; he conquered Ba and Shu yet suffered the three-clan extermination—I mourn him in private. It is bitter to hear him called a rebel. Ai was brusque and vain, could not work with colleagues, and offended polite opinion—so no one would speak for him. I risk my life to show why Deng Ai could not have rebelled.
8
艾本屯田掌犢人,宣皇帝拔之于農吏之中,顯之於宰府之職。 處內外之官,據文武之任,所在輒有名績,固足以明宣皇帝之知人矣。 會值洮西之役,官兵失利,刺史王經困於圍城之中。 當爾之時,二州危懼,隴右懍懍,幾非國家之有也。 先帝以為深憂重慮,思惟可以安邊殺敵莫賢于艾,故授之以兵馬,解狄道之圍。 圍解,留屯上邽。 承官軍大敗之後,士卒破膽,將吏無氣,倉庫空虛,器械殫盡。 艾欲積穀強兵,以待有事。 是歲少雨,又為區種之法,手執耒耜,率先將士,所統萬數,而身不離僕虜之勞,親執士卒之役。 故落門、段谷之戰,能以少擊多,摧破強賊,斬首萬計。 遂委艾以廟勝成圖,指授長策。 艾受命忘身,龍驤麟振,前無堅敵。 蜀地阻險,山高穀深,而艾步乘不滿二萬,束馬懸車,自投死地,勇氣陵雲,將士乘勢,故能使劉禪震怖,君臣面縛。 軍不逾時,而巴、蜀蕩定,此艾固足以彰先帝之善任矣。
Ai began as a herdsman on the military colonies; Emperor Xuan pulled him from the fields and set him among high ministers. In every civil and military post he distinguished himself—proof enough of Emperor Xuan’s eye for talent. When disaster struck at Taoxi and government troops were beaten, Inspector Wang Jing was trapped in a ring of siege. Both provinces trembled; the Longyou frontier nearly slipped from the state’s grasp. The late emperor weighed every general and found none fitter to save the border than Deng Ai; he gave him troops and lifted the siege at Didao. After the relief he stayed to garrison Shanggui. The army had just been shattered: men were demoralized, officers listless, magazines empty, arms worn out. Deng Ai meant to store grain and rebuild the army against whatever came next. Rain failed that year; he introduced contour plowing, plough in hand, working ahead of his men—tens of thousands under him, yet he shared the labor of the lowest ranks. Hence at Luomen and Duangu he shattered a stronger enemy with fewer troops and piled up ten thousand heads. The court then handed him the grand strategy drawn up in the temple. He obeyed without thought for himself, swept forward like dragon or unicorn, and nothing could stand before him. Shu was a maze of cliffs and defiles; Ai had fewer than twenty thousand foot and horse. He packed his horses on timbered paths and hurled himself into dead ground—courage that pierced the clouds carried his men until Liu Shan shook with terror and came out bound with his ministers. Ba and Shu fell within the allotted campaign—clear proof that the late emperor had chosen the right man.
9
艾功名已成,亦當書之竹帛,傳祚萬世。 七十老公,復何所求哉! 艾以禪初降,遠郡未附,矯令承制,權安社稷。 雖違常科,有合古義,原心定罪,事可詳論。 故鎮西將軍鐘會,有吞天下之心,恐艾威名,知必不同,因其疑似,構成其事。 艾被詔書,即遣強兵,束身就縛,不敢顧望。 誠自知奉見先帝,必無當死之理也。 會受誅之後,艾參佐官屬、部曲將吏,愚戇相聚,自共追艾,破壞檻車,解其囚執。 艾在困地,是以狼狽失據。 夫反非小事,若懷噁心,即當謀及豪傑,然後乃能興動大眾,不聞艾有腹心一人。 臨死口無惡言,獨受腹背之誅,豈不哀哉! 故見之者垂涕,聞之者歎息。 此賈誼所以慷慨于漢文,天下之事可為痛哭者,良有以也。
His deeds deserved to be carved on bamboo and silk for ages to come. He was an old man of seventy—what could he still want? Because Liu Shan had just yielded and outlying districts were still unsettled, Ai issued orders on his own authority to steady the realm. That bent the rules, yet it matched classical precedent; judged by intent it deserves careful weighing, not summary condemnation. Zhong Hui, who garrisoned the west, meant to seize the empire; fearing Deng Ai’s fame and knowing they could not share power, he seized on ambiguities and framed him. When the edict reached him, Ai disbanded his picked troops, bound himself, and surrendered without hesitation. He trusted that once he faced the late emperor he would not die for it. After Zhong Hui fell, Ai’s staff and soldiers—panicked fools—rushed after him, smashed his cage-cart, and freed his bonds. Trapped and desperate, he lost every footing. Rebellion is no light thing: a rebel first gathers allies and only then moves the host—yet no one ever named a single confidant of Deng Ai’s. At the block he spoke no treason—only to be cut down from front and rear. Can that fail to move pity? Witnesses wept; listeners sighed. That is why Jia Yi broke his heart before Emperor Wen of Han—some wrongs in the world are worth bitter tears.
10
陛下龍興,闡弘大度,受誅之家,不拘敘用,聽艾立後,祭祀不絕。 昔秦人憐白起之無罪,吳人傷子胥之冤酷,皆為之立祠。 天下之人為艾悼心痛恨,亦由是也。 謂可聽艾門生故吏收艾屍柩,歸葬舊墓,還其田宅,以平蜀之功,繼封其後,使艾闔棺定諡,死無所恨。 赦冤魂于黃泉,收信義於後世,則天下徇名之士,思立功之臣,必投湯火,樂為陛下死矣!
Your Majesty has risen with generous grace: houses struck by punishment are not barred forever from office. Let Deng Ai have an heir and unbroken offerings. The people of Qin mourned Bai Qi’s innocence; the people of Wu grieved Wu Zixu’s cruelty—both won shrines. All under heaven ache for Deng Ai with the same bitterness. Let his students and old aides recover his coffin, bury him on his family ground, return his lands, and enfeoff a descendant for the conquest of Shu so his posthumous name may be fixed and his ghost find peace. You would loose a wronged ghost under the earth and show posterity what faith means—then every man who seeks a name or a deed will gladly leap into fire and water for you.
11
帝省表,甚嘉其意。 灼後復陳時宜曰:
The emperor read the memorial and praised his intent. Duan Zhuo later submitted another memorial on policy:
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臣聞天時不如地利,地利不如人和。 三里之城,五里之郭,圜圍而攻之,有不克者,此天時不如地利。 城非不高,池非不深,穀非不多,兵非不利,委而去之,此地利不如人和。 然古之王者,非不先推恩德,結固人心。 人心苟和,雖三里之城,五里之郭,不可攻也。 人心不和,雖金城湯池,不能守也。 臣推此以廣其義,舜彈五弦之琴,詠《南風》之詩,而天下自理,由堯人可比屋而封也。 曩者多難,奸雄屢起,攪亂眾心,刀鋸相乘,流死之孤,哀聲未絕。 故臣以為陛下當深思遠念,杜漸防萌,彈琴詠詩,垂拱而已。 其要莫若推恩以協和黎庶,故推恩足以保四海,不推恩不足以保妻子。 是故唐堯以親睦九族為先,周文以刑于寡妻為急,明王聖主莫不先親後疏,自近及遠。 臣以為太宰、司徒、衛將軍三王宜留洛中鎮守,其餘諸王自州征足任者,年十五以上悉遣之國。 為選中郎傅相,才兼文武,以輔佐之。 聽于其國繕修兵馬,廣布恩信。 必撫下猶子,愛國如家,君臣分定,百世不遷,連城開地,為晉、魯、衛。 所謂磐石之宗,天下服其強矣。 雖云割地,譬猶囊漏貯中,亦一家之有耳。 若慮後世強大,自可豫為制度,使得推恩以分子弟。 如此則枝分葉布,稍自削小,漸使轉至萬國,亦後世之利,非所患也。
I have heard that heaven’s season is less telling than earth’s advantage, and earth’s advantage less telling than the harmony of men. A three-mile wall and five-mile outer rampart, ringed by attackers, may still hold—that shows season weaker than terrain. Walls may be high, moats deep, grain piled high, weapons keen—yet the garrison flees—terrain is weaker than unity among men. The kings of old always spread kindness first and bound the people’s hearts. When hearts are one, even a tiny citadel cannot be stormed. When hearts are divided, no golden fortress can be held. From this I infer: Shun played the five strings and sang the “South Wind,” and the realm ordered itself—because Yao’s people were as close as neighbors under one roof. Our own age has been a storm of usurpers; blades and saws have never rested; the wailing of the orphaned dead still rings in the ear. Therefore I urge Your Majesty to think far ahead, choke trouble at its root, pluck the lute, sing the classics, and rule with folded hands. The heart of it is kindness to the common people: extend favor and you hold the realm; withhold it and you cannot guard your own household. Tang Yao began with harmony among the nine branches of kin; King Wen began with moral order in his own chamber; every sage king has cherished kin before strangers and the near before the far. I propose that the grand tutor, the minister of education, and the general who guards the army—the three princes—stay in Luoyang to anchor the capital; every other prince old enough to govern, from fifteen sui upward, should be sent to his fief. Choose for each tutors and ministers who combine civil and military talent. Let them drill troops in their domains and spread trust among the people. They will cherish the people like children and the realm like a home; lord and vassal will stand in fixed relation for generations, until wide domains recall the old houses of Jin, Lu, and Wei. That is the true “bedrock of the state,” and the empire will feel its strength. Though you speak of carving out fiefs, it is like pouring from one purse into another—all still within the royal house. If you fear future strength, lay down rules now that princes must divide favor among sons and brothers. Branches will spread and power thin by degrees until you reach the model of myriad states of old—a boon to later reigns, not a danger.
13
昔在漢世,諸呂自疑,內有硃虛、東牟之親,外有諸侯九國之強,故不敢動搖。 於今之宜,諸侯強大,是為太山之固。 非我族類,其心必異。 而魏法禁錮諸王,親戚隔絕,不祥莫大焉。 間者無故又瓜分天下,立五等諸侯。 上不象賢,下不議功,而是非雜糅,例受茅土。 似權時之宜,非經久之制,將遂不改,此亦煩擾之人,漸亂之階也。 夫國之興也,由於九族親睦,黎庶協和; 其衰也,在於骨肉疏絕,百姓離心。 故夏邦不安,伊尹歸殷; 殷邦不和,呂氏入周。 殷監在於夏後,去事之誡,誠來事之鑒也。
Under the Han the Lü feared to move because kin like Liu Zhang sat inside the capital and the nine feudatories pressed from without. For today’s needs, strong princes are the dyke that steadies Mount Tai. Men who are not of our bone will not share our heart. Yet the Wei code caged the princes and severed kin ties—nothing could be less auspicious. Lately the realm was again carved up without need into the five ranks of nobility. Those above do not model the worthy, those below do not debate merit—yet right and wrong are jumbled and everyone alike receives a fief. That may suit a moment’s expediency, not a lasting rule; if it stays forever unchanged, it will only breed resentment and creeping disorder. States rise when the nine branches of kin live in harmony and the common people pull together. They fall when royal kin grow estranged and the people lose heart. When Xia tottered, Yi Yin went back to Yin. When Yin was divided, the Lü entered Zhou. Yin took Xia’s fall as its mirror; yesterday’s lesson is tomorrow’s warning.
14
又陳曰:
He went on:
15
昔伐蜀,募取涼州兵馬、羌胡健兒,許以重報,五千餘人,隨艾討賊,功皆第一。 而《乙亥詔書》,州郡將督,不與中外軍同,雖在上功,無應封者。 唯金城太守楊欣所領兵,以逼江由之勢,得封者三十人。 自金城以西,非在欣部,無一人封者。 苟在中軍之例,雖下功必侯; 如在州郡,雖功高不封,非所謂近不重施,遠不遺恩之謂也。
When Shu was attacked, Liangzhou cavalry and Qiang and Hu fighters—over five thousand men promised rich reward—followed Deng Ai and every one earned first-class merit. Yet the Yihai edict barred provincial commanders from the same rules as central army officers, so none could be enfeoffed no matter how high their merit. Only Yang Xin of Jincheng, pressing the Jiangyou front, won thirty of his men a fief. West of Jincheng, outside Yang Xin’s command, not one soldier was enfeoffed. Men under central army rules became marquises even on modest merit. Provincial troops, however great their deeds, won no fiefs—hardly the promised ‘no favor withheld near or far.’
16
臣聞魚懸由於甘餌,勇夫死於重報。 故荊軻慕燕丹之義,專諸感闔閭之愛,匕首振于秦庭,吳刀耀於魚腹,視死如歸,豈不有由也哉! 夫功名重賞,士之所競,不平致怨,由來久矣。 《詩》云:「屍鳩在桑,其子七兮。 淑人君子,其儀一兮。」 臣以為此等宜蒙爵封。
Sweet bait hooks fish; rich reward kills brave men. So Jing Ke died for Dan of Yan, Zhuan Zhu for King Helü—blade in the Qin court, sword in the fish—because they saw death as home for a cause they honored. Men fight for rank and bounty; injustice breeds grudges—it has always been so. The Book of Odes says, ‘The shrike on the mulberry has seven chicks.’ ‘The good man’s bearing is one.’ I say these soldiers deserve titles and fiefs.
17
灼前後陳事,輒見省覽。 然身微宦孤,不見進序,乃取長假還鄉里。 臨去,遣息上表曰:
Duan Zhuo’s memorials were read and noted each time. Yet he was small fry in a lonely post and never promoted, so he took long leave and went home. Before leaving he had his son present a memorial:
18
臣受恩三世,剖符守境,試用無績,沈伏數年,犬馬之力,無所復堪。 陛下弘廣納之聽,采狂夫之言,原臣侵官之罪,不問幹忤之愆,天地恩厚,於臣足矣。 臣聞忠臣之于其君,猶孝子之於其親:進則有欣然之慶,非貪官也; 退則有戚然之憂,非懷祿也。 其意在於不忘光君榮親,情所不能已已者也。 臣伏自悼,私懷至恨:生長荒裔,而久在外任,自還抱疾,未嘗覲見,陛下竟不知臣何人,此臣之恨一也。 遭運會之世,值有事之時,而不能垂功名於竹帛,此臣之恨二也。 逮事聖明之君,而尪悴羸劣,陳力又不能,當歸死於地下,此臣之恨三也。 哀二親早亡隕,兄弟並凋喪,孝敬無復施於家門,此臣之恨四也。 夏之日忽以過,冬之夜尋復來,人生百歲,尚以為不足,而臣中年嬰災,此臣之恨五也。 慚日月之所養,愧昊蒼而無報,此臣之所以懷五恨而歎息,臨歸路而自悼者也。
Three reigns have favored me; I bore a seal yet showed no merit and lay idle for years—I have no strength left to serve. Your Majesty hears all counsel, heeds a madman’s plea, forgives my intrusion, and punishes no blunt offense—your grace fills heaven and earth for me. A loyal minister toward his ruler is like a filial son toward his parents: to advance brings joy, not greed for rank. To withdraw brings grief, not clinging to salary. The heart only wants to bring honor to ruler and kin—how could feeling hold back? I mourn five private griefs: reared on the frontier, long abroad, ill since my return, never granted audience—you do not even know who I am. Second, I lived in an age of deeds yet left no name on the bamboo slips. Third, I served a sage emperor yet am too frail to give my strength—I should die in the dust. Fourth, my parents died young and my brothers are gone—I can no longer show filial piety at home. Fifth, summer races by and winter returns; even a hundred years seem short, yet midlife brought me ruin. I blush before sun and moon and owe Heaven a debt I cannot pay—these five regrets wring my heart as I take the road home.
19
語有之曰:「華言虛也,至言實也,苦言藥也,甘言疾也。」 臣欲言天下太平,而靈龜神狐未見,仙芝萐莆未生,麒麟未遊乎靈禽之囿,鳳皇未儀於太極之庭,此臣之所以不敢華言而為佞者也。 昔漢高祖初定天下,于時戍卒婁敬上書諫曰:「陛下取天下不與成周同,而欲比靈斯成周,臣竊以為不侔。」 於是漢祖感悟,深納其言,賜姓為劉氏。 又顧謂陸賈曰:「為我著秦所以亡,而吾所以得之者。」 賈乃作《新語》之書,述敘前世成敗,以為勸戒。 又田肯建一言之計,非親子弟莫可使王齊者,而受千金之賜。 故世稱漢祖之寬明博納,所以能成帝業也。
The proverb says, ‘Flowery speech is hollow, straight speech is true, bitter words are medicine, sweet words are poison.’ I would gladly say the realm is at peace, yet no tortoise omen, no spirit fox, no lucky fungi, no qilin in the royal park, no phoenix at court—so I dare not mouth pretty lies like a sycophant. When Han Gaozu had just won the empire, the soldier Lou Jing warned him, ‘You won the realm differently from the Zhou founders; to claim their omens is a poor fit.’ Gaozu listened, took the point to heart, and gave Lou Jing the imperial surname. He told Lu Jia, ‘Write me how Qin fell and how I rose.’ Lu Jia wrote the New Discourses, tracing past rise and fall as a mirror. Tian Ken urged that only kin could hold Qi as king and earned a thousand in gold. The world praises Gaozu’s openness—how else could he build an empire?
20
今之言世者,皆曰堯舜復興,天下已太平矣。 臣獨以為未,亦竊有所勸焉。 且百王垂制,聖賢吐言,來事之明鑒也。 孟子曰:「堯不能以天下與舜,則舜之有天下也,天與之也。 昔舜為相,堯崩,三年之喪畢,舜避堯之子于南河,天下諸侯朝覲者、獄訟者,不之堯之子而之舜。 舜曰天也,乃之中國,踐天子位焉。 若居堯之宮,逼堯之子,非天所與者也。」 曩昔西有不臣之蜀,東有僭號之吳,三主鼎足,並稱天子。 魏文帝率萬乘之眾,受禪於靡陂,而自以德同唐、虞,以為漢獻即是古之堯,自謂即是今之舜,乃謂孟柯、孫卿不通禪代之變,遂作禪代之文,刻石垂戒,班示天下,傳之後世,亦安能使將來君子皆曉然心服其義乎! 然魏文徒希慕堯、舜之名,推新集之魏,欲以同于唐、虞之盛,忽骨肉之恩,忘籓屏之固,竟不能使四海賓服,混一皇化,而于時群臣莫有諫者,不其過矣哉! 孫卿曰:「堯、舜禪讓,是不然矣。 天下者,至重也,非至強莫之能任; 至大也,非至辯莫之能分; 至眾也,非至明莫之能見。 此三至者,非聖人莫之能盡。」 由此言之,孫卿、孟軻亦各有所不取焉。 陛下受禪,從東府入西宮,兵刃耀天,旌旗翳日。 雖應天順人,同符唐、虞,然法度損益,則亦不異于昔魏文矣,故宜資三至以強制之。 而今諸王有立國之名,而無襟帶之實。 又蜀地有自然之險,是曆世奸雄之所窺覦,逋逃之所聚也,而無親戚子弟之守,此豈深思遠慮,杜漸防萌者乎!
Today everyone cries that Yao and Shun are back and the realm is at peace. I alone do not believe it, and I have a warning to offer. The laws the kings left and the sages spoke are the clearest mirror for what follows. Mencius said, ‘Yao could not simply hand the realm to Shun; Heaven gave it to him.’ When Shun yielded to Yao’s son south of the river, lords and litigants still flocked to Shun, not to the son. Shun called it Heaven’s will and took the throne in the central plain. Had he seized Yao’s palace and forced the son, that would not have been Heaven’s gift.” Once Shu defied the west and Wu claimed the east—three rulers each styled himself emperor. Wei Wendi accepted abdication at Fanpi yet styled himself another Yao or Shun, mocked Mencius and Xunzi for not grasping abdition, carved his doctrine in stone—how could that make later ages honestly assent? He aped Yao and Shun while weakening kin who should shield the throne, never unified the realm, and no minister dared remonstrate—was that not a grave fault? Xunzi said, ‘So-called abdication by Yao and Shun is not as told.’ The realm is supremely heavy—only the strongest can bear it. It is supremely vast—only the most eloquent can parse it. Its affairs are supremely many—only the clearest eye can see them. None but a sage can master those three heights.” So Mencius and Xunzi each withhold assent from some tales. Your Majesty moved from the eastern palace to the western hall under glittering arms and banners that hid the sun. You match Heaven and the people like Tang and Yu, yet your legal changes differ little from Wei Wendi’s—you should use Xunzi’s three tests to steady the rule. The princes bear the title of state founders but lack real ties that bind the capital. Shu’s natural defenses have always tempted rebels and outlaws, yet no imperial kin garrison them—where is the long-term plan to choke trouble at its root?
21
昔漢文帝據已成之業,六合同風,天下一家。 而賈誼上疏陳當時之勢,猶以為譬如抱火厝於積薪之下,而寢其上,火未及然,因謂之安。 此言誠存不忘亡,安不忘亂者也。 然臣之慺慺,亦竊願陛下居安思危,無曰高高在上,常念臨深之義,不忘履冰之戒。 盡除魏世之弊法,綏以新政之大化,使萬邦欣欣,喜戴洪惠,昆蟲草木,咸蒙恩澤。 朝廷詠康哉之歌,山藪無伐檀之人,此固天下所視望者也。 陛下自初踐阼,發無諱之詔,置箴諫之官,赫然寵異諤諤之臣,以明好直言之信,恐陳事者知直言之不用,皆杜口結舌,祥瑞亦曷由來哉!
Han Wendi inherited a finished realm: the empire breathed as one. Yet Jia Yi warned him it was like sleeping on kindling with live coals—safe only because the flames had not yet caught. That is the mind that remembers ruin in survival and danger in calm. I beg you, in peace, to think of peril—not to feel too high above the world, to remember the pit at your feet and the thin ice under them. Sweep away Wei’s bad statutes, spread a new humane rule until every land rejoices, down to insect and plant. Let the court sing the ‘Kangzai’ hymns and leave no woodcutters grumbling in the hills—that is what the world hopes to see. From your accession you welcomed blunt counsel—if frank men fall silent for fear, how will auspicious omens ever arrive?
22
臣無陸生之才,不在顧問之地,蓋聞主聖臣直,義在於有犯無隱。 臣不惟疏遠,未信而言,敢曆論前代隆名之君及亡敗之主廢興所由,又博陳舉賢之路,廣開養老之制,崇必信之道,又張設議者之難,凡五事以聞。 臣之所言,皆直陳古今已行故事,非新聲異端也。 辭義實淺,不足採納。 然臣私心,誠謂有可發起覺悟遺忘。 願陛下察臣愚忠,湣臣狂直,無使天下以言者為戒。 疾痛增篤,退念桑梓之詩,惟狐死之義,輒取長休,歸近墳墓。 顧瞻宮闕,系情皇極,不勝丹款,遣息穎表言。
I am no Lu Jia, not in your inner council, yet I know: a sage ruler wants straight ministers who hide nothing. Though I am remote and little trusted, I dare trace why famous kings rose and tyrants fell, lay out paths to find talent, care for the aged, keep faith, and answer objections—five themes in all. Everything I cite is precedent from past and present, not novel theory. My words are plain and may not deserve your ear. Yet I believe they can jog memory and wake indifference. Please see my clumsy loyalty, forgive my blunt zeal, and do not teach the world to fear speaking. My sickness worsens; I think of returning home like the poem says, like the fox that dies facing its burrow—I take long leave to lie near my parents’ graves. I gaze toward the palace yet my heart stays with the throne; unable to come myself, I send my son Ying with this memorial.
23
其一曰:臣聞善有章也,著在經典; 惡有罰也,戒在刑書。 上自遠古,下洎秦、漢,其明王霸主及亡國暗君,故可得而稱; 至於忠蹇賢相及佞諂奸臣,亦可得而言。 故朝有諤諤盡規之臣,無不昌也; 任用阿諛唯唯之士,無不亡也。 是有國者皆欲求忠以自輔,舉賢以自佐; 而亡國破家者相繼,皆由任失其人。 所謂賢者不賢,忠者不忠也。 臣謹言前任賢所由興,任不肖所以亡者。 堯之末年,四凶在朝而不去,八元在家而不舉,然致天平地寧,四門穆穆,其功固在重華之為相。 夏癸放於鳴條,商辛梟於牧野,此俱萬乘之主,而國滅身擒,由不能屬任賢相,用婦人之言,荒淫無道,肆志沈宴,作靡靡之樂,長夜之飲,於是登糟丘,臨酒池,觀牛飲,望肉林,龍逢忠而被害,比干諫而剖心,天下之所以歸惡者也。 太甲暴虐,顛覆湯之典制,於是伊尹放之桐宮,而能改悔反善,三年而後歸於亳。 既已放而復還,殷道微而復興,諸侯咸服,號稱太宗,實賴阿衡之盡忠也。 周室既衰,諸侯並爭,天王微弱,政遂陵遲。 齊桓公,淫亂之主耳; 然所以能九合一匡之功,有尊周之名,誠管夷吾之力。 及其死也,蟲流出門,豈非任豎貂之過乎! 且一桓公之身,得管仲,其功如彼; 用豎貂,其亂如此。 夫榮辱存亡,實在所任,可不審哉! 秦本伯翳之後,微微小邑,至秦仲始大,有車馬禮樂侍御之好焉。 自穆公至於始皇,皆能留心待賢,遠求異士,招由余於西戎,致五羖于宛市,取丕豹于晉鄉,迎蹇叔于宗裏。 由是四方雄俊繼踵而至,故能世為強國,吞滅諸侯,奄有天下,兼稱皇帝,由謀臣之助也。 道化未淳,崩於沙丘。 胡亥乘虐,用詐自悮,不能弘濟統緒,克成堂構,而乃殘賊仁義,毒流黔首。 故陳勝、吳廣,奮臂大呼,而天下回應。 於是趙高逆亂,閻樂承指,二世窮迫,自戮望夷。 子嬰雖立,去帝為王,孤危無輔,四旬而亡。 此由邪臣擅命,指鹿為馬,所以速秦之禍也。 秦失其鹿,豪傑競逐,項羽既得而失之,其咎在烹韓生,而范增之謀不用。 假令羽既距項伯之邪說,斬沛公於鴻門,都咸陽以號令諸侯,則天下無敵矣。 而羽距韓生之忠諫,背范增之深計,自謂霸王之業已定,都彭城,還故鄉,為晝被文繡,此蓋世俗兒女之情耳,而羽榮之。 是故五載為漢所擒,至此尚不知覺悟,乃曰「天亡我,非戰之罪」,甚痛矣哉! 且夫士之歸仁,猶水之歸下,禽之走曠野,故曰「為川驅魚者獺也,為藪驅雀者鸇也,為湯、武驅人者桀、紂也。」 漢高祖起于布衣,提三尺之刃而取天下,用六國之資,無唐、虞之禪,豈徒賴良、平之奇謀,盡英雄之智力而已乎,亦由項氏為驅人也。 子孫承基二百餘年,逮成帝委政舅家,使權勢外移。 安昌侯張禹者,漢之三公,成帝保傅也,帝親幸其家,拜禹床下,深問天災人事。 禹當惟大臣之節,為社稷深慮,忠言嘉謀,陳其災患,則王氏不得專權寵,王莽無緣乘勢位,遂托雲龍而登天衢,令漢祚中絕也。 禹佞諂不忠,挾懷私計,徒低仰于五侯之間,苟取容媚而已。 是以硃雲抗節求尚方斬馬劍,欲以斬禹,以戒其餘,可謂忠矣。 而成帝尚復不寤,乃以為居下訕上,廷辱保傅,罪死無赦,詔御史將雲下,欲急烹之。 雲攀殿折檻,幸賴左將軍辛慶忌叩頭流血,以死爭之。 若不然,則雲已摧碎矣。 後雖釋檻不修,欲以彰明直臣,誠足以為後世之戒,何益於漢室所由亡也哉! 然世之論者以為亂臣賊子無道之甚者莫過於莽,此亦猶紂之不善不如是之甚也。 傳稱莽始起外戚,折節力行,以要名譽,宗族稱孝,朋友歸仁。 及其輔政成、哀之際,勤勞國家,動見稱述。 然于時人士詣闕上書薦莽者不可稱紀,內外群臣莫不歸莽功德。 遭遇漢室中微,國嗣三絕,而太后壽考,為之宗主,故莽得遂策命孺子而奪其位也。 昔湯、武之興,亦逆取而順守之耳。 向莽深惟殷、周取守之術,崇道德,務仁義,履信實,去華偽,施惠天下,十有八年,恩足以感百姓,義足以結英雄,人懷其德,豪傑並用,如此,宗廟社稷宜未滅也,光武雖復賢才,大業詎可冀哉! 莽即位之後,自謂得天人之助,以為功廣三王,德茂唐、虞,乃自驕矜,奮其威詐,班宣符讖,震暴殘酷,窮凶極惡,人怨神怒,冬雷電以驚其耳目,夏地動以惕其心腹。 而莽猶不知覺悟,方復重行不順時之令,竟連伍之刑,佞媚者親幸,忠諫者誅夷。 由是天下忿憤,內外俱發,四海分崩,城池不守,身死於匹夫之手,為天下笑,豈不異哉! 其所由然者,非取之過,而守之非道也。 莽既屠肌,六合雲擾,劉聖公已立而不辨,盆子承之而覆敗,公孫述又稱帝於蜀漢。 如此數子,固非所謂應天順人者,徒為光武之驅除者耳。 夫天下者,蓋亦天下之天下,非一人之天下也。 「殷商之旅,其會如林,矢於牧野,維予侯興。」 又曰:「侯服于周,天命靡常。」 由此言之,主非常人也,有德則天下歸之,無德則天下叛之。 故古之明王,其勞心遠慮,常如臨川無津涯。 於是法天地,象四時,隆恩德,敬大臣,近忠直,遠佞人。 仁孝著乎宮牆,弘化洽乎兆庶; 為平直如砥矢,信義感人神。 雖有椒房外戚之寵,不受其委曲之言; 雖有近習愛幸之豎,不聽其姑息之辭。 四門穆穆,辟而不闔,待諫者而無忌。 恆戰戰慄栗,不忘戒懼,所以欲永終天祿,恐為將來賢聖之驅除也。 且臣聞之,懼危者,常安者也; 憂亡者,恆存者也。 使夫有國之君能安不忘危,則本枝百世,長保榮祚,名位與天地無窮,亦何慮乎為來者之驅除哉! 傳有之曰:「狂夫之言,明主察焉。」
First: I have heard good deeds are patterned—they stand written in the classics. Evil has its punishments—they are warned in the penal codes. From high antiquity through Qin and Han one can name bright kings, hegemons, and dark lords who lost their states. One can also name blunt loyal ministers and flattering traitors. Courts with blunt remonstrators always flourish. Courts that favor sycophants always fall. Every ruler wants loyal help and worthy ministers. Yet ruin follows ruin because the wrong men were chosen. Men called worthy prove unworthy; men called loyal prove disloyal. I shall show how worthies built states and how unworthies destroyed them. Late Yao kept four villains at court and ignored eight talents, yet the realm stayed calm because Shun served as minister. Jie of Xia and Zhou of Yin were both emperors yet lost all—because they spurned good ministers, listened to women, drowned in wine and debauch, killed Long Feng and Bi Gan—so the world turned on them. Taijia was cruel and broke Tang’s laws; Yi Yin exiled him to Tong until he repented, then welcomed him back to Bo after three years. After Taijia was banished and restored, the Yin house revived from weakness; the lords submitted and he was honored as Taizong, thanks to Yi Yin’s steadfast loyalty. When Zhou decayed, lords warred and the king grew weak. Duke Huan of Qi was a lecher at heart. Yet he united the lords and honored Zhou because of Guan Zhong. When he died maggots crawled from his door—price of trusting Shu Diao. The same Huan with Guan Zhong wrought greatness. With Shu Diao he brought chaos. Glory, shame, life, and ruin hang on appointments—choose with care! Qin began as a tiny clan of Boyi’s line; under Qin Zhong it grew fond of chariots, rites, and music. From Duke Mu to the First Emperor every ruler sought talent far and near—You Yu from the Rong, five rams from Wan, Pi Bao from Jin, Jian Shu from his hamlet. Heroes flocked in; generation on generation Qin grew strong, swallowed rivals, seized the throne—thanks to wise advisers. The moral order was still crude when the First Emperor died at Sand Dunes. The Second Emperor rode cruelty and fraud, ruined the succession, and butchered the good until poison spread to every commoner. Chen Sheng and Wu Guang raised a cry and the realm answered. Zhao Gao seized power, Yan Le struck, and the Second Emperor died at Wangyi. Ziying lasted forty days, king in name alone, with no support. Wicked ministers called deer horse and hastened Qin’s fall. Qin lost the realm; Xiang Yu seized it then lost it—boiling Han Sheng and spurning Fan Zeng were his faults. Had he killed Liu Bang at Hongmen and ruled from Xianyang, none could have stood against him. Instead he scorned good counsel, trusted his own pride, went home to Pengcheng in silks like a provincial fool—and gloried in it. Five years later Han seized him; still he cried ‘Heaven, not my warcraft’—how blind! Men flock to benevolence as water runs downhill—Jie and Zhou drove the people to Tang and Wu. Gaozu rose from the ranks with a sword and the wealth of the six states—he needed more than Zhang Liang’s plots; Xiang Yu drove the world into his arms. Two centuries later Chengdi handed power to his uncles and let authority leak outward. Zhang Yu, tutor to the throne, received the emperor bowing at his couch while Chengdi asked omens of state. Had Zhang Yu spoken truly, the Wang clan could not have seized power and Wang Mang could never have usurped Han. Zhang Yu flattered, schemed, and crawled among the five Hou for favor. Zhu Yun demanded the horse-cutting sword to behead Zhang Yu as a warning—true loyalty. Chengdi called it slander of a tutor and ordered Zhu Yun boiled alive. Zhu Yun broke the palace rail; only General Xin Qingji’s bloody protest saved him. Else Zhu Yun would have died at once. Leaving the broken rail honored frank speech—but could not save Han from ruin. Men say no traitor matched Wang Mang—yet Zhou was no worse. Mang began as humble kin, feigned virtue, and won praise as filial and kind. As regent for Cheng and Ai he seemed diligent and praised. Countless memorials praised him; every minister sang his virtue. Han lacked an heir; the dowager lived on; Mang crowned a child and stole the throne. Tang and Wu too seized power, then ruled justly. Had Mang ruled with true benevolence eighteen years, he might have kept the temples; even Guangwu could not have risen. Once enthroned he thought himself heaven-sent, boasted past the sage-kings, spread omens, ruled with terror, until men and gods raged and omens shook heaven and earth. Still he doubled harsh laws, rewarded sycophants, and killed the frank. The realm revolted; he died at a commoner’s hands—a laughingstock. He fell not from taking power but from misruling it. After Mang fell, Liu Xuan, Liu Penzi, and Gongsun Shu each claimed the throne in turn. None of them matched Heaven or the people—they only swept the path for Guangwu. The empire belongs to the world, not to one man. As the Odes say of Muye, ‘The Yin host stood thick as a wood—yet the lords rose for Zhou.’ And, ‘Lords bow to Zhou—Heaven’s mandate is not fixed.’ So the ruler is no fixed man: virtue wins the realm, vice loses it. Wise kings toiled as if standing on a shoreless river. They mirrored heaven and earth, honored ministers, drew near the loyal, and spurned flatterers. Filial kindness filled the palace; their teaching warmed the people. Their justice was straight as a whetstone; their faith moved gods and men. They heard no crooked whispers from imperial in-laws. They heeded no wheedling from favorite attendants. The four gates stood open; remonstrance was welcome without taboo. They trembled on the throne, lest they become stepping-stones for a later founder. They say he who fears danger stays safe. He who fears ruin survives. If a ruler stays vigilant in peace, his line endures—why fear making way for another? The proverb says, ‘Even a madman’s words the wise ruler weighs.’
24
其二曰:士之立業,行非一概。 吳起貪官,母死不歸,殺妻求將,不孝之甚。 然在魏,使秦人不敢東向; 在楚,則三晉不敢南謀。 曾參、閔騫,誠孝子也,不能宿夕離其親,豈肯出身致死,涉危險之地哉! 今大晉應期運之所授,齊聖美于有虞,而吳人不臣,稱帝私附,此亦國之羞也。 陛下誠欲致熊羆之士,不二心之臣,使奮威淮浦、震服蠻荊者,故宜疇咨博采,廣開貢士之路,薦岩穴,舉賢才,征命考試,匪俊莫用。 今台閣選舉,塗塞耳目,九品訪人,唯問中正。 故據上品者,非公侯之子孫,則當塗之昆弟也。 二者苟然,則蓽門蓬戶之俊,安得不有陸沈者哉!
Second: careers differ—conduct is not one mold. Wu Qi chased office, skipped his mother’s funeral, killed his wife for a command—deeply unfilial. Yet in Wei he froze Qin’s eastward gaze. In Chu he checked the three Jin to the north. Zeng and Min would not leave their parents a night—unlike warriors who rush to danger. Great Jin rivals sage Yao, yet Wu still styles itself emperor—a shame to us. To win heroes for the Huai front, open every path to talent, search hills and halls, test and hire only the best. Today bureaus pick men blindfolded; the nine-rank system asks only the rectifier. So high ranks go to sons of lords or brothers of the mighty. Then talent born in hovels is buried unseen.
25
其三曰:昔田子方養老馬,而窮士知所歸,況居天下之廣居,立天下之正位,行天下之大道乎! 昔明王聖主,無不養老。 老人眾多,未必皆賢,不可悉養。 故父事三老,所以明孝; 宗事五更,所以明敬。 孟子曰:「吾老以及人之老,吾幼以及人之幼。」 今天下雖定,而華山之陽無放馬之群,桃林之下未有休息之牛,故以吳人尚未臣服故也。 夫饑者易為食,渴者易為飲,天下元元瞻望新政。 願陛下思子方之仁,念犬馬之勞,思帷蓋之報,發仁惠之詔,廣開養老之制。
Third: Tian Zifang’s care for old horses drew poor scholars; how much more should a Son of Heaven live the great life of the classics. Every sage king fed the old. Many elderly are not sages—you cannot feed every one. So the throne honored three elders as fathers to teach filial piety. It honored five elders to teach reverence. Mencius said, ‘Treat the aged of others as you treat your own.’ Peace is declared, yet no horses graze south of Mount Hua—because Wu still defies us. Hungry men swallow any food; the people hunger for your new rule. Ponder Tian Zifang’s kindness, remember old servants, repay past favors, and proclaim a generous code for the aged.
26
其四曰:法令賞罰,莫大乎信。 古人有言:「人而無信,不知其可。」 況有養人以惠,使人以義,而可以不信行之哉! 臣前為西郡太守,被州所下《己未詔書》:「羌胡道遠,其但募取樂行,不樂勿強。」 臣被詔書,輒宣恩廣募,示以賞信,所得人名即條言征西。 其晉人自可差簡丁強,如法調取; 至於羌胡,非恩意告諭,則無欲度金城、河西者也。 自往每興軍渡河,未曾有變,故刺史郭綏勸帥有方,深加獎厲,要許重報。 是以所募感恩利賞,遂立績效,功在第一。 今州郡督將,並已受封,羌胡健兒,或王或侯,不蒙論敘也。 晉文猶不貪原而失信,齊桓不惜地而背盟,況聖主乎!
Fourth: in law and reward nothing tops trust. The ancients said, ‘Without trust a man is nothing.’ How then nurture men with kindness or duty without keeping faith? As western prefect I received the jiwei edict: ‘Recruit Qiang and Hu only if willing—never force.’ I published the edict, promised pay, and listed every volunteer for the western command. Jin subjects may be drafted by the usual rules. Qiang and Hu will not cross the Long frontier unless persuaded with kindness and pay. Past river campaigns stayed calm; Prefect Guo Sui led well and promised rich reward. Volunteers trusted the pay and won first-class merit. Yet now commanders are enfeoffed while Qiang and Hu heroes—even kings and marquises among them—go unrecorded. Duke Wen would not break faith for land; Duke Huan kept his word—how much more should a sage emperor!
27
其五曰:昔周、漢之興,樹親建德,周因五等之爵,漢有河山之誓。 及其衰也,神器奪於重臣,國祚移於他人。 故滅周者秦,非姬姓也; 代漢者魏,非劉氏也。 於今國家大計,使異姓無裂土專封之邑,同姓並據有連城之地,縱復令諸王後世子孫還自相並,蓋亦楚人失繁弱於雲夢,尚未為亡其弓也。 其於神器不移他族,則始祖不遷之廟,萬年億兆不改其名矣。 大晉諸王二十餘人,而公侯伯子男五百餘國,欲言其國皆小乎,則漢祖之起,俱無尺土之地,況有國者哉! 將謂大晉世世賢聖,而諸侯之胤常不肖邪,則放勳欽明而有丹硃,瞽瞍頑凶面虞舜。 天下有事無不由兵,而無故多樹兵本,廣開亂原,臣故曰五等不便也。 臣以為可如前表,諸王宜大其國,增益其兵,悉遣守籓,使形勢足以相接,則陛下可高枕而臥耳。 臣以為諸侯伯子男名號皆宜改易之,使封爵之制,祿奉禮秩,並同天下諸侯之例。
Fifth: Zhou and Han enfeoffed kin—Zhou with five ranks, Han with iron oaths. When they fell, great ministers seized the throne. Qin ended Zhou, not a Ji prince. Wei replaced Han, not a Liu. Let kin hold linked cities while outsiders hold no great fiefs; even if princes later fight among themselves, the imperial regalia stays in the family—like losing one bow in Yunmeng yet keeping the rest. So long as the throne stays in the clan, the founder’s temple stands unmoved for ages. Jin has twenty princes and five hundred petty lords—yet Han’s founder began landless; size is no excuse. Sage emperors bore foolish sons; wicked fathers sired Shun—blood alone guarantees nothing. Every crisis calls arms—yet multiplying armies and nobles only breeds chaos; the five ranks are a bad tool. Enlarge princely domains, give them troops, send them to their fiefs with strength to support one another—then you may sleep soundly. Rename the petty ranks and align their stipends with true feudal precedent.
28
臣聞與覆車同軌者未嘗安也,與死人同病者未嘗生也,與亡國同法者未嘗存也。 況夫巍巍大晉,方將登太山,禪梁父,刻石書勳,垂示無窮。 宜遠鑒往代興廢,深為嚴防,使著事奮筆,必有紀焉。 昔伊尹恥其君不為堯、舜,此臣所以私懷慷慨,自忘輕賤者也。
He who rides the same track as a wreck, shares the corpse’s fever, or copies a dead law will not endure. How much more should mighty Jin, ready to claim heaven’s mandate, learn from history and guard the deed you carve in stone. Look far at rise and fall so future scribes have a clear record. Yi Yin shamed his king into virtue—that is why I speak bluntly despite my low rank.
29
灼書奏,帝覽而異焉,擢為明威將軍、魏興太守。 卒於官。
The emperor read his memorial with wonder and made him general who displays might and prefect of Weixing. He died in office.
30
閻纘,字續伯,巴西安漢人也。 祖圃,為張魯功曹,勸魯降魏,封平樂鄉侯。 父璞,嗣爵,仕吳至牂柯太守。 纘僑居河南新安,少游英豪,多所交結,博覽墳典,該通物理。 父卒,繼母不慈,纘恭事彌謹。 而母疾之愈甚,乃誣纘盜父時金寶,訟於有司。 遂被清議十餘年,纘無怨色,孝謹不怠。 母后意解,更移中正,乃得復品。 為太傅楊駿舍人,轉安復令。 駿之誅也,纘棄官歸,要駿故主簿潘岳、掾崔基等共葬之。 基、嶽畏罪,推纘為主。 墓成,當葬,駿從弟模告武陵王澹,將表殺造意者。 眾咸懼,填塚而逃,纘獨以家財成墓,葬駿而去。 國子祭酒鄒湛以纘才堪佐著作,薦于秘書監華嶠。 嶠曰:「此職閑廩重,貴勢多爭之,不暇求其才。」 遂不能用。 河間王顒引為西戎校尉司馬,有功,封平樂鄉侯。
Yan Zuan, courtesy name Xubo, came from Anhan in Baxi. His grandfather Yan Pu was Zhang Lu’s clerk, urged surrender to Wei, and was enfeoffed as village marquis of Pingle. His father Yan Pu inherited the title and rose to prefect of Zangke under Wu. Yan Zuan lived in Xin’an, befriended bold spirits in youth, read widely, and mastered practical affairs. After his father died his stepmother was cruel, yet he served her with growing reverence. She hated him more, accused him of stealing his father’s gold, and hauled him to court. Pure opinion ostracized him for years; he showed no bitterness and kept filial duty. When her heart softened and the rectifier was changed, his rank was restored. He served Yang Jun as attendant, then became magistrate of Anfu. When Yang Jun fell, Yan Zuan quit office, rallied Pan Yue, Cui Ji, and others to bury him. Cui and Pan, fearing punishment, made Yan Zuan lead the burial. When the tomb was ready, Yang Mo told Prince Wuling of a plan to execute the ringleaders. The others fled; Yan Zuan spent his own fortune to finish the tomb and bury Yang Jun. Zou Zhen recommended him to Hua Qiao for the editorial office. Hua Qiao said the post was a sinecure that great families fought over—no room to judge talent. So he was not hired. Prince Hejian Sima Yong made him marshal on the western frontier; he earned the Pingle village marquisate.
31
湣懷太子之廢也,纘輿棺詣闕,上書理太子之冤曰:
When Crown Prince Sima Yu was deposed, Yan Zuan carried a coffin to the gate and begged justice in a memorial:
32
伏見赦文及榜下前太子遹手疏,以為驚愕。 自古以來,臣子悖逆,未有如此之甚也。 幸賴天慈,全其首領。 臣伏念遹生於聖父而至此者,由於長養深宮,沈淪富貴,受饒先帝,父母驕之。 每見選師傅下至群吏,率取膏粱擊鐘鼎食之家,稀有寒門儒素如衛綰、周文、石奮、疏廣,洗馬、舍人亦無汲黯、鄭莊之比,遂使不見事父事君之道。 臣案古典,太子居以士禮,與國人齒,以此明先王欲令知先賤然後乃貴。 自頃東宮亦微太盛,所以致敗也。 非但東宮,曆觀諸王師友文學,皆豪族力能得者,率非龔遂、王陽,能以道訓。 友無亮直三益之節,官以文學為名,實不讀書,但共鮮衣好馬,縱酒高會,嬉遊博弈,豈有切磋,能相長益! 臣常恐公族遲陵,以此歎息。 今遹可以為戒,恐其被斥,棄逐遠郊,始當悔過,無所復及。
I read the amnesty and the former heir’s own writing with shock. Never has a subject’s treason sounded so extreme. Mercifully his life was spared. Sima Yu was a sage’s son yet fell so low because he was raised in luxury, spoiled by two emperors. His tutors were rich drones, not poor scholars like Wei Wan; even his attendants were no Ji An—so he never learned to serve father or ruler. The classics seat the heir among commoners so he knows humility before honor. Lately the heir’s court grew too grand—that invited ruin. Princes’ tutors are picked for power, not men like Gong Sui who teach the Way. Friends lack the three good companions; ‘literary’ aides never read—only race horses and gamble. I have long feared for the imperial kin and sighed. Let Yu be a warning—if you banish him too far he may repent too late.
33
昔戾太子無狀,稱兵距命,而壺關三老上書,有田千秋之言,猶曰:「子弄父兵,罪應笞耳!」 漢武感悟之,築思子之台。 今遹無狀,言語悖逆,受罪之日,不敢失道,猶為輕于戾太子,尚可禁持,重選保傅。 如司空張華,道德深遠,乃心忠誠,以為之師。 光祿大夫劉寔,寒苦自立,終始不衰,年同呂望,經藉不廢,以為之保。 尚書僕射裴頠,明允恭肅,體道居正,以為之友。 置游談文學,皆選寒門孤宦以學行自立者,及取服勤更事、涉履艱難、事君事親、名行素聞者,使與共處。 使嚴御史監護其家,絕貴戚子弟、輕薄賓客。 如此,左右前後,莫非正人。 師傅文學,可令十日一講,使共論議於前。 敕使但道古今孝子慈親,忠臣事君,及思愆改過之義,皆聞善道,庶幾可全。
Even Han’s rebel Heir Li was excused as a boy’s folly when elders spoke. Moved, Wu built the Terrace of Longing for a Son. Yu’s fault is lighter than Prince Li’s; choose new tutors and he may yet be saved. Name Zhang Hua tutor—his virtue is deep and his loyalty sure. Name Liu Shi protector—poor, upright, and learned as Lü Wang in old age. Name Pei Wei friend—he is clear-minded and upright. Fill his staff with poor scholars of proven conduct who know hardship. Post stern censors to bar noble idlers from his gate. Then every face around him will be upright. Have tutors lecture every ten days and debate before the heir. Let them teach filial piety, loyalty, and repentance until he hears only good.
34
昔太甲有罪,放之三年,思庸克復,為殷明王。 又魏文帝懼於見廢,夙夜自祗,竟能自全。 及至明帝,因母得罪,廢為平原侯,為置家臣庶子,師友文學,皆取正人,共相匡矯。 兢兢慎罰,事父以孝,父沒,事母以謹,聞于天下,於今稱之。 漢高皇帝數置酒於庭,欲廢太子,後四皓為師,子房為傅,竟復成就。 前事不忘,後事之戒。 孟軻有雲,「孤臣孽子,其操心也危,慮患也深」,故多善功。 李斯云:「慈母多敗子,嚴家無格虜。」 由陛下驕遹使至於此,庶其受罪以來,足自思改。 方今天下多虞,四夷未寧,將伺國隙。 儲副大事,不宜空虛。 宜為大計,小復停留。 先加嚴誨。 依平原侯故事,若不悛改,棄之未晚也。
Taijia was banished, repented, and became a good king. Wei Wendi feared deposition and saved himself by caution. Wei Mingdi, deposed as a prince, was surrounded by upright tutors who corrected him. He grew filial and careful and is praised to this day. Gaozu nearly replaced the heir until the Four Elders and Zhang Liang saved him. Past deeds are warnings for the future. Mencius said peril breeds virtue in the disinherited. Li Si said indulgent mothers ruin sons and strict homes breed no slaves. Your doting brought him here; punishment may teach him to change. The realm is troubled and barbarians watch for weakness. The succession must not stand vacant. Plan for the throne and delay a little. First lecture him sternly. Follow Wei Mingdi’s example; if he will not mend, depose him later.
35
臣素寒門,無力仕宦,不經東宮,情不私遹。 念昔楚國處女諫其王曰「有龍無尾」,言年四十,未有太子。 臣嘗備近職,雖未得自結天日,情同閽寺,悾悾之誠,皆為國計。 臣老母見臣為表,乃為臣卜卦,云「書禦即死」。 妻子守臣,涕泣見止。 臣獨以為頻見拔擢,嘗為近職,此恩難忘,何以報德? 唯當陳誠,以死獻忠。 輒具棺絮,伏須刑誅。
I am a humble outsider with no private tie to the heir. A Chu maiden warned of a ‘dragon without tail’—no heir at forty. I served near the throne; though low as a gate guard my heart is for the state. My mother divined that presenting this memorial would mean my death. My wife and children begged me with tears to stop. Yet frequent promotion bound me—how repay such grace? I can only speak my heart even at cost of life. I brought a coffin and await execution.
36
書禦不省。
The memorial was ignored.
37
及張華遇害,賈謐被誅,朝野震悚,纘獨撫華屍慟哭曰:「早語君遜位而不肯,今果不免,命也夫!」 過叱賈謐屍曰:「小兒亂國之由,誅其晚矣!」
When Zhang Hua died and Jia Mi fell, Yan Zuan alone wept over Zhang Hua, crying that he had refused to retire in time. He cursed Jia Mi’s corpse as the boy who ruined the state.
38
皇太孫立,纘復上疏曰:
When the imperial great-grandson was named heir, Yan Zuan wrote again:
39
臣前上書訟太子之枉,不見省覽。 昔壺關三老陳衛太子之冤,而漢武築思子之台。 高廟令田千秋上書,不敢正言,托以鬼神之教,而孝武大感,月中三遷,位至丞相,乘車入殿,號曰車氏。 恨臣精誠微薄,不能有感,竟使太子流離,沒命許昌。 向令陛下即納臣言,不致此禍。 天贊聖意,三公獻謀,庶人賜死,罪人斯得,太子以明,臣恨其晚,無所復及。 詔書慈悼,迎喪反葬,復其禮秩,誠副眾望,不意呂、霍之變復生於今日! 伏見詔書建立太孫,斯誠陛下上順先典以安社稷,中慰慈悼冤魂之痛,下令萬國心有所系。 追惟庶人,所為無狀,幾傾宗廟,賴相國、太宰至忠憤發,潛謀俱斷,奉贊聖意,以成神武。 雖周誅二叔,漢掃諸呂,未足以喻。 臣願陛下因此大更厘改,以為永制。 禮置太子,居以士禮,與國人齒,為置官屬,皆如朋友,不為純臣。 既使上厭至望,以崇孝道,又令不相嚴憚,易相規正。
My plea for the deposed heir went unread. Huguan elders moved Han Wu to build the Terrace of Longing. Tian Qianqiu used a riddle yet rose to chancellor in a month. My feeble words failed; the prince died at Xuchang. Had you listened, that tragedy would not have happened. Heaven helped: the plotters died and the heir’s innocence emerged—too late for me to help. You recalled the prince’s body and restored his rites—yet I fear another Lü–Huo coup. Naming the great-grandson heir follows the classics, consoles the dead prince, and steadies the realm. The commoner prince nearly ruined the temples until loyal ministers struck down the plot. Even Zhou’s and Han’s purges pale beside it. Use this crisis to reform institutions for good. Rite seats the heir among commoners and makes his staff friends, not mere underlings. That satisfies filial awe above and frank counsel below.
40
昔漢武既信奸讒,危害太子,復用望氣之言,欲盡誅詔獄中囚。 邴吉以皇孫在焉,閉門距命,後遂擁護皇孫,督罰乳母,卒至成人,立為孝宣皇帝。 苟志於忠,無往不可。 曆觀古人雖不避死,亦由世教寬以成節。 吉雖距詔書,事在於忠,故宥而不責。 自晉興已來,用法太嚴,遲速之間,輒加誅斬。 一身伏法,猶可強為,今世之誅,動輒滅門。 昔呂後臨朝,肆意無道。 周昌相趙,三召其王而昌不遣,先征昌入,乃後召王。 此由漢制本寬,得使為快。 假令如今,呂後必謂昌已反,夷其三族,則誰敢復為殺身成義者哉! 此法宜改,可使經遠。 又漢初廢趙王張敖,其臣貫高謀弑高祖,高祖不誅,以明臣道。 田叔、孟舒十人為奴,髡鉗隨王,隱親侍養,故令平安。 向使晉法得容為義,東宮之臣得如周昌,固護太子得如邴吉,距詔不坐,伏死諫爭,則聖意必變,太子以安。 如田叔、孟舒侍從不罪者,則隱親左右,奸凶毒藥無緣得設,太子不夭也。
Han Wu’s slander nearly killed the heir and would have massacred every prisoner on an omen. Bing Ji barred the gate because the imperial grandson was inside, reared him, and raised Emperor Xuan. Loyal hearts find a way. Ancient loyalty flourished where law was lenient. Bing Ji defied an edict yet was pardoned for loyalty. Since Jin arose the laws have grown cruel—delay means death. One man might accept death, but Jin wipes out whole clans. Empress Lü ruled lawlessly. Zhou Chang thrice refused to send the Zhao king until he himself was called to court. Han law was loose enough to allow that. Under Jin’s code Lü would have killed Zhou Chang’s three clans—who then would dare die for right? Change the law for the long term. Han spared Guan Gao to show what ministers owe. Ten Zhao men shaved their heads as slaves to serve their fallen prince and kept him alive. If Jin law honored such loyalty, men like Zhou Chang and Bing Ji could save an heir. If attendants like Tian Shu went unpunished, poison could not reach the heir.
41
臣每責東宮臣故無侍從者,後聞頗有于道路望車拜辭,而有司收付洛陽獄,奏科其罪。 然臣故莫從,良有以也。 又本置三率,盛其兵馬,所以宿衛防虞。 而使者卒至,莫有警嚴覆請審者,此由恐畏滅族。 今皇孫沖幼,去事多故。 若有不虞,強臣專制,奸邪矯詐,雖有相國保訓東宮,擁佑之恩同于邴吉,適可使玉體安全,宜開來防,可著於令:自今已後,諸有廢興倉卒,群臣皆得輒嚴,須錄詣殿前,面受口詔,然後為信,得同周昌不遣王節,下聽臣子隱親,得如田叔、孟舒,不加罪責,則永固儲副,以後安嗣之遠慮也。 來事難知,往事可改。 臣前每見詹事裴權用心懇惻,舍人秦戢數上疏啟諫; 而爰倩贈以九列,權有忠意,獨不蒙賞。 謂宜依倩為比,以寵其魂。 推尋表疏,如秦戢輩及司隸所奏,諸敢拜辭于道路者,明詔稱揚,使微異於眾,以勸為善,以獎將來也。
I faulted the heir’s staff for vanishing—then learned many who wept at his cart were jailed. I did not follow him—yet I had good reason. The three guard commands were meant to protect the heir. When envoys came suddenly none dared arm the guard—fearing extermination. The great-grandson is a child in a time of plots. Decree that in sudden successions ministers may arm, must hear the edict in person at court—like Zhou Chang holding the tally or Tian Shu serving a fallen prince—so the heir can be saved. The future is dark; past errors can still be mended. I saw Pei Quan serve the heir with zeal and Qin Ji remonstrate again and again. Yuan Qian won nine-rank honors while Pei Quan’s loyalty went unrewarded. Reward Pei Quan posthumously as Yuan Qian was rewarded. Praise men who wept for the heir at the roadside and honor Qin Ji’s petitions to encourage loyalty.
42
纘又陳:
Yan Zuan added:
43
今相國雖已保傅東宮,保其安危。 至於旦夕訓誨,輔導出入,動靜劬勞,宜選寒苦之士,忠貞清正,老而不衰,如城門校尉梁柳、白衣南安硃沖比者,以為師傅。 其侍臣以下文武將吏,且勿復取盛戚豪門子弟,若吳太妃家室及賈、郭之黨。 如此之輩,生而富溢,無念修己,率多輕薄浮華,相驅放縱,皆非所補益於吾少主者也。 皆可擇寒門篤行、學問素士、更履險易、節義足稱者,以備群臣,可輕其禮儀,使與古同,於相切磋為益。
The minister of state guards the heir’s life. Choose poor, loyal veterans like Liang Liu or Zhu Chong for daily tutoring. Stop staffing the heir with Wu, Jia, or Guo relatives. Rich noble boys help neither character nor study. Staff him with poor scholars of proven integrity and ease their rites so they may counsel frankly.
44
昔魏文帝之在東宮,徐幹、劉楨為友,文學相接之道並如氣類。 吳太子登,顧譚為友,諸葛恪為賓,臥同床帳,行則參乘,交如布衣,相呼以字,此則近代之明比也。 天子之子不患不富貴,不患人不敬畏,患於驕盈,不聞其過,不知稼穡之艱難耳。 至於甚者,乃不知名六畜,可不勉哉! 昔周公親撻伯禽,曹參笞窋二百,聖考慈父皆不傷恩。 今不忍小相維持,令至闕失頓相罪責,不亦誤哉!
Wei Wendi’s eastern palace had Xu Gan and Liu Zhen as literary friends of like mind. Wu’s heir Deng shared bed and carriage with Gu Tan and Zhuge Ke like commoners—so should Jin. An emperor’s son is already rich—his danger is pride and ignorance of farming. Worst of all he may not know a cow from a horse—train him! Zhou Gong flogged his son; Cao Shen beat his—strictness need not break love. Better small correction now than ruin later.
45
在禮太子朝夕視膳,昏定晨省,跪問安否,於情得盡。 五日一朝,于敬既簡,於恩亦疏,易致構間。 故曰「一朝不朝,其間容刀」。 五日之制,起漢高祖,身為天子,父為庶人,萬機事多,故闕私敬耳。 今主上臨朝,太子無事,專主孝養,宜改此俗。 《文王世子》篇曰:「王季一飯亦一飯,再飯亦再飯。」 安有逸豫五日一覲哉!
Rites require the heir to attend his parents morning and night. The five-day audience thins filial duty and invites intrigue. The classic warns that even one missed morning lets a knife slip between parent and child. Han Gaozu invented the five-day rule because he was too busy—our emperor is not. The heir has time—restore daily filial visits. The Book of Rites says King Wen matched his father meal for meal. How can a filial son visit only every five days?
46
纘又陳:
He added:
47
今迎太子神柩,孤魂獨行,太孫幼沖,不可涉道。 謂可遣妃奉迎遠路,令其父衍隨行衛護。 皇太子初見誣陷,臣家門無祐,三世假親,具嘗辛苦,以家觀國,固知太子有變。 臣故求副監國,欲依邴吉故事,距違來使,供養擁護,身親飲食醫藥,冀足救危。 主者以臣名資輕淺,不肯見與。 世人見笑,謂為此職進退難居,有必死憂。 臣獨以為苟全儲君,賈氏所誅,甘心所願。 今監國御史直副皆當三族,侍衛無狀,實自宜然。 臣謂其小人,不足具責。 故孔子曰:「可以托六尺之孤,臨大節而不可奪。」 是以聖王慎選。 故河南尹向雄,昔能犯難葬故將鐘會,文帝嘉之,始拔顯用,至於先帝,以為右率。 如間之事,若得向雄之比,則豈可觸哉! 此二使者,但為愚怯,亦非與謀,但可誅身,自全三族。 如郭俶、郭斌,則于刑為當。
The prince’s coffin travels while the great-grandson is too young for the road. Send the consort with her father Wei Yan to escort the bier. My low house served the heir through three borrowed postings—I knew the plot early. I begged to be deputy regent like Bing Ji to guard the heir with my own hands. Bureaucrats refused me as too lowly. Men said the post meant certain death. I would die to save the heir—gladly. Regents and guards merit the three-clan law today. Yet they are small men—punish lightly. Confucius said a tutor must face death for a six-foot orphan. So sage kings choose tutors with care. Xiang Xiong once buried Zhong Hui and rose to right guard—such men should guard the heir. Men like Xiang Xiong would not fail. Execute the two foolish envoys alone, spare their kin. Guo Xu and Guo Bin deserve full punishment.
48
又東宮亦宜妙選忠直亮正,如向雄比。 陛下千秋萬歲之後,太孫幼沖,選置兵衛,宜得柱石之士如周昌者。 世俗淺薄,士無廉節,賈謐小兒,恃寵恣睢,而淺中弱植之徒,更相翕習,故世號魯公二十四友。 又謐前見臣表理太子,曰:「閻兒作此為健,然觀其意,欲與諸司馬家同。」 皆為臣寒心。 伏見詔書,稱明滿奮、樂廣。 侍郎賈胤,與謐親理,而亦疏遠,往免父喪之後,停家五年,雖為小屈,有識貴之。 潘岳、繆征等皆謐父党,共相沈浮,人士羞之,聞其晏然,莫不為怪。 今詔書暴揚其罪,並皆遣出,百姓咸雲清當,臣獨謂非。 但嶽征二十四人,宜皆齊黜,以肅風教。
Pick guards as loyal as Xiang Xiong for the eastern palace. When you die, surround the child with men as staunch as Zhou Chang. Jia Mi’s twenty-four ‘friends’ were shallow flatterers. Jia Mi sneered that I sided with the Sima clan. His words froze my blood. Your edict praises Man Fen and Yue Guang. Jia Yin shunned Jia Mi for five years of mourning—wise men praised him. Pan Yue and Miao Zheng clung to Jia Mi—honest men despised them. The court expelled Jia’s circle—people cheer, but I dissent. Expel Pan Yue’s whole twenty-four, not just a few.
49
朝廷善其忠烈,擢為漢中太守。 趙王倫死,既葬,纘以車轢其塚。 時張華兄子景後徙漢中,纘又表宜還。 纘不護細行,而慷慨好大節。 卒于官,時年五十九。 纘五子,皆開朗有才力。
The court made him prefect of Hanzhong for his blunt loyalty. When Sima Lun fell, Yan Zuan drove over his grave. He asked Zhang Hua’s nephew Zhang Jing to return from Hanzhong. Yan Zuan scorned small scruples but loved great honor. He died in office at fifty-nine. His five sons were all able and open-hearted.
50
長子亨為遼西太守,屬王濬自用其人,亨不得之官。 依青州刺史苟晞,刑政苛虐,亨數切諫,為晞所害。
His eldest son Yan Heng could not take office in Liaoxi because Wang Jun filled the post himself. Yan Heng served under the harsh Gou Xi and died remonstrating.
51
史臣曰:湣懷之廢也,天下稱其冤。 然皆懼亂政之參夷,懾淫嬖之凶忍,遂使謀臣懷忠而結舌,義士蓄憤而吞聲。 閻續伯官既微于侍郎,位不登於執戟,輕生重義,視死如歸,伏奏而待嚴誅,輿棺以趨鼎鑊,察言觀行,豈非忠直壯乎! 顧視晉朝公卿,曾不得與其徒隸齒也。 茂伯篤終,哭王經以全節。 休然追遠,理鄧艾以成名。 故得義感明時,仁流枯骨。 雖硃勃追論新息,欒布奏事彭王,弗之尚也。
Historians say the realm knew Crown Prince Yu was wronged. Yet terror of the Jia clan’s cruelty silenced every honest voice. Yan Zuan, lowlier than a palace attendant, was ready to die in a cauldron for the heir—few courtiers matched even his servants. Jin’s great lords were less brave than his retainers. Xiang Xiong mourned Wang Jing to the end and kept his honor. Duan Zhuo cleared Deng Ai’s name from afar. Their justice moved the age and kindness reached the dead. Zhu Bo and Luan Bo did less for the dead than these men.
52
贊曰:感義收會,篤終理艾。 道既相侔,名亦俱泰。 續伯區區,輿櫬陳謩。 偪茲淫嬖,弗遂良圖。 啜其泣矣,何嗟及乎!
The ode: burying Zhong Hui from duty, clearing Deng Ai from afar. Their paths were alike and their fame alike high. Yan Zuan, humble, bore his coffin to counsel the throne. Wanton favorites blocked his good counsel. He wept too late—sighs could not save the day.