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卷五十八 列傳第八: 唐儉 長孫順德 劉弘基 殷嶠 劉政會 柴紹 武士彠

Volume 58 Biographies 8: Tang Jian, Zhangsun Shunde, Liu Hongji, Yin Jiao, Liu Zhenghui, Chai Shao, Wu Shihuo

Chapter 62 of 舊唐書 · Old Book of Tang
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Chapter 62
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1
·
Li Gang, styled Wenji, came from Zhuo in Guanzhou. His grandfather Yuanze had served as prefect of Qinghe under the Later Wei. His father Zhi had been Grand General of Cavalry under Northern Zhou. From youth Gang was ardent and high-minded, and he constantly held himself to a standard of loyalty and righteousness. He had first been named Yuan, styled Ziyu; after reading the biography of Zhang Gang in the Book of the Later Han, he admired the man and took Gang as his name. The Northern Zhou Prince of Qi, Xian, took him on as a staff officer. When Emperor Xuan was about to destroy Xian, he summoned his staff to testify to Xian's crimes; Gang swore he would die rather than comply, and in the end never wavered in what he said. When Xian was killed, his body was carried out on an open cart and his former officers all scattered; only Gang clung to the coffin and wailed, buried the body himself, and left after bowing in grief.
2
調 殿 調 退
Near the end of the Sui Kaihuang era he served as Academician to the Heir Apparent. Crown Prince Yong once held a New Year's banquet for his palace staff; the Left Assistant Censor Tang Lingze volunteered to play the pipa and also sang the tune "Lady Wumei." Gang spoke to Yong himself: "Lingze holds a palace counselor's post and his duty is to oversee your conduct—yet at this banquet he compares himself to entertainers, offers licentious music, and defiles what your eyes and ears should take in. If the emperor hears of this, Lingze's offense cannot be foreseen—will that not bring disaster upon Your Highness as well? I ask that his offense be corrected at once." Yong said: "I only wanted some amusement—do not make so much of it." Gang strode out at once. When Yong was deposed, Emperor Wen summoned the Eastern Palace staff and rebuked them harshly; no one dared answer. Gang replied: "What has happened today is Your Majesty's fault, not the Crown Prince's crime. Yong's talents were not of the highest order and his nature was that of an ordinary man; had worthy and enlightened men guided him, he would have been fully adequate to inherit the imperial enterprise. Scholars now fill the court; the worthy ought to be placed in office—how could men skilled only in song and hawking be kept at his side until things came to this? It is that Your Majesty's instruction and guidance were insufficient—how could it be the Crown Prince's crime!" His words were stern and commanding; those at his side all turned pale because of him. Emperor Wen said: "Sending you there—was that not choosing a man?" Gang said: "In the Eastern Palace I had no one who was permitted to speak frankly." The emperor was struck by his answer and promoted him to Vice Director of the Secretariat. At that time the Left Directors Yang Su and Su Wei dominated the court; Gang constantly held to his own views and would not go along with them, and the two came to hate him deeply. When the great general Liu Fang was sent to campaign against Linyi, Yang Su told Emperor Wen: "Linyi holds many precious goods; only an upright man may be entrusted with such a post." He then said Gang was fit for the duty, and the emperor appointed him campaigning staff officer. Liu Fang, carrying out Su's intent, humiliated Gang almost to the point of death. When the army returned, he went for a long time without a new appointment. Later he was appointed secretary in the household of the Prince of Qi. Before long Su Wei again sent Gang to the Southern Sea to handle affairs with Linyi, and for a long time did not summon him back. When Gang later came on his own to report to court, Su again accused him of leaving his post without leave and handed him over to the judicial officers. Gang met a skilled diviner and had him cast the hexagram; the result was Ding, and the man therefore told Gang: "Only after the ruling house changes its surname will you realize your ambition and serve as a minister to the throne. You ought to withdraw early; otherwise you will meet the disaster of a broken leg." Before long an amnesty was declared and he was released; he withdrew to live in seclusion at E.
3
Near the end of the Daye era, the rebel leader He Panren appointed him chief clerk. When the righteous army reached the capital, Gang came to pay his respects. Gaozu was greatly pleased, appointed him Registrar in the Chancellor's Office, enfeoffed him as Duke of Xinchang, and put him solely in charge of official selection. When Gaozu took the throne, he was appointed Minister of Rites and concurrently Grand Mentor to the Heir Apparent, with charge of selection unchanged.
4
紿 使
Earlier, Prince Yuanji of Qi had been made commander at Bingzhou, where he allowed his attendants to plunder the people. Yuwen Xin remonstrated again and again without being heeded and therefore submitted a memorial: "While the prince was in the prefecture he often went out incognito, regularly went hunting with Dou Dan, trampled the grain in the fields, indulged his favorites, and openly seized property by force until the livestock within the borders were nearly exhausted. He shot arrows in the public streets and took people's scrambling to avoid them as a source of amusement. He sent his attendants to play at warfare until they stabbed one another and some died of their wounds. At night he opened the government gate and debauched other men's households. The common people were filled with bitter resentment, each nursing angry grief. With such conduct, how could he defend a city and keep himself safe!" Yuanji was in the end dismissed from office on account of this. They also prompted the local elders to go to court and request his return; before long he was ordered to resume his duties. At that time Liu Wuzhou led five thousand horsemen to Huangshe Ridge; Yuanji sent the General of Chariots and Cavalry Zhang Da with a hundred foot soldiers to test the enemy first. Da, seeing the infantry too few, firmly refused to go. Yuanji forced him to go anyway; upon arrival they were all wiped out by the rebels. In fury Da then guided Wuzhou to storm and take Yuci and advance on Bingzhou. Yuanji was terrified and deceived his secretary Liu Dewei, saying: "You with the aged and weak will defend the city; I with strong troops will go out to give battle." That night he marched his army out, took wife and children with him, abandoned the troops, and fled back to the capital; Bingzhou was thus lost. Gaozu was furious and said to Gang: "Yuanji is still young and unversed in affairs; that is why I sent Dou Dan and Yuwen Xin to assist him. Tens of thousands of strong troops and provisions to last ten years—the resources on which our righteous uprising and good fortune rested—thrown away in a single morning. Yuwen Xin first devised this plan—I ought to execute him." Gang said: "It is thanks to Xin that Your Majesty did not lose a beloved son; I consider that a merit." Gaozu asked why; Gang replied: "The fault lay with Dou Dan's failure to admonish and instruct, which made the soldiers resentful. Moreover the Prince of Qi was young and indulged in arrogant excess; his attendants preyed on the people, yet Dan never remonstrated or stopped them—he only followed along and covered matters up, thereby completing the prince's offenses; that was Dan's crime. Yuwen Xin was distant in personal ties and shallow in his relation to the prince, yet he reported every one of the prince's faults to the throne. Between father and son it is what people find hardest to speak of—when Xin spoke out, was that not loyal earnestness? To wish to punish him now without crediting his intent—I humbly consider that excessive." The next day Gaozu summoned Gang in, took the imperial seat, and said: "Now that I have you, punishments are not abused. Yuanji brought evil on himself and made enemies among men. Since Xin had already memorialized, how could Dan have restrained him?"
5
使
At that time Gaozu appointed the dancer An Chinu Gentleman Attendant at the Imperial Suite; Gang submitted a memorial remonstrating: "According to the Rites of Zhou, directors of craftsmen and music masters may not enter the ranks of office. Even if one's talent matched Ziye and one's skill equaled Master Xiang, each ended his life with a son succeeding him and did not change his profession. Thus when Cao Cao had Mi Heng beat the drum, Heng first stripped off his court robes and beat it with his body bare, saying he dared not use the ritual garments of former kings as a performer's costume. Although Gao Wei of Northern Qi enfeoffed Cao Miaoda as king and appointed An Maju Director of the Palace, they already drew public censure and gravely disturbed the great norms; rulers of states and families have taken this as a warning. The realm has only just been settled and the foundation of great peace laid. The meritorious men of the righteous uprising have not yet all been rewarded; men of lofty talent and great learning still linger in obscurity. yet you first set a dancing barbarian in a post of the fifth rank; with jade sounding at his belt and official ribbons trailing, rushing through the halls of state—surely this is not the way to found an enterprise, hand down a tradition, and bequeath it to one's descendants." Gaozu did not accept the advice. Before long he was ordered to take part in reviewing the statutes and ordinances.
6
調 使 便 退 殿
Gang served in the Eastern Palace; the Hidden Heir, Crown Prince Jiancheng, at first treated him with great courtesy. Jiancheng often went to the hot springs; Gang sometimes, owing to illness, did not go with him. Someone presented live fish to Jiancheng; he was about to summon the cook to prepare sashimi. Tang Jian and Zhao Yuankai were present; each praised his own skill at sashimi, and Jiancheng let them do it; afterward he said: "Flying-knife sashimi of carp and harmonizing the food in the cauldron—you truly have these; as for examining and instructing and assisting in harmony, that surely belongs to Li Gang." He then sent an envoy with two hundred bolts of silk as a gift to him. Later Jiancheng gradually grew intimate with worthless men and harbored schemes of suspicion; nothing could be said to stop him. Gang also recalled the diviner's words and repeatedly asked to retire. Gaozu casually scolded him: "You served as chief clerk to Panren—how can you be ashamed to be my Minister? Moreover Jiancheng is in the Eastern Palace and I sent you to guide him—why do you keep resigning?" Gang bowed his head and replied: "Panren was a rebel and truly meant to kill; each time I remonstrated he stopped, and an enormous number of lives were saved—serving as his chief clerk, I therefore had nothing to be ashamed of. Your Majesty's merit is accomplished and your enterprise secure, yet you are rather self-congratulatory; I am commonplace and my talent falls short of the great ministers—what I say is like water cast on stone—how dare I long remain Minister? Moreover, serving the Heir Apparent as a foolish subordinate, the humble views I hold are again not heeded; since I can do no good, I ask to withdraw." Gaozu apologized: "I know you are an upright man—do your best to assist my son." He was therefore promoted to Junior Mentor to the Heir Apparent, while his posts as Minister and Grand Mentor remained unchanged. Gang again submitted a letter remonstrating with the Heir Apparent: "I am old; the days pass and the times flow on; the trees at my grave already arch over it—fortunately I have not yet gone into the earth, yet I am permitted to attend upon your sacred person; I have no way to repay your grace and beg to offer my foolish frankness; I humbly ask Your Highness to consider it carefully. I have observed that drinking too much is truly not the way to nurture one's health. Moreover, every son ought to devote himself to filial piety and brotherly harmony to comfort his father and sovereign; he ought not heed perverse words and rashly harbor suspicion." Jiancheng read the letter without pleasure, yet continued as before. Because Gang repeatedly spoke on affairs contrary to the Heir Apparent's wishes, his counsel went unheeded and he grew depressed without realizing his aims. In the second year of Wude he submitted a memorial resigning on account of age; an edict graciously released him from the Ministry but kept him as Junior Mentor to the Heir Apparent. Because Gang had been a famous minister of the Sui, Gaozu treated him with exceptional courtesy; in each personal edict he never used Gang's personal name—such was the esteem in which he was held.
7
輿 輿殿
In the fourth year of Zhenguan he was appointed Junior Mentor to the Heir Apparent. Gang then suffered from a foot ailment and could not walk; Taizong specially granted him a sedan chair and had him ride it to the steps of the hall, and repeatedly brought him into the inner palace to question him on the way of government. He also had the chair brought into the Eastern Palace; the Heir Apparent led him up to the hall and bowed to him in person. Gang thereupon expounded the way of ruler and minister and of father and son, and the methods of inquiring after one's health and attending to meals; his reasoning was orderly and his words forthright, and those who heard him forgot weariness. Whenever the Heir Apparent personally attended to government affairs, Taizong always had Gang sit with the Left Director Fang Xuanling and the Attendant-in-Ordinary Wang Gui. The Heir Apparent once discussed ancient affairs of moral teaching between ruler and minister and of exhausting loyalty to the utmost; Gang said sternly: "To entrust a six-foot orphan and commit the fate of a hundred miles—men of old thought that hard; I think it easy." Whenever he spoke, his tone and expression were ardent, with a resolve that could not be shaken. When he fell ill, Taizong sent the Left Director Fang Xuanling to his residence to inquire after him and bestowed two hundred bolts of silk. In the fifth year he died, at the age of eighty-five. He was posthumously made Grand Master of the Palace with Golden Seal and Ribbon of the First Rank, with the posthumous title Zhen (Upright). The Heir Apparent had a stele erected for him. Earlier, a daughter of the Northern Zhou Prince of Qi Xian lived as a widow in isolation; Gang, considering himself a former officer of the Prince of Qi, supported and comforted her generously. When Gang died, the daughter let down her hair and wailed as though she had lost a parent. His grandson Sun Shaozhi, a tonggong clerical aide in Wuyang commandery under the Sui, predeceased Gang.
8
西 使 祿 退 殿 使 使 使 使 使 使
Shaozhi's son Anren served as Left Assistant Censor to the Heir Apparent during the Yonghui era. When the Heir Apparent was deposed and returned to the Prince of Chen's residence, the palace staff all fled and none dared formally take leave; only Anren wept, bowed in farewell, and departed—court and country praised his conduct. He later died while serving as prefect of Hengzhou. Zheng Shanguo came from Yingze in Zhengzhou. His grandfather Xiaomu had been Vice Minister of Works under Western Wei and prefect of Qi. His father Cheng had been a great general of Northern Zhou and Duke of Kaifeng. At the beginning of the Daxiang era, while campaigning against Yuwen Jiong, he fought fiercely and was killed in battle. Shanguo was nine years old; because his father had died in the state's service, an edict ordered him to inherit his father's office and rank. Because he was still a child, his family had not told him; when he received the patent of succession he grieved and stamped his feet in mourning beyond bearing, and all who watched wept for him. At the beginning of Sui Kaihuang his fief was changed to Duke of Wude commandery and he was appointed prefect of Yizhou. During the Daye era he rose through successive posts to become prefect of Lu commandery. Shanguo was sincere and cautious and served his parents with the utmost filial piety. His mother, of the Cui clan, was worthy and enlightened and understood governance; whenever Shanguo handled official business, Lady Cui would listen from within the pavilion. if she heard that his judgments were sound, she was greatly pleased when he returned; if his handling of affairs was unjust, his mother would not speak with him; Shanguo would prostrate himself before her bed and go the whole day without eating. Lady Cui said to him: "I am not angry with you—I am ashamed for your family. Your late father in office was pure and scrupulous and never pursued private gain; he gave his life for the state and followed that devotion with his death. I also hope you will carry on your father's spirit. From childhood you inherited a fief; today you stand as a regional lord—could you have brought that about by yourself? How can you fail to reflect on this and rashly give way to anger? inwardly you would bring down your family's reputation and perhaps lose office and rank; outwardly you would violate the Son of Heaven's laws and incur punishment. I am a widow with kindness but no authority; if I let you go without instruction and fail the work of purity and loyalty, on the day I die what face shall I have to meet your late father!" From this Shanguo strove to make himself an upright official; wherever he served he achieved good administration, and the people cherished him. When he came to court, Emperor Yang ranked him with Fan Zigai, prefect of Wuwei, as the finest administrators in the realm for his frugal conduct in office and strict, clear governance; each was rewarded with a thousand lengths of goods and a hundred taels of gold, and Shanguo was again promoted to Director of the Court of Judicial Review. Later, when the Turks besieged Emperor Yang at Yanmen, he was appointed Right Grand Master of Splendid Happiness for his merit in defense. He accompanied the emperor to Jiangdu. When Yuwen Huaji committed regicide, he appointed Shanguo Minister of the Household; Shanguo followed Huaji to Liaocheng. When Prince of Huai'an Li Shentong besieged Huaji, Shanguo directed the defense on Huaji's behalf and was struck by a stray arrow. When Shentong withdrew, Dou Jiande advanced and captured the place. Jiande's general Wang Cong captured Shanguo and mocked him: "You are a great minister of the Sui; since your mother's death your reputation for purity has only declined; moreover you are a loyal minister's son—why do you fight to the death for a regicide and suffer wounds like these?" Shanguo was deeply ashamed and wished to kill himself; the false Director of the Secretariat Song Zhengben galloped to him and stopped him. Jiande also did not treat him with courtesy, so he fled to Xiangzhou. Prince of Huai'an Shentong sent him to the capital; Gaozu received him very generously, appointed him Left Assistant Censor to the Heir Apparent and acting Vice Director of the Secretariat, and enfeoffed him as Duke of Xingyang commandery. In the Eastern Palace Shanguo repeatedly offered loyal counsel and remonstrated on many matters. Before long he was made acting Director of the Court of Judicial Review and concurrently Minister of the Household. He kept his person upright, upheld the law, and achieved excellent results. By ordinance he was grouped with Pei Ji and nine others: whenever they presented matters or stood in attendance, all were ordered to ascend the hall; his cousin Yuan Ku was among them, and at the time this was considered a great honor. Before long he was dismissed on account of an offense. When Shandong was pacified, he served as pacification commissioner bearing the staff of authority; on account of unfair selections he was removed from office. He later served successively as Minister of Rites and Minister of Punishments. In the first year of Zhenguan he was sent out as prefect of Qizhou and was again dismissed on account of official business. In the third year he was recalled as prefect of Jiangzhou and died in office. His cousin Yuan Ku was the son of Yi, who had been Sui prefect of Qi and Duke of Pei. In youth, on account of his father's merit, he was appointed General of the Palace with Equal Honours; he inherited the rank of Duke of Pei, rose through posts to General of the Right Martial Guards, and his fief was changed to Duke of Shen. During the Daye era he was sent out as prefect of Wencheng commandery. When the righteous army reached Hedong, Yuan Ku surrendered the commandery and was summoned as Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. When the capital was secured, he retained his post and concurrently served as General of the Banner of Participation. Yuan Ku had been in the army from youth and was especially versed in military law; Gaozu often ordered him to tour the armies and instruct them in military affairs. Yilish, younger brother of the Turkic Shibi Qaghan, replaced his brother as Chiluo Qaghan; moreover Liu Wuzhou's general Song Jingang and Chiluo coordinated as pincers and raided Fen and Jin. An edict ordered Yuan Ku into the steppe to instruct Chiluo on fortune and misfortune; Chiluo would not accept and instead wished to gather his tribes, invade Taiyuan, and support Wuzhou. Before long Chiluo fell ill and could not be cured; his followers suspected Yuan Ku of having had him poisoned, imprisoned Yuan Ku so he could not return, and Chiluo eventually died. Jieli succeeded to the throne, kept Yuan Ku with him, and he followed the royal tent for several years. Later Jieli heard that Gaozu had sent him goods and also promised a marriage alliance, and only then released Yuan Ku to return. Gaozu comforted him: "You were in the barbarian court, detained for many years—even Su Wu did no more." He was appointed Director of the Court for Dependencies. Before long the Turks again raided Bingzhou; Yuan Ku was then in mourning for his mother, but Gaozu ordered him to wear unhemmed mourning garb and serve as envoy to summon and comfort them. From Jiexiu to Jinzhou the Turks stretched for several hundred li, with hundreds of thousands of elite horsemen filling the valleys. When they saw Yuan Ku, they reproached China for breaches of faith; Yuan Ku answered as the occasion required and was not overborne; he then enumerated the Turks' crimes of faithlessness, and the Turks were greatly ashamed and could not reply. Yuan Ku also said to Jieli: "Han and the Turks differ in customs; if the Han obtain Turks, they cannot be made subjects; if the Turks obtain Han subjects, of what use are they? Moreover the goods seized in raids all go to officers and soldiers; as for the qaghan, he gains nothing. Better to withdraw your troops early, send envoys to make peace—the state will surely give rich rewards, and silk and cloth will all go to the qaghan; you are spared toil and receive benefit while seated. When Great Tang first possessed the realm, it at once entered brotherhood with the qaghan; envoys went back and forth and messages never ceased. Now you abandon what is good and take up resentment, go against the many for the few—why?" Jieli accepted his words and at once led his forces back. Taizong sent a letter of comfort: "Knowing that you have made peace with the qaghan, the border posts are quiet of alarms and the beacon fires do not blaze. The merit of pacifying the barbarians—is it only Wei Jiang's? Rewards of metal and stone surely cannot be far off." From Yining onward Yuan Ku entered the steppe five times as envoy and several times nearly died. In the third year of Zhenguan he was again sent among the Turks; on his return he reported: "The rise and fall of the Turks depends solely on sheep and horses as the measure. Now the livestock are worn and weak, the people all show the pallor of famine, and moreover within the royal tent cooked rice turned into blood. With omens such as these, within three years they will surely be destroyed." Taizong agreed with this. Before long the Turks were indeed defeated. Later Yuan Ku rose to General of the Left Martial Guards and was dismissed on account of an offense. Before long he was recalled as prefect of Yizhou and again enfeoffed as Duke of Pei. Yuan Ku had capacity and strategic talent; wherever he served he won a considerable reputation. Yet his father Yi in serving his stepmother failed the rites of warmth in winter and coolness in summer; Emperor Wen of Sui once bestowed on him the Classic of Filial Piety; as for Yuan Ku in serving his parents, he likewise was not known for filial piety, and respectable opinion despised him. In the twentieth year he died; he was posthumously made prefect of Youzhou, with the posthumous title Jian (Simple).
9
殿 使 退 祿 便 使
His younger brother's grandson Sun Gao was well known; under Empress Wu he served as Vice Director of the Bureau of Appointments. Yang Gongren, originally named Lun, came from Huayin in Hongnong; he was the eldest son of Xiong, Sui Minister of Works and Prince of Guan. During the Sui Renshou era he rose through successive appointments to prefect of Ganzhou. Gongren devoted himself to the great outlines of governance and did not engage in harsh scrutiny; both barbarians and Chinese were at peace under him. Emperor Wen said to Xiong: "Gongren in the prefecture has governed very well—not only did I choose the right man, it is also due to your righteous instruction." At the beginning of the Daye era he was transferred to Vice Director of the Ministry of Personnel. When Yang Xuangan rebelled, Emperor Yang ordered Gongren to lead troops against him; Gongren fought Xuangan at Poling and defeated him utterly. Xuangan's brothers broke away and fled; Gongren, together with Qu Tutong and others, gave chase and captured them. When the army returned, Emperor Yang summoned him into the inner hall and said: "I have heard that at Poling you alone fought with all your strength, and your achievement is beyond comparison. Though I knew you upheld the law with clarity and caution, I never knew you were so bold and decisive." Chancellor Su Wei said: "The benevolent man must have courage—this is by no means an empty maxim." At that time Su Wei, Left Guard General-in-Chief Yuwen Shu, Censor-in-Chief Pei Yun, Huangmen Attendant-in-Ordinary Pei Ju, and others had all received edicts to help manage selection affairs; they took many bribes, and men of standing sighed in resentment. Gongren alone maintained elegant rectitude and would not be tolerated by Yun and the others; on this account he was sent out as envoy of the Henan Circuit to hunt down bandits and thieves. At that time the realm was in great disorder; when he reached Qiao commandery he was defeated by Zhu Can and fled back to Jiangdu. When Yuwen Huaji committed regicide, he appointed Gongren Minister of Personnel; following Huaji to Hebei, Gongren was left to defend Wei county for him. At that time Yuan Baocang held Weijun; the envoy Wei Zheng persuaded Baocang to submit, and Baocang seized Gongren and sent him to the capital. Gaozu treated him with great courtesy, appointing him Huangmen Attendant-in-Ordinary and enfeoffing him as Duke of Guan State. Before long he became Commander of Liangzhou. Gongren had long been versed in frontier affairs and thoroughly understood the true and false among the Qiang and Hu; he won the hearts of those below him, and officials and clerks were pleased to submit—from beyond the Onion Mountains eastward, all came to court bearing tribute. Before long he was appointed in absentia as Chancellor, while remaining Commander as before. Soon the Tujue qaghan Illig led tens of thousands straight to the prefectural border; Gongren defended on every side as circumstances required and set up many decoy troops, and Illig withdrew in fear. At that time the prefect of Guazhou Heba Wei raised troops in rebellion; the court dreaded the distance and had no leisure to campaign against him. Gongren then recruited fierce warriors and pressed forward at double speed; the rebels did not expect the army to arrive so swiftly, and he captured two of their cities. Gongren released all the captives; the rebel host was moved by his leniency, and they successively seized Wei and surrendered. After a long while he was summoned and appointed Minister of Personnel, then transferred to Left Guard General-in-Chief and General of Drum and Banner. At the beginning of Zhenguan he was appointed Prefect of Yongzhou, with the added title Left Glory Grand Master of the Palace, and served as acting Long Chief Administrator of the Yangzhou Grand Protectorate. In the fifth year he was transferred to Protector-General of Luozhou. The Emperor said: "Luoyang is strategically vital; since antiquity it has been hard to find the right man. I have many sons and younger kin, yet I fear none is fit for the duty—I entrust it to you alone." Gongren was by nature unassuming and mild; he invariably held himself to ritual propriety, was modest and courteous to men below him, and never gave offense; people of the time compared him to Shi Qing. Gongren's younger brother Shidao married Princess Guiyang; his brother's daughter by marriage became consort of the Prince of Chao, and his son by marriage Sijing married Princess Ping'an—through marriage with the imperial house the family came to be honored all the more. Later, owing to old age and illness, he petitioned to retire; he was permitted to return home with the special-advancement stipend. In the thirteenth year he died; he was posthumously enfeoffed as Grand Mentor of the Palace with golden insignia and Protector-General of Tanzhou, buried with attendant honors at Zhaoling, and given the posthumous name Xiao (Filial). His son Sixun inherited the peerage. During Xianqing he served successively as General of the Right Garrison Guards. At that time the Right Guard General-in-Chief Murong Baojie had a beloved concubine kept in a separate residence; he once invited Sixun there for feasting and revelry. Sixun sternly reproached Baojie for separating himself from his wife; the concubines grew angry and secretly placed poison in the wine—Sixun drank it all and died at once. Baojie on this account was banished to Lingnan. Sixun's wife again went to the palace gates to plead her wrong; an edict dispatched envoys to go and execute Baojie. The Theft and Robbery Statutes were also revised: the article on killing by poison was made subject to heavier penalties.
10
Sixun's grandson Ruijiao, originally named Jiao, inherited the peerage Duke of Guan State in his youth and married Princess Changning, daughter of Emperor Zhongzong. For merit in the preliminary execution of Zhang Yizhi he was granted five hundred households of substantive fief. During Shenlong he was Director of the Palace Library. Later he was demoted and died while serving as Vice-Prefect of Jiangzhou. His younger brother Xu—Gongren's younger brother Xu—was quite accomplished in literary learning. During Zhenguan he was Prefect of Yanzhou.
11
退 宿 婿
Xu's grandson Zhirou—during Wu Zetian's time he was Minister of the Ministry of Earth; because he was a close relative on her mother's side, she greatly favored him. At that time Wu Chengsi and Youning succeeded one another in managing state affairs; Wu Zetian once said: "Hereafter in the clan and the maternal kin I shall always have one man as Chancellor." On this account Zhirou became coequal with Secretariat-Chancellery of the Third Rank; before long he died. Zhirou's son Tao—in the Kaiyuan era reached the posts of Vice Director of the Ministry of Personnel and Prefect of Tongzhou. Zhirou's younger brother Zhiyi—in the beginning of Shenlong, for merit in executing Zhang Yizhi was enfeoffed Duke of Hedong commandery, and rose successively to General-in-Chief of the Right Golden-Avenging Guards. His youngest brother Shidao—Gongren's youngest brother Shidao—at the end of Sui returned to the Tang from Luoyang, was appointed Upper Pillar of State with golden insignia, and served as an attendant in the personal guard. Before long he married Princess Guiyang, was promoted over the regular order to Vice Director of the Ministry of Personnel, rose through successive transfers to Minister of Rites, and was enfeoffed Duke of Ande commandery. In the seventh year of Zhenguan he replaced Wei Zheng as Palace Attendant. By nature he was thorough, cautious, and secretive; he never leaked inner-court affairs—if kin or friends asked about palace matters, he would answer with other topics instead. He once said: "In youth I glanced into Han histories; when I came to Kong Guang not speaking of the trees in the Greenhouse, I always admired that lingering virtue—it is what I hope in some measure to emulate." After Shidao left court he would always gather the outstanding men of the time for banquets in garden and pool; for the splendor of literary gatherings none of the day could compare. He was skilled in poetry and also adept at cursive and clerical script—amid his cups he would take up the brush and write straight off, as though composed long before. Whenever the Emperor saw what Shidao composed he would recite it and sigh in admiration. In the thirteenth year he was transferred to Secretariat Director. When Crown Prince Chenghan's treasonous plot leaked out, he together with Zhangsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling investigated the case. Shidao's wife's son by a former marriage Zhao Jie had conspired with Chenghan; Shidao subtly urged the Emperor, hoping to save him—and on this account was reprimanded and dismissed from handling confidential affairs. He was transferred to Minister of Personnel. Shidao was a son of an eminent house; with all the personages under heaven he had not yet gained seasoned experience—those he appointed were often not fit for their posts, while he deeply repressed noble clans and their kin and associates to avoid suspicion; opinion of the time criticized him. The Emperor once said at leisure to the attendant ministers: "Yang Shidao's conduct is purely good; he has no fault of his own. Yet in truth he is timid and weak, not very experienced in affairs—in urgent need he cannot deliver force." Before long he followed the campaign against Koguryŏ as acting Secretariat Director. When the army returned, there were those who slandered him; he was slightly demoted to Minister of Works, and soon transferred to Minister of Rites. In the twenty-first year he died; he was posthumously awarded Minister of Personnel and Protector-General of Bingzhou, buried with attendant honors at Zhaoling, granted eastern-garden secret vessels, and a stele was erected for him. His son Yuzhi married the daughter of the Prince of Chao, Princess of Shouchun county. While in mourning for his mother he committed debauchery with Princess Yongjia; he was seized by the princess's husband Dou Fengjie, and after the full five punishments was put to death.
12
Shidao's elder brother's son Sixuan—in Gaozong's time was Vice Director of the Ministry of Personnel and Chancellor of the Imperial University. Sixuan's younger brother Sijing was Minister of Rites. Shidao's cousin's son Chongjing was Tutor of the Heir Apparent.
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輿 宿 使使
In the beginning, Gongren's father Xiong under the Sui, because of sharing the imperial surname, received favor and dignity; after Wude, the Gongren brothers' names and posts were especially prominent; in Wu Zetian's time they were again exalted as maternal kin. Within one household there were three imperial sons-in-law, five princesses-consort, one posthumously honored empress, and more than twenty officials of the third rank and above—they thus became a great clan. Huangfu Wuyi, styled Renjian, came from Wushi in Anding. His father Dan had served as Prefectural Army Aide-de-Camp of the Bingzhou General Headquarters under the Sui. His ancestors were a renowned clan of Anding and had migrated to settle in Wannian, Jingzhao. At the end of Renshou, the Prince of Han Liang raised troops in rebellion at Bingzhou; Dan resisted and would not follow, and Liang killed him. Wuyi was then in Chang'an; when he heard Liang had rebelled he immediately observed the mourning rites for one dwelling together. When asked the reason he wept and replied: "My father all his life devoted himself to integrity and righteousness; now that disorder has come, he will surely not seek a dishonorable escape." Before long word of disaster indeed arrived. In mourning he wasted his frame beyond ritual propriety; in serving his mother he was famed for filial piety. Emperor Yang because Dan died for integrity enfeoffed him posthumously as Pillar of State and Duke of Hongyi commandery, and ordered Wuyi to inherit the peerage. At that time the five ranks were all abolished; because he was the descendant of a man of loyalty and righteousness, he was specially enfeoffed Marquis of Pingyu. He was appointed Prefect of Juanyang and won a great reputation for ability; his grade ranked first under heaven. He was transferred again to General of the Right Martial Guards and was greatly trusted and entrusted. When the emperor went to Jiangdu, he left Wuyi to guard Luoyang. When the Jiangdu upheaval occurred, he together with Duan Da and Yuan Wendu honored and established the Prince of Yue Tong as emperor. When Wang Shichong raised trouble, Wuyi abandoned his aged mother, wife, and children, cut through the passes and fled; pursuing horsemen were about to overtake him—Wuyi said: "I shall die thereafter and never join you in rebellion." He then untied the gold belt he wore and cast it to the ground, saying: "Take this in gift to you—do not press me further." The pursuers dismounted competing for the belt and contended with one another; on this account he escaped. Gaozu, because he was an old minister of the Sui, treated him with great courtesy, appointing him Minister of Justice and enfeoffing him Duke of Huaguo, and he served successively as People's Minister of the Shandong Circuit Eastern Secretariat. The next year he was transferred to Censor-in-Chief. At that time the Yi region had newly been opened; penal government was not yet harmonized—long administrators were overbearing and willful, and bribery and corruption were piled in heaps; the emperor ordered Wuyi to hold credentials and tour and pacify the region, appointing and removing officials according to edict. Wuyi proclaimed and spread court transformation; laws and orders were stern and solemn, and Shu relied greatly on him. There was one Huangfu Xiren who, seeing Wuyi monopolize power in the region, sought favor by submitting a report, saying: "My father was in Luoyang; for his mother's sake Wuyi secretly sent me to make contact with Wang Shichong." Gaozu examined his fraud and reprimanded him, saying: "Wuyi was pressed by Shichong, abandoned his mother and returned to me. Today's trust in him differs from that given ordinary men. In Yizhou he was utterly clear and upright. This is surely petty men who cannot endure him, wishing to slander him. This is nothing but driving wedges between emperor and minister and confusing what we see and hear." He then executed Xiren at the Shuntian Gate and dispatched Attendant of the Imperial Secretariat Li Gongchang posthaste to comfort and instruct Wuyi. Before long there was another who reported that Wuyi had secretly communicated with Xiao Xian; Wuyi was then at odds with the Vice Director of the Yi Circuit Eastern Secretariat and Servitor Dou Jin—he submitted a memorial to vindicate himself and also set forth Dou's offenses. Gaozu read it and said: "Wuyi in office enforces the law without turning aside—this must be wicked flatterers who hate the upright and resent the true, conspiring together to slander and incite." He then ordered Liu Shilong and Wen Yanbo to investigate the matter; in the end nothing was verified and the case was closed—the accuser was executed, and Dou Jin was dismissed for his crimes. When Wuyi had returned and reported, Gaozu comforted him, saying: "Duke, in conduct and self-discipline you are a man I know well. Of late the many slanders are only because your uprightness has made the wicked and the flattering hate you, that is all. Soon he was appointed Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and was transferred in succession to Chief Administrator of the Yi Prefecture Grand Area Commander's headquarters. He kept his gates shut and held himself apart, receiving no guests, and those around him were not allowed to go out. whatever trade he conducted was carried out in other prefectures; whenever he toured his jurisdiction, woodcutters gathering fuel never trespassed on others' land. Once he lodged overnight in a private home; when the lamp wick burned out and the host was about to replace it, Wuyi drew his belt knife and cut his sash for a wick—such was his integrity and austerity. Yet he was excessively cautious: every memorial he submitted, fearing a mistake, he read dozens of times and still had his staff review it again and again; when an envoy was already on the road, he would pursue him and examine the matter again—each envoy he sent could not depart for days on end. Critics for this reason thought somewhat less of him. His mother in Chang'an was gravely ill; Taizong ordered her summoned by post relay. Wuyi was by nature deeply filial; when he received the summons he was stricken with fear and could not eat or drink, and died of illness on the road. He was posthumously appointed Minister of Rites; the Director of Ceremonies assessed his conduct and gave him the posthumous name Filial. Minister of Rites Wang Gui objected, saying: "When Wuyi first entered Shu he ought to have supported his aged mother and gone with her, to fulfill his duty of tending her in person—yet he left her in the capital. His conduct as a son fell short—how could he be called filial?" In the end his posthumous name was changed to Good.
14
西 使 使 便使 使便 使 西使
His grandson Zhong served as Commandant of the Guard during the Kaiyuan era. Li Daliang was a native of Jingyang in Yong Prefecture. He was the great-grandson of Yanzhi, Director of Revenue under the Later Wei. His clan had originally lived at Didao in Longxi and for generations had been a family of note. His grandfather Gang had been Governor of Southern Qi Prefecture under the Later Wei. His father Chongjie had been Sui Commander-in-Chief of Shuozhou and Duke of Wuyang. Daliang in his youth showed talent in both civil and military affairs; at the end of the Sui he served as acting Military Staff Officer on the campaign staff of Pang Yu, Duke of Han. At the Eastern Capital he fought Li Mi and was defeated; more than a hundred of his companions were put to death. The rebel commander Zhang Bi saw him and marveled, released him alone to speak with him, and they formed a bond in the camp. When the righteous army entered the passes, Daliang returned from the Eastern Capital to join the cause and was appointed magistrate of Tumen. The people were suffering famine and bandits were raiding; Daliang sold the horse he rode and distributed the proceeds among the poor, urging them to open new fields—and that year brought a great harvest. He personally led raids against bandits; wherever he struck, they were subdued. At the time the Prince of Qin held his fief and was touring the northern frontier; when he heard of it he sighed in admiration, sent a letter of commendation, and granted one horse and fifty bolts of silk. Later, when Hu raiders invaded the border, Daliang's force was too small to resist; he rode alone to the enemy camp, summoned their chieftains, and spoke to them of fortune and ruin. The Hu clans were moved, and one after another they came forward to surrender. Daliang slaughtered the horse he had ridden and used it to feast with them, then walked home. More than a thousand submitted in all, and the county was pacified. Gaozu was greatly pleased and promoted him by exception to Acting Senior Administrator of the Jinzhou Area Commander's headquarters. At the time Wang Shichong had sent his elder brother's son Honglie to hold Xiangyang and ordered Daliang to pacify Fan and Deng as a step toward further advance. Daliang advanced to attack him and took more than ten cities. Gaozu sent a letter of commendation and transferred him to Governor of An Prefecture. He was also ordered to traverse Guangzhou and Badong; en route at Jiujiang he encountered Fu Gongshi's rebellion, and Daliang by stratagem captured Gongshi's general Zhang Shan'an. Gongshi soon sent troops to besiege You Prefecture; Governor Zuo Nandang held the city fast; Daliang led troops to relieve him and defeated the rebels. For his merit he was granted a hundred bondsmen and bondswomen; Daliang said to them: "Most of you are daughters of families in caps and gowns, ruined and brought to this—how could I bear to make you base slaves!" He released them all. Gaozu heard of it and marveled; he granted twenty maidservants again and appointed him Area Commander of Yue Prefecture. In the first year of Zhenguan he was transferred to Area Commander of Jiao Prefecture and enfeoffed as Baron of Wuyang County. While in Yue Prefecture he copied a hundred scrolls of books; when he left his post, he left them all in the government offices. Soon he was summoned and appointed Director of the Palace Treasury, then sent out as Area Commander of Liang Prefecture, where his benevolent governance became renowned. Once an envoy from the central ministries came to the prefecture, saw a fine hawk, and hinted that Daliang should present it to the throne. Daliang submitted a secret memorial, saying: "Your Majesty has long ceased the hunt, yet this envoy asks for a hawk. If this is Your Majesty's intent, it runs deeply counter to your former resolve; if he acted on his own authority, then he is not the right man to have been sent. Taizong sent him a letter, saying: "Because you unite civil and military talent and your will is upright and firm, I entrusted you with a frontier governorship at so weighty a charge. Since you have governed the prefecture, your reputation has spread far; when I think of such loyalty and diligence, I do not forget you even in my sleep. When the envoy came to present the hawk you would not bend to please him; citing the present you invoked the past and offered straight counsel from afar, laying bare your inmost heart with uncommon earnestness. Reading it, I praised and exclaimed and could not soon set it down. With a minister such as this, what have I to worry about! Hold to this sincerity from first to last, unchanged. The ancients said the weight of a single word equals a thousand in gold—your words are deeply to be treasured. Now I grant you one Hu flask; though it lacks the weight of a thousand yi, it is something I use myself." He also granted a copy of Xun Yue's Records of Han and wrote: "You set your will square and upright and exhaust your integrity to the utmost; in every office you have fulfilled what was entrusted to you. I am about to give you great employment to fulfill this weighty trust. In the intervals of public business you should turn to the classics. This book's narrative is clear and its argument deep and broad; it exhausts the substance of good government and fully sets forth the duties of ruler and minister. I now give it to you—read it with care. At that time the Qaghan Jieli was defeated and destroyed, and the tribes of the northern wastes submitted one after another. The Dadu she, Tuoshe, the Nishu tegin, and the seven-surname clans and others were still scattered at Yiwu; Daliang was made Pacification Commissioner of the Northwest Circuit to soothe them, and very many submitted. The court pitied their tribes' hunger and cold, had grain stored at Qishi, and gave them special relief. Daliang considered this of no benefit and submitted a memorial, saying:
15
使 宿 宿 宿便 調
Taizong accepted his memorial. In the eighth year he was appointed Touring Commissioner of the Jiannan Circuit. Daliang stirred the foul and raised the clear, and won great renown in his day. When the court campaigned against Tuyuhun, Daliang was made Campaign Commander-in-Chief of the Hedong Circuit. With Grand Campaign Commander Li Jing and others he marched by the northern route, crossed the Blue Sea and passed the River Source, met the enemy at Shuhun Mountain, joined battle and defeated them, captured their named kings, and took livestock and captives numbering about fifty thousand. For his merit his rank was advanced to duke; he was granted a thousand bolts of goods and a hundred fifty bondsmen and bondswomen, all of which he gave to his kin. He still exhausted his family's wealth, gathered and buried more than thirty coffins of kin of five generations who had left no heirs, and the funeral rites were at the time called magnificent. Afterward he was appointed General of the Left Guards. In the seventeenth year the Prince of Jin became Crown Prince, and the Eastern Palace staff were chosen in strength from leading ministers. Daliang was made concurrently Right Leader of the Crown Prince's Guard; soon he also held the Ministry of Works—holding three offices, he guarded both palaces by night and was deeply trusted. Whenever Daliang stood night watch he never slept through the night. Taizong once comforted him, saying: "With you on watch with such utter fairness, I can sleep soundly through the night." Such was the trust placed in him. Whenever Taizong went on tour he often left Daliang behind to guard the capital. Fang Xuanling greatly valued him and often said Daliang had the integrity of Wang Ling and Zhou Bo and was fit for the highest office. Though Daliang's rank and renown were great, his dwelling was humble and his dress plain. His nature was deeply loyal and careful—even his wife and children never saw him slack. He served his elder brother and sister-in-law as he would his parents. He always cherished Zhang Bi's kindness, yet for long could not find him. Bi was then Master of Palace Construction and kept himself hidden without revealing himself. Daliang once met him on the road and recognized him; he seized Bi and wept, grieving that they had found each other so late. He repeatedly pressed his family's wealth on Bi, but Bi refused to accept it. Daliang said to Taizong: "The honor I have today is Zhang Bi's doing. Whatever rank and title I hold, I beg that they be turned over to him." Taizong then promoted Bi to General of the Gentlemen of the Household and soon appointed him Area Commander of Dai Prefecture. People of the time admired Daliang for not betraying a kindness, and admired Bi all the more for not boasting of what he had done. In the eighteenth year Taizong went to Luoyang and ordered Daliang to assist Minister of Works Fang Xuanling in remaining at the capital. Soon he fell ill; Taizong personally prepared medicine for him and sent it posthaste by relay. At life's end he submitted a memorial asking that the Liaodong campaign be halted, and also said that the capital was where the ancestral temples stood and begged that Guanzhong be kept deeply in mind. When the memorial was finished he sighed and said: "I have heard that by the rites a man must not die in a woman's hands." He then ordered the women kept away; when he had finished speaking he died, at the age of fifty-nine. On the day of his death the household had no pearls or jade for the mouth-rite—only five shi of rice and thirty bolts of cloth. Fifteen orphaned kin he had raised wore mourning for him as for a father. Taizong held mourning for him in a separate hall and wept with great grief; he suspended court for three days. He was posthumously appointed Minister of War and Area Commander of Qin Prefecture, given the posthumous name Yi, and buried with honor at Zhaoling.
16
使
His elder brother's son Daoyu served as Director of the Court of Judicial Review during the Yonghui era. Clan grandson Jiongxiu was Daliang's clan grandson. His grandfather Xuanming had been Governor of Ji Prefecture. His father Yiben had been Governor of Xuan Prefecture. While still in his youth Jiongxiu passed the examination for Outstanding Talent and Eminent Excellence, received appointment as adjutant in Xiang Prefecture, and rose in succession to Vice Director of the Bureau of Appointments. Wu Zetian greatly admired his ability and treated him with exceptional favor. He oversaw the civil examinations for several years, then was transferred to Drafting Secretary of the Phoenix Pavilion. Jiongxiu's mother, born a concubine of humble rank, yet tended her with devotion surpassing all others; when his wife Lady Cui rebuked her attendants, the mother heard of it and was displeased, and Jiongxiu at once divorced her. Someone tried to dissuade him, saying: "Your worthy wife may have failed to avoid suspicion, yet her offense fell short of grounds for divorce—why act so hastily?" Jiongxiu said: "One marries to keep one's parents content; if she offends them, how dare I keep her?" In the end he would not listen. Early in the Chang'an era he served in succession as Vice Director of the Bureaus of Appointments and of War, and soon became Vice Chairman of the Phoenix Pavilion and Crane Terrace. Wu Zetian sent palace women to visit and inquire after his mother, once welcomed her into the palace, and treated her with exceptional kindness. Refined and gifted in letters, Jiongxiu could drink more than a bushel of wine at a sitting, entertained guests and friends widely, and was acclaimed in his day as a man of grace and style. Yet he relied heavily on the favorites of power, giving himself wholeheartedly to Zhang Yizhi and the Changzong brothers; for this he was deeply scorned by upright men. Soon he was convicted of graft and demoted to Governor of Lu Prefecture. During the Jinglong era he rose in succession to Minister of Ceremonies and Scholar of the Cultivating Literature Hall, and also served as Grand General on Campaign for the Shuofang Circuit. Several stalks of auspicious fungus grew at his house, and a cat was even nursed by a dog; Zhongzong took these as signs of filial virtue and ordered his gate and lane honored. Soon he replaced Yao Chong as Minister of War and died of illness. His son Qisun—in Kaiyuan year ten, joined Quan Liangshan and others in plotting rebellion, was executed, and his family's property was confiscated. Historiographical appraisal—The historiographer remarks: Confucius said, "When the state follows the Way, speak boldly and act with caution." Li Gang served others on the straight path and never bent his will. When he first confronted Emperor Wen of Sui, he spoke boldly and was spared; yet in the end he offended Yang Su and suffered humiliation all the deeper. When Gaozu took the throne, he remonstrated against Hu dancers with jade at their belts; he bore an integrity that would neither yield nor clash, and kept faith from first to last—truly living on the edge. Had he not lived under a ruler who followed the Way, how could he have survived? The Book of Changes says, "The king's minister labors in hardship—not for his own person"—and Li Gang embodied it. Shanguo as a boy served a worthy mother and as a man became upright. Yuanfan served the state with merit and mastered frontier affairs, yet was unfilial toward his family and in the end became a villain. Gongren under the Sui was loyal and steadfast, governing his subordinates with humility. In destroying bandits and winning merit he showed that the benevolent can be brave; in managing personnel selection he was dismissed—proving that "the solitary upright court danger." From his return from the pseudo-state to court service, through talent rewarded by his lord, marriage ties with the imperial clan, and posts as frontier commissioner—few remained blameless from beginning to end! Shidao was cautious, guileless, and thoroughly good, yet timid and without a reputation for handling affairs; in restraining powerful interests and avoiding suspicion, his appointments drew reproach for elevating unworthy men. Wuyi knew his father died holding to integrity; he left his mother to flee rebellion and in the end prospered—the Way of loyalty and faith was plain in him; he shut his gates to guests, tore his belt to trim a lamp wick—his integrity and austerity shone clear. Alas! When the road to Shu first opened, his aged mother trapped in that land, his filial devotion consumed his very life—his conduct as a son speaks for itself—yet he could not receive the posthumous name Filial—a pity indeed! Daliang possessed both civil and military gifts, and uprightness was his nature. Selling his horse to urge the people to farm—that was statesmanship; throwing himself among the bandits to persuade them—that was daring strategy; releasing bondmen and bondmaids to freedom—that was benevolence; remonstrating against the hunt because of a hawk, at life's end submitting a memorial—that was loyalty; counsel on the tribes at Yiwu—that was wisdom; burying five generations of kin who had no heirs, repaying Zhang Bi's kindness—that was righteousness; treating his elder brother and sister-in-law as parents—that was filial piety; refusing to die in a woman's hands—that was ritual propriety; having no pearls or jade to place in his mouth—that was integrity. Fang Xuanling said Daliang had the integrity of Wang Ling and Zhou Bo—his reputation was no empty honor! Jiongxiu fawned on the favorites of power until he reached the highest ministerial rank—the rest is not worth recounting; the noble tradition is gone.
17
In praise: Li Gang kept to the Way—precarious in word and deed alike. Shanguo—his mother's teaching; purity and integrity his foundation. Yuanfan father and son—how did they fail the essential Way? Gongren, solitary in his uprightness—admirable virtue without breach. Shidao cautious and discreet, restraining power and discerning the moment. Wuyi—integrity and austerity; his end in filial devotion. Daliang in talent and virtue—worthy of Wang Ling and Zhou Bo. Jiongxiu clung to the powerful—truly a stain on the highest office.
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