1
房玄齡玄齡子遺直遺愛杜如晦弟楚客叔淹
Fang Xuanling; his sons Yizhi and Yiai; Du Ruhui, with Ruhui's younger brother Chuke and uncle Yan.
2
房喬,字玄齡,齊州臨淄人。 曾祖翼,後魏鎮遠將軍、宋安郡守,襲壯武伯。 祖熊,字子繹,褐州主簿。 父彥謙,好學,通涉《五經》,隋涇陽令,《隋書》有傳。
Fang Qiao, styled Xuanling, came from Linzi in Qizhou. His great-grandfather Yi, a Later Wei General Who Pacifies Distant Lands and governor of Song'an, inherited the title Baron of Zhuangwu. His grandfather Xiong, styled Ziyi, served as a prefectural registrar. His father Yanqian loved learning and knew the Five Classics thoroughly. He was magistrate of Jingyang in Sui times and has a biography in the Book of Sui.
3
玄齡幼聰敏,博覽經史,工草隸,善屬文。 嘗從其父至京師,時天下甯晏,論者咸以國祚方永,玄齡乃避左右告父曰:「隋帝本無功德,但誑惑黔黎,不爲後嗣長計,混諸嫡庶,使相傾奪,諸後籓枝,競崇淫侈,終當內相誅夷,不足保全家國。 今雖清平,其亡可翹足而待。」 彥謙驚而異之。 年十八,本州舉進士,授羽騎尉。 吏部侍郎高孝基素稱知人,見之深相嗟挹,謂裴矩曰:「僕閱人多矣,未見如此郎者。 必成偉器,但恨不睹其聳壑淩霄耳。」
As a boy Xuanling was quick and bright. He read widely in the classics and histories, wrote a fine cursive and clerical hand, and had a gift for prose. He once went with his father to the capital. The empire was then at peace, and everyone said the dynasty would last for ages. Xuanling sent the attendants away and told his father: "The Sui emperor has no true merit. He has only deceived the people, made no lasting provision for his heirs, and set the sons of the empress and of concubines against one another. The later princely houses compete in luxury; they will end by destroying one another and will not keep the family or the state. Though things are calm now, its fall can be waited for on tiptoe." Yanqian was startled and thought him extraordinary. At eighteen his prefecture recommended him as a presented scholar, and he was made Commandant of Feathered Cavalry. Gao Xiaoji, Vice Minister of Personnel and a man long praised for knowing talent, saw him and sighed in admiration. He said to Pei Ju: "I have reviewed many men, and I have never seen a youth like this one. He is sure to become a man of great capacity. I only regret I will not live to see him rise from the valley and climb the sky."
4
父病綿歷十旬,玄齡盡心藥膳,未嘗解衣交睫。 父終,酌飲不入口者五日。 後補隰城尉。 會義旗入關,太宗徇地渭北,玄齡杖策謁於軍門,溫彥博又薦焉。 太宗一見,便如舊識,署渭北道行軍記室參軍。 玄齡既遇知己,罄竭心力,知無不爲。 賊寇毎平,眾人競求珍玩,玄齡獨先收人物,致之幕府。 及有謀臣猛將,皆與之潛相申結,各盡其死力。
Through the hundred days of his father's illness Xuanling tended the medicines and meals himself and never loosened his clothes or slept. When his father died he took no drink for five days. He was later appointed sheriff of Xicheng. When the uprising entered the passes and Taizong was securing the country north of the Wei, Xuanling rode to the army gate to offer his service, and Wen Yanbo recommended him as well. Taizong knew him at a glance as if they were old friends, and made him military secretary of the Weibei Circuit. Having found a patron who knew him, Xuanling spent himself without reserve and did whatever he saw needed doing. After each rebel city fell, the others scrambled for rare treasures; Xuanling first gathered able men and brought them into the staff. Whenever he found a shrewd counselor or a fierce general, he bound them to the cause in private, and each of them gave his life in earnest.
5
既而隱太子見太宗勳德尤盛,轉生猜間。 太宗嘗至隱太子所,食,中毒而歸,府中震駭,計無所出。 玄齡因謂長孫無忌曰:「今嫌隙已成,禍機將發,天下恟恟,人懷異志。 變端一作,大亂必興,非直禍及府朝,正恐傾危社稷。 此之際會,安可不深思也! 僕有愚計,莫若遵周公之事,外甯區夏,內安宗社,申孝養之禮。 古人有云『爲國者不顧小節』,此之謂歟! 孰若家國淪亡,身名俱滅乎?」 無忌曰:「久懷此謀,未敢披露,公今所説,深會宿心。」 無忌乃入白之。 太宗召玄齡謂曰:「阽危之兆,其跡已見,將若之何?」 對曰:「國家患難,今古何殊。 自非睿聖欽明,不能安輯。 大王功蓋天地,事鍾壓紐,神贊所在,匪藉人謀。」 因與府屬杜如晦同心戮力。 仍隨府遷授秦王府記室,封臨淄侯; 又以本職兼陝東道大行台考功郎中,加文學館學士。 玄齡在秦府十餘年,常典管記,毎軍書表奏,駐馬立成,文約理贍,初無稿草。 高祖嘗謂侍臣曰:「此人深識機宜,足堪委任。 毎爲我兒陳事,必會人心,千里之外,猶對面語耳。」
Then the Hidden Crown Prince, seeing Taizong's merit and virtue grow still greater, turned to suspicion and estrangement. Taizong once dined at the Hidden Crown Prince's residence, was poisoned, and came home; the household was terrified and could think of nothing. So Xuanling said to Zhangsun Wuji: "The breach is already made, and disaster is about to break. The realm is uneasy, and men are looking to other lords. Once the first move is made, great disorder will follow. It will not stop at ruin for this household; I fear it will topple the state itself. At a moment like this, how can we fail to think it through! I have a humble plan: we should follow the Duke of Zhou—secure the realm abroad, settle the ancestral temples at home, and still observe the rites of a son's duty. The ancients said, 'He who acts for the state does not stop at small scruples'—this is that case! Would that not be better than watching house and state perish together, and name and person both vanish?" Wuji said: "I have long thought the same and dared not speak. What you say now matches the purpose I have kept." Wuji then went in and told Taizong. Taizong summoned Xuanling and asked: "The marks of danger are already plain. What are we to do?" He answered: "What difference is there between the state's troubles now and in ancient times? Without a sage of clear and reverent insight, they cannot be settled. Your Highness's merit covers Heaven and Earth. The affair is that of one marked to take the seal. Where the spirits give their aid, it does not depend on human plotting." He and the staff officer Du Ruhui then worked with one mind and combined their strength. When the household was transferred he was made secretary of the Prince of Qin's establishment and enfeoffed Marquis of Linzi; he also kept that post while serving as Director of Merit Evaluations in the Grand Branch Secretariat of the Shaan-East Circuit, and was named an academician of the College of Literature. For more than ten years in the Prince of Qin's household Xuanling kept the records. Every military letter and memorial he finished standing by his horse: the prose was spare, the reasoning full, and he never needed a draft. Gaozu once said to the ministers in attendance: "This man sees clearly what the moment requires and can be trusted with responsibility. Whenever he lays a matter before my son, he always hits the heart of it. A thousand li away, it is still as if they were speaking face to face."
6
隱太子以玄齡、如晦爲太宗所親禮,甚惡之,譖之於高祖,由是與如晦並被驅斥。 隱太子將有變也,太宗令長孫無忌召玄齡及如晦,令衣道士服,潛引入閣計事。 及太宗入春宮,擢拜太子右庶子,賜絹五千匹。
The Hidden Crown Prince hated Xuanling and Ruhui for the closeness Taizong showed them, and he slandered them to Gaozu, so both were driven from the household. When the Hidden Crown Prince was about to strike, Taizong had Zhangsun Wuji call Xuanling and Ruhui, dress them as Daoist priests, and bring them in secretly to plan. When Taizong entered the Eastern Palace he was made Right Mentor of the Crown Prince and granted five thousand bolts of silk.
7
貞觀元年,代蕭瑀爲中書令。 論功行賞,以玄齡及長孫無忌、杜如晦、尉遲敬德、侯君集五人爲第一,進爵邢國公,賜實封千三百戸。 太宗因謂諸功臣曰:「朕敘公等勳效,量定封邑,恐不能盡當,各許自言。」 皇從父淮安王神通進曰:「義旗初起,臣率兵先至。 今房玄齡、杜如晦等刀筆之吏,功居第一,臣竊不服。」 上曰:「義旗初起,人皆有心。 叔父雖率得兵來,未嘗身履行陣。 山東未定,受委專征,建德南侵,全軍陷沒。 及劉黑闥翻動,叔父望風而破。 今計勳行賞,玄齡等有籌謀帷幄、定社稷之功,所以漢之蕭何,雖無汗馬,指蹤推轂,故得功居第一。 叔父於國至親,誠無所愛,必不可緣私,濫與功臣同賞耳。」 初,將軍丘師利等咸自矜其功,或攘袂指天,以手畫地,及見神道理屈,自相謂曰:「陛下以至公行賞,不私其親,吾屬何可妄訴?」
In the first year of Zhenguan he succeeded Xiao Yu as Director of the Secretariat. When merit was ranked and rewards given, Xuanling, Zhangsun Wuji, Du Ruhui, Yuchi Jingde, and Hou Junji stood first of all. He was advanced to Duke of Xing, with a substantial fief of one thousand three hundred households. Taizong then said to the meritorious ministers: "I have ranked your services and measured your fiefs. I fear I may not have been wholly just, and I allow each of you to speak." The emperor's uncle, Li Shentong, Prince of Huai'an, stepped forward and said: "When the righteous banners first rose, I led troops and arrived first. Now knife-and-brush clerks like Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui stand first in merit. I cannot in my heart accept it." The emperor said: "When the uprising began, everyone had a mind to join it. Uncle, though he brought troops, never himself walked the battle line. When Shandong was still unconquered he was given an independent command; when Dou Jiande came south the whole army was lost. When Liu Heita rebelled, uncle broke at the first rumor of his coming. In ranking merit now, Xuanling and his fellows planned within the tent and settled the state—as Xiao He of Han, though he never sweated on a horse, pointed the way and pushed the wheels, and so stood first in merit. Uncle is the closest of the imperial house, and I would grudge you nothing. But I must not, from private fondness, give you the same reward as the men who earned it." At first generals such as Qiu Shili had all boasted of their own merit, some rolling up their sleeves, pointing at Heaven and drawing on the ground. When they saw Shentong lose the argument they said to one another: "His Majesty rewards by public justice and does not favor his own kin. How can we complain?"
8
三年,拜太子少師,固讓不受,攝太子詹事,兼禮部尚書。 明年,代長孫無忌爲尚書左僕射,改封魏國公,監修國史。 既任總百司,虔恭夙夜,盡心竭節,不欲一物失所。 聞人有善,若己有之。 明達吏事,飾以文學,審定法令,意在寬平。 不以求備取人,不以己長格物,隨能收敘,無隔卑賤。 論者稱爲良相焉。 或時以事被譴,則累日朝堂,稽顙請罪,悚懼踧踖,若無所容。
In the third year he was named Junior Preceptor of the Crown Prince. He firmly declined, and instead served as acting Director of the Crown Prince's Household and concurrent Minister of Rites. The next year he succeeded Zhangsun Wuji as Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs, was re-enfeoffed Duke of Wei, and was made supervisor of the national history. Once he directed the hundred offices he was reverent night and day, spent himself without reserve, and would not let a single matter fall out of place. When he heard of another's virtue, he felt it as his own. He understood administration clearly, dressed it in letters, and in settling the statutes he aimed at leniency and evenness. He did not demand completeness in the men he chose, nor measure others by his own strengths. He took them according to their gifts and did not shut out the lowly. Men of the time called him a worthy chancellor. When he was sometimes reprimanded, he would remain in the court hall for days, knocking his forehead on the ground to confess fault, so frightened and uneasy he seemed to have no place to stand.
9
九年,護高祖山陵制度,以功加開府儀同三司。 十一年,與司空長孫無忌等十四人並代襲刺史,以本官爲宋州刺史,改封梁國公,事竟不行。 十三年,加太子少師,玄齡頻表請解僕射,詔報曰:「夫選賢之義,無私爲本; 奉上之道,當仁是貴。 列代所以弘風,通賢所以協德。 公忠肅恭懿,明允篤誠。 草昧霸圖,綢繆帝道。 儀刑黃閣,庶政惟和; 輔翼春宮,望實斯著。 而忘彼大體,徇茲小節,雖恭教諭之職,乃辭機衡之務,豈所謂弼予一人,共安四海者也?」 玄齡遂以本官就職。 時皇太子將行拜禮,備儀以待之,玄齡深自卑損,不敢修謁,遂歸於家。 有識者莫不重其崇讓。
In the ninth year he oversaw the plan of Gaozu's mausoleum, and for that service was granted the prestige of Equal in Ceremony to the Three Dukes. In the eleventh year he and Minister of Works Zhangsun Wuji, fourteen men in all, were to receive hereditary prefectships. He was to remain in his court office as Prefect of Songzhou and was re-enfeoffed Duke of Liang, but the plan was never put into effect. In the thirteenth year he was added Junior Preceptor of the Crown Prince. Xuanling sent memorial after memorial asking to lay down the vice directorship. The edict answered: "The choosing of the worthy has impartiality for its root; the way of serving a sovereign holds as precious the duty that is one's own. This is how successive ages have enlarged their manners, and how accomplished men have joined their virtue. You are loyal, grave, respectful, and fine; clear, just, earnest, and true. In the dark beginnings you wove the design of power, and you stitched close the emperor's way. You have been the model of the chancellery, and the many affairs have been in harmony; in supporting the Eastern Palace, your name and your work have both been plain. Yet you forget the greater frame and cling to this small scruple. You accept the tutor's charge and decline the pivot of government—is that what is meant by standing by Me, the One Man, and giving peace to the four seas together?" Xuanling therefore remained in office at his original rank. When the Heir Apparent was about to perform the rite of homage and had the ceremonies ready, Xuanling humbled himself, dared not present himself, and went home. Men of judgment all honored him for that yielding.
10
玄齡自以居端揆十五年,女爲韓王妃,男遺愛尚高陽公主,實顯貴之極,頻表辭位,優詔不許。 十六年,又與士廉等同撰《文思博要》成,錫賚甚優。 進拜司空,仍綜朝政,依舊監修國史。 玄齡抗表陳讓,太宗遣使謂之曰:「昔留侯讓位,竇融辭榮,自懼盈滿,知進能退,善鑑止足,前代美之。 公亦欲齊蹤往哲,實可嘉尚。 然國家久相任使,一朝忽無良相,如失兩手。 公若筋力不衰,無煩此讓。」 玄齡遂止。
Xuanling, after fifteen years at the head of government, with a daughter married to the Prince of Han and his son Yiai married to Princess Gaoyang—honor at its height—sent memorial after memorial asking to resign. Gracious edicts refused him. In the sixteenth year he and Gao Shilian and the others finished the Broad Essentials of Literary Thought, and the gifts were very generous. He was advanced to Minister of Works, still directed court government, and continued to supervise the national history. Xuanling sent up a memorial of firm refusal. Taizong sent an envoy to say: "In former times Zhang Liang yielded his place and Dou Rong declined glory. They feared fullness, knew when to advance and when to withdraw, and saw when to stop; former ages praised them. You too wish to walk in the track of those past sages, and that is worthy of praise. But the state has long employed you as chancellor. If one morning it had no worthy minister, it would be as if it had lost both hands. If your strength has not failed, there is no need to press this refusal." Xuanling then desisted.
11
十八年,與司徒長孫無忌等圖形於淩煙閣,贊曰:「才兼藻翰,思入機神。 當官勵節,奉上忘身。」 高宗居春宮,加玄齡太子太傅,仍知門下省事,監修國史如故。 尋以撰《高祖、太宗實錄》成,降璽書褒美,賜物一千五百段。 其年,玄齡丁繼母憂去職,特敕賜以昭陵葬地。 未幾,起復本官。 太宗親征遼東,命玄齡京城留守,手詔曰:「公當蕭何之任,朕無西顧之憂矣。」 軍戎器械,戰士糧廩,並委令處分發遣。 玄齡屢上言敵不可輕,尤宜誡慎。
In the eighteenth year his portrait was painted on Lingyan Pavilion with Minister of Education Zhangsun Wuji and the others. The eulogy read: "Talent that joins a flourishing brush; thought that enters the springs of action. In office he held to integrity; in serving his sovereign he forgot himself." When Gaozong occupied the Eastern Palace, Xuanling was added Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, still directed the Chancellery, and supervised the national history as before. Soon after, when the Veritable Records of Gaozu and Taizong were finished, a sealed letter of praise was issued and he was granted one thousand five hundred lengths of silk and goods. That year he left office to mourn his stepmother. A special edict granted him burial ground at Zhaoling. Before long he was recalled from mourning to his original office. When Taizong campaigned in person in Liaodong, he left Xuanling to guard the capital and wrote in his own hand: "You shall bear Xiao He's charge. I shall have no worry looking west." Arms, equipment, and the soldiers' grain were all left to him to assign and dispatch. Xuanling sent up word again and again that the enemy must not be taken lightly and that especial caution was needed.
12
尋與中書侍郎褚遂良受詔重撰《晉書》,於是奏取太子左庶子許敬宗、中書舍人來濟、著作郎陸元仕、劉子翼、前雍州刺史令狐德棻、太子舍人李義府、薛元超、起居郎上官儀等八人,分功撰錄,以臧榮緒《晉書》爲主,參考諸家,甚爲詳洽。 然史官多是文詠之士,好採詭謬碎事,以廣異聞; 又所評論,競爲綺豔,不求篤實,由是頗爲學者所譏。 唯李淳風深明星曆,善於著述,所修《天文》、《律曆》、《五行》三志,最可觀採。 太宗自著宣、武二帝及陸機、王羲之四論,於是總題云「御撰」。 至二十年,書成,凡一百三十捲,詔藏於秘府,頒賜加級各有差。
Soon afterward he and Vice Director of the Secretariat Chu Suiliang were ordered to rewrite the Book of Jin. He asked that eight men share the work: Xu Jingzong, Left Mentor of the Crown Prince; Lai Ji, Drafter of the Secretariat; the editorial directors Lu Yuanshi and Liu Ziyi; Linghu Defen, former Prefect of Yongzhou; the crown prince's secretaries Li Yifu and Xue Yuanchao; and the court diarist Shangguan Yi. They took Zang Rongxu's Book of Jin as the base, compared the other traditions, and made a full and careful text. But most of the historians were men of verse, fond of gathering strange, dubious scraps to swell the store of oddities; and their judgments vied in ornate color rather than solid truth, so scholars rather mocked the work. Only Li Chunfeng knew the stars and the calendar thoroughly and wrote well. His three treatises—Heavenly Patterns, Pitch-pipes and the Calendar, and the Five Phases—are the parts most worth reading. Taizong himself wrote the four discourses on Emperors Xuan and Wu and on Lu Ji and Wang Xizhi, and the whole work was then titled 'Imperially Compiled.' In the twentieth year the book was finished, one hundred thirty juan in all. An edict stored it in the imperial library, and gifts and promotions were given in differing degrees.
13
玄齡嘗因微譴歸第,黃門侍郎褚遂良上疏曰:「君爲元首,臣號股肱,龍躍雲興,不嘯而集,苟有時來,千年朝暮。 陛下昔在布衣,心懷拯溺,手提輕劍,仗義而起。 平諸寇亂,皆自神功,文經之助,頗由輔翼。 爲臣之懃,玄齡爲最。 昔呂望之扶周武,伊尹之佐成湯,蕭何關中,王導江外,方之於斯,可以爲匹。 且武德初策名伏事,忠勤恭孝,眾所同歸。 而前宮、海陵,憑凶恃亂,幹時事主,人不自安。 居累卵之危,有倒懸之急,命視一刻,身縻寸景,玄齡之心,終始無變。 及九年之際,機臨事迫,身被斥逐,闕於謨謀,猶服道士之衣,與文德皇后同心影助,其於臣節,自無所負。 及貞觀之始,萬物惟新,甄吏事君,物論推與,而勳庸無比,委質惟舊。 自非罪狀無赦,搢紳同尤,不可以一犯一愆,輕示遐棄。 陛下必矜玄齡齒發,薄其所爲,古者有諷諭大臣遣其致仕,自可在後,式遵前事,退之以禮,不失善聲。 今數十年勳舊,以一事而斥逐,在外云云,以爲非是。 夫天子重大臣,則人盡其力; 輕去就,則物不自安。 臣以庸薄,忝預左右,敢冒天威,以申管見。」 二十一年,太宗幸翠微宮,授司農卿李緯爲民部尚書。 玄齡時在京城留守,會有自京師來者,太宗問曰:「玄齡聞李緯拜尚書如何?」 對曰:「玄齡但云李緯好髭鬚,更無他語。」 太宗遽改授緯洛州刺史,其爲當時准的如此。
Xuanling once went home after a slight reprimand. Huangmen Vice Director Chu Suiliang submitted a memorial: "The ruler is the head; the ministers are called the limbs. When the dragon leaps, clouds rise and gather unsought. If only the time comes, a thousand years are as morning and evening. In former days, when Your Majesty was still in common dress, your heart held the wish to save the drowning; you took up a light sword and rose in the cause of righteousness. The pacification of all bandits and disorders came from Your Majesty's own divine achievement; the assistance in civil ordering owed much to supporting wings. Among ministers in diligence, Xuanling stands foremost. In former times Lü Wang supported King Wu of Zhou, Yi Yin assisted King Tang of Cheng, Xiao He held the Guanzhong region, and Wang Dao the lands beyond the Yangzi; compared with this case, he may be matched. Moreover, from the first registration of his name in service at the beginning of the Wude reign, in loyalty, diligence, respect, and filial piety, all turned to him alike. Yet the Former Palace and Prince of Hailing relied on violence and leaned on disorder, interfering with the times and serving their lord; men could not feel secure. He stood in danger piled like eggs, in urgency as of a man hung upside down; life hung on a single moment, the body was bound to every inch of daylight—and Xuanling's heart from first to last did not change. When the ninth year arrived and the crisis pressed close upon events, he was himself driven away and expelled, absent from counsel and planning; yet he still wore the robes of a Daoist priest and, with Empress Wende, aided in heart and shadow alike. In the matter of a minister's duty, he owed nothing on his own account. When the Zhenguan reign began and the ten thousand things were all new, in selecting officials and serving the ruler, public opinion pushed him forward; his merit and service had no parallel, and his pledge of loyalty was of long standing. Unless the offense admits no pardon and the gentry share the blame alike, one cannot, for a single fault or a single slip, lightly show him cast away to a distance. If Your Majesty indeed pities Xuanling for his age and teeth and thinks lightly of what he has done, in antiquity there were cases in which great ministers were admonished and sent to retire; that may come afterward, following the precedent of former times—dismiss him with ceremony and do not lose a good name. Now a meritorious veteran of several decades is expelled for a single matter; outside, there is talk everywhere, and men think it wrong. When the Son of Heaven values a great minister, then men exhaust their strength; when going and staying are treated lightly, then things do not secure themselves. Your servant, mean and thin, presumes on his place at Your Majesty's side and dares to risk the heavenly majesty to set forth this narrow view." In the twenty-first year Taizong visited Cuwei Palace and appointed Minister of Agriculture Li Wei Minister of Revenue. Xuanling was then left to guard the capital. When someone came from the capital, Taizong asked: "How did Xuanling react when he heard Li Wei was appointed Minister?" The reply was: "Xuanling only said Li Wei has fine whiskers and beard, and nothing else." Taizong at once changed Li Wei's appointment to Prefect of Luozhou. He was the standard of the age to this degree.
14
二十三年,駕幸玉華宮,時玄齡舊疾發,詔令臥總留臺。 及漸篤,追赴宮所,乘擔輿入殿,將至御座乃下。 太宗對之流涕,玄齡亦感咽不能自勝。 敕遣名醫救療,尚食毎日供禦膳。 若微得減損,太宗即喜見顏色; 如聞增劇,便爲改容悽愴。 玄齡因謂諸子曰:「吾自度危篤,而恩澤轉深,若孤負聖君,則死有餘責。 當今天下清謐,咸得其宜,唯東討高麗不止,方爲國患。 主上含怒意決,臣下莫敢犯顏; 吾知而不言,則銜恨入地。」 遂抗表諫曰:
In the twenty-third year, when the imperial carriage visited Yuhua Palace, Xuanling's old illness flared; an edict ordered him to lie abed and hold overall charge at the capital. When his illness grew severe, he was summoned to the palace; he entered the hall in a litter and did not step down until he reached the imperial seat. Taizong wept facing him, and Xuanling also choked with grief and could not master himself. An edict sent famous physicians to treat him, and the Imperial Kitchen daily supplied imperial fare. If he improved even slightly, Taizong at once showed joy in his countenance; if word came that he had worsened, Taizong's face changed to sorrow. Xuanling therefore said to his sons: "I judge myself critically ill, yet favor grows ever deeper. If I fail the sage ruler, death will still leave guilt upon me. Now the realm under Heaven is clear and quiet, and all is in its proper place—only the eastern campaign against Goguryeo does not cease, and this is becoming a calamity for the state. The ruler harbors anger and his mind is set; the ministers below dare not offend his countenance; I know this yet do not speak, and I shall carry resentment into the ground."" He then submitted a memorial of remonstrance:
15
聞兵惡不戢,武貴止戈。 當今聖化所覃,無遠不屆,洎上古所不臣者,陛下皆能臣之,所不制者,皆能制之。 詳觀今古,爲中國患害者,無如突厥。 遂能坐運神策,不下殿堂,大小可汗,相次束手,分典禁衞,執戟行間。 其後延陀鴟張,尋就夷滅; 鐵勒慕義,請置州縣,沙漠以北,萬里無塵。 至如高昌叛渙於流沙,吐渾首鼠於積石,偏師薄伐,俱從平蕩。 高麗歷代逋誅,莫能討擊。 陛下責其逆亂,弒主虐人,親總六軍,問罪遼、碣。 未經旬月,即拔遼東,前後虜獲,數十萬計,分配諸州,無處不滿。 雪往代之宿恥,掩崤陵之枯骨,比功較德,萬倍前王。 此聖心之所自知,微臣安敢備説。 且陛下仁風被於率土,孝德彰於配天。 睹夷狄之將亡,則指期數歳; 授將帥之節度,則決機萬里。 屈指而候驛,視景而望書,符應若神,算無遺策。 擢將於行伍之中,取士於凡庸之末。 遠夷單使,一見不忘; 小臣之名,未嘗再問。 箭穿七劄,弓貫六鈞。 加以留情墳典,屬意篇什,筆邁鍾、張,辭窮班、馬。 文鋒既振,則管磬自諧; 輕翰暫飛,則花蘤競發。 撫萬姓以慈,遇群臣以禮。 褒秋毫之善,解吞舟之網。 逆耳之諫必聽,膚受之訴斯絶。 好生之德,焚障塞於江湖; 惡殺之仁,息鼓刀於屠肆。 鳧鶴荷稻粱之惠,犬馬蒙帷蓋之恩。 降乘吮思摩之瘡,登堂臨魏徵之柩。 哭戰亡之卒,則哀動六軍; 負填道之薪,則精感天地。 重黔黎之大命,特盡心於庶獄。 臣心識昏憒,豈足論聖功之深遠,談天德之高大哉! 陛下兼眾美而有之,靡不備具,微臣深爲陛下惜之重之,愛之寶之。 《周易》曰:「知進而不知退,知存而不知亡,知得而不知喪。」 又曰:「知進退存亡,不失其正者,惟聖人乎!」 由此言之,進有退之義,存有亡之機,得有喪之理,老臣所以爲陛下惜之者,蓋此謂也。 老子曰:「知足不辱,知止不殆。」 謂陛下威名功德,亦可足矣; 拓地開疆,亦可止矣。 彼高麗者,邊夷賤類,不足待以仁義,不可責以常禮。 古來以魚鱉畜之,宜從闊略。 若必欲絶其種類,恐獸窮則搏。 且陛下毎決一死囚,必令三覆五奏,進素食、停音樂者,蓋以人命所重,感動聖慈也。 況今兵士之徒,無一罪戾,無故驅之於行陣之間,委之於鋒刃之下,使肝腦塗地,魂魄無歸,令其老父孤兒、寡妻慈母,望轊車而掩泣,抱枯骨以摧心,足以變動陰陽,感傷和氣,實天下冤痛也。 且兵者兇器,戰者危事,不得已而用之。 向使高麗違失臣節,陛下誅之可也; 侵擾百姓,而陛下滅之可也; 久長能爲中國患,而陛下除之可也。 有一於此,雖日殺萬夫,不足爲愧。 今無此三條,坐煩中國,內爲舊王雪恥,外爲新羅報仇,豈非所存者小,所損者大? 願陛下遵皇祖老子止足之誡,以保萬代巍巍之名。 發霈然之恩,降寬大之詔,順陽春以布澤,許高麗以自新。 焚淩波之船,罷應募之眾,自然華夷慶賴,遠肅邇安。 臣老病三公,旦夕入地,所恨竟無塵露,微增海嶽。 謹罄殘魂餘息,預代結草之誠。 倘蒙錄此哀鳴,即臣死且不朽。
I have heard that troops hate unchecked use, and that in martial affairs stopping the spear is prized. Now the sage transformation extends everywhere, and nothing remote is left out; even those whom high antiquity did not make subject, Your Majesty has been able to make subject, and those whom he did not control, he has been able to control. Looking closely at past and present, there has been no harm to China like the Turks. Your Majesty was able to deploy divine strategy seated, without leaving the hall; great and small khans in succession bound their hands; he divided them to hold the forbidden guard and stand with halberds in the ranks. Afterward the Tiele stretched like owls; soon they were destroyed and extinguished; the Tiele admired righteousness and asked to have prefectures and counties set up; north of the desert, for ten thousand li there was no dust. As for Gaochang, it rebelled and scattered in the drifting sands; Tuyuhun wavered like a rat at Jishi; with detached columns and light strikes, all were leveled together. Goguryeo through successive dynasties escaped punishment, and none could strike it down. Your Majesty blamed its rebellion and disorder, regicide and cruelty; he personally led the Six Armies and called Goguryeo to account at Liao and Jie. Within less than ten months he took Liaodong; captives taken before and after numbered in the hundreds of thousands, distributed among the prefectures until none lacked its fill. He wiped away the old shame of former generations and covered the dry bones at Mount Yao; comparing merit and virtue, he is ten thousand times the kings before. This the sage heart knows for itself; your lowly servant dares not set it forth in full. Moreover, Your Majesty's humane wind covers all within the four seas, and filial virtue shines beside Heaven. When he saw the barbarians about to perish, he fixed the term at several years; when he gave generals their commands, he decided affairs ten thousand li away. He counted on his fingers awaiting the post, watched the sun awaiting dispatches; responses matched like the divine, and plans left nothing out. He raised generals from the ranks and chose scholars from the ends of the common. A distant barbarian envoy, seen once, was not forgotten; a petty official's name was never asked twice. An arrow pierced seven layers; a bow drew six jun. Added to this, he keeps his heart on the classics in tombs and sets his mind on essays; his brush surpasses Zhong and Zhang, his phrasing exhausts Ban and Ma. When the literary edge is stirred, then pipes and chimes harmonize of themselves; when the light brush flies for a moment, then flowers bloom in rivalry. He treats the myriad people with kindness and meets ministers with ceremony. He praises goodness as fine as an autumn hair and loosens the net that would swallow a boat. Remonstrance that grates on the ear he must hear; pleas that touch the skin he cuts off. The virtue of cherishing life burns barrier dams on rivers and lakes; the humanity that hates killing stills the cleaver at the butcher's stall. Ducks and cranes receive the bounty of grain and millet; dogs and horses are covered by the grace of carriage curtains. He descended from his carriage to suck the wound of Simo and went up the hall to stand before Wei Zheng's bier. When he wept for soldiers dead in battle, sorrow moved the Six Armies; when he carried firewood to fill the road, his spirit moved Heaven and Earth. He weighs the great mandate of the black-headed people and especially exhausts his heart in ordinary lawsuits. Your servant's mind is dim and confused—how could it suffice to discuss the depth and distance of the sage achievement or speak of the height and greatness of Heaven's virtue! Your Majesty combines every excellence and possesses them; nothing is lacking. Your lowly servant deeply regrets this for Your Majesty, values it, loves it, and treasures it. The Book of Changes says: "To know advance and not know retreat, to know preservation and not know extinction, to know gain and not know loss." It also says: "To know advance, retreat, preservation, and extinction without losing the correct mean—only a sage!" From this it follows that advance has the meaning of retreat, preservation has the occasion of extinction, and gain has the principle of loss. The reason this old minister regrets for Your Majesty is precisely this. Laozi says: "To know sufficiency is not to be disgraced; to know when to stop is not to be endangered." Your Majesty's martial name and meritorious virtue may already be sufficient; extending territory and opening borders may also be stopped. That Goguryeo is a base barbarian of the borderlands, unworthy of being treated with benevolence and righteousness, and not to be charged with ordinary ritual. From antiquity it has been kept like fish and turtles; one should follow a broad indulgence. If one must utterly cut off its kind, I fear that when beasts are cornered they will fight. Moreover, whenever Your Majesty decides a death sentence, he always orders three reviews and five submissions, vegetarian food, and the stopping of music—because human life is weighty and moves the sage compassion. How much more now are the soldiers, not one of whom has guilt, driven without cause into the ranks of battle and cast under the edge of blades, so that livers and brains smear the ground and souls have nowhere to return—making old fathers, orphaned sons, widowed wives, and loving mothers gaze at the supply carts and cover their faces weeping, embrace dry bones and break their hearts—enough to shift yin and yang and wound harmonious qi; this is truly the wrong and pain of the realm under Heaven. Moreover, troops are an inauspicious instrument and battle a perilous affair; they are used only when there is no choice. If Goguryeo had failed in the duty of a subject, Your Majesty might punish it; if it had harassed the people, Your Majesty might destroy it; if for long it could become a calamity to China, Your Majesty might remove it. If any one of these three were present, though ten thousand men were killed in a day, it would not be shame. Now none of these three is present, yet China is troubled for nothing—within, to wipe away the old king's shame; without, to avenge Silla. Is not what is kept small and what is lost great? I wish Your Majesty would follow the imperial ancestor Laozi's admonition of stopping when sufficient, to preserve the lofty name for ten thousand generations. Send forth overflowing favor, issue a broad and lenient edict, follow the spring sun in spreading bounty, and allow Goguryeo to renew itself. Burn the wave-crossing ships, dismiss the recruited masses—then naturally Chinese and barbarians will rejoice in dependence, the distant will be reverent and the near secure. Your servant, old and ill among the Three Dukes, will enter the ground morning and evening; what he regrets is that he can add not even dust or dew to sea and mountain. I respectfully exhaust the remnant soul and lingering breath to offer beforehand the sincerity of tying grass. If Your Majesty records this mournful cry, then your servant, though dead, will not decay.
16
太宗見表,謂玄齡子婦高陽公主曰:「此人危惙如此,尚能憂我國家。」 後疾增劇,遂鑿苑牆開門,累遣中使候問。 上又親臨,握手敘別,悲不自勝。 皇太子亦就之與之訣。 即日授其子遺愛右衞中郎將,遺則中散大夫,使及目前,見其通顯。 尋薨,年七十。 廢朝三日,冊贈太尉、并州都督,諡曰文昭,給東園秘器,陪葬昭陵。 玄齡嘗誡諸子以驕奢沉溺,必不可以地望淩人,故集古今聖賢家誡,書於屏風,令各取一具,謂曰:「若能留意,足以保身成名。」 又云:「袁家累葉忠節,是吾所尚,汝宜師之。」 高宗嗣位,詔配享太宗廟庭。
When Taizong saw the memorial, he said to Xuanling's daughter-in-law, Princess Gaoyang: "This man is so critically ill, yet he can still worry for our state." Afterward his illness grew worse; they broke through the garden wall and opened a gate, and repeatedly sent palace envoys to inquire. The emperor also came in person, clasped his hand in farewell, and could not master his grief. The Crown Prince also went to him and took leave. That same day he appointed his son Yiai Right Captain of the Palace Guard and Yize Palace Attendant, so that before his eyes they saw their advancement. Soon after he died, aged seventy. Court mourning was suspended for three days. He was enfeoffed posthumously as Grand Commandant and Area Commander of Bingzhou, with the posthumous title Wenzhao; the Eastern Garden secret vessels were granted, and he was buried with honor at Zhaoling. Xuanling once admonished his sons against pride, luxury, and dissipation, saying they must never rely on family standing to look down on others; he therefore gathered admonitions of sage and worthy families from past and present, wrote them on screen panels, had each take one, and said: "If you can heed this, it will suffice to preserve yourself and make a name." He also said: "The Yuan family through successive generations has shown loyal integrity; this is what I esteem—you should take them as teachers." When Gaozong succeeded the throne, an edict ordered Xuanling to share sacrifice in Taizong's temple court.
17
子遺直嗣,永徽初爲禮部尚書、汴州刺史。 次子遺愛,尚太宗女高陽公主,拜駙馬都尉,官至太府卿、散騎常侍。 初,主有寵於太宗,故遺愛特承恩遇,與諸主婿禮秩絶異。 主既驕恣,謀黜遺直而奪其封爵,永徽中誣告遺直無禮於己。 高宗令長孫無忌鞫其事,因得公主與遺愛謀反之狀。 遺愛伏誅,公主賜自盡,諸子配流嶺表。 遺直以父功特宥之,除名爲庶人。 停玄齡配享。
His son Yizhi inherited the title; at the beginning of Yonghui he was Minister of Rites and Prefect of Bianzhou. The second son Yiai married Taizong's daughter Princess Gaoyang, was appointed Commandant Escort of the Emperor's Son-in-law, and reached Grand Minister of the Court of the Imperial Granary and Palace Attendant. At first the princess had Taizong's favor, and so Yiai especially received gracious treatment; his ritual rank and salary differed utterly from the other imperial sons-in-law. The princess, being proud and willful, plotted to remove Yizhi and seize his enfeoffment; in the Yonghui era she falsely accused Yizhi of treating her without ceremony. Gaozong ordered Zhangsun Wuji to examine the matter and thereby obtained evidence that the princess and Yiai had plotted rebellion. Yiai was executed; the princess was ordered to take her own life; the sons were sent into exile beyond the Lingnan range. Yizhi was specially pardoned because of his father's merit, stripped of his name, and made a commoner. Xuanling's shared sacrifice was stopped.
18
杜如晦,字克明,京兆杜陵人也。 曾祖皎,周贈開府儀同、大將軍、遂州刺史。 高祖徽,周河內太守。 祖果,周溫州刺史,入隋,工部尚書、義興公,《周書》有傳。 父吒,隋昌州長史。
Du Ruhui, styled Keming, was a man of Duling in Jingzhao. His great-grandfather Jiao was posthumously enfeoffed in Zhou as General of the Gate with the same precedence as the Three Excellencies, Grand General, and Prefect of Suizhou. His grandfather Hui was Prefect of Henei in Zhou. His grandfather Guo was Prefect of Wen in Zhou; entering Sui, he was Minister of Works and Duke of Yixing; he has a biography in the Book of Zhou. His father Tuo was Chief Administrator of Changzhou in Sui.
19
如晦少聰悟,好談文史。 隋大業中以常調預選,吏部侍郎高孝基深所器重,顧謂之曰:「公有應變之才,當爲棟樑之用,願保崇令德。 今欲俯就卑職,爲須少祿俸耳。」 遂補滏陽尉,尋棄官而歸。
Ruhui was clever and perceptive from youth and loved to discuss literature and history. In the Daye era of Sui he entered selection by regular quota; Vice Minister of Personnel Gao Xiaoji deeply valued him, turned to him and said: "You have talent for meeting change and should serve as timber for the ridgepole; I wish you would preserve and exalt your fine virtue. Now I wish to descend to a humble post, only for a little salary."" He was then appointed sheriff of Fuyang; soon he abandoned the office and returned home.
20
太宗平京城,引爲秦王府兵曹參軍,俄遷陝州總管府長史。 時府中多英俊,被外遷者眾,太宗患之。 記室房玄齡曰:「府僚去者雖多,蓋不足惜。 杜如晦聰明識達,王佐才也。 若大王守籓端拱,無所用之; 必欲經營四方,非此人莫可。」 太宗大驚曰:「爾不言,幾失此人矣!」 遂奏爲府屬。 後從征薛仁杲、劉武周、王世充、竇建德,嘗參謀帷幄。 時軍國多事,剖斷如流,深爲時輩所服。 累遷陝東道大行台司勳郎中,封建平縣男,食邑三百戸。 尋以本官兼文學館學士。 天策府建,以爲從事中郎,畫像於丹青者十有八人,而如晦爲冠首,令文學褚亮爲之贊曰:「建平文雅,休有烈光。 懷忠履義,身立名揚。」 其見重如此。
When Taizong pacified the capital, he was summoned as Military Administrative Aide of the Prince of Qin's household and soon promoted to Chief Administrator of the Shaanzhou Area Command. At that time the household had many outstanding men, and many were transferred outward; Taizong was troubled by this. Recorder Fang Xuanling said: "Though many staff members have left, that is scarcely to be regretted. Du Ruhui is intelligent, knowing, and penetrating—talent to assist a king. If the great king keeps the fief with folded hands and does nothing, he has no use for him; if you must manage the four quarters, none but this man will do." Taizong was greatly startled and said: "Had you not spoken, I would almost have lost this man!" He then memorialized to make him a household staff member. Afterward he followed the campaigns against Xue Rengao, Liu Wuzhou, Wang Shichong, and Dou Jiande, and often took part in planning within the tent. At that time military and state affairs were many; his decisions flowed like water, and the men of the age deeply submitted to him. He was repeatedly promoted to Director of Meritorious Service in the Shaanxi Eastern Circuit Grand Secretariat, enfeoffed as Baron of Pingping with a fief of three hundred households. Soon he held that office concurrently as a scholar of the Literary Hall. When the Heavenly Stratagem Office was established, he was made Attendant Gentleman; of the eighteen men painted in colors, Ruhui stood first. Literary Scholar Chu Liang was ordered to compose a eulogy for him, saying: "Establishing peace with literary elegance, he has a blazing glory. Cherishing loyalty and treading righteousness, he stands and makes his name resound." He was valued to this degree.
21
隱太子深忌之,謂齊王元吉曰:「秦王府中所可憚者,唯杜如晦與房玄齡耳。」 因譖之於高祖,乃與玄齡同被斥逐。 後又潛入畫策,及事捷,與房玄齡功等,擢拜太子左庶子,俄遷兵部尚書,進封蔡國公,賜實封千三百戸。 貞觀二年,以本官檢校侍中,攝吏部尚書,仍總監東宮兵馬事,號爲稱職。
The Hidden Crown Prince deeply feared him and said to Prince of Qi Yuanji: "Among those to be feared in the Prince of Qin's household, only Du Ruhui and Fang Xuanling." He therefore slandered them to Gaozu, and Ruhui was expelled together with Xuanling. Afterward he secretly entered to draw up plans; when the affair succeeded, his merit equaled Fang Xuanling's. He was promoted Left Assistant of the Crown Prince, soon moved to Minister of War, advanced to Duke of Cai, and granted a substantial fief of one thousand three hundred households. In the second year of Zhenguan, holding his original office as acting Palace Attendant and provisional Minister of Personnel, he still oversaw the Eastern Palace's military and horse affairs and was called competent.
22
三年,代長孫無忌爲尚書右僕射,仍知選事,與房玄齡共掌朝政。 至於台閣規模及典章人物,皆二人所定,甚獲當代之譽,談良相者,至今稱房、杜焉。 如晦以高孝基有知人之鑑,爲其樹神道碑以紀其德。 其年冬,遇疾,表請解職,許之,祿賜特依舊。 太宗深憂其疾,頻遣使存問,名醫上藥,相望於道。
In the third year he replaced Zhangsun Wuji as Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs, still managing selection affairs, and with Fang Xuanling jointly held court governance. As for the platform and pavilion structure and the statutes and personnel, both men fixed them; they greatly won the praise of the age, and those who speak of good chancellors to this day still name Fang and Du. Ruhui, because Gao Xiaoji had the mirror of knowing men, erected a spirit-way stele for him to record his virtue. That winter he fell ill, submitted a memorial asking to resign his office, was permitted, and salary and gifts followed the old standard. Taizong deeply worried over his illness, repeatedly sent envoys to inquire after him, and famous physicians and superior medicines followed one another on the road.
23
四年,疾篤,令皇太子就第臨問,上親幸其宅,撫之流涕,賜物千段; 及其未終,見子拜官,遂超遷其子左千牛構爲尚舍奉御。 尋薨,年四十六。 太宗哭之甚慟,廢朝三日,贈司空,徙封萊國公,諡曰成。 太宗手詔著作郎虞世南曰:「朕與如晦,君臣義重。 不幸奄從物化,追念勳舊,痛悼於懷。 卿體吾此意,爲制碑文也。」 太宗後因食瓜而美,愴然悼之,遂輟食之半,遣使奠於靈座。 又嘗賜房玄齡黃銀帶,顧謂玄齡曰:「昔如晦與公同心輔朕,今日所賜,唯獨見公。」 因泫然流涕。 又曰:「朕聞黃銀多爲鬼神所畏。」 命取黃金帶遣玄齡親送於靈所。 其後太宗忽夢見如晦若平生,及曉,以告玄齡,言之歔欷,令送御饌以祭焉。 明年如晦亡日,太宗復遣尚宮至第慰問其妻子,其國官府佐並不之罷。 終始恩遇,未之有焉。
In the fourth year, when his illness was grave, the Crown Prince was ordered to visit his house and inquire; the emperor personally visited his residence, stroked him and wept, and granted a thousand bolts of goods; before he had finished, he saw his son receive appointment, and at once promoted his son Gou, Left Thousand-Bolt Guard, to Director of the Palace Commissary. Soon he died, aged forty-six. Taizong wept for him with great grief, suspended court for three days, posthumously enfeoffed him as Minister of Works, transferred his enfeoffment to Duke of Lai, with the posthumous title Cheng. Taizong wrote in his own hand to Compiler Yu Shinan: "I and Ruhui had a weighty bond of ruler and minister. Unhappily he suddenly followed transformation; recalling his meritorious service of old, grief and mourning fill the breast. Take my meaning and compose the stele inscription."" Later, when Taizong ate melon and found it fine, he mournfully grieved for Ruhui, stopped eating half of it, and sent an envoy to offer sacrifice at the spirit seat. He also once granted Fang Xuanling a yellow-silver belt, turned to Xuanling and said: "In former days Ruhui and you together assisted me with one heart; of what is granted today, you alone are seen."" He thereupon wept with streaming tears. He also said: "I have heard that yellow silver is much feared by ghosts and spirits."" He ordered a gold belt taken and sent Xuanling in person to deliver it to the spirit place. Afterward Taizong suddenly dreamed of Ruhui as in life; at dawn he told Xuanling, spoke with sighs and sobs, and ordered imperial fare sent as sacrifice. The next year on the anniversary of Ruhui's death, Taizong again sent a palace official to his house to console his wife and children; the officials of his state household were not dismissed. Favor from first to last—there has never been the like.
24
子構襲爵,官至慈州刺史,坐弟荷謀逆,徙於嶺表而卒。 初,荷以功臣子尚城陽公主,賜爵襄陽郡公,授尚乘奉御。 貞觀中,與太子承乾謀反,坐斬。
His son Gou inherited the title, reached Prefect of Ci, and because his younger brother He plotted rebellion was sent into exile beyond the Lingnan range, where he died. At first He, as the son of a meritorious minister, married Princess Chengyang, was enfeoffed Duke of Xiangyang, and appointed Director of the Imperial Stud. In the Zhenguan era he plotted rebellion with Crown Prince Chengqian and was executed.
25
如晦弟楚客,少隨叔父淹沒於王世充。 淹素與如晦兄弟不睦,譖如晦兄於王行滿,王世充殺之,並囚楚客,幾至餓死,楚客竟無怨色。 洛陽平,淹當死,楚客泣涕請如晦救之。 如晦初不從,楚客曰:「叔已殺大兄,今兄又結恨棄叔,一門之內,相殺而盡,豈不痛哉!」 因欲自刎。 如晦感其言,請於太宗,淹遂蒙恩宥。 楚客因隱於嵩山。
Ruhui's younger brother Chuke in youth followed his uncle Yan and was submerged in Wang Shichong's domain. Yan had long been at odds with Ruhui and his brothers; he slandered Ruhui's elder brother to Wang Xingman, and Wang Shichong killed him and also imprisoned Chuke, who nearly starved to death—yet Chuke showed no resentment. When Luoyang was pacified, Yan was due for death; Chuke wept and begged Ruhui to save him. At first Ruhui would not agree; Chuke said: "The uncle already killed the elder brother; now the elder brother again bears hatred and abandons the uncle—within one gate, killing one another to the end—is that not pain!"" He thereupon wished to cut his own throat. Ruhui was moved by his words and asked Taizong; Yan then received gracious pardon. Chuke therefore hid on Mount Song.
26
貞觀四年,召拜給事中,上謂曰:「聞卿山居日久,志意甚高,自非宰相之任,則不能出,何有是理耶? 夫涉遠者必自邇,升高者必自下,但在官爲眾所許,無慮官之不大。 爾兄雖與我體異,其心猶一,於我國家非無大功。 爲憶爾兄,意欲見爾。 宜識朕意,繼爾兄之忠義也。」 拜楚客蒲州刺史,甚有能名。 後歷魏王府長史,拜工部尚書,攝魏王泰府事。
In the fourth year of Zhenguan he was summoned and appointed Supervising Secretary; the emperor said to him: "I hear you have dwelt long in the mountains, and your will is very high; unless the post is chancellor, you cannot come out—is there such a principle? To travel far one must begin from what is near; to climb high one must begin from what is low—but if in office one is approved by the masses, one need not worry that the office will not be great. Though your elder brother differs from me in body, his heart is still one; for our state he has no small great merit. Recalling your elder brother, I wish to see you. You should know my intent and continue your elder brother's loyal righteousness." Chuke was appointed Prefect of Pu and had a great name for ability. Later he served as Chief Administrator of Prince of Wei's household, was appointed Minister of Works, and held affairs of Prince of Wei Tai's household in commission.
27
楚客知太宗不悅承乾,魏王泰又潛令楚客友朝臣用事者,至有懷金以賂之,因説泰聰明,可爲嫡嗣。 人或以聞,太宗隱而不言。 及釁發,太宗始揚其事,以其兄有佐命功,免死,廢於家。 尋授處化令,卒。
Chuke knew Taizong was displeased with Chengqian and that Prince of Wei Tai also secretly had Chuke befriend court officials in power; some even brought gold to bribe them, and he urged that Tai was intelligent and could be made heir. Some reported this; Taizong concealed it and did not speak. When the breach broke open, Taizong at last publicized the matter; because his elder brother had merit in founding the mandate, he was spared death and degraded at home. Soon he was appointed magistrate of Chuhua and died.
28
如晦叔父淹。 淹,字執禮。 祖業,周豫州刺史。 父征,河內太守。 淹聰辯多才藝,弱冠有美名,與同郡韋福嗣爲莫逆之交,相與謀曰:「上好用嘉遁,蘇威以幽人見徵,擢居美職。」 遂共入太白山,揚言隱逸,實欲邀求時譽。 隋文帝聞而惡之,謫戍江表,後還鄕里。
Ruhui's uncle Yan. Yan, styled Zhili. His grandfather Ye was Prefect of Yu in Zhou. His father Zheng was Prefect of Henei. Yan was clever in debate and had many arts and skills; in his weak-capped years he had a fine name. With Wei Fuqi of the same commandery he was friends beyond measure; together they plotted and said: "The ruler above loves worthy recluses; Su Wei, as a man in seclusion, was summoned and promoted to a fine post."" They then together entered Mount Taibai, publicly declaring reclusion while in fact seeking reputation of the age. Emperor Wen of Sui heard of it and hated them; they were banished to garrison on the Jiang south and later returned to their native place.
29
雍州司馬高孝基上表薦之,授承奉郎。 大業末,官至御史中丞。 王世充僭號,署爲吏部,大見親用。 及洛陽平,初不得調,淹將委質於隱太子。 時封德彝典選,以告房玄齡,恐隱太子得之,長其奸計,於是遽啟太宗,引爲天策府兵曹參軍、文學館學士。
Chief Administrator of Yongzhou Gao Xiaoji submitted a memorial recommending them; they were appointed Gentlemen for Attending Service. At the end of the Daye era he reached Vice Censor-in-Chief. When Wang Shichong usurped the title, he was appointed to the Ministry of Personnel and was greatly trusted and used. When Luoyang was pacified, at first he received no appointment; Yan was about to pledge allegiance to the Hidden Crown Prince. At that time Feng Deyi managed selection; he told Fang Xuanling, fearing the Hidden Crown Prince would obtain him and lengthen his wicked plans; he therefore hastily reported to Taizong, who summoned Yan as Military Administrative Aide of the Heavenly Stratagem Office and Literary Hall scholar.
30
武德八年,慶州總管楊文幹作亂,辭連東宮,歸罪於淹及王珪、韋挺等,並流於越巂。 太宗知淹非罪,贈以黃金三百兩。 及即位,徵拜御史大夫,封安吉郡公,賜實封四百戸。 以淹多識典故,特詔東宮儀式簿領,並取淹節度。 尋判吏部尚書,參議朝政。 前後表薦四十餘人,後多知名者。
In the eighth year of Wude, Area Commander Yang Wengan of Qingzhou rebelled; his words implicated the Eastern Palace, and blame was laid on Yan together with Wang Gui, Wei Ting, and others; all were sent into exile in Yuexi. Taizong knew Yan was not guilty and sent him three hundred bolts of yellow gold. When Taizong took the throne, Yan was summoned as Censor-in-Chief, enfeoffed Duke of Anji, and granted a substantial fief of four hundred households. Because Yan knew many precedents and statutes, a special edict took the Eastern Palace's ritual forms and ledgers and had Yan direct them all. Soon he was assigned Minister of Personnel and took part in deliberating court governance. Before and after he submitted memorials recommending more than forty men; many later became well known.
31
淹嘗薦刑部員外郎郅懷道,太宗因問淹:「懷道才行何如?」 淹對曰:「懷道在隋日作吏部主事,甚有清慎之名。 又煬帝向江都之日,召百官問去住之計。 時行計已決,公卿皆阿旨請去,懷道官位極卑,獨言不可。 臣目見此事。」 太宗曰:「卿爾可從何計?」 對曰:「臣從行計。」 太宗曰:「事君之義,有犯無隱。 卿稱懷道爲是,何因自不正諫?」 對曰:「臣爾日不居重任,又知諫必不從,徒死無益。」 太宗曰:「孔子稱從父之命,未爲孝子。 故父有爭子,國有爭臣。 若以主之無道,何爲仍仕其世? 既食其祿,豈得不匡其非?」 因謂群臣曰:「公等各言諫事如何?」 王珪曰:「昔比干諫紂而死,孔子稱其仁; 洩冶諫而被戮,孔子曰:『民之多辟,無自立辟。』 是則祿重責深,理須極諫; 官卑望下,許其從容。」 太宗又召淹,笑謂曰:「卿在隋日,可以位下不言; 近仕世充,何不極諫?」 對曰:「亦有諫,但不見從。」 太宗曰:「世充若修德從善,當不滅亡; 既無道拒諫,卿何免禍?」 淹無以對。 太宗又曰:「卿在今日,可爲備任,復欲極諫否?」 對曰:「臣在今日,必盡死無隱。 且百里奚在虞虞亡,在秦秦霸,臣竊比之。」 太宗笑。
Yan once recommended Vice Director of the Ministry of Justice Chi Huaidao; Taizong therefore asked Yan: "How are Huaidao's conduct and talent?"" Yan replied: "In Sui days Huaidao served as chief clerk in the Ministry of Personnel and had a great name for purity and caution. Also, on the day Emperor Yang went toward Jiangdu, he summoned the hundred officials to ask their plans for going or staying. At that time the plan to go was already decided; the high ministers all flattered the intent and asked to go; Huaidao's rank was extremely low, yet he alone said it could not be done. Your servant saw this matter with his own eyes."" Taizong said: "You then—what plan did you follow?"" He replied: "Your servant followed the plan to go."" Taizong said: "In serving a ruler, the principle is to remonstrate though it offend and hide nothing. You call Huaidao right—why did you yourself not remonstrate directly?" He replied: "Your servant then did not hold a weighty post, and also knew that remonstrance would certainly not be followed—dying in vain would have no benefit."" Taizong said: "Confucius said, 'Obeying a father's command is not yet being a filial son. Therefore a father has a son who contends, and a state has a minister who contends. If the ruler above is without the Way, why still serve his age? Since one eats his salary, how can one not set right his wrongs?" He therefore said to the assembled ministers: "Each of you—speak of remonstrance, how is it?" Wang Gui said: "In former days Bi Gan remonstrated with Zhou and died; Confucius called him humane; Xie Ye remonstrated and was slaughtered; Confucius said: 'When the people have many evils, do not establish evils of your own. Thus when salary is heavy and responsibility deep, reason requires utmost remonstrance; when office is low and expectation small, one may be allowed leeway."" Taizong again summoned Yan, smiled and said to him: "You in Sui days, with rank low, might not speak; recently serving Shichong, why not remonstrate to the utmost?"" He replied: "There was also remonstrance, but it was not followed."" Taizong said: "If Shichong had cultivated virtue and followed goodness, he ought not to have perished; since he was without the Way and rejected remonstrance, how did you escape calamity?"" Yan had nothing to reply. Taizong also said: "You in the present day can fill a full post—do you again wish to remonstrate to the utmost?"" He replied: "Your servant in the present day will certainly exhaust death and hide nothing. Moreover, Baili Xi in Yu—Yu perished; in Qin—Qin became hegemon; your servant privately compares myself to him."" Taizong laughed.
32
時淹兼二職,而無清潔之譽,又素與無忌不協,爲時論所譏。 及有疾,太宗親自臨問,賜帛三百匹。 貞觀二年卒,贈尚書右僕射,諡曰襄。 子敬同襲爵,官至鴻臚少卿。 敬同子從則,中宗時爲蒲州刺史。
At that time Yan held two posts concurrently yet had no reputation for purity; he also had long been at odds with Wuji, and the talk of the age mocked him. When he fell ill, Taizong personally visited and inquired, granting three hundred bolts of silk. In the second year of Zhenguan he died, posthumously enfeoffed Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs, with the posthumous title Xiang. His son Jingtong inherited the title and reached Vice Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Jingtong's son Congze, in the Zhongzong era, was Prefect of Pu.
33
史臣曰:房、杜二公,皆以命世之才,遭逢明主,謀猷允協,以致昇平。 議者以比漢之蕭、曹,信矣! 然萊成之見用,文昭之所舉也。 世傳太宗嘗與文昭圖事,則曰「非如晦莫能籌之」。 及如晦至焉,竟從玄齡之策也。 蓋房知杜之能斷大事,杜知房之善建嘉謀,裨諶草創,東里潤色,相須而成,俾無悔事,賢達用心,良有以也。 若以往哲方之,房則管仲、子產,杜則鮑叔、罕虎矣。
The historiographer says: Fang and Du, the two lords, both possessed talent of an age, met enlightened rulers, and with plans and counsel in accord brought about ascending peace. Those who discuss the matter compare them to Xiao and Cao of Han—truly so! Yet when Lai Cheng was employed, it was Wenzhao who recommended him. The age transmits that Taizong once planned affairs with Wenzhao, who then said, "No one but Ruhui can plan this." When Ruhui arrived, in the end they followed Xuanling's plan. Fang knew Du's ability to decide great affairs; Du knew Fang's skill in building fine plans—one assisted in the first drafting, the other polished in the eastern quarter; they needed one another to succeed, so that there were no regrettable affairs. That worthy men applied their hearts thus indeed has its reason. If compared with sages of old, Fang is Guan Zhong and Zichan; Du is Bao Shuya and Han Hu.
34
贊曰:肇啟聖君,必生賢輔。 猗歟二公,實開運祚。 文含經緯,謀深夾輔。 笙磬同音,唯房與杜。
The eulogy says: When a sage ruler first opens the way, worthy assistants must be born. How splendid, the two lords—they truly opened the fortune of the throne. In writing they held warp and woof; in counsel they aided deeply at the side. Pipes and chimes in one tone—only Fang and Du.