Volume 70 Biographies 20: Wang Gui, Dai Zhou, Cen Wenben, Du Zhenglun

王珪戴胄兄子至德

Wang Gui, Dai Zhou, and Zhide, nephew of the latter.

岑文本兄子長倩倩子羲格輔元附

Cen Wenben; his nephew Changqian; Changqian's son Xi; with Ge Fuyuan appended at the end.

杜正倫

Du Zhenglun.

王珪，字叔玠，太原祁人也。在魏為烏丸氏，曾祖神念，自魏奔梁，復姓王氏。祖僧辯，梁太尉、尚書令。父顗，北齊樂陵太守。珪幼孤，性雅澹，少嗜欲，志量沉深，能安於貧賤，體道履正，交不苟合。季叔頗，當時通儒，有人倫之鑑，嘗謂所親曰：「門戶所寄，唯在此兒耳。」開皇末，為奉禮郎。及頗坐漢王諒反事被誅，珪當從坐，遂亡命於南山，積十餘歲。高祖入關，丞相府司錄李綱薦珪貞諒有器識，引為世子府諮議參軍。及東宮建，除太子中舍人；尋轉中允，甚為太子所禮。後以連其陰謀事，流於巂州。建成誅後，太宗素知其才，召拜諫議大夫。貞觀元年，太宗嘗謂侍臣曰：「正主御邪臣，不能致理；正臣事邪主，亦不能致理，唯君臣相遇，有同魚水，則海內可安也。昔漢高祖，田舍翁耳。提三尺劍定天下，既而規模弘遠，慶流子孫者，此蓋任得賢臣所致也。朕雖不明，幸諸公數相匡救，冀憑嘉謀，致天下於太平耳。」珪對曰：「臣聞木從繩則正，後從諫則聖。故古者聖主，必有諍臣七人，言而不用，則相繼以死。陛下開聖慮，納芻蕘，臣處不諱之朝，實願罄其狂瞽。」太宗稱善，敕自今後中書門下及三品以上入閣，必遣諫官隨之。珪每推誠納忠，多所獻替，太宗顧待益厚，賜爵永寧縣男，遷黃門侍郎，兼太子右庶子。二年，代高士廉為侍中。太宗嘗閒居，與珪宴語，時有美人侍側，本廬江王瑗之姬，瑗敗籍沒入宮，太宗指示之曰：「廬江不道，賊殺其夫而納其室。暴虐之甚，何有不亡者乎！」珪避席曰：「陛下以廬江取此婦人為是耶，為非耶？」太宗曰：「殺人而取其妻，卿乃問朕是非，何也？」對曰：「臣聞於管子曰：『齊桓公之郭，問其父老曰：『郭何故亡？』父老曰：『以其善善而惡惡也。』桓公曰：『若子之言，乃賢君也，何至於亡？』父老曰：『不然，郭君善善而不能用，惡惡而不能去，所以亡也。』今此婦人尚在左右，竊以聖心為是之，陛下若以為非，此謂知惡而不去也。」太宗雖不出此美人，而甚重其言。時太常少卿祖孝孫以教宮人聲樂不稱旨，為太宗所讓。珪及溫彥博諫曰：「孝孫妙解音律，非不用心，但恐陛下顧問不得其人，以惑陛下視聽。且孝孫雅士，陛下忽為教女樂而怪之，臣恐天下怪愕。」太宗怒曰：「卿皆我之腹心，當進忠獻直，何乃附下罔上，反為孝孫言也！」彥博拜謝，珪獨不拜。曰：「臣本事前宮，罪已當死。陛下矜恕性命，不以不肖，置之樞近，責以忠直。今臣所言，豈是為私？不意陛下忽以疑事誚臣，是陛下負臣，臣不負陛下。」帝默然而罷。翌日，帝謂房玄齡曰：「自古帝王，能納諫者固難矣。昔周武王尚不用伯夷、叔齊，宣王賢主，杜伯猶以無罪見殺，吾夙夜庶幾前聖，恨不能仰及古人。昨責彥博、王珪，朕甚悔之。公等勿以此而不進直言也。」

Wang Gui, whose courtesy name was Shujie, came from Qi in Taiyuan. Under Wei they had been of the Wuhuan clan; his great-grandfather Shennian fled from Wei to Liang and took back the surname Wang. His grandfather Sengbian had served Liang as Grand Marshal and Director of the Imperial Secretariat. His father Yan had been Administrator of Leling under Northern Qi. Gui lost his parents young. Refined and self-contained, he cared little for worldly pleasures; his resolve ran deep, and he could live at ease in poverty. He held to the Way in conduct and would not strike up friendships lightly. His uncle Bo, a leading scholar of the day with a keen eye for character, once told those close to him, "Our family's hopes rest on this boy alone. At the end of the Kaihuang reign he was appointed Master of Ceremonies. When Bo was put to death for his part in Prince Liang of Han's rebellion, Gui faced punishment as an associate and fled into hiding on Mount Nan, where he stayed for more than ten years. After Gaozu entered the Pass, Li Gang, registrar of the chancellor's office, praised Gui's integrity and ability and had him made adviser in the heir apparent's household. When the Eastern Palace was set up, he was made attendant to the heir apparent; and soon after was promoted to junior mentor, winning great favor from the heir apparent. Later, implicated in the heir apparent's conspiracy, he was exiled to Xizhou. After Jian Cheng's execution, Taizong, who had long known his worth, summoned him and made him remonstrating grand master. In the first year of Zhenguan, Taizong once told his ministers, "An upright ruler with wicked ministers cannot bring good government; nor can upright ministers serving a wicked ruler; only when ruler and minister meet like fish and water can the realm be at peace. Emperor Gaozu of Han had been nothing but a farmer. Yet he took up a sword and conquered the realm, and afterward his vision proved vast and his blessings reached his descendants — all because he put worthy ministers in office. I may not be enlightened, but you gentlemen have often set me right; I hope through your good counsel to bring the realm to peace. Gui replied, "I have heard that wood follows the line and becomes straight, and a ruler who heeds remonstrance becomes sage. In antiquity, sage rulers kept seven remonstrating ministers; if their counsel went unheeded, they died one after another. Your Majesty has opened your mind to humble counsel; I serve in a court where nothing is taboo, and I wish to offer all the folly I can muster. Taizong approved and ordered that whenever Secretariat and Chancellery officials of the third rank and above entered the inner court, remonstrating officials must accompany them. Gui spoke with candor and loyalty, offering many suggestions for improvement; Taizong favored him ever more, enfeoffed him as baron of Yongning County, promoted him to vice director of the palace secretariat, and made him junior mentor on the right to the heir apparent. In the second year he replaced Gao Shilian as palace attendant. Once, at leisure, Taizong was dining and talking with Gui when a beautiful woman stood beside him — formerly a concubine of Prince Yuan of Lujiang. After Yuan's defeat she had been seized for the palace. Taizong pointed to her and said, "Lujiang was lawless: like a bandit he killed her husband and took her for himself. His cruelty was so extreme — how could he not fall! Gui rose from his seat and said, "Does Your Majesty think Lujiang was right to take this woman, or wrong?" Taizong said, "He killed a man and took his wife — and you ask me whether that was right or wrong? Why?" He replied, "I have read in Guanzi that when Duke Huan of Qi reached Guo, he asked the elders, 'Why did Guo perish? They said, 'Because he was good to the good and hostile to the wicked.' The duke said, 'By your account he was a worthy ruler — how could he have perished?' They said, 'Not so. The lord of Guo favored the good but could not employ them, hated the wicked but could not remove them — that is why he perished.' This woman is still at Your Majesty's side; I fear Your Majesty approves of her. If Your Majesty thinks it wrong yet keeps her, that is knowing evil and not removing it.' Taizong did not dismiss the woman, but he valued Gui's words highly. At that time Zu Xiaosun, vice director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, was rebuked by Taizong because the palace women's musical training did not satisfy him. Gui and Wen Yanbo remonstrated, "Xiaosun understands music profoundly; he is not negligent in his duties — but I fear Your Majesty is being misled by the wrong advisers. Moreover, Xiaosun is a refined gentleman; if Your Majesty blames him for teaching women's music, I fear the realm will be astonished. Taizong said angrily, "You are all my closest advisers and ought to speak loyal, straight truth — why do you side with inferiors against your lord and speak up for Xiaosun?" Yanbo bowed in apology; Gui alone did not. He said, "I once served the former heir apparent; my crime already deserved death. Your Majesty spared my life and, despite my unworthiness, placed me near the center of power, charging me with loyalty and candor. What I say now — is it for private ends? I did not expect Your Majesty suddenly to reproach me on suspicion — it is Your Majesty who has failed me, not I who have failed Your Majesty. The emperor fell silent and dropped the matter. The next day the emperor said to Fang Xuanling, "Since antiquity it has been hard for rulers to accept remonstrance. Even King Wu of Zhou did not employ Boyi and Shuqi; King Xuan was a worthy ruler, yet Duke Du was killed though innocent. I strive day and night to emulate the sages of old, yet regret that I cannot measure up to them. Yesterday, in rebuking Yanbo and Wang Gui, I was deeply in the wrong. Do not let this keep you from speaking straight truth."

時房玄齡、李靖、溫彥博、戴胄、魏徵與珪同知國政。後嘗侍宴，太宗謂珪曰：「卿識鑑清通，尤善談論，自房玄齡等，咸宜品藻，又可自量，孰與諸子賢？」對曰：「孜孜奉國，知無不為，臣不如玄齡；才兼文武，出將入相，臣不如李靖；敷奏詳明，出納惟允，臣不如溫彥博；處繁理劇，眾務必舉，臣不如戴胄；以諫諍為心，恥君不及於堯、舜，臣不如魏徵。至如激濁揚清，嫉惡好善，臣於數子，亦有一日之長。」太宗深然其言，群公亦各以為盡己所懷，謂之確論。後進爵為郡公。七年，坐漏洩禁中語，左遷同州刺史。明年，召拜禮部尚書。十一年，與諸儒正定《五禮》，書成，賜帛三百段，封一子為縣男。是歲，兼魏王師。既而上問黃門侍郎韋挺曰：「王珪為魏王泰師，與其相見，若為禮節？」挺對曰：「見師之禮，拜答如禮。」王問珪以忠孝，珪答曰：「陛下，王之君也，事君思盡忠；陛下，王之父也，事父思盡孝。忠孝之道，可以立身，可以成名，當年可以享天祐，余芳可以垂後葉。」王曰：「忠孝之道，已聞教矣，願聞所習。」珪答曰：「漢東平王蒼云：『為善最樂。』」上謂侍臣曰：「古來帝子，生於宮闥，及其成人，無不驕逸，是以傾覆相踵，少能自濟。我今嚴教子弟，欲令皆得安全。王珪我久驅使，是所諳悉，以其意存忠孝，選為子師。爾宜語泰：『汝之待珪，如事我也，可以無過。』」泰每為之先拜，珪亦以師道自居，物議善之。時珪子敬直尚南平公主。禮有婦見舅姑之儀，自近代公主出降，此禮皆廢。珪曰：「今主上欽明，動循法制。吾受公主謁見，豈為身榮，所以成國家之美耳。」遂與其妻就席而坐，令公主親執笄行盥饋之道，禮成而退。是後公主下降有舅姑者，皆備婦禮，自珪始也。珪少時貧寒，人或遺之，初不辭謝；及貴，皆厚報之，雖其人已亡，必賑贍其妻子。事寡嫂盡禮，撫孤侄恩義極隆，宗姻困匱者，亦多所周恤。珪通貴漸久，而不營私廟，四時蒸嘗，猶祭於寢。坐為法司所劾，太宗優容，弗之譴也，因為立廟，以愧其心。珪既儉不中禮，時論以是少之。十三年，遇疾，敕公主就第省視，又遣民部尚書唐儉增損藥膳。尋卒，年六十九。太宗素服舉哀於別次，悼惜久之。詔魏王泰率百官親往臨哭，贈吏部尚書，謚曰懿。

At that time Fang Xuanling, Li Jing, Wen Yanbo, Dai Zhou, Wei Zheng, and Gui shared direction of state affairs. Later, at a banquet, Taizong said to Gui, "Your judgment is keen and you are especially skilled in debate. Appraise Fang Xuanling and the others — and yourself as well: who among them is the worthiest? He replied, "In tireless service to the state, leaving nothing undone — I am not the equal of Xuanling; in talent combining civil and military, going forth as general and entering as minister — I am not the equal of Li Jing; in presenting memorials with clarity and precision, in intake and output always fitting — I am not the equal of Wen Yanbo; in handling complexity and urgency, accomplishing every task — I am not the equal of Dai Zhou; in taking remonstrance to heart, ashamed when his lord falls short of Yao and Shun — I am not the equal of Wei Zheng. As for stirring the muddy and lifting the clear, hating evil and loving good — among these men I too have my day of superiority. Taizong strongly approved; the assembled ministers each felt he had spoken their own minds, and called it a sound judgment. Later he was promoted to duke of a commandery. In the seventh year, for leaking forbidden palace talk, he was demoted to prefect of Tongzhou. The next year he was recalled and made minister of rites. In the eleventh year, working with Confucian scholars, he helped fix the 《Five Rites》; when the work was done he received three hundred bolts of silk and one son was enfeoffed as baron of a county. That year he also became tutor to the Prince of Wei. The emperor then asked Vice Director Wei Ting of the palace secretariat, "Wang Gui is tutor to Prince Tai of Wei — what ritual should govern their meetings? Ting replied, "The ritual for meeting one's teacher: bowing and responding as ritual requires." The prince asked Gui about loyalty and filial piety; Gui answered, "Your Majesty is the prince's sovereign — in serving his sovereign he should think only of loyalty; Your Majesty is the prince's father — in serving his father he should think only of filial piety. The way of loyalty and filial piety can establish a man and win him a name; in his own lifetime he may enjoy Heaven's blessing, and its fragrance may reach later generations. The prince said, "I have been taught the way of loyalty and filial piety; I wish to hear what I should practice." Gui answered, "Liu Cang, Eastern Prince of Ping of Han, said, 'Doing good is the greatest joy.' The emperor told his ministers, "Since antiquity imperial sons, born within the palace, have almost all grown up arrogant and dissolute; ruin has followed ruin, and few have saved themselves. I now instruct my sons and younger brothers strictly, hoping to keep them all safe. I have long employed Wang Gui and know him well; because his heart holds loyalty and filial piety, I have chosen him as the prince's tutor. You should tell Tai, 'Treat Gui as you would treat me, and you will not go wrong. Tai always bowed to him first; Gui likewise held to the teacher's role — and public opinion approved." At that time Gui's son Jingzhi was married to the Princess of Nanping. Ritual prescribes a ceremony in which a wife meets her husband's parents; since recent times, when princesses married commoners, this ceremony had been abandoned. Gui said, "Our sovereign is reverent and enlightened and follows law in every action. That I receive the princess's visit is not for my personal glory but to complete the state's dignity. He and his wife took their seats and had the princess personally perform the hairpin, washing, and feeding rites; when the ceremony was done she withdrew. Thereafter, when princesses married into families with parents-in-law, they all observed the wife's rites — beginning with Gui. When young, Gui was poor; when people gave him gifts he never declined or thanked them; when he rose high he repaid them all generously; even if the giver had died, he supported his wife and children. He treated his widowed sister-in-law with full ritual propriety, showed utmost kindness to his orphaned nephews, and gave generously to needy kin. Though long eminent, Gui had not built a private ancestral temple and still offered seasonal sacrifices in his bedchamber. The law office impeached him; Taizong was lenient and did not reproach him, but had a temple built for him to stir his conscience. Gui's frugality fell short of ritual propriety, and opinion held this against him. In the thirteenth year he fell ill; the emperor ordered the princess to visit his home and sent Minister of Population Tang Jian to adjust his medicines and diet. He soon died, at the age of sixty-nine. Taizong mourned in plain robes in a side chamber and grieved for him at length. An edict ordered Prince Tai of Wei to lead the officials in person to mourn; Gui was posthumously made minister of the civil office with the posthumous name Yi.

長子崇基，襲爵，官至主爵郎中。少子敬直，以尚主拜附馬都尉，坐與太子承乾交結，徙於嶺外。崇基孫旭，開元初，為左司郎中，兼侍御史。時光祿少卿盧崇道犯罪配流嶺南，逃歸匿於東都，為讎家所發。玄宗令旭究其獄，旭欲擅其威權，因捕系崇道親黨數十人，皆極其楚毒，然後結成其罪，崇道及其三子並坐死，親友皆決杖流貶。時得罪多是知名之士，四海冤之。旭又與御史大夫李傑不協，遞相糾訐，傑竟坐左遷衢州刺史。旭既得志，擅行威福，由是朝廷畏而鄙之。俄以贓罪黜為龍川尉，憤恚而死，甚為時之所快。

His eldest son Chongji inherited the title and rose to master of enfeoffments in the bureau of the imperial clan. His younger son Jingzhi, through marriage to a princess, became commandant of escort cavalry; for associating with the heir apparent Chenggan he was exiled beyond the ranges. Chongji's grandson Xu, at the beginning of Kaiyuan, was master of the left department and concurrently attending censor. At that time Lu Chongdao, vice director of the Court of the Imperial Clan, had been convicted and banished to Lingnan; he fled back and hid in the Eastern Capital, where an enemy family exposed him. Xuanzong ordered Xu to investigate; Xu sought to monopolize power, arrested dozens of Chongdao's kin and associates, tortured them severely, and only then framed their guilt. Chongdao and his three sons were all put to death; kin and friends were beaten and banished. Most of those convicted were well-known men, and the realm considered it a gross injustice. Xu also clashed with Censor-in-Chief Li Jie; they impeached each other in turn, and Jie was eventually demoted to prefect of Quzhou. Once Xu had his way, he abused his power at will, and the court came to both fear and despise him. Before long he was stripped of office for corruption and demoted to commandant of Longchuan. He died consumed by fury, to the great satisfaction of his contemporaries.

貞觀元年，遷大理少卿。時吏部尚書長孫無忌嘗被召，不解佩刀入東上閣。尚書右僕射封德彝議以監門校尉不覺，罪當死；無忌誤帶入，罰銅二十斤。上從之。胄駁曰：「校尉不覺與無忌帶入，同為誤耳。臣子之於尊極，不得稱誤，准律云：『供御湯藥、飲食、舟船，誤不知者，皆死。』陛下若錄其功，非憲司所決；若當據法，罰銅未為得衷。」太宗曰：「法者，非朕一人之法，乃天下之法也。何得以無忌國之親戚，便欲阿之？」更令定議。德彝執議如初，太宗將從其議，胄又曰：「校尉緣無忌以致罪，於法當輕。若論其誤，則為情一也，而生死頓殊，敢以固請。」上嘉之，竟免校尉之死。於時朝廷盛開選舉，或有詐偽資廕者，帝令其自首，不首者罪至於死。俄有詐偽者事洩，胄據法斷流以奏之。帝曰：「朕下敕不首者死，今斷從流，是示天下以不信。卿欲賣獄乎？」胄曰：「陛下當即殺之，非臣所及。既付所司，臣不敢虧法。」帝曰：「卿自守法，而令我失信邪？」胄曰：「法者，國家所以布大信於天下；言者，當時喜怒之所發耳。陛下發一朝之忿而許殺之，既知不可而置之於法，此乃忍小忿而存大信也。若順忿違信，臣竊為陛下惜之。」帝曰：「法有所失，公能正之，朕何憂也！」胄前後犯顏執法多此類。所論刑獄，皆事無冤濫，隨方指扌適，言如泉湧。其年，轉尚書右丞，尋遷左丞。先是，每歲水旱，皆以正倉出給，無倉之處，就食他州，百姓多致飢乏。二年，胄上言：「水旱凶災，前聖之所不免。國無九年儲蓄，禮經之所明誡。今喪亂已後，戶口凋殘，每歲納租，未實倉稟。隨即出給，才供當年，若有凶災，將何賑恤？故隋開皇立制，天下之人，節級輸粟，名為社倉，終文皇代，得無饑饉。及大業中年，國用不足，並取社倉之物以充官費，故至末途，無以支給。自王公已下，爰及眾庶，計所墾田稼穡頃畝，每至秋熟，准其苗以理勸課，盡令出粟。稻麥之鄉，亦同此稅，各納所在，立為義倉。」太宗從其議。以其家貧，齎錢十萬。

In Zhenguan 1, he was appointed vice minister of the Court of Judicature. When Minister of Personnel Zhangsun Wuji was summoned on one occasion, he entered the Eastern Upper Pavilion without first removing his sword. Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs Feng Deyi argued that the gate-monitor commandant who had failed to notice ought to be sentenced to death; Wuji, who had brought the sword in by mistake, should pay a fine of twenty jin of copper. The emperor accepted this proposal. Zhou objected: "The commandant's failure to notice and Wuji's bringing the sword in are equally errors. Before the sovereign, a subject cannot plead mere error. The code states: "Anyone who through inadvertence supplies improper imperial medicines, food, drink, or vessels--all such cases carry the death penalty. If Your Majesty chooses to credit his service, that lies outside the courts' authority; but if the law must be applied as written, a copper fine does not strike the proper balance. Emperor Taizong said, "The law is not mine alone--it is the law of the realm. How can you seek to shield Wuji merely because he is the emperor's kinsman? He ordered them to reconsider and reach a final decision. Deyi held firm to his original position, and Taizong was on the point of accepting it when Zhou spoke again: "The commandant was punished only because of Wuji; under the law his sentence should be lighter. If both acts were errors, the circumstances are the same, yet one man lives and another dies. I earnestly beg you to reconsider. The emperor approved, and in the end spared the commandant's life. The court was then holding large-scale examinations and appointments, and some candidates had falsified hereditary privilege claims. The emperor decreed that they confess; anyone who did not would face the death penalty. Soon one such fraud came to light. Zhou applied the statute, sentenced the man to exile, and submitted the case. The emperor said, "I decreed death for anyone who failed to confess, yet you sentence this man to exile. Will this not tell the empire that my word cannot be trusted? Are you trying to sell justice? Zhou replied, "Your Majesty could execute him at once--that lies beyond my authority. But once the case was entrusted to my office, I could not bend the law. The emperor said, "You uphold the law, but would you have me break my word?" Zhou said, "The law is how the state establishes its greatest credibility with the empire; words are spoken in the heat of a moment's anger. Your Majesty, in a burst of anger, vowed to kill him; now that you know the law forbids it, you defer to the statute. That is to swallow a moment's wrath and preserve the empire's trust. If you indulged your anger and forfeited that trust, I would deeply regret it for Your Majesty. The emperor said, "When the law goes astray, you set it right. What have I to fear!" Time and again Zhou defied the throne to uphold the law in just this fashion. The cases he reviewed were free of wrongful conviction or excessive punishment; he identified every flaw as the facts required, and his arguments poured forth like a spring. That year he became right assistant director of the Department of State Affairs, and soon after was promoted to left assistant director. Previously, in years of flood or drought the government issued grain from state granaries; where no granary existed, people had to seek food in other provinces, and many commoners were left hungry and destitute. In the second year Zhou memorialized the throne: "Floods, drought, and famine are calamities even the sage kings could not always prevent. The Rites clearly warn that a state should not go without nine years' reserves. Since the wars, the population has been decimated; the grain collected as tax each year scarcely fills the granaries. It is disbursed at once and barely covers the year's needs. When disaster strikes, what will remain for relief? In the Kaihuang era the Sui established a system whereby people throughout the realm paid grain in graded amounts into communal granaries; throughout Emperor Wen's reign the land knew no famine. By the middle of the Daye reign, however, the treasury ran short and the communal stores were raided to meet official expenses, until in the dynasty's final years there was nothing left to disburse. From princes and officials down to commoners, each should be assessed by the acreage of land under cultivation; every autumn, after the harvest is gauged, all should be required to contribute grain. In rice- and wheat-growing regions the same levy should apply; grain would be paid in locally and stored as charitable granaries. Emperor Taizong adopted his proposal. Because his household was poor, the emperor gave him one hundred thousand cash.

時尚書左僕射蕭瑀免官，僕射封德彝又卒，太宗謂胄曰：「尚書省天下綱維，百司所稟，若一事有失，天下必有受其弊者。今以令、僕系之於卿，當稱朕所望也。」胄性明敏，達於從政，處斷明速。議者以為左右丞稱職，武德已來，一人而已。又領諫議大夫，令與魏徵更日供奉。三年，進拜民部尚書，兼檢校太子左庶子。先是，右僕射杜如晦專掌選舉，臨終請以選事委胄，由是詔令兼攝吏部尚書，其民部、庶子、諫議並如故。胄雖有干局，而無學術。居吏部，抑文雅而獎法吏，甚為時論所譏。四年，罷吏部尚書，以本官參預朝政，尋進爵為郡公。五年，太宗將修復洛陽宮，胄上表諫曰：

When Left Vice Director Xiao Yu was dismissed and Vice Director Feng Deyi died, Taizong told Zhou: "The Department of State Affairs is the backbone of the empire; every ministry draws its orders from it. One mistake there, and the whole realm feels the harm. I now place the directors and vice directors in your charge. You must meet my expectations. Zhou was quick-witted and skilled at government; his decisions were clear and swift. Commentators held that both assistant directors were fully equal to their duties--the only such pair since the Wude era. He also served as supervising censor and was ordered to attend the emperor on alternate days with Wei Zheng. In the third year he was promoted to minister of the household and appointed acting left assistant to the heir apparent. Right Vice Director Du Ruhui had previously overseen appointments and examinations alone; on his deathbed he asked that this duty pass to Zhou. An edict accordingly made Zhou acting minister of personnel, while his other posts remained unchanged. Zhou had strong executive talent but little formal learning. At the Ministry of Personnel he favored legal clerks over men of letters, to the considerable scorn of public opinion. In the fourth year he relinquished the ministry of personnel but retained his other offices and joined deliberations at court; soon after he was ennobled as duke of a commandery. In the fifth year, as Taizong prepared to restore the Luoyang palace, Zhou submitted a memorial of remonstrance:

陛下當百王之弊，屬暴隋之後，拯餘燼於塗炭，救遺黎於倒懸。遠至邇安，率土清謐，大功大德，豈臣之所稱讚。臣誠小人，才識非遠，唯知耳目之近，不達長久之策，敢竭區區之誠，論臣職司之事。比見關中、河外，盡置軍團，富室強丁，並從戎旅。重以九成作役，余丁向盡，去京二千里內，先配司農將作。假有遺余，勢何足紀？亂離甫爾，戶口單弱，一人就役，舉家便廢。入軍者督其戎仗，從役者責其餱糧，盡室經營，多不能濟。以臣愚慮，恐致怨嗟。七月已來，霖潦過度，河南、河北，厥田洿下，時豐歲稔，猶未可量。加以軍國所須，皆資府庫，布絹所出，歲過百萬。丁既役盡，賦調不減，費用不止，帑藏其虛。且洛陽宮殿，足蔽風雨，數年功畢，亦謂非晚。若頓修營，恐傷勞擾。

Your Majesty inherited the accumulated abuses of ages and rose in the wake of the tyrannical Sui, lifting survivors from the ashes and rescuing the people from utter ruin. The distant submitted and the near found peace; the entire realm knows tranquillity. Such great deeds and virtues are beyond this subject's power to praise. I am a man of small ability with little vision; I see only what lies before me and cannot grasp long-term strategy. Yet I offer my humble sincerity and speak to matters within my office. Lately I have seen military regiments posted throughout Guanzhong and the lands east of the river; able-bodied men from wealthy households have all been pressed into service. On top of this come the levies for Jiucheng Palace; the remaining labor quota is nearly spent. Within two thousand li of the capital, every spare hand has been assigned to the directorates of agriculture and palace construction. Even if any laborers remain, they amount to nothing worth counting. The realm has scarcely recovered from war; households are thin and weak. One man taken for corvee, and the whole family is undone. Soldiers must furnish their own arms; corvee workers must supply their own rations. Whole households stretch their resources, and many cannot make ends meet. I fear, in my limited judgment, that this will breed resentment and complaint. Since the seventh month excessive rains have fallen; in Henan and Hebei the low-lying fields are flooded, and whether this year will yield a full harvest remains uncertain. The army and the court depend entirely on the treasury, which disburses more than a million bolts of silk and cloth each year. With every able man already conscripted, taxes remain undiminished, expenses unceasing--and the treasury grows bare. The Luoyang palace already provides shelter enough; completing renovations over several years would be soon enough. To resume construction now would only inflict further hardship and unrest.

太宗甚嘉之，因謂侍臣曰：「戴胄於我無骨肉之親，但以忠直勵行，情深體國，事有機要，無不以聞。所進官爵，以酬厥誠耳。」七年卒，太宗為之舉哀，廢朝三日。贈尚書右僕射，追封道國公，謚曰忠，詔虞世南撰為碑文。又以胄宅宇弊陋，祭享無所，令有司特為造廟。房玄齡、魏徵並美胄才用，俱與之親善，及胄卒後，嘗見其游處之地，數為之流涕。胄無子，以兄子至德為後。

Taizong warmly praised the memorial and told his ministers: "Dai Zhou is no kinsman of mine, yet he serves with unwavering loyalty; his devotion to the state runs deep. Whenever a matter of consequence arises, he keeps nothing from me. The offices and titles I have granted him are reward enough for such devotion. He died in the seventh year. Taizong mourned him personally and suspended court for three days. He was posthumously made right vice director of the Department of State Affairs, enfeoffed as Duke of Daoguo with the posthumous name Loyal, and Yu Shinan was commissioned to compose his epitaph. Because Zhou's home was too poor and cramped for proper ancestral rites, the emperor ordered officials to build him a temple. Fang Xuanling and Wei Zheng both admired Zhou's talent and were close friends with him. After his death, whenever they passed places he had frequented, they wept openly. Zhou had no sons and adopted his elder brother's son Zhide as his heir.

至德，乾封中累遷西台侍郎、同東西台三品。尋轉戶部尚書，依舊知政事。父子十數年間相繼為尚書，預知國政，時以為榮。咸亨中，高宗為飛白書以賜侍臣，賜至德曰「泛洪源，俟舟楫」；賜郝處俊曰「飛九霄，假六翮」；賜李敬玄曰「資啟沃，罄丹誠」；又賜中書侍郎崔知悌曰「竭忠節，贊皇猷」，其辭皆有興比。俄遷尚書右僕射。時劉仁軌為左僕射，每遇申訴冤滯者，輒美言許之；而至德先據理難詰，未嘗與奪，若有理者，密為奏之，終不顯己之斷決，由是時譽歸於仁軌。或以問至德，答曰：「夫慶賞刑罪，人主之權柄，凡為人臣，豈得與人主爭權柄哉！」其慎密如此。後高宗知而深嘆美之。儀鳳四年薨，輟朝三日，使百官以次赴宅哭之，贈開府儀同三司、并州大都督，謚曰恭。

During the Qianfeng reign Zhide rose through successive promotions to vice director of the West Secretariat with third-rank parity in both secretariats. He was soon transferred to minister of the household while continuing to attend to state affairs. Over more than a decade father and son held ministerial posts in succession, both shaping national policy--an honor widely noted at the time. During the Xianheng era, Emperor Gaozong wrote feibai calligraphy for his ministers. To Zhide he gave: "Broaden the great source; await boats and oars"; to Hao Chujun: "Soar through the nine heavens; borrow six pinions"; to Li Jingxuan: "Nourish with counsel; pour out your loyal heart"; and to Vice Director of the Secretariat Cui Zhiti: "Exhaust your loyalty; uphold the imperial design." Each phrase carried metaphorical force. He was soon appointed right vice director of the Department of State Affairs. Liu Ren'gui served then as left vice director; whenever petitioners came forward with grievances, he would readily promise them redress; but Zhide would first examine the facts and press hard questions, never ruling on the spot. When a case had merit he memorialized the throne in private, never revealing his own decision. Public credit therefore went to Ren'gui. When asked about this, Zhide replied: "Rewards and punishments are the sovereign's prerogative. How can a subject compete with his ruler for that power? Such was his discretion. When Emperor Gaozong later learned of this, he sighed in deep admiration. He died in Yifeng 4. Court was suspended for three days, and officials were dispatched in turn to mourn at his home. He was posthumously granted the honors of Kaifu Yitong San Si and appointed grand prefect of Bingzhou, with the posthumous name Respectful.

岑文本，字景仁，南陽棘陽人。祖善方，仕蕭察吏部尚書。父之象，隋末為邯鄲令，嘗被人所訟，理不得申。文本性沈敏，有姿儀，博考經史，多所貫綜，美談論，善屬文。時年十四，詣司隸稱冤，辭情慨切，召對明辯，眾頗異之。試令作《蓮花賦》，下筆便成，屬意甚佳，合台莫不歎賞。其父冤雪，由是知名。其後，郡舉秀才，以時亂不應。蕭銑僭號於荊州，召署中書侍郎，專典文翰。及河間王孝恭定荊州，軍中將士咸欲大掠，文本進說孝恭曰：「自隋室無道，群雄鼎沸，四海延頸以望真主。今蕭氏君臣、江陵父老，決計歸降者，實望去危就安耳。王必欲縱兵虜掠，誠非鄙州來蘇之意，亦恐江、嶺以南，向化之心沮矣。」孝恭稱善，遂止之。署文本荊州別駕。孝恭進擊輔公祏，召典軍書，復署行台考功郎中。貞觀元年，除秘書郎，兼直中書省。遇太宗行藉田之禮，文本上《藉田頌》。及元日臨軒宴百僚，文本復上《三元頌》，其辭甚美。文本才名既著，李靖復稱薦之，擢拜中書舍人，漸蒙親顧。初，武德中詔誥及軍國大事，文皆出於顏師古。至是，文本所草詔誥。或眾務繁湊，即命書僮六七人隨口並寫，須臾悉成，亦殆盡其妙。時中書侍郎顏師古以譴免職，頃之，溫彥博奏曰：「師古諳練時事，長於文法，時無及者，冀蒙復用。」太宗曰：「我自舉一人，公勿憂也。」於是以文本為中書侍郎，專典機密。又先與令狐德棻撰《周史》，其史論多出於文本。至十年史成，封江陵縣子。十一年，從至洛陽宮，會谷、洛泛溢，文本上封事曰：

Cen Wenben, courtesy name Jingren, was a native of Jiyang in Nanyang commandery. His grandfather Shanfang served as minister of personnel under Xiao Cha. His father Zhixiang served as magistrate of Handan in the late Sui. He was once sued by an accuser and could obtain no justice. Wenben was thoughtful and quick of mind, handsome in bearing, widely read in the classics and histories, eloquent in debate, and gifted at composition. At fourteen he went to the Director of Retainers to plead his father's case. His words were passionate and precise; summoned for audience, he argued with clear brilliance, and all who heard him were astonished. They asked him to compose 《Lotus Rhapsody》 on the spot; he finished at the first stroke, and the piece was so fine that everyone present marveled. His father's name was cleared, and from that day Wenben was widely known. Later the commandery nominated him as xiucai, but the turmoil of the times kept him from accepting. When Xiao Xian declared himself emperor at Jingzhou, Wenben was summoned as vice director of the Secretariat to manage all official writings. When Prince Xiaogong of Hejian pacified Jingzhou, the troops were eager for a general sack. Wenben urged Xiaogong: "Since the Sui lost the Way and warlords rose everywhere, the whole realm has longed for a true sovereign. The Xiao court and the elders of Jiangling have decided to submit because they wish to escape danger and find safety--nothing more. If Your Highness insists on letting the army sack and plunder, that is hardly what this province hoped for when it welcomed deliverance—and I fear it will crush the will to submit among all who lie south of the Yangzi and the Ling ranges. Xiaogong approved the advice and halted the planned sack. He appointed Wenben vice prefect of Jingzhou. When Xiaogong marched against Fu Gongshi, he summoned Wenben to handle military correspondence and also named him director of merit assessment in the field secretariat. In the first year of Zhenguan, he was made a secretary in the Palace Library and assigned concurrent duty in the Secretariat. When Emperor Taizong performed the ceremonial ploughing of the sacred field, Wenben submitted 《Hymn on the Ploughing Field》. On New Year's Day, when the emperor feasted the hundred officials in the palace hall, Wenben again presented 《Hymn on the Three Beginnings》, and the piece was beautifully wrought. By then Wenben's literary reputation was firmly established. Li Jing recommended him again, and he was promoted to secretariat drafter, gradually winning the emperor's personal favor. At first, throughout the Wude era, all edicts, proclamations, and papers on military and state affairs had been drafted by Yan Shigu. From that point on, edicts and proclamations were Wenben's to draft. When business piled up, he would summon six or seven copyists and dictate several documents at once; in no time all were finished—a virtuosity that seemed to leave nothing of his art unused. About then Vice Director Yan Shigu was dismissed after a reprimand. Before long Wen Yanbo memorialized: "Shigu knows the affairs of the day inside out and excels at formal prose; no one alive matches him. I hope he may be restored to service. Emperor Taizong said, "I will recommend someone myself. Do not trouble yourself over it. Thereupon Wenben was made vice director of the Secretariat with sole charge of confidential business. He had earlier worked with Linghu Defen on 《History of Zhou》, and most of its historical judgments were Wenben's. When the history was finished in the tenth year, he was enfeoffed as Viscount of Jiangling. In the eleventh year he accompanied the emperor to the Luoyang palace. When the Gu and Luo rivers burst their banks, Wenben submitted a sealed memorial:

臣聞創撥亂之業，其功既難；守已成之基，其道不易。故居安思危，所以定其業也；有始有卒，所以隆其基也。今雖億兆乂安，方隅寧謐，既承喪亂之後，又接凋弊之餘，戶口減損尚多，田疇墾闢猶少。覆燾之恩著矣，而瘡痍未復；德教之風被矣，而資產屢空。是以古人譬之種樹，年祀綿遠，則枝葉扶疏；若種之日淺，根本未固，雖壅之以黑墳，暖之以春日，一人搖之，必致枯槁。今之百姓，頗類於此。常加含養，則日就滋息；暫有征役，則隨而凋耗。凋耗既甚，則人不卿生；人不卿生，則怨氣充塞；怨氣充塞，則離叛之心生矣。故帝舜曰：「可愛非君，可畏非人。」孔安國曰：「人以君為命，故可愛；君失道，人叛之，故可畏。」仲尼曰：「君猶舟也，人猶水也；水所以載舟，亦所以覆舟。」是以古之哲王，雖休勿休，日慎一日者，良為此也。伏惟陛下覽古今之事，察安危之機，上以社稷為重，下以億兆為念。明選舉，慎賞罰，進賢才，退不肖。聞過即改，從諫如流。為善在於不疑，出令期於必信。頤神養性，省畋游之娛；去奢從儉，減工役之費。務靜方內而不求闢土；載橐弓矢而無忘武備。凡此數者，雖為國之常道，陛下之所常行，臣之愚心，唯願陛下思之而不倦，行之而不怠。則至道之美，與三、五比隆；億載之祚，隨天地長久。雖使桑谷為妖，龍蛇作孽，雉雊於鼎耳，石言於晉地，猶當轉禍為福，變咎為祥。況水雨之患，陰陽常理，豈可謂之天譴而系聖心哉？臣聞古人有言：「農夫勞而君子養焉，愚者言而智者擇焉。」輒陳狂瞽，伏待斧鉞。

I have heard that to build an empire out of chaos is hard enough; to preserve what has already been won is no less difficult. Hence the saying that in peace one must think of peril—that is how a realm is made secure; and that a task begun must be carried through to the end—that is how its foundation is raised high. Though the realm is now at peace and the provinces quiet, we have come out of slaughter and inherit a land still wasted and exhausted. The population remains greatly reduced, and fields newly opened to the plough are still too few. Your sheltering grace is plain to see, yet the scars of war have not healed; the wind of virtue and instruction has reached everywhere, yet many households still have nothing to their name. The ancients compared this to planting a tree: given many years, its branches and leaves grow thick; but if it was planted only yesterday and its roots are not yet firm, then though you heap rich black earth around it and warm it with spring sun, one man's shake will still wither it to death. The common people today are much like that tree. Nurture them steadily and they will daily grow stronger; impose corvée or conscription even briefly and they at once waste away. When waste becomes extreme, the people cannot bear to live; when the people cannot bear to live, resentment fills the land; when resentment fills the land, hearts turn to separation and rebellion. Emperor Shun therefore said, "What is to be loved is not the ruler; what is to be feared is not the people. Kong Anguo explained: "The people look to the ruler for their very lives, and so he may be loved; but when the ruler loses the Way and the people turn against him, then he has reason to fear. Confucius said, "The ruler is like a boat and the people like water; water carries the boat, and water also capsizes it. That is why the sage kings of old, though at rest would not rest and grew more careful day by day. I humbly ask Your Majesty to survey affairs past and present, weigh the turning points of safety and peril, hold the altars of state above all else, and keep the myriad people close in mind. Choose officials wisely, weigh rewards and punishments carefully, promote the worthy, and remove the unfit. Amend faults the moment you hear of them, and follow remonstrance as a stream follows its bed. Good government requires steadfast resolve; edicts must be issued only when they can be trusted to endure. Nourish body and mind, and cut back on the pleasures of the hunt; cast off extravagance for thrift, and reduce the cost of public works. Keep the realm at peace within and do not seek to expand its borders; yet keep bow and quiver at hand and never forget readiness for war. All these are the ordinary duties of rule, and Your Majesty already practices them; yet in my foolish heart I can only ask that you ponder them without tiring and carry them out without slackening. Then the splendor of the highest Way would stand beside the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors; and the throne would endure for myriad ages, lasting as long as Heaven and Earth. Even if mulberry and grain turned monstrous, dragons and serpents wrought havoc, pheasants cried from tripod ears, and stones spoke in the land of Jin, you would still turn misfortune to blessing and transform ill omens into good. How much less, then, should flooding rain—an ordinary turn of yin and yang—be called heaven's rebuke and allowed to weigh upon Your Majesty's heart? The ancients said, "The farmer toils and the gentleman is nourished; the fool speaks and the wise man chooses. I have presumptuously offered these rash and blind words and humbly await your judgment.

是時魏王泰寵冠諸王，盛修第宅，文本以為侈不可長，上疏盛陳節儉之義，言泰宜有抑損，太宗並嘉之，賜帛三百段。十七年，加銀青光祿大夫。

At that time Prince Tai of Wei enjoyed favor above all other princes and built mansions on a lavish scale. Wenben held that extravagance must not be indulged; he memorialized at length on thrift and urged that Tai should show restraint. Emperor Taizong approved both points and granted him three hundred bolts of silk. In the seventeenth year he was given the additional title Grand Master of Splendid Glory with Silver Seal.

文本自以出自書生，每懷捴損。平生故人，雖微賤必與之抗禮。居處卑陋，室無茵褥帷帳之飾。事母以孝聞，撫弟侄恩義甚篤。太宗每言其「弘厚忠謹，吾親之信之。」是時，新立晉王為皇太子，名士多兼領宮官，太宗欲令文本兼攝。文本再拜曰：「臣以庸才，久逾涯分，守此一職，猶懼滿盈，豈宜更忝春坊，以速時謗。臣請一心以事陛下，不願更希東宮恩澤。」太宗乃止。仍令五日一參東宮，皇太子執賓友之禮，與之答拜。其見待如此。俄拜中書令，歸家有憂色，其母怪而問之，文本曰：「非勳非舊，濫荷寵榮，責重位高，所以憂懼。」親賓有來慶賀，輒曰：「今受吊，不受賀也。」又有勸其營產業者，文本嘆曰：「南方一布衣，徒步入關，疇昔之望，不過秘書郎、一縣令耳。而無汗馬之勞，徒以文墨致位中書令，斯亦極矣。荷俸祿之重，為懼已多，何得更言產業乎？」言者嘆息而退。

Wenben, knowing himself to be a man of the brush rather than the sword, always practiced self-restraint and modesty. Old friends from his earlier days, however humble, he always greeted as equals. His home was plain and lowly, with none of the mats, cushions, curtains, or hangings that mark a grand house. He was known for filial devotion to his mother and treated his younger brothers and nephews with deep affection and duty. Emperor Taizong often said of him, "Magnanimous, loyal, and careful—I trust him as I would my own kin. At that time the Prince of Jin had just been made crown prince. Many eminent men held concurrent posts in the Eastern Palace, and Emperor Taizong wished Wenben to serve there as well. Wenben bowed twice and said, "Your subject is a man of modest talent who has long outstripped his deserts. Even this one office fills me with fear of excess. How could I also take a post in the Eastern Palace and invite the censure of the age? I ask only to serve Your Majesty with an undivided heart and do not wish to seek further favor from the Eastern Palace. Emperor Taizong let the matter drop. He still ordered Wenben to attend the Eastern Palace once every five days; the crown prince received him with the courtesy due a guest and friend, exchanging bows in reply. Such was the honor shown him. Soon afterward he was appointed chief director of the Secretariat. He returned home wearing a troubled look, and his mother, puzzled, asked why. Wenben said, "I have no merit and no long service behind me, yet I have been showered with favor and rank. The burden is heavy and the position is high—that is why I am afraid. When relatives and friends came to congratulate him, he would say, "Today I accept condolences, not congratulations. Some urged him to build up property and estates. Wenben sighed and said, "I was a plain-clothed man from the south who entered the pass on foot. In those days I hoped for nothing more than a post as palace secretary or county magistrate. Without a single hour's labor in the saddle, I have reached the chief directorship by ink alone—that is already the summit. The weight of my salary already gives me more than enough to fear—how could I speak of acquiring estates? Those who had spoken sighed and withdrew.

文本既久在樞揆，當涂任事，賞錫稠疊，凡有財物出入，皆委季弟文昭，一無所問。文昭時任校書郎，多與時人遊款，太宗聞而不悅，嘗從容謂文本曰：「卿弟過多交結，恐累卿，朕將出之為外官，如何？」文本泣曰：「臣弟少孤，老母特所鍾念，不欲信宿離於左右。若今外出，母必憂悴，儻無此弟，亦無老母也。」歔欷嗚咽，太宗愍其意而止。唯召見文昭，嚴加誡約，亦卒無愆過。及將伐遼，凡所籌度，一皆委之。文本受委既深，神情頓竭，言辭舉措，頗異平常。太宗見而憂之，謂左右曰：「文本今與我同行，恐不與我同返。」及至幽州，遇暴疾，太宗親自臨視，撫之流涕。尋卒，年五十一。其夕，太宗聞嚴鼓之聲，曰：「文本殞逝，情深惻怛。今宵夜警，所不忍聞。」命停之。贈侍中、廣州都督，謚曰憲，賜東園秘器，陪葬昭陵。有集六十捲行於代。

Wenben had long stood at the pivot of power. While he held office, rewards and gifts piled up; every disbursement and receipt he entrusted to his youngest brother Wenzhao without asking a single question. Wenzhao was then a collating clerk and kept company with many men of the day. Emperor Taizong heard of this and was displeased. He once said casually to Wenben, "Your brother keeps too many acquaintances—I fear it may harm you. I mean to send him out to a post elsewhere. What say you? Wenben wept and said, "My brother lost his father young. Our old mother dotes on him above all and cannot bear to be parted from him even for a night. If he is sent away now, she will surely waste away with grief. Without this brother, I would have no mother left either. He sobbed and wept aloud. Emperor Taizong was moved by his plea and dropped the matter. He summoned Wenzhao instead and gave him a stern warning; in the end Wenzhao committed no further fault. When the campaign against Liaodong was about to begin, every plan and calculation was entrusted to Wenben alone. Burdened with so heavy a trust, Wenben's spirit suddenly gave way; his speech and bearing were markedly unlike his usual self. Emperor Taizong saw this and was troubled. He said to those around him, "Wenben is marching with me now—I fear he will not march back with me. When they reached Youzhou, Wenben was stricken with a sudden grave illness. Emperor Taizong came in person to his bedside, stroked him, and wept. He died soon afterward, at the age of fifty-one. That evening, when Emperor Taizong heard the night-watch drums, he said, "Wenben has died, and my grief cuts deep. Tonight's midnight alarms are more than I can bear to hear. He ordered them stopped. He was posthumously made palace attendant and area commander of Guangzhou, given the posthumous name Xian, granted the Eastern Garden burial regalia, and buried with honor at Zhaoling. His collected works, in sixty scroll volumes, circulated in his day.

文本兄文叔。文叔子長倩，少為文本所鞠，同於己子。永淳中，累轉兵部侍郎、同中書門下平章事。垂拱初，自夏官尚書遷內史，知夏官事，俄拜文昌右相，封鄧國公。則天初革命，尤好符瑞，長倩懼罪，頗有陳奏，又上疏請改皇嗣姓為武氏，以為周室儲貳，則天許之，實封五百戶。天授二年，加特進、輔國大將軍。其年，鳳閣舍人張嘉福與洛州人王慶之等列名上表，請立武承嗣為皇太子。長倩以皇嗣在東宮，不可更立承嗣，與地官尚書格輔元竟不署名，仍奏請切責上書者。由是大忤諸武意，乃斥令西征吐蕃，充武威道行軍大總管。中路召還，下制獄，被誅，仍發掘其父祖墳墓。來俊臣又脅迫長倩子靈源，令誣納言歐陽通及格輔元等數十人，皆陷以同反之罪，並誅死。

Wenben's elder brother was Wenshu. Wenshu's son Changqian was raised from boyhood by Wenben as though he were his own child. During the Yongchun era he rose through successive posts to vice minister of war and concurrent grand councillor of the Secretariat-Chancellery. At the beginning of the Chuigong era he moved from minister of the Summer Office to grand secretary while retaining charge of Summer Office affairs; soon he was made right chancellor of the Literary Flourishing Hall and enfeoffed as Duke of Deng. When Empress Wu first changed the dynasty she was especially fond of portents and omens. Changqian, fearing blame, memorialized repeatedly and also asked that the crown prince's surname be changed to Wu so that he might serve as heir of the Zhou house. Empress Wu granted this and gave him a fief of five hundred households. In the second year of Tianshou he was given the additional titles Senior Grand Master and Grand General Assisting the State. That year Phoenix Pavilion drafting official Zhang Jiafu, Wang Qingzhi of Luozhou, and others jointly submitted a memorial asking that Wu Chengsi be made crown prince. Changqian held that with the crown prince already established in the Eastern Palace, Chengsi could not be set up in his stead. He and Minister of the Earth Office Ge Fuyuan refused to sign the memorial and submitted a request for stern punishment of those who had petitioned. This greatly offended the Wu clan. He was sent west to campaign against Tibet as grand general of the march on the Weiwu circuit. Midway he was recalled, thrown into the imperial prison, and executed; his father's and grandfather's graves were then dug up as well. Lai Junchen also coerced Changqian's son Lingyuan into falsely accusing Chief Minister Ouyang Tong, Ge Fuyuan, and several dozen others. All were convicted of conspiracy to rebel and executed.

長倩子羲，長安中為廣武令，有能名。則天嘗令宰相各舉堪為員外郎者，鳳閣侍郎韋嗣立薦羲，且奏曰：「恨其從父長倩犯逆為累。」則天曰：「苟有材幹，何恨微累？」遂拜天官員外郎。由是緣坐近親，相次入省，登封令劉守悌為司門員外郎，渭南令裴惓為地官員外郎。先是，羲為金壇令，守悌及惓稱為清德。羲以文吏著名，俱為巡察使所薦，皆授畿縣令，又同為尚書郎，悉有美譽。守悌後至陝州刺史，惓至杭州刺史。羲，神龍初為中書舍人。時武三思用事，侍中敬暉欲上表請削諸武之為王者，募為疏者。眾畏三思，皆辭托不敢為之，羲便操筆，辭甚切直。由是忤三思意，轉秘書少監，再遷吏部侍郎。時吏部侍郎崔湜、太常少卿鄭愔、大理少卿李元恭分掌選事，皆以贓貨聞，羲最守正，時議美之。尋加銀青光祿大夫、右散騎常侍、同中書門下三品。睿宗即位，出為陝州刺史。復歷刑部、戶部二尚書，門下三品，監修國史，刪定格令，仍修《氏族錄》。初，中宗時，侍御史冉祖雍誣奏睿宗及太平公主與節愍太子連謀，請加推究，羲與中書侍郎蕭至忠密申保護。及羲監修《中宗實錄》，自書其事，睿宗覽而大加賞嘆，賜物三百段、良馬一匹，仍下制書褒美之。時羲兄獻為國子司業，弟翔為陝州刺史，休為商州刺史，從族兄弟子侄，因羲引用登清要者數十人。羲嘆曰：「物極則返，可以懼矣！」然竟不能有所抑退。尋遷侍中。先天元年，坐預太平公主謀逆伏誅，籍沒其家。

Changqian's son Xi served as magistrate of Guangwu during the Chang'an era and was known for his ability. Empress Wu once ordered each chancellor to recommend someone fit for a vice directorship. Wei Sili, vice minister of the Phoenix Pavilion, recommended Xi but added in his memorial, "My regret is that his paternal uncle Changqian was condemned for treason—a stain that weighs against him. Empress Wu said, "If he has talent and ability, what matter a minor blemish? Xi was thereupon appointed vice director of the Celestial Office. Through their connection as close associates, they too entered the Secretariat in turn: Liu Shouti, magistrate of Dengfeng, became vice director of the Gate Office, and Pei Min, magistrate of Weinan, became vice director of the Earth Office. Earlier, when Xi had served as magistrate of Jintan, Shouti and Min had praised his upright character. Xi was known as an accomplished literary official. All three were recommended by inspection commissioners and appointed magistrates in the capital region; later they served together as masters of writing, and each earned a fine reputation. Shouti later became prefect of Shaan Province, and Min became prefect of Hang Prefecture. At the beginning of the Shenlong era, Xi served as drafting secretary of the Secretariat-Chancellery. At the time Wu Sansi held sway at court. Palace Attendant Jing Hui wished to submit a memorial asking that the Wu princes be stripped of their royal titles, and sought someone to draft the memorial. Everyone feared Sansi and begged off; none dared to write it. Xi took up the brush himself, and his language was sharp and unsparing. This offended Sansi. Xi was transferred to vice director of the Secretariat and later promoted to vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel. At the time Cui Shi, vice minister of personnel; Zheng Yin, vice director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices; and Li Yuangong, vice director of the Court of Judicial Review, shared control of appointments. All were notorious for taking bribes, but Xi held most firmly to rectitude, and public opinion praised him. Soon he was given the additional titles silver purple-gleam grand master of splendid happiness, right regular attendant, and third rank, participating with the Secretariat-Chancellery. When Emperor Ruizong took the throne, Xi was sent out to serve as prefect of Shaan Province. He again served in turn as minister of punishments and minister of revenue, held third rank in the Chancellery, directed compilation of the national history, revised the codes and statutes, and also worked on the 《Genealogical Records》. Earlier, during Emperor Zhongzong's reign, investigating censor Ran Zuyong falsely accused Emperor Ruizong and Princess Taiping of plotting with Crown Prince Jiemin and asked that the matter be pursued to the end. Xi and vice minister of the Secretariat Xiao Zhizhong secretly intervened on their behalf. When Xi, as director of the 《Veritable Records of Emperor Zhongzong》, recorded the affair himself, Emperor Ruizong read the account and was deeply moved. He rewarded Xi with three hundred bolts of goods and a fine horse, and issued an edict praising him. At the time Xi's elder brother Xian was vice director of the Directorate of Education; his younger brothers Xiang and Xiu were prefects of Shaan and Shang respectively; and several dozen kinsmen—brothers, sons, and nephews—won prestigious posts through Xi's patronage. Xi sighed and said, "When things reach their height they turn—there is reason to fear! Yet in the end he could not bring himself to restrain or dismiss any of them. Soon he was promoted to chief attendant. In the first year of Xiantian he was executed for taking part in Princess Taiping's conspiracy, and his family's property was confiscated.

格輔元者，汴州浚儀人也。伯父德仁，隋剡縣丞，與同郡人齊王文學王孝逸、文林郎繁師玄、羅川郡戶曹靖君亮、司隸從事鄭祖咸、宣城縣長鄭師善、王世充中書舍人李行簡、處士盧協等八人，以辭學擅名，當時號為「陳留八俊」。輔元弱冠舉明經，歷遷御史大夫、地官尚書、同鳳閣鸞台平章事。初，張嘉福等請立武承嗣也，則天以問輔元，固稱不可，遂為承嗣所譖而死，海內冤之。輔元兄希元，高宗時洛州司法參軍，章懷太子召令與洗馬劉訥言等註解范曄《後漢書》，行於代。先輔元卒。

Ge Fuyuan was a native of Junyi in Bian Prefecture. His father's elder brother Deren had served Sui as assistant magistrate of Yan County. Together with seven others from the same commandery who were famed for literary accomplishment—Wang Xiaoyi, literary instructor to the Prince of Qi; Fan Shixuan, gentleman of the Forest of Letters; Jing Junliang, registrar of households in Luochuan Commandery; Zheng Zuxian, clerk of the inspectorate; Zheng Shishan, district magistrate of Xuancheng; Li Xingjian, drafting secretary to Wang Shichong; and the recluse Lu Xie—they were known in their day as the "Eight Worthies of Chenliu." Fuyuan passed the Mingjing examination at coming of age and rose through successive posts to censor-in-chief, minister of the Earth Office, and grand councillor of the Phoenix Pavilion-Phoenix Terrace. Earlier, when Zhang Jiafu and others asked that Wu Chengsi be made heir, Empress Wu consulted Fuyuan, who firmly declared it impossible. Chengsi then slandered him to his death, and the empire regarded it as a grievous injustice. Fuyuan's elder brother Xiyuan served under Emperor Gaozong as legal assistant in Luozhou. Crown Prince Zhanghuai summoned him to join palace steward Liu Nayan and others in annotating Fan Ye's 《Book of the Later Han》, which circulated widely in their day. He died before Fuyuan.

杜正倫，相州洹水人也。隋仁壽中，與兄正玄、正藏俱以秀才擢第。隋代舉秀才止十餘人，正倫一家有三秀才，甚為當時稱美。正倫善屬文，深明釋典。仕隋為羽騎尉。武德中，歷遷齊州總管府錄事參軍。太宗聞其名，令直秦府文學館。貞觀元年，尚書右丞魏徵表薦正倫，以為古今難匹，遂擢授兵部員外郎。太宗謂曰：「朕今令舉行能之人，非朕獨私於行能者，以其能益於百姓也。朕於宗親及以勳舊無行能者，終不任之。以卿忠直，朕今舉卿，卿宜勉稱所舉。」二年，拜給事中，兼知起居注。太宗嘗謂侍臣曰：「朕每日坐朝，欲出一言，即思此言於百姓有利益否，所以不能多言。」正倫進曰：「君舉必書，言存左右史。臣職當修起居注，不敢不盡愚直。陛下若一言乖於道理，則千載累於聖德，非直當今損於百姓，願陛下慎之。」太宗大悅，賜絹二百段。

Du Zhenglun was a native of Huanshui in Xiang Prefecture. During Sui's Renshou era he and his elder brothers Zhengxuan and Zhengcang all passed the Presented Scholar examination. In Sui times only a dozen or so men were chosen as presented scholars; the Zhenglun household alone produced three, a feat much admired in their day. Zhenglun was skilled at literary composition and deeply versed in Buddhist scripture. Under Sui he served as a feathered cavalry guard. During the Wude era he rose through successive posts to registrar in the area command of Qizhou. When Emperor Taizong heard of him, he had him posted to the Literary Hall of the Prince of Qin's mansion. In the first year of Zhenguan, Wei Zheng, vice director of the left department of the Ministry of State, recommended Zhenglun as a man without equal in any age, and he was promoted to vice minister of war. Emperor Taizong told him, "I am now promoting men of conduct and ability—not because I favor such men for my own sake, but because their ability can benefit the people. Kinsmen and old companions who lack conduct and ability—I will never appoint them. Because you are loyal and upright, I promote you now. You must strive to prove worthy of the recommendation. In the second year he was appointed palace gentry attendant and placed in charge of the Daily Records. Emperor Taizong once told his attending ministers, "Each day in court, before I speak I ask whether my words will benefit the people. That is why I speak so little. Zhenglun stepped forward and said, "A ruler's every act is recorded; his words are kept by the left and right historiographers. It is my duty to keep the Daily Records, and I dare not withhold my plainest counsel. If Your Majesty speaks one word against reason, it will stain your sacred virtue for a thousand years—not merely harm the people today. I beg Your Majesty to be careful. Emperor Taizong was greatly pleased and granted him two hundred bolts of silk.

四年，累遷中書侍郎。六年，正倫與御史大夫韋挺、秘書少監虞世南、著作郎姚思廉等咸上封事稱旨，太宗為之設宴，因謂曰：「朕歷觀自古人臣立忠之事，若值明王，便得盡誠規諫，至如龍逢、比干，竟不免孥戮。為君不易，為臣極難。我又聞龍可擾而馴，然喉下有逆鱗，觸之則殺人。人主亦有逆鱗，卿等遂不避犯觸，各進封事。常能如此，朕豈慮有危亡哉！我思卿等此意，豈能暫忘？故聊設宴樂也。」仍並賜帛有差。尋加散騎常侍，行太子右庶子，兼崇賢館學士。太宗謂曰：「國之儲副，自古所重，必擇善人為之輔佐。今太子年在幼沖，志意未定，朕若朝夕見之，可得隨事誡約。今既委以監國，不在目前，知卿志懷貞愨，能敦直道，故輒輟卿於朕，以匡太子，宜知委任輕重也。」十年，復授中書侍郎，賜爵南陽縣侯，仍兼太子左庶子。正倫出入兩宮，參典機密，甚以干理稱。時太子承乾有足疾，不能朝謁，好暱近群小。太宗謂正倫曰：「我兒疾病，乃可事也。但全無令譽，不聞愛賢好善，私所引接，多是小人，卿可察之。若教示不得，須來告我。」正倫數諫不納，乃以太宗語告之，承乾抗表聞奏。太宗謂正倫曰：「何故漏洩我語？」對曰：「開導不入，故以陛下語嚇之，冀其有懼，或當反善。」帝怒，出為谷州刺史，又左授交州都督。後承乾構逆，事與侯君集相連，稱遣君集將金帶遺正倫，由是配流驩州。顯慶元年，累授黃門侍郎，兼崇賢館學士，尋同中書門下三品。二年，兼度支尚書，仍依舊知政事。俄拜中書令，兼太子賓客、弘文館學士，進封襄陽縣公。三年，坐與中書令李義府不協，出為橫州刺史，仍削其封邑。尋卒。有集十捲行於代。

In the fourth year he rose through successive posts to vice minister of the Secretariat. In the sixth year Zhenglun, together with censor-in-chief Wei Ting, vice director of the Secretariat Yu Shinan, director of the Bureau of Compilation Yao Silian, and others, submitted sealed memorials that pleased the emperor. Taizong held a feast for them and said, "I have read how ministers through the ages gave loyal service: when they met an enlightened ruler they could remonstrate with full honesty—yet even Longfeng and Bi Gan were not spared execution along with their families. To be a ruler is not easy; to be a minister is exceedingly hard. I have also heard that a dragon can be tamed and made tractable, yet beneath its throat lies a reverse scale—touch it, and it kills. A sovereign too has his reverse scale, yet you did not shrink from touching it—each of you submitted a sealed memorial. If you can always be like this, why should I fear ruin! When I think of what you have done, how could I forget it even for a moment? That is why I have set out this feast and music. He also granted each of them silk in varying amounts. Soon he was given the additional post of regular attendant, served as acting right assistant to the heir apparent, and was made a scholar of the Hall of Venerating Worthies. Emperor Taizong told him, "The heir to the state has been valued since antiquity, and good men must be chosen to assist him. The crown prince is still young and his mind is unsettled. If I saw him morning and evening, I could counsel and restrain him as occasions arose. Now that he has been entrusted with overseeing the state and is no longer before my eyes, knowing your intent to be upright and sincere and that you can uphold the straight path, I take you from my side to guide the crown prince. You should understand how weighty this commission is. In the tenth year he was again appointed vice minister of the Secretariat, enfeoffed as marquis of Nanyang County, and still served concurrently as left assistant to the heir apparent. Zhenglun moved between the two palaces, took part in confidential affairs, and was much praised for his practical competence. At the time Crown Prince Chenggan had a foot ailment and could not attend court audiences; he liked to keep company with petty men. Emperor Taizong told Zhenglun, "My son's illness is a tolerable matter. But he has no fine reputation at all. I hear nothing of love for the worthy or delight in good; those he privately keeps near are mostly petty men. You must keep watch. If instruction fails, you must come and tell me. Zhenglun remonstrated repeatedly but was not heeded; he then told Chenggan what the emperor had said, and Chenggan submitted a defiant memorial reporting the matter to the throne. Emperor Taizong said to Zhenglun, "Why did you leak my words? He replied, "Counsel would not enter, so I used Your Majesty's words to frighten him, hoping he would feel fear and perhaps turn back to good. The emperor was angry and sent him out as prefect of Gu Province, then demoted him further to area commander of Jiao Region. Later, when Chenggan plotted treason, the affair was linked with Hou Junji. It was said that Chenggan had sent Junji to present a gold belt to Zhenglun, and for this Zhenglun was sentenced to exile in Huan Prefecture. In the first year of Xianqing he rose through successive appointments to vice director of the Gate, concurrently a scholar of the Hall of Venerating Worthies, and soon third rank, participating with the Secretariat-Chancellery. In the second year he concurrently served as minister of revenue while continuing to participate in state affairs as before. Soon he was appointed grand secretary, concurrently guest of the heir apparent and scholar of the Hall for Advancing Literature, and advanced in enfeoffment to duke of Xiangyang County. In the third year, for falling out with Grand Secretary Li Yifu, he was sent out as prefect of Heng Prefecture and his fief was reduced. He died soon after. His collected works, in ten scroll volumes, circulated in his day.

史臣曰：王珪履正不回，忠讜無比，君臣時命，胥會於茲。《易》曰：「自天祐之，吉無不利。」叔玠有焉。戴胄兩朝仕官，一乃心力，刑無僭濫，事有箴規。雖學術不能求備，而匡益自可濟時，亦所謂巧於任大矣。文本文傾江海，忠貫雪霜，申慈父之冤，匡明主之業，及委繁劇，俄致暴終。《書》曰：「小心翼翼，昭事上帝。」所謂憂能傷人，不復永年矣。洎羲而下，登清要者數十人。積善之道，焉可忽諸？正倫以能文被舉，以直道見委，參典機密，出入兩宮，斯謂得時。然被承乾金帶之譏，孰與夫薏苡之謗，士大夫慎之。

The historian writes: Wang Gui walked upright and never swerved; his loyalty and forthrightness were without parallel—ruler and minister, timing and destiny, all converged here. The Book of Changes says, "Heaven's blessing brings good fortune without fail. In Shujie this was fulfilled. Dai Zhou served through two reigns with single-minded devotion: punishments knew no excess, and in affairs he offered counsel and restraint. Though his learning could not be made complete, the good he did could still serve the age—this too is what is meant by skill in bearing great responsibility. Wenben's prose rivaled rivers and seas; his loyalty pierced frost and snow. He vindicated his affectionate father's wrong, upheld the enlightened sovereign's enterprise—and once burdened with heavy and urgent duties, he soon met a sudden end. The Book of Documents says, "Be cautious and careful in serving the Lord on High. So it is said that worry can wear a man down—he did not live to old age. From Xi downward, several dozen kinsmen reached prestigious posts. The way of accumulating good—how can it be neglected? Zhenglun was promoted for his literary talent, entrusted for his upright conduct, took part in confidential affairs, and moved between the two palaces—this was finding his moment. Yet he fell under the shadow of Chenggan's gold belt—what difference from the calumny of barley seed? Let gentlemen take heed.

贊曰：五靈嘉瑞，出系汙隆。人中麟鳳，王、戴諸公。動必由禮，言皆匡躬。獻規納諫，貞觀之風。

Eulogy: The five divine auspicious portents appear tied to the rise and fall of the age. Unicorns and phoenixes among men—Lords Wang, Dai, and their fellows. In action they always followed ritual; in speech they always corrected themselves. Offering counsel and accepting remonstrance—the spirit of the Zhenguan reign.

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