1
趙憬，字退翁，天水隴西人也。 總章中吏部侍郎、同東西臺三品仁本之曾孫。 祖諠歷左司郎中。 父道先，洪州錄事參軍。
Zhao Jing (styled Tuoweng) was from Longxi in Tianshui. He was the great-grandson of Renben, who in the Zongzhang period had been Vice Director of the Ministry of Personnel and Co-equal Commissioner of the Third Rank for the Eastern and Western Offices. His grandfather Chan had held the post of Director in the Left Bureau. His father Daoxian had served as Registrar Clerk in Hongzhou.
2
憬少好學，誌行修潔，不求聞達。 寶應中，玄宗、肅宗梓宮未祔，有司議山陵制度。 時西蕃入寇，天下饑饉，憬以褐衣上疏，宜遵儉制，時人稱之。 後連為州從事，試江夏尉。 累遷監察御史，隨牒籓府，歷殿中侍御史、太子舍人。 居母憂，哀毀幾絕。 服除，建中初，擢授水部員外郎。 未拜，會湖南觀察使李承請為副使、檢校工部郎中，充職。 歲餘，承卒，遂知留後事。 尋授潭州刺史、兼御史中丞、湖南觀察使，仍賜金紫。 居二歲，受代歸京師，闔門靜居，不與人交。 久之，特召對於別殿。 憬多學問，有辭辯，敷奏稱旨，上悅，拜給事中。
From youth Jing devoted himself to learning; his ambitions and conduct were scrupulous, and he sought no renown. During the Baoying era, Xuanzong's and Suzong's remains had not yet been laid in the imperial tombs, and the authorities debated the proper ceremonial arrangements. With Tibetans raiding the west and famine spreading across the empire, Jing submitted a memorial in plain dress calling for strict economy in the tomb project, earning widespread praise. He went on to serve as aide in several prefectures and was appointed acting magistrate of Jiangxia. Rising to Supervising Censor, he served on a frontier commissionerate staff and later became Palace Attending Censor and Mentor in the Heir Apparent's household. During mourning for his mother, his grief was so severe that he nearly died from it. After the mourning period, in the early Jianzhong period he was promoted to Vice Director of the Ministry of Works. Before he could take office, Li Cheng, Military Governor of Hunan, asked to have him as deputy and Acting Director of the Ministry of Works, and he served in that capacity. A year later Cheng died, and Jing assumed charge of the governorship as acting commander. Shortly afterward he was made Prefect of Tan, concurrently Censor-in-Chief and Military Governor of Hunan, and was awarded the gold-and-purple regalia. After two years he was replaced and returned to the capital, where he lived quietly at home and kept company with no one. After some time he was specially summoned to an audience in a side hall. Jing was learned and articulate; his presentations at court pleased the emperor, who appointed him Drafting Attendant.
3
貞元四年，回紇請結和親。 詔以鹹安公主降回紇，命檢校右僕射關播充使。 憬以本官兼御史中丞為副。 前後使回紇者，多私賫繒絮，蕃中市馬回以規利。 憬一無所市，人嘆美之。 使還，遷尚書左丞，綱轄省務，清勤奉職。 竇參為宰相，惡其能，請出為同州刺史，上不從。
In the fourth year of Zhenyuan (788) the Uyghurs sought a marriage alliance. The court decreed that Princess Xian'an be given in marriage to the Uyghurs and appointed Acting Right Vice Director Guan Bo chief envoy. Jing served as deputy envoy in his regular post, concurrently as Censor-in-Chief. Previous envoys to the Uyghurs had often carried private loads of silk to trade for horses at the frontier markets for personal gain. Jing bought nothing on the journey, and the public admired him for it. When he returned he was promoted to Left Vice Director of the Ministry of Revenue, where he managed departmental affairs with scrupulous diligence. Chief Minister Dou Can, resenting Jing's talent, asked that he be sent out as Prefect of Tongzhou, but the emperor refused.
4
八年四月，竇參罷黜，憬與陸贄並拜中書侍郎、同中書門下平章事。 憬深於理道，常言：「為政之本，在於選賢能，務節儉，薄賦斂，寬刑罰。」 對揚之際，必以此為言，乃獻《審官六議》曰：
In the fourth month of the eighth year (792) Dou Can was removed from office, and Jing and Lu Zhi were both made Vice Directors of the Secretariat and Grand Councilors. Jing was steeped in statecraft and often said that the foundation of rule lay in choosing able men, practicing frugality, easing tax burdens, and tempering punishments. Whenever he addressed the throne he returned to these themes, and he submitted his 'Six Discussions on Examining Officials.'
5
臣謬登宰府，四年於茲，恭承德音，未嘗不以求賢為切。 至於延薦，職在愚臣，雖當代天之工，且乏知人之鑒； 漸積歲月，負於聖明，無補王猷，有妨賢路。 況多疾恙，兼慮闕遺，頃奉表章，備陳肝膈。 陛下以臣性拙直，身病可矜，不棄孱微，尚加委任。 自此思省，報效尤難，莫副堯、舜之心，空懷屍素之懼。 伏惟陛下法象應期，聖神廣運，雲行雨施，皆發自然，訓誥典謨，悉經睿覽。 臣所以不敢援引古昔，上煩天聰，且以用人之要，願伸鄙見。 復念稽顙丹陛，仰對宸嚴，謇訥易窮，遽數難辯，理詳則塵瀆頗甚，言略則利害未宣。 若默以求容，茍而竊位，縱天地之仁幸免，而中外之責何逃！ 非陛下用臣之意也。 其所欲言者，皆陛下聖慮之內。 臣以頂戴恩造，不知所為，身被風毒，漸覺沈痼，是以勤勤懇懇，切於愚誠也。
I have held a seat in the council for four years now; receiving Your Majesty's enlightened guidance, I have always made the search for talent my foremost duty. Yet the duty of recommending men falls to me; though I bear the burdens of the age, I lack the eye to judge character. Month after month I have fallen short of Your Majesty's expectations, contributed nothing to state policy, and blocked the way for able men. I am moreover afflicted with many ailments and fear I have overlooked much; I recently submitted a memorial laying bare my heart. Your Majesty, seeing my blunt honesty and pitying my illness, did not cast me aside but continued to entrust me with office. Since then I have reflected that it is all the harder to repay your grace; I cannot equal the sages Yao and Shun, and I live in dread of occupying my post without merit. Your Majesty's rule answers to the seasons, your sacred intelligence ranges far and wide; your beneficent acts flow as naturally as rain from clouds, and every edict and classic model has received your sage scrutiny. I therefore dare not weary Your Majesty with citations from antiquity, but wish to offer a modest view on what matters in the appointment of officials. I recall too how, prostrate on the palace steps and facing the throne, halting speech soon fails and hasty listing is hard to follow; if I am thorough I weary Your Majesty, if I am brief I leave the stakes unclear. If I sought only to please by silence or clung to office unworthily, even heaven's mercy might spare me, but how could I escape censure at court and in the provinces! That is not why Your Majesty keeps me in office. What I mean to say is already within Your Majesty's own sage understanding. Bearing Your Majesty's grace upon my head, I scarcely know what to do; wind toxins afflict my body and my illness grows worse—hence this earnest plea from an honest but limited man.
6
臣聞貞觀、開元之際，宰輔論事，或多上書，所冀獲盡情理。 今臣酌前代之損益，體當時之通變，謹獻《審官六議》，伏惟閑宴時賜省覽。
In the Zhenguan and Kaiyuan periods, chief ministers often memorialized in writing when they discussed policy, so that every aspect of a question could be laid out. I have now weighed the lessons of earlier dynasties against the needs of our own time and respectfully submit the 'Six Discussions,' begging Your Majesty to read them at your leisure.
7
其大指，議相，則曰：「宜博采眾賢，用為輔弼。 今中外知其賢者，伏願陛下用之，識其能者任之，求其全材，恐不可得。」
On the chief minister, its gist is this: 'The throne should draw widely on worthy men and employ them as counselors. For every man known at court or in the provinces to be worthy, I beg Your Majesty to use him; recognize ability and assign office; to demand a flawless candidate may be impossible.'
8
議進用庶官，則曰：「異同之論，是非難辨。 由考課難於實效，好惡雜於眾聲，所以訪之彌多，得之彌少。 選士古今為難，拔十得五，賢愚猶半。 陛下謂臣曰：『何必五也？ 十得二三斯可矣！』 聖主思賢至是，而宰臣不能進之，臣之罪也。 進賢在於廣任用，明殿最，舉大節，棄其小瑕，隨其所能，試之以事，用人之大綱也。」
On promoting ordinary officials, it says: 'Where opinions clash, merit and fault are hard to tell apart. Because performance reviews rarely match reality and private likes and dislikes color public rumor, the more one investigates, the fewer true men one finds. Choosing officials has always been hard; even if one in ten proves sound, worthy and unworthy may still be evenly mixed. Your Majesty once said to me: 'Why insist on half?' If two or three in ten are sound, that is enough! When the Son of Heaven longs for talent to this degree yet his chief minister cannot supply it, the fault is mine. To advance talent one must appoint widely, judge by major achievements, prize great integrity, overlook minor flaws, assign men according to capacity, and test them in office—that is the broad policy of appointment.'
9
議京諸司闕官，則曰：「當今要官多闕，閑官十無一二。 文武任用，資序遞遷，要官本以材行，閑官多由恩澤。 朝廷或將任，多擬要官則人少闕多，閑官則人多闕少； 明當選拔者轉少，在優容者轉多，宜補闕員，務育材用。 大廈永固，是棟梁榱桷之全也； 聖朝致理，亦庶官群吏之能也。」
On vacancies in the capital ministries, it says: 'Today many key posts are unfilled, while sinecures number scarcely one in ten. Civil and military officers rise by seniority; important posts ought to go by ability and character, but idle posts are largely filled by patronage. When the court prepares an appointment, naming an important post leaves few candidates for many vacancies, while naming a sinecure leaves many candidates for few openings. Men clearly qualified for promotion grow fewer, while those merely indulged grow more; vacancies should be filled and talent cultivated for service. A great hall endures because every beam, rafter, and bracket is in place. When the dynasty achieves good government, it likewise rests on the capacity of the whole corps of officials.'
10
議中外考課官，則曰：「漢以數易長吏，謂之弊政。 其有能理者，輒增秩賜金，或八九年、十余年，乃入為九卿，或遷三輔。 功績茂異，遂至丞相，其間不隔數官。 今陛下內選庶僚，外委州府，課績高者，不次超升，致理之法，無逾於此。 臣愚以為黜陟且立年限，若所居要重，未當遷移，就加爵秩。 其余進退，令知褒貶之必應，遲速之有常。 如課績在中，年考及限，與之平轉。 中外叠處，歷試其能，使無茍且之心，又無滯淹之慮。」
On performance review for capital and provincial officials, it says: 'The Han often replaced long-serving local magistrates, which was regarded as a flawed practice. When a man governed well, they promptly raised his rank and granted gold; some after eight, nine, or more than ten years entered the Nine Ministers or were moved to the metropolitan districts. Men of outstanding achievement could rise even to chief minister without many steps between. Today Your Majesty chooses subordinates at court and delegates the provinces; those with outstanding records are promoted ahead of schedule—no better method of good government exists. I would add that promotion and demotion should follow fixed terms; if a man holds a crucial post and should not yet be transferred, let his rank and title be increased in place. For all others, let advancement and retirement proceed so that men know reward and censure will follow, and that pace has its rule. If a man's review is middling and his term is complete, transfer him in the ordinary course. Let him serve in successive posts at court and in the provinces, testing his ability, so that he neither grows complacent nor languishes in place.'
11
議舉遺滯，則曰：「官司既廣，必委宰輔以舉之； 宰輔不能遍知，又詢於庶官； 庶官不能遍知，又訪於眾人。 眾聲囂然，互有臧否，十人舉之未信，一人毀之可疑，迨至於今，茲弊未改。 其所以然者，非盡為愛憎也，苦於不審實而承聲言之。 大凡常人之心，以稱人之善為清，以攻人之過為直，茍有除授，多生橫議。 由是宰臣每將薦用，亦自重難，日往月來，未副聖意。 宜須采聽時論，以所舉多者先用，必非大故，皆不棄之。」
On recommending overlooked talent, it says: 'Because the bureaucracy is vast, the throne must rely on chief ministers to nominate men. Chief ministers cannot know every candidate; they must also consult lower officials. Lower officials cannot know everyone either; they turn to wider opinion. Public rumor swells with conflicting praise and blame; ten recommendations still fail to convince, one slander raises doubt—and to this day the abuse persists. The cause is not always personal favor or spite; men repeat hearsay because facts are never verified. Ordinary men think it refined to praise others and blunt to attack their faults; whenever a new appointment is made, reckless objections multiply. Hence chief ministers hesitate before recommending anyone; day after day they fall short of Your Majesty's intent. The court should heed current opinion and appoint first those most widely recommended; unless the fault is grave, no nominee should be cast aside.'
12
議擢用諸使府僚屬，則曰：「諸使辟吏，各自精求，務於得人，將重府望。 既經試效，能否可知，擢其賢能，置之朝列。 或曰外使須才，固不可奪。 臣知必不然也。 屬者使府賓介，每有登朝，本使殊以為榮，自喜知人，且明公選。 大凡才能之士，名位未達，多在方鎮。 日月在上，誰不知之，思登闕庭，如望霄漢，宜須博采，無宜久滯。」 上優詔答之。
On promoting staff from military commissionerates, it says: 'Each commissioner recruits his own staff with care, seeking able men to strengthen his headquarters. After trial in office their merit is known; raise the able among them to posts at court. Some object that frontier commissioners need talent and must not be stripped of staff. I know that is not so. When commissionerate staff entered court service, their former chief took pride in it, glad to have recognized talent and to see the public selection vindicated. As a rule, able men whose names have not yet risen are found chiefly in the provinces. The throne shines as the sun and moon—who does not see it? They yearn for court as men gaze at the heavens; the court should gather them widely and not leave them long in the provinces. The emperor responded with a gracious edict of approval.
13
時吏部侍郎杜黃裳為中貴讒譖及他過犯，御史中丞穆贊、京兆少尹韋武、萬年縣令李宣、長安令盧雲，皆為裴延齡構陷，將加斥逐。 憬保護救解之，故多從輕貶。
At that time Du Huangxiang, Vice Director of the Ministry of Personnel, was slandered by palace eunuchs and charged with other offenses; Censor-in-Chief Mu Zan, Junior Vice Director of the Metropolitan Prefecture Wei Wu, Magistrate of Wannian Li Xuan, and Magistrate of Chang'an Lu Yun were all framed by Pei Yanling and faced dismissal. Jing intervened to protect them, so most received only mild demotion.
14
初，憬廉察湖南，令狐峘、崔儆並為巡屬刺史。 峘嘗歷中書舍人、禮部侍郎，儆久在朝列，所為或虧法令，憬每以正道制之。 峘、儆密遣人數憬罪狀，毀之於朝。 及憬為相，拔儆自大理卿為尚書右丞，峘先貶官為別駕，又擢為吉州刺史，時人多之。
Earlier, when Jing served as inspector of Hunan, Linghu Yan and Cui Yi had both been touring prefects on his staff. Yan had served as Drafting Attendant and Vice Director of Rites; Yi had long held court office; when either overstepped the law, Jing checked him with upright counsel. Yan and Yi secretly sent men to denounce Jing repeatedly and slandered him at court. When Jing became chief minister he raised Yi from Director of Judicial Review to Right Vice Director of Revenue, and Yan, though earlier demoted, to Prefect of Ji—acts widely praised.
15
憬與陸贄同知政事。 贄恃久在禁庭，特承恩顧，以國政為己任，才周歲，轉憬為門下侍郎。 憬由是深銜之，數以目疾請告，不甚當政事，因是不相協。 裴延齡奸詐恣睢，滿朝側目。 憬初與贄約於上前論之，及延英奏對，贄極言延齡奸邪誑誕之狀，不可任用。 德宗不悅，形於顏色。 憬默然無言，由是罷贄平章事，而憬當國矣。
Jing and Lu Zhi shared governmental authority. Zhi, having long served in the inner palace, enjoyed special favor and treated state affairs as his own charge; within a year he moved Jing to Vice Director of the Chancellery. Jing deeply resented this; he repeatedly pleaded eye trouble and stayed away from office, so the two ceased to work in harmony. Pei Yanling was cunning, fraudulent, and domineering; the entire court watched him with distaste. Jing had first agreed with Zhi to denounce Yanling before the emperor; at the Yanchi audience Zhi spoke at length of Yanling's fraud and insisted he must not be employed. Emperor Dezong was displeased, and his displeasure showed on his face. Jing remained silent; for this Zhi was dismissed as Grand Councilor, and Jing alone directed the government.
16
時宰相賈耽、盧邁與憬三人。 十二年春正月，耽、邁皆有假，故憬獨對於延英。 上問曰：「近日起居註記何事？」 憬對曰：「古者左史記言，人君動止，有實言隨即記錄，起居註是也。 國朝永徽中，起居唯得對仗承旨，仗下後謀議皆不得聞，其記註唯編制敕，更無他事。 所以長壽中姚璹知政事，以為親承德音謨訓，若不宣旨，宰相、史官無以得書。 璹請宰相一人記錄所論軍國政事，謂之時政記，每月送史館。 既而時政記又廢。」 上曰：「君舉必書，義存勸誡。 既嘗有時政記，宰臣宜依故事為之。」 無何，憬卒，時政記亦不行。
At that time the chief ministers were Jia Dan, Lu Mai, and Jing. In the first month of the twelfth year (796) Dan and Mai were both on leave, so Jing alone faced the emperor at Yanchi. The emperor asked: 'What have the Daily Records recorded of late? Jing answered: 'In antiquity the left historiographer recorded the ruler's words; whatever the sovereign actually said was entered at once—that is the Daily Record. Under our dynasty, from the Yonghui period onward, recorders heard only what was announced during formal audiences; deliberations afterward went unrecorded, and the Daily Record compiled only edicts, with no other business. Hence in the Changshou period, when Yao Chong held power, he argued that because he personally received the emperor's instructions, unless they were proclaimed, chief ministers and historiographers could not record them. Yao Chong asked that a chief minister record deliberations on military and civil affairs in a "Current-Affairs Record" sent monthly to the Historiography Office. Before long the practice was abandoned again.' The emperor said: "A ruler's acts must be recorded—that is how admonition and example are preserved. Since the Current-Affairs Record had existed before, the chief ministers should revive it according to precedent." Soon afterward Jing died, and the Current-Affairs Record was never implemented.
17
憬特承恩顧，性清儉，雖為宰輔，居第仆使，類貧士大夫之家，所得俸入，先置私廟，而竟不立第舍田產。
Jing enjoyed special imperial favor yet lived plainly; though a chief minister, his household staff resembled a poor scholar's; he devoted his salary first to his family shrine and never built a mansion or acquired estates.
18
其年八月，遇暴疾，信宿而卒，時年六十一。 子元亮進憬遺表草曰：「臣叨荷聖慈，竊塵臺鼎，年序頗久，績用無聞，負乘之敗已彰，覆餗之咎俄及。 而天與之疾，福過生災，自今日卯時以來，稍加困重，針灸不及，藥餌奚施。 奄然遊魂，終當就木，冥冥殘喘，豈忍辭天！ 號呼涕零，側息心斷，反風結草，誓報深恩，雖死猶生，豈孤素願。 無任感恩，嗚咽痛恨之至。」 德宗尤悼惜之，廢朝三日，冊贈太子太傅，賻帛五百端、米粟四百石，令鴻臚卿王權充冊吊使。
In the eighth month of that year he fell suddenly ill and died within two days, at the age of sixty-one. His son Yuanliang presented Jing's draft memorial: "I have undeservedly held a seat at court for many years without merit; my failures are plain, and calamity has overtaken me. Heaven has sent this illness; since the hour of mao today my condition has worsened; neither needle nor drug avails. My spirit must soon depart; how can I bear to leave Your Majesty's grace! I weep and call upon heaven, praying that even in death I may repay your deep kindness and not betray my lifelong devotion. I cannot express my gratitude and grief. Emperor Dezong mourned him deeply, closed court for three days, posthumously enfeoffed him as Grand Tutor of the Heir Apparent, granted five hundred bolts of silk and four hundred shi of grain, and sent Director Wang Quan as condolence envoy.
19
元亮官至左司郎中、侍御史知雜事卒。 次子全亮，官至侍御史、桂管防禦判官。 元亮兄宣亮、弟承亮，皆以門廕授官。
Yuanliang rose to Director of the Left Bureau and died while serving as Attending Censor in charge of miscellaneous matters. The second son Quanliang became Attending Censor and Defense Judge on the Guiguan staff. Yuanliang's elder brother Xuanliang and younger brother Chengliang all entered office by hereditary privilege.
20
韋倫，開元、天寶中朔方節度使光乘之子。 少以廕累授藍田縣尉。 以吏事勤恪，楊國忠署為鑄錢內作使判官。 國忠恃權寵，又邀名稱，多征諸州縣農人令鑄錢。 農夫既非本色工匠，被所由抑令就役，多遭箠罰，人不聊生。 倫白國忠曰：「鑄錢須得本色人，今抑百姓農人為之，尤費力無功，人且興謗。 請厚懸市估價，募工曉者為之。」 由是役使減少，而益鑄錢之數。 天寶末，宮內土木之功無虛日，內作人吏因緣為奸，倫乃躬親閱視，省費減倍。 改大理評事。
Wei Lun was the son of Guangcheng, Military Governor of Shuofang under Xuanzong. In youth he received office by privilege as magistrate of Lantian. For diligent service in clerical work, Yang Guozhong appointed him judge on the Inner Coinage Commission. Guozhong abused his power and sought renown by conscripting farmers from many prefectures to cast coin. These men were not trained artisans; forced into service by local officials, many were beaten, and the people were driven to destitution. Lun told Guozhong: "Coinage requires skilled craftsmen; forcing farmers into the work wastes labor, yields little, and will breed resentment. Set a fair market wage and hire skilled workers instead. Corvée labor fell while coin output rose. Late in Tianbao, palace construction never ceased; inner-work clerks profited by fraud until Lun inspected in person and cut costs by half. He was promoted to Evaluator in the Court of Judicial Review.
21
會安祿山反，車駕幸蜀，拜倫監察御史、劍南節度行軍司馬，兼充置頓使判官，尋改屯田員外、兼侍御史。 時內官禁軍相次到蜀，所在侵暴，號為難理； 倫清儉，率身以化之，蜀川鹹賴其理。 竟遭中官毀譖，貶衡州司戶。 屬東都、河南並陷賊，漕運路絕，度支使第五琦薦倫有理能，拜商州刺史，充荊襄等道租庸使。 會襄州裨將康楚元、張嘉延聚眾為叛，兇黨萬余人，自稱東楚義王。 襄州刺史王政棄城遁走。 嘉延又南襲破江陵，漢、沔饋運阻絕，朝廷旰食。 倫乃調發兵甲駐鄧州界，兇黨有來降者，必厚加接待。 數日後，楚元眾頗怠，倫進軍擊之。 生擒楚元以獻，余眾悉走散，收租庸錢物僅二百萬貫，並不失墜。 荊、襄二州平。 詔除崔光遠為襄州節度使，征倫為衛尉卿。 旬日，又以本官兼寧州刺史、招討處置等使，尋又兼隴州刺史。
When An Lushan rebelled and the court fled to Shu, Lun was made Supervising Censor and marching sima on the Jiannan staff, then Vice Director of Revenue and Attending Censor. Inner eunuchs and palace troops followed the court to Shu and plundered wherever they went. Lun lived plainly and led by example until Sichuan was again governable. He was eventually slandered by palace eunuchs and demoted to Registrar in Hengzhou. When Luoyang and Henan fell and transport routes were severed, Di Wuqi recommended Lun and appointed him Prefect of Shang, charged with collecting rent and tax on the Jing-Xiang routes. Rebel leaders Kang Chuyuan and Zhang Jiayan of Xiangyang raised more than ten thousand men and styled themselves kings of Eastern Chu. Prefect Wang Zheng of Xiangyang abandoned the city and fled. Jiayan then seized Jiangling to the south, cutting grain routes on the Han and Mian; the court faced famine with growing alarm. Lun mobilized troops to the Dengzhou frontier and treated every surrender generously. Within days Chuyuan's men grew lax, and Lun attacked. He captured Chuyuan alive, dispersed the rest, and recovered nearly two million strings in tax goods without loss. Jing and Xiang were pacified. The court appointed Cui Guangyuan Military Governor of Xiang and recalled Lun as Director of the Court for Imperial Sacrifices. Ten days later he was also made Prefect of Ning and Pacification Commissioner, and soon Prefect of Long as well.
22
乾元三年，襄州大將張瑾殺節度使史翙作亂，乃以倫為襄州刺史、兼御史大夫、山南東道襄鄧等十州節度使。 時李輔國秉權用事，節將除拜，皆出其門。 倫既為朝廷公用，又不私謁輔國。 倫受命未行，改秦州刺史、兼御史中丞、本州防禦使。 時吐蕃、党項歲歲入寇，邊將奔命不暇。 倫至秦州，屢與虜戰。 兵寡無援，頻致敗衄，連貶巴州長史、思州務川縣尉。
In Qianyuan 3 (760) Zhang Jin killed Military Governor Shi Hui at Xiangyang; Lun was made Prefect of Xiang, Censor-in-Chief, and Military Governor of ten prefectures on the Shannan East route. Li Fuguo then dominated appointments; every frontier commission passed through his favor. Lun served the court's needs and refused private audiences with Fuguo. Before Lun could depart he was transferred to Prefect of Qin, concurrently Censor-in-Chief and Defense Commissioner. Tibetans and Dangxiang raided yearly; frontier generals could not keep pace. At Qin Lun fought the invaders repeatedly. Outnumbered and unsupported, he suffered repeated defeats and was demoted to secretary in Ba and warden in Wuchuan.
23
代宗即位，起為忠州刺史，歷臺、饒二州。 以中官呂太一於嶺南矯詔募兵為亂，乃以倫為韶州刺史、兼御史中丞、韶連柳三州都團練使。 竟遭太一用賂反間，貶信州司馬、虔州司戶、隋州司戶、隨州司馬。 遇赦，旅寓於洪州十數年。
Under Daizong he was restored to Prefect of Zhong and later governed Tai and Rao. When eunuch Lü Taiyi forged an edict to raise troops in Lingnan, Lun was made Prefect of Shao, Censor-in-Chief, and commander of Shao, Lian, and Liu. Taiyi bribed and slandered him until he was demoted through a series of minor posts in Xin, Qian, Sui, and Sui again. After an amnesty he lived as a guest in Hong for more than ten years.
24
德宗即位，選堪使絕域者，征倫拜太常少卿、兼御史中丞，持節充通和吐蕃使。 倫至蕃中，初宣諭皇恩，次述國威德遠振，蕃人大悅，贊普入獻方物。 使還，遷太常卿、兼御史大夫，加銀青光祿大夫。 再入吐蕃，奉使稱旨，西蕃敬服。 朝廷得失，數上疏言之。 又為宰相盧杞所惡，改太子少保，累加開府儀同三司。 涇師之亂，駕幸奉天。 及盧杞、白誌貞、趙贊等貶官，關播罷相為刑部尚書，倫於朝堂嗚咽而言曰：「宰相不能弼諧啟沃，使天下一至於此。 仍為尚書，天下何由致理？」 聞者敬憚之。 從駕梁州，還京，又欲擢用盧杞為饒州刺史。 倫又上表切言不可，深為忠正之士所稱嘆。 以年逾七十，表請休官，改太子少師致仕，封郢國公。 時李楚琳以僕射兼衛尉卿，李忠誠以尚書兼少府監，倫上言曰：「楚琳兇逆，忠誠蕃戎醜類，不合廁列清班。」 又表請置義倉以防水旱，擇賢良任之左右。 又言吐蕃必無信約，專須防備，不可輕易。 上每善遇之。
Dezong sought men fit for distant missions and summoned Lun as Vice Director of Sacrifices and Censor-in-Chief, envoy to Tibet. In Tibet he proclaimed imperial grace and the reach of Tang power; the Tibetans were pleased and the tsenpo sent tribute. On return he became Director of Sacrifices and Censor-in-Chief with the Silver-Green rank. A second mission to Tibet likewise pleased the court and won Tibetan respect. He repeatedly memorialized the throne on the court's strengths and failings. Chief Minister Lu Qi disliked him and moved him to Junior Tutor of the Heir Apparent, later adding Grand Master of the Palace. During the Jingzhou mutiny the emperor fled to Fengtian. When Lu Qi and others were demoted and Guan Bo was reduced to Minister of Justice, Lun wept in court: "The chief ministers failed to counsel the throne and brought the empire to this pass. Yet he remains Minister of Revenue—how can the realm be governed? Listeners were struck with respect and dread. After accompanying the court to Liang and back, the throne again wished to appoint Lu Qi Prefect of Rao. Lun memorialized urgently against it and won praise from upright officials. At over seventy he sought retirement, was made Junior Tutor emeritus, and enfeoffed Duke of Ying. When Li Chulin and Li Zhongcheng held incompatible dual posts, Lun protested that a rebel and a barbarian favorite did not belong in court rank. He also urged charity granaries against flood and drought and the appointment of worthy counselors. He warned that Tibet would break faith and must never be trusted lightly. The emperor always received him graciously.
25
倫居家孝友，撫弟侄以慈愛稱。 貞元十四年十二月卒，時年八十三，贈揚州都督。
At home Lun was famed for filial piety and kindness to younger kin. He died in the twelfth month of Zhenyuan 14 (798), aged eighty-three, and was posthumously made Area Commander of Yang.
26
賈耽，字敦詩，滄州南皮人。 以兩經登第，調授貝州臨清縣尉。 上疏論時政，授絳州正平尉。 從事河東，檢校膳部員外郎、太原少尹、北都副留守。 又檢校禮部郎中、節度副使，改汾州刺史。 在郡七年，政績茂異。 入為鴻臚卿，時左右威遠營隸鴻臚，耽仍領其使。 大歷十四年十一月，檢校左散騎常侍、兼梁州刺史、御史大夫、山南西道節度使。
Jia Dan (styled Dunshi) came from Nanpi in Cangzhou. He passed both classics examinations and was appointed magistrate of Linqing in Bei Prefecture. He memorialized on current affairs and was made magistrate of Zhengping in Jiang. On the Hedong staff he became Acting Vice Director of Rites, Junior Vice Director of Taiyuan, and Deputy Military Governor of the Northern Capital. He later served as Acting Director of Rites and deputy commissioner, then Prefect of Fen. For seven years in Fen his achievements were outstanding. He entered court as Director of Diplomatic Relations, still overseeing the Weiyuan guard camps attached to that office. In Dali 14 (779) he was made Acting Left Regular Attendant, Prefect of Liang, Censor-in-Chief, and Military Governor of Shannan West.
27
建中三年十一月，檢校工部尚書、兼御史大夫、山南東道節度使。 德宗移幸梁州。 興元元年二月，耽使行軍司馬樊澤奏事於行在，澤既復命，方大宴諸將，有急牒至，言澤代耽為節度使，而召耽為工部尚書。 耽得牒內懷中，宴飲不改容。 及散，召樊澤，以詔授之曰：「詔以行軍為節度使，耽今即上路。」 因告將吏使謁澤。 牙將張獻甫曰：「天子巡幸山南，尚書使行軍奉表起居，而行軍敢自圖節鉞，潛奪尚書土地，此可謂事人不忠。 軍中皆不伏，請殺樊澤。」 耽曰：「公是何言歟！ 天子有命，即為節度使矣。 耽今赴行在，便與公偕行。」 即日離鎮，以獻甫自隨，軍中乃安。 尋以本官為東都留守、東畿汝南防禦使。
In Jianzhong 3 (782) he became Acting Minister of Works, Censor-in-Chief, and Military Governor of Shannan East. Emperor Dezong moved the court to Liang. In Xingyuan 1 (784) his marching sima Fan Ze reported at the mobile court; while Dan feasted his generals, an urgent dispatch arrived naming Ze his replacement and summoning Dan as Minister of Works. Dan hid the dispatch in his robe and continued the feast without changing expression. When the feast ended he handed Ze the edict: "You are military governor; I leave at once. He told his officers to pay court to Ze. General Zhang Xianfu protested: "The emperor is on campaign and the Minister sent Ze to court—yet Ze stole his command. That is disloyalty. The troops demanded Ze's death. Dan said: "What talk is this! The Son of Heaven has spoken—Ze is governor. I go to the emperor now and will travel with you." That day he departed with Xianfu, and the army accepted the change. Soon he became Military Governor of the Eastern Capital and Defense Commissioner of the eastern metropolitan region.
28
貞元二年，改檢校右僕射、兼滑州刺史、義成軍節度使。 是時淄青節度使李納雖去偽王號，外奉朝旨，而心常蓄並吞之謀。 納兵士數千人自行營歸，路由滑州，大將請城外館之。 耽曰：「與人鄰道，奈何野處其兵？」 命館之城內，淄青將士皆心服之。 耽善射好獵，每出畋不過百騎，往往獵於李納之境。 納聞之，大喜，心畏其度量，不敢異圖。 九年，征為右僕射、同中書門下平章事。
In Zhenyuan 2 (786) he became Acting Right Vice Director, Prefect of Hua, and Military Governor of Yicheng. Li Na of Ziqing had dropped his rebel title but still plotted expansion. Thousands of Li Na's men marching home asked to camp outside Hua. Dan said: "We are neighbors—how can I quarter your men in the open? He housed them inside the walls, and Ziqing troops admired his magnanimity. Dan was an archer and hunter who never took more than a hundred riders, often hunting in Li Na's territory. Li Na was pleased yet intimidated by Dan's confidence and dared no fresh intrigue. In the ninth year he was summoned as Right Vice Director and Grand Councilor.
29
耽好地理學，凡四夷之使及使四夷還者，必與之從容，訊其山川土地之終始。 是以九州之夷險，百蠻之土俗，區分指畫，備究源流。 自吐蕃陷隴右積年，國家守於內地，舊時鎮戍，不可復知。 耽乃畫隴右、山南圖，兼黃河經界遠近，聚其說為書十卷，表獻曰：
Dan loved geography and questioned every envoy from or to the frontier about the lands they had seen. Thus he charted the terrain of the nine provinces and the customs of myriad peoples, tracing every source and route. After Tibet held Longyou for years, the court retreated inland and lost track of former garrison posts. He drew maps of Longyou and Shannan with the Yellow River's course, compiled ten scrolls of notes, and memorialized:
30
臣聞楚左史倚相能讀《九丘》，晉司空裴秀創為六體； 《九丘》乃成賦之古經，六體則為圖之新意。 臣雖愚昧，夙嘗師範，累蒙拔擢，遂忝臺司。 雖歷踐職任，誠多曠闕，而率土山川，不忘寤寐。 其大圖外薄四海，內別九州，必藉精詳，乃可摹寫，見更纘集，續冀畢功。 然而隴右一隅，久淪蕃寇，職方失其圖記，境土難以區分。 輒扣課虛微，采掇輿議，畫《關中隴右及山南九州等圖》一軸。 伏以洮、湟舊墟，連接監牧； 甘、涼右地，控帶朔陲。 岐路之偵候交通，軍鎮之備禦沖要，莫不匠意就實，依稀像真。 如聖恩遣將護邊，新書授律，則靈、慶之設險在目，原、會之封略可知。 諸州諸軍，須論里數人額； 諸山諸水，須言首尾源流。 圖上不可備書，憑據必資記註，謹撰《別錄》六卷。 又黃河為四瀆之宗，西戎乃群羌之帥，臣並研尋史牒，翦棄浮詞，罄所聞知，編為四卷，通錄都成十卷。 文義鄙樸，伏增慚悚。
As Yi Xiang of Chu read the Nine Mounds and Pei Xiu of Jin devised the six cartographic forms, the Nine Mounds was the ancient classic of realms, and the six forms a new cartographic method. Though unlearned, I have long studied under masters and, promoted repeatedly, now hold a seat at court. Though I have often fallen short in office, I have never ceased to study the empire's mountains and rivers. A great map embracing the four seas and marking the nine provinces requires exact detail; I am compiling further and hope soon to finish. Yet Longyou has long been lost to Tibet; official maps are gone and borders hard to trace. I have therefore gathered what reports remain and drawn a map of Guanzhong, Longyou, and Shannan. The Tao and Huang region links to frontier pastures; Gan and Liang guard the northern marches. Roads, scouts, garrisons, and passes are drawn as close to fact as I could make them. Should Your Majesty send generals to the frontier, the terrain of Ling, Qing, Yuan, and Hui will lie plain before them. Every prefecture and army is marked with distances and troop numbers; every mountain and river with its source and course. The map cannot hold every note; I submit six scrolls of Separate Records. I also compiled four scrolls on the Yellow River and the western tribes, making ten scrolls in all. The writing is plain; I offer it with deep humility.
31
德宗覽之稱善，賜廄馬一匹、銀采百匹、銀瓶盤各一。
Dezong praised it and granted a horse, a hundred bolts of silk, and silver vessels.
32
至十七年，又撰成《海內華夷圖》及《古今郡國縣道四夷述》四十卷，表獻之，曰：
In his seventeenth year he finished the great Map of Chinese and Barbarians Within the Seas and a forty-scroll geographical treatise, memorializing:
33
臣聞地以博厚載物，萬國棋布； 海以委輸環外，百蠻繡錯。 中夏則五服、九州，殊俗則七戎、六狄，普天之下，莫非王臣。 昔毋丘出師，東銘不耐； 甘英奉使，西抵條支； 奄蔡乃大澤無涯，罽賓則懸度作險。 或道理回遠，或名號改移，古來通儒，罕遍詳究。 臣弱冠之歲，好聞方言，筮仕之辰，註意地理，究觀研考，垂三十年。 絕域之比鄰，異蕃之習俗，梯山獻琛之路，乘舶來朝之人，鹹究竟其源流，訪求其居處。 阛阓之行賈，戎貊之遺老，莫不聽其言而掇其要。 閭閻之瑣語，風謠之小說，亦收其是而芟其偽。
The earth bears all things; the myriad states lie like pieces on a board. The seas encircle the world; barbarian lands weave among them. China has its nine provinces; beyond are the Rong and Di—yet all are the Son of Heaven's subjects. Wuqiu marched east and inscribed his victory; Gan Ying went west to Tiaozhi; Yan Cai was an endless marsh; Ji Bin a land of rope bridges. Routes were remote and names changed; few scholars of old mastered it all. From youth I loved foreign tongues; since entering office I have studied geography for nearly thirty years. I traced the routes of tribute missions and foreign envoys to their sources and homes. Merchants and frontier elders alike were questioned and their accounts recorded. Popular tales were accepted when true and discarded when false.
34
然殷、周以降，封略益明，承歷數者八家，渾區宇者五姓，聲教所及，惟唐為大。 秦皇罷侯置守，長城起於臨洮； 孝武卻地開邊，障塞限於雞鹿； 東漢則哀牢請吏； 西晉則裨離結轍； 隋室列四郡於卑和海西，創三州於扶南江北，遼陽失律，因而棄之。 高祖神堯皇帝誕膺天命，奄有四方。 太宗繼明重熙，柔遠能邇，逾大磧通道，北至仙娥，於骨利幹置玄闕州。 高宗嗣守丕績，克廣前烈，遣單車賫詔，西越蔥山，於波刺斯立疾陵府。 中宗復配天之業，不失舊物。 睿宗含先天之量，惟新永圖。 玄宗以大孝清內，以無為理外，大宛驥錄，歲充內廄，與貳師之窮兵黷武，豈同年哉！ 肅宗掃平氛昆，潤澤生人。 代宗刬除殘孽，彜倫攸敘。
Since Yin and Zhou borders grew clearer; through eight dynasties and five ruling houses, none spread civilization like Tang. Qin Shihuang abolished feudal lords and built the Long Wall from Lintao. Han Wudi pushed the frontier to Jilu. Eastern Han received Aila as a subject; Western Jin saw Piluo arrive in procession. Sui founded commanderies on the western sea; Liaoyang was later abandoned. Gaozu received Heaven's mandate and seized the four quarters. Taizong pacified the far reaches, opened roads across the desert, and founded Xuanque Prefecture in the north. Gaozong extended the realm, sent envoys beyond Cong Mountain, and founded Jiling in Persia. Zhongzong restored the imperial patrimony. Ruizong renewed the eternal design of rule. Xuanzong ruled inward by filial piety and outward by non-action; his horse tribute was not Wudi's ruinous warfare. Suzong swept away rebellion and nourished the people. Daizong destroyed the rebel remnant and restored order.
35
伏惟皇帝陛下，以上聖之姿，當太平之運，敦信明義，履信包元，惠養黎蒸，懷柔遐裔。 故瀘南貢麗水之金，漠北獻余吾之馬，玄化洋溢，率士沾濡。
Your Majesty, supreme sage in an age of peace, nurtures the people and cherishes distant realms. Lishui gold and northern horses flow in tribute; your grace reaches all under heaven.
36
臣幼切磋於師友，長趨侍於軒墀，自揣孱愚，叨榮非據，鴻私莫答，夙夜兢惶。 去興元元年，伏奉進止，令臣修撰國圖，旋即充使魏州、汴州，出鎮東洛、東都，間以眾務，不遂專門，績用尚虧，憂愧彌切。 近乃力竭衰病，思殫所聞見，叢於丹青。 謹令工人畫《海內華夷圖》一軸，廣三丈，從三丈三尺，率以一寸折成百里。 別章甫左衽，奠高山大川。 縮四極於纖縞，分百郡於作繢。 宇宙雖廣，舒之不盈庭； 舟車所通，覽之鹹在目。 並撰《古今郡國縣道四夷述》四十卷，中國以《禹貢》為首，外夷以《班史》發源； 郡縣紀其增減，蕃落敘其衰盛。 前地理書以黔州屬酉陽，今則改入巴郡； 前西戎誌以安國為安息，今則改入康居。 凡諸疏舛，悉從厘正。 隴西、十地，播棄於永初之中； 遼東、樂浪，陷屈於建安之際。 曹公棄陘北，晉氏遷江南，緣邊累經侵盜，故墟日致堙毀。 舊史撰錄，十得二三，今書搜補，所獲太半。 《周禮職方》，以淄、時為幽州之浸，以華山為荊河之鎮，既有乖於《禹貢》，又不出於淹中，多聞闕疑，詎敢編次。 其古郡國題以墨，今州縣題以硃，今古殊文，執習簡易。 臣學謝小成，才非博物。 伏波之聚米，開示眾軍； 酂侯之圖書，方知厄塞。 企慕前哲，嘗所寄心，輒罄庸陋，多慚紕繆。
I have long served at court, unworthy of my post, and tremble before your grace. Ordered in Xingyuan 1 to compile national maps, I was diverted by missions and governorships and could not finish—my shame is keen. Now, worn by age and illness, I have set down all I know in ink. I present a map three zhang wide, scaled so one inch equals a hundred li. Barbarian lands are marked apart; mountains and rivers are shown in full. The four quarters are drawn on silk; the hundred commanderies painted in. Though the world is vast, unfolded it fits within a hall. Every place reached by road or river lies before the eye. With it I submit a forty-scroll treatise, China following the Tribute of Yu, foreign lands the Han History. Commanderies record their changes; barbarian tribes their rise and fall. Old geographies placed Qian in Youyang; I correct it to Ba. Old western accounts mistook An for Parthia; I place it in Kangju. Every error I found has been corrected. Longxi and ten regions were lost in the Yongchu era; Liaodong and Lelang fell in Jian'an. Cao Cao lost the north, Jin retreated south, and borderlands crumbled. Old records preserved scarcely a fifth; my book recovers more than half. Where the Zhou Offices conflict with the Tribute of Yu I have not dared to force a system. Ancient names appear in black, modern in red, for ease of reading. My learning is slight, my talent not that of a polymath. As Fubo modeled grain to brief his troops, and the Marquis of Zan used maps to reveal the passes, so I have tried to follow their example, though my work is full of flaws.
37
優詔答之，賜錦彩二百匹、袍段六、錦帳二、銀瓶盤各一、銀榼二、馬一匹，進封魏國公。
The emperor answered graciously with silk, robes, vessels, a horse, and enfeoffed him Duke of Wei.
38
順宗即位，檢校司空，守左僕射，知政事如故。 時王叔文用事，政出群小，耽惡其亂政，屢移病乞骸，不許。 耽性長者，不喜臧否人物。 自居相位，凡十三年，雖不能以安危大計啟沃於人主，而常以檢身厲行以律人。 每自朝歸第，接對賓客，終日無倦。 至於家人近習，未嘗見其喜慍之色，古之淳德君子，何以加焉！
Under Shunzong he was Acting Minister of Works, holding Left Vice Director and continuing in government. Wang Shuwen then dominated the court; Dan detested the disorder and repeatedly sought retirement in vain. Dan was by nature forbearing and seldom judged others. For thirteen years as chief minister he could not always counsel the throne on grand strategy, yet he disciplined himself and set an example for others. Returning home from court he received guests tirelessly all day. Even servants never saw him show anger—surpassing the gentle sages of old.
39
永貞元年十月卒，時年七十六。 廢朝四日，冊贈太傅，謚曰元靖。
He died in the tenth month of Yongzhen 1 (805), aged seventy-six. Court mourned four days; he was posthumously Grand Tutor with the title Yuanjing.
40
姜公輔
Jiang Gongfu
41
姜公輔，不知何許人。 登進士第，為校書郎。 應制策科高等，授左拾遺，召入翰林為學士。 歲滿當改官，公輔上書自陳，以母老家貧，以府掾俸給稍優，乃求兼京兆尹戶曹參軍，特承恩顧。 才高有器識，每對見言事，德宗多從之。
Jiang Gongfu—his native place is unknown. He passed the jinshi and became a collator. He ranked high in the policy examination, became Left Reminder, and entered the Hanlin Academy. When due for promotion he asked instead to remain a metropolitan registrar for the better salary to support his aged mother, and the emperor granted it. Talented and far-sighted, he often advised Dezong, who usually followed his counsel.
42
建中四年十月，涇師犯闕。 德宗蒼黃自苑北便門出幸，公輔馬前諫曰：「硃泚嘗為涇原帥，得士心。 昨以硃滔叛，坐奪兵權，泚常憂憤不得誌。 不如使人捕之，使陪鑾駕，忽群兇立之，必貽國患。 臣頃曾陳奏，陛下茍不能坦懷待之，則殺之，養獸自貽其患，悔且無益。」 德宗曰：「已無及矣！」 從幸至奉天，拜諫議大夫，俄以本官同中書門下平章事。
In the tenth month of Jianzhong 4 (783) the Jingzhou mutiny broke out. Dezong fled through the park's north gate; Gongfu warned from horseback: "Zhu Ci once commanded Jingyuan and still commands the soldiers' loyalty. Because Zhu Tao rebelled, Ci was stripped of command, and he broods on the injustice. Seize him and keep him with the imperial train; if the rebels proclaim him leader, calamity will follow. I have said before: if you cannot trust him openly, kill him; to spare a beast is to breed disaster. Dezong replied: "It is too late!" He followed the court to Fengtian, became Remonstrating Grandee, then Grand Councilor.
43
從幸山南，車駕至城固縣，唐安公主薨。 上之長女，昭德皇后所生，性聰敏仁孝，上所鐘愛。 初，詔尚韋宥，未克禮會而遇播遷； 及薨，上悲悼尤甚，詔所司厚其葬禮。 公輔諫曰：「非久克復京城，公主必須歸葬，今於行路，且宜儉薄，以濟軍士。」 德宗怒，謂翰林學士陸贄曰：「唐安夭亡，不欲於此為塋壟，宜令造一磚塔安置，功費甚微，不合關宰相論列。 姜公輔忽進表章，都無道理，但欲指朕過失，擬自取名。 朕比擢拔為腹心，乃負朕如此！」 贄對曰：「公輔官是諫議，職居宰衡，獻替固其職分。 本立輔臣，置之左右，朝夕納誨，意在防微，微而弼之，乃其所也。 陛下以造塔役費微小，非宰相所論之事。 但問理之是非，豈論事之大小！ 若造塔為是，役雖大而作之何傷！ 若造塔為非，費雖小而言者何罪！」 帝又曰：「卿未會朕意。 朕以公輔才行，共宰相都不相當，在奉天時已欲罷免，後因公輔辭退，朕已面許。 尋屬懷光背叛，遂且因循，容至山南。 公輔知朕擬改官，所以固論造塔，賣直取名。 據此用心，豈是良善！ 朕所惆悵者，只緣如此。」 贄再三救護，帝怒不已，乃罷為左庶子。 尋丁母憂，服闕，授右庶子，久之不遷。
On the flight to Shannan, Princess Tang'an died at Chenggu. The emperor's eldest daughter by Empress Zhaode was clever, filial, and dearly loved. She had been betrothed to Wei You, but wedding rites were never completed before the flight. At her death the emperor mourned deeply and ordered a lavish funeral. Gongfu urged: "We have not yet retaken Chang'an; the princess should be buried simply on the march to aid the troops. Dezong angrily told Lu Zhi: "I want only a small brick pagoda here—not a matter for the chief minister. He fumed that Gongfu had memorialized only to criticize him and win a reputation. I raised him as a trusted counselor, and this is how he repays me!" Zhi answered: "Gongfu is Remonstrating Grandee and chief minister; remonstrance is his duty. Ministers are set at the ruler's side to admonish daily and check errors before they grow—that is their office. Your Majesty thinks the pagoda a trifle beneath a chief minister's concern. Yet right and wrong matter, not the size of the affair! If the pagoda is right, great expense does no harm. If it is wrong, small expense does not make remonstrance a crime." The emperor said: "You do not understand me. I find Gongfu unfit for the chief ministry; at Fengtian I meant to dismiss him, and when he resigned I promised it to his face. Huai'guang's rebellion delayed matters, and I tolerated him through the flight to Shannan. Knowing I would demote him, he used the pagoda debate to pose as upright and win fame. With such motives, how can he be called virtuous! That is what grieves me." Zhi pleaded for him in vain; the emperor dismissed Gongfu to Left Mentor of the Heir Apparent. He mourned his mother, then became Right Mentor, and long went without promotion.
44
洎陸贄知政事，以有翰林之舊，數告贄求官。 贄密謂公輔曰：「予嘗見郴州竇相，言為公奏擬數矣，上旨不允，有怒公之言。」 公輔恐懼，上疏乞罷官為道士，久之未報。 後又廷奏，德宗問其故，公輔不敢泄贄，便以參言為對。 帝怒，貶公輔為泉州別駕，又遣中使賫詔責竇參。 順宗即位，起為吉州刺史，尋卒。 憲宗朝，贈禮部尚書。
When Lu Zhi became chief minister, Gongfu, his old Hanlin colleague, repeatedly asked him for promotion. Zhi privately told him: "Dou Xiang of Chen said he had recommended him several times, but the emperor refused and spoke angrily of him. Terrified, Gongfu asked to resign and become a Daoist priest; no answer came for a long time. Later he spoke in court; asked why, he dared not implicate Zhi and cited Dou Can instead. The emperor demoted Gongfu to assistant prefect in Quan and sent an envoy to rebuke Dou Can. Under Shunzong he was made Prefect of Ji and soon died. Under Xianzong he was posthumously made Minister of Rites.
45
史臣曰：賈魏公以溫克長者，致位丞相，拒獻甫之請，畋李納之郊，則器略可知矣！ 韋郢公慷慨節義，困於讒邪，命矣夫！ 趙丞相區分檢裁，求為雅士，以爭權而陷陸贄，則前時以德報怨，其可信乎！ 公輔一言悟主，驟及臺司； 一言不合，禮遽疏薄，則加膝墜泉之間，君道可知矣！
The historian writes: Jia Dan, gentle and restrained, rose to chief minister; by refusing to kill Fan Ze and hunting in Li Na's territory he showed his magnanimity. Wei Lun of Ying was generous and upright yet ruined by slander—such was fate! Zhao Jing sought refinement, yet by power struggle he ruined Lu Zhi—so much for repaying injury with kindness. Gongfu with one word won the emperor and vaulted to the council. One word amiss, and favor vanished—between embrace and abyss the ruler's way is plain.
46
贊曰：元靖訏謨，真謂純儒。 手調鼎飪，心運地圖。 姜躁趙險，並躍天衢。 哀哉韋公，終困讒夫。
The encomium says: Yuanjing's far-reaching counsel marked a true Confucian. He seasoned the state's stew and charted the earth in his heart. Jiang was impetuous, Zhao perilous—both soared then fell at court. Alas for Wei Lun, at last undone by slander.