1
衛次公，字從周，河東人。 器韻和雅，弱冠舉進士。 禮部侍郎潘炎目為國器，擢居上第。 參選調禮部侍郎盧翰嘉其才，補崇文館校書郎，改渭南尉。 次公善鼓琴，京兆尹李齊運使其子交歡，意欲次公授之琴。 次公拒之，由是終身未嘗操弦。
Wei Cigong, whose courtesy name was Congzhou, came from Hedong. Graceful in both talent and demeanor, he obtained his jinshi degree while still in his early twenties. Pan Yan, Vice Minister of Rites, saw in him a man who would serve the realm well and placed him at the head of the examinations. During the examination and appointment process, Vice Minister of Rites Lu Han commended his abilities; he was made collator at the Chongwen Hall and subsequently assigned as magistrate of Weinan. Cigong was an accomplished zither player; Metropolitan Governor Li Qiyun of Jingzhao had his son befriend him, hoping Cigong would pass his skill on to the boy. Cigong declined, and for the rest of his days he never played the zither again.
2
嚴震之鎮興元，辟為從事，授監察，轉殿中侍御史。 貞元八年，征為左補闕，尋兼翰林學士。 二十一年正月，德宗升遐，時東宮疾恙方甚，倉卒召學士鄭絪等至金鑾殿。 中人或云：「內中商量，所立未定。」 眾人未對。 次公遽言曰：「皇太子雖有疾，地居冢嫡，內外系心。 必不得已，當立廣陵王。 若有異圖，禍難未已。」 絪等隨而唱之，眾議方定。
Yan Zhen, as military governor of Xingyuan, took him on as a staff officer; he received appointment as a supervisory censor and was soon promoted to palace investigating censor. In Zhenyuan 8 he was recalled to court as Left Remonstrator and before long was also made a Hanlin academician. In the first month of Zhenyuan 21, Emperor Dezong died; the crown prince was gravely ill, and Zheng Yin and the other Hanlin academicians were hurriedly summoned to the Jinluan Hall. A eunuch remarked, "Inside the palace they are still deliberating—the succession has not been settled. No one in the group answered. Cigong spoke up at once: "The crown prince may be ill, but as the legitimate eldest heir he remains the focus of hope throughout the realm. If no other course is possible, the Prince of Guangling ought to be named heir. Any other choice would only prolong the crisis. Zheng Yin and the others promptly agreed, and consensus was reached.
3
及順宗在諒闇，外有王叔文輩操權樹黨，無復經制。 次公與鄭絪同處內廷，多所匡正。
During Shunzong's mourning period, Wang Shuwen and his followers dominated court politics, forming factions and abandoning established governance. Serving together in the inner court, Cigong and Zheng Yin repeatedly set matters straight.
4
轉司勛員外郎。 久之，以本官知制誥，賜紫金魚袋，仍為學士，權知中書舍人。 尋知禮部貢舉，斥浮華，進貞實，不為時力所搖。 真拜中書舍人，仍充史館修撰，遷兵部侍郎、知制誥，復兼翰林學士。 與鄭絪善，會鄭絪罷相，次公左授太子賓客，改尚書右丞，兼判戶部事，拜陜、虢等州都防禦觀察處置等使。 請蠲錢三百萬，人得蘇息，政聞於朝。 征為兵部侍郎。 選人李勣、徐有功之孫，名在黜中，次公召而謂之曰：「子之祖先，勛在王府，豈限常格。」 並優秩而遣之。 改尚書左丞，恩顧頗厚。 上方命為相，已命翰林學士王涯草詔。 時淮夷宿兵歲久，次公累疏請罷。 會有捷書至，相詔方出，憲宗令追之。 遂出為淮南節度使、檢校工部尚書，兼揚州大都督府長史、御史大夫。
He was promoted to vice director in the Meritorious Service Bureau of the Ministry of Personnel. Eventually he was entrusted with drafting edicts while retaining his rank, awarded the purple-gold fish tally, and continued at Hanlin while exercising the duties of Secretariat Drafter. Before long he supervised the civil service examinations for the Ministry of Rites, rejecting flashy candidates in favor of genuine talent and refusing to bow to prevailing pressures. Formally confirmed as Secretariat Drafter, he continued compiling at the Historiography Institute, rose to Vice Minister of War while drafting edicts, and again held a concurrent Hanlin appointment. A close friend of Zheng Yin, he was reassigned when Yin left the chancellorship: first as Grand Tutor to the Heir Apparent, then Right Vice Director of the Ministry of Revenue with concurrent charge of public revenue, and finally as defense and observation commissioner over Shaan, Guo, and neighboring prefectures. He secured cancellation of three million in cash taxes, giving the populace room to recover, and his record of governance reached the capital. He was recalled to court as Vice Minister of War. Li Ji and the grandson of Xu Yougong, though marked for elimination in the selection process, were called in by Cigong, who told them: "Your forebears served the imperial house with distinction—they should not be held to ordinary standards. He assigned them favorable appointments and released them. Promoted to Left Vice Director of the Ministry of Revenue, he enjoyed considerable imperial favor. The emperor was on the verge of naming him chief minister and had already instructed Hanlin Academician Wang Ya to draft the appointment edict. With troops long garrisoned against the Huai rebels, Cigong sent memorial after memorial urging their recall. Just as a victory report arrived and the appointment edict was about to be promulgated, Emperor Xianzong ordered it withdrawn. Instead he was dispatched as military governor of Huainan, with concurrent appointments as Minister of Works, grand prefect of Yangzhou, and Censor-in-Chief.
5
元和十三年十月，受代歸朝，道次病卒。 贈太子少保，年六十六，謚曰敬。 次公自少入仕，歷大寮，節操趨尚，始終如一，為眾推重。
In the tenth month of Yuanhe 13, while traveling back to the capital after his term ended, he fell ill on the road and died. Posthumously honored as Junior Tutor to the Heir Apparent, he died at sixty-six and was given the posthumous name Jing, "The Respectful." From his first appointment through the highest offices, Cigong held to the same standards of conduct and was widely admired.
6
子洙，登進士第，尚憲宗女臨真公主。 累官至給事中、駙馬都尉、工部侍郎。
His son Zhu earned a jinshi degree and married Princess Linzhen, daughter of Emperor Xianzong. He rose through the ranks to serve as supervising censor, commander of the imperial son-in-law's guard, and Vice Minister of Works.
7
鄭絪，字文明。 父羨，池州刺史。 絪少有奇誌，好學，善屬文。 大歷中，有儒學高名如張參、蔣乂、楊綰、常袞，皆相知重。 絪擢進士第，登宏詞科，授秘書省校書郎、鄠縣尉。 張延賞鎮西川，辟為書記，入除補闕、起居郎，兼史職。 無幾，擢為翰林，轉司勛員外郎、知制誥。 德宗朝，在內職十三年，小心兢謙，上遇之頗厚。
Zheng Yin, whose courtesy name was Wenming. His father Xian served as prefect of Chizhou. Even as a youth Yin showed unusual ambition; he devoted himself to learning and wrote with considerable skill. During the Dali period, leading Confucian scholars such as Zhang Can, Jiang Yi, Yang Wan, and Chang Gun all counted him a valued acquaintance. Yin passed the jinshi examinations and the Macro-Phrases test, then was appointed collator in the Secretariat and magistrate of Hu County. Recruited as secretary when Zhang Yanshang governed West Sichuan, he was later appointed remonstrator and diarist at court, with concurrent duties in the historiography office. Within a short time he entered the Hanlin Academy, rose to vice director in the Meritorious Service Bureau, and took up edict drafting. Throughout Dezong's reign he served thirteen years in the inner court, meticulously careful and humble, and enjoyed substantial imperial favor.
8
憲宗初，勵精求理，絪與杜黃裳同當國柄。 黃裳多所關決，首建議誅惠琳、斬劉辟及他制置。 絪謙默多無所事，由是貶秩為太子賓客。 出為嶺南節度觀察等使、廣州刺史、檢校禮部尚書。 以廉政稱。 為工部尚書，轉太常卿，又為同州刺史、長春宮使，改東都留守。 入歷兵部尚書，旋為河中節度使。 太和二年，入為御史大夫、檢校左僕射、兼太子少保。
Early in Xianzong's reign, as the emperor worked to revitalize governance, Yin shared state power with Du Huangshang. Huangshang took the lead on major decisions, including the executions of Huilin and Liu Pi and related military arrangements. Yin, quietly unassertive and largely sidelined, was demoted to Grand Tutor to the Heir Apparent. He was dispatched as military governor and observer of Lingnan, prefect of Guangzhou, and concurrent Minister of Rites. He earned a reputation for clean administration. After serving as Minister of Works and then as Director of Imperial Sacrifices, he became prefect of Tongzhou and commissioner of the Changchun Palace before being appointed protector of the Eastern Capital. Recalled to serve as Minister of War, he was soon sent out again as military governor of Hezhong. In Taihe 2 he returned to court as Censor-in-Chief, with concurrent appointments as Left Grand Counselor and Junior Tutor to the Heir Apparent.
9
祗德子顥，登進士第，始綬弘文館校書。 遷右拾遺、內供奉，詔授銀青光祿大夫，遷起居郎。 尚宣宗女萬壽公主，拜駙馬都尉。 歷尚書郎、給事中、禮部侍郎。 典貢士二年，振拔滯才，至今稱之。 遷刑部、吏部侍郎。 大中十三年，檢校禮部尚書、河南尹。
Hao, son of Zhide, earned his jinshi degree and was first appointed collator at the Hongwen Hall. Promoted to right purifier and inner attendant, he was by imperial edict made Silver-Gleaming Grand Master of Splendid Happiness and then promoted to diarist. He married Princess Wanshou, daughter of Emperor Xuanzong, and was named commander of the imperial son-in-law's guard. He served successively as a director in the secretariat, supervising censor, and Vice Minister of Rites. During his two years overseeing the examinations he brought forward overlooked talent, a record still remembered with praise. He was promoted to vice minister in the Ministries of Justice and Personnel. In Dazhong 13 he held concurrent appointments as Minister of Rites and governor of Henan.
10
顥居戚裏，有器度。 大中時，恩澤無對。 及宣宗棄代，追感恩遇，嘗為詩序曰：「去年壽昌節，赴麟德殿上壽，回憩於長興裏第。 昏然晝寢，夢與十數人納涼於別館。 館宇蕭灑，相與聯句。 予為數聯，同遊甚稱賞。 既寤，不全記諸聯，唯省十字雲『石門霧露白，玉殿莓苔青』，乃書之於楹。 私怪語不祥，不敢言於人。 不數日，宣宗不豫，廢朝會，及宮車上仙，方悟其事。 追惟顧遇，續石門之句為十韻云：『間歲流虹節，歸軒出禁扃。 奔波陶畏景，蕭灑夢殊庭。 境象非曾到，崇嚴昔未經。 日車烏斂翼，風動鶴飄翎。 異苑人爭集，涼臺筆不停。 石門霧露白，玉殿莓苔青。 若匪災先兆，何當思入冥。 禦鑢虛仗馬，華蓋負雲亭。 白日成千古，金滕閟九齡。 小臣哀絕筆，湖上泣青萍。』」 未幾，顥亦卒。
As a member of the imperial family by marriage, Hao carried himself with measured dignity. In the Dazhong period no one in the realm matched the favor shown him. After Emperor Xuanzong's death, thinking back on the kindness he had received, he once wrote a preface to a poem: "Last year on the Shouchang Festival I went to the Linde Hall to offer birthday wishes; on my way back I stopped to rest at my house in Changxing Lane. He fell into a mid-day doze and dreamed of himself and a dozen companions escaping the heat at a detached pavilion. The pavilion was airy and serene, and they composed linked verses together. I supplied several lines, which my companions greatly admired. When I awoke I could not remember the whole verse, but ten characters remained clear: "At the stone gate, mist and dew gleam white; in the jade hall, moss runs green." I wrote them on a column. The lines struck me as ominous, and I kept them to myself. Within days Emperor Xuanzong fell ill and court sessions were suspended; when he died I finally understood what the dream had foretold. Remembering the emperor's kindness, he expanded the "stone gate" couplet into a ten-rhyme poem: "Another year at the rainbow-marked festival, my returning carriage passed beyond the palace gates." I rushed through blazing summer heat, yet in sleep wandered a pavilion of uncanny stillness. None of it resembled any place I had known; the solemn grandeur was wholly unfamiliar. The sun-bird folded its wings; wind stirred the crane's drifting feathers. In that other garden companions crowded around; at the cool pavilion our brushes never rested. White mist clings to the stone gate; green moss covers the jade hall. Had it not been an omen of calamity, why would one dwell on the realm below? The imperial hearth stood cold, the ceremonial horses unused; the canopy pavilion sank beneath cloud and shadow. Daylight turned eternal night; the golden casket sealed away youth itself. A loyal subject lays down his brush in grief; by the lake he weeps for the drifting duckweed." Before long Hao too passed away.
11
韋處厚，字德載，京兆人。 父萬，監察御史，為荊南節度參謀。 處厚本名淳，避憲宗諱，改名處厚。 幼有至性，事繼母以孝聞。 居父母憂，廬於墓次。 既免喪，遊長安。 通《五經》，博覽史籍，而文思贍逸。
Wei Chuhou, whose courtesy name was Dezai, came from Jingzhao. His father Wan had been a supervisory censor and staff strategist to the military governor of Jingnan. Chuhou had originally been named Chun but changed it to Chuhou to observe the taboo on Emperor Xianzong's personal name. Even as a child he showed exceptional character and was renowned for the filial devotion he showed his stepmother. During mourning for his parents he lived in a hut beside their tomb. After the mourning period he went to Chang'an. Fluent in the Five Classics and widely read in history, he wrote with rich and fluent ease.
12
元和初，登進士第，應賢良方正，擢居異等，授秘書省校書郎。 裴垍以宰相監修國史，奏以本官充直館，改咸陽縣尉，遷右拾遺，並兼史職。 修《德宗實錄》五十卷上之，時稱信史。 轉左補闕、禮部考功二員外。 早為宰相韋貫之所重，時貫之以議兵不合旨出官，處厚坐友善，出為開州刺史。 入拜戶部郎中，俄以本官知制誥。 穆宗以其學有師法，召入翰林，為侍講學士，換諫議大夫，改中書舍人，侍講如故。
Early in the Yuanhe era he earned his jinshi degree, distinguished himself in the Worthy and Upright examination, and was appointed collator in the Secretariat. Chief Minister Pei Ji, overseeing the national history, had him assigned as a direct librarian while retaining his rank; he was then made magistrate of Xianyang and promoted to right purifier, all while continuing historiographical work. He compiled and submitted fifty fascicles of Emperor Dezong's Veritable Records, which contemporaries hailed as reliable history. He was promoted to Left Remonstrator and to dual vice-director posts in the Ministry of Rites' Examination Bureau. Wei Guanzhi had long valued him; when Guanzhi was dismissed for military advice that displeased the throne, Chuhou was exiled to Kaizhou by association with his friend. Recalled to court as director in the Ministry of Public Revenue, he was soon entrusted with drafting imperial edicts as well. Emperor Muzong, impressed by the rigor of his scholarship, brought him into the Hanlin Academy as lecturing academician; he was made remonstrating grandee and then Secretariat Drafter while continuing to lecture at court.
13
時張平叔以便佞詼諧，他門捷進，自京兆少尹為鴻臚卿、判度支，不數月，宣授戶部侍郎。 平叔以征利中穆宗意，欲希大任。 以榷鹽舊法，為弊年深，欲官自糶鹽，可富國強兵，勸農積貨，疏利害十八條。 詔下其奏，令公卿議。 處厚抗論不可，以平叔條奏不周，經慮未盡，以為利者返害，為簡者至煩，乃取其條目尤不可者，發十難以詰之。 時平叔傾巧有恩，自謂言無不允。 及處厚條件駁奏，穆宗稱善，令示平叔。 平叔詞屈無以答，其事遂寢。
Zhang Pingshu, an adept flatterer with a gift for humor, rose by irregular paths—from vice governor of the capital to director of the court of diplomatic relations and revenue commissioner, and within months was directly appointed Vice Minister of Public Revenue. Having won Muzong's favor through revenue schemes, Pingshu aspired to higher office. Arguing that the old salt monopoly had long been corrupt, he proposed government direct sale of salt to enrich the state, strengthen the army, and promote agriculture; he submitted eighteen detailed points on the scheme's pros and cons. The emperor circulated his proposal and ordered the chief ministers to debate it. Chuhou forcefully opposed the plan, arguing that Pingshu's proposal was incomplete and ill-considered—that its promised benefits would become harms and its simplifications only create new burdens—and challenged ten of its most objectionable points in detail. Pingshu then enjoyed both imperial favor and a reputation for cleverness, and assumed his proposals would always prevail. When Chuhou's detailed rebuttal arrived, Muzong commended it and had it shown to Pingshu. Pingshu was left speechless and could not answer; the proposal was dropped.
14
處厚以幼主荒怠，不親政務，既居納誨之地，宜有以啟導性靈，乃銓擇經義雅言，以類相從，為二十卷，謂之《六經法言》，獻之。 錫以繒帛銀器，仍賜金紫。 以《憲宗實錄》未成，詔處厚與路隨兼充史館修撰。 實錄未成，許二人分日入內，仍放常參。 處厚俄又權兵部侍郎。
Chuhou saw that the young emperor was idle and neglectful of governance; as one whose duty was to counsel him, he compiled twenty scrolls of classical passages on moral conduct, organized by theme, titled "Legal Words of the Six Classics," and presented them to the throne. The emperor rewarded him with silk and silver vessels and further conferred the gold-and-purple insignia of high rank. Because the Veritable Records of Emperor Xianzong remained unfinished, Chuhou and Lu Sui were appointed adjunct compilers at the Historiography Institute. Until the work was done, they were allowed to enter the palace on alternate days and were excused from daily court attendance. Shortly afterward Chuhou was also given acting appointment as Vice Minister of War.
15
敬宗嗣位，李逢吉用事，素惡李紳，乃構成其罪，禍將不測。 處厚與紳皆以孤進，同年進士，心頗傷之，乃上疏曰：
After Emperor Jingzong took the throne, Li Fengji came to dominate court affairs; he had long detested Li Shen and now framed him for crimes, and Shen faced a fate that seemed beyond hope. Chuhou and Shen were both men who had risen without powerful patrons, and they had passed the jinshi examination in the same year; deeply troubled, Chuhou submitted a memorial stating:
16
臣竊聞朋黨議論，以李紳貶黜尚輕。 臣受恩至深，職備顧問，事關聖德，不合不言。 紳先朝獎用，擢在翰林，無過可書，無罪可戮。 今群黨得誌，讒嫉大興。 詢於人情，皆甚嘆駭。 《詩》云：「萋兮菲兮，成是貝錦。 彼譖人者，亦已太甚。」 又曰：「讒言罔極，交亂四國。」 自古帝王，未有遠君子近小人而致太平者。 古人云：「三年無改於父之道，可謂孝矣。」 李紳是前朝任使，縱有罪愆，猶宜洗釁滌瑕，念舊忘過，以成無改之美。 今逢吉門下故吏，遍滿朝行，侵毀加誣，何詞不有？ 所貶如此，猶為太輕。 蓋曾參有投杼之疑，先師有拾塵之戒。 伏望陛下斷自聖慮，不惑奸邪，則天下幸甚！ 建中之初，山東向化，只緣宰相朋黨，上負朝廷。 楊炎為元載復讎，盧杞為劉晏報怨，兵連禍結，天下不平。 伏乞聖明，察臣愚懇。
I have heard whispers among factional circles that Li Shen's punishment was too lenient. Your Majesty has shown me extraordinary favor, and as your adviser I cannot keep silent when the imperial reputation is at stake. The previous emperor honored Li Shen and promoted him to the Hanlin Academy; he committed no recorded fault and deserved no punishment. Now the factions have gotten their way, and slander and envy run rampant. All who hear of it are shocked and dismayed. The Book of Odes says: "Woven from weeds, fashioned into precious brocade. Those who weave such slander have gone too far. It also says: "Slander knows no bounds and throws kingdoms into chaos." No ruler in history has ever kept worthy men at arm's length while elevating petty schemers and still brought peace to the realm. The ancients said: "To govern for three years without deviating from one's father's principles—that is true filial piety. Li Shen served the previous reign faithfully; even if he had faults, Your Majesty should cleanse his name, remember past service, and forgive past errors—fulfilling the ideal of filial governance. Fengji's former underlings now fill the ranks of government; they pile calumny upon slander with accusations of every kind. Given such treatment, his punishment is still considered too lenient. Even Zeng Shen once fell under false suspicion, and Confucius himself warned against repeating hearsay. I pray Your Majesty will judge this matter with your own wisdom and not be misled by deceitful men. The realm would be most fortunate. At the start of the Jianzhong era, when Shandong's provinces had begun to submit, chief ministerial factions betrayed the throne and brought ruin upon the realm. Yang Yan took revenge for Yuan Zai, Lu Qi struck back for Liu Yan—war followed war until the empire was left in turmoil. I beg Your Majesty's wise attention to my humble plea.
17
帝悟其事，紳得減死，貶端州司馬。
The emperor understood the situation; Li Shen was spared execution and demoted to staff officer at Duanzhou.
18
處厚正拜兵部侍郎，謝恩於思政殿。 時昭湣狂恣，屢出畋遊。 每月坐朝不三四日。 處厚因謝，從容奏曰：「臣有大罪，伏乞面首。」 帝曰：「何也？」 處厚對曰：「臣前為諫官，不能先朝死諫，縱先聖好畋及色，以至不壽，臣合當誅。 然所以不死諫者，亦為陛下此時在春宮，年已十五。 今則陛下皇子始一歲矣，臣安得更避死亡之誅？」 上深感悟其意，賜錦彩一百匹、銀器四事。
Chuhou was formally appointed Vice Minister of War and gave thanks at Sizheng Hall. The Zhaomin Emperor was wild and unrestrained, going on hunting excursions again and again. He held court only three or four days a month. During the audience, Chuhou spoke calmly: "Your Majesty, I have committed a grave offense and beg leave to confess it openly. The emperor asked: "What offense?" Chuhou replied: "When I served as a remonstrating official under your predecessor, I failed to speak out even at the cost of my life. I allowed the late emperor's love of hunting and pleasure to shorten his days—I deserve death for that. Yet I held back because Your Majesty was then in the Eastern Palace, already fifteen years old. But now Your Majesty's heir is only one year old. How can I shy away from speaking the truth even if it costs me my life?" Deeply moved, the emperor rewarded him with a hundred bolts of brocade and four silver vessels.
19
寶歷元年四月，群臣上尊號，禦殿受冊肆赦。 李逢吉以李紳之故，所撰赦文但雲左降官已經量移者與量移，不言未量移者，蓋欲紳不受恩例。 處厚上疏曰：「伏見赦文節目中，左降官有不該恩澤者。 在宥之體，有所未弘。 臣聞物議皆言逢吉恐李紳量移，故有此節。 若如此，則應是近年流貶官，因李紳一人皆不得量移。 事體至大，豈敢不言？ 李紳先朝獎任，曾在內廷，自經貶官，未蒙恩宥。 古人云：『人君當記人之功，忘人之過。』 管仲拘囚，齊桓舉為國相； 冶長縲紲，仲尼選為密親。 有罪猶宜滌蕩，無辜豈可終累？ 況鴻名大號，冊禮重儀，天地百靈之所鑒臨，億兆八纮之所瞻戴。 恩澤不廣，實非所宜。 臣與逢吉素無讎嫌，與李紳本非親黨，所論者全大體，所陳者在至公，伏乞聖慈察臣肝膽。 倘蒙允許，仍望宣付宰臣，應近年左降官，並編入赦條，令準舊例，得量移近處。」 帝覽奏其事，乃追改赦文，紳方沾恩例。 處厚為翰林承旨學士，每立視草，愜會聖旨。 常奉急命於宣州征鷹鷙及楊、益、兩浙索奇文綾錦，皆抗疏不奉命，且引前時赦書為證，帝皆可其奏。
In the fourth month of Baoli 1, the court presented a honorific title to the emperor, who accepted it in formal ceremony and proclaimed a general amnesty. Because of Li Shen, Li Fengji drafted the amnesty text so that only officials who had already been moved nearer to the capital could be transferred again—not those who had never received such relief—apparently to keep Shen from benefiting. Chuhou submitted a memorial: "I notice that some demoted officials are excluded from the amnesty's benefits. The spirit of imperial clemency is not fully embodied here. Public opinion holds that Fengji added this clause specifically to block Li Shen's transfer. If so, then every recently exiled official would be denied transfer because of one man—Li Shen. This is a matter of great consequence. How could I remain silent? Li Shen was honored and trusted in the previous reign and served in the inner court; since his demotion he has received no pardon. The ancients said: "A ruler should remember service and forget offenses." Guan Zhong was once a prisoner, yet Duke Huan of Qi made him chief minister. Ye Chang was bound in chains, yet Confucius chose him as a close companion. Even the guilty deserve a fresh start; surely the innocent should not suffer perpetual punishment? This is an occasion of great honorific titles and solemn investiture rites, witnessed by Heaven and Earth and watched by all the realm. A narrow amnesty is hardly fitting for such an occasion. I bear Fengji no personal grudge and share no faction with Li Shen. I speak only for the good of the realm, and I beg Your Majesty to see the sincerity of my counsel. If Your Majesty agrees, I ask that recent demotions be included in the amnesty and that officials be allowed, according to precedent, to be transferred nearer to the capital. The emperor read the memorial and revised the amnesty text, and Li Shen finally received the benefit. As chief Hanlin academician, Chuhou drafted imperial edicts that consistently matched the emperor's intent. When ordered to requisition hunting hawks from Xuanzhou or rare brocades from Yangzhou, Yizhou, and the two Zhe provinces, he repeatedly submitted memorials refusing, citing the emperor's own past amnesty edicts; the emperor accepted each time.
20
寶歷季年，急變中起。 文宗底綏內難，詔命將降，未有所定。 處厚聞難奔赴，昌言曰：「《春秋》之法，大義滅親，內惡必書，以明逆順。 正名討罪，於義何嫌？ 安可依違，有所避諱！」 遂奉籓教行焉。 是夕，詔命制置及踐祚禮儀，不暇責所司，皆出於處厚之議。 及禮行之後，皆葉舊章。 以佐命功，旋拜中書侍郎、同中書門下平章事、監修國史，加銀青光祿大夫，進爵靈昌郡公。 處厚在相位，務在濟時，不為身計。 中外補授，鹹得其宜。
In the last year of the Baoli era, crisis struck suddenly. As Emperor Wenzong took the throne amid internal turmoil, edicts needed to be drafted but none had yet been settled. Chuhou rushed to the palace and declared boldly: "The Spring and Autumn Annals teaches that righteousness outweighs kinship and that internal treachery must be recorded to distinguish loyal from rebel. To name the crime and punish the guilty—where is the offense in that? How can we hesitate or euphemize? The imperial edict was drafted and issued accordingly. That same night, every arrangement for the succession and coronation rites, with no time to consult the usual offices, came from Chuhou's recommendations. After the ceremonies were complete, the makeshift procedures were set aside. For his role in the succession he was promptly made Vice Director of the Secretariat, chief minister, and supervisor of the national history, with the title Silver-Gleaming Grand Master of Splendid Happiness and promoted to Duke of Lingchang. As chief minister, Chuhou devoted himself to the needs of the times rather than his own advancement. Appointments throughout the government were made appropriately.
21
初，貞元中，宰相齊抗奏減冗員，罷諸州別駕，其在京百司，當入別駕者，多處之朝列。 元和以來，兩河用兵，偏裨立功者，往往擢在周行。 率以儲采王官雜補之，皆盛服趨朝，硃紫填擁。 久次當進，及受代閑居者，常數十人，趨中書及宰相私第，摩肩候謁，繁於辭語。 及處厚秉政，復奏置六雄、十望、十緊、三十四州別駕以處之。 而清流不雜，朝政清肅。
Earlier, during the Zhenyuan era, Chief Minister Qi Kang had reduced redundant posts by abolishing vice-prefect positions across the provinces; officials in the capital who would have filled those posts were instead kept in court ranks. Since the Yuanhe era, military officers from the Hebei region who distinguished themselves in the two-river campaigns were often promoted into central court posts. Vacancies were filled with assorted reserve officials and junior appointees, all of whom appeared at court in formal regalia until crimson and purple robes crowded the halls. Dozens of men awaiting promotion or between assignments crowded the Secretariat and chief ministers' private residences, jostling for audiences and pleading endlessly for appointments. Once Chuhou took power, he restored vice-prefect posts in the six "great," ten "prominent," ten "critical," and thirty-four other key prefectures to absorb these officials. The result was a cleaner court hierarchy and more orderly governance.
22
文宗勤於聽政，然浮於決斷，宰相奏事得請，往往中變。 處厚常獨論奏曰：「陛下不以臣等不肖，用為宰相，參議大政。 凡有奏請，初蒙聽納，尋易聖懷。 若出自宸衷，即示臣等不信； 若出於橫議，臣等何名鼎司？ 且裴度元勛宿德，歷輔四朝，孜孜竭誠，人望所屬，陛下固宜親重。 竇易直良厚，忠事先朝，陛下固當委信。 微臣才薄，首蒙陛下擢用，非出他門，言既不從，臣宜先退。」 即趨下再拜陳乞。 上矍然曰：「何至此耶！ 卿之誌業，朕素自知，登庸作輔，百職斯舉。 縱朕有所失，安可遽辭，以彰吾薄德？」 處厚謝之而去，出延英門，復令召還。 謂曰：「凡卿所欲言，並宜啟論。」 處厚因對彰善癉惡，歸之法制，凡數百言。 又裴度勛高望重，為人盡心切直，宜久任，可壯國威。 帝皆聽納。 自是宰臣敷奏，人不敢橫議。
Emperor Wenzong was attentive in court but impulsive in judgment; he often reversed decisions after initially approving the chief ministers' recommendations. Chuhou once submitted a memorial alone: "Your Majesty appointed us as chief ministers despite our inadequacies to help govern the realm. Yet time and again Your Majesty initially approves our recommendations only to change your mind shortly afterward. If these reversals come from Your Majesty's own judgment, it suggests you do not trust us. If they come from outside interference, what purpose do we serve as chief ministers? Pei Du is a veteran statesman who has served four emperors with tireless devotion and enjoys the people's trust—Your Majesty should rely on him. Dou Yizhi is virtuous and loyal, having served the previous reign faithfully—Your Majesty should trust him as well. As for myself, I lack talent yet was elevated by Your Majesty's own choice. If my counsel is disregarded, I should be the first to resign. He stepped down and prostrated himself, asking to be dismissed. Startled, the emperor exclaimed: "How can you speak of resigning! I have always known your character and ability; I elevated you to help govern, and under you the administration has flourished. Even if I sometimes err, how can you resign and thereby expose my faults to the world? Chuhou withdrew, but after he had passed through the Yanying Gate the emperor had him recalled. The emperor told him: "Speak freely on whatever is on your mind. Chuhou proceeded to deliver a lengthy discourse on rewarding virtue and punishing vice according to law—several hundred words in all. He also argued that Pei Du's distinguished service and forthright character warranted a long tenure to bolster the nation's authority. The emperor accepted all of his recommendations. After that, no one dared interfere when the chief ministers presented their business to the throne.
23
俄而滄州李同捷叛，朝廷加兵。 魏博史憲誠，中懷向背，裴度以宿舊自任，待憲誠於不疑。 嘗遣親吏請事至中書。 處厚謂曰：「晉公以百口於上前保爾使主，處厚則不然，但仰俟所為，自有朝典耳。」 憲誠聞之大懼，自此輸竭，竟有功於滄州。 又嘗以理財制用為國之本，撰《太和國計》二十卷以獻。 李載義累破滄、鎮兩軍，兵士每有俘執，多遣刳剔。 處厚以書喻之，載義深然其旨。 自此滄、鎮所獲生口，配隸遠地，前後全活數百千人。
Before long Li Tongjie of Cangzhou rebelled, and the court mobilized forces against him. Shi XianCheng of Weibo was equivocal in his loyalties, yet Pei Du, trusting their longstanding relationship, treated him without suspicion. XianCheng once sent a personal clerk to the Secretariat on official business. Chuhou told the clerk: "Lord Pei staked his reputation before the throne to vouch for your master—but I make no such guarantee. I will judge your master's conduct by the court's laws alone. When XianCheng heard this he was terrified and thereafter gave his full support, eventually contributing to the victory at Cangzhou. He also compiled twenty scrolls on state finance titled "National Accounts of the Tahe Era," arguing that fiscal management was the foundation of governance, and presented them to the throne. Li Zaiyi, in repeated victories over the Cangzhou and Zhenzhou armies, allowed his troops to mutilate prisoners—gouging and flaying them. Chuhou wrote to reprove him, and Li Zaiyi deeply accepted his point. Thereafter prisoners from the Cangzhou and Zhenzhou campaigns were assigned to distant regions instead of being killed, saving hundreds of lives.
24
處厚居家循易，如不克任。 至於廷諍敷啟，及馭轄待胥吏，勁確嶷然不可奪。 質狀非魁偉，如甚懦者； 而庶僚請事，畏惕相顧，雖與語移晷，不敢私謁。 急於用才，酷嗜文學。 嘗病前古有以浮議坐廢者，故推擇群材，往往棄瑕錄用，亦為時所譏。 雅信釋氏因果，晚年尤甚。 聚書逾萬卷，多手自刊校。 奉詔修《元和實錄》，未絕筆，其統例取舍，皆處厚創起焉。 太和二年十二月，因延英奏對，造膝之際，忽奏「臣病作」，遽退。 文宗命中官扶出，歸第一夕而卒，年五十六，贈司空。
At home Chuhou lived simply and unassumingly, as though unaware of his own importance. Yet at court, in remonstrance and counsel, and in managing his subordinates and clerks, he was so firm and incorruptible that no one could sway him. He was neither tall nor imposing in bearing; he appeared almost timid. Yet when subordinates came to his office on business, they were so awed that even after lengthy interviews they would not dare visit him privately. He was eager to promote talent and deeply devoted to literary culture. Disturbed that worthy men of the past had been ruined by idle gossip, he often overlooked minor faults when recommending people for office—a practice some contemporaries criticized. He was a sincere believer in Buddhist karma, a faith that grew stronger in his later years. He collected more than ten thousand scrolls of books, many of which he personally edited and proofread. Ordered to compile the Veritable Records of the Yuanhe Era, he had established its editorial standards and principles before his death. In the twelfth month of the second year of the Tahe reign, during an audience in the Yan Ying Hall, he suddenly exclaimed that he had taken ill and hastily withdrew just as he reached the emperor's side. Emperor Wenzong sent eunuchs to assist him out of the hall. He died that very night at home, aged fifty-six. He was posthumously awarded the title of Minister of Works.
25
處厚當國柄二周歲，啟沃之謀，頗協時譽，鹹共惜之。
Chuhou had held the reins of government for two years, and his counsel had won wide acclaim. All mourned his loss.
26
崔群，字敦詩，清河武城人，山東著姓。 十九登進士第，又制策登科，授秘書省校書郎，累遷右補闕。 元和初，召為翰林學士，歷中書舍人。 群在內職，常以讜言正論聞於時。 憲宗嘉賞，降宣旨云：「自今後學士進狀，並取崔群連署，然後進來。」 群以禁密之司，動為故事，自爾學士或惡直醜正，則其下學士無由上言。 群堅不奉詔，三疏論奏方允。
Cui Qun, courtesy name Dunshi, was from Wucheng in Qinghe, a prominent Shandong clan. At nineteen he passed the jinshi examination and then the special decree examination. He was appointed Collator in the Secretariat and eventually rose to Right Remonstrator. At the start of the Yuanhe era he was summoned to the Hanlin Academy and later served as Drafting Officer of the Secretariat. In his palace posts, Cui Qun earned renown for candid and principled counsel. Pleased with his service, Emperor Xianzong decreed: "Henceforth all memorials from Hanlin academicians must bear Cui Qun's countersignature before submission. Cui Qun argued that the Hanlin Academy was a confidential institution and that such a rule would become permanent precedent, allowing senior academicians who resented honest advisers to block memorials from their juniors. He steadfastly refused to comply and only after three memorials of protest did the emperor relent.
27
二年七月，拜中書侍郎、同中書門下平章事。 十四年，誅李師道，上顧謂宰臣曰：「李師古雖自襲祖父，然朝廷待之始終。 其妻於師道即嫂叔也，雖雲逆族，若量罪輕重，亦宜降等。 又李宗奭雖抵嚴憲，其情比之大逆，亦有不同。 其妻士族也，今其子女俱在掖廷，於法皆似稍深。 卿等留意否？」 群對曰：「聖情仁惻，罪止元兇。 其妻近屬，倘獲寬宥，實合弘煦之道。」 於是師古妻裴氏、女宜娘，詔出於鄧州安置。 宗奭妻韋氏及男女，先沒掖廷，並釋放； 其奴婢、資貨皆復賜之。 又鹽鐵福建院官權長孺坐贓，詔付京兆府決殺。 長孺母劉氏求哀於宰相，群因入對言之。 憲宗湣其母耄年，乃曰：「朕將屈法赦長孺何如？」 群曰：「陛下仁惻即赦之，當速令中使宣諭。 如待正敕，即無及也。」 長孺竟得免死長流。 群之啟奏平恕，多此類也。
In the seventh month of the second year of Yuanhe, he was made Vice Director of the Secretariat and Grand Councillor. In the fourteenth year, after Li Shidao was put to death, the emperor turned to his chief ministers and said: "Though Li Shigu seized his post from his grandfather, the court treated his family honorably throughout. His wife was Li Shidao's sister-in-law—a relationship that, though tainted by rebellion, warrants a lesser penalty when the crimes are weighed. Li Zongyi violated the law, but his offense was not comparable to treason in the fullest sense. His wife was of good family, yet her children are now held in the palace prisons—the legal penalties seem somewhat harsh. Have you given this attention? Cui Qun replied: "Your Majesty's mercy is well placed—the guilt should fall only on the ringleaders. If their wives and close kin receive clemency, that would accord with your benevolent rule." Thereupon an edict ordered Li Shigu's wife Lady Pei and daughter Yiniang released and resettled in Dengzhou. Li Zongyi's wife Lady Wei and their children, who had been imprisoned in the palace quarters, were also freed. Their servants and possessions were restored to them as well. Also, Quan Changru, an official of the Fujian Salt and Iron Commission, was convicted of corruption and ordered to be executed by the Capital Prefecture. Changru's mother Lady Liu pleaded with the chief ministers, and Cui Qun raised the matter during an imperial audience. Moved by the aged mother's plea, Emperor Xianzong said: "What if I bend the law and pardon Changru? Cui Qun replied: "If Your Majesty intends mercy, you should dispatch a palace envoy at once to announce the pardon. If you wait for the formal decree, it will be too late." Changru was spared execution and sentenced instead to long exile. Many of Cui Qun's memorials displayed this same spirit of lenient justice.
28
時憲宗急於蕩寇，頗獎聚斂之臣。 故籓府由是希旨，往往捃拾，目為進奉。 處州刺史苗稷進羨余錢七千貫，群議以為違詔，受之則失信於天下，請卻賜本州，代貧下租稅。 時論美之。
At that time Emperor Xianzong was eager to suppress rebellions and tended to reward officials skilled at revenue extraction. Frontier governors accordingly curried favor, gathering funds and calling them "tribute" to the throne. When Chuzhou Prefect Miao Ji submitted seven thousand strings of surplus revenue, Cui Qun argued that accepting it would violate imperial policy and damage the throne's credibility. He recommended returning the funds to subsidize local taxes for the poor. Contemporary opinion praised his decision.
29
度支使皇甫镈陰結權幸，以求宰相，群累疏其奸邪。 嘗因對面論，語及天寶、開元中事，群曰：「安危在出令，存亡系所任。 玄宗用姚崇、宋璟、張九齡、韓休、李元纮、杜暹則理； 用林甫、楊國忠則亂。 人皆以天寶十五年祿山自范陽起兵，是理亂分時，臣以為開元二十年罷賢相張九齡，專任奸臣李林甫，理亂自此已分矣。 用人得失，所系非小。」 詞意激切，左右為之感動。 镈深恨之。 而憲宗終用镈為宰相。 無何，群臣議上尊號，皇甫镈欲加「孝德」兩字，群曰：「有睿聖，則孝德在其中矣。」 竟為镈所構。 憲宗不樂，出為湖南觀察都團練使。
Fiscal Commissioner Huangfu Bo curried favor with powerful courtiers in hopes of becoming chief minister, and Cui Qun repeatedly memorialized against his corruption. During one audience on affairs of the Tianbao and Kaiyuan eras, Cui Qun said: "A dynasty's fate rests on its policies and on the men entrusted with power. When Emperor Xuanzong used men like Yao Chong, Song Jing, Zhang Jiuling, Han Xiu, Li Yuanhong, and Du Xian, the realm was well governed. When he employed Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong, it fell into chaos. Most believe the turning point came in Tianbao 15, when An Lushan rebelled from Fanyang. But I hold that the decline began in Kaiyuan 20, when the worthy Zhang Jiuling was dismissed and the corrupt Li Linfu was given sole power. The choice of ministers is no small matter. His words were so passionate that those present were deeply moved. Huangfu Bo came to hate him deeply. Yet Emperor Xianzong ultimately appointed Huangfu Bo as chief minister. Before long, when the court debated an honorific title for the emperor, Huangfu Bo proposed adding the characters for "Filial Virtue." Cui Qun objected: "With 'Sagacious Sagehood' already included, filial virtue is implied." In the end he was ruined by Huangfu Bo's intrigues. Emperor Xianzong, displeased, sent him out to serve as Military Governor of Hunan.
30
穆宗即位，征拜吏部侍郎，召見別殿，謂群曰：「我升儲位，知卿為羽翼。」 群曰：「先帝之意，元在陛下。 頃者授陛下淮西節度使，臣奉命草制，且曰：『能辨南陽之牘，允符東海之貴。』 若不知先帝深旨，臣豈敢輕言？」 數日，拜御史中丞。 浹旬，授檢校兵部尚書，兼徐州刺史、武寧軍節度、徐泗濠觀察等使。
When Emperor Muzong came to the throne, Cui Qun was recalled as Vice Director of the Ministry of Personnel. Received in a private audience, the emperor said: "When I was named heir, I knew you had been my supporter. Cui Qun replied: "The late emperor's intention had always been to install Your Majesty. When you were appointed military governor of Huai West, I drafted the edict, which praised your ability to 'discern the petitions of Nanyang and fulfill the dignity of the Eastern Sea'— Had I not understood the late emperor's deeper meaning, I would never have written such words." Within days he was appointed Censor-in-Chief. Within ten days he was made honorary Minister of War and Military Governor of Wuning, with concurrent jurisdiction over Xuzhou and the Xu-Si-Hao region.
31
初，幽、鎮逆命，詔授沂州刺史王智興為武寧軍節度副使，領徐州兵討伐。 群以智興早得士心，表請因授智興旄鉞，竟寢不報。 智興自河北回戈，城內皆是父兄，開關延入，群為智興所逐。 朝廷坐其失守，授秘書監，分司東都。 未幾，改華州刺史、兼御史大夫。 復改宣州刺史、歙池等州都團練觀察等使，徵拜兵部尚書。 久之，改檢校吏部尚書、江陵尹、荊南節度觀察使。 逾歲，改檢校右僕射，兼太常卿。 太和五年，拜檢校左僕射，兼吏部尚書。 六年八月卒，年六十一，冊贈司空。
When Youzhou and Zhenzhou rebelled, Wang Zhixing of Yizhou was appointed vice military commissioner of Wuning and ordered to lead Xuzhou troops against the rebels. Cui Qun, noting that Zhixing already enjoyed the troops' loyalty, recommended appointing him full military commissioner—but the request was never answered. Zhixing then turned his army from Hebei back upon Xuzhou—the garrison, many his kinsmen, opened the gates to him, and Cui Qun was driven out. The court held him responsible for the loss of the city and appointed him Director of the Palace Library in an honorary post at the Eastern Capital. Before long he was made Prefect of Huazhou and Grand Censor. He was later transferred to Xuanzhou as military governor of the She-Chi region, then recalled as Minister of War. After some time he became honorary Director of the Ministry of Personnel, Prefect of Jiangling, and Military Governor of Jingnan. A year later he was made honorary Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs and Director of the Court of Sacrificial Worship. In the fifth year of the Tahe reign he was appointed honorary Left Vice Director and Director of the Ministry of Personnel. He died in the eighth month of the sixth year, aged sixty-one, and was posthumously granted the title of Minister of Works.
32
群有沖識精裁，為時賢相。 清議以儉素之節，其終不及厥初。 群年未冠舉進士，陸贄知舉，訪於梁肅，議其登第有才行者，肅曰：「崔群雖少年，他日必至公輔。」 果如其言。
Cui Qun possessed discerning judgment and was regarded as a worthy chief minister of his age. Purists noted that he had begun with a reputation for austerity but did not uphold it to the end. When Cui Qun took the jinshi examination before coming of age, Chief Examiner Lu Zhi asked Liang Su which candidates showed both talent and character. Su replied: "Though Cui Qun is still young, he will one day reach the highest offices. And so it proved.
33
群弟於，登進士，官至郎署，有令名。
His younger brother Cui Yu also passed the jinshi examination, rose to a post in the secretariat, and enjoyed a fine reputation.
34
子充，亦以文學進，歷三署，終東都留守。
His son Cui Chong also rose through literary achievement, served in the three central bureaus, and eventually became Garrison Commander of the Eastern Capital.
35
路隨，字南式，其先陽平人。 高祖節，高宗朝為越王府東閣祭酒。 曾祖惟恕，官至睦州刺史。 祖俊之，仕終太子通事舍人。
Lu Sui, courtesy name Nanshi, was descended from Yangping. His great-grandfather Lu Jie served in Emperor Gaozong's reign as Libationer in the household of the Prince of Yue. His great-great-grandfather Lu Weishu rose to Prefect of Mu Prefecture. His grandfather Lu Junzhi served ultimately as Palace Receptionist to the Heir Apparent.
36
父泌，字安期，少好學，通《五經》，尤嗜《詩》、《易》、《左氏春秋》，能諷其章句，皆究深旨。 博涉史傳，工五言詩。 性端亮寡言，以孝悌聞於宗族。 建中末，以長安尉從調，舉李益、韋綬等書判同居高第，泌授城門郎。 屬德宗違難奉天，泌時在京師，棄妻子潛詣行在所。 又從幸梁州，排潰軍而出，再為流矢所中，裂裳濡血。 以策說渾瑊，瑊深重之，辟為從事。 瑊討懷光，累奏為副元帥判官、檢校戶部郎中、兼御史中丞。 河中平，隨瑊與吐蕃會盟於平涼，因劫盟陷蕃。 在絕域累年，棲心於釋氏之教，為贊普所重，待以賓禮，卒於戎鹿。
His father Lu Bi, courtesy name Anqi, was a devoted scholar versed in the Five Classics, with particular mastery of the Book of Odes, the Book of Changes, and the Zuo Commentary to the Spring and Autumn Annals, which he knew in full depth. He was widely read in history and a skilled writer of regulated verse. Upright and reticent, he was renowned within his clan for filial devotion. At the end of the Jianzhong era, while serving as an assistant in Chang'an, he ranked at the top of the document-judgment examination alongside Li Yi and Wei Shou and was appointed Gate Commandant. When Emperor Dezong fled to Fengtian, Bi was in the capital. He left his family behind and secretly made his way to the emperor's camp. He accompanied the emperor to Liangzhou, forcing his way through fleeing troops and twice being struck by stray arrows, his torn robes soaked in blood. Impressing General Hun Zhen with his counsel, he was taken on as a staff officer. During Hun Zhen's campaign against Zhu Huaiguang, Bi was repeatedly recommended and appointed deputy commander staff officer, honorary Director in the Ministry of Revenue, and Censor-in-Chief. After the pacification of Hezhong, he accompanied Hun Zhen to a peace conference with Tibet at Pingliang and was seized when the Tibetans broke the truce. Held captive in Tibet for many years, he devoted himself to Buddhism, earned the Tibetan king's respect, was treated as an honored guest, and died at Ronglu.
37
貞元十九年，吐蕃遺邊將書求和。 隨哀泣上疏，願允其請。 表三上，德宗命中使諭旨。 朝廷懲其宿詐，俟更要於後信，訖數歲不報。 元和中，蕃使復款塞，隨復五獻封章，請修和好。 又上書於宰執哀訴。 裴垍、李籓皆協力敷奏，憲宗可之。 命祠部郎中徐復報聘，乃特於詔中疏平涼陷蕃者名氏，令歸中國。 吐蕃因復等還，遣使來朝。 遂以泌及鄭叔矩之喪與銘及遺錄至，朝野傷嘆。 憲宗憫之，贈絳州刺史，賜絹二百匹。 至葬日，委所在官給喪事。 泌累贈太子少保。
In the nineteenth year of the Zhenyuan reign, Tibet sent a letter to a border general proposing peace. Lu Sui, weeping, submitted a memorial asking that the request be granted. After three memorials, Emperor Dezong sent a palace envoy to convey his response. Distrustful of Tibet's past treachery, the court withheld approval for several years. During the Yuanhe era, when Tibetan envoys again appeared at the frontier, Lu Sui submitted five sealed memorials urging reconciliation. He also wrote directly to the chief ministers in an anguished appeal. Pei Ji and Li Fan joined in pressing the case, and Emperor Xianzong agreed. Xu Fu of the Ministry of Rites was sent as envoy, and the edict specifically named those captured at Pingliang and ordered their repatriation. Tibet then sent an embassy to court in response. The remains of Lu Bi and Zheng Shuju, together with their epitaphs and writings, were returned, moving the entire court to grief. Moved with pity, Emperor Xianzong posthumously appointed Lu Bi Prefect of Jiangzhou and granted two hundred bolts of silk. On the day of burial, local officials were ordered to provide for the funeral. Lu Bi was posthumously promoted on several occasions to Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent.
38
泌陷蕃之歲，隨方在孩提； 後稍長成，知父在蕃，乃日夜啼號，坐必西向，饌不食肉，母氏言其形貌肖先君，遂終身不照鏡。 後以通經調授潤州參軍，為李锜所困。 使知市事，隨翛然坐市中，一不介意。 韋夏卿為東都留守，聞而辟之，由是聲名日振。 元和五年，邊吏以訃至。 隨居喪，益以孝聞。 服闋，擢拜左補闕。
When Lu Bi was captured by Tibet, Lu Sui was still an infant. As he grew older and learned that his father was captive in Tibet, he wept constantly, always sat facing west, and refused meat at meals. His mother said he resembled his late father so closely that he never looked in a mirror for the rest of his life. After passing the classics examination he was posted as an aide in Runzhou, where Li Ge made life difficult for him. Li Ge put him in charge of the market, but Lu Sui simply sat there at ease, wholly unperturbed. When Wei Xiaqing became Garrison Commander of the Eastern Capital, he recruited Lu Sui on hearing of him, and his reputation steadily grew. In the fifth year of the Yuanhe reign, a border official brought word of Lu Bi's death. Lu Sui observed mourning for his father and became still more renowned for filial devotion. When the mourning period ended, he was promoted to Left Remonstrance Official.
39
會李絳諷上納諫，憲宗皇帝曰：「諫官路隨、韋處厚章疏相繼，朕常深用其言。」 自是識者敬伏焉。 俄遷起居郎，轉司勛員外郎。 自補闕至司勛員外，皆充史館修撰。 穆宗即位，遷司勛郎中，賜緋魚袋。 與韋處厚同入翰林為侍講學士。 采三代皇王興衰，著《六經法言》二十卷奏之。 拜諫議大夫，依前侍講學士。 將修《憲宗實錄》，復命兼充史職。 敬宗登極，拜中書舍人、翰林學士，仍賜紫。 有以金帛謝除制者，必叱而卻之曰：「吾以公事接私財耶？」 終無所納。 文宗即位，韋處厚入相，隨代為承旨，轉兵部侍郎、知制誥。 太和二年，處厚薨，隨代為相，拜中書侍郎，加監修國史。 初，韓愈撰《順宗實錄》，說禁中事頗切直內官惡之，往往於上前言其不實，累朝有詔改修。 及隨進《憲宗實錄》後，文宗復令改正永貞時事，隨奏曰：
When Li Jue urged the emperor to heed remonstrance, Emperor Xianzong said: "The censors Lu Sui and Wei Chuhou have submitted one memorial after another, and I have often taken their counsel deeply to heart. From that time those in the know held them in deep respect. Soon he was promoted to Diarist and then transferred to an outside director's post in the Ministry of Personnel. From his appointment as remonstrance official through his post in the Ministry of Personnel, he concurrently served as a compiler at the History Office. When Emperor Muzong came to the throne, Lu Sui was made a director in the Ministry of Personnel and granted the vermilion fish tally of third rank. He entered the Hanlin Academy together with Wei Chuhou as a lecturing academician. Surveying the rise and fall of royal houses from the Three Dynasties onward, he wrote twenty scrolls of "Legal Maxims of the Six Classics" and presented them to the throne. He was appointed Remonstrance Grandee while continuing as lecturing academician. When the Veritable Records of Emperor Xianzong were to be compiled, he was again ordered to hold a concurrent post as historian. When Emperor Jingzong came to the throne, Lu Sui was made Secretariat Drafter and Hanlin Academician and granted the purple robe. When anyone offered gold or silk to thank him for drafting an appointment decree, he always rejected them sharply: "Am I to handle official business while taking private gifts? He never accepted a single gift. When Emperor Wenzong came to the throne, Wei Chuhou entered the chancellery and Lu Sui succeeded him as chief academician, becoming Vice Minister of War and Director of Edicts. In the second year of the Tahe reign, after Wei Chuhou's death Lu Sui succeeded him as chief minister, was appointed Vice Director of the Secretariat, and made Supervisor of the National History. Earlier, Han Yu had compiled the Veritable Records of Emperor Shunzong, writing bluntly about inner-palace affairs. The eunuchs resented this and repeatedly told successive emperors the account was false, and several reigns issued edicts ordering revisions. After Lu Sui submitted the Veritable Records of Emperor Xianzong, Emperor Wenzong again ordered revisions to events of the Yongzhen era. Lu Sui memorialized in reply:
40
臣昨面奉聖旨，以《順宗實錄》頗非詳實，委臣等重加刊正，畢日聞奏。 臣自奉宣命，取史本欲加筆削。 近見衛尉卿周居巢、諫議大夫王彥威、給事中李固言、史官蘇景胤等各上章疏，具陳刊改非甚便宜。 又聞班行如此議論頗眾。 臣伏以史冊之作，勸誡所存，事有當書，理宜歸實。 匹夫美惡尚不可誣，人君得失無容虛載。 聖旨以前件《實錄》記貞元末數事，稍非摭實，蓋出傳聞，審知差舛，便令刊正。 頃因坐日，屢形聖言，通計前後，至於數四。 臣及宗閔、僧孺亦以永貞已來，歲月至近，禁中行事，在外固難詳知。 陛下所言，皆是接於耳目。 既聞乖謬，因述古今，引前史直不疑盜嫂之言，及第五倫撾公之說，皆多此比類，難盡信書。 所冀睿鑒詳於聽言，深宮慎於行事。 持此比類，上開聰明，特蒙降察，稍恕前謬。 由是近垂宣命，令有改修。
Yesterday I received Your Majesty's edict stating that the Veritable Records of Emperor Shunzong are insufficiently accurate and directing us to undertake a thorough revision, with a report due upon completion. Since receiving that order I have taken up the manuscript with the intention of revising it. Recently Zhou Juchao, Minister of the Guard; Wang Yanwei, Remonstrance Grandee; Li Guyin, Recipient of Petitions; and the historian Su Jingyin have each submitted memorials arguing that revision would be unwise. I have also heard much similar talk among officials at court. Historical writing exists to instruct and admonish: what ought to be recorded must be grounded in fact. The virtues and faults of ordinary men must not be falsely reported—how much less may a ruler's achievements and failures be invented? Your Majesty's edict noted that certain entries on late Zhenyuan events in the earlier Veritable Records appear not to be solidly grounded in fact but drawn from rumor, and once these errors were verified, ordered their correction. In recent audiences Your Majesty has raised this matter repeatedly—four or five times in all. Li Zongmin, Niu Sengru, and I have likewise noted that since the Yongzhen era the events in question are recent, and palace affairs are naturally difficult for outsiders to know in detail. What Your Majesty recounted came from your own direct experience. Hearing of these discrepancies, Your Majesty drew on history, citing such cases as the charge that Zhi Buyi stole his sister-in-law and the story of Diwu Lun beating the duke—examples of the sort of hearsay that often finds its way into historical texts and cannot always be trusted. I only hope that Your Majesty's discerning judgment will weigh such testimony carefully and that palace conduct will remain circumspect. By these examples Your Majesty showed your clear understanding, and in your gracious reconsideration you have somewhat excused the earlier errors. Hence the recent order to proceed with revision.
41
臣等伏以貞觀已來，累朝實錄有經重撰，不敢固辭。 但欲粗刪深誤，亦固盡存諸說。 宗閔、僧孺相與商量，緣此書成於韓愈，今史官李漢、蔣系皆愈之子婿，若遣參撰，或致私嫌。 以臣既職監修，盍令詳正，及經奏請，事遂施行。 今者庶僚競言，不知本起，表章交奏，似有他疑。 臣雖至昧，容非自請。 既迫群議，輒冒上聞。 縱臣果獲修成，必懼終為時累。 且韓愈所書，亦非己出，元和之後，已是相循。 縱其密親，豈害公理？ 使歸本職，實謂正名。 其《實錄》伏望條示舊記最錯誤者，宣付史官，委之修定。 則冀聖祖垂休，永無慚於傳信。 下臣非據，獲減戾於侵官。 彰清朝立政之方，表公器不私之義。 流言自弭，時論攸宜。
Since the Zhenguan era, Veritable Records of several reigns have been rewritten; we would not presume to refuse outright. We propose only to remove the most serious errors while preserving alternative accounts wherever possible. Li Zongmin, Niu Sengru, and I discussed the matter: since the original work was Han Yu's, and the historians Li Han and Jiang Xi are both Han Yu's sons-in-law, their participation might invite suspicion of partiality. As I already supervise the compilation, I proposed to undertake the corrections myself; once the memorial was submitted, the plan was put into effect. Now many officials are speaking out without knowing how the project began, and their overlapping memorials suggest other motives are at work. Though I am hardly a man of keen insight, I assure Your Majesty this was not my own idea. Compelled by widespread concern, I venture to report this to Your Majesty. Even if I should succeed in completing the revision, I fear I would ultimately become a liability to the court. Moreover, Han Yu's text was not wholly his own original work—after the Yuanhe era it had already been transmitted through several hands. Even if his close relations serve as historians, what harm does that do to impartial truth? Returning them to their ordinary duties would in truth be to set matters right. I respectfully ask that Your Majesty identify the most erroneous passages in the old record, assign them to the historians, and entrust the revision to them. Thus our sage ancestors' legacy may rest untarnished and history may transmit no shameful falsehoods. Your humble servant, holding office beyond his merits, may thus be spared the charge of overstepping his authority. This would show how the dynasty governs and uphold the principle that public office must not serve private ends. Rumor would subside of itself, and public opinion would be satisfied.
42
詔曰：「其《實錄》中所書德宗、順宗朝禁中事，尋訪根柢，蓋起謬傳，諒非信史。 宜令史官詳正刊去，其他不要更修。 余依所奏。」
The edict read: "Tracing the origins of the inner-palace accounts from the reigns of Emperors Dezong and Shunzong recorded in the Veritable Records, we find they stem largely from false rumor and cannot be regarded as reliable history. Let the historians examine these passages, correct them, and delete what is unsound; no other portions need be revised. As for the rest, follow the memorial."
43
四年，轉門下侍郎，加崇文館大學士。 七年，兼太子太師，備禮冊拜。 表上史官所修憲宗穆宗《實錄》。 八年，辭疾，不得謝。 會李德裕連貶至袁州長史，隨不署奏狀，始為鄭註所忌。 九年四月，拜檢校尚書右僕射、同中書門下平章事，兼潤州刺史、鎮海軍節度、浙江西道觀察等使。
In the fourth year he was transferred to Vice Director of the Chancellery and made Grand Academician of the Chongwen Hall. In the seventh year he was concurrently appointed Grand Preceptor of the Heir Apparent in a full ceremonial investiture. He memorialized the throne presenting the historians' completed Veritable Records of Emperors Xianzong and Muzong. In the eighth year he asked to retire on grounds of illness but was not permitted to leave office. When Li Deyu was repeatedly demoted as far as chief administrator of Yuanzhou, Lu Sui refused to countersign the memorial of dismissal—thereby incurring Zheng Zhu's enmity for the first time. In the fourth month of the ninth year he was appointed honorary Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs and Participant in the Chancellery, with concurrent posts as Prefect of Runzhou, Military Governor of Zhenhai, and Commissioner of the Zhejiang West Circuit.
44
太和九年七月，遘疾於路，薨於揚子江之中流，年六十。 冊贈太保，謚曰貞。
In the seventh month of the ninth year of the Tahe reign he fell ill en route and died midstream on the Yangzi River, aged sixty. He was posthumously enfeoffed as Grand Guardian with the posthumous name Zhen, "Upright."
45
隨有學行大度，為諫官能直言，在內廷匡益。 自寶歷初為承旨學士，即參大政矣。 後十五年在相位。 宗閔、德裕朋黨交興，攘臂於其間； 李訓、鄭註始終奸詐，接武於其後。 而隨藏器韜光，隆汙一致，可謂得君子中庸而常居之也。
Lu Sui was learned, magnanimous, and forthright as a censor; within the palace he offered steady corrective counsel. From his appointment as chief academician at the start of the Baoli reign he was already involved in major affairs of state. He then held high ministerial rank for fifteen years. As the factions of Li Zongmin and Li Deyu rose in turn, each brandishing power in the struggle, and Li Xun and Zheng Zhu, utterly treacherous, followed close behind— Lu Sui concealed his brilliance and held himself above the turmoil, treating honor and disgrace alike—a man who truly lived the Confucian Mean.
46
史臣曰：衛次公、鄭絪、韋處厚、崔群、路隨等，皆以文學飾身，致位崇極。 兼之忠讜，垂名簡書，茲實有足多也。 絪有其位，有其時，懷獨善之謀，晦眾濟之道，左遷非不幸也。 次公因獻捷之書，輟已成之詔，命也夫。 處厚危言切議，振士友之急，稱同列之善，君子哉！
The historian comments: Wei Cigong, Zheng Xian, Wei Chuhou, Cui Qun, Lu Sui, and the others all rose to the highest offices through literary accomplishment. Their loyal remonstrance has earned them lasting fame in the histories—a record richly deserving of praise. Zheng Xian held rank at the right moment yet cherished a policy of personal rectitude above public service; his demotion was no misfortune. Wei Cigong, having submitted a victory report, saw an already drafted edict withdrawn—such was fate. Wei Chuhou spoke boldly in perilous times, rallied friends in distress, and praised his colleagues' virtues—a true gentleman!
47
贊曰：衛、鄭、韋、路，兼之博陵。 文學政事，為時所稱。
Encomium: Wei, Zheng, Wei, and Lu, together with Cui of Boling— men praised in their age for literary talent and statesmanship.