1
邢文偉，滁州全椒人也。 少與和州高子貢、壽州裴懷貴俱以博學知名於江、淮間。 咸亨中，累遷太子典膳丞。 時孝敬在東宮，罕與宮臣接見，文偉輒減膳，上書曰：
Xing Wenwei came from Quanjiao in Chuzhou prefecture. In his youth he, together with Gao Zigong of Hezhou and Pei Huaigui of Shouzhou, were renowned throughout the Yangtze–Huai region for their erudition. During the Xianheng period (670–674) he rose through several posts to become Supervisor of the Crown Prince's Provisions. At that time Crown Prince Xiaojing was in the Eastern Palace and seldom met with his palace staff. Wenwei accordingly curtailed his own rations and submitted a memorial:
2
臣竊見《禮·戴記》曰：「太子既冠成人，免於保傅之嚴，則有司過之史，徹膳之宰。 史之義，不得不司過； 宰之義，不得不徹膳，不徹膳則死。」 今皇帝式稽前典，妙簡英俊，自庶子已下，至諮議、舍人及學士、侍讀等，使翼佐殿下，以成聖德。 近日已來，未甚延納，談議不狎，謁見尚稀，三朝之後，但與內人獨居，何由發揮聖智，使睿哲文明者乎？ 今史雖闕官，宰當奉職，忝備所司，未敢逃死，謹守禮經，輒申減膳。
"Your subject has noted what the Record of Rites (Dai Gong's record) says: 'Once the crown prince has received the cap and become an adult, freed from the strict oversight of his tutors, there shall be a historiographer to record his faults and a steward to withdraw his meals. The historiographer's duty is to record faults without fail; and the steward's duty is to withdraw meals without fail—if he fails to withdraw them, he must die.' The Emperor has now followed ancient precedent and carefully chosen outstanding men—from the junior tutors down through advisers, gentlemen-in-attendance, academicians, and lecturers—to assist Your Highness in cultivating sagely virtue. Of late, however, Your Highness has not been very receptive: conversation lacks familiarity, and audiences remain infrequent. After the third audience of the day you keep only to your inner attendants—how then can sagely wisdom be brought forth and keen intelligence made manifest? Though the historiographer's post is now vacant, the steward must still perform his duty. I am unworthy of the office I hold, yet I dare not shirk the penalty of death prescribed by ritual; reverently following the canon, I hereby announce that I am curtailing my provisions.
3
太子答書曰：
The crown prince replied in a letter:
4
顧以庸虛，早尚墳典，每欲研精政術，極意書林。 但往在幼年，未閑將衛，竭誠耽誦，因即損心。 比日以來，風虛更積，中奉恩旨，不許重勞。 加以趨侍含元，溫清朝夕，承親以無專之道，遵禮以色養為先。 所以屢闕坐朝，時乖學緒。 公潛申勖戒，聿薦忠規，敬尋來請，良符宿誌。 自非情思審諭，義均弼諧，豈能進此藥言，形於簡墨！ 撫躬三省，感愧兼深！
Aware of my own mediocrity, I have long revered the classical canon and have always wished to refine my grasp of statecraft and devote myself fully to study. But in my youth, unaccustomed to the rigors of guard duty, I threw myself wholeheartedly into study and thereby damaged my health. Lately my chronic weakness has grown worse, and I have received an imperial decree forbidding me to overexert myself. Moreover I attend the emperor at Hanyuan Palace morning and evening, serving my parent without partiality and observing ritual by giving priority to caring for him through proper demeanor. For this reason I have often been absent from court audiences and have sometimes neglected my studies. You have discreetly offered encouragement and presented loyal counsel; on carefully reviewing your request, I find it accords well with my long-held resolve. Had you not understood my situation so clearly and offered counsel worthy of a true minister, how could you have ventured such salutary advice and set it down in writing! Reflecting on myself again and again, I am deeply moved and ashamed!
5
文偉自是益知名。
From this incident Wenwei's reputation grew still greater.
6
其後右史缺官，高宗謂侍臣曰：「邢文偉事我兒，能減膳切諫，此正直人也。」 遂擢拜右史。 則天臨朝，累遷鳳閣侍郎，兼弘文館學士。 載初元年，遷內史。
Later, when the post of Right Historiographer fell vacant, Emperor Gaozong told his attending ministers: "Xing Wenwei served my son and was willing to curtail his own rations and offer earnest remonstrance—he is an upright man. He was promptly promoted to Right Historiographer. When Empress Wu held court, he rose through several posts to Vice Minister of the Phoenix Pavilion and concurrently served as an Academician of the Hongwen Hall. In 689 he was appointed Inner Scribe.
7
天授初，內史宗秦客以奸贓獲罪，文偉坐附會秦客，貶授珍州刺史。 後有制使至其州境，文偉以為殺己，遽自縊而死。
At the beginning of the Tianshou era (690), Inner Scribe Zong Qinke was convicted of corruption; Wenwei was implicated for associating with Qinke and demoted to prefect of Zhen prefecture. Later, when an imperial commissioner arrived at the border of his prefecture, Wenwei believed he had been sent to execute him and immediately hanged himself.
8
高子貢者，和州歷陽人也。 弱冠遊太學，遍涉《六經》，尤精《史記》。 與文偉及亳州硃敬則為莫逆之交。 明經舉，歷秘書正字、弘文館直學士。 郁郁不得誌，棄官而歸。
Gao Zigong came from Liyang in Hezhou prefecture. At twenty he entered the Imperial Academy, studied all six classics, and was especially accomplished in the Records of the Grand Historian. He formed the closest of friendships with Wenwei and Zhu Jingze of Bozhou. After passing the Mingjing examination he served as proofreader of the Secretariat and direct academician of the Hongwen Hall. Frustrated in his ambitions, he resigned his post and returned home.
9
屬徐敬業作亂於揚州，遣弟敬猷統兵五千人，緣江西上，將逼和州。 子貢率鄉曲數百人拒之，自是賊不敢犯。 以功擢授朝散大夫，拜成均助教。
When Xu Jingye rebelled at Yangzhou, he sent his younger brother Jingyou with five thousand troops up the west bank of the Yangtze, threatening to advance on Hezhou. Zigong led several hundred local men to resist them, and from then on the rebels did not dare attack the area. For this service he was promoted to Grand Master of Splendid Happiness and appointed assistant instructor at the Directorate of Education.
10
虢王鳳之子東莞公融，曾為和州刺史，從子貢受業，情義特深。 及融為申州，陰懷異志。 令黃公撰結交於子貢，推為謀主。 潛謀密議，書信往復，諸王內外相應，皆出自其策。 尋而事發，被誅。
Rong, Duke of Dongguan, son of Prince Feng of Guo, had once served as prefect of Hezhou and had studied under Zigong; their bond was especially close. When Rong was posted to Shen prefecture, he secretly harbored rebellious ambitions. He had Huang Gongzhuan cultivate Zigong's friendship and made him chief strategist. They plotted in secret and exchanged letters; the princes coordinated their actions inside and outside the capital—all according to his plans. Before long the plot was exposed and he was executed.
11
郎余令，定州新樂人也。 祖楚之，少與兄蔚之，俱有重名。 隋大業中，蔚之為左丞，楚之為尚書民曹郎。 煬帝重其兄弟，稱為二郎。 楚之，武德初為大理卿，與太子少保李綱、侍中陳叔達撰定律令。 後受詔招諭山東，為竇建德所獲，脅以兵刃，又誘以厚利，楚之竟不為屈。 及還，以年老致仕。 貞觀初，卒，時年八十。
Lang Yuling came from Xinle in Dingzhou prefecture. His grandfather Chuzhi and Chuzhi's elder brother Weizhi both enjoyed great renown in their youth. During the Daye reign of Sui (605–618), Weizhi served as left vice director and Chuzhi as gentleman of the Ministry of Revenue in the Secretariat. Emperor Yang held the brothers in high regard and called them "the Two Gentlemen." At the beginning of the Wude reign (618), Chuzhi served as minister of justice and, together with Junior Tutor Li Gang and Attendant-in-Chief Chen Shuda, drafted the statutes and ordinances. Later he was ordered to win over the eastern provinces and was captured by Dou Jiande, who threatened him with arms and tempted him with rich rewards, yet Chuzhi refused to yield. After his return he retired from office on account of his age. He died at the beginning of the Zhenguan reign, at the age of eighty.
12
余令父知運，貝州刺史； 兄余慶，高宗時萬年令，理有威名，京城路不拾遺，後卒於交州都督。
Yuling's father Zhiyun served as prefect of Bei prefecture; his elder brother Yuqing, who under Emperor Gaozong served as magistrate of Wannian with such authority that lost property was left untouched in the capital streets, and who later died while serving as military governor of Jiaozhou.
13
余令少以博學知名，舉進士。 初授霍王元軌府參軍，數上詞賦，元軌深禮之。 先是，余令從父知年為霍王友，亦見推仰。 元軌謂人曰：「郎氏兩賢，人之望也。 相次入府，不意培塿而松柏成林。」 轉幽州錄事參軍。 時有客僧聚眾欲自焚，長史裴照率官屬欲往觀之。 余令曰：「好生惡死，人之性也。 違越教義，不近人情。 明公佐守重籓，須察其奸詐，豈得輕舉，觀此妖妄！」 照從其言，因收僧按問，果得詐狀。
Yuling was known from youth for his erudition and passed the jinshi examination. He was first appointed military adjutant in the household of Prince Huo Yuan Gui, submitted several literary compositions, and was treated with great respect by the prince. Earlier, Yuling's father's younger cousin Zhinian had served as friend to Prince Huo and was likewise held in high regard. Yuan Gui remarked to others: "These two worthy men of the Lang clan are the hope of us all. They have entered my household one after another—I never expected a mere mound to grow into a forest of pine and cypress. He was transferred to recording secretary of Youzhou. At that time a visiting monk gathered a crowd intending to burn himself alive; Chief Administrator Pei Zhao led his subordinates to go and watch. Yuling said: "Love of life and hatred of death are human nature. To violate religious teaching in this way is contrary to human nature. Your Excellency assists in governing an important frontier post—you must investigate his deception. How can you lightly go to witness such demonic folly! Zhao followed his advice, arrested the monk, and interrogated him—and indeed uncovered the fraud.
14
孝敬在東宮，余令續梁元帝《孝德傳》，撰《孝子後傳》三十卷，以獻，甚見嗟重。 累轉著作佐郎。 撰《隋書》未成，會病卒，時人甚痛惜之。
When Crown Prince Xiaojing was in the Eastern Palace, Yuling continued Emperor Yuan of Liang's Biographies of Filial Virtue and compiled Later Biographies of Filial Sons in thirty juan, which he presented to the crown prince and was greatly admired. He rose through several posts to assistant in the Bureau of Authorship. He was compiling the Book of Sui but had not finished when he fell ill and died; contemporaries deeply mourned his loss.
15
路敬淳，貝州臨清人也。 父文逸。 隋大業末，闔門遇盜，文逸潛匿草澤，晝伏於死人中，夜行避難。 自傷窮梗，閉口不食。 同侶閔其謹願，勸以不當滅性，捃拾以食之，遞負之而行，遂免於難。 貞觀末，官至申州司馬。
Lu Jingchun came from Linqing in Bei prefecture. His father was Wenyi. At the end of the Sui Daye reign, the entire family fell victim to bandits; Wenyi hid in the marshes, lying among the dead by day and traveling by night to escape. Grieving his destitution, he refused all food. His companions, pitying his earnest nature, urged him not to destroy himself, gathered food for him, took turns carrying him on their journey, and thus he escaped danger. By the end of the Zhenguan reign he had risen to vice administrator of Shen prefecture.
16
敬淳與季弟敬潛俱早知名。 敬淳尤勤學，不窺門庭，遍覽墳籍，而孝友篤敬。 遭喪，三年不出廬寢。 服免，方號慟入見其妻，形容羸毀，妻不之識也。
Jingchun and his youngest brother Jingqian were both known from an early age. Jingchun was especially diligent in study, never leaving his gate, reading widely in the classical canon, and was deeply filial and devoted to his friends. When his parent died, he did not leave the mourning hut for three years. When the mourning period ended, he went in wailing to see his wife; he was so emaciated that she did not recognize him.
17
後舉進士。 天授中，歷司禮博士、太子司議郎，兼修國史，仍授崇賢館學士。 數受詔修緝吉兇雜儀，則天深重之。 萬歲通天二年，坐與綦連耀結交，下獄死。
Later he passed the jinshi examination. During the Tianshou era he served as erudite of the Ministry of Rites and secretary for discussion of the crown prince, concurrently compiled the national history, and was appointed academician of the Chongxian Hall. He received repeated edicts to compile rites for auspicious and inauspicious occasions; Empress Wu held him in high regard. In 697 he was imprisoned and died on account of his association with Qi Lianyao.
18
敬淳尤明譜學，盡能究其根源枝派，近代已來，無及之者。 撰《著姓略記》十卷，行於時。 又撰《衣冠本系》，未成而死。 神龍初，追贈秘書少監。
Jingchun was especially expert in genealogy and could trace every clan to its roots and branches; in recent times none could match him. He compiled Brief Records of Distinguished Surnames in ten juan, which circulated widely in his day. He also began Origins of the Gentry but died before completing it. At the beginning of the Shenlong reign (705) he was posthumously granted vice director of the Secretariat.
19
敬潛仕至中書舍人。
Jingqian rose to gentleman of the Secretariat Chancellery.
20
王元感，濮州鄄城人也。 少舉明經，累補博城縣丞。 兗州都督、紀王慎深禮之，命其子東平王續從元感受學。 天授中，稍遷左衛率府錄事，兼直弘文館。 是後則天親祠南郊及享明堂，封嵩嶽，元感皆受詔共諸儒撰定儀註，凡所立議，眾鹹推服之。 轉四門博士，仍直弘文館。 元感時雖年老，猶能燭下看書，通宵不寐。
Wang Yuangan came from Juancheng in Pu prefecture. In his youth he passed the Mingjing examination and was repeatedly appointed assistant magistrate of Bocheng county. Prince Shen of Ji, military governor of Yanzhou, treated him with great respect and had his son Xu, Prince of Dongping, study under Yuangan. During the Tianshou era he was gradually promoted to recording secretary of the Left Guard Command and concurrently served on duty at the Hongwen Hall. Thereafter, when Empress Wu personally sacrificed at the Southern Altar, offered at the Bright Hall, and enfeoffed Mount Song, Yuangan received edicts on each occasion to draft ritual regulations together with other scholars; whatever he proposed, all deferred to him. He was transferred to erudite of the Four Gates and continued to serve on duty at the Hongwen Hall. Though advanced in years, he could still read by lamplight through the entire night without sleep.
21
長安三年，表上其所撰《尚書糾謬》十卷、《春秋振滯》二十卷、《禮記繩愆》三十卷，並所註《孝經》、《史記》稿草，請官給紙筆，寫上秘書閣。 詔令弘文、崇賢兩館學士及成均博士詳其可否。
In 703 he submitted memorials presenting his works: Correcting Errors in the Documents (ten juan), Reviving Stagnation in the Spring and Autumn (twenty juan), and Binding Faults in the Record of Rites (thirty juan), together with draft commentaries on the Classic of Filial Piety and the Records of the Grand Historian, requesting official paper and brush to have them copied into the Secretariat archive. An edict ordered the academicians of the Hongwen and Chongxian halls and the erudites of the Directorate of Education to evaluate their merits.
22
學士祝欽明、郭山惲、李憲等皆專守先儒章句，深譏元感掎摭舊義，元感隨方應答，竟不之屈。 鳳閣舍人魏知古、司封郎中徐堅、左史劉知幾、右史張思敬，雅好異聞，每為元感申理其義，連表薦之。 尋下詔曰：「王元感質性溫敏，博聞強記，手不釋卷，老而彌篤。 掎前達之失，究先聖之旨，是謂儒宗，不可多得。 可太子司議郎，兼崇賢館學士。」 魏知古嘗稱其所撰書曰：「信可謂《五經》之指南也。」 中宗即位，以春宮舊僚，進加朝散大夫，拜崇賢館學士。 尋卒。
The academicians Zhu Qinming, Guo Shanyun, Li Xian, and others, who clung exclusively to traditional commentaries, sharply criticized Yuangan for departing from established interpretations; Yuangan answered each objection point by point and was not defeated. Wei Zhigu, gentleman of the Phoenix Pavilion; Xu Jian, bureau director of the Ministry of Rites; Liu Zhiji, left historiographer; and Zhang Sijing, right historiographer—all lovers of innovative scholarship—repeatedly defended Yuangan's interpretations and submitted successive memorials recommending him. Soon an edict was issued: "Wang Yuangan is gentle and keen by nature, broadly learned with a powerful memory; his hand never leaves his books, and in old age his devotion grows only stronger. He corrects the errors of earlier scholars and penetrates the intentions of the ancient sages—he is a true patriarch of Confucian learning, and such men are rare. Appoint him Secretary for Discussion of the Crown Prince and concurrently Academician of the Chongxian Hall. Wei Zhigu once praised his writings, saying: "They may truly serve as a compass for the Five Classics." When Emperor Zhongzong took the throne, Yuangan was promoted to Grand Master of Splendid Happiness and appointed academician of the Chongxian Hall as a former colleague from the Eastern Palace. He died soon afterward.
23
王紹宗，揚州江都人也，梁左民尚書銓曾孫也，其先自瑯邪徙焉。 紹宗少勤學，遍覽經史，尤工草隸。 家貧，常傭力寫佛經以自給，每月自支錢足即止，雖高價盈倍，亦即拒之。 寓居寺中，以清凈自守，垂三十年。 文明中，徐敬業於揚州作亂，聞其高行，遣使征之，紹宗稱疾固辭。 又令唐之奇親詣所居逼之，竟不起。 敬業大怒，將殺之。 之奇曰：「紹宗人望，殺之恐傷士眾之心。」 由是獲免。 及賊平，行軍大總管李孝逸以其狀聞，則天驛召赴東都，引入禁中，親加慰撫，擢拜太子文學，累轉秘書少監，仍侍皇太子讀書。
Wang Shaozong came from Jiangdu in Yangzhou prefecture. He was the great-great-grandson of Quan, Minister of the Left Household of Liang; his ancestors had migrated there from Langya. From youth Shaozong studied diligently, read widely in the classics and histories, and was especially accomplished in cursive and clerical calligraphy. His family was poor, and he often supported himself by copying Buddhist sutras for hire. Each month he stopped work once he had earned enough for his needs, and even when offered many times his usual rate he refused. He lived in a monastery and maintained a life of purity and seclusion for nearly thirty years. During the Wenming era, when Xu Jingye rebelled at Yangzhou, he heard of Shaozong's exemplary conduct and sent envoys to summon him; Shaozong pleaded illness and firmly refused. He then sent Tang Zhiqi in person to his dwelling to compel him, but Shaozong still refused to go. Jingye was furious and was about to have him executed. Zhiqi said: "Shaozong enjoys the esteem of the people; killing him would likely alienate scholars and the masses. Thus he was spared. When the rebellion was suppressed, Grand General Li Xiaoyi reported his conduct to the court; Empress Wu summoned him by imperial courier to the Eastern Capital, received him in the inner palace, personally comforted him, appointed him literary scholar to the crown prince, later promoted him to vice director of the Secretariat, and had him continue to attend the crown prince in his studies.
24
紹宗性淡雅，以儒素見稱，當時朝廷之士，鹹敬慕之。 張易之兄弟，亦加厚禮。 易之伏誅，紹宗坐以交往見廢，卒於鄉里。
Shaozong was refined and unpretentious by nature and was admired for his scholarly simplicity; court officials of the day all held him in esteem. The brothers Zhang Yizhi also treated him with exceptional courtesy. When Zhang Yizhi was executed, Shaozong was dismissed from office for his association with him and died in his home district.
25
韋叔夏，尚書左僕射安石兄也。 少而精通《三禮》。 其叔父太子詹事琨嘗謂曰：「汝能如是，可以繼丞相業矣！」 舉明經。 調露年，累除太常博士。 後屬高宗崩，山陵舊儀多廢缺，叔夏與中書舍人賈太隱、太常博士裴守貞等，草創撰定，由是授春官員外郎。 則天將拜洛及享明堂，皆別受制，共當時大儒祝欽明、郭山惲撰定儀註。 凡所立議，眾鹹推服之。 累遷成均司業。 久視元年，特下制曰：「吉兇禮儀，國家所重，司禮博士，未甚詳明。 成均司業韋叔夏、太子率更令祝欽明等，博涉禮經，多所該練，委以參掌，冀弘典式。 自今司禮所修儀註，並委叔夏等刊定訖，然後進奏。」
Wei Shuxia was the elder brother of Anshi, left vice director of the Secretariat. From youth he thoroughly mastered the Three Rites. His uncle Kun, grand mentor of the crown prince, once told him: "If you can achieve such mastery, you may succeed to the chancellor's legacy! He passed the Mingjing examination. In 679 he was appointed erudite of the Ministry of Rites. When Emperor Gaozong died, many of the old rites for the imperial tomb had fallen into disuse; Shuxia, together with Jia Taiyin, gentleman of the Secretariat, Pei Shouzhen, erudite of the Ministry of Rites, and others, drafted and established new regulations, and was appointed vice director of the Ministry of Rites. When Empress Wu performed the feng rite at Luoyang and offered at the Bright Hall, she received separate edicts on each occasion and, together with the leading scholars Zhu Qinming and Guo Shanyun, drafted ritual regulations. Whatever he proposed, all deferred to him. He rose through several posts to vice director of the Directorate of Education. In 700 a special edict was issued: "Rites for auspicious and inauspicious occasions are matters of great state importance, yet the erudites of the Ministry of Rites are not sufficiently versed in them. Wei Shuxia, vice director of the Directorate of Education, Zhu Qinming, commandant of the crown prince's rate bureau, and others are broadly versed in the ritual canon—entrust them with this task in the hope of expanding our canonical models. From now on, all ritual regulations compiled by the Ministry of Rites shall be entrusted to Shuxia and others for revision before submission to the throne."
26
長安四年，擢春官侍郎。 神龍初，轉太常少卿，充建立廟社使。 以功進銀青光祿大夫。 三年，拜國子祭酒。 累封沛國郡公。 卒時年七十余。 撰《五禮要記》三十卷，行於代。 贈兗州都督、修文館學士，謚曰文。
In 704 he was promoted to vice minister of rites. At the beginning of the Shenlong reign he was transferred to vice minister of rites and appointed commissioner for establishing the ancestral temple and altars of soil and grain. For this service he was promoted to Grand Master of Splendid Happiness with Silver Seal. In the third year he was appointed chancellor of the National University. He was enfeoffed as Duke of Pei commandery. He died at over seventy years of age. He compiled Essential Records of the Five Rites in thirty juan, which circulated widely in his day. He was posthumously granted the title of military governor of Yanzhou and academician of the Xiuxian Hall, with the posthumous name Wen.
27
子縚，太常卿。
His son Tao served as minister of rites.
28
祝欽明，雍州始平人也。 少通《五經》，兼涉眾史百家之說。 舉明經。 長安元年，累遷太子率更令，兼崇文館學士。 中宗在春宮，欽明兼充侍讀。
Zhu Qinming came from Shiping in Yongzhou prefecture. From youth he mastered the Five Classics and also studied widely in history and the teachings of the hundred schools. He passed the Mingjing examination. In 701 he rose to commandant of the crown prince's rate bureau and concurrently served as academician of the Chongwen Hall. When Emperor Zhongzong was crown prince, Qinming also served as his lecturer-in-attendance.
29
景龍三年，中宗將親祀南郊，欽明與國子司業郭山惲二人奏言皇后亦合助祭，遂建議曰：
In 709, when Emperor Zhongzong was about to sacrifice personally at the Southern Altar, Qinming and Guo Shanyun, vice director of the National University, submitted that the empress should also assist in the sacrifice and presented the following proposal:
30
謹按《周禮》，天神曰祀，地祇曰祭，宗廟曰享。 大宗伯職曰：「祀大神，祭大祇，享大鬼，理其大禮。 若王有故不預，則攝位。 凡大祭祀，王後不預，則攝而薦豆籩，徹。」 又追師職：「掌王後之首服，以待祭祀。」 又內司服職：「掌王後之六服。 凡祭祀，供後之衣服。」 又九嬪職：「大祭祀，後稞獻則贊，瑤爵亦如之。」 據此諸文，即皇后合助皇帝祀天神、祭地祇，明矣。 故鄭玄註《內司服》云：「闕狄，皇后助王祭群小祀之服。」 然則小祀尚助王祭，中、大推理可知。 闕狄之上，猶有兩服：第一祎衣，第二搖狄，第三闕狄。 此三狄，皆助祭之服。 闕狄即助祭小祀，即知搖狄助祭中祀，祎衣助祭大祀。 鄭舉一隅，故不委說。 唯祭宗廟，《周禮》王有兩服，先王袞冕，先公柷冕。 鄭玄因此以後助祭宗廟，亦分兩服，云：「祎衣助祭先王，搖狄助祭先公。」 不言助祭天地社稷，自宜三隅而反。
"According to the Rites of Zhou, sacrifices to celestial spirits are called si, those to earthly spirits ji, and those at the ancestral temple xiang. The office of the Grand Minister of Rites states: 'Sacrifice to the great celestial spirit, offer to the great earthly spirit, present offerings to the great ancestral spirits, and regulate their great rites. If the king has cause and cannot attend, another takes his place in proxy. For all great sacrifices, if the queen does not attend, she takes proxy and presents and withdraws the dou and bian vessels. Further, the office of the Chief Seamstress states: 'She manages the queen's ceremonial headgear in preparation for sacrifices.' Further, the office of the Inner Director of Garments states: 'She manages the queen's six ceremonial garments. For all sacrifices she supplies the queen's garments.' Further, the office of the Nine Consorts states: 'At great sacrifices, when the queen performs the kuo offering she assists, and likewise for the jade libation cup.' From these passages it is clear that the empress should assist the emperor in sacrificing to celestial spirits and offering to earthly spirits. Zheng Xuan's commentary on the Inner Director of Garments states: 'The que di is the garment the queen wears when assisting the king at minor sacrifices. If she assists at minor sacrifices, it follows by inference that she does so at medium and great sacrifices as well. Above the que di are two further garments: first the yi garment, second the yao di, and third the que di. These three di garments are all worn when assisting in sacrifice. The que di is worn at minor sacrifices; it follows that the yao di is worn at medium sacrifices and the yi garment at great sacrifices. Zheng cited only one example and therefore did not explain the matter fully. Only for sacrifices at the ancestral temple does the Zhouli prescribe two garments for the king: the gun and mian for former kings, the zhu and mian for former lords. Zheng Xuan therefore held that when the queen assists at ancestral temple sacrifices she also wears two garments, saying: 'The yi garment is worn when sacrificing to former kings; the yao di when sacrificing to former lords. He did not mention assisting at sacrifices to Heaven, Earth, and the altars of soil and grain; by the rule of inferring the whole from one part, the conclusion follows.
31
且《周禮》正文：「凡祭，王後不預。」 既不專言宗廟，即知兼祀天地，故云「凡」也。 又《春秋外傳》云：「禘郊之事，天子親射其牲，王後親舂其粢。」 故代婦職但云：「詔王後之禮事」，不主言宗廟也。 若專主宗廟者，則內宗、外宗職皆言「掌宗廟之祭祀」。 此皆禮文分明，不合疑惑。
Moreover the main text of the Zhouli states: 'For all sacrifices, if the queen does not attend— Since it does not speak exclusively of the ancestral temple, it clearly includes sacrifices to Heaven and Earth; hence the word 'all.' Further, the Outer Commentary on the Spring and Autumn states: 'At the di and jiao rites, the Son of Heaven personally shoots the sacrificial animal, and the queen personally pounds the sacrificial grain. Therefore the office of the Chief Matron speaks only of 'instructing the queen in ritual affairs' and does not refer chiefly to the ancestral temple. If it concerned only the ancestral temple, the offices of the Inner and Outer Ancestral Managers would say 'manage sacrifices at the ancestral temple.' These ritual texts are all perfectly clear and admit of no doubt.
32
舊說以天子父天、母地、兄日、姊月，所以祀天於南郊，祭地於北郊，朝日於東門之外，以昭事神，訓人事，君必躬親以禮之，有故然後使攝，此其義也。 《禮記·祭統》曰：「夫祭也者，必夫婦親之，所以備內外之官也。 官備則具備。」 又，「哀公問於孔子曰：『冕而親迎，不已重乎？』 孔子愀然作色而對曰：『合二姓之好，以繼先聖之後，以為天地宗廟社稷之主，君何謂已重焉！』」 又《漢書·郊祀志》云：「天地合祭，先祖配天，先妣配地。 天地合精，夫婦判合。 祭天南郊，則以地配，一體之義也。」 據此諸文，即知皇后合助祭，望請別修助祭儀註同進。
According to traditional teaching, the Son of Heaven regards Heaven as his father, Earth as his mother, the sun as his elder brother, and the moon as his elder sister. He therefore sacrifices to Heaven at the Southern Altar, offers to Earth at the Northern Altar, and attends the sun outside the eastern gate—to manifest service to the spirits and instruct human affairs. The ruler must personally perform these rites; only when prevented does he have another act in his place. Such is the meaning. The Record of Rites (Jitong) states: 'Sacrifice must be performed by husband and wife together, in order to complete the offices of inner and outer. When the offices are complete, the offering is complete. Further: 'Duke Ai asked Confucius: "To wear the ceremonial cap and go in person to welcome the bride—is this not excessive? Confucius's expression changed as he replied: "To unite two clans in marriage, to continue the line of former sages, and to become master of the altars of Heaven and Earth, the ancestral temple, and the altars of soil and grain—how can Your Lordship call this excessive!" Further, the Treatise on Suburban Sacrifices in the Book of Han states: 'Heaven and Earth are sacrificed to together; the former ancestors are paired with Heaven, the former consorts with Earth. Heaven and Earth unite their essences; husband and wife are joined in union. When sacrificing to Heaven at the Southern Altar, Earth is paired with it—the meaning of their unity as one body.' From these passages it is clear that the empress should assist in sacrifice; we respectfully request that separate ritual regulations for her assistance be drafted and submitted together.
33
帝頗以為疑，召禮官親問之。 太常博士唐紹、蔣欽緒對曰：「皇后南郊助祭，於禮不合。 但欽明所執，是祭宗廟禮，非祭天地禮。 謹按魏、晉、宋及齊、梁、周、隋等歷代史籍，至於郊天祀地，並無皇后助祭之事。」 帝令宰相取兩家狀對定。 欽緒與唐紹及太常博士彭景直又奏議曰：
The emperor was somewhat doubtful and summoned the ritual officials to question them in person. The erudites Tang Shao and Jiang Qinxu replied: "For the empress to assist in sacrifice at the Southern Altar is not in accord with ritual. What Qinming cites, however, concerns sacrifices at the ancestral temple, not sacrifices to Heaven and Earth. According to the historical records of Wei, Jin, Song, Qi, Liang, Zhou, Sui, and other dynasties, nowhere is there any instance of an empress assisting at suburban sacrifices to Heaven or offerings to Earth. The emperor ordered the chancellors to compare the memorials of both sides and decide the matter. Qinxu, together with Tang Shao and the erudite Peng Jingzhi, submitted a further memorial for deliberation:
34
《周禮》凡言祭、祀、享三者，皆祭之互名，本無定義。 何以明之？ 按《周禮》典瑞職云：「兩珪有邸，以祀地。」 則祭地亦稱祀也。 又司筵云：「設祀先王之胙席。」 則祭宗廟亦稱祀也。 又內宗職云：「掌宗廟之祭祀。」 此又非獨天稱祀，地稱祭也。 又按《禮記》云：「惟聖為能享帝。」 此即祀天帝亦言享也。 又按《孝經》云：「春秋祭祀，以時思之。」 此即宗廟亦言祭祀也。 經典此文，不可備數。 據此則欽明所執天曰祀，地曰祭，廟曰享，未得為定，明矣！ 又《周禮》凡言大祭祀者，祭天地宗廟之總名，不獨天地為大祭也。 何以明之？ 按《爵人職》云：「大祭祀，與量人授舉斝之卒爵。」 屍與斝，皆宗廟之事，則宗廟亦稱大祭祀。 又欽明狀引九嬪職：「大祭祀，後稞獻則贊瑤爵。」 據祭天無稞，亦無瑤爵，此乃宗廟稱大祭祀之明文。 欽明所執大祭祀即為祭天地，未得為定，明矣！
In the Rites of Zhou, the terms ji, si, and xiang are interchangeable names for sacrifice and originally have no fixed definition. How may this be demonstrated? The office of the Director of Regalia in the Rites of Zhou states: 'Two gui with bases, to sacrifice to the earth. Thus offerings to Earth are also called si. Further, the Director of Mats says: 'Set out the sacrificial mats for the former kings' portions. Thus sacrifices at the ancestral temple are also called si. Further, the office of the Inner Ancestral Manager says: 'Manage sacrifices at the ancestral temple. This again shows that Heaven alone is not called si and Earth alone ji. Further, the Record of Rites states: 'Only the sage can present offerings to the Lord on High. This shows that sacrifices to the Lord of Heaven are also called xiang. Further, the Classic of Filial Piety states: 'In spring and autumn perform sacrifices, remembering them at the proper seasons. This shows that the ancestral temple is also spoken of with the terms ji and si. Such passages in the classics are too numerous to cite in full. From this it is clear that Qinming's claim that Heaven is called si, Earth ji, and the temple xiang cannot be established as fixed! Further, in the Rites of Zhou wherever 'great sacrifice' is mentioned, it is a general term for sacrifices to Heaven, Earth, and the ancestral temple—not that Heaven and Earth alone constitute the great sacrifice. How may this be demonstrated? The office of the Cupbearer states: 'At great sacrifices, together with the Measurer he presents the final cup of the raised jia. The corpse and the jia cup are both matters of the ancestral temple; thus the ancestral temple is also called a great sacrifice. Further, Qinming's memorial cites the office of the Nine Consorts: 'At great sacrifices, when the queen performs the kuo offering she assists with the jade cup. Since sacrifices to Heaven involve neither the kuo offering nor the jade cup, this is explicit evidence that 'great sacrifice' refers to the ancestral temple. Qinming's claim that 'great sacrifice' means sacrifices to Heaven and Earth cannot be established—it is clear!
35
又《周禮》大宗伯職云：「凡大祭祀，王後有故不預，則攝而薦豆籩，徹。」 欽明唯執此文，以為王後有祭天地之禮。 欽緒等據此，乃是王後薦宗廟之禮，非祭天地之事。 何以明之？ 按此文：「凡祀大神，祭大祇，享大鬼，帥執事而卜日宿，視滌濯，蒞玉鬯，省牲鑊，奉玉齏，詔大號，理其大禮，詔相王之大禮。 若王不與祭祀，則攝位。」 此已上一「凡」，直是王兼祭天地宗廟之事，故通言大神、大祇、大鬼之祭也。 已下文云：「凡大祭祀，王後不與，則攝而薦豆籩，徹。」 此一「凡」，直是王後祭廟之事，故唯言大祭祀也。 若雲王後助祭天地，不應重起「凡大祭祀」之文也。 為嫌王後有祭天地之疑，故重起後「凡」以別之耳。 王後祭廟，自是大祭祀，何故取上「凡」相王之禮，以混下「凡」王後祭宗廟之文？ 此是本經科段明白。
Further, the office of the Grand Minister of Rites in the Rites of Zhou states: 'For all great sacrifices, if the queen has cause and does not attend, she takes proxy and presents and withdraws the dou and bian vessels. Qin Ming seized on this passage alone, insisting that the queen was entitled to perform the rites of sacrifice to Heaven and Earth. Qin Xu and his colleagues cited the same text to show that it described the queen's presentation of offerings in the ancestral temple—not any ceremony directed at Heaven and Earth. How may this be proved? Consider the passage itself: 'Whenever one sacrifices to the Great Spirit, offers to the Great Earth Lord, and feasts the Great Ghosts, one leads the officers to choose the day by divination and keep the vigil, oversees the purifications, attends to the jade and the fragrant libation, inspects the cauldrons and the sacrificial meat, presents the jade and the minced offering, proclaims the great titles, sets in order the great ceremonies, and is appointed to assist the king in the great rites. If the king does not attend the sacrifice, another stands in his stead. That first 'whenever' plainly covers the king's combined duties in the rites of Heaven, Earth, and the ancestral temple—which is why it speaks broadly of offerings to the Great Spirit, the Great Earth Lord, and the Great Ghosts. The passage that follows reads: 'In every great sacrifice, if the queen does not attend, another stands in for her to present the dou and bian vessels and perform the withdrawal. That second 'whenever' refers only to the queen's rites in the temple—which is why it mentions great sacrifices and nothing more. If the queen truly assisted in the rites of Heaven and Earth, the text would not need to open a fresh section with 'in every great sacrifice.' The later 'whenever' was added precisely to dispel any suspicion that the queen shared in the rites of Heaven and Earth—to mark the distinction, and nothing else. The queen's temple rites are already 'great sacrifices' in their own right—so why borrow the earlier 'whenever,' which governs assisting the king, and use it to blur the later 'whenever,' which governs the queen's offerings in the ancestral temple? The original text itself draws the section break with perfect clarity.
36
又按《周禮》：「外宗掌宗廟之祭祀，佐王後薦玉豆。 凡後之獻，亦如之。 王後有故不預，則宗伯攝而薦豆籩。」 外宗無佐祭天地之禮。 但天地尚質，宗廟尚文。 玉豆，宗廟之器，初非祭天所設。 請問欽明，若王後助祭天地，在《周禮》使何人贊佐？ 若宗伯攝後薦豆祭天，又合何人贊佐？ 並請明征禮文，即知攝薦是宗廟之禮明矣。
The Rites of Zhou likewise states: 'The Outer Chancellors oversee the ancestral temple sacrifices and assist the queen in presenting the jade and the dou vessels. In every offering made by the queen, they serve in the same capacity. If the queen is prevented from attending, the Director of Ritual stands in for her and presents the dou and bian vessels. The Outer Chancellors have no office in the rites of Heaven and Earth. Heaven and Earth demand plainness; the ancestral temple demands refinement. Jade and the dou vessel belong to the temple ritual—they were never ordained for the sacrifice to Heaven. Tell us, Qin Ming: if the queen were to assist in the rites of Heaven and Earth, whom does the Rites of Zhou assign to assist her? And if the Director of Ritual, standing in for the queen, were to present the dou vessels at a sacrifice to Heaven, who would assist him? Cite the ritual texts on both counts, and it will at once be plain that standing in to present offerings belongs to the temple rite—not to the rites of Heaven and Earth.
37
按《周禮·司服》云：「王祀昊天上帝，則服大裘而冕。 享先王，則袞冕。」 內司服，「掌王後祭服」，無王後祭天之服。 按《三禮義宗》明王後六服，謂祎衣、搖翟、闕翟、鞠衣、展衣、褖衣。 「祎衣從王祭先王則服之，搖翟祭先公及饗諸侯則服之，鞠衣以采桑則服之，展衣以禮見王及見賓客則服之，褖衣燕居服之。」 王後無助祭於天地之服，但自先王已下。 又《三禮義宗》明後夫人之服云：「後不助祭天地五嶽，故無助天地四望之服。」 按此，則王後無祭天之服，明矣。 《三禮義宗》明王後五輅，謂重翟、厭翟、安車、翟車、輦車也。 「重翟者，後從王祭先王、先公所乘也； 厭翟者，後從王饗諸侯所乘也； 安車者，後宮中朝夕見於王所乘也； 翟車者，後求桑所乘也； 輦車者，後遊宴所乘也。」 按此，則王後無祭天之車明矣。
The Rites of Zhou, in the chapter on the Director of Garments, says: 'When the king sacrifices to August Heaven and the Supreme Lord, he wears the great fur robe and the royal cap. When he offers to the former kings, he wears the twelve-symbol robe and cap. The Inner Director of Garments 'presides over the queen's sacrificial dress'—yet no garment is prescribed for the queen's sacrifice to Heaven. The Exposition of the Three Rites lists the queen's six ceremonial robes: the yi robe, the swaying-pheasant robe, the truncated-pheasant robe, the curled robe, the display robe, and the bordered robe. 'She wears the yi robe when she follows the king to sacrifice to the former kings; the swaying-pheasant robe when sacrificing to former lords or feasting the feudal lords; the curled robe when gathering mulberry leaves; the display robe for formal audiences with the king or with guests; and the bordered robe for repose at leisure. The queen possesses no vestments for assisting in the rites of Heaven and Earth—only those used from the former kings downward. The Exposition of the Three Rites also defines the queen consort's dress, saying: 'The queen does not assist in sacrifices to Heaven, Earth, and the Five Sacred Peaks, and therefore has no robes for assisting at the rites of Heaven, Earth, and the Four Quarters. On this evidence alone, it is clear that the queen has no robe for sacrifice to Heaven. The Exposition of the Three Rites likewise defines the queen's five carriages: the Heavy Pheasant, the Subdued Pheasant, the Comfort Carriage, the Pheasant Carriage, and the Palanquin. 'The Heavy Pheasant is the carriage the queen uses when she follows the king to sacrifice to the former kings and lords; the Subdued Pheasant, when she follows the king to feast the feudal lords; the Comfort Carriage, for her morning and evening audiences with the king within the inner palace; the Pheasant Carriage, when she goes to gather mulberry leaves; and the Palanquin, for outings and banquets. By the same logic, it is equally clear that the queen has no carriage ordained for sacrifice to Heaven.
38
又《禮記·郊特牲·義贊》云：「祭天無稞。 鄭玄註云：『唯人道宗廟有稞。 天地大神，至尊不稞。』 圓丘之祭，與宗廟不同。 朝踐，王酌泛齊以獻，是一獻。 後無祭天之事，大宗伯次酌醴齊以獻，是為二獻。」 按此，則祭圓丘，大宗伯次王為獻，非攝王後之事。 欽明等所執王後有故不預，則宗伯攝薦豆籩，更明攝王後宗廟之薦，非攝天地之祀明矣。
The Exposition on the Record of Rites, in 'Special Sacrifices at the Suburbs,' also says: 'In the sacrifice to Heaven there is no kuo offering. Zheng Xuan comments: 'Only in the human rites of the ancestral temple is the kuo performed.' Heaven and Earth, being the supreme powers, are too august to receive the kuo. The Round Mound sacrifice and the ancestral temple rite are not the same. At the morning audience and the treading rite, the king pours the diluted qi wine and presents it—this is the first offering. The queen has no part in the sacrifice to Heaven; the Grand Director of Ritual next pours the li qi wine and presents it—this is the second offering. Thus at the Round Mound, the Grand Director of Ritual presents after the king—it is not a case of standing in for the queen. The very passage Qin Ming and his allies invoke—'if the queen is prevented from attending, the Director of Ritual stands in for her and presents the dou and bian'—makes it still clearer that such substitution governs the queen's temple offerings, not the rites of Heaven and Earth.
39
欽緒等幸忝禮官，親承聖問，竭盡聞見，不敢依隨。 伏以主上稽古，誌遵舊典，所議助祭，實無明文。
We of Qin Xu's party are humbled to serve as masters of ritual and to answer the Son of Heaven in person; having set forth all we know, we dare not fall in with the other view. We submit that Your Majesty, in consulting antiquity and seeking to uphold the ancient canon, will find no explicit authority for the queen's supposed assistance in sacrifice.
40
時尚書左僕射韋巨源又希旨，協同欽明之議。 上納其言，竟以後為亞獻，仍補大臣李嶠等女為齊娘，以執籩豆。 及禮畢，特詔齊娘有夫婿者，鹹為改官。
At that time Wei Juyuan, Left Vice Director of the Imperial Secretariat, once again read the emperor's wishes and sided with Qin Ming. The emperor took their counsel. In the end he made the queen the secondary presenter, and further appointed daughters of great ministers such as Li Qiao as ritual maidens called Qiniang, to bear the bian and dou vessels. When the ceremony was finished, a special edict declared that every Qiniang who already had a husband would see her husband promoted in rank.
41
景雲初，侍御史倪若水劾奏欽明及郭山惲曰：「欽明等本自腐儒，素無操行，崇班列爵，實為叨忝。 而涓塵莫效，諂佞為能。 遂使曲臺之禮，圜丘之制，百王故事，一朝墜失。 所謂亂常改作，希旨病君，人之不才，遂至於此。 今聖明馭歷，賢良入用，惟茲小人，猶在朝列。 臣請並從黜放，以肅周行。」 於是左授欽明饒州刺史。 後入為崇文館學士。 尋卒。
Early in the Jingyun reign, the Censor Ni Ruoshui submitted an impeachment of Qin Ming and Guo Shanyun, declaring: 'Men like Qin Ming are pedants to the core, men of no character whatever; that they were raised to court rank and granted noble titles was pure undeserved favor. Yet none contributed even the least service; flattery and sycophancy alone passed for talent. Thus the rites of Quetai, the institutions of the Circular Mound, and the precedents of a hundred kings—all fell away in a single day. This is what is meant by violating order and altering the rites, currying favor even while harming the sovereign—such is what incompetence leads to. Now that a sage sovereign holds the throne and the worthy enter service, only these petty men still linger in the court ranks. I ask that they all be dismissed together, to restore dignity to the court. Thereupon Qin Ming was transferred to the lesser post of Prefect of Raozhou. Later he was again appointed an academician of the Chongwen Institute. Before long he died.
42
郭山惲，蒲州河東人。 少通《三禮》。 景龍中，累遷國子司業。 時中宗數引近臣及修文學士，與之宴集，嘗令各效伎藝，以為笑樂。 工部尚書張錫為《談容娘舞》，將作大匠宗晉卿舞《渾脫》，左衛將軍張洽舞《黃麞》，左金吾衛將軍杜元琰誦《婆羅門咒〗》，給事中李行言唱《駕車西河》，中書舍人盧藏用效道士上章。 山惲獨奏曰：「臣無所解，請誦古詩兩篇。」 帝從之，於是誦《鹿鳴》、《蟋蟀》之詩。 奏未畢，中書令李嶠以其詞有「好樂無荒」之語，頗涉規諷，怒為忤旨，遽止之。
Guo Shanyun was from Hedong in Puzhou. From youth he was versed in the Three Rites. During the Jinglong reign, he rose through successive promotions to Vice Director of the Imperial University. At that time Emperor Zhongzong often summoned his close ministers and the literary scholars of the Xiucheng Hall to join him in feasts, and once had each display his talents for mirth and amusement. Minister of Works Zhang Xi performed the Dance of Tan Rongniang; Master Builder Zong Jinqing danced the Huntuo; General of the Left Guard Zhang Qia danced the Yellow Roebuck; General of the Left Golden Raven Guard Du Yuanyan recited the Brahmin Imprecation; Palace Attendant Li Xingyan sang Driving the Chariot to Xihe; Palace Secretary Lu Zangyong impersonated a Daoist submitting a memorial to Heaven. Shanyun alone stepped forward and said: 'Your humble servant has no skill to show; I beg leave to recite two ancient poems. The emperor agreed, and he recited the 'Deer Cry' and 'Cricket' from the Book of Songs. Before he had finished, Li Jiao, Chief Minister of the Secretariat, noting that the lines contained the phrase 'take pleasure without excess'—which seemed a veiled remonstrance—flew into a rage at this breach of imperial intent and cut him short.
43
翌日，帝嘉山惲之意，詔曰：「郭山惲業優經史，識貯古今，《八索》、《九丘》，由來遍覽； 前言往行，實所該詳。 昨者因其豫遊，式宴朝彥，既乘歡洽，咸使詠歌。 遂能誌在匡時，潛申規諷，謇謇之誠彌切，諤諤之操逾明。 宜示褒揚，美茲鯁直。」 賜時服一幅。 尋與祝欽明同獻皇后助祭郊祀之議。 景雲中，左授括州長史。 開元初，復入為國子司業。 卒於官。
The next day the emperor praised Shanyun's intent and issued an edict: 'Guo Shanyun's mastery of the classics and histories is outstanding, his learning spans past and present, and from of old he has read widely in the Eight Indexes and Nine Mounds; The words of former ages and the deeds of past men—he is truly well versed in them all. Yesterday, at his leisurely outing and formal banquet for the court's eminent men, amid the warmth of shared delight, all were made to sing and recite. Thus he was able to set his heart on setting the age aright and to offer remonstrance in subtle form; his earnest loyalty grew keener still, his forthright integrity shone the brighter. It is fitting to proclaim his merit and honor this uncompromising forthrightness. He was granted one set of seasonal robes. Before long he joined Zhu Qinming in submitting a proposal that the empress assist in the suburban sacrificial rites. During the Jingyun reign, he was transferred to the lesser post of Chief Administrator of Kuozhou. At the start of the Kaiyuan reign, he returned to office as Vice Director of the Imperial University. He died while still in office.
44
柳沖，蒲州虞鄉人也，隋饒州刺史莊曾孫也。 其先仕江左，世居襄陽。 陳亡，還鄉里。 父楚賢，大業末，為河北縣長。 時堯君素固守郡城，以拒義師。 楚賢進說曰：「隋之將亡，天下皆知。 唐公名應圖箓，動以信義，豪傑響應，天所贊也！ 君子見機而作，不俟終日，轉禍為福，今其時也！」 君素不從，楚賢潛行歸國。 高祖甚悅，拜侍御史。 貞觀中，累轉光祿少卿，使突厥存撫李思摩，突厥贈馬百匹及方物，悉拒而不受。 累轉交、桂二州都督，皆有能名。 卒於杭州刺史。
Liu Chong was from Yuxiang in Puzhou, great-grandson of Zhuang, who had served as Prefect of Raozhou under the Sui. His forebears had served south of the Yangtze and for generations made their home in Xiangyang. When the Chen dynasty fell, the family returned to their native district. His father Chu Xian, in the final years of the Daye reign, served as Magistrate of Hebei County. At that time Yao Junsu stubbornly held the commandery seat, resisting the armies of righteousness. Chu Xian went forward to counsel him, saying: 'The Sui is about to perish—everyone under Heaven knows it. Lord Tang's name answers to the charts and registers; he acts with faith and righteousness, and heroes rally to him—Heaven itself approves! The noble man acts when he sees the moment, not waiting until day's end; to turn calamity into fortune—now is the time! Junsu would not listen; Chu Xian slipped away in secret and returned to the Tang cause. Emperor Gaozu was greatly pleased and appointed him Attendant Censor. During the Zhenguan reign, he rose through successive posts to Vice Director of the Directorate of Imperial Entertainments; sent to the Turks to console and pacify Li Simo, he refused every one of the hundred horses and other gifts they offered. Through successive promotions he served as Military Governor of Jiao and Gui prefectures, winning repute for ability in both. He died while serving as Prefect of Hangzhou.
45
沖博學，尤明世族，名亞路敬淳。 天授初，為司府主簿，受詔往淮南安撫。 使還，賜爵河東縣男。 景龍中，累遷為左散騎常侍，修國史。
Chong was broadly learned and especially expert in distinguished clans; his reputation was second only to Lu Jingchun. At the beginning of the Tianshou reign, he served as Senior Clerk of the Ministry of Revenue and was ordered to Huainan on a pacification mission. When he returned from his mission, he was granted the title Baron of Hedong County. During the Jinglong reign, he rose through successive promotions to Left Regular Attendant and was charged with compiling the national history.
46
初，貞觀中太宗命學者撰《氏族志》百卷，以甄別士庶； 至是向百年，而諸姓至有興替，沖乃上表請改修氏族。 中宗命沖與左僕射魏元忠及史官張錫、徐堅、劉憲等八人，依據《氏族志》，重加修撰。 元忠等施功未半，相繼而卒，乃遷為外職。 至先天初，沖始與侍中魏知古、中書侍郎陸象先及徐堅、劉子玄、吳兢等撰成《姓族系錄》二百卷，奏上。
Earlier, during the Zhenguan reign, Emperor Taizong had ordered scholars to compile the Record of Clans in one hundred volumes, to distinguish gentry from commoners; By then nearly a century had elapsed, and among the great surnames there had been rises and falls; Chong submitted a memorial asking that the clan records be revised. Emperor Zhongzong ordered Chong, together with Left Vice Director Wei Yuanzhong and the historiographers Zhang Xi, Xu Jian, Liu Xian, and five others—eight men in all—to revise the work afresh on the basis of the Record of Clans. Wei Yuanzhong and the others had scarcely begun before they died in succession, and Chong was transferred to an external appointment. By the beginning of the Xiantian reign, Chong at last completed, together with Palace Attendant Wei Zhigu, Vice Director of the Secretariat Lu Xiangxian, and Xu Jian, Liu Zixuan, Wu Jing, and others, the Genealogical Records of Surnames and Clans in two hundred volumes, and submitted them to the throne.
47
沖後歷太子詹事、太子賓客、宋王傅、昭文館學士，以老疾致仕。 開元二年，又敕沖及著作郎薛南金刊定《系錄》，奏上，賜絹百匹。 五年卒。
Later Chong served in succession as Grand Tutor of the Heir Apparent, Guest of the Heir Apparent, Tutor to the Prince of Song, and academician of the Zhaowen Institute, then retired on account of age and illness. In the second year of Kaiyuan, he was again ordered, together with Director of Compilation Xue Nanjin, to edit and finalize the Genealogical Records; when they submitted the finished work, he was granted one hundred bolts of silk. In the fifth year of Kaiyuan he died.
48
盧粲，幽州范陽人，後魏侍中陽烏五代孫。 祖彥卿，撰《後魏紀》二十卷，行於時，官至合肥令。 叔父行嘉，亦有學涉，高宗時為雍王記室。 粲博覽經史，弱冠舉進士。 景龍二年，累遷給事中。 時節湣太子初立，韋庶人以非己所生，深加忌嫉，勸中宗下敕令太子卻取衛府封物，每年以供服用。 粲駁奏曰：「皇太子處繼明之重，當主鬯之尊，歲時服用，自可百司供擬。 又據《周官》，諸應用財器，歲終則會，唯王及太子應用物，並不會。 此則儲君之費，鹹與王同。 今與列國諸侯齊衡入封，豈所謂憲章在昔，垂法將來者也！ 必謂青宮初啟，服用所資，自當廣支庫物，不可長存籓封。」 詔從之。
Lu Can came from Fanyang in Youzhou prefecture, a fifth-generation descendant of Yang Wu, who had served as Attendant-in-Chief under the Later Wei. His grandfather Yanqing compiled the Records of Later Wei in twenty scrolls, which circulated widely in his day; he rose to the post of Magistrate of Hefei. His uncle Xingjia was likewise a man of scholarly attainments; under Emperor Gaozong he served as secretary to the Prince of Yong. Can read widely in the classics and histories, and at twenty he passed the jinshi examination. In the second year of Jinglong (708) he rose through successive posts to Supervising Secretary. At that time Crown Prince Jiemin had just been installed. Empress Wei, resenting him because he was not her own son, urged Emperor Zhongzong to decree that the crown prince should reclaim sealed goods from the guard bureau each year to supply his personal needs. Can submitted a rebuttal memorial: "The crown prince bears the weight of inheriting the bright succession and holds the dignity of presiding over the ancestral wine. His seasonal clothing and supplies should naturally be furnished by the hundred offices. Moreover, the Rites of Zhou states that of all goods and vessels in use, accounts are rendered at year's end—except for those used by the king and the crown prince. This shows that the heir apparent's expenses are entirely on a par with the king's. To place him now on equal footing with the feudal lords of the realm, drawing from fief seals—is this what is meant by honoring the constitution of old and handing down law to posterity! If one insists the Eastern Palace has only just opened and its supplies must be drawn from the treasury at large, that is one thing—but one cannot permanently rely on feudal fief seals. The edict followed his recommendation.
49
後安樂公主婿武崇訓為節湣太子所殺，特追封為魯王，令司農少卿趙履溫監護葬事。 履溫諷公主奏請依永泰公主故事，為崇訓造陵。 詔從其請。 粲駁奏曰：
Later Wu Chongxun, Princess Anle's son-in-law, was killed by Crown Prince Jiemin. Chongxun was posthumously enfeoffed as Prince of Lu, and Zhao Lüwen, Vice Director of the Court of the Imperial Granaries, was ordered to supervise the burial. Lüwen prompted the princess to memorialize asking that, following the precedent of Princess Yongtai, an imperial tomb be built for Chongxun. The edict granted her request. Can submitted a rebuttal memorial:
50
伏尋陵之稱謂，本屬皇王及儲君等。 自皇家已來，諸王及公主墓，無稱陵者。 唯永泰公主承恩特葬，事越常塗，不合引以為名。 《春秋左氏傳》云：「衛孫桓子與齊戰。 衛新築大夫仲叔於奚救孫桓子，桓子以免。 衛人賞之以邑，於奚辭，請曲懸、繁纓以朝，許之。 仲尼聞之，曰：『惜也，不如多與之邑。 唯名與器，不可以假人。 若以假人，與之政也，政亡則國從之。』」 聖人知微知章，不可不慎。 魯王哀榮之典，誠別承恩； 然國之名器，豈可妄假！ 又塋兆之稱，不應假永泰公主為名，請比貞觀已來諸王舊例，足得豐厚。
Upon reflection, the title ling belongs by origin to emperors, kings, and heir apparents alone. Since the founding of our house, no tomb of a prince or princess has ever been called a ling. Only Princess Yongtai, buried by special imperial favor, departed from ordinary practice—it is not fitting to cite her as precedent. The Zuo Commentary to the Spring and Autumn Annals says: "Sun Huanzi of Wei fought Qi. The newly appointed grand officer Zhongsun Yuxi of Wei rescued Sun Huanzi, and Huanzi thereby escaped death. The people of Wei wished to reward him with a fief, but Yuxi declined and asked instead for curved suspended bells and rich tassels to wear at court—and they granted it. When Confucius heard of this, he said: 'A pity! Better to have given him more territory. Titles and ritual emblems may not be lent to others. If you lend them to others, you are lending them the government—and when the government is lost, the state follows. The sage knew the subtle and knew the manifest—one cannot but be careful. The rites of mourning honor for Prince of Lu may indeed reflect special imperial favor; but the state's titles and ritual emblems—how can they be recklessly bestowed! Moreover, in naming the tomb one should not borrow the precedent of Princess Yongtai. I ask only that we follow the established precedents for princes since the Zhenguan era—they would already be more than generous.
51
手敕答曰：「安樂公主與永泰公主無異。 同穴之義，古今不殊。 魯王緣自特為陵制，不煩固執。」 粲又奏曰：
The Emperor replied in his own hand: "Princess Anle is no different from Princess Yongtai. The principle of sharing one tomb is the same in ancient times and today. Prince of Lu is granted a ling by special order—there is no need to persist in objection. Can submitted another memorial:
52
臣聞陵之稱謂，施於尊極，不屬王公已下。 且魯王若欲論親等第，則不親於雍王。 雍王之墓，尚不稱陵，魯王自不可因尚公主而加號。 且君之舉事，則載於方冊，或稽之往典，或考自前朝。 臣歷檢貞觀已來，駙馬墓無得稱陵者。 且君人之禮，服絕於傍期，蓋為不獨親其親，不獨子其子。 陛下以膝下之恩愛，施及其夫，贈赗之儀，哀榮足備，豈得使上下無辨，君臣一貫者哉！ 又安樂公主承兩儀之澤，履福祿之基，指南山以錫年，仰北辰而永庇。 魯王之葬，車服有章，加等之儀，備有常數，塋兆之稱，不應假永泰公主為名，非所謂垂法將來，作則群辟者也！
Your subject has heard that the title ling is reserved for the most exalted—it does not belong to kings, dukes, and those below. Moreover, if Prince of Lu's rank is judged by closeness of kin, he is not closer than the Prince of Yong. The Prince of Yong's tomb is still not called a ling—Prince of Lu surely cannot take the title merely because he married a princess. Moreover, when a ruler acts, the deed is recorded in the official chronicles—one consults past canon or examines precedents from earlier reigns. Your subject has searched every record since the Zhenguan era: not one tomb of an imperial son-in-law has been called a ling. Moreover, in the rites of a ruler, mourning ends at the next degree of kin—for a ruler does not treat only his own kin as kin, nor only his own children as children. Your Majesty, from the affection you bear your daughter at your knee, extends favor to her husband—the funeral gifts and obsequies are already ample in grief and honor. How can you make high and low indistinguishable and reduce lord and subject to one level! Further, Princess Anle enjoys the bounty of Heaven and Earth, stands upon a foundation of fortune and rank, is granted years like the southern mountain, and rests eternally under the protection of the north star. In Prince of Lu's burial, carriage and vestments already have their proper regulations, and the rites of elevated rank have fixed numbers—the tomb should not borrow the name of Princess Yongtai. This is not what is meant by handing down law to posterity and establishing a model for all officials!
53
帝竟依粲所奏。 公主大怒。 粲以忤旨出為陳州刺史。 累轉秘書少監。 開元初卒。
The Emperor at last followed Can's memorial. The princess was furious. For having defied the imperial will, Can was sent out to serve as Prefect of Chenzhou. He rose through successive posts to Vice Director of the Secretariat. He died at the beginning of the Kaiyuan reign.
54
尹知章，絳州翼城人。 少勤學，嘗夢神人以大鑿開其心，以藥內之，自是日益開朗，盡通諸經精義。 未幾，而諸師友北面受業焉。 長安中，駙馬都尉武攸暨重其經學，奏授其府定王文學。 神龍初，轉太常博士。 中宗初即位，建立宗廟，議者欲以涼武昭王為始祖，以備七代之數。 知章以為武昭遠世，非王業所因，特奏議以為不可。 當時竟從知章之議。 俄拜陸渾令，以公玷棄官。 時散騎常侍解琬亦罷職歸田園，與知章共居汝、洛間，以修學為事。
Yin Zhizhang came from Yicheng in Jiang prefecture. As a youth he studied diligently. Once he dreamed that a divine being opened his chest with a great chisel and placed medicine inside—from that day his mind grew daily clearer, until he had fully mastered the essential meaning of every classic. Before long, the very men who had been his teachers and peers were facing north to sit at his feet as students. While the court was at Chang'an, Prince Consort Wu Youji, Commandant of Cavalry, held his classical scholarship in high regard and memorialized the throne to appoint him Literary Instructor in the household of the Prince of Ding. In the early Shenlong reign, he was transferred to serve as an Erudite of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. When Emperor Zhongzong first ascended the throne and the imperial ancestral temple was being established, some argued that the Martial-and-Illustrious King of Liang should be named founding ancestor, so that the full tally of seven generations might be made up. Zhizhang argued that Prince Wu Zhao lay too far back in time and was not the line from which the imperial house had risen; he submitted a special memorial declaring the proposal unacceptable. In the end the court adopted Zhizhang's view. He was soon appointed magistrate of Lu-hun, but a public scandal forced him to abandon his post. At that time Palace Attendant Xie Wan had likewise left office and retired to the countryside; he and Zhizhang made their home between the Ru and Luo rivers and devoted themselves to study.
55
睿宗初即位，中書令張說薦知章有古人之風，足以鎮雅俗，拜禮部員外郎。 俄轉國子博士。 後秘書監馬懷素奏引知章就秘書省與學者刊定經史。 知章雖居吏職，歸家則講授不輟，尤明《易》及莊、老玄言之學，遠近鹹來受業。 其有貧匱者，知章盡其家財以衣食之。
When Emperor Ruizong first ascended the throne, Chief Minister Zhang Yue recommended Zhizhang as a man of ancient bearing, fit to hold refined custom steady against vulgar fashion, and he was appointed Vice Director in the Ministry of Rites. Before long he was transferred to serve as an Erudite of the Directorate of Education. Later Director of the Palace Library Ma Huaisu memorialized that Zhizhang be summoned to the Palace Library to join scholars in collating and correcting the Classics and histories. Though he held office, Zhizhang never stopped teaching once he was home. He was especially masterful in the Book of Changes and in the abstruse teachings of Zhuangzi and Laozi, and students came from near and far to study under him. When any student was poor and destitute, Zhizhang spent his whole household fortune to feed and clothe them.
56
性和厚，喜慍不形於色，未嘗言及家人產業。 其子嘗請並市樵米，以備歲時之費，知章曰：「如汝所言，則下人何以取資？ 吾幸食祿，不宜奪其利也！」 竟不從。
He was gentle and generous by nature. Neither joy nor anger ever showed on his face, and he never spoke of his family's estate. His son once asked that they buy firewood and rice at market themselves, to cover the year's household expenses. Zhizhang said, "If we do as you propose, how are our servants to earn their keep? I am fortunate enough to live on my official salary — I should not strip them of their livelihood! In the end he refused.
57
開元六年卒，時年五十有余。 所註《孝經》、《老子》、《莊子》、《韓子》、《管子》、《鬼谷子》，頗行於時。 門人孫季良等立碑於東都國子監之門外，以頌其德。
He died in Kaiyuan 6, aged a little over fifty. His commentaries on the Classic of Filial Piety, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Han Feizi, Guanzi, and Guiguzi were widely read in his day. His disciples, Sun Jiliang among them, erected a stele outside the gate of the Eastern Capital's Directorate of Education to honor his virtue.
58
孫季良者，河南偃師人也，一名翌。 開元中，為左拾遺、集賢院直學士。 撰《正聲詩集》三卷，行於代。
Sun Jiliang was a native of Yanshi in Henan and also went by the name Yi. During the Kaiyuan reign he served as Left Reminder and Academician-in-Attendance at the Hall of Assembled Worthies. He compiled Correct Sounds: A Poetry Collection in three fascicles, which circulated widely in his day.
59
徐岱，字處仁，蘇州嘉興人也。 家世以農為業。 岱好學，六籍諸子，悉所探究，問無不通，難莫能詘。 大歷中，轉運使劉晏表薦之，授校書郎。 浙西觀察使李棲筠厚遇之，敕故所居為復禮鄉。 尋為朝廷推援，改河南府偃師縣尉。 建中年，禮儀使蔣鎮特薦為太常博士，掌禮儀。 從幸奉天、興元，改膳部員外郎兼博士。 貞元初，遷水部郎中，充皇太子及舒王已下侍讀。 尋改司封郎中，擢拜給事中，加兼史館修撰，並依舊侍讀。 承兩宮恩顧，時無與比。 而謹慎過甚，未嘗泄禁中語，亦不談人之短。 婚嫁甥侄之孤遺者，時人以此稱之。 然吝嗇頗甚，倉庫管鑰，皆自執掌，獲譏於時。 卒，時年五十。 上嘆惜之，賻以帛絹。 皇太子又遺絹一百疋，贈禮部尚書。
Xu Dai, courtesy name Churen, came from Jiaxing in Suzhou. For generations his family had lived by farming. Dai loved learning and had explored the Six Classics and the various masters in depth. No question could stump him, and no challenge could best him. During the Dali reign, Transport Commissioner Liu Yan recommended him by memorial, and he was appointed Proofreader. Zhexi Observation Commissioner Li Qiyun treated him with exceptional favor and obtained an imperial decree naming his former home Fuli Village. Before long the court advanced him to the post of assistant magistrate of Yanshi County in Henan Prefecture. In the Jianzhong reign, Commissioner of Ritual Jiang Zhen specially recommended him for appointment as Erudite of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, with charge of ritual affairs. When he accompanied the emperor to Fengtian and Xingyuan, he was made Vice Director in the Foods Section while continuing to serve as Erudite. At the beginning of the Zhenyuan reign he was promoted to Director in the Waterways Section and appointed Reader to the Crown Prince and to Prince Shu and the princes below him. Before long he was transferred to Director in the Section of Enfeoffments, then elevated to Censor-in-Chief and additionally appointed Compiler in the Historiography Institute, all while continuing as Reader. He enjoyed the favor of both the emperor and the empress dowager, and for a time none could rival him. Yet he was almost excessively cautious — he never breathed a word of palace affairs, nor did he speak ill of others. He arranged marriages for orphaned nephews and nieces, and people of the time praised him for it. Yet he was also deeply miserly — he kept the keys to the storerooms in his own hands, and for this he was widely criticized. He died at the age of fifty. The emperor sighed in regret and granted silks for his funeral. The Crown Prince also sent one hundred bolts of silk and had him posthumously appointed Minister of Rites.
60
蘇弁，字元容，京兆武功人。 曾叔祖良嗣，天後朝宰相，國史有傳。 弁少有文學，舉進士，授秘書省正字，轉奉天主簿。
Su Bian, courtesy name Yuanrong, came from Wugong in Jingzhao. His grand-uncle Liangsi had served as chancellor under the Empress of Heaven and has a biography in the dynastic history. Bian showed literary talent from youth. He passed the jinshi examination, was appointed Corrector in the Palace Library, and was later transferred to chief clerk of Fengtian.
61
硃泚之亂，德宗倉卒出幸，縣令杜正元上府計事； 聞大駕至，官吏惶恐，皆欲奔竄山谷。 弁諭之曰：「君上避狄，臣下當伏難死節。 昔肅宗幸靈武，至新平、安定，二太守皆潛遁，帝命斬之以徇，諸君知其事乎！」 眾心乃安。 及車駕至，迎扈儲備無闕。 德宗嘉之，就加試大理司直。 賊平，拜監察御史，歷三院，累轉倉部郎中。 仍判度支案。
During Zhu Ci's rebellion, Emperor Dezong fled the capital in haste. The county magistrate Du Zhengyuan went up to the prefectural seat to discuss affairs; When word came that the imperial carriage was approaching, the officials were terrified and all wanted to flee into the hills. Bian admonished them, saying, "When the sovereign flees barbarian invasion, his ministers ought to meet disaster and die with honor. When Emperor Suzong withdrew to Lingwu, the prefects of Xinping and Anding both fled in secret, and the emperor had them beheaded as a warning to all. Do you know this story? Only then were the men's hearts steadied. When the imperial carriage arrived, they received and escorted it, and the stores and provisions were ready without the slightest shortfall. Emperor Dezong commended him and on the spot appointed him Acting Director in the Court of Judicial Review. After the rebellion was suppressed, he was appointed Investigating Censor. He served in all three censorate bureaus in turn and rose by successive transfer to Director in the Granaries Section. He also continued to oversee cases in the Department of Public Revenue.
62
裴延齡卒，德宗聞其才，特開延英，面賜金紫。 授度支郎中，副知度支事，仍命立於正郎之首。 副知之號，自弁始也。 承延齡之後，以寬簡代煩虐，人甚稱之。 遷戶部侍郎，依前判度支，改太子詹事。 弁初入朝，班位失序，殿中侍御史鄒儒立對仗彈之。 弁於金吾待罪數刻，特釋放。 舊制，太子詹事班次太常、宗正卿已下。 貞元三年，御史中丞竇參敘定班，移詹事在河南、太原尹之下。 弁乃引舊班制立。 臺官詰之，仍紿云：「自己白宰相，請依舊。」 故為儒立彈之。 旋坐給長武城軍糧朽敗，貶河州司戶參軍。 當德宗時，朝臣受譴，少蒙再錄，至晚年尤甚。 唯弁與韓臯得起為刺史，授滁州，轉杭州。
When Pei Yanling died, Emperor Dezong heard of Bian's talent, convened a special audience in Yingying Hall, and personally bestowed on him the gold seal and purple robe. He was appointed Director in the Revenue Section and made assistant overseer of revenue affairs, and was also ordered to take the foremost place among the regular directors. The title of assistant overseer dates from Bian. Succeeding Pei Yanling, he replaced vexatious severity with a lenient and straightforward manner, and the people greatly praised him. He was promoted to Vice Minister of Revenue, continued as before to oversee the Revenue Section, and was appointed Grand Tutor of the Heir Apparent. When Bian first attended court, he took the wrong place in the ranks, and Palace Censor Zou Ruli impeached him at the formal session. Bian waited for judgment at the Golden Guard office for some time, then was specially released. Under the old regulations, the Grand Tutor of the Heir Apparent ranked below the Ministers of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the Court of the Imperial Clan. In Zhenyuan 3, Censor-in-Chief Dou Can revised the court ranks and placed the Grand Tutor below the Prefects of Henan and Taiyuan. Bian then took his place according to the old rank order. Censorial officials questioned him, but he lied, saying, "I spoke to the chancellor myself and asked to follow the old order." That is why Ruli impeached him. Before long he was convicted of having supplied rotten grain to the army at Changwu Fort and was demoted to Registrar of He Prefecture. Under Emperor Dezong, punished officials were rarely given a second chance at office — and in his later years this was especially true. Only Bian and Han Gao were restored to prefectural office; Bian was assigned to Chuzhou and later transferred to Hangzhou.
63
弁與兄冕、袞，皆以友弟、儒學稱。
Bian and his elder brothers Mian and Gun were all renowned for their fraternal bond and their learning in the Confucian classics.
64
冕，纘國朝政事，撰《會要》四十卷，行於時。 弁聚書至二萬卷，皆手自刊校，至今言蘇氏書，次於集賢秘閣焉。 貞元二十一年，卒於家。
Mian compiled the affairs of the dynasty's court and wrote Institutional Essentials in forty fascicles, which circulated widely in his day. Bian amassed a library of twenty thousand fascicles, every volume collated by his own hand; even now, when scholars speak of the Su family's collection, they rank it second only to the Hall of Assembled Worthies and the Secret Archive. In Zhenyuan 21, he died at home.
65
袞自贊善大夫貶永州司戶參軍，敕：「蘇袞貶官，本緣弟連坐。 矜其年暮，加以疾患，宜令所在勒回，任歸私第。」 袞年且七十，兩目無見已逾年。 以弁之故，竟未停官。 及貶，上聞之哀憫，故許還家。 尋卒。
Gun had been demoted from Supporter-of-Goodness Grandee to Registrar of Yongzhou when an edict declared: "Su Gun's demotion arose from implication in his younger brother's crime. Pitying his advanced age and illness, let the authorities where he is order him to turn back and allow him to retire to his home." Gun was nearly seventy, and had been blind in both eyes for more than a year. As long as Bian remained in favor, Gun was never actually dismissed from office. When the demotion took effect, the emperor heard of his plight and took pity, and allowed him to return home. He died soon afterward.
66
初，冕既坐弁貶官，或有人言冕才學，上悔不早知。 業已貶出，又復還袞，難於再追冕，乃止。
Earlier, Mian had been demoted because of Bian; when someone spoke of Mian's talent and learning, the emperor regretted not having known it sooner. Mian had already been demoted and sent away, and Gun had already been recalled; recalling Mian as well would have been awkward, and so the emperor let the matter rest.
67
時執誼得幸，順帝寢疾，與王叔文等竊弄權柄。 上在春宮，執誼懼，質已用事，故令質入侍，而潛伺上意，因用解。 及質發言，上果怒曰：「陛下令先生與寡人講義，何得言他？」 質惶懼而出。 未幾病卒。 質著《集註春秋》二十卷，《類禮》二十卷，《君臣圖翼》二十五卷，並行於代。 貞元二十一年卒。
At that time Wang Shuwen had won the emperor's favor. When Emperor Shun fell ill, he and his faction secretly usurped the powers of state. The crown prince resided in the Eastern Palace. Shuwen feared that Lu Zhi already wielded influence there, and so sent Zhi in to attend him while secretly probing the crown prince's mind, hoping thereby to find a solution. When Zhi began to speak, the crown prince flew into a rage. "His Majesty ordered you, Master, to expound the classics with me — what business have you speaking of anything else?" Zhi withdrew in fear and dismay. Before long he died of illness. Zhi wrote Collected Commentaries on the Spring and Autumn Annals in twenty fascicles, Categorized Rites in twenty fascicles, and Chart and Wings of Ruler and Subject in twenty-five fascicles, all widely circulated in his day. He died in Zhenyuan 21.
68
馮伉，本魏州元城人。 父玠，後家於京兆。 少有經學。 大歷初，登《五經》秀才科，授秘書郎。 建中四年，又登博學《三史》科。 三遷尚書膳部員外郎，充睦王已下侍讀。 澤潞節度使李抱真卒，為吊贈使，抱真男遺伉帛數百匹，不納。 又專送至京，伉因表奏，固請不受。 屬醴泉闕縣令，宰臣進人名，帝意不可，謂宰臣曰：「前使澤潞不受財帛者，此人必有清政，可以授之。」 遂改醴泉令。 縣中百姓多猾，為著《諭蒙》十四篇，大略指明忠孝仁義，勸學務農，每鄉給一卷，俾其傳習。 在縣七年，韋渠牟薦為給事中，充皇太子及諸王侍讀。 召見於別殿，賜金紫。 著《三傳異同》三卷。 順宗即位，拜尚書兵部侍郎。 改國子祭酒，為同州刺史。 入拜左散騎常侍，復領太學。 元和四年卒，年六十六，贈禮部尚書。
Feng Kang was originally from Yuancheng in Weizhou. His father Jie later settled the family in Jingzhao. From youth he was versed in the classics. At the start of the Dali reign he passed the Five Classics Cultivated Talent examination and was appointed Secretary of the Palace Library. In Jianzhong 4 (783) he passed the Erudite Examination in the Three Histories as well. Promoted three times, he was appointed Vice Director of the Board of Rites, Department of Provisions, and served as tutor to the Prince of Mu and the junior princes. When Li Baozhen, military governor of Zelu, died, Kang was dispatched as envoy to offer condolences and posthumous honors. Baozhen's son sent him several hundred bolts of silk; he refused them. The gifts were sent again, this time straight to the capital. Kang submitted a memorial insisting that he would not take them. When the magistracy of Liquan fell vacant, the chief ministers put forward candidates, but the emperor was not pleased. He told them: "The man who went to Zelu as envoy and refused silk and cloth—he must govern with clean hands. Give him the post." Kang was accordingly appointed magistrate of Liquan. The common people of the county were often shrewd and difficult. He therefore wrote Instruction for the Untaught in fourteen chapters, setting out loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness and urging learning and farming. One copy went to each township, that the people might study and pass it on. After seven years as magistrate, Wei Qumou recommended him for Supervising Secretary, and he served as tutor to the crown prince and the princes. He was summoned to audience in a side hall and granted the gold seal and purple robe. He wrote Variations and Agreements among the Three Commentaries in three scrolls. When Emperor Shunzong ascended the throne, Kang was appointed Vice Minister of the Board of War. He was made Chancellor of the Directorate of Education and appointed prefect of Tong. Recalled to court, he was appointed Left Regular Attendant-in-Ordinary and again put in charge of the Imperial University. He died in Yuanhe 4 (809), aged sixty-six, and was posthumously honored as Minister of Rites.
69
子藥，進士擢第，又登制科，仕至尚書郎。
His son Yao passed the jinshi examination and a special examination as well, rising in office to Secretariat Gentleman.
70
韋表微，始舉進士登第，累佐籓府。 元和十五年，拜監察御史。 逾年，以本官充翰林學士。 遷左補闕、庫部員外郎、知制誥。 滿歲，擢遷中書舍人。 俄拜戶部侍郎，職並如故。 時自長慶、寶歷，國家比有變故，凡在翰林，遷擢例無滿歲，由是表微自監察，六七年間，秩正貳卿，命服金紫，承遇恩渥，盛於一時。 卒，年六十。
Wei Biaowei first passed the jinshi examination and served in succession on the staffs of regional administrations. In Yuanhe 15 (820) he was appointed Investigating Censor. A year later he was made Hanlin Academician while retaining his censor's post. He was promoted to Left Reminder, Vice Director of the Board of Finance, Treasuries Bureau, with charge of drafting edicts. After a full year in office he was promoted to Secretariat Drafter. Before long he was appointed Vice Minister of Revenue, his other duties unchanged. From the Changqing and Baoli reigns on, the court had been shaken by one crisis after another. Hanlin academicians were by custom promoted before a full year in post—and so Biaowei, starting as Investigating Censor, within six or seven years held a vice minister's proper rank, wore the gold seal and purple robe, and enjoyed imperial favor surpassing any man of his time. He died at the age of sixty.
71
表微少時，克苦自立。 著《九經師授譜》一卷，《春秋三傳總例》二十卷。
In youth Biaowei bore hardship and raised himself by his own labor. He wrote Genealogies of Masters of the Nine Classics in one scroll and General Principles of the Three Commentaries to the Spring and Autumn Annals in twenty scrolls.
72
子蟾，進士登第，咸通末，為尚書左丞。
His son Chan passed the jinshi examination and, in the late Xiantong period, served as Left Vice Director of the Secretariat.
73
許康佐，父審。 康佐登進士第，又登宏詞科。 以家貧母老，求為知院官，人或怪之，笑而不答。 及母亡，服除，不就侯府之辟，君子始知其不擇祿養親之誌也，故名益重。 遷侍御史，轉職方員外郎，累遷至駕部郎中，充翰林侍講學士，仍賜金紫。 歷諫議大夫、中書舍人，皆在內庭。 為戶部侍郎，以疾解職。 除兵部侍郎，轉禮部尚。 卒，年七十二，贈吏部尚書。 撰《九鼎記》四卷。
Xu Kangzuo's father was Shen. Kangzuo passed the jinshi examination and the Hongci examination as well. His family was poor and his mother aged, so he sought a post as an academy officer. Some thought it odd; he only smiled and would not explain. When his mother died and his mourning was done, he declined appointment from a marquis's household. Only then did men of worth see that he had refused to trade salary for filial duty—and his reputation grew all the heavier. He was promoted to Attending Censor, then Vice Director of the Board of War, Bureau of Appointments, and in time rose to Director of the Board of War, Bureau of Transport. He served as Hanlin Lecturing Academician and was granted the gold seal and purple robe. He served as Remonstrance and Review Official and Secretariat Drafter, always within the inner court. He was made Vice Minister of Revenue but resigned because of illness. He was appointed Vice Minister of War and then transferred to Minister of Rites. He died at seventy-two and was posthumously honored as Minister of Civil Appointments. He compiled Record of the Nine Cauldrons in four scrolls.
74
弟堯佐、元佐，堯佐子道敏，並登進士第，歷官清顯。
His younger brothers Yaozuo and Yuanzuo, and Yaozuo's son Daomin, all passed the jinshi examination and rose to clean, eminent posts.
75
贊曰：積學成功，開談辨治。 儒道玄機，聖人雅旨。 出必由戶，行跡其軌。 邈有其人，光乎信史。
Encomium: Through accumulated learning they achieved mastery; in open discourse they clarified what makes governance sound. They held the deep workings of the Confucian Way and the sages' refined purpose. They entered and left only by the proper door; their steps kept to the path. Such men are not near at hand—and yet they shine in the faithful histories.