Volume 24: Xiao Jing; Xiao Chang; Xiao Ang; Xiao Yu

梁書卷第二十四列傳第十八

Book of Liang, Volume 24, Biographies 18

蕭景弟昌昂昱

Xiao Jing; his younger brothers Chang, Ang, and Yu

蕭景字子昭，高祖從父弟也。父崇之字茂敬，卽左光祿大夫道賜之子。道賜三子：長子尚之，字茂先；次太祖文皇帝；次崇之。初，左光祿居於鄉里，專行禮讓，爲衆所推。仕歷宋太尉江夏王參軍，終于治書侍御史。齊末，追贈散騎常侍、左光祿大夫。尚之敦厚有德器，爲司徒建安王中兵參軍，一府稱爲長者；琅邪王僧虔尤善之，每事多與議決。遷步兵校尉，卒官。天監初，追諡文宣侯。尚之子靈鈞，仕齊廣德令。高祖義師至，行會稽郡事，頃之卒。高祖卽位，追封東昌縣侯，邑一千戶。子謇嗣。崇之以幹能顯，爲政尚嚴厲，官至冠軍將軍、東陽太守。永明中，錢唐唐㝢之反，別衆破東陽，崇之遇害。天監初，追諡忠簡侯。

Xiao Jing, styled Zizhao, was Emperor Gaozu's cousin on his father's side. His father Chongzhi, styled Maojing, was the son of Daoci, who had held the post of Left Chamberlain for the Imperial Insignia. Daoci had three sons: the eldest, Shangzhi, styled Maoxian; the second was the founding emperor, posthumously known as Emperor Wen; and the third was Chongzhi. Earlier, while living in his home district, Daoci had devoted himself to ritual propriety and modest deference and was widely respected. He served in office as an aide to the Prince of Jiangxia under the Song Grand Commandant and died as Attending Secretary in the Bureau of Documents. At the end of the Qi dynasty he was posthumously appointed Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary and Left Chamberlain for the Imperial Insignia. Shangzhi was steady and generous, possessed of real moral weight. As Central Army Aide on the staff of the Prince of Jian'an under the Minister of Works, the entire princely establishment called him "the elder"; Wang Sengqian of Langye held him in particular esteem and frequently consulted him before reaching decisions. He was promoted to Commandant of Footsoldiers and died in that post. Early in the Tianjian era he was posthumously enfeoffed as Marquis of Literary Manifestation. Shangzhi's son Lingjun served as magistrate of Guangde in the Qi period. When Emperor Gaozu's righteous army marched east, he took charge of Kuaiji commandery affairs, but died soon afterward. After Gaozu ascended the throne, Lingjun was posthumously enfeoffed as Marquis of Dongchang with a fief of one thousand households. His son Jian succeeded to the title. Chongzhi rose to prominence through ability and resolve; his administration was notably stern, and he eventually reached the posts of General Who Establishes Might and Administrator of Dongyang. During Yongming, Tang Yu of Qiantang rebelled; a rebel detachment overran Dongyang, and Chongzhi was killed in the fighting. Early in Tianjian he was posthumously enfeoffed as Marquis of Loyal Simplicity.

景八歲隨父在郡，居喪以毀聞。旣長好學，才辯能斷。齊建武中，除晉安王國左常侍，遷永寧令，政爲百城最。永嘉太守范述曾居郡，號稱廉平，雅服景爲政，乃牓郡門曰：「諸縣有疑滯者，可就永寧令決。」頃之，以疾去官。永嘉人胡仲宣等千人詣闕，表請景爲郡，不許。還爲驃騎行參軍。永元二年，以長沙宣武王懿勳，除步兵校尉。是冬，宣武王遇害，景亦逃難。高祖義師至，以景爲寧朔將軍、行南兗州軍事。時天下未定，江北傖楚各據塢壁。景示以威信，渠帥相率面縛請罪，旬日境內皆平。中興二年，遷督南兗州諸軍事、輔國將軍、監南兗州。高祖踐阼，封吳平縣侯，食邑一千戶，仍爲使持節、都督南北兗青冀四州諸軍事、冠軍將軍、南兗州刺史。詔景母毛氏爲國太夫人，禮如王國太妃，假金章紫綬。景居州，清恪有威裁，明解吏職，文案無壅，下不敢欺，吏人畏敬如神。會年荒，計口賑卹，爲饘粥於路以賦之，死者給棺具，人甚賴焉。

Jing was eight when he accompanied his father to his post; his mourning conduct became renowned for its wrenching austerity. As he grew up he took to learning, showed talent in debate, and had a gift for decisive judgment. During Jianwu in Qi he was appointed Left Regular Attendant in the Jin'an princedom, then promoted to magistrate of Yongning, where his administration ranked first among all the counties. Fan Shuzeng, Administrator of Yongjia, had governed the commandery with a reputation for integrity and fairness. He admired Jing's administration and posted a notice at the commandery gate: "In any county where a case is doubtful or stalled, take it to the magistrate of Yongning for judgment." Before long he resigned his post because of illness. Hu Zhongxuan of Yongjia and a thousand others went to the capital and petitioned to have Jing appointed commandery administrator, but the request was denied. He returned to the capital as Traveling Aide on the staff of the Rapid Cavalry General. In the second year of Yongyuan, in recognition of the merit of Prince Xuanwu of Changsha, Xiao Yi, he was appointed Commandant of Footsoldiers. That winter Prince Xuanwu was murdered, and Jing fled into hiding as well. When Gaozu's righteous army arrived, Jing was appointed General Who Pacifies the North and put in charge of Southern Yanzhou affairs. The realm was still unsettled; north of the Yangzi, northern settlers and Chu clans each held their own fortified stockades. Jing won them over with authority and good faith; one chieftain after another came forward bound to beg pardon, and within ten days the entire region was pacified. In the second year of Zhongxing he was promoted to Supervisor of Military Affairs for Southern Yanzhou, General Who Assists the State, and Inspector of Southern Yanzhou. When Gaozu took the throne, Jing was enfeoffed as Marquis of Wuping with a fief of one thousand households and continued as Bearer of the Staff of Authority, Commander-in-Chief over North and South Yan, Qing, and Ji, General Who Establishes Might, and Governor of Southern Yanzhou. An edict made Jing's mother, Lady Mao, Grand Lady of the State, with ceremonial standing equal to a princely grand consort, and granted her the golden seal and purple sash. As governor, Jing was pure, scrupulous, and commanding; he understood official duties thoroughly, kept paperwork moving without backlog, and left no room for deception below him. Officials and commoners alike revered him almost as a god. When famine struck, he counted households to distribute relief, set up gruel kitchens along the roads, and supplied coffins for the dead. The people depended on him heavily.

天監四年，王師北伐，景帥衆出淮陽，進屠宿預。丁母憂，詔起攝職。五年，班師，除太子右衛率，遷輔國將軍、衛尉卿。七年，遷左驍騎將軍，兼領軍將軍。領軍管天下兵要，監局官僚，舊多驕侈，景在職峻切，官曹肅然。制局監皆近幸，頗不堪命，以是不得久留中。尋出爲使持節、督雍梁南北秦郢州之竟陵司州之隨郡諸軍事、信武將軍、寧蠻校尉、雍州刺史。八年三月，魏荊州刺史元志率衆七萬寇潺溝，驅迫羣蠻，羣蠻悉渡漢水來降。議者以蠻累爲邊患，可因此除之。景曰：「窮來歸我，誅之不祥。且魏人來侵，每爲矛盾，若悉誅蠻，則魏軍無礙，非長策也。」乃開樊城受降。因命司馬硃思遠、寧蠻長史曹義宗、中兵參軍孟惠俊擊志於潺溝，大破之，生擒志長史杜景。斬首萬餘級，流屍蓋漢水，景遣中兵參軍崔繢率軍士收而瘞焉。

In the fourth year of Tianjian, when the imperial army marched north, Jing led his forces from Huaiyang and advanced to storm Suyu. When his mother died he entered mourning, but an edict recalled him to resume his duties provisionally. In the fifth year, after the army withdrew, he was appointed Right Commandant of the Crown Prince's Guard, then promoted to General Who Assists the State and Commandant of the Guard. In the seventh year he was promoted to General of the Left Rapid Cavalry and concurrently served as General of the Palace Guard. The Palace Guard controlled the empire's key military posts, and the supervisory offices had long been riddled with arrogance and extravagance. Jing's tenure was stern and exacting, and the bureaucracy quickly fell into order. The supervisors of the control bureaus were all imperial favorites and could scarcely endure his discipline, which is why he could not remain long at court. Before long he was posted out as Bearer of the Staff of Authority, Supervisor of Military Affairs for Yong, Liang, North and South Qin, Jingling in Jing, and Suixian in Si, General of Trustworthy Martiality, Pacifier of the Barbarians Commandant, and Governor of Yong. In the third month of the eighth year, Yuan Zhi, Governor of Jingzhou for Wei, led seventy thousand men against Chan'gou, driving the tribal peoples before him until they all crossed the Han to surrender. Some at court argued that the tribes had long been a frontier menace and should be wiped out while they had the chance. Jing said, "They have come to us in desperation. To slaughter them would be inauspicious. Besides, whenever the Wei invade they exploit our internal divisions. If we kill all the tribes, the Wei army will meet no resistance at all. That is no lasting strategy." He then opened Fancheng to receive their surrender. He then ordered Chief Administrator Zhu Siyuan, Chief Clerk for Pacifying the Barbarians Cao Yizong, and Central Army Aide Meng Huijun to attack Zhi at Chan'gou. They won a great victory and took Zhi's chief clerk Du Jing alive. More than ten thousand heads were taken; corpses floating on the Han covered the river. Jing sent Central Army Aide Cui Hui with soldiers to gather and bury them.

景初到州，省除參迎羽儀器服，不得煩擾吏人。修營城壘，申警邊備，理辭訟，勸農桑。郡縣皆改節自勵，州內清肅，緣漢水陸千餘里，抄盜絕跡。十一年，徵右衛將軍、領石頭戍軍事。十二年，復爲使持節、督南北兗北徐青冀五州諸軍事、信威將軍、南兗州刺史。十三年，徵爲領軍將軍，直殿省，知十州損益事，月加祿五萬。

When Jing first arrived in Yong he abolished the welcoming retinues, ceremonial regalia, and display equipment and would not burden officials or commoners. He repaired the walls and fortifications, tightened frontier defenses, heard lawsuits, and encouraged farming and sericulture. Commanderies and counties reformed their conduct and redoubled their efforts; the province grew orderly and calm, and along more than a thousand li of the Han by land and water, banditry disappeared entirely. In the eleventh year he was recalled as General of the Right Guard and put in charge of the Shitou garrison. In the twelfth year he was again appointed Bearer of the Staff of Authority, Commander-in-Chief over North and South Yan, North Xu, Qing, and Ji, General of Trustworthy Might, and Governor of Southern Yanzhou. In the thirteenth year he was recalled as General of the Palace Guard, attended at the Palace Hall Directorate, oversaw fiscal matters for ten provinces, and received a monthly salary increase of fifty thousand cash.

景爲人雅有風力，長於辭令。其在朝廷，爲衆所瞻仰。於高祖屬雖爲從弟，而禮寄甚隆，軍國大事，皆與議決。十五年，加侍中。十七年，太尉、揚州刺史臨川王宏坐法免。詔曰：「揚州應須緝理，宜得其人。侍中、領軍將軍吳平侯景才任此舉，可以安右將軍監揚州，並置佐史，侍中如故，卽宅爲府。」景越親居揚州，辭讓甚懇惻，至于涕泣，高祖不許。在州尤稱明斷，符教嚴整。有田舍老姥嘗訴得符，還至縣，縣吏未卽發，姥語曰：「蕭監州符，火爄汝手，何敢留之！」其爲人所畏敬如此。

Jing carried himself with elegant force of character and was gifted in formal speech. At court everyone looked up to him. Although he was only Gaozu's cousin, the emperor treated him with exceptional honor and consulted him on every major military and state affair. In the fifteenth year he was given the additional post of Attendant-in-Chief. In the seventeenth year Prince Hong of Linchuan, Grand Commandant and Governor of Yangzhou, was dismissed for an offense. An edict said, "Yangzhou must be brought to order, and the right man is needed for the task. Attendant-in-Chief and General of the Palace Guard, Marquis of Wuping Jing, has the talent for it. Let him serve as General of the Right for Pacification overseeing Yangzhou, with a full staff appointed, retain his post as Attendant-in-Chief, and make his residence the administrative seat." Though only a cousin, Jing was now to govern Yangzhou. He declined with deep earnestness, even to tears, but Gaozu would not hear of it. As governor he was especially famed for clarity and decisiveness; his orders and directives were strict and orderly. An old peasant woman once won a writ in a lawsuit; when she returned to the county seat the clerks did not issue it at once. She said, "Supervisor Xiao's writ will burn your hands off—how dare you hold it back! Such was the awe in which he was held.

十八年，累表陳解，高祖未之許。明年，出爲使持節、散騎常侍、都督郢司霍三州諸軍事、安西將軍、郢州刺史。將發，高祖幸建興苑餞別，爲之流涕。旣還宮，詔給鼓吹一部。在州復有能名。齊安、竟陵郡接魏界，多盜賊，景移書告示，魏卽焚塢戍保境，不復侵略。普通四年，卒于州，時年四十七。詔贈侍中、中撫軍、開府儀同三司。諡曰忠。子勱嗣。

In the eighteenth year he repeatedly petitioned to resign, but Gaozu would not allow it. The following year he was posted out as Bearer of the Staff of Authority, Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary, Commander-in-Chief over Ying, Si, and Huo, General Who Pacifies the West, and Governor of Ying. Before he departed, Gaozu came to the Jianxing Park to give him a farewell banquet and wept for him. After returning to the palace, an edict granted him a full set of martial music. In Ying he again earned a reputation for capable administration. Qi'an and Jingling bordered Wei territory and were plagued by bandits. Jing sent formal notices across the border, and Wei promptly burned its stockades, held the frontier, and ceased its raids. In the fourth year of Putong he died in office, at the age of forty-seven. An edict posthumously appointed him Attendant-in-Chief, General of the Central Pacification Army, and Grand Master with Golden Seal and Purple Sash with ceremonial privileges equal to the Three Excellencies. His posthumous title was Loyal. His son Mai succeeded to the title.

昌字子建，景第二弟也。齊豫章末，爲晉安王左常侍。天監初，除中書侍郎，出爲豫章內史。五年，加寧朔將軍。六年，遷持節、督廣交越桂四州諸軍事、輔國將軍、平越中郎將、廣州刺史。七年，進號征遠將軍。九年，分湘州置衡州，以昌爲持節、督廣州之綏建湘州之始安諸軍事、信武將軍、衡州刺史，坐免。十三年，起爲散騎侍郎，尋以本官兼宗正卿。其年，出爲安右長史。累遷太子中庶子、通直散騎常侍，又兼宗正卿。

Chang, styled Zijian, was Jing's second younger brother. At the end of the Qi dynasty he served as Left Regular Attendant to the Prince of Jin'an. Early in Tianjian he was appointed Vice Director of the Secretariat and posted out as Internal Administrator of Yuzhang. In the fifth year he was given the additional rank of General Who Pacifies the North. In the sixth year he was promoted to Bearer of the Staff, Commander-in-Chief over Guang, Jiao, Yue, and Gui, General Who Assists the State, General Who Pacifies the Yue as Central Army Commander, and Governor of Guang. In the seventh year his title was advanced to General Who Campaigns Afar. In the ninth year Xiang was divided to create Heng. Chang was appointed Bearer of the Staff, Supervisor of Military Affairs for Suijian in Guang and Shi'an in Xiang, General of Trustworthy Martiality, and Governor of Heng, but was dismissed for an offense. In the thirteenth year he was recalled as Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary and soon added the concurrent post of Director of the Imperial Clan. That same year he was posted out as Chief Clerk of the Right for Pacification. He rose in succession to Palace Companion of the Crown Prince and Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary for Direct Communication, and again held the concurrent post of Director of the Imperial Clan.

昌爲人亦明悟，然性好酒，酒後多過。在州郡，每醉輒徑出入人家，或獨詣草野。其於刑戮，頗無期度。醉時所殺，醒或求焉，亦無悔也。屬爲有司所劾，入留京師，忽忽不樂，遂縱酒虛悸。在石頭東齋，引刀自刺，左右救之，不殊。十七年，卒，時年三十九。子伯言。

Chang was also intelligent and perceptive, but he loved wine and often went to excess after drinking. In the provinces he would wander drunk straight into people's houses or go alone into the countryside. In matters of punishment and execution he showed little restraint. Those he killed while drunk he might ask about when sober, yet he felt no remorse. When the authorities impeached him he was detained in the capital, grew restless and despondent, and drowned himself in drink and anxious delusion. In the eastern studio at Shitou he drew a knife and stabbed himself; his attendants saved him, and he did not die. In the seventeenth year he died, at the age of thirty-nine. His son was Boyan.

昱字子真，景第四弟也。天監初，除秘書郎，累遷太子舍人，洗馬，中書舍人，中書侍郎。每求自試，高祖以爲淮南、永嘉、襄陽郡，並不就。志願邊州，高祖以其輕脫無威望，抑而不許。遷給事黃門侍郎。上表曰：「夏初陳啓，未垂采照，追懷慚懼，實戰胸心。臣聞暑雨祁寒，小人猶怨；榮枯寵辱，誰能忘懷！臣藉以往因，得預枝戚之重；緣報旣雜，時逢坎鹆稟之運。昔在齊季，義師之始，臣乃幼弱，粗有識慮，東西阻絕，歸赴無由，雖未能負戈擐甲，實銜淚憤懣。潛伏東境，備履艱危，首尾三年，亟移數處，雖復饑寒切身，亦不以凍餒爲苦。每涉驚疑，惶怖失魄，旣乖致命之節，空有項領之憂，希望開泰，冀蒙共樂；豈期二十餘年，功名無紀，畢此身骸，方填溝壑，丹誠素願，溘至長罷，俯自哀憐，能不傷歎！夫自媒自衒，誠哉可鄙；自譽自伐，實在可羞。然量己揆分，自知者審，陳力就列，寧敢空言？是以常願一試，屢成干請。夫上應玄象，實不易叨；錦不輕裁，誠難其制。過去業鄣，所以致乖算測。聖監旣謂臣愚短，不可試用，豈容久居顯禁，徒穢黃樞。忝竊稍積，恐招物議，請解今職，乞摒退私門。伏願天照，特垂允許。臣雖叨榮兩宮，報效無地，方違省闥，伏深戀悚。」高祖手詔答曰：「昱表如此。古者用人，必前明試，皆須績用旣立，乃可自退之高。昔漢光武兄子章、興二人，並有名宗室，就欲習吏事，不過章爲平陰令，興爲緱氏宰，政事有能，方遷郡守，非直政績見稱，卽是光武猶子。昱之才地，豈得比類焉！往歲處以淮南郡，旣不肯行；續用爲招遠將軍、鎮北長史、襄陽太守，又以邊外致辭；改除招遠將軍、永嘉太守，復云內地非願；復問晉安、臨川，隨意所擇，亦復不行。解巾臨郡，事不爲薄，數有致辭，意欲何在？且昱諸兄遞居連率，相繼推轂，未嘗缺歲。其同產兄景，今正居籓鎮。朕豈厚於景而薄於昱，正是朝序物議，次第若斯，於其一門，差自無愧。無論今日不得如此；昱兄弟昔在布衣，以處成長，於何取立，豈得任情反道，背天違地。孰謂朝廷無有憲章，特是未欲致之于理。旣表解職，可聽如啓。」坐免官。因此杜門絕朝覲，國家慶弔不復通。

Yu, styled Zizhen, was Jing's fourth younger brother. Early in Tianjian he was appointed Secretary and rose in succession to Attendant of the Crown Prince, Groom, Palace Secretary, and Vice Director of the Secretariat. He repeatedly asked for a chance to prove himself in office, but when Gaozu offered him Huainan, Yongjia, and Xiangyang commanderies, he declined them all. He asked to serve on the frontier, but Gaozu, judging him frivolous and lacking authority, refused. He was promoted to Attendant Gentleman of the Yellow Gate for Affairs. He submitted a memorial that read, "Early this summer I laid out my petition, yet Your Majesty has not yet looked upon it with favor. Thinking back on this fills me with shame and fear, and my heart trembles within my breast. I have heard that in summer rain and bitter winter cold even common people still complain; how much more when glory turns to decline, or favor to disgrace—who can put such things out of mind! Through blessings from former lives I was allowed a place among the imperial kin; yet my karmic entanglements were already complex, and the age itself was one of hardship and reversal. In the last years of Qi, when the righteous army first rose, I was still young, with only the beginnings of understanding. East and west were cut off, and I had no way to join the cause. Though I could not take up arms myself, I bore tears and burning indignation in my heart. I hid in the eastern borderlands and endured every hardship and danger. For three years I moved from place to place in haste. Though hunger and cold pressed upon me, I did not count freezing or starvation as suffering. Whenever danger struck I was terrified out of my wits. Having failed the duty of giving my life for the cause, I was left with nothing but the shame of an idle neck. I hoped for a new age of peace and longed to share in its joy. Who could have foreseen that for more than twenty years I would win no record of merit, and that only when this body is spent will it fill some ditch? My earnest heart and lifelong hopes have suddenly reached their end. Looking down on myself in pity, how could I not grieve and sigh! Self-promotion and self-display are truly contemptible; self-praise and boasting are truly shameful. Yet having measured myself and appraised my place, I know myself clearly enough: to offer my strength and take up a post—how could that be mere empty talk? That is why I have repeatedly asked for a chance to prove myself. To match Heaven's hidden signs is no easy presumption; brocade is not cut lightly, and its making is truly difficult. It is past karmic obstacles that have caused me to fall short of what was expected. Since Your Majesty has judged me foolish and inadequate, unfit for trial in office, I cannot remain long in this exalted inner post, merely defiling the imperial pivot. My unworthy tenure has gone on too long, and I fear public criticism. I beg to be relieved of my present office and sent back to private life. I prostrate myself and beg Your Majesty's gracious consent. Though I have enjoyed unearned honor in both palaces, I have had no way to repay it. As I leave the inner court, I prostrate myself in deep attachment and dread." Gaozu replied in his own hand: "Yu's memorial reads as follows. In antiquity, when appointing men to office, rulers always tested them first. Only after they had established a record of achievement could they withdraw to a lofty retirement. In the past, Emperor Guangwu of Han's nephews Zhang and Xing were both eminent members of the imperial clan. When they wished to learn administration, Zhang was made only magistrate of Pingyin and Xing magistrate of Gou. Only when their governance showed ability were they promoted to commandery administrators. It was not merely that their achievements were praised—they were the emperor's own nephews. How can Yu's talent and standing be compared with theirs! Last year he was offered Huainan commandery, yet refused to go; then he was appointed General Who Summons the Distant, Chief Clerk for Pacifying the North, and Administrator of Xiangyang, and again declined on the grounds that the post was on the frontier; he was then reassigned as General Who Summons the Distant and Administrator of Yongjia, and again said the interior was not what he wanted; he was then offered Jin'an and Linchuan to choose as he pleased, and again he would not go. To take up office and govern a commandery is no slight honor. He has declined again and again—what does he want? Moreover Yu's elder brothers have held regional commands in succession, one after another, without a year's gap. His full brother Jing now holds a frontier fief and command. Do I favor Jing and slight Yu? It is simply that court order and public opinion proceed in due sequence. For one family, the arrangement is not unreasonable. To say nothing of the present, when such a thing cannot be allowed; the Yu brothers were raised from common life by circumstance. On what basis do they stand? They cannot follow whim against the Way or defy Heaven and earth. Who says the court has no laws? I have simply not wished to bring him to judgment. Since he has asked to resign, his request may be granted as stated." He was dismissed from office. Thereafter he shut his gate and ceased attending court; he no longer took part in state celebrations or mourning.

普通五年，坐於宅內鑄錢，爲有司所奏，下廷尉，得免死，徙臨海郡。行至上虞，有敕追還，且令受菩薩戒。昱旣至，恂恂盡禮，改意蹈道，持戒又精潔，高祖甚嘉之，以爲招遠將軍、晉陵太守。下車勵名迹，除煩苛，明法憲，嚴於姦吏，優養百姓，旬日之間，郡中大化。俄而暴疾卒，百姓行坐號哭，市里爲之喧沸，設祭奠於郡庭者四百餘人。田舍有女人夏氏，年百餘歲，扶曾孫出郡，悲泣不自勝。其惠化所感如此。百姓相率爲立廟建碑，以紀其德。又詣京師求贈諡。詔贈湘州刺史。諡曰恭。

In the fifth year of Putong he was impeached for casting coin in his home, sent to the Court of Justice, spared death, and banished to Linhai commandery. When he reached Shangyu, an edict recalled him and ordered him to receive the bodhisattva precepts. When Yu arrived, he was respectful in all ritual observance, turned his heart to the Way, and kept the precepts with pure devotion. Gaozu greatly praised him and appointed him General Who Summons the Distant and Administrator of Jinling. Upon taking office he set an example of integrity, removed oppressive regulations, clarified the laws, was stern with corrupt officials, and cared generously for the people. Within ten days the commandery was thoroughly transformed. Soon he died suddenly of illness. The people wept wherever they walked or sat; the marketplaces rang with lamentation, and more than four hundred people set up offerings in the commandery court. In the countryside a woman of the Xia clan, more than a hundred years old, supported her great-grandson to the commandery seat and wept until she could weep no more. Such was the depth of feeling his benevolent rule inspired. The people together built a temple and erected a stele to commemorate his virtue. They also went to the capital to request a posthumous title for him. An edict posthumously appointed him Governor of Xiangzhou. His posthumous title was Respectful.

史臣曰：高祖光有天下，慶命傍流，枝戚屬㜕，咸被任遇。蕭景之才辯識斷，益政佐時，蓋梁宗室令望者矣。 [1]

The historian writes: When Gaozu came to possess the realm, fortune flowed to his kinsmen on every side, and collateral relatives of the imperial house were all given office and favor. Xiao Jing's talent, judgment, and debate, and his service in strengthening the government of his time, made him the outstanding figure among the Liang imperial clan. Editorial footnote marker.

全文以中華書局、一九七三年五月版《梁書》爲本校。

The full text has been collated against the Zhonghua Book Company, May 1973 edition of the Book of Liang.

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