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梁書卷第二十六列傳第二十
Book of Liang, Volume 26, Biographies, Number 20
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Xiu was orphaned young but won renown for tending his mother with filial devotion; he and Shen Yue of Wuxing were alike held in esteem by Cai Xingzong. During the Taishi reign he began his career as a palace attendant. When Xingzong was appointed General Who Pacifies the West, he brought Xiu in as his chief clerk. He rose through a series of posts: magistrate of Linhai and Changcheng, staff officer to the Rapid Cavalry General, revising clerk in the Department of State Affairs, army aide to the Protector-General, and recorder on the staff of Qi’s Minister over the Masses, Prince Ziliang of Jingling.
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He was promoted again to Director of the Heir Apparent’s Household. When the Literary and Gracious Heir Apparent resided in the Eastern Palace, Shen Yue and others were recruited for their literary gifts, and Xiu was included among them. Xiu’s prose did not equal Yue’s, yet contemporaries respected his name and conduct; widely read and well informed, he was above all expert in ritual and omens from Wei and Jin times onward. Yue would often remark, “Master Fan delights in inquiry and knows everything—Hu Guang himself could add nothing.” Fan Yun of Nanxiang told people, “For how to advance, withdraw, and comport yourselves, ask Long-Head Fan.” — for Xiu knew the old precedents of earlier dynasties better than anyone.
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遷國子博士。 永明中，魏使至，有詔妙選朝士有詞辯者，接使於界首，以岫兼淮陰長史迎焉。 還遷尚書左丞，母憂去官，尋起攝職。 出爲寧朔將軍、南蠻長史、南義陽太守，未赴職，遷右軍諮議參軍，郡如故。 除撫軍司馬。 出爲建威將軍、安成內史。 入爲給事黃門侍郎，遷御史中丞、領前軍將軍、南北兗二州大中正。 永元末，出爲輔國將軍、冠軍晉安王長史，行南徐州事。 義師平京邑，承制徵爲尚書吏部郎，參大選。 梁臺建，爲度支尚書。 天監五年，遷散騎常侍、光祿大夫，侍皇太子，給扶。 六年，領太子左衛率。 七年，徙通直散騎常侍、右衛將軍，中正如故。 其年表致事，詔不許。 八年，出爲晉陵太守，秩中二千石。 九年，入爲祠部尚書，領右驍騎將軍，其年遷金紫光祿大夫，加親信二十人。 十三年，卒官，時年七十五。 賻錢五萬，布百匹。
He was appointed Erudite of the Imperial University. During Yongming an envoy from Wei arrived; the court was ordered to choose the most articulate officials to meet him at the frontier, and Xiu was sent as acting chief clerk of Huaiyin to receive him. After returning he was made Left Assistant Director of the Department of State Affairs; he resigned on his mother’s death but soon took up his duties again in an acting post. He was sent out as General Who Pacifies the North, chief clerk of the Southern Man, and administrator of Southern Yiyang; before he assumed the post he was made staff adviser of the Right Army, retaining his nominal commandery rank. He was appointed army aide to the Pacification General. He was sent out as General Who Establishes Might and interior secretary of Ancheng. He entered court as Attendant Gentleman at the Yellow Gate, then became Censor-in-Chief, concurrently commanding the Vanguard General and serving as chief arbiter of pedigree for northern and southern Yan. At the close of Yongyuan he was sent out as General Who Assists the State and chief clerk to the Champion Prince of Jin’an, with charge of southern Xu. After the righteous army took the capital, he was summoned under provisional authority to be Director of the Ministry of Personnel and took part in the great appointments. When the Liang provisional government was set up, he became Minister of Revenue. In Tianjian year 5 he was made Regular Attendant and Grand Master of Splendid Happiness, attending the crown prince with a ceremonial staff. In year 6 he also served as Left Commandant of the Crown Prince’s Guard. In year 7 he was transferred to Regular Attendant of Direct Communication and General of the Right Guard, keeping his arbiter’s post. That same year he petitioned to retire; the throne refused. In year 8 he was sent out as administrator of Jinling, at the two-thousand-bushel rank. In year 9 he returned as Minister of Rites and concurrently commanded the Right Valiant Cavalry General; that year he was promoted to Grand Master of the Golden Seal and Purple Ribbon with twenty personal attendants. In year 13 he died in office, aged seventy-five. The court granted fifty thousand cash and a hundred bolts of cloth for his funeral.
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Xiu stood seven feet eight inches in height, grave and courteous in manner, every step governed by ritual. After mourning his parents he ate only plain food and wore coarse cloth for the rest of his days. In every post he held he was known for incorruptible conduct. As magistrate of Changcheng he kept a catalpa-wood cap-box; for decades, even after he rose to high office, he never replaced it. At Jinling he allowed himself only one pair of ivory-barrel writing brushes—and even that he thought excessive. His collected writings, Treatise on Rites, Miscellaneous Ritual Protocols, and Character Instruction circulated widely. He left two sons, Bao and Wei.
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傅昭，字茂遠，北地靈州人，晉司隸校尉咸七世孫也。 祖和之，父淡，善《三禮》，知名宋世。 淡事宋竟陵王劉誕，誕反，淡坐誅。 昭六歲而孤，哀毀如成人者，宗黨咸異之。 十一，隨外祖於朱雀航賣曆日。 爲雍州刺史袁顗客，顗嘗來昭所，昭讀書自若，神色不改。 顗歎曰：「此兒神情不凡，必成佳器。」 司徒建安王休仁聞而悅之，因欲致昭，昭以宋氏多故，遂不往。 或有稱昭於廷尉虞愿，愿乃遣車迎昭。 時愿宗人通之在坐，並當世名流，通之贈昭詩曰：「英妙擅山東，才子傾洛陽。 清塵誰能嗣，及爾遘遺芳。」 太原王延秀薦昭於丹陽尹袁粲，深爲所禮，辟爲郡主簿，使諸子從昭受學。 會明帝崩，粲造哀策文，乃引昭定其所制。 每經昭戶，輒歎曰：「經其戶，寂若無人，披其帷，其人斯在，豈非名賢！」 尋爲總明學士、奉朝請。 齊永明中，累遷員外郎、司徒竟陵王子良參軍、尚書儀曹郎。
Fu Zhao, styled Maoyuan, came from Lingzhou in Beidi—seventh in descent from Jin’s Director of the Metropolitan Area, Fu Xian. His grandfather was Hezhi; his father Dan mastered the Three Rites and was renowned in Song times. Dan had served Prince Jingling of Song, Liu Dan; when the prince rebelled, Dan was executed as an accomplice. Zhao lost his father at six; his mourning was as deep as a grown man’s, and the whole clan wondered at him. At eleven he helped his maternal grandfather sell almanacs at the Zhuque ferry. He was retained by Yuan Yi, governor of Yong Province; when Yi once visited Zhao’s lodging, Zhao went on reading without a change of expression. Yi sighed and said, “This boy’s spirit is uncommon—he will surely become someone of note.” Liu Xiuren, Prince of Jian’an and Minister over the Masses, heard of this and was delighted; he wished to bring Zhao in, but Zhao, citing the Song court’s turmoil, declined to go. Someone commended Zhao to Yu Yuan, the Director of Justice, and Yuan sent a carriage to fetch him. Yuan’s kinsman Tongzhi was also present—both were luminaries of the day—and Tongzhi gave Zhao a poem: “A prodigy famed east of the mountains, a young talent who turns Luoyang’s head. Who could inherit such pure renown? In meeting you I find a fragrance that endures.” Wang Yanxiu of Taiyuan recommended Zhao to Yuan Can, governor of Danyang, who treated him with great respect, made him chief clerk of the commandery, and had his sons study under him. When Emperor Ming died, Can drafted the mourning proclamation and had Zhao revise it. Whenever he passed Zhao’s door he would sigh: “At his gate all is still as though no one were within; yet draw the curtain and the man is there—is this not a true sage?” Soon after he became a scholar of the Zongming Hall and a court attendant. During Qi’s Yongming reign he rose through outer court gentleman, staff officer to Minister over the Masses Prince Ziliang of Jingling, and clerk in the Ceremonial Section of the Ministry of Rites.
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Earlier Censor-in-Chief Liu Xiu had recommended Zhao to Emperor Wu; at the start of Yongming he was made tutor to the Prince of Nanjun. When the prince ascended the throne, former retainers fought for favor and power; only Zhao and Zong Que of Nanyang kept their integrity and stayed aloof, and in the end they escaped the purge. When Emperor Ming acceded, he brought Zhao in as Secretariat Attendant for Current Affairs. Others in that office wielded power over the realm; Zhao alone remained incorrupt and withdrawn, interfering in nothing. His furnishings and dress were plain; he was content with coarse food. He would stick a candle into a plank bed; when Emperor Ming heard of it he sent a lacquered candle box and tray, writing: “You have the spirit of the ancients, so I give you the furnishings of the ancients.” He rose through recorder to the Cavalry General Prince of Linhai, Commandant of the Changshui Guard, Director of the Heir Apparent’s Household, and staff adviser to the Rapid Cavalry Prince of Jin’an. Soon he was made Left Assistant Director of the Department of State Affairs and chief arbiter of his home province.
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The High Ancestor had long known Zhao’s gifts; when Jiankang fell he brought him in as recording officer on the Rapid Cavalry staff. When the Liang provisional government was set up he became Attendant Gentleman at the Yellow Gate and Director of the History Office; soon he also served as Censor-in-Chief while keeping his Yellow Gate, History Office, and arbiter posts. In Tianjian year 3 he also served as Minister of the Five Arms and took part in appointments; in year 4 he received the full title. In year 6 he was transferred to Minister of the Left People; before taking the seal he was sent out as General Who Establishes Might, chief clerk to the Prince of Ancheng (General Who Pacifies the South), and administrator of Xunyang. In year 7 he returned as General Who Quells the Distance and chief clerk of the Central Guard. In year 8 he became Regular Attendant of Direct Communication and Commandant of the Footsoldiers, resuming his post as chief arbiter of his home province. In year 10 he again became Minister of the Left People.
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In year 11 he was sent out as Trustworthy Martial General and interior secretary of Ancheng. Since Song times Ancheng had been ravaged by war, and the prefectural residence was considered haunted. When Zhao took the commandery, a local man dreamed one night of armored hosts in full array and heard a voice say, “Make way for the good man”; the soldiers all rose into the air and vanished together. The dreamer woke with a start. Soon a fierce wind and driving rain struck without warning; several buildings collapsed on the very spot where, in the dream, the army had trodden. After that the residence was untroubled; everyone credited Zhao’s integrity. The streams of the commandery held no fish; one summer someone offered Zhao fish. He would neither accept nor refuse outright, and so he fed them beside his gate.
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In year 12 he returned as Director of the Secretariat and concurrently held appointment as General of the Rear Army. In year 14 he was made Minister of Ceremonies. In year 17 he was sent out as Sagacious Martial General and administrator of Linhai. The commandery had a honey cliff; successive administrators had sealed it off and kept the profits for themselves. Zhao cited King Wen’s park, shared with the people—the great can stand for the small—and ordered that it remain open. The county magistrate often sent chestnuts with silk hidden beneath the wrapping; Zhao smiled and sent them back. In Putong year 2 he returned as Regular Attendant of Direct Communication and Grand Master of Splendid Happiness, chief arbiter of his home province; soon he also directed the Secretariat. In year 5 he was made Regular Attendant and Grand Master of the Golden Seal and Purple Ribbon, keeping his arbiter’s post.
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In every post he held Zhao governed through quiet integrity rather than harsh severity. At court he made no solicitations, kept no private disciples, and took no illicit gain. He sat in quiet study all day, finding his pleasure in books and records, and did not slacken even in old age. His learning spanned antiquity and his own age; above all he knew people—from Wei and Jin on, office lists, pedigrees, and marriage alliances inside and out—and could discourse on them without omission. His character was profoundly conscientious. His daughter-in-law once received beef from her family and served it to him; Zhao called his son and said, “To eat it breaks the law; to report it is impossible—take it and bury it.” In private conduct he would not compromise even where no one could see; nearly everything he did was of this sort. Young scholars in the capital revered his learning and honored his path; each felt himself unable to match him. In the ninth month of Datong year 2 he died, aged seventy-five. The court granted thirty thousand cash and fifty bolts of cloth; mourning was proclaimed that day; his posthumous title was Zhenzi, “the Upright.” His eldest son Xu served as a gentleman of the Masters of Writing and as magistrate of Lin’an. His second son was Gong.
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Ying, styled Huiyuan, was Zhao’s younger brother. He was orphaned at the age of three. The brothers lived in warm accord, disciplined in conduct and strict in observance; nothing contrary to ritual was permitted. When Zhao first took office at Linhai, Lu Chui gave him a farewell feast; host and guests made merry until dusk, and Zhao did not return. Ying thought his elder brother, at his age, should not carouse all night; he went to fetch him himself, and they rode home together—both already gray-haired. Contemporaries admired and revered the deed. When Zhao died, Ying mourned him as a father; though over seventy, his grief exceeded the prescribed rites, and even after the mourning period ended, speech would still move him to tears.
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Ying read widely in histories and chronicles and had literary gifts, yet he did not claim the name of poet. In youth he was close to Liu Hui and Xiao Chen; when Hui became administrator of Nankang and Ying served as his commandery aide, Hui often had him draft official documents. Chu Yanhui heard of him with pleasure and allowed him to keep company with his son Ben and the like. Before he was twenty Yanhui wished him to take office, but Ying refused firmly while Zhao had not yet entered service; he would not take rank until his brother did.
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永元元年，參鎮軍江夏王軍事，出爲武康令。 及高祖師次建康，吳興太守袁昂自謂門世忠貞，固守誠節，乃訪於映曰：「卿謂時事云何？」 映答曰：「元嘉之末，開闢未有，故太尉殺身以明節，司徒當寄託之重，理無苟全，所以不顧夷險，以殉名義。 今嗣主昏虐，狎近羣小，親賢誅戮，君子道消，外難屢作，曾無悛改。 今荊、雍協舉，乘據上流，背昏向明，勢無不濟。 百姓思治，天人之意可知； 旣明且哲，忠孝之途無爽。 願明府更當雅慮，無祇悔也。」 尋以公事免。 天監初，除征虜鄱陽王參軍，建安王中權錄事參軍，領軍長史，烏程令。 所受俸祿，悉歸于兄。 復爲臨川王錄事參軍，南臺治書，安成王錄事，太子翊軍校尉，累遷中散大夫、光祿卿，太中大夫。 大同五年，卒，年八十三。 子弘。
In the first year of Yongyuan he served on the staff of the Pacification General, Prince of Jiangxia, and was sent out as magistrate of Wukang. When the High Ancestor’s army reached Jiankang, Yuan Ang, administrator of Wuxing, believing his house loyal through generations, clung to his oath of fealty and asked Ying, “What do you make of the times?” Ying replied, “At the end of Yuanjia the succession was unsettled; the Grand Marshal gave his life to prove his loyalty, and the Minister over the Masses bore the burden of the realm—there was no saving himself—so he faced every peril for duty and honor. Today the heir is cruel and benighted, fond of petty men, slaying kin and worthies; the way of the gentleman has waned, troubles multiply from without, and he will not mend his ways. Now Jing and Yong have risen together, holding the upper Yangzi; turning from darkness to light, their cause cannot fail. The people yearn for peace—the will of Heaven and of men is plain; to be clear-sighted and wise is to keep the path of loyalty and filial piety unclouded. May Your Excellency weigh this carefully and not repent too late.” Soon after he was removed from office on official grounds. Early in Tianjian he became staff officer to the Pacification General Prince of Poyang, recording officer on Prince Jian’an’s Central Guard staff, chief clerk of the Army Director, and magistrate of Wucheng. Every stipend he received he turned over to his brother. He later served as recording officer to the Prince of Linchuan, drafter for the Southern Office, recording officer to the Prince of Ancheng, and Commandant of the Heir Apparent’s Guard, rising through Palace Gentleman, Chamberlain for Ceremonials, and Grand Master of the Palace. In Datong year 5 he died, aged eighty-three. His son was Hong.
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Chen was quick-witted from youth and possessed a debater’s eloquence. He began his career as Erudite of the Qi Imperial University. Wang Jian then dominated the court; Chen was young and unknown to him, but confident in his gifts and determined to seek him out. When Jian was feasting in the Leyou Gardens, Chen appeared in tiger-skin boots, leaning on a peach-branch staff, and walked straight to Jian’s seat; Jian spoke with him and was delighted. When Jian became governor of Danyang he made Chen his chief clerk, nominated him as southern Xu’s distinguished graduate, and promoted him to recorder on the Grand Tutor’s staff.
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In Yongming year 9, when Wei first opened friendly relations, Chen twice carried the imperial commission to Sanggan; on his return he became Regular Attendant of Direct Communication. Wei then sent Li Daogu as envoy, and the Qi emperor entertained him at court. At the imperial banquet Chen offered wine to Daogu; Daogu refused, saying, “At court there is no private courtesy—I cannot accept a personal toast.” Chen answered calmly, “As the Book of Songs says: ‘Rain on our public fields, and it reaches our private ones as well.’” The assembly was won over, and Daogu drank Chen’s toast. He was made Right Chief Clerk of the Grand Tutor. He was sent out as chief clerk to the Prince of Jinxi with charge of southern Xu. On returning he also served as Minister of the Lesser Treasury and Left Assistant Director of the Department of State Affairs.
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When Donghun first succeeded to the throne, the court debated that there was no precedent for presenting himself in the ancestral temple. Chen argued on the basis of the Zhou hymns "Liewen" and "Minyu," both of which were precedents for going to court in the temple at accession, and this was followed. After Gaozu pacified the capital, he brought Chen in as advisory aide to the General of Agile Cavalry, concurrently recorder, and Chen was promoted to Yellow Gate Gentleman for Service. When the Liang administration was established, he became Palace Assistant Censor. In Tianjian 1, he was transferred to crown prince attendant, then went out as administrator of Xuancheng. He was summoned as Commandant of the Guards and soon transferred to Supernumerary Regular Attendant. In the third year, he was appointed Household Attendant to the Crown Prince and Regular Attendant. In the ninth year, he went out as General Who Pacifies the Distant, chief clerk to the General Who Pacifies the West, and administrator of Jiangxia.
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While Chen was at Xuancheng, a northern monk came south carrying only a gourd that held the “Ordered Biographies” of the Book of Han. The monk said, “Elders of the Three Metropolises have handed down that this is Ban Gu’s authentic text.” Chen insisted on obtaining it; the text differed in many places from current versions, the paper and ink were ancient, and the script was mostly of the “dragon-raised” type—neither clerical nor seal. Chen guarded it closely. On this journey he presented the book to Prince Fan of Poyang, who in turn offered it to the Eastern Palace.
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Soon Chen was made chief clerk of the Pacification West and administrator of Nan Commandery; he left office for his mother’s death and again for his father’s. He returned as Trustworthy Martial General and chief clerk of the Protector-General, and soon became Upright and Resolute General and chief clerk to the Grand Marshal. He was sent out as Trustworthy and Awesome General and administrator of Dongyang, then transferred to administrator of Wuxing. The commandery had a temple to Xiang Yu, whom locals called the Wrathful King and held in great awe; bed and curtains had been installed in the main hall as a spirit seat, and all who came to pray did so there—successive administrators worshipped in the hall and slept elsewhere. When Chen arrived he returned the shrine to the temple and occupied the hall without hesitation. He also forbade cattle sacrifice, substituting dried meat for fresh offerings.
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Chen repeatedly governed major commanderies, but did not manage family property; when there was a shortage he took what was needed and did not regard it as improper. In Putong 1, he was summoned as Minister of the Imperial Clan, transferred to Minister of the Left for the People, and concurrently served as grand rectifier of South Xuzhou and Crown Prince Right Guard Commander. He was moved to Minister of Finance, Left General of Agile Cavalry, and Commander of the Army, transferred to Palace Library Director and General of the Rear Army, and promoted to Attendant-in-Ordinary.
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When the High Ancestor was still in the Western Quarters he had long been close to Chen; at court banquets he treated him with old affection and called him “clan elder.” Chen also voiced his gratitude for past kindness: “Long ago I stood in your company at Zhongyang; from the first I was honored to share your household; though I strayed when fortune turned, I still owe your great grace.” The emperor replied, “You speak of an early bond, yet we were never truly kindred spirits; say nothing of how fortune began—tell instead how the mad servant was unlike the rest.”
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In Datong 2, Chen became Grand Master for Splendid Happiness with Gold Seal and Purple Ribbon, was additionally made Specially Advanced, and was given thirty trusted attendants. In Zhongdatong 1, he became Cloud Banner General and administrator of Jinling, with rank of middle two-thousand bushels. Because of illness he requested release from office and was reassigned as Attendant-in-Ordinary, Specially Advanced, and Grand Master for Splendid Happiness with Gold Seal and Purple Ribbon. He died at the age of fifty-two. In his final instructions to his sons, he ordered that he and his wife share one mound but have separate burials, that sacrifices use vegetables, and that on the burial day there be only ten carriages, keeping the affair simple and plain. The emperor came to visit and mourn him with deep grief. An edict posthumously granted him his former offices, additionally made him Cloud Banner General, and supplied an imperial coffin from Dongyuan, one set of court robes, one suit of clothes, funeral gifts of two hundred thousand cash, and one hundred bolts of cloth. His posthumous title was Pingzi.
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Gao loved learning from youth and was skilled at calligraphy and painting. His maternal uncle Zhang Rong had a great reputation, and Gao's style, bearing, and movements much resembled Rong, so people of the time said, "There are no equals under the sun, only uncle and nephew." He began office as acting law bureau staff officer in Qi's Central Army, then served as crown prince attendant and chief clerk to Wang Jian, General of the Guard. He was promoted to gentleman of the Palace Section in the Department of State Affairs. On the day of his appointment, the Eight Seats, assistant directors, and gentlemen all came to the upper office to exchange courtesies, but Gao arrived late and missed the appointed time, and for this he was dismissed from office. After a long while, he was made external military aide to the Prince of Jingling, Minister over the Masses, then transferred to merit officer for the Prince of Yidu, General Who Subdues Captives, advisory army aide to the Prince of Jin'an, General of Agile Cavalry, and attendant gentleman to the Minister over the Masses. When the Liang administration was established, he was made secretary aide to the General of Agile Cavalry and transferred to western bureau clerk to the Chancellor of State. In Tianjian 1, he was appointed chief clerk to the General Who Pacifies the Army, then left office to mourn his mother. When mourning ended, he was appointed General Who Establishes Might and advisory army aide to the Prince of Linchuan in the Central Army; soon he was transferred to Yellow Gate Gentleman and chief clerk to the Prince of Ancheng in the Right Army. In the fifth year, he was promoted to Palace Assistant Censor.
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Gao was upright and unyielding, bowing to no one’s favor. Yu Jian, magistrate of Shanyin, had embezzled millions while in office; Gao memorialized for his arrest and trial. Huang Muzhi, a Secretariat Attendant, asked Gao to intervene in Jian’s case; Gao gave no answer. When the High Ancestor heard of this he questioned Gao, who answered, “That is so.” The High Ancestor asked, “Do you know Muzhi?” Gao replied, “I do not know the man.” Muzhi was then at the emperor’s side; the emperor pointed and said, “This is he.” Gao said to Muzhi, “You petty fellow—how dare you hand a criminal over to the censorate?” Muzhi turned pale. Zhang Ji, the Army Director, was Gao’s collateral maternal uncle; Gao once impeached him on official grounds. At a banquet Ji complained to the High Ancestor: “Lu Gao is my close kinsman—over a trifle he impeached me and would show no mercy.” The High Ancestor said, “Gao was doing his duty—how can you resent it!” At the Censorate Gao was known as one who did not fear the powerful.
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In year 6 he became Director of the Secretariat; soon after he was made Palace Companion to the Heir Apparent and Grand Master of Splendid Happiness. In year 8 he was sent out as administrator of Yixing, where his lenient and kindly rule won praise from the people. On returning he became chief clerk to the Minister of Works, Prince of Linchuan, and chief arbiter of Yang Province. In year 14 he became Regular Attendant of Direct Communication, then soon Regular Attendant, keeping his arbiter’s post. In year 15 he was made Left Chief Clerk to the Minister over the Masses. In year 16 he returned as Minister of the Left People, then became Minister of Ceremonies. In Putong year 2 he was sent out as Benevolent Martial General and interior secretary of Linchuan. In year 5 he returned as Grand Master of the Golden Seal and Purple Ribbon and again served as chief arbiter of Yang Province. In the first year of Zhongdatong he received special advancement while keeping his arbiter's post. In year 4 he died, aged seventy-four. His posthumous title was Zhizi, “the Plain.”
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His younger brother Xu was learned and thoughtful. Early in Tianjian he served as Gentleman of the Secretariat, Left Assistant Director of the Department of State Affairs, and Director of the Heir Apparent’s Household, then died. He had begun a Book of Jin but did not finish it. He also wrote the History of Lu in fifteen scrolls and the Record of the Lu Clan at Lichuan in one scroll; both circulated widely.
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The historian writes: Fan Xiu and Fu Zhao were alike in steadfast conduct, purity, and caution, admirable from first to last—men in the mold of Shi Jian and Shi Qing. Xiao Chen and Lu Gao were both renowned for talent and learning. Chen was quick-witted and eloquent and thoroughly versed in court precedent; the High Ancestor had known him in private life, and when he took the throne his favor was lavish—a fine thing indeed. Gao was upright and fearless; at the Censorate he enforced the law without sparing the powerful—truly he wore the face of justice. The Book of Songs says, “That man—he is the state’s upright judge.” In this, Gao surely had his part. [1] Endnote marker.