Volume 38: Zhu Yi; He Chen

梁書卷第三十八列傳第三十二

Book of Liang, Volume 38, Biography 32

朱异賀琛

Zhu Yi; He Chen

朱异字彥和，吳郡錢唐人也。父巽，以義烈知名，官至齊江夏王參軍、吳平令。

Zhu Yi, whose courtesy name was Yanhe, came from Qiantang in Wu Commandery. His father Xun won renown for steadfast courage and rose to be an aide to Qi’s Prince of Jiangxia and magistrate of Wuping.

异年數歲，外祖顧歡撫之，謂异祖昭之曰：「此兒非常器，當成卿門戶。」年十餘歲，好羣聚蒲博，頗爲鄉黨所患。旣長，乃折節從師，遍治《五經》，尤明《禮》、《易》，涉獵文史，兼通雜藝，博弈書算，皆其所長。年二十，詣都，尚書令沈約面試之，因戲异曰：「卿年少，何乃不廉？」异逡巡未達其旨。約乃曰：「天下唯有文義棋書，卿一時將去，可謂不廉也。」其年，上書言建康宜置獄司，比廷尉。敕付尚書詳議，從之。

While Yi was still small, his maternal grandfather Gu Huan held him on his knee and told Yi’s grandfather Zhao Zhi, "This child is no common talent—he will uphold your clan." By his teens he ran with gamblers in the lanes and became something of a trial to the township. When he matured he checked his ways, took up study under masters, and worked through the Five Classics, excelling in the Rites and the Changes while reading broadly in belles-lettres and history; he also picked up assorted skills—games, chess, writing, and calculation were alike his forte. At twenty he presented himself at court; Director Shen Yue tested him face to face and teased, "You are young—why so stingy? Yi faltered, unable to catch the point of the joke. Then Yue explained: "In all the realm only literary craft, the Changes, and chess matter—and you walk off with every one at once; that is stinginess indeed." In that same year he memorialized that Jiankang ought to establish a prison bureau modeled on the Court of Review. The throne ordered the Secretariat to examine the plan in detail, and it was approved.

舊制，年二十五方得釋褐。時异適二十一，特敕擢爲揚州議曹從事史。尋有詔求異能之士，《五經》博士明山賓表薦异曰：「竊見錢唐朱异，年時尚少，德備老成。在獨無散逸之想，處暗有對賓之色，器宇弘深，神表峰峻。金山萬丈，緣陟未登；玉海千尋，窺映不測。加以珪璋新琢，錦組初構，觸響鏗鏘，值采便發。觀其信行，非惟十室所稀，若使負重遙途，必有千里之用。」高祖召見，使說《孝經》、《周易》義，甚悅之，謂左右曰：「朱异實異。」後見明山賓，謂曰：「卿所舉殊得其人。」仍召异直西省，俄兼太學博士。其年，高祖自講《孝經》，使异執讀。遷尚書儀曹郎，入兼中書通事舍人，累遷鴻臚卿，太子右衛率，尋加員外常侍。

By longstanding custom, men did not enter office until twenty-five. Yi was just twenty-one, yet an exceptional order promoted him to clerk in Yang Province’s council office. Before long the court called for exceptional talent; Five Classics Erudite Ming Shanbin recommended Yi, writing, "I have seen Zhu Yi of Qiantang—young in years, yet already mature in conduct. In solitude he shows no wandering mind; in quiet he keeps the composure of a host receiving guests—his bearing is vast, his presence steep and bright. A golden mountain rises ten thousand feet, yet its summit is still unscaled; a jade ocean stretches a thousand fathoms, and no eye can plumb it. His jade is newly polished, his brocade freshly woven—strike him and the tone rings true; set him a task and he answers on the spot. Judge his trustworthiness and action: he is scarce even among ten households; set him to carry weight over a long road and he will go a thousand li." The Founding Emperor received him, heard him lecture on the Classic of Filial Piety and the Book of Changes, and delighted in him, telling his attendants, "Zhu Yi is indeed exceptional." Later, meeting Ming Shanbin, he said, "Your recommendation hit the mark." He called Yi to regular duty in the Western Secretariat and shortly made him an erudite of the Imperial Academy as well. In that year the emperor personally expounded the Classic of Filial Piety and appointed Yi to hold the book and read. He rose to gentleman in the secretariat’s ceremonial office, served concurrently as a palace secretariat attendant, and climbed through chamberlain for dependencies, right commandant of the heir’s guards, and supernumerary palace attendant.

普通五年，大舉北伐，魏徐州刺史元法僧遣使請舉地內屬，詔有司議其虛實。异曰：「自王師北討，剋獲相繼，徐州地轉削弱，咸願歸罪法僧，法僧懼禍之至，其降必非偽也。」高祖仍遣异報法僧，並敕衆軍應接，受异節度。旣至，法僧遵承朝旨，如异策焉。

In Putong year five the court mounted a major northern campaign; Yuan Faseng, Wei governor of Xuzhou, sent envoys to offer his province in submission, and the throne ordered officials to test the offer’s sincerity. Yi argued: "Ever since our northern campaigns began, triumph has piled on triumph; Xuzhou weakens daily, and everyone wants to blame Faseng—so, terrified of ruin, he cannot be faking his surrender." The emperor dispatched Yi to answer Faseng and directed the field armies to cooperate, all under Yi’s direction. On arrival Yi found Faseng obeying the court’s orders exactly as he had predicted.

中大通元年，遷散騎常侍。自周舍卒後，异代掌機謀，方鎮改換，朝儀國典，詔誥敕書，並兼掌之。每四方表疏，當局簿領，諮詢詳斷，填委於前。异屬辭落紙，覽事下議，縱橫敏贍，不暫停筆，頃刻之間，諸事便了。

In Zhongdatong year one he became palace attendant. When Zhou She died, Yi inherited control of state planning—frontier appointments, court ritual, national statutes, and every edict and order flowed through him. Memorials from every direction, the registers of each bureau, and files awaiting judgment and reply heaped up on his desk. He drafted as he scanned, glanced at a case and sent it on for debate—swift, fluent, brush never still—and within moments the stack was cleared.

高祖夢中原平，舉朝稱慶，旦以語异，异對曰：「此宇內方一之征。」及侯景歸降，敕召羣臣議，尚書僕射謝舉等以爲不可，高祖欲納之，未決；嘗夙興至武德閣，自言「我國家承平若此，今便受地，詎是事宜，脫致紛紜，悔無所及」。异探高祖微旨，應聲答曰：「聖明御宇，上應蒼玄，北土遺黎，誰不慕仰？爲無機會，未達其心。今侯景分魏國太半，輸誠送款，遠歸聖朝，豈非天誘其衷，人獎其計！原心審事，殊有可嘉。今若不容，恐絕後來之望。此誠易見，願陛下無疑。」高祖深納异言，又感前夢，遂納之。及貞陽敗沒，自魏遣使還，述魏相高澄欲更申和睦。敕有司定議，异又以和爲允，高祖果從之。其年六月，遣建康令謝挺、通直郎徐陵使北通好。是時，侯景鎮壽春，累啓絕和，及請追使。又致書與异，辭意甚切，异但述敕旨以報之。八月，景遂舉兵反，以討异爲名。募兵得三千人，及景至，仍以其衆守大司馬門。

The emperor dreamed the north was pacified; courtiers rejoiced. At dawn he told Yi, who answered, "It foretells the unification of the empire." When Hou Jing came in with a surrender offer, the court was convoked to debate; Vice Director Xie Ju and others opposed acceptance, while the emperor leaned toward yes but could not settle his mind; one dawn he went early to Wude Pavilion and murmured, "The realm has known such peace—if we take his lands now, is that wise? Once disorder starts, regret will come too late. Reading the emperor’s mind, Yi answered immediately: "Under your sage rule, answering heaven above, every survivor in the north looks to you with longing— only lacking the chance to reach you. Now Hou Jing holds more than half of Wei, brings loyalty and tribute, and returns to the sacred court—is this not heaven inclining his heart and men rewarding his design? Weigh motive and fact together, and much deserves praise. Reject him now and you may extinguish the hopes of all who would follow. The point is plain; I pray Your Majesty will not hesitate." The emperor embraced Yi’s counsel, remembered his dream, and accepted Hou Jing. After Prince Zhenyang fell into Wei hands, messengers returned saying Chancellor Gao Cheng wished to restore peace. The throne ordered deliberation; Yi again favored peace, and the emperor agreed. That sixth month he sent Jiankang magistrate Xie Ting and direct attendant Xu Ling north to negotiate amity. Hou Jing, then at Shouchun, repeatedly petitioned to sever relations and recall the mission. He wrote to Yi as well, his tone sharp; Yi answered solely by citing the emperor’s orders. In the eighth month Hou Jing rebelled, naming his cause the punishment of Zhu Yi. Yi mustered three thousand men and, when Hou Jing came, still held the Grand Marshal’s gate with them.

初，景謀反，合州刺史鄱陽王範、司州刺史羊鴉仁並累有啓聞，异以景孤立寄命，必不應爾，乃謂使者：「鄱陽王遂不許國家有一客！」並抑而不奏，故朝廷不爲之備。及寇至，城內文武咸尤之。皇太子又制《圍城賦》，其末章云：「彼高冠及厚履，並鼎食而乘肥，升紫霄之丹地，排玉殿之金扉，陳謀謨之啓沃，宣政刑之福威，四郊以之多壘，萬邦以之未綏。問豺狼其何者？訪虺蜴之爲誰？」蓋以指异。异因慚憤，發病卒，時年六十七。詔曰：「故中領軍异，器宇弘通，才力優贍，諮謀帷幄，多歷年所。方贊朝經，永申寄任。奄先物化，惻悼兼懷。可贈侍中、尚書右僕射，給秘器一具。凶事所須，隨由資辦。」舊尚書官不以爲贈，及异卒，高祖惜之，方議贈事。左右有善异者，乃啓曰：「异忝曆雖多，然平生所懷，願得執法。」高祖因其宿志，特有此贈焉。

Before the revolt, Prince Fan of Poyang and Governor Yang Yarén of Si had sent repeated warnings; Yi, believing Hou Jing isolated and clinging to the court’s protection, would never dare rebel, told their couriers, "The Prince of Poyang will not even let the state keep one guest! And buried their reports, so the capital was caught unprepared. When the enemy reached the walls, every official inside the city reproached him. The crown prince wrote the "Rhapsody on the Besieged City," whose final lines run: "They of high caps and thick soles, feasting on rich fare and riding plump horses, climb the scarlet courts of purple heaven and thrust open the golden gates of jade halls—counseling at the inner audience, wielding the blessings and terrors of law—till the suburbs bristle with ramparts and the realm knows no rest. Who are the wolves and jackals? Who are the vipers and basilisks?" The lines plainly targeted Yi. Stung by shame and anger, Yi took ill and died at sixty-seven. The edict read: "The late Central Commander-in-Chief Yi bore a great and open mind and ample talent; for years he counseled within the command tent. He was to have upheld the court’s order and long borne our commission. Suddenly he left the world, and our sorrow is twofold. Let him be mourned as Palace Attendant and Right Vice Director of the Secretariat, with one set of secret burial vessels. All funeral needs are to be furnished as required." Formerly secretariat posts were not granted posthumously; when Yi died the emperor grieved and debated what honor to give. An attendant who admired Yi submitted: "For all his long service, his lifelong wish was to wield the law." Honoring that lifelong wish, the emperor granted this exceptional title.

异居權要三十餘年，善窺人主意曲，能阿諛以承上旨，故特被寵任。歷官自員外常侍至侍中，四官皆珥貂，自右衛率至領軍，四職並驅鹵簿，近代未之有也。异及諸子自潮溝列宅至青溪，其中有臺池翫好，每暇日與賓客遊焉。四方所饋，財貨充積。性吝嗇，未嘗有散施。廚下珍羞腐爛，每月常棄十數車，雖諸子別房亦不分贍。所撰《禮》、《易》講疏及儀注、文集百餘篇，亂中多亡逸。

For over thirty years Yi stood at the center of power, reading every nuance of the emperor’s mood, flattering and aligning with his wishes until favor became absolute. From supernumerary palace attendant through palace attendant he wore the sable at four offices; from right guard commandant to commander-in-chief he led the imperial escort at four commands—unprecedented in living memory. Yi and his sons strung mansions from Chaogou to Qingxi, with gardens and pools for delight, and on leisure days entertained guests there. Tribute from every quarter packed his storehouses with riches. He was tight-fisted by nature and never gave freely. Fine foods spoiled in his kitchens; each month he threw away ten-odd cartloads of delicacies, and would not even share them with his sons in other residences. His exegeses on the Rites and Changes, ritual manuals, and collected works ran to more than a hundred chapters, most of which perished in the rebellion.

長子肅，官至國子博士；次子閏，司徒掾。並遇亂卒。

His eldest son Su rose to erudite of the National University; his second son Run served as a secretariat clerk. Both perished in the chaos.

賀琛，字國寶，會稽山陰人也。伯父蒨，步兵校尉，爲世碩儒。琛幼，蒨授其經業，一聞便通義理。蒨異之，常曰：「此兒當以明經致貴。」蒨卒後，琛家貧，常往還諸暨，販粟以自給。閑則習業，尤精《三禮》。初，蒨於鄉里聚徒教授，至是又依琛焉。

He Chen, whose courtesy name was Guobao, came from Shanyin in Kuaiji. His uncle Qian, commandant of footsoldiers, was a preeminent scholar of the time. As a boy Chen studied under Qian; hear a passage once and he understood it. Qian admired him and often said, "This child will win rank through the classics." After Qian’s death the family was poor; Chen shuttled to Zhuji, buying and selling grain to live. In idle hours he kept at his books and became a master of the Three Rites. Qian had once taught a village school; now the pupils attached themselves to Chen.

普通中，刺史臨川王辟爲祭酒從事史。琛始出都，高祖聞其學術，召見文德殿，與語悅之，謂僕射徐勉曰：「琛殊有世業。」仍補王國侍郎，俄兼太學博士，稍遷中衛參軍事、尚書通事舍人，參禮儀事。累遷通直正員郎，舍人如故。又征西鄱陽王中錄事，兼尚書左丞，滿歲爲真。詔琛撰《新諡法》，至今施用。

During Putong the Prince of Linchuan, as inspector, took him on as libationer and clerk. On first reaching the capital Chen was summoned to Wende Hall; the emperor, pleased by their talk, told Vice Director Xu Mian, "Chen indeed inherits a scholarly house." He was made a gentleman of the prince’s establishment, then imperial academy erudite, and rose to central guard army aide and secretariat attendant, sharing in ritual matters. He advanced to direct attendant with regular rank while keeping his attendant post. He also served as recorder to the Western Expedition Prince of Poyang and concurrently left assistant director of the Secretariat, confirmed in the latter after a year. The throne ordered him to draft the "New Method of Posthumous Titles," still applied today.

時皇太子議，大功之末，可以冠子嫁女。琛駁之曰：

Then the crown prince argued that in the final days of greater mourning one might cap one’s son or marry off one’s daughter. Chen objected in these words:

令旨以「大功之末可得冠子嫁女，不得自冠自嫁。」推以《記》文，竊猶致惑。案嫁冠之禮，本是父之所成，無父之人，乃可自冠。故稱大功小功，並以冠子嫁子爲文；非關惟得爲子，己身不得也。小功之末，旣得自嫁娶，而亦云「冠子娶婦」，其義益明。故先列二服，每明冠子嫁子，結於後句，方顯自娶之義。旣明小功自娶，卽知大功自冠矣，蓋是約言而見旨。若謂緣父服大功，子服小功，小功服輕，故得爲子冠嫁，大功服重，故不得自嫁自冠者，則小功之末，非明父子服殊，不應復云「冠子嫁子」也。若謂小功之文言己可娶，大功之文不言己冠，故知身有大功，不得自行嘉禮，但得爲子冠嫁。竊謂有服不行嘉禮，本爲吉凶不可相干。子雖小功之末，可得行冠嫁，猶應須父得爲其冠嫁。若父于大功之末可以冠子嫁子，是於吉凶禮無礙；吉凶禮無礙，豈不得自冠自嫁？若自冠自嫁於事有礙，則冠子嫁子寧獨可通？今許其冠子而塞其自冠，是琛之所惑也。

The crown prince holds that "at the end of greater mourning one may crown one’s son and marry one’s daughter, but not crown oneself or marry oneself." Weighing this against the Record of Rites, I remain unconvinced. Marriage and capping are ceremonies a father performs; only the fatherless may crown themselves. Hence in both greater and lesser mourning the phrasing is "crown the son" and "marry the daughter"; it does not mean one may act for a son but not for oneself. At the end of lesser mourning one may already marry on one’s own account, yet the text also says "crown the son and take a wife"—which makes the sense plainer still. So the passage first names the two grades, each time specifying crowning the son and marrying the daughter, and only in the closing clause reveals the right to marry oneself. If lesser mourning allows self-marriage, greater mourning must allow self-capping too—the text speaks briefly but the point is clear. If one claims that because the father is in greater mourning and the son in lesser, the lighter grade lets one crown and marry the son while the heavier forbids self-capping and self-marriage—then at the end of lesser mourning the Record would not need to stress that father and son wear different grades, nor repeat "crown the son and marry the daughter. If lesser mourning allows self-marriage but greater mourning never mentions self-capping, the inference is that in greater mourning one cannot celebrate for oneself—only crown a son or marry off a daughter. The ban on festive rites during mourning exists so joy and grief never collide. A son in the final days of lesser mourning may receive cap or spouse, yet the father should still perform those rites for him. If a father at the end of greater mourning may crown his son and marry his daughter, joyous and mourning obligations no longer clash; and if they do not clash, why forbid crowning or marrying on one's own account? If self-capping and self-marriage are blocked, how can crowning the son or marrying the daughter alone be allowed? To allow crowning the son but deny self-capping—that is what puzzles Chen.

又令旨推「下殤小功不可娶婦，則降服大功亦不得爲子冠嫁」。伏尋此旨，若謂降服大功不可冠子嫁子，則降服小功亦不可自冠自娶，是爲凡厥降服大功小功皆不得冠娶矣。《記》文應云降服則不可，寧得惟稱下殤？今不言降服，的舉下殤，實有其義。夫出嫁出後，或有再降，出後之身，于本姊妹降爲大功；若是大夫服士，又以尊降，則成小功。其於冠嫁，義無以異。所以然者，出嫁則有受我，出後則有傳重，並欲薄於此而厚於彼，此服雖降，彼服則隆。昔實期親，雖再降猶依小功之禮，可冠可嫁。若夫期降大功，大功降爲小功，止是一等，降殺有倫，服末嫁冠，故無有異。惟下殤之服，特明不娶之義者，蓋緣以幼稚之故。夭喪情深，旣無受厚佗姓，又異傳重彼宗，嫌其年稚服輕，頓成殺略，故特明不娶，以示本重之恩。是以凡厥降服，冠嫁不殊；惟在下殤，乃明不娶。其義若此，則不得言大功之降服，皆不可冠嫁也。且《記》云「下殤小功」，言下殤則不得通於中上，語小功則不得兼于大功。若實大小功降服皆不冠嫁，上中二殤亦不冠嫁者，《記》不得直云「下殤小功則不可」。恐非文意。此又琛之所疑也。

The crown prince further argues: "If one in lower infant mourning with lesser mourning may not marry, then in reduced greater mourning one may not crown a son or marry a daughter either." Consider that logic: if reduced greater mourning forbids crowning or marrying for a child, reduced lesser mourning must forbid self-capping and self-marriage too—so every reduced grade, greater or lesser, would bar all cap and marriage. The Record should then say simply "reduced mourning forbids it," not single out lower infant mourning alone. Yet the text names lower infant mourning, not reduced mourning in general—and that choice is deliberate. Marriage out or adoption into another line can lower the grade twice; an adopted son, toward his birth sisters, wears only greater mourning; and when a noble mourns a commoner, rank reduces the bond again to lesser mourning. For capping and marriage the rule is the same. A daughter given away is received by another house; an heir who continues another's main line owes that house the heavier bond—mourning is thinned on one side and thickened on the other. Even when a bond that was full mourning is reduced twice, one still follows lesser mourning—and may cap or marry. When full mourning drops one grade to greater, or greater to lesser, the steps are orderly; at the end of mourning, cap and marriage are treated alike. Only lower infant mourning expressly forbids marriage—likely because the deceased was an infant. Early death stirs deep sorrow; the child neither joined another clan nor bore another line's succession—lest tender years and light dress erase the bond too fast, the text forbids marriage to preserve the original weight of kinship. Hence for every reduced grade, cap and marriage are the same; only lower infant mourning expressly forbids marriage. On that reading one cannot claim that every reduced greater mourning forbids cap and marriage. The Record says "lower infant mourning, lesser mourning": "lower infant" cannot cover middle or upper tiers, and "lesser mourning" cannot swallow greater mourning. If every reduced greater and lesser grade, and middle and upper infant mourning too, all forbade cap and marriage, the Record could not stop at "lower infant mourning with lesser mourning is forbidden." That, I think, is not what the text means. Here too Chen remains unconvinced.

遂從琛議。

The court adopted Chen's view.

遷員外散騎常侍。舊尚書南坐，無貂；貂自琛始也。頃之，遷御史中丞，參禮儀事如先。琛家產旣豊，買主第爲宅，爲有司所奏，坐免官。俄復爲尚書左丞，遷給事黃門侍郎，兼國子博士，未拜，改爲通直散騎常侍，領尚書左丞，並參禮儀事。琛前後居職，凡郊廟諸儀，多所創定。每見高祖，與語常移晷刻，故省中爲之語曰：「上殿不下有賀雅。」琛容止都雅，故時人呼之。遷散騎常侍，參禮儀如故。

He was promoted to supernumerary attendant of the discretionary cavalry. By old custom ministers of the southern secretariat wore no sable; Chen was the first to wear it. Soon he became censor-in-chief and continued to share in ritual matters as before. Chen's family was already wealthy; he purchased a former imperial mansion and was impeached and dismissed. He was soon restored as left assistant director of the Secretariat, then attendant gentleman of the yellow gates and concurrent erudite of the National University—before taking the latter he was made regular-attendance adviser of the discretionary cavalry, still left assistant director and still in charge of ritual. In every post he helped shape suburban rites and much of the court's ceremonial code. Audiences with Emperor Gaozu often ran long, and secretariat wits joked, "He who goes up to court and never comes down—that's Elegant He." Chen's carriage was so polished that the nickname stuck. He rose to regular attendant of the discretionary cavalry and kept his ritual duties.

是時，高祖任職者，皆緣飾姦諂，深害時政，琛遂啓陳事條封奏曰：

By then every man in power under Gaozu trimmed his conduct with flattery and fraud, corroding government; Chen submitted a sealed memorial, item by item, saying:

臣荷拔擢之恩，曾不能效一職；居獻納之任，又不能薦一言。竊聞「慈父不愛無益之子，明君不畜無益之臣」，臣所以當食廢飧，中宵而歎息也。輒言時事，列之於後。非謂謀猷，寧云啓沃。獨緘胸臆，不語妻子。辭無粉飾，削槁則焚。脫得聽覽，試加省鑒。如不允合，亮其戇愚。

I have enjoyed Your Majesty's favor yet rendered no service worthy of a single post; I hold a remonstrance office yet have not offered one loyal word. I know that "a loving father keeps no useless son, a wise ruler keeps no useless minister"—and so I lose my appetite and sigh through the night. I venture to set out the times, point by point below. This is not polished counsel, only an honest opening of the heart. I have locked it in my breast and told neither wife nor child. My words are unadorned; if they are rejected I will burn the draft. If Your Majesty will read them, please weigh them yourself. If they miss the mark, bear with my blunt folly.

其一事曰：今北邊稽服，戈甲解息，政是生聚教訓之時，而天下戶口減落，誠當今之急務。雖是處雕流，而關外彌甚，郡不堪州之控總，縣不堪郡之裒削，更相呼擾，莫得治其政術，惟以應赴征斂爲事。百姓不能堪命，各事流移，或依於大姓，或聚于屯封，蓋不獲已而竄亡，非樂之也。國家于關外賦稅蓋微，乃至年常租課，動致逋積，而民失安居，寧非牧守之過？東境戶口空虛，皆由使命繁數。夫犬不夜吠，故民得安居。今大邦大縣，舟舸銜命者，非惟十數；復窮幽之鄉，極遠之邑，亦皆必至。每有一使，屬所搔擾；況復煩擾積理，深爲民害。駑困邑宰，則拱手聽其漁獵；桀黠長吏，又因之而爲貪殘。縱有廉平，郡猶掣肘。故邑宰懷印，類無考績，細民棄業，流冗者多，雖年降復業之詔，屢下蠲賦之恩，而終不得反其居也。

First: the north has submitted and the armies stand down—this should be a season to gather and teach the people, yet registers shrink everywhere. Nothing is more urgent. Depopulation touches every district, but beyond the passes it is worst: commanderies buckle under provincial oversight, counties under commandery exactions; officials harry one another and govern only by racing to meet levies. People cannot endure the burden; they flee—some to great clans, some to fortified estates—not from choice but from necessity. Taxes beyond the passes are already light, yet annual rents still pile in arrears while families lose their homes—is this not the magistrates' failure? The east stands depopulated on the registers chiefly because envoys are too many. When dogs need not bark at night, the people can live in peace. Today in large commanderies and counties a dozen boats bearing imperial orders are nothing unusual; and the remotest hamlets and farthest districts are reached without exception. Each envoy harasses whatever lies under his charge; how much more when such visits layer upon layer—the harm to the people is profound. Worn-out county magistrates fold their hands while envoys plunder; and brutal senior officials use the chance to grow greedier still. Even an honest man finds the commandery pulling his elbows. Magistrates keep their seals but face no real review; commoners quit their trades and wanderers multiply—edicts recall them to the fields and taxes are forgiven again and again, yet they never return home.

其二事曰：聖主恤隱之心，納隍之念，聞之遐邇，至於翾飛蠕動，猶且度脫，況在兆庶。而州郡無恤民之志，故天下顒顒，惟注仰於一人，誠所謂「愛之如父母，仰之如日月，敬之如鬼神，畏之如雷霆」。苟須應痛逗藥，豈可不治之哉？今天下宰守所以皆尚貪殘，罕有廉白者，良由風俗侈靡。使之然也。淫奢之弊，其事多端，粗舉二條，言其尤者。夫食方丈于前，所甘一味。今之燕喜，相競誇豪，積果如山嶽，列肴同綺繡，露臺之產，不周一燕之資，而賓主之間，裁取滿腹，未及下堂，已同臭腐。又歌姬儛女，本有品制，二八之錫，良待和戎。今畜妓之夫，無有等秩，雖復庶賤微人，皆盛姬薑，務在貪污，爭飾羅綺。故爲吏牧民者，競爲剝削，雖致貲巨億，罷歸之日，不支數年，便已消散。蓋由宴醑所費，旣破數家之產；歌謠之具，必俟千金之資。所費事等丘山，爲歡止在俄頃。乃更追恨向所取之少，今所費之多。如復傅翼，增其搏噬，一何悖哉！其餘淫侈，著之凡百，習以成俗，日見滋甚，欲使人守廉隅，吏尚清白，安可得邪！今誠宜嚴爲禁制，道之以節儉，貶黜雕飾，糾奏浮華，使衆皆知，變其耳目，改其好惡。夫失節之嗟，亦民所自患，正恥不及羣，故勉強而爲之，苟力所不至，還受其弊矣。今若厘其風而正其失，易於反掌。夫論至治者，必以淳素爲先，正雕流之弊，莫有過儉樸者也。

Second: the sage ruler's pity for the suffering and his will to save the drowning reach the four quarters—even insects he would spare, how much more the people. Yet provinces and commanderies show no care for the people, so the realm fixes its hope on Your Majesty alone—as the saying has it, "loving you as parents, looking up as to sun and moon, revering you as spirits, fearing you as thunder." When the body aches, medicine must follow—how can the sickness go untreated? Today magistrates and governors are greedy and cruel, rarely honest—because extravagant custom drives them to it. Luxury makes them so. Extravagance has many faces; I name two of the worst. Before a table ten feet across, the tongue savors only one taste. Today's feasts compete in display—fruit heaped like hills, dishes laid like brocade; a terrace garden's yield cannot pay for one banquet, yet host and guest eat only their fill and leave the rest to rot before they quit the hall. Courtesans and dancers once had fixed ranks; the "two eight" maidens were reserved for pacifying barbarians. Today men who keep women observe no rank—even the humblest pack their houses with concubines, greedy for graft, vying in silk and finery. Officials who should shepherd the people race to strip them; though they amass tens of millions, a few years after leaving office the fortune is gone. Banquets alone can ruin several families' worth; and song and dance demand capital of a thousand gold. Spending mounts like hills; pleasure lasts a breath. Then they regret having taken too little before and spending too much now. Give them wings again and they tear all the harder—how perverse! Other luxuries fill a hundred lists; habit deepens daily—how can we ask men to stay honest and officials to stay clean? Impose stern bans, teach frugality, demote ornament, impeach showy waste, until all see it and change what they desire. People too regret excess—they only fear falling behind the crowd and force themselves on; when they cannot keep up, they still bear the cost. Correct the wind and the fault rights itself—easier than turning the hand. Supreme rule begins in plain simplicity; to cure ornamental excess nothing beats thrift.

其三事曰：聖躬荷負蒼生以爲任，弘濟四海以爲心，不憚胼胝之勞，不辭臒瘦之苦，豈止日昃忘饑，夜分廢寢。至於百司，莫不奏事，上息責下之嫌，下無逼上之咎，斯實道邁百王，事超千載。但鬥筲之人，藻棁之子，旣得伏奏帷扆，便欲詭競求進，不說國之大體。不知當一官，處一職，貴使理其紊亂，匡其不及，心在明恕，事乃平章。但務吹毛求疵，擘肌分理，運挈瓶之智，徼分外之求，以深刻爲能，以繩逐爲務，跡雖似於奉公，事更成其威福。犯罪者多，巧避滋甚，曠官廢職，長弊增姦，實由於此。今誠願責其公平之效，黜其讒愚之心，則下安上謐，無僥倖之患矣。

Third: Your Majesty bears the people's weight and takes the four seas to heart, unafraid of toil that callouses hand and foot or hardship that wastes the flesh—forgetting hunger as the sun sets and sleep at midnight. Every office may memorialize; above, no blame for pressing down, below, no fault for pressing up—a government surpassing a hundred kings. Yet petty men, once they may speak behind the curtain, scheme for promotion and never speak for the realm's whole design. They forget that each post exists to set disorder right and mend what is lacking—with a heart of clarity and forbearance, affairs find their balance. They split hairs, split hairs again, wield petty cleverness, grasp beyond their share, prize harshness and chase by the letter—seeming dutiful while building private power. Crime multiplies, evasion grows clever, posts empty and duties rot—long corruption and fresh treachery spring from this. Demand fair results, purge slanderous hearts—then the lower ranks rest, the throne is secure, and lucky scheming ends.

其四事曰：自征伐北境，帑藏空虛。今天下無事，而猶日不暇給者，良有以也。夫國弊則省其事而息其費，事省則養民，費息則財聚，止五年之中，尚於無事，必能使國豊民阜。若積以歲月，斯乃范蠡滅吳之術，管仲霸齊之由。今應內省職掌，各檢其所部。凡京師治、署、邸、肆應所爲，或十條宜省其五，或三條宜除其一；及國容、戎備，在昔應多，在今宜少。雖于後應多，卽事未須，皆悉減省。應四方屯、傳、邸、治，或舊有，或無益，或妨民，有所宜除，除之；有所宜減，減之。凡厥興造，凡厥費財，有非急者，有役民者；又凡厥討召，凡厥徵求，雖關國計，權其事宜，皆須息費休民。不息費，則無以聚財；不休民，則無以聚力。故蓄其財者，所以大用之也；息其民者，所以大役之也。若言小事不足害財，則終年不息矣；以小役不足妨民，則終年不止矣。擾其民而欲求生聚殷阜，不可得矣。耗其財而務賦斂繁興，則姦詐盜竊彌生，是弊不息而其民不可使也，則難可以語富強而圖遠大矣。自普通以來，二十餘年，刑役薦起，民力雕流。今魏氏和親，疆埸無警，若不及於此時大息四民，使之生聚，減省國費，令府庫蓄積，一旦異境有虞，關河可掃，則國弊民疲，安能振其遠略？事至方圖，知不及矣。

Fourth: northern campaigns have emptied the treasury. The realm is at peace, yet you have no leisure day by day—and there is reason. When the state is strained, cut tasks and spending; fewer tasks nurture the people, less spending piles wealth—in five years of peace the realm can grow rich. Sustained over years, this is how Fan Li destroyed Wu and Guan Zhong made Qi hegemon. Examine each office inwardly; let every department audit its own charge. In the capital—bureaus, offices, lodges, markets—of ten duties cut five, or of three cut one; state ceremony and armaments once needed to be many; today they should be few. What future need may bring can wait; what present need does not require—cut it all. Throughout the realm—garrisons, relays, lodges, offices—whether obsolete, useless, or harmful—abolish what should be abolished; trim what should be trimmed. Every project, every outlay of treasure—not urgent, or pressing the people into labor; Every requisition and levy, however vital to state finance, must be judged on its merits and made to spare the treasury and spare the people. Unless spending is curbed, wealth cannot accumulate; unless the people are given rest, their strength cannot be gathered. Wealth is hoarded so it may be spent greatly; the people are rested so they may bear great toil. Call waste trivial and spending never stops for a year; call corvée slight and conscription never ends for a year. Harass the people and expect them to multiply and prosper—that cannot be done. Drain the treasury while heaping up taxes, and deceit and theft flourish; abuses never end and the people cannot be commanded—then there is no talking of power or far-reaching aims. For more than twenty years since Putong, penal labor and corvée have surged without pause, and popular strength has been worn to nothing. The Northern Wei are reconciled and the borders are quiet. Fail now to give the people real rest, let them multiply, cut state expense, and stock the coffers, and when a neighbor turns hostile and the frontier must be held, the realm will already be hollow and the people exhausted—what grand design can you then pursue? Wait until crisis comes to plan, and you will find you are already too late.

書奏，高祖大怒，召主書於前，口授敕責琛曰：

The memorial was read; Gaozu flew into a rage, called the chief clerk to his side, and dictated a rebuke to Chen:

謇謇有聞，殊稱所期。但朕有天下四十餘年，公車讜言，見聞聽覽，所陳之事，與卿不異，常欲承用，無替懷抱，每苦倥傯，更增惛惑。卿珥貂紆組，博問洽聞，不宜同於郤茸，止取名字，宣之行路。言「我能上事，明言得失，恨朝廷之不能用」。或誦《離騷》「蕩蕩其無人，遂不禦乎千里」。或誦《老子》「知我者希，則我貴矣」。如是獻替，莫不能言，正旦虎樽，皆其人也。卿可分別言事，啓乃心，沃朕心。

So your bold reputation precedes you—exactly as we anticipated. Yet I have ruled more than forty years. Memorials from the remonstrance office, everything brought to my ears—your complaints are nothing new. I have long meant to act on them and hold to that resolve, but am crushed by daily urgency and only grow more bewildered. You bear high rank and wide learning. You should not be like Xi Rong, collecting a reputation and peddling it in the streets. Boasting, "I can remonstrate and lay bare what is right and wrong, and I resent that the court will not heed me." Or quoting the "Li Sao": "Far and wide, no true man—so the chariot will not travel a thousand li." Or quoting the Laozi: "Few know me, and therefore I am honored." Such counsel is cheap; everyone can mouth it. The tiger goblet at New Year—that whole crowd. Name your charges one by one. Open your heart and refresh mine.

卿云「今北邊稽服，政是生聚教訓之時，而民失安居，牧守之過」。朕無則哲之知，觸向多弊，四聰不開，四明不達，內省責躬，無處逃咎。堯爲聖主，四凶在朝；況乎朕也，能無惡人？但大澤之中，有龍有蛇，縱不盡善，不容皆惡。卿可分明顯出：某刺史橫暴，某太守貪殘，某官長凶虐；尚書、蘭臺，主書、舍人，某人姦猾，某人取與，明言其事，得以黜陟。向令舜但聽公車上書，四凶終自不知，堯亦永爲暗主。

You wrote: "The north has submitted. This should be a time to let the people settle and thrive, yet they cannot live in peace—that is the fault of local officials." I am no sage of discernment. I stumble into wrong after wrong. My ears and eyes do not reach everywhere. I blame only myself and cannot escape that blame. Yao was a sage, and still the Four Evils sat in court; how then can I, of all men, have none? A great marsh holds dragons and snakes alike. Not every officer is worthy, but not every one is corrupt. Name them plainly: which governor is brutal, which prefect greedy and cruel, which magistrate savage; which minister, which Orchid Terrace clerk, which recorder or attendant is crooked or on the take. State the facts and they can be promoted or removed. If Shun had listened only to anonymous memorials, the Four Evils would never have been exposed and Yao would have remained a blind ruler forever.

卿又云「東境戶口空虛，良由使命繁多」，但未知此是何使？卿云「駑困邑宰，則拱手聽其漁獵；桀黠長吏，又因之而爲貪殘」，並何姓名？廉平掣肘，復是何人？朝廷思賢，有如饑渴，廉平掣肘，實爲異事。宜速條聞，當更擢用。凡所遣使，多由民訟，或復軍糧，諸所飆急，蓋不獲已而遣之。若不遣使，天下枉直云何綜理？事實云何濟辦？惡人日滋，善人日蔽，欲求安臥，其可得乎！不遣使而得事理，此乃佳事。無足而行，無翼而飛，能到在所；不威而伏，豈不幸甚。卿旣言之，應有深見，宜陳秘術，不可懷寶迷邦。

You also say, "The east is depopulated because envoys are too many." Which envoys do you mean? You say, "Weak magistrates can only stand by while others plunder; and crafty senior officials use the chance to grow greedier still." Who are they? Name them. And who are the upright officials being blocked? The throne seeks worthy men as a thirsty man seeks water. That the honest should be obstructed would be extraordinary. List them at once. We will promote them without delay. Most missions answer lawsuits or move army grain. Urgent business leaves little choice but to send men. Without envoys, how is justice to be done across the land? How is real business to get done? Villains multiply by the day while the good are shut out. Do you imagine the realm can then rest easy? To govern without envoys and still set everything right—that would be splendid. Feet that need not walk, wings that need not beat, yet arrival everywhere; obedience without coercion—what could be more fortunate? You have raised the matter, so you must know the remedy. Reveal your secret art. Do not hide wisdom and leave the realm in the dark.

卿又云：守宰貪殘，皆由滋味過度。貪殘糜費，已如前答。漢文雖愛露臺之產，鄧通之錢布於天下，以此而治，朕無愧焉。若以下民飲食過差，亦復不然。天監之初，思之已甚。其勤力營產，則無不富饒；惰游緩事，則家業貧窶。勤修產業，以營盤案，自己營之，自己食之，何損於天下？無賴子弟，惰營產業，致於貧窶，無可施設，此何益於天下？且又意雖曰同富，富有不同：慳而富者，終不能設；奢而富者，于事何損？若使朝廷緩其刑，此事終不可斷；若急其制，則曲屋密房之中，云何可知？若家家搜檢，其細已甚，欲使吏不呼門，其可得乎？更相恐脅，以求財帛，足長禍萌，無益治道。若以此指朝廷，我無此事。昔之牲牢，久不宰殺，朝中會同，菜蔬而已，意粗得奢約之節。若復減此，必有《蟋蟀》之譏。若以爲功德事者，皆是園中之所產育。功德之事，亦無多費，變一瓜爲數十種，食一菜爲數十味，不變瓜菜，亦無多種，以變故多，何損於事，亦豪芥不關國家。如得財如法而用，此不愧乎人。我自除公宴，不食國家之食，多歷年稔，乃至宮人，亦不食國家之食，積累歲月。凡所營造，不關材官，及以國匠，皆資雇借，以成其事。近之得財，頗有方便，民得其利，國得其利，我得其利，營諸功德。或以卿之心度我之心，故不能得知。所得財用，暴於天下，不得曲辭辯論。

You also say, "Local greed and cruelty all come from extravagant food." On greed, cruelty, and waste I have already replied. Han Wendi loved his terrace garden and Deng Tong's wealth filled the realm. I rule no worse and feel no shame. Nor is it true that commoners eat beyond their station. I considered this carefully at the beginning of Tianjian. Those who work hard prosper; the idle and careless grow poor. A man who builds his estate and eats what he earns—how does that harm the realm? Wastrels who neglect their fields end penniless and useless—what good is that to the realm? You speak as if all wealth were the same, but it is not. The miser may be rich yet can do nothing with it; the spendthrift rich—what injury do they do the state? Relax the law and excess will never end; tighten it and who can see what happens behind closed doors? Search every home and the scrutiny becomes unbearable. You want officials never to knock on a door—is that possible? Men threatening one another for money only breed worse trouble. That is no way to govern. If you mean the court by this, I know nothing of it. For years we ceased slaughtering for sacrifice. Court feasts were vegetables only. I thought I had found a fair balance of frugality and dignity. Cut more and you will invite the reproach of the "Cricket." If you mean Buddhist merit works, their food comes from the palace gardens. Even merit feasts cost little. One melon becomes a dozen dishes, one vegetable a dozen flavors—yet without artifice there are few kinds. What harm is there in variety? It does not touch the state at all. Wealth lawfully gained and lawfully spent is nothing to be ashamed of. Apart from state banquets I have not eaten public rations for many years, and even the palace women have gone without them for a long time. Every building project avoids the materials bureau and state craftsmen. I hire labor and pay for the work myself. Money lately raised has served everyone: the people profit, the state profits, I profit, and merit works are funded. Perhaps you judge me by yourself, and that is why you do not understand. What I receive is open to the world. Do not argue in evasions.

卿又云女妓越濫，此有司之責，雖然，亦有不同：貴者多畜妓樂，至於勳附若兩掖，亦復不聞家有二八，多畜女妓者。此並宜具言其人，當令有司振其霜豪。卿又云：「乃追恨所取爲少，如復傅翼，增其搏噬，一何悖哉。」勇怯不同，貪廉各用，勇者可使進取，怯者可使守城，貪者可使捍禦，廉者可使牧民。向使叔齊守于西河，豈能濟事？吳起育民，必無成功。若使吳起而不重用，則西河之功廢。今之文武，亦復如此。取其搏噬之用，不能得不重更任，彼亦非爲朝廷爲之傅翼。卿以朝廷爲悖，乃自甘之，當思致悖所以。卿云「宜導之以節儉」。又云「至治者必以淳素爲先」。此言大善。夫子言「其身正，不令而行；其身不正，雖令不從」。朕絕房室三十餘年，無有淫佚。朕頗自計，不與女人同屋而寢，亦三十餘年。至於居處不過一床之地，雕飾之物不入于宮，此亦人所共知。受生不飲酒，受生不好音聲，所以朝中曲宴，未嘗奏樂，此羣賢之所觀見。朕三更出理事，隨事多少，事少或中前得竟，或事多至日昃方得就食。日常一食，若晝若夜，無有定時。疾苦之日，或亦再食。昔要腹過於十圍，今之瘦削裁二尺餘，舊帶猶存，非爲妄說。爲誰爲之？救物故也。《書》曰：「股肱惟人，良臣惟聖。」向使朕有股肱，故可得中主。今乃不免居九品之下，「不令而行」，徒虛言耳。卿今慊言，便罔知所答。

You also complain that courtesans are too many. That is the censors' business, though the cases differ. The great mostly keep musicians, but even meritorious lords and the two palace wings—one seldom hears of a household keeping "two-eight" girls or hoarding courtesans. Name every offender. Let the responsible offices strip away their arrogance. You also wrote: "They regret having taken too little, and if given wings again they tear all the harder—how perverse!" Courage and cowardice are not the same, nor are greed and integrity. Use the brave for advance, the timid for defense, the greedy for the border, the honest for civil rule. If Bo Yi alone had held the western river, would anything have been accomplished? If Wu Qi had only nurtured the people, he would never have succeeded. Had Wu Qi not been used as he deserved, the western river would never have been won. The same is true of civil and military men today. Use their predatory talents and you cannot avoid employing them heavily again. The court did not give them wings so they could prey harder. You call the court perverse yet still serve it willingly. Ask yourself what makes it perverse. You say, "They should be guided by frugality." And, "Perfect government begins in plain simplicity." That is well said. Confucius said, "When the ruler's person is upright, things are done though he does not command; when his person is not upright, they will not obey though he commands." I have kept no harem for more than thirty years and have known no debauchery. By my own reckoning I have not slept in the same room with a woman for more than thirty years. My living space is no larger than a bed. Ornament does not enter the palace. Everyone knows this. I have never drunk and never cared for music, so at court gatherings no instruments are played. The ministers have seen it themselves. I rise in the deep night to work. When business is light I may finish before noon. When it is heavy I eat only after the sun has slanted west. As a rule I eat once, by day or night, at no set time. When I am ill I may eat twice. Once my belly measured more than ten spans around. Now I am scarcely two feet about the waist. The old belt is still here. I do not lie. For whom did I do this? For the sake of the living—that is why. The Documents say, "Arms and legs are the man; worthy ministers make the sage." Had I such ministers, I might have been a passable ruler. As it is I remain no better than the lowest grade of ruler. "Without being ordered it is done" is only an empty phrase. You press your case so hard that I scarcely know how to reply.

卿又云「百司莫不奏事，詭競求進」。此又是誰？何者復是詭事？今不使外人呈事，於義可否？無人廢職，職可廢乎？職廢則人亂，人亂則國安乎？以咽廢飧，此之謂也。若斷呈事，誰屍其任？專委之人，云何可得？是故古人云：「專聽生姦，獨任成亂。」猶二世之委趙高，元後之付王莽。呼鹿爲馬，卒有閻樂望夷之禍，王莽亦終移漢鼎。

You also say, "Every office memorializes, scheming for promotion." Who are they? Name them. Which are these deceptive affairs again? If outsiders may no longer present memorials, is that right in principle? No men, no offices—can you abolish the offices themselves? Abolish offices and men fall into disorder; men in disorder—and the realm is secure? Reject the meal because the throat hurts—that is the case. Cut off memorials—who then answers for the charge? Where will you find men fit to be trusted with everything alone? The ancients said it plainly: "Listen to one voice and treachery is born; trust one man alone and chaos follows. Think of Er Shi handing everything to Zhao Gao, or Yuandi's heir giving the realm to Wang Mang. Call a deer a horse, and in the end Yan Le brings ruin at Wangyi; Wang Mang too shifts the Han throne from its base.

卿云「吹毛求疵」，復是何人所吹之疵？「擘肌分理」，復是何人乎？事及「深刻」「繩逐」，並復是誰？又云「治、署、邸、肆」，何者宜除？何者宜省？「國容戎備」，何者宜省？何者未須？「四方屯傳」，何者無益？何者妨民？何處興造而是役民？何處費財而是非急？若爲「討召」？若爲「征賦」？朝廷從來無有此事，靜息之方復何者？宜各出其事，具以奏聞。

You wrote "splitting hairs for flaws"—whose flaws? Name him. "Splitting muscle to distinguish principle"—who is that? When you speak of "severity" and "driving by the cord," who are they? You also named "bureaus, offices, lodges, markets"—which should be abolished? Which should be cut? "State ceremony and armaments"—what should be trimmed? What is not needed now? "Garrisons and relays in all four quarters"—which do no good? Which harm the people? Where do you build at the cost of forced labor? Where is treasure spent on what is not urgent? What of "summons and recruitment"? What of "levies and requisitions"? The court has never done such things. What is your plan to bring them to rest? Let each charge be named and reported in full.

卿云「若不及于時大息其民，事至方圖，知無及也」。如卿此言，卽時便是大役其民，是何處所？卿云「國弊民疲」，誠如卿言，終須出其事，不得空作漫語。夫能言之，必能行之。富國強兵之術，急民省役之宜，號令遠近之法，並宜具列。若不具列，則是欺罔朝廷，空示頰舌。凡人有爲，先須內省，惟無瑕者，可以戮人。卿不得曆詆內外，而不極言其事。佇聞重奏，當復省覽，付之尚書，班下海內，庶亂羊永除，害馬長息，惟新之美，復見今日。

You wrote, "Fail now to give the people real rest, and plan only when crisis comes—you will know you are already too late." By your own logic you are overworking the people right now—where? You say "the realm is hollow and the people exhausted." If that is so, name the facts. Do not speak in empty generalities. Who can talk must also act. Ways to enrich the state and strengthen the army, plans to spare the people and cut corvée, orders for near and far—list them all. Fail to list them and you deceive the throne with nothing but lip service. Before you judge others, judge yourself. Only the spotless may sit in judgment. You may not slander everyone within and without the palace and still refuse to speak plainly. I await your next memorial. I shall read it again, send it to the Masters of Writing, and publish it throughout the realm—so the bad sheep are driven off, the harmful horse stilled, and renewal shines once more.

琛奉敕，但謝過而已，不敢復有指斥。

Chen took the edict and could only apologize. He did not dare remonstrate again.

久之，遷太府卿。太清二年，遷雲騎將軍、中軍宣城王長史。侯景舉兵襲京師，王移入臺內，留琛與司馬楊曒守東府。賊尋攻陷城，放兵殺害，琛被槍未至死，賊求得之，轝至闕下，求見僕射王克、領軍朱异，勸開城納賊。克等讓之，涕泣而止，賊復轝送莊嚴寺療治之。明年，臺城不守，琛逃歸鄉里。其年冬，賊進寇會稽，復執琛送出都，以爲金紫光祿大夫。後遇疾卒，年六十九。

In time he was made Minister of the Grand Treasury. In the second year of Taiqing he became General of the Cloud Cavalry and chief clerk to the Prince of Xuancheng, commander of the central army. When Hou Jing marched on the capital the prince withdrew into the inner palace and left Chen and Marshal Yang Xun to defend the Eastern Palace. The rebels soon broke the city and unleashed slaughter. Chen was speared but lived. They found him, bore him in a litter to the palace gate, and demanded Wang Ke, Vice Director, and Zhu Yi, Commander of the Army, begging them to open the gates to the rebels. Wang Ke and the others reproached him until he wept and fell silent. The rebels carried him back to Zhuangyan Monastery to heal his wounds. The next year the inner city fell. Chen fled to his home district. That winter, when the rebels marched on Kuaiji, they seized Chen again and sent him to the capital as Household Counsellor with Golden Seal and Purple Ribbon. He later fell ill and died at sixty-nine.

琛所撰《三禮講疏》、《五經滯義》及諸儀法，凡百餘篇。

He wrote the Exegesis of the Three Rites, the Stalled Meanings of the Five Classics, and many works on ritual—over a hundred chapters in all.

子詡，太清初，自儀同西昌侯掾，出爲巴山太守，在郡遇亂卒。

His son Xu, early in Taiqing, left a post as aide to the Marquis of Xichang, Equal in Rank to the Three Dukes, to serve as Administrator of Bashan, and died there when rebellion swept the region.

陳吏部尚書姚察云：夏侯勝有言曰：「士患不明經術；經術明，取青紫如拾地芥耳。」朱异、賀琛並起微賤，以經術逢時，致於貴顯，符其言矣。而异遂徼寵倖，任事居權，不能以道佐君，苟取容媚。及延寇敗國，實异之由。禍難旣彰，不明其罪，至於身死，寵贈猶殊。罰旣弗加，賞亦斯濫，失於勸沮，何以爲國？君子是以知太清之亂，能無及是乎。 [1]

Yao Cha, Chen Director of the Ministry of Personnel, said: Xiahou Sheng once said, "The scholar's trouble is not knowing the classics; Once the classics are clear, rank and office are like picking up a mustard plant from the ground." Zhu Yi and He Chen both rose from humble beginnings; the classics brought them to high rank in their day—exactly as he said. Yet Yi sought favor and power, held office, and could not guide his lord by the Way—only by pleasing and flattering. When the rebel ravaged the realm, the blame was truly Yi's. Once disaster was plain his guilt went unnamed; even in death his honors were lavish. No punishment fell, rewards ran wild—how can a state encourage good and restrain evil like this? A gentleman therefore knows that the chaos of Taiqing could not have stopped short of this. Editorial footnote marker in the source text.

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 Shuju edition of 《Book of Liang》, May 1973.

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