1
李賢呂原 〈（子常）〉 嶽正彭時商輅劉定之
Li Xian and Lu Yuan. (style name Zi Chang)⟩〉 Yue Zheng, Peng Shi, Shang Lu, and Liu Dingzhi.
2
李賢，字原德，鄧人。 舉鄉試第一，宣德八年成進士。 奉命察蝗災於河津，授驗封主事，少師楊士奇欲一見，賢竟不往。
Li Xian, styled Yuande, was from Deng. He ranked first in the provincial examinations and passed the palace examination as a jinshi in the eighth year of the Xuande reign (1433). When sent to inspect locust damage at Hejin, he was appointed principal secretary in the Yanfeng department. The Senior Preceptor Yang Shiqi wished to meet him, but Xian declined to call on him.
3
正統初，言：「塞外降人居京師者盈萬，指揮使月俸三十五石，實支僅一石，降人反實支十七石五鬥，是一降人當京官十七員半矣。 宜漸出之外，省冗費，且消患未萌。」 帝不能用。 時詔文武臣誥敕，非九年不給。 賢言：「限以九年，或官不能滿秩，或親老不待，不得者十八九，無以勸臣下。 請仍三年便。」 從之。 遷考功郎中，改文選。 扈從北征，師覆脫還。
At the start of the Zhengtong reign he memorialized: More than ten thousand people who had surrendered from beyond the border were living in the capital. A commander nominally drew thirty-five shi of grain per month but actually received only one, whereas a surrendered tribesman actually received seventeen shi and five dou — so one surrendered person consumed as much as seventeen and a half capital officials. They ought gradually to be resettled outside the capital, both to cut waste and to snuff out trouble before it could take root. The emperor did not accept his proposal. An edict then stipulated that civil and military officials would not receive patent letters of appointment until they had served nine years. Xian argued: With a nine-year requirement, some officials never complete a full term of office, and others have elderly parents who cannot wait that long — eight or nine out of ten never receive their patents, so there is no incentive for officials to serve diligently. He asked that the three-year interval be restored. The emperor agreed. He was promoted to director in the Bureau of Appointments and then transferred to the Bureau of Civil Office. He accompanied the emperor on the northern campaign; when the army was annihilated, he escaped and made his way back.
4
景泰二年二月上正本十策，曰勤聖學，顧箴警，戒嗜欲，絕玩好，慎舉措，崇節儉，畏天變，勉貴近，振士風，結民心。 帝善之，命翰林寫置左右，備省覽。 尋又陳車戰火器之利，帝頗采納。 是冬，擢兵部右侍郎，轉戶部。 也先數貢馬，賢謂輦金帛以強寇自弊，非策。 因陳邊備廢馳狀，于謙請下其章厲諸將。 轉吏部，采古二十二君行事可法者。 曰《鑒古錄》，上之。
In the second month of the second year of Jingtai (1451), he presented ten fundamental policies: cultivate the emperor's learning, heed admonitions and warnings, guard against indulgence, renounce frivolous pursuits, act with care, uphold frugality, revere heavenly portents, encourage the nobility and those close to the throne, revive scholarly standards, and bind the people's hearts. The emperor approved them and had the Hanlin Academy copy them out to keep at his side for regular consultation. He soon followed with a memorial on the advantages of chariot warfare and firearms, and the emperor largely accepted his recommendations. That winter he was promoted to Vice Minister of War and then moved to the Ministry of Revenue. When Esen repeatedly sent tribute horses, Xian argued that shipping gold and silk to enrich a powerful enemy was self-defeating and no strategy at all. He also described how frontier defenses had fallen into neglect, and Yu Qian asked that his memorial be distributed to spur the generals to action. After his transfer to the Ministry of Personnel, he compiled the exemplary deeds of twenty-two ancient rulers. He titled the work Mirror of Antiquity and presented it to the throne.
5
英宗復位，命兼翰林學士，入直文淵閣，與徐有貞同預機務。 未幾，進尚書。 賢氣度端凝，奏對皆中機宜，帝深眷之。 山東饑，發帑振不足，召有貞及賢議，有貞謂頒振多中飽。 賢曰：「慮中飽而不貸，坐視民死，是因噎廢食也。」 遂命增銀。
When Emperor Yingzong was restored to the throne, Xian was appointed concurrent Hanlin Academician, took up duty in the Wenyuan Pavilion, and joined Xu Youzhen in managing state affairs. Before long he was promoted to ministerial rank. Xian carried himself with dignified composure; his memorials and replies always struck the right note, and the emperor held him in deep regard. When famine struck Shandong and treasury funds for relief proved insufficient, the emperor summoned Xu Youzhen and Xian to discuss the matter. Youzhen argued that distributing relief grain invited widespread embezzlement along the way. Xian replied: To fear embezzlement and withhold relief while watching the people starve is like refusing to eat for fear of choking. The emperor then ordered additional silver to be disbursed.
6
石亨、曹吉祥與有貞爭權，並忌賢。 諸御史論亨、吉祥，亨、吉祥疑出有貞、賢意，訴之帝，下二人獄。 會有風雷變，得釋，謫賢福建參政。 未行，王翺奏賢可大用，遂留為吏部左侍郎。 逾月，復尚書，直內閣如故。 亨知帝向賢，怒，然無可如何，乃佯與交歡。 賢亦深自匿，非宣召不入，而帝益親賢，顧問無虛日。
Shi Heng and Cao Jixiang were locked in a power struggle with Xu Youzhen, and they all resented Xian as well. When censors impeached Heng and Jixiang, the two men suspected the move had been instigated by Youzhen and Xian. They appealed to the emperor, and both Youzhen and Xian were thrown into prison. When wind and thunder portents appeared, they were released, but Xian was demoted to administrative commissioner of Fujian. Before he could leave, Wang Ao memorialized that Xian was fit for greater responsibility, and he was kept on as Left Vice Minister of Personnel. Within a month he was restored to ministerial rank and resumed his duties in the Grand Secretariat as before. Heng knew the emperor favored Xian and was furious, but could do nothing about it, so he pretended to be on friendly terms. Xian likewise kept a low profile, entering the palace only when summoned, yet the emperor drew even closer to him and sought his counsel nearly every day.
7
孛來近塞獵。 亨言傳國璽在彼，可掩而取，帝色動。 賢言釁不可啟，璽不足寶，事遂寢。 亨益惡賢。 時帝亦厭亨、吉祥驕橫，屏人語賢曰：「此輩幹政，四方奏事者先至其門，為之奈何？」 賢曰：「陛下惟獨斷，則趨附自息。」 帝曰：「向嘗不用其言，乃怫然見辭色。」 賢曰：「願制之以漸。」 當亨、吉祥用事，賢顧忌不敢盡言，然每從容論對，所以裁抑之者甚至。 及亨得罪，帝復問賢「奪門」事。 賢曰：「『迎駕』則可，『奪門』豈可示後？ 天位乃陛下固有，『奪』即非順。 且爾時幸而成功，萬一事機先露，亨等不足惜，不審置陛下何地！」 帝悟曰：「然。」 賢曰：「若郕王果不起，群臣表請陛下復位，安用擾攘為？ 此輩又安所得邀升賞，招權納賄安自起？ 老成耆舊依然在職，何至有殺戮降黜之事致幹天象？ 《易》曰『開國承家，小人勿用』，正謂此也。」 帝曰：「然。」 詔自今章奏勿用「奪門」字，並議革冒功者四千余人。 至成化初，諸被革者訴請。 復以賢言，並奪太平侯張瑾、興濟伯楊宗爵，時論益大快之。
Bolai came to hunt near the border. Heng reported that the dynastic seal was in Bolai's camp and could be seized in a surprise attack; the emperor's expression changed at once. Xian argued that provocation must not be invited and that the seal was not worth the risk; the plan was abandoned. Heng came to hate Xian even more. The emperor had also grown weary of Heng and Jixiang's arrogance. Sending attendants away, he said to Xian: "These men meddle in government affairs — petitioners from every province reach their doors before mine. What can be done about this? Xian replied: "If Your Majesty decides matters on your own authority, the rush to curry favor will die down of itself." The emperor said: "Whenever I have rejected their advice, they show open displeasure in word and expression." Xian said: "I hope Your Majesty will restrain them step by step." While Heng and Jixiang held power, Xian held back and did not speak as freely as he wished, yet in each measured exchange he managed to check their influence considerably. After Heng fell from power, the emperor again questioned Xian about the "Seizing the Gate" affair. Xian said: "'Welcoming the Imperial Carriage' would have been acceptable — but how could 'Seizing the Gate' be held up as an example for posterity? The throne was inherently yours, Your Majesty — to "seize" it was not the proper course. Moreover, though the plot succeeded by good fortune at the time, had it been exposed beforehand, Heng and his followers would have been expendable — but where would that have left Your Majesty! The emperor saw the point and said: "True enough." Xian continued: "If the Prince of Cheng had truly not recovered, the officials would simply have petitioned for Your Majesty's restoration — why was all that turmoil necessary? How then could these men have claimed promotions and rewards, or how could the abuse of power and acceptance of bribes have taken root? Experienced elders would still have held their posts — how could there have been killings and demotions that provoked portents in the heavens? The Book of Changes says, "In founding a state and sustaining a household, petty men must not be employed" — it speaks precisely to this." The emperor said: "True." An edict declared that from then on memorials must not use the term "Seizing the Gate," and more than four thousand men who had falsely claimed merit were marked for removal. At the start of the Chenghua reign, those who had been stripped of honors petitioned for restoration. Again heeding Xian's counsel, the titles of Marquis of Taiping Zhang Jin and Earl of Xingji Yang Zong were also revoked, to widespread public approval.
8
帝既任賢，所言皆見聽。 于謙嘗分遣降人南征，陳汝言希宦官指，盡召之還。 賢力言不可。 帝曰：「吾亦悔之。 今已就道，後當聽其願去者。」 帝憂軍官支俸多，歲入不給。 賢請汰老弱於外，則費省而人不覺。 帝深納焉。 時歲有邊警，天下大水，江南北尤甚。 賢外籌邊計，內請寬百姓，罷一切征求。 帝用其言，四方得蘇息。 七年二月，空中有聲，帝欲禳之，命賢撰青詞。 賢言君不恤民，天下怨叛，厥有鼓妖。 因請行寬恤之政，又請罷江南織造，清錦衣獄，止邊臣貢獻，停內外采買。 帝難之。 賢執爭數四，同列皆懼。 賢退曰：「大臣當知無不言，可卷舌偷位耶？」 終天順之世，賢為首輔，呂原、彭時佐之，然賢委任最專。
Once the emperor entrusted affairs to Xian, his counsel was invariably heeded. Yu Qian had once dispatched surrendered tribesmen on southern campaigns, but Chen Ruyan, currying favor with the eunuchs, recalled them all. Xian strongly argued against it. The emperor said: "I regret it too. They are already on the march; hereafter those who wish to leave should be permitted to do so. The emperor worried that military officers' salaries consumed too much and that annual revenue could not cover the expense. Xian proposed weeding out the aged and infirm on the frontiers, so costs would be cut without anyone feeling the loss. The emperor accepted the proposal wholeheartedly. At the time frontier alarms came every year, and great floods swept the empire, with the region south of the Yangzi hit hardest. Xian devised frontier strategy while pressing within for relief for the people and the abolition of all exactions. The emperor adopted his counsel, and the realm found respite. In the second month of the seventh year, strange sounds were heard in the sky; the emperor wished to perform expiatory rites and ordered Xian to compose the ceremonial prayer text. Xian argued that when a ruler neglects the people, the realm turns resentful and rebellious, and portents such as these arise. He therefore pressed for lenient and compassionate policies, and also asked to abolish the Jiangnan weaving offices, clear cases in the Embroidered Uniform Guard prison, halt tribute offerings from frontier officials, and stop procurement inside and outside the palace. The emperor balked at these proposals. Xian pressed his case four times over; his colleagues were all alarmed. On leaving, Xian said: "A grand minister should speak without holding back — can one hold one's tongue and cling to office? Throughout the Tianshun reign, Xian served as chief minister, assisted by Lu Yuan and Peng Shi, but he held the broadest authority of the three.
9
初，御史劉濬劾柳溥敗軍罪，觸帝怒。 賢言御史耳目官，不宜譴。 石亨譖賢曲護。 帝浸疏賢，尋悟，待之如初。 每獨對，良久方出。 遇事必召問可否，或遣中官就問。 賢務持大體，尤以惜人才、開言路為急。 所薦引年富、軒輗、耿九疇、王竑、李秉、程信、姚夔、崔恭、李紹等，皆為名臣。 時勸帝延見大臣，有所薦，必先與吏、兵二部論定之。 及入對，帝訪文臣，請問王翺； 武臣，請問馬昂。 兩人相左右，故言無不行，而人不病其專，惟群小與為難。
Early on, Censor Liu Jun impeached Liu Pu for military defeat, provoking the emperor's wrath. Xian argued that censors serve as the court's eyes and ears and should not be punished for doing their duty. Shi Heng slandered Xian for showing partiality. The emperor gradually grew cool toward Xian, but soon saw his error and treated him as before. Whenever they met in private audience, the sessions ran long before Xian withdrew. Whenever affairs arose, the emperor summoned Xian to ask his opinion, or sent a eunuch to consult him. Xian held fast to the larger principles, above all cherishing talent and keeping channels of candid speech open. Those he recommended and advanced — Nian Fu, Xuan Ni, Geng Jiuchou, Wang Hong, Li Bing, Cheng Xin, Yao Kui, Cui Gong, Li Shao, and others — all became celebrated ministers. He often urged the emperor to receive ministers in audience, and whenever he made a recommendation, he first settled the matter with the Ministries of Personnel and War. When entering audience, if the emperor asked about civil officials, Xian would consult Wang Ao; for military officials, he would consult Ma Ang. With these two men supporting him, his recommendations were invariably adopted, yet no one faulted him for overreach — only petty men made trouble with him.
10
曹欽之反也，擊賢東朝房，執將殺之，逼草奏釋己罪。 賴王翺救，乃免。 賢密疏請擒賊黨。 時方擾攘，不知賢所在。 得疏，帝大喜。 裹傷入見，慰勞之，特加太子太保。 賢因言，賊既誅，急宜詔天下停不急務，而求直言以通閉塞。 帝從之。
When Cao Qin rebelled, his men stormed Xian's chamber in the Eastern Court, seized him intending to kill him, and forced him to draft a memorial absolving Qin of guilt. Wang Ao rescued him, and he was spared. Xian sent a secret memorial urging the capture of the rebel faction. At the height of the turmoil, no one knew where Xian was. When the memorial reached him, the emperor was greatly relieved. Bandaged, he came before the emperor, who consoled and commended him and specially granted him the title Grand Preceptor of the Heir Apparent. Xian then urged that once the rebels were executed, an urgent edict should announce the suspension of nonessential affairs throughout the realm and invite forthright speech to unblock stifled channels of communication. The emperor agreed.
11
門達方用事，錦衣官校恣橫為劇患。 賢累請禁止，帝召達誡諭之。 達怙寵益驕，賢乘間復具陳達罪，帝復召戒達。 達銜次骨，因袁彬獄陷賢，賢幾不免，語載達傳。
Men Da was then in power, and the rampant abuse of authority by Embroidered Uniform Guard officers had become a grave affliction. Xian repeatedly petitioned for a ban on such abuses; the emperor summoned Da and admonished him. Da, emboldened by imperial favor, grew still more arrogant; Xian seized an opportunity to lay out Da's crimes in full, and the emperor summoned and warned him again. Da nursed a grudge to the bone; through the Yuan Bin case he framed Xian, who nearly perished — the full account appears in Da's biography.
12
帝不豫，臥文華殿。 會有間東宮於帝者，帝頗惑之，密告賢。 賢頓首伏地曰：「此大事，願陛下三思。」 帝曰：「然則必傳位太子乎？」 賢又頓首曰：「宗社幸甚。」 帝起，立召太子至。 賢扶太子令謝。 太子謝，抱帝足泣，帝亦泣，讒竟不行。
When the emperor fell ill, he took to his bed in the Wenhua Hall. Someone sowed discord about the crown prince with the emperor; the emperor was somewhat swayed and confided in Xian in secret. Xian kowtowed and prostrated himself, saying: "This is a grave matter — I beg Your Majesty to think it through carefully. The emperor said: "Then must the throne be passed to the crown prince?" Xian kowtowed again and said: "The altars of state would be greatly blessed." The emperor rose at once and summoned the crown prince. Xian steadied the crown prince and had him offer thanks. The crown prince gave thanks, clung to the emperor's feet and wept; the emperor wept as well, and the slander came to nothing.
13
門達既竄，其黨多投匿名書構賢。 賢乞罷，有詔慰留。 吳後廢，言官請誅牛玉，語侵賢，又有造蜚語構賢者。 帝命衛士宿賢家，護出入。 成化二年三月遭父喪，詔起復。 三辭不許，遣中官護行營葬。 還至京，又辭。 遣使宣意，遂視事。 其年冬卒，年五十九。 帝震悼，贈太師，謚文達。
After Men Da fled into exile, many of his followers submitted anonymous letters to frame Xian. Xian asked to resign; an edict consoled him and kept him in office. When Empress Wu was deposed, censors called for the execution of Niu Yu in language that impugned Xian as well, and others spread slander to frame him. The emperor ordered guards to lodge at Xian's home to protect him when he went out and returned. In the third month of the second year of Chenghua (1466), he suffered his father's death; an edict ordered him recalled from mourning. He declined three times but was not permitted; a eunuch was dispatched to escort him and oversee the burial. On returning to the capital, he declined again. An envoy was sent to convey the emperor's wishes, and he resumed his duties. He died that winter at the age of fifty-nine. The emperor was deeply shaken and grieved; Xian was posthumously granted the title Grand Preceptor and given the posthumous name Wendá.
14
賢自以受知人主，所言無不盡。 景帝崩，將以汪後殉葬，用賢言而止。 惠帝少子幽禁已六十年，英宗憐欲赦之，以問賢。 賢頓首曰：「此堯、舜用心也！ 天地祖宗實式憑之。」 帝意乃決。 帝嘗祭山川壇，以夜出未便，欲遣官代祀。 賢引祖訓爭之，卒成禮而還。 嘗言內帑余財，不以恤荒濟軍，則人主必生侈心，而移之於土木禱祠聲色之用。 前後頻請發帑振貸恤邊，不可勝計。 故事，方面官敕三品京官保舉。 賢患其營競，令吏部每缺舉二人，請帝簡用。 並推之例始此。
Xian considered himself known and trusted by his sovereign, and held nothing back in his counsel. When Emperor Jing died, Empress Wang was to be buried alive with him; on Xian's advice the practice was halted. The youngest son of Emperor Hui had been confined for sixty years; Emperor Yingzong pitied him and wished to pardon him, and consulted Xian. Xian kowtowed and said: "This is the heart of Yao and Shun! Heaven, earth, and the imperial ancestors will truly approve. The emperor's mind was made up. The emperor once was to sacrifice at the altars of mountains and rivers; because going out at night was inconvenient, he wished to send an official to perform the rites in his stead. Xian cited the ancestral injunctions and argued against it; in the end the emperor completed the rites himself and returned. He once argued that surplus funds in the inner treasury, if not used to relieve famine and support the army, would surely breed extravagance in the ruler and divert spending toward construction projects, prayer shrines, and sensual indulgence. Time and again he petitioned for treasury disbursements for famine relief, loans, and frontier aid — too many to count. By precedent, appointments to provincial posts required recommendation by capital officials of the third rank. Xian worried about the scramble for favor; he ordered the Ministry of Personnel to nominate two candidates for each vacancy and asked the emperor to choose between them. The practice of joint nomination began with this reform.
15
自三楊以來，得君無如賢者。 然自郎署結知景帝，超擢侍郎，而所著書顧謂景帝為荒淫。 其抑葉盛，擠嶽正，不救羅倫，尤為世所惜雲。
Since the era of the Three Yangs, no minister had won the sovereign's trust like Xian. Yet from a lowly secretariat post he had won Emperor Jing's favor and been abruptly promoted to vice minister, while in his writings he nevertheless called Emperor Jing dissolute. His suppression of Ye Sheng, his squeezing out of Yue Zheng, and his failure to save Luo Lun were especially regretted by contemporaries.
16
呂原，字逢原，秀水人。 父嗣芳，萬泉教諭。 兄本，景州訓導。 嗣芳老，就養景州，與本相繼卒。 貧不能歸葬，厝於景，原時至墓慟哭。 久之，奉母南歸，家益貧。 知府黃懋奇原文，補諸生，遣入學，舉鄉試第一。
Lu Yuan, styled Fengyuan, was from Xiushui. His father Sifang served as instructor at Wanquan. His elder brother Ben served as assistant instructor at Jingzhou. When Sifang grew old, he went to Jingzhou to live with Ben and died there; Ben followed him in death soon after. Too poor to return them home for burial, he placed them in temporary interment at Jing; Yuan often visited the graves and wept in grief. After a long interval he escorted his mother south to return home, and the family grew still poorer. Prefect Huang Maoqi admired Yuan, enrolled him as a student and sent him to study; Yuan ranked first in the provincial examinations.
17
正統七年，進士及第，授編修。 十二年，與侍講裴綸等十人同選入東閣肄業，直經筵。 景泰初，進侍講，與同官倪謙授小內侍書於文華殿東廡。 帝至，命謙講《國風》。 原講《堯典》，皆稱旨。 問何官，並以中允兼侍講對。 帝曰：「品同耳，何相兼為？」 進二人侍講學士，兼中允。 尋進左春坊大學士。
In the seventh year of Zhengtong (1442), he passed the palace examination as a jinshi and was appointed a compiler in the Hanlin Academy. In the twelfth year (1447), he and ten others including Reader-in-Waiting Pei Lun were selected to study in the Eastern Pavilion and attend the Classics Lectern. At the start of the Jingtai reign he was promoted to Reader-in-Waiting and, with his colleague Ni Qian, taught young inner eunuchs to write in the eastern corridor of the Wenhua Hall. When the emperor arrived, he ordered Qian to lecture on the "Airs of the States" from the Book of Songs. Yuan lectured on the "Canon of Yao"; both lectures pleased the emperor. When asked what offices they held, both replied that they were Right and Left Secretaries concurrently serving as Readers-in-Waiting. The emperor said: "Their ranks are the same — why hold both offices? Both were promoted to Reader-in-Waiting Academicians, concurrently serving as Secretaries. Soon afterward he was promoted to Grand Academician of the Left Eastern Palace.
18
天順初，改通政司右參議，兼侍講。 徐有貞、李賢下獄之明日，命入內閣預機務。 石享、曹吉祥用事，貴倨，獨敬原。 原朝會衣青袍，亨笑曰：「行為先生易之。」 原不答。 尋與嶽正列亨、吉祥罪狀，疏留中。 二人怒，摘敕諭中語，謂閣臣謗訕。 帝大怒，坐便殿，召對，厲聲曰：「正大膽敢爾！ 原素恭謹，阿正何也？」 正罷去，原得留。 李賢既復官入閣柄政，原佐之。 未幾，彭時亦入，三人相得甚歡。 賢通達，遇事立斷。 原濟以持重，庶政稱理。 其年冬，進翰林院學士。
At the start of the Tianshun reign he was transferred to Right Assistant Commissioner of the Transmission Office, concurrently serving as Reader-in-Waiting. The day after Xu Youzhen and Li Xian were imprisoned, he was ordered into the Grand Secretariat to share in state affairs. Shi Heng and Cao Jixiang held power, proud and overbearing; only Yuan was treated with respect. At court assemblies Yuan wore a green robe; Heng laughed and said: "Before long we shall change that for you, sir. Yuan did not reply. Soon afterward he and Yue Zheng listed the crimes of Heng and Jixiang in a memorial that was kept at court. The two men were furious; they picked out phrases from an edict and accused the Grand Secretariat ministers of slander. The emperor was furious; seated in the side hall, he summoned them and said in a harsh voice: "Zheng is bold to dare such a thing! Yuan has always been respectful and cautious — why do you side with Zheng? Zheng was dismissed; Yuan was allowed to remain. After Li Xian was restored to office and entered the Grand Secretariat to wield power, Yuan assisted him. Before long Peng Shi also joined them; the three men worked together in great harmony. Xian was broad-minded and decisive in handling affairs. Yuan complemented him with steadiness, and general administration was well ordered. That winter he was promoted to Hanlin Academician.
19
六年，遭母喪，水漿不入口三日。 詔葬畢即起視事。 原乞終制。 不允。 乃之景州，啟父兄殯歸葬，舟中寢苫哀毀。 體素豐，至是羸瘠。 抵家甫襄事而卒，年四十五。 贈禮部左侍郎，謚文懿。
In the sixth year he suffered his mother's death and took no food or drink for three days. An edict ordered him to resume office as soon as the burial was complete. Yuan asked to complete the full mourning period. This was not granted. He then went to Jingzhou, opened the temporary coffins of his father and brother and returned them home for burial; aboard the boat he slept on straw mats and mourned in grief. He had always been robust of build; by now he was emaciated. On reaching home he had just completed the funeral rites when he died, at the age of forty-five. He was posthumously granted Left Vice Minister of Rites and given the posthumous name Wenyi.
20
原內剛外和，與物無競。 性儉約，身無紈綺。 歸裝惟賜衣數襲，分祿恤宗姻。
Yuan was firm within and gentle without, and contended with no one. By nature he was frugal and wore no silk finery. His returning baggage held only a few suits of granted clothing; he divided his salary to support kinsmen and in-laws.
21
子常，字秉之。 以蔭補國子生，供事翰林，遷中書舍人。 疏乞應試，所司執故事不許。 憲宗特許之，遂舉順天鄉試。 舍人得赴試自常始。 累遷禮部郎中，好學能文，諳掌故。 琉球請歲一入貢，回回貢使乞道廣東歸國，皆以非制格之。 以薦進南京太仆寺少卿。 故事，太仆馬數，不令他官知。 以是文籍磨滅，登耗無稽。 常曰：「他官不與聞，是也； 當職者，可貿貿耶？」 議請三年一校勘，著為例。 累遷南京太常卿，輯《典故因革》若干卷。 正德初，致仕歸。
His son Zichang, styled Bingzhi. By hereditary privilege he entered the Imperial Academy, served in the Hanlin Academy, and was transferred to Secretariat Drafter. He memorialized requesting permission to sit for the examinations; the responsible office held to precedent and refused. Emperor Xianzong specially permitted it, and he then passed the Shuntian provincial examination. The permission for drafters to sit for examinations began with Zichang. He rose through the ranks to Director in the Ministry of Rites; he loved learning, wrote well, and knew institutional precedents thoroughly. When Ryukyu requested annual tribute missions, and Muslim tribute envoys asked to return home by way of Guangdong, he rejected both as contrary to regulations. On recommendation he was promoted to Vice Director of the Nanjing Imperial Stud. By precedent, the number of horses in the Imperial Stud was not to be known by other offices. Because of this the records had worn away and additions and losses could not be verified. Zichang said: "That other offices should not be informed is correct; but can those who hold the office be so heedless? He proposed a triennial audit and had it established as precedent. He rose to Director of Ceremonies at Nanjing and compiled several volumes of Changes in Institutional Precedents. At the start of the Zhengde reign he retired and returned home.
22
嶽正，字季方，漷縣人。 正統十三年會試第一，賜進士及第，授編修，進左贊善。
Yue Zheng, styled Jifang, was from Huo County. In the thirteenth year of Zhengtong (1448), he ranked first in the metropolitan examination, passed the palace examination as a jinshi, was appointed a compiler, and promoted to Left Tutor.
23
天順初，改修撰，教小內侍書。 閣臣徐有貞、李賢下獄，帝既用呂原預政，頃之，薛瑄又致仕，帝謀代者。 王翺以正薦，遂召見文華殿。 正長身美須髯，帝遙見，色喜。 既登陛，連稱善。 問年幾何，家安在，何年進士，正具以對。 復大喜曰：「爾年正強仕，吾北人，又吾所取士，今用爾內閣，其盡力輔朕。」 正頓首受命。 趨出，石亨、張軏遇之左順門，愕然曰：「何自至此？」 比入，帝曰：「朕今日自擇一閣臣。」 問為誰，帝曰：「嶽正。」 兩人陽賀。 帝曰：「但官小耳，當與吏部左侍郎兼學士。」 兩人曰：「陛下既得人，俟稱職，加秩未晚。」 帝默然，遂命以原官入閣。
At the start of the Tianshun reign he was transferred to Drafting Compiler and taught young inner eunuchs to write. After Grand Secretariat ministers Xu Youzhen and Li Xian were imprisoned, the emperor had already brought Lu Yuan into state affairs; soon afterward Xue Xuan retired, and the emperor sought a replacement. Wang Ao recommended Zheng, and he was summoned to audience in the Wenhua Hall. Zheng was tall with a fine beard; seeing him from afar, the emperor's expression brightened with pleasure. Once he ascended the steps, the emperor repeatedly praised him. Asked his age, where his family lived, and in what year he had become a jinshi, Zheng answered in full. Greatly pleased again, he said, "You are just entering your prime; I am a northerner, and you are moreover a scholar I myself selected. Now that I am putting you in the Grand Secretariat, give me your full support. Zheng kowtowed and accepted the appointment. He hurried out, and Shi Heng and Zhang Yu ran into him at the Left Gate of Compliance. Astonished, they asked, "What brings you here? When they went in, the emperor said, "Today I chose a Grand Secretariat minister myself." Asked who it was, the emperor said, "Yue Zheng." The two men offered hollow congratulations. The emperor said, "His rank is only low; he should be made Left Vice Minister of Personnel with concurrent status as a Hanlin Bachelor. The two said, "Your Majesty has already found the right man. Wait until he proves himself in office; there will be time enough to raise his rank." The emperor said nothing and ordered Zheng to enter the Grand Secretariat at his existing rank.
24
正素豪邁，負氣敢言。 及為帝所拔擢，益感激思自效。 掌欽天監侍郎湯序者，亨黨也，嘗奏災異，請盡去奸臣。 帝問正，正言：「奸臣無指名。 即求之，人人自危。 且序術淺，何足信也。」 乃止。 有僧為妖言，錦衣校邏得之，坐以謀反。 中官牛玉請官邏者，正言：「事縱得實，不過坐妖言律，邏者給賞而已，不宜與官。」 僧黨數十人皆得免。 或為匿名書列曹吉祥罪狀，吉祥怒，請出榜購之。 帝使正撰榜格，正與呂原入見曰：「為政有體，盜賊責兵部，奸宄責法司，豈有天子出榜購募者？ 且事緩之則自露，急之則愈匿，此人情也。」 帝是其言，不問。 亨從子彪鎮大同，獻捷，下內閣問狀。 使者言捕斬無算，不能悉致，皆梟置林木間。 正按地圖指詰之，曰：「某地至某地，皆沙漠，汝梟置何所？」 其人語塞。
Zheng had always been bold and outspoken, proud in spirit and unafraid to speak his mind. Once the emperor had elevated him, he was all the more grateful and eager to prove his worth. Tang Xu, the Vice Director in charge of the Directorate of Astronomy, was one of Heng's allies. He had once memorialized about portents and calamities, asking that all treacherous ministers be removed. The emperor asked Zheng, who replied, "No treacherous ministers are named. If you pursue the charge, everyone will feel threatened. Besides, Xu's learning is shallow — why should he be believed? The emperor thereupon dropped the matter. A monk spread seditious talk; a brocade-clad guard named Bian Luo caught him and had him convicted of treason. The inner eunuch Niu Yu asked that the informer be given an official post. Zheng said, "Even if the case were proved, at most it would fall under the statute on seditious talk; the informer should receive a reward, nothing more. He should not be given office. Several dozen people associated with the monk were all spared. Someone wrote an anonymous letter listing Cao Jixiang's crimes. Jixiang was furious and asked that a public notice be posted offering a reward for the writer. The emperor had Zheng draft the notice. Zheng and Lu Yuan came before him and said, "Government has its proper form: bandits are the Ministry of War's responsibility, and criminals the judiciary's. How can the Son of Heaven himself post notices offering rewards? Besides, if a matter is handled slowly it will come to light on its own; if pressed, it will only be hidden all the more. That is human nature. The emperor agreed and let the matter drop. Heng's nephew Biao, commanding at Datong, reported a victory, and the report was sent to the Grand Secretariat to verify the details. The envoy said the number captured and beheaded was beyond counting and could not all be brought in; the heads had all been displayed on poles among the trees. Zheng studied the map and pressed him, saying, "From here to here it is all desert. Where did you display them on poles? The man had no answer.
25
時亨、吉祥恣甚，帝頗厭之。 正從容言：「二人權太重，臣請以計間之。」 帝許焉。 正出見吉祥曰：「忠國公常令杜清來此何為者？」 吉祥曰：「辱石公愛，致誠款耳。」 正曰：「不然，彼使伺公所為耳。」 因勸吉祥辭兵柄。 復詣亨，諭令自戢。 亨、吉祥揣知正意，怒。 吉祥見帝，免冠，泣請死。 帝內愧，慰諭之，召正責漏言。
By then Heng and Jixiang had become extremely overbearing, and the emperor had grown weary of them. Zheng said calmly, "Those two have too much power. Your subject asks leave to use a stratagem to set them against each other. The emperor agreed. Zheng went out and saw Jixiang. "Why does the Duke of Zhongguo keep sending Du Qing here?" he asked. Jixiang said, "Out of Lord Shi's kindness — just to show sincere regard." Zheng said, "Not at all. He sends him to watch what you do." Then he urged Jixiang to give up his military authority. He then went to Heng and told him to restrain himself. Heng and Jixiang saw through Zheng's plan and were furious. Jixiang went to the emperor, removed his cap, and weeping asked to die. The emperor felt ashamed, comforted Jixiang, and summoned Zheng to rebuke him for letting the plan slip.
26
會承天門災，正極言亨將為不軌，且言：「陳汝言，小人。 今既為尚書，可用盧彬為侍郎。 二人者俱譎悍，若同事必相齮龁，乘其隙可並去之。」 徐有貞再下獄，復云：「用有貞則天變可弭。」 帝皆不納。 及敕諭廷臣，命正視草。 正草敕曰：「乃者承天門災，朕心震驚，罔知所措。 意敬天事神，有未盡歟？ 祖宗成憲有不遵歟？ 善惡不分，用舍乖歟？ 曲直不辨，刑獄冤歟？ 征調多方，軍旅勞歟？ 賞賚無度，府庫虛歟？ 請謁不息，官爵濫歟？ 賄賂公行，政事廢歟？ 朋奸欺罔，附權勢歟？ 群吏弄法，擅威福歟？ 征斂徭役太重，而閭閻靡寧歟？ 讒諂奔競之徒幸進，而忠言正士不用歟？ 抑有司阘茸酷暴，貪冒無厭，而致軍民不得其所歟？ 此皆傷和致災之由，而朕有所未明也。 今朕省愆思咎，怵惕是存。 爾群臣休戚惟均，其洗心改過，無蹈前非，當行者直言無隱。」 敕下，舉朝傳誦。 而亨、吉祥構蜚語，謂正賣直謗訕。 帝怒，命仍授內侍書。 明日，謫欽州同知。 道漷，以母老留旬日。 陳汝言令巡校言狀，且言正嘗奪公主田。 遂逮系詔獄，杖百，戍肅州。 行至涿，夜宿傳舍。 手拲急，氣奔且死。 涿人楊四醉卒酒，脫正拲，刳其中，且厚賂卒，乃得至戍所。 亨、吉祥既誅，帝謂李賢曰：「嶽正固嘗言之。」 賢曰：「正有老母，得放歸田裏，幸甚。」 乃釋為民。
When the Chengtian Gate burned, Zheng spoke bluntly that Heng was about to rebel. He also said, "Chen Ruyan is a petty man. Now that he is a minister, Lu Bin should be made vice minister. Both are cunning and fierce. If they serve together they will surely tear at each other. Your Majesty can seize the opening and remove them both. Xu Youzhen had again been imprisoned. Zheng also said, "If Youzhen is restored to office, the heavenly portent can be stilled." The emperor rejected all of it. When an edict was to be issued instructing the court, the emperor ordered Zheng to draft it. Zheng drafted the edict: "Recently the Chengtian Gate was destroyed by fire. My heart was shaken with alarm, and I do not know what to do. Have I failed in reverence for Heaven and service to the spirits? Have I failed to follow the established statutes of the ancestral founders? Have good and evil gone undistinguished, and appointments and dismissals gone wrong? Have right and wrong gone unjudged, and punishments and imprisonments been unjust? Have levies and requisitions been imposed from too many quarters, wearing the armies with toil? Have rewards and gifts been dispensed without limit, emptying the treasuries? Have private petitions never ceased, and offices and ranks been handed out recklessly? Have bribes been traded openly, and government affairs neglected? Have corrupt factions deceived and misled, clinging to power and influence? Have officials manipulated the law and arrogated authority and favor to themselves? Have exactions and corvée labor been too heavy, leaving households without peace? Have slanderers and flatterers scrambling for advancement prospered, while loyal counsel and upright men have gone unused? Or have subordinate officials been incompetent, cruel, and violent, greedy without limit, so that soldiers and civilians have been left without their proper place? These are all causes that disturb harmony and bring disaster — yet there are things here I do not understand. Now I examine my faults and reflect on my errors, keeping fear and caution ever in mind. You ministers share my weal and woe alike. Cleanse your hearts, reform your ways, do not repeat past failings, and where action is needed speak frankly without concealment. When the edict was issued, the whole court passed it around and read it aloud. But Heng and Jixiang spread malicious rumors, saying Zheng was parading his integrity and making slanderous remarks. The emperor was angry and ordered him back to teaching the young inner eunuchs to write. The next day he was demoted to subprefect of Qinzhou. On the road at Huo, he stayed ten days because his mother was old. Chen Ruyan had roaming guards report what had happened, and also claimed that Zheng had once seized a princess's land. He was then arrested and held in the imperial prison, beaten one hundred strokes, and exiled to garrison duty at Suzhou. When he reached Zhuo, he spent the night at a relay station. His hand shackles were too tight; he was gasping and near death. A Zhuo man named Yang Si, drunk on wine, removed Zheng's shackles, carved out their insides to loosen them, and bribed the escort guards heavily — only then did Zheng reach his place of exile. After Heng and Jixiang were executed, the emperor said to Li Xian, "Yue Zheng had indeed said as much before. Li Xian said, "Zheng has an aged mother. If he could be released to return home to his fields, it would be a great mercy." Zheng was then released and restored to commoner status.
27
憲宗立，御史呂洪等請復正與楊瑄官，詔正以原官直經筵，纂修《英宗實錄》。 初，正得罪，都督僉事季鐸乞得其宅，至是敕還正。 正還朝，自謂當大用，而賢欲用為南京祭酒，正不悅。 忌者偽為正劾賢疏草，賢嗛之。
When Emperor Xianzong ascended the throne, Censor Lu Hong and others asked that Zheng and Yang Xuan be restored to office. An edict ordered Zheng back to his original post to attend the imperial lectures and compile the Veritable Records of Emperor Yingzong. When Zheng had first been condemned, Regional Commander Ji Duo had asked for his house; now an edict returned it to Zheng. Zheng returned to court expecting a major appointment, but Xian wanted to make him Chancellor of the Nanjing Imperial Academy, and Zheng was displeased. Envious men forged a draft memorial in Zheng's name impeaching Xian, and Xian resented him for it.
28
成化元年四月，廷推兵部侍郎清理貼黃，以正與給事中張寧名並上。 詔以為私，出正為興化知府，而寧亦補外。 正至官，築堤溉田數千頃，節縮浮費，經理預備倉，欲有所興革。 鄉士大夫不利其所為，騰謗言。 正亦厭吏職，五年入覲，遂致仕。 又五年卒，年五十五。 無子，大學士李東陽、御史李經，其婿也。
In the fourth month of the first year of Chenghua, the court jointly recommended candidates for Vice Minister of War to clear pending memorial endorsements. Both Zheng's name and that of Supervising Secretary Zhang Ning were put forward. An edict ruled the recommendation improper. Zheng was sent out as prefect of Xinghua, and Ning was also assigned to an outer post. Once in office, Zheng built dikes to irrigate several thousand qing of fields, cut unnecessary expenses, reorganized the reserve granaries, and sought to institute reforms. Local gentry and officials who disliked his work spread malicious rumors. Zheng also grew weary of office. After five years he came to court for audience and then retired. Five years later he died, at the age of fifty-five. He had no sons. Grand Secretary Li Dongyang and Censor Li Jing were his sons-in-law.
29
正博學能文章，高自期許，氣屹屹不能下人。 在內閣才二十八日，勇事敢言，便殿論奏，至唾濺帝衣。 有規以信而後諫者，慨然曰：「上顧我厚，懼無以報稱，子乃以諫官處我耶？」 英宗亦悉其忠，其在戍所，嘗念之曰：「嶽正倒好，只是大膽。」 正聞自為像贊，述帝前語，末言：「臣嘗聞古人之言，蓋將之死而靡憾也。」 其自信不回如此。 然意廣才疏，欲以縱橫之術離散權黨，反為所噬，人皆迂而惜之。 嘉靖中，追贈太常寺卿，謚文肅。
Zheng was broadly learned and a strong writer. He set his sights high and carried himself with such unyielding pride that he would not defer to others. He served in the Grand Secretariat for only twenty-eight days, yet was bold in action and fearless in speech. Debating in the informal hall, he even splashed saliva on the emperor's robes. When someone cautioned him to "establish trust first, then remonstrate," he said with feeling, "The sovereign treats me generously, and I fear I cannot repay his kindness — yet you would treat me like a remonstrating official? Emperor Yingzong also knew his loyalty. While Zheng was in exile, he once recalled him, saying, "Yue Zheng is really quite good — only too bold." When he heard this, Zheng wrote an inscription for his own portrait, quoting the emperor's words, and at the end added, "Your subject once heard the ancients say that one may approach death without regret." Such was his unshakable self-confidence. Yet his ambitions outran his abilities. Hoping to use divide-and-rule stratagems to break up the power faction, he was instead destroyed by them. People regarded him as impractical and regretted it. In the Jiajing reign he was posthumously ennobled as Director of Ceremonies and given the posthumous title Wensu.
30
彭時，字純道，安福人。 正統十三年進士第一，授修撰。 明年，郕王監國，令同商輅入閣預機務。 聞繼母憂，力辭，不允，乃拜命。 釋褐逾年參大政，前此未有也。 尋進侍讀。
Peng Shi, styled Chundao, was from Anfu. In the thirteenth year of Zhengtong (1448) he ranked first among the jinshi and was appointed Drafting Compiler. The next year, when the Prince of Cheng was regent, he was ordered together with Shang Lu to enter the Grand Secretariat and take part in confidential affairs. When he learned of his stepmother's death, he tried hard to decline, but was not allowed to do so and accepted the appointment. To take part in major government within a year of first entering office was unprecedented. Soon afterward he was promoted to Reader-in-Waiting.
31
景泰元年，以兵事稍息，得請終制。 然由此忤旨。 服除，命供事翰林院，不復與閣事。 易儲，遷左春坊大學士。 《寰宇通志》成，遷太常寺少卿。 俱兼侍讀。
In the first year of Jingtai (1450), as military affairs had eased somewhat, he obtained permission to complete his mourning rites. Yet in doing so he fell out of favor with the emperor. When his mourning period ended, he was assigned to the Hanlin Academy and was no longer involved in Grand Secretariat business. When the heir apparent was changed, he was transferred to Left Chancellor of the Eastern Palace. After the Comprehensive Gazetteer of the Realm was completed, he was promoted to Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. He held both posts concurrently as Reader-in-Waiting.
32
天順元年，徐有貞既得罪，嶽正、許彬相繼罷。 帝坐文華殿召見時，曰：「汝非朕所擢狀元乎？」 時頓首。 明日仍命入閣，兼翰林院學士。 閣臣自三楊後，進退禮甚輕。 為帝所親擢者，唯時與正二人。 而帝方向用李賢，數召賢獨對。 賢雅重時，退必咨之。 時引義爭可否，或至失色。 賢初小忤，久亦服其諒直，曰：「彭公，真君子也。」 慈壽皇太后上尊號，詔告天下。 時欲推恩，賢謂一年不宜再赦。 時曰：「非赦也，宜行優老典。 朝臣父母七十與誥敕，百姓八十給冠帶，是『老吾老以及人之老』也。」 賢稱善，即奏行之。
In the first year of Tianshun (1457), after Xu Youzhen had fallen from grace, Yue Zheng and Xu Bin were dismissed one after another. Seated in the Wenhua Hall, the emperor summoned Shi and asked, "Are you not the top graduate I personally chose? Shi kowtowed in reply. The next day the emperor again ordered him into the Grand Secretariat, with concurrent appointment as Hanlin Academician. Since the era of the Three Yangs, little ceremony had attended the appointment and dismissal of Grand Secretariat ministers. Only Shi and Zheng had been personally elevated by the emperor. But the emperor was turning to Li Xian and repeatedly summoned him for private consultations. Xian always respected Shi highly and unfailingly sought his counsel after leaving the emperor's presence. Shi would appeal to principle in debating each point, at times to the point of losing composure. Xian was initially a little offended, but over time he came to admire Shi's honesty and forthrightness, saying, "Lord Peng is a true gentleman. When Empress Dowager Cishou was given an honorific title, an edict proclaimed it throughout the realm. Shi wished to extend imperial grace, but Xian argued that it was inadvisable to issue another general amnesty within the same year. Shi said, "This is not an amnesty — we should instead put into practice the rites honoring the elderly. Court officials whose parents had reached seventy would receive letters of commendation, and commoners of eighty would be given ceremonial caps and sashes — embodying the principle of honoring one's own elders and extending that care to the elders of others. Xian approved, and immediately submitted a memorial to enact the proposal.
33
帝愛時風度，選庶吉士。 命賢盡用北人，南人必若時者方可。 賢以語時。 俄中官牛玉宣旨，時謂玉曰：「南士出時上者不少，何可抑之？」 已，選十五人，南六人與焉。
The emperor admired Shi's bearing and put him in charge of selecting junior Hanlin scholars. He instructed Xian to appoint northerners exclusively; southerners could be selected only if they were men of Shi's caliber. Xian related this to Shi. Before long the eunuch Niu Yu announced the imperial instruction. Shi said to him, "There are many southern scholars who surpass even Shi — how can they be held back? In the end fifteen were selected, six of them southerners.
34
門達構賢，帝惑之，曰：「去賢，行專用時矣。」 或傳其語，時矍然曰：「李公有經濟才，何可去？」 因力直之。 且曰：「賢去，時不得獨留。」 語聞，帝意乃解。
Men Da slandered Xian, and the emperor was taken in, saying, "Remove Xian, and I will rely on Shi alone. When word of this reached him, Shi was startled and said, "Lord Li has real ability in statecraft — he cannot be dismissed." He thereupon vigorously defended Xian. He added, "If Xian goes, I cannot remain by myself. When the emperor heard this, his suspicions were dispelled.
35
帝大漸，口占遺命，定後妃名分，勿以嬪禦殉葬，凡四事，付閣臣潤色。 時讀竟，涕下，悲愴不自勝。 中官復命，帝亦為隕涕。
As the emperor's condition worsened, he dictated his dying instructions — settling the titles of consorts, forbidding the burial of concubines in live sacrifice, four matters in all — and handed them to the Grand Secretariat ministers to draft in proper form. When Shi had finished reading, he wept, overcome with grief. When the eunuch reported back, the emperor wept as well.
36
憲宗即位，議上兩宮尊號。 中官夏時希周貴妃旨，言錢後久病，不當稱太后。 而貴妃，帝所生母，宜獨上尊號。 賢曰：「遺詔已定，何事多言。」 時曰：「李公言是也。 朝廷所以服天下，在正綱常。 若不爾，損聖德非小。」 頃之，中官復傳貴妃旨：「子為皇帝，母當為太后，豈有無子而稱太后者？ 宣德間有故事。」 賢色變，目時。 時曰：「今日事與宣德間不同。 胡後表讓位，退居別宮，故在正統初不加尊。 今名分固在，安得為比？」 中官曰：「如是何不草讓表？」 時曰：「先帝存日未嘗行，今誰敢草？ 若人臣阿意順從，是萬世罪人也。」 中官厲聲怵以危語。 時拱手向天曰：「太祖、太宗神靈在上，孰敢有二心！ 錢皇后無子，何所規利而為之爭？ 臣義不忍默者，欲全主上聖德耳。 若推大孝之心，則兩宮並尊為宜。」 賢亦極言之，議遂定。 及將上寶冊，時曰：「兩宮同稱則無別，錢太后宜加兩字，以便稱謂。」 乃尊為慈懿皇太后，貴妃為皇太后。 越數日，中官覃包至內閣曰：「上意固如是。 但迫於太后，不敢自主，非二公力急，幾誤大事。」 時閣臣陳文默無語，聞包言，甚愧。 禮成，進吏部右侍郎，兼學士，同知經筵。
When Emperor Xianzong ascended the throne, the court deliberated on honorific titles for the two empress dowagers. The eunuch Xia Shi, acting on Noble Consort Zhou's wishes, argued that Empress Qian had long been ill and should not be granted the title Empress Dowager. The Noble Consort, the emperor's biological mother, should alone receive the honorific title. Xian said, "The dying edict has already settled this — why raise it again? Shi said, "Lord Li is right. The court earns the loyalty of the realm by upholding proper moral order. Otherwise the damage to the emperor's moral standing would be considerable." Before long the eunuch relayed the Noble Consort's message again: "The son is emperor, so his mother should be empress dowager — can a woman without a son bear that title? There was a precedent from the Xuande reign." Xian's expression changed, and he looked to Shi for a response. Shi said, "Today's situation is not the same as in the Xuande reign. Empress Hu had formally petitioned to yield her position and retired to a separate palace, which is why no honorific was granted her at the start of the Zhengtong reign. Empress Qian's status is already established — the cases cannot be equated. The eunuch said, "In that case, why not draft a petition for her to yield her title?" Shi replied, "The late emperor never permitted this while he lived — who would dare draft such a document now? If we ministers simply flatter and comply, we will be condemned through the ages." The eunuch raised his voice and tried to intimidate them with threats. Shi clasped his hands toward heaven and declared, "The spirits of Taizu and Taizong are watching — who would dare be disloyal! Empress Qian has no son — what personal gain could she possibly seek in pressing this claim? I speak out because, as a subject, I cannot in good conscience stay silent — I mean only to safeguard the emperor's moral reputation. If we act from the deepest filial devotion, it is right that both empresses be honored equally. Xian also pressed the point forcefully, and the matter was settled. As the presentation of the imperial honors was about to proceed, Shi said, "If both bear the same title there will be no way to tell them apart — two additional characters should be added to Empress Dowager Qian's title for ease of address. Empress Qian was honored as Empress Dowager Ciyi, and the Noble Consort as Empress Dowager. A few days later the eunuch Tan Bao came to the Grand Secretariat and said, "The emperor's intention was always as you argued. But constrained by the empress dowager, he dared not decide on his own — had the two of you not pressed so hard, a grave mistake would nearly have been made. The Grand Secretariat minister Chen Wen had said nothing throughout; when he heard Bao's words, he was deeply ashamed. After the ceremonies were completed, he was promoted to Right Vice Minister of Personnel, with concurrent appointment as Academician and Associate Director of the Imperial Lectures.
37
成化改元，進兵部尚書，兼官如故。 明年秋，乞歸省。 三年二月詔趣還朝，《英宗實錄》成，加太子少保。 兼文淵閣大學士。
When the reign title was changed to Chenghua, he was promoted to Minister of War while keeping his concurrent appointments unchanged. The following autumn he asked for leave to visit his family at home. In the second month of the third year an edict recalled him to court; when the Veritable Records of Emperor Yingzong were completed, he was made Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent. He was also appointed Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion.
38
四年，慈懿太后崩，詔議山陵。 時及商輅、劉定之言：「太后作配先帝，正位中宮，陛下尊為太后，詔示天下。 先帝全夫婦之倫，陛下盡母子之愛，於義俱得。 今梓宮當合葬裕陵，主當祔廟，此不易之禮。 比聞欲別卜葬地，臣等實懷疑懼。 竊謂皇上所以遲疑者，必以今皇太后萬壽後，當與先帝同尊，自嫌二後並配，非祖宗制。 考之於古，漢文帝尊所生母薄太后，而呂後仍祔長陵。 宋仁宗追尊生母李宸妃，而劉後仍祔太廟。 今若陵廟之制稍有未合，則有乖前美，貽譏來葉。」 於是諸大臣相繼言之。 帝猶重違太后意，時偕朝臣伏文華門泣請。 帝與太后皆感動，始從時議。
In the fourth year Empress Dowager Ciyi died, and the court was ordered to deliberate on her burial arrangements. Shi, along with Shang Lu and Liu Dingzhi, said, "The empress dowager was the late emperor's rightful consort in the central palace; Your Majesty honored her as empress dowager and proclaimed it throughout the realm. The late emperor fulfilled the bond between husband and wife, and Your Majesty has shown complete filial devotion — both obligations are properly met. Her coffin should be interred alongside the late emperor at Yuling, and her spirit tablet placed in the ancestral temple — this is established ritual that should not be changed. We have recently heard that a separate burial site may be chosen, and we are deeply troubled by the prospect. We suspect Your Majesty hesitates because, after the present empress dowager's death, she too will deserve equal honor with the late emperor — and you may worry that having two empresses share the consort's place violates ancestral precedent. History provides precedent: Emperor Wen of Han honored his birth mother Empress Dowager Bo, yet Empress Lü's spirit tablet remained at Changling. Emperor Renzong of Song posthumously honored his birth mother Consort Li, yet Empress Liu's tablet remained in the Grand Temple. If the arrangements for tomb and temple deviate even slightly from proper form, we will fall short of past exemplars and invite censure from future ages. Senior ministers spoke up one after another in support. The emperor still dreaded defying the empress dowager's wishes, so Shi and other officials knelt and wept in petition at the Wenhua Gate. Both the emperor and the empress dowager were moved, and the emperor finally accepted Shi's recommendation.
39
彗見三臺，時等言：「外廷大政固所當先，宮中根本尤為至急。 諺雲『子出多母』。 今嬪嬙眾多，維熊無兆。 必陛下愛有所專，而專寵者已過生育之期故也。 望均恩愛，為宗社大計。」 時帝專寵萬貴妃，妃年已近四十，時故云然。 又言：「大臣黜陟，宜斷自宸衷，或集群臣僉議。 不可悉委臣下，使大權旁落。」 帝雖不能從，而心嘉其忠。
When a comet appeared in the Three Terraces asterism, Shi and others said, "Outer-court affairs must naturally come first, but the foundation of the inner palace is even more urgent. As the saying goes, 'Many mothers, yet still no son.' The inner palace is filled with consorts, yet there is no sign of pregnancy. This must be because Your Majesty's affection is concentrated on one woman who is already past childbearing age. We urge Your Majesty to share your affection more broadly, for the sake of the dynasty's future. The emperor was devoted exclusively to Consort Wan, who was already nearly forty — which is why Shi said what he did. He also said, "The promotion and dismissal of senior ministers should be decided by Your Majesty personally, or through collective deliberation among the ministers. Authority must not be entirely delegated to subordinates, lest supreme power pass into other hands. The emperor could not follow this advice, but he admired Shi's loyalty.
40
都御史項忠討滿四不利。 朝議命撫寧侯朱永將京軍往赴。 永故難其行，多所邀請。 時惡其張大，且度軍可無行，第令整裝待。 會忠馳奏，已圍賊石城。 帝遣中官懷恩、黃賜偕兵部尚書白圭、程信等至閣議。 時曰：「賊四出攻剽，鋒誠不可當。 今入石城自保，我軍圍甚固，此困獸易擒耳。」 信曰：「安知忠不退師？」 時曰：「彼部分已定，何故自退？ 且今出師，度何時到？」 信曰：「來春。」 時曰：「如此，益緩不及事。 事成敗，冬月決矣。」 信忿，出危言曰：「忠若敗，必斬一二人，然後出師。」 眾危之，問時何見。 曰：「觀忠疏曲折，知其能。 若聞別遣禁軍，將退避不敢任，賊不可知矣。」 時惟商輅然其言。 至冬，賊果平，人乃大服。 改吏部尚書。
Censor-in-Chief Xiang Zhong's campaign against the rebel Man Si was going poorly. The court decided to send the Marquis of Zoning Zhu Yong at the head of capital troops to reinforce him. Zhu Yong deliberately delayed his departure, making numerous demands. Shi resented Zhu Yong's arrogance and judged that the troops need not be sent at all; he merely ordered them to stand ready. Just then Xiang Zhong sent an urgent report that he had already besieged the rebels at Shicheng. The emperor sent the eunuchs Huai En and Huang Ci, together with the Minister of War Bai Gui, Cheng Xin, and others, to the Grand Secretariat to deliberate. Shi said, "The rebels have been raiding in every direction — their momentum is truly formidable. Now they have withdrawn into Shicheng for safety, and our encirclement is tight — cornered beasts like these are easily taken. Cheng Xin said, "How can we be sure Xiang Zhong won't pull his forces back?" Shi replied, "His deployments are already set — why would he withdraw on his own initiative? And if we dispatch troops now, when would they even arrive?" Cheng Xin said, "Not until next spring." Shi said, "In that case we would only arrive too late to matter. The outcome will be decided this winter." Cheng Xin, furious, spoke bluntly: "If Xiang Zhong fails, someone will have to lose his head before we send troops." The others were alarmed and asked Peng Shi what he saw in the situation. He replied, "Reading the detail in Xiang Zhong's memorial, I can see he knows what he is doing. If he learns that the capital is sending a separate force, he will pull back and refuse to commit himself — and the rebels' fate will become impossible to predict. Only Shang Lu agreed with Peng Shi. By winter the rebels had indeed been suppressed, and people came to admire him greatly. He was transferred to the post of Minister of Personnel.
41
五年得疾在告。 逾三月，帝趣赴閣視事，免朝參。 是冬，無雪。 疏言：「光祿寺采辦，各城門抽分，掊克不堪。 而獻珍珠寶石者，倍估增直，漁竭帑藏。 乞革其弊，以惠小民。」 帝優詔褒納。 畿輔、山東、河南旱，請免夏稅鹽鈔，及太仆寺賠課馬。 京師米貴，請發倉儲五十萬石平糶。 並從之。 時以舊臣見倚重，遇事爭執無所避。 而是時帝怠於政，大臣希得見。 萬安同在閣，結中貴戚畹，上下壅隔，時頗懷憂。
In the fifth year he fell ill and went on sick leave. After more than three months the emperor pressed him to return to the Grand Secretariat and resume work, exempting him from daily court attendance. That winter brought no snow. He memorialized: "The Court of Imperial Entertainments' procurement agents, with their levies at every city gate, squeeze the people past endurance. Those who offered pearls and gems had their prices doubled and inflated, draining the treasury dry. I ask that these abuses be abolished for the benefit of the common people. The emperor responded with a gracious edict of praise and acceptance. When drought struck the capital region, Shandong, and Henan, he asked that summer taxes and salt certificates be remitted and that the Court of Imperial Stud's levies for compensation horses be waived. With grain prices soaring in the capital, he asked that five hundred thousand shi be released from the granaries for relief sale at fair prices. All these requests were granted. As a senior minister in whom the emperor placed great trust, Shi argued his points without flinching. Yet the emperor had grown negligent in government, and senior ministers rarely obtained an audience. Wan An served alongside him in the Grand Secretariat, cultivating ties with powerful eunuchs and imperial in-laws; with communication between throne and ministers choked off, Shi grew deeply worried.
42
七年，疾復作，乞致仕。 帝慰留之，不得去。 冬，彗復見，時言政本七事：一，毋惑佛事，糜金錢； 二，傳旨專委司禮監，毋令他人，以防詐偽； 三，延見大臣議政事； 四，近幸賜予太多，工匠冒官無紀，而重囚死徙者，法不蔽罪。 宜戒淫刑僭賞； 五，虛懷受諫，勿惡切直； 六，戒廷臣毋依違，凡政令失當，直言論奏； 七，清理牧馬草地，減退勢要莊田。 皆切中時弊。
In the seventh year his illness returned, and he asked to retire. The emperor comforted him and kept him at his post; he was not permitted to leave. That winter a comet appeared again, and Shi set forth seven foundations of good government: first, do not be led astray by Buddhist rites that squander gold and silver; second, confide the transmission of imperial orders exclusively to the Directorate of Ceremonial and to no one else, to guard against forgery; third, summon senior ministers to audience to deliberate on state affairs; fourth, favorites receive excessive gifts; artisans falsely claim official rank without restraint; yet for serious offenders condemned to death or exile, the law fails to reach them; the court should guard against excessive punishments and improper rewards; fifth, receive remonstrance with an open mind and do not resent blunt speech; sixth, warn court ministers against equivocation — whenever a policy is wrong, speak out plainly in memorials; seventh, restore pasture lands used for horse herding and roll back the estate holdings of the powerful. Every point went straight to the abuses of the day.
43
寧晉伯劉聚為從父太監永誠請封謚，且乞祠額，禮部執故事卻之。 帝特賜額曰「褒功」，命內閣擬封謚。 時等言：「即予永誠，將來守邊內臣皆援此陳乞，是變祖宗法自今日始。」 或言宋童貫封王，時曰：「貫封王在徽宗末年，豈盛世事耶？」 乃寢。
The Marquis of Ningjin, Liu Ju, petitioned on behalf of his uncle, the eunuch Yongcheng, for a noble title and posthumous honors, and also asked for an inscribed plaque for a shrine; the Ministry of Rites held to precedent and refused. The emperor personally granted a plaque bearing the words "Honoring Merit" and ordered the Grand Secretariat to draft titles of ennoblement and posthumous honor. Shi and the others said, "If Yongcheng is granted this, every eunuch who guards the frontier hereafter will cite this precedent in petition — the ancestral institutions would be altered from this day forward. Someone cited how Tong Guan of the Song had been ennobled as a king; Shi replied, "Tong Guan received a royal title only in the last years of Emperor Huizong — is that the sort of thing that happens in an age of good government?" The proposal was dropped.
44
時每因災變上言，或留中，或下所司，多阻隔，悒悒不得誌。 五年以後，凡七在告，帝輒命醫就視，數遣內臣賜賚。 十一年正月，以秩滿進少保。 逾月卒，年六十。 贈太師，謚文憲。
Whenever natural disasters struck, Shi would submit memorials; some were kept in the palace, others were passed to the relevant offices — but much was blocked, and he grew dejected, unable to carry out his aims. After the fifth year he went on sick leave seven times in all; each time the emperor sent physicians to attend him and repeatedly dispatched eunuchs bearing gifts. In the first month of the eleventh year, upon completing his term of service, he was promoted to Junior Guardian. A month later he died at the age of sixty. He was posthumously ennobled as Grand Preceptor and given the posthumous title Wenxian.
45
時立朝三十年，孜孜奉國，持正存大體，公退未嘗以政語子弟。 有所論薦，不使其人知。 燕居無惰容，服禦儉約，無聲樂之奉，非其義不取，有古大臣風。
Shi served at court for thirty years, devoting himself tirelessly to the state, upholding integrity and the larger principles of governance; after leaving office he never discussed state affairs with his sons and nephews. When he recommended someone, he never let that person know. In private life he never showed a slack bearing; his dress was plain and frugal; he kept no musicians for amusement; he accepted nothing that was not right — he had the bearing of the great ministers of antiquity.
46
三年，錦衣指揮盧忠令校尉上變，告上皇與少監阮浪、內使王瑤圖復位。 帝震怒，捕二人下詔獄，窮治之。 忠筮於術者同寅，寅以大義折之，且曰：「此大兇兆，死不足贖。」 忠懼，佯狂以冀免。 輅及中官王誠言於帝曰：「忠病風，無足信，不宜聽妄言，傷大倫。」 帝意少解。 乃並下忠獄，坐以他罪，降為事官立功。 殺瑤，錮浪於獄，事得不竟。
In the third year the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Lu Zhong, had a guard submit an urgent report accusing the Retired Emperor, Junior Supervisor Ruan Lang, and the inner attendant Wang Yao of plotting a restoration. The emperor was furious; the two men were arrested and sent to the imperial prison for exhaustive investigation. Zhong consulted the diviner Tong Yin; Yin rebuked him on grounds of moral principle and said, "This is a terrible omen — death would not be enough to atone for it. Terrified, Zhong feigned madness in the hope of escaping punishment. Shang Lu and the eunuch Wang Cheng told the emperor, "Zhong suffers from wind sickness and is not to be believed; wild talk like this should not be heeded, lest it damage the fundamental bonds of kinship. The emperor's anger eased somewhat. Zhong was then sent to prison as well; convicted on other charges, he was demoted to bondservant status to earn merit through military service. Wang Yao was executed; Ruan Lang was imprisoned; and the affair was not pursued to its conclusion.
47
太子既易，進兵部左侍郎，兼左春坊大學士如故，賜第南薰裏。 塞上腴田率為勢豪侵據，輅請核還之軍。 開封、鳳陽諸府饑民流濟寧、臨清間，為有司驅逐。 輅憂其為變，請招墾畿內八府閑田，給糧種，民皆有所歸。 鐘同、章綸下獄，輅力救得無死。 《寰宇通志》成，加兼太常卿。
After the heir apparent was changed, he was promoted to Left Vice Minister of War, continuing as before as Grand Secretary of the Left Eastern Pavilion, and was granted a residence in Nanxun Lane. The fertile fields along the frontier had largely been seized by powerful families; Lu requested that they be verified and returned to military use. Starving people from Kaifeng, Fengyang, and other prefectures drifted between Jining and Linqing, only to be driven off by local officials. Fearing this would spark unrest, Lu asked that settlers be recruited to reclaim idle land in the eight prefectures around the capital, with grain and seed provided, so that the people would have somewhere to settle. When Zhong Tong and Zhang Lun were imprisoned, Lu worked strenuously to save them from execution. When the Comprehensive Gazetteer of the Realm was completed, he was additionally appointed Vice Director of Ceremonies.
48
景帝不豫，群臣請建東宮，不許。 將繼奏，輅援筆曰：「陛下宣宗章皇帝之子，當立章皇帝子孫。」 聞者感動。 以日暮，奏未入，而是夜石亨輩已迎復上皇。 明日，王文、于謙等被收，召輅與高谷入便殿，溫旨諭之，命草復位詔。 亨密語輅，赦文毋別具條款。 輅曰：「舊制也，不敢易。」 亨輩不悅，諷言官劾輅朋奸，下之獄。 輅上書自訴《復儲疏》在禮部，可覆驗，不省。 中官興安稍解之，帝愈怒。 安曰：「向者此輩創議南遷，不審置陛下何地。」 帝意漸釋，乃斥為民。 然帝每獨念「輅，朕所取士，嘗與姚夔侍東宮」，不忍棄之。 以忌者，竟不復用。
When Emperor Jing fell ill, the ministers petitioned to establish an heir apparent; he refused. As they were about to continue the memorial, Lu took up the brush and wrote, "Your Majesty is a son of the Xuande Emperor; the heir ought to be chosen from among the Xuande Emperor's descendants. All who heard it were deeply moved. It was already late in the day and the memorial had not yet been submitted, but that very night Shi Heng and his allies had already restored the Retired Emperor to the throne. The next day Wang Wen, Yu Qian, and others were arrested; Shang Lu and Gao Gu were summoned to the informal palace hall, addressed with gracious words, and ordered to draft the restoration edict. Shi Heng spoke privately to Lu, telling him the amnesty edict should not separately enumerate its provisions. Lu replied, "That is the established practice; I dare not alter it. Heng and his allies were displeased; they had censors impeach Lu for factional collusion, and he was thrown into prison. Lu submitted a memorial in his own defense, noting that his "Memorial on Restoring the Heir Apparent" was on file at the Ministry of Rites and could be checked — but the emperor paid no attention. The eunuch Xing'an tried mildly to intercede for him, but the emperor only grew angrier. Xing'an said, "These men were the ones who first proposed moving the capital south — they gave no thought to where Your Majesty would be left. The emperor's anger gradually subsided, and Lu was reduced to commoner status. Yet the emperor often thought to himself, "Lu is a jinshi I personally chose; he once served the Eastern Palace together with Yao Kui" — and could not bear to cast him aside entirely. But because of those who envied him, he was never reemployed.
49
明年，彗星見，給事中董旻、御史胡深等劾不職大臣，並及輅。 御史林誠詆輅曾與易儲，不宜用，帝不聽。 輅因求罷。 帝怒，命廷鞫諸言者，欲加重譴。 輅曰：「臣嘗請優容言者，今論臣反責之，如公論何？」 帝悅，旻等各予杖復職。 尋進兵部尚書。 久之，進戶部。 《宋元通鑒綱目》成，改兼文淵閣大學士。 皇太子立，加太子少保，進吏部尚書。 十三年進謹身殿大學士。
The following year a comet appeared; the supervising secretary Dong Min, the censor Hu Shen, and others impeached negligent senior ministers, Shang Lu among them. The censor Lin Cheng attacked Lu for having once supported a change of heir and argued he should not be employed; the emperor would not hear of it. Lu therefore asked to be dismissed. The emperor was angry and ordered a court trial of those who had spoken out, intending to impose heavier punishment. Lu said, "Your subject once asked that those who speak out be treated with forbearance; now because of accusations against me You would punish them — what becomes of public opinion? The emperor was pleased; Dong Min and the others each received a beating with the rod and were restored to office. Before long he was promoted to Minister of War. After some time he was transferred to the Ministry of Revenue. When the Outline and Details of the Comprehensive Mirror from Song and Yuan was completed, he was made Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion. When the crown prince was established, he was additionally made Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent and promoted to Minister of Personnel. In the thirteenth year he was promoted to Grand Secretary of the Jinshen Hall.
50
輅為人，平粹簡重，寬厚有容，至臨大事，決大議，毅然莫能奪。
Shang Lu was even-tempered, upright, and dignified, generous and forbearing; yet when great affairs arose and weighty questions had to be decided, he was resolute and could not be moved.
51
仁壽太后莊戶與民爭田，帝欲徙民塞外。 輅曰：「天子以天下為家，安用皇莊為？」 事遂寢。 乾清宮門災，工部請采木川、湖。 輅言宜少緩，以存警畏，從之。
When Empress Dowager Renshou's estate disputed land with commoners, the emperor wished to relocate the people beyond the frontier. Lu said, "The Son of Heaven takes all under Heaven as his home — what need is there for imperial estates? The proposal was dropped. When fire destroyed the gate of the Qianqing Palace, the Ministry of Works requested timber from Sichuan and Huguang. Lu argued that the work should be delayed somewhat, to preserve a sense of vigilance and awe; the emperor agreed.
52
悼恭太子薨，帝以繼嗣為憂。 紀妃生皇子，六歲矣，左右畏萬貴妃，莫敢言。 久之，乃聞於帝。 帝大喜，欲宣示外廷，遣中官至內閣諭意。 輅請敕禮部擬上皇子名，於是廷臣相率稱賀。 帝即命皇子出見廷臣。 越數日，帝復禦文華殿，皇子侍，召見輅及諸閣臣。 輅頓首曰：「陛下踐祚十年，儲副未立，天下引領望久矣。 當即立為皇太子，安中外心。」 帝頷之。 是冬，遂立皇子為皇太子。
When Crown Prince Daogong died, the emperor was deeply troubled about the succession. Consort Ji had borne a prince who was now six years old, but those around the emperor feared Consort Wan and no one dared speak of it. Only after a long time did the emperor finally learn of it. The emperor was overjoyed and wished to announce it to the outer court; he sent a eunuch to the Grand Secretariat to convey his intent. Lu asked that an edict be issued ordering the Ministry of Rites to draft a name for the prince; thereupon the court ministers one after another offered congratulations. The emperor immediately ordered the prince brought out to meet the court ministers. Several days later the emperor again held audience at the Wenhua Hall with the prince in attendance and summoned Shang Lu and the other grand secretaries. Lu kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty has reigned ten years without establishing an heir apparent; the whole realm has long waited in eager anticipation. He should be established as crown prince at once, to reassure the court and the realm. The emperor nodded in assent. That winter the prince was duly established as crown prince.
53
初，帝召見皇子留宮中，而紀妃仍居西內。 輅恐有他患，難顯言，偕同官上疏曰：「皇子聰明岐嶷，國本攸系。 重以貴妃保護，恩逾己出。 但外議謂皇子母因病別居，久不得見。 宜移就近所，俾母子朝夕相接，而皇子仍藉撫育於貴妃，宗社幸甚。」 由是紀妃遷永壽宮。 逾月，妃病篤。 輅請曰：「如有不諱，禮宜從厚。」 且請命司禮監奉皇子，過妃宮問視，及制衰服行禮。 帝皆是之。
At first the emperor summoned the prince, kept him in the palace, and Consort Ji remained in the Western Inner Palace. Lu feared some other trouble and could not speak openly; he joined his colleagues in a memorial: "The prince is bright and precocious, and the succession of the realm hangs upon him. Moreover, under the imperial consort's care, the kindness shown him surpasses even that owed to one's own son. Yet public talk holds that the prince's mother, ill and living apart, has long been unable to see him. She should be moved nearby so mother and son may meet daily, while the prince continues to be raised under the imperial consort's care — a great blessing for the dynasty. Accordingly Consort Ji was moved to the Palace of Eternal Longevity. After more than a month the consort's illness turned critical. Lu petitioned: "Should the worst come to pass, the funeral rites ought to be conducted with full honor. He also asked that the Directorate of Ceremonial escort the prince to the consort's quarters to inquire after her, and that mourning garments be prepared so he could perform the proper rites. The emperor approved every request.
54
帝將復郕王位號，下廷議。 輅極言王有社稷功，位號當復，帝意遂決。 帝建玉皇閣於宮北，命內臣執事，禮與郊祀等，輅等爭罷之。 黑眚見，疏弭災八事，曰：番僧國師法王，毋濫賜印章； 四方常貢外，勿受玩好； 許諸臣直言； 分遣部使慮囚，省冤獄； 停不急營造，實三邊軍儲； 守沿邊關隘； 設雲南巡撫。 帝優詔褒納。
The emperor intended to restore the Prince of Cheng's title and submitted the matter for court deliberation. Lu argued forcefully that the prince had served the realm and deserved restoration of his title, and the emperor's mind was made up. The emperor built the Jade Emperor Pavilion north of the palace, put eunuchs in charge, and planned rites on a par with the suburban sacrifice; Lu and his colleagues protested until the project was abandoned. When a dark omen appeared, he submitted eight proposals to avert calamity: do not lavish seals on Tibetan monks, national preceptors, and dharma kings; apart from regular tribute from the four directions, accept no curios or luxuries; permit officials to speak plainly; send out ministers in turn to review prisoners and reduce wrongful convictions; suspend nonessential construction and fill the grain stores on the three frontiers; hold the frontier passes and barriers; establish a grand coordinator for Yunnan. The emperor responded with a gracious edict of praise and acceptance.
55
中官汪直之督西廠也，數興大獄。 輅率同官條直十一罪，言：「陛下委聽斷於直，直又寄耳目於群小如韋瑛輩。 皆自言承密旨，得顓刑殺，擅作威福，賊虐善良。 陛下若謂擿奸禁亂，法不得已，則前此數年，何以帖然無事？ 且曹欽之變，由逯杲刺事激成，可為懲鑒。 自直用事，士大夫不安其職，商賈不安於途，庶民不安於業，若不亟去，天下安危未可知也。」 帝慍曰：「用一內豎，何遽危天下，誰主此奏者？」 命太監懷恩傳旨，詰責厲甚。 輅正色曰：「朝臣無大小，有罪皆請旨逮問，直擅抄沒三品以上京官。 大同、宣府，邊城要害，守備俄頃不可缺。 直一日械數人。 南京，祖宗根本地，留守大臣，直擅收捕。 諸近侍在帝左右，直輒易置。 直不去，天下安得無危？」 萬安、劉珝、劉吉亦俱對，引義慷慨，恩等屈服。 輅顧同列謝曰：「諸公皆為國如此，輅復何憂。」 會九卿項忠等亦劾直，是日遂罷西廠。 直雖不視廠事，寵幸如故。 譖輅嘗納指揮楊曄賄，欲脫其罪。 輅不自安，而御史戴縉復頌直功，請復西廠，輅遂力求去。 詔加少保，賜敕馳傳歸。 輅既去，士大夫益俯首事直，無敢與抗者矣。
While the eunuch Wang Zhi oversaw the Western Depot, he repeatedly launched major prosecutions. Lu led his colleagues in listing eleven crimes against Zhi, saying: "Your Majesty has entrusted judgment to Zhi, and Zhi in turn relies on petty men such as Wei Ying for his eyes and ears. They all claim secret edicts, wield exclusive power over life and death, abuse their authority for private gain, and prey upon the innocent. If Your Majesty holds that uncovering treachery and suppressing disorder leave no choice but harsh law, then why were the preceding years so tranquil and untroubled? Moreover, Cao Qin's uprising was provoked by Lu Gao's secret investigations — a lesson that should not be forgotten. Since Zhi took power, officials cannot perform their duties in peace, merchants cannot travel in peace, and common people cannot work in peace; if he is not removed at once, the realm's safety is impossible to foresee. The emperor said in anger: "Because I employ one palace eunuch, how could the realm suddenly be endangered? Who drafted this memorial?" He ordered the eunuch Huai'en to deliver the imperial message and rebuke them with unusual severity. Lu answered sternly: "Court officials great and small, when guilty, are all arrested only by imperial order — yet Zhi on his own authority raids and seizes third-rank capital officials and above. Datong and Xuanfu are vital frontier strongholds whose garrisons cannot stand empty even for a moment. In a single day Zhi puts several men in fetters. Nanjing is the dynasty's ancestral foundation, yet Zhi on his own authority arrests the grand ministers left to guard it. The attendants at the emperor's side — Zhi replaces them at will. If Zhi is not removed, how can the realm remain safe? Wan An, Liu Yu, and Liu Ji also spoke up, invoking principle with passionate force, and Huai'en and the others were forced to yield. Lu turned to his colleagues and said with gratitude: "You gentlemen have all served the state like this — what more need Lu worry about? At the same time the nine ministers, led by Xiang Zhong, also impeached Zhi, and that day the Western Depot was abolished. Although Zhi no longer oversaw the depot, his favor at court remained undiminished. He slandered Lu, claiming he had once taken a bribe from the commander Yang Ye to secure his acquittal. Lu grew uneasy, and when Censor Dai Jin again praised Zhi's achievements and petitioned to restore the Western Depot, Lu pressed hard to resign. An edict promoted him to Junior Guardian and granted him an imperial letter to return home by express relay. After Lu left, officials bowed even lower before Zhi, and none dared stand against him.
56
錢溥嘗以不遷官，作《禿婦傳》以譏輅。 高瑤請復景帝位號，黎淳疏駁，極詆輅。 輅皆不為較，待之如平時。 萬貴妃重輅名，出父像，屬為贊，遺金帛甚厚。 輅力辭，使者告以妃意。 輅曰：「非上命，不敢承也。」 貴妃不悅，輅終不顧。 其和而有執如此。
Qian Pu, passed over for promotion, once wrote "Biography of the Bald Wife" to mock Lu. Gao Yao petitioned to restore Emperor Jing's title; Li Chun submitted a rebuttal that fiercely denounced Lu. Lu never took offense and treated them as he always had. Consort Wan respected Lu's reputation, produced her father's portrait, and asked him to compose an encomium, sending a lavish gift of gold and silks. Lu firmly declined; the envoy relayed the consort's wishes. Lu said: "Without an imperial command, I dare not accept. The consort was displeased, but Lu never yielded. Such was his manner — conciliatory, yet firm when it mattered.
57
及謝政，劉吉過之，見其子孫林立，嘆曰：「吉與公同事歷年，未嘗見公筆下妄殺一人，宜天之報公厚。」 輅曰：「正不敢使朝廷妄殺一人耳。」 居十年卒，年七十三。 贈太傅，謚文毅。
After he retired, Liu Ji visited him and, seeing sons and grandsons standing about in ranks, sighed: "I have served with you for years and never saw you, by your own hand, put an innocent person to death — no wonder Heaven has rewarded you so richly. Lu said: "It is precisely because I never dared let the court put an innocent person to death." He lived ten years in retirement and died at seventy-three. He was posthumously honored as Grand Preceptor with the posthumous name Wenyì.
58
子良臣，成化初進士，官翰林侍講。
His son Liangchen, a jinshi in the early Chenghua reign, served as a Hanlin reader-in-waiting.
59
劉定之，字主靜，永新人。 幼有異稟。 父授之書，日誦數千言。 不令作文，一日偶見所為《祀竈文》。 大異之。 舉正統元年會試第一，殿試及第，授編修。
Liu Dingzhi, styled Zhujing, was a native of Yongxin. Even as a child he showed unusual gifts. When his father taught him to read, he could recite several thousand characters a day. He had not yet been taught to write essays when one day his father happened upon a "Stove God Text" he had composed. His father was astonished. He placed first in the metropolitan examination of the first year of Zhengtong, passed the palace examination, and was appointed a compiler.
60
京城大水，應詔陳十事，言：「號令宜出大公，裁以至正，不可茍且數易。 公卿侍從，當數召見，察其才能心術而進退之。 降人散處京畿者，宜漸移之南方。 郡縣職以京朝官補，使叠相出入，內外無畸重。 薦舉之法，不當拘五品以上。 可仿唐制，朝臣遷秩，舉一人自代，吏部籍其名而簡用之。 武臣子孫，教以韜略。 守令牧養為先務，毋徒取幹辦。 群臣遭喪，乞永罷起復以教孝。 僧尼蠹國當嚴絕。 富民輸粟授官者，有犯宜追奪。」 疏入留中。 十三年，弟寅之與鄉人相訐，辭連定之。 下獄，得白。 秩滿，進侍講。
When the capital was struck by severe flooding, he responded to an imperial edict with ten proposals: "Edicts should proceed from the broad public good, trimmed to what is right, and must not be changed lightly and often. Dukes, ministers, and attendants should be summoned often, their ability and character assessed, and they should be promoted or dismissed accordingly. Surrendered peoples scattered about the capital region should gradually be resettled in the south. Prefectural and county posts should be filled by capital officials in rotation, so that service alternates between court and provinces without either side overweighted. The rules of recommendation should not be restricted to officials of fifth rank and above. The Tang practice may be revived: when a court minister is transferred, he should recommend one successor, and the Ministry of Personnel should keep a register of names and select from it. The sons and grandsons of military officers should be trained in strategy and tactics. Prefects and magistrates should put nurturing the people first, not merely prize administrative efficiency. When ministers suffer a parent's death, permanently abolish the practice of resuming office from mourning, so as to teach filial piety. Monks and nuns who drain the state should be strictly suppressed. Wealthy men who buy office by submitting grain should have their appointments revoked if they commit offenses. The memorial was received and retained at court. In the thirteenth year his younger brother Yinzhi quarreled with a fellow townsman, and the case implicated Dingzhi. He was imprisoned but later cleared. When his term expired he was promoted to reader-in-waiting.
61
景帝即位，復上言十事，曰：
When Emperor Jing took the throne, he again submitted ten proposals:
62
自古如晉懷、湣、宋徽、欽，皆因邊塞外破，藩鎮內潰，救援不集，馴致播遷。 未有若今日以天下之大，數十萬之師，奉上皇於漠北，委以與寇者也。 晉、宋遭禍亂，棄故土，偏安一隅，尚能奮於既衰，以禦方張之敵。 未有若今日也先乘勝直抵都城。 以師武臣之眾，既不能奮武以破賊，又不能約和以迎駕。 聽其自來而自去者也。 國勢之弱，雖非旦夕所能強，豈可不思自強之術而力行之。 臣愚敢略陳所見。
Since antiquity, emperors such as Jin Huai and Min, and Song Hui and Qin, all fell because the outer frontier collapsed, inner garrisons rebelled, relief failed to arrive, and they were driven step by step into exile. Never before has a realm so vast, with an army of hundreds of thousands, held the former emperor captive in the northern wastes and handed him over to the enemy. When Jin and Song met calamity, they abandoned their old lands and clung to a corner of the realm, yet even in decline they could still rouse themselves to resist enemies on the rise. Never before has an enemy such as Esen, riding victory, pressed straight to the capital as today. With so vast an army of martial officers, they could neither fight boldly to break the enemy nor negotiate peace to welcome the emperor home. They simply let the enemy come and go as he pleased. The realm's weakness cannot be remedied overnight, yet how can we fail to devise methods of self-strengthening and put them earnestly into practice? Your humble servant dares briefly set forth what he has observed.
63
近日京軍之戰，但知堅壁持重，而不能用奇制勝。 至前敗而後不救，左出而右不隨。 謂宜仿宋吳玠、吳璘三疊陣法，互相倚恃，叠為救護。 至鐵騎沖突，必資刀斧以制之。 郭子儀破安祿山八萬騎，用千人執長刀如墻而進。 韓世忠破兀术拐子馬，用五百人執長斧，上揕人胸，下斫馬足。 是刀斧揮霍便捷，優於火槍也。
In recent battles the capital armies knew only to hold fast behind walls, and could not use stratagem to win. When the vanguard was beaten the rear did not rescue it; when the left wing advanced the right did not follow. They should adopt the triple-array formation of the Song generals Wu Jie and Wu Lin, relying on one another in layered support and rescue. Against charging iron cavalry, halberds and axes are essential to check them. Guo Ziyi broke An Lushan's eighty thousand horsemen by advancing a thousand men with long sabers like a moving wall. Han Shizhong broke Wuzhu's linked-cavalry formation with five hundred men wielding long axes, thrusting upward at riders' chests and cutting downward at horses' legs. Halberds and axes, wielded swiftly at close range, are more effective than fire lances.
64
紫荊、居庸二關，名為關塞，實則坦途。 今宜增兵士，繕亭障，塞蹊隧。 陸則縱橫掘塹，名曰「地網」。 水則氵豬泉令深，名曰「水櫃」。 或多植榆柳，以制奔突，或多招鄉勇，以助官軍。 此皆古所嘗為，已有明效。
The Zijing and Juyong passes are called frontier barriers, but in truth they are open roads. Soldiers should be increased, watchtowers and barriers repaired, and hidden paths sealed off. On land, trenches should be dug in crisscross patterns, called "earth nets." In waterways, pools should be deepened, called "water caskets." Plant elms and willows to check sudden charges, or recruit local militia to assist the regular army. All these measures were used in antiquity and have proven effective.
65
往者奉使之臣，充以驛人駔夫，招釁啟戎，職此之故。 今宜擇內蘊忠悃，外工專對，若陸賈、富弼其人者，使備正介之選，庶不失辭辱國。
In the past, tribute envoys were staffed with relay runners and grooms, provoking incidents and inviting war — this was the root of the trouble. Now is the time to choose envoys who are inwardly loyal and outwardly skilled in diplomatic discourse—men in the mold of Lu Jia or Fu Bi—to fill the ranks of chief ambassadors, so the realm is not shamed by words unworthy of the occasion.
66
臣於上皇朝，乞徙漠北降人，知謀短淺，未蒙采納。 比乘國釁，奔歸故土，寇掠畿甸者屢見告矣。 宜乘大兵聚集時，遷之南方。 使與中國兵民相錯雜，以牽制而變化之。 且可省俸給，減漕免，其事甚便。
During the Retired Emperor's reign I petitioned to relocate the surrendered peoples of the northern steppe. My plan was too shallow to win acceptance, and it was not adopted. Lately they have seized on national turmoil to flee home, and we have received repeated reports of their raiding the capital districts. They should be moved south while the main forces are gathered. Intermingle them with Chinese troops and commoners so they can be controlled and gradually assimilated. It would also save salary outlays and reduce grain-transport burdens—a highly practical measure.
67
天下農出粟，女出布，以養兵也。 兵受粟於倉，受布於庫，以衛國也。 向者兵士受粟布於公門，納月錢於私室。 於是手不習擊刺之法，足不習進退之宜。 第轉貨為商，執技為工，而以工商所得，補納月錢。 民之膏血，兵之氣力，皆變為金銀以惠奸宄。 一旦率以臨敵，如驅羊拒狼，幾何其不敗也！ 今宜痛革其弊，一新簡練之政，將帥踵舊習者誅毋赦。 如是而兵威不振者，未之有也。
Across the realm, farmers grow grain and women weave cloth to sustain the army. Soldiers draw grain from the granaries and cloth from the storehouses in order to defend the state. In the past soldiers collected their grain and cloth at the public gate, then paid monthly fees in private quarters. Their hands never learned the arts of thrust and parry; their feet never learned the proper drill of advance and retreat. They simply traded as merchants or worked as craftsmen, using their commercial and artisan earnings to meet the monthly payments. The people's lifeblood and the soldiers' strength were converted into gold and silver that enriched scoundrels and criminals. If such men were led into battle, it would be like driving sheep against wolves—how could defeat not follow? These abuses must be ruthlessly uprooted and military training wholly reformed; any commander who persists in the old corrupt ways should be executed without pardon. Do this, and military power will surely be restored—there has never been a case where it failed.
68
守令朘民，猶將帥之剝兵也。 宜嚴糾考，慎黜陟。 犯贓者舉主與其罰，然後貪墨者寡，薦舉者慎，民安而邦本固矣。
When prefects and magistrates squeeze the people, it is no different from generals stripping their own troops. Corruption inquiries should be rigorous, and appointments and dismissals should be made with care. When an embezzler is punished, his patron should share the penalty. Then the corrupt would be fewer, recommenders more cautious, the people secure, and the state's foundation firm.
69
古販繒屠狗之夫，俱足助成帝業。 今于謙、楊善亦非出自將門。 然將能知將，宜令各舉所知，不限門閥。 公卿侍從，亦令舉勇力知謀之士，以備將材。 庶搜羅既廣，禦侮有人。
In antiquity, men who sold silk or butchered dogs were quite capable of helping build an empire. Today, neither Yu Qian nor Yang Shan came from military families. Yet a general knows a general when he sees one; each commander should be ordered to recommend men he knows, without regard to family pedigree. Grand ministers and court attendants should likewise be ordered to recommend men of courage, strength, and strategic mind, to build a pool of commanders. Cast the net wide enough, and there will always be men ready to repel the enemy.
70
昔者漢圖恢復，所恃者諸葛亮。 南宋禦金，所恃者張浚。 彼皆忠義夙著，功業久立。 及街亭一敗，亮辭丞相。 符離未捷，浚解都督，何則？ 賞罰明則將士奮也。 昨德勝門下之戰，未聞摧陷強寇，但叠為勝負，互殺傷而已。 雖不足罰，亦不足賞。 乃石亨則自伯進侯，于謙則自二品遷一品。 天下未聞其功，但見其賞，豈不怠忠臣義士之心乎？ 可令仍循舊秩，勿躐新階，他日勛名著而爵賞加，正未為晚。 夫既與不忍奪者，姑息之政； 既進不肯退者，患失之心。 上不行姑息之政，下不懷患失之心，則治平可計日而望也。
When Han sought to restore itself, it relied on Zhuge Liang. When the Southern Song resisted the Jin, it relied on Zhang Jun. Both were long famed for loyalty and righteousness, with achievements established over many years. Yet after a single defeat at Jieting, Zhuge Liang stepped down as Chancellor. When Fuli had not yet been taken, Zhang Jun was stripped of supreme command—why? When rewards and punishments are clear, officers and soldiers fight with spirit. In the recent battle below Desheng Gate, no one crushed the enemy; the fighting merely seesawed back and forth, with casualties on both sides. It warranted neither punishment nor reward. Yet Shi Heng was promoted from earl to marquis, and Yu Qian advanced from the second to the first rank. The realm has heard nothing of their achievements, only of their rewards—does this not discourage loyal ministers and righteous men? Let them keep their former ranks and not leap to new grades; when their merit is truly established, titles and rewards can follow—and it will not be too late. To grant rewards yet be unwilling to withdraw them is a policy of indulgence; to advance yet refuse to step down is the mind of one who fears losing what he has gained. If indulgence is banished above and fear of loss below, good order and peace can be counted on within days.
71
向者御史建白，欲令大臣入內議政，疏寢不行。 夫人主當總攬威權，親決機務。 政事早朝未決者，日禦便殿，使大臣敷奏。 言官察其邪正而糾劾之，史官直書簡冊，以示懲勸。 此前代故事，祖宗成法也，願陛下遵而行之。 若僅封章入奏，中旨外傳，恐偏聽獨任，致生奸亂，欲治化之成難矣。
Earlier a censor proposed that senior ministers enter the palace to deliberate on policy, but the memorial was shelved and never carried out. The sovereign should hold all authority in his own hands and personally decide matters of state. When morning court leaves business unresolved, the Emperor should hold daily sessions in the informal hall and have senior ministers present their views. Censorial officials should scrutinize what is upright and what is corrupt and impeach accordingly; historiographers should record events plainly in the annals, to serve as warning and encouragement. These are precedents of former dynasties and established laws of our ancestors; I pray Your Majesty will follow and enforce them. If governance consists only of sealed memorials submitted inward and private edicts transmitted outward, I fear partial listening and unchecked authority will breed treachery and disorder, and good rule will be hard to achieve.
72
人主之德，欲其明如日月以察直枉，仁如天地以覆群生，勇如雷霆以收威柄。 故司馬光之告君，以仁明武為言，即《中庸》所謂知仁勇也。 知仁勇非學而能之哉？ 夫經莫要於《尚書》、《春秋》，史莫正於《通鑒綱目》。 陛下留心垂覽。 其於君也，既知禹、湯、文、武之所以興，又知桀、紂、幽、厲之所以替，而趨避審矣。 於馭內臣也，既知有呂強、張承業之忠，又知有仇士良、陳弘誌之惡； 於馭廷臣也，既知有蕭、曹、房、杜之良，又知有李林甫、楊國忠之奸，而用舍當矣。 如是則於知仁勇之德，豈不大有助哉。 茍徒如向者儒臣進講，誦述其善，諱避其惡，是猶恐道路之有陷阱，閉目而過之，其不至於冥行顛仆者幾何。
A ruler's virtue should be bright as sun and moon to distinguish right from wrong, benevolent as Heaven and Earth to shelter all living things, and bold as thunder to reclaim sovereign authority. When Sima Guang counseled his ruler, he spoke of benevolence, clarity, and martial resolve—the very wisdom, benevolence, and courage described in the Doctrine of the Mean. Can wisdom, benevolence, and courage be acquired without study? Among the classics, none are more essential than the Documents and the Spring and Autumn Annals; among histories, none are more authoritative than the Comprehensive Mirror and its Outlines. Your Majesty should devote attention to reading them. As a ruler, knowing why Yu, Tang, Wen, and Wu rose—and why Jie, Zhou, You, and Li fell—Your Majesty would know precisely what to pursue and what to avoid. In managing inner eunuchs, knowing the loyalty of Lü Qiang and Zhang Chengye as well as the wickedness of Qiu Shiliang and Chen Hongzhi; in managing court ministers, knowing the worth of Xiao He, Cao Shen, Fang Xuanling, and Du Ruhui as well as the treachery of Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong—then appointments and dismissals would be rightly made. Would this not greatly strengthen the virtues of wisdom, benevolence, and courage? If Confucian lecturers merely recite the good and shun the evil, as in the past, it is like closing one's eyes for fear of traps on the road—how could one avoid stumbling blindly?
73
今天下雖遭大創，尚如金甌之未缺。 誠能本聖學以見之政治，臣見國勢可強，仇恥可雪，兄弟之恩可全，祖宗之制可復，亦何憚而不為此。 書奏，帝優詔答之。
Though the realm has suffered a grievous wound, it is still like a golden vessel not yet cracked. If sage learning truly guided government, I see that national strength could be restored, national humiliation avenged, fraternal bonds preserved, and ancestral institutions revived—what is there to fear in acting? When the memorial was submitted, the Emperor replied with a gracious edict.
74
三年遷洗馬。 也先使者乞遣報使，帝堅不許。 定之疏引故事以請，帝下廷議，竟不果遣。 久之，遷右庶子。 天順改元，調通政司左參議，仍兼侍講。 尋進翰林學士。 憲宗立，進太常少卿，兼侍讀學士，直經筵。
In the third year he was promoted to Palace Attendant. Esen's envoy requested that a return envoy be dispatched, but the Emperor firmly refused. Dingzhi memorialized citing precedent in support, but though the Emperor referred the matter to court discussion, no envoy was ultimately sent. After some time he was promoted to Right Sub-Reader. When the Tianshun reign was proclaimed, he was transferred to Left Assistant Commissioner in the Office of Transmission while retaining his post as Reader-in-Waiting. Soon afterward he was promoted to Hanlin Academician. When Emperor Xianzong acceded, he was promoted to Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, concurrently Reader-in-Waiting, and attended the imperial Lectures.
75
成化二年十二月，以本官入直文淵閣，進工部右侍郎，兼翰林學士。 江西、湖廣災，有司方征民賦。 定之言國儲充積，倉庾至不能容。 而此張口待哺之氓，乃責其租課，非聖主恤下意。 帝感其言，即命停征。 四年進禮部左侍郎。 萬貴妃專寵，皇后希得見，儲嗣未兆。 郕王女及笄未下嫁。 定之因久旱，並論及之。 且請經筵兼講太祖禦制諸書，斥異端邪教，勿令害政耗財。 帝留其疏不下。 五年卒官。 贈禮部尚書，謚文安。
In the twelfth month of the second year of Chenghua, he entered regular duty at the Hall of Literary Deepness, was promoted to Vice Minister of the Right in the Ministry of Works, and retained his post as Hanlin Academician. When Jiangxi and Huguang were stricken by disaster, local authorities were still levying taxes on the people. Dingzhi observed that the state granaries were overflowing and the storehouses could hold no more. Yet these starving people were still being charged rent and levies—hardly the compassionate policy of a sage ruler toward his subjects. Moved by his words, the Emperor immediately ordered the levies suspended. In the fourth year he was promoted to Vice Minister of the Left in the Ministry of Rites. Consort Wan monopolized the Emperor's favor; the Empress was rarely granted audience; and no heir had yet been designated. The Prince of Chu's daughter had come of age but had not yet been given in marriage. On the occasion of prolonged drought, Dingzhi addressed all these matters together in a memorial. He also asked that the imperial Lectures include the Hongwu Emperor's personally composed works, repudiate heterodox cults, and prevent them from harming government and draining the treasury. The Emperor kept the memorial and issued no response. In the fifth year he died in office. He was posthumously honored as Minister of Rites with the posthumous name Wen'an.
76
定之謙恭質直，以文學名一時。 嘗有中旨命制元宵詩，內使卻立以俟。 據案伸紙，立成七言絕句百首。 又嘗一日草九制，筆不停書。 有質宋人名字者，就列其世次，若譜系然，人服其敏博。
Dingzhi was modest, respectful, and plain-spoken, and was famed in his day for literary accomplishment. Once an imperial order commanded him to compose Lantern Festival poems, and a eunuch stood aside waiting. He spread paper on the desk and on the spot completed a hundred seven-character quatrains. On another occasion he drafted nine imperial edicts in a single day, his brush never pausing. When someone tested him on Song-dynasty names, he immediately listed their generations in order like a genealogical chart, and people marveled at his quickness and erudition.
77
贊曰：英宗之復辟也，當師旅饑饉之余，民氣未復，權奸內訌，柱石傾移，朝野多故，時事亦孔棘矣。 李賢以一身搘拄其間，沛然若有余。 獎厲人材，振飭綱紀。 迨憲、孝之世，名臣相望，猶多賢所識拔。 偉哉宰相才也。 彭時、商輅侃侃守義，盡忠獻納，粹然一出於正。 其於慈懿典禮，非所謂善成君德者歟？ 輅科名與宋王曾、宋庠埒，德望亦無愧焉。 呂原、嶽正、劉定之雖相業未優，而原之行誼，正之氣概，定之之建白，鹹有可稱，故以時次，並列於篇。
The commentary says: When Emperor Yingzong restored the throne, the realm was still reeling from war and famine; popular morale had not recovered; powerful traitors feuded within; the pillars of state had been shaken; court and countryside were beset with troubles—the times were exceedingly perilous. Li Xian alone bore up affairs in that crisis, with strength to spare. He encouraged talent and restored order to law and custom. By the reigns of Xianzong and Xiaozong, renowned ministers succeeded one another—many of them men he had recognized and promoted. What grand talent for a prime minister! Peng Shi and Shang Lu spoke forthrightly and upheld righteousness, devoted in loyalty and frank in counsel, wholly grounded in the upright path. In the ritual affairs of Empresses Dowager Ci and Yi, were they not precisely the sort of ministers who help complete a ruler's virtue? Lu's examination standing rivaled that of Song Wangzeng and Song Qi, and in virtue and reputation he had nothing to be ashamed of. Though Lu Yuan, Yue Zheng, and Liu Dingzhi did not rank among the greatest prime ministers, Yuan's conduct, Zheng's character, and Dingzhi's memorial proposals all had much to commend; therefore they are listed together here in chronological order.