1
南齊書卷四十三‧列傳第二十四
Book of Southern Qi, Volume 43, Biographies 24
2
江斆何昌㝢謝𤅢王思遠
Jiang Xiao, He Changyu, Xie Yao, and Wang Siyuan
3
江斆字叔文，濟陽考城人也。 祖湛，宋左光祿大夫、儀同三司。 父恁，著作郎，爲太初所殺。 斆母文帝女淮陽公主。 幼以戚屬召見，孝武謂謝莊曰：「此小兒方當爲名器。」
Jiang Xiao, whose courtesy name was Shuwen, came from Kaocheng in Jiyang Commandery. His grandfather Jiang Zhan served in the Song as Left Director of the Bureau of Honors and as a Three Ministers of Equal Court Rank. His father Jiang Nian was a Composition Official and was killed by Liu Ziye (Emperor Taichu). Xiao's mother was the Princess of Huaiyang, a daughter of Emperor Wen of Song. As a child he was brought to court because of his imperial kinship, and Emperor Xiaowu told Xie Zhuang, "This boy is destined to become a man of great standing."
4
少有美譽。 桂陽王休範臨州，辟迎主簿，不就。 尚孝武女臨汝公主，拜駙馬都尉。 除著作郎，太子舍人，丹陽丞。 時袁粲爲尹，見斆歎曰：「風流不墜，政在江郎。」 數與晏賞，留連日夜。 遷安成王撫軍記室，祕書丞，中書郎。 斆庶祖母王氏老疾，斆視膳嘗藥，七十餘日不解衣。 及累居內官，每以侍養陳請，朝廷優其朝直。 尋轉安成王驃騎從事中郎。 初，湛娶褚秀之女，被遣，褚淵爲衞軍，重斆爲人，先通音意，引爲長史。 加寧朔將軍。 從帝立，隨府轉司空長史，領臨淮太守，將軍如故。 轉太尉從事中郎。 齊臺建，爲吏部郎。 太祖卽位，斆以祖母久疾連年，臺閣之職，永廢溫凊，啓乞自解。
Even in his youth he enjoyed an excellent reputation. When Prince Guiyang of Xiufan assumed his provincial post, he invited Xiao to serve as Master of Reception, but Xiao declined. He married the Princess of Linru, a daughter of Emperor Xiaowu, and was appointed Commandant of the Horse Guards for the Imperial Son-in-Law. He was made Composition Official, Attendant of the Heir Apparent, and Assistant Magistrate of Danyang. At that time Yuan Can was serving as metropolitan magistrate; when he met Xiao he exclaimed, "The refined tradition has not died out—it lives on in Master Jiang." He often shared wine and conversation with him, keeping company late into the night for days on end. He was promoted to Recorder on the Pacification Army staff of Prince Ancheng, then Secretary Director, and finally Attendant of the Palace Secretariat. When his father's concubine-mother, Lady Wang, grew old and fell ill, Xiao personally attended her meals and tasted her medicine, going more than seventy days without undressing. After he rose through a series of inner-court posts, he repeatedly petitioned to be allowed to nurse her at home, and the court relaxed his requirements for attending morning audience. He was soon made Attendant of the Masters of Writing on Prince Ancheng's Rapid Cavalry staff. Earlier, Jiang Zhan had married a daughter of Chu Xiu and was later dismissed; when Chu Yuan became General of the Guard, he admired Xiao's character, opened relations with him in advance, and appointed him Chief Clerk. He was also given the rank of General Who Pacifies the North. When the deposed emperor Liu Yu was placed on the throne, Xiao followed his household and became Chief Clerk of the Minister of Works while also serving as Administrator of Linhuai, retaining his general's title. He was then made Attendant of the Masters of Writing on the staff of the Grand Marshal. When the Southern Qi regency was set up, he was appointed Director of the Bureau of Personnel. After the Founding Emperor acceded, Xiao petitioned to resign, explaining that his grandmother had been ill for years and that his duties at court had long kept him from fulfilling the daily attentions owed to her.
5
初，宋明帝勑斆出繼從叔愻，爲從祖淳後。 於是僕射王儉啓：「禮無後小宗之文，近世緣情，皆由父祖之命，未有旣孤之後，出繼宗族也。 雖復臣子一揆，而義非天屬。 江忠簡胤嗣所寄，唯斆一人，傍無眷屬。 斆宜還本。 若不欲江愻絕後，可以斆小兒繼愻爲孫。」 尚書參議，謂「間世立後，禮無其文。 荀顗無子立孫，墜禮之始。 何琦又立此論，義無所據」。 於是斆還本家，詔使自量立後者。
Earlier, Emperor Ming of Song had commanded Xiao to leave his birth family and succeed his father's younger cousin Jiang Min as heir to his great-uncle Jiang Chun. Thereupon Wang Jian, Vice Premier of the Left, memorialized: "The rites provide no precedent for adopting an heir into a lesser lineage; in recent practice such arrangements have followed affection and always rested on a father's or grandfather's command—never on leaving one's own clan after one is already orphaned. Although the roles of minister and son may look alike, the bond is not one ordained by Heaven's kinship. The line of the loyal and upright Jiang Zhongjian had placed its hopes for succession solely in Xiao, with no other close kin at his side. Xiao should be restored to his birth family. If the court does not wish Jiang Min's line to die out, Xiao's young son may be made Min's grandson and heir." The Masters of Writing deliberated and ruled that "establishing an heir across generations has no basis in the canonical rites. When Xun Yi, lacking a son, made his grandson his heir, that marked the beginning of the rites' decline. He Qi's revival of this argument likewise rests on no valid principle." Xiao was therefore restored to his birth family, and an edict directed him to choose his own heir.
6
出爲寧朔將軍、豫章內史，還除太子中庶子，領驍騎將軍。 未拜，門客通贓利，世祖遣信撿覈，斆藏此客而躬自引咎，上甚有怪色。 王儉從容啓上曰：「江斆若能治郡，此便是具美耳。」 上意乃釋。 永明初，仍爲豫章王太尉諮議，領錄事，遷南郡王友，竟陵王司徒司馬。 斆好文辭，圍棊第五品，爲朝貴中最。 遷侍中，領本州中正。 司徒左長史，中正如故。 五年，遷五兵尚書。 明年，出爲輔國將軍、東海太守，加秩中二千石，行南徐州事。
He was sent out as General Who Pacifies the North and Interior Minister of Yuzhang; on returning to court he was made Junior Mentor of the Heir Apparent while also holding the rank of General of Valiant Cavalry. Before he could assume the post, a retainer had been taking bribes; Emperor Wu sent agents to investigate; Xiao hid the man and took the blame upon himself, and the emperor looked greatly displeased. Wang Jian calmly said to the emperor, "If Jiang Xiao can govern a commandery well, that alone would be excellence enough." The emperor's anger subsided. At the start of the Yongming reign he again served Prince Yuzhang as Adviser to the Grand Marshal and Recorder, then became Companion to Prince Nanjun and Secretary on the staff of Prince Jingling of Jingling. Xiao loved literature and excelled at weiqi, ranked fifth class—the best among the court elite. He was promoted to Palace Attendant and also served as provincial Director of Selection for his native commandery. He became Left Chief Clerk of the Minister of Works while retaining his post as Director of Selection. In the fifth year of Yongming he was made Minister of the Five Armies. The following year he was sent out as General Who Assists the State and Administrator of Donghai, with rank raised to two thousand shi (middle grade), and was placed in charge of Southern Xuzhou.
7
建武二年，卒，年四十四。 遺令儉約葬，不受賻贈。 詔賻錢三萬，布百匹。 子蒨啓遵斆令，讓不受。 詔曰：「斆貽厥之訓，送終以儉，立言歸善，益有嘉傷，可從所請。」 贈散騎常侍、太常，謚曰敬子。
In the second year of the Jianwu era he died at the age of forty-four. In his final instructions he called for a simple burial and refused any funeral gifts from the throne. The court ordered thirty thousand cash and a hundred bolts of cloth as funeral gifts. His son Jiang Qian reported that he was obeying Xiao's wishes and declined the gifts. An edict said, "Xiao bequeathed moral instruction to his heirs, arranged his own end with restraint, and in his words turned toward what is good—this only deepens what is admirable and lamentable; let his request be granted." He was posthumously honored as Regular Attendant of the Scattershot Cavalry and Minister of Ceremonies, with the posthumous title Respectful Son.
8
何昌字儼望，廬江灊人也。 祖叔度，吳郡太守。 父佟之，太常。
He Chang, whose courtesy name was Yiwang, came from Qian in Lujiang Commandery. His grandfather He Shudu served as Administrator of Wu Commandery. His father He Tongzhi was Minister of Ceremonies.
9
昌少而淹厚，爲伯父司空尚之所遇。 宋建安王休仁爲揚州，辟昌州主簿。 遷司徒行參軍，太傅五官，司徒東閤祭酒，尚書儀曹郎。 建平王景素爲征北南徐州，昌又爲府主簿，以夙素見重。 母老求祿，出爲湘東太守，加秩千石。 爲太祖驃騎功曹。 昌在郡，景素被誅，昌痛之。 至是啓太祖曰：
From youth Chang was thoughtful and steady, and won the favor of his uncle He Shangzhi, who served as Minister of Works. When Prince Jian'an of Xiuren held Yang Province in the Song, he recruited Chang as provincial Master of Records. He rose through Acting Adjutant on the Minister of Works staff, Fifth Officer of the Grand Tutor, Libationer of the Eastern Pavilion of the Minister of Works, and Attendant of the Bureau of Rites. When Prince Jianping of Jingsu served as Northern Expedition Commander for Southern Xuzhou, Chang again became his Master of Records and was esteemed for his longstanding integrity. Because his mother was elderly he sought a salaried post and was sent out as Administrator of Xiangdong, with rank raised to one thousand shi. He later served the Founding Emperor as Merit Officer on his Rapid Cavalry staff. While Chang was still in the commandery, Jingsu was put to death, and Chang was stricken with grief. He then submitted this memorial to the Founding Emperor:
10
伏尋故建平王，因心自遠，忠孝基性，徽和之譽，早布國言，勝素之情，夙洽民聽。 世祖綢繆，太宗眷異，朝中貴人，野外賤士，雖聞見有殊，誰不悉斯事者？
I respectfully recall the late Prince Jianping: by nature he held himself apart from intrigue, with loyalty and filial piety at the core of his character; his reputation for grace and integrity had long been known throughout the realm, and his surpassing purity was familiar to all who heard of him. The late emperor treated him with affection, and the Founding Emperor regarded him with special favor; whether court nobles or commoners in the countryside, though their knowledge differed in detail, who did not know what had happened?
11
元徽之間，政關羣小，構扇異端，共令傾覆。 慇懃之非，古人所悼，況蒼梧將季，能無衒惑。 一年之中，藉者再三，有必巔之危，無蹔立之安，行路寒心，往來跼蹐。 而王夷慮坦然，委之天命，惟謙惟敬，專誠奉國，閨無執戟之衞，門闕衣介之夫，此五尺童子所見，不假闊曲言也。 一淪疑似，身名頓滅，冤結淵泉，酷貫穹昊。 時經隆替，歲改三元，曠蕩之惠亟申，被枉之澤未流。 俱沐溫光，獨酸霜露。
During the Yuanhui era power passed into the hands of petty men, who stirred up factional intrigue and together brought about his ruin. Misdeeds born of misguided zeal are what the ancients mourned; how much more, when the house of Cangwu was nearing its fall, could there fail to be delusion and unrest. Within a single year disaster struck again and again; he faced the constant threat of ruin and never a moment's security; travelers shuddered on the road, and all who passed by went in fear and constraint. Yet the prince remained serene in spirit, entrusted himself to fate, and was humble and reverent in serving the state with undivided loyalty; his inner quarters had no halberd-bearing guards, his gates no armored retainers—what any child could see, without need of elaborate explanation. Once he fell under suspicion, his life and reputation were destroyed at a stroke; injustice sank to the depths of the underworld, and cruelty reached to the heavens. Dynasties have risen and fallen, years have turned with each new reign, and broad amnesties have been proclaimed again and again—yet the grace owed to the wronged has never reached him. All others bask in the emperor's warmth, while he alone suffers the bitterness of frost and dew.
12
明公鋪天地之施，散雲雨之潤，物無巨細，咸被慶渥。 若今日不蒙照滌，則爲萬代冤魂。 昌非敢慕慷慨之士，激揚當世，實義切於心，痛入骨髓。 瀝腸紓憤，仰希神照，辯明枉直，亮王素行，使還名帝籍，歸靈舊塋，死而不泯，豈忘德於黃壚。 分軀碎首，不足上謝。
Your Excellency spreads bounty as wide as Heaven and Earth and showers grace like rain on the land; nothing, great or small, fails to share in your blessings. If he is not cleared by your grace today, he will remain a wronged spirit for ages to come. I do not presume to imitate the heroes who stir their age with bold words; my plea springs from duty that cuts to the heart and grief that reaches the bone. I pour out my heart to ease this anguish and look up to your enlightened judgment, asking only that wrong be distinguished from right, that the prince's true character be revealed, that his name be restored to the imperial registers and his spirit to his ancestral tomb—so that though dead he may not be forgotten, and I may not fail in gratitude even from the yellow earth of the grave. Even to give my body and life would not be thanks enough.
13
又與司空褚淵書曰：
He also wrote to Chu Yuan, Minister of Works, as follows:
14
天下之可哀者有數，而埋冤於黃泉者爲甚焉。 何者？ 百年之壽，同於朝露，揮忽去留，寧足道哉！ 政欲闔棺之日，不隕令名，竹帛傳芳烈，鐘石紀清英。 是以昔賢甘心於死所者也。 若懷忠抱義，而負枉冥冥之下，時主未之矜，卿相不爲言，良史濡翰，將被以惡名，豈不痛哉！ 豈不痛哉！
The world holds many causes for sorrow, but none is worse than burying a man's injustice in the grave. Why is this so? A lifetime of a hundred years is no more than morning dew; one's coming and going are swift—what is there to boast of? What men truly desire is that when the coffin lid closes their good name may not fall, that silk and bamboo may carry their virtue abroad, and that bells and stone inscriptions may preserve their excellence. That is why the worthies of old were willing to die where they stood. If a man who cherishes loyalty and righteousness is wronged in the grave, and the ruler shows him no mercy, and ministers do not speak for him, and the historian's brush records only a foul name—how could that not be unbearable! How could it not be unbearable!
15
竊尋故建平王，地屬親賢，德居宗望，道心惟沖，睿性天峻。 散情風雲，不以塵務嬰衿，明發懷古，惟以琴書娛志。 言忠孝，行惇慎，二公之所深鑒也。 前者阮、楊連黨，搆此紛紜，雖被明於朝貴，愈結怨於羣醜。 覘察繼蹤，疑防重著，小人在朝，詩史所歎， 〈少一句〉 清識飲涕。 王每永言終日，氣淚交橫。 旣推信以期物，故日去其備衞，朱門蕭條，示存典刑而已。 求解徐州，以避北門要任，苦乞會稽，貪處東甌閑務，此竝彰於事迹。 與公道味相求，期心有素，方共經營家國，劬勞王室，何圖時不我與，契闊屯昏，忠誠弗亮，罹此百殃。
I reflect on the late Prince Jianping: by birth he was of the imperial kin and the worthiest of princes, by virtue he stood foremost among the clan, his mind was pure and his nature lofty and keen. He gave his heart to wind and clouds, would not let worldly affairs trouble his breast, rose at dawn to muse on antiquity, and found his joy only in zither and books. His words spoke of loyalty and filial piety, his conduct was sincere and cautious—both of you know this well. When Ruan and Yang formed their faction and stirred up this turmoil, though the prince was cleared in the eyes of the court, he only earned deeper hatred from the villainous crowd. Spies watched his every move, suspicion and guard redoubled upon him; petty men held sway at court—the very thing the Odes and Histories lament, 〈Lacuna: one sentence is missing in the source text.〉 and men of clear insight wept. The prince would speak at length all day, his breath catching and tears streaming. Because he extended trust to win men's hearts, he daily reduced his guards; his vermilion gates grew bare, showing only that he still upheld the proper rites. He asked to be relieved of Xuzhou to avoid a key post at the capital's northern gate, and pleaded earnestly for Kuaiji, longing for the quiet duties of the eastern frontier—all this is clear from the record of his conduct. He sought your company as a kindred spirit, and your hearts had long been joined in trust; you were just then together planning for state and throne, laboring for the royal house—who could have foreseen that time would fail him, that separation and darkness would come, that his loyalty would go unrecognized, and that he would suffer every calamity?
16
歲朔亟流，已經四載。 皇命惟新，人沾天澤，而幽然深酷。 未蒙照明。 封殯卑雜，窮魂莫寄，昭穆不序，松柏無行。 事傷行路，痛結幽顯。 吾等叩心泣血，實有望於聖時。 公以德佐世，欲物得其所，豈可令建平王枉直不分邪？ 田叔不言梁事，袁絲諫止淮南，以兩國舋禍，尚回帝意，豈非親親之義，寧從敦厚。 而今疑似未辨，爲世大戮。 若使王心迹得申，亦示海內理冤枉，明是非。 夫存亡國，繼絕世，周漢之通典，有國之所急也。 昔叔向之理，恃祁大夫而獲亮，戾太子之冤，資車丞相而見察。 幽靈有知，豈不眷眷於明顧？ 碎首抽脅，自謂不殞。
Years have passed swiftly; four years have already gone by. A new reign has begun and all men share the emperor's grace, yet he remains sunk in deepest sorrow. He has not yet received the light of imperial favor. His burial was mean and disorderly, his spirit has nowhere to rest, the ancestral order is unsettled, and no rows of pine and cypress mark his tomb. The matter wounds all who pass on the road; grief binds the living and the dead. We beat our breasts and weep blood, and truly place our hope in this enlightened age. You, who assist the age with virtue and wish every man his due—how can you allow Prince Jianping's innocence and guilt to remain undistinguished? Tian Shu held his tongue on the affair of Liang; Yuan Si admonished the emperor and stayed the revolt of Huainan; though both realms had courted disaster, they still turned the emperor's heart—was this not the spirit of cherishing one's kin and choosing clemency over severity? Yet now his guilt remains undistinguished, and he has suffered the greatest punishment of the age. If the prince's true intentions could be made known, it would show the realm how to right wrongs and distinguish truth from falsehood. To preserve a state on the brink of ruin and continue a line on the verge of extinction was the common duty of Zhou and Han—what any realm most urgently requires. In antiquity Shu Xiang's cause was cleared through Grandee Qi; the injustice done to Crown Prince Li was recognized with the help of Chancellor Che. If the spirits have understanding, would they not look back with longing on your enlightened regard? To shatter my head and tear my limbs—I would count it no loss.
17
淵答曰：「追風古人，良以嘉歎。 但事旣昭晦，理有逆從。 建平初阻，元徽未悖，專欲委咎阮、楊，彌所致疑。 于時正亦謬參此機，若審如高論，其愧特深。」 太祖嘉其義，轉爲記室，遷司徒左西、太尉戶曹屬，中書郎，王儉衞軍長史。 儉謂昌曰：「後任朝事者，非卿而誰？」
Yuan replied, "Your zeal rivals that of the ancients, and I must admire it. But the matter is already settled in light and shadow, and principle admits no reversal. At the start of Jianping there was obstruction, and in Yuanhui there was not yet open rebellion—the aim was solely to lay blame on Ruan and Yang, which only deepened the suspicion against the prince. At that time I too was wrongly involved in this affair; if your noble argument is correct, my shame is all the deeper." The Founding Emperor praised his integrity and made him Recorder, then promoted him through Western Left of the Minister of Works, Attendant of the Household Bureau on the Grand Marshal's staff, Attendant of the Palace Secretariat, and Chief Clerk on Wang Jian's Guard staff. Wang Jian told him, "Who but you will one day bear the weight of the court's affairs?"
18
永明元年，竟陵王子良表置友、學官，以昌爲竟陵王文學，以清信相得，意好甚厚。 轉揚州別駕，豫章王又善之。 遷太子中庶子，出爲臨川內史。 除廬陵王中軍長史，未拜，復爲太子中庶子，領屯騎校尉。 遷吏部郎，轉侍中。
In the first year of Yongming, Prince Jingling of Ziliang petitioned to establish Companions and Academy officers; Chang was made Literary Scholar to the prince, and they drew together in purity and trust with deep mutual affection. He was made Vice Administrator of Yang Province, and Prince Yuzhang also held him in esteem. He was promoted to Junior Mentor of the Heir Apparent and sent out as Interior Minister of Linchuan. He was appointed Chief Clerk on Prince Luling's Central Army staff but did not take up the post; he again became Junior Mentor of the Heir Apparent and also Commandant of the Garrison Cavalry. He was made Director of the Bureau of Personnel and then Palace Attendant.
19
臨海王昭秀爲荊州，以昌爲西中郎長史、輔國將軍、南郡太守，行荊州事。 明帝遣徐玄慶西上害蕃鎮諸王，玄慶至荊州，欲以便宜從事。 昌曰：「僕受朝廷意寄，翼輔外蕃，何容以殿下付君一介之使。 若朝廷必須殿下還，當更聽後旨。」 昭秀以此得還京師。
When Prince Linhai of Zhaoxiu held Jing Province, Chang was made his Chief Clerk, General Who Assists the State, and Administrator of Nanjun, with charge of Jing Province affairs. Emperor Ming sent Xu Xuanqing west to eliminate the feudatory princes; when Xuanqing reached Jing Province he intended to act on his own authority. Chang said, "I have received the court's trust to assist the frontier princes—how could I deliver Your Highness into the hands of a single envoy? If the court truly requires Your Highness to return to the capital, we must await further imperial orders." Thanks to this, Zhaoxiu was able to return safely to the capital.
20
建武二年，爲侍中，領長水校尉，轉吏部尚書。 復爲侍中，領驍騎將軍。 四年，卒。 年五十一。 贈太常，謚簡子。
In the second year of Jianwu he was made Palace Attendant and Commandant of the Long River, then Minister of the Bureau of Personnel. He again served as Palace Attendant and General of Valiant Cavalry. In the fourth year he died. He was fifty-one years old. He was posthumously honored as Minister of Ceremonies, with the posthumous title Simple Son.
21
昌不雜交遊，通和汎愛。 歷郡皆清白，士君子多稱之。
Chang did not cultivate a wide circle of associates, yet he was universally gentle and generous in spirit. In every commandery he served he maintained a spotless record, and men of worth widely praised him.
22
謝𤅢字義潔，陳郡陽夏人也。 祖弘微，宋太常。 父莊，金紫光祿大夫。 𤅢四兄颺、朏、顥、嵷，世謂謝莊名兒爲風、月、景、山、水。 顥字仁悠，少簡靜。 解褐祕書郎，累至太祖驃騎從事中郎。 建元初，爲吏部郎，至太尉從事中郎。 永明初，高選友、學，以顥爲竟陵王友。 至北中郎長史。 卒。
Xie Yao, whose courtesy name was Yijie, came from Yangxia in Chen Commandery. His grandfather Xie Hongwei served as Minister of Ceremonies in the Song. His father Xie Zhuang was Grandee of Splendid Brightness with Golden Seal and Purple Ribbon. Yao had four elder brothers—Yang, Tiao, Hao, and Chong—and the world said that Xie Zhuang had named his sons Wind, Moon, Scenery, Mountain, and Water. Hao, whose courtesy name was Renyou, was from youth simple and reserved. On entering office he became Secretary Attendant and rose to Attendant of the Masters of Writing on the Founding Emperor's Rapid Cavalry staff. At the start of Jianyuan he was Director of the Bureau of Personnel and eventually Attendant of the Masters of Writing on the Grand Marshal's staff. At the start of Yongming, in the rigorous selection of princely Companions and scholars, Hao was made Companion to Prince Jingling. He rose to Chief Clerk of the Northern Central Commandant. He died.
23
𤅢年七歲，王彧見而異之，言於宋孝武，孝武召見於稠人廣衆之中，𤅢舉動閑詳，應對合旨，帝甚悅。 詔尚公主，值景和敗，事寢。 僕射褚淵聞𤅢年少清正不惡，以女結婚，厚爲資送。
When Yao was seven, Wang Yu saw him and was struck by his quality; he spoke of him to Emperor Xiaowu of Song, who summoned the boy before a great crowd; Yao's bearing was composed and his answers apt, and the emperor was delighted. An edict ordered him to marry an imperial princess, but when Liu Ziye (Emperor Jinghe) fell the matter was dropped. Vice Premier Chu Yuan heard that the young Yao was pure and upright, gave him his daughter in marriage, and provided a generous dowry.
24
解褐車騎行參軍，遷祕書郎，司徒祭酒，丹陽丞，撫軍功曹。 世祖爲中軍，引爲記室。 齊臺建，遷太子中舍人。 建元初，轉桂陽王友。 以母老須養，出爲安成內史。 還爲中書郎。 衞軍王儉引爲長史，雅相禮遇。 除黃門郎，兼掌吏部。 尋轉太子中庶子，領驍騎將軍，轉長兼侍中。 𤅢以晨昏有廢，固辭不受。 世祖勑令速拜，別停朝直。
On entering office he was Acting Adjutant on the Chariots and Cavalry staff, then Secretary Attendant, Libationer of the Minister of Works, Assistant Magistrate of Danyang, and Merit Officer of the Pacification Army. When Emperor Wu served as Central Army Commander he took Yao on as Recorder. When the Qi regency was established he was made Attendant of the Heir Apparent. At the start of Jianyuan he became Companion to Prince Guiyang. Because his mother was elderly and needed care, he was sent out as Interior Minister of Ancheng. On returning to court he was made Attendant of the Palace Secretariat. Wang Jian, General of the Guard, took him on as Chief Clerk and treated him with marked esteem. He was appointed Attendant of the Yellow Gate and also placed in charge of the Bureau of Personnel. He was soon made Junior Mentor of the Heir Apparent and General of Valiant Cavalry, then Chief Clerk and concurrently Palace Attendant. Yao declined firmly, saying that the post would keep him from attending his parents morning and evening. Emperor Wu ordered him to accept at once and exempted him from regular court attendance.
25
遷司徒左長史，出爲吳興太守。 長城縣民盧道優家遭劫，誣同縣殷孝悌等四人爲劫，𤅢收付縣獄考正。 孝悌母駱詣登聞訴稱孝悌爲道優所誹謗，橫劾爲劫，一百七十三人連名保徵，在所不爲申理。 𤅢聞孝悌母訴，乃啓建康獄覆，道優理窮款首，依法斬刑。 有司奏免𤅢官。 又使典藥吏煮湯，失火，燒郡外齋南廂屋五閒。 又輙鞭除身，爲有司所奏，詔竝贖論。 在郡稱爲美績。 母喪去官。
He was made Left Chief Clerk of the Minister of Works and sent out as Administrator of Wuxing. When Lu Daoyou of Changcheng County was robbed at home, he falsely accused Yin Xiaoti and three other men from the same county; Yao had them arrested and sent to the county prison for interrogation. Xiaoti's mother, Lady Luo, petitioned at the Petition Office, claiming her son had been slandered by Daoyou and falsely charged with robbery; one hundred seventy-three people signed a joint guarantee, but the local authorities refused to act. When Yao heard of the mother's petition, he ordered a retrial at the Jiankang prison; Daoyou, his case exhausted, confessed and was beheaded according to law. The responsible offices memorialized for Yao's dismissal. He also had a pharmacy clerk boil medicine; a fire broke out and burned five bays of the southern wing of the commandery's outer quarters. He also repeatedly flogged his personal attendants and was reported to the throne; an edict pardoned all charges. In the commandery he was praised for excellent administration. He left office upon his mother's death.
26
服闋，爲吏部尚書。 高宗廢鬱林，領兵入殿，左右驚走報𤅢。 與客圍棊，每下子，輙云「其當有意」。 竟局，乃還齋卧，竟不問外事也。 明帝卽位，𤅢又屬疾不視事。 後上讌會，功臣上酒，尚書令王晏等興席，𤅢獨不起，曰：「陛下受命，應天從民，王晏妄叨天功以爲己力。」 上大笑解之。 座罷，晏呼𤅢共載還令省，欲相撫悅。 又正色曰：「君巢窟在何處？」 晏初得班劔，𤅢謂之曰：「身家太傅裁得六人。 君亦何事一朝至此。」 晏甚憚之。
When mourning ended he was made Minister of the Bureau of Personnel. When Emperor Gao deposed the Prince of Yulin and led troops into the palace, attendants fled in alarm to report to Yao. He was playing weiqi with a guest and with each move would say, "They must have some purpose in this." When the game ended he returned to his quarters to sleep and never asked about outside affairs. When Emperor Ming acceded, Yao again pleaded illness and declined to attend to affairs. Later at a court banquet, when meritorious ministers offered wine, Minister of Works Wang Yan and others rose; Yao alone remained seated and said, "Your Majesty received the mandate, responding to Heaven and following the people—yet Wang Yan presumptuously claims Heaven's merit as his own achievement. The emperor laughed loudly and let the matter pass. When the banquet ended, Yan invited Yao to ride back with him to the Ministry of Works, hoping to win him over. Yao said sternly, "Where is your nest and den? Yan had just received ceremonial swords; Yao told him, "Our family's Grand Tutor received only six sword-bearers. What business of yours brings you to this in a single morning?" Yan feared him greatly.
27
加領右軍將軍。 兄朏在吳興，論啓公事稽晚，𤅢輙代爲啓，上見非其手迹，被問，見原。 轉侍中，領太子中庶子，豫州中正。 永泰元年，轉散騎常侍，太子詹事。 其年卒。 年四十五。 贈金紫光祿大夫。 謚簡子。
He was also made General of the Right Army. His elder brother Tiao was in Wuxing and was late submitting official memorials; Yao repeatedly submitted them for him; the emperor noticed the handwriting was not Tiao's and questioned him, but forgave the offense. He was made Palace Attendant, Junior Mentor of the Heir Apparent, and Director of Selection for Yu Province. In the first year of Yongtai he was made Regular Attendant of the Scattershot Cavalry and Tutor of the Heir Apparent. That same year he died. He was forty-five years old. He was posthumously honored as Grandee of Splendid Brightness with Golden Seal and Purple Ribbon. His posthumous title was Simple Son.
28
初，兄朏爲吳興，𤅢於征虜渚送別，朏指𤅢口曰：「此中唯宜飲酒。」 𤅢建武之初，專以長酣爲事，與劉瑱沈昭略以觴酌交飲，各至數斗。
Earlier, when his elder brother Tiao was leaving for Wuxing, Yao saw him off at Zhengliu Ford; Tiao pointed at Yao's mouth and said, "This is fit for nothing but drinking wine. At the start of Jianwu, Yao devoted himself to long drinking bouts; with Liu Zhen and Shen Zhaolüe he exchanged cups and drank together, each consuming several dou.
29
世祖嘗問王儉，當今誰能爲五言詩？ 儉對曰：「謝朏得父膏腴； 江淹有意。」 上起禪靈寺，勑𤅢撰碑文。
Emperor Wu once asked Wang Jian who in the present age could write five-character verse. Jian answered, "Xie Tiao has inherited his father's literary richness; Jiang Yan has genuine talent." The emperor built Chanling Temple and ordered Yao to compose its stele inscription.
30
王思遠，琅邪臨沂人。 尚書令晏從弟也。 父羅雲，平西長史。 思遠八歲，父卒，祖弘之及外祖新安太守羊敬元，竝栖退高尚，故思遠少無仕心。
Wang Siyuan came from Linyi in Langya Commandery. He was a younger cousin of Wang Yan, Minister of Works. His father Wang Luoyun was Chief Clerk of the Pacification of the West. When Siyuan was eight his father died; his grandfather Wang Hongzhi and his maternal grandfather Yang Jingyuan, Administrator of Xin'an, both lived in lofty retirement, and so from youth Siyuan had little desire for office.
31
宋建平王景素辟爲南徐州主簿，深見禮遇。 景素被誅，左右離散，思遠親視殯葬，手種松柏。 與廬江何昌宇、沛郡劉璡上表理之，事感朝廷。 景素女廢爲庶人，思遠分衣食以相資贍，年長，爲備笄總，訪求素對，傾家送遣。
Prince Jianping of Jingsu in the Song recruited him as Master of Records for Southern Xuzhou and treated him with great respect. When Jingsu was executed his attendants scattered; Siyuan personally oversaw the funeral and planted pine and cypress with his own hands. Together with He Changyu of Lujiang and Liu Zhen of Pei Commandery he submitted a memorial to clear the prince's name, and the affair moved the court. When Jingsu's daughter was reduced to commoner status, Siyuan shared his food and clothing to support her; when she came of age he prepared her hairpin ceremony, sought a suitable husband, and sent her off at the cost of his entire estate.
32
除晉熙王撫軍行參軍，安成王車騎參軍。 建元初，爲長沙王後軍主簿，尚書殿中郎，出補竟陵王征北記室參軍，府遷司徒，仍爲錄事參軍。 遷太子中舍人，文惠太子與竟陵王子良素好士，竝蒙賞接。 思遠求出爲遠郡，除建安內史。 長兄思玄卒，思遠友于甚至，表乞自解，不許。 及祥日，又固陳，世祖乃許之。 除中書郎，大司馬諮議。
He was appointed Acting Adjutant on Prince Jinxi's Pacification Army staff and Adjutant on Prince Ancheng's Chariots and Cavalry staff. At the start of Jianyuan he was Rear Army Master of Records for Prince Changsha and Attendant in the Palace Hall; he was then assigned as Recorder on Prince Jingling's Northern Expedition staff, and when the princely establishment became the Ministry of Works he remained Recorder Adjutant. He was made Attendant of the Heir Apparent; both the Literary Heir Apparent and Prince Jingling of Ziliang had long loved men of learning, and both honored and befriended him. Siyuan asked to be sent to a distant commandery and was appointed Interior Minister of Jian'an. When his elder brother Sixuan died, Siyuan's brotherly grief was profound; he petitioned to resign but was refused. On the day of the memorial rite he again pressed his case firmly, and Emperor Wu at last granted his request. He was made Attendant of the Palace Secretariat and Adviser to the Grand Marshal.
33
世祖詔舉士，竟陵王子良薦思遠及吳郡顧暠之、陳郡殷叡。 邵陵王子貞爲吳郡，世祖除思遠爲吳郡丞，以本官行郡事，論者以爲得人。 以疾解職，還爲司徒諮議參軍，領錄事，轉黃門郎。 出爲使持節、都督廣交越三州諸軍事、寧朔將軍、平越中郎將、廣州刺史。 高宗輔政，不之任，仍遷御史中丞。 臨海太守沈昭略贓私，思遠依事劾奏，高宗及思遠從兄晏、昭略叔父文季請止之，思遠不從，案事如故。
Emperor Wu ordered scholars to be recommended; Prince Jingling of Ziliang recommended Siyuan, Gu Haozhi of Wu Commandery, and Yin Rui of Chen Commandery. When Prince Shaoling of Zizhen held Wu Commandery, Emperor Wu appointed Siyuan as Assistant Administrator and had him run the commandery in his existing capacity; commentators judged this an excellent appointment. He resigned on grounds of illness, returned as Adviser Adjutant to the Minister of Works and Recorder, and was then made Attendant of the Yellow Gate. He was sent out as Bearer of the Staff of Authority, Commander-in-Chief of military affairs in Guang, Jiao, and Yue, General Who Pacifies the North, Central Commandant Who Pacifies Yue, and Inspector of Guang Province. When Emperor Gao assumed the regency Siyuan did not take up the post and was instead made Imperial Censor. When Shen Zhaolüe, Administrator of Linhai, was found corrupt, Siyuan impeached him on the evidence; Emperor Gao, Siyuan's cousin Wang Yan, and Zhaolüe's uncle Wenji asked him to desist, but he refused and pursued the case.
34
建武中，遷吏部郎。 思遠以從兄晏爲尚書令，不欲竝居內臺權要之職，上表固讓。 曰：「近頻煩歸啓，實有微概。 陛下矜遇之厚，古今罕儔。 臣若孤恩，誰當戮力。 旣自誓輕軀命，不復以塵黷爲疑，正以臣與晏地惟密親，必不宜俱居顯要。 慺慺丹赤，守之以死。 臣實庸鄙，無足獎進。 陛下甄拔之旨，要是許其一節。 臣果不能以理自固，有乖則哲之明。 犯冒之尤，誅責在己，謬賞之私，惟塵聖鑒。 權其輕重，寧守福心。 且亦緣陛下以德御下，故臣可得以禮進退。 伏願思垂拯宥，不使零墜。 今若祗膺所忝，三公不足爲泰，犯忤之後，九泉未足爲劇。 而臣苟求刑戮，自弃富榮，愚夫不爲，臣亦庶免。 此心此志，可怜可矜。 如其上命必行，請罪非理，聖恩方置之通塗，而臣固求擯壓，自愍自悼，不覺涕流。 謹冒鈇鉞，悉心以請。 窮則呼天，仰祈一照。」 上知其意，乃改授司徒左長史。
During the Jianwu era he was made Director of the Bureau of Personnel. Because his cousin Wang Yan was Minister of Works, Siyuan did not wish to hold a key inner-court post alongside him and submitted a firm memorial declining the appointment. He wrote, "I have recently troubled Your Majesty with repeated petitions to withdraw, and I do have a private concern. Your Majesty's gracious treatment of me is rarely matched in history. If I turn my back on such grace, who will serve with full devotion? I have sworn to hold my life lightly and no longer fear worldly stain; it is precisely because Yan and I are close kin that we must not both hold prominent posts at court. With earnest loyalty I will guard this principle unto death. I am truly mediocre and unworthy of promotion. Your Majesty's intent in elevating me was to recognize one merit in me. If I cannot hold firm by principle, I would offend Your Majesty's discerning judgment. The fault of presumption is mine alone to bear; any mistaken reward would only cloud Your Majesty's judgment. Weighing the matter, I would rather keep peace of mind. It is because Your Majesty rules with virtue that I may advance or withdraw according to propriety. I humbly beg Your Majesty to extend your mercy and not let me fall to ruin. If I now accept this shameful post, even the rank of the Three Excellencies would bring me no joy; after such an offense, even death would not be punishment enough. Yet I would rather seek punishment and abandon wealth and glory—what a fool would do, and what I too hope to avoid. This heart and this resolve are pitiable indeed. If Your Majesty's command must stand, my plea is unreasonable; Your grace has just cleared my path, yet I stubbornly seek rejection; grieving for myself, I cannot keep back my tears. I respectfully risk your displeasure and pour out my whole heart in this plea. In extremity one cries to Heaven; I look up and beg for a single ray of light. The emperor understood his intent and transferred him to Left Chief Clerk of the Minister of Works.
35
初，高宗廢立之際，思遠與晏閑言，謂晏曰：「兄荷世祖厚恩，今一旦贊人如此事，彼或可以權計相須，未知兄將來何以自立。 若及此引決，猶可不失後名。」 晏不納。 及拜驃騎，集會子弟，謂思遠兄思微曰：「隆昌之末，阿戎勸吾自裁，若從其語，豈有今日。」 思遠遽應曰：「如阿戎所見，猶未晚也。」 及晏敗，故得無他。
Earlier, when Emperor Gao was deposing and enthroning emperors, Siyuan spoke privately with Yan and said, "Brother, you received great favor from Emperor Wu; now you have aided others in such a coup—they may need you for their schemes; I do not know how you will stand on your own afterward. If you act now, you may still preserve your good name." Yan did not heed him. When Yan was appointed Rapid Cavalry Commander he gathered his kin and said to Siyuan's elder brother Siwei, "At the end of Longchang, your brother urged me to take my own life; had I listened, would I be here today? Siyuan immediately replied, "In your brother’s view, it is still not too late." When Yan fell, Siyuan therefore escaped further harm.
36
思遠清脩，立身簡潔。 衣服牀筵，窮治素凈，賔客來通，輙使人先密覘視，衣服垢穢，方便不前，形儀新楚，乃與促膝。 雖然，旣去之後，猶令二人交帚拂其坐處。 上從祖弟季敞性甚豪縱，上心非之。 謂季敞曰：「卿可數詣王思遠。」
Siyuan was pure in conduct and austere in his way of life. His clothes and bedding were kept scrupulously clean; when guests came he had someone watch them first—if their dress was soiled he would find an excuse not to receive them; only if they were neat and presentable would he sit with them knee to knee. Even so, after they left he still had two servants sweep the place where they had sat. The emperor's cousin Jichang was very arrogant and unrestrained, and the emperor disapproved of him. He told Jichang, "You should visit Wang Siyuan often."
37
上旣誅晏，遷爲侍中，掌優策及起居注。 永元二年，遷度支尚書。 未拜，卒。 年四十九。 贈太常，謚貞子。
After the emperor executed Yan, Siyuan was made Palace Attendant, in charge of court policy and the Daily Records. In the second year of Yongyuan he was made Minister of Revenue. Before he could assume the post he died. He was forty-nine years old. He was posthumously honored as Minister of Ceremonies, with the posthumous title Upright Son.
38
思遠與顧暠之友善。 暠之卒後家貧，思遠迎其兒子，經卹甚至。
Siyuan and Gu Haozhi were close friends. After Haozhi died, leaving his family in poverty, Siyuan took in his son and cared for him through mourning with the greatest devotion.
39
暠之字士明。 少孤，好學有義行。 初舉秀才，歷宦府閤。 永明末，爲太子中舍人，兼尚書左丞。 隆昌初，爲安西諮議，兼著作，與思遠竝屬文章。 建武初，以疾歸家，高宗手詔與思遠曰：「此人殊可惜。」 就拜中散大夫。 卒，年四十九。
Gu Haozhi, whose courtesy name was Shiming, was orphaned young, loved learning, and was known for righteous conduct. He was first recommended as Cultivated Talent and served in various princely establishments. At the end of the Yongming era he was Attendant of the Heir Apparent and concurrently Left Assistant Director of the Masters of Writing. At the start of Longchang he was Adviser to the Pacification of the West and Compiler, and he and Siyuan were both noted writers. At the start of Jianwu he returned home on grounds of illness; Emperor Gao wrote personally to Siyuan, "This man is especially worth cherishing. He was thereupon appointed Grandee of Leisure. He died at the age of forty-nine.
40
思微，永元中爲江州長史，爲陳伯之所殺。
Siwei served as Chief Clerk of Jiang Province during Yongyuan and was killed by Chen Bozhi.
41
史臣曰：德成爲上，藝成爲下。 觀夫二三子之治身，豈直清體雅業，取隆基構； 行禮蹈義，可以勉物風規云。 君子之居世，所謂美矣！
The historiographer remarks: Virtue ranks above, accomplishment in arts below. Considering how these men ordered their lives—was it only purity of body and elegance of craft, or the building of a great foundation? By practicing ritual and upholding righteousness they could encourage the manners of the age. Such is the beauty of how a gentleman lives in the world!
42
贊曰：江纂世業，有聞時陂。 何申舊主，辭出乎義。 謝獻壽觴，載色載刺。 思遠退食，沖心篤寄。 [1]
In praise: Jiang continued the family tradition and won renown in his time. He spoke for his former lord, his words born of righteousness. Xie raised the cup of longevity, with wit and with bite. Siyuan withdrew from office, his heart pure and his devotion deep. Footnote 1.
43
全文以中華書局、一九七二年一月版《南齊書》爲本校。
The full text has been collated against the Zhonghua Book Company, January 1972 edition of the 《Book of Southern Qi》.