1
列傳第六十循吏
Biography 60 — Virtuous Officials
2
吉翰杜驥申恬杜慧度阮長之甄法崇傅琰虞願王洪范沈瑀范述曾孫謙何遠郭祖深
Ji Han, Du Ji, Shen Tian, Du Huidu, Ruan Changzhi, Zhen Fachong, Fu Yan, Yu Yuan, Wang Hong, Fan Shenyao, Sun Qian, He Yuan, and Guo Zushen
3
昔漢宣帝以為「政平訟理，其惟良二千石乎？」。 前史亦云，今之郡守，古之諸侯也。 故長吏之職，號曰親人。 至於道德齊禮，移風易俗，未有不由之矣。
In former times Emperor Xuan of Han remarked, "When the administration is fair and litigation is properly resolved, could anything matter more than capable district governors?" Earlier histories likewise observe that the commandery governors of today are the feudal lords of old. That is why the chief magistrate's post is styled "kinsman to the people." Whether in harmonizing morals with ritual or in reshaping customs and altering popular ways, nothing has ever been accomplished without them.
4
宋武起自匹庶，知人事艱難，及登庸作宰，留心吏職。 而王略外舉，未遑內務，奉師之費，日耗千金。 播茲寬簡，雖所未暇，而黜己屏欲，以儉禦身，左右無幸謁之私，閨房無文綺之飾。 故能戎車歲駕，邦甸不擾。 文帝幼而寬仁，入纂大業，及難興陝服，六戎薄伐，興師命將，動在濟時。 費由府實，事無外擾。 自此方內晏安，甿庶蕃息，奉上供徭，止於歲賦，晨出暮歸，自事而已。 守宰之職以六期為斷，雖沒世不徙，未及曩時，而人有所系，吏無苟得，家給人足，即事雖難，轉死溝渠，于時可免。 凡百戶之鄉，有市之邑，歌謠舞蹈，觸處成群，蓋宋世之極盛也。 暨元嘉二十七年，舉境外捍，於是傾資掃蓄，猶有未供，深賦厚斂，天下騷動。 自茲迄於孝建，兵連不息。 以區區江東，蕞爾迫隘，薦之以師旅，因之以凶荒，向時之盛，自此衰矣。 晉世諸帝多處內房，朝宴所臨，東西二堂而已。 孝武末年，清暑方構，及永初受命，無所改作，所居唯稱西殿，不制嘉名，文帝因之，亦有合殿之稱。 及孝武承統，制度滋長，犬馬餘菽粟，土木衣綈繡。 追陋前規，更造正光、玉燭、紫極諸殿。 雕欒綺節，珠窗網戶，嬖女幸臣，賜傾府藏，竭四海不供其欲，殫人命未快其心。 明皇繼祚，彌篤浮侈，恩不恤下，以至橫流。 蒞人之官，遷變歲屬，突不得黔，席未暇暖，蒲、密之化，事未易階。 豈徒吏不及古，人乖于昔，蓋由為上所擾，致化莫從。
Emperor Wu of Song had risen from the common people and knew life's hardships; once he took power as chief minister, he kept a close eye on official administration. But with imperial strategy turned outward, he had little time for domestic governance, and the expense of keeping armies in the field drained a thousand gold pieces every day. Though he could not yet extend such leniency and simplicity throughout the realm, he reined himself in and shut out desire, governing his own person through frugality; no favorite at court enjoyed private access, and the inner apartments held no brocade finery. Thus he could march armies year after year without unsettling the realm. Emperor Wen had been gentle and humane from childhood; when he came to the throne and troubles flared in the Shaan region with the six Rong raiding the borders, he raised armies and appointed commanders, every move calculated to rescue the times. Costs were met from the treasury's own resources, and the realm suffered no outside disruption. From then on the empire within the four seas knew peace; the common people multiplied; what they owed the court in labor and levies was limited to the annual tax; they left at dawn and came home at dusk, minding only their own work. Prefects and magistrates served fixed six-year terms; though they might hold office for life without transfer, this fell short of earlier practice, yet the people had officials they could count on, clerks could not profit at will, and households were fed and people provided for—even when times were hard, starving in ditches and canals could then be avoided. In every hamlet of a hundred households and every market town, song and dance gathered wherever one went—such was the Song dynasty at its height. In the twenty-seventh year of Yuanjia, when a border defense campaign was mounted, the state emptied its coffers and stores yet still could not meet demand; oppressive taxes and crushing levies threw the empire into unrest. From then until the Xiaojian reign, war never ceased. The small, cramped lands east of the Yangzi, already pressed by armies and then struck by famine and disaster, saw the former prosperity decline from that point on. Jin emperors mostly lived in the inner quarters; court banquets were held only in the Eastern and Western Halls. In Emperor Xiaowu's last years the Clear Summer Pavilion was under construction; when the Yongchu reign began nothing was changed—the palace was simply called the Western Hall, without a grand title; Emperor Wen followed suit and also used the name Combined Hall. When Emperor Xiaowu came to the throne, institutions swelled without limit: dogs and horses had grain to spare, and timber and masonry were draped in silk and brocade. Surpassing even earlier models, he built anew the Zhengguang, Yuzhu, and Ziji halls and the like. Carved beams with brocade tracery, pearl windows and latticed doors, favored women and pet ministers—rewards drained the treasury; the wealth of the four seas could not feed his desires, and the lives of the people could not content his heart. When Emperor Ming came to the throne, extravagance deepened further; his grace did not reach the people below, and disorder spread unchecked. Magistrates who took office were rotated every year; their chimneys never blackened, their mats never warmed—the humane governance of Pu and Mi was not easily achieved. It was not merely that officials fell short of antiquity and the people diverged from former ways; they were harried from above, so that good governance could not take hold.
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齊高帝承斯奢縱，輔立幼主，思振人瘼，風移百城。 為政未期，擢山陰令傅琰為益州刺史，乃損華反樸，恭己南面，導人以躬，意存勿擾。 以山陰大邑，獄訟繁滋，建元三年，別置獄丞，與建康為比。 永明繼運，垂心政術，杖威善斷，猶多漏網，長吏犯法，封刃行誅。 郡縣居職，以三周為小滿。 水旱之災，輒加振恤。 十許年中，百姓無犬吠之驚，都邑之盛，士女昌逸，歌聲舞節，袨服華妝。 桃花淥水之間，秋月春風之下，無往非適。 明帝自在布衣，達於吏事，及居宸扆，專務刀筆。 未嘗枉法申恩，守宰由斯而震。 屬以魏軍入伐，疆埸大擾，兵車連歲，不遑啟居，軍國糜耗，從此衰矣。 繼以昏亂，政由群孽，賦調雲起，傜役無度。 守宰多倚附權門，互長貪虐，裒刻聚斂，侵擾黎甿。 天下搖動，無所措其手足。
Emperor Gao of Qi inherited this extravagance, helped place a young emperor on the throne, and sought to relieve the people's suffering, changing customs across the realm. Before his reign had run its course, he promoted Fu Yan, magistrate of Shanyin, to Inspector of Yizhou; he then cut back display and returned to simplicity, humbled himself on the throne, led by personal example, and aimed at non-interference. Because Shanyin was a large commandery with heavy litigation, in the third year of Jianyuan a separate prison aide was appointed, matching the arrangement at Jiankang. Under the Yongming reign he focused on governance, wielding authority with firm judgment, yet many still slipped through; when senior officials broke the law, the sword was drawn and punishment enforced. Terms in commandery and county office were counted in three-year cycles as a minor completion. Flood and drought were met with immediate relief. For some ten years the people knew no alarm even from a barking dog; the capital thrived, men and women lived at ease, song and dance flourished, and bright dress and fine makeup were everywhere. Among peach blossoms and the clear Lu waters, under autumn moon and spring breeze, every place was pleasant. Emperor Ming had understood official business even as a commoner; once on the throne he devoted himself entirely to paperwork and legal detail. He never bent the law to show favor, and prefects and magistrates trembled before him. Then Wei armies invaded; the frontiers were thrown into turmoil; war continued year after year without respite; army and state were drained, and decline began from that point. Benighted disorder followed; power fell to a host of villains; taxes and levies rose like clouds, and corvée labor knew no bounds. Prefects and magistrates mostly clung to powerful factions, feeding one another's greed and cruelty, extorting and squeezing the people. The realm was shaken, and the people knew not where to turn.
6
案前史各立循吏傳，序其德美，今並掇采其事，以備此篇云。
Earlier histories each devoted a chapter to virtuous officials and recounted their excellence; here their deeds are gathered together to fill out this chapter.
7
吉翰字休文，馮翊池陽人也。 初為龍驤將軍劉道憐參軍，隨府轉征虜左軍參軍，隨道憐北征廣固，賜爵建城縣五等侯。 參宋武帝中軍軍事、臨淮太守。 復為道憐驃騎中兵參軍，從事中郎。 為將佐十餘年，清謹勤正，甚為武帝所知賞。
Ji Han, styled Xiuwen, was a native of Chiyang in Fengyi commandery. He first served as aide to Liu Daolian, General Who Inspires Awe; he followed the staff and became Left Army Aide to the General Who Conquers Barbarians, accompanied Daolian on the northern expedition to Guanggu, and was ennobled as a fifth-rank marquis of Jiancheng county. He served on military staff in Emperor Wu of Song's Central Army and as Administrator of Linhuai. He again served Daolian as Central Army Aide under the Rapid Cavalry General and as Attendant Gentleman. For more than ten years as a commander's aide he was scrupulous, diligent, and upright, and won high regard from Emperor Wu.
8
元嘉中，歷位梁、南秦二州刺史，徙益州刺史，加督。 在任著美績，甚得方伯之體，論者稱之。
During Yuanjia he served in turn as Inspector of Liang and Nanqin, was transferred to Inspector of Yizhou, and given supervisory authority. In office he achieved distinguished results, fully embodied the role of a regional governor, and won praise from commentators.
9
累遷徐州刺史、監徐兗二州豫州之梁郡諸軍事，時有死罪囚，典簽意欲活之，因翰八關齋呈事，翰省訖，語令且去，明可更呈。 明旦，典簽不敢復入，呼之乃來。 取昨所呈事視訖，謂曰：「卿意當欲宥此囚死命。 昨於齋坐見其事，亦有心活之。 但此囚罪重，不可全貸，既欲加恩，卿便當代任其罪。」 因命左右收典簽付獄殺之，原此囚生命。 其刑政類如此。 自下畏服，莫敢犯禁。 卒於官。
He rose to Inspector of Xuzhou and supervisor of military affairs in Xu and Yan and Liang commandery of Yuzhou; when a man condemned to death was in custody, the chief clerk wished to save him and submitted the case during Han's eightfold fast; Han read it through and told him to leave and return the next day. The next morning the chief clerk dared not enter until summoned. He took up yesterday's submission, read it through, and said, "You mean to spare this prisoner's life. Yesterday during the fast I saw the case and was minded to spare him myself. But this man's crime is grave and cannot be fully pardoned; since you wish to show mercy, you must bear his guilt in his stead." He then ordered his attendants to seize the chief clerk, send him to prison, and execute him, while sparing the condemned man. His administration of justice was mostly of this sort. Those below feared and obeyed; none dared break his rules. He died in office.
10
杜驥字度世，京兆杜陵人也。 高祖預，晉征南將軍。 曾祖耽，避難河西，因仕張氏。 苻堅平涼州，父祖始還關中。
Du Ji, styled Dushi, was a native of Duling in Jingzhao commandery. His great-grandfather Yu served as Jin General Who Conquers the South. His great-grandfather Dan fled to Hexi during the troubles and entered the service of the Zhang clan. When Fu Jian pacified Liangzhou, his father and grandfather returned to Guanzhong for the first time.
11
兄坦頗涉史傳，宋武帝平長安，隨從南還。 元嘉中，位青、冀二州刺史，晚度北人，南朝常以傖荒遇之，雖復人才可施，每為清途所隔，坦恒以此慨然。 嘗與文帝言及史籍，上曰：「金日磾忠孝淳深，漢朝莫及，恨今世無復此輩人。」 坦曰：「日磾之美，誠如聖詔，假使出乎今世，養馬不暇，豈辦見知。」 上變色曰：「卿何量朝廷之薄也。」 坦曰：「請以臣言之，臣本中華高族，亡曾祖因晉氏喪亂，播遷涼土，直以南度不早，便以荒傖賜隔。 日磾胡人，身為牧圉，便超入內侍，齒列名賢。 聖朝雖復拔才，臣恐未必能也。」 上默然。
His elder brother Tan was well read in history; when Emperor Wu of Song took Chang'an, he followed the court south. During Yuanjia he served as Inspector of Qing and Ji; as a northerner who had crossed south late, the Southern Court often treated him as a crude outsider; though his talent could have been used, he was repeatedly blocked from high office, and Tan brooded on this constantly. Once when discussing history with Emperor Wen, the emperor said, "Jin Midi's loyalty and filial devotion were profound beyond compare in the Han—how I regret that men like him no longer exist today." Tan replied, "Midi's excellence is indeed as Your Majesty says—but had he lived in our age, he would have had no time beyond tending horses; how could he have won recognition?" The emperor's face darkened. "Why do you think so little of the court?" Tan said, "Take my own case: I come from a distinguished Central Plains clan; my late great-grandfather, driven by Jin disorder, fled to the Liang region—simply because we did not cross south early enough, we were dismissed as crude outsiders. Midi was a foreigner, a mere groom, yet he was raised straight into the inner service and ranked among the great. Though Your Majesty's court may promote talent, I fear it would not happen in my case." The emperor said nothing.
12
北土舊法，問疾必遣子弟。 驥年十三，父使候同郡韋華。 華子玄有高名，見而異之，以女妻焉。 累遷長沙王義欣後軍錄事參軍。
In the north it was customary to send one's sons when calling on the sick. At thirteen Ji was sent by his father to inquire after Wei Hua of the same commandery. Wei's son Xuan was highly regarded; struck by the boy, he gave him his daughter in marriage. He rose to Recording Army Aide in the Rear Army of Prince Yixin of Changsha.
13
元嘉七年，隨到彥之入河南，加建武將軍。 魏撤河南戍悉歸河北，彥之使驥守洛陽。 洛陽城廢久，又無糧食，及彥之敗退，驥欲棄城走，慮為文帝誅。 初，武帝平關、洛，致鍾虡舊器南還。 一大鍾墜洛水中，至是帝遣將姚聳夫領千五百人迎致之。 時聳夫政率所領牽鍾于洛水，驥乃遣使紿之曰：「虜既南度，洛城勢弱，今修理城池，並已堅固，軍糧又足，所乏者人耳。 君率眾見就，共守此城，大功既立，取鍾無晚。」 聳夫信之，率所領就驥。 及至城不可守，又無糧食，於是引眾去，驥亦委城南奔。 白文帝：「本欲以死固守，姚聳夫入城便走，人情沮敗，不可復禁。」 上怒，使建威將軍鄭順之殺聳夫于壽陽。 聳夫，吳興武康人，勇果有氣力，宋偏裨小將莫及。
In the seventh year of Yuanjia he followed Dao Yanzhi into Henan and was made General Who Establishes Martiality. When Wei withdrew its Henan garrisons north of the river, Yanzhi left Ji to hold Luoyang. Luoyang had long been in ruins and had no food; when Yanzhi was defeated and withdrew, Ji wanted to abandon the city and flee, fearing Emperor Wen would execute him. Earlier, when Emperor Wu took Guanzhong and Luoyang, he had the ancient bells and vessels brought south. One great bell had fallen into the Luo; the emperor now sent General Yao Songfu with fifteen hundred men to recover it. Songfu was then hauling the bell at the Luo when Ji sent a messenger to deceive him: "The enemy has crossed south and Luoyang looks weak—but we have repaired the walls and they are strong, and we have ample grain; all we lack is men. Bring your men and help us hold the city; once that is done, there will be time enough to fetch the bell. Songfu believed him and marched his men to Ji. When they arrived the city could not be held and there was no food; Songfu led his men away, and Ji abandoned the city and fled south. He reported to Emperor Wen: "I meant to hold to the death, but when Yao Songfu entered the city he fled at once; morale collapsed and could not be restored. The emperor was furious and had General Who Establishes Prestige Zheng Shunzhi execute Songfu at Shouyang. Songfu was from Wukang in Wuxing, brave and powerful beyond any of Song's junior officers.
14
十七年，驥為青、冀二州刺史，在任八年，惠化著于齊土。 自義熙至於宋末，刺史唯羊穆之及驥為吏人所稱詠。 後徵為左軍將軍，兄坦代為刺史，北土以為榮焉。
In the seventeenth year Ji became Inspector of Qing and Ji; in eight years his benevolent rule won fame throughout Qi. From Yixi to the end of Song, only Yang Muzhi and Ji among regional governors were praised by officials and people alike. He was later summoned as General of the Left Army while his brother Tan replaced him as inspector—a source of pride among northerners.
15
坦長子琬為員外散騎侍郎，文帝嘗有函詔敕坦，琬輒開視。 信未及發，又追取之，敕函已發，大相推檢。 上遣主書詰責驥，並檢開函之主。 驥答曰：「開函是臣第四息季文，伏待刑坐。」 上特原不問。 卒官。
Tan's eldest son Wan was an Attendant Gentleman of the Scattered Cavalry; when Emperor Wen sent a sealed edict to Tan, Wan opened and read it. Before the letter could be sent it was recalled; because the seal had been broken, a major investigation followed. The emperor sent a chief clerk to rebuke Ji and identify who had broken the seal. Ji replied, "The one who opened it was my fourth son Jiwen; he submits himself for punishment. The emperor specially pardoned him and took no further action. He died in office.
16
第五子幼文薄於行，明帝初，以軍功封邵陽縣男，尋坐巧妄奪爵。 後以發太尉廬江王褘謀反事，拜給事黃門侍郎。 廢帝元徽中為散騎常侍。 幼文所蒞貪橫，家累千金。 與沈勃、孫超之居止接近，又並與阮佃夫厚善。 佃夫既死，廢帝深疾之。 帝微行，夜輒在幼文門墉間聽其弦管，積久轉不能平，於是自率宿衛兵誅幼文、勃、超之等。 兄叔文為長水校尉，亦誅。
The fifth son Youwen was of poor character; early in Emperor Ming's reign he was made Baron of Shaoyang for military merit, but soon lost his title for deceit. Later, for exposing Grand Marshal Prince Yi of Lujiang's plot to rebel, he was appointed Attendant at the Gates and Yellow Gate. Under the deposed emperor in the Yuanhui era he served as Regular Attendant of the Scattered Cavalry. In every office he held Youwen was greedy and brutal, and his household amassed a fortune in gold. He lived near Shen Bo and Sun Chaozhi and was close to Ruan Tianfu as well. After Tianfu's death, the deposed emperor came to hate Youwen deeply. The emperor went out in disguise and at night would listen to music outside Youwen's gate; the resentment built until he led the palace guard himself to kill Youwen, Bo, Chaozhi, and the others. His elder brother Shuwen, Commandant of the Ever-Flowing Water, was executed as well.
17
申恬字公休，魏郡魏人也。 曾祖鍾，為石季龍司徒。 宋武帝平廣固，恬父宣、宣從父兄永皆得歸晉，並以幹用見知。 武帝踐阼，拜太中大夫。 宣元嘉初，曆兗、青二州刺史。 恬兄謨與朱修之守滑台。 魏克滑台見虜。 後得還，為竟陵太守。
Shen Tian, styled Gongxiu, was a native of Wei in Wei commandery. His great-grandfather Zhong had been Minister of Education under Shi Jilong. When Emperor Wu of Song took Guanggu, Tian's father Xuan and Xuan's elder cousin Yong were able to return to Jin and won recognition for their ability. When Emperor Wu took the throne, Xuan was appointed Grand Master of Palace Counsel. Early in Yuanjia, Xuan served in turn as Inspector of Yan and Qing. Tian's elder brother Mo defended Huatai together with Zhu Xiuzhi. When Wei took Huatai, Mo was captured. He later returned and became Administrator of Jingling.
18
恬初為驃騎劉道憐長兼行參軍。 宋受命，辟東宮殿中將軍，度還台，直省十年，不請休急。 曆下邳、北海二郡太守，所至皆有政績。 又為北譙、梁二郡太守。 郡境邊接任榛，屢被寇抄。 恬到任，密知賊來，乃伏兵要害，出其不意，悉皆禽殄。
Tian first served as senior concurrent acting aide to Liu Daolian, Rapid Cavalry General. When Song received the mandate, he was appointed Palace General of the Eastern Palace; he returned to the capital and served in direct attendance for ten years without once asking for leave. He served as Administrator of Xiapi and Beihai in turn, achieving good results everywhere he went. He later served as Administrator of Beiqiao and Liang. The commandery bordered Renzhen and was repeatedly raided by bandits. When Tian took office he learned secretly that bandits were coming, set an ambush at a critical point, and surprised and destroyed them all.
19
元嘉十二年，遷督魯東平濟北三郡諸軍事、泰山太守，威惠兼著，吏人便之。 二十一年，冀州移鎮曆下，以恬為冀州刺史，加督。 明年，加濟南太守。 孝武踐阼，為青州刺史，尋加督。 齊地連歲興兵，百姓雕弊，恬防禦邊境，勸課農桑，二三年間，遂皆優實。
In the twelfth year of Yuanjia he was made overseer of military affairs in Lu, Dongping, and Jibei and Administrator of Taishan; his authority and kindness won the loyalty of officials and people alike. In the twenty-first year the Ji garrison was moved to Lixia, and Tian was appointed Inspector of Ji with supervisory authority. The following year he was also made Administrator of Jinan. When Emperor Xiaowu came to the throne, Tian became Inspector of Qing and soon received supervisory authority. Qi had suffered years of war and the people were exhausted; Tian defended the borders, promoted farming and sericulture, and within two or three years the region was prosperous again.
20
性清約，頻處州郡，妻子不免饑寒，世以此稱之。 後拜豫州刺史，以疾征還，道卒。 死之日，家無遺財。
He was by nature frugal and austere; though he held provincial office repeatedly, his wife and children still knew hunger and cold, and the world praised him for it. He was later appointed Inspector of Yu; recalled because of illness, he died on the journey home. When he died his household had nothing left.
21
子寔，南譙太守。 謨子元嗣，海陵太守。 元嗣弟謙，臨川內史。
His son Shi served as Administrator of Nanqiao. Mo's son Yuansi was Administrator of Hailing. Yuansi's younger brother Qian was Interior Secretary of Linchuan.
22
子令孫，明帝時為徐州刺史，討薛安都。 行至淮陽，即與安都合。 弟闡時為濟陰太守，戍睢陵城，奉順不同安都，安都攻圍不能克。 會令孫至，遣往睢陵說闡，闡降，殺之。 令孫亦見殺。
His son Lingsun served as Inspector of Xuzhou under Emperor Ming on a campaign against Xue Andu. When he reached Huaiyang he at once joined Andu. His younger brother Chan was then Administrator of Jiyin, holding Suiling; he remained loyal and refused to join Andu, and Andu besieged the city without success. When Lingsun arrived he sent envoys to Suiling to persuade Chan; Chan surrendered and was killed. Lingsun was killed as well.
23
杜慧度，交址朱鳶人也。 本屬京兆。 曾祖元為甯浦太守，遂居交址。 父瑗字道言，仕州府為日南、九德、交址太守。 初，九真太守李遜父子勇壯有權力，威制交土，聞刺史滕遯之當至，分遣二子斷遏水陸津要，瑗收眾斬遜，州境獲寧。 後為龍驤將軍、交州刺史。 宋武帝義旗建，進號冠軍將軍。 盧循竊據廣州，遣使通好，瑗斬之。 義熙六年卒，年八十四，贈右將軍。
Du Huidu was a native of Zhuyuan in Jiaozhi. His clan was originally registered in Jingzhao. His great-grandfather Yuan served as Administrator of Ningpu and settled in Jiaozhi. His father Yuan, styled Daoyan, served in the provincial administration as Administrator of Rinan, Jiude, and Jiaozhi. At first Li Xun, Administrator of Jiuzhen, and his son were powerful and dominated Jiaozhi; when they heard Inspector Teng Dunzhi was coming, they sent two sons to block the land and water routes; Yuan gathered troops, killed Xun, and restored peace to the province. He later became General Who Inspires Awe and Inspector of Jiaozhi. When Emperor Wu of Song raised the banner of righteousness, Yuan was promoted to General Who Conquers Champions. When Lu Xun seized Guangzhou and sent envoys seeking alliance, Yuan had them executed. He died in the sixth year of Yixi at eighty-four and was posthumously made General of the Right.
24
慧度，瑗第五子也。 七年，除交州刺史，詔書未到，其年春，盧循襲破合浦，徑向交州，慧度乃率文武六千人拒循于石碕，破之。 循雖破，餘党皆習兵事，李遜子孫李弈、李移、李脫等皆奔竄石碕，盤結俚、獠，各有部曲。 循知弈等與杜氏有怨，遣使招之。 弈等受循節度。 六月庚子，循晨造南津，令三軍入城乃食。 慧度悉出宗族私財以充勸賞，自登高艦合戰，放火箭，循眾艦俱然，一時散潰。 循中箭赴水死。 斬循及父嘏並循二子，並傳首建鄴。 封慧度龍編縣侯。
Huidu was Yuan's fifth son. In the seventh year he was appointed Inspector of Jiaozhi; before the edict arrived, that spring Lu Xun took Hepu and marched on Jiaozhi; Huidu led six thousand officials and soldiers to meet Xun at Shiji and defeated him. Though Xun was defeated, his followers were seasoned fighters; Li Xun's descendants Li Yi, Li Yi, Li Tuo, and others fled to Shiji, entrenched among the Li and Liao tribes, each with his own band. Xun knew Yi and his kin bore a grudge against the Du clan and sent envoys to win them over. Yi and his followers accepted Xun's command. On the gengzi day of the sixth month Xun advanced at dawn on Nanjin and ordered his armies not to eat until they had entered the city. Huidu spent his clan's private wealth on rewards, boarded a tall warship to fight in person, launched fire arrows, and Xun's fleet burst into flame and broke in rout. Xun was struck by an arrow, fell into the water, and drowned. Xun, his father Gu, and his two sons were beheaded, and their heads were sent to Jiankang. Huidu was enfeoffed as Marquis of Longbian county.
25
武帝踐阼，進號輔國將軍。 其年，南討林邑，林邑乞降，輸生口大象金銀古貝等，乃釋之。 遣長史江攸奉表獻捷。 慧度布衣蔬食，儉約質素。 能彈琴，頗好莊、老。 禁斷淫祀，崇修學校，歲荒人饑，則以私祿振給。 為政纖密，有如居家，由是威惠沾洽，奸盜不起。 乃至城門不夜閉，道不拾遺。 卒，追贈左將軍。 以慧度長子弘文為振遠將軍、交州刺史。
When Emperor Wu took the throne, Huidu was promoted to General Who Assists the State. That year he campaigned south against Linyi; Linyi surrendered and sent captives, elephants, gold, silver, cowrie shells, and the like, and he then withdrew. He sent Chief Clerk Jiang You to present a memorial reporting victory. Huidu wore plain cloth and ate simple food, living frugally and without display. He played the zither and was fond of Zhuangzi and Laozi. He banned improper sacrifices, promoted schools, and when famine struck he used his private salary to feed the people. He governed with meticulous care, as if managing his own household; his authority and kindness won the people, and crime ceased. City gates were left open at night, and no one picked up lost goods on the roads. When he died he was posthumously made General of the Left. Huidu's eldest son Hongwen was appointed General Who Quells the Distance and Inspector of Jiaozhi.
26
初，武帝北征關、洛，慧度板弘文行九真太守。 及繼父為刺史，亦以寬和得眾，襲爵龍編侯。 元嘉四年，文帝以廷尉王徽為交州刺史，弘文被征，會得重疾，牽以就路。 親舊見其患篤，勸待病癒。 弘文曰：「吾世荷皇恩，杖節三世。 常欲投軀帝庭，以報所荷； 況親被征命，而可晏然者乎。」 弘文母阮年老，見弘文輿疾就路，不忍別，與到廣州，遂卒。 臨死，遣弟弘猷詣建鄴，朝廷甚哀之。
When Emperor Wu campaigned north against Guanzhong and Luoyang, Huidu appointed Hongwen acting Administrator of Jiuzhen. When he succeeded his father as inspector, he too won the people through leniency and harmony and inherited the title Marquis of Longbian. In the fourth year of Yuanjia Emperor Wen appointed Court Commandant Wang Hui Inspector of Jiaozhi; Hongwen was recalled, fell gravely ill, but was dragged onto the road anyway. Kin and friends, seeing how ill he was, urged him to wait until he recovered. Hongwen said, "Our family has borne the imperial grace for generations and held office for three generations. I have always wished to give my life at court to repay what I owe; how much more when I am personally summoned—how could I remain at ease? His mother Ruan was elderly; unable to bear parting from her sick son as he was carried onto the road, she accompanied him to Guangzhou, where he died. Before he died he sent his younger brother Hongyou to Jiankang; the court mourned him deeply.
27
孝建中，以豫章太守檀和之為豫州刺史，和之先曆始興太守、交州刺史，所在有威名，盜賊屏跡。 每出獵，猛獸伏不敢起。
During Xiaojian, Tan Hezhi, Administrator of Yuzhang, was made Inspector of Yu; he had previously served as Administrator of Shixing and Inspector of Jiaozhi, winning a reputation for authority everywhere he went, and bandits disappeared. Whenever he went hunting, fierce beasts crouched and dared not stir.
28
阮長之字景茂，一字善業，陳留尉氏人也。 祖思曠，金紫光祿大夫。 父普，驃騎諮議參軍。
Ruan Changzhi, styled Jingmao and also Shanye, was a native of Weishi in Chenliu commandery. His grandfather Sikuan was Grand Master of the Golden Seal and Purple Ribbon. His father Pu was Consulting Army Aide to the Rapid Cavalry General.
29
長之年十五喪父，有孝性，哀感傍人。 除服，蔬食者猶積載。 閒居篤學，未嘗有惰容。
Changzhi lost his father at fifteen; his filial grief moved all who saw him. After the mourning period ended, he continued to eat only vegetables for years. In retirement he studied diligently and never showed a lazy expression.
30
初為諸府參軍，母老，求補襄垣令，督郵無禮鞭之，去職。 後拜武昌太守。 時王弘為江州，雅相知重，引為車騎從事中郎。
He first served as aide in various headquarters; when his mother grew old he sought appointment as Magistrate of Xiangyuan; the postal inspector flogged him without cause, and he resigned. He was later appointed Administrator of Wuchang. Wang Hong was then in Jiang province and valued him highly, recommending him as Attendant Gentleman in the Chariots and Cavalry.
31
元嘉十一年，除臨海太守，在官常擁敗絮。 至郡少時，母亡，葬畢不勝憂卒。
In the eleventh year of Yuanjia he was appointed Administrator of Linhai; in office he constantly wrapped himself in worn cotton padding. Not long after reaching the commandery his mother died; when the burial was over he died of grief.
32
時郡田祿以芒種為斷，此前去官者則一年秩祿皆入後人。 始以元嘉末改此科，計月分祿。 長之去武昌郡，代人未至，以芒種前一日解印綬。 初發都，親故或以器物贈別，得便緘錄，後歸，悉以還之。 為中書郎直省，夜往鄰省，誤著屐出合，依事自列。 門下以闇夜人不知，不受列。 長之固遣送曰：「一生不侮暗室。」 前後所蒞官，皆有風政，為後人所思。 宋世言善政者咸稱之。 文帝深惜之，曰：「景茂方堪大用，豈直以清苦見惜。」 子師門，原鄉令。
At the time commandery field salaries were reckoned to Mangzhong; before that, when an official left office, a full year's salary went to his successor. Only at the end of Yuanjia was this changed to monthly calculation of salary. When Changzhi left Wuchang his successor had not arrived; he surrendered his seal and cord the day before Mangzhong. When he left the capital, kin and friends sometimes gave him parting gifts; he recorded each item and on returning returned them all. As Attendant Gentleman of the Secretariat on night duty, he went to a neighboring office, mistakenly wore clogs out of the gate, and reported himself according to regulations. The Secretariat, saying that in the dark no one had seen, declined to accept his report. Changzhi insisted on sending it in again: "In a lifetime one does not cheat even a dark room. In every office he held he governed with distinction, and later generations remembered him. In the Song age all who spoke of good governance praised him. Emperor Wen deeply regretted his loss and said, "Jingmao was fit for great employment—was he to be valued only for his austerity? His son Shimen was Magistrate of Yuanxiang.
33
元嘉初，文帝遣大使巡行四方，兼散騎常侍王歆之等上言：「宣威將軍、陳南頓二郡太守李元德清勤均平，奸盜止息。 彭城內史魏恭子廉惜修慎，在公忘私，安約守儉，久而彌固。 前宋縣令成浦為政寬濟，遺詠在人。 前鮦陽令李熙國在事有方，人思其政。 故山桑令何道自少清廉，白首彌厲。 應加褒賚，以勸於後。」 各被褒賜。 歆之字叔道，河東人。 曾祖愆期有名晉世，官至南蠻校尉。 歆之位左戶尚書、光祿大夫，卒官。
Early in Yuanjia Emperor Wen sent grand envoys to tour the realm; Concurrent Regular Attendant of the Scattered Cavalry Wang Xinzhi and others reported: "General Who Proclaims Prestige and Administrator of Chen and Nandun Li Yuande is pure, diligent, and fair; crime has ceased. Interior Secretary of Pengcheng Wei Gongzi is frugal and careful; in office he forgets private interest, keeps to simplicity, and grows firmer in austerity with time. Former Magistrate of Song county Cheng Pu governed with leniency and relief; the people still sing his praise. Former Magistrate of Tiaoyang Li Xiguo governed with method; the people still remember his rule. Former Magistrate of Shansang He Dao has been incorruptible since youth and grows ever more rigorous in old age. He should be commended and rewarded as an encouragement to future officials. Each of them was commended and rewarded. Wang Xinzhi, styled Shudao, was from Hedong. His great-grandfather Qianqi was renowned in the Jin dynasty and rose to Commandant of the Southern Barbarians. Xinzhi served as Director of the Left Household and Grand Master for Splendid Happiness and died in office.
34
甄法崇，中山人也。 父匡，位少府卿，以清聞。 法崇，宋永初中為江陵令，在任嚴整，縣境肅然。 于時，南平繆士通為江安令卒官，至其年末，法崇在聽事，士通前見。 法崇知其已亡，愕然未言。 坐定，云：「卿縣人宋雅見負米千餘石不還，令兒窮弊不自存，故自訴。」 法崇因命口受為辭，因遜謝下席。 而法崇為問，宋家狼狽輸送。 太守王華聞而歎美之。
Zhen Fachong was from Zhongshan. His father Kuang served as Director of Palace Revenues and was famed for integrity. In the early Yongchu era of Song, Fachong served as Magistrate of Jiangling; his stern, orderly governance left the county tranquil. At that time Miu Shitong of Nanping had died in office as Magistrate of Jiang'an; near year's end, while Fachong sat in his audience hall, Shitong appeared before him. Knowing the man was dead, Fachong was stunned and said nothing. When they were seated, Shitong said: "Song Ya of your county owes me more than a thousand piculs of rice and refuses to pay; my son is destitute and cannot survive, so I have come to plead the case myself. Fachong had the complaint transcribed and, with humble apologies, stepped down from his seat. Fachong investigated the matter, and the Song family hastily paid what they owed. Prefect Wang Hua heard of the affair and praised him warmly.
35
法崇孫彬。 彬有行業，鄉黨稱善。 嘗以一束苧就州長沙寺庫質錢，後贖苧還，於苧束中得五兩金，以手巾裹之，彬得，送還寺庫。 道人驚云：「近有人以此金質錢，時有事不得舉而失。 檀越乃能見還，輒以金半仰酬。」 往復十餘，彬堅然不受，因謂曰； 「五月披羊裘而負薪，豈拾遺金者邪。」 卒還金。 梁武帝布衣而聞之，及踐阼，以西昌侯藻為益州刺史，乃以彬為府錄事參軍，帶郫縣令。 將行，同列五人，帝誡以廉慎。 至彬，獨曰：「卿昔有還金之美，故不復以此言相屬。」 由此名德益彰。 及在蜀，藻禮之甚厚云。
Fachong's grandson was Bin. Bin was a man of upright character, and the community spoke well of him. Once he pawned a bundle of ramie at the Changsha Temple treasury for money; when he redeemed and took it back, he found five taels of gold wrapped in a handkerchief inside and returned the gold to the temple. The monk exclaimed in surprise: "Someone recently pawned this gold, but an urgent matter kept us from retrieving it and it was lost. That you would return it is remarkable; please accept half the gold as a reward. They went back and forth more than ten times, but Bin firmly refused; he then said: "Would a man who wears a sheepskin coat in May to gather firewood be one who keeps lost gold? In the end he returned all the gold. While still a commoner, Emperor Wu of Liang heard the story; once enthroned he made Marquis of Xichang Xiao Zao prefect of Yizhou and appointed Bin recorder of his headquarters, with concurrent command of Pixian. When Bin was about to depart with four colleagues, the Emperor admonished each to govern with integrity and care. When he came to Bin, he said alone: "You once returned lost gold; I need not repeat that admonition to you. His fame for virtue spread all the more. In Shu, Xiao Zao treated him with exceptional respect.
36
傅琰字季珪，北地靈州人也。 曾祖弘仁，宋武帝之外弟，以中表曆顯官，位太常卿。 祖劭字彥先，員外散騎侍郎。 父僧佑，山陰令，有能名。
Fu Yan, styled Jigui, was from Lingzhou in Beidi commandery. His great-grandfather Hongren was a cousin of Emperor Wu of Song on the maternal side and, through that connection, rose through high office to Chamberlain for Ceremonials. His grandfather Fu Shao, styled Yanxian, served as External Attendant of the Scattered Cavalry. His father Sengyou was Magistrate of Shanyin and was famed for competence.
37
琰美姿儀，仕宋為武康令，遷山陰令，並著能名，二縣皆謂之傅聖。 賜爵新亭侯。 元徽中，遷尚書左丞。 母喪，鄰家失火，延燒琰屋，抱柩不動。 鄰人競來赴救，乃得俱全。 琰股髀之間已被煙焰。
Handsome and dignified in bearing, Yan served the Song as Magistrate of Wukang and then of Shanyin; in both counties he won fame for ability and both hailed him as "Saint Fu." He was enfeoffed as Marquis of Xinting. During Yuanhui he was promoted to Left Assistant Director of the Secretariat. While mourning his mother, a neighbor's fire spread to his house; he clung to the coffin and would not stir. Neighbors rushed to help, and mother and coffin were both spared. Yan's thighs were already scorched by the flames.
38
齊高帝輔政，以山陰獄訟煩積，復以琰為山陰令。 賣針、賣糖老姥爭團絲來詣琰，琰掛團絲於柱鞭之，密視有鐵屑，乃罰賣糖者。 又二野父爭雞，琰各問何以食雞，一人云粟，一人云豆。 乃破雞得粟，罪言豆者。 縣內稱神明，無敢為偷。 琰父子並著奇績，時雲諸傅有理縣譜，子孫相傳，不以示人。
When Emperor Gao of Qi served as regent, lawsuits in Shanyin had piled up; he again appointed Yan magistrate there. An old needle-seller and an old sugar-seller quarreled over a ball of silk and came before Yan; he hung the silk on a post and whipped it, spotted iron filings on it, and fined the sugar-seller. Two farmers disputed ownership of a chicken; Yan asked each what he fed it with—one said millet, the other beans. He slaughtered the bird, found millet in its crop, and punished the man who claimed beans. The county hailed him as uncannily just, and theft ceased. Father and son alike won extraordinary renown; people said the Fu clan kept a secret manual on county governance, handed down among descendants and never shown to outsiders.
39
升明中，遷益州刺史。 自縣遷州，近世罕有。 齊建元四年，征驍騎將軍、黃門郎。 永明中，為廬陵王安西長史、南郡內史，行荊州事。 卒。 琰喪西還，有詔出臨哭。
During Shengming he was made Prefect of Yizhou. Promotion straight from county magistrate to prefect was rare in recent times. In Qi Jianyuan 4 he was recalled as General of the Agile Cavalry and Gentleman at the Yellow Gate. During Yongming he served as chief administrator to Prince Anxi of Luling, interior minister of Nan commandery, and acting governor of Jingzhou. He died. As Yan's coffin was borne westward, the throne ordered an imperial mourning visit.
40
時長沙太守王沈、新蔡太守劉聞慰、晉平太守丘仲起、長城縣令何敬叔、故鄣縣令丘寂之，皆有能名，而不及琰也。 沈字彥流，東海人，曆錢唐、山陰、秣陵令，南平、長沙太守，清廉戒慎，身恒居祿而居處日貧。 死之日無宅可憩，故吏為營棺柩。 聞慰自有傳。 仲起見沈憲傳，敬叔見子思澄傳。
Prefects Wang Shen of Changsha, Liu Wenwei of Xincai, and Qiu Zhongqi of Jinping, and magistrates He Jingshu of Changcheng and Qiu Jizhi of Guzhang all enjoyed reputations for ability—but none equaled Fu Yan. Shen, styled Yanliu, of Donghai served as magistrate of Qiantang, Shanyin, and Moling and as prefect of Nanping and Changsha; scrupulously honest and cautious, he lived on his salary yet grew poorer by the day. When he died he had no home to die in; former staff provided his coffin. Liu Wenwei has a separate biography. Qiu Zhongqi appears in Shen Xian's biography; He Jingshu in Zisi Cheng's.
41
寂之字德玄，吳興烏程人。 年十七，為州西曹，兼直主簿。 刺史王彧行縣夜還，前驅已至，而寂之不肯開門，曰：「不奉墨旨。」 彧方于車中為教，然後開。 彧歎曰：「不意郅君章近在合下。」 即轉為主簿。 在縣專以廉潔禦下。 于時丹徒縣令沈巑之以清廉抵罪，寂之聞之曰：「清吏真不可為也，政當處季、孟之間乎。」
Qiu Jizhi, styled Dexuan, was from Wucheng in Wuxing commandery. At seventeen he served as a Western Section officer in the prefecture and acting chief clerk. Prefect Wang Yu was returning at night from a county tour; though the vanguard had arrived, Jizhi refused to open the gate, saying: "I have no written order. Yu drafted an order in his carriage, and only then did Jizhi admit him. Wang Yu exclaimed: "I never expected a Zhi Junzhang right under my own roof. Jizhi was promptly promoted to chief clerk. As magistrate he governed subordinates through personal integrity alone. When Magistrate Shen Cuanzhi of Dantu was punished for honesty, Jizhi remarked: "Perhaps an incorruptible magistrate truly cannot survive—maybe one ought to aim somewhere between Ji and Meng after all."
42
巑之吳興武康人，性疏直，在縣自以清廉不事左右，浸潤日至，遂鎖系尚方。 歎曰：「一見天子足矣。」 上召問曰：「復欲何陳？」 答曰：「臣坐清所以獲罪。」 上曰：「清復何以獲罪？」 曰：「無以承奉要人。」 上曰：「要人為誰？」 巑之以手板四面指曰：「此赤衣諸賢皆是。 若臣得更鳴，必令清譽日至。」 巑之雖危言，上亦不責。 後知其無罪，重除丹徒令。 入縣界，吏人候之，謂曰：「我今重來，當以人肝代米，不然清名不立。」
Cuanzhi, of Wukang in Wuxing, was blunt and upright; believing his honesty sufficient, he courted no patrons; slander accumulated until he was shackled and sent to the Palace Workshops prison. He sighed: "One audience with the emperor is enough for me. The emperor summoned him and asked: "Do you have anything else to say?" He replied: "I was punished for being honest." The emperor said: "How does honesty become a crime?" Cuanzhi said: "Because I would not fawn on the powerful." Who are these powerful men?" the emperor asked. Cuanzhi swept his hand tablet around the court: "Every one of these gentlemen in red robes. If I could speak freely again, my reputation for honesty would grow daily." Though his words were bold, the emperor did not reprove him. Later, learning he was innocent, the court reappointed him magistrate of Dantu. As he entered the county, officials and commoners came to meet him; he told them: "I return determined to take payment in human flesh instead of grain—otherwise an honest magistrate's name cannot stand."
43
又有汝南周洽，曆句容、曲阿、上虞、吳令，廉約無私，卒于都水使者。 無以殯斂，吏人為買棺器。 齊武帝聞而非之，曰：「洽累曆名邑而居處不理，遂坐無車宅死，令吏衣棺之，此故宜罪貶，無論褒恤。」 乃敕不給贈賻。 琰子翽，為官亦有能名，後為吳令，別建康令孫廉，廉因問曰：「聞丈人發奸擿伏，惠化如神，何以至此？」 答曰：「無他也，唯勤而清。 清則憲綱自行，勤則事無不理。 憲綱自行則吏不能欺，事自理則物無疑滯，欲不理得乎。」 時臨淮劉玄明亦有吏能，曆山陰、建康令，政常為天下第一，終於司農卿。 後翽又代玄明為山陰令，問玄明曰：「願以舊政告新令尹。」 答曰：「我有奇術，卿家譜所不載，臨別當相示。」 既而曰：「作縣令唯日食一升飯而莫飲酒，此第一策也。」 翽天監中為建康令，復有能名，位驃騎諮議。 子岐。
There was also Zhou Qia of Runan, who served as magistrate of Jurong, Qu'e, Shangyu, and Wu; austere and selfless, he died while serving as superintendent of waterways. He left nothing for burial; staff and locals bought his coffin. Emperor Wu of Qi disapproved: "Qia served famous counties yet lived in squalor; he died without house or carriage and made his staff buy his shroud—such conduct deserves censure, not honors or condolence. He ordered that no posthumous gifts be granted. Yan's son Hui also won fame in office; when he became magistrate of Wu and was taking leave of Sun Lian, magistrate of Jiankang, Lian asked: "Your father exposed fraud with uncanny insight and governed with almost supernatural effect—how did he achieve it? Hui answered: "Nothing mysterious—only diligence and integrity. Integrity lets the law enforce itself; diligence ensures nothing is left undone. When the law runs itself, clerks cannot cheat; when affairs move smoothly, cases do not pile up—how could governance fail?" Liu Xuanming of Linhuai was another gifted administrator; magistrate of Shanyin and Jiankang, his governance was often rated the best in the realm; he ended as minister of grain. Later, when Hui succeeded Xuanming as magistrate of Shanyin, he asked: "Please share your secrets with your successor. Xuanming replied: "I have a trick your family manual doesn't record—I'll tell you when we part." Then he said: "As magistrate, eat only a sheng of rice a day and never drink wine—that's the first rule." Under Tianjian, Hui served as magistrate of Jiankang with renewed acclaim and rose to advisory censor under the Swift Cavalry. His son was Qi.
44
岐字景平，仕梁起家南康王左常侍，後兼尚書金部郎，母憂去職，居喪盡禮。 服闋後疾廢久之，復除始新令。 縣人有因鬥相毆而死，死家訴郡，郡錄其仇人，考掠備至，終不引咎。 郡乃移獄於縣，岐即令脫械，以和言問之，便即首服。 法當償死，會冬節至，岐乃放其還家。 獄曹掾固爭曰：「古者有此，今不可行。」 岐曰：「其若負信，縣令當坐。」 竟如期而反。 太守深相歎異，遽以狀聞。 岐後去縣，人無老少皆出境拜送，號哭聞數十里。 至都，除廷尉正，入兼中書通事舍人，累遷安西中記室，兼舍人如故。
Qi, styled Jingping, entered Liang service as attendant to the Prince of Nankang, later serving concurrently as director of the Gold Bureau; he left office to mourn his mother and observed every rite of filial mourning. After mourning he was long ill; once recovered he was again appointed magistrate of Shixin. A county man died in a brawl; the victim's family sued at the commandery, which arrested the rival and tortured him thoroughly, but he would not confess. The commandery transferred the case to the county; Qi had the man unshackled, questioned him gently, and he confessed at once. By law he was liable to death; when the winter festival came, Qi released him to go home. The prison clerk objected strongly: "Ancient times allowed this, but not today. Qi said: "If he breaks his word, I alone should answer for it." The man returned on the appointed day. The prefect was deeply impressed and reported the matter at once. When Qi later left the county, young and old alike went beyond the border to bid him farewell; their lamentations could be heard for miles. In the capital he was made director of corrections in the court of judicial review and concurrently palace message bearer; he rose to middle recorder on the staff of the Army of the West while retaining his concurrent post.
45
岐美容止，博涉能占對。 大同中與魏和親，其使歲中再至，常遣岐接對焉。
Qi was handsome and well composed, widely read, and quick with a reply. During Datong, Liang entered a marriage alliance with Wei; envoys came twice a year, and Qi was regularly assigned to receive them.
46
三年，遷中領軍，舍人如故。 二月，侯景于闕前通表，乞割江右四州安置部下，當解圍還鎮。 敕許之，乃於城西立盟。 求遣召宣城王出送。 岐固執宣城王嫡嗣之重，不宜許之。 乃遣石城公大款送之。 及與景盟訖，城中文武喜躍，冀得解圍。 岐獨言於眾曰：「賊舉兵為逆，豈有求和。」 及景背盟，莫不嘆服。 尋有詔，以岐勤勞，封南豐縣侯。 固辭不受。 宮城失守，岐帶疾出圍，卒於宅。
In the third year he was promoted to central army commander while retaining his concurrent post as palace message bearer. In the second month Hou Jing submitted a memorial before the palace gates, asking to surrender four provinces south of the Yangtze to resettle his troops and pledging to lift the siege and withdraw to his post. The emperor approved, and an alliance was sworn west of the city. Hou Jing demanded that the Prince of Xuancheng be sent out to see him off. Qi insisted that the Prince of Xuancheng, as the legitimate heir, must not be sent. They sent the Prince of Shicheng, Dakuan, in his stead. Once the treaty with Hou Jing was signed, officials and soldiers in the city exulted, hoping the siege would end. Qi alone told the assembly: "This outlaw took up arms in rebellion—how can he truly want peace? When Hou Jing broke the treaty, everyone marveled at Qi's foresight. An edict soon followed enfeoffing him as Marquis of Nanfeng for his loyal service. He refused firmly and would not accept. When the palace city fell, Qi broke out of the siege despite illness and died at his home.
47
虞願字士恭，會稽余姚人也。 祖賚，給事中、監利侯。 父望之早卒。 賚中庭橘樹冬熟，子孫競來取之。 願年數歲獨不取，賚及家人皆異之。
Yu Yuan, styled Shigong, came from Yuyao in Kuaiji. His grandfather Ji held the posts of supervising attendant and Marquis of Jianli. His father Wangzhi died early. An orange tree in Ji's courtyard bore fruit in winter, and the grandchildren scrambled to pick it. When Yuan was only a few years old, he alone refused to take any; Ji and the whole family found it remarkable.
48
宋元嘉中，為湘東王國常侍。 及明帝立，以願儒吏學涉，兼蕃國舊恩，意遇甚厚。 除太常丞，尚書祠部郎，通直散騎侍郎。 帝性猜忌，體肥憎風，夏月常著小皮衣。 拜左右二人為司風令史，風起方面，輒先啟聞。 星文災變，不信太史，不聽外奏，敕靈台知星二人給願，常內省直，有異先啟，以相檢察。
Under Yuanjia of Liu Song he was a regular attendant in the household of the Prince of Xiangdong. When Emperor Ming came to the throne, he treated Yuan with exceptional favor, valuing both his learning and his service in the former prince's household. He was appointed assistant in the Ministry of Ceremonies, director in the ancestral temple bureau, and unembellished cavalier attendant. The emperor was suspicious by nature, corpulent and averse to drafts; even in summer he often wore a light fur vest. He appointed two attendants as wind clerks to report the moment a breeze rose from any direction. Distrusting the court astronomer, he would hear no outside reports of omens; instead he assigned two observatory astrologers to Yu Yuan, stationed permanently inside the palace to watch the skies and report anomalies to each other.
49
帝以故宅起湘宮寺，費極奢侈。 以孝武莊嚴刹七層，帝欲起十層，不可立，分為兩刹，各五層。 新安太守巢尚之罷郡還見帝，曰：「卿至湘宮寺未？ 我起此寺是大功德。」 願在側曰：「陛下起此寺，皆是百姓賣兒貼婦錢，佛若有知，當悲哭哀湣。 罪高佛圖，有何功德！」 尚書令袁粲在坐，為之失色。 帝大怒，使人驅曳下殿，願徐去無異容。 以舊恩，少日中已復召入。
On the site of his old residence the emperor built the Xiang Palace Temple at extravagant cost. Emperor Xiaowu's Zhuangyan Pagoda had seven stories; the emperor wanted ten, but that proved impossible, so he built two five-story pagodas instead. After leaving office as prefect of Xin'an, Chao Shangzhi visited the emperor and asked: "Have Your Majesty seen the Xiang Palace Temple yet? Building this temple is a great act of merit. Yu Yuan, standing beside him, said: "Every coin that built this temple came from common folk who sold their sons and pawned their wives. If the Buddha knew, he would weep in pity. Your sin outstrips any stupa—where is the merit in that!" Minister of Works Yuan Can, who was present, turned pale. The emperor flew into a rage and had him dragged from the hall; Yuan withdrew unhurriedly, his expression unchanged. Out of lingering affection, the emperor recalled him before half a day had passed.
50
帝好圍碁，甚拙，去格七八道，物議共欺為第三品，與第一品王抗圍碁，依品賭戲。 抗饒借帝，曰：「皇帝飛碁，臣抗不能斷。」 帝終不覺，以為信然，好之愈篤。 願又曰：「堯以此教丹朱，非人主所宜好也。」 雖數忤旨，而蒙賞賜猶異餘人。 遷兼中書郎。
The emperor loved weiqi but played poorly, often misplacing stones by seven or eight intersections; court gossip humored him with a third-class ranking, and he wagered by rank against first-class player Wang Kang. Wang Kang deliberately lost and said: "Your Majesty's stones fly so swiftly that I cannot block them. The emperor never caught on, took it as truth, and grew all the fonder of the game. Yu Yuan said again: "Yao taught Dan Zhu with this game—it is no pastime fit for a sovereign. Though he often contradicted the throne, he continued to receive favors beyond those granted to others. He was promoted to concurrent secretary in the Secretariat.
51
帝寢疾，願常侍醫藥。 帝尤好逐夷，以銀缽盛蜜漬之，一食數缽。 謂揚州刺史王景文曰：「此是奇味，卿頗足不？」 景文答曰：「臣夙好此物，貧素致之甚難。」 帝甚悅。 食逐夷積多，胸腹痞脹，氣將絕。 左右啟飲數升酢酒，乃消。 疾大困，一食汁滓猶至三升。 水患積久，藥不復效。 大漸日，正坐呼道人，合掌便絕。
When the emperor fell bedridden, Yu Yuan attended him constantly with medicines. The emperor was especially fond of cured fish zhuyi, kept in silver bowls steeped in honey; he could eat several bowls at a sitting. He asked Yangzhou inspector Wang Jingwen: "This is a rare delicacy—do you have much of it? Wang Jingwen answered: "I have always loved it, but in my poor, simple life it is hard to come by." The emperor was delighted. After consuming too much zhuyi, his chest and belly swelled with distension until he could hardly breathe. His attendants advised several pints of vinegar wine, and the swelling subsided. As his illness worsened, he still consumed three sheng of the fish liquor and dregs at a single sitting. Chronic edema set in, and medicines ceased to work. On his deathbed he sat upright, summoned a Daoist priest, joined his palms in prayer, and died.
52
願以侍疾久，轉正員郎。 出為晉平太守。 在郡不事生業。 前政與百姓交關，質錄其兒婦，願遣人於道奪取將還。 在郡立學堂教授。 郡舊出髯蛇，膽可為藥。 有遺願蛇者，願不忍殺，放二十里外山中。 一夜蛇還床下。 復送四十里山，經宿復歸。 論者以為仁心所致。 海邊有越王石，常隱雲霧，相傳云：「清廉太守乃得見」。 願往就觀視，清澈無所隱蔽。 後琅邪王秀之為郡，與朝士書曰：「此郡承虞公之後，善政猶存，遺風易遵，差得無事。」
For his long service at the emperor's sickbed, Yu Yuan was promoted to a regular secretary post. He was posted as prefect of Jinping. As prefect he took no part in profit-seeking enterprise. His predecessor had taken commoners' daughters-in-law as hostages for debts; Yu Yuan sent men to intercept them on the road and restore them to their families. He founded a school in the prefecture and taught there himself. The region was known for bearded snakes, whose gall was prized for medicine. When someone brought him a snake, he would not kill it and had it released twenty li into the hills. One night the snake came back and lay beneath his bed. He had it taken forty li into the mountains, but overnight it returned again. Observers attributed it to the power of his compassion. A stone called the Yue King's Stone stood by the sea, usually veiled in mist; legend held that only an upright prefect could see it clearly. When Yu Yuan went to look, the stone stood plain and unobscured. Later, when Prince Xiuzhi of Langye governed the prefecture, he wrote to colleagues at court: "This commandery still bears Lord Yu's legacy; his good order endures and his example is easy to follow, so affairs here are largely untroubled."
53
以母老解職，除後軍將軍。 褚彥回嘗詣願，願不在，見其眠床上積塵埃，有書數帙。 彥回歎曰：「虞君之清至於此。」 令人掃地拂床而去。
He resigned to care for his aged mother and was appointed general of the rear army. Chu Yanhui once called on Yu Yuan and found him out; dust lay thick on the bed, with only a few bundles of books. Chu Yanhui sighed: "Lord Yu's austerity runs this deep. He ordered the room swept and the bed dusted, then departed.
54
遷中書郎，領東觀祭酒。 兄季為上虞令卒，願從省步出還家，不待詔便歸東。 除驍騎將軍，遷廷尉，祭酒如故。
He was promoted to secretary and appointed libationer of the Eastern Pavilion archives. When his elder brother Ji died in office as magistrate of Shangyu, Yu Yuan walked out of the capital and went home without waiting for leave. He was made general of the valiant cavalry, then minister of justice, while retaining his archive post.
55
王洪范，上穀人也。 宋泰始中，魏克青州，洪範得別駕清河崔祖歡女，仍以為妻。 祖歡女說洪范南歸。 宋桂陽王之難，隨齊高帝鎮新亭，常以身捍矢。 高帝曰：「我自有楯，卿可自防。」 答曰：「天下無洪范何有哉，蒼生方亂，豈可一日無公。」 帝甚賞之。
Wang Hongfan was from Shanggu. During Taishi of Liu Song, when Northern Wei seized Qing Province, Hongfan married the daughter of Cui Zuhuan, an assistant administrator from Qinghe. His wife persuaded him to flee south. In the rebellion of the Prince of Guiyang, he followed Xiao Daocheng at Xinting and repeatedly shielded him with his own body. Emperor Gao said: "I have my own shield—you should look to your own safety. He replied: "What would become of the realm without Wang Hongfan? The people are in turmoil—how can you be spared for even a day?" The emperor was deeply moved and rewarded him.
56
後為晉壽太守，多昧贓賄，為州所按。 大懼，棄郡奔建鄴。 高帝輔政，引為腹心。 建武初，為青、冀二州刺史，悔為晉壽時貨賕所敗，更勵清節。 先是青州資魚鹽之貨，或強借百姓麥地以種紅花，多與部下交易，以祈利益。 洪範至，一皆斷之。 啟求侵魏，得黃郭、鹽倉等數戍。 後遇敗，死傷塗地，深自咎責。 乃于謝祿山南除地，廣設茵席，殺三牲，招戰亡者魂祭之。 人人呼名，躬自沃酹，仍慟哭不自勝，因發病而亡。 洪範既北人而有清正，州人呼為「虜父使君」，言之咸落淚。
Later, as prefect of Jinshou, he took numerous bribes and was investigated by the provincial administration. Terrified, he abandoned his post and fled to Jiankang. When Xiao Daocheng held regency, he drew Hongfan into his inner circle. At the start of Jianwu he became inspector of Qing and Ji; ashamed of his corruption at Jinshou, he resolved to govern with integrity. Qing Province had long profited from fish and salt; officials forced farmers to lend wheat fields for safflower, traded with subordinates, and skimmed profits at every turn. When Hongfan took office, he put a stop to all such practices. He petitioned to strike into Wei territory and captured several outposts, including Huangguo and Yancang. Later he suffered a crushing defeat with terrible casualties and blamed himself bitterly. On the south slope of Mt. Xielu he cleared a field, spread mats, sacrificed the three beasts, and summoned the souls of the fallen. He called out each man's name, poured libations himself, and wept until he collapsed; the grief brought on illness, and he died. Though a northerner, Hongfan had won a reputation for integrity; locals called him "the barbarian father prefect," and mention of his name brought tears.
57
永明中，有江夏李珪之字孔璋，位尚書右丞，兼都水使者，曆職稱為清能。 後兼少府卒。
During Yongming, Li Guizhi of Jiangxia, styled Kongzhang, served as right assistant director of the Secretariat and commissioner of waterways; in every post he was praised for clean competence. He later died while also serving as minister of the palace treasury.
58
湖熟縣方山埭高峻，冬月，公私行侶以為艱。 明帝使瑀行修之。 瑀乃開四洪，斷行客就作，三日便辦。 揚州書佐私行，詐稱州使，不肯就作，瑀鞭之四十。 書佐歸訴遙光，遙光曰：「沈瑀必不枉鞭汝。」 覆之果有詐。 明帝復使瑀築赤山塘，所費減材官所量數十萬。 帝益善之。 為建德令，教人一丁種十五株桑、四株柿及梨栗，女子丁半之。 人咸歡悅，頃之成林。
At Hushu the Fangshan embankment was steep and treacherous in winter for all who passed. Emperor Ming dispatched Shen Yu to repair it. Shen Yu opened four sluice channels and pressed travelers into labor; the work was done in three days. A Yangzhou clerk traveling privately claimed to be on provincial business and refused to work; Shen Yu had him flogged forty strokes. The clerk complained to Xiao Yaoguang, who said: "Shen Yu would never flog you unjustly. An investigation confirmed the deception. The emperor again put Shen Yu in charge of the Chishan dike, and the cost fell hundreds of thousands below the materiel bureau's estimate. The emperor thought still more highly of him. As magistrate of Jiande he required each adult male to plant fifteen mulberries, four persimmons, and pears and chestnuts; women planted half as many. The people welcomed the policy gladly, and before long the land was forested.
59
以母憂去職，起為余姚令。 縣大姓虞氏千餘家，請謁如市，前後令長莫能絕。 自瑀到，非訟訴無所通，以法繩之。 縣南又有豪族數百家，子弟縱橫，遞相庇蔭，厚自封植，百姓甚患之。 瑀召其老者為石頭倉監，少者補縣僮，皆號泣道路，自是權右屏跡。 瑀初至，富吏皆鮮衣美服以自彰別，瑀怒曰：「汝等下縣吏，何得自擬貴人！」 悉使著芒屨粗布，侍立終日，足有蹉跌，輒加榜捶。 瑀微時嘗至此鬻瓦器，為富人所辱，故因以報焉。 由是士庶駭怨。 瑀廉潔自守，故得遂行其意。
He resigned to observe mourning for his mother, but was later appointed magistrate of Yuyao. More than a thousand households of the great Yu clan lived in the county, and their petitions for favors swarmed like a marketplace—no previous magistrate had been able to put a stop to it. Once Shen Yu took office, no petition would be heard unless it was a legal dispute, and he enforced the law against them. South of the county lived several hundred powerful clans whose sons swaggered unchecked, shielding one another and entrenching their privileges—the people of the district suffered greatly under them. Shen Yu assigned their elders as overseers of the Shitou granary and their young men as county laborers; the clans wept openly in the streets, and from then on the local power-brokers fell silent. When Shen Yu first arrived, the better-off clerks all dressed in fine silks to distinguish themselves. He thundered: "You are county clerks—how dare you comport yourselves like grandees! He made them all wear straw sandals and coarse cloth and stand attendance all day; the moment one of them stumbled, he had him beaten. In his youth Shen Yu had sold pottery here and been humiliated by a wealthy man—this was how he settled the score. The gentry and commoners were both shocked and resentful. Because Shen Yu was incorruptible and held himself strictly to account, he was able to enforce his will.
60
後為安南長史、尋陽太守。 江州刺史曹景宗卒，仍為信威蕭穎達長史，太守如故。 瑀性屈強，每忤穎達，穎達銜之。 天監八年，因入諮事，辭又激厲。 穎達作色曰：「朝廷用君作行事邪？」 瑀出，謂人曰：「我死而後已，終不能傾側面從。」 是日于路為人所殺，多以為穎達害焉。 子續累訟之。 遇穎達尋卒，事不窮竟。 續乃布衣蔬食終其身。
He was later appointed chief administrator of Annan and prefect of Xunyang. After Cao Jingzong, inspector of Jiang Province, died, Shen Yu became chief administrator to General Xinyi Xiao Yingda while retaining his post as prefect. Shen Yu was obstinate by nature and frequently crossed Xiao Yingda, who took deep offense. In the eighth year of Tianjian, when he came in to discuss official business, his language was once again fierce and unyielding. Xiao Yingda flushed with anger and said: "Did the court appoint you to be a mere clerk? Shen Yu left and said to those around him: "I shall not stop until I am dead—I will never bow my head and defer to him." That same day he was murdered on the road; most people believed Xiao Yingda was responsible. His son Shen Xu brought lawsuit after lawsuit over the murder. Xiao Yingda died shortly afterward, and the case was never fully resolved. Shen Xu spent the rest of his life in plain cloth and simple fare, living as a mourner.
61
范述曾字子玄，一字穎彥，吳郡錢唐人也。 幼好學，從餘杭呂道惠受五經，略通章句。 道惠曰：「此子必為王者師。」 齊文惠太子、竟陵文宣王幼時，齊高帝引述曾為之師友，起家宋晉熙王國侍郎。 齊初至南郡王國郎中令，遷太子步兵校尉，帶開陽令。 述曾為人騫諤，在宮多所諫爭，太子雖不能全用，然亦弗之罪也。 竟陵王深相器重，號為周舍。 太子左衛率沈約亦以述曾方汲黯。
Fan Shuzeng, whose courtesy name was Zixuan and who was also known as Yingyan, came from Qiantang in Wu commandery. He loved learning from childhood and studied the Five Classics under Lu Daohui of Yuhang, gaining a working knowledge of textual commentary. Lu Daohui said of him: "This boy will one day teach princes. While the future Crown Prince Wenhui and Prince Wenxuan of Jingling were still children, Emperor Gao of Qi brought Fan Shuzeng in as their tutor and companion; he first entered office as a gentleman of Prince Jinxi's kingdom under Song. Early in Qi he rose to director of the Prince of Nankang's household, then became colonel of the crown prince's foot soldiers while also serving as magistrate of Kaiyang. Fan Shuzeng was blunt and outspoken; in court he remonstrated frequently. The crown prince could not always heed him, yet never held it against him. The Prince of Jingling held him in the highest regard and nicknamed him Zhou She. Shen Yue, leader of the crown prince's left guard, compared Fan Shuzeng to the Han minister Ji An.
62
昏時，拜中散大夫，還鄉里。 梁武帝踐阼，乃輕行詣闕，仍辭還。 武帝下詔褒美，以為太中大夫。 述曾生平所得奉祿，皆以分施，及老遂壁立無資。 以天監八年卒。 注易文言，著雜詩賦數十篇。
At dusk he was appointed palace attendant grandee and returned to his home district. When Emperor Wu of Liang took the throne, Fan Shuzeng traveled lightly to the capital to pay his respects, then declined office and went home. The emperor issued an edict praising him and appointed him grand master of palace eminence. Fan Shuzeng gave away every salary he ever received; in old age he was left with nothing at all. He died in the eighth year of Tianjian. He wrote a commentary on the Wenyan section of the Book of Changes and composed several dozen poems and rhapsodies.
63
後有吳興丘師施亦廉潔稱，罷臨安縣還，唯有二十籠簿書，並是倉庫券帖。 當時以比述曾。 位至台郎。
Later there was Qiu Shishi of Wuxing, likewise renowned for integrity; when he left his post as magistrate of Lin'an, he carried home only twenty baskets of records—all warehouse vouchers and receipts. People at the time compared him to Fan Shuzeng. He rose to the rank of clerk on the secretariat.
64
孫謙字長遜，東莞莒人也。 客居曆陽，躬耕以養弟妹，鄉里稱其敦睦。 仕宋為句容令，清慎強記，縣人號為神明。 宋明帝以為巴東、建平二郡太守。 郡居三峽，恒以威力鎮之。 謙將述職，敕募千人自隨。 謙曰：「蠻夷不賓，蓋待之失節耳。 何煩兵役，以為國費。」 固辭不受。 至郡，布恩惠之化，蠻獠懷之，競餉金寶。 謙慰喻而遣，一無所納。 及掠得生口，皆放還家。 奉秩出吏人者，悉原除之。 郡境翕然，威恩大著。
Sun Qian, courtesy name Changxun, was a native of Ju in Dongguan commandery. He lived as a guest in Liyang, farming with his own hands to support his younger siblings; neighbors praised his devotion to family. Under Song he served as magistrate of Jurong, where his integrity, caution, and remarkable memory earned him the nickname "the divine magistrate." Emperor Ming of Song appointed him governor of the Badong and Jianping commanderies. The commanderies lay in the Three Gorges and had always been held by force of arms. When Sun Qian was about to take up his post, the court ordered him to recruit a thousand men as an escort. Sun Qian said: "The tribal peoples are unruly only because they have not been treated with proper courtesy. Why burden the state with military expenses? He steadfastly refused. Once at his post he spread benevolent governance; the tribal peoples came to trust him and competed to offer gold and treasure. Sun Qian gently declined and sent them away, accepting nothing. When prisoners were captured in raids, he released them all to return home. He remitted all debts owed by minor officials from their salaries. The commandery grew peaceful, and his authority and kindness became widely known.
65
視事三年，征還為撫軍中兵參軍，遷越騎校尉、征北司馬。 府主建平王將稱兵，患謙強直，托事遣使至都，然後作亂。 及建平誅，遷左軍將軍。
After three years in office he was recalled to serve as middle army aide to the commander-in-chief, then promoted to colonel of swift cavalry and northern campaign marshal. The Prince of Jianping, his commanding lord, planned to rebel; fearing Sun Qian's upright character, he sent him on a mission to the capital on a pretext, then launched his rebellion. After the prince was executed, Sun Qian was transferred to general of the left army.
66
齊初，為錢唐令，禦煩以簡，獄無系囚。 及去官，百姓以謙在職不受餉遺，追載縑帛以送之。 謙辭不受。 每去官輒無私宅，借空車廄居焉。
Early in Qi he served as magistrate of Qiantang, cutting through complexity with simplicity so that no prisoners remained in the jail. When he left office the people pursued him with carts of silk, for he had accepted no gifts during his tenure. Sun Qian refused them. Each time he left office he had no home of his own and lived in rented empty stables.
67
永明初，為江夏太守，坐被代輒去郡，系尚方，頃之，免為中散大夫。 明帝將廢立，欲引謙為心膂，使兼衛尉，給甲仗百人。 謙不願處際會，輒散甲士，帝雖不罪而弗復任焉。
Early in the Yongming era he served as governor of Jiangxia but was dismissed immediately upon being replaced, imprisoned at the palace workshop, and though soon released was appointed palace attendant grandee. When Emperor Ming planned to depose the heir he wanted Sun Qian as a trusted advisor, made him concurrent commandant of the guard, and granted him a hundred armored guards. Sun Qian, unwilling to be caught up in such intrigues, immediately dispersed the soldiers; though the emperor did not punish him, he never employed him again.
68
梁天監六年，為零陵太守，年已衰老，猶強力為政，吏人安之。 先是郡多猛獸暴，謙至絕跡。 及去官之夜，猛獸即害居人。 謙為郡縣，常勤勸課農桑，務盡地利，收入常多於鄰境。 九年，以老徵為光祿大夫。 及至，帝嘉其清潔，甚禮異焉。 每朝見，猶請劇職自效。 帝笑之曰：「朕當使卿智，不使卿力。」 十四年，詔加優秩，給親信二十人，並給扶。
In the sixth year of Tianjian under Liang he became governor of Lingling; though advanced in years he still administered vigorously, bringing ease to officials and people alike. Before his arrival the commandery had been plagued by fierce beasts; once Sun Qian took office they vanished entirely. On the very night he left office, the beasts returned and attacked the people. Throughout his service as magistrate and governor he diligently promoted agriculture and silk production, fully exploiting the land's potential so that revenues consistently exceeded those of neighboring districts. In the ninth year he was recalled due to age and appointed minister of imperial entertainments. When he arrived at court the emperor commended his integrity and treated him with special honor. At every court audience he still asked for demanding posts where he could serve. The emperor laughed and said: "I shall use your wisdom, not your strength. In the fourteenth year an edict granted him enhanced rank, twenty personal attendants, and walking supports.
69
謙自少及老，曆二縣五郡，所在廉潔。 居身儉素，床施蘧蒢屏風。 冬則布被莞席。 夏日無幬帳，而夜臥未嘗有蚊蚋，人多異焉。 年逾九十，強壯如五六十者。 每朝會，輒先眾到公門。 力于仁義，行己過人甚遠。 從兄靈慶嘗病寄謙，謙行出，還問起居，靈慶曰：「向飲冷熱不調，即時猶渴。」 謙退遣其妻。 有彭城劉融行乞，疾篤無所歸，友人輿送謙舍，謙開聽事以受之。 及融死，以禮殯葬，眾咸服其行義。 末年，頭生二肉角，各長一寸。
From youth through old age, across two counties and five commanderies, Sun Qian remained incorruptible wherever he served. He lived simply—a bed with rush matting and a reed screen. In winter he slept under a cloth quilt on a cattail mat. Even in summer he used no curtains or mosquito netting, yet he was never bitten at night—a thing many found remarkable. Past ninety he remained as vigorous as a man of fifty or sixty. At every court assembly he always arrived at the gate before the others. He devoted himself to righteousness in conduct that far surpassed ordinary men. His cousin Lingqing once fell ill while staying with him. Sun Qian went out on business and upon returning asked after him; Lingqing said: "I drank something improperly hot or cold and am still thirsty. Sun Qian withdrew and sent his wife to attend to him. A beggar from Pengcheng named Liu Rong, gravely ill and without shelter, was brought by a friend to Sun Qian's home; Sun Qian opened his reception hall to take him in. When Liu Rong died Sun Qian buried him with full rites, and all admired his righteousness. In his final years two fleshy horns grew on his head, each an inch long.
70
十五年，卒官，時年九十二。 臨終遺命諸子曰：「吾少無人間意，故自不求聞達，而仕歷三代，官成兩朝，如我資名，或蒙贈諡，自公體耳。 氣絕即以幅巾就葬，每存儉率。 比見鑐車過精，非吾志也。 士安束以蘧蒢，王孫裸入後地，雖是匹夫之節，取於人情未允。 今使棺足周身，壙足容柩。 旐書爵裏，無曰不然。 旒表命數，差可停息。 直僦糯床，裝之以席。 以常所乘者為魂車，他無所用。」 第二子貞巧，乃織細席裝鑐，以篾為鈴佩，雖素而華。 帝為舉哀，甚悼惜之。
In the fifteenth year he died in office at the age of ninety-two. On his deathbed he instructed his sons: "I never sought worldly fame, yet I served three dynasties and held office under two emperors—for a man of my standing a posthumous title may be granted by custom, but that is a matter for the court. Once I breathe my last, bury me at once in a simple headcloth, as I have always lived frugally. I have lately seen overly elaborate funeral carriages—that is not my wish. Ruan Ji was wrapped in rushes for burial and Yang Wangsun was interred naked—though these were the ways of humble men, they do not satisfy ordinary sentiment. Let the coffin be only as long as my body and the grave only large enough to hold it. A funeral pennant and inscription of rank on the shroud are acceptable. The mourning streamers and rank insignia should be kept to a minimum. Rent a plain bed and line it with a mat for the bier. Use my usual carriage as the soul-cart and nothing more. His second son Zhenqiao, skilled with his hands, wove a fine mat to wrap the coffin and fashioned bamboo strips into bell pendants—simple yet elegant. The emperor mourned him and deeply regretted his passing.
71
從子廉字思約。 父奉伯位少府卿、淮南太守。 廉便辟巧宦，齊時已曆大縣，尚書右丞。 天監初，沈約、範雲當朝用事，廉傾意奉之。 及中書舍人黃睦之等，亦尤所結附。 凡貴要每食，廉必日進滋旨，皆手自煎調，不辭勤劇，遂得為列卿，御史中丞，晉陵吳興太守。 廣陵高爽有險薄才，客于廉，廉委以文記。 爽嘗有求不遂，乃為屐謎以喻廉曰：「刺鼻不知嚏，蹋面不知嗔，齧齒作步數，持此得勝人。」 譏其不計恥辱，以此取名位。 然處官平直，遂以善政稱。 武帝嘗曰：「東莞二孫，謙、廉而已。」
His nephew Sun Lian, courtesy name Siyue. His father Sun Fengbo had served as minister of the palace treasury and governor of Huainan. Sun Lian was smooth and adept at maneuvering for advancement; under Qi he had already served in major counties and as right assistant in the secretariat. Early in Tianjian, when Shen Yue and Fan Yun held power at court, Sun Lian curried favor with them devotedly. He also cultivated close ties with palace secretaries such as Huang Muzhi. At every banquet of the mighty Sun Lian personally prepared and delivered rich delicacies day after day without shirking the labor, and through this rose to ministerial rank, censor-in-chief, and governor of Jinling and Wuxing. Gao Shuang of Guangling had a gift for barbed wit; he stayed with Sun Lian, who put him in charge of official correspondence. When a request of his went unsatisfied, Shuang devised a clog riddle aimed at Lian: "A nose pricked but no sneeze; a face stepped on but no rage; teeth gnawing to keep count of steps—live like that and you will rise above others. It mocked Lian for swallowing every humiliation to climb the ladder of office. Yet in office he was upright and fair, and earned a reputation for good government. Emperor Wu once said, "Among the Suns of Dongguan, only Sun Qian and Sun Lian are worth remembering."
72
何遠字義方，東海郯人也。 父慧炬，齊尚書郎。 遠仕齊為奉朝請，豫崔慧景敗亡事，抵尚書令蕭懿，懿深保匿焉。 會赦出。 頃之，懿遭難，子弟皆潛伏，遠求得懿弟融藏之。 既而發覺，遠踰垣以免，融遇禍，遠家屬系尚方。 遠遂亡度江，因降魏。 入壽陽見刺史王肅，求迎梁武帝，肅遣兵援送。 武帝見遠謂張弘策曰：「何遠丈夫，而能破家報舊德，未易及也。」 武帝踐阼，以奉迎勳，封廣興男，為後軍鄱陽王恢錄事參軍。 遠與恢素善，在府盡其志力，知無不為。 恢亦推心仗之，恩寄甚密。
He Yuan, styled Yifang, came from Tan in Donghai commandery. His father Huiju had served as a master of writing under Qi. Yuan served Qi as a court attendant and was implicated in Cui Huijing's rebellion; though handed over to chief minister Xiao Yi, Yi took him under deep protection. An amnesty eventually freed him. Before long Yi met disaster; his sons and kinsmen went into hiding, and Yuan found Yi's younger brother Rong and concealed him. When this was discovered, Yuan scaled a wall to escape; Rong was killed, and Yuan's family were sent to the palace workshops. Yuan fled south across the Yangzi and defected to Wei. In Shouyang he met prefect Wang Su and asked to be sent to welcome the future Emperor Wu of Liang; Su dispatched troops to escort him back. When Emperor Wu met Yuan he told Zhang Hongce, "He Yuan is a man of mettle—he risked ruin of his house to repay an old debt of kindness. Not many could do that. When Emperor Wu took the throne, Yuan was enfeoffed as Baron of Guangxing for helping welcome him and appointed recorder to Prince Hui of Poyang of the Rear Army. Yuan and Prince Hui had been close for years; in the princely household he gave all he had and left nothing undone. Prince Hui in turn trusted him completely; their bond was unusually close.
73
遷武昌太守。 遠本倜儻，尚輕俠。 至是乃折節為吏，杜絕交遊，饋遺秋毫無所受。 武昌俗皆汲江水，盛夏，遠患水溫，每以錢買人井寒水。 不取錢者，則摙水還之，其他事率多如此。 跡雖似偽，而能委曲用意。 車服尤弊素，器物無銅漆。 江左水族甚賤，遠每食不過幹魚數片而已。 然性剛嚴，吏人多以細事受鞭罰，遂為人所訟，征下廷尉，被劾十數條。 當時士大夫坐法皆不受測，遠度己無贓，就測立三七日不款，猶以私藏禁仗除名。 後為武康令，愈厲廉節，除淫祀，正身率職，人甚稱之。 太守王彬巡屬縣，諸縣皆盛供帳以待焉。 至武康，遠獨設糗水而已。 彬去，遠送至境，進鬥酒只鵝而別。 彬戲曰：「卿禮有過陸納，將不為古人所笑乎。」 武帝聞其能，擢為宣城太守。 自縣為近畿大郡，近代未之有也。 郡經寇抄，遠盡心綏理，復著名跡。 期年，遷樹功將軍、始興內史。 時泉陵侯朗為桂州，緣道多剽掠，入始興界，草木無所犯。
He was promoted to administrator of Wuchang. Yuan had always been bold and fond of the freewheeling life. Now he sobered into official life, cut off his old circle, and refused the smallest gift. Wuchang folk drew their drinking water from the Yangzi; in midsummer Yuan found it too warm and each day paid people for cold well water. If someone refused payment, he returned the water; in most such matters he acted the same way. The performance looked like theatre, yet he meant every courtesy in it. His carriage and robes were threadbare; his household goods were plain wood, without bronze fittings or lacquer. Fish was cheap in the south, and Yuan's meals were no more than a few strips of dried fish. Yet he was harsh by nature, and clerks were often flogged over petty faults; he was denounced, summoned before the minister of justice, and charged on more than ten counts. At the time educated officials charged with crimes usually refused interrogation; believing himself innocent of bribery, Yuan submitted to questioning and held out twenty-seven days without confessing, yet still lost his post for keeping forbidden weapons in private. Later, as magistrate of Wukang, he was fiercer still about integrity; he suppressed illicit cults, led by example, and the people praised him highly. When administrator Wang Bin toured the subordinate counties, each one laid out lavish feasts and tents to receive him. At Wukang, Yuan offered only parched grain and plain water. When Bin departed, Yuan saw him to the commandery border and sent him off with a pint of wine and a single goose. Bin teased him, "Your hospitality puts Lu Na to shame—aren't you afraid the ancients would laugh at you? Emperor Wu heard of his conduct and promoted him to administrator of Xuancheng. A leap from county magistrate to a great commandery near the capital was unheard of in recent times. The commandery had been ravaged by bandits; Yuan worked tirelessly to restore order and rebuilt his reputation. Within a year he was made general who establishes merit and inner administrator of Shixing. At that time Marquis Quanling Lang was governor of Guizhou; his route was notorious for pillage, yet in Shixing not a blade of grass was disturbed.
74
遠在官好開途巷，修葺牆屋，人居市里，城隍廄庫，所過若營家焉。 田秩奉錢，並無所取，歲暮擇人尤窮者充其租調，以此為常。 然其聽訟猶人也，不能過絕。 而性果斷，人畏而惜之，所至皆生為立祠，表言政狀，帝每優詔答焉。 後曆給事黃門侍郎，信武將軍，監吳郡。 在吳頗有酒失。 遷東陽太守。 遠處職，疾強富如仇讎，視貧細如子弟，特為豪右所畏憚。 在東陽歲餘，復為受罰者所謗，坐免歸。
In office Yuan loved opening new streets and repairing walls and houses; markets, city walls, stables, and storehouses alike were treated as if they were his own household. He took none of his field income or salary supplements; at year's end he routinely paid the tax quotas of the poorest people himself. Yet in court he was still human—he could not be utterly above favor and partiality. He was decisive by nature; people feared yet admired him; wherever he served, living shrines were raised in his honor and petitions praised his rule, and the emperor answered each time with generous edicts. Later he served successively as attendant gentleman of the yellow gate, trustworthy martial general, and supervisor of Wu commandery. In Wu he had a few too many drunken missteps. He was transferred to administrator of Dongyang. In office Yuan treated the powerful rich like enemies, the poor and humble like family, and was especially feared by the local magnates. After little more than a year in Dongyang, those he had punished denounced him again; he was dismissed and sent home.
75
遠性耿介，無私曲，居人間絕請謁，不造詣。 與貴賤書疏，抗禮如一。 其所會遇，未嘗以顏色下人。 是以多為俗士所疾惡。 其清公實為天下第一。 居數郡，見可欲終不變其心，妻子饑寒如下貧者。 及去東陽歸家，經年歲，口不言榮辱，士類益以此多之。 其輕財好義，周人之急，言不虛妄，蓋天性也。 每戲語人云：「卿能得我一妄語，則謝卿以一縑。」 眾共伺之，不能記也。 後為征西諮議參軍、中撫軍司馬，卒。
Yuan was upright and incorruptible; he accepted no petitions or callers and never paid social visits. In correspondence with high and low alike he maintained the same respectful distance. In every encounter he refused to soften his manner for anyone's sake. For that reason vulgar men often despised him. His integrity was in truth unmatched anywhere under Heaven. Through several commanderies, temptation never moved him; his wife and children went hungry and cold like the poorest families. After leaving Dongyang and returning home, he spoke of neither glory nor shame for years; cultivated men admired him all the more. His disregard for money, his love of justice, his aid to the desperate, his truthfulness—these were his nature. He often joked, "If you can catch me in a lie, I'll give you a bolt of silk. Everyone tried, but no one could cite one. Later he served as staff advisor to the western expedition and marshal of the central pacification army, then died.
76
郭祖深，襄陽人也。 梁武帝初起，以客從。 後隨蔡道恭在司州。 陷北還，上書言境上事，不見用。 選為長兼南梁郡丞，徙後軍行參軍。 帝溺情內教，朝政縱弛，祖深輿櫬詣闕上封事，其略曰：
Guo Zushen came from Xiangyang. When Emperor Wu of Liang first rose, Zushen followed him as a client. Later he served under Cai Daogong in Sizhou. After the northern territories were lost he returned and submitted a memorial on border affairs, but it went unheeded. He was chosen as concurrent assistant administrator of Nanliang commandery, then made a staff officer of the rear army. The emperor lost himself in Buddhist devotion and court discipline slackened; Zushen carried a coffin to the palace gates and submitted a sealed memorial that read, in part:
77
大梁應運，功高百王，慈悲既弘，憲律如替。 愚輩罔識，褫慢斯作。 各競奢侈，貪穢遂生。 頗由陛下寵勳太過，馭下太寬，故廉潔者自進無途，貪苛者取入多徑，直弦者淪溺溝壑，曲鉤者升進重遝。 飾口利辭，競相推薦，訥直守信，坐見埋沒。 勞深勳厚，祿賞未均，無功側入，反加寵擢。 昔宋人賣酒，犬惡致酸，陛下之犬，其甚矣哉。
Great Liang received Heaven's mandate; its achievements surpass those of a hundred kings, yet as compassion has grown boundless, law has been left to wither. The foolish no longer know their place, and insolence flourishes. Everyone races toward extravagance, and greed and corruption follow. This stems in part from Your Majesty's excessive favor for meritorious men and excessive lenience toward subordinates: the honest have no path to advancement, the greedy many routes to profit, the upright sink into obscurity, and the crooked climb again and again. Smooth talkers compete to recommend one another, while blunt, honest men are left buried in obscurity. Those with deep service and heavy merit go unrewarded, while the undeserving slip in and win even greater favor. Once a wine seller in Song found his wine turned sour because his dog barked at customers—Your Majesty's dogs have grown even worse!
78
臣聞人為國本，食為人命，故禮曰國無六年之儲，謂非其國也。 推此而言，農為急務。 而郡縣苛暴，不加勸獎，今年豐歲稔，猶人有饑色，設遇水旱，何以救之？ 陛下昔歲尚學，置立五館，行吟坐詠，誦聲溢境。 比來慕法，普天信向，家家齋戒，人人懺禮，不務農桑，空談彼岸。 夫農桑者今日濟育，功德者將來勝因，豈可墮本勤末，置邇效賒也。 今商旅轉繁，遊食轉眾，耕夫日少，杼軸日空。 陛下若廣興屯田，賤金貴粟，勤農桑者擢以階級，惰耕織者告以明刑。 如此數年，則家給人足，廉讓可生。
I have heard that the people are the root of the state and food the lifeblood of the people; the Book of Rites says a state without six years' reserves is no true state at all. By that reckoning, agriculture is the urgent task. Yet commanderies and counties are harsh and offer no encouragement to farming; this year the harvest is abundant, yet people still look hungry—if flood or drought strike, how will you save them? Your Majesty once honored learning, established the five halls of study, and filled the realm with chanting voices wherever scholars walked or sat. Lately all under Heaven have turned to Buddhism—every household keeps fasts, every soul performs repentance—and neglects farming and weaving for empty talk of nirvana. Farming and weaving feed us today; merit may bear fruit tomorrow—but how can you abandon the root to chase the branch, neglect the present for a distant reward? Merchants and travelers multiply; idlers on the road multiply; farmers dwindle daily and looms stand idle. If Your Majesty broadly expanded military colonies, made grain dear and gold cheap, promoted the diligent farmer, and punished the idle weaver with clear penalties— Within a few years households would be full and the people content, and modesty and justice would flourish again.
79
夫君子小人，智計不同，君子志于道，小人謀於利。 志于道者安國濟人，志於利者損物圖己。 道人者害國小人也，忠良者捍國君子也。 臣見疾者詣道士則勸奏章，僧尼則令齋講，俗師則鬼禍須解，醫診則湯熨散丸，皆先自為也。 臣謂為國之本，與療病相類，療病當去巫鬼，尋華、扁，為國當黜佞邪，用管、晏。 今之所任，腹背之毛耳。 論外則有勉、舍，說內則有雲、旻。 雲、旻所議則傷俗盛法，勉、舍之志唯願安枕江東。 主慈臣恇，息謀外甸，使中國士女南望懷冤，若賈誼重生，豈不慟哭。 臣今直言犯顏，罪或容宥，而乖忤貴臣，則禍在不測。 所以不憚鼎鑊區區必聞者，正以社稷計重而螻蟻命輕。 使臣言入身滅，臣何所恨。
Gentlemen and petty men think differently: the gentleman aims at the Way, the petty man at profit. He who seeks the Way steadies the state and helps the people; he who seeks profit harms the realm and enriches himself. Buddhist monks are petty men who harm the state; loyal worthies are gentlemen who defend it. I see the sick visit Daoist priests who urge ritual petitions, monks and nuns who order fasts and sermons, lay shamans who demand exorcism of ghostly harm, and physicians who prescribe brews and pills—all serving themselves first. I hold that governing a state is like treating illness: heal the sick by driving out shamans and calling in healers like Hua Tuo and Bian Que; govern the realm by removing sycophants and employing ministers like Guan Zhong and Yan Ying. Those you appoint today are trifles—hairs on an ox's belly and back. On foreign affairs you listen to Mian and She; at court you heed Yun and Min. Yun and Min would let custom wither and exalt Buddhist law; Mian and She care only to sleep secure east of the Yangzi. A kindly emperor and timid ministers have abandoned plans for the northern territories, leaving the people of the heartland gazing south with bitter grief—if Jia Yi lived again, would he not weep? I speak bluntly now and risk your wrath; you may forgive the offense, but if I cross powerful ministers the consequences are beyond reckoning. I dare the cauldron only because the fate of the state matters more than the life of one man. If my words are heard and I die for them, what would I regret?
80
夫謀臣良將，何代無之，貴在見知，要在用耳。 陛下皇基兆運二十餘載，臣子之節，諫爭是誰？ 執事皆同而不和，答問唯唯而已。 入對則言聖旨神衷，出論則雲誰敢逆耳。 過實在下而謫見於上，遂使聖皇降誠，躬自引咎，宰輔晏然，曾無謙退。 且百僚卿士，少有奉公，屍祿競利，不尚廉潔。 累金積鏹，侍列如仙，不田不商，何故而爾？ 法者人之父母，惠者人之仇讎，法嚴則人思善，德多則物生惡，惡不可長，欲不可縱。 伏願去貪濁，進廉平，明法令，嚴刑罰，禁奢侈，薄賦斂，則天下幸甚。 謹上封事二十九條，伏願抑獨斷之明，少察愚瞽。 時帝大弘釋典，將以易俗，故祖深尤言其事，條以為：
Every age has its strategists and good generals; what matters is to recognize them—and then use them. Your imperial foundation has stood for more than twenty years—who among your ministers has truly remonstrated with you? Those in office echo one another without honest debate; their answers are nothing but "yes, yes." Before you they praise your divine will; outside they ask who would dare speak against it. The fault lies below yet rebuke falls on you; so the sage emperor humbles himself and accepts blame, while the chief ministers sit untouched, never yielding an inch. Among the hundred officials few serve the public; most hold empty posts, scramble for profit, and scorn integrity. They pile up gold and silver, stand in court like immortals, yet neither farm nor trade—how do they grow so rich? Law is the people's protector; indulgence is their enemy—strict law makes men good, while too much mercy breeds vice; evil must not be indulged, desire must not be unchecked. I beg that you purge corruption, promote the honest, clarify the laws, enforce stern punishments, forbid extravagance, and lighten taxes—then all under Heaven would rejoice. I respectfully submit twenty-nine sealed memorial items, and beg that Your Majesty temper the brilliance of sole authority and spare a little attention for this blind fool. The emperor was then greatly promoting Buddhist scripture, intending to transform society through it; so Zushen spoke at length on the subject and laid out his points:
81
都下佛寺五百餘所，窮極宏麗。 僧尼十餘萬，資產豐沃。 所在郡縣，不可勝言。 道人又有白徒，尼則皆畜養女，皆不貫人籍，天下戶口幾亡其半。 而僧尼多非法，養女皆服羅紈，其蠹俗傷法，抑由於此。 請精加檢括，若無道行，四十已下，皆使還俗附農。 罷白徒養女，聽畜奴婢。 婢唯著青布衣，僧尼皆令蔬食。 如此，則法興俗盛，國富人殷。 不然，恐方來處處成寺，家家剃落，尺土一人，非復國有。
In the capital alone stand more than five hundred Buddhist temples, each one extravagantly grand. Monks and nuns exceed a hundred thousand in number, their wealth ample beyond measure. In every commandery and county the like defies description. Monks keep unregistered "white followers," and nuns foster young women—none appear on the census rolls; nearly half the empire's registered households have vanished from the books. Most monks and nuns live outside the law; their foster-girls dress in silk—the rot in custom and the damage to law begin here. I ask that rigorous inspection be carried out: those without true spiritual attainment, all under forty, should be returned to lay life and put to farming. Abolish white followers and foster-girls, and permit monasteries to keep only proper servants. Servants may wear only plain blue cloth; monks and nuns must eat nothing but vegetables. Then the Dharma would flourish, custom would thrive, and the realm would grow rich and the people prosperous. Otherwise I fear a day when every corner holds a temple and every household shaves its head—one monk per foot of soil—and the realm itself would cease to exist.
82
朝廷擢用勳舊，為三陲州郡，不顧御人之道，唯以貪殘為務。 迫脅良善，害甚豺狼。 江、湘人尤受其弊。 自三關以外，是處遭毒。 而此勳人投化之始，但有一身，及被任用，皆募部曲。 而揚、徐之人，逼以眾役，多投其募，利其貨財。 皆虛名上簿，止送出三津，名在遠役，身歸鄉里。 又懼本屬檢問，於是逃亡他境，僑戶之興，良由此故。 又梁興以來，發人征役，號為三五。 及投募將客，主將無恩，存恤失理，多有物故，輒刺叛亡。 或有身殞戰場，而名在叛目，監符下討，稱為逋叛，錄質家丁。 闔家又叛，則取同籍，同籍又叛，則取比伍，比伍又叛，則望村而取。 一人有犯，則合村皆空。 雖肆眚時降，蕩滌惟始，而監符猶下舊日，限以嚴程。 上不任信下，轉相督促。 台使到州，州又遣押使至郡，州郡競急切，同趣下城。 令宰多庸才，望風畏伏。 於是斂戶課，薦其筐篚，使人納重貨，許立空文。 其百里微欲矯俗，則嚴科立至，自是所在恣意貪利，以事上官。 又「請斷界首將生口入北，及關津廢替，須加糾擿」； 又言：「廬陵年少，不宜鎮襄陽； 左僕射王暕在喪，被起為吳郡，曾無辭讓」。 其言深刻。 又「請復郊四星」。 帝雖不能悉用，然嘉其正直，擢為豫章鍾陵令，員外散騎常侍。
The court appoints veteran merit-holders to the three frontier regions, men who ignore the art of governing and devote themselves only to greed and cruelty. They bully the honest and do worse harm than wolves. The people along the Yangzi and Xiang rivers suffer their abuses most of all. Beyond the Three Passes, every district feels their poison. When these merit-holders first submitted to the dynasty, they brought nothing but themselves; once appointed, each recruited a private retinue. People in Yang and Xu provinces, crushed under public labor levies, flock to enlist under them, drawn by their wealth. They are falsely entered on the rolls, marched only as far as the Three Fords, then listed as serving afar while in fact they go home. Fearing investigation by their native districts, they flee abroad—this is the very source of the floating-household plague. Since the founding of Liang, men have been conscripted under the so-called "three-five" levy system. Those who enlist as military retainers find their commanders merciless and care disgracefully administered; many die, yet are at once branded deserters and rebels. Some fall on the battlefield while their names remain on deserter rolls; pursuit orders go out calling them runaway rebels, and their families are seized as hostages. If the whole household is again listed as rebel, men of the same register are taken; if the register fails again, the five-household group is taken; if that too fails, they sweep up an entire village. One man's fault can depopulate an entire village. Though general amnesties come from time to time and the lists are wiped clean at first, supervisory orders still pursue old cases under punishing deadlines. Superiors trust no one below them, and each level drives the next. When court envoys arrive at the province, the province sends press-men to the commandery; province and commandery vie in urgency, all descending together on the counties. Most magistrates are mediocrities who crumple at the first whiff of authority. They levy household taxes, parade their gift baskets, squeeze out heavy bribes, and accept hollow paperwork in return. If a district magistrate so much as tries to reform local abuses, harsh penalties follow at once; from then on officials everywhere plunder freely to please their superiors. He also urged: "Stop frontier generals from sending captives north; tighten oversight of abandoned border posts and cross-checks"; He also declared: "The Prince of Luling is too young to hold Xiangyang; Left Vice Director Wang Yan is in mourning, yet was summoned to govern Wu commandery without a word of refusal." His words cut deep. He also asked that the four stars of the suburban sacrifice be restored. The emperor could not adopt all his advice, but admired his honesty and promoted him to Magistrate of Zhongling in Yuzhang commandery, with the additional title of Supernumerary Regular Attendant of the Scattered Cavalry.
83
普通七年，改南州津為南津校尉，以祖深為之。 加雲騎將軍，秩二千石。 使募部曲二千。 及至南州，公嚴清刻。 由來王侯勢家出入津，不忌憲綱，俠藏亡命。 祖深搜檢奸惡，不避強禦，動致刑辟。 奏江州刺史邵陵王、太子詹事周舍贓罪。 遠近側足，莫敢縱恣。 淮南太守畏之如上府。
In the seventh year of Putong (526), the South Province Ford post was renamed South Ford Commandant, and Zushen was appointed to it. He received the additional title Cloud Cavalry General, at the two-thousand-dan rank. He was authorized to recruit two thousand personal troops. On reaching his post, he governed with public-minded severity, purity, and exacting discipline. Long accustomed to passing the ford with impunity, princes and powerful families ignored the law, and local strongmen sheltered fugitives. Zushen hunted down evildoers without flinching from the powerful, often sending them to execution. He impeached Prince Shaoling of Jiang Province and the Crown Prince's Household Steward Zhou She on charges of graft. Near and far, people walked on tiptoe; none dared misbehave. The Administrator of Huainan feared him as if he were a superior prefecture.
84
常服故布襦，素木案，食不過一肉。 有姥餉一早青瓜，祖深報以疋帛。 後有富人效之以貨，鞭而徇眾。 朝野憚之，絕於幹請。 所領皆精兵，令行禁止。 有所討逐，越境追禽。 江中嘗有賊，祖深自率討之，列陣未敢進，仍令所親人先登，不時進，斬之。 遂大破賊，威振遠近，長江肅清。
He wore old cotton robes, used undecorated wooden desks, and never ate more than one meat dish at a meal. When an old woman brought him an early green melon, Zushen repaid her with a bolt of silk. When a rich man tried the same trick with bribes, Zushen had him flogged and paraded before the public. Officialdom and commoners alike feared him, and private solicitations ceased entirely. His troops were all picked men; his orders ran and his prohibitions held. In pursuit of fugitives he would cross borders to seize them. When bandits appeared on the river, Zushen led the attack himself; his line formed but hung back, so he ordered a trusted man to charge first—when the man failed to move in time, Zushen cut off his head. He routed the bandits; his authority resounded far and wide, and the Yangzi was cleared of crime.
85
論曰：善政之於人，猶良工之於埴也，用功寡而成器多焉。 漢世戶口殷盛，刑務簡闊，郡縣之職，外無橫擾，勸賞威刑，事多專斷，尺一詔書，希經邦邑。 吏居官者或長子孫，皆敷德政以盡人和，興義讓以存簡久。 故龔、黃之化，易以有成。 降及晚代，情偽繁起，人減昔時，務殷前世。 立績垂風，難易百倍。 若以上古之化，禦此世之人，今吏之良，撫前代之俗，則武城弦歌，將有未暇，淮陽臥鎮，如或可勉。 未必今才陋古，蓋化有醇薄者也。
The historian comments: Good government among the people is like a master potter with his clay—a little effort yields many fine vessels. In Han times the population was abundant and penal matters straightforward; commanderies and counties faced no outside interference; reward and punishment were largely their own to decide, and imperial edicts rarely reached down to local towns. Some officials held office for generations; they spread benevolent rule to win hearts, and cultivated righteousness and deference to keep things simple and enduring. Thus the virtuous transformations of Gong Yu and Huang Ba were easily achieved. By later ages deceit proliferated, the population had shrunk, and official burdens weighed heavier than ever. To establish achievement and leave a lasting example was a hundred times harder. If the governance of antiquity were applied to people of this age—or today's best officials tried to govern the customs of former times—even the zither-songs of Wucheng would have no time to sound, and Huaiyang's quiet rule might barely be within reach. It is not that talent today is inferior to that of antiquity; rather, the temper of the age may be strong or weak.