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卷七十四 列傳第六十四 孝義下

Volume 74 Biographies 64: Filial Acts 2

Chapter 74 of 南史 · History of the Southern Dynasties
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Biographies 64: Filial Acts (Part 2)
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Teng Yan'gong, Tao Jizhi, Shen Chongsu, Xun Jiang, Ji Yin, Zhen Tian, Zhao Ba, Hu Hanming, Chu Xiu, Zhang Jingren, Tao Zishao, Cheng Jingjun, Li Qingxu, Xie Lin, Yin Buhai, Sima Hao, and Zhang Zhao
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At that time there was a man named Xu Puji, from Linxiang in Changsha. He was still in mourning and had not yet buried the dead when a neighbor's house caught fire and the blaze spread to his home. Puji cried out in grief and threw himself on the coffin, shielding it with his own body. Neighbors rushed to pull him away, but he had already been burned into unconsciousness and did not come to for several days.
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忿
There was also Zhang Ti of Jiankang, whose family was too poor to support their dependents; he appealed to a wealthy neighbor for help. When the rich man refused, Zhang Ti could not contain his anger and banded with four others to rob. His three accomplices took all the clothing; not a single coin went into his own pocket. The county sentenced Zhang Ti to death. Zhang Ti's elder brother Song petitioned the court: "My brother Jing and I are sons of our father's first wife; our stepmother bore only Ti. As the eldest son I failed to guide him properly—I beg to die in his stead." Jing added: "Song is the legitimate eldest son, and our stepmother bore only Ti. If the law is enforced, our mother will be left without a son as well." He too asked to die in Ti's place. Their mother said: "Ti deserves to die—how can a younger brother's crime drag all his elder brothers into it? Zhang Ti accepted his guilt and begged that both elder brothers be spared so they could support the family." The county forwarded the case to the throne. The emperor judged it an act of filial devotion and specially commuted the death sentence, with the proviso that this should not set a precedent.
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Tao Jizhi was a native of Moling in Danyang. His grandfather Minzu had served as Governor of Guangzhou under the Liu Song. His father Jingren held the rank of Master of Leisurely Discourse.
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Jizhi was precocious, and Minzu favored him greatly. Once the grandfather set out four boxes of silver and told each grandson to take one. Jizhi was only four and alone refused. He said, "If there is a gift, it should go to my father and uncles first, not to the grandsons—so I will not take one." Minzu was all the more astonished by the boy.
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When he was five his mother died, and he mourned with the grief of a grown man. Before his mother fell ill she had sent clothes out to be dyed; only after her death did the family redeem them. Jizhi clutched the garments and wailed until all who heard him were moved to tears. As he grew he devoted himself to learning, cared little for rank or profit, and declined every summons to office; contemporaries called him the Reclusive Gentleman. He later served as Magistrate of Wangcai but resigned because of illness.
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At that time Liu Yanjie and Yuan Can, seeing how powerful the Qi founder had become, were plotting against him. Yanjie had long held Jizhi in high regard and wanted him in on the plot. Jizhi judged Yuan and Liu to be scholarly men who would only bring ruin on themselves, and firmly refused to join them. Soon afterward Yanjie and his allies were destroyed.
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簿 西
Early in the Qi dynasty he became a director in the Secretariat's revenue section. Chu Yanhui, then Secretariat Director and an old friend, repeatedly named him chief clerk under the Ministers of Works and Education and entrusted him with bureau affairs. After Yanhui died, Secretariat Director Wang Jian, citing his exemplary conduct, proposed the posthumous title Duke Wenxiao. Jizhi objected: "Wenxiao was Sima Daozi's posthumous title—that man hardly deserved full praise. Wenjian would be more fitting." Jian accepted his advice. Jizhi also arranged for a stele to be raised for Yanhui and saw the project through from start to finish, displaying admirable administrative integrity. He was promoted to Administrator of Dongguan, where he earned a reputation for fair and gentle governance. He later served as staff adviser to the Defender of the West.
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便
After Emperor Wu of Qi died, Emperor Ming took power as regent and purged his rivals. Jizhi would not flatter to please, and Emperor Ming grew wary of him, posting him out as chief clerk to the Defender of the State and Administrator of Beihai. A senior frontier post was seldom given to men of humble birth; some urged Jizhi to pay a courtesy call at court. Instead the emperor kept him on as staff adviser to the Rapid Cavalry General and concurrent Left Assistant Director of the Secretariat, then made him Administrator of Jian'an. His rule was quiet and fair, and the people prospered under it.
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When the Liang regime was established he became Attendant Gentleman at the Yellow Gate. He had often said that reaching the two-thousand-bushel rank was all he had ever wanted, and that he should not linger in worldly affairs; he then pleaded illness and returned home. Early in the Tianjian era he was appointed Grand Master of Palace Counsel at home. Emperor Wu remarked, "Now that Liang holds the realm, we still do not see this man at court." In the tenth year he died at home. Jizhi had always lived in utter austerity and had kept to seclusion for more than a decade. When he died his house was bare to the walls and his descendants could not afford a proper burial; all who heard mourned both the man and his ideals.
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簿 漿 祿 巿 宿
Shen Chongsu, courtesy name Sizheng, was a native of Wukang in Wuxing. His father Huaiming had been Governor of Yanzhou under the Liu Song. At six Chongsu lost his father and mourned with weeping and stamping that exceeded the prescribed rites. As he grew he served his birth mother with the utmost devotion. The family was poor, and he often copied documents for hire to support her. In the second year of Tianjian the prefect Liu Yun appointed him chief clerk. Chongsu accompanied Yun to the prefecture and set out to bring his mother there, but she died before they could reunite. Grieving that he had not been there to nurse her, Chongsu nearly starved himself to death: he took no food or drink and wailed day and night until after ten days he was close to expiring. His brothers told him, "The funeral has not yet been arranged—if you destroy yourself now you will not have fulfilled your filial duty." Chongsu took their words to heart and slowly began to eat again. His mother was given a provisional burial several li from home. Whenever grief overwhelmed him he went to the grave, heedless of rain or snow. Each time he leaned on the mound and wailed, birds would fly down and circle above him. At night wild beasts would come and watch him, making sounds like sighs. Too poor to give her a proper burial, he begged for a full year before he could afford one. He then built a mourning hut beside the tomb. Judging that the first mourning had been incomplete, he observed another three years of mourning after the burial. For a long time he ate only wheat bran and took no salt or vinegar, sitting and sleeping on a single mat until he swelled with edema and could not stand. The local authorities recommended him for supreme filial devotion. When Emperor Wu heard of it he sent a palace attendant to comfort him, then ordered him to end mourning, appointed him Groom of the Heir Apparent, and honored his household. Chongsu obeyed the edict and ended mourning, but wept as if he were still in bereavement. He firmly declined the appointment and was instead made Magistrate of Yongning. He felt that his salary had come too late to support his mother, and grief overwhelmed him; he died before reaching the county seat. Xun Jiang, courtesy name Wenshi, was from Yingyin and a ninth-generation descendant of the Jin Grand Tutor Xun Xu. His grandfather Qiong at fifteen avenged his father's death in the Chengdu market and won renown for filial devotion. Late in the Yuanjia era he crossed the Huai, encountered the Prince of Wuling's uprising, and was killed by the crown prince's pursuers; he was posthumously made Supernumerary Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary. His father Fachao served the Qi as Magistrate of Anfu and died in office. Jiang wailed until he stopped breathing and his whole body went cold; only at night did he come to. He then hurried to the funeral, sleeping each night on the riverbank; merchants could not bear the sound of his weeping.
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禿
In the first year of Tianjian his elder brother Fei, as Administrator of Yulin, was campaigning against Li bandits when a stray arrow struck him and he died on the field. When the coffin returned Jiang met it at Yuzhang, saw the boat, and threw himself into the water; bystanders pulled him out barely alive. At home the family was too poor for a timely burial. He mourned both father and brother together and did not leave the mourning hut for four years. He twisted his own hair and stopped combing or washing until it all fell out; he wept without regard to day or night. When his voice gave out he sobbed on; the corners of his eyes rotted away, his body wasted to skin and bone, and even his family could no longer recognize him. The local authorities reported his condition; Emperor Wu sent a palace attendant to release him from mourning and appointed him Left Regular Attendant in the Kingdom of Yuzhang. Though Jiang had ended mourning his grief only deepened. His maternal grandfather Sun Qian admonished him: "The emperor rules the realm through filial example; your conduct surpasses the ancients, which is why he gave you this post. It is not only that a ruler's command is hard to refuse—you will also win renown for generations. The glory shown is not yours alone." Jiang accepted the post, but in the end died of grief.
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漿
Ji Yin, courtesy name Yanxiao, was from Lianshao in Fengyi. His family lived at Xiangyang. Yin was filial from childhood. At eleven he lost his birth mother, took no food or drink, and nearly died of grief; relatives and neighbors were astonished.
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便
Early in the Tianjian era his father served as Magistrate of Yuanxiang in Wuxing and was framed by subordinates; he was arrested and sent to the Minister of Justice. Yin was fifteen. He wailed in the streets and begged every minister he met; passersby wept at the sight. Though his father was innocent in fact, he was ashamed to be interrogated by petty officials and falsely confessed guilt, for which the penalty was death. Yin then beat the Petition Drum at the palace gate and begged to die in his father's place. The emperor was moved but, because Yin was so young, suspected someone had put him up to it. He ordered Minister of Justice Cai Fadu to threaten and coax him until the truth came out. Fadu returned to the tribunal, displayed chains and fetters, and demanded sternly: "You asked to die for your father—the edict has granted it, so you should submit to execution; but the blade and saw are cruel—can you truly face death? Besides, you are a child—your mind cannot have reached this on its own. Someone must have taught you—what is his name? If you have changed your mind, you may say so and be heard." He replied, "Though I am young and weak, do I not know that death is to be feared? But my younger brothers are small and I alone am the eldest. I could not bear to see my father face execution while I drew breath, so I steeled my heart and appealed to the throne. Now I mean to give my life and leave my bones in the earth—this is no small thing. How could I have been taught by another?" Seeing he could not be broken, Fadu softened his tone and said, "The emperor knows your father is innocent and will soon release him. You are bright and handsome, a fine young man. If you change your plea now, father and son may both be spared—why at such a tender age seek the cauldron and cleaver?" Yin said, "Even fish and ants cherish life—how much more a human being. Who would wish to be ground to powder? But my father faces serious charges and will surely be sentenced under the law, so I mean to give my life in the hope of prolonging his. When Yin was first imprisoned, the jail clerk fully shackled him according to law. Fadu took pity on him, ordered two of the restraints removed, and had him wear a lighter one. Yin refused, saying, "I ask to die in my father's place. How can shackles be loosened for a man awaiting execution? He never removed the shackles. Fadu reported the matter to the emperor, who then pardoned Yin's father.
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Danyang Magistrate Wang Zhi looked up his records at the Court of Judicature and Review and requested his village file, intending to nominate him at the New Year as an exemplar of pure filial piety. Yin said, "How strange of you, Magistrate. Why do you think so little of me? When a father is disgraced and a son dies for him, that is only right—but if I had the nerve to do this and then accept your nomination, I would be trading on my father's shame for fame. What could be more humiliating? He refused, and the matter was dropped.
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簿 簿
At seventeen he was summoned to serve as chief clerk of his province and was sent to oversee Wannian County. In a single month as acting magistrate, he greatly improved local customs. When he returned from Yong to the capital at Ying, Xiangzhou Inspector Liu Chen again appointed him chief clerk. Later his fellow townsman Pei Jian of Moling, Danyang Assistant Magistrate Zang Dun, and Yangzhou Rectifier Zhang Ze jointly recommended Yin, citing his utterly pure filial conduct and his mastery of the Book of Changes and the Laozi. The emperor ordered the Ministry of Rites to commend and nominate him. Earlier, the shock of his father's conviction had left Yin with a heart condition; he later died when it recurred.
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宿
Zhen Tian, courtesy name Yanyue, was from Wuji in Zhongshan; his family had lived in Jiangling for generations. He lost his father while still a small child, yet mourned as a grown man would. His family, pitying his tender age, tried to feed him rice mixed with meat broth, but Tian refused. At eight he once told his mother how much he regretted never having known his father, and wept for days. Suddenly he seemed to see someone who looked exactly like his father; people at the time took it as a sign that his filial devotion had moved Heaven. Though the family was poor, he always managed to provide his mother with delicacies. During mourning he built a hut beside the tomb. Birds of mixed black and yellow constantly gathered in the trees above it—they cried when Tian wept and fell silent when he stopped. White doves and white sparrows also came to roost at his mourning hut. Prince Dan of Shixing, the provincial commander, memorialized his conduct; the emperor ordered his gate to be honored and granted him a title of nobility. Tian rose to the rank of acting staff officer of Annan.
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宿 退
Zhao Bahu was from Xincheng. His elder brother Zhendong was wealthy. Prefect Fan Wenmao kept demanding money from him until Zhendong exploded: "Your greed will come for me next! Fan Wenmao heard this, gathered his kinsmen, and had Zhendong killed. Bahu escaped, became an outlaw, and gathered a band of followers. At the village shrine tree he vowed: "Fan Wenmao killed my brother—if I succeed in revenge, new shoots will spring from where this tree is cut; if I fail, I shall die. Within three nights three new shoots sprouted more than thirty feet tall. Rumor spread that this was divine, and more than a hundred thousand men rallied to him. After killing Fan Wenmao, he turned to attack neighboring districts. As he approached Chengdu, he was defeated after ten days of fighting, retreated to Xincheng, and sued for surrender. Fan Wenmao was the younger brother of Lizhou Inspector Fan Wenchi and was himself from Xiangyang.
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漿
Han Huaiming was from Shangdang. His family had settled in Jingzhou. At ten his mother suffered from a chronic wasting illness; each attack brought her to the brink of death. One freezing night Huaiming kowtowed under the stars and prayed. Suddenly he smelled incense, and a voice in the air said, "Your mother's illness will soon be cured for good. Do not torment yourself any longer. Before dawn his mother had fully recovered; people in the village regarded it as a miracle. At fifteen he lost his father and nearly grieved himself to death. He piled the grave mound with his own hands and refused all funeral gifts. After mourning ended he and a fellow townsman, Guo Ma, studied under Liu Qiu of Nanyang. One day Liu Qiu canceled his lecture and sat alone weeping. Huaiming quietly asked Liu's household and learned it was the anniversary of his maternal grandfather's death. Liu's own mother was also dead. When Huaiming heard this, he quit his studies that same day and went home to care for his mother. Liu Qiu sighed and said, "Han will not die with the regret of Qiu Wu. The family was poor, so he worked with his hands to provide fine foods and kept his mother company day and night, never leaving her side. His mother lived to ninety and died a natural death. For ten days Huaiming took no food or drink and wailed without stopping. A pair of white doves nested on his mourning hut, rearing their chicks there as tamely as barnyard birds; they left only when his mourning ended. After mourning he ate only vegetables for the rest of his life and never changed his clothes or bedding. Early in the Tianjian era, Prince Dan of Shixing, as provincial inspector, memorialized about him. Repeated summons from the province he declined; he died at home.
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漿
Chu Xiu was from Qiantang in Wu Commandery. His father Zhongdu was a master of the Book of Changes, unrivaled in his day. During the Tianjian era he served as an Erudite of the Five Classics. Xiu studied his father's craft from youth. When Prince Ji of Wuling served as governor of Yangzhou, he appointed Xiu aide and personal secretary. Utterly filial by nature, Chu Xiu mourned his father so deeply that he grew gaunt beyond what the rites required and fell ill with a chronic chill. When his mother died he took no food or drink for twenty-three days; each fit of weeping brought up blood, and he died of grief.
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調
Zhang Jingren was from Guangping. Early in the Tianjian era his father was murdered by Wei Fa, a man from the same county; Jingren was eight at the time. When he grew up, he was determined to avenge his father. In the seventh year of Putong he met Wei Fa at Gongtian Islet, cut off his head with his own hand, and offered it at his father's grave. When it was done he went to the prefecture, bound himself, and asked to be punished according to law. Prefect Cai Tianqi reported to the provincial office. Prince Jianwen was then in residence there; he issued a commendation, pardoned Zhang's crime, and ordered a district official to remit one household's taxes and corvée as a reward for his filial devotion.
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Also during the Tianjian era, a woman of Wanling in Xuancheng was sleeping beside her mother when a wild beast seized her mother. The daughter chased it, screaming and clutching at the animal for miles until its fur fell out; the beast finally dropped her mother and fled. The daughter held her mother, who still breathed; after a while she died. The village reported the matter to the authorities; Prefect Xiao Chen memorialized the emperor, who ordered a plaque placed at her gate.
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婿 西
Also, the elder sister of Wang Zhenzhi, Prince of Bacheng, had married Wei Jingyu. When she was sixteen, Jingyu died. Both families wanted to remarry her, but she refused and swore an oath; she cut off her ear and placed it on a dish as proof, and only then did they relent. She personally planted hundreds of trees for her late husband. The cypresses before his tomb suddenly grew with intertwined trunks; after about a year they separated again. She wrote a poem: "Before the tomb a single cypress—roots joined, branches intertwined once more. If my heart can move a tree, why should anyone marvel at a fortress brought down? At her home a pair of swallows had nested, flying back and forth together—then one day a single bird returned alone. Moved by the bird's lonely flight, she tied a thread around its leg as a mark. The next year the swallow returned, still wearing the thread. She wrote another poem: "Last year it left without its mate; this spring it returns alone again. The kindness it owes me is too deep—it will not pair and fly away again. Yongzhou Inspector Marquis Zao of Xichang admired her virtue and built a pavilion at her gate, naming it "The Lane of the Chaste Lady Wei." He also reported the matter to the central government.
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簿
Later, Liu Jingxin of Hedong served his mother with devoted filial piety. She had suffered from chronic abdominal illness for more than thirty years, then was cured in a single day; people in the village believed his sincerity had moved Heaven. Jingzhou Inspector Prince Yi of Xiangdong appointed him chief clerk.
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Tao Zishao, courtesy name Haiyu, was from Moling in Danyang. His father Yan was a secretary in the Ministry of Revenue. His elder brother Shang, at the end of the Song, had offended a favored courtier and was thrown into prison. Zishao pleaded his brother's case through every channel he could find, kowtowing until his forehead bled; people on the road wept at the sight. He met the scholar Xie Chaozong, who got down from his carriage to visit him. Xie then went to Jiankang Magistrate Lao Yuanyuan and said, "How can you see brothers in such straits and pay no attention? Lao was moved and released the elder brother. When his mother died he observed every mourning rite. Fan Yun lived next door; whenever he heard Zishao weeping he was visibly moved and wanted to recommend him for office. But before he could, Fan Yun died. His mother had loved water shield; after her death he always included it in her offerings. When Emperor Wu's army first arrived, that winter he could find no water shield for her offering. Zishao was stricken with grief, wept until he lost consciousness, and only slowly revived. After that he never tasted water shield again.
27
宿
Cheng Jingjun, courtesy name Chao, was from Fanyang. His grandfather Xing served the Northern Wei as Minister of War. His father Anle was prefect of Huaiyang. In the sixth year of Tianjian, Chang Yonghe killed Anle and surrendered the city to Liang. Jingjun plotted revenge, killed the Northern Wei commander of Suyu, and submitted the city to the south. In the sixth year of Putong, Yonghe was magistrate of Poyang; Jingjun hired assassins to kill him. Soon after he hired men to poison Yonghe's kinsmen and kill his sons and brothers until not one was left. Emperor Wu admired his cause and repeatedly exempted him from punishment. Once his family's vengeance was complete, Jingjun sought to repay the emperor's favor. Later appointed governor of Northern Yuzhou, he raided Wei territory and was everywhere trusted for his wisdom and courage; people compared him to the general Ma Xianbi. He was also loved for his achievements in office; officials and commoners of Northern Yuzhou erected a stele in his honor. When he died he was given the posthumous title Loyal and Bold.
28
便西
Li Qingxu, courtesy name Xiaoxu, was from Qi in Guanghan. His father had been murdered. Orphaned at nine, Qingxu was raised by his elder brother. Day and night he wept, his mind fixed on vengeance. He entered the service of the provincial commander Chen Xianda. One day in broad daylight, while still among the troops, he killed his father's murderer with his own hand, then bound himself and surrendered to face punishment. The commander, judging the act righteous, set him free. During the Liang dynasty's Tianjian era he served as magistrate of Dongguan. When his mother died he resigned his post, built a mourning hut beside her tomb, and in his grief would vomit blood by the cupful. Later he served as magistrate of Ba Commandery and was known as an excellent administrator. He rose through successive promotions to Commandant of the Guard and was enfeoffed as Marquis of Anlu. For three hundred years no one from Yizhou had risen to such high rank. Having received the court's favor, Qingxu wished to return home to the west. He was soon transferred to Right Commandant of the Crown Prince's Guard, but died before he could take up the post.
29
便
Xie Lin, courtesy name Xiru, was from Yangxia in Chen Commandery and an eighth-generation descendant of the Jin dynasty's Grand Tutor Xie An. His father Jing served as advisory staff officer to the General of the North. When Lin was five, his father had not yet eaten. The wet nurse tried to make the boy eat first, but Lin refused to touch his food. His maternal uncle Ruan Xiaoxu heard of this and sighed. "At home this boy is another Zengzi," he said; "in serving his lord he would be the equal of Lin Xiangru. He was therefore given the name Lin. When he was taught the classics and histories, he could recite them after a single reading. Xiaoxu would often say, "He is the Yangyuan of our house. When his father died he wailed day and night until he was wasted to skin and bone. His mother, Lady Ruan, kept constant watch over him and urged him to restrain his grief. When the mourning period ended, Minister of the Civil Service Xiao Zixian, admiring his extraordinary filial devotion, appointed him acting legal staff officer in a princely household. He rose through successive promotions to staff officer for external military affairs and recording secretary.
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使 使 便 漿
When sweet dew fell at the Shilin Academy, Lin submitted a celebratory ode that Emperor Wu greatly admired. An imperial edict commissioned him to compose a stele commemorating the virtuous administration of Xiao Kai, governor of Northern Yanzhou. He was also ordered by imperial command to compose the Prince of Xuancheng's eulogy on the Doctrine of the Mean. Later he served concurrently as Regular Attendant at the Secretariat and was sent on a mission to Northern Wei. While he was away, Hou Jing defected to the Liang and fighting erupted along the frontier. Lin's mother, fearing her son would never return, died of grief. When Lin returned, he dreamed an ill omen the night he crossed the border. At dawn he broke from the envoy party and galloped home. When he arrived he wailed until he vomited blood and lost consciousness for a long time. He would take neither water nor food. Each time he wept, blood streamed from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. After more than a month he died during a night vigil at his mother's grave. He left behind several dozen poems, rhapsodies, stele inscriptions, and eulogies. His son was Zhen.
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便 便 ''
Zhen, courtesy name Yuanzheng, was clever from childhood and possessed an extraordinary depth of feeling. His grandmother Lady Ruan had long suffered from vertigo. Whenever it struck, she could not eat or drink for a day or two. Zhen was then seven. Whenever his grandmother could not eat, he would not eat either. It was often so. His mother Lady Wang taught him the Analects and the Classic of Filial Piety. When he finished reading a passage he could recite it from memory. At eight he composed a poem called Spring Day in Seclusion. His mother's cousin Wang Yun was astonished and told his intimates, "A line like 'the wind has stilled, yet the flowers still fall' already rivals Xie Huilian. At thirteen he was especially versed in the Zuo Commentary to the Spring and Autumn Annals and skilled in cursive, clerical, and seal scripts.
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At fourteen, when his father died, he cried out and collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness and reviving several times. Zhen's father Lin had already died of grief. Family and guests now feared the same fate for Zhen. His father's cousin Qia and his clansman Hao together invited the Long-Clawed Chan Master of Huayan Temple to preach to him. They urged that his mother still needed his care and that he must not destroy himself. At last he took a little thin gruel. When Northern Wei captured Jiangling, he was taken to Chang'an. Hao fled the chaos to Panyu. Zhen's mother entered the clergy at Xuaming Temple. When Emperor Wu of Chen took the throne, Hao returned home and supported Zhen's mother for nearly twenty years.
33
使
While Zhen was in Northern Zhou, he served as reader to Prince Zhao, the beloved younger brother of Emperor Wu of Zhou, who treated him with great honor. Learning that Zhen wept day and night when alone, the prince questioned him privately and learned that his mother was still in the south. He said, "If I am sent out to govern a frontier fief, I shall send you home. Several years later Prince Zhao was indeed sent to a frontier post. On taking leave he personally memorialized the throne, asking that Zhen be allowed to return home. The emperor admired Prince Zhao's kindness and sent Zhen home with the envoy Du Zihui. That was the fifth year of the Chen dynasty's Taojian era.
34
簿
When Zhen first returned from Northern Zhou, Prince Shixing Shi Shuling was governor of Yangzhou. The prince appointed Ruan Zhuo of the Sacrificial Bureau as his recording secretary and recruited Zhen as chief clerk. He was soon promoted to recording secretary of the princely establishment and concurrently served as assistant magistrate of Danyang. Zhen knew that Shuling harbored treasonous ambitions, and he and Zhuo deliberately kept their distance from the prince. Whenever the prince held feasts or outings, Zhen pleaded illness and never attended. Shuling held him in high regard and did not hold it against him. When Shuling rebelled, only Zhen and Zhuo were not punished.
35
祿
He was next promoted to companion to the Prince of Nanping and put in charge of the prince's secretariat. Zhou Que of Runan, chief administrator of the princely establishment, had just been appointed Minister of Justice. He asked Zhen to draft the memorial declining the post. The Later Lord read it and was impressed. When he learned that Zhen had written it, he ordered Attendant Shi Wenqing, "Xie Zhen serves in a princely household without salary or rank. Grant him one hundred shi of grain. He resigned when his mother died. Soon an edict ordered him back to the princely establishment. He memorialized repeatedly to decline, but the order stood. Wasted by grief, Zhen was never able to return to his post.
36
Minister of the Civil Service Yao Cha was Zhen's friend. When Zhen's illness grew grave, Yao asked about his final arrangements. Zhen said, "I am a man marked for misfortune and will soon be dust. My clansman's sons Kai and the others are more or less grown, and I have already left written instructions with them. That hardly warrants imposing on your great kindness. But my little boy is only six. His name is Jing, courtesy name Yiren. He is the one tie of affection I cannot put aside, and I venture to ask you to look after him. That night he died. The Later Lord asked Yao Cha, "What relatives does Xie Zhen have? Yao answered with the boy Jing, and the emperor immediately ordered that clothing and grain be provided for him indefinitely. While Zhen was ill he left a final note to his clansman's son Kai: "After I die, burial in a Buddhist charnel ground would be my wish, but I fear that would be too unusual. Wrap the body in thin boards, carry it on an open cart covered with a straw mat, and bury it in a hollow beside a hill. Jing is still young and knows nothing of the world. For three months you may set up a small mourning couch and burn incense—that is enough to show the affection between you brothers. Then put it away. Do nothing more that serves no purpose."
37
Yin Buhai, courtesy name Changqing, was from Changping in Chen Commandery. His grandfather Wang served as acting staff officer to the Prince of Yuzhang under Qi. His father Gaoming served as Central Military Officer in the Ministry of Works under Liang. Buhai was profoundly filial. In mourning for his father he went beyond the prescribed rites, and thereby became known while still young. His family had been frugal for generations, and they lived in great poverty. He had five younger brothers, all still small. Buhai cared for his aged mother and raised his younger brothers, laboring at every task without stint. Scholar-officials praised him for his steadfast devotion.
38
便 使
At seventeen he entered Liang service as assistant judge of the Court of Judicial Review. He excelled at administration and grounded his work in Confucian learning. When he found flaws in the penal code he memorialized the throne, and many of his proposals were adopted. In the fifth year of Datong he served concurrently as Attendant for General Affairs in the Crown Prince's household. At that time much of the court's business was handled through the Crown Prince's household. Buhai and Attendant Yu Jianwu were on duty presenting memorials. Emperor Wu once said to Jianwu, "You are a literary man. Administrative work is not your strength. Why not send Yin Buhai instead? Such was the esteem in which he was held. Because Buhai cared devotedly for his parents, Emperor Jianwen bestowed on his mother Lady Cai brocade skirts and jackets, felt mats, bedding, and quilts of every weight.
39
During Hou Jing's rebellion, Buhai followed Emperor Jianwen into the palace compound. When Taicheng fell, Emperor Jianwen was in the Secretariat. Hou Jing, armored and at the head of his troops, entered the palace for audience, then went to pay his respects to the emperor, shoving aside those around him with shocking insolence. Every guard was terrified and shrank back—only Buhai and Palace Mentor Xu Chi stood at the emperor's side without moving. When Emperor Jianwen was confined by Hou Jing, he asked that Buhai be allowed to stay with him. Jing agreed, and Buhai served him with redoubled care.
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滿 漿
When Emperor Yuan of Liang took the throne, he appointed Buhai Gentleman of the Secretariat and concurrently Director of the Court of Judicial Review. When Northern Wei captured Jiangling, he lost track of his mother. Snow lay deep and the cold was fierce. The frozen dead filled every ditch and ravine. Buhai walked the streets weeping as he searched, never pausing in his cries. Whenever he found a corpse in a ditch he would throw himself forward to examine it. His whole body froze stiff. For seven days he took neither water nor food before he at last found his mother's body. He leaned on the body and wept until he lost consciousness with every cry. Passersby wept at the sight. He gave her provisional burial at Jiangling, then was taken to Chang'an together with Wang Xiang and Yu Xin. From then on he ate only vegetables and wore plain cloth. Wasted to skin and bone, he moved all who saw him to pity.
41
Buniu, courtesy name Jiqing, established his reputation for integrity while still young and was known for exceptional filial devotion during his father's mourning. He loved reading and was especially skilled in administrative affairs. At the beginning of the Chengsheng era he served as magistrate of Wukang. War, famine, and displacement ravaged the region. Buniu guided and comforted the people and gathered them in; refugees carrying infants on their backs came by the thousands. When Northern Wei captured Jiangling his mother died. The roads were cut off and for a long time he could not reach her. For four years he wept day and night. In his daily life, eating and drinking, he observed every rite of mourning. When Emperor Wu of Chen took the throne, Buniu was appointed magistrate of Lou. Only then did his fourth elder brother Buqi bring their mother's coffin back from Jiangling for burial. Buniu continued to live as though he had just received word of her death—and did so for another three years. He carried earth for the grave himself and planted pines and cypresses with his own hands. At every seasonal sacrifice he fasted for three days.
42
Sima Hao, courtesy name Wensheng, was a native of Wen in Henei. His great-grandfather Rouzhi had been a Jin Attendant-in-Ordinary; as a descendant of the Prince of Nandun he carried on the line of Prince Wenxian of Qi, Wang You. His father Zichan was Emperor Wu of Liang's elder cousin by marriage and served as Administrator of Yueyang.
43
漿 使便 宿
From childhood Hao was quick-witted and possessed a deeply sincere nature. At twelve he lost his mother and mourned beyond the prescribed rites, taking no food or drink for nearly ten days. Each fit of weeping left him unconscious. His father urged him again and again to take gruel, yet he remained wasted to skin and bone. When mourning ended he paid court as a kinsman youth. Emperor Wu saw how frail he was and sighed at length. Using the boy's pet name he told his father, "Yesterday I saw Luor's face drawn and haggard—it wrings the heart. He has not failed the family tradition; you have a true son." He was later promoted to Regular Attendant. When his father died his grief deepened. He built a mourning hut beside the tomb and ate only a sheng of thin wheat gruel each day. The tomb lay at Xinlin among hills once thick with wild beasts. After Hao kept his hut there for years, wolves and jackals vanished from the place. Two turtledoves constantly roosted at his hut, unusually tame. During the Chengsheng era he was appointed Junior Tutor to the Heir Apparent. When the Northern Wei took Jiangling he was taken to Chang'an like the rest. The Liang imperial house had been slaughtered and the crown prince's burial was lost. When the Zhou took power, Hao as a former palace official submitted a bold memorial begging to return to Jiangling for a proper reburial, his words bitter and urgent. The Zhou court replied with a gracious edict and ordered Jingzhou to bury the prince with full ceremony. In the eighth year of Taijian he returned from the north; Emperor Xuan granted him exceptional honors. He served as Regular Attendant-in-Ordinary and Grand Master of Palace Counsel, then died. He left a collected works in ten juan.
44
His son Yanyi, courtesy name Xizhong, was from youth thoughtful, keen, and devoted to learning. He first followed his father into the north. When his mother died he mourned beyond the prescribed rites. When Hao returned to the capital, Yanyi shouldered the coffin himself, hiding by day and traveling by night through frost and ice until his hands and feet were cracked and numb. By the time he reached the capital he was crippled by contracture and did not recover for several years. He rose to Attendant Gentleman under the Minister of Education.
45
綿
Zhang Zhao, courtesy name Deming, was a native of Wu in Wu Commandery. From childhood he was filial. His father Yan suffered from wasting thirst and craved fresh fish, so Zhao wove nets and caught fish himself for every meal. His younger brother Gan, courtesy name Xuanming, was clever and studious and equally possessed a deeply sincere nature. When their father died both brothers wore no silk, took no salt or vinegar, and ate only a sheng of wheat-bran gruel each day. Each fit of grief brought up blood; neighbors who heard them wept. Before their father's mourning had ended their mother Lady Lu died as well. The brothers mourned for six years until they were wasted to skin and bone. Too poor for a proper burial, they wore plain cloth and ate only vegetables for more than ten years, never leaving their gate or receiving visitors. When the Prince of Hengyang, Boxin, governed the province he recommended Gan as Filial and Incorrupt, but Gan firmly declined. Both brothers fell ill from excessive mourning. Zhao lost sight in one eye; Gan suffered chronic cold and colic. Neither reached fifty when they died at home, and their line ended without heirs.
46
During Emperor Xuan's reign there was Wang Zhixuan of Taiyuan, a sojourner in Yan County of Kuaiji, renowned at home for filial devotion. When his father died he mourned himself to death. The emperor commended him and ordered the lane where he had lived, Bitter Suffering Lane, renamed Filial Family Lane.
47
使
Commentary: Once corrupt customs took hold, human bonds grew thin. Teaching that restrains excess and draws virtue forth must lead the way in guiding society; renaming lanes and honoring households at the gate preserves the purpose of encouragement and reward. Thus in Han times gentlemen devoted themselves to self-cultivation, and loyalty and filial piety became the norm. Carriages and court robes came by no other road. From the Jin and Song dynasties onward customs decayed and righteousness waned; austere self-discipline came to seem a poor substitute for comfort and rank. When filial piety flourishes in humble homes and loyalty earns a place in the histories, the examples mostly rise from ditches and furrows, not from beneath official caps and hairpins. Judged by this standard, what does moral instruction say about the great offices—if not that they ought to feel ashamed?
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