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淮南衡山列傳

Biographies of Huainan and Hengshan

Chapter 118 of 史記 ✓ Translated
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Chapter 118
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1
King Li of Huainan, whose personal name was Chang, was Emperor Gaozu's youngest son. His mother had been a consort of Zhang Ao, the former King of Zhao. In the eighth year of Gaozu's reign, the emperor passed through Zhao on his way from Dongyuan, and the King of Zhao presented this consort to him. The future mother of King Li won the emperor's favor and became pregnant. King Ao of Zhao did not dare bring her into his own palace, so he built a separate residence outside the palace walls to lodge her. When the conspiracy of Guan Gao and his accomplices to assassinate the emperor at Bairen was uncovered, King Ao was arrested and put on trial, and all of the king's female relations, brothers, and consorts were seized and imprisoned in Henei. The mother of King Li was likewise imprisoned. She told the officials, 'I have received the emperor's favor and am carrying his child.' The officials reported this to the emperor, but he was still furious with the King of Zhao and paid no attention to King Li's mother. King Li's maternal uncle, Zhao Jian, asked the Marquis of Biyang to intercede with Empress Lu, but the empress was jealous and refused to bring the matter to the emperor's attention. The Marquis of Biyang did not press the case. After King Li's mother gave birth to him, she was so filled with resentment that she took her own life. The officials brought the infant King Li before the emperor. Filled with remorse, the emperor ordered Empress Lu to raise the child as her own and had King Li's mother buried at Zhending. Zhending was where King Li's mother's family lived, the county of her forebears.
2
In the seventh month of Gaozu's eleventh year, Qing Bu, the King of Huainan, rose in rebellion. The emperor appointed his son Chang as the new King of Huainan, to rule over Qing Bu's former territory, which comprised four commanderies. The emperor personally led his armies to crush Qing Bu's rebellion, and King Li then ascended to his throne. Having lost his mother early, King Li always kept close to Empress Lu. During the reigns of Emperor Hui and Empress Lu, this attachment kept him safe from harm, though all the while he harbored a deep resentment toward the Marquis of Biyang that he dared not reveal. When Emperor Wen first came to the throne, the King of Huainan, considering himself the emperor's closest living relative, grew arrogant and insolent, repeatedly flouting the law. The emperor, on account of their close kinship, always showed him leniency and forgave his transgressions. In the third year of Emperor Wen's reign, King Li came to the capital to pay court. His behavior was exceedingly overbearing. He accompanied the emperor on hunts in the imperial parks, rode in the same carriage, and habitually addressed the emperor as 'Elder Brother.' King Li was a man of tremendous physical strength, powerful enough to lift a bronze tripod. He went to call upon the Marquis of Biyang. When the Marquis of Biyang came out to receive him, King Li drew an iron mallet from his sleeve and struck the marquis down, then ordered his attendant Wei Jing to cut off his head. King Li then rode at full speed to the palace gate, bared his upper body in submission, and declared: 'Your subject's mother should never have been implicated in the affair of Zhao. The Marquis of Biyang had the influence to secure her release from Empress Lu, yet he refused to plead her case. This was his first crime. Prince Ruyi of Zhao and his mother were innocent, yet Empress Lu had them killed, and the Marquis of Biyang did nothing to intervene. This was his second crime. Empress Lu ennobled members of the Lu clan as kings, threatening the very survival of the House of Liu, and the Marquis of Biyang did nothing to oppose her. This was his third crime. Your subject has taken it upon himself to execute this treacherous minister on behalf of the empire and to avenge his mother's death. He now prostrates himself before the palace gate and awaits his punishment.' Emperor Wen was moved by the depth of his feeling, and on account of their kinship, chose not to punish him and pardoned King Li. At this time, Empress Dowager Bo, the Crown Prince, and all the senior ministers lived in fear of King Li. Emboldened by their deference, King Li returned to his kingdom more arrogant and willful than ever. He disregarded the laws of the Han, had the roads cleared and onlookers driven away when he traveled, issued his own edicts and decrees, and conducted himself in every way as though he were the Son of Heaven.
3
使 使使
In the sixth year, he ordered a commoner named Dan and seventy others to join in a conspiracy with Qi, the son of Chai Wu, Marquis of Jipu, planning to launch a revolt at Gukou with forty war chariots. He also sent envoys to the kingdoms of Minyue and the Xiongnu. The plot was discovered and an investigation launched. Envoys were dispatched to summon the King of Huainan. The King of Huainan was brought to Chang'an.
4
輿 祿 使使 使 使使 使 使使 使 使
'Your ministers—Chancellor Zhang Cang, Director of Guests Feng Jing, Acting Grandee Secretary and Director of the Imperial Clan Yi, Commandant of Justice He, and Colonel of Bandit Suppression Fu—risk death to submit the following: The King of Huainan, Chang, has cast aside the laws established by the late emperor, refused to obey the edicts of the Son of Heaven, lived without any sense of propriety, fitted his carriage with a yellow canopy, traveled in the manner of the Son of Heaven, enacted his own laws and decrees, and refused to observe the laws of the Han. He appointed officials of his own choosing, elevating his Palace Attendant Chun to the post of Chancellor. He gathered fugitives from the Han vassal states and men guilty of crimes, sheltered them in his kingdom, provided them with houses, and bestowed upon them wealth, noble ranks, stipends, fields, and residences. Some were even granted the rank of Marquis Within the Pass with salaries of two thousand bushels—all without authorization—in order to serve his ambitions. The Grandee Dan, the commoner Kai Zhang, and seventy others conspired with Qi, the son of the Marquis of Jipu, to stage a rebellion that would endanger the ancestral temples and the altars of state. Kai Zhang was sent to secretly inform Chang, and together they plotted to persuade the kingdoms of Minyue and the Xiongnu to mobilize their forces. Kai Zhang traveled to Huainan and met with Chang. Chang regularly invited him to sit and dine, arranged a wife and a residence for him, and provided him with a salary of two thousand bushels. Kai Zhang sent word to Dan that he had already informed the king of the plot. The Chancellor Chun dispatched messengers to relay the news to Dan and his associates. When the authorities uncovered the plot, they dispatched Colonel Qi of Chang'an and others to arrest Kai Zhang. Chang concealed Kai Zhang and refused to hand him over. He then conspired with the former Colonel Jian Ji to have Kai Zhang killed to silence him. He had a coffin prepared with proper shrouds and burial garments, buried him at the town of Feiling, and lied to the officials, saying, 'I do not know where he is.' He also had a mound of earth heaped up with a marker planted on top as a decoy, claiming, 'Kai Zhang is dead and buried here.' Furthermore, Chang personally murdered one person who had committed no crime; he ordered his officials to condemn and execute six innocent persons; he had innocent men seized as substitutes for fugitives sentenced to public execution, thereby fraudulently clearing the fugitives' records; he arbitrarily convicted people without formal charges or legal proceedings, sentencing fourteen of them to hard labor or worse; he pardoned criminals on his own authority, including eighteen who had been sentenced to death and fifty-eight sentenced to hard labor or lesser punishments; he bestowed noble ranks up to Marquis Within the Pass upon ninety-four people. Previously, when Chang fell ill, Your Majesty was deeply concerned and sent envoys bearing an imperial letter along with dates and dried meats. Chang refused to accept the gifts and would not deign to receive or bow to the imperial envoys. When the people of Nanhai who had settled within the borders of Lujiang Commandery rose in revolt, the officials and soldiers of Huainan were sent to suppress them. Your Majesty, taking pity on the poverty and hardship of the people of Huainan, sent envoys bearing five thousand bolts of silk for Chang to distribute among the officials and soldiers who had endured such toil. Chang refused to accept the gifts and lied, saying, 'There is no one here who has toiled or suffered.' A man of Nanhai named Wang Zhi submitted a memorial offering a jade disc to the emperor. Jian Ji burned the memorial of his own accord and never reported the matter. When the officials requested that Jian Ji be summoned and tried, Chang refused to hand him over and lied, saying, 'Ji is ill.' When the Chancellor Chun again asked for permission to travel to the capital for an audience with the emperor, Chang flew into a rage, saying, 'You wish to abandon me and align yourself with the Han!' Chang deserves public execution. Your ministers request that he be sentenced in accordance with the law.'
5
The imperial edict replied: 'We cannot bear to impose the full force of the law upon the King. Let the marquises and officials of two-thousand-bushel rank deliberate on the matter.'
6
'Your ministers Cang, Jing, Yi, Fu, and He risk death to submit the following: We have carefully deliberated with the marquises and officials of two-thousand-bushel rank, together with Ying and forty-three others, who unanimously declare: "Chang has refused to uphold the laws and regulations, has disobeyed the edicts of the Son of Heaven, has secretly gathered a faction of followers and conspirators, has lavishly supported fugitives, and has intended to carry out his designs."' We, your ministers, recommend that he be sentenced according to the law.'
7
The imperial edict replied: 'We cannot bear to impose the full force of the law upon the King. Let Chang be spared the death penalty but stripped of his kingship.'
8
'Your ministers Cang and the others risk death to submit the following: Chang has committed crimes deserving of death. Your Majesty could not bear to impose the full penalty and graciously pardoned him, stripping him of his kingship. We request that he be sent to the Qiong postal station in Yandao County of Shu Commandery, that his children and their mothers be permitted to accompany him, that the county build a residence for them, and that they be provided with grain rations, firewood, vegetables, salt, fermented beans, cooking utensils, mats, and bedding. We, your ministers, risk death to make this request and ask that the decision be proclaimed throughout the empire.'
9
The imperial edict replied: 'In addition to the standard rations, Chang shall be provided with five catties of meat per day and two pecks of wine. Let ten of his former consorts whom he favored accompany him. As to the rest, it is approved.'
10
All those who had taken part in the conspiracy were put to death. The King of Huainan was then sent into exile, transported in a covered cart, and passed from one county to the next along the route. At that time, Yuan Ang remonstrated with the emperor, saying, 'Your Majesty has always indulged the King of Huainan and never appointed stern tutors or counselors to guide him. This is how matters came to this pass. The King of Huainan is a man of fierce and unyielding temperament, and now you have broken him so suddenly. I fear he may fall ill from exposure along the road and die. Your Majesty would then bear the reputation of having killed his own brother. How could that be endured!' The emperor replied, 'I only mean to make him suffer for a while. I will restore him before long.' The counties responsible for transporting the King of Huainan along the route all feared to break the seals on his cart. The King of Huainan said to his attendants, 'Who was it that called your lord a brave man? How could I ever have been called brave! It was my own arrogance that kept me from hearing of my faults, and so I have come to this end. A man has but one life in this world. How can I bear to live in such misery!' He refused all food and starved himself to death. When the cart reached Yong, the magistrate broke the seals and discovered the king was dead. He reported the death to the throne. The emperor wept bitterly and said to Yuan Ang, 'I did not heed your counsel, and in the end I have lost the King of Huainan.' Yuan Ang replied, 'Nothing can be done about it now. I beg Your Majesty to ease your grief.' The emperor asked, 'What is to be done?' Yuan Ang replied, 'Only by executing the Chancellor and the Grandee Secretary as an apology to the empire will it suffice.' The emperor immediately ordered the Chancellor and the Grandee Secretary to arrest and interrogate the officials of every county along the route who had failed to break the seals on the cart or provide the king with food and attendants. All of them were publicly executed. The King of Huainan was then buried at Yong with the rites befitting a marquis, and thirty households were assigned to tend his tomb.
11
In the eighth year of Emperor Wen's reign, the emperor took pity on the memory of the King of Huainan. As the late king had left four sons, all seven or eight years old, the emperor enfeoffed An as Marquis of Fuling, Bo as Marquis of Anyang, Ci as Marquis of Yangzhou, and Liang as Marquis of Dongcheng.
12
In the twelfth year of Emperor Wen's reign, a popular song about King Li of Huainan began to circulate: 'A foot of cloth can still be sewn together; a peck of grain can still be pounded. Yet two brothers cannot make room for one another.' When the emperor heard this song, he sighed and said, 'Yao and Shun banished their own kin, and the Duke of Zhou put Guan and Cai to death, yet all the world calls them sages. Why is that? Because they did not allow private bonds to injure the public good. Does the world really believe I coveted the King of Huainan's territory?' He then transferred the King of Chengyang to rule the former territory of Huainan, posthumously conferred the title King Li upon the late King of Huainan, and established a funerary park with all the rites befitting a vassal king.
13
使
In the sixteenth year of Emperor Wen's reign, the King of Huainan, Xi, was transferred back to his former territory of Chengyang. The emperor pitied King Li of Huainan, whose lawlessness and misconduct had brought about the loss of his kingdom and his early death. He therefore raised three of King Li's sons: An, Marquis of Fuling, to be King of Huainan; Bo, Marquis of Anyang, to be King of Hengshan; and Ci, Marquis of Yangzhou, to be King of Lujiang. The former territories of King Li were restored and divided among the three. Liang, the Marquis of Dongcheng, had died earlier without an heir.
14
使 使 使使 使 使使
In the third year of Emperor Jing's reign, the Seven Kingdoms led by Wu and Chu rose in rebellion. Envoys from Wu arrived in Huainan, and the King of Huainan wanted to raise his troops in support. His chancellor said, 'If Your Majesty is determined to raise troops in support of Wu, your servant asks to be appointed as their commander.' The king then placed the troops under the chancellor's command. Once the chancellor had taken command of the troops, he fortified the cities and held them in defense, disobeying the king and siding with the Han; the Han court also dispatched the Marquis of Qucheng with an army to relieve Huainan. In this way, the kingdom of Huainan was preserved. Envoys from Wu also reached Lujiang, but the King of Lujiang refused to join them, though he did exchange messages with the kingdom of Yue. Envoys from Wu arrived in Hengshan as well, but the King of Hengshan stood firm and remained steadfastly loyal. In the fourth year of Emperor Jing's reign, after the rebellion of Wu and Chu had been crushed, the King of Hengshan came to pay court. The emperor, regarding him as a man of unwavering loyalty, consoled him with the words, 'The south is low-lying and damp.' He transferred the King of Hengshan to the more favorable territory of Jibei as a mark of his esteem. Upon his death, he was given the posthumous title King Zhen, the Faithful. Because the King of Lujiang's territory bordered that of Yue and he had frequently exchanged envoys with them, he was transferred to become the King of Hengshan, ruling the lands north of the Yangtze. The King of Huainan retained his position as before.
15
The King of Huainan, An, was by nature a lover of books and the zither. He took no pleasure in hunting with crossbows or racing horses and hounds. He wished instead to perform quiet acts of benevolence, to comfort the common people, and to spread his good name throughout the empire. From time to time he brooded over the death of King Li and entertained thoughts of rebellion, but no opportunity had yet presented itself. In the second year of the Jianyuan era, the King of Huainan traveled to the capital to pay court. He had always been on good terms with the Marquis of Wu'an, who was then serving as Grand Commandant. The marquis went to meet the king at Bashang and said, 'At present the emperor has no heir apparent. Your Majesty is a direct grandson of Emperor Gao, renowned throughout the empire for benevolence and righteousness. Should the emperor one day pass away, who would be more fit to ascend the throne than Your Majesty!' The King of Huainan was overjoyed and presented the Marquis of Wu'an with generous gifts of gold and valuables. He secretly cultivated a network of retainers, worked to win the loyalty of the common people, and began preparations for rebellion. In the sixth year of the Jianyuan era, a comet appeared in the sky, and the King of Huainan took it as an ominous sign. Someone said to the king, 'When the armies of Wu rose in rebellion, a comet appeared spanning only a few feet, yet blood flowed for a thousand li. Now this comet stretches across the entire sky. Great armies are sure to rise throughout the empire.' In his heart, the king believed that since the emperor had no heir, should upheaval come the vassal lords would all contend for power, and he must be prepared. He redoubled his efforts to manufacture weapons and war equipment, amassed gold and treasure, and sent lavish gifts to commanderies, kingdoms, vassal lords, wandering scholars, and men of exceptional ability. Various glib rhetoricians and would-be strategists concocted wild claims and lavished flattery upon the king. Delighted, the king rewarded them generously with gold and money, and the conspiracies for rebellion grew ever more intense.
16
使
The King of Huainan had a daughter named Ling, who was intelligent and sharp-tongued. The king doted on Ling and showered her with gold and money. She served as his spy in Chang'an, forging secret ties with those in the emperor's inner circle. In the third year of the Yuanshuo era, the emperor bestowed upon the King of Huainan a ceremonial armrest and walking stick, exempting him from the duty of attending court. The King of Huainan's queen was named Tu, and the king loved her dearly. The queen gave birth to the Crown Prince Qian, who was married to the daughter of the Lord of Xiucheng, a granddaughter of Empress Dowager Wang. As the king laid his plans for rebellion, he feared the Crown Prince's consort might learn of the plot and betray it. He therefore conspired with the Crown Prince, instructing him to feign a loss of affection for her and to sleep apart from her for three months. The king then pretended to be angry with the Crown Prince and confined them together in the same quarters for three months, but the Crown Prince never once went near his consort. The consort asked to be released from the marriage, and the king submitted a memorial of apology and sent her home. Queen Tu, Crown Prince Qian, and Princess Ling, enjoying the king's favor, monopolized power in the kingdom, seized the fields and homes of the common people, and imprisoned men on baseless charges.
17
使 使 使 使使 使 使 使 使
In the fifth year of the Yuanshuo era, the Crown Prince had been training in swordsmanship and believed himself without equal. Hearing that a Palace Gentleman named Lei Bei was highly skilled, he summoned him for a bout. Lei Bei held back again and again out of deference, but accidentally struck the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince flew into a rage, and Lei Bei was terrified. At that time, anyone wishing to enlist could go directly to the capital. Lei Bei immediately volunteered to fight the Xiongnu. Crown Prince Qian repeatedly slandered Lei Bei before the king, and the king ordered the Prefect of the Palace Gentlemen to dismiss him, intending to suppress the matter. Lei Bei then fled to Chang'an and submitted a memorial to the throne to vindicate himself. An imperial edict referred the case to the Commandant of Justice and the Governor of Henan for investigation. When the Governor of Henan launched his investigation and issued a warrant for the Crown Prince of Huainan, the king and queen plotted to refuse the summons and raise troops in open rebellion. But they vacillated, and for more than ten days the decision remained unsettled. Before they could act, an imperial edict arrived ordering the immediate interrogation of the Crown Prince. At that time, the Chancellor of Huainan was outraged that the Assistant Magistrate of Shouchun had detained the Crown Prince instead of sending him as ordered, and impeached the magistrate for disrespect. The king appealed to the chancellor, but the chancellor refused to comply. The king sent someone to submit a memorial accusing the chancellor. The case was referred to the Commandant of Justice for investigation. The trail of evidence led back to the king himself. The king sent agents to spy on the Han court officials, and the officials petitioned for the king's arrest and trial. The king feared the conspiracy would be exposed. Crown Prince Qian proposed a plan: 'If the Han envoys come to arrest Your Majesty, station men disguised as palace guards, armed with halberds, in the courtyard. Should anything go amiss, they will cut the envoys down. I will also have the Colonel of Huainan assassinated, and then we can raise our forces. It will not be too late.' At that time, the emperor rejected the ministers' petition and instead dispatched the Han Colonel Hong to question and examine the king in person. When the king learned that the Han envoy was on his way, he at once put the Crown Prince's plan into action. When the Han Colonel arrived, the king saw that his expression was mild and that the questioning concerned only the dismissal of Lei Bei. Judging there was nothing to fear, the king called off the attack. The Colonel returned to the capital and reported his findings to the throne. The ministers who had investigated the case declared, 'The King of Huainan, An, obstructed Lei Bei and others who wished to fight the Xiongnu and defied an explicit imperial edict. He deserves public execution.' The emperor refused to approve the sentence. The ministers petitioned to strip him of his kingship, but the emperor refused. The ministers requested that five counties be taken from him, but the emperor reduced the penalty to two counties. Colonel Hong was dispatched to pardon the King of Huainan's crimes, with the sole punishment being the reduction of his territory. When the Colonel entered the borders of Huainan, he proclaimed that the king had been pardoned. The king had heard only that the Han ministers had petitioned for his execution. Unaware that the penalty had been reduced to a loss of territory, and learning that a Han envoy was approaching, he feared he was about to be arrested and conspired with the Crown Prince to carry out the assassination plan as before. When the Colonel arrived and immediately offered his congratulations on the pardon, the king abandoned the attack. Afterward he lamented bitterly, 'I have practiced benevolence and righteousness, and yet my territory has been stripped away. It is a profound humiliation.' After his territory was reduced, the King of Huainan's conspiracies for rebellion only intensified. Whenever agents returned from Chang'an bearing wild reports that the emperor had no male heir and the Han court was in disarray, the king was delighted; but whenever they reported that the Han court was well-governed and the emperor had a male heir, the king flew into a rage and dismissed their words as lies.
18
輿
Day and night, the king pored over maps with Wu Bei, Zuo Wu, and the others, plotting the routes along which their armies would advance. The king said, 'The emperor has no heir. Should he pass away, the court ministers will surely summon the King of Jiaodong, or failing that, the King of Changshan. The vassal lords will all compete for the throne. Can I afford to be unprepared! I am a direct grandson of Emperor Gao and have practiced benevolence and righteousness. The emperor treats me generously, and I can endure serving him; but when he is gone, how could I ever bow my head and serve as a subject to some callow youth!'
19
鹿 西 西 使西使 使 使 使 西 滿
The king sat in the eastern palace and summoned Wu Bei to plan with him. He said, 'General, step forward.' Wu Bei replied in dismay, 'The emperor has generously pardoned Your Majesty. How can you now speak such words that would bring ruin upon the kingdom! I have heard that Wu Zixu remonstrated with the King of Wu, but the King of Wu refused to heed him. Whereupon Wu Zixu said, 'I can already see deer roaming the terraces of Gusu Palace.' Now I too can see thorns and brambles sprouting in the palace, and dew soaking our garments.' The king flew into a rage, had Wu Bei's parents arrested, and kept them imprisoned for three months. He summoned Wu Bei once more and asked, 'Will the General now agree to my plan?' Wu Bei said, 'No. I have come only to counsel Your Majesty. I have heard that the wise hear what is yet unspoken, and the perceptive see what is yet unformed. This is why the sage succeeds in every undertaking. In ancient times, King Wen took one decisive action and his achievements shone for a thousand generations, ranked among the Three Dynasties. This is what it means to act in harmony with the will of Heaven, and all the world followed him without being called upon. This is the lesson of a thousand years. The Qin, which lasted barely a hundred years, and the kingdoms of Wu and Chu in recent times, also serve as clear lessons in what makes a state endure or perish. I do not shrink from suffering the fate of Wu Zixu, but I hope Your Majesty will not prove as deaf to counsel as the King of Wu. In the past, the Qin destroyed the way of the sages, slaughtered scholars, burned the Odes and the Documents, cast aside ritual and righteousness, exalted deceit and brute force, relied upon harsh punishments, and shipped the grain harvests from the seacoast all the way to the western reaches of the Yellow River. In those times, men toiled at the plow and still could not feed themselves even chaff and husks, while women spun and wove day and night and still could not clothe their own bodies. The Qin sent Meng Tian to build the Great Wall, stretching thousands of li from east to west. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers were left exposed to the elements at all times. The dead were beyond counting, corpses lay stiff for a thousand li, and blood flowed across the fields. The people's strength was spent, and five out of every ten households longed for revolt. The Qin also sent Xu Fu out to sea in search of divine wonders. Upon his return, Xu Fu fabricated the following account: 'Your servant saw a great spirit in the sea, who asked, "Are you an envoy of the Emperor of the West?"' I answered, 'Indeed I am.' 'What do you seek?' I replied, 'I wish to obtain the elixir of longevity and immortality.' The spirit said, 'The offerings of the King of Qin are too meager. You may look upon the elixir but not take it.' The spirit then led me to the southeast, to Mount Penglai, where I beheld palaces and gates fashioned from divine fungus. There were emissaries with bronze skin and the form of dragons, whose radiance shone upward and illuminated the sky. I bowed twice before them and asked, 'What tribute should be offered?' The spirit of the sea replied, 'Bring young men and women of good families, together with craftsmen of every trade, and the elixir shall be yours.'' The First Emperor was delighted and dispatched three thousand young men and women, provisioning them with the five grains, all manner of seeds, and craftsmen of every trade, and sent them on their way. Xu Fu found a broad plain with vast marshes, settled there as its ruler, and never returned. The people were stricken with grief and longing, and six out of every ten households wished for revolt. The Qin then sent Commandant Tuo to cross the Five Ridges and attack the Hundred Yue peoples. Commandant Tuo, knowing that the empire was exhausted, settled there as ruler and never returned. He sent a messenger to the capital with a memorial requesting thirty thousand unmarried women to mend the soldiers' garments. The First Emperor approved the dispatch of fifteen thousand. The hearts of the people then turned from the state and all cohesion crumbled. Seven out of every ten households wished for revolt. An adviser said to Emperor Gao, 'The time has come.' But Emperor Gao replied, 'Wait. A sage is destined to arise in the southeast.' Within the year, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang rose in revolt. Emperor Gao rose from the humble villages of Feng and Pei, and once he raised the call, people from every corner of the realm rallied to him without being summoned, more than could be counted. This is what it means to exploit a weakness and seize an opening, to ride the wave of the Qin's collapse. The people longed for him as parched earth longs for rain. And so he rose from the ranks of the army to become the Son of Heaven, with achievements surpassing those of the Three Kings and a legacy of virtue that endures forever. Your Majesty sees how easily Emperor Gao won the realm, but have you not also considered the example of Wu and Chu in recent times? The King of Wu held the honored title of eldest among the Liu clan and was exempted from attending court. He ruled four commanderies, with territory stretching thousands of li. Within his borders he smelted copper into coins, along the eastern coast he boiled seawater into salt, and from the upper Yangtze he took timber from Jiangling to build ships, each one capable of carrying the load of dozens of carts from the interior. His kingdom was wealthy and his people numerous. He distributed pearls, jade, gold, and silk as bribes to the vassal lords, members of the imperial clan, and the senior ministers. Only the Dou clan refused his gifts. With his plans laid and his schemes complete, he raised his armies and marched west. He was broken at Daliang, routed at Hufu, and fled eastward until he reached Dantu, where the Yue people captured him. He died, his ancestral sacrifices were ended, and he became a laughingstock for the entire empire. With all the multitudes of Wu and Yue at his command, why did he fail? Because he truly defied the Way of Heaven and failed to read the times. At present, Your Majesty's forces amount to less than a tenth of what Wu and Chu commanded, and the empire is at peace, ten-thousand-fold more stable than in the time of the Qin. I implore Your Majesty to heed my counsel. If Your Majesty will not follow my counsel, I can foresee that the enterprise will surely fail and the plot will be discovered before it can be carried out. I have heard that the Viscount of Wei passed through the ruins of his former state and was filled with sorrow, composing the 'Song of the Flourishing Wheat,' lamenting that King Zhou had not heeded Prince Bi Gan. This is why Mencius said, 'Though Zhou held the throne of the Son of Heaven, in death he was not even the equal of a common man.' Zhou had long since severed himself from the realm. The world did not abandon him only on the day of his death. Now I secretly grieve that Your Majesty will cast away the rank of a lord of a thousand chariots and will surely receive an edict of execution, dying before your ministers in the eastern palace.' At these words, the king's breath caught in his throat, choked with grief and resentment. Tears filled his eyes and streamed down his face. He rose and walked down the steps without a word.
20
使 使 使 穿
The king had an illegitimate son named Buhai, the eldest of his sons, whom the king did not care for. Neither the king, the queen, nor the Crown Prince treated him as a son or elder brother. Buhai had a son named Jian, who was able and spirited. Jian harbored a constant resentment that the Crown Prince took no notice of his father; he also resented that other vassal lords were allowed to divide their territories among their sons and grant them marquisates, while in Huainan there were only two sons—one already the Crown Prince—and his own father alone received nothing. Jian secretly cultivated alliances, planning to denounce and bring down the Crown Prince so that his own father could take his place. When the Crown Prince learned of this, he had Jian repeatedly arrested and beaten with bamboo rods. Jian was fully aware of the Crown Prince's plot to assassinate the Han Colonel. He therefore had his trusted associate Zhuang Zhi of Shouchun submit a memorial to the emperor in the sixth year of the Yuanshuo era, which read: 'Bitter medicine is unpleasant to the taste but cures disease; honest counsel is harsh to the ear but guides right action. The King of Huainan's grandson Jian is a man of great ability. Yet Queen Tu and her son Crown Prince Qian have relentlessly persecuted him. Jian's father Buhai has committed no crime, yet they have repeatedly had him arrested without cause and wish to have him killed. Jian is still alive and may be summoned for questioning. He knows the full extent of the secret activities in Huainan.' When the memorial reached the emperor, he referred the matter to the Commandant of Justice, who in turn sent it to the Governor of Henan for investigation. At that time, Shen Qing, the grandson of the former Marquis of Biyang, was on good terms with Chancellor Gongsun Hong. Shen Qing bore a grudge against King Li of Huainan for having killed his grandfather and persistently urged the chancellor to pursue the Huainan case. Gongsun Hong grew suspicious that Huainan harbored plans for rebellion and pushed the investigation to its fullest extent. When the Governor of Henan interrogated Jian, his testimony implicated the Crown Prince of Huainan and his circle of conspirators. The King of Huainan was alarmed and wanted to launch the revolt at once. He asked Wu Bei, 'Is the Han court well-governed or in disarray?' Wu Bei answered, 'The realm is well-governed.' The king was displeased and demanded, 'On what grounds do you say the realm is well-governed?' Wu Bei replied, 'I have privately observed the conduct of the court. The righteousness between ruler and minister, the affection between father and son, the distinction between husband and wife, the order between elder and younger—all are properly maintained. The emperor's measures follow the way of the ancients, and there is no deficiency in customs or institutions. Wealthy merchants with heavy loads travel freely throughout the realm, and every road is open. Commerce flourishes accordingly. Nanyue has submitted as a vassal, the Qiang and Bo peoples bring tribute, the Eastern Ou have surrendered, the frontier has been extended at Changyu, Shuofang has been opened, and the Xiongnu have had their wings broken and clipped—bereft of allies and unable to recover. Though it has not yet reached the Great Peace of antiquity, the realm is nonetheless well-governed.' The king flew into a rage, and Wu Bei prostrated himself, begging forgiveness for the offense. The king then asked Wu Bei, 'If war were to break out east of the mountains, the Han would surely send the Grand General to take command. What kind of man do you take the Grand General to be?' Wu Bei replied, 'A friend of mine named Huang Yi served under the Grand General in the campaign against the Xiongnu. When he returned, he told me, "The Grand General treats his officers with courtesy and shows kindness to his soldiers. All his men are glad to serve him. He rides up and down mountains as though he were flying, and his ability surpasses that of any other man."' I believe that with such ability, and with his long experience leading troops and training in warfare, he would not be easy to overcome. Moreover, when the Usher Cao Liang returned from a mission to Chang'an, he reported that the Grand General's commands are clear and decisive, that he is fearless in the face of the enemy, and that he always leads his soldiers from the front. When the army halts to camp and a well is being dug, he waits until every last soldier has had water before he himself takes a drink. When the army breaks camp, he waits until every last soldier has crossed the river before he himself crosses. All the gold and silk bestowed upon him by the Empress Dowager he distributes entirely among his officers. Even the renowned generals of antiquity could not surpass him.' The king was silenced.
21
使 西 便 使 使 使西 使
Seeing that Jian had been summoned for investigation, the King of Huainan feared the kingdom's secret plots were about to be exposed. He wanted to launch the revolt at once, but Wu Bei again urged caution. The king asked him, 'Do you believe Wu was right or wrong to raise his armies?' Wu Bei replied, 'I believe he was wrong. The King of Wu was a man of supreme wealth and rank, yet his enterprise was ill-conceived. He perished at Dantu with his head severed from his body, and every last one of his descendants was exterminated. I have heard that the King of Wu came to regret it bitterly. I beg Your Majesty to think this through carefully and not bring upon yourself the same regret as the King of Wu.' The king said, 'A man stakes his life on a single resolve. Besides, what did Wu know about waging a rebellion? More than forty Han generals passed through the Chenggao pass in a single day. I will order Lou Huan to seize the Chenggao pass at the outset, Zhou Bei to lead the troops of Yingchuan to block the roads at Huanyuan and Yique, and Chen Ding to mobilize the forces of Nanyang to hold Wuguan. The Governor of Henan holds only Luoyang. What is there to worry about? To the north, however, there remain the Linjin Pass, Hedong, Shangdang, Henei, and the Kingdom of Zhao. As the saying goes, 'Cut off the pass at Chenggao, and the empire is cut in two.' Holding the strategic ground of the Three Rivers, we can rally the armies from east of the mountains. With such a plan, what do you think?' Wu Bei replied, 'I see only disaster in this, not good fortune.' The king said, 'Zuo Wu, Zhao Xian, and Zhu Jiaoru all believe our fortunes are favorable and that nine chances out of ten will succeed. Why are you alone in seeing only disaster?' Wu Bei replied, 'Those among Your Majesty's ministers and trusted men who were capable of commanding a following have all been arrested by imperial warrant. None of those who remain are fit for such an undertaking.' The king said, 'Chen Sheng and Wu Guang did not possess so much as a patch of ground on which to stand an awl, nor a gathering of more than a thousand men. They rose at Daze, raised their arms with a great shout, and the entire realm rallied to their call. By the time they reached Xi in the west, their armies numbered one million two hundred thousand. Now, although my kingdom is small, I can muster more than a hundred thousand battle-ready troops—not a rabble of frontier conscripts wielding makeshift weapons. How can you say there is only disaster and no good fortune?' Wu Bei replied, 'In the past, the Qin was a lawless tyrant that brutalized the realm. It mounted the carriages of ten thousand chariots, built the Epang Palace, collected more than half the harvest in taxes, and conscripted the poor for garrison duty. Fathers could not provide for their sons, and elder brothers could not support their younger brothers. Government was harsh and punishments draconian. The realm seethed as though scorched by fire. The people craned their necks in longing, pricked up their ears to listen, wailed to Heaven, and beat their chests in rage against their rulers. And so when Chen Sheng raised his great shout, the entire realm answered. Today, the emperor governs the realm, has unified all within the seas, shows universal love to the common people, and spreads virtue and bestows favors. Before the emperor's lips even part, his voice resounds swifter than thunder. Before his edicts are even issued, his transforming influence races forth like a spirit. When his heart conceives a purpose, his authority moves ten thousand li. The people respond to their sovereign as surely as a shadow follows a form or an echo follows a sound. And the Grand General's ability is not merely that of a Zhang Han or a Yang Xiong. For Your Majesty to compare your position with that of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang is, I believe, a grave error.' The king asked, 'If what you say is true, is there truly no hope of success?' Wu Bei said, 'I do have a plan, though it is a desperate one.' The king asked, 'What is it?' Wu Bei said, 'At present, the vassal lords harbor no disloyal thoughts, and the people have no grievances. The commandery of Shuofang has vast farmland with excellent water and pasture, but the settlers sent there are too few to fill it. My plan is this: forge a petition in the names of the Chancellor and the Grandee Secretary, ordering that powerful local magnates, men of arms, and all those convicted of crimes carrying sentences of branding or above be relocated to the commandery of Shuofang, their crimes pardoned and cleared—together with all families possessing property worth five hundred thousand cash or more. Simultaneously, increase the levy of armored soldiers and set an urgent date for their assembly. Then forge warrants from the Left and Right Directors of Public Works, the Shanglin Park administration, and the central judicial offices, ordering the arrest of the Crown Princes and favored ministers of the vassal lords. If this is done, the people will be outraged and the vassal lords terrified. Then send eloquent and capable men to rally them to our cause. Perhaps by a stroke of luck we might achieve one chance in ten of success?' The king said, 'This could work. Still, I do not believe it will come to that.' The king then ordered palace slaves into the workshops to forge the imperial seal, along with the seals of the Chancellor, the Grandee Secretary, the Grand General, military officers, officials of two-thousand-bushel rank, heads of metropolitan offices and their assistants, governors and commandants of neighboring commanderies, and the tallies and caps used by Han envoys—all in accordance with Wu Bei's plan. He sent agents who posed as criminals to travel west and infiltrate the households of the Grand General and the Chancellor; on the day the revolt was launched, these agents would assassinate Grand General Qing and persuade the Chancellor to capitulate—as simple as lifting a veil.
22
使 西
The king wanted to mobilize the forces within his kingdom, but feared that his chancellor and the officials of two-thousand-bushel rank would refuse to comply. The king then plotted with Wu Bei to first assassinate the chancellor and the officials of two-thousand-bushel rank; they would set a false fire in the palace, and when the chancellor and the officials rushed to fight the blaze, they would be killed on the spot. Before the plan was finalized, they also devised another scheme: to have men disguised as bandit hunters carrying feathered dispatches ride in from the east, shouting, 'Nanyue troops have crossed the border!' They would then use this alarm as a pretext to mobilize their forces. They sent agents to Lujiang and Kuaiji to pose as bandit hunters, but the plan had not yet been set in motion. The king asked Wu Bei, 'If I raise my armies and march west, some of the vassal lords will surely rally to my cause; but what if none do?' Wu Bei replied, 'Take Hengshan to the south and use it as a base to attack Lujiang. Seize the boats at Xunyang, hold the fortress of Xiazhi, secure the ports of the Nine Rivers, cut off the mouth of Yuzhang, and station powerful crossbowmen along the Yangtze to block any advance from Nan Commandery. To the east, take Jiangdu and Kuaiji. To the south, make contact with the powerful Yue kingdoms. Entrenched between the Yangtze and the Huai, we could prolong our survival for some years.' The king said, 'Excellent. There is no better plan than this. And in the worst case, we can always flee to Yue.'
23
使
Meanwhile, the Commandant of Justice reported that the testimony of the king's grandson Jian had implicated the Crown Prince of Huainan, Qian. The emperor dispatched the Deputy Commandant of Justice, simultaneously appointing him Colonel of Huainan, to arrest the Crown Prince. When word reached the King of Huainan that the envoy had arrived, he plotted with the Crown Prince to summon the chancellor and the officials of two-thousand-bushel rank, planning to kill them and launch the revolt. They summoned the chancellor, and he came; but the Director of the Capital excused himself on the grounds that he was away. The Colonel replied, 'I have received an imperial edict and am on official business. I am unable to see the king.' The king realized that killing the chancellor alone while the Director of the Capital and the Colonel refused to appear would serve no purpose, and so he let the chancellor go. The king wavered, unable to reach a decision. The Crown Prince considered that his offense was the plot to assassinate the Han Colonel, and since all the co-conspirators were dead, there was no one left to testify against him. He said to the king, 'All the ministers who could have been of use have already been arrested. There is no one left capable of carrying out the enterprise. If Your Majesty launches the revolt now, at the wrong time, I fear it will fail. I am willing to submit to arrest.' The king, too, was secretly eager to give up the plan and consented to the Crown Prince's proposal. The Crown Prince then attempted to cut his own throat but did not manage to kill himself. Wu Bei surrendered himself to the authorities and confessed to the conspiracy with the King of Huainan, laying bare the full extent of the plot as described.
24
西 使 使
The authorities then arrested the Crown Prince and the queen, surrounded the royal palace, and hunted down all the conspirators still within the kingdom. They seized the implements of rebellion and reported everything to the throne. The emperor referred the case to the ministers for adjudication. Thousands of people were implicated in the King of Huainan's conspiracy—marquises, officials of two-thousand-bushel rank, and men of prominence—all punished according to the gravity of their offenses. The King of Hengshan, Ci, was the brother of the King of Huainan and should by law have been implicated. The authorities petitioned for permission to arrest him. The emperor said, 'Each vassal lord has his own kingdom. They should not be held jointly accountable. Let the vassal kings and marquises assemble with the Chancellor to deliberate on the matter.' King Pengzu of Zhao, the Marquis Rang, and forty-three others deliberated and unanimously declared, 'The King of Huainan, An, is guilty of the most extreme treason and lawlessness. His conspiracy is clearly established, and he deserves to be put to death.' King Duan of Jiaoxi submitted the following opinion: 'The King of Huainan, An, has cast aside the law and practiced wickedness, harbored deceit in his heart, sought to plunge the empire into chaos, deluded the common people, betrayed the ancestral temples, and spread wild and seditious talk. The Spring and Autumn Annals declare, "A minister must not plot against his lord; he who plots shall be put to death." An's crime goes beyond mere intent; the evidence of his rebellion is conclusive. I have personally examined the documents, tallies, seals, maps, and other evidence of his treasonous activities, and the proof is unmistakable. His crimes constitute the gravest treason, and he must suffer the full penalty of the law. As for the kingdom's officials ranked at two hundred bushels or above and those of equivalent rank, as well as members of the imperial clan and favored ministers who were not directly implicated in the plot—since they failed in their duty to counsel and correct him—they should all be dismissed from office, stripped of their ranks, reduced to commoner status, and forbidden from ever holding office again. Those who are not officials shall pay a fine of two catties and eight ounces of gold in commutation of the death penalty. In this way the crimes of An shall be made manifest, so that all the empire may understand the duties of a minister and a son, and none shall ever again dare entertain wicked or treasonous designs.' Chancellor Gongsun Hong, Commandant of Justice Zhang Tang, and the others presented these findings to the throne. The emperor dispatched the Director of the Imperial Clan with official tallies to pronounce judgment on the king. Before the envoy could arrive, the King of Huainan, An, cut his own throat and died. Queen Tu, Crown Prince Qian, and all who had taken part in the conspiracy were executed along with their entire clans. The emperor, noting that Wu Bei had so often spoken eloquently in praise of the Han's virtues, wished to spare his life. Commandant of Justice Zhang Tang objected, 'Wu Bei was the first to devise the plan of rebellion for the king. His crime admits of no pardon.' Wu Bei was put to death. The kingdom of Huainan was abolished and converted into the Commandery of Jiujiang.
25
The King of Hengshan, Ci, had a queen named Cheng Shu who bore him three children: the eldest son, Shuang, who was made Crown Prince; a second son, Xiao; and a daughter, Wucai. A concubine named Xu Lai bore him four children, and another consort named Jue Ji bore him two. Though they were brothers, the King of Hengshan and the King of Huainan reproached each other over matters of protocol, and there was constant friction between them. When the King of Hengshan learned that the King of Huainan was preparing for rebellion, he too began secretly cultivating retainers of his own in response, fearing that he would be swallowed up by his brother.
26
使
In the sixth year of the Yuanguang era, the King of Hengshan traveled to court. His usher, Wei Qing, who was skilled in the magical arts, wished to submit a memorial offering his services to the emperor. The king was infuriated and had Wei Qing charged with a capital offense, extorting a confession through flogging. The Director of the Capital of Hengshan, judging this unjust, overturned the conviction. The king sent someone to submit a memorial accusing the Director of the Capital, but when the director was investigated, he declared the king to be in the wrong. The king also repeatedly seized the fields of the common people and destroyed their tombs to convert the land into farmland. The authorities petitioned for the arrest and trial of the King of Hengshan. The emperor refused but instead assigned officials of two-hundred-bushel rank or above to keep watch over the kingdom. The King of Hengshan was enraged. He conspired with Xi Ci and Zhang Guangchang, seeking men versed in military strategy and the reading of celestial omens. Day and night they deliberated in secret on their plans for rebellion.
27
使 使 使 使 西
When Queen Cheng Shu died, the concubine Xu Lai was elevated to queen. The consort Jue Ji was equally favored by the king. The two women were consumed with jealousy of each other. Jue Ji poisoned the Crown Prince's mind against Queen Xu Lai, telling him, 'Xu Lai had a maidservant use black magic to murder your mother.' The Crown Prince nursed a deep grudge against Xu Lai. When Xu Lai's brother visited Hengshan, the Crown Prince drank with him and then stabbed and wounded him. The queen was furious and repeatedly slandered the Crown Prince before the king. The Crown Prince's younger sister, Wucai, had been married and divorced, and upon returning home had affairs with a slave and then with a guest. The Crown Prince repeatedly reproached Wucai for her conduct. Wucai was furious and cut off all contact with her brother. When the queen learned of this rift, she began to treat Wucai with conspicuous kindness. Wucai and her middle brother Xiao, having lost their mother at a young age, attached themselves to the queen. The queen cultivated their loyalty through calculated kindness, and together they slandered the Crown Prince. On account of their slanders, the king repeatedly beat and flogged the Crown Prince. In the fourth year of the Yuanshuo era, someone attacked and wounded the queen's foster mother. The king suspected the Crown Prince was behind the attack and had him flogged. Later, when the king fell ill, the Crown Prince claimed to be sick himself and refused to attend upon him. Xiao, the queen, and Wucai slandered the Crown Prince, saying, 'The Crown Prince is not really ill. He only claims to be so, and there is a look of satisfaction on his face.' The king was furious and resolved to depose the Crown Prince and install his younger brother Xiao in his place. The queen, learning that the king had decided to depose the Crown Prince, schemed to have Xiao removed as well. The queen had a maidservant who was a skilled dancer and whom the king favored. She plotted to have this maidservant seduce Xiao and compromise him, so that both brothers would be disgraced and her own son, Guang, could be made Crown Prince. Crown Prince Shuang discovered the plot and reflected that the queen's slanders against him would never end. He decided to attempt to seduce her in order to silence her. When the queen was drinking, the Crown Prince approached to offer a toast. He seized the queen by the thigh and demanded to lie with her. The queen was enraged and reported the incident to the king. The king summoned the Crown Prince, intending to have him bound and flogged. The Crown Prince, knowing full well that the king had long wished to depose him in favor of Xiao, said to the king, 'Xiao has been carrying on an affair with one of Your Majesty's personal attendants, and Wucai has been carrying on with a slave. I beg Your Majesty to look after your health while I submit a memorial to the emperor.' With that, he turned his back on the king and walked out. The king sent men to stop him, but none could restrain him. The king then personally drove out to pursue and capture the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince hurled wild and abusive words at his father. The king had him clapped in irons and confined within the palace. Day by day, Xiao rose higher in the king's favor. Impressed by Xiao's ability, the king bestowed the royal seal upon him and granted him the title of General. He was given a separate residence, supplied with ample gold and money, and permitted to recruit retainers. The retainers who gathered around him had some inkling of the treasonous plans afoot in Huainan and Hengshan, and day and night they subtly encouraged his ambitions. The king then ordered Xiao's retainers—Jiu He and Chen Xi of Jiangdu—to construct assault wagons and arrowheads, and to carve counterfeits of the imperial seal and the seals of generals, ministers, and military officials. Day and night the king sought out daring men like Zhou Qiu, frequently invoking the stratagems of the Wu and Chu rebellion as models for their own plans. The King of Hengshan did not aspire, as the King of Huainan did, to seize the throne itself. He feared that when Huainan rose in revolt, it would swallow his kingdom. His plan was that once Huainan had marched west, he would raise his own troops and seize the lands between the Yangtze and the Huai. Such was the extent of his ambition.
28
In the autumn of the fifth year of the Yuanshuo era, the King of Hengshan was due to attend court. In the sixth year he passed through Huainan, where the King of Huainan received him as a brother, setting aside their former estrangement. Together they agreed upon the final preparations for rebellion. The King of Hengshan then submitted a memorial pleading illness, and the emperor granted him a letter excusing him from attending court.
29
使 使 使 使
In the sixth year of the Yuanshuo era, the King of Hengshan sent a memorial requesting the removal of Crown Prince Shuang and the appointment of Xiao as Crown Prince. When Shuang learned of this, he sent his trusted associate Bai Ying to Chang'an to submit a memorial accusing Xiao of building assault wagons and arrowheads and of having an affair with one of the king's attendants, hoping to bring Xiao down. Bai Ying reached Chang'an, but before he could submit the memorial, he was arrested by the authorities and imprisoned in connection with the Huainan affair. When the king learned that Shuang had sent Bai Ying to submit a memorial, he feared the kingdom's secret plans would be exposed. He immediately submitted his own memorial, counter-accusing Crown Prince Shuang of capital crimes. The case was referred to the Governor of Pei Commandery for investigation. In the winter of the first year of the Yuanshou era, authorities searching Pei Commandery for accomplices in the Huainan conspiracy had come up empty-handed, when they discovered Chen Xi at the residence of the King of Hengshan's son Xiao. The officials charged Xiao with knowingly harboring the fugitive Chen Xi. Xiao knew that Chen Xi had been deeply involved in the king's rebellion plots and feared their exposure. He recalled that the law granted immunity to those who confessed first, and he suspected that the Crown Prince had sent Bai Ying to expose the plot. So Xiao raced to confess first, naming Jiu He, Chen Xi, and the other conspirators. The Commandant of Justice investigated and verified the charges. The ministers petitioned for the arrest and trial of the King of Hengshan. The emperor said, 'Do not arrest him.' He dispatched Colonel An and Grand Herald Xi to question the king in person. The king gave a full and truthful confession. The officials surrounded the royal palace and placed it under guard. The Colonel and the Grand Herald returned and reported their findings. The ministers petitioned that the Director of the Imperial Clan and the Grand Herald be sent to jointly try the king alongside the Governor of Pei Commandery. When the king learned of this, he cut his own throat and died. Because Xiao had been the first to confess to the rebellion, he was pardoned for that offense; however, he was convicted of having an affair with one of the king's maidservants and was publicly executed. Queen Xu Lai was convicted of having used sorcery to murder the former Queen Cheng Shu, and Crown Prince Shuang was convicted on the basis of the king's charge of unfilial conduct. Both were publicly executed. All those who had conspired with the King of Hengshan were executed along with their entire clans. The kingdom was abolished and converted into the Commandery of Hengshan.
30
使
The Grand Historian remarks: The Book of Odes declares, 'The Rong and the Di he struck down, the Jing and the Shu he chastised.' How true these words ring. The houses of Huainan and Hengshan were the emperor's own flesh and blood, with territories stretching a thousand li and the rank of vassal lords. Yet they did not devote themselves to the duties of loyal vassals in service to the Son of Heaven, but instead harbored only wicked and treacherous designs, plotting rebellion. Across two generations, father and son, they twice brought ruin upon their kingdoms. None of them died a natural death, and they became the laughingstock of the entire empire. This was not the fault of the kings alone. The coarseness of local customs and the gradual corruption of their ministers and subjects were also to blame. The people of Jing and Chu have always been strong, bold, impetuous, and fierce, with a propensity for disorder. This has been noted in the records since antiquity.
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