1
范質，字文素，大名宗城人。 父守遇，鄭州防禦判官。 質生之夕，母夢神人授以五色筆。 九歲能屬文，十三治《尚書》，教授生徒。
Fan Zhi, whose style name was Wensu, came from Zongcheng in Daming. His father, Shouyu, served as legal adviser to the Zhengzhou defense command. The night he was born, his mother dreamed that a god handed her a brush in five colors. He could write prose at nine, and at thirteen he had mastered the Book of Documents and was teaching pupils.
2
後唐長興四年，舉進士，為忠武軍節度推官，遷封丘令。 晉天福中，以文章干宰相桑維翰，深器之，即奏為監察御史。 及維翰出鎮相州，歷泰寧、晉昌二節度，皆請質為從事。 維翰再相，質遷主客員外郎、直史館。 歲餘，召入為翰林學士，加比部郎中、知制誥。 契丹侵邊，少帝命漢祖等十五將出征。 是夜，質入直，少帝令召諸學士分草制，質曰：「宮城已閉，恐泄機事。」 獨具草以進，辭理優贍，當時稱之。 漢初，加中書舍人、戶部侍郎。 周祖征叛，每朝廷遣使賫詔處分軍事，皆合機宜。 周祖問誰為此辭，使者以質對，歎曰：「宰相器也。」
In 933 he passed the jinshi examination, served as staff officer to the Zhongwu commissioner, and was later appointed magistrate of Fengqiu. In the Tianfu period he sought out Chief Minister Sang Weihan with his literary work; Sang was deeply impressed and had him appointed investigating censor at once. When Weihan left the capital to govern Xiangzhou and later held the Taining and Jinchang commands in turn, he asked to have Zhi on his staff each time. When Weihan returned as chief minister, Zhi was made vice director of the Bureau of Receptions and a compiler in the Historiography Institute. A year later he was called to court as a Hanlin academician, with concurrent appointment as director in the Bureau of Reviews and drafter of edicts. When the Khitans raided the border, Emperor Chu ordered Liu Zhiyuan and fourteen other commanders to take the field. That night, while on palace duty, he was told to summon the other academicians to divide the drafting work. Zhi objected: "The palace gates are shut; we might leak state secrets." He drafted the entire set of documents himself. The prose was polished and ample, and contemporaries praised him for it. When the Later Han was founded, he was also made Secretariat drafter and vice minister of revenue. During Emperor Taizu of Zhou's campaigns against rebellion, every edict the court sent out to direct operations proved apt to the situation. The Zhou founder asked who had written them. When the envoy named Zhi, he sighed and said, "This man has the makings of a chief minister."
3
周祖自鄴起兵向闕，京城擾亂，質匿民間，物色得之，喜甚，時大雪，解袍衣之，且令草太后誥及議迎湘陰公儀注，質蒼黃論撰，稱旨，乃白太后，以質為兵部侍郎、樞密副使。 周廣順初，加拜中書侍郎、平章事、集賢殿大學士。 翌日，兼參知樞密院事。 郊祀畢，進位左僕射兼門下侍郎、平章事、監修國史。 從征高平還，加司徒、弘文館大學士。 顯德四年夏，從征壽州還，加爵邑。 質建議以律條繁冗，輕重無據，吏得因緣為奸。 世宗特命詳定，是為《刑統》。 六年夏，世宗北征，質病留京師，賜錢百萬，俾市醫藥。 及平關南，至瀛州，質見於路左。 師還，以樞密使魏仁浦為相，命質與王溥並參知樞密院事。 世宗不豫，入受顧命。 恭帝嗣位，加開府儀同三司，封蕭國公。
When Guo Wei marched from Ye on the capital, the city was in chaos and Zhi went into hiding among the people. Once found, Guo Wei was overjoyed. Snow was falling heavily; he took off his own robe and put it on Zhi, then ordered him to draft the empress dowager's proclamation and the protocol for welcoming the Duke of Xiangyin. Zhi worked in frantic haste; his drafts pleased the founder, who then told the empress dowager to appoint Zhi vice minister of war and deputy military affairs commissioner. At the start of the Guangshun era he was promoted to vice director of the Secretariat, Grand Councilor, and grand academician of the Hall of Assembled Worthies. The following day he was also made a participant in military affairs. After the suburban sacrifice he was promoted to Left Vice Director of State Affairs, with concurrent posts as vice director of the Chancellery, Grand Councilor, and supervisor of the national history. On returning from the Gaoping campaign he was made Minister of Education and grand academician of the Hall for the Advancement of Literature. In the summer of 957, after the Shouzhou campaign, his noble rank and fief were increased. Zhi argued that the statutes had grown bloated, that penalties lacked clear standards, and that clerks were free to twist the law for private gain. Emperor Shizong ordered a full revision, producing the Penal Code Compendium. In the summer of his sixth year on the throne, Shizong marched north while Zhi, ill, stayed in the capital and was given a million cash to buy medicine. After Guannan was pacified, the army reached Yingzhou and found Zhi waiting by the road. On the army's return, Wei Renpu was made chief minister while Zhi and Wang Pu were both appointed participants in military affairs. When Shizong fell gravely ill, Zhi was summoned to receive his final charge. When Emperor Gong succeeded, Zhi was made Grand Preceptor with third-rank opening privileges and enfeoffed as Duke of Xiao.
4
及太祖北征，為六師推載，自陳橋還府署。 時質方就食閣中，太祖入，率王溥、魏仁浦就府謁見。 太祖對之嗚咽流涕，具言擁逼之狀。 質等未及對，軍校羅彥瓌舉刃擬質曰：「我輩無主，今日須得天子。」 太祖叱彥瓌不退，質不知所措，乃與溥等降階受命。
During Taizu's northern campaign the army forced the imperial mantle on him at Chenqiao, and he returned to his headquarters. Zhi was at dinner in his pavilion when Taizu arrived with Wang Pu and Wei Renpu to pay their respects at his residence. Taizu wept before them and described in full how the troops had forced his hand. Before they could answer, the officer Luo Yanqiong leveled his blade at Zhi and said, "We have no ruler—we must have an emperor today." Taizu shouted at Yanqiong, but the man would not stand down. At a loss, Zhi went down the steps with Pu and the others to accept the mandate.
5
先是，宰相見天子議大政事，必命坐面議之，從容賜茶而退，唐及五代猶遵此制。 及質等憚帝英睿，每事輒具劄子進呈，具言曰：「如此庶盡稟承之方，免妄庸之失。」 帝從之。 由是奏御寖多，始廢坐論之禮。
Formerly, when chief ministers met the emperor on major policy, they were seated to discuss matters face to face, offered tea at leisure, and then dismissed—a custom Tang and the Five Dynasties had kept. Fearing the emperor's sharp mind, Zhi and his colleagues began submitting written memorials on every issue, explaining that this was the safest way to carry out orders and avoid blunders. The emperor agreed. Written memorials multiplied, and the seated council with the emperor was abandoned.
6
乾德初，帝將有事圜丘，以質為大禮使。 質與鹵簿使張昭、儀仗使劉溫叟討論舊典，定《南郊行禮圖》上之。 帝尤嘉獎。 由是禮文始備，質自為序。 禮畢，進封魯國公，質奉表固辭，不允。 二年正月，罷為太子太傅。 九月，卒，年五十四。 將終，戒其子旻勿請謚，勿刻墓碑。 太祖聞之為悲惋，罷朝。 贈中書令，賜絹五百匹、粟麥各百石。
Early in the Qiande era, when the emperor prepared to offer at the Round Mound, he made Zhi chief ritual commissioner. With Zhang Zhao, commissioner of the honor guard, and Liu Wensou, commissioner of ceremonial regalia, Zhi reviewed ancient precedents and submitted the Diagram of Rites for the Southern Suburban Sacrifice. The emperor was especially pleased and rewarded them. Court ritual was thereby put on a proper footing, and Zhi wrote the preface himself. After the ceremony he was promoted to Duke of Lu. Zhi memorialized to decline, but the emperor would not allow it. In the first month of 964 he was relieved of office and made Grand Mentor of the Heir Apparent. He died in the ninth month at the age of fifty-four. On his deathbed he told his son Min not to seek a posthumous title or erect a tomb inscription. Taizu was deeply grieved when he heard the news and canceled court for the day. He was posthumously made Director of the Secretariat, with gifts of five hundred bolts of silk and a hundred piculs each of grain and wheat.
7
質力學強記，性明悟。 舉進士時，和凝以翰林學士典貢部，覽質所試文字，重之，自以登第名在十三，亦以其數處之。 貢闈中謂之「傳衣缽」。 其後質登相位，為太子太傅，封魯國公，皆與凝同云。 初，質既登朝，猶手不釋卷，人或勞之，質曰：「有善相者，謂我異日位宰輔，誠如其言，不學何術以處之？」 後從世宗征淮南，詔令多出其手，吳中文士莫不驚伏。 質每下制敕，未嘗破律，命刺史縣令，必以戶口版籍為急。 朝廷遣使視民田，按獄訟，皆延見，為述天子憂勤之意，然後遣之。
Zhi was a tireless scholar with an exceptional memory and a keen, perceptive mind. When Zhi sat for the jinshi examination, He Ning of the Hanlin Academy presided over the board. Impressed by Zhi's papers—and mindful that he himself had placed thirteenth on the list—He ranked Zhi thirteenth as well. Candidates called this "passing on the robe and bowl"—the transmission of a master's legacy. Later, when Zhi rose to chief minister, became Grand Mentor of the Heir Apparent, and was enfeoffed Duke of Lu, each milestone matched He's own career. Even after he entered government service he never stopped reading. When others urged him to rest, he said, "A fortune-teller once told me I would reach the highest office. If he was right, what skill could carry me there without study?" On Shizong's Huainan campaign, many of the emperor's edicts came from his pen, and the literati of Wu were left in awe. His edicts never bent the law, and in appointing prefects and magistrates he always stressed household registers and tax rolls as top priorities. Whenever the court dispatched envoys to inspect farmland or review lawsuits, he received them personally, explained the emperor's tireless concern for the people, and only then sent them on their way.
8
世宗初征淮南，駐壽、濠，銳意攻取，且議行幸揚州。 質以師老，與王溥泣諫乃止。 及再駕揚州，因事怒竇儀，罪在不測，質入謁請見，世宗意其救儀，起避之，質趨前曰：「儀近臣也，過小不當誅。」 因免冠叩頭泣下，曰：「臣備位宰相，豈可使人主暴怒，致近臣於死地耶？ 願寬儀罪。」 世宗意遂解，復坐，即遣赦儀。
On Shizong's first Huainan campaign he halted at Shou and Hao, pressed hard for a decisive assault, and even discussed visiting Yangzhou in person. Zhi argued that the army was exhausted; he and Wang Pu wept in remonstrance until the emperor abandoned the idea. On a later visit to Yangzhou the emperor flew into a rage over Dou Yi, whose punishment seemed uncertain. Zhi asked for an audience; Shizong assumed he had come to plead for Yi and rose to avoid him. Zhi stepped forward and said, "Yi is a close adviser—the offense is slight and does not warrant death." He removed his cap, kowtowed, and wept. "I hold the title of chief minister in name only—how can I stand by while my lord's wrath sends a close adviser to his death? I beg you to show Yi mercy." Shizong's anger lifted. He sat down again and at once ordered Yi's pardon.
9
質性卞急，好面折人。 以廉介自持，未嘗受四方饋遺，前後所得祿賜多給孤遺。 閨門之中，食不異品。 身沒，家無餘貲。 太祖因論輔相，謂侍臣曰：「朕聞范質止有居第，不事生產，真宰相也。」 太宗亦嘗稱之曰：「宰輔中能循規矩、慎名器、持廉節，無出質右者，但欠世宗一死，為可惜爾。」 從子校書郎杲求奏遷秩，質作詩曉之，時人傳誦以為勸戒。 有集三十卷，又述朱梁至周五代為《通錄》六十五卷，行於世。 子旻。
He was stern and impatient by nature and prone to blunt rebukes. He held himself to strict integrity, never accepted gifts from any quarter, and gave most of his salary and imperial rewards to orphans and the destitute. Within his household everyone ate the same fare—no special dishes for himself. When he died his family had nothing left in reserve. Discussing chief ministers one day, Taizu told his attendants, "I hear Fan Zhi owns only his house and does not pursue profit—a true chief minister." Taizong once said of him, "Among chief ministers, none better observed rules, guarded titles and offices, and kept his integrity—but he failed to die for Shizong, which is regrettable." When his nephew Gao, a collator in the palace library, asked him to seek a promotion, Zhi wrote a poem of admonition that contemporaries widely quoted as a moral lesson. He left collected works in thirty scrolls and a sixty-five-scroll Comprehensive Record covering Later Liang through the Five Dynasties, both widely circulated. His son was Min.
10
子旻
Son: Min
11
旻，字貴參，十歲能屬文。 以父任右千牛備身、太子司議郎，累遷著作佐郎。
Min, whose style name was Guican, could write prose at the age of ten. Through his father's privilege he entered service as Right Corps Cadet of the Thousand Oxen and Remonstrance Secretary of the Heir Apparent, and rose eventually to assistant compiler.
12
宋初，為度支員外郎、判大理正事，俄知開封縣。 太宗時領京尹，數召與語，頗器重之。
Early in the Song he served as vice director in the Bureau of Revenue and judge of chief cases in the Court of Judicial Review, and soon became magistrate of Kaifeng county. When Taizong served as capital intendant he often summoned Min for conversation and held him in high regard.
13
嶺南平，遷知邕州兼水陸轉運使。 俗好淫祀，輕醫藥，重鬼神，旻下令禁之。 且割己奉市藥以給病者，愈者千計，復以方書刻石置廳壁，民感化之。 會南漢知廣州官鄧存忠劫土人二萬眾，攻州城七十餘日。 旻屢出親戰，矢集於胸，猶激勵將卒殊死戰，賊遂少卻，病創日篤，堅壁固守，遣使十五輩求援。 廣州救兵至，圍解，賜璽書獎之。 旻病甚，詔令有司以肩輿載歸闕下。 疾愈，通判鎮州，有能聲，賜錢二百萬，遷庫部員外郎。
After Lingnan was pacified he was appointed prefect of Yongzhou and commissioner for land and water transport. Local custom favored improper sacrifices, neglected medicine, and trusted spirits; Min banned such practices by order. He cut his own salary to buy medicine for the sick; thousands recovered. He had medical formulas carved on stone tablets in the government hall, and the people were deeply moved. Deng Cunzhong, a former Southern Han official in Guangzhou, then rallied twenty thousand locals and besieged the prefectural city for more than seventy days. Min repeatedly led the fight in person. Arrows struck his chest, yet he still roused his men to battle to the death until the rebels drew back somewhat. As his wound worsened he held the walls and sent fifteen separate missions to request reinforcements. When relief forces from Guangzhou arrived the siege was lifted, and the court sent a sealed commendation. When his illness grew grave, an edict ordered officials to bring him back to the capital in a sedan chair. After he recovered he served as vice prefect of Zhenzhou, earned a reputation for competence, received two million cash, and was promoted to vice director in the Bureau of the Treasury.
14
開寶九年，知淮南轉運事。 太祖謂旻曰：「朕今委卿以方面之重，凡除民隱、急軍須之務，悉以便宜從事，無庸一一中覆也。」 歲運米百餘萬石給京師，當時稱有心計。
In 976 he was placed in charge of transport for Huainan. Taizu told him, "I now entrust you with a frontier command. On relieving the people's burdens and meeting urgent military needs, act at your own discretion—there is no need to report every decision for approval." Each year he shipped more than a million piculs of grain to the capital, and contemporaries praised his resourcefulness.
15
太平興國初，召為水部郎中。 錢俶獻地，以旻為考功郎中，權知兩浙諸州軍事。 旻上言：「俶在國日，徭賦繁苛，凡薪粒、蔬果、箕帚之屬悉收算。 欲盡釋不取，以蠲其弊。」 從之。 車駕征晉陽，上書求從，召為右諫議大夫、三司副使，判行在三司，又兼吏部選事。 師還，加給事中。 坐受人請求擅市竹木入官，為王仁贍所發，貶房州司戶。 語在《仁贍傳》。 量移唐州。 六年，卒，年四十六。 有集二十卷、《邕管記》三卷。 其後，子貽孫上言，詔復舊官。 貽孫官至主客員外郎。
Early in the Taiping Xingguo era he was recalled as director in the Bureau of Waterways. When Qian Chu surrendered his domain, Min was made director in the Bureau of Evaluations with provisional authority over military affairs in the two Zhe circuits. Min memorialized: "While Qian Chu still ruled, taxes were crushing—even firewood, grain, fruit, vegetables, and brooms were all assessed. I propose to abolish these levies entirely and lift the burden on the people." The emperor approved. When the emperor campaigned against Jinyang, Min asked to accompany the army and was made Right Remonstrance Grandee and vice commissioner of the Three Departments, with charge of the traveling Three Departments and concurrent responsibility for personnel selection. After the army returned he was made Attendant Within. He was convicted of accepting favors and improperly purchasing bamboo and timber for the government on his own authority. Exposed by Wang Renshan, he was demoted to registrar of Fangzhou. The full account appears in the biography of Wang Renshan. He was later transferred to Tangzhou. He died in the sixth year at the age of forty-six. He left collected works in twenty scrolls and Records of Yong and Guan in three scrolls. Later his son Yisun petitioned the throne, and an edict restored Min's former rank. Yisun rose to vice director in the Bureau of Receptions.
16
兄子杲
Nephew: Gao
17
杲，字師回，父正，青州從事。 杲少孤，質視如己子。 刻志於學，與姑臧李均、汾陽郭昱齊名，為文深僻難曉，後生多慕效之。 以蔭補太廟齋郎，再遷國子四門博士。
Gao, whose style name was Shihui, was the son of Zheng, a Qingzhou staff officer. Orphaned in youth, Gao was raised by his uncle Zhi as though he were his own son. He applied himself rigorously to learning and was ranked with Li Jun of Guzang and Guo Yu of Fenyang. His prose was deliberately obscure, and many younger writers imitated his style. Through hereditary privilege he entered service as an acolyte of the Imperial Ancestral Temple and was later promoted to Four Gates Doctor in the Directorate of Education.
18
嘗攜文謁陶穀、竇儀，咸大稱賞，謂杲曰：「若舉進士，當待汝以甲科。」 及秋試，有上書言閥閱之家不當與寒士爭科第，杲遂不應舉。 稍遷著作佐郎，出為許、鄧二州從事，坐事免。 太平興國初，遷著作郎、直史館，歷右拾遺、左補闕。 雍熙二年，同知貢舉。 俄上書自言其才比東方朔，求顯用，以觀其效。 太宗壯之，擢知制誥。
He once showed his writings to Tao Gu and Dou Yi, who praised them highly and told him, "If you sit for the jinshi examination, you should rank in the top class." When the autumn examination arrived, a memorial argued that men of eminent families should not compete with poor scholars for degrees. Gao declined to sit for the examination. He was promoted to assistant compiler, then served on the staffs of Xu and Deng prefectures before being dismissed for an offense. Early in the Taiping Xingguo era he became a compiler and was assigned to the Historiography Institute, later serving as Right Remembrancer and Left Supplementation Censor. In 985 he served as associate commissioner of the civil examinations. He soon memorialized that his talent rivaled Dongfang Shuo's and asked for a prominent post to prove his worth. Taizong was impressed and made him a drafter of edicts.
19
杲家貧，貸人錢數百萬。 母兄晞性嗇，嘗為興元少尹，居京兆，殖貨鉅萬。 親故有自長安來者，紿杲曰：「少尹不復靳財物，已揮金無算矣。」 杲聞之喜，因上言兄老，求典京兆以便養。 太宗從其請。 改工部郎中，罷知制誥。 杲既至，而晞吝如故，且常以不法事干公府。 杲大悔。 杲視事逾年，境內不治。 會賊帥劉渥剽掠屬縣，吏卒解散，遂驚悸成疾。
Gao's family was poor, and he owed creditors several million cash. His maternal uncle Xi was miserly by nature. A former vice intendant of Xingyuan, he lived in the capital region and had amassed a fortune of tens of thousands. A relative arriving from Chang'an deceived him, saying, "Your uncle no longer hoards his wealth—he has been spending gold without limit." Delighted by this news, Gao memorialized that his elder brother was aged and asked to govern the capital region so he could care for him. Taizong granted the request. He was made director in the Bureau of Works and relieved of his edict-drafting duties. Once Gao arrived, Xi proved as miserly as ever and frequently embroiled the government in improper affairs. Gao deeply regretted his decision. After more than a year in office, he had failed to bring the region under effective control. When the bandit leader Liu Wo raided the subordinate counties, his officers and soldiers scattered. Gao fell ill from shock and anxiety.
20
移知壽州，上言：「家世史官，願秉直筆，成國朝大典。」 召為史館修撰，固求掌誥詞，帝從之。 時翰林學士宋白左遷鄜州，賈黃中、李沆參知政事，蘇易簡轉承旨，杲連致書相府，求為學士，且言於宰相李昉曰：「先公嘗授以制誥一編，謂杲才堪此職。」 因出示昉，昉屢開解之。 未幾，太宗飛白書「玉堂」額以賜翰林，杲又上《玉堂記》，因請備職。 太宗惡其躁競，改右諫議大夫、知濠州，復召為史館修撰。
Transferred to Shouzhou, he memorialized: "My family has produced historians for generations. I wish to wield an honest brush and help complete the great chronicle of our dynasty." He was recalled as a historiography compiler and pressed to be put in charge of edict drafting; the emperor agreed. At that time Song Bai had been demoted from the Hanlin Academy, while Jia Huangzhong and Li Hang served as participants in government and Su Yijian had become chief academician. Gao repeatedly wrote to the chief minister's office seeking a Hanlin post and told Li Fang, "My late uncle once gave me a volume of edict drafts and said my talent suited this office." He showed the volume to Fang, who repeatedly tried to dissuade him. Soon afterward Taizong wrote the "Jade Hall" plaque in flying-white script for the Hanlin Academy. Gao submitted a Record of the Jade Hall and again asked for a post there. Taizong disliked his restless ambition, made him Right Remonstrance Grandee and prefect of Haozhou, then recalled him as historiography compiler.
21
初，太宗以太祖朝典策未備，乃議召杲。 杲聞命喜甚，以為將加優擢，晨夜趨進。 至宋州，遇朗州通判錢熙，杲問以「朝議將任僕何官」，熙言：「重修《太祖實錄》爾。」 杲默然。 久之，感疾，至京師，旬月卒，年五十六。 太宗閔之，錄其二子。
Earlier, Taizong had decided that the historical records of Taizu's reign were incomplete and discussed recalling Gao. Overjoyed at the summons and expecting a major promotion, he hurried to court day and night. At Songzhou he met Qian Xi, vice prefect of Langzhou, and asked what post the court intended for him. Xi replied, "To revise the Veritable Records of Taizu—that is all." Gao fell silent. He later fell ill, reached the capital, and died within a month at the age of fifty-six. Taizong took pity on him and enrolled his two sons in office.
22
杲性虛誕，與人交，好面譽背非，惟與柳開善，更相引重，始終無間。 不善治生，家益貧，杲端坐終日，不知計所出，人皆笑之。 子坦亦登進士第。
Gao was vain and boastful, prone to flattery in person and slander behind backs. Only with Liu Kai did he maintain a genuine friendship; they recommended each other throughout their lives without estrangement. Unable to manage his household affairs, he grew ever poorer. He would sit upright all day without knowing what to do, and people laughed at him. His son Tan also passed the jinshi examination.
23
王溥，字齊物，并州祁人。
Wang Pu, whose style name was Qiwu, came from Qi in Bingzhou.
24
溥，漢乾祐中，舉進士甲科，為秘書郎。 時李守貞據河中，趙思綰反京兆，王景崇反鳳翔，周祖將兵討之，辟溥為從事。 河中平，得賊中文書，多朝貴及藩鎮交結語。 周祖籍其名，將按之，溥諫曰：「魑魅之形，伺夜而出，日月既照，氛沴自消。 願一切焚之，以安反側。」 周祖從之。 師還，遷太常丞。 從周祖鎮鄴。 廣順初，授左諫議大夫、樞密直學士。 二年，遷中書舍人、翰林學士。 三年，加戶部侍郎，改端明殿學士。 周祖疾革，召學士草制，以溥為中書侍郎、平章事。 宣制畢，周祖曰：「吾無憂矣。」 即日崩。
During the Qianyou era of Later Han, Pu passed the jinshi examination in the top class and became a Secretariat gentleman. When Li Shouzhen held Hezhong, Zhao Sijian rebelled in the capital region, and Wang Jingchong rebelled in Fengxiang, Guo Wei marched to suppress them and recruited Pu to his staff. After Hezhong fell, captured rebel documents revealed correspondence with many court nobles and military commissioners. Guo Wei noted the names and prepared to investigate. Pu remonstrated: "Evil spirits emerge only in darkness; once the sun shines, their malign influence dissipates on its own. I beg that all these documents be burned to reassure those who fear reprisal." Guo Wei agreed. On the army's return he was promoted to vice director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. He accompanied Guo Wei when the latter governed Ye. At the start of the Guangshun era he was made Left Remonstrance Grandee and direct academician of the Bureau of Military Affairs. In the second year he became Secretariat drafter and Hanlin academician. In the third year he was made vice minister of revenue and academician of the Hall of Brilliant Governance. On his deathbed Guo Wei summoned an academician to draft an edict making Pu vice director of the Secretariat and Grand Councilor. When the edict was proclaimed, Guo Wei said, "I have no more worries." He died the same day.
25
世宗將親征澤、潞，馮道力諫止，溥獨贊成之。 凱還，加兼禮部尚書，監修國史。 世宗嘗從容問溥曰：「漢相李崧以蠟書與契丹，猶有記其詞者，信有之耶？」 溥曰：「崧為大臣，設有此謀，肯輕示外人？ 蓋蘇逢吉誣之耳。」 世宗始悟，詔贈其官。 世宗將討秦、鳳，求帥於溥，溥薦向拱。 事平，世宗因宴酌酒賜溥曰：「為吾擇帥成邊功者，卿也。」 從平壽春，制加階爵。 顯德四年，丁外艱。 起復，表四上，乞終喪，世宗大怒，宰相范質奏解之，溥懼入謝。 六年夏，命參知樞密院事。
When Shizong prepared to campaign in person against Ze and Lu, Feng Dao strongly opposed the plan, but Pu alone supported it. On his triumphant return he was also made Minister of Rites and supervisor of the national history. Shizong once asked Pu casually, "They say Later Han chief minister Li Song sent a wax-sealed letter to the Khitans, and its wording is still recorded—is that true?" Pu replied, "Song was a great minister. Even if he had such a plot, would he have shown it lightly to outsiders? Surely this was slander by Su Fengji." Shizong understood at last and issued an edict restoring Song's posthumous honors. When Shizong prepared to campaign against Qin and Feng, he asked Pu to recommend a commander. Pu recommended Xiang Gong. After the campaign succeeded, Shizong raised a cup at a banquet and told Pu, "You are the one who chose the commander who won this frontier victory for me." After the pacification of Shouchun his rank and noble title were increased. In 957 he entered mourning for his father. Recalled from mourning, he submitted four memorials asking to complete his filial obligations. Shizong was furious until Fan Zhi intervened; Pu entered court in fear to apologize. In the summer of the sixth year he was made a participant in military affairs.
26
恭帝嗣位，加右僕射。 是冬，表請修《世宗實錄》，遂奏史館修撰、都官郎中、知制誥扈蒙，右司員外郎、知制誥張淡，左拾遺王格，直史館、左拾遺董淳，同加修纂，從之。
When Emperor Gong succeeded, Pu was made Right Vice Director of State Affairs. That winter he asked to compile the Veritable Records of Shizong and recommended Hu Meng, Zhang Dan, Wang Ge, and Dong Chun to assist; the request was approved.
27
宋初，進位司空，罷參知樞密院。 乾德二年，罷為太子太保。 舊制，一品班於臺省之後，太祖因見溥，謂左右曰：「溥舊相，當寵異之。」 即令分臺省班東西，遂為定制。 五年，丁內艱。 服闋，加太子太傅。 開寶二年，遷太子太師。 中謝日，太祖顧左右曰：「溥十年作相，三遷一品，福履之盛，近世未見其比。」 太平興國初，封祁國公。 七年八月，卒，年六十一。 輟朝二日，贈侍中，謚文獻。
Early in the Song he was promoted to Minister of Works and relieved of his military affairs duties. In 964 he was relieved of office and made Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent. By old custom, first-rank officials stood behind the censorate and secretariat at court. Seeing Pu one day, Taizu told his attendants, "Pu is a former chief minister and deserves special honor." He ordered the censorate and secretariat ranks divided to east and west, and this became permanent court practice. In the fifth year he entered mourning for his mother. When mourning ended he was made Grand Tutor of the Heir Apparent. In 969 he was made Grand Preceptor of the Heir Apparent. On the day he thanked the throne, Taizu remarked to his attendants, "Pu served ten years as chief minister and was promoted to first rank three times—such good fortune is unmatched in recent memory." Early in the Taiping Xingguo era he was enfeoffed as Duke of Qi. He died in the eighth month of the seventh year at the age of sixty-one. Court was suspended for two days. He was posthumously made Palace Attendant with the posthumous title Literary Exemplar.
28
溥性寬厚，美風度，好汲引後進，其所薦至顯位者甚眾。 頗吝嗇。 祚頻領牧守，能殖貨，所至有田宅，家累萬金。
Pu was generous by nature, carried himself with grace, and delighted in advancing younger men—many of his protégés rose to high office. He was himself rather stingy. His father Zuo had often served as prefect and was skilled at accumulating wealth, acquiring fields and houses wherever he went until the family fortune reached tens of thousands in gold.
29
溥在相位，祚以宿州防禦使家居，每公卿至，必首謁祚，置酒上壽，溥朝服趨侍左右，坐客不安席，輒引避。 祚曰：「此豚犬爾，勿煩諸君起。」 溥諷祚求致政，祚意朝廷未之許也，既得請，祚大罵溥曰：「我筋力未衰，汝欲自固名位，而幽囚我。」 舉大梃將擊之，親戚勸諭乃止。
While Pu served as chief minister, his father Zuo lived in retirement as former defense commissioner of Suzhou. Whenever eminent officials visited, they called first on Zuo with wine and birthday wishes. Pu would hurry to wait on him in court dress, and guests, embarrassed, would withdraw. Zuo would say, "He is only a pig or dog—do not trouble yourselves to rise." Pu urged his father to retire. Zuo assumed the court would refuse, but once retirement was granted he raged at Pu: "I am not yet infirm—you only want to secure your own position and have shut me away." He seized a heavy staff to strike him and was restrained only when relatives intervened.
30
溥好學，手不釋卷，嘗集蘇冕《會要》及崔弦《續會要》，補其闕漏，為百卷，曰《唐會要》。 又采朱梁至周為三十卷，曰《五代會要》。 有集二十卷。
A devoted scholar who never put down his books, Pu gathered Su Mian's Institutional Compendium and Cui Xian's Continued Compendium, filled their gaps, and produced the hundred-scroll Tang Institutional Compendium. He also compiled thirty scrolls covering Later Liang through Zhou under the title Five Dynasties Institutional Compendium. He left collected works in twenty scrolls.
31
子貽孫、貽正、貽慶、貽序。 貽正至國子博士。 貽慶比部郎中。 貽序，景德二年進士，後改名貽矩，至司封員外郎。 貽正子克明，尚太宗女鄭國長公主，改名貽永，令與其父同行，見《外戚傳》。
His sons were Yisun, Yizheng, Yiqing, and Yixu. Yizheng rose to Doctor in the Directorate of Education. Yiqing became director in the Bureau of Reviews. Yixu passed the jinshi examination in 1005, later changed his name to Yiju, and rose to vice director in the Bureau of Enfeoffments. Yizheng's son Keming married Princess Zheng, Taizong's daughter, changed his name to Yiyong, and was granted to share his father's posthumous honors—see the Biography of Imperial Affines.
32
貽孫，字象賢，少隨周祖典商、潁二州，署衙內都指揮使。 顯德中，以父在中書，改朝散大夫、著作佐郎。 宋初，遷金部員外郎，賜紫，累遷右司郎中。 淳化中，卒。 太祖平吳、蜀，所獲文史副本分賜大臣。 溥好聚書，至萬餘卷，貽孫遍覽之； 又多藏法書名畫。 太祖嘗問趙普，拜禮何以男子跪而婦人否，普問禮官，不能對。 貽孫曰：「古詩云『長跪問故夫』，是婦人亦跪也。 唐太后朝婦人始拜而不跪。」 普問所出，對云：「太和中，有幽州從事張建章著《渤海國記》，備言其事。」 普大稱賞之。 端拱中，右僕射李昉求郡省百官集議舊儀，貽孫具以對，事見《禮志》，時論許其諳練云。
Yisun, whose style name was Xiangxian, followed Guo Wei in his youth when the latter governed Shang and Ying prefectures and was appointed commander of the inner yamen guard. During the Xiande era, because his father served in the Secretariat, he was made Grandee of Palace Leisure and assistant compiler. Early in the Song he became vice director in the Bureau of the Treasury, was granted the purple robe, and rose to director in the Right Office. He died during the Chunhua era. After Taizu conquered Wu and Shu, duplicate literary and historical works from the conquered states were distributed among the chief ministers. Pu collected more than ten thousand scrolls of books, all of which Yisun read; and also owned many masterpieces of calligraphy and painting. Taizu once asked Zhao Pu why men knelt in bowing rites while women did not. Pu consulted the ritual officials, but none could answer. Yisun said, "An old poem runs, 'She knelt long to ask her former husband'—so women knelt as well. From the Tang empress dowager's court onward, women began to bow without kneeling." Pu asked for his source. He replied, "In the Taihe era Zhang Jianzhang of Youzhou wrote the Record of the Bohai State, which explains the change in full." Pu was greatly impressed. During the Duangong era, Li Fang asked the bureaucracy to discuss old court rituals. Yisun answered every question fully; the account appears in the Treatise on Rites, and contemporaries praised his expertise.
33
魏仁浦
Wei Renpu
34
魏仁浦，字道濟，衛州汲人。 幼孤貧，母為假黃縑制暑服，仁浦年十三，嘆曰：「為人子不克供養，乃使慈母求貸以衣我，我能安乎！」 因慷慨泣下，辭母詣洛陽，濟河沉衣中流，誓曰：「不貴達，不復渡此！」 晉末，隸樞密院為小史，任職端謹，儕輩不能及。 契丹入中原，仁浦隨眾北遷。 會契丹主殂於真定，仁浦得脫歸。 魏帥杜重威素知仁浦謹厚，善書計，欲留補牙職。 仁浦以重威降將，不願事之，遂遁去。 重威遣騎追之不及。 漢祖起太原，次鞏縣，仁浦迎謁道左，即補舊職。
Wei Renpu, whose style name was Daoji, came from Ji in Weizhou. Orphaned and poor as a boy, he once saw his mother borrow yellow silk for summer clothes. At thirteen he sighed and said, "I cannot support my mother, yet she must borrow to clothe me—how can I rest easy?" Weeping, he left his mother for Luoyang, cast his borrowed clothes into the river midstream, and swore, "Unless I achieve success, I shall never cross this river again!" Late in Later Jin he entered the Bureau of Military Affairs as a junior clerk, where his diligence surpassed all his peers. When the Khitans occupied the Central Plains, Renpu was carried north with the displaced population. When the Khitan ruler died at Zhending, Renpu escaped and made his way home. Du Chongwei, military commissioner of Wei, knew Renpu as diligent and skilled in records and wanted to keep him on his staff. Renpu refused to serve a surrendered general and fled. Chongwei sent riders after him but failed to catch him. When Liu Zhiyuan rose at Taiyuan and halted at Gong county, Renpu met him by the road and was restored to his former post at once.
35
時周祖掌樞密，召仁浦問闕下兵數，仁浦悉能記之，手疏六萬人。 周祖喜曰：「天下事不足憂也。」 遷兵房主事，從周祖鎮鄴。
When Guo Wei took charge of military affairs, he asked Renpu how many troops were stationed below the passes. Renpu recited the figure from memory and wrote out sixty thousand men by hand. Guo Wei said with delight, "There is nothing left to worry about under Heaven." He was made chief clerk in the Bureau of Military Affairs and accompanied Guo Wei to Ye.
36
周祖嘗問仁浦諸州屯兵之數及將校名氏，令檢簿視之。 仁浦曰：「臣能記之。」 遂手疏於紙，校簿無差，周祖尤倚重焉。 廣順末，太原劉崇寇晉州，仁浦居母喪，而宅邇宮城，周祖步登寬仁門，密遣小黃門召仁浦計事。 明日，起復舊職。 周祖大漸，謂世宗曰：「李洪義長與節鎮，魏仁浦無遣違禁密。」
Guo Wei once asked him for the garrison strengths and officer rosters of every prefecture and told him to check the registers. Renpu said, "I can remember them, Your Majesty." He wrote them out from memory without a single error. Guo Wei relied on him ever more heavily. Late in Guangshun, Liu Chong of Taiyuan attacked Jinzhou. Though in mourning for his mother, Renpu lived near the palace. Guo Wei walked to the Kuanren Gate and secretly sent a eunuch to summon him for counsel. The next day he was recalled from mourning to his former duties. On his deathbed Guo Wei told Shizong, "Li Hongyi has long served with military commissioners; Wei Renpu has never violated or leaked a secret."
37
宋初，進位右僕射，以疾在告。 太祖幸其第，賜黃金器二百兩、錢二百萬。 再上表乞骸骨，不許。 乾德初，罷守本官。 開寶二年，春宴，太祖笑謂仁浦曰：「何不勸我一杯酒？」 仁浦奉觴上壽，帝密謂之曰：「朕欲親征太原，如何？」 仁浦曰：「欲速不達，惟陛下慎之。」 宴罷，就第，復賜上尊酒十石、御膳羊百口。 從征太原，中途遇疾。 還，至梁侯驛卒，年五十九，贈侍中。
Early in the Song he was promoted to Right Vice Director of State Affairs but was on sick leave. Taizu visited his home and gave him two hundred taels of gold vessels and two million cash. He again asked to retire, but the emperor refused. Early in the Qiande era he was relieved of active duty while keeping his title. At a spring banquet in 969, Taizu smiled and said to Renpu, "Why don't you urge me to take a drink?" Renpu raised his cup and offered a toast. The emperor whispered, "I mean to campaign against Taiyuan in person—what do you think?" Renpu replied, "Haste defeats its own purpose—Your Majesty should proceed with caution." After the banquet he returned home to further gifts of ten piculs of imperial wine and a hundred imperial sheep. He accompanied the Taiyuan campaign but fell ill on the march. On the return journey he died at Lianghou Post Station at the age of fifty-nine and was posthumously made Palace Attendant.
38
仁浦性寬厚，接士大夫有禮，務以德報怨。 漢乾祐中，有鄭元昭者，開封浚儀人，為安邑、解縣兩池榷鹽使，遷解州刺史。 會詔以仁浦婦翁李溫玉為榷鹽使管兩池，元昭不得專其利。 仁浦方為樞密院主事，元昭意仁浦必庇溫玉，會李守貞以河中叛，溫玉子在城中，元昭即繫溫玉以變聞。 時周祖總樞務，知其有間，置而不問。 顯德中，仁浦為樞密使，元昭不自安。 及代歸闕，道洛都，以情告仁浦弟仁滌，仁滌曰：「公第去，可無憂。 我兄素寬仁有度，雖公事不欲傷於人，豈念私隙乎？」 元昭至京師，仁浦果不介意，白周祖授元昭慶州刺史。 漢隱帝寵作坊使賈延徽，延徽與仁浦並居，欲倂其第，屢譖仁浦，幾至不測。 及周祖入汴，有擒延徽授仁浦者，仁浦謝曰：「因兵戈以報怨，不忍為也。」 力保全之。 當時稱其長者。 世宗朝，近侍有忤上至死者，仁浦力救之，全活者眾。 淮南之役，獲賊數千人，仁浦從容上言，俾隸諸軍，軍中無濫殺者。
Renpu was generous by nature, courteous to scholar-officials, and determined to repay injury with kindness. During the Qianyou era there was Zheng Yuanzhao of Junyi in Kaifeng, salt monopoly commissioner for the Anyi and Jie pools, later prefect of Jiezhou. An edict then appointed Renpu's father-in-law Li Wenyu to manage both salt pools, depriving Yuanzhao of his monopoly profits. Renpu was then chief clerk in the Bureau of Military Affairs. Yuanzhao assumed he would protect Wenyu. When Li Shouzhen rebelled at Hezhong and Wenyu's son was trapped in the city, Yuanzhao arrested Wenyu and reported a conspiracy. Guo Wei, then in charge of military affairs, saw the private grudge involved and took no action. When Renpu became military affairs commissioner in the Xiande era, Yuanzhao grew uneasy. Returning to court after his term, he confided his fears to Renpu's brother Rendi in Luoyang. Rendi said, "Once you leave your post, you need not worry. My brother has always been magnanimous. He avoids harming others even in public affairs—why would he harbor a private grudge?" When Yuanzhao reached the capital, Renpu showed no resentment and recommended him to the Zhou founder for appointment as prefect of Qingzhou. Emperor Yin favored the workshop commissioner Jia Yanhui, who lived beside Renpu and sought to seize his house. Yanhui slandered Renpu repeatedly and nearly brought him to ruin. When Guo Wei entered Bian, some captured Yanhui and offered him to Renpu. Renpu refused, saying, "I cannot repay a grudge with violence." Instead he worked to protect him. Contemporaries praised him as a man of true magnanimity. Under Shizong, when attendants who offended the emperor faced execution, Renpu often intervened and saved many lives. During the Huainan campaign, thousands of captives were taken. Renpu calmly memorialized that they be assigned to army units, and no indiscriminate killings followed.
39
景德四年，其子咸信請謚曰宣懿。
In 1007 his son Xianxin petitioned for the posthumous title Magnanimous and Cultivated.
40
子咸美、咸熙、咸信。 咸美以左司禦率府率致仕。 咸熙性仁孝，嘗會賓客，家童數輩覆案碎器，客皆驚愕，咸熙色不變，止令更設饌具，其寬厚若此，以父任，累遷屯田郎中，後至太僕少卿，卒年四十九。 子昭慶，駕部員外郎； 昭文，西染院使； 昭素，供奉官、閣門祗侯。
His sons were Xianmei, Xianxi, and Xianxin. Xianmei retired as commandant of the Left Bureau of the Imperial Guard Command. Xianxi was gentle and filial. Once, while entertaining guests, servants overturned a table and smashed the dishes. The guests were startled, but Xianxi showed no dismay and simply ordered a fresh setting. Such was his forbearance. Through his father's privilege he rose to director in the Bureau of State Farms and eventually Vice Minister of the Imperial Stud; he died at forty-nine. His son Zhaoqing became vice director in the Bureau of the Imperial Carriage; Zhaowen was commissioner of the Western Dyeing Institute; Zhaosu was a tribute officer and palace gate usher.
41
子咸信
Son: Xianxin
42
咸信，字國寶，建隆初，授朝散大夫、太子右坊通事舍人，改供奉官。
Xianxin, whose style name was Guobao, was made Grandee of Palace Leisure and communications attendant to the heir apparent early in the Jianlong era, then tribute officer.
43
初，太祖在潛邸，昭憲太后嘗至仁浦第，咸信方幼，侍母側，儼如成人。 太后奇之，欲結姻好。 開寶中，太宗尹京，成昭憲之意，延見咸信於便殿，命與御帶党進等較射，稱善。 遂選尚永慶公主，授右衛將軍、駙馬都尉。 逾年，出領吉州刺史。
While Taizu was still heir apparent, Empress Dowager Zhaoxian visited Renpu's home and found the young Xianxin standing dutifully at his mother's side with the composure of a grown man. The empress dowager was impressed and wished to arrange a marriage. During the Kaibao era Taizong governed the capital and carried out the empress dowager's wish. He received Xianxin in the side hall, had him compete in archery with the imperial guard Dang Jin and others, and praised his skill. He was then chosen to marry Princess Yongqing and was made General of the Right Guard and imperial son-in-law commandant. A year later he was appointed prefect of Jizhou.
44
太平興國初，真拜本州防禦使。 四年，詔用奉外賜錢十萬。 五年，坐遣親吏市木西邊，矯制免所過稅算，罰一季奉。 俄遷慎州觀察使。 雍熙三年冬，契丹擾邊，王師出討，悉命諸主婿鎮要地：王承衍知大名，石保吉知河陽，咸信知澶州。 四年，本郡黃河清，咸信以聞，詔褒答之。 籍田畢，就拜彰德軍節度。 八月，遣歸治所。
Early in the Taiping Xingguo era he was formally appointed defense commissioner of Jizhou. In the fourth year an edict granted him one hundred thousand cash beyond his salary. In the fifth year he was fined one season's salary for sending a personal clerk to buy timber on the western frontier and falsely exempting transit taxes. He was soon made observation commissioner of Shenzhou. In the winter of 986, when the Khitans raided the border, the court ordered its sons-in-law to guard key posts: Wang Chengyan at Daming, Shi Baoji at Heyang, and Xianxin at Chunzhou. In the fourth year the Yellow River ran clear in his jurisdiction. Xianxin reported the omen and received an edict of commendation. After the plowing ceremony he was appointed military commissioner of the Zhangde army. In the eighth month he was sent back to his command.
45
淳化四年，河決澶淵，陷北城，再命知州事。 太宗親諭方略，傳置而往。 時遣閻承翰修河橋，咸信請及流水未下造舟為便，承翰入奏：「方冬難成，請權罷其役。」 咸信因其去，乃集工成之。 奏至，上大悅。 河平，遣還役兵，俄詔留築堤，咸信以為天寒地涸，無決溢之患，復奏罷之。
In 993 the Yellow River burst at Chunyuan and flooded the north city. Xianxin was again put in charge of the prefecture. Taizong personally briefed him on strategy, and he traveled by relay post. Yan Chenghan had been sent to repair the river bridge. Xianxin urged building boats before the spring flood. Chenghan memorialized that winter construction was impractical and asked to suspend the work. After Chenghan left, Xianxin gathered workers and finished the boats himself. When the report reached court, the emperor was delighted. After the river subsided the laborers were dismissed, but soon an edict ordered them kept to build dikes. Xianxin argued that in the cold, dry season there was no risk of breach and memorialized to stop the work.
46
未幾召還，年已昏眊，見上，希旨求寵渥。 七年，表乞任用，上出示中書向敏中曰：「咸信聯榮戚里，位居節制，復何望耶？」 是冬，以新建南京，獎太祖舊臣，加同平章事。 俄判天雄軍。 天禧初，改陜州大都督府長史、保平軍節度。 有感風疾苦，歸。 真宗嘗謂宰相曰：「咸信老病，諸子不克承順，身後復能保守其家業耶？」 未幾卒，年六十九，贈中書令。 錄其諸子孫侄，遷官者七人。
Soon recalled to court, he was by then dim-sighted and sought further favor from the emperor. In the seventh year he petitioned for a new appointment. The emperor showed the memorial to Xiang Minzhong and said, "Xianxin is already an imperial in-law and a military commissioner—what more does he want?" That winter, to reward Taizu's old followers on the establishment of the Southern Capital, he was made Grand Councilor. He was soon made administrator of the Tianxiong army. Early in the Tianxi era he was made chief administrator of Shaanzhou and military commissioner of the Baoping army. Afflicted by rheumatism, he returned home. Zhenzong once asked his chief ministers, "Xianxin is old and ill, and his sons are undutiful—can they preserve the family fortune after his death?" He died soon afterward at sixty-nine and was posthumously made Director of the Secretariat. Seven of his sons, grandsons, and nephews were enrolled and promoted in office.
47
咸信頗知書，善待士，然性吝喜利，仁浦所營邸舍悉擅有之。 既卒，為諸侄所訟，時人恥之。
Xianxin was literate and courteous to scholars, but stingy and greedy. He seized all the lodging houses his father Renpu had built. After his death his nephews sued over the property, to the shame of contemporaries.
48
子昭易、昭亮、昭侃。 昭易，西京作坊使，知隰州； 昭侃，改名昭昺，為崇儀使。
His sons were Zhaoyi, Zhaoliang, and Zhaokan. Zhaoyi was commissioner of the Western Capital workshop and prefect of Xizhou; Zhaokan changed his name to Zhaobing and became commissioner of the Honored Ceremonial Guard.
49
孫昭亮
Grandson: Zhaoliang
50
昭亮，字克明，公主所生。 幼未名，太宗召入禁中，命賦賞花詩，詩成上之，太宗大悅，酌以上尊酒，命筆題「從訓」、「昭亮」二名，令自擇之。 拜如京副使，遷如京、洛苑使，掌翰林司。 丁公主憂，起復，授六宅使，領富州刺史，遷內藏庫副使，未幾，拜西上閣門使，進秩東上。 上言閣門舊儀制未當，乃詔龍圖閣學士陳彭年、待制張知白、引進使白文肇與昭亮同加詳定，既成，賜白金千兩。 又建議設儀石於內殿，加領恩州團練使。 時咸信在大名，屬生日，命昭亮就賜禮物。 是日，告命至，軍府榮之。 父卒，遷四方館使，仍兼掌客省，多糾群官之失儀者。 昭亮多病在告，詔給其奉。 天禧二年，卒。
Zhaoliang, whose style name was Keming, was the princess's son. As a child without a given name, he was summoned to the inner palace by Taizong and told to compose a poem on flowers. Taizong was delighted, offered him imperial wine, and wrote two names—"Congxun" and "Zhaoliang"—for him to choose. He was made vice commissioner of the Capital Reception Office, then commissioner of the capital and Luoyang parklands, with charge of the Hanlin office. After mourning for the princess he was recalled to service, made commissioner of the Six Residences and prefect of Fuzhou, then vice commissioner of the Inner Treasury. Soon he became western upper palace gate commissioner and was promoted to eastern upper. He reported that palace gate protocol was outdated. The court ordered Chen Pengnian, Zhang Zhibai, Bai Wenzhao, and Zhaoliang to revise it. On completion he received one thousand taels of silver. He also proposed installing ceremonial stones in the inner hall and was made training commissioner of Enzhou. When Xianxin was at Daming, the court sent Zhaoliang to deliver birthday gifts on his behalf. That day the commission arrived, and the military headquarters celebrated the honor. After his father's death he became commissioner of the Four Directions Hall while still managing the Bureau of Receiving Guests, and frequently disciplined officials for breaches of court etiquette. Zhaoliang was often ill on leave; the court continued his salary by edict. He died in the second year of the Tianxi era.
51
昭亮未死日，數遣人入謁，求進用，加兼端州防禦使。 未及拜命，死，仍以制書賜其家，贈貝州觀察使。 以弟昭侃為供備庫使，子餘慶為內殿崇班。
Before his death Zhaoliang repeatedly petitioned for promotion and was made defense commissioner of Duanzhou. He died before he could take up the post, but the court still issued the commission to his family and posthumously made him observation commissioner of Beizhou. His brother Zhaokan was made commissioner of the Supply and Equipment Storehouse, and his son Yuqing was made an inner-palace honored guardsman.
52
昭亮與陳彭年款昵，彭年嘗稱其才。 昭亮居官務察，多遣人偵伺僚輩，樞密承旨尹德潤嘗少之。 會閣門副使焦守節、內殿崇班郭盛以役卒與德潤治第，昭亮廉知，發其事，皆坐黜削。 李維，即王曾妻子叔父，同在翰林，曾受詔試舉人，以家事屬維。 昭亮意曾受祈請，奏其竊語。 遣中使參問，無他狀，曾始得釋。 昭亮陰險多此類，時人惡之。 餘慶，改名成德，為供備庫副使。
Zhaoliang was on close terms with Chen Pengnian, who once praised his ability. In office Zhaoliang was obsessively watchful, often sending agents to spy on colleagues. Yin Derun, drafter in the Bureau of Military Affairs, despised him. When Vice Commissioner Jiao Shoujie and honored guardsman Guo Sheng used corvée laborers to build a house for Derun, Zhaoliang uncovered the affair and had them all dismissed and demoted. Li Wei was the uncle of Wang Zeng's wife. Both served in the Hanlin Academy. When Zeng was ordered to examine candidates, he asked Wei to handle a family matter. Zhaoliang assumed Zeng had accepted a private favor and memorialized accusing him of improper conversation. An imperial envoy investigated and found nothing further; only then was Zeng cleared. Zhaoliang was treacherous in many such ways, and contemporaries despised him. Yuqing changed his name to Chengde and became vice commissioner of the Supply and Equipment Storehouse.
53
贊曰：五季至周之世宗，天下將定之時也。 范質、王溥、魏仁浦，世宗之所拔擢，而皆有宰相之器焉。 宋祖受命，遂為佐命元臣，天之所置，果非人之所能測歟。 質以儒者曉暢軍事，及其為相，廉慎守法。 溥刀筆家子，而好學終始不倦。 仁浦嘗為小史，而與溥皆以寬厚長者著稱，豈非絕人之資乎。 質臨終，戒其後勿請謚立碑，自悔深矣。 太宗評質惜其欠世宗一死。 嗚呼！ 《春秋》之法責備賢者，質可得免乎！
The appraiser remarks: From the Five Dynasties through Emperor Shizong of Zhou was the age when the empire was nearing its final settlement. Fan Zhi, Wang Pu, and Wei Renpu were promoted by Shizong, and each had the makings of a chief minister. When the Song founder received the Mandate, they became his founding ministers—surely Heaven's placement lies beyond human foresight. Zhi, though a scholar, understood military affairs thoroughly; as chief minister he was incorrupt, cautious, and scrupulous in observing the law. Pu came from a clerk's family, yet he loved learning without cease from youth to old age. Renpu had once been a junior clerk, yet he and Pu were both renowned for magnanimity—were these not gifts that set them apart from ordinary men? On his deathbed Zhi told his heirs not to seek a posthumous title or erect a tomb inscription—his remorse ran very deep. Taizong remarked that Zhi's sole failing was not having died for Shizong. Alas! The Spring and Autumn Annals hold even the worthy to strict account—can Zhi truly be exempted!