1
李迪，字復古，其先趙郡人，後徙幽州。 曾祖在欽，避五代亂，又徙家濮。 迪深厚有器局，嘗攜其所為文見柳開，開奇之曰：「公輔材也。」
Li Di, whose style name was Fugu, came from Zhao Commandery by ancestry; his family later relocated to Youzhou. His great-grandfather Zaiqin fled the turmoil of the Five Dynasties period and resettled the family in Pu. Di was grave and far-sighted. He once presented his writings to Liu Kai, who was struck by them and declared, "Here is a man fit to serve as chief minister."
2
舉進士第一，授將作監丞，歷通判徐、兗州。 改秘書省著作郎、直史館，為三司鹽鐵判官。 東封泰山，復通判兗州，坐嘗解開封府進士失當，謫監海州稅。 改右司諫，起知鄆州，詔糾察在京刑獄，遷起居舍人，安撫江、淮，以尚書吏部員外郎為三司鹽鐵副使，擢知制誥。
Having topped the jinshi rolls, he was made Vice Director of the Directorate of Palace Buildings and later served as vice-prefect of Xu and Yan. He was reassigned as a compiler in the Secretariat and drafter in the Historiography Institute, and appointed Salt and Iron Commissioner of the Three Bureaus. During the eastern Fengshan pilgrimage he again served as vice-prefect of Yan, but was demoted to oversee Haizhou's maritime tax after improperly releasing candidates in a Kaifeng prefectural examination. Promoted to Right Remonstrance Official and then prefect of Yanzhou, he was charged with inspecting capital prisons, made Attendant of Daily Affairs, and sent to pacify the Jiang-Huai region. As Vice Minister of Personnel he became Vice Commissioner of Salt and Iron and was raised to Drafter of Imperial Edicts.
3
真宗幸亳，為留守判官，遂知亳州。 亡卒群剽城邑，發兵捕之，久不得。 迪至，悉罷所發兵，陰聽察知賊區處，部勒驍銳士，擒賊，斬以徇。 代歸，會唃廝囉叛，帝憂關中，召對長春殿，進右諫議大夫、集賢院學士、知永興軍。 城中多無賴子弟，喜犯法，迪奏取其甚者，部送闕下。 徙陝西都轉運使，入為翰林學士。
When Zhenzong toured Bo, Di served as the regent's administrative aide and was subsequently appointed prefect of Bozhou. Bands of deserters were raiding towns, and though troops were dispatched to hunt them down, the pursuit dragged on without success. On arriving, Di disbanded the troops already in the field, quietly traced the bandits' haunts, led picked fighters against them, seized the ringleaders, and had them beheaded as a public warning. After his tour of duty he was recalled just as Gusiluo rose in revolt. Anxious about Guanzhong, the emperor summoned him to the Changchun Hall and made him Right Remonstrance Grandee, an academician of the Hall of Assembled Worthies, and military commissioner of Yongxing. The city teemed with lawless youths, and Di had the worst of them arrested and sent under guard to the capital. He was moved to head transport in Shaanxi, then recalled to the capital as a Hanlin Academician.
4
嘗歸沐，忽傳詔對內東門，出三司使馬元方所上歲出入材用數以示迪。 時頻歲蝗旱，問何以濟，迪請發內藏庫以佐國用，則賦斂寬，民不勞矣。 帝曰：「朕欲用李士衡代元方，俟其至，當出金帛數百萬借三司。」 迪曰：「天子於財無內外，願下詔賜三司，以示恩德，何必曰借。」 帝悅。 又言：「陛下東封時，敕所過毋伐木除道，即驛舍或州治為行宮，裁令加塗塈而已。 及幸汾、亳，土木之役，過往時幾百倍。 今蝗旱之災，殆天意所以儆陛下也。」 帝深然之。
Once, while home on leave, he was abruptly summoned to the Inner Eastern Gate, where the emperor showed him the annual revenue and expenditure report that Ma Yuanfang of the Three Bureaus had submitted. After years of locusts and drought the emperor asked how to ease the crisis. Di urged drawing on the inner treasury to shore up state finances so that taxes could be lightened and the people spared further hardship. The emperor said, "I plan to replace Yuanfang with Li Shiheng. When he arrives I will release several million in gold and silk to lend the Three Bureaus." Di replied, "The sovereign's wealth knows no inner or outer court. Grant the funds by edict as a mark of grace—why call it a loan?" The emperor was pleased. He went on, "On the eastern Fengshan tour Your Majesty forbade felling trees or clearing roads along the route; post stations and prefectural seats served as temporary palaces with no more than a coat of whitewash. Yet on the tours to Fen and Bo, construction costs ran nearly a hundred times higher. Surely the locusts and drought are Heaven's warning to Your Majesty." The emperor was deeply persuaded.
5
他日，又召對龍圖閣，命迪草詔，徐謂迪曰：「曹瑋在秦州，屢請益兵，未及遣，遽辭州事，第怯耳。 誰可代瑋者？」 迪對曰：「瑋知唃廝囉欲入寇，且窺關中，故請益兵為備，非怯也。 且瑋有謀略，諸將皆非其比，何可代？ 陛下重發兵，豈非將上玉皇聖號，惡兵出宜秋門邪？ 今關右兵多，可分兵赴瑋。」 帝因問關右兵幾何，對曰：「臣向在陝西，以方寸小冊書兵糧數備調發，今猶置佩囊中。」 帝令自探取，目黃門取紙筆，具疏某處當留兵若干，餘悉赴塞下。 帝顧曰：「真所謂頗、牧在禁中矣。」 未久，唃廝囉果犯邊。 秦州方出兵，復召迪問曰：「瑋此舉勝乎？」 對曰：「必勝。」 居數日，奏至，瑋與敵戰三都谷，果大勝。 帝曰：「卿何以知瑋必勝？」 迪曰：「唃廝囉兵遠來，使諜者聲言以某日下秦州會食，以激怒瑋。 瑋勒兵不動，坐待敵至，是以逸待勞也。 臣用此知其勝。」 帝益重之，自是欲大用矣。
On another day Di was summoned to the Dragon Diagram Hall to draft an edict. The emperor said slowly, "Cao Wei at Qinzhou has repeatedly asked for reinforcements. Before any could be sent he abruptly resigned his post—he is simply afraid. Who can replace him?" Di answered, "Wei knows Gusiluo means to raid and is eyeing Guanzhong, so he sought more troops as a precaution—that is not cowardice. Besides, none of the generals match his strategic gifts—who could replace him? If Your Majesty is reluctant to dispatch more troops, is it not because you are about to assume the Jade Emperor's sacred title and wish to avoid armies marching out the Yiqiu Gate? There are ample troops in the west—detach a portion for Wei." The emperor asked how many troops stood in the west. Di said, "When I served in Shaanxi I kept troop and grain tallies in a pocket notebook for ready reference, and I still carry it." The emperor bade him produce it, had attendants bring paper and brush, and Di listed how many men to leave at each post and sent the rest to the frontier. The emperor exclaimed, "Truly we have our Lian Po and Li Mu right here in the palace." Before long Gusiluo did raid the frontier. Just as Qinzhou's troops marched out, Di was summoned again. "Will Wei prevail?" the emperor asked." He will win," Di replied. Within days the report came: Wei had routed the enemy at Sandu Valley. The emperor asked, "How did you know he would win?" Di said, "Gusiluo's men had marched far. His spies spread word that on a set day they would descend on Qinzhou to feast, hoping to goad Wei into rash action. Wei held his army still and waited for them to come—meeting their fatigue with his rested troops. That is how I knew he would prevail." The emperor esteemed him still more and from then on meant to give him major responsibilities.
6
初，上將立章獻后，迪屢上疏諫，以章獻起於寒微，不可母天下。 章獻深銜之。 天禧中，拜給事中、參知政事。 周懷政之誅，帝怒甚，欲責及太子，群臣莫敢言。 迪從容奏曰：「陛下有幾子？ 乃欲為此計。」 上大寤，由是獨誅懷政等。 仁宗為皇太子，除太子太傅，迪辭以太宗時未嘗立保傅，止兼太子賓客，詔皇太子禮賓客如師傅。 加禮部侍郎。 寇準罷，帝欲相迪，迪固辭。 一日，對滋福殿，有頃，皇太子出拜曰：「陛下用賓客為宰相，敢以謝。」 帝顧謂迪曰：「尚可辭邪！」 拜吏部侍郎兼太子少傅、同中書門下平章事、景靈宮使、集賢殿大學士。
When the emperor was preparing to elevate Empress Zhangxian, Di repeatedly remonstrated, arguing that a woman of such humble birth could not be empress mother of the realm. Zhangxian never forgave him. During the Tianxi reign he was made Attendant Gentleman and Participant in Deliberations on Government Affairs. After Zhou Huaizheng's execution the emperor was furious and inclined to implicate the crown prince, but none of the ministers dared speak up. Di said calmly, "How many sons does Your Majesty have? —and yet you would contemplate such a course?" The emperor came to his senses and punished only Huaizheng and his circle. When Renzong was crown prince, Di was named Grand Preceptor but declined, noting that Taizong had never appointed guardian-tutors, and accepted only the concurrent post of Guest of the Heir Apparent. An edict directed the prince to honor his Guest as he would a tutor. He was further promoted to Vice Minister of Rites. After Kou Zhun's dismissal the emperor wished to make Di chief minister, but Di firmly refused. One day at an audience in the Zifu Hall the crown prince appeared, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty has elevated my Guest to chief minister—I thank you on his behalf." The emperor turned to Di and said, "Can you still refuse?" Di was appointed Vice Minister of Personnel, Junior Tutor of the Heir Apparent, Grand Councilor, Commissioner of the Jingling Palace, and Grand Academician of the Hall of Assembled Worthies.
7
初，真宗不豫，寇準議皇太子總軍國事，迪贊其策，丁謂以為不便，曰：「即日上體平，朝廷何以處此？」 迪曰：「太子監國，非古制邪？」 力爭不已。 於是皇太子於資善堂聽常事，他皆聽旨。 準既貶，謂寖擅權用事，至除吏不以聞。 迪憤然語同列曰：「迪起布衣至宰相，有以報國，死猶不恨，安能附權幸為自安計邪！」 自此不協。 時議二府皆進秩兼東宮官，迪以為不可。 謂又欲引林特為樞密副使，而遷迪中書侍郎兼尚書左丞。 故事，宰相無為左丞者。 既而帝御長春殿，內出制書置榻前，謂輔臣曰：「此卿等兼東宮官制書也。」 迪進曰：「東宮官屬不當增置，臣不敢受此命。 宰相丁謂罔上弄權，私林特、錢惟演而嫉寇準。 特子殺人，事寢不治，準無罪罷斥，惟演姻家使預政，曹利用、馮拯相為朋黨。 臣願與謂俱罷，付御史臺劾正。」 帝怒，留制不下，左遷迪戶部侍郎。 謂再對，傳口詔入中書復視事，出迪知鄆州。
When Zhenzong fell ill, Kou Zhun proposed putting the crown prince in charge of state and military affairs. Di backed the plan, but Ding Wei objected: "If the emperor recovers tomorrow, how will the court undo this?" Di replied, "A crown prince overseeing the realm—is that not ancient precedent?" He pressed the point relentlessly. The crown prince thereafter heard routine business in the Hall of Cultivating Goodness; everything else awaited the emperor's word. After Zhun's fall, Ding Wei gradually monopolized power, even appointing officials without informing the court. Di said angrily to his colleagues, "I rose from commoner to chief minister to serve the state. I would die without regret—how could I cling to the powerful for my own safety?" From then on they were at odds. A proposal then circulated to promote both chief councils and give them Eastern Palace posts. Di opposed it. Ding Wei also sought to install Lin Te as Vice Commissioner of Military Affairs while moving Di to Vice Director of the Secretariat with concurrent Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs. By precedent no chief minister had ever served as Left Vice Director. Soon the emperor held court at the Changchun Hall, laid out appointment documents, and told the chief ministers, "These appoint you to concurrent Eastern Palace offices." Di stepped forward. "Eastern Palace staff should not be expanded, and I dare not accept this commission. Chief Minister Ding Wei deceives the throne and abuses power, favoring Lin Te and Qian Weiyan while persecuting Kou Zhun. Te's son committed murder yet the case was buried. Zhun was banished though innocent. Weiyan, a relation by marriage, was allowed into government. Cao Liyong and Feng Zheng form a clique together. I ask to be dismissed together with Wei and handed to the Censorate for investigation." The emperor was furious, withheld the appointments, and demoted Di to Vice Minister of Revenue. Ding Wei gained another audience, had an oral edict read restoring Di to the Secretariat, then sent him out as prefect of Yanzhou.
8
仁宗即位，太后預政，貶準雷州，以迪朋黨傅會，貶衡州團練副使。 謂使人迫之，或諷謂曰：「迪若貶死，公如士論何？」 謂曰：「異日諸生記事，不過曰『天下惜之』而已。」 謂敗，起為秘書監、知舒州，歷江寧府、兗州、青州，復兵部侍郎、知河南府。 來朝京師，時太后垂簾，語迪曰：「卿向不欲吾預國事，殆過矣。 今日吾保養天子至此，卿以為何如？」 迪對曰：「臣受先帝厚恩，今日見天子明聖，臣不知皇太后盛德，乃至於此。」 太后亦喜。 以尚書左丞知河陽，遷工部尚書。 太后崩，召為資政殿學士、判尚書都省。 未幾，復拜同中書門下平章事、集賢殿大學士。
When Renzong ascended the throne the empress dowager ruled from behind the screen. Zhun was banished to Leizhou; Di was accused of factional collusion and demoted to Vice Military Training Commissioner of Hengzhou. Ding Wei sent men to hound him. Someone hinted, "If Di dies in exile, what will scholars say of you?" Ding Wei replied, "Future scholars will only write that the realm lamented him—that is all." After Ding Wei's fall Di was recalled as Director of the Secretariat and prefect of Shuzhou, later served at Jiangning, Yan, and Qing, and was again made Vice Minister of War and prefect of Henan. On a visit to the capital, with the empress dowager still behind the screen, she told Di, "You once opposed my participation in government—perhaps you went too far. Today I have raised the Son of Heaven to this point—what do you think of that?" Di answered, "I owed deep gratitude to the late emperor. Today I see a bright and sagely sovereign—I did not know the empress dowager's virtue extended so far." The empress dowager was pleased as well. As Left Vice Director he was made military commissioner of Heyang, then promoted to Minister of Works. After the empress dowager's death he was summoned as Academician of the Hall for Assisting Governance with charge of the overall Department of State Affairs. Before long he was again appointed Grand Councilor and Grand Academician of the Hall of Assembled Worthies.
9
景祐中，范諷得罪，迪坐姻黨，罷為刑部尚書，知亳州，改相州。 既而為資政殿大學士、翰林侍讀學士，留京師。 迪素惡呂夷簡，因奏夷簡私交荊王元儼，嘗為補門下僧惠清為守闕鑒義。 夷簡請辨，詔訊之，乃迪在中書所行事，夷簡以齋祠不預。 降太常卿、知密州。 復刑部尚書、知徐州。 迪奏所部鄰兗州，欲行縣因祠嶽為上祈年、禱皇子。 仁宗語輔臣曰：「大臣當為百姓訪疾苦，祈禱非迪所宜，其毋令往。」 久之，改戶部尚書、知兗州，復拜資政殿大學士。
During the Jingyou era Fan Feng fell afoul of the court. Di was implicated through marriage ties, dismissed to Minister of Justice and prefect of Bozhou, then transferred to Xiangzhou. He was then made Grand Academician of the Hall for Assisting Governance and Hanlin Attendant Reader and kept at the capital. Di had long disliked Lü Yijian and accused him of private dealings with Prince Jing Yuan Yan, including once securing an appointment for the monk Huiqing as Awaiting-Appointment Regulator of Credentials. Yijian demanded an inquiry. The investigation showed the act had been Di's own doing while in the Secretariat; Yijian had been absent for ritual fasting. He was demoted to Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and prefect of Mizhou. He was restored as Minister of Justice and prefect of Xuzhou. Di noted that his jurisdiction bordered Yanzhou and asked to tour the counties, offering prayers at the sacred mountain for a good harvest and a royal heir on the emperor's behalf. Renzong told his ministers, "Great ministers should investigate the people's hardships. Prayer rites are not Di's proper role—do not let him go." After some time he was made Minister of Revenue and prefect of Yanzhou, and again appointed Grand Academician of the Hall for Assisting Governance.
10
元昊攻延州，武事久弛，守將或為他名以避兵。 迪願守邊，詔不許，然甚壯其意。 除彰信軍節度使、知天雄軍，徙青州。 逾年，之本鎮。 請老，以太子太傅致仕，歸濮州。 後其子柬之為侍御史知雜事，奉迪來京師。 帝數遣使問勞，欲召見，以疾辭。 薨，年七十七。 贈司空、侍中，諡文定。 帝篆其墓碑曰「遺直之碑」，又改所葬鄧侯鄉曰遺直鄉。 子：柬之、肅之、承之、及之。 孫：孝壽、孝基、孝稱。
When Yuan Hao attacked Yanzhou, military readiness had long lapsed, and some frontier commanders even assumed other names to evade service. Di volunteered for frontier duty. The court refused, but the emperor greatly admired his spirit. He was made Military Commissioner of the Zhangxin Army with charge of Tianxiong, then transferred to Qingzhou. After a year he returned to his original command. He requested retirement, left office as Grand Preceptor of the Heir Apparent, and returned to Puzhou. Later his son Jianzhi, serving as Attendant Censor in charge of miscellaneous affairs, brought him to the capital. The emperor repeatedly sent envoys to inquire after him and wished to summon him, but he declined on grounds of illness. He died at the age of seventy-seven. He was posthumously honored as Minister of Works and Palace Attendant, with the posthumous name Wending. The emperor inscribed his tomb stele "Stele of the Upright Legacy" and renamed the Deng Marquis township where he was buried the Township of the Upright Legacy. His sons were Jianzhi, Suzhi, Chengzhi, and Jizhi. His grandsons were Xiaoshou, Xiaoji, and Xiaocheng.
11
子柬之
Son: Jianzhi
12
柬之，字公明，曉國朝典故。 獻文，召試，賜進士出身，為館閣校勘、宣化軍使。 境上有廢河故道，官收行者稅，謂之「乾渡錢」，奏除之。 進直集賢院、判吏部南曹、開封府推官、鹽鐵判官，歷知邢、漢、廬州、鳳翔府，京東、陝西轉運使，擢侍御史知雜事。
Jianzhi, whose style name was Gongming, was thoroughly versed in the precedents of the dynasty. After presenting his writings and passing a palace examination, he was granted jinshi status and appointed collator in the Hall of Literature and commissioner of the Xuanhua Army. An abandoned riverbed crossed his jurisdiction, and officials levied a "Dry Crossing Fee" on travelers. He memorialized to abolish the tax. He rose to drafter in the Hall of Assembled Worthies, held posts in the Ministry of Personnel, Kaifeng, and the Salt and Iron Commission, governed several prefectures, headed transport in Jingdong and Shaanxi, and was elevated to Attendant Censor in charge of miscellaneous affairs.
13
柬之自少受知於寇準，至是論準保護之功。 仁宗惻然，即賜其碑曰「旌忠」。 拜天章閣待制、河北都轉運使，加龍圖閣直學士。 建言補蔭之門太廣，遂詔裁定，自二府而下，通三歲減入仕者一千人。 知荊南、河陽、澶州，改集賢院學士，判西京留司御史臺。
Jianzhi had known Kou Zhun since youth and now spoke of Zhun's service in protecting the throne. Moved, Renzong immediately granted him a stele inscribed "Commemorating Loyalty." He was made Attendant Drafter of the Tianzhang Pavilion and Director-General of Transport for Hebei, with the additional title of Academician of the Dragon Diagram Hall. He argued that hereditary privilege had grown too broad. The court issued limits, and within three years a thousand fewer people entered office from the chief councils down. He governed Jingnan, Heyang, and Chan, became Academician of the Hall of Assembled Worthies, and took charge of the Western Capital Censorate.
14
英宗即位，富弼薦其學行，復舊職，兼侍讀。 帝勞之曰：「卿通議耆儒，方諮訪以輔不逮，豈止經術而已。」 帝頗欲肅正宮省，柬之諫曰：「陛下，長君也，立自宗藩，眾方觀望，願曲為容覆。」 賜潁王生日禮物，故事，王拜賜竟，即退。 帝諭王令留柬之食，冀其從容也。 王即位未幾，柬之請老，自工部尚書拜太子少保致仕。 舊無閣門謝辭式，特賜對延和，命之坐，仍置宴資善堂，遣使諭之曰：「以先帝梓宮在殯，朕不得為詩。」 令講讀官皆賦詩，勸勞甚渥，又敕王珪敘其事。 柬之出都門，即幅巾白衣以見客。 再遷少師。 熙寧六年，卒，年七十八。
When Yingzong ascended the throne, Fu Bi recommended his scholarship and character. He was restored to office and made Attendant Reader. The emperor told him, "You are a seasoned elder of broad counsel. I seek your advice to remedy my shortcomings—not merely for classical learning." The emperor wished to tighten discipline in the palace. Jianzhi urged, "Your Majesty is the elder sovereign, raised from a collateral house. The court is watching—please show forbearance." When birthday gifts were sent to Prince Ying, precedent required that he bow in thanks and withdraw at once. The emperor told the prince to keep Jianzhi for a meal, hoping for an unhurried conversation. Soon after the prince became emperor, Jianzhi requested retirement and left office as Junior Preceptor of the Heir Apparent, having served as Minister of Works. No Gate protocol existed for farewell audiences. He was granted a special audience in the Yanhe Hall, seated, and entertained at the Hall of Cultivating Goodness. An envoy explained, "With the late emperor's coffin still in mourning, I cannot compose a poem myself." He had the lecture officials compose poems instead. The honors were lavish, and he ordered Wang Gui to record the occasion. Beyond the capital gate he received guests in plain headcloth and white robes. He was again promoted to Junior Preceptor. He died in the sixth year of Xining at the age of seventy-eight.
15
有李受者，字益之，長沙之瀏陽人也。 仕於治平中，至右諫議大夫、天章閣待制兼侍讀。 屢以老乞骸骨，不聽。 神宗立，進給事中、龍圖閣直學士。 復言：「臣在先帝時，年已七十，不敢竊祿以自安。 今又加數年，筋力憊矣，惟陛下哀之。」 於是拜刑部侍郎致仕，賜宴賦詩及序，如柬之禮。 相去數月，故時稱「二李」。 卒年八十，贈工部尚書。
There was also Li Shou, style name Yizhi, a native of Liuyang in Changsha. He served during the Zhiping era, rising to Right Remonstrance Grandee, Attendant Drafter of the Tianzhang Pavilion, and Attendant Reader. He repeatedly asked to retire on account of age, but the court refused. When Shenzong ascended the throne, he was promoted to Attendant Gentleman and Academician of the Dragon Diagram Hall. He said again, "Under the late emperor I was already seventy and dared not cling to salary for comfort. Now several more years have passed and my strength is gone—may Your Majesty show pity." He was then made Vice Minister of Justice and retired with the same banquet, poems, and preface granted to Jianzhi. Their retirements were only months apart, so contemporaries called them "the Two Lis." He died at eighty and was posthumously honored as Minister of Works.
16
弟子肅之
Nephew: Suzhi
17
肅之，字公儀，迪弟子也。 以迪蔭，監大名府軍資庫。 大河溢，府檄修冠氏堤，工就弗擾，民悅之，請為宰。 邑多盜，時出害人。 肅之令比戶置鼓，有盜，輒擊鼓，遠近皆應，盜為之衰止。 為御河催綱。 橫隴之決，使者檄護金堤，滿歲無河患。
Suzhi, whose style name was Gongyi, was Di's nephew. Through Di's hereditary privilege he supervised the military supply depot of Daming Prefecture. When the Yellow River overflowed, the prefecture ordered repairs to the Guanshi dike. He finished the work without troubling the people, who were so pleased they asked that he be made magistrate. The district had many bandits who preyed on the people. Suzhi ordered every household to keep a drum. At the first sign of bandits, drums sounded and neighbors responded from near and far, and banditry dwindled away. He served as transport escort commissioner on the Imperial Canal. When the Henglong breach opened, he was ordered to guard the Golden Dike and kept the river in check for a full year.
18
通判澶州。 契丹泛使將過郡，而樓堞壞圮，肅之謂郡守曰：「吾州為景德破敵之地，當示雄疆，今保障若是，且奈何？」 遂鳩工構城屋，凡千區。 已而中貴人銜命來視，規置一新，驚賞嗟異，聞之朝。 擢知德州，提點開封府界內縣鎮，夔路、湖南刑獄。 儂蠻暴嶺外，肅之親捍諸境，會蔣偕失利，亟率兵往躡於臨賀，賊引去。 狄青、孫沔交薦之，徙湖北轉運使。 辰陽彭仕羲叛，討平之，猶以過左遷，知齊州。 改江東、兩浙、河北轉運使，進度支副使、江淮發運使。
He served as vice-prefect of Chanzhou. Khitan envoys were about to pass through, but the walls were in ruins. Suzhi told the prefect, "This is where Jingde defeated the Khitan—we must show strength. With our defenses like this, what will they think?" He gathered workers and rebuilt a thousand sections of wall and towers. When a palace eunuch came to inspect, he found everything restored and reported his amazement to court. He was promoted to prefect of Dezhou, made intendant of Kaifeng's subordinate counties and towns, and put in charge of criminal cases in Kuizhou and Hunan. When the Nong tribes rose beyond the ranges, Suzhi defended the borders in person. After Jiang Xie's defeat he swiftly pursued the rebels to Linhe and drove them off. Di Qing and Sun Mian jointly recommended him, and he was made transport commissioner of Hubei. He suppressed Peng Shiyi's rebellion in Chenyang but was still demoted for faults and made prefect of Qizhou. He served as transport commissioner in Jiangdong, the two Zhe circuits, and Hebei, then became Vice Commissioner of the Department of State Finance and dispatch commissioner for the Jiang-Huai region.
19
肅之內行修飭，母喪，廬墓三年，不入城郭。 季弟承之，生而孤，鞠育誨道，至於成人，遂相繼為侍從。 帝稱其一門忠孝云。
Suzhi was disciplined in private life. After his mother's death he mourned at her tomb for three years without entering any town. His younger brother Chengzhi was orphaned at birth; he raised and taught him to adulthood, and both eventually served at court. The emperor praised their household for loyalty and filial piety.
20
弟子承之
Nephew: Chengzhi
21
承之，字奉世，性嚴重，有忠節。 從兄柬之將仕以官，辭不受，而中進士第，調明州司法參軍。 郡守任情骫法，人莫敢忤，承之獨毅然力爭之。 守怒曰：「曹掾敢如是邪？」 承之曰：「事始至，公自為之則已，既下有司，則當循三尺之法矣。」 守憚其言。
Chengzhi, whose style name was Fengshi, was grave in character and known for loyalty and integrity. His cousin Jianzhi offered him an official post, but he declined, passed the jinshi examination, and was appointed judicial aide in Mingzhou. The prefect bent the law at will, and no one dared oppose him—only Chengzhi stood firm and argued back. The prefect snapped, "How dare a judicial aide behave like this?" Chengzhi replied, "If Your Excellency handles a matter yourself, that is one thing. Once it is referred to the courts, the law must be followed." The prefect was silenced.
22
嘗建免役議，王安石見而稱之。 熙寧初，以為條例司檢詳文字，得召見。 神宗語執政曰：「承之言制置司事甚詳，非他人所及也。」 改京官。 他日，謂之曰：「朕即位以來，不輕與人改秩，今以命汝，異恩也。」
He once drafted a proposal on corvée exemption, which Wang Anshi praised. Early in the Xining reforms he was made textual reviewer in the Regulations Office and summoned to audience. Shenzong told the chief ministers, "Chengzhi's grasp of fiscal affairs is unrivaled." He was promoted to capital official rank. Another day the emperor told him, "Since my accession I have rarely changed anyone's rank. This is a special honor."
23
檢正中書刑房，察訪淮浙常平、農田水利、差役事，還奏《役書》二十篇，加集賢校理。 又察訪陝西，時郡縣昧於奉法，斂羨餘過制。 承之曰：「是豈朝廷意邪？」 悉裁正其數。 遷集賢殿修撰，擢寶文閣待制，為同群牧使，糾察在京刑獄兼樞密都承旨，出知延州，入權三司使。
He rectified the Secretariat's Criminal Section, investigated ever-normal granaries, waterworks, and corvée service in Huai and Zhe, submitted twenty chapters of the Corvée Book, and was made Collator in the Hall of Assembled Worthies. He also investigated Shaanxi, where prefectures and counties were collecting surpluses beyond what the law allowed. Chengzhi asked, "Is this what the court intends?" He corrected all the figures. He became Compiler in the Hall of Assembled Worthies, Attendant Drafter of the Baowen Pavilion, Associate Commissioner of the Pasturage Office, and investigator of capital criminal cases while also serving as Chief Secretariat Receiver of the Bureau of Military Affairs. He governed Yanzhou, then returned as acting Commissioner of the Three Bureaus.
24
蔡確治相州獄，多引朝士，皆望風自折服。 承之為帝言其險詖之狀，帝意始悟，趣使詰竟。 遷龍圖閣直學士，懇辭，乞授兄肅之，曰：「臣少鞠於兄，且兄為待制十年矣。」 帝曰：「卿兄弟孝友，足厲風俗。 肅之亦當遷也。」 即並命焉。
Cai Que handled the Xiangzhou case and implicated many court officials, who all submitted to his power. Chengzhi described Cai's treacherous methods to the emperor, who came to his senses and ordered the case pursued to its conclusion. He was made Academician of the Dragon Diagram Hall but earnestly declined, asking that the post go to his elder brother Suzhi: "I was raised by my brother from childhood, and he has been an attendant drafter for ten years." The emperor said, "Your brotherly devotion is an example to the realm. Suzhi should be promoted as well." Both were promoted at once.
25
商人犯禁貨北珠，乃為公主售，三司久不敢決。 承之曰：「朝廷法令，畏王姬乎？」 亟索之。 帝聞之曰：「有司當如此矣。」 進樞密直學士。 坐補吏不當，降待制、知汝州。 未幾，為陝西都轉運使，召拜給事中、吏部侍郎、戶部尚書，復以樞密直學士知青州。 歷應天府、河陽、陳、鄆、揚州而卒。
A merchant violated the ban on northern pearls by selling them for a princess, and the Three Bureaus long dared not decide the case. Chengzhi said, "Should the law fear an imperial princess?" He ordered the goods seized at once. When the emperor heard of it he said, "This is how officials ought to act." He was promoted to Academician of the Bureau of Military Affairs. After improper clerk appointments he was demoted to attendant drafter and made prefect of Ruzhou. Soon he headed transport in Shaanxi, was recalled as Attendant Gentleman, Vice Minister of Personnel, and Minister of Revenue, and again made Academician of the Bureau of Military Affairs and prefect of Qingzhou. He served at Yingtian, Heyang, Chen, Yan, and Yang prefectures and then died.
26
弟子及之
Nephew: Jizhi
27
及之，字公達，亦迪弟之子。 由蔭登第，通判安肅軍。 康定中，夏人犯邊，契丹復發兵並塞，疆候戒嚴。 及之言：「契丹以與夏人甥舅之故，特此慰其心，且姑張虛勢以疑我，必不失誓好，願毋過虞。」 已而果然。
Jizhi, whose style name was Gongda, was likewise a son of Di's younger brother. Through hereditary privilege he entered office and served as vice-commissioner of the Ansu Army. During the Kangding era the Tangut raided the frontier and the Khitan again massed troops along the border, putting the frontier on alert. Jizhi said, "The Khitan are bound to the Tangut by marriage ties and are merely showing support while feigning strength to unsettle us. They will not break the alliance—please do not overreact." Events soon proved him right.
28
徙通判河南府。 亡卒張海倚山嘯聚，白晝掠城市。 及之督捕，單騎與海語，諭使歸命，當奏貸其死。 海感動弛備，奏方上，而眾兵集，悉獲之。 知信州，靈鷲山浮屠，犯法者眾，及之治其奸，流數十人，乃自劾。 朝廷嘉之，釋不問。 入判刑部。 嘗撰次唐史有益治體者，為《君臣龜鑑》八十卷。 王堯臣上其書，並表其學行，韓琦亦以館職薦之。 召試，除直秘閣，歷開封府判官、知涇、晉、陝三州。
He was transferred as vice-prefect of Henan Prefecture. The deserter Zhang Hai gathered a band in the hills and raided cities in broad daylight. Jizhi led the pursuit, rode alone to parley with Hai, and promised to seek clemency if he surrendered. Moved, Hai let down his guard. Before the memorial reached court, troops converged and captured the entire band. As prefect of Xinzhou he cracked down on lawless monks at Mount Lingjiu, banishing dozens, then impeached himself. The court praised him and took no action against him. He entered the capital to judge cases in the Ministry of Justice. He compiled passages from Tang history useful to governance into the eighty-chapter Mirror for Ruler and Minister. Wang Yaochan presented the book and praised his scholarship; Han Qi also recommended him for a post in the Hall of Literature. Summoned for examination, he was appointed to the Direct Secretariat Pavilion and served as judge of Kaifeng and prefect of Jing, Jin, and Shan.
29
及之吏事精明，所居官皆稱職。 以太中大夫致仕，再轉正議大夫。 卒，年八十五。 柬之子孝基，及之子孝壽、孝稱。
Jizhi was sharp in administrative affairs and fulfilled every post competently. He retired with the rank of Grandee of Palace Administration and was later promoted to Right Grandee of Discussion. He died at the age of eighty-five. Jianzhi's son was Xiaoji; Jizhi's sons were Xiaoshou and Xiaocheng.
30
孫孝基
Grandson Xiaoji
31
孝基，字伯始。 進士高第，唱名至墀下，仁宗顧侍臣曰：「此李迪孫邪？ 能世其家，可尚也。」 晏殊、富弼薦其材任館閣，欲一見之。 孝基曰：「名器可私謁邪？」 竟不往。
Xiaoji, style name Boshi. He ranked at the top of the jinshi examination and was called by name before the hall steps. Emperor Renzong turned to his ministers and said, "Is this Li Di's grandson? He can carry on the family tradition—worthy of esteem." Yan Shu and Fu Bi recommended his talents for a post in the Hall of Literature and wished to meet him. Xiaoji said, "Can rank and office be sought through private visits? In the end he did not go.
32
知汝陰、雍丘縣，通判閬州、舒州，知隨州。 所治雖劇，然事來亟斷，不為證左回枉，甫日中，庭已空矣。 或問其術，曰：「無他，省事耳。」 閬中江水齧城幾沒，郡吏多引避，孝基率其下決水歸旁谷，城賴以全。 舒吏受賂鬻獄，以殺人罪加平民，孝基劾治三日，得其情，乃抵吏罪。 以親須養，求監崇福宮，判西京國子監。 凡就閑十年，累官光祿卿，與父柬之同謝事，才年五十，士大夫美之，以比二疏。
He served as magistrate of Ruyin and Yongqiu counties, vice-prefect of Lang and Shu, and prefect of Sui. Though his jurisdictions were demanding, he decided cases quickly without letting evidence be twisted; by mid-morning his courtroom was empty. When asked his secret, he said, "Nothing else—just cutting red tape." In Lang, the river nearly eroded the city wall away. Most officials fled, but Xiaoji led his men to divert the water into side channels and saved the city. A Shu official took bribes and framed a commoner for murder. Xiaoji investigated for three days, uncovered the truth, and punished the official. To care for his parents, he sought a post supervising Chongfu Palace and served as vice-director of the Western Capital Directorate of Education. He spent ten years in honorary posts, rose to Grandee of Splendid Happiness, and retired with his father Jianzhi at only fifty—scholar-officials praised them, comparing them to the Two Shus.
33
孝基為人沖澹，善養生，平居輕安。 弟孝稱進對，帝問起居狀，歎曰：「度越常人遠矣。」 後十一年，無疾卒。
Xiaoji was unassuming and skilled at nurturing health; in daily life he lived lightly and at ease. His younger brother Xiaocheng entered audience. The emperor asked after Xiaoji's health and sighed, "He far surpasses ordinary men." Eleven years later he died without illness.
34
孫孝壽
Grandson Xiaoshou
35
前此，閭里亡賴子，自斷截臂腕，託廢疾淩良民，無所憚畏。 孝壽悉搜出之，部付旁郡，一切治理。 加直學士，出知興仁、開德府。 京起蘇州章綖獄，還孝壽開封，使往即訊。 至蘇州，窮治鑄錢，逮繫逾千數，方冬慘掠囚，墮指脫足不可計，死則投於垣外。 日夜鍛煉，疑未就，京猶嫌其緩，召使還。 其後，綖兄弟竟用此黥竄。 又知虢、兗二州。 坐守興仁日與巡檢戲射狂人張立死，除名。 居無何，起知蘇州。
Previously, local ruffians mutilated their own limbs, feigned disability to bully upright citizens, and feared no one. Xiaoshou rooted them all out, sent them to neighboring prefectures, and cleaned up the problem entirely. Made Academician Expositor, he served as prefect of Xingren and Kaide. Cai Jing launched the Zhang Yan case in Suzhou and recalled Xiaoshou from Kaifeng to investigate at once. In Suzhou he ruthlessly prosecuted counterfeiting, arresting more than a thousand. In the harsh winter prisoners were tortured mercilessly; countless lost fingers and toes to frostbite, and the dead were cast outside the walls. He tortured prisoners day and night for confessions, but Cai Jing still found him too slow and recalled him. The Yan brothers were ultimately tattooed and banished on the basis of this case. He also served as prefect of Guo and Yan. While prefect of Xingren he spent his days target-shooting with an inspector; when a madman named Zhang Li was killed, Xiaoshou was stripped of office. Before long he was restored and made prefect of Suzhou.
36
政和初，拜刑部侍郎，復改開封尹。 奉宸庫吏呂壽盜金，繫獄而逃。 孝壽盡執守兵，論為故縱，非任事之吏與不上直者，亦以不即追掩繩之。 凡配隸四十人，陰賂杖者使加重，六七人才出關而死。 帝聞之，命悉還餘人。 於是諫議大夫毛注論其殘忍苛虐，乞加譴，不聽。 孝壽猶以獄空上表賀。
At the start of the Zhenghe era he was appointed Vice Minister of Justice and again made Prefect of Kaifeng. Lu Shou, a clerk of the Imperial Attendant Storehouse, stole gold, was imprisoned, and escaped. Xiaoshou arrested every guard, charging deliberate negligence; even officials off duty and guards not on watch were punished for failing to pursue the fugitive immediately. Forty were sentenced to penal servitude; bribes secretly ensured heavier beatings, and six or seven died just after leaving the city. On hearing this, the emperor ordered the rest returned. Remonstrance Official Mao Zhu denounced his cruelty and sought punishment, but the emperor ignored the request. Xiaoshou still submitted a congratulatory memorial celebrating empty prisons.
37
孝壽雖亡狀，亦時有可觀。 有舉子為僕所淩，忿甚，具牒欲送府，同舍生勸解，久乃釋。 戲取牒效孝壽花書判云：「不勘案，決杖二十。」 僕明日持詣府，告其主仿尹書判私用刑。 孝壽即追至，備言本末，孝壽幡然曰：「所判正合我意。」 如數與僕杖，而謝舉子。 時都下數千人，無一僕敢肆者，時以此稱之。 明年，以疾，罷為龍圖閣學士、提舉醴泉觀。 卒，贈正奉大夫。
Though Xiaoshou was often disgraceful, at times he showed something commendable. An examination candidate was bullied by his servant and prepared a petition to the prefectural office in fury; fellow lodgers persuaded him to relent only after a long while. In jest he took the petition and forged Xiaoshou's florid signature with a judgment: "Without examining the case—twenty strokes of the rod." The next day the servant brought it to the prefectural office, accusing his master of forging the prefect's judgment and privately inflicting punishment. Xiaoshou had him summoned at once. After hearing the full story, Xiaoshou declared, "The judgment exactly matches my intent." He gave the servant the full number of strokes and apologized to the candidate. At the time, among thousands in the capital not a single servant dared act outrageously, and people praised him for it. The next year, citing illness, he was dismissed and made Academician of the Dragon Diagram Hall with charge of Liquan Abbey. He died and was posthumously given the rank of Right Grandee of Submission.
38
孫孝稱
Grandson Xiaocheng
39
孝稱，字彥聞，以蔭登朝。 值郊恩得封父，及之已官通議大夫，有司限以格，孝稱言，恐非朝廷所以推恩優老之意，詔特許之，遂為著令。
Xiaocheng, style name Yanwen, entered court through hereditary privilege. During a suburban sacrifice amnesty that permitted ennobling one's father, Jizhi already held the rank of Grandee of Discussion. Officials blocked it on regulatory grounds, but Xiaocheng argued this thwarted the court's intent to honor the aged. The emperor granted an exception, and it became permanent law.
40
崇寧中，提舉湖北、京西常平，提點京西南路刑獄。 蔡京之姻宋喬年為京畿轉運使，有囚逸，捕得之。 孝稱上其功，喬年受賞，而孝稱用是得工部員外郎。 不閱月，遷大理少卿。 連奏獄空，進為卿，且數增秩，擢工部、戶部二侍郎，為開封尹。
During the Chongning era he oversaw the Hubei and Jingxi Ever-Normal Granaries and served as intendant of criminal cases on the Southwest Jing Circuit. Song Qiaonian, Cai Jing's relation by marriage and transport commissioner of the Capital Region, recaptured an escaped prisoner. Xiaocheng reported the achievement; Qiaonian was rewarded, and Xiaocheng thereby obtained the post of Outer Section Member of the Ministry of Works. In less than a month he was transferred to Vice Director of the Court of Judicial Review. He repeatedly reported empty prisons, rose to director, received several rank increases, was elevated to Vice Minister of Works and Vice Minister of Revenue, and made Prefect of Kaifeng.
41
陳瓘之子正彙在杭州上書，告京不利社稷。 郡守蔡薿執送京師，並逮瓘詣獄，孝稱脅使證其子，瓘不可。 暨獄上，竟竄正彙海島。 京愈德之，進刑部尚書，而以其兄孝壽代為尹。 孝稱請班兄下，不許。 避親嫌，徙工部。 卒，贈光祿大夫。
Chen Guan's son Zhenghui submitted a memorial from Hangzhou accusing Cai Jing of harming the state. Prefect Cai Ni arrested Zhenghui and sent him to the capital; Chen Guan was also seized and imprisoned. Xiaocheng coerced Chen Guan to testify against his son, but he refused. When the case was finalized, Zhenghui was banished to an island at sea. Cai Jing was all the more grateful and promoted him to Minister of Justice, appointing his elder brother Xiaoshou to replace him as prefect. Xiaocheng asked to rank below his elder brother but was refused. To avoid conflict of interest with a relative, he was transferred to the Ministry of Works. He died and was posthumously given the rank of Grandee of Splendid Happiness.
42
王曾，字孝先，青州益都人。 少孤，鞠於仲父宗元，從學於里人張震，善為文辭。 咸平中，由鄉貢試禮部、廷對皆第一。 楊億見其賦，歎曰：「王佐器也。」 以將作監丞通判濟州。 代還，當召試學士院，宰相寇準奇之，特試政事堂，授秘書省著作郎、直史館、三司戶部判官。
Wang Zeng, style name Xiaoxian, was a native of Yidu in Qingzhou. Orphaned young, he was raised by his uncle Zongyuan and studied under the local scholar Zhang Zhen, excelling in literary composition. During the Xianping era he ranked first in both the Ministry of Rites examination and the palace audience after passing the provincial tribute. Yang Yi read his rhapsody and sighed, "Material for a king's minister." He was appointed Vice Director of the Directorate of Palace Buildings and vice-prefect of Ji. When his term ended, he was to be examined at the Academy of Letters. Chief Councillor Kou Zhun was impressed and had him examined in the Council Chamber, appointing him Compiler in the Secretariat, Keeper of the Historiography Institute, and Section Chief of the Three Bureaus Ministry of Revenue.
43
景德初，始通和契丹，歲遣使致書稱南朝，以契丹為北朝。 曾曰：「從其國號足矣。」 業已遣使，弗果易。 遷右正言、知制誥兼史館修撰。 時瑞應遝至，曾嘗入對，帝語及之，曾奏曰：「此誠國家承平所致，然願推而弗居，異日或有災沴，則免輿議。」 及帝既受符命，大建玉清昭應宮，下莫敢言者，曾陳五害以諫。 舊用郎中官判大理寺，帝欲重之，特命曾。 且謂曾曰：「獄，重典也，今以屈卿。」 曾頓首謝。 仍賜錢三十萬，因請自辟僚屬，著為令。 遷翰林學士。 帝嘗晚坐承明殿，召對久之，既退，使內侍諭曰：「向思卿甚，故不及朝服見卿，卿勿以我為慢也。」 其見尊禮如此。
When peace was first established with the Khitan in the Jingde era, annual envoys addressed letters calling the Song the Southern Court and the Khitan the Northern Court. Zeng said, "It is enough to use their state name." Envoys had already been dispatched, and the wording was not changed. He was promoted to Right Remonstrance Official, Drafter of Imperial Edicts, and concurrently Compiler of the Historiography Institute. As auspicious omens multiplied, Zeng once addressed the emperor, who spoke of them. Zeng said, "This reflects the nation's peace, yet I hope Your Majesty will accept the blessing without claiming credit—if disaster comes later, you will avoid public blame." After the emperor received the Heavenly mandate and undertook the grand construction of the Jade Pure Temple of Corresponding Response, none dared object. Zeng listed five harms in remonstrance. The Court of Judicial Review had formerly been overseen by a Langzhong official; the emperor wished to elevate the post and specially appointed Zeng. He also said to Zeng, "Prisons are a weighty institution—today I must demean you." Zeng bowed his head in thanks. He was also granted three hundred thousand cash and received permission to appoint his own staff—a rule thereafter written into law. He was promoted to Hanlin Academician. One evening the emperor sat late in Chengmeng Hall and held a long audience with Zeng. After Zeng withdrew, a palace attendant conveyed the emperor's words: "I had you much in mind and did not wait to don court robes—please do not think me discourteous." Such was the honor and courtesy shown him.
44
知審刑院。 舊違制無故失，率坐徒二年，曾請須親被旨乃坐。 既而有犯者，曾乃以失論。 帝曰：「如卿言，是無復有違制者。」 曾曰：「天下至廣，豈人人盡曉制書，如陛下言，亦無復有失者。」 帝悟，卒從曾議。 再遷尚書主客郎中。 知審官院、通進銀臺司，勾當三班院，遂以右諫議大夫參知政事。
He served as director of the Office of Criminal Review. Formerly, violating regulations without explicit authorization was uniformly punished by two years of penal servitude. Zeng argued punishment should apply only when one had personally received an imperial order. When a violation occurred, Zeng classified it as negligent error rather than deliberate breach. The emperor said, "By your reasoning, there would never again be violators of regulations." Zeng said, "The realm is vast—can every man fully understand the regulations? By Your Majesty's reasoning, there would also never again be offenders through error." The emperor understood and in the end adopted Zeng's proposal. He was again promoted to Langzhong of the Ministry of Rites Guest Section. He directed the Office of Merit Evaluation, the Memorial Clearance and Silver Terrace Office, and the Office of the Three Ranks, then became Right Remonstrance Grandee and Vice Grand Councillor.
45
時宮觀皆以輔臣為使。 王欽若方挾符瑞，傅會帝意，又陰欲排異己者，曾當使會靈，因以推欽若，帝始疑曾自異。 及欽若相，會曾市賀皇后家舊第，其家未徙去，而曾令人舁土置門外，賀氏訴禁中。 明日，帝以語欽若，乃罷曾為尚書禮部侍郎、判都省，出知應天府。 天禧中，民間訛言有妖起若飛帽，夜搏人，自京師以南，人皆恐。 曾令夜開里門，敢倡言者即捕之，卒無妖。 徙天雄軍，復參知政事，遷吏部侍郎兼太子賓客。
At the time palace abbeys were all headed by chief ministers as commissioners. Wang Qinruo was exploiting portents to flatter the emperor and secretly sought to purge rivals. Zeng was due to head the Abbey of Congregated Spirits but yielded the post to Qinruo; the emperor began to suspect Zeng of dissent. When Qinruo became chief councillor, Zeng bought Empress He's former residence while her family still occupied it and had earth piled at their gate. The He family complained to the palace. The next day the emperor told Qinruo; Zeng was removed as Vice Minister of Rites and director of the Department of State Affairs and sent out as prefect of Yingtian. During the Tianxi era rumor spread of a demon like a flying cap that seized people at night; from the capital southward the populace was terrified. Zeng ordered neighborhood gates kept open at night and had rumor-mongers arrested; in the end no demon appeared. He was transferred to Tianxiong Army, again became Vice Grand Councillor, and was promoted to Vice Minister of Personnel and Mentor to the Heir Apparent.
46
真宗不豫，皇后居中預政，太子雖聽事資善堂，然事皆決於后，中外以為憂。 錢惟演，后戚也，曾密語惟演曰：「太子幼，非宮中不能立。 加恩太子，則太子安； 太子安，所以安劉氏也。」 惟演以為然，因以白后。 帝崩，曾奉命入殿廬草遺詔：「以明肅皇后輔立皇太子，權聽斷軍國大事。」 丁謂入，去「權」字。 曾曰：「皇帝沖年，太后臨朝，斯已國家否運。 稱『權』，猶足示後。 且增減制書有法，表則之地，先欲亂之邪？」 遂不敢去。 仁宗立，遷禮部尚書。 群臣議太后臨朝儀，曾請如東漢故事，太后坐帝右，垂簾奏事，丁謂獨欲帝朔望見群臣，大事則太后召對輔臣決之，非大事，令入內押班雷允恭傳奏禁中，畫可以下。 曾曰：「兩宮異處，而柄歸宦官，禍端兆矣。」 謂不聽。 既而允恭坐誅，謂亦得罪。 自是兩宮垂簾，輔臣奏事如曾議。
When Emperor Zhenzong fell ill, the empress effectively governed from within the palace. Though the crown prince held audiences at the Hall of Cultivating Virtue, the empress decided all affairs—a source of worry throughout the court. Qian Weiyan was a relative of the empress. Zeng secretly told Weiyan, "The crown prince is young; without the palace he cannot be established. If favors are granted the crown prince, the crown prince will be secure; if the crown prince is secure, the Liu family will be secure as well." Weiyan agreed and reported it to the empress. When the emperor died, Zeng was ordered into the mourning hall to draft the final edict: "Let Empress Mingsu assist in establishing the crown prince and provisionally decide the great affairs of state and military." Ding Wei entered and struck the word "provisionally." Zeng said, "The emperor is still a child and the empress dowager already holds court—surely this is the realm's ill fortune. Retaining the word "provisionally" would still be enough to instruct posterity. Moreover, altering imperial edicts is governed by law—this is the very place that sets the standard; do you wish to throw protocol into disorder?" Ding Wei then did not dare remove it. When Emperor Renzong ascended, Zeng was made Minister of Rites. When officials debated regency protocol, Zeng urged following Eastern Han precedent: the empress dowager would sit to the emperor's right behind a screen to hear affairs. Ding Wei alone wanted the emperor to receive officials on the first and fifteenth of each month; major matters would be decided when the empress dowager summoned chief ministers, while lesser affairs would be relayed within the palace by Lei Yonggong, Inner Attendant Ban Officer, with minor matters handled at lower levels. Zeng said, "With the two palaces apart and power in eunuch hands, disaster is already foreshadowed." Ding Wei would not heed him. Before long Yonggong was executed for his crimes, and Ding Wei was punished as well. Thereafter both palaces heard affairs from behind the screen, with chief ministers reporting as Zeng had urged.
47
謂初敗，任中正言：「謂被先帝顧託，雖有罪，請如律議功。」 曾曰：「謂以不忠得罪宗廟，尚何議邪！」 時真宗初崩，內外洶洶，曾正色獨立，朝廷倚以為重。 拜中書侍郎兼本官、同中書門下平章事、集賢殿大學士、會靈觀使。 王欽若卒，曾以門下侍郎兼戶部尚書為昭文館大學士、監修國史、玉清昭應宮使。 曾以帝初即位，宜近師儒，即召孫奭、馮元勸講崇政殿。 天聖四年夏，大雨，傳言汴口決，水且大至，都人恐，欲東奔。 帝問曾，曾曰：「河決奏未至，第民間妖言爾，不足慮也。」 已而果然。 陝西轉過使置醋務，以榷其利，且請推其法天下，曾請罷之。
When Ding Wei first fell, Ren Zhongzheng said, "He received the late emperor's trust; though guilty, please weigh his merits according to law." Zeng said, "Ding Wei offended the imperial ancestors through disloyalty—what merits remain to discuss!" When Emperor Zhenzong had just died and the court was in turmoil, Zeng alone stood firm; the court leaned heavily on him. He was appointed Vice Minister of the Secretariat while retaining his current rank, Grand Councillor, Grand Academician of the Hall for Assembling Worthies, and Commissioner of the Abbey of Congregated Spirits. When Wang Qinruo died, Zeng became Grand Academician of the Hall of Glorious Literature, Supervisor of the National History, and Commissioner of the Palace of Jade Purity and Resonance with Heaven, while serving as Vice Minister of the Chancellery and Minister of Revenue. Believing the newly enthroned emperor should be close to scholar-teachers, Zeng immediately summoned Sun Shi and Feng Yuan to lecture at the Hall of Honoring Governance. In the summer of the fourth year of Tiansheng, heavy rains fueled rumors that the Bian River had breached and a great flood was coming; the people of the capital panicked and prepared to flee east. The emperor asked Zeng, who replied, "No report of a river breach has arrived—it is only rumor among the people and not worth concern." Events soon confirmed he was right. The Shaanxi transport commissioner set up a vinegar monopoly to seize its profits and sought to extend the scheme empire-wide; Zeng petitioned for its abolition.
48
曾方嚴持重，每進見，言利害事，審而中理； 多所薦拔，尤惡僥幸。 帝問曾曰：「比臣僚請對，多求進者。」 曾對曰：「惟陛下抑奔競而崇恬靜，庶幾有難進易退之人矣。」 曹利用惡曾班己上，嘗怏怏不悅，語在《利用傳》。 及利用坐事，太后大怒，曾為之解。 太后曰：「卿嘗言利用強橫，今何解也？」 曾曰：「利用素恃恩，臣故嘗以理折之。 今加以大惡，則非臣所知也。」 太后意少釋，卒從輕議。
Zeng was stern and dignified; whenever he entered audience he spoke on matters of public interest with careful, sound reasoning; he recommended and promoted many men and especially despised those who sought advancement through favor and luck. The emperor asked Zeng, "Lately when officials request audience, many are seeking promotion." Zeng replied, "If Your Majesty restrains eager rivalry and honors quiet integrity, perhaps there will be men slow to seek office and quick to retire." Cao Liyong resented that Zeng outranked him and was often displeased; the account appears in his biography. When Liyong was implicated in wrongdoing, the empress dowager was furious; Zeng pleaded on his behalf. The empress dowager said, "You once said Liyong was overbearing—why do you plead for him now?" Zeng said, "Liyong has long relied on imperial favor; I therefore sometimes rebutted him with reason. As for the grave crimes now charged against him, those were not known to me." The empress dowager's anger eased somewhat, and in the end a lighter sentence was adopted.
49
始，太后受冊，將御大安殿，曾執以為不可，及長寧節上壽，止供張便殿。 太后左右姻家稍通請謁，曾多所裁抑，太后滋不悅。 會玉清昭應宮災，乃出知青州。 以彰信軍節度使復知天雄軍，契丹使者往還，斂車徒而後過，無敢嘩者。 人樂其政，為畫像而生祠之。 改天平軍節度使、同中書門下平章事、判河南府。 景祐元年，為樞密使。 明年，拜右僕射兼門下侍郎、平章事、集賢殿大學士，封沂國公。
When the empress dowager first received her investiture and was about to hold court in the Hall of Great Peace, Zeng objected; for her Changning birthday celebration, only a side hall was prepared. Relatives of the empress dowager's attendants gradually gained access through petitions; Zeng frequently blocked them, and the empress dowager grew ever more displeased. When the Palace of Jade Purity and Resonance with Heaven burned, he was sent out as prefect of Qingzhou. As military commissioner of Zhangxin Army he again governed Tianxiong Army; when Khitan envoys passed through, they quieted their carriages and followers before proceeding—none dared cause a disturbance. The people rejoiced in his governance and painted his portrait, worshipping him while he still lived. He was transferred to military commissioner of Tianping Army, Grand Councillor, and administrator of Henan Prefecture. In the first year of Jingyou, he became Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs. The next year he was appointed Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs and Vice Minister of the Chancellery, Grand Councillor, Grand Academician of the Hall for Assembling Worthies, and enfeoffed as Duke of Yi.
50
曾資質端厚，眉目如畫。 在朝廷，進止皆有常處，平居寡言笑，人莫敢干以私。 少與楊億同在侍從，億喜談謔，凡僚友無不狎侮。 至與曾言，則曰：「余不敢以戲也。」 平生自奉甚儉，有故人子孫京來告別，曾留之具饌，食後，合中送數軸簡紙，啟視之，皆它人書簡後裁取者也。 皇祐中，仁宗為篆其碑曰「旌賢之碑」，後又改其鄉曰旌賢鄉。 大臣賜碑篆自曾始。 仁宗既祔廟，詔擇將相配享，以曾為第一。 曾無子，養子曰縡。 又以弟子融之子繹為後，尚書兵部郎中、秘閣校理致仕，卒。
Zeng was upright and solid in character, with brows and eyes fine as a painting. At court his movements always followed fixed places; in daily life he spoke and laughed little, and no one dared approach him with private requests. In youth he served alongside Yang Yi among the emperor's attendants; Yi loved banter and familiarly mocked every colleague without exception. But when speaking with Zeng he would say, "I dare not treat it as jest." Throughout life he was very frugal. Once a friend's descendant named Jing came to bid farewell; Zeng kept him and served a meal. Afterward his clerk sent several scrolls of letter paper—all of it cut from the blank backs of other people's letters. During Huangyou, Emperor Renzong personally inscribed his stele in seal script with the words "Stele Honoring the Worthy," and later renamed his township Worthy Honor Township. The imperial bestowal of seal-script stele inscriptions upon grand ministers began with Zeng. After Emperor Renzong was enshrined in the ancestral temple, an edict selected generals and ministers for paired offerings; Zeng was ranked first. Zeng had no sons; his adopted son was named Zao. He also made his younger brother Zirong's son Yi his heir. Yi served as Langzhong in the Ministry of War and as collator in the Secret Archive, retired, and died.
51
弟子融
Younger brother: Zirong
52
子融，字熙仲。 初以曾奏，為將作監主簿。 祥符進士及第，累遷太常丞、同知禮院。 獻所為文，召試，直集賢院。 嘗論次國朝以來典禮因革，為《禮閣新編》上之。 以其書藏太常。
Zirong, whose style name was Xizhong, At first, through Zeng's memorial, he was appointed principal clerk of the Directorate of Palace Buildings. Having passed the jinshi examination in the Xiangfu era, he rose to Vice Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and Associate Director of the Ritual Institute. He presented his writings, was summoned for examination, and appointed to the Hall for Assembling Worthies. He once compiled the changes in ceremonial rites since the founding of the dynasty and presented the New Compilation of the Ritual Hall to the throne. His book was deposited in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.
53
權三司度支、鹽鐵判官。 任布請鑄大錢，行之京城。 三司使程琳集官議，子融曰：「今軍營半在城外，獨行大錢城中，可乎？」 事遂寢。 權同糾察刑獄、知河陽。 又集五代事，為《唐餘錄》六十卷以獻。 進直龍圖閣，累遷太常少卿、權判大理寺。 乃取讞獄輕重可為準者，類次以為斷例。
He served as acting Revenue and Salt and Iron Commissioner of the Three Bureaus. Ren Bu proposed casting large coins and circulating them in the capital. Three Bureaus Commissioner Cheng Lin assembled officials to discuss the proposal. Zirong said, "Half the garrisons are now outside the walls—can large coins circulate in the city alone?" The proposal was then dropped. He served as acting Co-Inspector of Criminal Cases and prefect of Heyang. He also collected events of the Five Dynasties into the sixty-chapter Records of Tang Remnants and presented it to the throne. Promoted to Direct Attendant of the Dragon Diagram Hall, he rose to Vice Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and acting chief judge of the Court of Judicial Review. He then selected criminal cases whose severity could serve as standards, classified them, and compiled them as precedents for judgment.
54
拜天章閣待制、尚書吏部郎中、知荊南。 盜張海縱掠襄、鄧，至荊門，子融閱州兵，將迎擊之，賊引去。 遷右諫議大夫、知陝州，徙河中府。 既而勾當三班院，遷給事中，以尚書工部侍郎、集賢院學士知兗州。 不赴，改刑部侍郎致仕。 英宗即位，進兵部，卒。
He was appointed Attendant Drafting in the Hall of Heavenly Manifestations, Langzhong in the Ministry of Personnel, and prefect of Jingnan. The bandit Zhang Hai raided through Xiang and Deng and reached Jingmen. Zirong reviewed prefectural troops and prepared to meet and strike him; the bandits withdrew. Promoted to Right Remonstrance Grandee and prefect of Shaanzhou, he was later transferred to Hezhong Prefecture. He then managed the Office of the Three Ranks, was promoted to Supervising Secretariat Drafter, and as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works and academician of the Hall for Assembling Worthies was appointed prefect of Yanzhou. He did not take up the post and was instead made Vice Minister of Justice and allowed to retire. When Emperor Yingzong ascended, he was promoted in the Ministry of War rank and died.
55
本名皞，字子融。 元昊反，請以字為名。 性儉嗇，街道卒除道，侵子融邸店尺寸地，至自詣開封府訴之。 然教飭子孫，嚴厲有家法。 晚學佛氏，從僧懷璉遊。
His original name was Hao; his style name was Zirong. When Yuan Hao rebelled, he requested to use his style name as his personal name. By nature he was frugal and stingy. When street sweeper soldiers clearing the road encroached on his lodge property by inches, he personally went to the Kaifeng prefectural office to lodge a complaint. Yet he instructed and disciplined his descendants with strict family rules. In later years he studied Buddhism and associated with the monk Huailian.
56
張知白
Zhang Zhibai
57
張知白，字用晦，滄州清池人。 幼篤學，中進士第，累遷河陽節度判官。 咸平中疏言當今要務，真宗異之，召試舍人院，權右正言。 獻《鳳扆箴》，出知劍州。 逾年，召試中書，加直史館，面賜五品服，判三司開拆司。
Zhang Zhibai, whose style name was Yonghui, was a native of Qingchi in Cangzhou. From youth he studied devotedly, passed the jinshi examination, and rose to administrative aide of the Heyang military commission. During Xianping he submitted a memorial on pressing affairs of the day; Emperor Zhenzong was impressed, summoned him for examination at the Drafting Academy, and made him acting Right Rectifier. He presented Admonition at the Phoenix Screen and was sent out as prefect of Jianzhou. After a year he was summoned for examination at the Secretariat, given concurrent appointment to the Historiography Institute, personally granted fifth-rank robes, and made administrator of the Three Bureaus Opening and Review Office.
58
江南旱，與李防分路安撫。 及還，權管勾京東轉運使事。 周伯星見，司天以瑞奏，群臣伏閣稱賀。 知白以為人君當修德應天，而星之見伏無所繫，因陳治道之要。 帝謂宰臣曰：「知白可謂乃心朝廷矣。」 東封，進右司諫。 又言：「咸平中，河湟未平，臣嘗請罷郡國所上祥瑞。 今天下無事，靈貺並至，望以《泰山諸瑞圖》寘玉清昭應宮，其副藏秘閣。」
When Jiangnan suffered drought, he and Li Fang were sent by separate routes as pacification commissioners. Upon his return he temporarily managed the affairs of the eastern capital transport commission. The star Zhoubo appeared; the Astronomy Office reported it as an auspicious sign, and officials prostrated themselves at the gate to offer congratulations. Zhibai held that a ruler should cultivate virtue in response to Heaven, while the appearance and disappearance of stars had no bearing; he therefore set forth the essentials of good governance. The emperor told the chief ministers, "Zhibai can truly be said to devote his heart to the court." During the eastern Fengshan rites he was promoted to Right Remonstrance Official of the Department of State Affairs. He further said, "During Xianping, when Hehuang was not yet pacified, I once requested that commanderies and prefectures cease submitting reports of auspicious portents. Now all under Heaven is at peace and numinous blessings arrive together. I hope The Various Portents of Mount Tai may be placed in the Palace of Jade Purity and Resonance with Heaven, with a duplicate stored in the Secret Archive."
59
陝西饑，命按巡之。 尋知鄧州。 會關右流傭至境，知白既發倉廩，又募民出粟以濟。 擢龍圖閣待制、知審官院，再遷尚書工部郎中，使契丹。 知白以朝廷制官，重內輕外，為引唐李嶠議遷臺閣典藩郡，乃自請補外，不許，遂命糾察在京刑獄，固請，知青州。 還京師，求領國子監。 帝曰：「知白豈倦於處劇邪？」 宰臣言：「知白更踐中外，未嘗為身謀。」 乃遷右諫議大夫、權御史中丞、拜給事中、參知政事。
When Shaanxi suffered famine, he was ordered to inspect and tour the region. Soon afterward he became prefect of Dengzhou. When migrant laborers from the west reached his jurisdiction, Zhibai opened granaries and solicited grain from the people to relieve them. He was elevated to Attendant Drafting in the Dragon Diagram Hall and director of the Office of Merit Evaluation, then promoted to Langzhong in the Ministry of Works and sent as envoy to the Khitan. Zhibai held that the court valued inner posts and slighted outer ones; citing Tang Li Jiao's proposal to transfer palace officials to frontier prefectures, he requested an outer appointment himself. When this was denied, he was ordered to inspect capital criminal cases, but he firmly pressed his request and was made prefect of Qingzhou. Returning to the capital, he requested to head the Directorate of Education. The emperor said, "Is Zhibai weary of handling difficult duties?" The chief ministers said, "Zhibai has served both at court and in the provinces and has never schemed for himself." Thereupon he was transferred to Right Remonstrance Grandee and acting Vice Censor-in-Chief, appointed Supervising Secretariat Drafter and Vice Grand Councillor.
60
知白在相位，慎名器，無毫髪私。 常以盛滿為戒，雖顯貴，其清約如寒士。 然體素羸，憂畏日侵，在中書忽感風眩，輿歸第。 帝親問疾，不能語，薨。 為罷上巳宴，贈太傅、中書令。 禮官謝絳議諡「文節」，御史王嘉言：「知白守道徇公，當官不撓，可謂正矣，諡『文正』。」 王曾曰：「『文節』，美諡矣。」 遂不改。
While serving as chancellor, Zhibai was scrupulous in conferring titles and showed not the slightest private favoritism. He often warned himself against the dangers of peak success; though eminent and honored, he lived as frugally as a poor scholar. Yet he had always been frail in constitution, and worry and fear wore on him daily. While at the Secretariat he was suddenly struck with vertigo and was carried home by carriage. The emperor personally inquired after his illness, but he could no longer speak and soon died. The court canceled the Third Day of the Third Month banquet in his honor and posthumously granted him the titles of Grand Tutor and Director of the Secretariat. Ritual official Xie Jiang proposed the posthumous title "Cultured Restraint," but Censor Wang Jiayan argued, "Zhibai upheld the Way, served the public, and would not yield in office—he was truly upright. The title should be 'Cultured Uprightness.'" Wang Ceng said, "'Cultured Restraint' is already a fine posthumous title." The title was therefore left unchanged.
61
知白九歲，其父終邢州，殯於佛寺。 及契丹寇河北，寺宇多頹廢，殯不可辨。 知白既登第，徒行訪之，得佛寺殿基，恍然識其處。 既發，其衣衾皆可驗，眾歎其誠孝。 嘗過陝州，與通判孫何遇，讀道旁古碑凡數千言，及還，知白略無所遺。 天聖中，契丹大閱，聲言獵幽州，朝廷患之。 帝以問二府，眾曰：「備粟練師，以備不虞。」 知白曰：「不然，契丹修好未遠，今其舉者，以上初政，試觀朝廷耳，豈可自生釁邪！ 若終以為疑，莫如因今河決，發兵以防河為名，彼亦不虞也。」 未幾，契丹果罷去。 無子，以兄子子思為後，仕至尚書工部侍郎致仕。
When Zhibai was nine, his father died in Xingzhou and was temporarily interred in a Buddhist temple. When the Khitan invaded Hebei, many temples fell into ruin and the temporary burial could no longer be identified. After passing the examination, Zhibai went on foot to search for the spot, found the foundation of the temple hall, and suddenly recognized the place. When the grave was opened, the clothing and shroud were all intact, and all marveled at his sincere filial devotion. Once while passing through Shaanzhou he met Vice Prefect Sun He and read an ancient stele by the roadside of several thousand characters; when tested afterward, Zhibai recalled nearly every word. During the Tiansheng era, the Khitan held a grand military review and announced they would hunt in Youzhou; the court was alarmed. The emperor consulted the executive bureaus; many officials said, "Stock grain and drill troops to guard against the unforeseen." Zhibai said, "No. The Khitan made peace with us not long ago. This move is merely to test the court at the beginning of a new reign—why should we provoke conflict ourselves? If the court remains uneasy, we could take advantage of the current river breach and mobilize troops under the pretext of flood control—they would suspect nothing." Before long the Khitan indeed withdrew. Having no sons, he adopted his elder brother's son Zisi as his heir. Zisi rose to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works and retired.
62
杜衍，字世昌，越州山陰人。 父遂良，仕至尚書度支員外郎。 衍總髪苦志厲操，尤篤於學。 擢進士甲科，補揚州觀察推官，改秘書省著作佐郎、知平遙縣。 使者薦之，通判晉州。
Du Yan, whose style name was Shichang, was a native of Shanyin in Yuezhou. His father Suiliang had served as Vice Director of the Ministry of Revenue's Expenditure Section. From childhood Yan dedicated himself to rigorous discipline and was especially devoted to learning. Selected in the top tier of the jinshi examination, he was appointed investigative official for Yangzhou, then transferred to Assistant Compiler in the Secretariat and appointed prefect of Pingyao County. An imperial envoy recommended him, and he was made vice prefect of Jinzhou.
63
詔舉良吏，擢知乾州。 陳堯諮安撫陝西，有詔藩府乃賜宴，堯諮至乾州，以衍賢，特賜宴，仍徙衍權知鳳翔府。 及罷歸，二州民邀留境上，曰：「何奪我賢太守也？」 以太常博士提點河東路刑獄，遷尚書祠部員外郎。 按行潞州，折冤獄，知州王曙為作《辨獄記》。 高繼昇知石州，人告繼昇連蕃族謀變，逮捕繫治，久不決，衍辯其誣，抵告者罪。 寧化軍守將鞫人死罪，不以實，衍覆正之。 守將不伏，訴之，詔為置獄，果不當死。 徒京西路，又徙知揚州。 有司奏衍辨獄法當賞，遷刑部。 章獻太后遣使安撫淮南，使還，未及他語，問杜衍安否，使者以治狀對。 太后歎曰：「吾知之久矣。」
When an edict called for worthy administrators, he was promoted to prefect of Qianzhou. When Chen Yaozi was pacification commissioner for Shaanxi, an edict provided banquets only for feudatory prefectures. When Yaozi reached Qianzhou, he deemed Yan worthy of special honor and granted him a banquet, then transferred him to acting prefect of Fengxiang Prefecture. When he completed his tour and departed, the people of both prefectures intercepted him at the border, crying, "Why take away our worthy prefect?" He was appointed inspector of criminal cases on the Hedong circuit as Doctor of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, then promoted to Vice Director in the Ministry of Rites' Ancestral Temples Section. While touring Luzhou he redressed unjust cases, and Prefect Wang Shu wrote A Record of Judging Prison Cases in commemoration. Gao Jisheng was prefect of Shizhou when someone accused him of colluding with frontier tribes to rebel. Jisheng was arrested and detained without verdict for a long time until Yan proved the charge false and punished the accuser. A garrison commander of Ninghua Army tried a capital case without establishing the facts; Yan reviewed the case and corrected the judgment. The commander refused to accept the ruling and appealed; the emperor ordered a retrial, which confirmed that the death penalty was unwarranted. He was transferred to the western capital circuit and later appointed prefect of Yangzhou. The relevant office memorialized that Yan deserved reward for his judicial work, and he was promoted in the Ministry of Justice. Empress Dowager Zhangxian sent envoys to pacify Huainan. When they returned, before speaking of anything else she asked whether Du Yan was well; the envoys answered with reports of his governance. The empress dowager sighed and said, "I have known of him for a long time."
64
徙河東轉運副使、陝西轉運使。 召為三司戶部副使，擢天章閣待制、知江陵府。 未行，會河北乏軍費，選為都轉運使，遷工部郎中，不增賦於民而用足。 還為樞密直學士。 求補外，以右諫議大夫知天雄軍。
He was transferred to deputy transport commissioner of Hedong and transport commissioner of Shaanxi. He was summoned as Deputy Commissioner of the Households Bureau of the Three Bureaus, then promoted to Attendant Drafting in the Hall of Heavenly Manifestations and appointed prefect of Jiangling Prefecture. Before he could depart, Hebei ran short of military funds and he was selected as metropolitan transport commissioner. Promoted to Langzhong in the Ministry of Works, he supplied the needed funds without increasing levies on the people. On his return he became Academician on Direct Staff of the Bureau of Military Affairs. He requested an appointment outside the capital and was made Right Remonstrance Grandee and prefect of Tianxiong Army.
65
始，衍為治謹密，不以威刑督吏，然吏民亦憚其清整。 仁宗特召為御史中丞。 奏言：「中書、樞密，古之三事大臣，所謂坐而論道者也。 止隻日對前殿，何以盡天下之事？ 宜迭召見，賜坐便殿，以極獻替可否，其他，不必親煩陛下也。」 又議常平法曰：「歲有豐凶，穀有貴賤，官以法平之，則農有餘利矣。 今豪商大賈，乘時賤收，水旱，則稽伏而不出，冀其翔踴，以圖厚利，而困吾民也。 請量州郡遠近，戶口眾寡，嚴賞罰，課責官吏，出納無壅，增損有宜。 公糴未充，則禁爭糴以規利者； 糴畢而儲之，則察其以供軍為名而假借者。 州郡闕母錢，願出官帑助之。 否則勸課之官，家至日見，亦奚益於事哉。」
Yan governed with meticulous care and did not rely on harsh punishments to drive his officials, yet officials and commoners alike stood in awe of his upright austerity. Emperor Renzong specially summoned him to serve as Vice Censor-in-Chief. He memorialized, "The Secretariat and the Bureau of Military Affairs correspond to the Three Great Ministers of antiquity—the ministers who 'sit and deliberate upon the Way. Meeting the emperor only on alternate days in the front hall—how can they exhaust the affairs of the realm? They should be summoned in rotation and granted seats in the side hall so they might fully debate what should be adopted or rejected; other matters need not personally burden Your Majesty." He also addressed the Ever-Normal Granary system: "Years have plenty and want, grain has high prices and low; when the state levels prices by law, farmers will enjoy surplus profit. Now great merchants buy cheap when prices fall; in flood or drought they hoard grain and refuse to sell, hoping prices will soar so they may reap thick profits—thereby distressing our people. I ask that the distances of prefectures, the size of their populations, strict rewards and punishments, and the accountability of officials be calibrated so that grain may flow without obstruction and purchases and releases may be properly gauged. When public stores are not yet full, those who compete to buy grain for profit should be banned; once purchases are complete and grain is stored, investigate those who misappropriate stores under the pretext of military supply. Where prefectures lack seed capital, I ask that the state treasury provide assistance. Otherwise officials sent to encourage compliance may visit every household daily—and what good will that do?"
66
兼判吏部流內銓。 選補科格繁長，主判不能悉閱，吏多受賕，出縮為奸。 衍既視事，即敕吏函銓法，問曰：「盡乎？」 曰：「盡矣。」 力閱視，具得本末曲折。 明日，令諸吏無得升堂，各坐曹聽行文書，銓事悉自予奪，由是吏不能為奸利。 數月，聲動京師。 改知審官院，其裁制如判銓時。 遷尚書工部侍郎、知永興軍。 民有晝亡其婦者，為設方略捕，立得殺人賊，發所瘞屍，並得賊殺他婦人屍二，秦人大驚。 徙并州。 元昊反，以太原要衝，加龍圖閣學士。
He concurrently administered the Ministry of Personnel's Flowing Within Selection Office. Selection regulations were voluminous; the chief judge could not review them all, and clerks often took bribes and manipulated qualifications to commit fraud. Once Yan assumed office, he ordered the clerks to assemble the selection regulations in a box and asked, "Is this everything?" They answered, "This is everything." He reviewed them himself with painstaking care until he grasped every detail from start to finish. The next day he barred clerks from the main hall; each remained at his desk to receive and dispatch documents while Yan personally decided every selection matter—whereupon the clerks could no longer profit by fraud. Within months his reputation resounded throughout the capital. He was transferred to director of the Office of Merit Evaluation and governed it with the same firm hand he had shown at Selection. He was promoted to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works and appointed prefect of Yongxing Army. When a man reported that his wife had vanished in broad daylight, Yan devised a plan to capture the killer, quickly seized the murderer, exhumed the buried corpse, and recovered two other women's corpses the killer had buried as well; the people of the region were astonished. He was transferred to Bingzhou. When Yuan Hao rebelled, Taiyuan being a strategic pass, Yan was given the additional title of Academician of the Dragon Diagram Hall.
67
寶元二年，遷刑部侍郎、復知永興軍。 時方用兵，民苦調發，吏因緣為奸。 衍區處計畫，量道里遠近，寬其期會，使民得次第輸官，比他州費，省錢過半。 召還，權知開封府，權近聞衍名，莫敢干以私。 拜同知樞密院事，改樞密副使。 夏竦上攻守策，宰相欲用出師。 衍曰：「僥倖成功，非萬全計。」 爭議久之，求罷不許，賜手詔敦勉。 為河東宣撫使，拜吏部侍郎、樞密使。 每內降恩，率寢格不行，積詔旨至十數，輒納帝前。 諫官歐陽修入對，帝曰：「外人知杜衍封還內降邪？ 凡有求於朕，每以衍不可告之而止者，多於所封還也。」
In the second year of Baoyuan he was promoted to Vice Minister of Justice and again appointed prefect of Yongxing Army. War was then underway; the people suffered under requisition and dispatch, and officials seized the opportunity for fraud. Yan devised a plan calibrated to distances and routes, extended deadlines, and enabled the people to deliver levies in orderly sequence—cutting costs by more than half compared with other prefectures. Recalled to serve as acting prefect of Kaifeng, those in power had heard of Yan's reputation and none dared approach him with private requests. He was appointed Co-Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs, then made Deputy Commissioner of Military Affairs. Xia Song submitted stratagems for attack and defense, and the chancellor wished to launch a military campaign. Yan said, "Gambling on success is not a fully reliable plan." They debated at length; Yan requested to be relieved but was refused, and the emperor sent a personal edict earnestly urging him to remain. He was made pacification commissioner of Hedong and appointed Vice Minister of Personnel and Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs. Whenever imperial favors arrived by private edict, he usually held the regulations in abeyance and refused to implement them; when such edicts accumulated to a dozen or more, he would return them to the emperor. When Remonstrance official Ouyang Xiu entered audience, the emperor said, "Do outsiders know that Du Yan returns private edicts unopened? Those who seek favors of me and stop because they say Yan cannot be told are even more numerous than those whose edicts he returns sealed."
68
契丹與元昊戰黃河外，參知政事范仲淹宣撫河東，欲以兵自從。 衍曰：「二國方交鬥，勢必不來，我兵不可妄出。」 仲淹爭議帝前，詆衍，語甚切。 仲淹嘗父行事衍，衍不以為恨。 契丹婿劉三嘏避罪來歸，輔臣議厚館之，以詰契丹陰事。 諫官歐陽修亦請留三嘏，帝以問衍。 衍曰：「中國主忠信，若自違誓約，納叛亡，則不直在我。 且三嘏為契丹近親，而逋逃來歸，其謀身若此，尚足與謀國乎！ 納之何益，不如還之。」 乃還三嘏。 拜同平章事、集賢殿大學士兼樞密使。
While the Khitan fought Yuan Hao beyond the Yellow River, Vice Grand Councillor Fan Zhongyan was pacification commissioner for Hedong and wished to take troops with him. Yan said, "The two states are fighting each other—they will certainly not threaten us. Our troops must not be rashly deployed." Zhongyan debated before the emperor, denounced Yan, and spoke in harsh terms. Though Zhongyan had once treated Yan with the deference due a father, Yan bore him no resentment. Liu Sanguo, son-in-law of the Khitan ruler, fled to avoid punishment; chief ministers debated granting him generous hospitality to extract intelligence on Khitan secrets. Remonstrance official Ouyang Xiu also asked that Sanguo be detained; the emperor consulted Yan. Yan said, "Our realm upholds loyalty and trust. If we violate sworn treaties and harbor fugitive rebels, the moral right will not be with us. Moreover, Sanguo is close kin to the Khitan, yet he fled to us to save himself—if he schemed thus for his own survival, how could he be trusted in affairs of state? What good would accepting him do? Better to return him." Sanguo was therefore returned. He was appointed Grand Councillor, Grand Academician of the Hall for Assembling Worthies, and concurrently Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs.
69
衍好薦引賢士，而沮止僥倖，小人多不悅。 其婿蘇舜欽，少年能文章，論議稍侵權貴，監進奏院，循前例，祠神以伎樂娛賓，集賢校理王益柔為衍所知，或言益柔嘗戲作《傲歌》，御史皆劾奏之，欲因以危衍。 諫官孫甫言：「丁度因對求大用，請屬吏。」 度知甫所奏誤，力求置對。 衍以甫方奉使契丹，寢甫奏，度深銜之。 及衍罷，度草制指衍朋比。 時范仲淹、富弼欲更理天下事，與用事者不合，仲淹、弼既出宣撫，言者附會，益攻二人之短。 帝欲罷仲淹、弼政事，衍獨左右之，然衍平日議論，實非朋比也。 以尚書左丞出知兗州。 慶曆七年，衍甫七十，上表請還印綬，乃以太子少師致仕。
Yan loved to recommend worthy men and obstruct opportunists; petty men were often displeased with him. His son-in-law Su Shunchin, a young man skilled in writing whose opinions sometimes affronted powerful families, oversaw the Memorial Submission Office and, following precedent, entertained guests with music at a temple sacrifice. Wang Yirou, a collator in the Hall for Assembling Worthies whom Yan knew, was reported to have mockingly composed A Song of Arrogance. The censors all impeached the matter, hoping thereby to imperil Yan. Remonstrance official Sun Fu reported, "Ding Du sought a major appointment in audience and asked to assign subordinate officials." Ding Du, knowing Fu's report was mistaken, urgently requested a face-to-face audience to rebut it. Because Fu was then on mission to the Khitan, Yan shelved his memorial; Ding Du deeply resented this. When Yan was dismissed, Ding Du drafted the appointment edict accusing Yan of factional collusion. At the time Fan Zhongyan and Fu Bi sought to reform the governance of the realm and clashed with those in power. Once Zhongyan and Bi went out as pacification commissioners, critics seized the moment and increasingly attacked their faults. The emperor wished to remove Zhongyan and Bi from office; Yan alone supported them, though in truth Yan's daily conduct was not factional collusion. He was sent out as Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs and prefect of Yanzhou. In the seventh year of Qingli, Yan having just turned seventy, he submitted a memorial requesting return of seal and sash and was granted retirement as Junior Preceptor of the Heir Apparent.
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衍為宰相，賈昌朝不喜，議者謂故相一上章得請，以三少致仕，皆非故事，蓋昌朝抑之也。 皇祐元年，特遷太子太保，召陪祀明堂，仍詔應天府敦遣就道，都亭驛設帳具几杖待之，稱疾固辭。 進太子太傅，賜其子同進士出身，又進太子太師。 知制誥王洙謁告歸應天府，有詔撫問，封祁國公。
While Yan served as chancellor, Jia Changchao disliked him. Commentators held that a former chancellor obtaining leave with a single memorial and retiring as one of the Three Preceptors were all without precedent—likely because Changchao had suppressed him. In the first year of Huangyou he was specially promoted to Grand Preceptor of the Heir Apparent and summoned to accompany the Bright Hall sacrifice. An edict ordered Yingtian Prefecture to escort him posthaste; the Capital Pavilion Station prepared a tent with couch and staff to receive him—but he pleaded illness and firmly declined. He was promoted to Grand Tutor of the Heir Apparent; his son was granted the status of a successful jinshi candidate; he was then promoted again to Grand Preceptor of the Heir Apparent. Edict-drafter Wang Zhu requested leave to return to Yingtian Prefecture; the emperor sent an edict of inquiry and comfort and enfeoffed Yan as Duke of Qi.
71
衍清介不殖私產，既退，寓南都凡十年，第室卑陋，才數十楹，居之裕如也。 出入從者十許人，烏帽、皂綈袍、革帶。 或勸衍為居士服，衍曰：「老而謝事，尚可竊高士名邪！」 善為詩，正書、行、草皆有法、病革，帝遣中使賜藥，挾太醫往視，不及，卒，年八十。 贈司徒兼侍中，諡「正獻」。 戒其子努力忠孝，斂以一枕一席，小壙庳塚以葬。 自作遺疏，其略曰：「無以久安而忽邊防，無以既富而輕財用，宜早建儲副，以安人心。」 語不及私。
Upright and uncompromising, Yan accumulated no private wealth. After retirement he lived in the southern capital for ten years in a humble dwelling of only a few dozen bays, yet he was content. When he went out he was attended by about ten followers, dressed in black cap, black silk robe, and leather belt. Some urged him to wear the garb of a lay Buddhist; Yan said, "Old and retired from office—can I still steal the name of a lofty recluse?" He was skilled at poetry, and his regular, running, and cursive scripts all had mastery. When gravely ill, the emperor sent palace envoys with medicine and an imperial physician—but they arrived too late. He died at eighty. He was posthumously granted the titles of Grandee and Concurrent Palace Attendant, with the posthumous title "Upright Contribution." He admonished his sons to strive in loyalty and filial piety and was buried with a single pillow and mat in a small, low grave. He composed his own death memorial, which in essence read: "Do not because of long peace neglect frontier defense; do not because of wealth treat finances lightly; establish the heir designate early to settle the people's hearts." His words touched on no private matters.
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論曰：李迪、王曾、張知白、杜衍，皆賢相也。 四人風烈，往往相似。 方仁宗初立，章獻臨朝，頗挾其才，將有專制之患。 迪、曾正色危言，能使宦官近習，不敢窺覦； 而仁宗君德日就，章獻亦全令名，古人所謂社稷臣，於斯見之。 知白、衍勁正清約，皆能靳惜名器，裁抑僥幸，凜然有大臣之概焉。 宋之賢相，莫盛於真、仁之世，漢魏相，唐宋璟、楊綰，豈得專美哉！
The commentators say: Li Di, Wang Ceng, Zhang Zhibai, and Du Yan were all worthy chancellors. The moral stature of the four was often much alike. When Emperor Renzong first ascended, Empress Zhangxian held court and somewhat wielded her power; autocratic rule seemed imminent. Di and Ceng spoke with stern countenance and dire warning, so that eunuchs and close attendants did not dare to covet power; Emperor Renzong's virtue ripened day by day, and Empress Zhangxian preserved her good name—in them one sees what the ancients called ministers of the altars of state. Zhibai and Yan were firm, upright, and frugal; both cherished official titles and checked opportunists—bearing the true bearing of great ministers. Among the worthy chancellors of Song, none were more numerous than in the reigns of Emperors Zhenzong and Renzong—so how could the chancellors of Han and Wei, or Tang's Song Jing and Yang Wan, alone claim the glory?