Volume 337 Biographies 96: Fan Zhen and newpher: Bailu, relative: Zuyu

范鎮，字景仁，成都華陽人。薛奎守蜀，一見愛之，館於府舍，俾與子弟講學。鎮益自謙退，每步行趨府門，逾年，人不知其為帥客也。及還朝，載以俱。有問奎入蜀何所得，曰：「得一偉人，當以文學名世。」宋庠兄弟見其文，自謂弗及，與為布衣交。

Fan Zhen, whose style was Jingren, came from Huayang in Chengdu. While serving as prefect of Shu, Xue Kui took an immediate liking to him, housed him in the government compound, and had him study alongside his own sons. Zhen grew still more humble and unassuming, walking on foot to the prefect's gate each day; after more than a year, no one even knew he was the prefect's guest. When Xue returned to the capital, he brought Zhen with him. Asked what he had gained from his tour in Shu, Xue replied, "I found one extraordinary man who will win fame through literature." When the Song Qi brothers read his work, they admitted they could not equal him and befriended him as equals, without regard to rank.

舉進士，禮部奏名第一。故事，殿廷唱第過三人，則首禮部選者，必越次抗聲自陳，率得置上列。吳育、歐陽修號稱耿介，亦從眾。鎮獨不然，同列屢趣之，不為動。至第七十九人，乃從呼出應，退就列，無一言，廷中皆異之。自是舊風遂革。

He passed the metropolitan examination and ranked first on the Ministry of Rites list. By custom, once three names had been called in the palace examination, the top candidate from the Ministry of Rites list would step forward out of turn and protest loudly, and was usually placed in a higher rank. Wu Yu and Ouyang Xiu, renowned for their integrity, followed the crowd as well. Zhen alone refused; his fellows in the row urged him again and again, but he would not budge. Only when the seventy-ninth name was called did he step forward to answer, then returned to his place without a word; the entire court was astonished. From that day forward, the old custom was abolished.

調新安主簿，西京留守宋綬延置國子監，薦為東監直講。召試學士院，當得館閣校理，主司妄以為失韻，補校勘。人為忿鬱，而鎮處之晏如。經四年，當遷，宰相龐籍言：「鎮有異材，不汲汲於進取。」超授直秘閣，判吏部南曹、開封府推官。擢起居舍人、知諫院。上疏論：「民力困敝，請約祖宗以來官吏兵數，酌取其中為定制，以今賦入之數什七為經費，儲其三以備水旱非常。」又言：「周以冢宰制國用，唐以宰相判鹽鐵、度支。今中書主民，樞密主兵，三司主財，各不相知。財已匱，樞密益兵無窮；民已困，三司取財不已。請使二府通知兵民大計，與三司同制國用。」

Assigned as registrar of Xin'an, he was brought into the Directorate of Education by the Western Capital intendant Song Shou, who recommended him as Eastern Supervisor Lecturer. Called to the Hanlin examination, he should have received a collation post in the archives; the chief examiner wrongly judged his rhymes defective and appointed him proofreader instead. Others were indignant on his behalf, but Zhen remained perfectly composed. After four years, when he was due for promotion, Grand Councilor Pang Ji remarked, "Zhen possesses extraordinary ability and is not eager for advancement." He was specially promoted to Direct Gentleman of the Secret Archive and concurrently assigned to the Southern Bureau of the Ministry of Personnel and as investigating official of Kaifeng. He was promoted to Attendant on the Grand Secretariat and placed in charge of the Remonstrance Bureau. In a memorial he argued that the people's strength was exhausted and urged that official and military headcounts since the founding be reviewed, a median figure adopted as permanent regulation, seventy percent of current revenue allocated to routine expenses, and the remaining thirty percent reserved against flood, drought, and unforeseen crises. He added, "The Zhou entrusted state finances to the chief steward; the Tang had the chief minister oversee the Salt Iron and Revenue bureaus. Today the Secretariat governs the people, the Military Affairs Commission commands the army, and the Salt Iron Commission manages finances, yet none coordinates with the others. Treasury funds are already exhausted, yet the Military Affairs Commission endlessly expands the army; the people are already impoverished, yet the Salt Iron Commission never stops extracting revenue. I ask that the two commissions be informed of the grand strategy for troops and people and jointly with the Salt Iron Commission control state expenditures."

契丹使至，虛聲示強，大臣益募兵以塞責，歲費百千萬。鎮言：「備契丹莫若寬三晉之民，備靈夏莫若寬秦民，備西南莫若寬越、蜀之民，備天下莫若寬天下之民。夫兵所以衛民而反殘民，臣恐異日之憂不在四夷，而在冗兵與窮民也。」

When Khitan envoys arrived boasting of their strength, grand ministers stepped up recruitment to meet their obligations, costing millions each year. Zhen said, "The best defense against the Khitan is to lighten the burden on the people of the Three Jin; against Ling and Xia, ease the plight of the Qin people; against the southwest, relieve the people of Yue and Shu; to secure the realm, lighten the burden on all the people under Heaven. Armies exist to protect the people, yet they end up harming them instead. I fear that future troubles will stem not from the four barbarian frontiers but from bloated armies and impoverished commoners."

商人輸粟河北，取償京師，而榷貨不即予鈔，久而鬻之，十才得其六。或建議出內帑錢，稍增價與市，歲可得羡息五十萬。鎮謂：「外府內帑，均為有司。今使外府滯商人，而內帑乘急以牟利，至傷國體。」仁宗遽止之。

Merchants shipped grain to Hebei to receive payment in the capital, but monopoly goods were not promptly exchanged for vouchers; after long delays when they sold them, they recovered only sixty percent of their value. Some proposed using funds from the inner treasury to buy at slightly higher prices, yielding five hundred thousand in annual surplus profit. Zhen objected, "The outer offices and the inner treasury alike belong to the fiscal authorities. To let the outer offices hold merchants in limbo while the inner treasury profits from their distress damages the dignity of the state." Emperor Renzong immediately halted the proposal.

葬溫成后，太常議禮，前謂之園，後謂之陵，宰相劉沆前為監護使，後為園陵使。鎮曰：「嘗聞法吏舞法矣，未聞禮官舞禮也。請詰前後議禮異同狀。」集賢校理刁約論壙中物侈麗，吳充、鞠真卿爭論禮，並補外，皆上章留之。石全贇護葬，轉觀察使，他吏悉優遷兩官，鎮言：「章獻、章懿、章惠三后之葬，推恩皆無此比。乞追還全贇等告敕。」副都知任守忠、鄧保吉同日除官，內臣無故改官者又五六人。時有敕，凡內降非準律令者，並許執奏。曾未一月，大臣輒廢不行。鎮乞正中書、樞密之罪，以示天下。

At the burial of Empress Wencheng, the Directorate of Sacrifices debated the rites: first calling the site a park, later a mausoleum; Chief Councilor Liu Hang first served as burial supervisor, then as park-and-mausoleum commissioner. Zhen said, "I have heard of law officers twisting the law, but never of ritual officers twisting ritual. I request an inquiry into why the ritual deliberations differed before and after." Collation Official Diao Yue criticized the extravagance of the tomb furnishings; Wu Chong and Ju Zhenqing disputed the rites; all were reassigned to posts outside the capital, and each submitted a memorial asking to remain. Shi Quanyun, who supervised the burial, was promoted to observation commissioner, and all other officials received preferential advancement of two ranks. Zhen said, "At the burials of Empresses Zhangxian, Zhangyi, and Zhanghui, no such largesse was ever granted. I beg that the patents for Quanyun and the others be recalled." Vice Director Ren Shouzhong and Deng Baoji were promoted on the same day, and five or six more eunuchs were given new offices without cause. An edict had just been issued permitting officials to memorialize against any inner decree that did not conform to statutes and ordinances. Before a month had passed, the grand ministers set the edict aside and refused to enforce it. Zhen asked that the Secretariat and Military Affairs Commission be punished to set an example for the realm.

帝天性寬仁，言事者競為激訐，至污人以帷箔不可明之事。鎮獨務引大體，非關朝廷安危，生民利疚，則闊略不言。陳執中為相，鎮論其無學術，非宰相器。及嬖妾笞殺婢，御史劾奏，欲逐去之。鎮言：「今陰陽不和，財匱民困，盜賊滋熾，獄犴充斥，執中當任其咎。御史舍大責細，暴揚燕私，若用此為進退，是因一婢逐宰相，非所以明等級，辨堂陛。」識者韙之。

The emperor was by nature lenient and humane, yet those who spoke on affairs vied in harsh denunciation, even smearing opponents with scandalous private matters that could not be verified. Zhen alone kept to the larger principles; unless a matter touched the court's safety or the people's welfare, he passed over it in silence. When Chen Zhizhong became chief councilor, Zhen argued that he lacked learning and was unfit for the post. When his favorite concubine beat a maid to death, the censorate impeached him and sought his removal. Zhen said, "Heaven and earth are out of harmony, the treasury is empty and the people suffer, banditry flourishes, and the prisons overflow—Zhizhong should bear the blame for all of this. The censorate abandons the weighty charge for a trivial one, exposing private household affairs; if this were grounds for dismissal, it would mean driving out a chief councilor over a single maid—not how to clarify ranks and distinguish the hall from the steps." Those who understood the matter approved his view.

文彥博、富弼入相，詔百官郊迎。鎮曰：「隆之以虛禮，不若推之以至誠。陛下用兩人為相，舉朝皆謂得人。然近制，兩制不得詣宰相居第，百官不得間見，是不推之以誠也。願罷郊迎，除謁禁，則於御臣之術為兩得矣。」議減任子及每歲取士，皆自鎮發之。又乞令宗室疏屬補外官，帝曰：「卿言是也。顧恐天下謂朕不能睦族耳。」鎮曰：「陛下甄別其賢者用之，不沒其能，乃所以睦族也。」雖不行，至熙寧初，卒如其言。

When Wen Yanbo and Fu Bi became chief councilors, an edict ordered all officials to greet them at the suburban altar. Zhen said, "Honoring them with empty ceremony is not as good as advancing them with utmost sincerity. Your Majesty has appointed these two men as chief councilors, and the entire court agrees you have chosen well. Yet recent regulations forbid drafted officials to visit the chief councilors at home and forbid other officials private access—that is not treating them with sincerity. I ask that the suburban greeting be abolished and visitation restrictions lifted; then in the art of governing ministers both aims would be served." Deliberations to reduce hereditary privilege and limit annual recruitment of degree holders all originated with Zhen. He also asked that distant collateral members of the imperial clan be assigned posts outside the capital; the emperor said, "Your words are right. Only I fear the realm will say I cannot treat my own kin with kindness." Zhen replied, "Your Majesty selects the worthy among them for office and does not suppress their abilities—that is how to treat your kin with kindness." Though not adopted at the time, by the beginning of the Xining era it was finally carried out as he had urged.

帝在位三十五年，未有繼嗣。嘉祐初，暴得疾，中外大小之臣，無不寒心，莫敢先言者，鎮獨奮曰：「天下事尚有大於此者乎？」即拜疏曰：「置諫官者，為宗廟社稷計。諫官而不以宗廟社稷計事陛下，是愛死嗜利之人，臣不為也。方陛下不豫，海內皇皇莫知所為，陛下獨以祖宗後裔為念，是為宗廟之慮，至深且明也。昔太祖舍其子而立太宗，天下之大公也。真宗以周王薨，養宗子於宮中，天下之大慮也。願以太祖之心，行真宗故事，拔近屬之尤賢者，優其禮秩，置之左右，與圖天下事，以繫億兆人心。」疏奏，文彥博使客問何所言，以實告，客曰：「如是，何不與執政謀？」鎮曰：「自分必死，故敢言。若謀於執政，或以為不可，豈得中輟乎？」章累上，不報。執政諭之曰：「奈何效希名干進之人。」鎮貽以書曰：「比天象見變，當有急兵，鎮義當死職，不可死亂兵之下。此乃鎮擇死之時，尚何顧希名干進之嫌哉？」又言：「陛下得臣疏，不以留中而付中書，是欲使大臣奉行也。臣兩至中書，大臣皆設辭拒臣，是陛下欲為宗廟社稷計，而大臣不欲也。臣竊原大臣畏避之意，恐行之而陛下中變耳。中變之禍，不過一死。國本不立，萬一有如天象所告急兵之變，死且有罪，其為計亦已疏矣。願以臣章示大臣，使其自擇死所。」聞者股栗。

The emperor had reigned thirty-five years without an heir. At the beginning of the Jiayou era the emperor suddenly fell ill; officials great and small, at court and beyond, were heartsick, and none dared speak first. Zhen alone roused himself and declared, "Is there any matter under Heaven greater than this?" He immediately submitted a memorial: "Remonstrance officials are appointed for the sake of the ancestral temples and the altars of state. A remonstrance officer who does not take the temples and altars into account when serving Your Majesty is a man who clings to life and craves profit—and I will not be such a man. While Your Majesty was unwell, the realm was in turmoil and no one knew what to do; Your Majesty alone thought of the descendants of the ancestors—that is consideration for the temples, profound and clear. Formerly Taizu set aside his own son and established Taizong—that was the great public interest of the realm. When Prince of Zhou died, Zhenzong raised an imperial clansman in the palace—that was the great prudent concern of the realm. I wish that with Taizu's spirit Your Majesty follow Zhenzong's precedent, select the worthiest among close kin, honor them with high rank, place them at Your side to plan the affairs of the realm, and thereby bind the hearts of the hundred millions." When the memorial was submitted, Wen Yanbo sent an emissary to ask what he had written; told the truth, the emissary said, "If that is so, why not consult the chief councilors first?" Zhen replied, "I counted myself as good as dead, and therefore I dared speak. If I had consulted the chief councilors and they judged it impossible, could I have stopped halfway?" His memorials piled up without response. The chief councilors admonished him, "Why imitate men who crave reputation and angle for advancement?" Zhen sent a letter in reply: "Recently celestial omens showed change; urgent military troubles are surely coming. My duty is to die in office—I cannot die beneath mutinous troops. This is the time I choose to die—what need is there to worry about the suspicion of craving fame and advancement?" He added, "Your Majesty received my memorial and did not retain it but forwarded it to the Secretariat—that means you wish the grand ministers to carry it out. Twice I went to the Secretariat, and the grand ministers all made excuses and refused me—Your Majesty wishes to plan for the temples and altars, but the grand ministers do not. I privately surmise why the grand ministers hold back: they fear carrying it out while Your Majesty changes your mind midway. The harm of a change of mind is no more than death. If the foundation of state is not established and by chance there comes the urgent military crisis the heavens foretold, death would still carry guilt—their planning is already too loose. I wish Your Majesty show my memorial to the grand ministers and let them choose their own place to die." Those who heard his words shuddered.

除兼侍御史知雜事，鎮以言不從，固辭。執政諭鎮曰：「今間言已入，為之甚難。」鎮復書執政曰：「事當論其是非，不當問其難易。諸公謂今日難於前日，安知異日不難於今日乎？」凡見上面陳者三，言益懇切，鎮泣，帝亦泣曰：「朕知卿忠，卿言是也，當更俟三二年。」章十九上，待命百餘日，鬚髮為白。朝廷知不能奪，乃罷知諫院，改集賢殿修撰，糾察在京刑獄，同修起居注，遂知制誥。鎮雖解言職，無歲不申前議。見帝春秋益高，每因事及之，冀以感動帝意。至是，因入謝，首言：「陛下許臣，今復三年矣，願早定大計。」又因祫享，獻賦以諷。其後韓琦遂定策立英宗。

He was appointed concurrent Vice Censor-in-Chief, but because his advice had not been heeded, he firmly declined. The chief councilors told Zhen, "Rumors have already spread; it is very difficult now." Zhen replied in a letter, "Matters should be judged by right and wrong, not by difficulty. You gentlemen say today is harder than yesterday—how do you know tomorrow will not be harder than today?" Three times in all he saw the emperor and spoke face to face, growing ever more earnest; Zhen wept, and the emperor wept as well, saying, "I know you are loyal; your words are right; we must wait another two or three years." He submitted nineteen memorials and waited over a hundred days until his beard and hair turned white. The court knew they could not sway him; they removed him from the Remonstrance Bureau, made him Compiler at the Hall for Cherishing Literature, Inspector of Capital Punishments, co-compiler of the Veritable Record, and finally Drafting Officer for the Secretariat. Though relieved of his remonstrance duties, he appealed his former proposal every year without fail. Seeing the emperor's years advance, he seized every occasion to raise the matter, hoping to move the emperor's mind. At this time, when he came to give thanks, he spoke first: "Your Majesty promised me; three years have passed again—I beg you settle the great plan soon." At a lineage offering he also submitted a rhapsody as subtle admonition. Thereafter Han Qi finally settled the succession and established Emperor Yingzong.

遷翰林學士。中書議追尊濮王，兩制、臺諫與之異，詔禮官檢詳典禮。鎮判太常寺，率其屬言：「漢宣帝於昭帝為孫，光武於平帝為祖，其父容可稱皇考，議者猶非之，謂其以小宗合大宗之統也。今陛下既以仁宗為考，又加於濮王，則其失非特漢二帝比。凡稱帝若考，若寢廟，皆非是。」執政怒，召鎮責曰：「方令檢詳，何遽列上！」鎮曰：「有司得詔，不敢稽留，即以聞，乃其職也。奈何更以為罪乎？」會草制，誤遷宰相官，改侍讀學士。

He was promoted to Hanlin Academician. The Secretariat deliberated posthumous honors for Prince Pu; the drafting offices, the censorate, and the remonstrance bureau disagreed; an edict ordered ritual officers to examine canonical precedent. As president of the Directorate of Sacrifices, Zhen led his subordinates in stating, "Han Xuandi was grandson to Emperor Zhao; Guangwu was grandfather to Emperor Ping. Their fathers might be styled Imperial Father, yet critics still faulted this as merging a lesser lineage into the succession of the greater lineage. Now Your Majesty has taken Emperor Renzong as father and also adds honors to Prince Pu—the error exceeds even those of the two Han emperors. Every title of emperor or father, every shrine or temple designation, is wrong." The chief councilors were furious and summoned Zhen to rebuke him: "Examination was just ordered—why submit your findings so hastily!" Zhen replied, "When the office received the edict it dared not delay; to report immediately is its duty. Why then treat it as a crime on top of that?" While drafting an edict he mistakenly promoted officials to chief councilor rank and was demoted to Attendant Reader Academician.

王安石改常平為青苗，鎮言：「常平之法，起於漢盛時，視穀貴賤發斂，以便農末，最為近古，不可改。而青苗行於唐之衰世，不足法。且陛下疾富民之多取而少取之，此正百步、五十步之間耳。今有兩人坐市貿易，一人故下其直以相傾，則人皆知惡之，可以朝廷而行市道之所惡乎？」呂惠卿在邇英言：「今預買紬絹，亦青苗之比。」鎮曰：「預買，亦敝法也。若府庫有餘，當並去之，豈應援以為比。」韓琦極論新法之害，送條例司疏駁，李常乞罷青苗錢，詔命分析，鎮皆封還。詔五下，鎮執如初。司馬光辭樞密副使，詔許之，鎮再封還。帝以詔直付光，不由門下。鎮奏曰：「由臣不才，使陛下廢法，有司失職，乞解銀臺司。」

Wang Anshi replaced the Ever-Normal Granary system with Green Sprouts loans. Zhen said, "The Ever-Normal method arose in the Han dynasty at its height, releasing and collecting grain according to whether prices were high or low to benefit farmers and merchants. It is the method closest to antiquity and must not be changed. Green Sprouts, by contrast, was practiced in the Tang dynasty's decline and is not worth emulating. Moreover, Your Majesty resents that the wealthy take much and give little—this is precisely the difference between a hundred paces and fifty paces. Suppose two men trade in the market and one deliberately undercuts the other's price to drive him out—everyone knows that is despicable. Can the court practice what the marketplace itself condemns?" Lü Huiqing said at the Imperial Study, "Today's advance purchase of silk and satin is comparable to Green Sprouts." Zhen replied, "Advance purchase is also a worn-out method. If the treasuries have a surplus, both should be abolished together—how can one cite a bad method as a precedent?" Han Qi argued forcefully against the harms of the new laws and sent rebuttals from the Regulations Office; Li Chang petitioned to abolish Green Sprout loans; edicts ordered analysis—and Zhen sealed every one back unopened. Edicts came down five times, and Zhen held firm to his original position. Sima Guang resigned as Vice Commissioner of Military Affairs; the edict approved his resignation—and Zhen sealed it back twice. The emperor delivered the edict directly to Guang, bypassing the Gate. Zhen memorialized, "Through my incompetence Your Majesty has abandoned the law and the responsible offices have failed in their duties. I beg to resign from the Silver Terrace Office."

舉蘇軾諫官，御史謝景溫奏罷之；舉孔文仲制科，文仲對策，論新法不便，罷歸故官。鎮皆力爭之，不報。即上疏曰：「臣言不行，無顏復立於朝，請謝事。臣言青苗不見聽，一宜去；薦蘇軾、孔文仲不見用，二宜去。李定避持服，遂不認母，壞人倫，逆天理，而欲以為御史，御史臺為之罷陳薦，舍人院為之罷宋敏求、呂大臨、蘇頌，諫院為之罷胡宗愈。王韶上書肆意欺罔，以興造邊事，事敗，則置而不問，反為之罪帥臣李師中；及御史一言蘇軾，則下七路掎摭其過；孔文仲則遣之歸任。以此二人況彼二人，事理孰是孰非，孰得孰失，其能逃聖鑒乎？言青苗有見效者，不過歲得什百萬緡錢，緡錢什百萬，非出於天，非出於地，非出於建議者之家，蓋一出於民耳。民猶魚也，財猶水也，養民而盡其財，譬猶養魚而竭其水也。」

He recommended Su Shi for the Remonstrance Bureau, but Censor Xie Jingwen memorialized to block the appointment; He recommended Kong Wenzhong for the policy examination; Wenzhong in his answers criticized the new laws as harmful and was sent back to his former post. Zhen fought vigorously for both men, but received no response. He immediately submitted a memorial: "My words go unheeded; I have no face to remain at court. I beg to resign my post. My counsel on Green Sprouts went unheeded—that is the first reason I should leave; My recommendations of Su Shi and Kong Wenzhong were rejected—that is the second reason I should leave. Li Ding avoided mourning observance and refused to acknowledge his mother, violating human relations and defying heavenly principle—yet they wished to appoint him censor. The Censorate halted its recommendations over this; the Drafting Office removed Song Minqiu, Lü Dalin, and Su Song; the Remonstrance Bureau removed Hu Zongyu. Wang Shao memorialized with reckless deception to stir up border conflicts; when his schemes failed they ignored the matter and instead blamed the frontier commander Li Shizhong; yet at a single censor's word against Su Shi, they dispatched investigators through seven circuits to hunt for his faults; Kong Wenzhong they simply sent back to his former post. Compare these two cases with those two—which is right and which is wrong, which gains and which loses? Can such inconsistency escape Your Majesty's discerning eye? Those who claim Green Sprouts are effective speak only of millions in strings of cash each year—but those millions do not fall from heaven, rise from earth, or come from the reformers' own households. They come entirely from the people. The people are like fish and wealth is like water. To nourish the people while exhausting their wealth is like keeping fish while draining the pond dry."

疏五上，其後指安石用喜怒為賞罰，曰：「陛下有納諫之資，大臣進拒諫之計；陛下有愛民之性，大臣用殘民之術。臣知言入觸大臣之怒，罪且不測。然臣職獻替而無一言，則負陛下矣。」疏入，安石大怒，持其疏至手顫，自草制極詆之。以戶部侍郎致仕，凡所得恩典，悉不與。鎮表謝，略曰：「願陛下集群議為耳目，以除壅蔽之奸，任老成為腹心，以養和平之福。」天下聞而壯之。安石雖詆之深切，人更以為榮。既退，蘇軾往賀曰：「公雖退，而名益重矣！」鎮愀然曰：「君子言聽計從，消患於未萌，使天下陰受其賜，無智名，無勇功；吾獨不得為此，使天下受其害而吾享其名，吾何心哉！」日與賓客賦詩飲酒，或勸使稱疾杜門，鎮曰：「死生禍福，天也，吾其如天何！」同天節乞隨班上壽，許之，遂為令。軾得罪，下臺獄，索與鎮往來書文甚急，猶上書論救。久之，徙居許。

He submitted five memorials; later he charged that Anshi used personal pleasure and anger as the basis for rewards and punishments, saying, "Your Majesty has the capacity to accept remonstrance, yet your grand ministers advance plans to block it; Your Majesty has a nature that loves the people, yet your grand ministers employ methods that harm them. I know that entering such words will provoke the grand ministers' wrath and that my punishment is unpredictable. Yet my office is to advise and correct, and if I speak not one word I fail Your Majesty." When the memorial arrived, Anshi was furious; he held it until his hand trembled and personally drafted an edict harshly denouncing him. He retired as Vice Minister of Revenue, and every favor normally granted on retirement was withheld. In his letter of thanks Zhen wrote briefly, "I wish Your Majesty would gather collective counsel as your eyes and ears to remove obstructing treachery, and employ the experienced as your heart and core to nurture the blessings of peace." All under Heaven heard of it and were heartened. Though Anshi reviled him bitterly, people esteemed Zhen all the more for it. After his retirement, Su Shi came to congratulate him, saying, "Though you have retired, your reputation has only grown heavier!" Zhen said somberly, "The true gentleman is he whose counsel is heard and whose plans are followed, who eliminates trouble before it sprouts and lets the realm receive benefit in secret—with no reputation for wisdom and no credit for courage; I alone could not do this—letting the realm suffer harm while I enjoy the fame. What sort of heart is that!" Each day he composed poetry and drank wine with his guests. Some urged him to feign illness and shut his doors. Zhen said, "Life, death, fortune, and disaster belong to Heaven—what can I do against Heaven!" On the Same Heaven Festival he petitioned to join his class in offering birthday felicitations to the emperor; permission was granted, and it became permanent regulation. When Su Shi fell afoul of the law and was imprisoned, investigators urgently sought his correspondence with Zhen—yet Zhen still submitted a memorial pleading for his rescue. After some time he moved his residence to Xu.

哲宗立，韓維言：「鎮在仁宗時，首啟建儲之議，未嘗以語人，人亦莫為言者。」具以十九疏上之。拜端明殿學士，起提舉中太一宮兼侍讀，且欲以為門下侍郎。鎮雅不欲起，從孫祖禹亦勸止之，遂固辭，改提舉崇福宮。祖禹謁告歸省，詔賜以龍茶，存勞甚渥。復告老，以銀青光祿大夫再致仕，累封蜀郡公。

When Emperor Zhezong ascended the throne, Han Wei said, "During Emperor Renzong's reign Zhen was the first to raise the question of establishing an heir. He never spoke of it to others, and no one else spoke on his behalf either." He submitted all nineteen memorials in full. He was appointed Academician of the Hall of Bright Clarity, recalled to oversee the Central Grand Unity Palace with concurrent study-reader duties, and the court also wished to make him Vice Director of the Gate. Zhen by temperament did not wish to return to office; his grandnephew Zuyu also urged him to stay home. He firmly declined and was instead assigned to oversee the Palace of Cherished Blessings. When Zuyu took leave to visit his family, an edict bestowed Dragon Tea upon him; the emperor's favors were exceedingly generous. He again reported his advanced age and retired a second time as Silver Glory Grandee of Splendid Happiness, and was cumulatively enfeoffed as Duke of Shu Commandery.

鎮於樂尤注意，自謂得古法，獨主房庶以律生尺之說。司馬光謂不然，往復論難，凡數萬言。初，仁宗命李照改定大樂，下王朴樂三律。皇祐中，又詔胡瑗等考正。神宗時詔鎮與劉几定之。鎮曰：「定樂當先正律。」神宗曰：「然，雖有師曠之聰，不以六律不能正五音。」鎮作律尺、龠合、升斗、豆區、鬴斛，欲圖上之，又乞訪求真黍，以定黃鐘。而劉几即用李照樂，加用四清聲而奏樂成。詔罷局，賜齎有加。鎮曰：「此劉几樂也，臣何與焉。」至是，乃請太府銅為之，逾年而成，比李照樂下一律有奇。帝及太皇太后御延和殿，召執政同閱視，賜詔嘉獎。下之太常，詔三省、侍從、臺閣之臣，皆往觀焉。鎮時已屬疾，樂奏三日而薨，年八十一。贈金紫光祿大夫，諡曰「忠文」。

Zhen paid special attention to music, claiming he had recovered the ancient methods, and alone upheld Fang Shu's theory of deriving the standard foot-measure from the pitch pipes. Sima Guang disagreed, and they argued back and forth in exchanges totaling tens of thousands of words. Initially Emperor Renzong ordered Li Zhao to revise the court music, lowering Wang Pu's scale by three pitches. During the Huangyou era he again ordered Hu Yuan and others to examine and correct it. During Emperor Shenzong's reign he ordered Zhen and Liu Ji to fix it. Zhen said, "To fix the music one must first correct the pitch pipes." The emperor said, "True—even one with Shi Kuang's hearing cannot correct the five tones without the six pitch pipes." Zhen constructed pitch pipes, foot-measures, vessels, pecks, bushels, and grain measures, intending to present diagrams to the throne, and also petitioned to seek true millet grain to establish the yellow bell pitch. But Liu Ji immediately adopted Li Zhao's music, added four clear tones, and the performance was completed. An edict dissolved the bureau, and generous gifts were bestowed. Zhen said, "This is Liu Ji's music—what does it have to do with me?" Only then did he request copper from the Grand Storehouse to cast them; after more than a year they were completed, one pitch lower than Li Zhao's scale with a fractional remainder. The emperor and Grand Empress Dowager attended at the Yanhe Hall, summoned the chief councilors to view the instruments together, and bestowed an edict of praise. The instruments were sent to the Directorate of Sacrifices, and an edict ordered officials of the three ministries, attendants, and censorate all to come view them. Zhen was already gravely ill at the time; the music was performed for three days, and then he died at the age of eighty-one. He was posthumously granted the title Golden Glory Grandee of Splendid Happiness, with the posthumous epithet "Loyal and Literary."

鎮平生與司馬光相得甚歡，議論如出一口，且約生則互為傳，死則作銘。光生為鎮《傳》，服其勇決；鎮復銘光墓云：「熙寧奸朋淫縱，險詖憸猾，賴神宗洞察於中。」其辭峭峻。光子康屬蘇軾書之，軾曰：「軾不辭書，懼非三家福。」乃易他銘。

Throughout his life Zhen was on the closest terms with Sima Guang; their opinions were as if spoken from a single mouth, and they agreed that while living they would write each other's biography and when dead compose each other's epitaph. While Zhen still lived, Guang wrote his Biography, admiring his courage and resolve; Zhen in turn composed Guang's tomb inscription: "In the Xining era treacherous factions were wanton and devious, crafty and sly—yet thanks to Shenzong's penetration within." The wording was severe and unsparing. Guang's son Kang asked Su Shi to write it out; Shi said, "I do not decline to write, but I fear it may not bring fortune to all three families." They substituted another epitaph instead.

鎮清白坦夷，遇人必以誠，恭儉慎默，口不言人過。臨大節，決大議，色和而語壯，常欲繼之以死，雖在萬乘前，無所屈。篤於行義，奏補先族人而後子孫，鄉人有不克婚葬者，輒為主之。兄鎡，卒於隴城，無子，聞其有遺腹子在外，鎮時未仕，徒步求之兩蜀間，二年乃得之，曰：「吾兄異於人，體有四乳，則兒亦必然。」已而果然，名曰百常。少受學於鄉先生龐直溫，直溫子昉卒於京師，鎮娶其女為孫婦，養其妻子終身。

Zhen was pure, open, and straightforward; in dealing with others he was always sincere, respectful, frugal, cautious, and reticent, and never spoke of others' faults. When facing great principles and deciding weighty matters, his expression was mild but his words forceful; he was often ready to follow his counsel with his life, and even before the Son of Heaven he would not yield. Deeply devoted to righteous conduct, in his memorials he recommended distant clansmen before his own sons and grandsons; when fellow villagers could not afford marriage or burial, he always arranged it for them. His elder brother Zan died at Longcheng without heirs; hearing that a posthumous son existed somewhere outside, Zhen—then still without office—walked on foot searching between the two Shu regions for two years before finding him, saying, "My brother was unlike other men—his body had four nipples, so the child must be the same." In time it proved true; the boy was named Baichang. In youth he studied under the village teacher Pang Zhiwen; when Zhiwen's son Fang died in the capital, Zhen married his daughter to his grandson and supported Fang's wife and children for the rest of his life.

其學本《六經》，口不道佛、老、申、韓之說。契丹、高麗皆傳誦其文。少時賦《長嘯卻胡騎》，晚使遼，人相目曰：「此長嘯公也。」兄子百祿亦使遼，遼人首問鎮安否。

His learning was rooted in the Six Classics, and he never spoke of Buddhist, Daoist, Legalist, or stratagem doctrines. Both the Khitan and Goryeo transmitted and recited his writings. In his youth he composed "Long Whistling Turns Back the Nomad Cavalry"; when sent to Liao in his old age, people pointed at him and said, "This is the Long Whistling Lord." When his nephew Bailu was also sent to Liao, the Liao people first asked whether Zhen was well.

從子百祿

Nephew: Bailu

Disambig.svg参见：資政殿學士范公墓誌銘

See also: Epitaph for Academician Fan of the Hall for Assisting Governance.

百祿，字子功，鎮兄鍇之子也。第進士，又舉才識兼茂科。時治平水災，大臣方議濮禮，百祿對策曰：「簡宗廟、廢祭祀，則水不潤下。昔漢哀尊共皇，河南、潁川大水；孝安尊德皇，京師、郡國二十九大水。蓋大宗隆，小宗殺；宗廟重，私祀輕。今宜殺而隆，宜輕而重，是悖先王之禮。禮一悖，則人心失而天意睽，變異所由起也。」對入三等。

Bailu, whose style was Zigong, was the son of Zhen's elder brother Kai. He passed the metropolitan examination and also passed the Examination of Outstanding Talent and Comprehensive Policy. At the time floods struck during the Zhiping era and grand ministers were debating the rites for Prince Pu; in his examination answers Bailu said, "Simplify the ancestral temples and abolish sacrifices, and water will not flow down in harmony. Formerly, when Emperor Ai of Han honored the Co-Emperor, Henan and Yingchuan suffered great floods; When Emperor Xiao'an honored the Virtuous Emperor, the capital and twenty-nine commanderies suffered great floods. For the greater lineage is elevated and the lesser lineage is diminished; the ancestral temples are weighty and private sacrifices are light. Now what should be diminished is elevated, and what should be light is made heavy—this violates the ritual of the Former Kings. Once ritual is violated, the people's hearts are lost and Heaven's intent is estranged—strange transformations arise from this." His answer was ranked in the third class.

熙寧中，鄧綰舉為御史，辭不就。提點江東、利、梓路刑獄，加直集賢院。利州武守周永懿以賄敗，百祿請復至道故事，用文吏領兵，以轄邊界，從之。熊本治瀘蠻事，有夷酋力屈請降，裨將賈昌言欲殺以為功，百祿諭之不聽，往謂本曰：「殺降不祥，活千人者封子孫。奈何容驕將橫境內乎？」本矍然，即檄止之。

During the Xining era Deng Zong recommended him as censor, but he declined the appointment. He served as judicial intendant for the Jiangdong, Li, and Zi circuits and was appointed Direct Gentleman of the Collected Treasures. The military prefect Zhou Yongyi of Li prefecture was ruined by bribery; Bailu petitioned to restore the Zhidao-era precedent of placing civil officials in command of troops to control the border, and the proposal was adopted. While Xiong Ben was governing affairs with the Lu barbarians, a tribal chief whose strength had failed submitted in surrender; the subordinate general Jia Changyan wished to kill him for merit. Bailu admonished him but he would not listen, and went to tell Ben, "Killing those who surrender is inauspicious—he who saves a thousand lives will have his descendants enfeoffed. How can you tolerate arrogant generals running rampant within the borders?" Ben started in alarm and immediately issued orders to stop it.

七年，召知諫院。屬歲旱，請講求急務，收還法令之未便者，以救將死之民。論手實法曰：「造薄手實，許令告匿。戶令雖有手實之文，而未嘗行。蓋謂使人自占，必不以實告，而明許告訐，人將為仇。然則禮、義、廉、恥之風衰矣。」五路置三十七將，專督所部兵，至許辟置布衣參軍謀。百祿察其中，或以恩澤市，或以瘝敗收，或未歷邊方，或起於群盜，疏列其亡狀者十四人，請仍舊制，將佐顓教閱，餘付之州縣，事多施行。

In the seventh year he was summoned to head the Remonstrance Bureau. When drought struck that year, he petitioned to address urgent affairs and repeal inconvenient laws in order to save people on the brink of starvation. On the hand-record law he said, "Issuing simplified household registers and permitting informants to denounce concealed property. The household ordinance contained provisions for hand-records, but they had never been enforced. For if people are made to report their own holdings, they will surely not report truthfully; yet if denunciation is openly permitted, people will become one another's enemies. Then the spirit of ritual, righteousness, integrity, and shame will wither away." Thirty-seven generals were appointed across five circuits to supervise their troops exclusively, and they were even permitted to recruit commoners as military advisers. Bailu investigated them and found that some had bought their posts through favor, some through bribery, some had never served on the frontier, and some had risen from bandit gangs. He listed fourteen unfit men and asked to restore the old system whereby generals and deputies alone conducted troop drills, leaving the rest to prefectures and counties—and many of his proposals were adopted.

與徐禧治李士寧獄，奏士寧熒惑童婦，致不軌生心，罪死不赦。禧右士寧，以為無罪。執政主禧，貶百祿監宿州酒。元豐末，入為司門、吏部郎中、起居郎。

Together with Xu Xi he tried the case of Li Shining, memorializing that Shining had deluded children and women and incited rebellious intent—a capital offense that merited no pardon. Xi sided with Shining and declared him innocent. The chief councilors sided with Xi and demoted Bailu to supervisor of the Suzhou wine monopoly. At the end of the Yuanfeng era he entered court service as Gate Officer, director in the Ministry of Personnel, and Attendant on the Grand Secretariat.

哲宗立，遷中書舍人。司馬光復差役法，患吏受賕，欲加流配。百祿固爭曰：「民今日執事，受謝於人，明日罷役，則以財賂人。苟繩以重典，黥面赭衣必將充塞道路。」光悟曰：「微君言，吾不悉也。」遂已。

When Emperor Zhezong ascended the throne, he was promoted to Secretariat Drafter. Sima Guang restored the corvée labor system, concerned that officials were taking bribes, and wished to add exile as punishment. Bailu argued forcefully, "Today a commoner performs official duties and accepts payment from others; tomorrow when his term ends, he uses his wealth to bribe others. If punished under harsh statutes, tattooed faces and ochre prisoner's robes will surely fill the roads." Guang understood and said, "Without your words I would not have understood this." The proposal was then dropped.

元祐元年，為刑部侍郎。諸郡以故鬥殺情可矜者請讞，法官曰：「宜貸。」光曰：「殺人不死，法廢矣。」百祿曰：「謂之殺人，則可；若制刑以為無足疑，原情以為無足憫，則不可。今概之死，則二殺之科，自是遂無足疑憫者矣。」時又詔天下獄不當讞而輒讞者抵罪。有司重於請，至枉情以求合法。百祿曰：「熙寧之法，非可疑可憫而讞者免駁勘，元豐則刊之，近則有奏劾之詔，故官吏畏避，不憚論殺。」因條五年死貸之數以聞。門下省猶駁正當貸者，又例在有司者還中書，百祿又爭之，後悉從其請。

In the first year of Yuanyou he was appointed Vice Minister of Punishments. Various prefectures requested judicial review for brawl-killings with mitigating circumstances; the judges ruled that the sentences should be commuted. Guang said, "If killers do not die, the law is rendered void." Bailu said, "To call it killing is acceptable; but if the law treats the case as beyond doubt and the circumstances as beyond pity, that cannot be right. If all are executed to death, then the two categories of killing will from this point forward have no cases worthy of doubt or pity." At the time there was also an edict that officials who submitted cases for review when review was not warranted would be punished. Officials placed such weight on petitions that they even distorted the facts to make cases conform to the law. Bailu said, "Under the Xining law, cases reviewed without grounds of doubt or pity were exempted from re-examination; the Yuanfeng code published this rule; and recently there has been an edict on impeachment—so officials are fearful and no longer hesitate to argue for execution." He then submitted statistics on death sentences commuted over the past five years. The Gate still rejected cases that should have been commuted; there was also a precedent returning cases in officials' hands to the Secretariat. Bailu argued again, and in the end all his requests were granted.

改吏部侍郎。議者欲汰胥吏，呂大防趣廢其半，百祿曰：「不可。廢半則失職者眾，不若以漸消之，自今闕吏勿補，不數歲，減斯過半矣。」不聽。

He was transferred to Vice Minister of Personnel. Some proposed eliminating clerks; Lü Dafang urged abolishing half of them. Bailu said, "That cannot be done. Abolishing half at once would leave too many without employment; it is better to reduce them gradually—from now on, when posts fall vacant, do not fill them, and within a few years the number will be reduced by more than half." His advice was not heeded.

都水王孝先議回河故道，大防意向之，命百祿行視。百祿以東流高仰，而河勢順下，不可回，即馳奏所以然之狀，且取神宗詔令勿塞故道者並上之。大防猶謂：「大河東流，中國之險限。今塘濼既壞，界河淤淺，河且北注矣。」百祿言：「塘濼有限寇之名，無禦寇之實。借使河徙而北，敵始有下流之憂，乃吾之利也。先帝明詔具在，奈何妄動搖之。」乃止。

Wang Xiaoxian, Director of Waterways, proposed diverting the Yellow River back to its old course; Dafang was inclined to agree and ordered Bailu to inspect the site. Bailu argued that the eastern channel ran high while the river's momentum flowed downward, so it could not be diverted back. He immediately submitted an urgent memorial explaining why, and attached Shenzong's edict forbidding blockage of the old course. Dafang still argued, "The great river flowing eastward is China's strategic barrier. Now the pond marshes are ruined and the border river silted shallow—the river will soon shift northward." Bailu replied, "The pond marshes have the name of limiting enemies but not the reality of repelling them. Even if the river shifted north, the enemy would then face the threat of a downstream attack—that would be to our advantage. The former emperor's clear edicts are still in force—how can we rashly overturn them?" The project was then halted.

俄兼侍讀，進翰林學士。為帝言分別邪正之目，凡導人主以某事者為公正，某事者為奸邪，以類相反，凡二十餘條。願概斯事以觀其情，則邪正分矣。

Soon he was appointed concurrent study-reader and promoted to Hanlin Academician. He explained to the emperor categories for distinguishing the wicked from the upright: whatever guides the ruler toward certain conduct is upright, and whatever guides him toward other conduct is wicked—twenty-odd paired opposites in all. I wish Your Majesty to survey these matters and observe people's true dispositions—then the wicked and the upright will be clearly separated.

以龍圖閣學士知開封府。勤於民事，獄無繫囚。僚吏欲以圄空聞，百祿曰：「千里之畿，無一人之獄，此至尊之仁，非尹功也。」不許。經數月，復為翰林學士，拜中書侍郎。是歲郊祀，議合祭天地，禮官以「昊天有成命」為言。百祿曰：「此三代之禮，奈何復欲合祭乎？『成命』之頌，祀天祭地，均歌此詩，亦如春夏祈穀而歌《噫嘻》，亦豈為一祭哉？」爭久不決，質於帝前。宰相曰：「百祿之言，禮經也；今日之用，權制也。陛下始郊見，宜以並事天地為恭。」於是合祭。

As Academician of the Dragon Diagram Hall he was appointed prefect of Kaifeng. He was diligent in civil affairs, and the prisons held no detained prisoners. His staff wished to report that the prisons were empty. Bailu said, "In a capital district a thousand li across, with not a single prisoner in the jails—this reflects the supreme ruler's benevolence, not the prefect's merit." He would not allow it. After several months he was again made Hanlin Academician and appointed Vice Director of the Secretariat. That year at the suburban sacrifice, officials debated combining the sacrifices to Heaven and Earth; ritual officers cited the ode "Vast Heaven Has Fixed the Mandate." Bailu said, "This is the ritual of the Three Dynasties—why do you wish to combine the sacrifices again? The hymn "Fixed Mandate" is sung at sacrifices to both Heaven and Earth—just as "Yi Xi" is sung at spring and summer grain prayers—how could it prove they are a single sacrifice?" The debate dragged on without resolution, and the question was submitted before the emperor. The chief councilor said, "Bailu's words follow the ritual canon; today's practice is an expedient measure. Your Majesty's first suburban appearance should take serving Heaven and Earth together as an act of reverence." The combined sacrifice was then performed.

熙河范育言：「阿里骨酷暴且病，溫溪心八族皆思內附，可以計納。」百祿曰：「中國以信撫四夷，阿里骨未有過，溪心虛實未可知，無釁而動，非策也。」又請進築納迷等三城，百祿曰：「是皆良田，為必爭之地，我既城之，若賊騎時出，我何以耕？後雖欲棄之，為費已甚，亦不能矣。」帝皆從之。右僕射蘇頌坐稽留除書免，百祿以同省罷為資政殿學士、知河中，徙河陽、河南。薨，年六十五，贈銀青光祿大夫。

Fan Yu of Xihe said, "Aligu is cruel, violent, and ill; the eight clans of Wenxi and Xin all wish to submit to the court—we can win them by stratagem." Bailu replied, "China wins over the four barbarians through trust and kindness. Aligu has committed no offense, and whether Wenxi and Xin's intentions are genuine is unknown. To act without provocation is no strategy." They also asked to advance construction of three cities including Nami. Bailu said, "These are all fertile fields and ground certain to be contested. Once we fortify them, if enemy cavalry sallies forth at will, how can we farm? Later, even if we wished to abandon them, the expense would already be too great to do so." The emperor accepted all of his advice. Right Vice Director Su Song was dismissed for delaying appointment documents; Bailu, removed from the same ministry, was made Academician of the Hall for Assisting Governance and prefect of Hezhong, then transferred to Heyang and Henan. He died at the age of sixty-five and was posthumously granted the title Silver Glory Grandee of Splendid Happiness.

子祖述，監潁州酒稅，攝獄掾，閱具獄，活兩死囚，州人以為神。知鞏縣，鑿南山導水入洛，縣無水患，文彥博稱其能。以父墮黨籍，監中嶽廟。久之，通判涇州。知台州，奏罷黃甘、葛蕈之貢。主管西京御史臺。靖康多難，避地至汝州。汝守趙子櫟邀與共守，於是旁郡盡陷，汝獨全。累官朝議大夫，卒。從弟祖禹。

His son Zushu supervised the Yingzhou wine tax, served as acting prison clerk, reviewed completed cases, and saved two prisoners condemned to death—the prefecture regarded it as miraculous. As magistrate of Gong County he tunneled through the southern mountains to channel water into the Luo River, and the county suffered no more floods; Wen Yanbo praised his ability. Because his father had been struck from the faction registers, he was assigned to supervise the Central Peak temple. After some time he was appointed deputy prefect of Jing Prefecture. As prefect of Taizhou he memorialized to abolish the tribute of yellow citrus and kudzu mushrooms. He was placed in charge of the Western Capital Censorate. During the turmoil of the Jingkang era he fled to Ru Prefecture. The prefect of Ru, Zhao Zilie, invited him to defend the city together; neighboring prefectures all fell, but Ru alone was preserved. He rose cumulatively to Court Deliberation Grandee and died. Younger cousin: Zuyu.

從孫祖禹

Grandnephew: Zuyu

祖禹，字淳甫，一字夢得。其生也，母夢一偉丈夫被金甲入寢室，曰：「吾漢將軍鄧禹。」既寤，猶見之，遂以為名。幼孤，叔祖鎮撫育如己子。祖禹自以既孤，每歲時親賓慶集，慘怛若無所容，閉門讀書，未嘗預人事。既至京師，所與交游，皆一時聞人。鎮器之曰：「此兒，天下士也。」

Zuyu, whose style was Chunfu and who also used the style Mengde. At his birth his mother dreamed that a great man clad in golden armor entered the bedchamber and said, "I am the Han general Deng Yu." When she awoke she still saw him, and thus gave the child his name. Orphaned in childhood, his granduncle Zhen raised and nurtured him as his own son. Because he was orphaned, whenever kin and guests gathered for seasonal celebrations Zuyu was grief-stricken and ill at ease; he shut his door to read and never participated in social affairs. Once he reached the capital, all those with whom he associated were renowned men of the age. Zhen treasured him and said, "This boy is a man of the realm."

進士甲科。從司馬光編修《資治通鑒》，在洛十五年，不事進取。書成，光薦為秘書省正字。時王安石當國，尤愛重之。王安國與祖禹友善，嘗諭安石意，竟不往謁。富弼致仕居洛，素嚴毅，杜門罕與人接，待祖禹獨厚；疾篤，召授以密疏，大抵論安石誤國及新法之害，言極憤切。弼薨，人皆以為不可奏，祖禹卒上之。

He passed the metropolitan examination in the top class. He assisted Sima Guang in compiling the Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government, spending fifteen years at Luoyang without seeking advancement. When the work was completed, Guang recommended him as Corrector of the Secretariat. At the time Wang Anshi held power and especially valued him. Wang Anguo was on friendly terms with Zuyu and once conveyed Anshi's intentions, yet Zuyu never went to pay his respects. Fu Bi had retired to Luoyang; stern and resolute by nature, he kept his doors closed and rarely received visitors, yet he treated Zuyu with special generosity; When gravely ill he summoned Zuyu and entrusted him with a secret memorial, broadly discussing how Anshi had misled the state and the harms of the new laws, in language of extreme indignation. When Bi died everyone thought the memorial should not be submitted; Zuyu finally submitted it anyway.

神宗崩，祖禹上疏論喪服之制曰：「先王制禮，君服同於父，皆斬衰三年，蓋恐為人臣者不以父事其君。自漢以來，不惟人臣無服，人君遂不為三年之喪。國朝自祖宗以來，外廷雖用易月之制，宮中實行三年服。君服如古典，而臣下猶依漢制，故十二日而小祥，朞而又小祥，二十四日而大祥，再朞而又大祥。既以日為之，又以月為之，此禮之無據者也。古者再朞而大祥，中月而禫。禫，祭之名，非服之色。今乃為之慘服三日然後禫，此禮之不經者也。服既除，至葬又服之，祔廟後即吉，才八月而遽純吉，無所不佩，此又禮之無漸者也。朔望，群臣朝服以造殯宮，是以吉服臨喪；人主衰服在上，是以先帝之服為人主之私喪，此二者皆禮之所不安也。」

When Shenzong died, Zuyu submitted a memorial on mourning regulations: "The Former Kings established ritual so that mourning for the ruler was the same as for a father—top-grade three-year mourning for both—fearing lest subjects fail to treat their ruler as they would a father. From the Han dynasty onward, not only did subjects cease wearing mourning garments, but rulers also ceased observing three-year mourning. In our dynasty, from the founding ancestors onward, the outer court used the abbreviated month-replacement mourning, but within the palace three-year mourning was actually observed. The ruler's mourning followed the ancient canon while subjects still followed Han practice, so there was lesser felicity at twelve days, lesser felicity again at one cycle, greater felicity at twenty-four days, and greater felicity again at two cycles. To count both by days and by months—this is ritual without proper basis. In antiquity greater felicity came at two cycles, and the chan sacrifice at the middle of the month. Chan is the name of a sacrifice, not the color of mourning garments. Now they wear somber garments for three days and then perform the chan sacrifice—this is ritual that violates canonical practice. Mourning garments are removed, then donned again at burial; after enshrinement in the ancestral temple they immediately switch to auspicious dress—only eight months pass before they are suddenly in full auspicious attire, wearing every ornament—this again is ritual without gradual transition. On the new and full moon, all officials in court dress visit the mourning palace—thus attending a funeral in auspicious dress; while the ruler wears mourning garments above—thus treating the former emperor's mourning as the ruler's private family mourning—both of these are what ritual cannot accommodate."

哲宗立，擢右正言。呂公著執政，祖禹以婿嫌辭，改祠部員外郎，又辭。除著作佐郎、修《神宗實錄》檢討，遷著作郎兼侍講。神宗既祥，祖禹上疏宣仁后曰：「今即吉方始，服御一新，奢儉之端，皆由此起。凡可以盪心悅目者，不宜有加於舊。皇帝聖性未定，睹儉則儉，睹奢則奢，所以訓導成德者，動宜有法。今聞奉宸庫取珠，戶部用金，其數至多，恐增加無已，願止於未然。崇儉敦樸，輔養聖性，使目不視靡曼之色，耳不聽淫哇之聲，非禮勿言，非禮勿動，則學問日益，聖德日隆，此宗社無疆之福。」故事，服除當開樂置宴，祖禹以為因除服而開樂設宴，則似除服而慶賀，非君子不得已而除之之意，不可。

When Emperor Zhezong took the throne, Zuyu was promoted to Right Rectifying Censor. With Lü Gongzhu directing the government, Zuyu withdrew citing the impropriety of serving under his father-in-law; he was reassigned as Foreign Gentleman of the Temple Ministry but declined that post as well. He was appointed Assistant Compiler and examiner for the Veritable Records of Emperor Shenzong, then promoted to Compiler with concurrent duty as palace lecturer. After the mourning period for Emperor Shenzong had ended, Zuyu submitted a memorial to Empress Dowager Xuanren saying, "The mourning period has only just concluded and court dress and furnishings are already being renewed; the choice between extravagance and austerity begins here. Nothing that delights the senses should exceed what was used in the past. The emperor's character is not yet formed: he will imitate thrift when he sees thrift and extravagance when he sees extravagance. Every act that shapes his moral cultivation should follow a fixed standard. I hear that the Inner Treasury is drawing pearls and the Ministry of Revenue is spending gold in great quantities. I fear these expenses will grow without limit and ask that they be halted before the habit takes hold. Honor austerity and simplicity in nurturing the emperor's character: let his eyes not see alluring sights, his ears not hear decadent music; let him speak and act only as ritual permits. Then his learning will deepen day by day and his virtue will ascend — the boundless blessing of dynasty and state." Precedent called for music and a feast when mourning ended. Zuyu argued that holding celebrations upon leaving mourning would make it look like a congratulation rather than the sober completion the rites intend, and urged that it not be done.

夏暑權罷講，祖禹言：「陛下今日之學與不學，繫他日治亂。如好學，則天下君子欣慕，願立於朝，以直道事陛下，輔佐德業，而致太平；不學，則小人皆動其心，務為邪諂，以竊富貴。且凡人之進學，莫不於少時，今聖質日長，數年之後，恐不得如今日之專，竊為陛下惜也。」遷起居郎，又召試中書舍人，皆不拜。呂公著薨，召拜右諫議大夫。首上疏論人主正心修身之要，乞太皇太后日以天下之勤勞、萬民之疾苦、群臣之邪正、政事之得失，開導上心，曉然存之於中，使異日眾說不能惑，小人不能進。

During the summer heat lectures were temporarily suspended. Zuyu said, "Whether Your Majesty studies today will determine whether the realm knows order or chaos tomorrow. If he loves learning, gentlemen throughout the realm will admire him and gladly take office, serving Your Majesty with integrity, aiding his moral cultivation, and bringing the realm to peace; If he does not study, petty men will set their minds on him, striving through flattery and deceit to seize wealth and rank. Moreover, everyone advances in learning chiefly in youth. As Your Majesty's talents mature day by day, in a few years he may no longer enjoy the undivided attention of today. I grieve this on Your Majesty's behalf." He was promoted to Attendant of the Heir Apparent's Chambers and then summoned to qualify as Secretariat Drafter, but declined both appointments. After Lü Gongzhu died, Zuyu was summoned and appointed Right Remonstrance Grandee. He first memorialized on how a ruler should rectify his mind and cultivate his person, asking the Grand Empress Dowager daily to instruct the emperor with the realm's labors, the people's suffering, the integrity or corruption of ministers, and the successes and failures of policy, keeping these truths clear in his heart so that later no clamor of opinion could mislead him and no petty man could gain access.

蔡確既得罪，祖禹言：「自乾興以來，不竄逐大臣六十餘年，一旦行之，流傳四方，無不震聳。確去相已久，朝廷多非其黨，間有偏見異論者，若一切以為黨確去之，懼刑罰失中，而人情不安也。」

After Cai Que had been punished, Zuyu said, "For more than sixty years since the Qianxing era no great minister had been banished. To do so suddenly will send shock through every corner of the realm. Que left the chancellorship long ago, and most at court are not his partisans. A few hold biased or dissenting views. If every such case is treated as banishment of Que's clique, I fear punishments will lose their proper measure and public sentiment will grow uneasy."

蔡京鎮蜀，祖禹言：「京小有才，非端良之士。如使守成都，其還，當使執政，不宜崇長。」時大臣欲於新舊法中有所創立。祖禹以為：「朝廷既察王安石之法為非，但當復祖宗之舊，若出於新舊之間，兩用而兼存之，紀綱壞矣。」遷給事中。

When Cai Jing was posted to govern Shu, Zuyu said, "Jing has a little talent but is not a upright and trustworthy man. If he is sent to govern Chengdu, on his return he will surely be elevated to high office. He should not be encouraged and promoted." At that time leading ministers wished to devise innovations somewhere between the new and old laws. Zuyu argued, "The court has already recognized Wang Anshi's laws as mistaken and should simply restore the institutions of the ancestors. To stand between new and old, employing and preserving both, would wreck the fundamental order of government." He was promoted to Supervising Secretary.

吳中大水，詔出米百萬斛、緡錢二十萬振救。諫官謂訴災者為妄，乞加驗考。祖禹封還其章，云：「國家根本，仰給東南。今一方赤子，呼天赴訴，開口仰哺，以脫朝夕之急。奏災雖小過實，正當略而不問。若稍施懲譴，恐後無復敢言者矣。」

When Wu suffered severe flooding, an edict released a million hu of grain and two hundred thousand strings of cash for relief. Remonstrance officials claimed the disaster reports were exaggerated and asked that the reports be investigated and verified. Zuyu sealed and returned their memorial, writing, "The foundation of the state depends on supplies from the southeast. Now the common people of that region cry out to Heaven in their distress, mouths open waiting to be fed, desperate to escape their immediate peril. Even if disaster reports slightly exaggerate the facts, that is precisely when they should be overlooked rather than prosecuted. If even mild punishment is imposed, I fear no one will dare speak out again."

兼國史院修撰，為禮部侍郎。論擇監司守令曰：「祖宗分天下為十八路，置轉運使、提點刑獄，收鄉長、鎮將之權悉歸於縣，收縣之權歸於州，州之權歸於監司，監司之權歸於朝廷。上下相維，輕重相制，建置之道，最為合宜。監司付以一路，守臣付以一州，令宰付以一縣，皆與天子分土而治，其可不擇乎？祖宗嘗有考課之法，專察諸路監司，置簿於中書，以稽其要。今宜委吏部尚書，取當為州者，條別功狀以上三省，三省召而察之，苟其人可任，則以次表用之。至官，則令監司考其課績，終歲之後，可以校優劣而施黜陟焉。如此則得人必多，監司、郡守得人，縣令不才，非所患也。」

He served concurrently as compiler at the State History Academy and was appointed Vice Minister of Rites. In a memorial on selecting circuit commissioners, prefects, and magistrates he wrote, "The ancestors divided the realm into eighteen circuits and appointed transport commissioners and judicial intendants, concentrating the powers of village heads and garrison commanders in the counties, county powers in the prefectures, prefectural powers in the circuit commissioners, and circuit commissioners' powers in the central court. Superior and subordinate mutually sustain one another, weight and counterweight mutually check each other — this institutional design is the most fitting. Circuit commissioners govern entire circuits, prefects entire prefectures, and magistrates entire counties — each shares in ruling the realm with the emperor. How can their appointment be anything but deliberate? The ancestors once maintained performance-review regulations focused on circuit commissioners, keeping registers at the Secretariat to track their essential duties. The Minister of Personnel should now identify candidates for prefectural office, list their achievements, and submit the lists to the Three Departments. The departments should summon and examine them, and if a man is fit for duty, recommend him for appointment in proper order. Once in office, circuit commissioners should evaluate their performance, and at year's end their merits can be compared and promotions or dismissals applied accordingly. In this way many able men will be found. If circuit commissioners and prefects are well chosen, incompetent county magistrates need not be a serious concern."

聞禁中覓乳媼，祖禹以帝年十四，非近女色之時，上疏勸進德愛身，又乞宣仁后保護上躬，言甚切至。既而宣仁諭祖禹，以外議皆虛傳，祖禹覆上疏曰：「臣言皇帝進德愛身，宜常以為戒。太皇太后保護上躬，亦願因而勿忘。今外議雖虛，亦足為先事之戒。臣侍經左右，有聞於道路，實懷私憂，是以不敢避妄言之罪。凡事言於未然，則誠為過；及其已然，則又無所及，言之何益？陛下寧受未然之言，勿使臣等有無及之悔。」拜翰林學士，以叔百祿在中書，改侍講學士。百祿去，復為之。范氏自鎮至祖禹，比三世居禁林，士論榮慕。

When he heard that the inner palace was seeking wet-nurses, Zuyu — noting that the emperor was only fourteen and not yet at an age to be near women — memorialized urging moral self-cultivation and care for his health, and also asked Empress Dowager Xuanren to guard the emperor's person. His language was exceedingly earnest. Empress Dowager Xuanren then told Zuyu that the outside rumors were all false. Zuyu submitted another memorial: "What I said about the emperor advancing in virtue and guarding his health should remain a constant warning. I also hope Your Majesty will not forget the Grand Empress Dowager's duty to protect the emperor's person. Even if the outside rumors are false, they are still sufficient warning before trouble arises. As one who attends the emperor in his studies, I hear things on the streets and bear private anxiety; therefore I dare not shrink from the charge of speaking rashly. To speak of any matter before it has happened may indeed seem presumptuous; but once it has already happened, nothing can be done — of what use would speech be then? Your Majesty would do better to hear warnings before events occur than leave your servants with the regret of words that came too late." He was appointed Hanlin Academician, but because his uncle Bailu served in the Secretariat he was reassigned as Academician Expositor. When Bailu left office, Zuyu was again appointed Hanlin Academician. From Zhen to Zuyu, three generations of the Fan family in succession held posts in the Hanlin Academy, a source of honor and envy among scholars.

宣仁太后崩，中外議論洶洶，人懷顧望，在位者畏懼，莫敢發言。祖禹慮小人乘間害政，乃奏曰：「陛下方攬庶政，延見群臣，此國家隆替之本，社稷安危之機，生民休戚之端，君子小人進退消長之際，天命人心去就離合之時也，可不畏哉？先后有大功於宗社，有大德於生靈，九年之間，始終如一。然群小怨恨，亦為不少，必將以改先帝之政、逐先帝之臣為言，以事離間，不可不察也。先后因天下人心，變而更化。既改其法，則作法之人有罪當退，亦順眾言而逐之。是皆上負先帝，下負萬民，天下之所仇疾而欲去之者也，豈有憎惡於其間哉？惟辨析是非，深拒邪說，有以奸言惑聽者，付之典刑，痛懲一人，以警群慝，則貼然無事矣。此等既誤先帝，又欲誤陛下，天下之事，豈堪小人再破壞邪？」初，蘇軾約俱上章論列，諫草已具，見祖禹疏，遂附名同奏，曰：「公之文，經世之文也。」竟不復出其稿。

When Empress Dowager Xuanren died, debate within and beyond the court grew turbulent. People hesitated and looked about; those in office were afraid, and none dared speak out. Fearing that petty men would seize the moment to harm the government, Zuyu memorialized, "Your Majesty is just taking hold of affairs and receiving the ministers. This is the foundation of the state's rise or fall, the hinge of its safety or ruin, the source of the people's welfare or suffering, the moment when gentlemen and petty men advance or retreat, and the hour when Heaven's mandate and popular sentiment unite or divide. How can one not tremble before it? The Empress Dowager rendered great service to dynasty and state and great kindness to the people; for nine years her conduct was unwavering. Yet the resentment of petty men was considerable. They will surely speak of overturning the late emperor's policies and driving out his ministers, using such matters to sow division. This must not escape scrutiny. The Empress Dowager, responding to the will of the realm, changed course and brought reform. Once the laws were changed, those who devised them were guilty and ought to withdraw; their removal also followed the voice of the people. They had failed the late emperor above and the people below; the realm hated them and wished them gone. How could there be personal animosity in the matter? Only distinguish truth from falsehood and firmly reject perverse doctrines. Whoever uses deceitful words to mislead Your Majesty should be handed to the law; punish one man severely to warn the wicked host, and all will be tranquil. These men already misled the late emperor and now wish to mislead Your Majesty. Can the affairs of the realm endure another ruin at the hands of petty men?" Earlier Su Shi had agreed to submit a joint memorial; his draft was already prepared. When he saw Zuyu's memorial he added his name to the same submission, saying, "Your writing is the kind that orders an age." In the end he did not submit his own draft.

祖禹又言：「陛下承六世之遺烈，當思天下者祖宗之天下，人民者祖宗之人民，百官者祖宗之百官，府庫者祖宗之府庫。一言一動，如臨之在上，質之在傍，則可以長享天下之奉。先后以大公至正為心，罷安石、惠卿所造新法，而行祖宗舊政。故社稷危而復安，人心離而復合，乃至遼主亦戒其臣勿生事曰：『南朝專行仁宗之政矣。』外夷之情如此，中國之人心可知。先后日夜苦心勞力，為陛下立太平之基。願守之以靜，恭己以臨之，虛心以處之，則群臣邪正，萬事是非，皆瞭然於聖心矣。小人之情專為私，故不便於公；專為邪，故不便於正；專好動，故不便於靜。惟陛下痛心疾首，以為刻骨之戒。」章累上，不報。

Zuyu also wrote, "Your Majesty inherits the accumulated glory of six reigns. He should remember that the realm is the realm of the ancestors, the people are the people of the ancestors, the officials are the officials of the ancestors, and the treasuries are the treasuries of the ancestors. Let every word and deed be as if the ancestors looked down from above and stood witness at his side; then he may long enjoy the realm's devotion. The Empress Dowager took supreme impartiality as her guide, abolished the new laws devised by Anshi and Huiqing, and restored the policies of the ancestors. Thus the state, once imperiled, was made secure again and popular hearts reunited. Even the Liao ruler warned his ministers not to provoke trouble, saying, "The Southern Court is now devoted solely to the policies of Emperor Renzong." If foreign peoples felt thus, the hearts of the Chinese can readily be imagined. Day and night the Empress Dowager labored with anguished devotion to lay the foundation of peace for Your Majesty. May Your Majesty preserve it through tranquility, govern with humble self-restraint, and meet affairs with an open mind; then the integrity or corruption of ministers and the right and wrong of every matter will all stand clear before the imperial mind. Petty men are devoted to private interest and therefore ill at ease with the public good; devoted to what is crooked and therefore ill at ease with what is upright; devoted to agitation and therefore ill at ease with tranquility. May Your Majesty take this to heart with deepest grief and keep it as a warning engraved in bone." He submitted memorial after memorial, but received no reply.

忽有旨召內臣十餘人，祖禹言：「陛下親政以來，四海傾耳，未聞訪一賢臣，而所召者乃先內侍，必謂陛下私於近習，望即賜追改。」因請對，曰：「熙寧之初，王安石、呂惠卿造立新法，悉變祖宗之政，多引小人以誤國，勳舊之臣屏棄不用，忠正之士相繼遠引。又用兵開邊，結怨外夷，天下愁苦，百姓流徙。賴先帝覺悟，罷逐兩人，而所引群小，已佈滿中外，不可復去。蔡確連起大獄，王韶創取熙河，章惇開五溪，沈起擾交管，沈括、徐禧、俞充、种諤興造西事，兵民死傷皆不下二十萬。先帝臨朝悼悔，以謂朝廷不得不任其咎。以至吳居厚行鐵冶之法於京東，王子京行茶法於福建，蹇周輔行鹽法於江西，李稷、陸師閔行茶法、市易於西川，劉定教保甲於河北，民皆愁痛嗟怨，比屋思亂。賴陛下與先后起而救之，天下之民，如解倒縣。惟是向來所斥逐之人，窺伺事變，妄意陛下不以修改法度為是，如得至左右，必進奸言。萬一過聽而復用之，臣恐國家自此陵遲，不復振矣。」又論：「漢、唐之亡，皆由宦官。自熙寧、元豐間，李憲、王中正、宋用臣輩用事總兵，權勢震灼。中正兼幹四路，口敕募兵，州郡不敢違，師徒凍餒，死亡最多；憲陳再舉之策，致永樂摧陷；用臣興土木之工，無時休息，罔市井之微利，為國斂怨。此三人者，雖加誅戮，未足以謝百姓。憲雖已亡，而中正、用臣尚在，今召內臣十人，而憲、中正之子皆在其中。二人既入，則中正、用臣必將復用，願陛下念之。」

Suddenly an edict summoned more than ten inner attendants. Zuyu said, "Since Your Majesty began to rule in person the realm has listened eagerly, yet not one worthy minister has been sought while inner attendants are summoned first. All will conclude that Your Majesty favors his intimate servants. I beg that the order be immediately rescinded." He then requested an audience and said, "At the start of the Xining era Wang Anshi and Lü Huiqing devised new laws and wholly overturned the policies of the ancestors, bringing in many petty men who misled the state. Meritorious veterans were cast aside, and upright men were driven from office one after another. They also waged war to expand the frontiers, earning the hatred of foreign peoples. The realm groaned in misery and the people were driven from their homes. Thanks to the late emperor's awakening the two men were dismissed, but the petty men they had brought in already filled every corner of the government and could no longer be uprooted. Cai Que launched successive great prosecutions; Wang Shao pioneered the seizure of the Xihe region; Zhang Dun opened the Five Streams; Shen Qi disrupted trade in Jiaozhi; Shen Kuo, Xu Xi, Yu Chong, and Chong E stirred up western campaigns — military and civilian dead and wounded numbered no fewer than two hundred thousand. The late emperor, grieving at court, held that the government could not escape responsibility for these disasters. Wu Juhou imposed iron-smelting laws in Jingdong; Wang Zijing imposed tea laws in Fujian; Jian Zhoufu imposed salt laws in Jiangxi; Li Ji and Lu Shimin imposed tea and market-trade laws in Xichuan; Liu Ding taught the baojia system in Hebei — everywhere the people groaned in pain and resentment, and household after household brooded on rebellion. Thanks to Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager rising to rescue them, the people of the realm were as if released from hanging upside down. Only those who were formerly expelled now watch for a turn of events, wrongly supposing that Your Majesty does not approve of changing the laws. If they reach your side they will surely offer wicked counsel. If Your Majesty should by any mischance heed them and restore them to office, I fear the state will from that moment decline beyond recovery." He argued further, "The fall of Han and Tang was in every case brought about by eunuchs. From the Xining and Yuanfeng eras Li Xian, Wang Zhongzheng, Song Yongchen, and their like held power and commanded armies, their authority dazzling and overwhelming. Zhongzheng simultaneously managed four circuits, recruiting troops by oral edict that no prefecture dared refuse; his armies froze and starved, and deaths were greatest among them; Xian urged renewed campaigns, bringing about the disaster at Yongle; Yongchen launched construction projects without cease, seizing petty profits from the marketplace and heaping resentment upon the state. Even execution would not have been enough to atone to the people for these three men. Though Xian is dead, Zhongzheng and Yongchen still live. Now ten inner attendants are summoned, and among them are the sons of Xian and Zhongzheng. Once these two enter office, Zhongzheng and Yongchen will surely be restored to power. I beg Your Majesty to consider this."

時紹述之論已興，有相章惇意。祖禹力言惇不可用，不見從，遂請外。上且欲大用，而內外梗之者甚眾，乃以龍圖閣學士知陝州。言者論祖禹修《實錄》詆誣，又摭其諫禁中雇乳媼事，連貶武安軍節度副使、昭州別駕，安置永州、賀州，又徙賓、化而卒，年五十八。

By then the movement to restore the late emperor's policies had arisen, and some wished to make Zhang Dun chancellor. Zuyu argued forcefully that Zhang Dun must not be employed, but was not heeded and therefore asked for an outside appointment. The emperor still wished to employ him in high office, but opposition within and without the court was widespread, and he was instead appointed Dragon Diagram Pavilion Academician and prefect of Shaanzhou. Critics charged that in compiling the Veritable Records Zuyu had slandered the court, and they also seized on his memorial against hiring wet-nurses in the inner palace. He was successively demoted to Vice Military Commissioner of the Wu'an Army and Administrator-on-Leave of Zhao Prefecture, exiled to Yongzhou and Hezhou, then transferred to Bin and Hua, where he died at the age of fifty-eight.

祖禹平居恂恂，口不言人過。至遇事，則別白是非，不少借隱。在邇英守經據正，獻納尤多。嘗講《尚書》至「內作色荒，外作禽荒」六語，拱手再誦，卻立云：「願陛下留聽。」帝首肯再三，乃退。每當講前夕，必正衣冠，儼如在上側，命子弟侍，先按講其說。開列古義，參之時事，言簡而當，無一長語，義理明白，粲然成文。蘇軾稱為講官第一。

In daily life Zuyu was modest and deferential and never spoke of others' faults. But when affairs arose he distinguished right from wrong without the least concealment. In the Er'ying Hall he upheld the classics and held firm to principle, and his remonstrances were especially numerous. Once, lecturing on the Book of Documents, he came to the six words "Within, he makes dissipation his pursuit; without, he makes the chase his sport." He bowed with joined hands, recited them twice, stepped back, and said, "I beg Your Majesty to pause and heed these words." The emperor nodded repeatedly in assent, and only then did Zuyu withdraw. On the eve of each lecture he would dress formally, as solemn as if standing beside the emperor, summon his sons and younger brothers to attend, and rehearse his exposition beforehand. He set forth the meanings of the ancients and applied them to current affairs. His words were brief yet apt, without a single superfluous phrase; his reasoning was lucid and his prose shone with clarity. Su Shi ranked him first among lecture officials.

祖禹嘗進《唐鑒》十二卷，《帝學》八卷，《仁宗政典》六卷。而《唐鑒》深明唐三百年治亂，學者尊之，目為「唐鑒公」云。建炎二年，追復龍圖閣學士。子沖，紹興中仕至翰林侍讀學士，《儒林》有傳。

Zuyu once presented the Mirror of Tang in twelve scrolls, Imperial Learning in eight scrolls, and the Political Canon of Emperor Renzong in six scrolls. The Mirror of Tang brilliantly illuminates three hundred years of Tang order and chaos; scholars revered it and called him "Lord Mirror of Tang." In the second year of Jianyan he was posthumously restored to the post of Academician of the Dragon Diagram Hall. His son Chong rose during the Shaoxing era to Hanlin Attendant Reader Academician; he has a biography in the Confucian Forest.

論曰：熙寧、元豐之際，天下賢士大夫望以為相者，鎮與司馬光二人，至稱之曰君實、景仁，不敢有所軒輊。光思濟斯民，卒任天下之重；鎮嶷然如山，確乎其不可拔。君子之道，或出或處，易地則皆然，未易以功名優劣論也。百祿受學於鎮，故其議論操修，粹然一出於正。祖禹長於勸講，平生論諫，不啻數十萬言。其開陳治道，區別邪正，辨釋事宜，平易明白，洞見底蘊，雖賈誼、陸贄不是過云。

The appraisal states: During the Xining and Yuanfeng eras, the worthy scholar-officials of the realm looked to Fan Zhen and Sima Guang as the men who should become chief councilor; people even addressed them by their styles, Junshi and Jingren, without daring to rank one above the other. Guang sought to rescue the people and ultimately shouldered the heavy burden of the realm; Zhen stood lofty as a mountain, steadfast and impossible to move. The way of the gentleman may lead one into office or into retirement; in the other's place each would have done the same—it is not easy to judge them by the standards of worldly success or failure. Bailu studied under Zhen, and therefore his opinions and conduct were purely and consistently upright. Zuyu excelled at admonitory lecturing; over his lifetime his memorials and remonstrances amounted to no less than several hundred thousand words. In expounding the way of governance, distinguishing the wicked from the upright, and explaining affairs in plain, clear language that penetrated to the root of things, he was said to surpass even Jia Yi and Lu Zhi.

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