Volume 339 Biographies 98: Su Zhezu and grandson: Yuanlao

蘇轍，字子由，年十九，與兄軾同登進士科，又同策制舉。仁宗春秋高，轍慮或倦於勤，因極言得失，而於禁廷之事，尤為切至。曰：

Su Zhe, courtesy name Ziyou, was nineteen when he and his elder brother Shi both passed the jinshi examination and were examined together in the policy test as well. Renzong was growing old, and Zhe worried that the emperor might slacken in his diligence. He therefore spoke at length about what had gone right and wrong, and was especially blunt about matters within the inner court. He said:

「陛下即位三十餘年矣，平居靜慮，亦嘗有憂於此乎，無憂於此乎？臣伏讀制策，陛下既有憂懼之言矣。然臣愚不敏，竊意陛下有其言耳，未有其實也。往者寶元、慶曆之間，西夏作難，陛下晝不安坐，夜不安席，天下皆謂陛下憂懼小心如周文王。然自西方解兵，陛下棄置憂懼之心，二十年矣。古之聖人，無事則深憂，有事則不懼。夫無事而深憂者，所以為有事之不懼也。今陛下無事則不憂，有事則大懼，臣以為憂樂之節易矣。臣疏遠小臣，聞之道路，不知信否？

"Your Majesty has reigned for more than thirty years. In your quiet moments, have you ever brooded over this—or have you never brooded at all? Reading the examination topics, your subject sees that Your Majesty has already expressed concern and apprehension there. Yet in my dull inadequacy I venture to suspect that Your Majesty has the words, but not yet the deed. Formerly, when Xi Xia rose in revolt during the Baoyuan and Qingli years, Your Majesty could not sit easy by day or rest easy by night; the empire took you for a ruler as anxiously careful as King Wen of Zhou. But since peace returned to the west, Your Majesty has set aside such vigilant anxiety for twenty years. The ancient sages worried deeply in times of peace and did not panic when trouble came. Deep worry in time of peace is precisely what makes fearlessness possible when crisis arrives. Now Your Majesty is unworried when all is calm yet terrified when trouble comes—I believe worry and complacency have been reversed. I am only a remote junior official who has heard this in the streets and cannot say whether it is true.

近歲以來，宮中貴姬至以千數，歌舞飲酒，優笑無度，坐朝不聞咨謨，便殿無所顧問。三代之衰，漢、唐之季，女寵之害，陛下亦知之矣。久而不止，百蠹將由之而出。內則蠱惑之所汙，以傷和伐性；外則私謁之所亂，以敗政害事。陛下無謂好色于內，不害外事也。今海內窮困，生民愁苦，而宮中好賜不為限極，所欲則給，不問有無。司會不敢爭，大臣不敢諫，執契持敕，迅若兵火。國家內有養士、養兵之費，外有契丹、西夏之奉，陛下又自為一阱以耗其遺餘，臣恐陛下以此得謗，而民心不歸也。」

In recent years the palace's favored consorts have numbered in the thousands; there is endless singing, feasting, and laughter; at court Your Majesty does not hear counsel debated, and in the privy chambers no one is questioned. Your Majesty knows as well how female favor ruined the Three Dynasties and brought down the late Han and Tang. If this continues unchecked, a hundred evils will spring from it. Within, seduction will corrupt the person, harm harmony, and wear away the body; without, private access will disorder administration and ruin public business. Your Majesty must not suppose that fondness for beauty within the palace does no harm to affairs outside it. The realm is exhausted and the people groan under hardship, yet within the palace lavish grants know no limit—whatever is desired is supplied, with no question whether funds exist. The Director of Accounts dares not object, the chief ministers dare not remonstrate—they bear tally and edict and move swift as blade and flame. Within we spend on scholars and soldiers, without we pay Khitan and Xi Xia—and Your Majesty has added a pit of your own to swallow what is left. I fear Your Majesty will earn reproach on this account and the people's hearts will turn away."

策入，轍自謂必見黜。考官司馬光第以三等，范鎮難之。蔡襄曰：「吾三司使也，司會之言，吾愧之而不敢怨。」惟考官胡宿以為不遜，請黜之。仁宗曰：「以直言召人，而以直言棄之，天下其謂我何？」宰相不得已，置之下等，授商州軍事推官。時父洵被命修《禮書》，兄軾簽書鳳翔判官。轍乞養親京師。三年，軾還，轍為大名推官。逾年，丁父憂。服除，神宗立已二年，轍上書言事，召對延和殿。

When his examination answer went in, Zhe fully expected to be cashiered. Examiner Sima Guang placed it in the third rank, but Fan Zhen objected. Cai Xiang said, "I am Director of the Three Commissariat Bureaus. What the Director of Accounts said shames me, yet I dare not resent it." Only examiner Hu Su deemed it insubordinate and asked that Zhe be rejected. Renzong said, "If I summon men for frank speech and then discard them for frank speech, what will the world say of me?" The chief ministers yielded and ranked him in the lowest grade, appointing him military push officer in Shangzhou. His father Xun was then ordered to compile the Book of Rites, and his brother Shi was signing secretary on the Fengxiang prefectural bench. Zhe petitioned to remain in the capital to care for his parents. In the third year Shi returned, and Zhe took a push-officer post at Daming. A year later he buried his father and entered mourning. When mourning ended, Shenzong had been enthroned two years. Zhe submitted a memorial and was called to audience in the Yanhe Hall.

時王安石以執政與陳升之領三司條例，命轍為之屬。呂惠卿附安石，轍與論多相牾。安石出《青苗書》使轍熟議，曰：「有不便，以告勿疑。」轍曰：「以錢貸民，使出息二分，本以救民，非為利也。然出納之際，吏緣為奸，雖有法不能禁，錢入民手，雖良民不免妄用；及其納錢，雖富民不免逾限。如此，則恐鞭箠必用，州縣之事不勝煩矣。唐劉晏掌國計，未嘗有所假貸。有尤之者，晏曰：『使民僥倖得錢，非國之福；使吏倚法督責，非民之便。吾雖未嘗假貸，而四方豐凶貴賤，知之未嘗逾時。有賤必糴，有貴必糶，以此四方無甚貴、甚賤之病，安用貸為？』晏之所言，則常平法耳。今此法見在而患不修，公誠能有意於民，舉而行之，則晏之功可立俟也。」安石曰：「君言誠有理，當徐思之。」自此逾月不言青苗。

Wang Anshi was then chancellor, jointly overseeing the Three Bureaus reforms with Chen Shengzhi, and Zhe was appointed to his staff. Lü Huiqing sided with Anshi; Zhe often crossed him in argument. Anshi handed him the Green Sprouts treatise and told him to study it closely: "Tell me of any inconvenience you find—do not hesitate." Zhe replied, "Lending money to the people at twenty percent interest was meant to relieve distress, not to turn a profit. Yet at every hand-out and collection clerks will twist it into corruption; laws cannot stop them; once cash is in common hands even honest folk spend it rashly; and when repayment comes due even well-to-do households fall behind. Then the rod will surely be used and prefectures and counties will be buried in trouble. Under Tang, Liu Yan ran the national accounts and never made loans. Some censured him, but Yan said, "Letting the people seize lucky windfalls is no blessing to the state; and making clerks lean on the law to dun and collect is no benefit to the people. Though I never lent, I never learned of scarcity or plenty, famine or glut in any quarter later than I should. When grain was cheap he bought; when it was dear he sold—so the realm suffered neither extreme famine nor extreme glut. Why borrow to the people at all? What Yan described was simply the Ever-Normal method. That method is still on the books but neglected. If you truly mean to aid the people and revive it, Yan's achievement can be matched at once." Anshi said, "There is force in what you say. I shall think on it." For a month thereafter he did not mention Green Sprouts again.

會河北轉運判官王廣廉奏乞度僧牒數千為本錢，于陝西漕司私行青苗法，春散秋斂，與安石意合，於是青苗法遂行。安石因遣八使之四方，訪求遺利。中外知其必迎合生事，皆莫敢言。轍往見陳升之曰：「昔嘉祐末，遣使寬恤諸路，各務生事，還奏多不可行，為天下笑。今何以異此？」又以書抵安石，力陳其不可。安石怒，將加以罪，升之止之，以為河南推官。會張方平知陳州，辟為教授。三年，授齊州掌書記。又三年，改著作佐郎。復從方平簽書南京判官。居二年，坐兄軾以詩得罪，謫監筠州鹽酒稅，五年不得調。移知績溪縣。

Then Hebei transport judge Wang Guanglian asked to sell thousands of ordination certificates for capital and to run a private Green Sprouts scheme through the Shaanxi commissariat—spring disbursement, autumn collection—in line with Anshi's intent, and the law took effect. Anshi then sent eight commissioners to the provinces to ferret out unexploited revenue. Court and country knew they would only manufacture trouble to please him; no one dared object. Zhe went to Chen Shengzhi and said, "Late in Jiayou we sent agents to relieve the circuits; each invented work; their reports mostly could not be adopted and the empire laughed. How is today different?" He also wrote Anshi at length why the scheme would not work. Anshi wanted to punish him, but Shengzhi checked him and had Zhe made push officer of Henan. Zhang Fangping was then prefect of Chenzhou and engaged him as professor. Three years later he was appointed recorder at Qizhou. Three years after that he was promoted to Assistant Gentlemen for Drafting. He again served Fangping as signing secretary on the Nanjing bench. Two years later, when his brother Shi offended in verse, he was demoted to supervisor of the Jizhou salt and wine tax and went five years without reassignment. He was then moved to serve as magistrate of Jixi County.

司馬光以王安石雇役之害，欲復差役，不知其害相半於雇役。轍言：「自罷差役僅二十年，吏民皆未習慣。況役法關涉眾事，根芽盤錯，行之徐緩，乃得審詳。若不窮究首尾，忽遽便行，恐既行之後，別生諸弊。今州縣役錢，例有積年寬剩，大約足支數年，且依舊雇役，盡今年而止。催督有司審議差役，趁今冬成法，來年役使鄉戶。但使既行之後，無復人言，則進退皆便。」光又以安石私設《詩》、《書新義》考試天下士，欲改科舉，別為新格。轍言：「進士來年秋試，日月無幾，而議不時決。詩賦雖小技，比次聲律，用功不淺。至於治經，誦讀講解，尤不輕易。要之，來年皆未可施行。乞來年科場，一切如舊，惟經義兼取注疏及諸家論議，或出己見，不專用王氏學。仍罷律義，令舉人知有定論，一意為學，以待選試，然後徐議元祐五年以後科舉格式，未為晚也。」光皆不能從。

Sima Guang, seeing the harm of Wang Anshi's hired-labor tax, wished to restore corvée labor but did not see that corvée brought harms half as grave again. Zhe said, "Corvée has been abolished only twenty years; officials and commoners alike are still unaccustomed to the change. The service law touches countless matters and its roots are hopelessly tangled; only a slow and careful restoration can be thoroughly weighed. If we rush it without tracing every consequence, new abuses will surely appear once it is in force. Today counties still hold years of surplus service funds, enough to last several years. Let hired service continue unchanged through this year only. Press the ministries to draft a corvée statute by winter and draft rural households next year. If afterward there is no public outcry, whether we keep or change the policy will be straightforward." Guang also wished to change the examinations because Anshi had imposed his private new interpretations of the Odes and Documents on candidates nationwide. Zhe said, "Jinshi candidates face the autumn examination next year with little time left, yet policy is still undecided. Poetry and fu are minor arts, yet matching tone and meter takes serious effort. Classical study—memorizing, reading, and explaining—is still harder. In short, nothing new can fairly take effect next year. Let next year's field run entirely as before, but in classical exegesis accept commentaries and schools other than Wang Anshi's, or the candidate's own view. Drop the legal-interpretation test as well. Give candidates a settled standard to study toward; only after the examinations should we revise the Yuanyou format—that will not be too late." Guang could not accept any of this.

初，神宗以夏國內亂，用兵攻討，乃於熙河增蘭州，于延安增安疆、米脂等五砦。二年，夏遣使賀登位，使還，未出境，又遣使入境。朝廷知其有請蘭州、五砦地意，大臣議棄守未決。轍言曰：「頃者西人雖至，疆場之事，初不自言。度其狡心，蓋知朝廷厭兵，確然不請，欲使此議發自朝廷，得以為重。朝廷深覺其意，忍而不予，情得勢窮，始來請命，一失此機，必為後悔。彼若點集兵馬，屯聚境上，許之則畏兵而予，不復為恩；不予則邊釁一開，禍難無已。間不容髮，正在此時，不可失也。況今日之事，主上妙年，母后聽斷，將帥吏士，恩情未接，兵交之日，誰使效命？若其羽書遝至，勝負紛然，臨機決斷，誰任其責？惟乞聖心以此反覆思慮，早賜裁斷，無使西人別致倡狂。」於是朝廷許還五砦，夏人遂服。遷起居郎、中書舍人。

Earlier, when Xi Xia fell into civil strife Shenzong had campaigned in force, adding Lanzhou on the Xi River frontier and Anjiang, Mizhi, and five other forts around Yan'an. In the second year Xi Xia sent envoys to congratulate his enthronement; before the first mission had left the border a second entered our territory. The court knew they would ask for Lanzhou and the five forts; ministers had not yet agreed whether to hold or yield them. Zhe said, "The Xi Xia envoys have come again, yet at the border they still will not raise their demand themselves. Their craft is plain: knowing we are weary of war, they will not ask outright; they want the court to offer first so the grant weighs as a favor. The court sensed this and held back; when they were cornered they came to plead. Lose this moment and we will regret it. If they mass troops on the border and we yield under threat, the grant is no kindness; if we refuse, the frontier war opens and calamity will not end. There is no margin for delay—the moment is now and must not be missed. The emperor is young, the empress dowager regent, and generals and officials scarcely know one another. When battle comes, who will die for us? If urgent dispatches crowd in and fortune wavers, who will decide on the spot—and who will answer for it? I beg Your Majesty to weigh this again and again and decide at once, lest Xi Xia grow reckless." The court yielded the five forts and Xi Xia submitted. He was promoted to Gentleman Attendant-at-Audience and Secretariat Drafter.

朝廷議回河故道，轍為公著言：「河決而北，自先帝不能回。今不因其舊而修其未至，乃欲取而回之，其為力也難，而為責也重，是謂智勇勢力過先帝也。」公著悟，竟未能用。進戶部侍郎。轍因轉對，言曰：「財賦之原，出於四方，而委於中都。故善為國者，藏之於民，其次藏之州郡。州郡有餘，則轉運司常足；轉運司既足，則戶部不困。唐制，天下賦稅，其一上供，其一送使，其一留州。比之於今，上供之數可謂少矣。然每有緩急，王命一出，舟車相銜，大事以濟。祖宗以來，法制雖殊，而諸道蓄藏之計，猶極豐厚。是以斂散及時，縱舍由己，利柄所在，所為必成。自熙寧以來，言利之臣，不知本末之術，欲求富國，而先困轉運司。轉運司既困，則上供不繼；上供不繼，而戶部亦憊矣。兩司既困，故內帑別藏，雖積如丘山，而委為朽壤，無益於算也。」尋又言：

When the court debated forcing the Yellow River back to its old channel, Zhe told Gong Zhu, "Once the river burst northward even the late emperor could not turn it. To seize it now instead of mending what still remains unrepaired would tax our strength and our responsibility beyond his—claiming wisdom, courage, and might greater than his." Gong Zhu saw the point but could not carry the policy. He was advanced to Vice Minister of Revenue. In a routine audience Zhe said, "Revenue springs from the provinces and pools in the capital. A wise state first hoards wealth among the people, next among the circuits. When circuits are plentiful the transport offices stay flush; when transport offices are flush the Revenue Ministry is not straitened. Under Tang the empire's taxes were divided in three: one portion for the throne, one for commissioners, one retained in each prefecture. Beside today's practice the court's share was modest indeed. Yet whenever crisis came, a single imperial order set boats and carts rolling in chain, and great undertakings were carried through. Under successive emperors the laws changed, but the policy of keeping rich reserves in the circuits remained lavish. Revenue could be gathered or released in season, tightened or eased at will; whoever held the fiscal lever could make policy work. Since the Xining reforms, profit-minded ministers who did not grasp root-and-branch finance sought to enrich the state by first strangling the transport offices. Once transport offices were drained, tribute to the capital faltered; and when tribute faltered the Revenue Ministry itself was worn out. With both offices crippled, the inner treasury's separate hoards might pile like hills yet rotted unused and did not enter the accounts." He went on to say:

「臣以祖宗故事考之，今日本部所行，體例不同，利害相遠，宜隨事措置，以塞弊原。謹具三弊以聞：其一曰分河渠案以為都水監，其二曰分胄案以為軍器監，其三曰分修造案以為將作監。三監皆隸工部，則本部所專，其餘無幾，出納損益，制在他司。頃者，司馬光秉政，知其為害，嘗使本部收攬諸司利權。當時所收，不得其要，至今三案猶為他司所擅，深可惜也。

" Comparing our ancestors' practice with this ministry's work today, the forms differ and the harms are grave; affairs should be adjusted case by case to choke off abuse at the source. I submit three abuses for the throne: first, splitting the River Works desk into the Directorate of Water Control; second, splitting the Armor desk into the Directorate of Armaments; third, splitting the Construction desk into the Directorate of Imperial Works. All three answer to the Ministry of Works, leaving this ministry almost nothing; disbursement, receipts, and profit and loss are ruled elsewhere. When Sima Guang was in power he saw the harm and once ordered this ministry to reclaim fiscal authority from the other agencies. The recovery missed the point; to this day the three desks remain in other hands—a great waste.

蓋國之有財，猶人之有飲食。飲食之道，當使口司出納，而腹制多寡。然後分佈氣血，以養百骸，耳目賴之以為聰明，手足賴之以為力。若不專任口腹，而使手足、耳目得分治之，則雖欲求一飽不可得矣，而況于安且壽乎！今戶部之在朝廷，猶口腹也，而使他司分治其事，何以異此？自數十年以來，群臣每因一事不舉，輒入建他司。利權一分，用財無藝。他司以辦事為效，則不恤財之有無；戶部以給財為功，則不問事之當否。彼此各營一職，其勢不復相知，雖使戶部得材智之臣，終亦無益，能否同病，府庫卒空。今不早救，後患必甚。

A state's wealth is like a person's food and drink. The mouth should take in and pass food while the belly decides how much is enough. Only then does nourishment spread through the body; sight and hearing grow keen, hands and feet gain strength. If hands, feet, eyes, and ears each fed themselves instead of the mouth and belly, one could not even get a single meal—how then health and long life? The Revenue Ministry at court is the mouth and belly, yet other agencies divide its work—how is that different? For decades, whenever some task failed ministers proposed yet another new agency. Once fiscal power is split, spending knows no discipline. Other agencies prize getting tasks done and ignore whether money exists; the Revenue Ministry prides itself on paying bills and does not ask whether the tasks are right. Each side minds only its own brief; they no longer understand one another. Even talented ministers in the Revenue Ministry could not help; talent and mediocrity share the same disease, and the treasuries end empty. If we do not remedy this soon, the later harm will be grave.

昔嘉祐中，京師頻歲大水，大臣始取河渠案置都水監。置監以來，比之舊案，所補何事？而大不便者，河北有外監丞，侵奪轉運司職事。轉運司之領河事也，郡之諸埽，埽之吏兵、儲蓄，無事則分，有事則合。水之所向，諸埽趨之，吏兵得以並功，儲蓄得以並用。故事作之日，無暴斂傷財之患，事定之後，徐補其闕，兩無所妨。自有監丞，據法責成，緩急之際，諸埽不相為用，而轉運司不勝其弊矣。此工部都水監為戶部之害，一也。

In Jiayou, after repeated floods in the capital, ministers split off the River Works desk to create the Directorate of Water Control. Since the directorate was created, what has it added compared with the old desk? Worse, Hebei has an external supervising assistant who seizes the transport commissioner's duties. When transport commissioners led river work, embankment posts in each prefecture kept their own clerks, troops, and stores in peace and pooled them in crisis. Wherever the flood turned, every post rushed there; labor and supplies could be combined. Under the old practice there was no sudden levy that ruined finances; after the crisis, gaps were filled slowly—neither approach blocked the other. Once supervising assistants enforced the statutes by rote, posts no longer cooperated in emergencies, and transport commissioners were overwhelmed. This is the first harm the Ministry of Works' Directorate of Water Control does to the Revenue Ministry.

先帝一新官制，並建六曹，隨曹付事，故三司故事多隸工曹，名雖近正而實非利。昔胄案所掌，今內為軍器監而上隸工部，外為都作院而上隸提刑司，欲有興作，戶部不得與議。訪聞河北道近歲為羊渾脫，動以千計。渾脫之用，必軍行乏水，過渡無船，然後須之。而其為物，稍經歲月，必至蠹敗。朝廷無出兵之計，而有司營戢，不顧利害，至使公私應副，虧財害物。若專在轉運司，必不至此。此工部都作院為戶部之害，二也。

The late emperor reorganized government into six ministries, and many old Three Bureaus duties were placed under Works—correct in name but harmful in fact. What the Armor desk once ran is now the Armaments Directorate under Works within and the Chief Works Court under the Judicial Intendant without—so the Revenue Ministry cannot even discuss new projects. I hear that in Hebei in recent years they have been making inflated sheepskin rafts by the thousands. Such rafts are needed only when troops lack water on the march and must cross a river without boats. Yet after a few months they inevitably rot away. The court has no campaign planned, yet agencies stockpile them heedless of cost until public and private purses are drained and goods wasted. Had this remained with transport commissioners, it would never have come to this. This is the second harm the Ministry of Works' Chief Works Court does to the Revenue Ministry.

昔修造案掌百工之事，事有緩急，物有利害，皆得專之。今工部以辦職為事，則緩急利害，誰當議之？朝廷近以箔場竹箔，積久損爛，創令出賣，上下皆以為當。指揮未幾，復以諸處營造，歲有科制，遂令般運堆積，以破出賣之計。臣不知將作見工幾何，一歲所用幾何？取此積彼，未用之間，有無損敗，而遂為此計。本部雖知不便，而以工部之事，不敢復言。此工部將作監為戶部之害，三也。

Formerly the Construction desk ran all public works and could judge urgency, cost, and benefit on its own. Now the Ministry of Works only executes tasks—who is to weigh urgency, cost, and benefit? The court recently ordered sale of rotting bamboo screens stockpiled at the foil yard, and everyone agreed it was right. Hardly had the order gone out when construction quotas everywhere required fresh transport and stockpiling, undoing the sale plan. I do not know how much work the Imperial Works Directorate actually has, or what it spends in a year. They take from one stockpile to heap another, where goods may rot unused—and still pursue this scheme. This ministry knows the policy is wrong but, because it is Works' affair, dares not object again. This is the third harm the Ministry of Works' Imperial Works Directorate does to the Revenue Ministry.

凡事之類此者多矣，臣不能遍舉也。故願明詔有司，罷外水監丞，舉河北河事及諸路都作院皆歸轉運司，至於都水、軍器、將作三監，皆兼隸戶部，使定其事之可否，裁其費之多少，而工部任其功之良苦，程其作之遲速。苟可否、多少在戶部，則傷財害民，戶部無所逃其責矣。苟良苦、遲速在工部，則敗事乏用，工部無所辭其譴矣。制出於一，而後天下貧富，可責之戶部矣。」

Cases like these are countless; I cannot list them all. I therefore ask a clear edict: abolish the external water supervising assistant; return Hebei river work and every circuit's Chief Works Court to transport commissioners; and place the three directorates under the Revenue Ministry as well, to decide whether projects are warranted and how much they cost, while Works judges quality of labor and pace of construction. If the Revenue Ministry decides what is allowed and how much is spent, it cannot escape blame when funds injure the people. If Works judges labor quality and pace, it cannot evade censure when projects fail or funds run short. With policy unified, the empire's wealth or poverty can be laid at the Revenue Ministry's door."

哲宗從之，惟都水仍舊。

Zhezong accepted this, except that Water Control stayed unchanged.

朝廷以吏部元豐所定吏額，比舊額數倍，命轍量事裁減。吏有白中孚曰：「吏額不難定也。昔之流內銓，今侍郎左選也，事之煩劇，莫過此矣。昔銓吏止十數，而今左選吏至數十，事不加舊而用吏至數倍，何也？昔無重法、重祿，吏通賕賂，則不欲人多以分所得。今行重法，給重祿，賕賂比舊為少，則不忌人多而幸於少事。此吏額多少之大情也。舊法，日生事以難易分七等，重者至一分，輕者至一厘以下，積若干分而為一人。今若取逐司兩月事定其分數，則吏額多少之限，無所逃矣。」轍曰：「此群吏身計所係也。若以分數為人數，必大有所損，將大致紛訴，雖朝廷亦不能守。」乃具以白宰執，請據實立額，俟吏之年滿轉出，或事故死亡者勿補，及額而止。不過十年，羨額當盡。功雖稍緩，而見吏知非身患，不復怨矣。呂大防命諸司吏任永壽與省吏數人典之，遂背轍議以立額，日裁損吏員，復以好惡改易諸局次。永壽復以贓刺配，大防略依轍議行之。代軾為翰林學士，尋權吏部尚書。使契丹，館客者侍讀學士王師儒能誦洵、軾之文及轍《茯苓賦》，恨不得見全集。使還，為御史中丞。

Because Yuanfeng clerk quotas set by the Personnel Ministry were several times the old figures, the court ordered Zhe to trim them according to need. A clerk told Zhongfu, "Clerk quotas are not hard to fix. The old Inner Flow Selection is now the Vice Minister's Left Selection desk—no office is busier. Formerly a dozen selection clerks sufficed; now the Left Selection employs dozens though the work has not grown—why? Formerly, without strict law or generous salary, clerks took bribes and did not want many mouths to share the take. Now with strict law and generous pay, bribes are fewer, so they welcome more clerks and fewer duties per man. That is the main reason quotas swell or shrink. Under the old law daily tasks were graded in seven levels of difficulty, from one fen down to a li or less, and enough points made one clerk's workload. If we score each office's work over two months, the proper quota could not be evaded." Zhe said, "That touches every clerk's livelihood. If headcount were set strictly by points, many would suffer and appeal in uproar—even the court could not hold the line." He reported fully to the chief ministers, proposing realistic quotas: when clerks completed their terms or died, do not refill posts until the quota was met. Within ten years the surplus would be gone. Progress would be slower, but clerks would see they were not singled out for harm and would cease to resent it. Lü Dafang put office clerk Ren Yongshou and several capital clerks in charge; they defied Zhe's plan, cut staff daily, and rearranged bureau rankings by favor. Yongshou was tattooed and exiled for embezzlement; Dafang then roughly followed Zhe's approach. He succeeded Shi as Hanlin Academician and soon acted as Personnel Minister. On mission to Khitan, his host Wang Shiru, Attendant Reader Academician, could recite Xun's and Shi's works and Zhe's "Fu on Poria," and lamented he could not see their full collected writings. On his return he was made Censor-in-Chief.

自元祐初，一新庶政，至是五年矣。人心已定，惟元豐舊黨分佈中外，多起邪說以搖撼在位，呂大防、劉摯患之，欲稍引用，以平夙怨，謂之「調停」。宣仁后疑不決，轍面斥其非，復上疏曰：

Since Yuanyou began the government had been broadly renewed; five years had now passed. Public opinion had settled, but Yuanfeng loyalists still spread inside and outside court, spreading seditious talk to shake those in power. Lü Dafang and Liu Zhi, troubled by this, wished to bring some back to soothe old grudges—calling it "mediation." Empress Dowager Xuanren hesitated; Zhe rebuked the plan to her face and submitted another memorial:

「臣近面論，君子小人不可並處，聖意似不以臣言為非者。然天威咫尺，言詞迫遽，有所不盡，臣而不言，誰當救其失者！親君子，遠小人，則主尊國安；疏君子，任小人，則主憂國殆。此理之必然。未聞以小人在外，憂其不悅而引之於內，以自遺患也。故臣謂小人雖不可任以腹心，至於牧守四方，奔走庶務，無所偏廢可也。若遂引之於內，是猶患盜賊之欲得財，而導之於寢室，知虎豹之欲食肉，而開之以坰牧，無是理也。且君子小人，勢同冰炭，同處必爭。一爭之後，小人必勝，君子必敗。何者？小人貪利忍恥，擊之則難去，君子潔身重義，沮之則引退。古語曰：「一薰一蕕，十年尚猶有臭。」蓋謂此矣。

" I recently argued in audience that gentlemen and petty men cannot serve together, and Your Majesty did not seem to reject me. Yet in Your Majesty's awful presence my words were hurried and incomplete. If I do not speak now, who will correct the error? Honor gentlemen and keep petty men at a distance, and the ruler is exalted and the state secure; keep gentlemen distant and employ petty men, and the ruler is troubled and the state endangered. That is an iron law of statecraft. Never yet has a ruler, fearing discontent among petty men outside, invited them within and courted disaster. Petty men must not be trusted at the center, yet in prefectures and routine duties they need not all be excluded. To bring them inside is like leading thieves to the bedchamber because they want money, or opening the pasture gate to tigers because they hunger for meat—there is no sense in it. Gentlemen and petty men are as incompatible as ice and fire; put them together and they must fight. Once they contend, petty men always win and gentlemen always lose. Why? Petty men crave profit and swallow shame; strike them and they cling. Gentlemen prize integrity; discourage them and they withdraw. The ancients said, "One fragrant plant and one foul—after ten years the stench remains." That proverb means exactly this.

先帝聰明聖智，疾頹靡之俗，將以綱紀四方，比靈斯三代。而臣下不能將順，造作諸法，上逆天意，下失民心。二聖因民所願，取而更之，上下忻慰。則前者用事之臣，今朝廷雖不加斥逐，其勢亦不能復留矣。尚賴二聖慈仁，宥之于外，蓋已厚矣。而議者惑於說，乃欲招而納之，與之共事，謂之「調停」。非輩若返，豈肯但已哉？必將戕害正人，漸復舊事，以快私忿。人臣被禍，蓋不足言，臣所惜者，祖宗朝廷也。惟陛下斷自聖心，勿為流言所惑，勿使小人一進，後有噬臍之悔，則天下幸甚。」

The late emperor was wise and sage; he hated slack custom and meant to bring order to the realm and rival the Three Dynasties in spirit. Yet his ministers could not follow his lead; they invented laws that defied heaven's intent above and lost the people's hearts below. The two sage rulers changed policy as the people wished, and court and country rejoiced. Those who once held power cannot remain even if the court does not formally expel them. That the two sage rulers have spared them outside court is already generous enough. Yet some counselors, misled by rumor, wish to summon them in and work with them—calling it "mediation." If that faction returns, will they simply stop there? They will surely harm upright men, gradually restore the old order, and satisfy private grudges. Ministers may suffer—that is not my concern; what I grieve for is the ancestral court. I beg Your Majesty to decide from your own sage judgment, not be swayed by rumor, and not let petty men advance one step—for if you do, you will bite your navel in regret, and the empire will be blessed."

疏入，宣仁后命宰執讀於簾前，曰：「轍疑吾君臣兼用邪正，其言極中理。」諸臣從而和之，「調停」之說遂已。

When the memorial arrived, Empress Dowager Xuanren had the chief ministers read it before the curtain and said, "Zhe suspects we mean to employ both upright men and petty men together—his argument is exactly right." The ministers agreed, and the "mediation" proposal was dropped.

轍又奏曰：

Zhe submitted another memorial:

「竊見方今天下雖未大治，而祖宗綱紀具在，州郡民物粗安。若大臣正己平心，無生事要功之意，因弊修法，為安民靖國之術，則人心自定，雖有異黨，誰不歸心？向者異同反覆之心，蓋亦不足慮矣。但患朝廷舉事，類不審詳，曩者，黃河北流，正得水性，而水官穿鑿，欲導之使東，移下就高，汩五行之理。及陛下遣使按視，知不可為，猶或固執不從。經今累歲，回河雖罷，減水尚存，遂使河朔生靈，財力俱困。今者西夏、青唐，外皆臣順，朝廷招來之厚，惟恐失之。而熙河將吏創築二堡，以侵其膏腴，議納醇忠，以奪其節鉞，功未可覬，爭已先形。朝廷雖知其非，終不明白處置，若遂養成邊釁，關陝豈復安居？如此二事，則臣所謂宜正己平心，無生事要功者也。

" I observe that though the realm is not yet fully well governed, the ancestral institutions remain intact and the provinces are roughly at peace. If ministers discipline themselves, level their hearts, and cease stirring up trouble for merit; if they mend what is broken and govern to settle the people and quiet the state—then hearts will settle of themselves, and who among rival factions would not turn loyal? The old fears of factional reversal would scarcely matter. My worry is that the court often acts without thorough deliberation. The Yellow River once flowed north as water's nature required, yet hydraulic officials bored channels to force it east, lifting low water uphill and violating the natural order. Even after Your Majesty sent inspectors and saw it could not be done, some still stubbornly refused to yield. Years have passed; though the forced return was abandoned, drainage works remain, and the people of Hebei are exhausted in purse and strength. Xi Xia and Qingtang now submit abroad, and the court courts them lavishly, fearing only to lose their allegiance. Yet Xihe officers newly built two forts on their fertile lands, plotted to install Zhao Chunzhong and seize his command—before any gain could be hoped for, quarrel had already broken out. The court knew this was wrong yet never settled it clearly; if border strife is thus nurtured, can Guanzhong and Shaanxi know peace again? These two cases are what I mean by ministers correcting themselves and ceasing to stir trouble for merit.

昔嘉祐以前，鄉差衙前，民間常有破產之患。熙寧以後，出賣坊場以雇衙前，民間不復知有衙前之苦。及元祐之初，務於復舊，一例復差。官收坊場之錢，民出衙前之費，四方驚顧，眾議沸騰。尋知不可，旋又復雇。去年之秋，又復差法。又熙寧雇役之法，三等人戶，並出役錢，上戶以家產高強，出錢無藝，下戶昔不充役，亦遣出錢。故此二等人戶，不免咨怨。至於中等，昔既已自差役，今又出錢不多，雇法之行，最為其便。罷行雇法，上下二等，欣躍可知，唯是中等則反為害。且如畿縣中等之家，例出役錢三貫，若經十年，為錢三十貫而已。今差役既行，諸縣手力，最為輕役；農民在官，日使百錢，最為輕費。然一歲之用，已為三十六貫，二年役滿，為費七十餘貫。罷役而歸，寬鄉得閒三年，狹鄉不及一歲。以此較之，則差役五年之費，倍於雇役十年。賦役所出，多在中等。如此條目，不便非一，故天下皆思雇役而厭差役，今五年矣。如此二事，則臣所謂宜因弊修法，為安民靖國之術者也。

Before Jiayou, rural corvée for yamen runners often ruined households. After Xining, market-stall fees hired runners, and the people forgot yamen-runner hardship. At the start of Yuanyou the court strove to restore the old ways and uniformly revived corvée. The state took stall fees while the people paid runner costs; the empire looked on in alarm and public outcry boiled over. They soon saw it would not work and reverted to hired service. Last autumn corvée was imposed again. Under Xining's hired-service law all three household grades paid service money: the wealthy paid without limit, and poorer households who had never served were also charged. Those two grades naturally complained. Middle households had always performed corvée themselves and now paid only modest fees—hired service suited them best. Abolishing hired service plainly delighted the upper and lower grades, but harmed the middle. In the capital districts a middle household paid three guan in service money yearly—only thirty guan over ten years. Under corvée, clerk labor is counted the lightest duty; a farmer serving in office at a hundred cash a day seems the cheapest rate. Yet one year already costs thirty-six guan, and a two-year term costs more than seventy. After service ends, broad districts grant three years' rest; narrow ones less than one. By this reckoning, five years of corvée cost twice ten years of hired service. Most tax and service revenue comes from middle households. Inconveniences like these are many; for five years the empire has longed for hired service and resented corvée. These two cases are what I mean by mending what is broken to settle the people and quiet the state.

臣以聞見淺狹，不能盡知當今得失。然四事不去，如臣等輩猶知其非，而況于心懷異同，志在反覆，幸國之失，有以藉口者乎？臣恐如此四事，彼已默識於心，多造謗議，待時而發，以搖撼眾聽矣。伏乞宣諭宰執，事有失當，改之勿疑，法或未完，修之無倦。苟民心既得，則異議自消。陛下端拱以享承平，大臣逡巡以安富貴，海內蒙福，上下攸同，豈不休哉！」

My knowledge is limited and I cannot grasp every present gain and loss. Yet if these four abuses remain, even men like me see they are wrong—how much more those who harbor factional hearts, seek reversal, and welcome state failures for a pretext? I fear they already note these four points in silence, will spread slander, and wait their moment to shake public opinion. I beg you to tell the chief ministers: where policy errs, change it without hesitation; where laws are incomplete, mend them tirelessly. Once the people's hearts are won, dissent will fade of itself. Your Majesty may sit at ease in lasting peace, ministers may secure wealth and rank in due course, the realm will be blessed, and court and country alike will rejoice—what glory could exceed this?"

大臣恥過，終莫肯改。

The ministers were too ashamed of error to change.

六年，拜尚書右丞，進門下侍郎。初，夏人來賀登極，相繼求和，且議地界。朝廷許約，地界已定，付以歲賜。久之，議不決。明年，夏人以兵襲涇原。殺掠弓箭手數千人，朝廷忍之不問，遣使往賜策命。夏人受禮倨慢，以地界為辭，不復入謝，再犯涇原。四年，來賀坤成節，且議地界。朝廷先以歲賜予之，地界又未決。夏人乃於疆事多方侵求，熙河將佐范育、种誼等，遂背約侵築買孤、勝如二堡，夏人即平蕩之。育等又欲以兵納趙醇忠，及擅招其部人千餘，朝廷卻而不受，西邊騷然。轍乞罷育、誼，別擇老將以守熙河。宣仁后以為然，大臣竟主育、誼，不從。轍又面奏：「人君與人臣，事體不同。人臣雖明見是非，而力所不加，須至且止；人君於事，不知則已，知而不能行，則事權去矣。臣今言此，蓋欲陛下收攬威柄，以正君臣之分而已。若專聽所謂，不以漸制之，及其太甚，必加之罪，不免逐去。事至如此，豈朝廷美事？故臣欲保全大臣，非欲害之也。」

In the sixth year he was made Right Vice Director of the Secretariat and promoted to Vice Minister of the Gate. At first Xi Xia came to congratulate the enthronement, then repeatedly sought peace and debated the border. The court agreed to a treaty, fixed the border, and paid the annual gifts. Deliberation dragged on without resolution. The next year Xi Xia attacked Jingyuan with troops. They killed and plundered thousands of bowmen; the court swallowed the insult and sent envoys with patents and commands. Xi Xia received the gifts arrogantly, pleaded the border dispute, refused to return thanks, and struck Jingyuan again. In the fourth year they came for the Kuncheng festival and again debated the border. The court paid the annual gifts first while the border remained unsettled. Xi Xia then pressed many border demands; Fan Yu, Chong Yi, and other Xihe officers broke treaty and built Maigu and Shengru forts, which Xi Xia promptly destroyed. Yu and others also wished to install Zhao Chunzhong by force and privately recruited more than a thousand of his tribesmen; the court refused, and the west was in turmoil. Zhe asked to remove Yu and Yi and appoint a seasoned general to hold Xihe. Empress Dowager Xuanren agreed, but the chief ministers backed Yu and Yi and would not yield. Zhe again argued in audience: "A ruler and a minister face affairs differently. A minister may see right and wrong clearly yet, where power cannot reach, must for the moment desist; but for a ruler, ignorance is one thing—knowing yet failing to act means authority is lost. I speak thus only to urge Your Majesty to reclaim authority and restore the proper relation between ruler and minister. If Your Majesty listens only to them and does not restrain them gradually, when excess comes you must punish them and drive them out. When matters come to that, is it a credit to the court? I wish to preserve the ministers, not to harm them."

六年，熙河奏：「夏人十萬騎壓通遠軍境，挑掘所爭崖巉，殺人三日而退。乞因其退，急移近裏堡砦於界，乘利而往，不須復守誠信。」下大臣會議。轍曰：「當先定議欲用兵耶，不用耶？」呂大防曰：「如合用兵，亦不得不用。」轍曰：「凡用兵，先論理之曲直。我若不直，兵決不當用。朝廷須與夏人議地界，欲用慶曆舊例，以彼此見今住處當中為直，此理最簡直。夏人不從，朝廷遂不固執。蓋朝廷臨事，常患先易後難，此所謂先易者也。既而許於非所賜城砦，依綏州例，以二十里為界，十里為堡鋪，十里為草地。要約才定，朝廷又要兩砦界首侵夏地，一抹取直，夏人見從。又要夏界更留草地十里，夏人亦許。凡此所謂後難者也。今欲於定西城與隴諾堡一抹取直，所侵夏地凡百數十里。隴諾祖宗舊疆，豈所謂非所賜城砦耶？此則不直，致寇之大者也。」劉摯曰：「不用兵雖美，然事有須用兵者，亦不可不用也。」轍奏曰：「夏兵十萬壓熙河境上，不於他處，專於所爭處殺人、掘崖巉，此意可見，此非西人之罪，皆朝廷不直之故。熙河輒敢生事，不守誠信，臣欲詰責帥臣耳。」後屢因邊兵深入夏地，宣仁后遂從轍議。

In the sixth year Xihe reported: "Xi Xia sent a hundred thousand horsemen against Tongyuan, dug at the disputed cliffs, killed for three days, and withdrew. We ask, while they withdraw, to rush nearby forts to the border, seize the advantage, and abandon good faith." The matter was referred to the chief ministers. Zhe said, "We must first decide whether we mean to use troops or not." Lü Dafang said, "If troops are needed, we must accept to use them." Zhe said, "In every use of force, right and wrong come first. If we are in the wrong, troops must not be used. The court had to negotiate the border with Xi Xia and wished to use the Qingli precedent—drawing the line midway between present holdings—which was the simplest justice. Xi Xia refused, and the court did not insist. The court often takes the easy step first and the hard step later—this was the easy step. Then they yielded on forts not originally granted, following the Suizhou precedent: twenty li for the border, ten for fort posts, ten for pasture. Hardly was the treaty fixed when the court demanded straightening the border at two forts by encroaching on Xi Xia land—and Xi Xia yielded. They demanded ten more li of pasture on the Xi Xia side—and Xi Xia agreed again. All this was the hard step that followed. Now they wish to straighten the line between Dingxi City and Longnuo Fort, encroaching more than a hundred li of Xi Xia territory. Longnuo was ancestral territory—how is it an ungranted fort? This is injustice—the greatest cause of inviting enemies." Liu Zhi said, "Avoiding war is fine, but when war is necessary it cannot be refused." Zhe said, "A hundred thousand Xi Xia horsemen press Xihe, yet kill and dig only at the disputed cliffs—their intent is plain. This is not Xi Xia's fault but the court's injustice. Xihe dares stir trouble and break faith—I mean only to rebuke the frontier commanders." Later, as border troops repeatedly raided deep into Xi Xia, Empress Dowager Xuanren followed Zhe's advice.

時三省除李清臣吏部尚書，給事中范祖禹封還詔書，且言姚勔亦言之。三省復除蒲宗孟兵部尚書。轍奏：「前除清臣，給諫紛然，爭之未定。今又用宗孟，恐不便。」宣仁后曰：「奈闕官何？」轍曰：「尚書闕官已數年，何嘗闕事？今日用此二人，正與去年用鄧溫伯無異。此三人者，非有大惡，但昔與王珪、蔡確輩並進，意思與今日聖政不合。見今尚書共闕四人，若並用似此四人，使黨類互進，恐朝廷自是不安靜矣。」議遂止。

The Three Departments appointed Li Qingchen Personnel Minister; Supervising Secretary Fan Zuyu returned the edict, and Yao Xun had spoken against it as well. The Three Departments then appointed Pu Zongmeng Minister of War. Zhe said, "Qingchen's earlier appointment stirred the remonstrance offices, and debate had not ended. To appoint Zongmeng now would be unwise." Empress Dowager Xuanren said, "What of the vacant posts?" Zhe said, "Minister posts have stood empty for years—when did government stop for that? Appointing these two today is no different from employing Deng Wenbo last year. These three are not greatly wicked, but they rose with Wang Gui and Cai Que—their outlook does not fit today's policy. Four minister posts are vacant; if all were filled with men like these and factions advanced together, the court would never know peace." The appointments were dropped.

紹聖初，哲宗起李清臣為中書舍人，鄧潤甫為尚書左丞。二人久在外，不得志，稍復言熙、豐事以激怒哲宗意。會廷試進士，清臣撰策題，即為邪說。轍諫曰：

Early in Shaosheng, Zhezong raised Li Qingchen to Secretariat Drafter and Deng Runfu to Left Vice Director of the Secretariat. Long out of power and frustrated, they began again to speak of Xining and Yuanfeng reforms to stir Zhezong. At the palace examination Qingchen composed the policy topic—and it was seditious at once. Zhe remonstrated:

「伏見御試策題，歷詆近歲行事，有紹復熙寧、元豐之意。臣謂先帝以天縱之才，行大有為之志，其所設施，度越前古，蓋有百世不可改者。在位近二十年，而終身不受尊號。裁損宗室，恩止袒免，減朝廷無窮之費。出賣坊場，顧募衙前，免民間破家之患。黜罷諸科誦數之學，訓練諸將慵惰之兵。置寄祿之官，復六曹之舊，嚴重祿之法，禁交謁之私。行淺攻之策以制西夏，收六色之錢以寬雜役。凡如此類，皆先帝之睿算，有利無害，而元祐以來，上下奉行，未嘗失墜也。至於其他，事有失當，何世無之。父作之于前，子救之於後，前後相濟，此則聖人之孝也。

" I see that the imperial examination topic denounces recent policy and hints at restoring Xining and Yuanfeng. The late emperor possessed heaven-given talent and pursued great reform; much that he enacted surpassed antiquity and should stand for a hundred generations. He reigned nearly twenty years yet never accepted an honorific title in his lifetime. He trimmed the imperial clan so favors stopped at mourning-garment exemption, cutting endless court expense. He sold market stalls to hire yamen runners and spared the people ruined households. He abolished rote examination tracks and trained the generals' slack troops. He created salary-only posts, restored the six ministries, tightened salary law, and banned private lobbying. He used limited campaigns to restrain Xi Xia and collected the six-color tax to ease miscellaneous labor duties. Measures like these were the late emperor's wise calculations, beneficial and harmless; since Yuanyou court and country have upheld them without lapse. As for other policies that missed the mark, what age has lacked those? The father enacted reforms; the son corrects what must be corrected—each in turn, and that is the sage's filial duty.

漢武帝外事四征，內興宮室，財用匱竭，於是修鹽鐵、榷酤、均輸之政，民不堪命，幾至大亂。昭帝委任霍光，罷去煩苛，漢室乃定。光武、顯宗以察為明，以讖決事，上下恐懼，人懷不安。章帝即位，深鑒其失，代之以寬厚、愷悌之政，後世稱焉。本朝真宗右文偃武，號稱太平，而群臣因其極盛，為天書之說。章獻臨御，攬大臣之議，藏書梓宮，以泯其跡；及仁宗聽政，絕口不言。英宗自藩邸入繼，大臣創濮廟之議。及先帝嗣位，或請復舉其事，寢而不答，遂以安靜。夫以漢昭、章之賢，與吾仁宗、神宗之聖，豈其薄於孝敬而輕事變易也哉？臣不勝區區，願陛下反覆臣言，慎勿輕事改易。若輕變九年已行之事，擢任累歲不用之人，人懷私忿，而以先帝為辭，大事去矣。」

Emperor Wu of Han campaigned on four fronts and built palaces within until the treasury was drained; he then imposed salt-iron monopolies, wine franchises, and equal-transport levies until the people could hardly endure it and the realm nearly collapsed. Emperor Zhao entrusted Huo Guang, who abolished harsh measures, and the Han house was stabilized. Guangwu and Mingzong prized minute scrutiny and decided affairs by omens; court and country lived in fear and unease. When Emperor Zhang came to the throne he deeply reflected on those errors and replaced them with generous and humane government, which later ages praised. Our Zhenzong honored culture over arms and was hailed for Great Peace, yet ministers at the height of prosperity preached the Heavenly Writings. Empress Zhangxian took power, accepted ministers' counsel, and buried the texts in the spirit palace to erase the episode; when Renzong began to rule, he never spoke of it again. Yingzong succeeded from the princely establishment, and ministers raised the Pu Temple controversy. When the late emperor succeeded, some asked to revive the issue; he ignored it, and the court remained calm. Were Han Zhao and Zhang, or our Renzong and Shenzong, deficient in filial piety or careless about change? I beg Your Majesty to weigh my words again and not lightly overturn established policy. If you lightly overturn nine years of settled policy and elevate men long out of favor, men will nurse private grudges under the late emperor's name, and the great cause will be lost."

轍性沉靜簡潔，為文汪洋澹泊，似其為人，不願人知之，而秀傑之氣終不可掩，其高處殆與兄軾相迫。所著《詩傳》、《春秋傳》、《古史》、《老子解》、《欒城文集》並行於世。三子：遲、適、遜。族孫元老。

Zhe was calm and spare; his prose was vast yet plain, like the man himself—he did not seek renown, yet his brilliance could not be hidden, and at his best he nearly matched his brother Shi. His Commentary on the Odes, Commentary on the Spring and Autumn, Ancient History, Explication of Laozi, and Luancheng Collected Works all circulated in his time. He had three sons: Chi, Shi, and Xun. His clan grandson was Yuanlao.

族孫元老

Clan grandson Yuanlao

元老，字子廷。幼孤力學，長於《春秋》，善屬文。軾謫居海上，數以書往來。軾喜其為學有功，轍亦愛獎之。黃庭堅見而奇之，曰：「此蘇氏之秀也。」舉進士，調廣都簿，歷漢州教授、西京國子博士、通判彭州。

Yuanlao, courtesy name Ziting. Orphaned in youth, he studied hard, excelled in the Spring and Autumn Annals, and wrote well. Shi, exiled to the coast, exchanged letters with him often. Shi was pleased with his scholarly progress, and Zhe also encouraged him warmly. Huang Tingjian saw him and exclaimed, "Here is the Su family's finest sprout." He passed the jinshi examination, served as registrar of Guangdu, then as professor at Hanzhou, academician at the Western Capital National University, and assistant prefect of Pengzhou.

政和間，宰相喜開邊西南，帥臣多啖誘近界諸族使納土，分置郡縣以為功，致茂州蠻叛，帥司遽下令招降。元老歎曰：「威不足以服，則恩不足以懷。」乃移書成都帥周燾曰：「此蠻跳樑山谷間，伺間竊發。彼之所長，我之所短，惟施、黔兩州兵可與為敵。若檄數千人，使倍道往赴，賢於官軍十萬也。其次以為夔、陝兵大集，先以夔兵誘其前，陝兵從其後，不十日，賊必破。彼降而我受焉，則威懷之道得。今不討賊，既招而還，必復叛，不免重用兵矣。」燾得書，即召與計事。元老又策：「茂有兩道，正道自濕山趨長平，絕嶺而上，其路險以高；間道自青崖關趨刁溪，循江而行，其路夷以徑。當使正兵陣濕山，而陰出奇兵搗刁溪，與石泉並力合攻，賊腹背受敵，擒之必矣。」燾皆不能用，竟得罪。後帥至，如元老策，蠻勢蹙，乃降。

During Zhenghe the chief minister favored expanding the southwest frontier; commanders often enticed border tribes to submit land and carved out counties for credit, until the Maozhou tribes rebelled and the command hurriedly ordered them to surrender. Yuanlao sighed, "If awe cannot subdue them, grace cannot win their hearts." He wrote Zhou Tao, commander of Chengdu: "These tribes roam the mountains and strike when they see an opening. Their strengths are our weaknesses; only troops from Shi and Qian prefectures can match them. If we dispatch a few thousand men by forced marches, that would be worth more than a hundred thousand regular troops. Next, mass Kui and Shan troops: lure them with Kui forces in front and strike from behind with Shan troops—in ten days the rebels will break. When they surrender and we accept them, awe and grace will both be served. If we do not punish them now but recruit surrender and withdraw, they will rebel again and we will have to fight anew." Tao received the letter and summoned him to counsel at once. Yuanlao added, "Mao has two routes: the main road from Wet Mountain toward Changping climbs dangerous ridges; the side road from Qingya Pass to Diaoxi follows the river and is level and direct. Post the main force at Wet Mountain while secretly striking Diaoxi; join Shiquan in a combined attack and the rebels will be caught front and rear—capture is certain." Tao used none of it, and Yuanlao was punished in the end. When the next commander arrived and followed Yuanlao's plan, the tribes were cornered and surrendered.

除國子博士，歷秘書正字、將作少監、比部考功員外郎，尋除成都路轉運副使，為軍器監，司農、衛尉、太常少卿。

He was made National University academician, then Secretariat corrector, Assistant Director of Imperial Works, and outer-section member in the Revenue and Merit Evaluation bureaus; later transport vice commissioner on the Chengdu circuit, Armaments Director, and vice ministers of Agriculture, Guards, and Rites.

元老外和內勁，不妄與人交。梁師成方用事，自言為軾外子，因緣欲見之，且求其文，拒不答。言者遂論元老蘇軾從孫，且為元祐邪說，其學術議論，頗仿軾、轍，不宜在中朝。罷為提點明道宮。元老歎曰：「昔顏子附驥尾而名顯，吾今以家世坐累，榮矣。」未幾卒，年四十七。有詩文行于時。

Yuanlao was outwardly mild and inwardly firm and did not make friends lightly. Liang Shicheng was then in power and claimed to be Shi's son by a concubine; he sought a meeting and asked for writings, but Yuanlao refused. Critics then argued that Yuanlao, as Su Shi's collateral grandson, held Yuanyou heterodoxy and imitated Shi and Zhe in learning and opinion, and should not serve at court. He was dismissed to serve as intendant of the Mingdao Palace. Yuanlao sighed, "Yan Hui once rode a thoroughbred's tail to fame; I am now honored to suffer for my family name." He died soon after, at forty-seven. His poetry and prose circulated in his day.

論曰：蘇轍論事精確，修辭簡嚴，未必劣于其兄。王安石初議青苗，轍數語柅之，安石自是不復及此，後非王廣廉傅會，則此議息矣。轍寡言鮮欲，素有以得安石之敬心，故能爾也。若是者，軾宜若不及，然至論軾英邁之氣，閎肆之文，轍為軾弟，可謂難矣。元祐秉政，力斥章、蔡，不主調停；及議回河、雇役，與文彥博、司馬光異同；西邊之謀，又與呂大防、劉摯不合。君子不黨，於轍見之。轍與兄進退出處，無不相同，患難之中，友愛彌篤，無少怨尤，近古罕見。獨其齒爵皆優於兄，意者造物之所賦與，亦有乘除於其間哉！

The historians judge that Su Zhe's policy analysis was precise and his prose spare and rigorous—not necessarily beneath his brother's. When Wang Anshi first proposed Green Sprouts, Zhe checked him in a few words and Anshi dropped the subject; had Wang Guanglian not forced the issue later, the scheme would have died. Zhe spoke little and wanted little, and had long earned Anshi's respect—hence he could speak so frankly. In such matters Shi might seem unmatched; yet in heroic breadth and expansive prose, for Zhe as his younger brother to stand near him was no small feat. Under Yuanyou he forcefully opposed Zhang and Cai and rejected mediation; on the Yellow River return and hired service he differed from Wen Yanbo and Sima Guang; and on western frontier policy he again disagreed with Lü Dafang and Liu Zhi. That a gentleman does not cling to faction is seen in Zhe. Zhe and his brother advanced and retreated alike; in hardship their affection only deepened without a trace of resentment—rare in recent ages. Only his years and offices outranked his brother's—perhaps heaven's allotment, yet fortune has its reckonings between them as well!

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