Volume 422 Biographies 181: Lin Xun, Liu Cai Shao, Xu Xin, Ying Mengming, Ceng Sanpin, Xu Qiao, Du Zheng, Cheng Bi, Niu Danian, Chen Zhongwei, Liang Chengda, Li Zhixiao

林勛劉才邵許忻應孟明曾三聘徐僑度正程必牛大年陳仲微梁成大李知孝

Lin Xun, Liu Caishao, Xu Xin, Ying Mengming, Zeng Sanpin, Xu Qiao, Du Zheng, Cheng Bi, Niu Danian, Chen Zhongwei, Liang Chengda, and Li Zhixiao.

林勛，賀州人。政和五年進士，為廣州教授。建炎三年八月，獻《本政書》十三篇，言：“國家兵農之政，率因唐末之故。今農貧而多失職，兵驕而不可用，是以饑民竄卒，類為盜賊。宜仿古井田之制，使民一夫占田五十畝，其有羨田之家，毋得市田，其無田與遊惰末作者，皆驅之使為隸農，以耕田之羨者，而雜紐錢谷，以為十一之稅。宋二稅之數，視唐增至七倍。今本政之制，每十六夫為一井，提封百里，為三千四百井，率稅米五萬一千斛、錢萬二千緡；每井賦二兵、馬一匹，率為兵六千八百人、馬三千四百匹，歲取五之一以為上番之額，以給征役。無事則又分為四番，以直官府，以給守衛。是民凡三十五年而役使一遍也。悉上則歲食米萬九千餘斛，錢三千六百餘緡，無事則減四分之三，皆以一同之租稅供之。匹婦之貢，絹三尺，綿一兩。百里之縣，歲收絹四千餘匹，綿三千四百斤。非蠶鄉則布六尺、麻二兩，所收視絹綿率倍之。行之十年，則民之口算，官之酒酤，與凡茶、鹽、香、礬之榷，皆可弛以予民。 ”其說甚備。書奏，以勛為桂州節度掌書記。

Lin Xun was a native of Hezhou. In the fifth year of the Zhenghe reign he passed the jinshi examination and was appointed instructor at Guangzhou. In the eighth month of the third year of Jianyan he presented thirteen chapters of his Fundamental Governance, stating: "The state's military and agricultural policies largely perpetuate the disorders of late Tang." Today the peasants are impoverished and many lack steady employment, while the troops are insubordinate and unfit for service; hungry civilians and idle soldiers alike drift into banditry. He proposed reviving the ancient well-field system: each household head would hold fifty mu; families with surplus land could not purchase more; landless men and idle hangers-on in marginal trades would be compelled to work as tenant farmers on others' surplus acreage, with miscellaneous levies on grain and cash consolidated into a single tithe. Under the Song, the burden of the two-tax system had grown to seven times its Tang level. Under his new scheme, sixteen householders would form one well-field unit; a district of a hundred li would contain 3,400 such units, yielding roughly 51,000 hu of grain and 12,000 strings of cash in tax; each unit would furnish two soldiers and one horse—6,800 troops and 3,400 mounts in all—with one-fifth levied annually as the rotating quota for active campaigning. In peacetime the force would be split into four reliefs to man government offices and garrison duty. Thus an ordinary farmer would complete only one full cycle of compulsory service every thirty-five years. At full mobilization the district would consume over 19,000 hu of grain and more than 3,600 strings of cash yearly; in quiet times that outlay would drop by three-quarters—all borne by a single, uniform land tax. Each married woman would owe three feet of silk and one ounce of cotton floss. A county of a hundred li would thus collect more than four thousand bolts of silk and 3,400 jin of cotton annually. In districts without sericulture, six feet of cloth and two ounces of hemp would be substituted, with collections roughly double the silk and cotton totals. After a decade of operation, poll taxes, the state wine monopoly, and every excise on tea, salt, incense, and alum could be lifted and returned to the people. His argument was set forth in full detail. When the memorial reached the throne, Lin was appointed secretary to the military commissioner of Guizhou.

其後，勛又獻《比較書》二篇，大略謂：“桂州地東西六百里，南北五百里，以古尺計之，為方百里之國四十，當墾田二百二十五萬二千八百頃，有田夫二百四萬八千，出米二十四萬八千斛，祿卿大夫以下四千人，祿兵三十萬人。今桂州墾田約萬四十二頃，丁二十一萬六千六百一十五，稅錢萬五千餘緡，苗米五萬二百斛有奇，州縣官不滿百員，官兵五千一百人。蓋土地荒蕪而遊手末作之人眾，是以地利多遺，財用不足，皆本政不修之故。 ”朱熹甚愛其書。東陽陳亮曰：“勛為此書，考古驗今，思慮周密，可謂勤矣。世之為井地之學者，孰有加於勛者乎？要必有英雄特起之君，用於一變之後，成順致利，則民不駭而可以善其後矣。”

Later he submitted two chapters of a Comparative Study, arguing in substance that Guizhou's domain—six hundred li east to west and five hundred north to south—would equal forty ideal states of a hundred li square under the ancient measure, capable of supporting 2,252,800 qing under the plow, 2,048,000 cultivators, 248,000 hu of grain, stipends for four thousand officials from grandee downward, and rations for three hundred thousand troops. In reality Guizhou had only about 10,420 qing under cultivation, 216,615 registered males, a little over 15,000 strings in tax money, somewhat more than 50,200 hu of grain levy, fewer than a hundred prefectural and county officials, and 5,100 troops. The land lay largely fallow while idlers in marginal trades were numerous; productive capacity went untapped and revenues fell short—all because fundamental governance had not been restored. Zhu Xi admired the work deeply. Chen Liang of Dongyang wrote: "In composing this book Lin examined antiquity and tested the present; his thinking is so thorough that one must call him diligent." Among scholars of the well-field system in our age, who surpasses Lin? Yet it will require a ruler of heroic stature, who after one decisive transformation applies the scheme so that benefit follows naturally—only then will the people not be alarmed and the consequences can be managed well.

劉才邵，字美中，吉州廬陵人。其上世鶚，太宗召見，未及用而卒。嘗憤五季文辭卑弱，仿楊雄《法言》，著《法語》八十一篇行於世。才邵以大觀二年上舍釋褐，為贛、汝二州教授，復為湖北提舉學事管幹文字。宣和二年，中宏詞科，遷司農寺丞。靖康元年，遷校書郎。

Liu Caishao, whose courtesy name was Meizhong, was a native of Luling in Jizhou. His forebear He had been summoned to audience by Emperor Taizong but died before he could take office. He had deplored the debased style of Five Dynasties writing and, imitating Yang Xiong's Exemplary Sayings, composed eighty-one chapters of his own Exemplary Sayings, which circulated widely. Caishao graduated from the Imperial University in the second year of Daguan and entered service as instructor in Gan and Ru prefectures, then as clerical officer under the Hubei education intendant. In the second year of Xuanhe he passed the macro-words examination and was appointed vice director of the Directorate of Agriculture. In the first year of Jingkang he was promoted to proofreader in the Palace Library.

高宗即位，以親老歸侍，居閑十年。御史中丞廖剛薦之，召見，遷秘書丞，歷駕部員外郎，遷吏部員外郎，典侍右選事。先是，宗室註宮觀、嶽廟，例須赴部，遠者或難於行。才邵言許經所屬以聞於部，依條註擬，行之而便。遷軍器監，既而遷起居舍人，未幾，為中書舍人兼權直學士院。帝稱其能文，時宰忌之，出知漳州。即城東開渠十有四，為閘與鬥門以瀦匯決，溉田數千畝。民甚德之。兩奉祠。紹興二十五年，召拜工部侍郎兼直學士院，尋權吏部尚書。以疾請祠，加顯謨閣直學士。卒，贈通奉大夫。才邵氣和貌恭，方權臣用事之時，雍容遜避，以保名節。所著《檆溪居士集》行世。

When Emperor Gaozong acceded, he returned home to care for his aging parents and lived in retirement for ten years. Vice censor-in-chief Liao Gang recommended him; summoned to audience, he was made secretary director, then served successively as outer court director in the Transport Bureau and the Ministry of Personnel, overseeing appointments in the eastern selection office for attendants. Previously, when imperial clansmen registered for sinecures at palace temples and mountain shrines, they were required to appear in person at the ministry—a hardship for those posted far away. Caishao proposed allowing them to report through their local jurisdiction to the ministry, which would register them according to regulation; the practice was adopted and proved convenient. He was transferred to the Directorate of Armaments, then promoted to attendant recorder; before long he became drafting academician of the Secretariat with acting charge of the Hanlin Academy. The emperor praised his literary gifts, but the chief minister resented him and had him transferred out as prefect of Zhangzhou. East of the city he excavated fourteen canals, installing sluices and floodgates to store and release water, irrigating several thousand mu of farmland. The people were deeply grateful to him. He twice held temple sinecures. In the twenty-fifth year of Shaoxing he was recalled and appointed vice minister of Works with concurrent Hanlin academician, and soon after served as acting minister of Personnel. He requested a temple appointment on grounds of illness and was granted the additional title of academician of the Xianmo Pavilion. He died and was posthumously enfeoffed as Grandee for Propagating Merit. Caishao was mild in temperament and respectful in bearing; when powerful ministers held sway, he met them with composed deference and withdrew when he must, preserving his reputation and integrity. His collected works, the Sansi Hermit's Writings, circulated widely.

許忻，拱州人。宣和三年進士，高宗時，為吏部員外郎，有旨引見。是時，金國使人張通古在館，忻上疏極論和議不便，曰：

Xu Xin was a native of Gongzhou. He passed the jinshi examination in the third year of Xuanhe; under Emperor Gaozong he served as outer vice director of the Ministry of Personnel and received an imperial summons to audience. At that time the Jin envoy Zhang Tonggu was lodged in the guest residence; Xin submitted a memorial arguing forcefully that peace negotiations were inadvisable, saying:

臣兩蒙召見，擢置文館，今茲復降睿旨引對。今見陛下於多故之時，欲采千慮一得之說以廣聰明，是臣圖報萬分之秋也，故敢竭愚而效忠。臣聞金使之來，陛下以祖宗陵寢廢祀，徽宗皇帝、顯肅皇后梓宮在遠，母後春秋已高，久闕晨昏之奉，淵聖皇帝與天族還歸無期，欲屈己以就和，遣使報聘。茲事體大，固已詔侍從、臺諫各具所見聞矣，不知侍從臺諫皆以為可乎？抑亦可否雜進，而陛下未有所擇乎？抑亦金已恭順，不復邀我以難行之禮乎？是數者，臣所不得而聞也。請試別白利害，為陛下詳陳之。

Your servant has twice been summoned to audience and placed among the literary officers; now Your Majesty has again graciously ordered me to attend for counsel. I see Your Majesty in these troubled times seeking even the slenderest counsel to sharpen your judgment; this is the moment when your servant might repay you in the smallest measure, and so I dare offer my poor wit in loyal service. I understand that since the Jin envoys arrived, Your Majesty—because the imperial tombs lie desolate and unhonored, the spirit coffins of Emperor Huizong and Empress Xiansu remain far away, the Queen Mother is advanced in years and long denied your daily attendance, and the Sagely Emperor with the imperial clan have no prospect of return—has been willing to humble yourself to secure peace and has sent envoys to return their visit. This matter is weighty indeed; Your Majesty has already ordered the attendant officials and remonstrators to submit their views separately—do they all consider it acceptable? Or have yes and no been offered together, and Your Majesty has not yet chosen among them? Or have the Jin already become respectful and ceased to demand ceremonies we cannot possibly perform? On these several points your servant has not been able to learn the truth. Permit me to sort benefit and harm separately and set them out in detail for Your Majesty.

夫金人始入寇也，固嘗雲講和矣。靖康之初，約肅王至大河而返，已而挾之北行，訖無音耗。河朔千里，焚掠無遺，老稚系累而死者億萬計，復破威勝、隆德等州。淵聖皇帝嘗降詔書，謂金人渝盟，必不可守。是歲又復深入，朝廷制置失宜，都城遂陷。敵情狡甚，懼我百萬之眾必以死爭也，止我諸道勤王之師，則又曰講和矣。乃邀淵聖出郊，次邀徽宗繼往，追取宗族，殆無虛日，傾竭府庫，靡有孑遺，公卿大臣類皆拘執，然後偽立張邦昌而去。則是金人所謂“講和”者，果可信乎？

When the Jin first invaded, they repeatedly claimed they wished to negotiate peace. At the opening of the Jingkang crisis they agreed that Prince Su would reach the Yellow River and return; instead they seized him and marched north, and thereafter no word came. For a thousand li north of the river they burned and plundered without sparing anything; the old and young, bound in chains, died by the tens of millions; they also overran Weisheng, Longde, and other prefectures. The Sagely Emperor once issued an edict declaring that the Jin had violated the alliance and that it absolutely must not be honored. That same year they invaded again; the court's dispositions were ill judged, and the capital fell. The enemy were exceedingly cunning; fearing that our million troops would fight to the death, they halted the relief armies marching from every circuit—then again spoke of negotiating peace. They lured the Sagely Emperor beyond the walls, then summoned Huizong in turn; day after day they seized members of the imperial clan, drained the treasuries until nothing remained, detained the great ministers—and only then falsely enthroned Zhang Bangchang and withdrew. Can the Jin's so-called "peace negotiations" truly be trusted?

此已然之禍，陛下所親見。今徒以王倫繆悠之說，遂誘致金人責我以必不可行之禮，而陛下遂已屈己從之，臣是以不覺涕泗之橫流也。而彼以“詔諭江南”為名而來，則是飛尺書而下本朝，豈講和之謂哉？我躬受之，真為臣妾矣。陛下方寢苫枕塊，其忍下穹廬之拜乎？臣竊料陛下必不忍為也。萬一奉其詔令，則將變置吾之大臣，分部吾之諸將，邀求無厭，靡有窮極。當此之時，陛下欲從之則無以立國，不從之則復責我以違令，其何以自處乎？況犬羊之群，驚動我陵寢，戕毀我宗廟，劫遷我二帝，據守我祖宗之地，塗炭我祖宗之民，而又徽宗皇帝、顯肅皇后鑒輿不返，遂致萬國痛心，是謂不共戴天之仇。彼意我之必復此仇也，未嘗頃刻而忘圖我，豈一王倫能平哉？方王倫之為此行也，雖閭巷之人，亦知其取笑外夷，為國生事。今無故誘狂敵悖慢如此，若猶倚信其說而不寢，誠可慟哭，使賈誼復生，謂國有人乎哉，無人乎哉？

This is calamity Your Majesty has witnessed with your own eyes. Now on Wang Lun's reckless talk alone the Jin have been induced to demand ceremonies we absolutely cannot perform—and Your Majesty has already humbled yourself to comply; your servant cannot keep tears from streaming down his face. Yet they come under the title "Imperial Edict Instructing Jiangnan"—flinging down a brief document to command our dynasty; how can this be called negotiating peace? We receive it in person—we truly become their subjects and servants. Your Majesty still lies upon the mourning mat—how can you bear to bow beneath their felt tents? Your servant privately judges that Your Majesty surely cannot bring yourself to do it. If by any chance you accept their edict, they will reshuffle our great ministers, divide authority over our generals, and their demands will know no end. At that point, if Your Majesty complies you cannot preserve the state; if you refuse they will blame us for defying their command—how will Your Majesty then position yourself? Moreover these wolf-and-goat hordes have disturbed our imperial tombs, destroyed our ancestral temples, carried off our two emperors, hold our ancestral lands, and torment our people—while the palanquins of Emperor Huizong and Empress Xiansu have never returned, stirring grief throughout the realm: this is a feud for which we cannot share the same sky. They believe we must surely seek this revenge and have never for a moment ceased plotting against us—can one Wang Lun smooth it over? When Wang Lun undertook this mission, even men in the lanes and alleys knew he invited ridicule from foreigners and created trouble for the state. Now, without cause, the enemy insult us so brazenly; if we still trust their words and do not desist, it is truly cause to wail—if Jia Yi were reborn, would he say the state still has men, or that it has none?

古之外夷，固有不得已而事之以皮幣、事之以珠玉、事之以犬馬者，曷嘗有受其詔，惟外夷之欲是從，如今日事哉！脫或包羞忍恥，受其詔諭，而彼所以許我者不復如約，則徒受莫大之辱，貽萬世之譏；縱使如約，則是我今日所有土地，先拱手而奉外夷矣，祖宗在天之靈，以謂如何？徽宗皇帝、顯肅皇后不共戴天之仇，遂不可復也，豈不能痛哉！陛下其審思之，斷非聖心所能安也。自金使入境以來，內外惶惑，儻或陛下終以王倫之說為不妄，金人之詔為可從，臣恐不惟墮外夷之奸計，而意外之虞，將有不可勝言者矣。此眾所共曉，陛下亦嘗慮及於此乎？

Barbarians of old, when compelled to submit, might offer furs and silks, pearls and jade, dogs and horses—but when did they accept edicts and obey whatever barbarians desired, as we face today? If we swallow shame and accept their edict, and what they promise us fails to match their word, we suffer boundless disgrace and leave eternal ridicule; Even if they keep their word, we would first offer with bowed hands all the land we hold today to foreigners—what would our ancestors' spirits in heaven think? The feud against Emperor Huizong and Empress Xiansu could never be avenged—can we not grieve? Your Majesty should weigh this carefully—it is surely not what your sage heart can rest upon. Since the Jin envoys entered the realm, court and country alike have been in alarm; if Your Majesty finally judges Wang Lun's words sound and the Jin edict acceptable, your servant fears we will not only fall into the barbarians' plot but face calamities beyond words. This everyone understands—has Your Majesty also considered it?

國家兩嘗敗外夷於淮甸，雖未能克復中原之地，而大江之南亦足支吾。軍聲粗震，國勢粗定，故金人因王倫之往復，遣使來嘗試朝廷。我若從其所請，正墮計中；不從其欲，且厚攜我之金幣而去，亦何適而非彼之利哉！為今之計，獨有陛下幡然改慮，布告中外，以收人心，謂祖宗陵寢廢祀，徽宗皇帝、顯肅皇后梓宮在遠，母後、淵聖、宗枝族屬未還，故遣使迎請，冀遂南歸。今敵之來，邀朝廷以必不可從之禮，實王倫賣國之罪，當行誅責，以釋天下之疑。然後激厲諸將，謹捍邊陲，無墮敵計，進用忠正，黜遠奸邪，以振紀綱，以修政事，務為實效，不事虛名，夕慮朝謀，以圖興復，庶乎可矣。

The state has twice defeated the barbarians on the Huai; though we have not recovered the Central Plain, the lands south of the Great River are still sufficient to sustain us. Our military renown has somewhat revived and the state's position somewhat stabilized; the Jin, because of Wang Lun's shuttling back and forth, have sent envoys to probe the court. If we grant their request we fall exactly into their scheme; if we refuse, they still depart laden with our gold and silk—in what way is any course not to their advantage? For today's plan, Your Majesty alone must suddenly change course, proclaim throughout the realm to recover popular hearts, and explain that because the imperial tombs lie desolate, the coffins of Emperor Huizong and Empress Xiansu remain far away, and the Queen Mother, the Sagely Emperor, and the imperial clansmen have not returned, envoys were sent to welcome them south. Now the enemy come demanding ceremonies the court absolutely cannot perform—this is Wang Lun's crime of betraying the state; he should be punished to dispel the world's doubts. Then rouse the generals, guard the frontiers diligently, do not fall into enemy schemes, promote the loyal and upright and banish the treacherous far away, restore discipline, repair government, seek real results rather than empty reputation, and plan morning and evening for restoration—then perhaps success is possible.

今金使雖已就館，謂當別議區處之宜。臣聞萬人所聚，必有公言。今在廷百執事之臣，與中外一心，皆以金人之詔為不可從，公言如此，陛下獨不察乎？若夫謂粘罕之已死，外夷內亂，契丹林牙復立，故今金主復與我平等語，是皆行詐款我師之計，非臣所敢知也。或者又謂金使在館，今稍恭順。如臣之所聞，又何其悖慢於前，而遽設恭順於後？敵情變詐百出，豈宜惟聽其甘言，遂忘備預之深計，待其禍亂之已至，又無所及？此誠切於事情。今日之舉，存亡所系，愚衷感發，不能自己，望鑒其忄卷忄卷之忠，特垂采納，更與三二大臣熟議其便，無貽異時之悔，社稷天下幸甚。

Though the Jin envoy is already lodged in the guest residence, it is fitting to discuss separately how he should be handled. I have heard that wherever ten thousand gather, public opinion must emerge. Now every official at court, and the realm within and without, are of one mind that the Jin edict cannot be obeyed—such is the public voice; does Your Majesty alone not perceive it? As for claims that Nianhan is dead, the barbarians are torn by internal disorder, and the Khitan Linya has been restored, so that the Jin ruler again speaks to us as an equal—all are schemes of false reassurance to deceive our forces, matters your servant cannot presume to judge. Some also say the Jin envoy at the guest residence has lately become somewhat respectful. From what your servant has heard, how can he have been so insolent before and suddenly put on respect afterward? The enemy shift their schemes in a hundred ways—should we heed only their sweet words, forget our deepest precautions, and find ourselves helpless when calamity arrives? This truly bears directly on the matter at hand. Today's decision bears on the survival of the state; my earnest loyalty overflows and I cannot restrain myself. I beg Your Majesty to discern this devoted loyalty, adopt it in special measure, and discuss it thoroughly with two or three senior ministers, lest regret come in another day. The altars of state and the realm would be greatly blessed.

疏入，不省。後忻托故乞從外補，乃授荊湖南路轉運判官。謫居撫州，起知邵陽，卒。

The memorial was submitted but received no response. Later Xu Xin pleaded illness as a pretext to seek an appointment outside the capital and was made Transport Vice Commissioner for Jinghu Nan Circuit. Exiled to Fuzhou, he was later recalled to serve as prefect of Shaoyang and died there.

應孟明，字仲實，婺州永康人。少入太學，登隆興元年進士第。試中教官，調臨安府教授，繼為浙東安撫司幹官、樂平縣丞。侍御史葛邲、監察御史王藺薦為詳定一司敕令所刪定官。

Ying Mengming, styled Zhongshi, was a native of Yongkang in Wuzhou. In his youth he entered the Imperial Academy and passed the jinshi examination in the first year of the Longxing reign. He passed the instructor examination, was appointed professor at the Lin'an prefectural school, and later served as administrative officer on the Zhedong Pacification Commission and as assistant magistrate of Leping County. Supervising Secretariat Attendant Ge Min and Investigating Censor Wang Lan recommended him as a reviser at the Commission for Revising and Compiling Statutes of a Single Department.

輪對，首論：“南北通好，疆場無虞，當選將練兵，常如大敵之在境，而可以一日忽乎？貪殘苛酷之吏未去，吾民得無不安其生者乎？賢士匿於下僚，忠言壅於上聞，無乃眾正之門未盡開，而兼聽之意未盡孚乎？君臣之間，戒懼而不自持，勤勞而不自寧，進君子，退小人，以民隱為憂，以邊陲為警，則政治自修，紀綱自張矣。 ”孝宗曰：“朕早夜戒懼，無頃刻忘，退朝之暇，亦無它好，正恐臨朝或稍晏，則萬幾之曠自此始矣。 ”次乞申嚴監司庇貪吏之禁，薦舉徇私情之禁，帝嘉獎久之。它日，宰相進擬，帝出片紙於掌中，書二人姓名，曰：“卿何故不及此？ ”其一則孟明也。乃拜大理寺丞。

At a rotation audience he spoke first: "North and south enjoy friendly relations and the borders are untroubled—yet should we not select generals and train troops as though a great enemy were at the frontier? Can we neglect this for even a single day?" Greedy, cruel, and oppressive officials have not been removed—can our people live in security? Worthy men hide among junior posts and loyal counsel is blocked from reaching the throne—is it not that the gates for the upright have not been fully opened, and the spirit of hearing all sides not fully honored? Between ruler and minister, if both remain vigilant without indulging ease, labor without resting in comfort, advance gentlemen and remove petty men, take the people's hidden suffering as their concern and the frontier as their warning—then government will right itself and discipline will extend of its own accord. Emperor Xiaozong said: "I am vigilant day and night without a moment's forgetfulness; in the leisure after court I have no other diversion—only fearing that if I attend court even slightly late, the neglect of myriad affairs begins from that moment. He next asked that prohibitions be strictly enforced against supervisory officials who shield corrupt clerks and against favoritism in recommendations; the Emperor praised him at length. On another day, when the chief ministers presented nominations, the Emperor produced a slip of paper from his palm with two names written on it and said: "Why did you not include these men?" One of them was Mengming. He was then appointed Vice Director of the Court of Judicial Review.

故大將李顯忠之子家僮溺死，有司誣以殺人，逮系幾三百家。孟明察其冤，白於長官，釋之。出為福建提舉常平，陛辭，帝曰：“朕知卿愛百姓，惡贓吏，事有不便於民，宜悉意以聞。 ”因問當世人才，孟明對曰：“有才而不學，則流為刻薄，惟上之教化明，取舍正，使回心向道，則成就必倍於人。 ”帝曰：“誠為人上者之責。 ”孟明至部，具以臨遣之意咨訪之。帝一日禦經筵，因論監司按察，顧謂講讀官曰：“朕近日得數人，應孟明，其最也。 ”尋除浙東提點刑獄，以鄉部引嫌，改使江東。

A household servant of the son of the former great general Li Xianzhong had drowned; the authorities falsely charged murder, and nearly three hundred households were arrested and imprisoned. Mengming investigated the case, found the injustice, reported it to his superior, and had them released. He was sent out as Fujian Commissioner for Ever-Normal Granaries. At his farewell audience the Emperor said: "I know you love the common people and hate corrupt officials; when anything is inconvenient for the people, you should report it to me in full." The Emperor then asked about the talent of the age. Mengming replied: "Those with talent but without learning become harsh and censorious; only if the ruler's teaching is clear and his choices correct, turning their hearts toward the Way, will their achievement surely be twice that of others. The Emperor said: "That is truly the responsibility of one who stands above others. When Mengming reached his post, he thoroughly investigated matters according to the intent of his parting instructions. One day the Emperor attended the classics lecture and, discussing supervisory investigations, turned to the lecture officials and said: "Recently I have found several capable men; Ying Mengming is foremost among them." He was soon appointed Judicial Commissioner for Zhedong; citing a conflict of interest with his native circuit, he was reassigned to Jiangdong.

會廣西謀帥，帝謂輔臣曰：“朕熟思之，無易應孟明者。 ”即以手筆賜孟明曰：“朕聞廣西鹽法利害相半，卿到任，自可詳究事實。 ”進直秘閣、知靜江府兼廣西經略安撫。初，廣西鹽易官般為客鈔，客戶無多，折閱逃避，遂抑配於民。行之六年，公私交病，追逮禁錮，民不聊生。孟明條具驛奏除其弊，詔從之。禁卒朱興結集黨侶，弄兵雷、化間，聲勢漸長，孟明遣將縛致轅門斬之。

When Guangxi was seeking a commander, the Emperor told his chief ministers: "I have thought this over carefully—no one is more suitable than Ying Mengming." He immediately wrote to Mengming in his own hand: "I have heard that the Guangxi salt law is half beneficial and half harmful; when you take office you may thoroughly investigate the facts." He was promoted to Direct Attendant of the Secretariat, made prefect of Jingjiang, and concurrently appointed Guangxi Military Commissioner and Pacification Commissioner. Initially the Guangxi salt trade had been changed from official transport to merchant certificates; merchants were few, losses and evasion followed, and salt was forcibly allocated to the populace. After six years of this policy, public and private interests alike were ruined; pursuit, arrest, and imprisonment left the people unable to sustain their livelihoods. Mengming itemized the abuses in a detailed report sent by relay post and petitioned to abolish them; an edict approved his proposal. The garrison soldier Zhu Xing gathered a band of conspirators and raised arms between Leizhou and Huazhou; as their power grew, Mengming sent a general to bind him, bring him to the camp gate, and execute him.

光宗即位，遷浙西提點刑獄，尋召為吏部員外郎，改左司，遷右司，再遷中書門下省檢正諸房公事。寧宗即位，拜太府卿兼吏部侍郎。慶元初，權吏部侍郎，卒。

When Emperor Guangzong ascended the throne, he was transferred to Judicial Commissioner for Zhexi; he was soon summoned as Vice Director of the Ministry of Personnel, moved to the Left Secretariat, then the Right Secretariat, and was again promoted to Rectifier of Affairs for All Bureaus of the Secretariat-Chancellery. When Emperor Ningzong ascended the throne, he was appointed Minister of the Palace Treasury and concurrently Vice Minister of Personnel. At the beginning of the Qingyuan reign he served as acting Vice Minister of Personnel and died in office.

孟明以儒學奮身受知人主，官職未嘗幸遷。韓侂胄嘗遣其密客誘以諫官，俾誣趙汝愚，孟明不答，士論以此重之。

Mengming rose through Confucian learning and won the sovereign's trust; he never sought advancement by chance or favor. Han Tuozhou once sent a secret agent to tempt him with the post of remonstrator, urging him to slander Zhao Ruyu; Mengming did not respond, and scholarly opinion greatly respected him for this.

曾三聘，字無逸，臨江新淦人。乾道二年進士。調贛州司戶參軍，累遷軍器監主簿。有旨造劃車弩，三聘謂：“劃車弩六人挽之，而箭之所及止二百六十步。今所用克敵弓較之，工費不及十之三，一人挽之而射可及三百六十步，利害曉然。 ”乃不果造。

Zeng Sanpin, styled Wuyi, was a native of Xingan in Linjiang. He passed the jinshi examination in the second year of the Qiandao reign. He was appointed Recorder of Ganzhou and rose through the ranks to chief clerk of the Directorate of Armaments. An imperial order came to build the sliding-cart crossbow. Sanpin said: "The sliding-cart crossbow requires six men to draw it, yet its range reaches only two hundred and sixty paces." Compared with the enemy-defeating bow now in use, the labor and cost amount to less than three-tenths; one man can draw it and shoot three hundred and sixty paces—the advantage and disadvantage are obvious. The project was therefore not carried out.

光宗不朝重華宮，中外疑懼，三聘以書抵丞相留正。正未及言，會以它事不合求去。三聘謂：“丞相今泯默而退耶，亦將取今日所難言者別白言之而後退？凡今闕庭之內，閨門衽席之間，父子夫婦之際，群臣莫敢深言者，避嫌遠罪耳。丞相身退計決，言之何嫌乎？ ”遷秘書郎。帝欲幸玉津園，三聘上疏言：“今人心既離，大亂將作，小大之臣震怖請命，而陛下安意肆誌而弗聞知，萬一敵人諜知，馳一介之使，問安北宮，不知何以答之？奸宄窺間，傳一紙之檄，指斥乘輿，不知何以禦之？望亟備法駕朝謁，不然，臣實未知死所也。”

Emperor Guangzong ceased attending Chonghua Palace; court and country were filled with anxiety, and Sanpin wrote to Chief Councilor Liu Zheng. Before Liu Zheng could speak, he happened to disagree with the Emperor over another matter and requested leave. Sanpin said: "Will the Chief Councilor now retire in silence, or will you take what is hard to say today and set it forth clearly before you withdraw?" All that occurs within the palace halls, between the bed curtains of the inner quarters, at the juncture of father and son and husband and wife—what no minister dares speak of deeply is only to avoid suspicion and flee blame. The Chief Councilor's plan to retire is already decided—what suspicion is there in speaking out? He was transferred to the post of Secretary Gentleman. The Emperor wished to visit Yujin Garden. Sanpin submitted a memorial: "Hearts are already alienated and great disorder is about to break out; ministers great and small tremble in terror begging for orders—yet Your Majesty indulges your will and gives no heed. If by chance the enemy's spies learn of this and send a single envoy to inquire after the Northern Palace, how will you answer?" If villains watch for an opening and circulate a single proclamation denouncing the imperial carriage, how will you resist it? I beg you urgently to prepare the imperial retinue for an audience at once; otherwise your servant truly does not know where he may die.

孝宗病革，復上疏言：“道路流言，洶洶日甚，臣恐不幸而有狂夫奸人，托忠憤以行詐，假曲直以動眾，至此而後悔之，則恐無及矣。 ”帝意為動。及孝宗崩，帝疾不能執喪，朝論益震洶，三聘謂今日事勢，莫若建儲。或戒之曰：“前日臺諫諸公謂汝奪其職，今復有疏耶？ ”三聘曰：“此何時而可避煩言也。”

When Emperor Xiaozong was critically ill, he again submitted a memorial: "Rumors on the roads grow more tumultuous by the day; your servant fears that, by misfortune, reckless men and villains may feign loyal indignation to practice deceit and borrow disputes over right and wrong to stir the masses—to regret only then will be too late." The Emperor was moved by this. When Emperor Xiaozong died, the Emperor was ill and unable to perform mourning; court discussion grew ever more turbulent. Sanpin said that given the situation today, nothing was more urgent than establishing an heir. Someone warned him: "The other day the remonstrators said you were stealing their duty—will you submit another memorial now?" Sanpin said: "At a time like this, how can one avoid speaking what must be said?"

寧宗立，兼考功郎，後知郢州。會韓侂胄為相，指三聘為故相趙汝愚腹心，坐追兩官。久之，復元官與祠。差知郴州，改提點廣西、湖北刑獄，皆辭不赴。侂胄誅，諸賢遭竄斥者相繼召用，三聘祿不及，終不自言。嘉熙間，三聘已卒，有旨特贈三官，直龍圖閣，賜謚忠節。

When Emperor Ningzong was established, he served concurrently as Reviewer of Merit and was later appointed prefect of Yingzhou. When Han Tuozhou became chief minister, he identified Sanpin as a confidant of the former chief minister Zhao Ruyu and on that account stripped him of two ranks. After a long while, his original office and temple sinecure were restored. He was assigned as prefect of Chenzhou and then transferred to Judicial Commissioner for Guangxi and Hubei; he declined all appointments. After Tuozhou was executed, worthy men who had suffered exile were summoned in succession, but Sanpin's salary never reached him, and to the end he never spoke of it. During the Jiading era Sanpin had already died; an edict specially posthumously promoted him three ranks, made him Direct Attendant of the Dragon Diagram Pavilion, and bestowed the posthumous name Zhongjie (Loyal Integrity).

徐僑，字崇甫，婺州義烏人。蚤從學於呂祖謙門人葉邽。淳熙十四年，舉進士。調上饒主簿，始登朱熹之門，熹稱其明白剛直，命以“毅”名齋。入為秘書省正字、校書郎兼吳、益王府教授。直寶謨閣、江東提點刑獄，以迕丞相史彌遠劾罷。寶慶初，葛洪、喬行簡代為請祠，迄不受祿。紹定中，告老，得請。

Xu Qiao, styled Chongfu, was a native of Yiwu in Wuzhou. Early on he studied under Ye Yi, a disciple of Lü Zuqian. In the fourteenth year of the Chunxi reign he passed the jinshi examination. He was appointed chief clerk of Shangrao and first entered Zhu Xi's school. Xi praised him as clear-minded, forthright, and firm, and named his study the Studio of Resolution. He entered service as Rectifier of Texts in the Secretariat, Collator, and concurrently as instructor to the households of the Wu and Yi princes. He served as Direct Attendant of the Treasure Proclamation Pavilion and Judicial Commissioner for Jiangdong, but was impeached and dismissed for opposing Chief Councilor Shi Miyuan. At the beginning of the Baoqing reign, Ge Hong and Qiao Xingjian repeatedly requested a temple sinecure on his behalf, but he never accepted salary to the end. During the Shaoding reign he requested retirement on grounds of age and was granted it.

端平初，與諸賢俱被召，遷秘書少監、太常少卿。趣入覲，手疏數千言，皆感憤剴切，上劘主闕，下逮群臣，分別黑白，無所回隱。帝數慰諭之，顧見其衣履垢敝，愀然謂曰：“卿可謂清貧。 ”僑對曰：“臣不貧，陛下乃貧耳。 ”帝曰：“朕何為貧？ ”僑曰：“陛下國本未建，疆宇日蹙；權幸用事，將帥非材；旱蝗相仍，盜賊並起；經用無藝，帑藏空虛；民困於橫斂，軍怨於掊克；群臣養交而天子孤立，國勢阽危而陛下不悟：臣不貧，陛下乃貧耳。 ”又言：“今女謁、閹宦相為囊橐，誕為二豎，以處國膏肓，而執政大臣又無和、緩之術，陛下此之不慮而耽樂是從，世有扁鵲，將望見而卻走矣。 ”時貴妃閻氏方有寵，而內侍董宋臣表裏用事，故僑論及之。帝為之感動改容，咨嗟太息。明日，手詔罷邊帥之尤無狀者，申儆群臣以朋黨為之戒，命有司裁節中外浮費，而賜僑金帛甚厚。僑固辭不受。

At the beginning of the Duanping reign, together with other worthy men he was summoned and promoted to Secretary Vice Director and Vice Director of Rites. Urged to present himself at court, he submitted a handwritten memorial of several thousand words, all indignant and incisive, cutting at the ruler's faults above and reaching down to the ministers below, distinguishing right from wrong without evasion. The Emperor repeatedly comforted him. Seeing his clothes and shoes worn and filthy, he said sorrowfully: "You may truly be called poor in possessions but rich in integrity." Qiao replied: "Your servant is not poor—Your Majesty is poor." The Emperor said: "In what way am I poor?" Qiao said: "Your Majesty's foundation for the realm is not established and the territory shrinks daily;" favorites wield power and the generals lack ability; drought and locusts follow one upon another and bandits rise together; expenditures lack planning and the treasury is empty; the people suffer from exactions and the army resents exploitation; ministers cultivate factions while the Son of Heaven stands alone, the state's peril hangs by a thread while Your Majesty does not perceive it: your servant is not poor—Your Majesty is poor. He also said: "Now women of influence and eunuchs serve as each other's purses, playacting as the two boys lodged in the nation's marrow—yet the chief ministers lack the healing art of He Que and Huan Yuan. Your Majesty does not consider this and follows indulgence in pleasure. If there were a Bian Que in the world, he would behold you and turn back in flight." At the time the honored consort of the Yan clan was in favor, and the inner attendant Dong Songchen wielded power inside and out in concert—hence Qiao's discourse touched on this. The Emperor was moved; his expression changed and he sighed deeply. The next day, by handwritten edict he dismissed the most lawless frontier commanders, warned the ministers against faction-making, ordered the authorities to cut extravagant expenses at court and in the provinces, and bestowed on Qiao gold and silk in great quantity. Qiao firmly declined and did not accept.

侍講，開陳友愛大義，用是復皇子竑爵，請從祀周敦頤、程顥、程頤、張載、朱熹，以趙汝愚侑食寧宗，帝皆如其請。金使至，僑以無國書宜館之於外，如叔向辭鄭故事，迕丞相意，力丐休致，帝諭留甚勤。遷工部侍郎，辭益堅，遂命以內祠侍讀，不得已就職。遇事盡言。以疾申前請，乃以寶謨閣待制奉祠。卒，謚文清。

As attendant lecturer he expounded the great principle of fraternal affection; on this account Prince Gou's title was restored. He requested joint sacrifice to Zhou Dunyi, Cheng Hao, Cheng Yi, Zhang Zai, and Zhu Xi, with Zhao Ruyu accompanying Emperor Ningzong in sacrifice—the Emperor granted all as he requested. When Jin envoys arrived, Qiao held that lacking a state letter they should be lodged outside the capital, as in Shuxiang's refusal of Zheng. This offended the chief minister's intent; he earnestly begged to retire, but the Emperor urged him to remain with great earnestness. He was promoted to Vice Minister of Works, but his refusal grew firmer; he was then appointed attendant reader on temple sinecure. Unable to refuse further, he took office. On affairs of state he spoke without reserve. On grounds of illness he renewed his earlier request and was then made Attendant Gentleman of the Treasure Proclamation Pavilion on temple sinecure. He died and was given the posthumous name Wenqing (Cultured Purity).

僑嘗言：“比年熹之書滿天下，不過割裂掇拾，以為進取之資，求其專精篤實，能得其所言者蓋鮮。 ”故其學一以真踐實履為尚。奏對之言，剖析理欲，因致勸懲。弘益為多。若其守官居家，清苦刻厲之操，人所難能也。

Qiao once said: "In recent years Xi's books have filled the world, but most people only clip and gather scraps from them as capital for advancement. Those who seek dedicated mastery and solid practice and can live up to what he taught are indeed few." Therefore his learning took sincere practice and real conduct as its sole standard. In his memorials and audiences he analyzed principle and desire, thereby offering encouragement and warning. The benefit to the realm was great. As for his conduct in office and at home, the integrity of austerity and stern self-discipline was what others could scarcely achieve.

度正字周卿，合州人。紹熙元年進士。歷官為國子監丞。時士大夫無賢愚，皆策李全必反而不敢言，正獨上疏極言之，且獻斃全之策有三，其言鯁亮激切。

Du Zheng, styled Zhouqing, was a native of Hezhou. He passed the jinshi examination in the first year of the Shaoxi reign (1190). He rose through the ranks to become Director of the Directorate of Education. At the time, whether learned or dull, every scholar-official was privately convinced that Li Quan would rebel, yet none dared say so. Du Zheng alone memorialized forcefully to that effect and offered three strategies for destroying him; his language was blunt, clear, and fiercely urgent.

遷軍器少監。輪對，言：“陛下推行聖學，當自正家始。 ”進太常少卿。適太廟災，為二說以獻，其一則用朱熹之議，其一則因宋朝廟制而參以熹之議：“自西徂東為一列，每室之後為一室，以藏祧廟之主。如僖祖廟以次祧主則藏之，昭居左，穆居右，後世穆之祧主藏太祖廟，昭之祧主藏太宗廟。仁宗為百世不遷之宗，後世昭之祧主則藏之。高宗為百世不遷之宗，後世穆之祧主則藏之。室之前為兩室；三年祫享，則帷帳幕之通為一室，盡出諸廟主及祧廟主並為一列，合食其上。往者此廟為一室，凡遇祫享合祭於室，名為合享，而實未嘗合享。合增此三室，後有藏祧主之所，前有祖宗合食之地，於本朝之制初無更革，而頗已得三年大祫之義。”

He was promoted to Vice Director of the Directorate of Armaments. At a palace audience he said, "Your Majesty, in promoting the sage's learning, should begin with putting your own household in order." He was then promoted to Vice Minister of Rites. When the Imperial Ancestral Temple caught fire, he offered two designs. The first followed Zhu Xi's recommendations; the second adapted the Song temple layout while incorporating Xi's ideas: "Arrange the halls in a single row from west to east; behind each hall build another hall to house the tablets of distant ancestors." For instance, after the temple of Prince Xi, successive distant-ancestor tablets would be stored there; zhao-line ancestors to the left, mu-line to the right. Later mu-line distant tablets would be kept in the temple of Taizu, and zhao-line distant tablets in the temple of Taizong. Emperor Renzong would be the "unmoved for a hundred generations" founder; later zhao-line distant tablets would be stored in his hall. Emperor Gaozong would hold the same unmoved status; later mu-line distant tablets would be stored there. In front of each main hall would stand two subsidiary halls; At the triennial he sacrifice, curtains would link the halls into one space; all main and distant-ancestor tablets would be brought out in a single row and honored together on the upper altar. Formerly this temple had been treated as a single hall: on he-year rites a so-called "combined sacrifice" was held within one chamber, but it had never truly united all ancestors in one offering. By adding these three halls—storage for distant tablets behind and a true communal altar before—the basic Song system need not be overturned, yet the intent of the great triennial he rite would at last be fulfilled.

遷權禮部侍郎兼侍右郎官，兼同修國史、實錄院同修撰。遷禮部侍郎，轉一官，守禮部侍郎致仕。卒，贈四官，賻銀絹三百。所著有《性善堂文集》。

He was made Acting Vice Minister of Rites and concurrently Right Vice Director of the Secretariat, and Associate Compiler on the National History and Veritable Records projects. He was promoted to Vice Minister of Rites, advanced one grade, and retired while retaining that title. He died and was posthumously promoted four ranks, with three hundred strings of silver and silk for funeral expenses. His collected writings were entitled Collected Works of the Hall of Innate Goodness.

程必，字懷古，徽州休寧人。紹熙四年進士。授昌化主簿，調建康府教授，改知富陽縣，遷主管官告院。歷宗正寺主簿、樞密院編修官，權右司郎官、秘書監丞，江東轉運判官。陛辭，寧宗謂宰臣曰：“程必豈可容其補外？ ”遂復舊職。

Cheng Bi, styled Huaigu, was a native of Xiuning in Huizhou. He passed the jinshi examination in the fourth year of the Shaoxi reign (1193). He was appointed registrar of Changhua, then transferred to be instructor at Jiankang Prefecture, later made magistrate of Fuyang County, and then put in charge of the Office of Credentials. He served successively as director in the Imperial Clan Court, compiler at the Bureau of Military Affairs, acting director of the Right Secretariat, supervisor of the Secretariat, and transport commissioner for Jiangdong. When he took leave of court, Emperor Ningzong told his chief ministers, "How can we let Cheng Bi go out to a provincial post?" He was therefore kept in his former post at the capital.

遷浙西提舉常平，又遷秘書丞，升秘書省著作郎，尋為軍器少監兼權左司郎官。遷國子司業兼國史編修、實錄檢討，兼權直舍人院，遷起居舍人，兼職依舊。權吏部侍郎，直學士院兼同修國史、實錄院同修撰，兼權中書舍人。遷禮部侍郎仍兼侍讀，權刑部尚書，封休寧縣男。授禮部尚書兼同修國史、實錄院同修撰，兼權吏部尚書，拜翰林學士、知制誥，兼修玉牒官，進封子。五上疏丐祠，以煥章閣學士、知建寧府，授福建路招捕使。以舊職提舉玉隆萬壽宮，進封伯。進敷文閣學士、知寧國府，改知贛州，皆不赴。進封新安郡侯，加寶文閣學士、知福州兼福建安撫使。再奉祠，又加龍圖閣學士。以端明殿學士致仕，卒，年七十有九，贈特進、少師。

He was made intendant of the Ever-Normal Granaries in western Zhejiang, then assistant director of the Secretariat, promoted to compiler in the Secretariat, and soon after made vice director of armaments while acting as director of the Left Secretariat. He was promoted to vice director of the Imperial University while also compiling the national history and revising the veritable records, and concurrently served in the Drafting Academy; he was then made diarist, retaining his other posts. He served as acting vice minister of personnel, attendant in the Hanlin Academy while also compiling the national history and veritable records, and concurrently as acting drafter in the Secretariat. He was made vice minister of rites while continuing as lecturer-in-waiting, acting minister of justice, and enfeoffed as Baron of Xiuning County. He was appointed minister of rites while continuing to compile the national history and veritable records, made acting minister of personnel, invested as Hanlin academician and drafter of edicts, put in charge of revising the imperial genealogy, and advanced to the rank of viscount. After memorializing five times for a temple sinecure, he was made academician of the Huanzhang Pavilion and prefect of Jianning, and appointed pacification commissioner for the Fujian circuit. He was made intendant of the Yulong Wanshou Palace with his former rank and advanced to earl. He was promoted to academician of the Fuwen Pavilion and made prefect of Ningguo, then reassigned to Ganzhou, but did not take up either post. He was advanced to Marquis of Xin'an Commandery, made academician of the Baowen Pavilion, and appointed prefect of Fuzhou while also serving as pacification commissioner of Fujian. He again received a temple sinecure and was further made academician of the Longtu Pavilion. He retired as academician of the Duanming Hall, died at seventy-nine, and was posthumously granted the ranks of Special Advancement and Junior Preceptor.

珌十歲詠冰，語出驚人。直學士院時，寧宗崩，丞相史彌遠夜召必，舉家大驚。

At ten Cheng Bi wrote a poem on ice whose lines astonished everyone who heard them. While he was attendant in the Hanlin Academy, Emperor Ningzong died; Chief Councillor Shi Miyuan summoned him at night, throwing his entire household into alarm.

珌妻丞相王淮女也，泣涕，疑有不測，使人間之，知彌遠出迎，而後收涕。彌遠與必同入禁中草矯詔，一夕為制誥二十有五。初許必政府，楊皇后緘金一囊賜必，必受之不辭，歸視之，其直不貲。彌遠以是銜之，卒不與共政雲。

Bi's wife was the daughter of former Chief Councillor Wang Huai; she wept, fearing some calamity, until a messenger reported that Miyuan had come out to receive him in person—only then did she dry her tears. Miyuan and Bi entered the palace together to draft the succession edicts, and in a single night produced twenty-five imperial proclamations. He had initially been promised a place in the government; Empress Yang sent him a sealed pouch of gold, which he accepted without demur. When he opened it at home, its worth was beyond reckoning. Miyuan bore a grudge over this and never let him share power at court.

牛大年，字隆叟，揚州人。慶元二年進士。歷官將作監主簿。入對，言：“人主所當先者，要以天命人心之所系致念焉。夫以人主居富貴崇高之位，重而承宗社之托，尊而為臣辟之戴，一指意而眾莫敢違，一動作而人孰敢議，然而天心靡常，則可畏也。 ”又言：“今日士氣亦久靡矣，宜體立國之意以振起之。夫有扶持作興之意，而後縉紳無貪名嗜利之習；無貪名嗜利之習，而後有持正秉義之操。國家之休戚，在士大夫之風俗，而風俗之善惡在朝廷。惟陛下為之振起，機括一運，天下轉移，而風俗易矣。”

Niu Danian, styled Longsou, was a native of Yangzhou. He passed the jinshi examination in the second year of the Qingyuan reign (1196). He rose to become registrar in the Directorate of Imperial Works. At a palace audience he said, "What a ruler should consider first is what binds together Heaven's mandate and the hearts of the people." A ruler sits in wealth and eminence, bearing the weight of altars and state, honored as the head upon which all ministers and subjects depend: one gesture and none dare disobey, one act and none dare question it—yet Heaven's favor is inconstant, and that is what should inspire awe. He also said, "Scholar-official morale has long been enervated; Your Majesty should take to heart the spirit in which the dynasty was founded and revive it. Only when the throne shows a will to support and uplift them will the gentry cease their habit of chasing fame and profit; and only then will they uphold rectitude and hold fast to principle. The dynasty's fortune rests on the manners of its scholar-officials, and those manners depend on the court. Only Your Majesty can rouse them: turn the lever once, and the realm will shift—custom will change with it.

遷軍器監主簿、大宗正丞、四川提舉茶馬兼權總領、知黎州兼管內安撫司公事、節制黎雅州屯戍軍馬，加直寶章閣，為工部郎官。入對，請懲貪吏。遷侍左郎中，進直華文閣、浙東提點刑獄，遷守秘書少監、宗正少卿，升秘書監，遷起居舍人，升起居郎兼崇政殿說書。以寶章閣待制提舉太平興國宮，卒，特贈四官。大年清操凜然，所至以廉潔自將。

He was promoted to registrar in the Directorate of Armaments, vice director of the Imperial Clan Court, and intendant of tea and horses in Sichuan while acting as overall controller; made prefect of Lizhou with duties in the inner pacification office and command over garrison troops in Li and Ya prefectures; granted direct access to the Baozhang Pavilion; and appointed director in the Ministry of Works. At a palace audience he asked that corrupt officials be punished. He was made director in the Left Service, granted direct access to the Huawen Pavilion and appointed judicial intendant for eastern Zhejiang, then made acting vice director of the Secretariat and vice director of the Imperial Clan Court, promoted to director of the Secretariat, made diarist, and then senior diarist while also lecturing in the Chongzheng Hall. As a Baozhang Pavilion awaiting-orders academician he was made intendant of the Taiping Xingguo Palace; he died and was specially posthumously promoted four ranks. Danian's integrity was austere and commanding; everywhere he served he held himself to scrupulous honesty.

陳仲微，字致廣，瑞州高安人。其先居江州，旌表義門。嘉泰二年，舉進士。調莆田尉，會守令闕，通判又疲軟不任，臺閫委以縣事。時歲兇，部卒並饑民作亂，仲微立召首亂者戮之。籍閉糶，抑強糴一境以肅。囊山浮屠與郡學爭水利，久不決，仲微按法曰：“曲在浮屠。 ”它日沿檄過寺，其徒久揭其事鐘上以為冤，旦暮祝詛，然莫省為仲微也。仲微見之曰：“吾何心哉？吾何心哉？ ”質明，首僧無疾而死。寓公有誦仲微於當路而密授以薦牘者，仲微受而藏之。逾年，其家負縣租，竟逮其奴。寓公有怨言，仲微還其牘，緘封如故，其人慚謝，終其任不敢撓以私。

Chen Zhongwei, styled Zhiguang, was a native of Gao'an in Ruizhou. His clan had long lived in Jiangzhou, where the gate of their communal household was honored as a model of righteousness. He passed the jinshi examination in the second year of the Jiatai reign (1202). He was assigned as assistant magistrate of Putian; when both the prefect and county magistrate were absent and the vice prefect proved too weak to govern, the surveillance commission put him in charge of county affairs. Famine had struck; garrison troops and starving civilians rose in disorder. Zhongwei at once had the ringleaders seized and executed. He registered households, shut down illicit grain sales, and curbed powerful families' forced purchases until the whole district was pacified. Buddhist monks at Mount Nang and the prefectural school had disputed irrigation rights for years without resolution; Zhongwei ruled by law, "The monks are in the wrong." Later, while traveling on official business, he passed the monastery. The monks had long posted the case on the temple bell as an injustice and cursed him morning and night, not realizing their judge was passing before them. Zhongwei saw it and said, "What ill will had I toward you?" What ill will had I toward you? By dawn the head monk had died suddenly, without any prior illness. A local gentleman who lodged in the county praised Zhongwei to those in power and secretly gave him a recommendation; Zhongwei accepted it and put it away. A year later his household fell behind on county taxes, and Zhongwei had his servant arrested. The gentleman complained bitterly. Zhongwei returned the recommendation, still sealed as he had received it. The man apologized in shame and never again tried to sway him with private favors for the rest of his term.

遷海鹽丞。鄰邑有疑獄十年，郡命仲微按之，一問立決。改知崇陽縣，寢食公署旁，日與父老樵豎相爾汝，下情畢達，吏無所措手。通判黃州，職兼餉饋，以身律下，隨事檢柅，軍興賴以不乏。制置使上其最，辭曰：“職分也，何最之有？ ”復通判江州，遷幹辦諸司審計事，知贛州、江西提點刑獄，迕丞相賈似道，監察御史舒有開言罷。久之，起知惠州，遷太府寺丞兼權侍右郎官。輪對，言：“祿餌可以釣天下之中才，而不可啖嘗天下之豪傑；名航可以載天下之猥士，而不可以陸沉天下之英雄。 ”似道怒，又諷言者罷奪其官。久之，敘復。

He was transferred to be assistant director of the Haiyan salt commission. A neighboring county had a doubtful case unresolved for ten years; the prefecture ordered Zhongwei to review it, and one round of questioning settled it at once. He was made magistrate of Chongyang County, lodging beside the yamen; each day he spoke familiarly with elders and woodcutters until every grievance reached him, leaving his clerks no room to meddle. As vice prefect of Huangzhou he also oversaw supply lines; he disciplined his staff by personal example, checked abuses at every turn, and the armies were kept supplied throughout the campaigns. The commissioner reported him for outstanding service, but he declined, saying, "I only did my duty—what merit is there in that?" He served again as vice prefect of Jiangzhou, then as commissioner of audit affairs for the various offices, and as prefect of Ganzhou and judicial intendant for Jiangxi. He offended Chief Councillor Jia Sidao; Investigating Censor Shu Youkai memorialized for his removal, and he was dismissed. After a long interval he was recalled to be prefect of Huizhou, then made assistant director of the Court of the Imperial Treasury while acting as director in the Right Service. At a palace audience he said, "Stipends may hook the middling talent of the realm, but they cannot tempt its true heroes to take a bite;" official titles may carry the base men of the realm, but they cannot drown its heroes in obscurity; Jia Sidao was enraged; through his allies he had Zhongwei dismissed again and stripped of rank. After a long while his office was restored.

時國勢危甚，仲微上封事，其略曰：“誤襄者，老將也。夫襄之罪不專在於庸閫、疲將、孩兵也，君相當分受其責，以謝先皇帝在天之靈。天子若曰罪在朕躬，大臣宜言咎在臣等，宣布十年養安之往繆，深懲六年玩寇之昨非，救過未形，固已無極，追悔既往，尚愈於迷。或謂覆護之意多，克責之辭少；或謂陛下乏哭師之誓，師相飾分過之言，甚非所以慰恤死義，祈天悔禍之道也。往往代言乏知體之士，翹館鮮有識之人，吮旨茹柔，積習成痼，君道相業，兩有所虧。方今何時，而在廷無謀國之臣，在邊無折沖之帥。監之先朝宣和未亂之前、靖康既敗之後，凡前日之日近冕旒，朱輪華轂，俯首吐心，奴顏婢膝，即今日奉賊稱臣之人也；強力敏事，捷疾快意，即今日畔君賣國之人也。為國者亦何便於若人哉！迷國者進慆憂之欺以逢其君，托國者護恥敗之局而莫敢議，當國者昧安危之機而莫之悔。臣嘗思之，今之所少不止於兵。閫外之事，將軍制之，而一級半階，率從中出，鬥粟尺布，退有後憂，平素無權，緩急有責，或請建督，或請行邊，或請京城，創聞駭聽。因諸閫有辭於緩急之時，故廟堂不得不掩惡於敗闕之後，有謀莫展，有敗無誅，上下包羞，噤無敢議。是以下至器仗甲馬，衰颯厖涼，不足以肅軍容；壁壘堡柵，折樊駕漏，不足以當沖突之騎。號為帥閫，名存實亡也。城而無兵，以城與敵；兵不知戰，以將與敵；將不知兵，以國與敵。光景蹙近目睫矣！惟君相幡然改悟，天下事尚可為也。轉敗為成，在君相一念間耳。 ”乃出仲微江東提點刑獄。

The realm was in grave peril. Zhongwei submitted a sealed memorial whose gist ran: "Those who lost Xiangyang were the old generals." Yet the fault at Xiangyang does not rest solely on incompetent commanders, worn-out generals, or untrained soldiers—the emperor and his chief minister must share the blame and make amends before the spirit of the late emperor in Heaven. Let the Son of Heaven say, "The guilt is mine," and let his ministers say, "The fault is ours." Proclaim the errors of a decade spent nursing peace, and deeply repent six years of treating the enemy lightly. To correct faults before they take shape is best; to repent what is already done is still better than remaining lost. Some say there is too much shielding and too little self-reproach; others that Your Majesty lacks a solemn vow to avenge the fallen armies, while the chief minister offers only cosmetic words of shared blame—hardly the way to comfort those who died loyal and to move Heaven to turn aside disaster. Too often the drafters of edicts are men who know nothing of propriety, and the drafting academy has few men of judgment. They suck up sweetness and chew on softness until the habit is chronic—both the Way of the ruler and the work of the chief minister are diminished. What season is this, when at court there is no minister who plans for the state, and on the frontier no commander who can break the enemy's charge? Look to the previous dynasty before the Xuanhe turmoil and after the Jingkang debacle: those who once pressed close to the throne, rode in gilded carriages, bowed low and poured out their hearts, fawning like slaves and maidservants—are the very men who today serve the enemy and call themselves loyal subjects; those who were forceful and quick, sharp and self-satisfied—are today's men who betray their sovereign and sell out the realm. What advantage can such men offer to those who govern the state! Men who mislead the realm offer soothing flattery to please their lord; men entrusted with the realm cover up shameful defeats and none dare speak; men who hold power ignore the turning point between safety and peril and will not repent. I have often reflected that what the realm lacks today is not soldiers alone. Field commanders ought to control affairs beyond the pass, yet every promotion and every ration comes from the center; withdraw a measure of grain or cloth and they face reprisals. They have no authority in peace but bear blame in crisis. When one asks to establish a grand commissioner, another to take the field, another to defend the capital, each proposal sounds shocking at first hearing. Because commanders can plead their constraints in every crisis, the court must cover up failures afterward: plans go unused, defeats go unpunished, and high and low alike swallow shame in silence, none daring to speak. Hence even weapons, armor, and horses are worn out and neglected, too poor to lend the army dignity; walls, ramparts, and stockades are broken and rotting, unable to withstand a cavalry charge. They are called frontier commanders in name only—the title remains, but the substance is gone. Cities without troops mean surrendering those cities to the foe; Armies that cannot fight hand their commanders to the enemy; Commanders ignorant of war deliver the realm itself to the enemy. Disaster looms as near as the eye can see! Only if ruler and chief minister awaken at once can the empire still be saved. Reversing defeat into victory rests on a single resolve from the throne and its chief minister. He was then appointed judicial intendant for Jiangdong.

德祐元年，遷秘書監，尋拜右正言、左司諫、殿中侍御史。益王即位海上，拜吏部尚書、給事中。厓山兵敗，走安南。越四年卒，年七十有二。

In 1275 he became Director of the Secretariat, then Right Direct Remonstrator, Left Bureau Remonstrator, and Palace Censor in succession. When the Prince of Yi was enthroned on the coast, he was made Minister of Personnel and Supervising Secretary. After the rout at Yamen he fled to Annam. Four years later he died, aged seventy-two.

其子文孫與安南王族人益稷出降，向導我師南征。安南王憤，伐仲微墓，斧其棺。

His son Wensun and Yiji, a kinsman of the Annamese king, defected and led our forces on the southern campaign. The Annamese king, in fury, desecrated Zhongwei's grave and hacked open his coffin.

仲微天稟篤實，雖生長富貴，而惡衣菲食，自同窶人。故能涵飫《六經》，精研理致，於諸子百家、天文、地理、醫藥、卜筮、釋老之學，靡不搜獵雲。

Zhongwei was naturally steadfast and sincere; though born to privilege, he dressed plainly and ate frugally, living no better than a pauper. He therefore absorbed the Six Classics and pursued principle to its depths, ranging through the hundred schools, astronomy, geography, medicine, divination, and Buddhist and Daoist lore until he had mastered them all.

梁成大，字謙之，福州人。開禧元年進士。素茍賤亡恥，作縣滿秩，諂事史彌遠家幹萬昕，昕言真德秀當擊，成大曰：“某若入臺，必能辯此事。 ”昕為達其語。通判揚州，尋遷宗正寺簿。

Liang Chengda, styled Qianzhi, came from Fuzhou. He received his jinshi degree in 1205. He was by nature servile and shameless. When his county posting ended he curried favor with Wan Xin, a clerk in Shi Miyuan's household. Xin said Zhen Dexiu ought to be struck down. Chengda replied, “If I reach the Censorate, I can surely prosecute this case. ”Xin relayed what he had said. He became deputy prefect of Yangzhou, then Registrar of the Court of the Imperial Clan.

寶慶元年冬，轉對，首言：“大佞似忠，大辯若訥，或好名以自鬻，或立異以自詭，或假高尚之節以要君，或飾矯偽之學以欺世。言若忠鯁，心實回邪，一不察焉，薰蕕同器，涇、渭雜流矣。言不達變，謀不中機，或巧辯以為能，或詭訐以市直，或設奇險之說以駴眾聽，或肆妄誕之論以惑士心。所行非所言，所守非所學，一不辯焉，枘鑿不侔，矛盾相激矣。”

In the winter of 1225, at his audience he led with: “Great villains wear the mask of loyalty; glib tongues pass for reticence. Some hawk their reputations; some affect eccentricity to mystify others; some counterfeit lofty integrity to win the throne's ear; some dress up false learning to fool the age. They speak as though bluntly loyal while their hearts are crooked. Fail to scrutinize them, and sweet grass and stench share one jar, the Jing and Wei run together. Their speech misses the shifting moment; their schemes miss the mark. Some parade clever argument as talent; some cloak slander as integrity; some spin dangerous theories to dazzle the crowd; some pour forth wild nonsense to unsettle the minds of the learned. Their deeds belie their words; their conduct betrays their learning. Leave them undistinguished, and peg and socket never meet—only contradiction and collision.

越六日，拜監察御史。尋奏：“魏了翁已從追竄，人猶以為罪大罰輕。真德秀狂僭悖繆，不減了翁，相羊家食，宜削秩貶竄，一等施行。 ”章既上，不下者兩月，或傳德秀有衡陽之命，時宰於帝前及之。帝曰：“仲尼不為已甚。 ”遂止鐫三秩。明年三月，又奏楊長孺寢新命，徐瑄追三秩移象州居住，胡夢昱移欽州編管。是冬，拜右正言。紹定元年，進左司諫。四年正月，遷宗正少卿。五年二月，權刑部侍郎，明年十月，帝夜降旨黜之，提舉千秋鴻禧觀。莫澤時兼給事中，急於別異，上疏駁之，遂寢祠命。端平初，洪咨夔、吳泳交章論駁，鐫兩秩。泳復上疏，送泉州居住。會王遂論亦上，再鐫秩，徙潮州。

Six days later he was made Investigating Censor. He soon submitted: “Wei Liaoweng has already been driven into exile, yet many still deem his crime grave and his punishment light. Zhen Dexiu is insolent and perverse, no less than Liaoweng, loafing at home on state stipend. Strip his rank and banish him—apply the same penalty in full. ”The memorial sat unanswered two months. Word spread that Dexiu was to be sent to Hengyang. The chief minister raised it before the emperor. The emperor said, “Confucius would not press a matter too far. ”The punishment was limited to stripping three ranks. The next March he again urged that Yang Changru's new appointment be shelved, Xu Xuan be stripped of three ranks and sent to live at Xiangzhou, and Hu Mengyu be placed under supervised banishment at Qinzhou. That winter he became Right Direct Remonstrator. In 1228 he was promoted to Left Bureau Remonstrator. In the first month of the fourth year he became Vice Director of the Court of the Imperial Clan. In the second month of the fifth year he served as acting Vice Minister of Justice; the following tenth month the emperor dismissed him by night edict and made him superintendent of the Qianqiu Hongxi Abbey. Mo Ze, then also Supervising Secretary, eager to set himself apart, memorialized in rebuttal, and the abbey appointment was shelved. Early in the Duanping era, Hong Zikui and Wu Yong filed successive memorials against him, and two ranks were stripped. Yong memorialized again, and he was ordered to live at Quanzhou. When Wang Sui's critique followed, another rank was stripped and he was banished to Chaozhou.

成大天資暴狠，心術崄巇，凡可賊忠害良者，率多攘臂為之。四方賂遺，列置堂廡，賓至則導之使觀，欲其效尤也。尤嗜豪奪，冒占宇文氏賜第。既擯歸，訟之者不下百數。竄之日，朝命毀其廬，雖小人如李知孝亦曰：“所不堪者，他日與成大同傳耳。”

Chengda was by nature brutal and ruthless, his scheming treacherous; he eagerly took up any work that could wound the loyal and destroy the worthy. Gifts from every quarter lined his halls; when guests came he led them on a tour, inviting them to imitate his ways. He was especially fond of seizing property by force and occupied the Yuwen family's imperial grant. After he was cast out and sent home, more than a hundred people brought suit against him. On the day of his exile the court ordered his house demolished. Even a scoundrel like Li Zhixiao remarked, “What I cannot stomach is ending up in the same biography as Chengda one day.

李知孝，字孝章，參知政事光之孫。嘉定四年進士。嘗為右丞相府主管文字，不以為恥。差充幹辦諸司審計司，拜監察御史。

Li Zhixiao, styled Xiaozhang, was grandson of Vice Grand Councillor Li Guang. He received his jinshi degree in 1211. He had served as chief document clerk in the Right Chancellor's office and felt no shame in it. He was assigned as clerk of the Bureau for Auditing the Various Offices, then appointed Investigating Censor.

寶慶元年八月，上疏：“士大夫汲汲好名，正救之力少而附和沽激之意多，扶持之意微而詆訾扇搖之意勝。既慮君上之或不能用，又恐朝廷之或不能容，姑為激怒之辭，退俟斥逐之命。始則慷慨而激烈，終則懇切而求去，將以樹奇節而求令名，此臣之所未解。 ”蓋陰詆真德秀等。又奏洪咨夔鐫三秩、放罷，胡夢昱追毀、除名、勒停，羈管象州。知孝猶語魏了翁曰：“此所論咨夔等，乃府第付出全文。 ”其情狀變詐如此。

In the eighth month of 1225 he memorialized: “The literati scramble for fame. Few truly work to rescue the state; many rush to echo sensational posturing. Support for sound policy is weak; slander and agitation carry the day. Fearing the sovereign may not use them, yet also fearing the court may not tolerate them, they first speak words meant to provoke, then withdraw to await expulsion. They begin in bold indignation and end by pleading to resign, all to cultivate a reputation for singular integrity. That is what your servant cannot fathom. ”The attack was aimed covertly at Zhen Dexiu and his circle. He also urged stripping Hong Zikui of three ranks and dismissing him; Hu Mengyu should have his honors revoked, be struck from the rolls, barred from office, and placed under supervised exile at Xiangzhou. Zhixiao even told Wei Liaoweng, “The memorial against Zikui and the others was the full text handed down from the chief minister's residence. ”Such was the deceit and double-dealing of his conduct.

越月，復言：“近年以來，諸老雕零，後學晚出，不見前輩，不聞義理，不講綱常，識見卑陋，議論偏诐，更唱叠和，蠱惑人心，此風披扇，為害實深。乞下臣章，風厲內外，各務靖共，以杜亂萌。 ”拜右正言。又言：“德秀節改聖語，繆謄牒示，導信邪說，簧鼓同流，其或再有妄言，當追削流竄，以正典刑。 ”疏既上，遂鏤榜播告天下。又言：“趣召之人，率皆遲回，久而不至，以要君為高致，以共命為常流，可行而固不行，不疾而稱有疾，比比皆是，相扇成風，欲求難進易退之名，殊失尊君親上之義。願將趣召之人計其程途，限以時日，使之造朝；其有衰病者，早與改命。 ”時召傅伯成、楊簡、劉宰等皆不至，故知孝詆之。又奏張忠恕落職、鐫秩、罷郡。

A month later he spoke again: “In recent years the old masters have passed away and younger scholars come late to learning. They never met the elders, never heard true principle, never studied the moral constants. Their vision is shallow, their talk partisan. They echo one another in chorus, poisoning minds. The fashion spreads; the damage runs deep. I beg that this memorial be promulgated to admonish the court and the realm, that all may pursue harmony and nip disorder in the bud. ”He was appointed Right Direct Remonstrator. He also said, “Dexiu edits the sage's words line by line, copies and displays false documents, spreads heterodox teaching, and drums his faction onward. Should he speak recklessly again, strip his honors, pursue him, and exile him to uphold the law. ”Once the memorial was in, an engraved proclamation was broadcast across the empire. He also said, “Men urgently summoned mostly linger and never come, treating defiance of the throne as lofty conduct and routine delay as normal. Able to serve, they refuse; not ill, they plead sickness. Examples abound, each encouraging the next, all chasing the fame of being hard to summon and quick to quit—betraying the duty to honor the sovereign and the court. I ask that for each urgently summoned man his route be reckoned and a deadline set, compelling him to appear at court; and for those truly aged or ill, let a new appointment be granted promptly. ”Fu Bocheng, Yang Jian, Liu Zai, and others had been summoned but did not come—hence Zhixiao's attack. He also urged that Zhang Zhongshu be removed from office, stripped of rank, and dismissed from his prefecture.

知孝拜殿中侍御史，升侍御史。紹定元年，遷右司諫，進右諫議大夫。五年，遷工部尚書兼侍讀。越月，進兵部。明年，理宗親政，以寶謨閣直學士出知寧國，後省駁之，令提舉嵩山崇福宮。端平初，監察御史洪咨夔、權直舍人院吳泳交章論駁，鐫秩罷祠。泳復封駁，繼送婺州居住。殿中侍御史王遂且論之，再鐫秩，徙瑞州。

Zhixiao became Palace Censor, then Censor-in-Chief. In 1228 he became Right Bureau Remonstrator, then Right Remonstrance and Policy Grandee. In the fifth year he was made Minister of Works and Reader-in-Waiting. A month later he became Minister of War. The next year, when Emperor Lizong assumed personal rule, he was sent out as Baomo Pavilion academician to govern Ningguo; the Secretariat blocked the appointment and made him superintendent of the Songshan Chongfu Palace instead. Early in the Duanping era, Investigating Censor Hong Zikui and Acting Academy Attendant Wu Yong filed successive memorials against him; his rank was stripped and his sinecure revoked. Yong sealed another rebuttal, and he was ordered to live at Wuzhou. Palace Censor Wang Sui joined the attack; another rank was stripped and he was banished to Ruizhou.

知孝起自名家，茍於仕進，領袖庶頑，懷諼迷國，排斥諸賢殆盡。時乘小輿，謁醉從官之家，侵欲斂積，不知紀極。紹定末，猶自乞為中丞，世指知孝及梁成大、莫澤為三兇。卒以貶死，天下快之。

Though born to a distinguished house, Zhixiao was shameless in climbing the ladder, leading the vulgar and obstinate, flattering his way into confusion of state affairs, and hounding nearly every worthy man from office. He would ride in a small carriage to the houses of drunken retainers, grasping and hoarding without limit. Late in the Shaoding era he still petitioned to become Censor-in-Chief. The world named Zhixiao, Liang Chengda, and Mo Ze the Three Villains. He died in exile at last, to the relief of the realm.

論曰：讀《本政書》，然後知林勛之於井地，可謂密矣。劉才邵能全名節於權奸之時。許忻之論和議，最為忠懇，卒以是去國，尤足悲夫。應孟明、曾三聘之不汙韓侂胄，孔子所謂“歲寒然後知松柏之後雕也”。徐僑之清節，度正之淳敏，牛大年之廉正，陳仲微之忠實，然皆不至於大用，非可惜哉！若乃程必之竊取富貴，梁成大、李知孝甘為史彌遠鷹犬，遺臭萬年者也。

The historian remarks: Only after reading the Ben Zheng Shu does one see how thorough Lin Xun's treatment of the well-field system truly was. Liu Caishao preserved his integrity even under powerful villains. Xu Xin's argument on the peace negotiations was the most loyal and earnest; he left office for it in the end—a tragedy indeed. That Ying Mengming and Zeng Sanpin were not stained by Han Tuozhou is what Confucius meant when he said, “Only when the year turns cold do we see that pine and cypress wither last.” Xu Qiao's purity, Du Zheng's sincere acuity, Niu Danian's integrity, Chen Zhongwei's loyal steadfastness—yet none was employed to the full. How regrettable! As for Cheng Bi, who stole wealth and rank, and Liang Chengda and Li Zhixiao, who gladly served as Shi Miyuan's hawks and hounds—their infamy will endure ten thousand years.

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