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卷四百三十一 列傳第一百九十 儒林一 聶崇義 邢昺 孫奭 王昭素 孔維 孔宜 崔頌子:曥 尹拙 田敏 辛文悅 李覺 崔頤正弟:偓佺 李之才

Volume 431 Biographies 190: Confucian Scholars 1 - Nie Chongyi, Xing Bing, Sun Shi, Wang Zhaosu, Kong Wei, Kong Yi, Cui Song and son: Lu, Yin Zhuo, Tian Min, Xin Wenyue, Li Jue, Cui Yizheng and younger brother: Woquan, Li Zhicai

Chapter 431 of 宋史 · History of Song
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Chapter 431
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1
Nie Chongyi
2
Nie Chongyi was from Luoyang in Henan. As a young man he qualified in the Three Rites, excelled in ritual learning, and had a firm grasp of the meaning of the classics. During the Later Han's Qianyou reign he rose to become university lecturer on the Book of Rites, collated the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals, and had it printed from blocks at the national academy. Under the Later Zhou during the Xiande era he was promoted repeatedly until he served as vice-director of the imperial university and concurrently as a ritual specialist at court. Earlier, Emperor Shizong had noted that suburban and temple ritual vessels were made solely by officials handing designs down through the generations; over time no standard models survived, so he ordered Chongyi to research the antiquities, draw them up, and submit his findings. In the fourth year Chongyi presented his drawings, and the court ordered the relevant offices to cast new vessels accordingly.
3
In the fifth year, as a di sacrifice at the imperial ancestral temple was planned, memorialists argued that without a distant-ancestor shrine the temple could not properly conduct the di and xia succession rites. Chongyi cited precedent and memorialized the throne, in summary as follows: "Emperor Ming of Wei died in the first month of Jingchu 3; the xia rite was performed in the second month of year 5, and the di rite the year after; from then on the di sacrifice was held every five years. Moreover, Wei took Emperor Wu as its founding ancestor; by Emperor Ming's time there were only three reigns on the throne, and the di and xia rites were still performed before any distant-ancestor tablets had been set up. This is the first precedent. In Yuanjia 6 of Emperor Wen of Song, the sacrifices office set the great rite for the third day of the tenth month; university scholars argued that the di and xia ceremonies come once every three years and twice every five. From the Song founder to Emperor Wen there were likewise only three sovereigns on the throne, yet the di and xia rites were still performed before any distant tablets had been established. This is the second precedent. Emperor Wu of Liang followed Xie Guang's proposal: a di sacrifice every three years and a xia every five, termed the great sacrifices—the di in summer and the xia in winter. Moreover, Liang Wu was a ruler who had received Heaven's mandate; he had only just raised four generations of forebears when he performed the di and xia rites—showing that sacrifice is the way of continuing to honor the dead. As seasons turn and festivals change, a filial son is stirred to remember his kin; hence offerings at the season's opening, regular sacrifices in the middle month, and di and xia at set intervals, ordered by senior and junior lines—this is ritual's constant principle. It does not depend on whether the ancestral temple is fully equipped or not. This is the third precedent." In the end the court adopted Chongyi's view.
4
Soon afterward Emperor Shizong ordered Chongyi to help determine the ritual jades for suburban and temple sacrifices, and appointed Hanlin academician Dou Yan to oversee the work. Chongyi then took the Illustrations of the Three Rites and revised them further; in the fourth month of Jianlong 3 he submitted them by memorial, with Yan supplying the preface. Taizu read the work and commended it, decreeing: "Ritual vessels and ritual diagrams have been handed down through the ages; over countless years of sacrifice, errors were bound to creep in. Nie Chongyi serves at the imperial university, is devoted to Confucian learning, has traced antiquity and corrected doubtful errors, and in discharging his office has done work well worth praising. Chongyi should receive a suitable reward. As for the Illustrations of the Three Rites he has presented, the heir apparent's grand mentor Yin Zhuo should gather three to five Confucian scholars to review them jointly, so that the result may be as precise as possible. Where opinions differ, let them be thoroughly debated and resolved." In the fifth month he rewarded Chongyi with a purple robe, a rhinoceros-horn belt, silver vessels, and silks. Zhuo raised many objections; Chongyi answered by citing the classics again, and the whole dispute was referred to Minister of Works Dou Yi for a final ruling. Yi memorialized the throne: "Your subject reflects that the sages established ritual to endure forever, yet scholars who follow the classics often transmit differing views; as the years pass, the illustrated records have fallen into disrepair. Contradictions grow ever deeper, and the painted records offer no firm ground. Nie Chongyi has studied his teachers' doctrines and immersed himself in the ritual classics; compared with the old diagrams, his revisions contain real merit. Yin Zhuo carried out the imperial commission and set forth everything he knew. Yin Zhuo's objections and Nie Chongyi's replies, four scrolls each—I have reviewed them again in detail, ruled on each point, generally adopting additions and deletions, and arranged them in annotated form in fifteen scrolls for Your Majesty's review." The emperor ordered the work promulgated.
5
Zhuo and Chongyi again submitted their opposing views on ritual jades, tripods, and cauldrons; the emperor ordered the Secretariat to convene a joint discussion. Minister of Personnel Zhang Zhao and others memorialized with their opinion:
6
According to Nie Chongyi: the azure bi for Heaven sacrifice is nine inches with a round central hole; the yellow cong for Earth sacrifice is eight inches without a hole; the gui, zhang, and hu are each nine inches long. He says that in Later Zhou Xiande 3, working with Tian Min and others, he followed the jade-worker's duties in the Offices of Zhou and the old diagrams of Ruan Chen and Zheng Xuan to set down the specifications.
7
We find that the jade-worker's chapter in the Rites of Zhou mentions only "bi and cong nine inches," "large cong eight inches," and "the bi's surplus measure is one foot, with a three-inch perforation as the standard"—nowhere does it prescribe an azure bi or yellow cong. He also cites commentary invoking the Erya's phrase that "the rim is twice the hole"—but that glosses the passage on the bi's surplus measure, not the azure bi. Moreover, Zheng Xuan's own commentary on the Rites of Zhou records no dimensions—how could he have produced separate illustrated diagrams that contradict the classics?
8
The Bibliography of the Four Categories lists the Illustrations of the Three Rites in twelve scrolls, compiled on imperial order by ritual officials in Sui Kaihuang. The first and second diagrams are attributed to "Mr. Liang"; from the tenth onward to "Mr. Zheng"; the catalogue also notes that the identity and rank of these two men are unknown. The palace library's copy of the Illustrations of the Three Rites likewise bears the labels "Mr. Liang" and "Mr. Zheng" without giving their full names or offices. Later Liang Zheng collected earlier diagrams and records and discussed them at greater length; his Illustrations of the Three Rites states: "Ruan Shixin of Chenliu studied ritual under Lord Ce of Yingchuan; adopting his views, he produced three scrolls of illustrations, often departing from the ritual texts to cite Han-dynasty practice, in conflict with Master Zheng's writings." Zheng abridged the work to two scrolls; this Ruan Shixin is Ruan Chen. Liang Zheng's account alone shows how unreliable Ruan Chen was. Moreover, the three-scroll ritual diagrams abridged to two should be part of the present work, and they too contain no proposal to change the sacrificial jades.
9
使便
We have reviewed the record from the Duke of Zhou's establishment of ritual through Shusun Tong's restoration: although ritual weft texts exist and Han scholars wrote extensively, nowhere do we find dimensions specified for sacrificial jades. After Wei and Jin, the schools of Zheng Xuan and Wang Su each had disciples who commented on the Three Rites and Six Classics—yet examining their works, none specifies the dimensions of sacrificial jades. We have checked the illustrated books against the canon: the orthodox classics attributed to the Duke of Zhou specify no dimensions; even if later writers invented such claims, how could they be admitted into Zhou ritual diagrams? Clearly Chongyi and his allies took the cong and bi that feudal lords presented at court to the Son of Heaven and his consort and treated them as sacrificial jades, then forced dimensions by twisting passages on "surplus measure" and "rim and hole"—a distortion of a great rite observed through the ages that cannot stand to reason.
10
便
Yin Zhuo also cited the six jades for spirit sacrifice, drawing on Cui Ling'en's Comprehensive Meaning of the Three Rites from Liang: "For August Heaven and the Five Essences the gui, bi, cong, and huang are each one foot two inches long, following the twelve hours; the cong for Earth sacrifice is ten inches long, matching Earth's number." He also quoted the Comprehensive Discussions in the White Tiger Hall: "Square within and round without is called a bi; round within and square without is called a cong." Chongyi objected, arguing that Ling'en was neither the Duke of Zhou's equal in talent nor in rank, and that to compose a work in a single effort and supply missing text on the six jades was especially unorthodox.
11
姿 穿
We would note that Liu Xiang's commentary on the Great Plan and Wang Tong's Original Classic were not written by men who possessed a sage's stature or held a highest duke's rank—yet because they served instruction, they were not mere flourish. Ling'en's work follows ancient teaching: sacrificial jades take twelve as their number because Heaven has twelve stations, Earth twelve branches, and the day twelve hours; the jade document for the Feng sacrifice is twelve inches, the stands at the Round Mound altar twelve rows; the Son of Heaven's tablet gui and the queen's great cong—all are one foot two inches long. The libation gui is likewise one foot two inches, which the king uses in ancestral temple sacrifice. If the ruler personally conducts the suburban sacrifice, ascends the altar in his great fur robe with the great gui inserted, performs the bowing presentation, yet holds a one-foot-two gui while offering the spirits a nine-inch bi—less than the ancestral temple's libation gui—how can he honor Heaven as father and Earth as mother with a clear conscience? Ling'en's reasoning is not unsound; from the Comprehensive Meaning's appearance through Liang, Chen, Sui, and Tang—nearly four hundred years—ritualists have cited it as authoritative, and the Essentials of the Five Rites, Kaiyuan Rites, and Record of Suburban Sacrifice all take it as their standard. The recent Later Jin and Later Han dynasties likewise followed the established practice. During Later Zhou Xiande, Tian Min and others forced strained interpretations and made arbitrary changes. Since Tang Zhenguan there have been three major revisions of the Five Rites, all drawing on Sui precedent; even where complexity was adjusted, none proposed changing the sacrificial jades. We respectfully ask that the standards of the Comprehensive Discussions, the Comprehensive Meaning, and Tang ritual be adopted as the fixed rule.
12
· 祿
Yin Zhuo followed the old diagrams in depicting the fu cauldron, while Nie Chongyi removed the fu and depicted the huo pot instead. We have reviewed the old diagrams: all show the fu cauldron and none the huo pot. The Explanation of the Trigrams in the Changes says "Kun represents the cauldron"; the Odes mention "only the cauldron and fu," and "pour into the fu and xin"; the Zuo Commentary speaks of "cauldron and fu vessels"; the Record of Rites describes "roasting millet and splitting the piglet," glossed as: "In antiquity there were no steamers or fu cauldrons, so food was roasted and split for sacrifice." The fu cauldron has been in use since antiquity, which is why it belongs in the ritual diagrams. Chongyi, citing the Offices of Zhou's passages on inspecting and supplying tripods and huo pots, and the Ceremonies' references to sheep and pig huo pots, argues that depicting the fu is less appropriate than depicting the huo. All the classics record the use of the fu cauldron; it truly cannot be omitted. Moreover, both the Offices of Zhou and the Ceremonies mention the huo pot; we ask that both vessels be illustrated. Moreover, examining various schools' sacrificial illustrations and the rites practiced today, on the day before a great sacrifice the Director of the Imperial Commissary inspects the tripods and huo pots. We respectfully ask that the huo pot be illustrated beneath the tripod.
13
The emperor approved their recommendation. Before long Chongyi died; the Illustrations of the Three Rites thereafter circulated widely and were painted on the walls of the imperial university lecture hall.
14
Chongyi served as a university official and concurrently oversaw ritual affairs for nearly twenty years; his contemporaries esteemed his encyclopedic learning. Guo Zhongshu once mocked him through a pun on his surname: "Drawing near the noble, one turns wholly deaf; climbing the dragon, one becomes hard of hearing. Though you have three 'ears' in your name, you still cannot hear clearly." Chongyi replied: "I am no poet, but let me answer with a single couplet." He said: "Do not mock my three ears—they are far better than harboring two hearts." He had turned the jest back on Zhongshu through his name. Zhongshu was deeply embarrassed; people praised Chongyi's quick wit without loss of decorum—a true scholar's repartee.
15
殿
Xing Bing, courtesy name Shuming, was from Jiyin in Caozhou. At the start of Taiping Xingguo he qualified in the Five Classics examination; on the day of the palace test he was summoned to the hall to lecture on the Shi and Bi hexagrams and was further questioned on topics drawn from the classics. Taizong commended his mastery and passed him at the top of the Nine Classics examination, appointing him evaluator at the Court of Judicial Review and superintendent of the Yancheng salt office in Taizhou, with a grant of two hundred thousand cash. Because this salt office lay between Chu and Tai prefectures—Tai being remote while Chu was a major junction where salt and grain were urgently needed—Bing requested that it be placed under Chuzhou, and the court agreed. The following year he was summoned to serve as assistant director of the imperial university, charged solely with lecturing. He was promoted to secretariat doctor, sent out as prefect of Yizhou, and then transferred to university doctor. When his term ended and he returned to court, he received scarlet robes and was appointed lecturer to the imperial princes. During Yongxi he was promoted to vice director in the Ministry of Waterways and then transferred to the Ministry of Merit. At the start of Duan Gong he received gold and purple insignia and was promoted repeatedly until he became director in the Ministry of Revenue.
16
In Jingde 2 he memorialized: "My late elder brother once sat for the jinshi examination; I ask that he receive a posthumous honor." The court specially posthumously granted him the rank of evaluator at the Court of Judicial Review. That summer the emperor visited the imperial university to inspect the library and asked how many classic printing blocks there were; Bing replied: "At the founding there were fewer than four thousand; now there are more than a hundred thousand, with classics, commentaries, and authoritative exegeses all in place. When I was young and studying under my teachers, scarcely one classic in a hundred had a commentary available—we simply could not afford to copy them. Now printed editions are abundantly available in every scholar's and commoner's home—this is the great fortune of Confucians living in a flourishing age." The emperor said with pleasure: "Though our state honors Confucian learning, had the realm not been at peace, how could we have achieved this!" The emperor also asked about academic-hall precedents that had fallen into disuse; Bing could offer no constructive proposals. Previously the printing office had sold its paper trimmings to cover miscellaneous university expenses; Bing asked that these proceeds be turned over to the fiscal authorities to supplement state revenue. From then on the university's public funds fell short, and the lecturers too wearied of its sparse attendance. The emperor was then promoting scholarship and again ordered Bing, together with Zhang Yong, Du Hao, and Sun Shi, to recommend men of broad classical learning and upright conduct to enlarge the student body. In the third year he was appointed vice director of the Ministry of Justice.
17
便
Bing held a post close to the throne and was often summoned; one day, speaking at ease with the emperor of old colleagues from the princely household, he lamented that nearly all had died and he alone survived. The next day he received a thousand taels of white gold, and the emperor summoned his wife to the palace and bestowed official cap and robe upon her. In the fourth year Bing, frail with age and finding it difficult to walk, petitioned that his home was in Caozhou and asked for a year's leave to visit his fields, promising to return after the coming suburban sacrifice. The emperor bade him sit, comforted him, and said, "You may as well serve as acting prefect of your home district—why request leave?" Bing also noted that Yang Li and Xiahou Qiao had served with him in the princely household; when those two ministers died they were both posthumously made secretariat ministers. The emperor was moved; the next day he told the chief ministers, "This shows what he wants." He was immediately promoted to Minister of Works and appointed prefect of Caozhou, retaining his other duties.
18
殿
On the day he took leave he received court robes and a gold belt. That day the Dragon Diagram Pavilion was opened specially and nearby officials were banqueted in the Chonghe Hall; the emperor composed two poems in five- and seven-syllable lines as gifts, and every guest present wrote verses in return. Bing looked at the wall illustrations of the Documents and the Record of Rites and, pointing to the chapter on the Mean, cited its line: "In governing the realm and the state there are nine principles." He then expounded its larger meaning, which the emperor praised and accepted. As he set out, the emperor again had nearby officials see him off and held a farewell feast at the Yichun Garden. At the start of Dazhong Xiangfu, as the emperor prepared to worship Heaven and Earth at Mount Tai, Bing memorialized that the people of Caozhou asked that the imperial procession pass through their prefecture and had the Jiyin magistrate Wang Fan escort local elders to court; the emperor replied with a gracious edict. Soon he was recalled to court. When the imperial procession departed, he was ordered to preside over the capital censorate in the emperor's absence. When the rites were finished he was promoted to Minister of Rites.
19
The emperor worked diligently and cared for farmers; whenever rain or snow came at the wrong season his worry showed on his face, and because Bing knew farming well the emperor often questioned him at length. Farmers had long observed signs of fair or foul weather and good or bad harvests, and the lore old peasants passed down was usually reliable; Bing often drew on their sayings in his answers. He also said, "The people's great calamities are four: pestilence, drought, flood, and locusts. In disaster years at least one of these always appears, though sometimes lightly and sometimes severely. Of the four, drought does the greatest harm, for when fields lack irrigation ditches nothing can be saved and the loss is complete. The Commentary says that when Heaven's calamities spread abroad, every state suffers them in turn. That is what is meant."
20
In the third year he fell ill and asked for sick leave; the emperor ordered imperial physicians to attend him. In the sixth month the emperor personally visited him in his illness and bestowed a casket of famous medicines, a thousand taels of silver vessels, and a thousand bolts of silk. By court precedent only imperial kin and chief ministers received visits in illness or attendance at mourning; the special honor shown Bing and Guo Zan was due to long friendship with the throne. Soon an order directed the Secretariat to recall his sons—Zhongbao, doctor of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and magistrate of Dongming County, and Ruosi, university doctor and military prefect of Xinyang—to attend him in his illness. After more than a month he died at seventy-nine; he was posthumously made left vice director of the Department of State Affairs, and all three sons were promoted in rank.
21
稿
Earlier, during Yongxi, Bing compiled Selected Rites in twenty scrolls and presented them; Taizong opened the bundle, found the chapter on the heir of King Wen, and was greatly pleased, asking Wei Shaoqin, "When Bing lectured to the princes, did he ever reach this passage?" Shaoqin replied, "The princes often asked Bing about the classics; whenever he expounded the relations of ruler and minister, father and son, he always stressed them repeatedly." Taizong was still more pleased. Once, while books were being aired in the inner library, the emperor looked through them, praised them, summoned Bing to view them with him, and composed an encomium on Selected Rites as a gift. Bing said, "No draft survives in my home; I would like a copy." The emperor agreed. Copying was not finished when Bing died; the emperor urgently ordered two copies made, one for his family and one placed in his tomb.
22
·
In the Eastern Palace and within the inner court Bing lectured the emperor on the Classic of Filial Piety, the Record of Rites, the Analects, the Documents, the Changes, the Odes, and the Zuo Commentary. Beyond citing the commentaries he often illustrated points with current affairs and won deep praise and reward. The emperor once asked, "Guan Zhong and Zhao Hu both served Prince Jiu; when Duke Huan entered Qi, Zhao Hu died for his lord while Guan Zhong returned and became Duke Huan's chief minister. Was Zhao Hu loyal unto death while Guan Zhong failed to hold to his integrity—is that how a minister should behave? And Zheng Xuan's commentary on the chapter on the heir in the Record of Rites says that King Wen shortened his life through anxious toil, while King Wu prolonged his through ease and joy. I do not believe the original meaning of the classic can be so. Moreover, Yu of Xia labored exhaustingly, received the dark jade tablet, and yet enjoyed a long reign. If King Wen truly cared for others and never rested, even without a miraculous sign, how could his life have been shortened?" Bing answered each question according to its principle.
23
Earlier, in Xianping, Wang Qinruo directed the civil examinations; someone reported that he had accepted bribes from candidates; the censorate established the facts; Qinruo appealed; and an edict ordered Bing, Bian Su, Wu Binggu, and Yan Chenghan to rehear the case at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Bing vigorously defended Qinruo while Hong Zhan was convicted; Qinruo therefore felt indebted to him. Bing's great favor at court owed something to Qinruo's help.
24
Zhongbao was greedy, incompetent, and coarse in manner; most scholar-officials despised and ridiculed him. While Qinruo served in the Secretariat he appointed Zhongbao an auditor of the Three Departments; later he rose to director in the Ministry of Rites, was dismissed for corruption, and died. Ruosi ended his career as director in the Ministry of Transport.
25
Sun Shi, courtesy name Zonggu, was from Boping in Bozhou. As a youth he studied under the village teacher Wang Che; after Che died, those who came to Shi with questions on the classics found him able to explain subtle points so clearly that everyone was astonished, and several hundred disciples followed him. Later he moved to Xucheng.
26
簿
He passed the Nine Classics examination with highest honors, served as recorder of Juxian County, petitioned for a trial lecture, was promoted to evaluator at the Court of Judicial Review, and became lecturer at the imperial university. Taizong visited the imperial university and summoned Shi to lecture on the Documents; when he reached the line "If affairs do not follow antiquity they will not long endure—this is not what I have heard from you," the emperor said, "These are words of the highest wisdom. Did the Shang ruler truly obtain such a worthy minister as this!" He sighed at length. He was granted robes of the fifth rank. Zhenzong appointed him lecturer to the imperial princes. When the court ordered all officials to submit rotating memorials, Shi presented ten proposals. He served as judge of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the imperial university, and the Ministry of Agriculture, rose to director in the Ministry of Works, and was elevated to attendant gentleman of the Dragon Diagram Hall.
27
殿西
Shi rose through classical learning and held to the Way; in whatever he said he never flattered to please. At the start of Dazhong Xiangfu the Heavenly Writ appeared at the Left Gate of Accepting Heaven; as the emperor prepared to receive it he summoned the chief ministers to the western gallery of the Chongzheng Hall. Wang Dan and others said, "Heaven's gift of the talisman mandate is truly the response of supreme virtue." All bowed twice and shouted long life to the emperor. The emperor summoned Shi again; Shi replied, "I am foolish; what I have heard is that Heaven does not speak—how could there be a book?" After receiving the Heavenly Writ the emperor proclaimed a great amnesty, changed the reign title, announced the event throughout the realm, and built the Jade Purity Zhaoying Palace. That year the Heavenly Writ descended again at Mount Tai; Because he had personally received the mandate, the emperor deliberated on the Feng and Shan rites and composed ritual and music. Wang Qinruo, Chen Yaosou, Ding Wei, Du Hao, and Chen Pengnian all used classical learning to echo him, and thereafter the whole realm vied to speak of portents and omens.
28
西 西 西
In the fourth year the emperor planned again to sacrifice at Fenyin; a severe drought had driven grain prices sharply higher near the capital; Shi submitted a remonstrance: "Former kings divined before a campaign; for five years they rehearsed the auspicious omen—when the omen was confirmed they marched; when it was not, they cultivated virtue and divined again. Your Majesty has just completed the eastern Feng and now plans a western journey—this scarcely matches the former kings' careful five-year divination; this is the first reason it should not be done. Sacrifice to the Queen Mother of Earth at Fenyin is not attested in the classics. When Emperor Wu of Han prepared the Feng and Shan, he first enfeoffed the central peak and sacrificed at Fenyin, then toured the commanderies, and only afterward performed the rites at Mount Tai. Your Majesty has already performed the Feng; to visit Fenyin again is the second reason it should not be done. In antiquity the round mound and square pond served to sacrifice to Heaven and Earth at the suburbs; our present southern and northern suburban altars fulfill that role. Early Han, inheriting Qin, established only the five altars to Heaven; Earth had no shrine, so Emperor Wu established sacrifice to the Queen Mother of Earth at Fenyin. From the Yuan and Cheng reigns onward, following ministerial debate, sacrifice to Earth at Fenyin was moved to the northern suburb; later rulers mostly ceased sacrificing at Fenyin. Your Majesty has already established the northern suburban altar yet would abandon it to sacrifice far away at Fenyin—this is the third reason it should not be done. Western Han made its capital at Yong, very close to Fenyin. Now Your Majesty would pass heavy barriers and dangerous terrain, lightly leave the capital's foundation, and covet Western Han's empty reputation—this is the fourth reason it should not be done. Hedong was where the Tang dynasty's enterprise arose. Tang also made its capital at Yong; therefore Emperor Ming of Tang occasionally visited Hedong and sacrificed to the Queen Mother of Earth. Our dynasty's rise differs from Tang's, yet Your Majesty would for no reason sacrifice at Fenyin—this is the fifth reason it should not be done. Formerly King Xuan of Zhou met with disaster and was fearful; the poets therefore praised his restoration as a worthy ruler. In recent years flood and drought have followed one another; Your Majesty should turn inward and cultivate virtue to answer Heaven's reproof—how can you instead follow wicked advisers, weary the people on distant journeys, and travel without cease, forgetting the state's great foundations? This is the sixth reason it should not be done. Thunder in the second month awakens insects; in the eighth month it ceases, nourishing the myriad creatures—when untimely it is an omen. Thunder in winter is an omen still more severe. This is Heaven earnestly warning Your Majesty, yet you have not understood—nearly missing Heaven's intent; this is the seventh reason it should not be done. The people are the masters of the spirits; therefore sage kings first secure the people and only then serve the spirits. Now state construction has not ceased for years; flood and drought recur, famine is widespread—yet you would weary the people to serve the spirits; will the spirits accept such sacrifice? This is the eighth reason it should not be done. If Your Majesty insists on doing this, it is nothing but imitating Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Ming of Tang—wherever they went they carved stone to praise their merit and exalt empty fame for posterity. Your Majesty's nature is sagely and bright; you should emulate the Two Emperors and Three Kings—why descend to follow Han and Tang's empty reputation? This is the ninth reason it should not be done. Emperor Ming of Tang, through favoring wicked flatterers, suffered harm within and without; he fled abroad and the state fell into turmoil, with armies clashing below the passes—such were the traces of ruin, because accustomed to long peace he wantonly acted against righteousness until disaster ripened. Now advisers cite the Kaiyuan precedent as a great achievement and wish to lead Your Majesty to follow it; I am deeply convinced Your Majesty should not do so—this is the tenth reason it should not be done. My words may not fully express my meaning; if Your Majesty finds them acceptable, I beg a little further questioning so that I may complete my argument."
29
The emperor sent the inner attendant Huangfu Jiming to question him, and Shi submitted another memorial:
30
調 使
"Your Majesty plans to visit Fenyin, yet the capital populace is uneasy and the people of the Jiang and Huai regions are exhausted by levies—you should pacify and relieve them." "Construction has not ceased, bandits roam openly, and foreign states drill troops near the borders—though envoys come, can we trust their intentions?" "Chen Sheng rose from corvée labor, Huang Chao from famine; Emperor Yang of Sui pursued distant campaigns while Tang Gaozu rose at Jinyang; the Jin young lord was misled by petty men while Yelü Deguang swept deep into China." "Your Majesty follows wicked flatterers, abandons the capital, crosses lands of repeated famine, restores long-abandoned shrines contrary to the classics, and ignores the people's exhaustion and border dangers." "Who can say today's garrison soldiers hold no Chen Sheng, the hungry no Huang Chao, ambitious men no designs at your elbow, or foreign enemies no designs on the borders?"
31
西 便西便
"The former emperor once considered Feng and Shan but, in awe of Heaven's calamities, soon ordered the plan suspended." "Now wicked ministers praise Your Majesty for pressing ahead with the eastern Feng as fulfilling the former emperor's intent." "The former emperor wished to pacify the north and recover Youzhou; the great task was left to Your Majesty—yet ministers never offered a single plan to continue that intent, instead seeking peace with the Khitan through humble gifts, shrinking the state and indulging Li Jiqian, never remembering that a minister should die for his lord's disgrace or that deceiving the throne is shameful." "They fabricated omens and invoked spirits falsely; scarcely had the eastern Feng ended when they planned a western journey, lightly troubling the imperial procession and cruelly harming the hungry, hoping a safe round trip would count as great achievement." "Thus Your Majesty turns the ancestors' hard-won enterprise into wicked men's opportunity for lucky gain—this is why I sigh and weep." "Heaven, Earth, and the spirits are intelligent and upright; good brings blessings, evil calamities—never have I heard that ritual vessels alone can win fortune." "The Zuo Commentary says, "When a state is about to rise, it listens to the people; when it is about to fall, it heeds the spirits instead." I dare not speak rashly; I only ask that Your Majesty judge and choose wisely."
32
鹿退
"Later calamities recurred throughout the realm, and he again said: "The five-year tour of inspection was a ruler's duty—not that purple vapor and yellow clouds must precede the Feng, or miraculous grain before touring the regions. Now wild eagles and mountain deer are reported everywhere; autumn drought and winter thunder—and ministers congratulate while countless men withdraw to mock in secret. Who believes Heaven can be deceived, the people fooled, or posterity cheated? Sentiment being thus, the harm is great—may Your Majesty deeply discern its falsity."
33
"In the sixth year he memorialized again: "Your Majesty performed Feng at Mount Tai, sacrificed at Fenyin, visited the tombs, and now will sacrifice at the Great Pure Palace; public talk says you imitate Tang Emperor Ming in everything—do you take Ming as a ruler of fine virtue? That is far from true. Ming's path to ruin is warning enough—not only I know it; that nearby ministers stay silent shows they serve Your Majesty with wicked intent. None dared speak of Ming's misconduct; only at Mawei, after the soldiers killed Yang Guozhong, did he acknowledge confused judgment and misplaced trust. Though he spoke of fault then, awakening came too late—what good did it do? I wish Your Majesty to awaken early, restrain empty display, drive away flatterers, cease construction, avoid paths to chaos, and escape Ming's regret—this would bless the realm and the state." The emperor replied that Feng at Mount Tai, sacrifice at Fenyin, tomb visits, and sacrifice to Laozi did not begin with Emperor Ming. The Kaiyuan Rites are what we follow today—one cannot reject them because of the Tianbao disorders. Qin was utterly lawless, yet we still follow Qin forms in titles and administration—how reject a teaching because of the teacher?" He composed Clarifying Doubts to show his ministers." "Yet knowing Shi's plain loyalty, though his words were blunt, the emperor tolerated him without rebuke."
34
"After a time, when hometown elders petitioned for him to retire to his fields, the court refused and instead made him prefect of Mizhou." "After two years he was made left remonstrator and removed from his court appointment." "On returning to court he investigated capital criminal cases." "At that time the Tianqing and related festivals were established; the realm held costly fasts and banquets." "Shi again asked to cut extravagant spending; the court did not reply." "He served again as prefect of Heyang, asked to retire to care for his parents, was made supervising censor, then transferred to Yanzhou."
35
"In Tianxi, Zhu Neng presented the Qianyou Heavenly Writ." "He submitted another memorial:"
36
殿
"Zhu Neng is a wicked petty man who fabricates omens, yet Your Majesty honors him, bending imperial dignity to receive him and installing the writ in the secret hall—from court to marketplace all ache in heart and curse in secret, yet none dare speak."
37
輿 祿
"Formerly Han's Literary and Martial generals fed a cow silk texts, then claimed a miraculous book lay in its belly; when the beast was killed and opened, the emperor recognized the handwriting." "The Five Benefits general also spoke rashly and was executed with him." "Under the former emperor Hou Mochan Liyong gained favor through occult arts; once exposed he was executed at Zhengzhou." "Emperor Wu of Han was heroic; the former emperor was decisively brilliant." "Emperor Ming obtained the Lingbao talisman and similar texts—all forged by Wang Hong and Tian Tongxiu; Ming could not punish them openly but was cowed by heterodoxy, thinking Heaven must bless him." "Lord Lao, after all, was a sage." "If he truly spoke from Heaven, his words should not be reckless—yet from the An-Shi rebellion both capitals fell and the realm boiled—was that peace?" "Ming barely returned to the palace, was seized by Li Fuguo, and died in grief—was that sage longevity?" "With Ming's brilliance, calamity came yet he did not know—because long in power he grew proud, disdained remonstrance, delighted in ease, heard only flattery, favored concubines, trusted wicked men, and worshipped demons." "Today Lord Lao appeared in the pavilion, tomorrow in the mountains." "Great ministers drew salary and went to welcome; upright men feared authority and kept silent." "Deluded by heterodoxy and disordering government, the people's hearts departed and sudden rebellion arose." "Then did Lord Lao ward off troops? Could a talisman repel the enemy?" "Zhu Neng's conduct resembles this; may Your Majesty emulate Han Wu's talent, the former emperor's decisiveness, and Ming's warning, so disaster does not arise."
38
"Soon Neng indeed failed." "Shi also asked to reduce temple building and ordinations; though the emperor did not adopt this, he had Xiang Minzhong solicit policy advice—Shi spoke on accepting remonstrance, pardoning blunt speech, light corvée, and low levies, and much was implemented."
39
殿 殿
"When Renzong succeeded, ministers chose renowned Confucians for the heir's instruction; Shi was summoned as Hanlin lecturer, directed the Bureau of Review, judged the Directorate of Astronomy, and compiled Zhenzong's Veritable Records." "On his father's death he was recalled from mourning, concurrently judged ritual courts, and was thrice promoted to vice director of war and academician of the Dragon Glow Hall." "Whenever his lectures reached tyrants and fallen states he admonished repeatedly." "When Renzong's attention wandered, Xing Bing would wait in reverent silence until the emperor started and listened again." "He once painted and presented the No Dissipation illustration, which the emperor hung in the lecture hall." "When Empress Zhangxian attended court every fifth day, Shi said, "Ancient rulers held court morning and evening—none skipped daily audience. Your Majesty should attend court daily to handle affairs." The memorial was retained without reply." "Yet the emperor and empress dowager especially honored him; he always received added ceremony on audience."
40
殿
"He thrice requested retirement." "Summoned to the Chenming Hall and earnestly urged to stay, he wept and firmly requested retirement at over seventy; the emperor was moved and had him and Feng Zhi lecture on three chapters of the Laozi, each receiving two hundred bolts of silk." "Denied retirement, he asked for a nearby post and was graciously made Minister of Works and again prefect of Yanzhou." "Ordered to banquet before leaving, he was detained months more for a banquet at the Taiqing Tower; the emperor gave large flying-white characters to the two departments and small characters to students—only Shi and Chao Yuan received both." "All ministers were ordered to compose poems on the spot; the empress dowager sent palace vessels to urge wine." "The next day he thanked the throne and lectured again on the Laozi, receiving court robes, a gold belt, and a silver-saddled horse." "On departure he received a corner of the Ruicheng Garden and a poem; nearby ministers were ordered to compose in reply." "In gratitude he was made Minister of Rites; later he repeatedly begged to return and retired as tutor of the heir apparent." "Gravely ill, he moved to the main chamber, dismissed maidservants, and told his son Yu, "Do not let me die in women's hands." And so he died." "When word arrived the emperor told Zhang Shisun, "I was about to recall Shi, and he has died." He sighed long in regret, suspended court one day, and posthumously made him left vice director with the posthumous title Xuan."
41
"Shi was upright and grave and deeply filial toward his parents." "When his father died he licked his face in place of the ritual washing." "He gathered passages from the Five Classics bearing on government into Essential Words of the Classics in fifty scrolls." "He also wrote Records of Honored Sacrifice, Illustrations of Music, Sectional Explanations of the Five Classics, and the Five-Ranks System of Mourning." "He received an edict with Xing Bing and Du Hao to collate classic exegeses, commentaries on the Zhuangzi and Erya, and correct errors in the Documents, Analects, Classic of Filial Piety, Erya, and legal pronunciations."
42
"Formerly the round altar lacked an outer enclosure, the five suburbs had no mats in accompanying sacrifice, and vessels had no covers; "the seven shrines used one vessel for the blessing cup without multiple platters; ascending song did not use Yong for withdrawal; "at the winter solstice the acting sacrifice to August Heaven had only seventeen outer positions without the stars; "feasting the former agriculture came before praying for grain; "on the upper ding the libation sacrifice had no three presentations; "the ancestral temple lacked the two dances; "ministers due posthumous titles sometimes requested them only after burial." "Shi cited antiquity and corrected these, and they were written into ritual." "He also asked to cease winter-solstice sacrifice to the Five Emperors and at the great rain prayer to set up the Five Emperors while ceasing sacrifice to August Heaven." "The matter was referred to the offices; it did not pass and was dropped."
43
"Yu rose to vice director of works and retired."
44
Wang Zhaosu.
45
Wang Zhaosu was from Suanzao in Kaifeng. "As a youth he devoted himself to learning and never took office; his conduct was exemplary and his village praised him." "He supported himself by teaching disciples; Li Mu, his brother Su, and Li Yun were all his students." "Villagers in dispute did not go to the magistrate but came to Zhaosu for judgment."
46
Zhaosu mastered the Nine Classics and also studied the Zhuangzi and Laozi; he was especially adept in the Book of Poetry and the Book of Changes, held that Wang Bi's and Han Kangbo's commentaries on the Changes and the Kong and Ma exegeses were not entirely correct, and wrote Discussions on the Changes in twenty-three chapters.
47
便殿 ·
"In Kaibao, Mu recommended him to court; he was summoned to the capital and received in the side hall at seventy-seven, his spirit undiminished." "Taizu asked, "Why did you not seek office, so that we meet only so late?" He replied, "I am but a crude rustic, Your Majesty, and have nothing to offer your sage rule. He was given a seat and asked to expound the Qian hexagram of the Book of Changes; the chief minister Xue Juzheng and others were called in to listen. At the line "The flying dragon is in heaven," the emperor said, "Surely this book is not for ordinary eyes? Zhaosu answered, "Only when a sage appears can anyone truly grasp these images. The emperor then asked him about conditions among the people. Zhaosu spoke frankly and held nothing back, and the emperor was pleased. Pleading age, he asked to go home. He was made a university doctor and retired, given tea, medicines, and two hundred thousand cash. After more than a month he was dismissed. He died at home at eighty-nine.
48
Zhaosu had a keen eye for men. When the Li Mu brothers studied the Changes with him, he often told Mu, "Your subtle points often go beyond what I had in mind. He also said of them, "The Mu brothers are all men of promise; Mu above all is grave and steady—one day he will sit in the highest councils. Mu later did become vice grand councilor.
49
When Zhaosu bought anything, he paid whatever was asked and never bargained. People in the county warned one another: "When Mr. Wang comes to market, do not overcharge him. While repairing his house he stacked rafters in the doorway. One night a thief pried the door open; Zhaosu heard him and quietly tossed rafters out into the yard. The thief slunk away in shame, and after that the lane had no more thieves. The family owned a single donkey, and neighbors often borrowed it. Before he went out himself, he would ask his servants, "Is anyone waiting outside to borrow the donkey? Only when they answered "No" would he leave. That was the sort of plain, honest man he was.
50
His son Renzhe likewise lived by quiet virtue.
51
簿 調 使
Kong Wei, styled Weize, was from Yongqiu in Kaifeng. In Qiande 4 he passed the Nine Classics examination, entered office, and served as registrar in Dongming and Yanling. During Kaibao the Ministry of Rites again nominated him as an examiner, and he was posted as military reviewing officer in Chuzhou. When Taizong took the throne, Wei was promoted to left tutor of the heir apparent and magistrate of Henan County, and served as vice-prefect of Hua and Zi. During Taiping Xingguo he was appointed university lecturer on the Book of Changes on the spot; when his tour ended he became lecturer on the Book of Rites. In the seventh year he went as envoy to Goryeo. King Zhi questioned him on ritual, and Wei answered with the relations of ruler and subject, father and son, and the proper order of precedence. Delighted, the king said, "Today I have met a true master of China again. In the ninth year he was put in charge of university affairs. At the start of Yongxi he was promoted to vice director in the Bureau of Hosts and Guests. In the third year he was made vice-director of the imperial university and given the gold seal and purple robe.
52
沿
When a sacred-field plowing rite was planned, Wei gathered every relevant institution and its evolution from the Rites of Zhou through the Tang History and presented the compilation; readers marveled at his erudition. He also memorialized asking that late-season silkworm rearing be banned to protect the state's horses. Le Shi, a compiler at the Historiography Institute, objected:
53
綿
The Guanzi says, "When granaries are full, the people know ritual and propriety; when clothing and food are enough, they know honor and shame." That is why the ancient sage kings prized farming and sericulture: they are the root of food and clothing. If one man does not plow, someone under Heaven will hunger; if one woman does not raise silkworms, someone under Heaven will freeze. Hence the Son of Heaven plows in person and the empress feeds silkworms in person: by humbling themselves to teach the people, they fulfill one of the state's gravest duties. The Rhapsody on the Wu Capital says, "The state levies double-cropped rice; the districts send up silk from eight broods of worms." Late silkworm rearing, then, is no new custom. Now Kong Wei would ban late silkworms for the sake of the state's horses, citing old texts about creatures sharing the same vital force while ignoring what the times actually demand. The horses the state buys come from distant regions; after long travel and hard riding they are underfed and poorly tended, until they fail and die—and that, not silkworms, is why they die. To ban sericulture on such grounds is absurd. The Tang kept horses under a full system of pasture supervision; read the histories carefully and you will find no ban on silkworms there either. Besides, the court has just proclaimed a sacred-field plowing for next spring even as it would forbid late silkworms—the one exhorts the people to farm, the other forbids them to raise silk. The policies clash, and that is no way to govern.
54
調
I have served in the provinces and know something of local hardship. Among common people the poor are many: the spring crop of silk barely pays taxes and corvée; only the slender profit of a late brood gets a household through the year. Ban the late brood and people will invent evasions; disorder will spread, and the common folk will know no rest. Imperial words are not to be issued lightly.
55
The emperor read the memorial and dropped the proposed ban. Wei submitted another forceful memorial:
56
··
The Rites of Zhou, in the Grand Marshal's duties, forbids late silkworms because they injure horses. "Yuan" means a second brood. In the heavens, the chen mansion belongs to the horse. The Book of Silkworms says the worm is dragon-spirit; when the moon enters the Great Fire asterism, the eggs are washed. Silkworm and horse share one vital force; two powers cannot both flourish, so a second brood is forbidden to strengthen the horse. Guo Pu likewise says, "A repeated brood is yuan—that is, the late silkworm." I farmed and raised silkworms as a youth and later governed counties and prefectures; I know exactly where the gain and the harm lie. Ordinary people see the profit, not the damage: after the spring brood they raise a late one, but the cocoons yield little silk, and leaves stripped twice leave the mulberry weak the next year. The harm is not to horses alone—the trees suffer too. Since I began in county office I have traveled the roads and seen many government horses dead in the wild. Without clear classical grounds for aiding the herds, I would not have dared speak.
57
A note in the Materia Medica says, "Rub a horse's teeth with stiff silkworms and it will not eat grass." Creatures of a kind react on one another in just this way. The Monthly Ordinances sacrifice to the Horse Ancestor in mid-spring and to the Silkworm Ancestor in late spring—both rites address the Heavenly Team in the Room star. One rite blesses the horse, the other the silkworm; silkworm and horse are of one kind. When the silkworm brood is doubled, horses decline—such is the working of shared vital force. I hold that the Zhou rite forbidding a second brood should stand.
58
The emperor did not follow Wei's advice, but praised his use of the classics and had the memorial filed at the Historiography Institute. After the plowing ceremony he was made rector of the imperial university. At the start of Chunhua he also held the post of vice director of works. He died in the second year, aged sixty-four.
59
便
Wei had mastered the classical tradition. Under the old rule, candidates in the Nine Classics who failed once had to switch to another subject. During Kaibao, Wei argued that this was unfair, and the throne ordered that Nine Classics candidates, like others, be allowed a second attempt.
60
使 婿
He once asked to enlarge the imperial university, but the emperor refused lest it destroy private homes. Ordered to join the academicians in editing the Five Classics commentaries for block printing, he fell ill before the work was done; the emperor sent his physician and messengers to visit him. Earlier he had diverted more than three hundred thousand cash of printing funds; the supervising eunuch reported it. In terror Wei repaid the sum from his estate, his illness worsened sharply, and the emperor pardoned him without inquiry. On his deathbed he called his son-in-law Zheng Ge and dictated a final memorial, grieving that the Five Classics commentary remained unfinished.
61
In Jingde 4 his grandson Yugui was granted entry as a fellow classicist.
62
穿 穿
Kong Yi, styled Buyi, was from Qufu in Yanzhou, a forty-fourth-generation descendant of Confucius. Confucius had a son Li, styled Boyu. Li had a son Ji, styled Zisi. Ji had a son Bai, styled Zishang. Bai had a son Qiu, styled Zijia. Qiu had a son Ji, styled Zijing. Ji had a son Chuan, styled Zigao. Chuan had a son Qian, styled Zishen. Qian had a son Fu, styled Ziyu, who adopted his younger brother's son Teng as heir. Teng, styled Zixiang, at the fall of Qin hid the family classics in a wall of the house. Teng had a son Zheng, styled Jizhong. Zheng had a son Wu. Wu had sons Yan Nian and An Guo. Yan Nian had a son Ba, styled Ciru, who served as a classicist under Emperor Zhao of Han and as grandee of palace counsel under Emperor Xuan, instructing the crown prince in the classics. When Emperor Yuan took the throne, Ba was made marquis within the passes with the title Lord Baocheng. Ba had a son Fu. Fu had a son Fang. Fang had a son Jun, styled Changping, a gifted scholar and gentleman of the masters of writing; in Yuanshi 1 of Emperor Ping, Jun was enfeoffed as Marquis of Baocheng with two thousand households, and Confucius was posthumously titled Lord Baocheng, Sage Ni. Wang Mang appointed Jun grand commandant; three times Jun declined on grounds of illness and was allowed to retire; when Mang fell, the fief was lost. In Later Han Jianwu 14, Jun's son Zhi was again enfeoffed as Marquis of Baocheng with the posthumous title Yuancheng. Zhi had a son Sun, who inherited the title; in Yongyuan 4 of Emperor He, Sun was transferred to Marquis of Baoting. Sun died; his son Yao succeeded as marquis with a fief of one thousand households. Yao's son Wan succeeded with a fief of one hundred households. Wan died young without heirs; his nephew Xian inherited the title.
63
簿
Qu had a son Changsun; Emperor Wen of Sui again enfeoffed Changsun as Duke of Zou. Changsun had a son Sizhe, who took the imperial examination, served as military adjutant of Jing Prefecture and supervisor of affairs for the heir apparent, and in Daye 4 was re-enfeoffed as Marquis of Shaosheng with a fief of one hundred households. Sizhe had a son Delun; in Tang Zhenguan 11, Taizong enfeoffed him as Marquis of Baosheng with a fief of one hundred households, court rank equal to third grade, and restored the line. In Wu Zetian's Tianshou 2, Delun received an imperial edict under seal and formal robes as gifts. Delun's son Chongji inherited the title; in Shenlong 1 of Emperor Zhongzong he was made Grandee of Dispersal. Chongji had a son Suizhi who, during Xuanzong's Kaiyuan reign, served as a Four Gates doctor at the Imperial University, literary attendant to the Prince of Bin, and chief administrator of Cai Prefecture. In year 27, an edict posthumously honored Confucius as King Wenxuan, re-enfeoffed Marquis of Baosheng Di Zhi as Duke Wenxuan in succession, and made him concurrently chief administrator of Yan Prefecture. Suizhi's son Xuan inherited the title and served as magistrate of Sishui in Yan Prefecture. Xuan had a son Qingqing; in Jianzhong 3 of Dezong an edict made him deputy military governor of Yan Prefecture. He was trapped at Dongping and died. In Xianzong's Yuanhe 13, after Li Shidao was defeated, Qingqing's son Weizhi returned to Lu. An edict appointed Weizhi military aide of Yan Prefecture to maintain the Master's rites, restoring fifty households for temple upkeep. Weizhi's son Ce, in Huichang 1, served as assistant director of the Imperial University and doctor of the Book of Documents. In Dazhong 1, Chancellor Bai Minzhong petitioned for an annual grant of a hundred bolts of silk from the fief households for the spring and autumn ceremonies. From Suizhi through Ce, five generations in succession held the title Duke Wenxuan. Ce had a son Zhen who, in Xiantong 4 of Yizong, passed the jinshi in the highest grade, served as staff officer to the Yanzhou observation commissioner, and reached vice director in the Ministry of Justice. Zhen's son Zhaolian served as deputy military governor of Yan Prefecture and magistrate of Qufu. From Ce through Zhaolian, three generations received annual silk from the fief for sacrificial rites. Zhaolian's son Guangsi, in the Tianyou years of Emperor Ai, served as registrar of Sishui and maintained the Confucian rites.
64
簿
Renyu had four sons. The eldest, Yi, failed the jinshi examination; in the Qiande era he went to court with a memorial on his family lineage and was appointed registrar of Qufu. He served as military investigating officer of Huang Prefecture, rose to vice director of the Directorate of Agriculture, and managed market taxes at Xingzi garrison. Yi submitted a memorial: "Xingzi sits where rivers and lakes meet and merchants gather; I ask that it be made a military garrison." An edict made it a county and immediately put Yi in charge of its affairs; later it was elevated to Nankang Commandery.
65
殿
When Yi's term ended and he returned, he presented dozens of literary rhapsodies. Taizong read them with approval, summoned him, and questioned him about the Confucian line of succession. An edict followed: "The way of the Uncrowned King has been revered for a hundred generations; passing down the fief and inheriting the title preserves the ancient institution. Yi, forty-fourth-generation descendant of King Wenxuan and vice director of the Directorate of Agriculture, has been diligent in his hereditary calling, cultivated his integrity, moved swiftly through office with a reputation for achievement, and, as a sage's descendant whose family virtue has not faded, shall be raised among court ranks to honor the Confucian line. He is appointed Right Mentor of the Heir Apparent, to inherit the title Duke Wenxuan and restore his family." Not long after, he was made deputy prefect of Mizhou. In Taiping Xingguo 8, an edict ordered repairs to the Confucius Temple in Qufu. Yi sent local products in thanks; the court praised him and promoted him to palace aide. In Yongxi 3, when the imperial army marched north, he was ordered to supervise army grain. He drowned crossing the Juma River, aged forty-six.
66
簿 使 簿
His son Yanshi, styled Maoxian, received learned-investigator status because his father died in service. He served as registrar of Qufu and as magistrate of Min and Changge. In the eleventh month of Zhidao 3 of Zhenzong he was summoned to court, made magistrate of Qufu, inherited the title Duke Wenxuan, and received white gold, bolts of silk, and Taizong's hand-copied imprinted Nine Classics. In Xianping 3, an edict directed the circuit transport commissioner and local officials to receive him with guest ceremony. He stayed three years and died in office, aged thirty-eight. The next son was Xian, who passed the jinshi in Taiping Xingguo 2 and rose to vice director in the Ministry of Works and magistrate of Junyi County. The next was Mian, registrar of Yingcheng. The next was Xu, who passed the jinshi during the Yongxi era.
67
殿 使 祿
Yanshi's son Shengyou was only nine in the early Jingde era when he was specially granted learned-investigator status. In Dazhong Xiangfu 1, during the eastern tour and Mount Tai rites, Shengyou was specially allowed to wear green robes and take part in the ceremony, standing after the capital officials. On the return to Yan Prefecture, on the first day of the eleventh month, the emperor visited Qufu, paid respects at the Confucius Temple, and performed the libation offering. All members of the Kong clan were given doubled places of honor. He also visited the Kong Grove and lingered long at the tomb. He then went to the North Pavilion and summoned his ministers to view ancient steles. He added the posthumous title Mysterious Sage King Wenxuan to Confucius, posthumously enfeoffed Confucius's father Shuliang He as Duke of Qi, and his mother Lady Yan as Grand Lady of Lu. Shengyou was promoted to ritual officer of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. His close kinsman Wei, a jinshi, was granted status equal to a Three Commentaries graduate; Yanyou, who was preparing for the jinshi, and Yanwo, Yanlu, and Yanling, who were studying as learned investigators, were all granted learned-investigator status. Together they received two hundred taels of silver and three hundred bolts of silk for temple upkeep. At the time Xu was palace aide and deputy prefect of Guangzhou. Wang Qinruo said he was well regarded in his home district, and he was summoned to court, made doctor of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, granted purple robes, and put in charge of Qufu County with sole responsibility for the temple. In the third month of the second year, envoys again brought Taizong's hand-copy, the Nine Classics with commentaries, and the Three Histories to be stored in the temple, and the prefecture was ordered to select Confucian scholars to lecture there. Shengyou was later made case reviewer of the Court of Judicial Review. In Tianxi 5 he was appointed vice director of the Court of Imperial Entertainments, inherited the title Duke Wenxuan, and governed Xianyuan County. He later changed his name to You, was promoted to gentleman attendant of the heir apparent, and died aged thirty.
68
Xu became director in the Department of Enfeoffments. Yanlu passed the jinshi again in Dazhong Xiangfu 5, later changed his name to Daofu, and served as left remonstrance and Hanlin academician of the Dragon Diagram Pavilion; he has his own biography.
69
簿
Cui Song, styled Dunmei, was a native of Yanshi in Henan. His father Xie had been vice director of the Secretariat and grand councilor under Later Tang. Song lost his mother as a child and was raised by his maternal grandmother. Through yin privilege he became patrol officer of Henan Prefecture, served as registrar of Kaifeng and judicial secretary of Deng Prefecture, and left office because of illness. Not long after, he went to court with a memorial on public affairs. Chief Minister Sang Weihan read it and was impressed, promoting him to left reminder and then selecting him as right supplementer.
70
使 使 使使
At the start of the Later Han dynasty he was given the rank of grandee of dispersal and, as deputy to Right Regular Attendant Zhang Xu, helped invest Qian Chu as King of Wuyue. At the end of Later Liang, Xie had once served as envoy to the Two Zhes; now the people of Yue honored that connection, and their gifts were very generous. On the return, Zhou Taizu entered the capital, and soldiers plundered everything. When Shizong was stationed at Danyuan, he chose aides; Song, Wang Pu, and Wang Minzhong were all selected. Song was made staff officer to the observation commissioner and granted gold seal and purple robe. When Shizong governed the capital, he was appointed vice director in the Department of Enfeoffments and served as aide. Because of errors in adjudicating cases he was removed from duty but kept his rank. When Shizong took the throne, Song was appointed director of the Department of Transport, then moved to the Ministry of Personnel, and again served as deputy to Yin Riqiu on a mission to the Two Zhes. Shizong read Yuan Zhen's Tang memorial on equal fields, had it copied as a chart and given to close ministers, and sent envoys to equalize rents and taxes in every circuit. Song went to Yan Prefecture and raised the old quota considerably. When Gongdi succeeded to the throne, he was made left advisory grandee.
71
使 便
At the start of the Song dynasty he was put in charge of the Directorate of Education. When the Imperial Academy and the Temple of the Military King were being rebuilt, Song was ordered to oversee the work. In the summer of Jianlong 3, students first gathered for lectures, and Taizu sent palace envoys with wine and fruit as gifts. Whenever he visited the Imperial Academy, he summoned Song to talk with him. When the conversation turned to classical meaning, Song answered without hesitation. At the suburban sacrifice, Song acted as grandee of horse, mounting the carriage and holding the reins. The emperor questioned him about the rites of the occasion, and Song answered with easy elegance. The emperor greatly valued him. Not long after, because he had asked officials to give a close relative a convenient post, he was demoted to military secretary of the Baoda Army. In Qiande 6 he suddenly fell ill and died, aged fifty.
72
Song loved wit and was skilled at letters. Commissioned to write Shizong's posthumous title document, contemporaries praised its force and elegance. He was a devout Buddhist and always bowed when he saw a Buddha image. He was suspicious by nature. At his official residence in Fu Prefecture he once summoned plasterers to repair the hall and covered their eyes with cloth; everyone laughed at this.
73
His son Xiao rose to right mentor of the heir apparent in the Eastern Palace.
74
調簿 殿
Yin Zhuo was a native of Ruyin in Ying Prefecture. In Zhenming 5 of Later Liang he passed the Three Histories examination, was assigned as registrar of a minor county, and acted as patrol officer of his garrison's post station. In the Changxing era of Later Tang he was summoned as assistant drafting official and historian on duty in the Historiography Institute, promoted to left reminder while continuing as historian on duty, and granted the rank of grandee of dispersal. At the start of Yingshun he went out as secretary of the Xuanwu Army, with titular rank as vice director in the Ministry of Public Works and concurrent service as palace investigator. At the start of Qingtai he was given titular rank as vice director in the Ministry of Transport and concurrent service as censor-in-chief. In the second year he was changed to titular director in the Ministry of Public Works and secretary of the Zhongwu Army.
75
In Tianfu 4 of Later Jin he entered court as right supplementer. The next year he was transferred to attending censor. When an edict ordered Zhuo, together with Zhang Zhao, Lü Qi, and others, to compile the History of Tang, he was made vice director in the Ministry of Revenue and granted gold seal and purple robe. In the eighth year he was promoted to vice director in the Left Department. When the Khitans invaded, Zhao Yanshou was stationed at Changshan. Zhuo was made his secretary. At the start of the Later Han dynasty he was summoned as director in the Ministry of War and academician on duty in the Hongwen Institute.
76
使
At the start of Guangshun under Later Zhou he was promoted to director in the Ministry of Storage and concurrently doctor of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, while continuing as academician on duty. After returning from a mission to Jingnan, he was made director in the Ministry of War. At the start of Xiande he was appointed titular right regular attendant, chancellor of the Imperial University, and concurrent administrator of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. With Zhang Zhao he compiled the veritable records of Yingshun and Qingtai of Tang and the Zhou Ancestor; with Zhao and Tian Min he collated the Classic Glosses. When his mourning period began, he was released from office. At the start of the Song dynasty he was made titular minister of works, grand tutor of the heir apparent, and concurrent administrator of the Court of the Imperial Treasury, then moved to director of the Imperial Archives and concurrent administrator of the Court of Judicial Review. In Qiande 6 he announced his retirement and left office with his existing rank.
77
Zhuo was plain and careful by nature and thoroughly versed in the classics and histories. When Zhou Shizong marched north, he ordered Hanlin academicians to compose a sacrifice text for the White Horse Shrine. The academicians did not know the source and consulted Zhuo, who listed in succession more than a dozen prefectures and principalities with White Horse shrines. Contemporaries admired his breadth of learning. He died in Kaibao 4, aged eighty-one.
78
His son Jitong rose to doctor of the Imperial University.
79
調簿 滿 滿
Tian Min was a native of Zouping in Zi Prefecture. In youth he mastered the Spring and Autumn Annals. In the Zhenming era of Later Liang he passed the examination and was assigned as registrar of Zi Prefecture, but was not sent to take up the post and was kept instead as a Four Gates doctor at the Imperial University. At the start of Tiancheng under Later Tang he was made doctor of the Book of Documents and granted purple robes. When his term was complete, he became doctor of the Imperial University. He submitted a memorial requesting ritual halls at the four suburban sacrificial sites, but received no response. When his term of office ended, he was transferred to vice director in the state-lands bureau and, because of his expertise in rites, was concurrently made doctor of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. He proposed that, following the Spring and Autumn Annals, stored ice be presented each year at the ancestral temple and distributed to dukes and ministers, as in ancient rites. By imperial order he joined Court of Imperial Sacrifices director Liu Yue and doctors Duan Yong, Lu Hang, Li Juhuan, Chen Guan, and others in revising Zheng Yuqing's Book of Ritual Forms of Tang, and was again ordered with Ma Gao and others to collate the Nine Classics. He was made vice director in the Ministry of Revenue and granted gold seal and purple robe. At the start of Qingtai he was transferred to vice chancellor of the Imperial University.
80
In Tianfu 4 under Later Jin he was appointed chancellor of the Imperial University, while retaining his titular post as minister of works, and soon was also made vice director in the Ministry of Revenue. At the start of Kaiyun he was promoted to vice director in the Ministry of War and served as academician of the Hongwen Institute and administrator of the institute. Commentators held that Min was fit only for an academic post; when Grand Councillor Sang Weihan heard this, he immediately changed the appointment to titular right vice director and restored him as chancellor of the Imperial University. During Gan.you under Later Han he was appointed right vice director of the Ministry of State and concurrent administrator of the Directorate of the Imperial University.
81
使
At the start of Guangshun under Later Zhou he was made left vice director and sent as envoy to the Khitan with one hundred thousand strings of annual tribute money to stop their raids and plunder, but the Khitan refused. When the Zhou Ancestor was about to perform the suburban sacrifice in person, he was ordered to serve provisionally as administrator of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. When Shizong took the throne, he was formally appointed director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and titular left vice director, with the added title of grandee of works. In Xiande 5 he submitted a memorial requesting retirement, and an edict was granted saying: "You are thorough and clear in rites and music, broadly versed in canonical works, a patriarch of Confucian learning and a model for the gentry. We are just now relying on your established virtue to seek your counsel; yet upon reading your sealed memorial, you wish to relinquish official duties. The institution of citing one's years for retirement is hard to find in old texts, and our heart of honoring the worthy is deeply set on awaiting you—your request should not be granted." He was promoted to minister of works. Soon he again submitted a memorial wishing to return home to fulfill his wish to end his days there; he was made junior mentor of the heir apparent and retired, returning to his villa in Zi Prefecture. When Emperor Gong took the throne, he was given the added title of junior tutor. He died in Kaibao 4, aged ninety-two.
82
使 滿
After Min left office and returned home, he had several dozen qing of good farmland and brewed much fine wine to receive guests. His body was strong and he had few illnesses; he walked back and forth through the lanes without using a staff. Every day he personally instructed his sons in the classics. He himself composed the tomb inscription for his father; the wording was very plain. Min once served as envoy to Hunan and, passing through Jingzhou on the way, presented printed copies of the classics to Gao Conghui. Conghui declined, saying: "The classics that the chancellor has gifted—I, your servant, can recognize only the Classic of Filial Piety." Min said: "In reading books one need not read many—eighteen chapters suffice. As the chapter on feudal lords says, 'When in high position, do not be arrogant; though elevated, one is not endangered; regulate conduct and carefully observe measure; though full, one does not overflow'—all are words of supreme importance." At that time Conghui had been defeated in battle at Ying, so Min used this to admonish him indirectly, and Conghui was greatly ashamed.
83
穿· 槿
Although Min was devoted to classical learning, he also liked forced interpretations; in the Nine Classics he collated, he rather took pride in individual views—such as changing in the Pangeng chapter of the Book of Documents "as the net has a cord" to "as the cord has the net," repeating the word "cord." Again, in the Erya entry "tuan, hibiscus," the annotation reads "ri ji," which he changed to "bai ji." Cases of this sort were very numerous, and the age largely criticized him.
84
殿
His son Zhang rose to palace director.
85
Xin Wenyue
86
殿
Xin Wenyue was a man of unknown origin. He taught the Five Classics, and in his youth the Taizu studied under him. During Xiande under Later Zhou the Taizu rose through the palace guards to become chief inspector of the Vanguard Army and governed a frontier region. Wenyue had long been unable to obtain an audience; one day he dreamed of inviting the imperial carriage to request an audience, and when he bowed, it was the Taizu. The Taizu also dreamed of his coming to call, so he ordered attendants to seek him out; Wenyue indeed came on his own, and the Taizu marveled at this. When he ascended the throne, he summoned him for an audience, appointed him vice director in the heir apparent's household, and assigned him to administer the Court of the Imperial Treasury. In Kaibao 3 he was sent out as prefect of Fang Prefecture. At that time the Prince of Zheng of Zhou was living in exile in that prefecture; because Wenyue was a man of mature years, the emperor therefore appointed him there. Wenyue later rose cumulatively to vice director.
87
簿
There were also Zhang Dun and Zhang Wendan, who had once studied at the same school as the Taizong; during Taiping Xingguo they came to court on their own account and each began his career as registrar.
88
使
Li Jue, styled Zhongming, was originally from Chang'an in Jingzhao. His great-grandfather Ding was chancellor of the Imperial University and prefect of Su under Tang; at the end of Tang he fled the turmoil and moved his family to Yidu in Qing Prefecture. Ding's son was Yu, investigating officer of that prefecture. Yu's son was Cheng, styled Xianxi—unrestrained by nature, fond of wine, and delighted in composing poetry; he was skilled at zithers and go and especially adept at landscape painting, and many people secretly circulated his works. Later Zhou's commissioner of military affairs Wang Pu was about to recommend his talent, but Pu died, and Cheng was depressed and unfulfilled. During Qiande, Director of the Directorate of Agriculture Wei Rong was administering Chen Prefecture; hearing his name, he summoned him. Cheng took his clan and went, making daily drunken revelry his occupation, and died drunk at a guest house.
89
滿
His son Jue passed the examination in the Nine Classics in Taiping Xingguo 5 and began his career as vice director in the Directorate of Public Works and military administrator of Jian Prefecture. When his term was nearly complete, the people of the prefecture petitioned to retain him; an edict commended him, and he was promoted on the spot to left supporter of goodness and prefect of Si Prefecture, then transferred to secretary. The Taizong ordered Kong Wei together with Jue and others to collate and fix the block-printed Five Classics with Correct Meaning by Kong Yingda. When the imperial army campaigned against Yan and Ji, Jue was ordered to marshal fodder and grain from the eastern capital circuits to Youzhou. Wei recommended Jue for his learning; he was promoted to doctor of the Book of Rites and granted purple robes and fish insignia.
90
使 使
In Yongxi 3, together with right remonstrance officer Li Ruozhuo he served as envoy to Jiaozhi. Le Huan said to him: "The mountains and rivers of this land are treacherous—would not a man of the central court, suddenly traversing them, grow weary?" Jue said: "Our state extends its bounds for ten thousand li, with four hundred ranked prefectures; the land has level stretches and also perilous strongholds—what is this one region worth mentioning!" Huan fell silent, his countenance deflated. After returning from the mission, he was promoted after a long interval to doctor of the Imperial University.
91
西
In spring of Duangong 1, when academic officials were first ordered to lecture and expound, Jue was first among those who participated. When the Taizong visited the Directorate of the Imperial University to pay homage to the Sage King and, having finished, mounted his carriage about to exit the west gate, he looked back and saw the lecture hall. Attendants said Jue was just then gathering disciples to lecture; the emperor immediately summoned Jue and ordered him to lecture before the throne. Jue said: "Your Majesty's six dragons are present at the throne—how dare I presumptuously ascend the high seat." The emperor therefore descended from his carriage, ordered the offices to hang curtains and set out a separate seat, and commanded Jue to expound the Tai hexagram of the Book of Changes; the attending ministers all took their seats in rows. Jue thereupon expounded the purport of the resonance between Heaven and Earth and the correspondence between ruler and minister; the emperor was greatly pleased and specially granted him one hundred bolts of silk.
92
仿 滿
Soon he submitted a policy memorial on current affairs, and the emperor greatly commended it. That winter, with his existing rank he served on duty at the Historiography Institute. Right rectifier Wang Yucheng submitted a memorial saying: "Jue can only expound the classics—he should not presumptuously hold a historiographical post." Jue, imitating Han Yu's Biography of Mao Ying, composed the Biography of Zhu Ying and presented it; the Taizong commended it, and therefore shelved Yucheng's memorial. At the start of Chunhua, because in the block-printed editions of the classics Tian Min had presumptuously deleted several characters, the emperor ordered Jue and Kong Wei to examine and fix them in detail. In Chunhua 2, detailed collation of the Correct Meaning of the Spring and Autumn Annals was completed; he was made vice director in the waterworks bureau and concurrent administrator of the Directorate of the Imperial University. In Chunhua 4 he was promoted to vice director in the gatekeeping bureau and fell ill. When his leave expired, an edict ordered that his salary not be cut off; he died.
93
宿
Jue repeatedly submitted memorials on current affairs, setting forth three matters—horse breeding, canal transport, and state lands; the Taizong commended their thoroughness and ordered them sent to the Historiography Institute; the wording appears in his basic record. Jue was strong-willed and intelligent by nature. Once, together with collator of the Secret Archive Wu Shu and others, he examined candidates in the autumn examination of Kaifeng Prefecture; when talk turned to the method of calculating pheasant and hare heads and feet, Jue said: "This is rather cumbersome—I can simplify it." When it was finished, it was indeed concise. Shu suspected he had prepared it beforehand and immediately tested him with another method; he could complete each on the spot, and all present sighed in admiration.
94
His son You passed the jinshi examination in Dazhong Xiangfu 5 and served as vice director in the ancestral-temples bureau and collator of the Collection of Worthies.
95
Cui Yizheng
96
滿殿
Cui Yizheng was from Fengqiu in Kaifeng. Together with his younger brother Woquan he passed the jinshi examination and was versed in the classics. During Yongxi Yizheng served as assistant magistrate of Gaomi; when his term ended, chancellor of the Imperial University Kong Wei recommended him, and he was made lecturer on duty at the National University, then promoted to palace director. The Taizong summoned him for an audience, ordered him to expound one chapter of the Zhuangzi, and granted him fifty thousand cash. Concurrent administrator Li Zhi submitted a memorial saying: "This directorate earlier collated the phonological commentaries of the various classics, yet erroneous and mistaken characters are still numerous among them; I deeply fear this has not fulfilled the benevolent ruler's intent to cherish antiquity and instruct the people. This is because the officials previously dispatched were mostly specialists in single classics—some versed in the Spring and Autumn Annals had not studied the Book of Rites, and some versed in the Book of Changes did not understand the Book of Documents; as for citing other classics and histories in passing, none were subjects they had long transmitted and studied—for this reason the work could not be thorough. I respectfully observe that doctors of the Imperial University Du Hao and lecturers Cui Yizheng and Sun Shi all study with painful diligence and broadly master the Nine Classics; in questioning meaning and raising doubts, they have grounds to rely upon. I hope they may be ordered to revise again in the hope of removing errors and mistakes." The request was granted.
97
·
At the start of Xianping, there was also a classicist Liu Keming who stated that the various editions of the classics contained many errors; Emperor Zhenzong ordered officials chosen to examine and correct them in detail, and in seeking those who had attained the meaning of the classics, when he reached Vice Grand Councillor Fang, Yizheng was presented in response. He said: "Within the palace I have no affairs and delight in hearing lectures and recitations." The next day he summoned Yizheng in the garden palace and had him expound the Dayu Mo chapter of the Book of Documents, granting him ivory tally and purple robes. From then on he was daily ordered to go to the Imperial Calligraphy Academy to await audience and expound the Book of Documents up to ten scrolls. Yizheng was old and his gait was difficult; he submitted a memorial requesting retirement. The emperor ordered him seated and questioned him with great solicitude, granted him vessels and silks, permitted him to retire with his existing rank while still serving as lecturer on duty, and changed him to doctor of the Imperial University. He died in Xianping 3, aged seventy-nine.
98
便 使 鹿 鹿
Woquan during Chunhua successively served as assistant magistrate of Lianjiang in Fu Prefecture; Li Zhi, concurrent administrator of the Directorate of the Imperial University, memorialized to make him lecturer on duty. Summoned for audience at the informal seat, the Taizong turned and said to him: "Li Jue once memorialized me saying that among the 'Four White-Haired Recluses,' one elder's surname was written with the character yong plus a slanting stroke, or some say plus a dot. Do you know which it is?" Woquan said: "In former times in Qin, Cheng Miao composed clerical script, glossed as easy to employ like a servant. Today's characters and ancient ones sometimes differ. Your servant has heard that with dao and yong it becomes jiao (pronounced que) , with two dots it is lu. (pronounced lu) , adding a slanting stroke or a dot above yong neither forms a character."
99
In Xianping 2, Emperor Zhenzong visited the National University, summoned Woquan to expound the Book of Documents, and immediately specially granted him purple robes. After Jingde, he was ordered to expound the Classic of the Way and Its Power, daily awaiting audience at the Chongwen Academy. When the text was finished, he was granted white gold and silks. He died in Jingde 3, aged seventy-nine. He once compiled the Imperial Mirror in Ten Scrolls and also annotated Cao Tang's Great Wandering Immortal Poems in Fifteen Scrolls. His son Shi'an presented them to the throne and was specially granted initial appointment.
100
Li Zhicai
101
Li Zhicai, styled Tingzhi, was from Qing She. In Tiansheng 8 he passed the jinshi examination and began his career. Plain and straightforward by nature, he was self-assured and wholly without affectation. He studied under Mu Xiu of Henan. Xiu was stern and aloof by nature, and even Zhicai often found himself amid scolding and anger, yet Zhicai served him all the more carefully and in the end received the Book of Changes. At that time Su Shunqin and others also studied the Book of Changes under Xiu, but the one who received his full personal transmission was Zhicai alone. Xiu's Book of Changes came from Zhong Fang, and Fang's from Chen Tuan; the lineage was most remote, and the subtlety of its diagrams, writings, numerology, and transformations had been understood by few since Qin and Han.
102
簿
Zhicai first served as registrar of Huojia in Wei Prefecture and acting magistrate of Gongcheng. At that time Shao Yong was in mourning for his mother on the Hundred Springs above Mount Sumen, wearing cloth robes and eating vegetables and personally cooking to support his father. Zhicai knocked at the door and came to call on him, expressing sympathy and saying: "What is your earnest love of learning and firm resolve really like?" Yong said: "Beyond bamboo slips and written records, there is no trace yet." Zhicai said: "You are not one who leaves traces only in written records—what about the study of natural principle?" Another day he again said: "You have studied the learning of natural principle—are there not also the learning of nature and destiny?" Yong bowed twice and wished to become his disciple. Thereupon Zhicai first showed him Lu Chun's Spring and Autumn Annals, intending to use the Spring and Autumn Annals as the standard for the Five Classics; once the great purport of the Five Classics could be discussed, he would transmit the Book of Changes and there end. Afterward Yong came to be famous throughout the world through the Book of Changes.
103
調 調 沿
Zhicai's capacity was great and hard for others to recognize; he lingered long without promotion. When some regretted this for him, he would say: "One ought to lower oneself a little to seek honor and advancement." Shi Yannian alone said: "The times are not sufficient to contain you—why not abandon them and withdraw into seclusion." He was transferred again to judicial aide of Meng Prefecture. At that time Fan Yong was administering Meng, and he too did not know of him. When Yong first left Luoyang with his commission to administer Yan'an, those who saw him off all went beyond the prefectural border; Zhicai alone took leave at the near suburbs. Some faulted this; he apologized, saying: "It is precedent." Before long Yong was demoted to Anlu. Zhicai, following an official dispatch, saw him in Luoyang, and not one of those who had seen him off from afar the other day came; Yong only then regretted having known him so late.
104
使 調
His friend Yin Shu recommended him by letter to secretariat drafter Ye Daoqing, conveying it through Shi Yannian, saying: "Li Zhicai, judicial aide of Meng Prefecture, aged thirty-nine, can write ancient-style prose; his language is direct and his meaning forthright, neither loose nor strained—he is certainly able to reach the level of earlier masters, not something Shu dares to rank, yet he is content in a low post with no desire for advancement, and few people know of him. His talent also extends to worldly affairs; if he were given even a little use in the world, he would certainly far surpass others. I regret that his poverty cannot settle his heart toward service; those who know him ought together to help him succeed." Yannian replied in a further letter: "Today scholars devoted to writing and cherishing antiquity are extremely few and not promoted; if such a man is overlooked, learning will decline all the more." Yannian by nature did not like calling on the powerful; altogether four or five times he went to Daoqing's gate before the letter was delivered. Daoqing recommended him, and he was thus able to meet the new standards of the selection board with five guarantors; he was made vice director of the Court of Judicial Review and magistrate of Gou. Before he set out, Yannian and Hanlin academician on duty at the Hall of Dragon Designs Wu Zunlu were mobilizing troops in Hedong and recruited Zhicai as signing administrator of Ze Prefecture. Liu Xisou of Ze received calendrical methods from him; the age calls it "Xisou's calendrical methods," far surpassing all ancient and modern times, with points Yang Xiong and Zhang Heng had not understood—and in truth it was Zhicai who taught them.
105
殿
While in Ze he was transferred to palace director. Upon mourning for his mother, just as mourning ended he suddenly died at the official lodging in Huai Prefecture—in the second month of Qingli 5. At that time Yin Shu's elder brother Jian was administering Huai; he mourned Zhicai with excessive grief, contracted illness, and within a month also died. Zhicai was buried back in Qing She. Shao Yong wrote an inscription for his tomb that says: "Seeking throughout the realm, I obtained the gentleman who had heard the Way, Master Li, to be my teacher."
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