1
列傳第二十一武三王
Biography 21: The Three Princes of Wu
2
武帝七男：張夫人生少帝，孫脩華生廬陵孝獻王義真，胡婕妤生文皇帝，王脩容生彭城王義康，袁美人生江夏文獻王義恭，孫美人生南郡王義宣，呂美人生衡陽文王義季。 義康、義宣別有傳。
Emperor Wu had seven sons. Lady Zhang gave birth to Shaodi; Sun Xiuhua to Prince Xiaoxian of Luling, Yizhen; the Jieyu Lady Hu to Emperor Wen; Lady Wang Xiurong to Prince Yikang of Pengcheng; Lady Yuan to Prince Wuxian of Jiangxia, Yigong; Lady Sun to Prince Yixuan of Nanjun; and Lady Lü to Prince Wen of Hengyang, Yiji. Yikang and Yixuan are treated in separate biographies.
3
廬陵孝獻王義真，美儀貌，神情秀徹。 初封桂陽縣公，食邑千戶。 年十二，從北征大軍進長安，留守栢谷塢，除員外散騎常侍，不拜。 及關中平定，高祖議欲東還，而諸將行役既久，咸有歸願，止留偏將，不足鎮固人心，乃以義真行都督雍、涼、秦三州之河東、平陽、河北三郡諸軍事、安西將軍、領護西戎校尉、雍州刺史。 太尉諮議參軍京兆王脩為長史，委以關中之任。 高祖將還，三秦父老詣門流涕訴曰：「殘民不沾王化，於今百年矣。 始睹衣冠，方仰聖澤。 長安十陵，是公家墳墓，咸陽宮殿數千間，是公家屋宅，舍此欲何之？」 高祖為之愍然，慰譬曰：「受命朝廷，不得擅留。 感諸君戀本之意，今留第二兒，令文武賢才共鎮此境。」 臨還，自執義真手以授王脩，令脩執其子孝孫手以授高祖。 義真尋除正，加節，又進督並東秦二州、司州之東安定、新平二郡諸軍事，領東秦州刺史。 時隴上流人，多在關中，望因大威，復得歸本。 及置東秦州，父老知無復經略隴右、固關中之意，咸共歎息。 而佛佛虜寇逼交至。
Prince Xiaoxian of Luling, Yizhen, was handsome in bearing, with a spirit clear and penetrating. He was first created Duke of Guiyang County, with a fief of one thousand households. At twelve he marched with the northern expedition to Chang'an, stayed behind to hold Baigu Stockade, was named Supernumerary Regular Attendant of the Scattered Cavalry, and declined the appointment. After Guanzhong was pacified, Gaozu planned to return east. The generals had been in the field so long that all yearned for home, and leaving only subordinate commanders would not have been enough to hold the region steady. He therefore appointed Yizhen acting commander of military affairs for the Hedong, Pingyang, and Hebei commanderies within Yong, Liang, and Qin, General Who Pacifies the West, Colonel Protecting the Western Rong, and Governor of Yong. Wang Xiu of Jingzhao, consulting army aide to the Grand Marshal, was made chief clerk and entrusted with authority over Guanzhong. When Gaozu was preparing to leave, the elders of the Three Qins came to his gate in tears and said, 'Our ruined people have not known the king's transforming rule for a hundred years. We have only just seen civilized dress and only now look up to your sacred grace. The ten imperial tombs at Chang'an are your family's graves; the thousands of halls of the Xianyang palaces are your family's houses. If you abandon these, where else would you go?' Gaozu was deeply moved and comforted them, saying, 'I hold my commission from the court and cannot stay here on my own authority. Moved by your devotion to this land, I will leave my second son here, with worthy civil and military men to hold this territory together.' As he was about to leave, he took Yizhen's hand himself and placed it in Wang Xiu's; he then had Xiu take his own son Xiaosun's hand and place it in Gaozu's. Yizhen was soon given regular appointment and the staff of command, and was further made supervisor of military affairs for Bing and Eastern Qin and for the Dong'an and Xinping commanderies of Sizhou, while serving as Governor of Eastern Qin. At that time many people from upstream Longyou who had fled were living in Guanzhong, hoping that the dynasty's great prestige would let them return home. When Eastern Qin Province was set up, the local elders understood that there would be no further effort to recover Longyou or to hold Guanzhong, and they all sighed as one. Meanwhile raids by the Fofo barbarians came in relentless succession.
4
沈田子既殺王鎮惡，王脩又殺田子。 義真年少，賜與左右不節，脩常裁減之，左右並怨。 因是白義真曰：「鎮惡欲反，故田子殺之。 脩今殺田子，是又欲反也。」 義真乃使左右劉乞等殺脩。 脩字叔治，京兆灞城人也。 初南渡見桓玄，玄知之，謂曰：「君平世吏部郎才。」 脩既死，人情離駭，無相統一。
Shen Tianzi had already killed Wang Zhen'e, and Wang Xiu then killed Tianzi in turn. Yizhen was still young and lavished gifts on his attendants without limit. Xiu often reduced what was granted, and the attendants all bore him a grudge. They therefore told Yizhen, 'Zhen'e was plotting rebellion, which is why Tianzi killed him. Xiu has now killed Tianzi, which means he too is plotting rebellion.' Yizhen then had his attendants Liu Qi and others put Xiu to death. Xiu, whose courtesy name was Shuzhi, was from Bàcheng in Jingzhao. When he first crossed south to the Yangzi he met Huan Xuan, who recognized his ability and said, 'In a peaceful age you would have the makings of a Director of the Ministry of Personnel.' After Xiu's death morale collapsed in alarm, and no one could hold command together.
5
高祖遣將軍朱齡石替義真鎮關中，使義真輕兵疾歸。 諸將競斂財貨，多載子女，方軌徐行，虜追騎且至。 建威將軍傅弘之曰：「公處分亟進，恐虜追擊人也。 今多將輜重，一日行不過十里； 虜騎追至，何以待之？ 宜棄車輕行，乃可以免。」 不從。 賊追兵果至，騎數萬匹。 輔國將軍蒯恩斷後，不能禁； 至青泥，後軍大敗，諸將及府功曹王賜悉被俘虜。 義真在前，故得與數百人奔散。 日暮，虜不復窮追。 義真與左右相失，獨逃草中。 中兵參軍段宏單騎追尋，緣道叫喚，義真識其聲，出就之，曰：「君非段中兵邪？ 身在此。」 宏大喜，負之而歸。 義真謂宏曰：「今日之事，誠無算略。 然丈夫不經此，何以知艱難。」
Gaozu sent General Zhu Lingshi to relieve Yizhen in Guanzhong and ordered Yizhen to hurry east with a light force. The generals scrambled to seize goods and loaded their trains with wives and children. They marched in wide ranks at a leisurely pace while the enemy's horsemen were closing in. General Who Establishes Might Fu Hongzhi said, 'Your orders were to press on quickly, for fear the barbarians would overtake and slaughter the men. Now you are dragging so much baggage that you cover no more than ten li in a day; when the barbarian cavalry catches up, how will you answer them? You should abandon the carts and travel light; only then can you get away.' They would not listen. The pursuers came as he had warned: tens of thousands of horsemen. General Who Assists the State Kuai En held the rear but could not hold them back; at Qingni the rear guard was shattered. The generals and the headquarters aide Wang Ci were all taken prisoner. Yizhen had been in the van and so escaped with a few hundred men in scattered flight. At dusk the barbarians gave up the pursuit. Yizhen was separated from his attendants and hid alone in the grass. Central Army Aide Duan Hong rode alone along the road calling for him. Yizhen recognized his voice, came out, and said, 'Are you not Central Army Aide Duan? I am here.' Hong was overjoyed, lifted him onto his back, and carried him back. Yizhen said to Hong, 'What happened today was truly without plan or foresight. Yet how is a man to know hardship if he never passes through such a thing?'
6
初，高祖聞青泥敗，未得義真審問，有前至者訪之，並云「暗夜奔敗，無以知存亡」。 高祖怒甚，克日北伐，謝晦諫不從。 及得宏啟事，知義真已免，乃止。
When Gaozu first heard of the defeat at Qingni he had no firm news of Yizhen. He questioned those who arrived ahead, and all said, 'We fled in the dark of night and could not tell whether he lived or died.' Gaozu was furious and fixed a day for a northern campaign. Xie Hui remonstrated, but he would not be moved. When Hong's report arrived and he learned that Yizhen was safe, he abandoned the plan.
7
義真尋都督司、雍、秦、并、涼五州諸軍、建威將軍、司州刺史，持節如故。 以段宏為義真諮議參軍，尋遷宋臺黃門郎，領太子右衛率。 宏，鮮卑人也，為慕容超尚書左僕射、徐州刺史。 高祖伐廣固，歸降。 太祖元嘉中，為征虜將軍、青、冀二州刺史。 追贈左將軍。 時義真將鎮洛陽，而河南蕭條，未及修理，改除揚州刺史，鎮石頭。
Yizhen was soon made commander of the armies of Si, Yong, Qin, Bing, and Liang, General Who Establishes Might, and Governor of Si, with the staff of command as before. Duan Hong was made Yizhen's consulting army aide, then was transferred to Gentleman at the Yellow Gate of the Song headquarters and concurrently served as commandant of the crown prince's right guard. Hong was a Xianbei who had served Murong Chao as Left Vice Director of the Masters of Writing and Governor of Xuzhou. When Gaozu attacked Guanggu he submitted in surrender. Under Emperor Wen in the Yuanjia era he served as General Who Subdues the Barbarians and Governor of Qing and Ji. He was posthumously honored as General of the Left. Yizhen was then to garrison Luoyang, but Henan was still wasted and unrestored, so he was reassigned as Governor of Yangzhou and posted at Shitou.
8
義真聰明愛文義，而輕動無德業。 與陳郡謝靈運、琅邪顏延之、慧琳道人並周旋異常，云得志之日，以靈運、延之為宰相，慧琳為西豫州都督。 徐羨之等嫌義真與靈運、延之昵狎過甚，故使范晏從容戒之。 義真曰：「靈運空疏，延之隘薄，魏文帝云鮮能以名節自立者。 但性情所得，未能忘言於悟賞，故與之遊耳。」 將之鎮，列部伍於東府前，既有國哀，義真所乘舫單素，不及母孫脩儀所乘者。 義真與靈運、延之、慧琳等共視部伍，因宴舫內，使左右剔母舫函道以施己舫，而取其勝者。 及至歷陽，多所求索； 羨之等每裁量不盡與，深怨執政，表求還都。 而少帝失德，羨之等密謀廢立，則次第應在義真，以義真輕訬，不任主社稷，因其與少帝不協，乃奏廢之，曰：
Yizhen was clever and loved letters, but he was impulsive and lacked solid virtue or achievement. He kept unusually close company with Xie Lingyun of Chen, Yan Yanzhi of Langye, and the monk Huilin, saying that when his day came he would make Lingyun and Yanzhi his chief ministers and Huilin commander of Western Yuzhou. Xu Xianzhi and his colleagues disliked how familiar Yizhen had become with Lingyun and Yanzhi, and had Fan Yan gently warn him. Yizhen replied, 'Lingyun is hollow and undisciplined, Yanzhi cramped and petty. As Emperor Wen of Wei said, few men can stand on reputation and integrity alone. But temperament draws me to them, and I cannot give up talk in shared insight and delight, so I keep their company—that is all.' As he was leaving for his post he drew up his troops before the Eastern Palace. With the court in mourning, the barge Yizhen took was plain and could not compare with that of his mother, Lady Sun Xiuyi. Yizhen reviewed the troops with Lingyun, Yanzhi, Huilin, and the others, then feasted aboard his barge. He had his men strip the covered passage from his mother's vessel to fit his own and took whatever was finer. When he reached Liyang he made many demands; Xu Xianzhi and his colleagues each time granted less than he asked, which deepened his resentment of the government. He memorialized asking to return to the capital. Shaodi meanwhile was without virtue. Xu Xianzhi and his colleagues secretly plotted deposition and succession; by order Yizhen should have been next, but because he was frivolous, disrespectful, and unfit to hold the altars of state, and because he was at odds with Shaodi, they memorialized for his deposition, saying:
9
臣聞二叔不咸，難結隆周，淮南悖縱，禍興盛漢，莫不義以斷恩，情為法屈。 二代之事，殷鑒無遠，仁厚之主，行之不疑。 故共叔不斷，幾傾鄭國； 劉英容養，釁廣難深。 前事之不忘，後王之成鑒也。
Your servant has heard that when the Two Uncles were not at peace, lofty Zhou could hardly be secured, and when Huainan was rebellious and unrestrained, disaster arose in flourishing Han. In every case righteousness cut through kinship and private feeling yielded to law. The affairs of those two dynasties are a mirror close at hand, and benevolent rulers have acted on them without hesitation. When Duke Gongshu was not removed, he nearly overturned the state of Zheng; when Liu Ying was indulgently kept alive, the omen spread and the trouble ran deep. Not to forget what went before is how later kings learn their lesson.
10
案車騎將軍義真，凶忍之性，爰自稚弱，咸陽之酷，醜聲遠播。 先朝猶以年在紈綺，冀能改厲，天屬之愛，想聞革心。 自聖體不豫，以及大漸，臣庶憂惶，內外屏氣。 而縱博酣酒，日夜無輟，肆口縱言，多行無禮。 先帝貽厥之謀，圖慮經固，親敕陛下，面詔臣等，若遂不悛，必加放黜； 至言苦厲，猶在紙翰。 而自茲迄今，日月增甚，至乃委棄藩屏，志還京邑，潛懷異圖，希幸非冀，轉聚甲卒，徵召車馬。 陵墳未乾，情事猶昨，遂蔑棄遺旨，顯違成規，整棹浮舟，以示歸志，肆心專己，無復諮承。 聖恩低徊，深垂隱忍，屢遣中使，苦相敦釋。 而親對散騎侍郎邢安泰、廣武將軍茅仲思，縱其悖罵，訕主謗朝，此久播於遠近，暴於人聽。
We find that Yizhen, General of the Chariots and Cavalry, has been fierce and cruel from childhood, and the atrocities at Xianyang spread his ugly fame far and wide. The previous court still thought that in the silk of youth he might reform, and kinship's love hoped to hear that his heart had turned. From the time the late emperor fell ill until his final decline, officials and people alike were anxious, and throughout the court men held their breath. Yet he gave himself to gambling and heavy drinking without cease, spoke recklessly, and often behaved without propriety. The late emperor's plan for posterity was laid with enduring foresight. He charged Your Majesty in person and instructed us face to face that if Yizhen still would not repent, he must be removed; those stern words still stand written on paper. Yet from then until now his conduct has grown worse by the day. He has abandoned his frontier post, set his heart on returning to the capital, secretly harbored other designs, and gathered troops and chariots. The late emperor's tomb is not yet dry and these matters are still as fresh as yesterday, yet he has scorned the testament, openly broken established rules, fitted out boats to show his intent to return, and indulged his own will without consulting anyone. Your Majesty's grace has lingered long in forbearance, and palace envoys have been sent again and again to urge him to relent. Yet before Regular Attendant of the Scattered Cavalry Xing Antai and General of Broad Might Mao Zhongsi he allowed their insolent abuse, mocking the ruler and slandering the court—conduct long known near and far and exposed to all.
11
臣聞原火不撲，蔓草難除； 青青不伐，終致尋斧。 況憂深患著，社稷慮切。 請一遵晉朝武陵舊典，使顧懷之旨，不墜於武廟； 全宥之德，獲申於昵親。 仰尋感慟，臨啟悲咽。
Your servant has heard that if a spark in the field is not stamped out, creeping weeds are hard to uproot; if the green growth is not cut down, in the end one must take up the hatchet. How much more when worry runs deep, harm is plain, and concern for the altars of state is urgent. We ask that the old precedent of Prince Wuling of Jin be followed once, so that the intent of familial regard may not be lost from the ancestral temple; and the virtue of full pardon may still be shown toward a close kinsman. As we recall these matters we are moved to grief; presenting this memorial we choke with sorrow.
12
乃廢義真為庶人，徙新安郡。 前吉陽令堂邑張約之上疏諫曰：
Yizhen was then deposed to commoner status and exiled to Xin'an commandery. Zhang Yuezhi of Tangyi, former magistrate of Jiyang, submitted a memorial of remonstrance, saying:
13
臣聞仁義之在天下，若中原之有菽； 理感之被萬物，故不繋於貴賤。 是以考叔反悔誓於及泉，壺關復冤魂於湖邑。 當斯之時，豈無尊卿賢輔，或以事迫心違，或以道壅謀屈，何嘗不願聞善於輿隸，藥石於阿氏哉！ 臣雖草芥，備充黔首，少不量力，頗高殉義之風，謂蹈善於朝聞，愈徒生於白首。 用敢干禁忘戮，披敘丹愚。
Your servant has heard that benevolence and righteousness in the realm are like beans in the central plains— principle and feeling reach all things and are not bound to noble or base rank. Thus Kaoshu revoked his oath at the Yellow Spring, and the magistrate of Huguan restored a wronged soul at Huyi. At such times were there not honored ministers and worthy aides who, whether pressed by events or blocked in counsel, still wished to hear good advice even from a chariot groom or take harsh medicine even from a nurse? Your servant, though no more than grass among the people, does not measure his strength and holds high the spirit of dying for righteousness, believing it better to do good the moment one hears of it than to live uselessly to white hair. Therefore I dare transgress prohibition and forget punishment, and lay bare my loyal counsel.
14
伏惟高祖武皇帝誕茲神武，撫運龍興，仰清天步，則齊德有虞，俯廓九州，則侔功大夏，故虔順天人，享有萬國。 雖靈祚修長，聖躬弗永，陛下繼明紹統，遐邇一心，藩王哲茂，四維寧謐，傾耳康哉之詠，企踵升平之風。
I bow before Gaozu the Martial Emperor, who brought forth divine martial power and seized the turning fortune as the dragon rose. Looking up he cleared the heavenly steps to match the virtue of Shun's Yu; looking down he swept the Nine Regions to rival the achievement of the Great Xia. Reverently following Heaven and man, he held the realm. Though the sacred mandate was long, the late emperor's life was not. Your Majesty has succeeded to the bright inheritance; near and far are united, the feudal princes flourish in wisdom, the four bonds are at peace, and all incline the ear to songs of peace and set their hopes on rising tranquility.
15
竊念廬陵王少蒙先皇優慈之遇，長受陛下睦愛之恩。 故在心必言，所懷必亮，容犯臣子之道，致招驕恣之愆。 至於天姿夙成，實有卓然之美。 宜在容養，錄善掩瑕，訓盡義方，進退以漸。 今猥加剝辱，幽徙遠郡，上傷陛下棠棣之篤，下令遠近恇然失圖，士庶杜口，人為身計。 臣伏思大宋之興，雖協應符緯，而開基造次，根條未繁。 宜廣樹藩戚，敦睦以道，使兄弟之美，比輝魯、衛； 龜策告同，祚均七百，豈不善哉！
I reflect that the Prince of Luling in youth received the late emperor's gracious favor and has long enjoyed Your Majesty's loving kindness. Therefore he spoke what was in his heart and showed what he harbored openly. He may have transgressed the way of a subject and son and brought on the fault of arrogance and license. Yet his Heaven-given gifts matured early, and he truly has outstanding qualities. He should be nurtured with tolerance, his good noted and his flaws covered, instructed fully in righteous conduct, and advanced or restrained by gradual steps. Now to strip and humiliate him and exile him to a distant commandery wounds Your Majesty's deep brotherly bond, throws near and far into alarm and confusion, seals the mouths of scholars and commoners, and sets every man to planning only for himself. I reflect that though the rise of Great Song accorded with omens and registers, the foundation was laid in haste and its roots are not yet deep. The court should plant feudal kin widely and foster brotherhood by the Way, so that brotherly harmony may shine like Lu and Wei; when tortoise and milfoil alike proclaim unity, the fortune may match seven hundred years—would that not be excellent!
16
陛下富於春秋，慮未重複，忽安危之遠算，肆不忍於一朝。 特願留神允思，重加詢采。 上考前代興亡之由，中存武皇締構之業，下顧蒼生顒顒之望，時開曲宥，反王都邑。 選保傅於舊老，求四友於髦俊，引誘情性，導達聰明。 凡人在苦，皆能自厲，況王質朗心聰，易加訓範。 且中賢之人，未能無過； 過貴自改，罪願自新。 以武皇之愛子，陛下之懿弟，豈可以其一眚，長致淪棄哉！ 謹昧死詣闕，伏地以聞。 惟願丹誠，一經天聽，退就斧钁，無愧地下矣。
Your Majesty is still young and your deliberations are not yet fully formed; you have set aside far-reaching calculations of safety and danger and indulged pity for a single morning. I earnestly hope you will keep your mind open and grant further inquiry. Look up to the causes of rise and fall in former ages, hold fast to the Martial Emperor's work of founding, look down to the people's eager hopes, open merciful pardon in season, and return the prince to his capital fief. Choose tutors from among the old and loyal, seek four companions among outstanding youths, guide his nature, and lead his intelligence to clarity. All men in hardship can discipline themselves—how much more one whose princely substance is bright and whose heart is keen, and who may easily be instructed and molded. Moreover, men of middling talent cannot be without fault; when fault weighs heavily they reform themselves; when guilt is heavy they wish to make themselves new. As the Martial Emperor's beloved son and Your Majesty's worthy younger brother, how can one fault long consign him to ruin! I venture to risk death and come to the palace gate, prostrate on the ground to report. I only pray that my loyal heart may once reach Heaven's hearing; then I may go beneath the axe without shame before the dead.
17
書奏，以約之為梁州府參軍，尋又見殺。 景平二年六月癸未，羨之等遣使殺義真於徙所，時年十八。 元嘉元年八月，詔曰：「前廬陵王靈柩在遠，國封墮替，感惟拱慟，情若貫割。 王體自至極，地戚屬尊，豈可令情禮永淪，終始無寄。 可追復先封，特遣奉迎，並孫脩華、謝妃一時俱還。 言增摧哽。」 三年正月，誅徐羨之、傅亮等。 是日詔曰：「故廬陵王含章履正，英哲自然，道心內昭，徽風遐被。 遭時多難，志匡權逼，天未悔禍，運鍾屯險，群凶肆醜，專竊國柄，禍心潛構，釁生不圖。 朕每永念讎恥，含痛內結，遵養奸慝，情禮未申。 今王道既亨，政刑始判，宣昭國體，於是乎在。 可追崇侍中、大將軍，王如故。 為慰冤魂，少申悲憤。」 又詔曰：「乃者權臣陵縱，兆亂基禍，故吉陽令張約之抗疏矢言，至誠慷慨，遂事屈群醜，殞命遐疆，志節不申，感焉兼至。 昔關老奏書，見紀漢策，閻纂獻規，荷榮晉代。 考其忠概，參跡前蹤，宜加旌顯，式揚義烈。 可贈以一郡，賜錢十萬，布百匹。」
When the memorial was submitted, Yuezhi was made army aide of the Liangzhou headquarters; soon afterward he too was killed. On the guimwei day of the sixth month of the second year of Jingping, Xu Xianzhi and his colleagues sent agents to kill Yizhen at his place of exile; he was eighteen. In the eighth month of the first year of Yuanjia an edict said, "The former coffin of the Prince of Luling lies far away and his state fief lies in ruin; moved to grief and anguish, my feelings are as if pierced through. The prince's person reached the utmost of kinship and his place among earthly relatives was honored—how can feeling and ritual be forever lost, with no resting place from beginning to end? His former enfeoffment may be restored and a special envoy sent to welcome him back, together with Sun Xiuhua and Consort Xie all at once. Words add to choking grief." In the first month of the third year Xu Xianzhi, Fu Liang, and the rest were executed. That day an edict said, "The late Prince of Luling embodied grace and walked in rectitude, naturally wise and brilliant; the Way shone within him and his fine wind spread far. He met an age of many hardships and wished to set right coerced power, but Heaven did not repent the calamity and fortune turned to peril; the villains committed outrage, usurped the handles of state, harbored treacherous designs in secret, and trouble arose unlooked for. We ever brood on this shameful wrong and harbor pain within, nurturing the wicked in forbearance while feeling and ritual were not expressed. Now the royal Way is open and government and punishment begin to be distinguished; to proclaim the body of the state lies in this. He may be posthumously honored as Palace Attendant and Grand General, with his princely title as before. To comfort his wronged soul and slightly ease grief and indignation." Another edict said, "Formerly powerful ministers were overbearing and disorder laid the foundation of disaster; therefore Jiyang Magistrate Zhang Yuezhi submitted a forthright memorial with loyal and ardent words, but the affair was crushed by the villains and he lost his life in a distant border; his will and integrity were not fulfilled, and our grief is doubled. In old times Guan the Elder presented a memorial and was recorded in Han annals; Yan Zuan offered remonstrance and was honored in Jin. Examining their loyal integrity, their tracks may be set beside those of old; they should be further honored and displayed, to spread righteous fervor. He may be granted one commandery and given one hundred thousand cash and a hundred bolts of cloth."
18
江夏文獻王義恭，幼而明穎，姿顏美麗，高祖特所鍾愛，諸子莫及也。 飲食寢臥，常不離於側。 高祖為性儉約，諸子食不過五盞盤，而義恭愛寵異常，求須果食，日中無算，得未嘗啖，悉以乞與傍人。 廬陵諸王未嘗敢求，求亦不得。
Prince Wuxian of Jiangxia, Yigong, was clever and bright from childhood, with a beautiful countenance; Gaozu especially cherished him, and none of the other sons could compare. In eating, drinking, sleeping, and waking he was never far from his side. Gaozu was frugal by nature; the sons' meals were limited to five dishes, yet Yigong was favored beyond measure—he asked for fruits and delicacies without count through the day, and what he received he often did not eat but gave entirely to those beside him. The princes of Luling never dared to ask; if they asked they did not receive.
19
汝以弱冠，便親方任。 天下艱難，家國事重，雖曰守成，實亦未易。 隆替安危，在吾曹耳，豈可不感尋王業，大懼負荷。 今既分張，言集無日，無由復得動相規誨，宜深自砥礪，思而後行。 開布誠心，厝懷平當，親禮國士，友接佳流，識別賢愚，鑒察邪正，然後能盡君子之心，收小人之力。
You at weak crown already hold a frontier post in person. The realm is hard, state and family affairs weighty; though it is called keeping the inheritance, in truth it is not easy. Rise and fall, safety and danger rest in us—how can we fail to reflect on the royal enterprise and greatly fear the burden we bear? Now that we are parted, there will be days without gathering; we can no longer move together to admonish each other. You should temper yourself deeply and think before you act. Open your sincere heart, set your breast on fairness, honor the gentlemen of the state, befriend excellent men, distinguish the worthy from the foolish, and examine the straight and the crooked—only then can you exhaust the heart of a gentleman and gather the strength of petty men.
20
汝神意爽悟，有日新之美，而進德修業，未有可稱，吾所以恨之而不能已已者也。 汝性褊急，袁太妃亦說如此。 性之所滯，其欲必行，意所不在，從物回改，此最弊事。 宜應慨然立志，念自裁抑。 何至丈夫方欲贊世成名而無斷者哉！ 今粗疏十數事，汝別時可省也。 遠大者豈可具言，細碎復非筆可盡。
Your spirit is bright and perceptive, with the beauty of daily renewal, yet in advancing virtue and cultivating achievement there is nothing to praise—this is what I regret and cannot cease regretting. Your nature is narrow and quick; the Grand Imperial Consort Yuan also says the same. What nature sticks to, desire must carry out; what the mind does not dwell on, it turns with things—this is the greatest harm. You should resolve with emotion to set your will and think of restraining yourself. How can a man who wishes to aid the age and make a name be without resolution! Now I roughly set out a dozen matters for you to review when we part. What is far and great cannot be told in full; what is minute and fragmentary cannot be exhausted by the brush.
21
禮賢下士，聖人垂訓； 驕侈矜尚，先哲所去。 豁達大度，漢祖之德； 猜忌褊急，魏武之累。 《漢書》稱衛青云：「大將軍遇士大夫以禮，與小人有恩。」 西門、安於，矯性齊美； 關羽、張飛，任偏同弊。 行己舉事，深宜鑒此。
To honor the worthy and lower oneself before scholars—the sages left this teaching; arrogance, extravagance, and esteem for show—the former sages cast these off. Open-mindedness and great tolerance were the virtue of Han's founder; suspicion, jealousy, narrowness, and quick temper were the burden of Wei's Martial Emperor. The Book of Han says of Wei Qing: "The Grand General treated gentlemen with ritual and showed kindness to petty men." Ximen Bao and An Yu reformed their natures to equal beauty; Guan Yu and Zhang Fei followed partiality to equal harm. In conduct and in action you should deeply take this as a mirror.
22
若事異今日，嗣子幼蒙，司徒便當周公之事，汝不可不盡祗順之理。 苟有所懷，密自書陳。 若形跡之間，深宜慎護。 至於爾時安危，天下決汝二人耳，勿忘吾言。
If affairs differ from today and the heir is young and tender, the Director of Retainers will then have the affairs of the Duke of Zhou—you must not fail to fulfill the principle of reverent obedience. If you harbor any thought, secretly write and report it. In what appears outwardly you should deeply guard yourself. When that time comes the safety and danger of the realm will be decided by you two—do not forget my words.
23
今既進袁太妃供給，計足充諸用，此外一不須復有求取，近亦具白此意。 唯脫應大餉致，而當時遇有所乏，汝自可少多供奉耳。 汝一月日自用不可過三十萬，若能省此，益美。
Now that the Grand Imperial Consort Yuan's provision has been increased, it should suffice for all needs; beyond this you need not ask again—I have recently reported this intention in full. Only if a great gift must be sent and at the time something is lacking may you yourself supply a little more or less. Your personal monthly expenditure should not exceed three hundred thousand; if you can reduce this, so much the better.
24
西楚殷曠，常宜早起，接對賓侶，勿使留滯。 判急務訖，然後可入問訊，既睹顏色，審起居，便應即出，不須久停，以廢庶事也。 下日及夜，自有餘閒。
Western Chu is broad and empty; you should often rise early, receive and answer guests and companions, and not let them linger. When urgent business is judged and finished, you may then enter to inquire after us; having seen our countenance and examined how we rise and rest, you should go out at once and not stay long, lest common affairs be neglected. Later in the day and at night you will naturally have spare time.
25
府舍住止，園池堂觀，略所諳究，計當無須改作。 司徒亦云爾。 若脫於左右之宜，須小小回易，當以始至一治為限，不煩紛紜，日求新異。
The headquarters residence, gardens, ponds, halls, and towers—I have roughly examined them and reckon they need no rebuilding. The Director of Retainers says the same. If for the convenience of those about you a small change is needed, it should be limited to one overhaul at first arrival, without daily seeking new alterations.
26
凡訊獄多決，當時難可逆慮，此實為難，汝復不習，殊當未有次第。 訊前一二日，取訊簿密與劉湛輩共詳，大不同也。 至訊日，虛懷博盡，慎無以喜怒加人。 能擇善者而從之，美自歸己。 不可專意自決，以矜獨斷之明也。 萬一如此，必有大吝，非唯訊獄，君子用心，自不應爾。 刑獄不可壅滯，一月可再訊。
In general criminal interrogations are mostly decided on the spot and are hard to weigh in advance—this is truly difficult, and you are again unpracticed; you will quite lack order. One or two days before interrogation, take the interrogation register in secret and review it in detail with Liu Zhan and his company—it is greatly different. On the day of interrogation, open your heart broadly and exhaust the matter; carefully do not let joy or anger be added to people. If you can follow the good in others, the beauty returns to yourself. You must not focus your mind on deciding alone, to boast of the brilliance of solitary judgment. If by chance you do so, there will be great regret—not only in interrogation; the heart of a gentleman should not be thus by its own nature. Criminal cases must not be blocked and delayed; once a month you may interrogate again.
27
凡事皆應慎密，亦宜豫敕左右，人有至誠，所陳不可漏泄，以負忠信之款也。 古人言「君不密則失臣，臣不密則失身」。 或相讒構，勿輕信受，每有此事，當善察之。
All affairs should be kept secret; you should also instruct those about you beforehand that when a man has utmost sincerity, what he presents must not be leaked, lest the pledge of loyal trust be betrayed. The ancients said, "If the ruler is not secret he loses his ministers; if the minister is not secret he loses his person." If some slander and plot, do not lightly believe and accept; whenever this occurs, you should examine it well.
28
名器深宜慎惜，不可妄以假人。 昵近爵賜，尤應裁量。 吾於左右雖為少恩，如聞外論，不以為非也。 以貴陵物物不服，以威加人人不厭，此易達事耳。
Titles and vessels should deeply be cherished and not lightly lent to others. Familiar bestowal of ranks and gifts should especially be measured. Though I am somewhat lacking in kindness to those about me, as I hear from outside opinion, it is not held wrong. To press down on things with nobility—things do not submit; to add might to men—men are not satisfied; this is easily understood.
29
聲樂嬉遊，不宜令過，蒱酒漁獵，一切勿為。 供用奉身，皆有節度； 奇服異器，不宜興長。 汝嬪侍左右，已有數人，既始至西，未可匆匆復有所納。
Music, pleasure, and roaming should not be allowed to pass bounds; gambling, wine, fishing, and hunting—do none of these. Provision for the body should all have measure; strange dress and curious vessels should not be encouraged to grow. Your consorts and attendants at your side already number several; having just arrived in the west, you must not hastily take more.
30
又誡之曰：
He further admonished him, saying:
31
宜數引見佐史，非唯臣主自應相見。 不數，則彼我不親。 不親則無因得盡人； 人不盡，復何由知其眾事。 廣引視聽，既益開博，於言事者，又差有地也。
You should often summon and receive the aides and clerks—not only should lord and subject see each other. If not often, then he and I will not be close. If not close, there is no occasion to exhaust men; if men are not exhausted, how can one know their many affairs? Broadly drawing in sight and hearing both opens the mind and gives those who speak on affairs a place to stand.
32
九年，征為都督南兗、徐、兗、青、冀、幽六州、豫州之梁郡諸軍事、征北將軍、開府儀同三司、南兗州刺史，鎮廣陵。 時詔內外百官舉才，義恭上表曰：
In the ninth year he was recalled as commander over the military affairs of Southern Yan, Xu, Yan, Qing, Ji, and You and of Liang commandery in Yuzhou, General Who Campaigns North, Grand Marshal with the ceremony of the three excellencies, and governor of Southern Yan, garrisoning Guangling. At that time an edict ordered civil and military officials inside and outside to recommend talent; Yigong submitted a memorial, saying:
33
臣聞雲和備樂，則繁會克諧，驊騮驂服，則致遠斯效。 陛下順簡夤化，文明在躬，玉衡既正，泰階載一，而猶發慮英髦，垂情仄陋，幽谷空同，顯著揚歷。 是以潛虯聳鱗，佇利見之期； 翔鳳弭翼，應來儀之感。
Your servant has heard that when the cloud-harmony is complete in music, the complex assembly can be tuned; when fine steeds are yoked in the team, distance can be reached. Your Majesty follows the turning fortune and transforms by simplicity; civilization is in your person; the jade balance is already correct and the great steps are level as one—yet you still send forth thought for outstanding talent, extend feeling to the narrow and lowly, and make the empty valley and the common hollow alike manifest and rise in rank. Therefore the hidden dragon raises its scales, awaiting the season of profitable manifestation; the soaring phoenix folds its wings, responding to the feeling of coming ritual.
34
竊見南陽宗炳，操履閑遠，思業真純，砥節丘園，息賓盛世，貧約而苦，內無改情，軒冕屢招，確爾不拔。 若以蒲帛之聘，感以大倫之美，庶投竿釋褐，飜然來儀，必能毗燮九官，宣贊百揆。
Your servant has observed Zong Bing of Nanyang: his conduct and bearing are serene and far-reaching, his thought and work pure and true; he polishes his integrity in hill and garden and rests from the guest's role in a flourishing age—poor and constrained yet without change within, repeatedly summoned to office and cap yet firmly unyielding. If with the gift of plain silk he is moved by the beauty of great human relations, he might cast aside his pole and put on cloth and turn in ritual coming—he would surely be able to assist and harmonize the nine officers and proclaim and support the hundred duties.
35
尚書金部郎臣徐森之，臣府中直兵參軍事臣王天寶，並局力允濟，忠諒款誠。 往年逆臣叛逸，華陽失守，森之全境寧民，績章危棘。 前者經略伊、瀍，元戎喪旅，天寶北勤河朔，東據營丘，勳勇既昭，心事兼竭。 雖蒙褒敘，未盡才宜，並可授以邊藩，展其志力。
Your servant, Gentleman of the Ministry of Revenue's Gold Bureau Xu Senzhi, and your servant's headquarters Direct Army Aide Wang Tianbao both exert strength in harmony, with loyal sincerity and earnest good faith. In years past, treacherous ministers rebelled and fled; when Huayang fell, Senzhi secured the entire region and settled the people—his merit stood out amid grave danger. When forces campaigned along the Yi and Chan and the chief commander lost his army, Tianbao labored in Heshuo to the north and held Yingqiu in the east; both his valor and his devotion were fully displayed. Though honored with commendation, their talents have not been fully employed; both should be entrusted with border commands so they may exert their will and strength.
36
交趾遼邈，累喪藩將，政刑每闕，撫蒞惟艱。 南中夐遠，風謠迥隔，蠻獠狡竊，邊氓荼炭，實須練實，以綏其難。 謂森之可交州刺史，天寶可寧州刺吏，庶足威懷荒表，肅清遐服。 昔魏戊之賢，功存薦士； 趙武之明，事彰管庫。 臣識愧前良，理謝先哲，率舉所知，仰酬採訪，退懼瞽言，無足甄獎。
Jiaozhi lies far away; the post has repeatedly lost its prefects; administration and justice are often deficient—governing there is uniquely arduous. The far south is remote beyond measure; local ways and reports are cut off; barbarian raiders are cunning; frontier commoners are ground down—only seasoned officials can pacify that troubled land. Your servant proposes appointing Senzhi Governor of Jiaozhi and Tianbao Governor of Ning—so doing may suffice to inspire awe and win over the frontier and to bring order to distant lands. In antiquity the merit of Wei Wu lay in recommending worthy men; The discernment of Duke Wu of Zhao was proved in managing the granaries. Your servant's discernment cannot match the worthies of old, nor my reasoning the sages before me; I have simply nominated those I know in answer to Your Majesty's call, yet I fear my ignorant remarks merit no selection or praise.
37
十六年，進位司空。 明年，大將軍彭城王義康有罪出藩，征義恭為侍中、都督揚、南徐、兗三州諸軍事、司徒、錄尚書，領太子太傅，持節如故，給班劍二十人，置仗加兵。 明年，解督南兗。 二十一年，進太尉，領司徒，餘如故。 義恭既小心恭慎，且戒義康之失，雖為總錄，奉行文書而已，故太祖安之。 相府年給錢二千萬，它物倍此，而義恭性奢，用常不足，太祖又別給錢年千萬。 二十六年，領國子祭酒。 時有獻五百里馬者，以賜義恭。
In year sixteen he advanced to Minister of Works. The following year Prince Yikang of Pengcheng, Grand General, was found guilty and banished from court; Yigong was recalled as Palace Attendant, commander of Yang, Southern Xu, and Yan, Minister over the Masses, Chief Administrator of the Masters of Writing, and Grand Tutor to the Heir, his commission unchanged, with twenty guards bearing ritual swords, and additional troops were assigned. The following year he gave up his supervision of Southern Yan. In year twenty-one he rose to Grand Commandant while keeping the Ministry over the Masses; all other titles remained as before. Yigong acted with cautious reverence and took warning from Yikang's mistakes; though he held overall charge of the secretariat he only executed paperwork, and so Taizu trusted him. The prime minister's household was allotted twenty million cash per year and twice that in other goods, but Yigong lived lavishly and still ran short; Taizu therefore added an annual grant of ten million cash. In year twenty-six he assumed the chancellorship of the National University. Someone offered a horse reputed to cover five hundred li in a day, and it was bestowed on Yigong.
38
二十七年春，索虜寇豫州，太祖因此欲開定河、洛。 其秋，以義恭總統群帥，出鎮彭城，解國子祭酒。 虜遂深入，徑至瓜步，義恭與世祖閉彭城自守。 二十八年春，虜退走，自彭城北過，義恭震懼不敢追。 其日，民有告：「虜驅廣陵民萬餘口，夕應宿安王陂，去城數十里。 今追之，可悉得。」 諸將並請，義恭又禁不許。 經宿，太祖遣驛至，使悉力急追。 義恭乃遣鎮軍司馬檀和之向蕭城。 虜先已聞知，乃盡殺所驅廣陵民，輕騎引去。 初，虜深入，上慮義恭不能固彭城，備加誡敕。 義恭答曰：「臣未能臨瀚海，濟居延，庶免劉仲奔逃之恥。」 及虜至，義恭果走，賴眾議得停，事在《張暢傳》。 降義恭號驃騎將軍、開府儀同三司，餘悉如故。
In spring of year twenty-seven the Wei invaders struck Yuzhou, and Taizu therefore intended to launch operations to settle the He and Luo region. That autumn Yigong took supreme command of the armies and marched out to garrison Pengcheng, resigning the university post. The enemy drove far inland, coming straight to Guabu; Yigong and Xiaowu sealed themselves inside Pengcheng to defend it. In spring of year twenty-eight the invaders retreated; as they passed north of Pengcheng, Yigong, shaken with fear, did not dare give chase. That same day a civilian reported: "The enemy is herding more than ten thousand people from Guangling; they ought to camp tonight at Anwang Dyke, a few dozen li from the city. Pursue them now and we can recover them all." The commanders all urged pursuit, but Yigong once more refused permission. After a night's delay Taizu dispatched a relay rider ordering an all-out urgent pursuit. Only then did Yigong send Tan Hezhi, army aide of the garrison command, toward Xiaocheng. The enemy had already learned of the pursuit; they slaughtered every Guangling captive they had driven along and fled with light cavalry. At first, when the enemy thrust deep inland, the throne feared Yigong might not hold Pengcheng and sent repeated stern warnings. Yigong answered: "I have not yet marched to the Han Sea or crossed to Juyan, but I hope at least to escape the disgrace of Liu Zhong's rout." When the enemy arrived Yigong did flee; he was halted only because the council intervened—the account is in the biography of Zhang Chang. He was demoted in rank to General of Agile Cavalry with an office matching the Three Excellencies in ceremony; everything else stayed the same.
39
魯郡孔子舊庭有柏樹二十四株，經歷漢、晉，其大連抱。 有二株先折倒，士人崇敬，莫之敢犯，義恭悉遣人伐取，父老莫不歎息。 又以本官領南兗州刺史，增督南兗、豫、徐、兗、青、冀、司、雍、秦、幽、并十一州諸軍事，并前十三州，移鎮盱眙。 脩治館宇，擬制東城。
The ancient grove of Confucius in Lu had twenty-four cypress trees, standing since Han and Jin times, each trunk requiring several men to encircle. Two had already toppled; the people held them sacred and none would touch them—yet Yigong had them all felled and carried off, and the elders lamented. He retained his prior rank while becoming Governor of Southern Yan and gained supervision of eleven more provinces' armies; in all thirteen—moving his command to Xuyi. He renovated his residence and offices, patterning them after the eastern capital.
40
二十九年冬，還朝，上以御所乘蒼鷹船上迎之。 遭太妃憂，改授大將軍、都督揚、南徐二州諸軍事、南徐州刺史，持節、侍中、錄尚書、太子太傅如故。 還鎮東府。 辭侍中，未拜。 值元兇肆逆，其日劭召義恭。 先是，詔召太子及諸王，各有常人，慮有詐妄致害者。 至是義恭求常所遣傳詔，劭遣之而後入。 義恭請罷兵，凡府內兵仗，並送還臺。 進位太保，進督會州諸軍事，服侍中服，又領大宗師。
In winter of year twenty-nine he returned to the capital; Xiaowu came out on the imperial dark-hawk boat to welcome him. When his mother the imperial consort died, he was reassigned as Grand General and commander of Yang and Southern Xu, Governor of Southern Xu, keeping his commission, palace attendance, secretariat duties, and tutorship of the Heir. He went back to hold the Eastern Palace residence. He resigned the palace attendant title and never took the appointment. When the usurper struck, Liu Shao summoned Yigong that very day. Previously, when the throne summoned the Heir and the princes, each was to bring his usual courier, lest a forged summons bring disaster. Yigong demanded the regular palace messenger; Shao provided one, and only then did Yigong enter. Yigong asked that military action cease; every weapon in his household was returned to the central arsenal. He rose to Grand Guardian, gained command of Huizhou's armies, wore court dress as a palace attendant, and was named Grand Preceptor of the imperial clan.
41
世祖入討，劭疑義恭有異志，使入住尚書下省，分諸子並住神虎門外侍中下省。 劭聞世祖已次近路，欲悉力逆之，決戰中道。 義恭慮世祖船乘陋小，劭豕突中流，容能為患，乃進說曰：「割棄南岸，柵斷石頭，此先朝舊法； 以逸待勞，不憂不破也。」 劭從之。 世祖前鋒至新亭，劭挾義恭出戰，恆錄在左右，故不能自拔。 戰敗，使義恭於東堂簡將。 義恭先使人具船於東冶渚，因單馬南奔。 始濟淮，追騎已至北岸，僅然得免。 劭大怒，遣始興王濬就西省殺義恭十二子。
As Xiaowu advanced to suppress Shao, Shao doubted Yigong's loyalty and confined him in the lower secretariat; all his sons were quartered outside Shenhu Gate under guard. Learning that Xiaowu's vanguard was already close, Shao wanted to throw every force against him in a mid-route showdown. Yigong worried Xiaowu's fleet was flimsy; Shao might ram them mid-river and cause havoc—so he urged: "Give up the south bank and fortify Shitou—That was our forebears' tried tactic; rest while the enemy exhausts themselves—you need not fear failing to crush them." Shao accepted the plan. As Xiaowu's van reached Xinting, Shao dragged Yigong into battle, never letting him leave his side, so he could not slip away. After the rout Shao made Yigong pick commanders in the Eastern Hall. Yigong had already ordered boats readied at Dongye Ford; he bolted south on one horse. He had just crossed the Huai when pursuers appeared on the north bank—he escaped only by a hair. Enraged, Shao dispatched Prince Jun of Shixing to the western palace to execute Yigong's twelve sons.
42
世祖時在新林浦，義恭既至，上表勸世祖即位，曰：「臣聞治亂無兆，倚伏相因，乾靈降禍，二凶極逆，深酷巨痛，終古未有。 陛下忠孝自天，赫然電發，投袂泣血，四海順軌，是以諸侯雲赴，數均八百； 義奮之旅，其會如林。 神祚明德，有所底止，而沖居或躍，未登天祚，非所以嚴重宗社，紹延七百。 昔張武抗辭，代王順請； 耿純陳款，光武正位。 況今罪逆無親，惡盈釁滿，阻兵安忍，戮善崇奸，履地戴天，畢命俄頃； 宜早定尊號，以固社稷。 景平之季，實惟樂推，王室之亂，天命有在，故抱拜兆於壓璧，赤龍表於霄徵。 伏惟大明無私，遠存家國七廟之靈，近哀黔首荼炭之切，時陟帝祚，永慰群心。 臣負釁嬰罰，偷生人壤，幸及寬政，待罪有司，敢以漏刻視息，披露肝膽。」 世祖即祚，授使持節、侍中、都督揚、南徐二州諸軍事、太尉、錄尚書六條事、南徐、徐二州刺史，給鼓吹一部，班劍二十人； 又假黃鉞。 事寧，進位太傅，領大司馬，增班劍為三十人。 以在藩所服玉環大綬賜之。 增封二千戶。
Xiaowu was at Xinlin Ford when Yigong arrived and memorialized urging him to ascend, saying: "I hear that order and chaos announce no signs in advance, that rise and fall depend on one another; Heaven has sent down disaster—two fiends at the peak of treason, agony deeper than any age has known. Your Majesty's loyalty and filial piety are heaven-sent; you erupted like lightning, flung aside your sleeves and wept blood—the realm fell in behind you; lords gathered like clouds, eight hundred strong; righteous armies mustered thick as a forest. Heaven's favor and bright virtue have found their object, yet you still hold back from the throne; that is no way to secure the ancestral temples and carry on the dynasty's seven centuries. Long ago Zhang Wu declined in protest while the King of Dai yielded the throne at his urging; Geng Chun pledged his allegiance and Guangwu assumed the imperial seat. All the more when the traitor stands utterly alone, his wickedness full to bursting, who keeps armies and delights in cruelty, kills the worthy and honors villains—under heaven and upon earth his life will end in a breath; you should establish the imperial title at once to stabilize the realm. At the close of Jingping the people truly thrust the throne upon him; amid the royal house's turmoil Heaven's mandate was clear—hence the bow at the omen on the jade bi and the red dragon in the celestial signs. Great illumination knows no favoritism; honor the seven temples of our house, pity the people's torment—take the throne in good time and forever ease every heart. I bear guilt and deserve death yet live on; thanks to Your Majesty's mercy I await judgment—I dare not merely watch the clock tick by, but expose my inmost heart." The moment Xiaowu ascended he appointed Yigong Bearer of the Credential Staff, Palace Attendant, commander of Yang and Southern Xu, Grand Commandant, chief of the six secretariat bureaus, Governor of Southern Xu and Xu, with one drum-and-horn ensemble and twenty ritual sword guards; He was also granted the yellow battle-axe on loan. After peace was restored he rose to Grand Tutor and Grand Marshal, with thirty ritual sword guards. He received as gifts the jade ring and great sash he had worn as prince. Two thousand households were added to his enfeoffment.
43
上不欲致禮太傅，諷有司奏曰：「聖旨謙光，尊師重道，欲致拜太傅，斯誠弘茲遠風，敦闡盛則。 然周之師保，實稱三吏，晉因於魏，特加其禮。 帝道嚴極，既有常尊，考之史載，未見茲典。 故卞壼、孫楚並謂人君無降尊之義。 遠稽聖典，近即群心，臣等參議謂不應有加拜之禮。」 詔曰：「闇薄纂統，實憑師範，思盡虔恭，以承道訓。 所奏稽諸往代，謂無拜禮，據文既明，便從所執。」 世祖立太子，東宮文案，使先經義恭。
Xiaowu did not wish to bow to his Grand Tutor and prompted the bureaucracy to memorialize: "Your Majesty's humility honors your teacher and the Way; you wish to bow to the Grand Tutor—truly to spread lofty custom and affirm flourishing rule. Yet in Zhou the tutor and guardian were called the three administrators; Jin followed Wei and added special ceremony. Imperial dignity stands supreme with its fixed honors; history records no such precedent. Hence Bian Hu and Sun Chu both held that a sovereign should not demean his rank. Searching antiquity's classics and weighing the people's mind, we jointly advise against the added bow. The edict read: "Shallow as I am upon the throne, I truly depend on my teacher's example; I mean to show utmost reverence and receive his instruction. Your report cites past ages and finds no bowing rite; the wording is clear—do as you advise." When Xiaowu named the Heir, all Eastern Palace papers passed through Yigong first.
44
孝建元年，南郡王義宣、臧質、魯爽等反，加黃鉞，白直百人入六門。 事平，以臧質七百里馬賜義恭，又增封二千戶。 世祖以義宣亂逆，由於強盛，至是欲削弱王侯。 義恭希旨，乃上表省錄尚書，曰：「臣聞天地設位，三極同序，皇王化則，九官咸事。 時亮之績，昭於《虞典》； 論道之風，宣於周載。 台輔之設，坐調陰陽，元、凱之置，起釐百揆。 所以欒鍼矢言，侵官是誡； 陳平抗辭，匪職罔答。 漢承秦後，庶僚稍改。 爵因時變，任與世移，總錄之制，本非舊體，列代相沿，茲仍未革。 今皇家中造，事遵前文，宜憲章先代，證文古則，停省條錄，以依昔典。 使物競思存，人懷勤壹，則名實靡愆，庸節必紀。 臣謬典國重，虛荷崇位，興替宜知，敢不輸盡。」 上從其議。 又與驃騎大將軍竟陵王誕奏曰：「臣聞佾懸有數，等級異儀，佩笏有制，卑高殊序。 斯蓋上哲之洪謨，範世之明訓。 而時至彌流，物無不弊，僭侈由俗，軌度非古。 晉代東徙，舊法淪落，侯牧典章，稍與事廣，名實一差，難以卒變，章服崇濫，多歷年所。 今樞機更造，皇風載新，耗弊未充，百用思約，宜備品式之律，以定損厭之條。 臣等地居枝昵，位參台輔，遵正之首，請以爵先； 致貶之端，宜從戚始。 輒因暇日，共參愚懷，應加省易，謹陳九事。 雖懼匪衷，庶竭微款。 伏願陛下聽覽之餘，薄垂昭納，則上下相安，表裏和穆矣。」 詔付外詳。 有司奏曰：
In Xiaojian year one, Prince Yixuan of Nanjun, Zang Zhi, Lu Shuang, and others rose in rebellion; Yigong received the yellow battle-axe and a hundred household guards entered the six palace gates. After the revolt was crushed Zang Zhi's seven-hundred-li horse was bestowed on Yigong, and two thousand more households were added to his fief. Xiaowu believed Yixuan's revolt stemmed from princely power grown too great; now he meant to curtail the feudal lords. Reading the throne's mind, Yigong memorialized to eliminate the chief secretariat post, saying: "I hear Heaven and Earth fix their stations and the three ultimates share one sequence; the king's transforming model puts all nine ministers to work. Shi Liang's feats shine in the Documents of Yu; the tradition of deliberating the Way resounds in Zhou's annals. The chief ministers' offices harmonize yin and yang; appointing Yuan and Kai begins ordering the hundred affairs. Thus Luan Zhen spoke plainly—usurping another's office is the lesson; Chen Ping declined on principle—without proper office one does not reply. Han inherited from Qin and gradually reshaped the bureaucracy. Titles shifted with the times, roles with the era—the chief recorder's office was never ancient; dynasty after dynasty kept it, unreformed still. The dynasty is newly restored and should follow precedent—let us restore ancient statutes, abolish the recorder's portfolio, and return to the old canon. Let every office strive to endure and every man work with single purpose—then titles will match duties and merit will be recorded. I wrongly hold the state's heavy charge and a lofty seat I do not deserve—I know what rise and fall require; how could I hold back?" The throne accepted the proposal. Together with Prince Dan of Jingling, General of Agile Cavalry and Grand General, he submitted: "I hear the ya bells have fixed numbers, ranks differ in ritual; tablet and scepter follow rules, high and low keep distinct order. Such is the supreme sages' grand design, the bright lesson for all ages. Yet time ever flows and nothing escapes decay; extravagance follows fashion while standards are no longer those of antiquity. After the eastern flight of Jin the old regulations lapsed; lords' and governors' regalia slowly swelled with power—once names and reality diverged, change was hard; lavish dress and titles have piled up for years. The court is remade and imperial custom renewed; coffers are still empty and every expense cries for thrift—we should codify grades and fix rules of reduction. We stand as imperial kin and chief ministers—in upholding propriety let rank lead the way; and let the first cuts fall upon us, the emperor's kin. On a day of leisure they pooled their modest views on what ought to be trimmed, and respectfully set forth nine proposals. Though doubting their hearts are equal to the task, they hoped at least to offer what little sincerity they had. They pray that after Your Majesty has heard them, you will graciously accept—so that court and realm may rest secure and inner and outer harmony prevail." An edict directed that the memorial be referred to the outer offices for detailed deliberation. The relevant offices submitted a memorial, saying:
45
車服以庸，《虞書》茂典； 名器慎假，《春秋》明誡。 是以尚方所制，漢有嚴律，諸侯竊服，雖親必罪。 降於頃世，下僭滋極。 器服裝飾，樂舞音容，通於王公，達于眾庶。 上下無辨，民志靡壹。 義恭所陳，實允禮度。 九條之格，猶有未盡，謹共附益，凡二十四條：
Chariots and dress reward merit—so the Canon of Yu teaches; titles and insignia must be granted with care—so the Spring and Autumn warns. Hence the imperial workshops had strict Han statutes: any lord who stole princely regalia, however close in kin, was punished. In recent times the lower ranks' presumption has grown extreme. Regalia, dress, ornament, music, dance, and bearing alike reached princes and commoners. High and low were indistinguishable; popular sentiment lost its single focus. Yigong's proposals truly matched ritual propriety. The nine articles still left gaps; the offices jointly supplemented them—for twenty-four articles in all:
46
聽事不得南向坐，施帳并。 藩國官，正冬不得跣登國殿，及夾侍國師傳令及油戟； 公主王妃傳令，不得朱服； 輿不得重棡； 鄣扇不得雉尾； 劍不得鹿盧形； 槊眊不得孔雀白氅； 夾轂隊不得絳襖； 平乘誕馬不得過二匹； 胡伎不得綵衣； 舞伎正冬著祍衣，不得裝面； 冬會不得鐸舞、杯柈舞； 長蹺、透狹、舒丸劍、博山、緣大橦、升五案，自非正冬會奏舞曲，不得舞； 諸妃主不得著緄帶； 信幡非台省官悉用絳； 郡縣內史相及封內官長，於其封君，既非在三，罷官則不復追敬，不合稱臣，宜止下官而已； 諸鎮常行，車前後不得過六隊，白直夾轂，不在其限。 刀不得過銀銅為飾； 諸王女封縣主，諸王子孫襲封之王妃及封侯者夫人行，並不得鹵簿； 諸王子繼體為王者，婚葬吉凶，悉依諸國公侯之禮，不得同皇弟皇子。 車非軺車，不得油幢； 平乘船皆下兩頭作露平形，不得擬象龍舟，悉不得朱油； 帳鉤不得作五花及豎筍形。
In the hall of business one may not sit facing south under a full canopy. Princely officials in mid-winter may not enter the state hall barefoot, nor flank the tutor when bearing orders or oil halberds; when princesses or princes' wives relay orders they may not wear vermilion robes; carriages may not use double crossbeams; processional screens may not bear pheasant-tail plumes; swords may not take the deer-antler shape; spear banners may not carry peacock-feather white mantles; hub-guard escorts may not wear crimson coats; light carts and parade mounts may not exceed two horses; non-Chinese entertainers may not wear brocade dress; dancers in mid-winter wear padded robes and may not paint their faces; winter gatherings may not feature bell dances or cup-and-tray dances; long stilts, tight-rope acts, sword-juggling, censer mountains, rope poles, and five-table acrobatics may be danced only at the mid-winter assembly when court dance music is played; consorts and princesses may not wear corded sashes; credential banners: all but central and provincial officials must use crimson; prefectural magistrates and fief officials toward their enfeoffed lord—no longer in the three highest ranks after leaving office, they should not call themselves "your minister" but only "your lower official"; on routine marches from garrison posts, escorts before and behind the carriage may not exceed six squads; white-guard hub escorts are excepted. Blades may use only silver and copper for ornament, no more; princes' daughters made district ladies, heirs' consorts, and marquises' wives on the road may not deploy full guard of honor; princes' sons who inherit princely rank must follow ducal and marquis rites for weddings and funerals, not those of the Emperor's brothers and sons. Carriages other than light post chariots may not bear oiled banners; flat-bottom boats must have plain exposed ends and may not mimic dragon boats or use vermilion lacquer; canopy hooks may not take five-petal or upright bamboo-shoot shapes.
47
詔可。
The edict granted approval.
48
是歲十一月，還鎮京口。 二年春，進督東、南兗二州。 其冬，徵為揚州刺史，餘如故。 加入朝不趨，贊拜不名，劍履上殿，固辭殊禮。 又解持節、都督并侍中。
In the eleventh month of that year he returned to his post at Jingkou. In spring of year two he gained supervision of Eastern and Southern Yan. That winter he was recalled as Governor of Yangzhou; other titles unchanged. He was granted exemption from hurrying at court, from having his name spoken in ceremonial praise, and the right to wear sword and shoes in the hall—all of which he firmly declined. He also gave up his commission, overall military command, and palace attendance.
49
義恭撰《要記》五卷，起前漢訖晉太元，表上之，詔付秘閣。 時西陽王子尚有盛寵，義恭解揚州以避之，乃進位太宰，領司徒。 義恭常慮為世祖所疑，及海陵王休茂於襄陽為亂，乃上表曰：
Yigong compiled the Essential Records in five juan, from Former Han through Jin's Taiyuan era, presented it to the throne, and an edict placed it in the Secret Archive. Prince Zishang of Xiyang then held imperial favor; Yigong resigned Yangzhou to step aside and was promoted to Grand Preceptor while keeping the Ministry over the Masses. Yigong constantly feared Xiaowu's mistrust; when Prince Xiamao of Hailing rose in rebellion at Xiangyang he memorialized, saying:
50
古先哲王，莫不廣植周親，以屏帝宇，諸侯受爵，亦願永固邦家。 至有管蔡、梁燕，致禍周、漢，上乖顯授之恩，下亡血食之業。 夫善積慶深，宜享長久，而歷代侯王，甚乎匹庶。 豈異姓皆賢，宗室悉不賢。 由生於深宮，不睹稼穡，左右近習，未值田蘇，富貴驕奢，自然而至，聚毛折軸，遂乃危禍。 漢之諸王，並置傅相，猶不得禁逆； 七國連謀，實由強盛。 晉氏列封，正足成永嘉之禍。 尾大不掉，終古同疾，不有更張，則其源莫救。
Ancient sage-kings planted kinsmen widely to guard the throne; lords who received fiefs likewise hoped to secure their houses forever. Yet Guan and Cai, Liang and Yan brought disaster on Zhou and Han—betraying investiture above and forfeiting ancestral sacrifice below. Deep virtue ought to endure, yet generation after generation feudal lords fared worse than commoners. Were all outsiders worthy and every clansman unworthy? Raised in palace depths they never saw the fields; attendants never knew rural toil—wealth and pride came naturally, hairs gathered until the axle snaps, and disaster followed. Han set tutors and chancellors over every prince, yet could not prevent treason; the Rebellion of the Seven States stemmed truly from princely power grown too great. Jin's feudal grants were just enough to bring on the Yongjia catastrophe. When the tail grows too heavy to control—the malady is eternal; without reform the root cannot be cured.
51
日者庶人恃親，殆傾王業。 去歲西寇藉寵，幾敗皇基。 不圖襄楚，復生今釁，良以地勝兵勇，獎成兇惡。 前事之不忘，後事之明兆。 陛下大明紹祚，垂法萬葉。 臣年衰意塞，無所知解。 忝皇族耆長，慚慨內深，思表管見，裨崇萬一。 竊謂諸王貴重，不應居邊，至於華州優地，時可暫出。 既以有州，不須置府。 若位登三事，止乎長史掾屬。 若宜鎮御，別差扞城大將。 若情樂沖虛，不宜逼以戎事。 若捨文好武，尤宜禁塞。 僚佐文學，足充話言，游梁之徒，一皆勿許。 文武從鎮，以時休止，妻子室累，不煩自隨。 百僚修詣，宜遵晉令，悉須宣令齊到，備列賓主之則。 衡泌之士，亦無煩干候貴王。 器甲於私，為用蓋寡，自金銀裝刀劍戰具之服，皆應輸送還本。 曲突徙薪，防之有素，庶善者無懼，惡者止奸。
Lately commoners trading on kinship nearly toppled the dynasty. Last year the western favorite nearly wrecked the imperial foundation. None expected Xiang-Chu to breed fresh trouble—terrain and troops were too strong, and favor bred bold villainy. He who forgets not the past reads the future's warning. Your Majesty's bright succession casts law for ten thousand generations. Your servant's years fail and my mind grows dull—I understand little. As senior among the imperial kin I burn with shame and grief within, and offer this humble view to help in the smallest measure. I hold that princes should not hold border commands; only for favored posts like Huazhou might they serve briefly. Once they hold a province they need no separate princely headquarters. If they reach the three highest offices, staff should stop at chief clerk and aides. If defense is required, appoint a separate garrison general. If they prefer quiet study, do not force military duty on them. If they favor arms over learning, forbid it all the more. Literary staff are enough for discourse; roaming bravos must not be allowed. Retainers civil and military should rotate by season; families need not travel with them. Official calls of respect should follow Jin statutes—all must arrive when summoned, observing full guest-and-host ritual. Hermits of the Heng and Bi sort need not wait upon princes. Private arms serve little purpose—gold- and silver-mounted swords and war gear should all be returned to court. Straighten the flue and move the firewood—prepare in advance, and the worthy need not fear while villains cease their plots.
52
前廢帝即位，詔曰：「總錄之典，著自前代。 孝建始年，雖暫並省，而因革有宜，理存濟務。 朕煢獨在躬，未涉政道，百揆庶務，允歸尊德。 太宰江夏王義恭新除中書監、太尉，地居宗重，受遺阿衡，實深憑倚，用康庶績，可錄尚書事，本官監、太宰、王如故； 侍中、驃騎大將軍、南兗州刺史、巴東郡開國公、新除尚書令元景，同稟顧誓，翼輔皇家，贊業宣風，繄公是賴。 可即本號開府儀同三司，領兵置佐，一依舊准，領丹陽尹、侍中、領公如故。」 又增義恭班劍為四十人，更申殊禮之命。 固辭殊禮。
When the Former Deposed Emperor ascended, an edict read: "The chief recorder's office is an institution of former ages. Since Xiaojian's first year it was briefly abolished, yet reform must suit the times—principle remains to serve affairs. I stand orphaned upon the throne, untrained in rule; every duty truly rests on honored virtue. Grand Preceptor Prince Yigong of Jiangxia, newly made Director of the Secretariat and Grand Commandant, weighty in the clan and entrusted as regent, may resume recording Secretariat affairs; his titles as Director, Grand Preceptor, and Prince stand unchanged; Palace Attendant Yuan Jing, General of Agile Cavalry, Governor of Southern Yan, Duke of Badong, newly Chief of the Masters of Writing—co-regent by testament, pillar of the house— may at once hold an office matching the Three Excellencies in ceremony, command troops and staff per old precedent, and keep Danyang governorship, palace attendance, and ducal rank." Yigong's ritual sword guards were raised to forty and special honors were renewed. He firmly refused the special honors.
53
義恭性嗜不恆，日時移變，自始至終，屢遷第宅。 與人遊款，意好亦多不終。 而奢侈無度，不愛財寶，左右親幸者，一日乞與，或至一二百萬； 小有忤意，輒追奪之。 大明時，資供豐厚，而用常不足，賒市百姓物，無錢可還，民有通辭求錢者，輒題後作「原」字。 善騎馬，解音律，遊行或三五百里，世祖恣其所之。 東至吳郡，登虎丘山，又登無錫縣烏山以望太湖。 大明中撰國史，世祖自為義恭作傳。 及永光中，雖任宰輔，而承事近臣戴法興等，常若不及。
Yigong's tastes were fickle; as days passed he changed—throughout his life he moved house again and again. Even friendships he made seldom lasted. He spent without limit and cared nothing for wealth; a favorite might receive one or two million in a single day; yet at the slightest offense he would seize it all back. Under Daming his income was lavish yet he still ran short; he bought on credit from townsfolk and, when pressed for payment, scrawled "forgiven" on the IOU. He rode well and knew music; his outings might run three to five hundred li—Xiaowu let him roam freely. He went east to Wu, climbed Tiger Hill, then Mount Wu in Wuxi to view Lake Tai. During Daming he worked on the national history; Xiaowu personally wrote Yigong's biography for it. In Yongguang, though nominally chief minister, he deferred to close favorites such as Dai Fazxing as if he could never catch up.
54
前廢帝狂悖無道，義恭、元景等謀欲廢立。 永光元年八月，廢帝率羽林兵於第害之，並其四子，時年五十三。 斷析義恭支體，分裂腸胃，挑取眼精，以蜜漬之，以為鬼目粽。
The Former Deposed Emperor was violently lawless; Yigong, Yuan Jing, and others plotted to replace him. In Yongguang year one, eighth month, the Deposed Emperor sent palace guards to Yigong's house and killed him with his four sons; he was fifty-three. They hacked apart Yigong's body, split open his belly, scooped out his eyes, pickled them in honey, and called the result "ghost-eye dumplings."
55
太宗定亂，令書曰：「故中書監、太宰、領太尉、錄尚書事江夏王道性淵深，睿鑒通遠，樹聲列藩，宣風鉉德，位隆姬輔，任屬負圖，勤勞國家，方熙託付之重，盡心毗導，永融雍穆之化。 而凶醜忌威，奄加冤害，夷戮有暴，殯穸無聞，憤達幽明，痛貫朝野。 朕蒙險在難，含哀莫申，幸賴宗祏之靈，克纂祈天之祚，仰惟勳戚，震慟於厥心。 昔梁王征庸，警蹕備禮； 東平好善，黃屋在廷。 況公德猷弘懋，彝典未殊者哉！ 可追崇使持節、侍中、都督中外諸軍事、丞相、領太尉，中書監、錄尚書事、王如故。 給九旒鸞輅，虎賁班劍百人，前後部羽葆、鼓吹，轀輬車。」
When Emperor Ming restored order he wrote: "The late Prince Yigong of Jiangxia, Director of the Secretariat, Grand Preceptor, Grand Commandant, and chief of the Masters of Writing—his character ran deep, his judgment far-seeing; he won renown in the provinces and spread virtue at court; as chief kin he bore the burden of empire and labored for the state, guiding the realm toward harmony. The tyrant hated his stature and murdered him unjustly; the slaughter was savage and he received no proper burial—outrage reached heaven and earth, grief pierced the court. I endured peril and could not mourn as I wished; by the ancestral spirits' grace I took the throne; thinking of my kinsman's merit, my heart shudders with grief. Long ago the King of Liang was summoned to serve—the throne cleared his path with full ceremony; the Prince of Dongping loved virtue—the imperial canopy attended him in court. How much more when your virtue and design are vast—should the canonical honors differ! Let him be posthumously honored as Bearer of the Credential Staff, Palace Attendant, commander of all armies within and without, Chancellor and Grand Commandant, Director of the Secretariat and chief of the Masters of Writing, with princely rank restored. He was granted the nine-tassel phoenix carriage, a hundred tiger guards with ritual swords, front and rear feather canopies with drums and horns, and the imperial mourning coach."
56
泰始三年，又下詔曰：「皇基崇建，《屯》、《剝》維難，弘啟熙載，底績忠果，故從饗世祀，勒勳宗彝。 世祖寧亂定業，實資翼亮。 故使持節、侍中、都督中外諸軍事、丞相、領太尉、中書監、錄尚書事江夏文獻王義恭，故使持節、侍中、都督南豫、江、豫三州軍事、太尉、南豫州刺史、巴東郡開國忠烈公元景，故侍中、司空、始興郡開國襄公慶之，故持節、征西將軍、雍州刺史、洮陽縣開國肅侯愨，或體道沖玄，燮化康世，或盡誠致效，庚難龕逆，宜式遵國典，陪祭廟庭。」
In Taishi year three another edict read: "The throne was raised amid hardship like the Hexagrams Difficulty and Splitting; loyal service built its glory—so they share in sacrificial honor through the ages, their deeds engraved in the ancestral temple. Xiaowu quelled rebellion and secured the realm with their steadfast support. Prince Wuxian of Jiangxia Yigong, Bearer of the Credential Staff, Chancellor, Grand Commandant, Director of the Secretariat and chief of the Masters of Writing; Yuan Jing, Loyal and Fierce Duke of Badong, Grand Commandant and Governor of Southern Yu; Xiang Gong Qingzhi, Minister of Works and Duke of Shixing; and Marquis Su Min of Taoyang, General Who Pacifies the West and Governor of Yong—some harmonized the age through the Way, others gave loyal service in crushing rebellion—let them share temple sacrifice by state rite."
57
叡弟韶，字元和，封新吳縣侯，官至步兵校尉。 追贈中書侍郎，諡曰烈侯。 韶弟坦，字元度，平都懷侯。 坦弟元諒，江安愍侯。 元諒弟元粹，興平悼侯。 坦、元諒、元粹並追贈散騎侍郎。 元粹弟元仁、元方、元旒、元淑、元胤與朗等凡十二人，竝為元兇所殺。 元胤弟伯禽，孝建三年生。 義恭諸子既遇害，為朝廷所哀，至是世祖名之曰伯禽，以擬魯公伯禽，周公旦之子也。 官至輔國將軍、湘州刺史。 又為前廢帝所殺。 諡曰哀世子。 又追贈江夏王，改諡曰愍。 伯禽弟仲容，封永修縣侯。 為寧朔將軍、臨淮、濟陽二郡太守。 仲容弟叔子，封永陽縣侯。 叔子弟叔寶，及仲容、叔子，竝為前廢帝所殺。 諡仲容、叔子竝曰殤侯。
Rui's brother Shao, styled Yuanhe, was made Marquis of Xinwu and rose to Commandant of Footsoldiers. He was posthumously made Gentleman of the Secretariat with the posthumous title Fierce Marquis. Shao's brother Tan, styled Yuandu, was Marquis Huai of Pingdu. Tan's brother Yuanliang was Marquis Min of Jiangan. Yuanliang's brother Yuancui was Marquis Dao of Xingping. Tan, Yuanliang, and Yuancui were all posthumously made Gentlemen of the Cavalier Attendant. Yuancui's brothers Yuanren, Yuanfang, Yuanliu, Yuanshu, and Yuanyin, with Lang and others—twelve in all—were all slain by the usurper. Yuanyin's brother Boqin was born in Xiaojian year three. When Yigong's sons were murdered the court grieved; Xiaowu named this child Boqin, evoking Duke Boqin of Lu, son of the Duke of Zhou. He rose to General Who Supports the State and Governor of Xiangzhou. The Former Deposed Emperor killed him as well. His posthumous title was Lamented Heir. He was posthumously made Prince of Jiangxia with the altered posthumous title Min. Boqin's brother Zhongrong was enfeoffed as Marquis of Yongxiu. He served as General of Pacification and governor of Linhuai and Jiyang. Zhongrong's brother Shuzi was enfeoffed Marquis of Yongyang. Shuzi's brother Shubao, with Zhongrong and Shuzi, were all killed by the Former Deposed Emperor. Zhongrong and Shuzi both received the posthumous title Marquis Who Died Young.
58
義季素嗜酒，自彭城王義康廢後，遂為長夜之飲，略少醒日。 太祖累加詰責，義季引愆陳謝。 上詔報之曰：「誰能無過，改之為貴耳。 此非唯傷事業，亦自損性命，世中比比，皆汝所諳。 近長沙兄弟，皆緣此致故。 將軍蘇徽，耽酒成疾，旦夕待盡，吾試禁斷，並給藥膳，至今能立。 此自是可節之物，但嗜者不能立志裁割耳。 晉元帝人主，尚能感王導之諫，終身不復飲酒。 汝既有美尚，加以吾意殷勤，何至不能慨然深自勉厲，乃復須嚴相割裁，坐諸紜紜，然後少止者。 幸可不至此，一門無此酣法，汝於何得之？ 臨書歎塞。」 義季雖奉此旨，酣縱如初，遂以成疾。 上又詔之曰：「汝飲積食少，而素羸多風，常慮至此，今果委頓。 縱不能以家國為懷，近不復顧性命之重，可歎可恨，豈復一條。 本望能以理自厲，未欲相苦耳。 今遣孫道胤就楊佛等令晨夕視汝，並進止湯食，可開懷虛受，慎勿隱避。 吾飽嘗見人斷酒，無它慊吸，蓋是當時甘嗜罔己之意耳。 今者憂怛，政在性命，未暇及美業，復何為吾煎毒至此邪！」 義季終不改，以至於終。
Yiji was devoted to wine; after Prince Yikang of Pengcheng was deposed he drank through the night and barely saw daylight. Taizu rebuked him again and again; Yiji apologized and confessed fault. The throne replied: "Who is without fault? What matters is to reform. It harms not only your career but your very life—examples fill the world, and you know them well. Not long ago the sons of Changsha all died for this very reason. General Su Hui drank himself sick and was near death; I forbade his wine and gave him medicine and food—he stands alive today. Wine can be rationed; only the addicted cannot resolve to cut it off. Even Emperor Yuan of Jin, though a sovereign, heeded Wang Dao's remonstrance and never drank again. You have noble inclinations and my concern is earnest—why must you wait for harsh restraint among the court before you slightly relent? I hope it need not come to that—no one in our house drinks like this; where did you learn it? I write this with sighs and sorrow." Yiji received the edict yet drank as wildly as before and fell ill. Taizu wrote again: "You drink heavily and eat little; you were always thin and prone to chills—I feared this day, and now you are collapsed. Even if you care nothing for realm or family, you no longer value your own life—wretched and infuriating, in more ways than one. I hoped you would discipline yourself by reason and did not mean to torment you. I send Sun Daoyin to Yang Fo and others to watch you day and night and regulate your meals—accept their care openly; do not evade them. I have seen men quit wine—they suffer no other craving; it is only the sweetness of the habit fooling oneself. Now my worry is for your life, not your career—why do you torture me so!" Yiji never changed and drank until he died.
59
二十一年，為都督南兗、徐、青、冀、幽六州諸軍事、征北大將軍、開府儀同三司、南兗州刺史，持節、常侍如故。 登舟之日，帷帳器服，諸應隨刺史者，悉留之，荊楚以為美談。 二十二年，進督豫州之梁郡。 遷徐州刺史，持節、常侍、都督如故。 明年，索虜侵逼，北境擾動，義季懲義康禍難，不欲以功勤自業，無它經略，唯飲酒而已。 太祖又詔之曰：「杜驥、申怙，倉卒之際，尚以弱甲瑣卒，徼寇作援。 彼為元統，士馬桓桓，既不懷奮發，連被意旨，猶復逡巡。 豈唯大乖應赴之宜，實孤百姓之望。 且匈奴輕漢，將自此而始。 賊初起逸，未知指趨，故且裝束，兼存觀察耳。 少日勢漸可見，便應大有經略，何合安然，遂不敢動。 遣軍政欲乘際會，拯危急，以申威援，本無驅馳平原，方幅爭鋒理。 又山路易憑，何以畏首尾迥弱。 若謂事理政應如此者，進大鎮，聚甲兵，徒為煩耳。」
In year twenty-one he became commander of Southern Yan, Xu, Qing, Ji, and You, General Who Pacifies the North and Grand General with Three Excellencies ceremony, Governor of Southern Yan, keeping his commission and regular attendance. When he embarked he left behind every curtain, vessel, and insignia due a governor—Jing and Chu praised the story. In year twenty-two he gained command over Liang commandery in Yuzhou. He moved to Governor of Xuzhou with commission, attendance, and command unchanged. Next year the Wei invaders pressed the border; mindful of Yikang's fate, Yiji refused to seek glory in arms and did nothing but drink. Taizu wrote again: "Du Ji and Shen Gu, in sudden crisis, still rallied meager troops to harry the enemy. You command the main force with strong armies—yet you neither rouse yourself nor, despite repeated orders, stir. This not only betrays military duty but abandons the people's hope. From this the barbarians will learn to despise Han. At first the enemy roamed loosely and their aim was unclear—you were merely to prepare and watch. Within days their course would show itself—you should have acted boldly; why sit idle and dare not move? The court sent troops to seize the moment, relieve crisis, and show imperial might—not to chase them across open plains in pitched battle. Mountain paths favor defense—why shrink before them at both ends? If you think this is how things should be—massing troops at the great garrison is only wasted effort."
60
二十四年，義季病篤，上遣中書令徐湛之省疾，召還京師。 未及發，薨於彭城，時年三十三。 太尉江夏王義恭表解職迎喪，不許。 上遣東海王禕北迎義季喪。 追贈侍中、司空，持節、都督、刺史如故。
In year twenty-four Yiji lay gravely ill; Taizu sent Secretariat Director Xu Zhizhi to see him and recall him to the capital. Before he could leave he died at Pengcheng, aged thirty-three. Grand Commandant Prince Yigong of Jiangxia asked to resign and meet the funeral procession—the request was denied. The throne sent Prince Yi of Donghai north to receive Yiji's coffin. He was posthumously made Palace Attendant and Minister of Works with commission, command, and governorship unchanged.
61
史臣曰：戒懼乎其所不睹，恐畏乎其所不聞，在於慎所忽也。 江夏王，高祖寵子，位居上相，大明之世，親典冠朝。 屈體降情，盤辟於軒檻之上，明其為卑約亦已至矣。 得使虐朝暴主，顧無猜色，歷載逾十，以尊戚自保。 及在永光，幼主南面，公旦之重，屬有所歸。 自謂踐冰之慮已除，泰山之安可恃，曾未云幾，而磔體分肌。 古人以隱微致戒，斯為篤矣。
The historian writes: Be wary of what you cannot see and fear what you cannot hear—true caution lies in what is overlooked. Prince Yigong of Jiangxia was Gaozu's beloved son, a chief minister who in the Daming era stood at the head of court. He bowed low on the palace steps—his humility had already gone to the extreme. For more than ten years he endured tyrannical emperors without rousing suspicion, preserving himself through kinship and rank. Under Yongguang, when a child sat the throne, the burden of a Duke of Zhou seemed at last to have found its home. He thought the peril of walking on ice was past and Mount Tai's stability assured—yet almost at once his body was hacked apart. The ancients warned through what is hidden and slight—how deep that lesson runs.