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列傳第五十二良吏
Biography 52: Good Magistrates
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高祖起自匹庶，知民事艱難，及登庸作宰，留心吏職，而王略外舉，未遑內務。 奉師之費，日耗千金，播茲寬簡，雖所未暇，而絀華屏欲，以儉抑身，左右無幸謁之私，閨房無文綺之飾，故能戎車歲駕，邦甸不憂。 太祖幼而寬仁，入纂大業，及難興陝方，六戎薄伐，命將動師，經略司、兗，費由府實，役不及民。 自此區宇宴安，方內無事，三十年間，氓庶蕃息，奉上供徭，止於歲賦，晨出莫歸，自事而已。 守宰之職，以六期為斷，雖沒世不徙，未及曩時，而民有所係，吏無苟得。 家給人足，即事雖難，轉死溝渠，于時可免。 凡百戶之鄉，有市之邑，歌謠舞蹈，觸處成群，蓋宋世之極盛也。 暨元嘉二十七年，北狄南侵，戎役大起，傾資掃蓄，猶有未供，於是深賦厚斂，天下騷動。 自茲至於孝建，兵連不息，以區區之江東，地方不至數千里，戶不盈百萬，薦之以師旅，因之以凶荒，宋氏之盛，自此衰矣。
Emperor Gaozu rose from humble origins and understood how hard life was for ordinary people. Once he took power as chief minister, he kept a close eye on local administration, but with his grand strategy focused abroad he had little time for domestic governance. Army expenses ran to a thousand gold a day, and he had not yet found time to carry out the full program of leniency and simplicity he envisioned; still he cut back display, checked his desires, and practiced austerity in his own life. No favorite at court enjoyed private access, and his inner quarters held no silk brocade. Thus he could campaign every year without overwhelming the realm. Emperor Wen was gentle and magnanimous from childhood. When he inherited the throne and trouble flared in the northwest, with the northern peoples pressing south, he sent generals to campaign in the Si and Yan regions, paying for it all from the state treasury so that the burden did not fall on the common people. Thereafter the empire enjoyed peace and the heartland knew no unrest. For thirty years the population grew; what the people owed the state was limited to the annual land tax. They left at dawn and came home at dusk, minding only their own work. Prefects and magistrates served fixed six-year terms. Though an appointee might hold a post for life without transfer, this fell short of earlier practice; still the people had officials they could depend on, and magistrates could not seize profit as they pleased. Households were supplied and people had enough to live on; even when times were hard, the fate of starving by the roadside could, in that age, largely be avoided. In hamlets of a hundred households and in market towns alike, people sang and danced; crowds formed wherever one went. This was the Song dynasty at its height. In the twenty-seventh year of Yuanjia (450), the northern peoples invaded the south. Military levies surged; families spent their savings to the last coin and still could not meet the demand. Heavy taxes followed, and the whole empire was thrown into unrest. From then until the Xiaojian era (454–456), war never ceased. The southeast alone, a territory of less than a few thousand li and fewer than a million households, was burdened with armies and then struck by famine. The Song dynasty's prosperity waned from that point.
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Jin emperors mostly lived within the inner palace; court audiences and banquets were held in only the Eastern and Western halls. In the last years of Emperor Xiaowu of Jin, the Clear Summer Palace was under construction. When Gaozu took the throne he changed nothing, calling his residence simply the Western Hall and giving it no grand title; Emperor Wen followed his example, and the hall was also called the Combined Hall. When Emperor Xiaowu came to the throne, luxury spread through the court. Horses and dogs had grain to spare while palaces were draped in silk; deeming earlier standards mean, he built anew the Zhengguang, Yuzhu, and Ziji halls. Carved beams bore brocade ornament; pearl windows and latticed doors adorned the halls. Favorites and trusted ministers received gifts that drained the treasury; the wealth of the entire realm could not satisfy their appetites, and the common people's very lives could not content them. When Emperor Ming succeeded him, extravagance grew worse still. Favor no longer reached those below, and disorder spread like a flood. Magistrates who governed the people were rotated every year; their stoves never blackened and their mats never grew warm. The gentle governance once seen under officials such as Pu and Mi could no longer be achieved. It was not merely that officials fell short of those of old or that the people had grown deceitful. The court itself disrupted governance, leaving no way to restore order. I now select those whose reputations stand out clearly enough to compose this chapter on good magistrates.
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王鎮之，字伯重，琅邪臨沂人，征士弘之兄也。 曾祖廙，晉驃騎將軍。 祖耆之，中書郎。 父隨之，上虞令。 鎮之初為琅邪王衛軍行參軍，出補剡、上虞令，並有能名。 內史謝輶請為山陰令，復有殊績。 遷衛軍參軍，本國郎中令，加寧朔將軍。 桓玄輔晉，以為大將軍錄事參軍。 時三吳饑荒，遣鎮之銜命賑恤，而會稽內史王愉不奉符旨，鎮之依事糾奏。 愉子綏，玄之外甥，當時貴盛，鎮之為所排抑，以母老求補安成太守。 及玄敗，玄將苻宏寇亂郡境，鎮之拒戰彌年，子弟五人，並臨陣見殺。 母憂去職，在官清潔，妻子無以自給，乃棄家致喪還上虞舊基。 畢，為子標之求安復令，隨子之官。 服闋，為征西道規司馬、南平太守。 徐道覆逼江陵，加鎮之建威將軍，統檀道濟、到彥之等討道覆，以不經將帥，固辭，不見聽。 既而前軍失利，白衣領職，尋復本官。 以討道覆功，封華容縣五等男，徵廷尉。 晉穆帝何皇后山陵，領將作大匠。 遷御史中丞，秉正不撓，百僚憚之。
Wang Zhenzhi, courtesy name Bozhong, was from Linyi in Langye and elder brother of the recluse Wang Hongzhi. His great-grandfather Wang Yi served as Jin General of Agile Cavalry. His grandfather Wang Qizhi was a Secretariat Gentleman. His father Wang Suizhi was magistrate of Shangyu. Zhenzhi first served as acting adjutant in the guard army of the Prince of Langye, then was appointed magistrate of Shan and Shangyu in succession, earning a name for ability in both posts. Interior Secretary Xie Zhou requested him as magistrate of Shanyin, where he again achieved exceptional results. He was promoted to adjutant in the guard army and grandee master of his native principality, with the additional title General Who Pacifies the North. When Huan Xuan controlled the Jin court, Zhenzhi was appointed recorder of the grand general's affairs. When famine struck the Three Wu region, Zhenzhi was dispatched on imperial orders to provide relief. Wang Yu, interior secretary of Kuaiji, refused to carry out the directive, and Zhenzhi impeached him on the facts. Wang Yu's son Sui was Huan Xuan's sister's son and immensely powerful at court. Zhenzhi was forced out and, pleading his mother's advanced age, asked to be appointed administrator of Ancheng. After Huan Xuan's fall, his general Fu Hong raided the commandery. Zhenzhi held out for a full year; five of his sons and younger brothers were killed in battle. He left office to mourn his mother. His official service had been so incorrupt that his wife and children could not support themselves; he gave up his household goods and brought her coffin back to his family home in Shangyu. When mourning ended, he secured for his son Biaozhi the post of magistrate of Anfu and went with him to take up the appointment. After mourning he served as marshal on Liu Daogui's western campaign staff and as administrator of Nanping. When Xu Daofu threatened Jiangling, Zhenzhi was made General Who Establishes Might and placed over Tan Daoji, Dao Yanzhi, and others to suppress him. He declined firmly on the ground that he had never held field command, but his protest was ignored. The vanguard was soon defeated, and he was reduced to commoner's dress while retaining his post; shortly afterward he was restored to his former rank. For his service against Xu Daofu he was enfeoffed as fifth-rank Baron of Huarong and summoned to the post of Minister of Justice. He oversaw construction of the tomb of Empress He, consort of Emperor Mudi of Jin, serving concurrently as Master of Works. He was promoted to Imperial Censor, where his upright and unyielding conduct made the entire bureaucracy fear him.
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He was sent out as bearer of the staff of authority, area commander of Jiao and Guang provinces, General Who Establishes Might, General Who Pacifies the Yue, and inspector of Guangzhou. Emperor Gaozu told his court: "Wang Zhenzhi has been known for integrity since his youth; he will surely follow in the footsteps of Wu Yinshi. The troubles of the far south cannot be remedied without a man like him." In his post he refused his salary and lived in austere simplicity, pursuing no private gain. When he left office he was no richer than the day he had arrived. When Gaozu first established his chancellor's office, Zhenzhi was made consulting adjutant and chief recorder. He excelled at administrative work, strict but never cruel. He was promoted to Minister of Rites of the Song regime. When Gaozu took the throne, Zhenzhi cited a foot ailment and left the capital to serve as General Who Assists the State and administrator of Langye, then became commandant of the Xuanxun guard and grand rectifier of his native province. In the third year of Yongchu (422) he died in office at the age of sixty-six. His younger brother Hongzhi is treated in the chapter on recluses.
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Du Huidu was from Zhuying in Jiaozhi commandery. The clan was originally registered in Jingzhao. His great-grandfather Du Yuan served as administrator of Ningpu and then settled in Jiaozhi. His father Du Yuan, courtesy name Daoyan, served the province as administrator of Rinan, Jiude, and Jiaozhi in succession. Earlier, Li Xun, administrator of Jiuzhen, and his sons were powerful local strongmen who dominated the region. Learning that Inspector Teng Dunzhi was on his way, they sent two sons to seize the strategic passes by land and water. Yuan raised troops, killed Li Xun, and restored peace to the province. He was appointed Dragon-soaring General. Dunzhi spent more than ten years in the province, fighting repeated campaigns against Linyi. As Dunzhi prepared to return north, the king of Linyi, Fan Huda, overran Rinan, Jiude, and Jiuzhen and besieged the provincial capital. Dunzhi was already far away. Yuan and his third son Xuanzhi defended the city with all their strength, using many stratagems through repeated battles until they routed the enemy. They pursued the enemy into Jiuzhen and Rinan. Victory followed victory until Fan Huda fled back to Linyi. Yuan was then appointed Dragon-soaring General and inspector of Jiaozhou. When Liu Yu raised the banner of righteous restoration, Yuan was promoted to Champion General. Lu Xun had seized Guangzhou and sent envoys offering alliance; Yuan had them executed. In the sixth year of Yixi (410), at the age of eighty-four, he died and was posthumously made Right General with his former titles confirmed.
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慧度，瑗第五子也。 初為州主簿，流民督護，遷九真太守。 瑗卒，府州綱佐以交土接寇，不宜曠職，共推慧度行州府事，辭不就。 七年，除使持節、督交州諸軍事、廣武將軍、交州刺史。 詔書未至，其年春，盧循襲破合浦，徑向交州。 慧度乃率文武六千人距循於石碕，交戰，禽循長史孫建之。 循雖敗，餘黨猶有三千人，皆習練兵事。 李子遜李弈、李脫等奔竄石碕，盤結俚、獠，各有部曲。 循知弈等與杜氏有怨，遣使招之，弈等引諸俚帥眾五六千人，受循節度。 六月庚子，循晨造南津，命三軍入城乃食。 慧度悉出宗族私財，以充勸賞。 弟交趾太守慧期、九真太守章民並督率水步軍，慧度自登高艦，合戰，放火箭雉尾炬，步軍夾兩岸射之。 循眾艦俱然，一時散潰，循中箭赴水死。 斬循及父嘏，並循二子，親屬錄事參軍阮靜、中兵參軍羅農夫、李脫等，傳首京邑。 封慧度龍編縣侯，食邑千戶。
Huidu was Yuan's fifth son. He began as provincial registrar and protector of displaced persons, then was promoted to administrator of Jiuzhen. When Yuan died, provincial officials urged Huidu to take charge, arguing that with enemies on the border the post could not remain empty. He declined. In the seventh year of Yixi (411) he was appointed bearer of the staff of authority, commander of Jiaozhou military affairs, General of Expansive Might, and inspector of Jiaozhou. Before the imperial appointment arrived, that spring Lu Xun overran Hepu and marched directly on Jiaozhou. Huidu led six thousand troops to meet Lu Xun at Shiji, fought a battle, and captured Xun's chief clerk Sun Jianzhi. Though defeated, Lu Xun still had three thousand seasoned fighters among his remnants. Li Zixun, Li Yi, Li Tuo, and others had fled to Shiji, where they allied with local Li and Liao chiefs, each commanding his own band. Knowing that Li Yi and his brothers bore a grudge against the Du family, Lu Xun sent envoys to win them over. They brought five or six thousand Li warriors under his command. On the gengzi day of the sixth month, Lu Xun reached the southern ford at dawn and ordered his three armies not to eat until they had entered the city. Huidu spent his entire clan's private fortune to pay battle rewards. His brother Huiqi, administrator of Jiaozhi, and Zhang Min, administrator of Jiuzhen, commanded the land and naval forces while Huidu took a tall warship into the fight. They loosed fire arrows and pheasant-tail torches while infantry on both banks rained arrows on the enemy fleet. Lu Xun's entire fleet burst into flame and broke apart. Lu Xun was struck by an arrow, fell into the water, and drowned. They beheaded Lu Xun, his father Gu, and his two sons, along with his kinsmen Ruan Jing, Luo Nongfu, Li Tuo, and others, and sent their heads to the capital. Huidu was enfeoffed as Marquis of Longbian with a fief of one thousand households.
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When Gaozu took the throne, Huidu was promoted to General Who Assists the State. That same year he led ten thousand troops south against Linyi, killing more than half the enemy force and recovering all the people who had been carried off in earlier raids. Linyi sued for peace, offering captives, elephants, gold, silver, and cowrie shells, and Huidu accepted their surrender. He sent his chief clerk Jiang You to the capital with a report of victory. Huidu dressed in plain cloth and ate simple fare, living frugally and without pretension. He played the zither and was fond of the Zhuangzi and Laozi. He suppressed illicit cults and promoted the schools. In years of famine he used his private salary to feed the people. He governed with the meticulous care of a household manager, so that his authority and kindness reached everyone. Crime vanished; city gates stood open at night and no one picked up lost goods on the road. In the first year of Jingping (423), under Emperor Shao, he died at the age of fifty and was posthumously made Left General.
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Huidu's eldest son Hongwen, Attendant Gentleman at the Secretariat Outside the Palace, was appointed General Who Quells Might and inspector of Jiaozhou. When Gaozu marched north against Guanzhong and Luoyang, Huidu commissioned Hongwen as General of Soaring Valor and protector of displaced persons, assigning him three thousand men to join the northern campaign. He reached Guangzhou only to learn that Guanzhong and Luoyang had already been pacified, and he turned back. The provincial headquarters appointed him acting administrator of Jiuzhen. When he succeeded his father as inspector, he too won the people's loyalty through leniency and inherited the title Marquis of Longbian. In the fourth year of Yuanjia (427), Emperor Wen appointed Wang Hui, Minister of Justice, as inspector of Jiaozhou, and Hongwen was recalled. He fell gravely ill but was compelled to set out anyway. Friends and relatives, seeing how serious his condition was, urged him to petition the throne for leave to recover first. Hongwen said: "Our family has borne the imperial favor for generations. For three generations we have held the staff of authority, and I have long wished to give my life at court in repayment. Now that I have been personally summoned, how can I remain at ease? If hardship should overtake me on the road, that is fate." Hongwen's mother was elderly. Seeing her son set out in a sickbed carriage, she could not bear to part from him and traveled with him. He reached Guangzhou and died there. Before he died he sent his younger brother Hongyou to the capital; the court mourned him deeply.
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Xu Huo, courtesy name Wantong, was from Gumu in Dongguan and nephew of Grand Master of Palace Leisure Xu Guang. His father Xu Miao was left commandant of the crown prince's guard under Jin. At the end of the Longan era under Emperor An of Jin, Huo served as erudite of the Imperial University. When Huan Xuan held power as area commander of inner and outer affairs, Huo argued: "Bowing in respect applies only to inner and outer military officials. The Grand Steward and Minister over the Masses are not military posts, so the Prince of Langye should not receive added obeisance." Huan Xuan prompted the imperial censor to have Huo removed from office. After Huan Xuan's defeat, Huo served as secretariat gentleman, gentleman of the granaries section, merit officer under He Wuji of the right army, and then adjutant of the army pacifying the south; then in the rites section, magistrate of Yongshi, marshal of the army establishing might, adjutant in the central army, and left assistant in the secretariat. At the beginning of Yongchu he served as marshal of the garrison army under Xu Xianzhi, left assistant in the secretariat, and magistrate of Shanyin. Having served as two assistant ministers and three district magistrates, he was known for mastery of law and administration and was highly regarded throughout the realm.
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元嘉初，為始興太守。 三年，遣大使巡行四方，並使郡縣各言損益。 豁因此表陳三事，其一曰：「郡大田，武吏年滿十六，便課米六十斛，十五以下至十三，皆課米三十斛，一戶內隨丁多少，悉皆輸米。 且十三歲兒，未堪田作，或是單迥，無相兼通，年及應輸，便自逃逸，既遏接蠻、俚，去就益易。 或乃斷截支體，產子不養，戶口歲減，實此之由。 謂宜更量課限，使得存立。 今若減其米課，雖有交損，考之將來，理有深益。」 其二曰：「郡領銀民三百餘戶，鑿坑采砂，皆二三丈。 功役既苦，不顧崩壓，一歲之中，每有死者。 官司檢切，猶致逋違，老少相隨，永絕農業； 千有餘口，皆資他食，豈唯一夫不耕，或受其饑而已。 所以歲有不稔，便致甚困。 尋臺邸用米，不異於銀，謂宜准銀課米，即事為便。」 其三曰：「中宿縣俚民課銀，一子丁輸南稱半兩。 尋此縣自不出銀，又俚民皆巢居鳥語，不閑貨易之宜，每至買銀，為損已甚。 又稱兩受入，易生姦巧，山俚愚怯，不辨自申，官所課甚輕，民以所輸為劇。 今若聽計丁課米，公私兼利。」
At the beginning of Yuanjia he was appointed administrator of Shixing. In the third year the throne sent envoys to tour the realm and ordered every prefecture and county to report what policies should be changed. Huo submitted a memorial on three matters. The first read: "In this commandery's land-tax system, when a military household's son turns sixteen he is assessed sixty hu of grain; from fifteen down to thirteen the assessment is thirty hu each. Every household must pay according to the number of males, with all grain delivered in kind. A boy of thirteen cannot yet work the fields; some households have only one son and no one to share the burden. When the levy comes due they flee. With barbarian and Li territory nearby, flight is easy. Some mutilate their children or abandon newborns. The registered population shrinks every year, and this policy is the reason. I propose that the levy thresholds be revised so that families can survive. Reducing the grain levy would cause a short-term loss of revenue, but in the long run the benefit would be great." The second matter: "More than three hundred households in this commandery mine silver, digging pits two or three zhang deep to extract ore. The work is brutal; miners ignore the risk of collapse, and deaths occur throughout the year. Despite official pressure, many still default on the levy. Whole families, young and old together, abandon farming forever; more than a thousand people depend on others for food. The harm is not merely that one man leaves the plow and goes hungry. That is why a single bad harvest brings extreme distress. The central government uses grain no less than silver. I propose converting the silver levy to a grain levy, which would be far more practical." The third matter: "In Zhongsu County the Li people are assessed silver at half a liang per adult male by the southern weight. This county produces no silver. The Li live in tree houses and speak their own languages; they know nothing of commerce. Every time they must buy silver to pay the tax the loss to them is severe. Weighing at collection invites fraud. The mountain Li are simple and timid and cannot plead their case. The official levy is light on paper, yet what the people actually pay is crushing. If they were allowed to pay grain per male instead, both state and people would benefit."
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He achieved notable results in the commandery, and Emperor Wen praised him. An edict declared: "Xu Huo, administrator of Shixing, is frugal and self-restrained, diligent in office, orderly in administration, and generous in his care for the people. Lingnan has lately been destitute, and his commandery especially so; yet he found effective means to relieve famine. Even the best magistrates of antiquity could not surpass him. He deserves reward to honor his integrity: grant him two hundred bolts of silk and a thousand hu of grain." In the fifth year he was appointed bearer of the staff, commander of Guang and Jiao military affairs, General of Tranquil Distance, General Who Pacifies the Yue, and inspector of Guangzhou. Before he could take up the appointment he died, at the age of fifty-one. Emperor Wen issued another edict: "Huo was known for integrity and diligence in every post he held. We promoted him to the south to give full scope to his abilities. He has died untimely, and We deeply mourn him. Grant him a hundred thousand cash and a hundred bolts of cloth for his funeral."
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陸徽，字休猷，吳郡吳人也。 郡辟命主簿，仍除衛軍、車騎二府參軍，揚州主簿，王弘衛將軍主簿，除尚書都官郎，出補建康令。 清平無私，為太祖所善，遷司徒左西掾。 元嘉十四年，為始興太守。 明年，仍除使持節、交、廣二州諸軍事、綏遠將軍、平越中郎將、廣州刺史。 清名亞王鎮之，為士民所愛詠。 上表薦士曰：「臣聞陵雪褒潁，貞柯必振； 尊風賞流，清原斯挹。 是以衣囊揮譽於西京，折轅延高於東帝。 伏見廣州別駕從事史朱萬嗣，年五十三，字少豫，理業沖夷，秉操純白，行稱私庭，能著官政。 雖氏非世祿，宦無通資，而隨牒南服，位極僚首，九綜州綱，三端府職，頻掌蕃機，屢績符守。 年暨知命，廉尚愈高，冰心與貪流爭激，霜情與晚節彌茂。 歷宰金山，家無寶鏤之飾； 連組珠海，室靡璫珥之珍。 確然守志，不求聞達，實足以澄革汙吏，洗鏡貪氓。 臣謬忝司牧，任專萬里，雖情祗慎擢，才闕豪露，敢罄愚陋，舉其所知。 如得提名禮闈，抗跡朝省，摶嶺表之清風，負冰宇之潔望，則恩融一臣，而施光萬物。 敢緣天澤云行，時德雨施，每甄外州，榮加遠國。 是以獻其瞽言，希垂聽覽。」
Lu Hui, courtesy name Xiuyou, was from Wu in Wu commandery. The commandery summoned him as registrar. He then served as adjutant in the guard army and cavalry general's offices, as registrar of Yangzhou and registrar under Wang Hong, as gentleman of the punishments section, and finally as magistrate of Jiankang. Upright, impartial, and incorrupt, he won Emperor Wen's favor and was promoted to left western attendant of the Minister over the Masses. In the fourteenth year of Yuanjia he was appointed administrator of Shixing. The following year he was appointed bearer of the staff of authority, commander of Jiao and Guang military affairs, General of Pacifying Distance, Commandant Who Pacifies the Yue, and inspector of Guangzhou. His reputation for integrity was second only to Wang Zhenzhi's, and the people loved to praise him. He submitted a memorial recommending a man of talent: "I have heard that when snow buries the peaks of Bao and Ying, the upright branches must shake free; when the wind of esteem honors the flowing stream, the clear spring is drawn upon. Thus the man with only a satchel won fame in the Western Capital, and the broken carriage shaft drew the worthy to the Eastern Emperor. I observe Zhu Wansi, attending clerk of Guangzhou, age fifty-three, courtesy name Shaoyu. His learning is profound and his conduct serene; his integrity is pure; his private life is exemplary and his public service distinguished. Though his family held no hereditary rank and he had no court connections, he rose through service in the south to head the provincial staff, held nine key provincial posts and three central appointments, managed frontier affairs repeatedly, and distinguished himself as inspector more than once. Now past fifty, his integrity has only grown. His heart of ice stands against the tide of corruption; his frost-hardened resolve flourishes in his later years. As magistrate of Jinshan his household held no treasure or inlay; as magistrate of Zhuhai his rooms held no pearl or jade ornaments. He holds firmly to his principles and seeks no advancement. He is truly fit to reform corrupt officials and shame the greedy. I am unworthy in my post as provincial governor, responsible for ten thousand li of territory. Though I lack the talent to display greatness, I dare offer what I know. If he could be nominated at the capital and take his place at court, bringing the pure wind of the far south and the integrity of ice to the realm, Your Majesty's grace would shine through one man upon all the world. I rely on Your Majesty's grace, which moves like clouds and falls like rain, honoring distant provinces and rewarding the far south. I therefore offer these humble words and beg that Your Majesty will hear them."
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In the twenty-first year he was summoned to serve as marshal to the Champion General under Prince Shuo of Nanping, interior secretary of Changsha, and acting head of the Xiangzhou headquarters. He left office to mourn his mother. Zhang Xun and Zhao Guang rebelled in Yizhou. After years of warfare, government had collapsed and the people were in turmoil. In the twenty-third year he was recalled as bearer of the staff, commander of Yi and Ning military affairs, General Who Pacifies the North, and inspector of Yizhou. He governed with wise compassion; his authority and kindness were both felt; banditry ceased and prosperity returned. Shu was pacified, and he is praised to this day. In the twenty-ninth year he died at the age of sixty-two. When he died his household had no surplus wealth. Emperor Wen mourned him deeply and issued an edict: "Hui was resolute in integrity, diligent in every post, devoted to public service, and tireless in self-restraint. He had not yet received the honors he deserved when he died untimely. We grieve his loss. Posthumously grant him General Who Assists the State, with his former titles confirmed." Grant a hundred thousand cash and two hundred hu of grain. His posthumous title was Viscount Jian. His son Rui served as regular attendant outside the palace. His younger brother Zhan was chief clerk to Zang Zhi and administrator of Xunyang; when Zang Zhi was defeated, Zhan was executed with him.
15
Ruan Changzhi, courtesy name Maojing, was from Weishi in Chenliu. His grandfather Ruan Sikuo was grand master of splendid happiness with golden seal and purple ribbon. His father Ruan Pu was consulting adjutant to the general of agile cavalry. Changzhi lost his father at fifteen. His filial grief moved all who saw him. After mourning ended he continued to eat only vegetables for years. In private life he studied devotedly and never showed a lazy bearing. He first served as adjutant in various offices, then was appointed attendant gentleman at the secretariat outside the palace. His mother was elderly, so he requested appointment as magistrate of Xiangyuan. When a postal inspector was rude to him, he had the man flogged and resigned. He was soon appointed acting regular adjutant in the cavalry army of Prince Yizhen of Luling, chief clerk pacifying the Yue, and administrator of Dongguan. He entered the secretariat as gentleman of the palace section and was then appointed administrator of Wuchang. Wang Hong was then in charge of Jiangzhou and held him in high esteem, appointing him attending master of affairs in the cavalry army. He served as attendant in the heir apparent's household and secretariat gentleman. Citing his mother's age, he declined court duty and was appointed consulting adjutant pacifying the north under Prince Yikang of Pengcheng. In the ninth year of Yuanjia he was offered the post of interior secretary of Linchuan. He declined, saying the damp south was unsuitable for his elderly mother. In the eleventh year he was appointed administrator of Linhai. Soon after he reached the commandery his mother died. When the funeral was over he could not bear his grief. In the fourteenth year he died at the age of fifty-nine.
16
At that time prefectural and county field stipends were reckoned to the Grain in Ear festival. An official who left before that date forfeited a full year's salary to his predecessor; while one who left after forfeited it to his successor. Only at the end of the Yuanjia era was this rule changed to calculate salary by the month. When Changzhi left Wuchang, his successor had not yet arrived. He surrendered his seal and cord the day before Grain in Ear. When he first left the capital, relatives and friends gave him parting gifts. He sealed and recorded each item and returned them all on his return. While on secretariat duty he went one night to a neighboring office and accidentally walked out through the gate still wearing his shoes. He reported himself to the gate department as required; but the gate department, saying no one had seen him in the dark, refused to take the report. Changzhi insisted on submitting it anyway, saying: "A man does not deceive even an empty room in the dark." Every office he held was marked by exemplary governance, and later generations remember him. In the Song dynasty, whenever good governance was discussed, his name was always mentioned. His son Shimmen was magistrate of Yuanxiang.
17
Jiang Bingzhi, courtesy name Xuanshu, was from Kaocheng in Jiyang. His grandfather Jiang You was grand minister of ceremonies under Jin. His father Jiang Zuan was attendant within the yellow gates. Bingzhi lost his father early. He had seven younger siblings, all still young, and he raised them and arranged their marriages, exhausting all his strength. He first served as adjutant on Liu Muzhi's Danyang vanguard army staff. When Gaozu governed Xuzhou, Bingzhi was transferred to chief clerk and then served as adjutant in the heir's central army. When the Song received the mandate, he became attendant cavalier at the secretariat outside the palace by precedent and was appointed aide to the grand tutor of the heir. When Emperor Shaodi ascended the throne, he entered office as gentleman of the punishments section and was sent out as magistrate of Yongshi and Wucheng, becoming famed in the eastern region for good governance. Summoned as magistrate of Jiankang, his governance was strict and thorough, and the capital became orderly. When Yin Jingren was leader of the army, he requested Bingzhi as his marshal. Sent out again as magistrate of Shanyin, a district of thirty thousand households where affairs were complex and lawsuits piled up and the courtyard often held several hundred people, Bingzhi managed complexity through simplicity and usually kept the office untroubled. In the Song dynasty only Gu Jizhi was also noted for streamlining office work; the others, though their penal administration was well ordered, could not simplify affairs. Because of his ability as magistrate, he was transferred and appointed administrator of Xin'an.
18
In the twelfth year of Yuanjia he was transferred to Linhai; in both posts he was praised for simplicity and austerity. He gave all his salary to relatives and friends; his wife and children often went hungry and cold. When someone urged him to cultivate fields, Bingzhi said sternly: "A household that lives on official salary—how can it compete with farmers for profit!" In the commandery he had one writing desk made; when he left office he left it for the government storehouse. In the seventeenth year of Yuanjia he died at the age of sixty.
19
His son Hui served as gentleman of the punishments section and magistrate of Wu. When Yuanxiong killed Xu Tanzhi, Hui was executed as his accomplice. His son Mi served as gentleman of the personnel section at the end of the Shengming era. At the beginning of Yuanjia, Emperor Wen sent envoys to tour the realm. Attendant cavalier regular Kong Mozhi, Wang Xinzhi, and others reported: "General Who Proclaims Might Li Yuande, administrator of Chen and Nandun, is diligent, fair, and incorrupt; crime has ceased in his districts. Wei Gongzi, interior secretary of Pengcheng, is pure, cautious, and self-restrained, devoted to public duty and frugal in his habits, virtues that have only grown firmer with time. Former magistrate of Song Cheng Pu governed with leniency and compassion, and the people still sing his praise. Former magistrate of Tiaoyang Li Xiguo governed effectively, and the people still miss him. He Dao, magistrate of Shansang, has been incorrupt since youth and grows only stricter in old age. They deserve reward to encourage others to follow their example." Yuande was promoted to General Who Pacifies the North; Gongzi received fifty bolts of silk and five hundred hu of grain; Pu, Xiguo, and Dao each received thirty bolts of silk and two hundred hu of grain.
20
Wang Xinzhi, courtesy name Shudao, was from Hedong. His great-grandfather Qianqi was renowned in the Jin dynasty and rose to colonel of the southern Man. His grandfather Wang Xunzhi was grand master for splendid happiness. His father Wang Zhaozhi was chancellor to the Duke of Yuzhang. Xinzhi won favor from Emperor Wen, served as minister of the left for the people and grand master for splendid happiness, and died in office. In the ninth year of Yuanjia, Prince Yixin of Changsha, inspector of Yuzhou, reported: "General Who Establishes Distance Shen Jili, marquis within the passes and administrator of Northern Qiao and Liang, has served in the capital region for five years. His trustworthiness and kindness are felt throughout his districts; he has suppressed violence abroad and brought order at home; levies are fair and the people live in peace. He has pacified newly submitted peoples and drawn in the remote frontier. Beyond the suburbs the people look to his grace. His merit warrants promotion in rank as encouragement to others." He was promoted to General Who Pacifies the North.
21
Later Guo Qixuan, administrator of Jinshou, was also known for integrity and died in office. In the twenty-eighth year of Yuanjia an edict declared: "The late General of Pacifying Distance Guo Qixuan, former administrator of Jinshou, once bore imperial orders in the northern court and would not bend his will. At Baishui he served tirelessly, accepting neither public offerings nor private gifts, living on plain cloth and vegetables in austere self-restraint. We therefore appointed him to a prominent commandery to honor his integrity. His integrity never wavered from first to last. When he died his wife and children were left hungry and cold. His conduct was unlike ordinary men, and We deeply mourn him. Grant his household five hundred hu of grain."
22
At that time Fu Sengyou of Beidi, Chen Min of Yingchuan, and Zhang You of Gaoping were all known for administrative talent. Sengyou's career is treated in the biography of Zang Tao. Chen Min served as magistrate of Wu and excelled at uncovering hidden crimes; the people regarded him as almost supernatural. Zhang You's grandfather Zhang Zhan, under Emperor Xiaowu of Jin, rose by learning to secretariat gentleman and grand minister of splendid happiness. Zhang You served as magistrate of Lin'an, Wukang, and Qiantang in turn, earning a reputation for ability in each. In the Song dynasty these three were ranked foremost among district magistrates. During the Yuanjia era Pan Ci, administrator of Gaoping, was known for integrity. His son Liang served as magistrate of Changlu and was also known for integrity; in the Daming era he was recommended by Liu Daolong, inspector of Xuzhou. Under Emperor Xiaowu, Lu Fazhen of Wu commandery held several posts marked by integrity and once served as recorder on Liu Xiuzhi's staff as army pacifying the north. Yang Xi of Taishan wrote to Sun Shen, consulting adjutant pacifying the north: "Among your colleagues there seems to be a Recorder Lu. He comes from a distinguished southeastern family and is the maternal grandson of Zhang Xuan. He is utterly incorrupt and has lofty principles. Though advanced in years he holds a humble post, yet his integrity has not faded. I expect we shall speak together soon." At the beginning of Emperor Ming's reign he was appointed administrator of Nanhai and died in office.
23
Under Emperor Ming, Wang Yue of Langye was also known for incorrupt service. Yue, courtesy name Shaoming, was a great-grandson of Wang Xizhi, Right General of Jin. His father Wang Jingzhi rose to left chief clerk to the Minister over the Masses. Jingzhi was favored by Liu Muzhi and repeatedly asked him for the post of palace attendant. Muzhi said: "If you had not asked, you would have received it in time on your own." In the end he never received it. Under the Taishi reign Yue served as yellow gate gentleman and imperial censor. The emperor granted him five qing of good farmland for his integrity. He was promoted to gentleman of the personnel section and palace attendant, serving in the gate department with all his strength. In the fifth year he died in office and was posthumously made Minister of Ceremonies. When Yue served as palace attendant he inspected the imperial storehouse, grand provisioner, imperial physicians, and other offices, uncovering extensive fraud. When Yue died, many believed the offices had cursed him. The emperor arrested more than ten officials in charge, claiming they were being sent to Huaiyin, then secretly had them ferried across the Guabu River and thrown into midstream.
24
史臣曰：夫善政之於民，猶良工之於埴也，用功寡而成器多。 漢世戶口殷盛，刑務簡闊，郡縣治民，無所橫擾，勸賞威刑，事多專斷，尺一詔書，希經邦邑，龔、黃之化，易以有成。 降及晚代，情偽繁起，民減昔時，務多前世，立績垂風，艱易百倍。 若以上古之化，治此世之民，今吏之良，撫前代之俗，則武城弦歌，將有未暇； 淮陽臥治，如或可勉。 未必今才陋古，蓋化有淳薄也。
The historian comments: Good government toward the people is like a skilled potter with clay: little effort yields many vessels. In Han times the population was large, the law simple, and local officials governed without arbitrary interference. Magistrates had wide discretion in rewards and punishments, and imperial edicts rarely reached every district. The gentle governance of Gong Sui and Huang Ba was easy to achieve. By later ages deceit had multiplied, the population had shrunk, and official burdens had grown. To achieve lasting good governance was a hundred times harder. If the governance of antiquity were applied to the people of this age, or if today's good officials were set to govern the customs of earlier times, then the zither songs of Wucheng would have no time to sound; the recumbent governance of Huaiyang might perhaps still be within reach. It is not that talent today is inferior to that of antiquity; rather, the age itself has grown coarse.