Volume 99 Biographies 59: Er Xiong

列傳第五十九二凶

Biographies 59: The Two Villains

元兇劭，字休遠，文帝長子也。帝即位後生劭，時上猶在諒闇，故秘之。三年閏正月，方云劭生。自前代以來，未有人君即位後皇后生太子，唯殷帝乙既踐阼，正妃生紂，至是又有劭焉。體元居正，上甚喜說。

Liu Shao—the posthumous title "Primary Villain" would later condemn him—styled himself Xiuyuan and was the eldest son of Emperor Wen. Shao was born after Wen had already ascended the throne, while the emperor was still observing mourning seclusion, so the birth was concealed. Not until the intercalary first month of the third year was Shao's birth publicly announced. Throughout earlier history no ruler's empress had borne a crown prince after her husband was already on the throne; the sole precedent was King Yi of the Yin, whose principal consort bore Zhou after his accession—and now Shao offered another such case. As the legitimate heir who embodied the dynasty's primal legitimacy, he delighted the emperor exceedingly.

年六歲，拜為皇太子，中庶子二率入直永福省。更築宮，制度嚴麗。年十二，出居東宮，納黃門侍郎殷淳女為妃。十三，加元服。好讀史傳，尤愛弓馬。及長，美鬚眉，大眼方口，長七尺四寸。親覽宮事，延接賓客，意之所欲，上必從之。東宮置兵，與羽林等。十七年，劭拜京陵，大將軍彭城王義康、竟陵王誕、尚書桂陽侯義融並從，司空江夏王義恭自江都來會京口。

At six he was invested as crown prince, and two chiefs of the palace attendants took up residence in the Yongfu Bureau on his behalf. A new palace was constructed for him, imposing in scale and sumptuous in appointment. At twelve he left the inner quarters for the Eastern Palace and married the daughter of Yin Chun, Attendant-Cadet of the Yellow Gate. At thirteen he underwent the capping ceremony of adulthood. He delighted in historical texts and had a particular passion for archery and horsemanship. Grown to manhood, he was strikingly handsome—fine brows and beard, large eyes, a square mouth—and stood seven feet four inches in height. He took personal charge of palace business and received guests freely; whatever he desired, the emperor invariably granted. The Eastern Palace was outfitted with troops rivaling the imperial Feathered Forest guard. In the seventeenth year Shao performed rites at the imperial tombs. Grand General Yikang, Prince of Pengcheng, Prince of Jingling Dan, and Minister of the Masters of Writing Yirong, Marquis of Guiyang, all accompanied him, while Minister of Works Yigong, Prince of Jiangxia, came from Jiangdu to join them at Jingkou.

二十七年，上將北伐，劭與蕭思話固諫，不從。索虜至瓜步，京邑震駭。劭出鎮石頭，總統水軍。善於撫禦。上登石頭城，有憂色，劭曰：「不斬江湛、徐湛之，無以謝天下。」上曰：「北伐自我意，不關二人也。」

In the twenty-seventh year, as the emperor prepared a northern expedition, Shao and Xiao Sihua remonstrated firmly, but he would not be persuaded. When the Northern Wei reached Guabu, the capital convulsed with fear. Shao took command at Shitou Fortress and assumed overall direction of the river fleet. He showed a gift for rallying and commanding the men. When the emperor climbed Shitou fortress, worry clouded his face. Shao said, "Unless we execute Jiang Zhan and Xu Zhanzhi, we cannot answer to the realm." The emperor replied, "The northern campaign was my decision alone—it has nothing to do with those two."

上時務在本業，勸課耕桑，使宮內皆蠶，欲以諷厲天下。有女巫嚴道育，本吳興人，自言通靈，能役使鬼物。夫為劫，坐沒入奚官。劭姊東陽公主應閣婢王鸚鵡白公主雲：「道育通靈有異術。」主乃白上，托雲善蠶，求召入，見許。道育既入，自言服食，主及劭並信惑之。始興王浚素佞事劭，與劭並多過失，慮上知，使道育祈請，欲令過不上聞。道育輒雲：「自上天陳請，必不洩露。」劭等敬事，號曰天師。後遂為巫蠱，以玉人為上形像，埋于含章殿前。

The emperor then devoted himself to the fundamentals of statecraft, urging farming and sericulture and requiring everyone within the palace to raise silkworms, hoping to set an example for the realm. A shamaness named Yan Daoyu, originally from Wuxing, claimed supernatural powers and the ability to command spirits. Her husband had committed robbery and, upon conviction, was confiscated into the palace women’s bureau. Shao's elder sister, the Princess of Dongyang, had a maid of the inner gate named Wang Yingwu who told her, "Daoyu communes with spirits and commands extraordinary arts." The princess reported to the emperor, claiming Daoyu was skilled at sericulture, and asked that she be summoned to court; the request was granted. After Daoyu entered the palace, she claimed expertise in elixir practices, and both the princess and Shao fell under her spell. Prince of Shixing Jun had long curried favor with Shao; both had many transgressions to hide and, fearing the emperor might learn of them, enlisted Daoyu to pray that their faults would never reach his ears. Daoyu would always assure them, "I present your petitions in Heaven above—they will never be disclosed." Shao and the others venerated her and addressed her as the Celestial Master. They then practiced witchcraft sorcery, carving a jade effigy of the emperor and burying it before the Hanzhang Hall.

初，東陽主有奴陳天興，鸚鵡養以為子，而與之淫通。鸚鵡、天興及寧州所獻黃門慶國並預巫蠱事。劭以天興補隊主。東陽主薨，鸚鵡應出嫁，劭慮言語難密，與浚謀之。時吳興沈懷遠為浚府佐，見待異常，乃嫁鸚鵡與懷遠為妾，不以啟上，慮後事泄，因臨賀公主微言之。上後知天興領隊，遣閹人奚承祖詰讓劭曰：「臨賀公主南第先有一下人欲嫁，又聞此下人養他人奴為兒，而汝用為隊主，抽拔何乃速。汝間用主、副，並是奴邪？欲嫁置何處？」劭答曰：「南第昔屬天興，求將驅使，臣答曰：'伍那可得，若能擊賊者，可入隊。 '當時蓋戲言耳，都不復憶。後天興道上通辭乞位，追存往為者，不忍食言，呼視見其形容粗健，堪充驅使，脫爾使監禮兼隊副。比用人雖取勞舊，亦參用有氣幹者。謹條牒人囗名上呈。下人欲嫁者，猶未有處。」時鸚鵡已嫁懷遠矣。劭懼，馳書告浚，並使報臨賀主：「上若問嫁處，當言未有定所。」浚答書曰：「奉令，伏深惶怖，啟此事多日，今始來問，當是有感發之者，未測源由爾。計臨賀故當不應翻覆言語，自生寒熱也。此姥由來挾兩端，難可孤保，正爾自問臨賀，冀得審實也。其若見問，當作依違答之。天興先署佞人府位，不審監上當無此簿領爾。急宜犍之。殿下已見王未？宜依此具令嚴自躬上啟聞。彼人若為不已，正可促其餘命，或是大慶之漸。」凡劭、浚相與書疏類如此，所言皆為名號，謂上為「彼人」，或以為「其人」；以太尉江夏王義恭為「佞人」；東陽主第在西掖門外，故雲「南第」，王即鸚鵡姓，躬上啟聞者，令道育上天白天神也。

Earlier the Princess of Dongyang had owned a slave named Chen Tianxing; Yingwu had raised him as her son and carried on an illicit affair with him. Yingwu, Tianxing, and Qing Guo—a eunuch of the Yellow Gate presented by Ningzhou—all participated in the witchcraft plot. Shao installed Tianxing as a squad leader. After the Princess of Dongyang died, Yingwu was to be married off; Shao feared she could not keep secrets and consulted Jun. Shen Huaiyuan of Wuxing was then an officer on Jun's staff and enjoyed unusual favor; they married Yingwu to him as a concubine without informing the emperor, fearing exposure later, and let the Princess of Linhe hear a veiled hint of it. When the emperor later learned Tianxing was leading a squad, he sent the eunuch Xi Chengzu to rebuke Shao: "The Princess of Linhe's southern residence already had a servant who wished to marry, and I hear this servant raised another man's slave as her son—yet you made him squad leader. Why promote him so quickly? Are the squad leaders and deputies you appoint all slaves? Where do you intend to place the servant who wishes to marry?" Shao replied, "The southern residence once fell under Tianxing's charge; he asked to serve under me. I answered, 'A common soldier cannot simply be taken—if he can fight, he may join the squad. That was only a jest at the time; I had entirely forgotten it. Later Tianxing intercepted me on the road and begged for a post; remembering my earlier words, I could not break my promise. I summoned him, saw he was sturdily built and fit for service, and on impulse made him overseer of ritual observance and squad deputy. In recent appointments I have drawn on veterans of long service, but I also include men of proven mettle. I respectfully submit a roster of their names for your review. As for the servant who wishes to marry, no arrangement has yet been made." By then Yingwu had already been married to Huaiyuan. Terrified, Shao sent an urgent letter to Jun and instructed the Princess of Linhe: "If the emperor asks where the marriage is arranged, say no decision has been made." Jun wrote back: "Your order received—I am prostrate with fear. This matter was broached days ago; that he asks only now means something must have stirred him, though I cannot yet trace the source. The Princess of Linhe should not have changed her story—that is what brought this trouble on herself. That old woman has always played both sides and cannot be trusted alone. You should question the Princess of Linhe yourself to learn the truth. If she is questioned, she should answer evasively. Tianxing was once posted to a position in the sycophant's household—I doubt the overseer's office still has that on its registers. He must be shackled immediately. Have you already seen Wang? Follow this fully and have Yan report it in person to the spirits above. If that man will not relent, you may simply shorten what life remains to him—or it may herald great fortune." Letters between Shao and Jun were generally written in this vein, using code names: the emperor was "that man" or sometimes "the man"; Grand Commandant Yigong, Prince of Jiangxia, was "the sycophant"; the Princess of Dongyang's residence lay outside the Western Corner Gate, hence "southern residence"; Wang was Yingwu's surname; and "report in person above" meant having Daoyu ascend to inform the celestial spirits.

鸚鵡既適懷遠，慮與天興私通事泄，請劭殺之。劭密使人害天興。慶國謂宣傳往來，唯有二人，天興既死，慮將見及，乃具以其事白上。上驚惋，即遣收鸚鵡，封籍其家，得劭、浚書數百紙，皆咒詛巫蠱之言，得所埋上形像于宮內。道育叛亡，討捕不得。上大怒，窮治其事，分遣中使入東諸郡搜討，遂不獲。上詰責劭、浚，劭、浚惶懼無辭，唯陳謝而已。道育變服為尼，逃匿東宮，浚往京口，又載以自隨，或出止民張旿家。

After Yingwu married Huaiyuan, she feared their affair with Tianxing might be exposed and begged Shao to kill him. Shao secretly had Tianxing murdered. Qing Guo knew only two men still carried messages between the conspirators; with Tianxing dead, he feared he would be next and reported everything to the emperor. The emperor was shocked and grieved. He immediately seized Yingwu and sealed her household, recovering several hundred letters from Shao and Jun filled with curses and witchcraft, and unearthed within the palace the buried effigy of the emperor. Daoyu fled and could not be captured. The emperor was furious and prosecuted the case exhaustively, sending palace envoys through the eastern commanderies to hunt her down, but she was never found. The emperor interrogated and rebuked Shao and Jun; terrified and speechless, they could only beg forgiveness. Daoyu disguised herself as a nun and hid in the Eastern Palace; when Jun went to Jingkou he took her along again, sometimes lodging at the home of a commoner named Zhang Xu.

江夏王義恭自盱眙還朝，上以巫蠱告之，曰：「常見典籍有此，謂之書傳空言，不意遂所親睹。劭雖所行失道，未必便亡社稷，南面之日，非複我及汝事。汝兒子多，將來遇此不幸爾。」

When Yigong, Prince of Jiangxia, returned from Xuyi, the emperor told him of the witchcraft plot, saying, "I had often read of such things in the classics and dismissed them as empty tradition—I never expected to see it with my own eyes. Though Shao has lost the Way, the dynasty may not fall immediately; once he faces south as emperor, it will no longer be our affair. You have many sons—they may yet suffer this misfortune in their turn."

先是二十八年，彗星起畢、昴，入太微，掃帝座端門，滅翼、軫。二十九年，熒惑逆行守氐，自十一月霖雨連雪，太陽罕曜。三十年正月，大風飛霰且雷。上憂有竊發，輒加劭兵眾，東宮實甲萬人。車駕出行，劭入守，使將白直隊自隨。

Earlier, in the twenty-eighth year, a comet rose in the Net and Hairy Head constellations, entered the Supreme Palace Enclosure, swept the Imperial Seat and the Upright Gate, and passed through the Wings and Chariot constellations. In the twenty-ninth year Mars moved retrograde and held station at Di; from the eleventh month onward rain and snow fell without cease, and the sun rarely appeared. In the first month of the thirtieth year, fierce winds drove sleet and thunder across the sky. Fearing a covert coup, the emperor repeatedly augmented Shao's forces until the Eastern Palace mustered ten thousand armed men. Whenever the emperor traveled abroad, Shao entered the palace to guard it and kept the white-uniform direct guard at his side.

其年二月，浚自京口入朝，當鎮江陵，複載道育還東宮，欲將西上。有告上雲：「京口民張旿家有一尼，服食，出入征北內，似是嚴道育。」上初不信，試使掩錄，得其二婢，雲：「道育隨征北還都。」上謂劭、浚已當斥遣道育，而猶與往來，惆悵惋駭。乃使京口以船送道育二婢，須至檢核，廢劭，賜浚死，以語浚母潘淑妃，淑妃具以告浚。浚馳報劭，劭因是異謀，每夜輒饗將士，或親自行酒，密與腹心隊主陳叔兒、詹叔兒、齋帥張超之、任建之謀之。

That second month Jun came to court from Jingkou before taking up his post at Jiangling; he brought Daoyu back to the Eastern Palace again, intending to take her west with him. Someone reported to the emperor, "At the home of Zhang Xu, a commoner in Jingkou, there is a nun who takes elixirs and enters the Northern Campaigning Prince's residence—it may be Yan Daoyu." At first the emperor disbelieved; he sent men to seize and question them, capturing two maidservants who said, "Daoyu returned to the capital with the Northern Campaigning Prince." The emperor believed Shao and Jun should already have banished Daoyu; that they still kept company with her left him stricken with sorrow and alarm. He ordered Jingkou to send Daoyu's two maidservants by boat; once they arrived for interrogation he would depose Shao and order Jun to take his own life. He confided this to Jun's mother, Consort Pan the Cultivated, who told Jun everything. Jun sent urgent word to Shao, who thereupon formed a new plot. Each night he feasted his officers, sometimes serving wine himself, and secretly conspired with his trusted squad leaders Chen Shuer and Zhan Shuer, fast-guard commander Zhang Chaozhi, and Ren Jianzhi.

道育婢將至，其月二十一日夜，詐上詔雲：「魯秀謀反，汝可平明守闕，率眾入。」因使超之等集素所畜養兵士二千余人，皆使被甲，召內外幢隊主副，豫加部勒，雲有所討。宿召前中庶子、右軍長史蕭斌，夜呼斌及左衛率袁淑、中舍人殷仲素、左積弩將軍王正見，併入宮，告以大事，自起拜斌等，因流涕，眾並驚愕，語在淑傳。明旦未開鼓，劭以硃服加戎服上，乘畫輪車，與蕭斌同載，衛從如常入朝之儀，守門開，從萬春門入。舊制，東宮隊不得入城，劭與門衛雲：「受敕，有所收討。」令後隊速來，張超之等數十人馳入雲龍、東中華門及齋閣，拔刀徑上合殿。上其夜與尚書僕射徐湛之屏人語，至旦燭猶未滅，直衛兵尚寢。超之手行弑逆，並殺湛之。劭進至合殿中閣，太祖已崩，出坐東堂，蕭斌執刀侍直。呼中書舍人顧嘏，嘏震懼不時出，既至，問曰：「欲共見廢，何不蚤啟？」未及答，即於前斬之。遣人於崇禮闥殺吏部尚書江湛。太祖左細杖主卜天與攻劭於東堂，見殺。又使人從東閣入殺潘淑妃，又殺太祖親信左右數十人。急召始興王浚，率眾屯中堂。又召太尉江夏王義恭、尚書令何尚之。

As Daoyu's maidservants were nearing arrival, on the night of the twenty-first he forged an imperial edict: "Lu Xiu is plotting rebellion—at dawn guard the gate towers and lead your men inside." He had Chaozhi and the others muster more than two thousand soldiers he had long kept in training, all armored, and summoned the inner and outer banner squad leaders, telling them a punitive action was at hand. He had already summoned the former palace attendant and Right Army chief clerk Xiao Bin; that night he called in Bin, Left Guard Commander Yuan Shu, palace attendant Yin Zhongsu, and Left Strong Crossbow General Wang Zhengjian, told them of the coup, rose to bow to them in tears, and left them all stunned—the full account appears in Shu's biography. At dawn, before the gate drums sounded, Shao wore vermilion robes over armor, rode in a painted carriage with Xiao Bin, and entered with his usual court escort through the opened Wanchun Gate. By regulation Eastern Palace troops could not enter the city; Shao told the gate guards, "I have received an edict to conduct a punitive seizure." He ordered the rear squads to follow quickly. Chaozhi and several dozen men galloped through the Cloud Dragon Gate, the Eastern Central Splendor Gate, and the fasting chambers, swords drawn, straight to the Unified Hall. That night the emperor had been speaking privately with Xu Zhanzhi, Vice Minister of the Masters of Writing; at dawn the candles still burned and the direct guards still slept. Chaozhi murdered the emperor with his own hand and killed Zhanzhi as well. Shao advanced to the inner bay of the Unified Hall. The Grand Ancestor was already dead. He emerged and took his seat in the Eastern Hall while Xiao Bin stood guard with drawn sword. He summoned Gu Gu, Attendant of the Palace Secretariat. Terrified, Gu delayed coming; when he arrived Shao demanded, "You wanted us deposed—why did you not warn us sooner?" Before Gu could answer, Shao struck off his head on the spot. He sent men to kill Jiang Zhan, Minister of the Masters of Writing, at the Chongli Gate. Bu Tianyu, chief of the Grand Ancestor's left fine-staff guards, attacked Shao in the Eastern Hall and was slain. He also sent men through the Eastern Pavilion to kill Consort Pan the Cultivated and slew several dozen of the Grand Ancestor's closest attendants. He urgently summoned Jun, Prince of Shixing, to lead troops and encamp in the Central Hall. He also summoned Grand Commandant Yigong, Prince of Jiangxia, and Director of the Masters of Writing He Shangzhi.

劭即偽位，為書曰：「徐湛之、江湛弑逆無狀，吾勒兵入殿，已無所及，號惋崩恤，肝心破裂。今罪人斯得，元兇克殄，可大赦天下。改元嘉三十年為太初元年。文武並賜位二等，諸科一依丁卯。」初，使蕭斌作詔，斌辭以不文，乃使侍中王僧綽為之。使改元為太初，劭素與道育所定。斌曰：「舊逾年改元。」劭以問僧綽，繒綽曰：「晉惠帝即位，便改號。」劭喜而從之。百僚至者裁數十人，劭便遽即位。即位畢，稱疾還入永福省，然後遷大行皇帝升太極前殿。是日，以蕭斌為散騎常侍、尚書僕射、領軍將軍；何尚之為司空；前右衛率檀和之戍石頭；侍中營道侯義綦為征虜將軍、晉陵南下邳二郡太守，鎮京城；尚書殷仲景為侍中、中護軍。大行皇帝大斂，劭辭疾不敢出。先給諸王及諸處兵杖，悉收還武庫。殺徐湛之、江湛親黨新除始興內史荀赤松、新除尚書左丞臧凝之、山陰令傅僧祐、吳令江徽、前征北行參軍諸葛詡、右衛司馬江文綱。以殷仲素為黃門侍郎，王正見為左軍將軍，張超之及諸同逆聞人文子、徐興祖、詹叔兒、陳叔兒、任建之等，並將校以下龍驤將軍帶郡，各賜錢二十萬。遣人謂魯秀曰：「徐湛之常欲相危，我已為卿除之矣。」使秀與屯騎校尉龐秀之對掌軍隊。以侍中王僧綽為吏部尚書，司徒左長史何偃為侍中。成服日，劭登殿臨靈，號慟不自持。博訪公卿，詢求治道，薄賦輕徭，損諸游費。田苑山澤，有可弛者，假與貧民。

Shao immediately usurped the throne and issued a proclamation: "Xu Zhanzhi and Jiang Zhan have committed outrageous regicide. I led troops into the hall but arrived too late—I wail in grief as though my heart were torn apart. The culprits are now in hand and the primary villain destroyed—a great amnesty is proclaimed throughout the realm. The thirtieth year of Yuanjia is renamed the first year of Taichu. Civil and military officials alike were promoted two ranks; all other measures followed the Dingmao precedent." He had first ordered Xiao Bin to draft the edict, but Bin pleaded literary inadequacy, so Attendant-in-Ordinary Wang Sengchuo was commissioned instead. He ordered the era name changed to Taichu—a name Shao had long ago chosen with Daoyu. Bin objected, "By custom the era name is changed only after the year has turned." Shao consulted Sengchuo, who replied, "When Emperor Hui of Jin ascended the throne, he changed the era name immediately." Delighted, Shao followed his advice. Only a few dozen officials had arrived, yet Shao hastened to take the throne. Once enthroned he feigned illness and withdrew to the Yongfu Bureau, then had the late emperor's coffin moved to the front hall of the Supreme Ultimate. That day Xiao Bin was appointed Regular Attendant of Scattered Cavalry, Vice Minister of the Masters of Writing, and General Who Leads the Army; He Shangzhi was made Minister of Works; former Right Guard Commander Tan Hezhi garrisoned Shitou; Attendant-in-Ordinary Yiqi, Marquis of Yingdao, was made General Who Pacifies the Barbarians and administrator of Jinling and Xiapi, garrisoning the capital region; Yin Zhongjing, Minister of the Masters of Writing, was made Attendant-in-Ordinary and Central Army Protector. At the late emperor's great encoffinment, Shao pleaded illness and dared not appear. Weapons previously issued to the princes and regional garrisons were all recalled to the armory. He executed the kinsmen and associates of Xu Zhanzhi and Jiang Zhan, including the newly appointed interior minister of Shixing Xun Chisong, the newly appointed left assistant director Zang Ningzhi, the magistrates of Shanyin and Wu, former northern campaign staff officer Zhuge Xu, and Right Guard major Jiang Wengang. Yin Zhongsu was made Attendant-Cadet of the Yellow Gate and Wang Zhengjian Left Army General; Zhang Chaozhi and fellow conspirators Wen Renzi, Xu Xingzu, Zhan Shuer, Chen Shuer, and Ren Jianzhi were all promoted to Dragon-Prancing General with nominal commandery titles and granted two hundred thousand cash each. He sent word to Lu Xiu: "Xu Zhanzhi always meant you harm—I have already removed him for you." He paired Xiu with Commandant of Agile Cavalry Pang Xiuzhi to jointly command the armies. Wang Sengchuo was promoted from Attendant-in-Ordinary to Minister of Personnel, and He Yan, left chief clerk of the Minister of Education, was made Attendant-in-Ordinary. When the mourning garments were completed, Shao ascended the hall before the coffin and wailed until he could no longer control himself. He consulted widely among the high ministers on governance, lightened taxes and corvée labor, and cut recreational expenditures. Imperial fields, parks, and wetlands that could be released were lent to the poor.

三月，遣大使分行四方，分浙以東五郡為會州，省揚州立司隸校尉，以殷沖補之。以大將軍江夏王義恭為太保，司徒南譙王義宣為太尉，衛將軍、荊州刺史始興王浚進號驃騎將軍。王僧綽以先預廢立，見誅。長沙王瑾、瑾弟楷、臨川王燁、桂陽侯覬、新諭侯球，並以宿恨下獄死。禮官希旨，諡太祖不敢盡美稱，上諡曰中宗景皇帝。以雍州刺史臧質為丹陽尹，進世祖號征南將軍，加散騎常侍，撫軍將軍南平王鑠中軍將軍，會稽太守隨王誕會州刺史。江夏王義恭乙太保領大宗師，諮稟之科，依晉扶風王故事。

In the third month he dispatched grand envoys throughout the realm, carved five commanderies east of Zhe into Huizhou, abolished Yang province in favor of a Director of Retainers post, and appointed Yin Chong to it. Grand General Yigong, Prince of Jiangxia, was made Grand Tutor; Minister of Education Yixuan, Prince of Nanqiao, was made Grand Commandant; and Guard General Jun, Prince of Shixing and inspector of Jingzhou, was promoted to Rapid Cavalry General. Wang Sengchuo was executed because he had earlier been involved in deliberations over deposition and succession. Prince of Changsha Jin, his brother Kai, Prince of Linchuan Ye, Marquis of Guiyang Yi, and Marquis of Xinyu Qiu were all imprisoned and killed over old grudges. Ritual officials currying favor dared not grant the Grand Ancestor full posthumous honors, submitting instead the title Emperor Jing of the Middle Ancestor. Zang Zhi, inspector of Yongzhou, was made intendant of Danyang; the heir apparent was promoted to General Who Campaigns South with the additional title Regular Attendant of Scattered Cavalry; Shuo, Prince of Nanping and Pacification Army general, was made Central Army General; and Dan, Prince of Sui and administrator of Kuaiji, was made inspector of Huizhou. Yigong, Prince of Jiangxia, as Grand Tutor also headed the office of Great Lineage Master, with consultation procedures following the Jin precedent of the Prince of Fufeng.

世祖及南譙王義宣、隨王誕諸方鎮並舉義兵。劭聞義師大起，悉聚諸王及大臣于城內，移江夏王義恭住尚書下舍，義恭諸子住侍中下省。自永初元年以前，相國府入齋、傳教、給使，免軍戶，屬南彭城薛縣。劭下書，以中流起兵，當親率六師，觀變江介，悉召下番將吏。加三吳太守軍號，置佐領兵。四月，立妻殷氏為皇后。世祖檄京邑曰：

The heir apparent, Yixuan Prince of Nanqiao, Dan Prince of Sui, and regional commanders throughout the empire all raised righteous armies. When Shao learned the righteous armies were rising everywhere, he gathered all princes and high ministers inside the city, lodged Yigong, Prince of Jiangxia, in the lower quarters of the Masters of Writing, and confined Yigong's sons in the attendants' lower bureau. From before the first year of Yongchu, those who served in fasting observance, carried edicts, or attended in the chancellor's office were exempted from military household status and registered in Xue County of southern Pengcheng. Shao issued an edict: with rebellion along the middle Yangzi, he would personally lead the Six Armies to observe developments on the river and summoned all officers on leave rotation. He granted military titles to the administrators of the Three Wu regions and appointed aides to command troops. In the fourth month he installed his wife, Lady Yin, as empress. The heir apparent issued a proclamation to the capital:

夫運不常隆，代有莫大之釁。爰自上葉，或因多難以成福，或階昏虐以兆亂，鹹由君臣義合，理悖恩離。故堅冰之遘，每鐘澆末，未有以道禦世，教化明厚，而當梟鏡反噬，難發天屬者也。先帝聖德在位，功格區宇，明照萬國，道洽無垠，風之所被，荒隅變識；仁之所動，木石開心。而賊劭乘藉塚嫡，夙蒙寵樹，正位東朝，禮絕君後，凶慢之情，發於齠昪，猜忍之心，成於幾立。賊浚險躁無行，自幼而長，交相倚附，共逞奸回。

Fortune does not forever flourish; every age knows a supreme calamity. Since high antiquity, some have turned hardship into blessing, others climbed through cruelty to sow disorder—all when the bond between ruler and minister broke and principle gave way to betrayal. Solid ice forms at the decadent end of an age; never before has a ruler governed by the Way with enlightened teaching, only to be devoured by his own kin—calamity erupting from within the imperial family itself. The late emperor ruled with sagely virtue; his achievements reached the corners of the realm, his brilliance illumined all states, his Way pervaded without limit, and where his influence reached even the remotest lands changed their ways; where his benevolence moved, even trees and stones were touched to the heart. Yet the villain Shao, as legitimate heir, had long enjoyed favor, held the Eastern Palace, and received honors exceeding those due a son; his brutish insolence showed in childhood, his suspicious cruelty formed from his earliest years. The villain Jun was treacherous and impetuous; growing up together, he and Shao leaned on each other and gave free rein to wickedness.

先旨以王室不造，家難亟結，故含蔽容隱，不彰其釁，訓誘啟告，冀能革音。何悟狂慝不悛，同惡相濟，肇亂巫蠱，終行弑逆，聖躬離荼毒之痛，社稷有翦墜之哀，四海崩心，人神泣血，生民以來，未聞斯禍。奉諱驚號，肝腦塗地，煩冤腷臆，容身無所。大將軍、諸王幽間窮省，存亡未測。徐僕射、江尚書、袁左率，皆當世標秀，一時忠貞，或正色立朝，或聞逆弗順，並橫分階闥，懸首都市。宗党夷滅，豈伊一姓，禍毒所流，未知其極。

The late emperor, seeing the royal house afflicted and family troubles pressing close, concealed their faults and admonished them in hope they might reform. Who could have known they would not repent, that evildoers would aid one another, that they would practice witchcraft and finally commit regicide—the sacred person torn from us in agony, the altars of state in peril, the realm shattered, men and spirits weeping blood; since the birth of the people, no such calamity has been heard. Receiving the dire news, I cry out in shock; grief smears my very liver and brain; injustice chokes my breast—I have nowhere to turn. The Grand General and the princes languish in dark imprisonment; whether they live or die is unknown. Vice Minister Xu, Minister Jiang, and Left Guard Commander Yuan were the finest men of their age—some bearing stern countenance at court, some refusing treason—all cut down at the palace steps, their heads hung in the market. Clans and kindred were exterminated—not one family alone; where this poison flows, its limit is unknown.

昔周道告難，齊、晉勤王，漢曆中圮，虛、牟立節，異姓末屬，猶或亡軀，況幕府職同昔人，義兼臣子。所以枕戈嘗膽，苟全視息，志梟元兇，少雪仇恥。今命冠軍將軍領諮議中直兵柳元景、甯朔將軍領中直兵馬文恭等，統勁卒三萬，風馳徑造石頭，分趨白下；輔國將軍領諮議中直兵宗愨等，勒甲楯二萬，征虜將軍領司馬武昌內史沈慶之等，領壯勇五萬，相尋就路；支軍別統，或焚舟破釜，步自姑孰；或迅楫蕪湖，入據雲陽。凡此諸帥，皆英果權奇，智略深贍，名震中土，勳暢遐疆。幕府親董精悍一十余萬，授律枕戈，駱驛繼邁。司徒睿哲淵謨，赫然震發，征甲八州，電起荊郢；冠軍將軍臧質忠烈協舉，雷動漢陰；冠軍將軍硃修之誠節亮款，悉力請奮。荊、雍百萬，稍次近塗，蜀、漢之卒，續已出境。又安東將軍誕、平西將軍遵考、前撫軍將軍蕭思話、征虜將軍魯爽、前甯朔將軍王玄謨，並密信俱到，不契同期，傳檄三吳，馳軍京邑，遠近俱發，揚旍萬里。樓艦騰川，則滄江霧咽；銳甲赴野，則林薄摧根。謀臣智士，雄夫毅卒，畜志須時，懷憤待用。先聖靈澤，結在民心，逆順大數，冥發天理，無父之國，天下無之。羽檄既馳，華素響會，以此眾戰，誰能抗禦，以此義動，何往不捷！況逆醜無親，人鬼所背，計其同惡，不盈一旅，崇極群小，是與此周，哲人君子，必加積忌。傾海注螢，頹山壓卵，商、周之勢，曾何足雲。

When the Zhou faced calamity, Qi and Jin rallied to the throne; when the Han succession collapsed, Xu and Mou upheld their integrity—even men of other clans sometimes gave their lives; how much more this headquarters, whose duty joins minister and son. Therefore we sleep upon our spears and taste gall, clinging to life only to draw breath, resolved to behead the primary villain and partly avenge our shame. I now order Champion General Liu Yuanjing, Pacifying North General Ma Wengong, and others to command thirty thousand crack troops, racing straight to Shitou and dividing toward Baixia; Assistant State General Zong Que leads twenty thousand armored troops; General Who Pacifies the Barbarians Shen Qingzhi leads fifty thousand stalwart warriors, each column marching in succession; branch armies under separate command burn their boats and smash their cauldrons, marching out from Gushu; others row swiftly from Wuhu to seize Yunyang. All these commanders are heroic, resourceful, and deep in strategy; their fame shakes the central lands, their merit resounds to the farthest borders. The headquarters personally commands more than one hundred thousand picked troops, disciplined and armed, advancing in continuous relays. The Minister of Education, sagely and profoundly scheming, rises in splendid alarm, summoning armor from eight provinces, swift as lightning from Jing and Ying; Champion General Zang Zhi, loyal and resolute, thunders west of the Han; Champion General Zhu Xiuzhi, sincere and loyal, exhausts himself begging to fight. A million men from Jing and Yong draw near along the roads; troops from Shu and Han have already crossed the borders. Moreover Pacifying East General Dan, Pacifying West General Zunkao, former Pacification Army General Xiao Sihua, General Who Pacifies the Barbarians Lu Shuang, and former Pacifying North General Wang Xuanmo all sent secret letters arriving together, proclaiming through the Three Wu and galloping armies toward the capital; near and far all rise, banners flying for ten thousand li. When tower ships surge upon the rivers, the azure Yangzi chokes in mist; when sharp armor rushes to the field, thickets and groves are uprooted at the root. Counselors and wise men, heroic warriors and resolute soldiers store their resolve for the hour, harboring outrage ready to be unleashed. The late sage's grace lives in the people's hearts; Heaven's principle secretly ordains the reckoning of rebellion and loyalty—a realm without a father, the world has never known. Once battle proclamations fly forth, noble and common answer as one; with such a host, who can resist? With such righteousness in motion, where will we not prevail? Moreover the rebel is without kin; men and ghosts alike turn their backs. His fellow evildoers do not fill a single regiment; he exalts the basest rabble—this is his court. Wise men and gentlemen will surely heap hatred upon him. Pouring the sea upon a firefly, toppling a mountain upon an egg—the forces of Shang and Zhou were scarcely worth mentioning.

諸君或奕世貞賢，身囗皇渥，或勳烈肺腑，休否攸同。拘逼凶勢，俯眉寇手，含憤茹戚，不可為心。大軍近次，威聲已接，便宜因變立功，洗雪滓累；若事有不獲，能背逆歸順，亦其次也；如有守迷遂往，黨一凶類，刑茲無赦，戮及五宗。賞罰之科，信如日月。原火一燎，異物同灰，幸求多福，無貽後悔。書到宣告，咸使聞知。

You gentlemen are perhaps men of loyal worth for generations, bathed in imperial grace; or men of merit in the emperor's inner circle, sharing weal and woe alike. Constrained by the villain's power, you bow before the rebel's hand, swallowing rage and grief the heart cannot bear. The great army is near; its awesome renown already reaches you—seize the moment, establish merit, and wash away your stains; if that fails, to turn from rebellion and return to loyalty is the next best; if any cling to delusion and side with the villains, punishment knows no pardon, slaughter reaching to the five kindreds. The standards of reward and punishment are as sure as sun and moon. When the prairie fire blazes, all alike become ash—seek your blessing now and leave no cause for regret. When this document arrives, proclaim it so that all may hear and know.

劭自謂素習武事，語朝士曰：「卿等但助我理文書，勿措意戎陳。若有寇難，吾當自出，唯恐賊虜不敢動爾。」司隸校尉殷沖掌綜文符，左衛將軍尹弘配衣軍旅，蕭斌總眾事，中外戒嚴。防守世祖子於侍中下省，南譙王義宣諸子於太倉空屋。劭使浚與世祖書曰：「聞弟忽起狂檄，阻兵反噬，縉紳憤歎，義夫激怒。古來陵上內侮，誰不夷滅，弟洞覽墳籍，豈不斯具。今主上天縱英聖，靈武宏發，自登宸極，威澤兼宣，人懷甘死之志，物競舍生之節。弟蒙眷遇，著自少長，東宮之歡，其來如昨，而信惑奸邪，忘茲恩友，此之不義，人鬼同疾。今水步諸軍悉已備辦，上親禦六師，太保又乘鉞臨統，吾與烏羊，相尋即道。所以淹霆緩電者，猶冀弟迷而知返爾。故略示懷，言不盡意，主上聖恩，每厚法師，今在殿內住，想弟欲知消息，故及。」烏羊者，南平王鑠；法師，世祖世子小名也。

Shao considered himself a seasoned warrior and told the court, "You need only help me with documents—leave military affairs to me. If enemies come, I shall go out myself—I only fear the rebels will not dare stir." Director of Retainers Yin Chong managed all documents; Left Guard General Yin Hong coordinated the troops; Xiao Bin oversaw all affairs; martial law was declared throughout the palace and capital. The heir apparent's sons were confined in the attendants' lower bureau; Yixuan's sons were held in empty rooms of the Great Storehouse. Shao had Jun write to the heir apparent: "I hear you have suddenly raised a mad proclamation, blocking the army and turning on your kin—the gentry are indignant, men of righteousness are roused to anger. From antiquity onward, those who insulted their superiors and brought internal strife—who was not exterminated? You have read the classics—is this not fully set forth there? Our lord is Heaven-endowed, heroic and sage; his martial power flourishes; since ascending the throne, authority and grace are both proclaimed—men gladly die for him, all things compete in giving their lives. You have enjoyed favor from childhood; the joys of the Eastern Palace are as yesterday—yet you believed wicked men and forgot this grace; such unrighteousness, men and ghosts alike abhor. The river and land forces are all prepared; the emperor will personally lead the Six Armies; the Grand Tutor again bears the battle-axe; I and the Black Sheep will march in succession. We delay the thunderbolt only in hope that you, though lost, may yet know to return. I briefly show my feelings—words cannot exhaust my meaning. The emperor's grace is always generous to Fashi; he now dwells within the hall. I thought you would wish to know, and so I mention this." Black Sheep" referred to Shuo, Prince of Nanping; Fashi was the childhood name of the heir apparent's eldest son.

劭欲殺三鎮士庶家口，江夏王義恭、何尚之說之曰：「凡舉大事者，不顧家口。且多是驅逼，今忽誅其餘累，正足堅彼意耳。」劭謂為然，乃下書一無所問。使褚湛之戍石頭，劉思考鎮東府。浚及蕭斌勸劭勒水軍自上決戰，若不爾，則保據梁山。江夏王義恭慮義兵倉卒，船舫陋小，不宜水戰。乃進策曰：「賊駿少年未習軍旅，遠來疲弊，宜以逸待之。今遠出梁山，則京都空弱，東軍乘虛，容能為患。若分力兩赴，則兵散勢離。不如養銳待期，坐而勸釁。」劭善其議，蕭斌厲色曰：「南中郎二十年少，業能建如此大事，豈複可量。三方同惡，勢據上流，沈慶之甚練軍事，柳元景、宗愨屢嘗立功。形勢如此，實非小敵。唯宜及人情未離，尚可決力一戰。端坐台城，何由得久。主相咸無戰意，此自天也。」劭不納。疑朝廷舊臣悉不為己用，厚接王羅漢、魯秀，悉以兵事委之，多賜珍玩美色，以悅其意。羅漢先為南平王鑠右軍參軍，劭以其有將用，故以心膂委焉。或勸劭保石頭城者，劭曰：「昔人所以固石頭，俟諸侯勤王爾。我若守此，誰當見救。唯應力戰決之，不然不克。」日日自出行軍，慰勞將士，親督都水治船艦，焚南岸，驅百姓家悉渡水北。使有司奏立子偉之為皇太子，以褚湛之為後將軍、丹陽尹，置佐史，驃騎將軍始興王浚為侍中、中書監、司徒、錄尚書六條事，中軍將軍南平王鑠為使持節、都督南兗兗青徐冀五州諸軍事、征北將軍、開府儀同三司、南兗州刺史，新除左將軍、丹陽尹建平王宏為散騎常侍、鎮軍將軍、江州刺史。

Shao wished to kill the families of those in the three commanderies. Yigong, Prince of Jiangxia, and He Shangzhi admonished him: "All who undertake great affairs disregard family dependents. Moreover most were coerced; if you now execute their families, you will only harden their resolve." Shao agreed and issued an edict that no inquiries were to be made. He sent Chu Chenzhi to garrison Shitou and Liu Sikao to guard the Eastern Palace headquarters. Jun and Xiao Bin urged Shao to muster the river fleet for a decisive battle upstream, or else hold Liangshan. Yigong, Prince of Jiangxia, feared the righteous army had been raised in haste with crude, small boats ill-suited for river combat. He submitted a stratagem: "The rebel Jun is young and inexperienced; coming from afar he is weary—you should await him at ease. If you march far to Liangshan, the capital will be left weak; the eastern army may seize the opening and become a threat. If you divide your forces in two directions, the army will scatter and momentum will dissolve. Better to nurture our strength and await the moment, sitting still and letting them provoke themselves." Shao approved this plan. Xiao Bin said sternly, "The Southern Gentlemen-in-Attendance is only twenty, yet he has already accomplished so much—who can gauge his capacity? Three regions share their rebellion and hold the upper Yangzi; Shen Qingzhi is a seasoned commander, and Liu Yuanjing and Zong Que have won repeated victories. In such a situation they are no small enemy. We should strike while loyalty still holds and stake everything on one decisive battle. Sitting idle in Terrace City, how can we endure? The emperor and chief minister alike lack fighting spirit—this is Heaven's will." Shao would not listen. Suspecting the court's veteran ministers would not serve him, he lavished favor on Wang Luohan and Lu Xiu, entrusting all military affairs to them and bestowing treasures and beautiful women to win them over. Luohan had served as a staff officer under Shuo, Prince of Nanping; Shao valued his military talent and entrusted him as a close confidant. When some urged him to hold Shitou fortress, Shao said, "Men of old fortified Shitou to await the lords coming to aid the throne. If I hold this place, who will rescue me? We must fight with full strength to decide the matter; otherwise we cannot prevail." Each day he went out to review the troops, comfort the soldiers, personally oversee shipbuilding, burn the south bank, and drive all civilians across to the north bank. He had officials memorialize to install his son Weizhi as crown prince; Chu Chenzhi was made Rear General and intendant of Danyang; Jun, Prince of Shixing and Rapid Cavalry General, was made Attendant-in-Ordinary, Supervisor of the Masters of Writing, Minister of Education, and recorder of the six articles; Shuo, Prince of Nanping and Central Army General, was made commander of five provinces with the title General Who Campaigns North; and Hong, Prince of Jianping, was made Pacification Army General and inspector of Jiangzhou.

龐秀之自石頭先眾南奔，人情由是大震。以征虜將軍營道侯義綦即本號為湘州刺史，輔國將軍檀和之為西中郎將、雍州刺史。十九日，義軍至新林，劭登石頭烽火樓望之。二十一日，義軍至新亭。時魯秀屯白石，劭召秀與王羅漢共屯硃雀門。蕭斌統步軍，褚湛之統水軍。二十二日，使蕭斌率魯秀、王羅漢等精兵萬人攻新亭壘，劭登硃雀門躬自督率，將士懷劭重賞，皆為之力戰。將克，而秀斂軍遽止，為柳元景等所乘，故大敗。劭又率腹心同惡自來攻壘，元景複破之；劭走還硃雀門，蕭斌臂為流矢所中。褚湛之攜二子與檀和之同共歸順。劭駭懼，走還台城。其夜，魯秀又南奔。時江夏王義恭謀據石頭，會劭已令浚及蕭斌備守。劭並焚京都軍籍，置立郡縣，悉屬司隸為民。以前軍將軍、輔國將軍王羅漢為左衛將軍，輔國如故，左軍王正見為太子左衛率。二十五日，義恭單馬南奔，自東掖門出，於冶渚過淮。東掖門隊主吳道興是臧質門人，冶渚軍主原稚孫是世祖故史，義恭得免。劭遣騎追討，騎至冶渚，義恭始得渡淮。義恭佐史義故二千余人，隨從南奔，多為追兵所殺。遣浚殺義恭諸子。以輦迎蔣侯神像于宮內，啟顙乞恩，拜為大司馬，封鐘山郡王，食邑萬戶，加節鉞。蘇侯為驃騎將軍。使南平王鑠為祝文，罪狀世祖。

Pang Xiuzhi fled south from Shitou ahead of the troops, and morale collapsed. Yiqi, Marquis of Yingdao and General Who Pacifies the Barbarians, was made inspector of Xiangzhou; Tan Hezhi, Assistant State General, was made Western Gentlemen-in-Attendance and inspector of Yongzhou. On the nineteenth the righteous army reached Xinlin; Shao climbed the beacon tower at Shitou to watch them. On the twenty-first the righteous army reached Xinting. Lu Xiu was then encamped at Baishi; Shao summoned him and Wang Luohan to hold the Vermilion Sparrow Gate together. Xiao Bin commanded the infantry; Chu Chenzhi commanded the river fleet. On the twenty-second Xiao Bin led ten thousand picked troops under Lu Xiu and Wang Luohan against the Xinting fort while Shao personally directed from the Vermilion Sparrow Gate. His officers and soldiers, tempted by heavy rewards, fought with all their strength. They were on the verge of victory when Xiu suddenly halted his troops; Liu Yuanjing and others seized the opening and routed them completely. Shao again led his trusted conspirators in person to attack the fort, and Yuanjing defeated them once more; Shao fled back to the Vermilion Sparrow Gate; a stray arrow struck Xiao Bin's arm. Chu Chenzhi took his two sons and submitted together with Tan Hezhi. Terrified, Shao fled back to Terrace City. That night Lu Xiu fled south again. Yigong, Prince of Jiangxia, plotted to seize Shitou, but Shao had already ordered Jun and Xiao Bin to guard it. Shao also burned the capital's military registers, established commanderies and counties, and registered all as common households under the Director of Retainers. Wang Luohan was made Left Guard General while retaining his Assistant State General title; Wang Zhengjian was made the crown prince's Left Guard Commander. On the twenty-fifth Yigong fled south alone on horseback, exiting through the Eastern Corner Gate and crossing the Huai at Yezhu. Wu Daoxing, squad leader at the Eastern Corner Gate, was a client of Zang Zhi; Yuan Zhisun, garrison commander at Yezhu, was a former clerk of the heir apparent—thus Yigong escaped. Shao sent cavalry in pursuit; they reached Yezhu only after Yigong had crossed the Huai. More than two thousand of Yigong's staff and retainers followed him south; most were killed by pursuers. He sent Jun to kill Yigong's sons. He had the spirit image of Lord Jiang brought into the palace by imperial carriage, bowed begging grace, and enfeoffed him as Grand Marshal, Prince of Zhongshan, with ten thousand households and the battle-axe of authority. Lord Su was made Rapid Cavalry General. He had Shuo, Prince of Nanping, compose the prayer text enumerating the heir apparent's crimes.

加浚使持節、都督南徐會二州諸軍事、領太子太傅、南徐州刺史，給班劍二十人；征北將軍、南兗州刺史南平王鑠進號驃騎將軍，與浚並錄尚書事。二十七日，臨軒拜息偉之為太子，百官皆戎服，劭獨袞衣。下書大赦天下，唯世祖、劉義恭、義宣、誕不在原例，餘黨一無所問。先遣太保參軍庾道、員外散騎侍郎硃和之，又遣殿中將軍燕欽東拒誕。五月，世祖所遣參軍顧彬之及誕前軍，並至曲阿，與道相遇，與戰，大破之。劭遣人焚燒都水西裝及左尚方，決破柏崗方山埭以絕東軍。又悉以上守家之丁巷居者，緣淮豎舶船為樓，多設大弩。又使司隸治中監琅邪郡事羊希柵斷班瀆、白石諸水口。于時男丁既盡，召婦女親役。

Jun was given the Staff, command over southern Xu and Hui, appointment as Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince and inspector of southern Xu, and twenty ceremonial swords; Shuo, Prince of Nanping, General Who Campaigns North and inspector of southern Yan, was promoted to Rapid Cavalry General and, with Jun, recorded affairs of the Masters of Writing. On the twenty-seventh he invested his son Weizhi as crown prince before the hall; all officials wore armor while Shao alone wore imperial robes. He proclaimed a great amnesty; only the heir apparent, Yigong, Yixuan, and Dan were excluded—the rest of the faction went unquestioned. He first sent Grand Tutor staff officer Yu Dao and extraordinary Attendant-Cadet Zhu Hezhi, and also sent Palace General Yan Qin east to resist Dan. In the fifth month Gu Binzhi, staff officer of the heir apparent, and Dan's vanguard reached Qu'e, met Dao in battle, and routed him utterly. Shao sent men to burn the western workshops of the Directorate of Waterways and the Left Palace Workshops, and breached the Baigang and Fangshan dams to block the eastern army. He also conscripted all adult males from wall-guard households and alley dwellers, erected barge-towers along the river, and set up many large crossbows. He had Yang Xi, supervising administrator of Langye under the Director of Retainers, barricade the mouths of the Banyu, Baishi, and other waterways. By then adult males were exhausted, and women were summoned for labor.

其月三日，魯秀等募勇士五百人攻大航，鉤得一舶。王羅漢副楊恃德命使複航，羅漢昏酣作伎，聞官軍已渡，驚懼放仗歸降。緣渚幢隊，以次奔散，器仗鼓蓋，充塞街衢。是夜，劭閉守六門，於門內鑿塹立柵，以露車為樓，城內沸亂，無複綱紀。丹陽尹尹弘、前軍將軍孟宗嗣等下及將吏，並逾城出奔。劭使詹叔兒燒輦及袞冕服。蕭斌聞大航不守，惶窘不知所為，宣令所統，皆使解甲，自石頭遣息約詣闕請罪，尋戴白幡來降，即於軍門伏誅。四日，太尉江夏王義恭登硃雀門，總群帥，遣魯秀、薛安都、程天祚等直趣宣陽門。劭軍主徐興祖、羅訓、虞丘要兒等率眾來降。劭先遣龍驤將軍陳叔兒東討，事急，召還。是日，始入建陽門，遙見官軍，所領並棄仗走。劭腹心白直同諸逆先屯閶闔門外，並走還入殿。天祚與安都副譚金因而乘之，即得俱入。安都及軍主武念、宋越等相繼進，臧質大軍從廣莫門入，同會太極殿前，即斬太子左衛率王正見。建平、東海等七王並號哭俱出。劭穿西垣入武庫井中，隊副高禽執之。浚率左右數十人，與南平王鑠於西明門出，俱共南奔。于越城遇江夏王義恭，浚下馬曰：「南中郎今何所作？」義恭曰：「四海無統，百司固請，上已俯順群心，君臨萬國。」又曰：「虎頭來得無晚乎？」義恭曰：「殊當恨晚。」又曰：「故當不死耶？」義恭曰：「可詣行闕請罪。」又曰：「未審猶能賜一職自效不？」義恭又曰：「此未可量。」勒與俱歸，於道斬首。

On the third of that month Lu Xiu recruited five hundred men to attack the Great Crossing and seized one barge. Wang Luohan's deputy Yang Side ordered navigation restored; Luohan, drunk amid entertainments, heard the government army had crossed, cast aside his weapons, and surrendered. Banner squads along the shore fled in succession; weapons, drums, and canopies filled the streets. That night Shao sealed the six gates, dug moats and erected palisades inside them, and used open wagons as towers—the city seethed in chaos and all order collapsed. Yin Hong, intendant of Danyang, Forward Army General Meng Zongsi, and officers and clerks below them all climbed over the wall and fled. Shao had Zhan Shuer burn the imperial carriages and the robes and caps of state. When Xiao Bin heard the Great Crossing had fallen, he panicked, ordered his troops to lay down their arms, sent his son Yue from Shitou to beg forgiveness, then came wearing a white banner to surrender and was executed at the army gate. On the fourth Grand Commandant Yigong, Prince of Jiangxia, ascended the Vermilion Sparrow Gate, took command of the generals, and sent Lu Xiu, Xue Andu, Cheng Tianzuo, and others straight to the Xuanyang Gate. Shao's commanders Xu Xingzu, Luo Xun, Yuqiu Yaor, and others led their forces to surrender. Shao had earlier sent Dragon-Prancing General Chen Shuer east; when matters grew urgent he was recalled. That day he had just entered the Jianyang Gate when, seeing the government army in the distance, all his men cast aside their weapons and fled. Shao's trusted white-uniform guards and other rebels encamped outside the Changhe Gate all ran back into the palace. Tianzuo and Andu's deputy Tan Jin seized the moment and entered together. Andu and commanders Wu Nian and Song Yue advanced in succession; Zang Zhi's great army entered through the Guangmo Gate; all met before the Supreme Ultimate Hall and beheaded Wang Zhengjian, the crown prince's Left Guard Commander. The seven princes of Jianping, Donghai, and others all came out together wailing. Shao broke through the western wall and hid in the armory well; squad deputy Gao Qin seized him. Jun led several dozen attendants and, with Shuo, Prince of Nanping, fled south through the Western Bright Gate. At Yuecheng Jun met Yigong, Prince of Jiangxia, dismounted, and asked, "What is the Southern Gentlemen-in-Attendance doing now?" Yigong replied, "The realm lacks a ruler; the hundred offices petitioned; the emperor has bowed to the people's will and rules the realm." He added, "Has Tiger Head come too late?" Yigong said, "Indeed—it is far too late." Jun asked, "So I am not to die after all?" Yigong said, "You may go to the traveling palace and beg forgiveness." Jun asked, "Might I still be granted a post to serve?" Yigong replied, "That cannot yet be known." Jun was compelled to return with him and was beheaded on the road.

浚字休明，將產之夕，有鵩鳥鳴於屋上。元嘉十三年，年八歲，封始興王。十六年，都督湘州諸軍事、後將軍、湘州刺史。仍遷使持節、都督南豫豫司雍並五州諸軍事、南豫州刺史，將軍如故。十七年，為揚州刺史，將軍如故，置佐領兵。十九年，罷府。二十一年，加散騎常侍，進號中軍將軍。

Jun, styled Xiuming, on the night before his birth an owl-falcon cried upon the roof. In the thirteenth year of Yuanjia, at eight he was enfeoffed as Prince of Shixing. In the sixteenth year he was made commander of Xiangzhou military affairs, Rear General, and inspector of Xiangzhou. He was then made Bearer of the Staff, commander of five provinces including southern Yu, Yu, Si, Yong, and Bing, and inspector of southern Yu, retaining his generalship. In the seventeenth year he became inspector of Yangzhou, retaining his generalship, with staff officers appointed to lead troops. In the nineteenth year his headquarters was abolished. In the twenty-first year he was given Regular Attendant of Scattered Cavalry and promoted to Central Army General.

明年，浚上言：「所統吳興郡，衿帶重山，地多汙澤，泉流歸集，疏決遲壅，時雨未過，已至漂沒。或方春輟耕，或開秋沈稼，田家徒苦，防遏無方。彼邦奧區，地沃民阜，一歲稱稔，則穰被京城；時或水潦，由數郡為災。頃年以來，儉多豐寡，雖賑賚周給，傾耗國儲，公私之弊，方在未已。州民姚嶠比通便宜，以為二吳、晉陵、義興四郡，同注太湖，而松江滬瀆壅噎不利，故處處湧溢，浸漬成災。欲從武康珝溪開漕穀湖，直出海口，一百餘裏，穿渠浛必無閡滯。自去踐行量度，二十許載。去十一年大水，已詣前刺史臣義康欲陳此計，即遣主簿盛曇泰隨嶠周行，互生疑難，議遂寢息。既事關大利，宜加研盡，登遣議曹從事史虞長孫與吳興太守孔山士同共履行，准望地勢，格評高下，其川源由曆，莫不踐校，圖畫形便，詳加算考，如所較量，決謂可立。尋四郡同患，非獨吳興，若此浛獲通，列邦蒙益。不有暫勞，無由永晏。然興創事大，圖始當難。今欲且開小漕，觀試流勢，輒差烏程、武康、東遷三縣近民，即時營作。若宜更增廣，尋更列言。昔鄭國敵將，史起畢忠，一開其說，萬世為利。嶠之所建，雖側芻蕘，如或非妄，庶幾可立。」從之；功竟不立。

The following year Jun memorialized: "Wuxing commandery under my command is girdled by mountains and has many marshes; streams converge and drainage is slow—before the rains have passed, flooding already occurs. Sometimes spring plowing is halted, sometimes autumn crops are drowned—farmers suffer in vain with no means to prevent it. That region is a fertile heartland; one good harvest feeds the capital; when floods come, several commanderies suffer together. In recent years lean years have outnumbered abundant ones; though relief is distributed widely, state stores are drained—the harm to public and private interests continues. Yao Qiao, a commandery resident versed in practical measures, held that the four commanderies of the Two Wu, Jinling, and Yixing all drain into Lake Tai, while the Song River and Hudu are choked, so water overflows everywhere into disaster. He proposed opening a canal from Wukang's Xu Brook through the Grain Transport Lake straight to the sea, more than one hundred li—once cut through there would be no obstruction. He had been measuring and surveying in person for about twenty years. Eleven years ago, in a great flood, he had already approached former inspector Yikang with this plan; Yikang sent chief clerk Sheng Tantai to tour with Qiao, but mutual doubts arose and the proposal was shelved. Since the matter concerns great benefit, it should be studied exhaustively. I sent Review Bureau staff officer Yu Changsun with Wuxing administrator Kong Shanshi to survey the route, gauge terrain, and verify every watercourse—by detailed calculation, it is judged feasible. All four commanderies share this affliction—not Wuxing alone; if this channel opens, neighboring commanderies will all benefit. Without temporary labor there can be no lasting peace. Yet founding a great undertaking is difficult at the start. Now I wish first to open a small canal and observe the flow, dispatching people from Wucheng, Wukang, and Dongqian to work at once. If it should be enlarged, I will memorialize again. Formerly when Zheng was the enemy state, Shi Qi completed loyal service—once adopted, his proposal benefited ten thousand generations. What Qiao proposes, though humble counsel, may perhaps be established." This was approved; The work was ultimately not completed.

二十三年，給鼓吹一部。二十六年，出為使持節、都督南徐兗二州諸軍事、征北將軍、開府儀同三司、南徐兗二州刺史，常侍如故。二十八年，遣浚率眾城瓜步山，解南兗州。三十年，徙都督荊雍益梁甯南北秦七州諸軍事、衛將軍、開府儀同三司、荊州刺史、領護南蠻校尉，持節、常侍如故。

In the twenty-third year he was granted a set of martial drums and pipes. In the twenty-sixth year he went out as Bearer of the Staff, commander of southern Xu and Yan, General Who Campaigns North, with Three Excellencies honors, and inspector of southern Xu and Yan, retaining his Regular Attendant status. In the twenty-eighth year he led troops to fortify Guabu Mountain and was relieved of southern Yan province. In the thirtieth year he was transferred as commander of seven provinces including Jing and Yong, Guard General with Three Excellencies honors, inspector of Jingzhou, and Protector of the Southern Barbarians, retaining the Staff and Regular Attendant status.

浚少好文籍，姿質端妍。母潘淑妃有盛寵，時六宮無主，潘專總內政。浚人才既美，母又至愛，太祖甚留心。建平王宏、侍中王僧綽、中書侍郎蔡興宗並以文義往復。初，元皇后性忌，以潘氏見幸，遂以恚恨致崩，故劭深疾潘氏及浚。浚慮將來受禍，乃曲意事劭，劭與之遂善。多有過失，屢為上所詰讓，憂懼，乃與劭共為巫蠱。及出鎮京口，聽將揚州文武二千人自隨，優遊外籓，甚為得意。在外經年，又失南兗，於是複願還朝。廬陵王紹以疾患解揚州，時江夏王義恭外鎮，浚謂州任自然歸己，而上以授南譙王義宣，意甚不悅。乃因員外散騎侍郎徐爰求鎮江陵，又求助於尚書僕射徐湛之。而尚書令何尚之等咸謂浚太子次弟，不宜遠出。上以上流之重，宜有至親，故以授浚。時浚入朝，遣還京，為行留處分。至京數日而巫蠱事發，時二十九年七月也。上惋歎彌日，謂潘淑妃曰：「太子圖富貴，更是一理。虎頭複如北，非複思慮所及。汝母子豈可一日無我耶！」浚小名虎頭。使左右硃法瑜密責讓浚，辭甚哀切，並賜書曰：「鸚鵡事想汝已聞，汝亦何至迷惑乃爾。且沈懷遠何人，其詎能為汝隱此耶？故使法瑜口宣，投筆惋慨。」浚慚懼，不知所答。浚還京，本暫去，上怒，不聽歸。其年十二月，中書侍郎蔡興宗問建平王宏曰：「歲無複幾，征北何當至？」宏歎息良久曰：「年內何必還。」在京以沈懷遠為長流參軍，每夕輒開便門為微行。上聞，殺其嬖人楊承先。明年正月，荊州事方行，二月，浚還朝。十四日，臨軒受拜。其日，藏嚴道育事發，明旦浚入謝，上容色非常。其夕，即加詰問，浚唯謝罪而已。潘淑妃抱持浚，泣涕謂曰：「汝始咒詛事發，猶冀刻己思愆，何意忽藏嚴道育耶？上責汝深，至我叩頭乞恩，意永不釋。今日用活何為，可送藥來，當先自取盡，不忍見汝禍敗。」浚奮衣而去，曰：「天下事尋自當判，願小寬憂煎，必不上累。」

From youth Jun loved literature; he was elegant and handsome in bearing. His mother, Consort Pan the Cultivated, enjoyed great favor; with no empress in the six palaces, Pan monopolized internal administration. Jun was talented and his mother deeply beloved—the Grand Ancestor paid him great attention. Hong, Prince of Jianping, Wang Sengchuo, and Cai Xingzong all exchanged literary correspondence with him. The primary empress had been jealous; because Lady Pan was favored, she died of grief and resentment, and Shao therefore deeply hated Pan and Jun. Fearing future harm, Jun curried favor with Shao until they became close. He had many faults and was repeatedly rebuked by the emperor; in fear he joined Shao in witchcraft sorcery. When he went to garrison Jingkou he was allowed two thousand Yangzhou officers to accompany him; roaming in an outer fief, he was greatly pleased. After years abroad he lost southern Yan as well and wished to return to court. Prince of Luling Shao was relieved of Yangzhou due to illness while Yigong garrisoned abroad. Jun expected the post would fall to him, but the emperor gave it to Yixuan, Prince of Nanqiao—he was deeply displeased. Through Xu Ai, Extraordinary Attendant-Cadet, he sought to garrison Jiangling and also sought help from Xu Zhanzhi, Vice Minister of the Masters of Writing. But He Shangzhi, Director of the Masters of Writing, and others held that Jun, as the crown prince's younger brother, should not be sent far away. The emperor, because the upper Yangzi required a close kinsman, gave the post to Jun. Jun was then entering court and was sent back to the capital for departure arrangements. Within days at the capital the witchcraft affair broke out—the seventh month of the twenty-ninth year. The emperor grieved for days and said to Consort Pan, "The crown prince seeking power is one thing. Tiger Head acting thus is beyond what one could have foreseen. How can you mother and son endure a single day without me!" Jun's childhood name was Tiger Head. He had Zhu Fayu secretly rebuke Jun in urgent, mournful words and sent a letter: "You must have heard of the Yingwu affair—how could you become so deluded? Besides, what sort of man is Shen Huaiyuan that he could hide this for you? I have Fayu announce this orally; I set down the brush in grief." Jun was ashamed and afraid, not knowing how to answer. Jun had meant only a brief stay in the capital, but the angry emperor would not let him return. That twelfth month Cai Xingzong asked Hong, Prince of Jianping, "The year has little left—when will the Northern Campaigning General arrive?" Hong sighed and said, "He need not return within the year." In the capital he made Shen Huaiyuan chief roaming staff officer and each evening opened the side gate for secret outings. When the emperor learned of this, he killed Jun's favorite Yang Chengxian. The following first month the Jingzhou appointment was to proceed; in the second month Jun returned to court. On the fourteenth he received investiture facing the hall. That day the matter of hiding Yan Daoyu broke out; the next morning when Jun paid respects, the emperor's expression was extraordinary. That evening he was interrogated; Jun could only beg forgiveness. Consort Pan embraced Jun, weeping: "When the cursing affair broke out I hoped you would reform—who imagined you would still hide Yan Daoyu? The emperor rebuked you severely; I begged for grace, yet his anger will never release. What is the use of living? Send poison—I will take it first; I cannot bear to see you ruined." Jun flung aside his robes and left: "The realm's affairs will soon be decided; ease your grief—you will not be implicated."

劭入弑之旦，浚在西州，府舍人硃法瑜奔告浚曰：「台內叫喚，宮門皆閉，道上傳太子反，未測禍變所至。」浚陽驚曰：「今當奈何？」法瑜勸入據石頭。浚未得劭信，不知事之濟不，騷擾未知所為。將軍王慶曰：「今宮內有變，未知主上安危，預在臣子。當投袂赴難。憑城自守，非臣節也。」浚不聽，乃從南門出，徑向石頭，文武從者千餘人。時南平王鑠守石頭，兵士亦千余人。俄而劭遣張超之馳馬召浚，浚屏人問狀，即戎服乘馬而去。硃法瑜固止浚，浚不從。出至中門，王慶又諫曰：「太子反逆，天下怨憤。明公但當堅閉城門，坐食積粟，不過三日，凶黨自離。公情事如此，今豈宜去。」浚曰：「皇太子令，敢有複言者斬！」既入，見劭，勸殺荀赤松等。劭謂浚曰：「潘淑妃遂為亂兵所害。」浚曰：「此是下情由來所願。」其悖逆乃如此。

On the morning of the regicide Jun was at the Western Quarter; Zhu Fayu ran to tell him, "The palace is shouting, the gates are closed, and the roads say the crown prince has rebelled—disaster has struck." Jun feigned surprise: "What should we do now?" Fayu urged him to seize Shitou. Without word from Shao Jun did not know whether the coup would succeed and was agitated, not knowing what to do. General Wang Qing said, "There is turmoil in the palace and we do not know whether the emperor is safe—this is the moment for subjects. We should throw aside our sleeves and rush to help. Holding the city in defense is not the conduct of a minister." Jun would not listen and went out the Southern Gate straight for Shitou with more than a thousand followers. Shuo, Prince of Nanping, was then guarding Shitou with more than a thousand soldiers. Soon Shao sent Zhang Chaozhi to summon Jun; Jun dismissed those present, learned the situation, donned armor, mounted, and went. Zhu Fayu tried to stop him, but Jun would not listen. At the middle gate Wang Qing remonstrated again, "The crown prince has rebelled; the realm resents him. Close the gates and live on stored grain—within three days the rebels will scatter. In your situation, how can you go now?" Jun said, "The crown prince orders it—whoever speaks again shall be beheaded!" Once inside he saw Shao and urged killing Xun Chisong and others. Shao told Jun, "Consort Pan was killed by mutinous soldiers." Jun said, "That has long been my dearest wish." His perversity was to such a degree.

及劭將敗，勸劭入海，輦珍寶繒帛下船，與劭書曰：「船故未至，今晚期當於此下物令畢，願速敕謝賜出船艦。尼已入台，願與之明日決也。臣猶謂車駕應出此，不爾無以鎮物情。」人情離散，故行計不果。浚書所雲尼，即嚴道育也。及劭入井，高禽于井中牽出之。劭問禽曰：「天子何在？」禽曰：「至尊近在新亭。」將劭至殿前，臧質見之慟哭，劭曰：「天地所不覆載，丈人何為見哭。」質因辨其逆狀，答曰：「先朝當見枉廢，不能作獄中囚，問計于蕭斌，斌見勸如此。」又語質曰：「可得為啟，乞遠徙不？」質答曰：「主上近在航南，自當有處分。」縛劭於馬上，防送軍門。既至牙下，據鞍顧望，太尉江夏王義恭與諸王皆共臨視之。義恭詰劭曰：「我背逆歸順，有何大罪，頓殺我家十二兒？」劭答曰：「殺諸弟，此事負阿父。」江湛妻庾氏乘車罵之，龐秀之亦加誚讓，劭厲聲曰：「汝輩複何煩爾！」先殺其四子，謂南平王鑠曰：「此何有哉。」乃斬劭於牙下。臨刑歎曰：「不圖宗室一至於此。」

When Shao was about to fall, Jun urged flight by sea, loading treasures onto boats, and wrote, "The boats have not arrived; tonight I expect to finish loading—please order ships sent quickly. The nun has entered the palace—I wish to settle matters with her tomorrow. I still think the imperial carriage should come here; otherwise popular sentiment cannot be steadied." Popular sentiment scattered, and the plan failed. The "nun" in Jun's letter is Yan Daoyu. When Shao hid in the well, Gao Qin pulled him out. Shao asked Qin, "Where is the Son of Heaven?" Qin said, "His Majesty is at Xinting." They brought Shao before the hall; Zang Zhi wailed; Shao said, "What heaven and earth do not cover—why weep for me?" Zhi laid out his crimes; Shao replied, "The court was going to depose me—I could not be a prisoner and asked Xiao Bin, who encouraged this." He asked Zhi, "Can you memorialize begging exile for me?" Zhi replied, "The emperor is south of the crossing—he will decide." They bound Shao on his horse and escorted him to the army gate. At headquarters he looked about from the saddle; Yigong and the princes all viewed him. Yigong demanded, "I turned to loyalty—what crime warranted killing twelve of my sons?" Shao replied, "Killing your brothers—that wronged you, Uncle." Jiang Zhan's wife Yu reviled him from her carriage; Pang Xiuzhi reproached him; Shao shouted, "Why trouble yourselves!" First they killed his four sons; Shao told Shuo, Prince of Nanping, "What is there to this?" Then they beheaded Shao below the headquarters. Facing execution he sighed, "I never imagined the imperial clan would come to this."

劭、浚及劭四子偉之、迪之、彬之、其一未有名；浚三子長文、長仁、長道，並梟首大航，暴屍於市。劭妻殷氏賜死于廷尉，臨死，謂獄丞江恪曰：「汝家骨肉相殘害，何以枉殺天下無罪人。」恪曰：「受拜皇后，非罪而何？」殷氏曰：「此權時爾，當以鸚鵡為後也。」浚妻褚氏，丹陽尹湛之女，湛之南奔之始，即見離絕，故免於誅。其餘子女妾媵，並於獄賜死。投劭、浚屍首于江，其餘同逆，及王羅漢等，皆伏誅。張超之聞兵入，遂走至合殿故基，正於禦床之所，為亂兵所殺。割腸刳心，臠剖其肉，諸將生啖之，焚其頭骨。當時不見傳國璽，問劭，雲：「在嚴道育處。」就取得之。道育、鸚鵡並都街鞭殺，於石頭四望山下焚其屍，揚灰于江。毀劭東宮所住齋，汙瀦其處。

Shao, Jun, and Shao's four sons Weizhi, Dizhi, Binzhi, and one not yet named; Jun's three sons Changwen, Changren, and Changdao were beheaded at the Great Crossing and their corpses exposed in the market. Shao's wife Lady Yin was executed in the Ministry of Justice; facing death she told prison aide Jiang Ke, "Your house butchers its own—why kill innocents?" Ke said, "You accepted the empress title—if not a crime, what is?" Lady Yin said, "That was expedient—I would have made Yingwu empress." Jun's wife Lady Chu was daughter of Chu Chenzhi; when he fled south they were already separated, so she escaped execution. Their remaining children, concubines, and attendants were all executed in prison. Shao and Jun's corpses were thrown into the river; fellow rebels including Wang Luohan were all executed. When Zhang Chaozhi heard the army had entered, he fled to the old site of the Unified Hall at the imperial couch and was killed. They cut open his belly and heart, sliced his flesh; generals ate it raw and burned his skull. The imperial seal of transmission was missing; asked, Shao said, "It is with Yan Daoyu." They went and obtained it. Daoyu and Yingwu were flogged to death in the street; at Four-View Mountain below Shitou their corpses were burned and the ash scattered on the river. Shao's Eastern Palace fasting chambers were destroyed and the site defiled.

封高禽新陽縣男，食邑三百戶。追贈潘淑妃長寧園夫人，置守塚。偽司隸校尉殷沖，丹陽尹尹弘，並賜死。沖為劭草立符文，又妃叔父也。弘二月二十一日平旦入直，至西掖門，聞宮中有變，率城內禦兵至閣道下。及聞劭入，惶怖通啟，求受處分，又為劭簡配兵士，盡其心力。弘，天水冀人，司州刺史沖弟也。為太祖所委任。元嘉中，曆太子左右衛率、左右衛將軍，囗人官爵高下，皆以委之。

Gao Qin was enfeoffed as Baron of Xinyang with three hundred households. Consort Pan was posthumously honored as Lady of the Everlasting Peace Garden, with tomb guardians appointed. The false Director of Retainers Yin Chong and intendant Yin Hong were both executed. Chong drafted Shao's ritual texts and was also the empress's uncle by marriage. Hong entered duty at dawn on the twenty-first of the second month; hearing palace turmoil, he led capital guards to the covered passage. When he heard Shao had entered, he reported in terror and begged judgment; he also selected soldiers for Shao with all his effort. Hong was from Ji in Tianshui and the younger brother of Chong, inspector of Sizhou. The Grand Ancestor entrusted him with important duties. During Yuanjia he served as Left and Right Guard Commander and Left and Right Guard General for the crown prince; rank and titles for inner personnel were all entrusted to him.

史臣曰：甚矣哉，宋氏之家難也。自赫胥以降，立號皇王，統天南面，未聞斯禍。唯荊、莒二國，棄夏即戎，武靈胡服，亦背華典，戕賊之釁，事起肌膚，而因心之重，獨止此代。難興天屬，穢流床笫，愛敬之道，頓滅一時，生民得無左衽，亦為幸矣！

The historian writes: How extreme indeed is the house of Song's family calamity! Since the age of Hexu, when rulers took the titles of emperor and king and faced south to govern the realm, no such calamity has been heard of. Only Jing and Ju abandoned civilization for barbarism, and King Wuling's foreign dress also departed from Chinese norms—slaughter began in the flesh, yet the weight of motive was confined to those ages alone. Calamity rising among the emperor's own kin, filth staining the bedchamber—the way of love and respect was extinguished in a moment; that the people were not turned to barbarian ways may itself count as fortune!

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