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隋書卷六十二列傳第二十七
Book of Sui, Volume 62, Biographies 27
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○王韶
Wang Shao
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晉王廣之鎮并州也,除行台右僕射,賜彩五百匹。 韶性剛直,王甚憚之,每事諮詢,不致違於法度。 韶嘗奉使檢行長城,其後王穿池起三山,韶既還,自鎖而諫,王謝而罷之。 高祖聞而嘉歎,賜金百兩,並後宮四人。 平陳之役,以本官為元帥府司馬,帥師趣河陽,與大軍會。 既至壽陽,與高熲支度軍機,無所壅滯。 及克金陵,韶即鎮焉。 晉王廣班師,留韶於石頭防遏,委以後事,幾歲餘。 征還,高祖謂公卿曰:「晉王以幼稚出籓,遂能克平吳、越,綏靜江湖,子相之力也。」 於是進位柱國,賜奴婢三百口,綿絹五千段。
When Yang Guang, Prince of Jin, took up his post at Bingzhou, Shao was made Right Vice-Director of the Mobile Office and given five hundred bolts of colored silk. Shao was stern and unyielding; the prince held him in considerable awe and consulted him on every affair, so that nothing was done outside the bounds of law. Shao had once been sent to inspect the Great Wall; after he returned the prince had a pool dug and the Three Mountains built. Shao locked himself in chains to remonstrate, and the prince apologized and abandoned the project. Emperor Wen heard of this and commended him, awarding one hundred taels of gold and four palace women as well. During the conquest of Chen he served as Marshal's Headquarters Major in his existing capacity, marching his forces to Heyang to rendezvous with the main army. Once they reached Shouyang, he and Gao Jiong handled military planning together without a single bottleneck. After Jinling fell, Shao took up its garrison command at once. When Yang Guang withdrew his army, he left Shao at Shitou to hold the line and entrusted him with all follow-up matters for well over a year. When Shao was recalled, Emperor Wen told the ministers: "The Prince of Jin left for his fief while still a youth, yet he was able to subdue Wu and Yue and bring peace to the south—this was Zixiang's doing. He was then promoted to Pillar of State and given three hundred bondsmen and maidservants and five thousand lengths of silk.
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開皇十一年,上幸并州,以其稱職,特加勞勉。 其後,上謂韶曰:「自朕至此,公鬚鬢漸白,無乃憂勞所致? 柱石之望,唯在於公,努力勉之!」 韶辭謝曰:「臣比衰暮,殊不解作官人。」 高祖曰:「是何意也? 不解者,是未用心耳。」 韶對曰:「臣昔在昏季,猶且用心,況逢明聖,敢不罄竭! 但神化精微,非駑蹇所逮。 加以今年六十有六,桑榆雲晚,比於疇昔,昏忘又多。 豈敢自寬,以速身累,恐以衰暮,虧紊朝綱耳。」 上勞而遣之。 秦王俊為并州總管,仍為長史。 歲餘,馳驛入京,勞敝而卒,時年六十八。 高祖甚傷惜之,謂秦王使者曰:「語爾王,我前令子相緩來,如何乃遣馳驛? 殺我子相,豈不由汝邪?」 言甚悽愴。 使有司為之立宅,曰:「往者何用宅為,但以表我深心耳。」 又曰:「子相受我委寄,十有餘年,終始不易,寵章未極,舍我而死乎!」 發言流涕。 因命取子相封事數十紙,傳示群臣。 上曰:「其直言匡正,裨益甚多,吾每披尋,未嘗釋手。」 煬帝即位,追贈司徒、尚書令、靈豳等十州刺史、魏國公。 子士隆嗣。
In the eleventh year of Kaihuang the emperor visited Bingzhou and, finding Shao fully equal to his post, singled him out for special praise and encouragement. Later the emperor said to Shao: "Since I arrived here your beard and temples have been turning white—could that be from overwork? The nation's pillar rests on you alone—do your utmost! Shao demurred: "Your servant is lately in his decline and truly does not know how to be an official anymore." Emperor Wen said: "What do you mean by that? Not understanding only means you have not put your heart into it." Shao answered: "Even in the dark days of old I still gave my all; how could I fail to do so now, under so enlightened a sovereign! Yet your transforming governance is too subtle for a worn-out nag like me to keep pace with. Besides, I am sixty-six this year; evening is closing in, and compared with years past my confusion and forgetfulness have only grown worse. I would not dare slacken and bring trouble on myself; I only fear that in my dotage I might disrupt the order of the court." The emperor consoled him and dismissed him. When Prince Jun of Qin became Regional Commander of Bingzhou, Shao remained as his Chief Administrator. A little over a year later he rushed to the capital by relay post, exhausted by the journey, and died at the age of sixty-eight. Emperor Wen was deeply grieved and told the Prince of Qin's messenger: "Tell your prince: I had ordered Zixiang to travel at an easy pace—why did you send him by urgent relay? You have killed my Zixiang—is that not your doing? His words were full of grief. He ordered the authorities to build a house for him, saying: "What does the dead need with a house? It is only to show the depth of my feeling. He also said: "Zixiang bore my trust for more than ten years without wavering once, and his rewards had not yet reached their fullest measure—yet he left me and died!" He spoke through his tears. He then had several dozen of Zixiang's sealed memorials brought out and shown to the assembled ministers. The emperor said: "His frank remonstrances corrected many things and did great good; whenever I read through them I cannot put them down. When Emperor Yang took the throne, Shao was posthumously made Grand Tutor, Director of the Department of State Affairs, titular inspector of ten prefectures including Ling and Bin, and Duke of Wei. His son Shilong inherited the title.
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士隆略知書計,尤便弓馬,慷慨有父風。 大業之世,頗見親重,官至備身將軍,改封耿公。 數令討擊山賊,往往有捷。 越王侗稱帝,士隆率數千兵自江、淮而至。 會王世充僭號,甚禮重之,署尚書右僕射。 士隆憂憤,疽發背卒。
Shilong had some schooling in letters and accounts and was especially adept with bow and horse; he was openhanded and bore his father's spirit. During the Daye reign he won considerable favor and rose to Palace Guard General, with his title changed to Duke of Geng. He was repeatedly sent against mountain bandits and often carried the day. When Prince Yue of Tong declared himself emperor, Shilong led several thousand men from the Jiang-Huai region to join him. Wang Shichong then seized the throne and treated him with great honor, appointing him Right Vice-Director of the Department of State Affairs. Shilong died of a carbuncle on his back, brought on by grief and anger.
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○元岩
Yuan Yan
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元岩,字君山,河南洛陽人也。 父禎,魏敷州刺史。 岩好讀書,不治章句,剛鯁有器局,以名節自許,少與渤海高熲、太原王韶同志友善。 仕周,釋褐宣威將軍、武賁給事。 大塚宰宇文護見而器之,以為中外記室。 累遷內史中大夫,昌國縣伯。 宣帝嗣位,為政昏暴,京兆郡丞樂運乃輿櫬詣朝堂,陳帝八失,言甚切至。 帝大怒,將戮之。 朝臣皆恐懼,莫有救者。 岩謂人曰:「臧洪同日,尚可俱死,其況比干乎! 若樂運不免,吾將與之俱斃。」 詣閣請見,言於帝曰:「樂運知書奏必死,所以不顧身命者,欲取後世之名。 陛下若殺之,乃成其名,落其術內耳。 不如勞而遣之,以廣聖度。」 運因獲免。 後帝將誅烏丸軌,岩不肯署詔。 禦正顏之儀切諫不入,岩進繼之,脫巾頓顙,三拜三進。 帝曰:「汝欲党烏丸軌邪?」 岩曰:「臣非黨軌,正恐濫誅失天下之望。」 帝怒,使閹豎搏其面,遂廢於家。
Yuan Yan, styled Junshan, was from Luoyang in Henan. His father Zhen had been Regional Inspector of Fuzhou under the Northern Wei. Yan loved to read but cared little for philological glosses; he was stern and principled with a broad outlook, held himself to a standard of honor, and in his youth was close friends with Gao Jiong of Bohai and Wang Shao of Taiyuan. He entered Zhou service and upon first taking office was made General Who Proclaims Might and Attendant of the Tiger Guard. Grand Minister Yuwen Hu took notice of him and appointed him Records Secretary for internal and external affairs. He rose through successive promotions to Palace Scribe Grand Master and Baron of Changguo. When Emperor Xuan came to the throne his rule turned vicious; Yue Yun, Assistant Governor of Jingzhao, brought a coffin to the audience hall and listed eight faults of the emperor in language of brutal frankness. The emperor flew into a rage and was about to put him to death. The court ministers were terrified, and no one dared intervene. Yan told others: "If Zang Hong could die on the same day, men could still die together—how much more should one stand with Bi Gan! If Yue Yun is not spared, I shall die with him. He went to the gate to request an audience and told the emperor: "Yue Yun knew this memorial would cost him his life; he risked everything only to win a name that would outlive him. If Your Majesty executes him, you only complete his fame and fall into his trap. Better to comfort him and let him go, thereby showing the breadth of your sage-like grace." Yun was spared as a result. Later, when the emperor was about to execute Wuyan Gui, Yan refused to countersign the edict. Palace Attendant Yan Zhiyi remonstrated to no avail; Yan pressed forward after him, removed his cap, and knocked his forehead on the ground three times in three advances. The emperor said: "Are you trying to shield Wuyan Gui? Yan said: "I am not shielding Gui; I only fear that reckless executions will cost you the trust of the realm." The emperor in his rage had eunuchs strike his face, and Yan was sent home in disgrace.
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高祖為丞相,加位開府、民部中大夫。 及受禪,拜兵部尚書,進爵平昌郡公,邑二千戶。 岩性嚴重,明達世務,每有奏議,侃然正色,庭諍面折,無所回避。 上及公卿,皆敬憚之。 時高祖初即位,每懲周代諸侯微弱,以致滅亡,由是分王諸子,權侔王室,以為磐石之固,遣晉王廣鎮并州,蜀王秀鎮益州。 二王年並幼稚,於是盛選貞良有重望者為之僚佐。 于時岩與王韶俱以骨鯁知名,物議稱二人才具侔于高熲,由是拜岩為益州總管長史,韶為河北道行台右僕射。 高祖謂之曰:「公宰相大器,今屈輔我兒,如曹參相齊之意也。」 及岩到官,法令明肅,吏民稱焉。 蜀王性好奢侈,嘗欲取獠口以為閹人,又欲生剖死囚,取膽為藥。 岩皆不奉教,排閣切諫,王輒謝而止,憚岩為人,每循法度。 蜀中獄訟,岩所裁斷,莫不悅服。 其有得罪者,相謂曰:「平昌公與吾罪,吾何怨焉。」 上甚嘉之,賞賜優洽。 十三年,卒官,上悼惜久之。 益州父老,莫不殞涕,於今思之。 岩卒之後,蜀王竟行其志,漸致非法,造渾天儀、司南車、記裡鼓,凡所被服,擬于天子。 又共妃出獵,以彈彈人,多捕山獠,以充宦者。 僚佐無能諫止。 及秀得罪,上曰:「元岩若在,吾兒豈有是乎!」 子弘嗣。 仕曆給事郎、司朝謁者、北平通守。
When Emperor Wen was still Chancellor, Yan was given the additional posts of Opening the Government and Grand Master of the Ministry of the People. When the throne passed to him, Yan was made Minister of War, promoted to Duke of Pingchang with a fief of two thousand households. Yan was grave and severe, clear-sighted in affairs of state; whenever he submitted a proposal he spoke with unflinching candor, remonstrating in open court and contradicting men to their faces without holding back. The emperor and the chief ministers alike respected and feared him. Emperor Wen had just taken the throne and often recalled how the weak feudal lords of the Zhou had brought about its fall; he therefore enfeoffed his sons as kings with powers rivaling the throne itself, treating them as bedrock of the realm, and sent Yang Guang, Prince of Jin, to Bingzhou and Yang Xiu, Prince of Shu, to Yizhou. Both princes were still very young, so the court carefully chose men of proven integrity and high standing to serve as their staff. Yan and Wang Shao were then both famed for their unbending integrity; opinion held that their abilities matched Gao Jiong's; Yan was therefore made Chief Administrator to the Prince of Shu's command at Yizhou, and Shao Right Vice-Director of the Hebei Mobile Office. Emperor Wen told him: "You have the makings of a chief minister; for now you bend your talents to guiding my son, as Cao Shen did when he governed Qi. Once Yan took up his post, his laws were clear and strict, and officials and commoners alike praised him. The Prince of Shu was by nature extravagant; he once wished to take Liao tribesmen as eunuchs and also wanted to cut open condemned prisoners while still alive to use their gall as medicine. Yan refused every such order, burst in to remonstrate sharply, and the prince would apologize and desist; he feared Yan's character and generally kept within the law. In every legal case Yan decided in Shu, none went away dissatisfied. Those he punished would say to one another: "The Duke of Pingchang judged us fairly—what cause have we to resent him? The emperor greatly commended him and showered him with generous rewards. In the thirteenth year he died in office, and the emperor mourned him at length. The elders of Yizhou wept without exception, and remember him to this day. After Yan's death the Prince of Shu at last did as he pleased, gradually overstepping all bounds: he had an armillary sphere, a south-pointing chariot, and a distance-recording drum carriage built, and in dress and equipage he imitated the emperor himself. He went hunting with his consort, shooting people for sport with pellets, and captured many mountain tribesmen to serve as eunuchs. None of his staff could check him. When Xiu fell from grace the emperor said: "If Yuan Yan were still alive, would my son have come to this! His son Hongsi inherited the line. He served as Attendant Gentleman, Court Herald of the Morning Audience, and Inspector-General of Beiping.
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○劉行本
Liu Xingben
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劉行本,沛人也。 父瑰,仕梁,曆職清顯。 行本起家武陵國常侍。 遇蕭修以梁州北附,遂與叔父璠同歸于周,寓居京兆之新豐。 每以諷讀為事,精力忘疲,雖衣食乏絕,晏如也。 性剛烈,有不可奪之志。 周大塚宰宇文護引為中外府記室。 武帝親總萬機,轉禦正中士,兼領起居注。 累遷掌朝下大夫。 周代故事,天子臨軒,掌朝典筆硯,持至禦坐,則承禦大夫取以進之。 及行本為掌朝,將進筆於帝,承禦複欲取之。 行本抗聲謂承禦曰:「筆不可得。」 帝驚視問之,行本言於帝曰:「臣聞設官分職,各有司存。 臣既不得佩承禦刀,承禦亦焉得取臣筆。」 帝曰:「然。」 因令二司各行所職。 及宣帝嗣位,多失德,行本切諫忤旨,出為河內太守。
Liu Xingben was from Pei. His father Gui had served the Liang in a series of honorable posts. Xingben began his career as Regular Attendant of the State of Wuling. When Xiao Xiu brought northern Liangzhou over to the Zhou, he and his uncle Fan went over with him and settled in Xinfeng in the Jingzhao region. He devoted himself to reading and recitation, working until he forgot fatigue; though he often lacked food and clothing, he remained perfectly content. He was fierce in temperament and possessed a will that could not be bent. Grand Minister Yuwen Hu of Zhou brought him in as Records Secretary of the Internal and External Office. When Emperor Wu took personal control of government, Xingben was made Palace Attendant Senior Clerk and also put in charge of the Imperial Diary. He rose through successive promotions to Court Herald Grand Master. By Zhou custom, when the emperor took his seat at court the Court Herald held the brush and inkstone and carried them to the throne, where the Reception Grand Master would take them and present them to the emperor. When Xingben became Court Herald and was about to present the brush to the emperor, the Reception Grand Master again tried to take it from him. Xingben said loudly to the Reception Grand Master: "You may not have the brush. The emperor looked up in surprise and questioned him; Xingben told the emperor: "I have heard that when offices are established and duties divided, each has its own jurisdiction. I may not wear the Reception Grand Master's knife at court—how then may he take my brush?" The emperor said: "You are right." He then ordered the two offices each to keep to its own charge. When Emperor Xuan came to the throne and fell into many abuses, Xingben spoke bluntly against him, gave offense, and was sent out to serve as Administrator of Henei.
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高祖為丞相,尉迥作亂,進攻懷州。 行本率吏民拒之,拜儀同,賜爵文安縣子。 及踐阼,征拜諫議大夫,檢校治書侍御史。 未幾,遷黃門侍郎。 上嘗怒一郎,於殿前笞之。 行本進曰:「此人素清,其過又小,願陛下少寬假之。」 上不顧。 行本於是正當上前曰:「陛下不以臣不肖,置臣左右。 臣言若是,陛下安得不聽? 臣言若非,當致之於理,以明國法,豈得輕臣而不顧也! 臣所言非私。」 因置笏於地而退,上斂容謝之,遂原所笞者。 于時天下大同,四夷內附,行本以党項羌密邇封域,最為後服,上表劾其使者曰:「臣聞南蠻遵校尉之統,西域仰都護之威。 比見西羌鼠竊狗盜,不父不子,無君無臣,異類殊方,於斯為下。 不悟羈縻之惠,詎知含養之恩,狼戾為心,獨乖正朔。 使人近至,請付推科。」 上奇其志焉。 雍州別駕元肇言於上曰:「有一州吏,受人饋錢三百文,依律合杖一百。 然臣下車之始,與其為約。 此吏故違,請加徒一年。」 行本駁之曰:「律令之行,並發明詔,與民約束。 今肇乃敢重其教命,輕忽憲章。 欲申己言之必行,忘朝廷之大信,虧法取威,非人臣之禮。」 上嘉之,賜絹百匹。
While Gaozu still served as Chancellor, Yuwen Jiong rebelled and marched to attack Huai Prefecture. Xingben rallied officials and commoners to hold them off, and was made Privy Counselor and ennobled Viscount of Wen'an County. After Gaozu took the throne, Xingben was summoned as Remonstrating Advisor and Acting Secretary Censor. Before long he was promoted to Palace Attendant. Once the emperor flew into a rage at an official and had him beaten with the staff in the forecourt. Xingben stepped forward and said, "This man has always conducted himself cleanly, and his fault is a small one. I beg Your Majesty to show him a little mercy. The emperor would not listen. Xingben then planted himself directly before the emperor and said, "Your Majesty did not deem me unworthy, but set me at your side. If what I say is right, how can Your Majesty refuse to hear it? If what I say is wrong, then deliver me to the law and make the statutes of the realm plain. How can Your Majesty simply ignore me? What I speak is not for private ends. With that he cast his court tablet to the floor and withdrew. The emperor collected himself and apologized to him, and pardoned the man who had been beaten. In those days the empire stood united and the four quarters submitted. Because the Tangut and Qiang lay hard against the frontier and had been the slowest to yield, Xingben memorialized the throne to impeach their envoy, writing, "I have heard that the southern barbarians obey their commandant, and the Western Regions defer to the Protector-General's authority. Yet what I have lately seen among the Western Qiang is the thievery of rats and dogs—no father and son, no lord and subject. Of all the strange peoples at the edges of the world, they rank lowest. They fail to understand the grace of loose reins, nor do they recognize the kindness with which the court has nurtured them. Savage in heart, they alone defy the imperial calendar. Their envoy has only just arrived. I ask that he be handed over for investigation and punishment. The emperor admired the force of his purpose. Yuan Zhao, Assistant Administrator of Yong Province, said to the emperor, "There is a clerk in the province who accepted a bribe of three hundred cash. By law he should receive one hundred strokes of the staff. Yet when I first took office I made a separate agreement with my subordinates. This clerk deliberately broke that agreement. I ask that one year of penal servitude be added to his sentence. Xingben objected, saying, "When laws and ordinances take effect, they are all proclaimed by imperial edict and bind the people. Yet Zhao now dares to magnify his own private command and treat the written law lightly. He seeks only to prove that his own word must prevail, forgetting the great trust owed to the throne, perverting the law to build his own authority. That is not the conduct of a loyal minister." The emperor approved his argument and rewarded him with one hundred bolts of silk.
12
在職數年,拜太子左庶子,領治書如故。 皇太子虛襟敬憚。 時唐令則亦為左庶子,太子昵狎之,每令以弦歌教內人。 行本責之曰:「庶子當匡太子以正道,何有嬖昵房帷之間哉!」 令則甚慚而不能改。 時沛國劉臻、平原明克讓、魏郡陸爽並以文學為太子所親。 行本怒其不能調護,每謂三人曰:「卿等正解讀書耳。」 時左衛率長史夏侯福為太子所昵,嘗於閣內與太子戲。 福大笑,聲聞於外。 行本時在閣下聞之,待其出,行本數之曰:「殿下寬容,賜汝顏色。 汝何物小人,敢為褻慢!」 因付執法者治之。 數日,太子為福致請,乃釋之。 太子嘗得良馬,令福乘而觀之。 太子甚悅,因欲令行本複乘之。 行本不從,正色而進曰:「至尊置臣於庶子之位者,欲令輔導殿下以正道,非為殿下作弄臣也。」 太子慚而止。 複以本官領大興令,權貴憚其方直,無敢至門者。 由是請托路絕,法令清簡,吏民懷之。 未幾,卒官,上甚傷惜之。 及太子廢,上曰:「嗟乎! 若使劉行本在,勇當不及於此。」 無子。
After several years in office he was made Left Mentor of the Heir Apparent, while retaining his post as Secretary Censor. The Crown Prince opened his heart to him and stood in respectful awe. At the time Tang Lingze also served as Left Mentor. The Crown Prince grew fond of him and often had him teach the palace women with lute and song. Xingben rebuked him, saying, "A mentor's duty is to set the Crown Prince on the right path. What place has dalliance and intimacy within the bedchamber? Lingze was deeply ashamed, yet he could not mend his ways. At the time Liu Zhen of Pei, Ming Kerang of Pingyuan, and Lu Shuang of Wei Commandery were all favored by the Crown Prince for their literary attainments. Xingben was angered that they could not properly guide and protect the heir, and often told the three of them, "You only know how to read books, and nothing more. At the time Xiahou Fu, chief clerk of the Left Guard, was a favorite of the Crown Prince. Once, inside the pavilion, he frolicked with the heir. Fu burst into loud laughter, and the sound carried beyond the pavilion. Xingben was below the pavilion and heard it. When Fu came out, Xingben rebuked him, saying, "His Highness has been gracious and has shown you favor. What kind of worthless wretch are you, that you dare behave with such disrespect? He then handed him over to the officers of the law for punishment. Several days later the Crown Prince pleaded for Fu, and he was released. Once the Crown Prince acquired a fine horse and had Fu ride it while he looked on. The Crown Prince was delighted and then wanted Xingben to ride it as well. Xingben refused. With a stern face he stepped forward and said, "The Son of Heaven set me in the office of mentor so that I might guide Your Highness along the right path—not so that I might become your court jester. Ashamed, the Crown Prince desisted. He also took up his original post while serving concurrently as Magistrate of Daxing. The great and the powerful feared his rectitude, and none dared approach his gate. Petition and favor-seeking withered away; the laws grew clear and simple, and officials and commoners alike held him in esteem. Before long he died in office, and the emperor grieved for him deeply. When the Crown Prince was deposed, the emperor said, "Alas! Had Liu Xingben still been alive, Yong would never have come to this. He left no sons.
13
○梁毗
Liang Pi
14
梁毗,字景和,安定烏氏人也。 祖越,魏涇、豫、洛三州刺史,郃陽縣公。 父茂,周滄、兗二州刺史。 毗性剛謇,頗有學涉。 周武帝時,舉明經,累遷布憲下大夫。 平齊之役,以毗為行軍總管長史,克并州,毗有力焉。 除為別駕,加儀同三司。 宣政中,封易陽縣子,邑四百戶。 遷武藏大夫。 高祖受禪,進爵為侯。 開皇初,置御史官,朝廷以毗鯁正,拜治書侍御史,名為稱職。 尋轉大興令,遷雍州贊治。 毗既出憲司,複典京邑,直道而行,無所回避,頗失權貴心,由是出為西寧州刺史,改封邯鄲縣侯。 在州十一年。 先是,蠻夷酋長皆服金冠,以金多者為豪俊,由此遞相陵奪,每尋干戈,邊境略無寧歲。 毗患之。 後因諸酋長相率以金遺毗,於是置金坐側,對之慟哭而謂之曰:「此物饑不可食,寒不可衣。 汝等以此相滅,不可勝數。 今將此來,欲殺我邪?」 一無所納,悉以還之。 於是蠻夷感悟,遂不相攻擊。 高祖聞而善之,征為散騎常侍、大理卿。 處法平允,時入稱之。 歲餘,進位上開府。
Liang Pi, styled Jinghe, was a native of Wushi in Anding. His grandfather Yue had served Wei as Governor of Jing, Yu, and Luo and was enfeoffed Duke of Heyang County. His father Mao had served Zhou as Governor of Cang and Yan. Pi was stern and upright by nature, and widely read. Under Emperor Wu of Zhou he passed the Classicist examination and rose through successive promotions to Lower Grand Master of Law Distribution. During the campaign to pacify Qi he served as chief clerk to the campaign commander, and when Bingzhou was taken he had a hand in the victory. He was appointed Assistant Administrator and given the additional rank of Privy Counselor of the Third Rank. In the Xuanzheng era he was enfeoffed Viscount of Yiyang with a fief of four hundred households. He was transferred to Grand Master of the Military Storehouse. When Gaozu received the abdication, Pi was raised to Marquis. Early in the Kaihuang era, when censorial offices were established, the court appointed Pi Secretary Censor on account of his uncompromising integrity, and men said the choice was apt. Soon afterward he became Magistrate of Daxing and then Assistant Governor of Yong Province. Having left the censorate, Pi again governed the capital. He walked the straight path and shrank from nothing, and in doing so he lost the favor of the powerful. For this he was sent out as Governor of Xining, and his title was changed to Marquis of Handan County. He remained in the province for eleven years. Before this, the chieftains of the barbarians all wore golden crowns, and the man with the most gold was held the greatest among them. They preyed on one another in turn, and arms were never long at rest; the frontier knew scarcely a year of peace. Pi was deeply troubled by this. Later, when the chieftains came one after another bearing gifts of gold, Pi set the gold beside him, wept before them, and said, "This stuff cannot be eaten when you are hungry, nor worn when you are cold. Yet you have used it to destroy one another beyond all counting. Now you bring it to me—do you mean to kill me? He accepted nothing at all and returned every piece to them. The barbarians were deeply moved, and from that time they ceased their attacks on one another. Gaozu heard of this and approved. Pi was summoned to court as Regular Attendant and Minister of Justice. He handled cases with fairness and balance, and men of the time praised him for it. A little more than a year later he was promoted to Upper Pillar of State.
15
毗見左僕射楊素貴寵擅權,百僚震懾,恐為國患,因上封事曰:「臣聞臣無有作威福。 臣之作威福,其害乎而家,凶乎而國。 竊見左僕射、越國公素,幸遇愈重,權勢日隆,搢紳之徒,屬其視聽。 忤意者嚴霜夏零,阿旨者膏雨冬澍,榮枯由其脣吻,廢興候其指麾。 所私皆非忠讜,所進咸是親戚,子弟布列,兼州連縣。 天下無事,容息異圖,四海稍虞,必為禍始。 夫奸臣擅命,有漸而來。 王莽資之於積年,桓玄基之于易世,而卒殄漢祀,終傾晉祚。 季孫專魯,田氏篡齊,皆載典誥,非臣臆說。 陛下若以素為阿衡,臣恐其心未必伊尹也。 伏願揆鑒古今,量為外置,俾洪基永固,率土幸甚。 輕犯天顏,伏聽斧钅質。」 高祖大怒,命有司禁止,親自詰之。 毗極言曰:「素既擅權寵,作威作福,將領之處,殺戮無道。 又太子及蜀王罪廢之日,百僚無不震悚,惟素揚眉奮肘,喜見容色,利國家有事以為身幸。」 毗發言謇謇,有誠亮之節,高祖無以屈也,乃釋之。 素自此恩寵漸衰。 但素任寄隆重,多所折挫,當時朝士無不懾伏,莫有敢與相是非。 辭氣不撓者,獨毗與柳彧及尚書右丞李綱而已。 後上不復專委于素,蓋由察毗之言也。
Pi saw that Left Vice Premier Yang Su enjoyed imperial favor and had seized power for himself, and that the whole court trembled before him. Fearing he would become a calamity to the state, Pi submitted a sealed memorial, writing, "I have heard it said that ministers must not arrogate authority and favor to themselves. When ministers do so, it brings harm to their own house and ruin to the realm. I observe Left Vice Premier Yang Su, Duke of Yue: his favor grows ever greater, his power mounts daily, and the gentry hang upon his glance and listen for his word. Those who cross him meet with killing frost in midsummer; those who fawn upon him receive nourishing rain in deep winter. Honor and ruin hang upon his lips; rise and fall wait upon his gesture. Those he favors are never the loyal and outspoken; those he promotes are all his kin. His sons and younger brothers are spread across the realm, holding posts that span provinces and link county to county. While the realm is at peace he may already be nursing other designs; let the four seas show the slightest trouble, and he will surely become the source of calamity. Treacherous ministers who seize power do not arrive all at once; they come by slow degrees. Wang Mang drew strength from long accumulation; Huan Xuan laid his foundation in a time of dynastic change—and in the end they extinguished the house of Han and brought down the fortune of Jin. Jisun seized Lu for himself; the Tian clan usurped Qi. These things stand in the canonical records, and are no invention of mine. If Your Majesty treats Su as a chief minister like Yi Yin, I fear his heart may not prove equal to Yi Yin's. I humbly beg Your Majesty to weigh past and present, and consider removing him from the center of power, so that the foundation of the state may stand firm and all under Heaven may rejoice. I have lightly offended the imperial countenance, and humbly await execution. Gaozu flew into a rage, ordered the authorities to detain him, and interrogated him in person. Pi spoke without reserve, saying, "Su already monopolizes power and favor and makes authority and blessing his own. Wherever he leads troops, he kills without restraint. Again, on the day the Crown Prince and the Prince of Shu were deposed for their crimes, every official in court trembled with fear—yet Su alone lifted brow and elbow in satisfaction, plainly rejoicing, treating the state's misfortune as his own good fortune. Pi spoke with unbending honesty and the integrity of a loyal heart, and Gaozu could not overcome him. He released him. From that time Yang Su's favor gradually waned. Yet Su remained deeply entrusted with power and had suffered many rebuffs; the officials of the day all cowered before him, and none dared openly dispute with him. Only Pi, Liu Yu, and Li Gang, Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites, refused to bend in word or spirit. Later the emperor ceased to rely on Su alone; this, it seems, was because he had taken Pi's words to heart.
16
煬帝即位,遷刑部尚書,並攝御史大夫事。 奏劾宇文述私役部兵,帝議免述罪,毗固諍,因忤旨,遂令張衡代為大夫。 毗憂憤,數月而卒。 帝令吏部尚書牛弘吊之,贈縑五百匹。
When Emperor Yang came to the throne, Pi was made Minister of Punishments and concurrently served as Acting Censor-in-Chief. He memorialized to impeach Yuwen Shu for privately employing troops under his command. The emperor was inclined to pardon Shu, but Pi remonstrated firmly, gave offense, and was replaced as Censor-in-Chief by Zhang Heng. Grieved and embittered, Pi died several months later. The emperor sent Niu Hong, Minister of Civil Appointments, to offer condolences and granted five hundred bolts of silk.
17
子敬真,大業之世,為大理司直。 時帝欲成光祿大夫魚俱羅之罪,令敬直治其獄,遂希旨陷之極刑。 未幾,敬真有疾,見俱羅為之厲,數日而死。
His son Jingzhen, during the Daye reign, served as Directing Officer of the Court of Justice. At that time the emperor wished to fix the guilt of Palace Attendant Yu Juluo and put Jingzhi in charge of the case. Seeking to please the throne, Jingzhi twisted the proceedings and had him condemned to death. Not long afterward Jingzhen fell ill, saw Juluo haunting him as a vengeful spirit, and died within days.
18
○柳彧
Liu Yu
19
柳彧,字幼文,河東解人也。 七世祖卓,隨晉南遷,寓居襄陽。 父仲禮,為梁將,敗歸周,複家本土。 彧少好學,頗涉經史。 周大塚宰宇文護引為中外府記室,久而出為甯州總管掾。 武帝親總萬機,彧詣闕求試。 帝異之,以為司武中士。 轉鄭令。 平齊之後,帝大賞從官,留京者不預。 彧上表曰:「今太平告始,信賞宜明,酬勳報勞,務先有本。 屠城破邑,出自聖規,斬將搴旗,必由神略。 若負戈擐甲,征扞劬勞,至於鎮撫國家,宿衛為重。 俱稟成算,非專己能,留從事同,功勞須等。 皇太子以下,實有守宗廟之功。 昔蕭何留守,茅土先于平陽,穆之居中,沒後猶蒙優策。 不勝管見,奉表以聞。」 於是留守並加泛級。
Liu Yu, styled Youwen, was from Jie in Hedong. His seventh-generation ancestor Zhuo followed the Jin court's southward migration and settled in Xiangyang. His father Zhongli had been a general of Liang; after a defeat he returned to Zhou and reestablished the family in their homeland. From youth Liu Yu loved learning and read widely in the classics and histories. Yuwen Hu, Grand Preceptor of Zhou, brought him in as a secretary in the Office of Internal and External Affairs; after some years he was posted out as secretary to the governor-general of Ning Province. When Emperor Wu began personally directing all affairs of state, Liu Yu went to court and asked to be tested. The emperor was struck by him and made him a middle officer in the Bureau of Military Affairs. He was transferred to serve as magistrate of Zheng. After Qi was conquered, the emperor lavished rewards on the officials who had accompanied the campaign, but those who had stayed behind in the capital received nothing. Liu Yu submitted a memorial: "Peace has only just begun, and rewards and punishments must be clear. When repaying merit and honoring service, one must start from the right foundation. The storming of cities and the taking of towns flows from the sage ruler's design; the beheading of generals and the capture of banners depend on divine strategy. To carry arms and armor and bear the hardships of campaign and defense is one thing; to hold the realm steady and guard the throne is another—and the latter is no less weighty. All share in the finished design; no one can claim the credit alone. Those who stayed behind and those who went on campaign are alike, and their merit and labor should be treated as equal. From the crown prince on down, they truly had the merit of guarding the ancestral temples. In the past Xiao He remained on garrison duty and received his fief before the battle at Pingyang; Liu Muzhi held the center, and even after his death he was still honored with generous rank. I cannot withhold this humble opinion and respectfully submit this memorial for your attention. Thereupon all those who had stayed behind on garrison duty were given a general promotion in rank.
20
高祖受禪,累遷尚書虞部侍郎,以母憂去職。 未幾,起為屯田侍郎,固讓弗許。 時制三品已上,門皆列戟。 左僕射高熲子弘德封應國公,申牒請戟。 彧判曰:「僕射之子更不異居,父之戟槊已列門外。 尊有壓卑之義,子有避父之禮,豈容外門既設,內閤又施!」 事竟不行,熲聞而歎伏。 後遷治書侍御史,當朝正色,甚為百僚之所敬憚。 上嘉其婞直,謂彧曰:「大丈夫當立名於世,無容容而已。」 賜錢十萬,米百石。
When Emperor Gaozu took the throne, Liu Yu rose through several posts to vice director of the Office of Parks and Forests in the Ministry of Works, then left office to mourn his mother. Before long he was recalled as vice director of state farms; he declined firmly, but the court would not accept his refusal. At that time the rule was that anyone of third rank or above might display halberds at his gate. Hongde, son of Left Vice Director Gao Jiong and Duke of Ying, submitted a petition asking that halberds be set up at his gate. Liu Yu ruled: "The vice director's son does not keep a separate household; his father's halberds and spears are already displayed outside the gate. Superiority means that the greater presses upon the lesser, and a son must yield to his father—how can halberds stand at the outer gate and then be set up again in the inner hall! The request was denied in the end, and when Gao Jiong heard of the ruling he sighed in admiration. Later he was made supervising censor for legal documents; stern-faced at court, he was widely respected and feared by the other officials. The emperor praised his uncompromising integrity and told Liu Yu, "A true man should make a name for himself in the world—not merely be smooth and agreeable. He was granted one hundred thousand coins and a hundred shi of grain.
21
于時刺史多任武將,類不稱職。 彧上表曰:「方今天下太平,四海清謐,共治百姓,須任其才。 昔漢光武一代明哲,起自布衣,備知情偽,與二十八將披荊棘,定天下,及功成之後,無所職任。 伏見詔書,以上柱國和幹子為杞州刺史,其人年垂八十,鐘鳴漏盡。 前任趙州,暗於職務,政由群小,賄賂公行,百姓籲嗟,歌謠滿道。 乃雲:'老禾不早殺,餘種穢良田。 '古人有雲:'耕當問奴,織當問婢。 '此言各有所能也。 幹子弓馬武用,是其所長,治民蒞職,非其所解。 至尊思治,無忘寢興,如謂優老尚年,自可厚賜金帛,若令刺舉,所損殊大。 臣死而後已,敢不竭誠。」 上善之,幹子竟免。 有應州刺史唐君明,居母喪,娶雍州長史庫狄士文之從父妹。 彧劾之曰:「臣聞天地之位既分,夫婦之禮斯著,君親之義生焉,尊卑之教攸設。 是以孝惟行本,禮實身基,自國刑家,率由斯道。 竊以愛敬之情,因心至切,喪紀之重,人倫所先。 君明鑽燧雖改,在文無變,忽劬勞之痛,成宴爾之親,冒此苴縗,命彼褕翟。 不義不昵,《春秋》載其將亡,無禮無儀,詩人欲其遄死。 士文贊務神州,名位通顯,整齊風教,四方是則,棄二姓之重匹,違六禮之軌儀。 請禁錮終身,以懲風俗。」 二人竟坐得罪。 隋承喪亂之後,風俗頹壞,彧多所矯正,上甚嘉之。 又見上勤於聽受,百僚奏請,多有煩碎,因上疏諫曰:「臣聞自古聖帝,莫過唐、虞,象地則天,布政施化,不為叢脞,是謂欽明。 語曰:'天何言哉,四時行焉。 '故知人君出令,誡在煩數。 是以舜任五臣,堯諮四嶽,設官分職,各有司存,垂拱無為,天下以治。 所謂勞於求賢,逸于任使。 又雲:'天子穆穆,諸侯皇皇。 '此言君臣上下,體裁有別。 比見四海一家,萬機務廣,事無大小,咸關聖聽。 陛下留心治道,無憚疲勞,亦由群官懼罪,不能自決,取判天旨。 聞奏過多,乃至營造細小之事,出給輕微之物,一日之內,酬答百司,至乃日旰忘食,夜分未寢,動以文簿,憂勞聖躬。 伏願思臣至言,少減煩務,以怡神為意,以養性為懷,思武王安樂之義,念文王勤憂之理。 若其經國大事,非臣下裁斷者,伏願詳決,自餘細務,責成所司,則聖體盡無疆之壽,臣下蒙覆育之賜也。」 上覽而嘉之。 後以忤旨免。 未幾,複令視事,因謂彧曰:「無改爾心。」 以其家貧,敕有司為之築宅。 因曰:「柳彧正直士,國之寶也。」 其見重如此。
At that time most provincial governors were military men, and as a rule they did not fit their posts. Liu Yu submitted a memorial: "The realm is at peace and the four seas are quiet; to govern the people together, each man must be given work suited to his talent. Emperor Guangwu of Han was the wise ruler of his age; he rose from common cloth, knew men and affairs through and through, and with the Twenty-Eight Generals cut through brambles to settle the realm—yet once the work was done, he gave them no further office. I note the edict appointing Senior Pillar of State He Ganzi prefect of Qi Province. The man is nearly eighty; his hour has come and his water clock is empty. In his previous term at Zhao Province he was dull in office; petty men ran the government; bribes were openly traded; the people groaned, and protest songs filled the roads. People said, "If old stalks are not cut down in time, the leftover seed will ruin the good fields." The ancients said, "Ask the male slave about plowing and the maidservant about weaving." That saying means each person has his own proper skill. Archery, horsemanship, and military use are He Ganzi's strengths; governing people and holding civil office are not things he understands. Your Majesty seeks good order and never forgets it, waking or sleeping. If you wish to honor age, you may richly grant gold and silk—but to make him a provincial inspector would do great harm. I serve until death itself; how could I fail to speak with all my loyalty! The emperor approved the memorial, and He Ganzi was removed from the appointment. There was Tang Junming, prefect of Ying Province, who while mourning his mother married the paternal cousin of Kudí Shiwen, chief secretary of Yong Province. Liu Yu impeached him, writing, "I have heard that once Heaven and Earth take their separate places, the rites of husband and wife stand forth, the duties of ruler and parent arise, and the teaching of superior and inferior is established. Filial piety is the root of conduct, and ritual is the foundation of the person; from the state to the law to the household, all things proceed by this path. Love and reverence spring from the heart and are the most pressing of feelings; the weight of mourning is the first of human obligations. Tang Junming may have changed the form of the marriage rite, but the substance did not change: forgetting the pain of his mother's death, he took a wedding partner, wore coarse hemp mourning while putting an embroidered bridal robe on her. Without righteousness and without proper intimacy, the Spring and Autumn Annals marks a state for ruin; without ritual and without decorum, the poets wish such men a quick death. Shiwen serves in the heart of the realm; his name and rank are high and bright; he is meant to set the standard for customs in every quarter—yet he cast off the solemn bond of marriage between two families and broke the proper rites of the six ceremonies. I ask that both men be imprisoned for life, as a warning to public morals. Both men were punished in the end. The Sui came to power after years of chaos, when customs had collapsed; Liu Yu corrected many abuses, and the emperor greatly praised him for it. He also saw that the emperor listened attentively to every petition, while the hundred officials often submitted petty and trivial requests, and so he remonstrated: "I have heard that of all sage emperors since antiquity none surpass Yao and Shun. They modeled themselves on Earth and took Heaven as their standard, spread governance and taught transformation, and did not entangle themselves in minutiae—this is what is called reverent clarity. The saying runs, "What does Heaven say? The four seasons turn of themselves." From this one knows that when a ruler gives orders, the danger lies in issuing too many of them. Shun employed five ministers; Yao consulted the Four Peaks; offices were set and duties divided, each with its own charge. They ruled with folded hands and without fuss, and the realm was well governed. This is what is meant by laboring to find the worthy and resting once they are put to use. It is also said, "The Son of Heaven is dignified and solemn; the feudal lords are bright and imposing." These words mean that ruler and subject, superior and inferior, each have their proper form and measure. Lately I see that with the four seas united as one family and the myriad affairs vast in scope, nothing, great or small, fails to reach Your Majesty's ear. Your Majesty attends to the Way of governance and does not shrink from fatigue—but this is also because the officials fear blame, cannot decide matters themselves, and look to the throne for every ruling. Memorials come in such numbers that even small construction jobs and trifling disbursements reach you; in a single day you answer the hundred offices, sometimes forgetting to eat until sundown and not sleeping until past midnight, buried in documents and ledgers, wearing out your sacred person with worry and labor. I respectfully ask you to weigh my earnest words, lighten the burden of petty affairs a little, take ease of spirit as your aim and the nurturing of your nature as your care, and recall King Wu's lesson in secure repose and King Wen's example of diligent concern. For great affairs of state that ministers cannot decide, I ask that you judge them in detail; for all other minor matters, hold the responsible offices to account—then Your Majesty's sacred person may enjoy boundless years, and your subjects will receive the shelter of your nurture. The emperor read the memorial and praised it. Later he was removed from office for going against the emperor's wishes. Before long he was ordered back to office, and the emperor told Liu Yu, "Do not change your heart. Because his household was poor, the emperor ordered the proper offices to build him a house. He also said, "Liu Yu is an upright man—a treasure of the state. Such was the esteem in which he was held.
22
右僕射楊素當途顯貴,百僚懾憚,無敢忤者。 嘗以少譴,敕送南台。 素恃貴,坐彧床。 彧從外來,見素如此,於階下端笏整容謂素曰:「奉敕治公之罪。」 素遽下。 彧據案而坐,立素於庭,辨詰事狀。 素由是銜之。 彧時方為上所信任,故素未有以中之。
Right Vice Director Yang Su held power and stood at the height of favor; the hundred officials feared him, and none dared cross him. Once, for a minor offense, Yang Su was ordered sent to the Southern Court. Yang Su, trusting in his rank, sat on Liu Yu's couch. Liu Yu came in from outside, saw Yang Su sitting there, and at the foot of the steps took up his tablet, composed his face, and said to Yang Su, "I have received orders to try your case. Yang Su rose at once. Liu Yu sat at the desk, had Yang Su stand in the courtyard, and examined and questioned the facts of the case. From that day Yang Su nursed a grudge against him. Liu Yu was then in the emperor's full trust, so Yang Su had no way to bring him down.
23
彧見近代以來,都邑百姓每至正月十五日,作角抵之戲,遞相誇競,至於糜費財力,上奏請禁絕之,曰:「臣聞昔者明王訓民治國,率履法度,動由禮典。 非法不服,非道不行。 道路不同,男女有別,防其邪僻,納諸軌度。 竊見京邑,爰及外州,每以正月望夜,充街塞陌,聚戲朋遊。 鳴鼓聒天,燎炬照地,人戴獸面,男為女服,倡優雜技,詭狀異形。 以穢嫚為歡娛,用鄙褻為笑樂,內外共觀,曾不相避。 高棚跨路,廣幕陵雲,袨服靚妝,車馬填噎。 肴醑肆陳,絲竹繁會,竭貲破產,竟此一時。 盡室並孥,無問貴賤,男女混雜,緇素不分。 穢行因此而生,盜賊由斯而起。 浸以成俗,實有由來,因循敝風,曾無先覺。 非益於化,實損於民。 請頒行天下,並即禁斷。 康哉《雅》、《頌》,足美盛德之形容,鼓腹行歌,自表無為之至樂。 敢有犯者,請以故違敕論。」 詔可其奏。 是歲,持節巡省河北五十二州,奏免長吏贓汙不稱職者二百餘人,州縣肅然,莫不震懼。 上嘉之,賜絹布二百匹、氈三十領,拜儀同三司。 歲餘,加員外散騎常侍,治書如故。 仁壽初,複持節巡省太原道十九州。 及還,賜絹百五十匹。
Liu Yu saw that in recent times, whenever the fifteenth day of the first month came round, the people of the capital and other cities would put on grappling shows and vie with one another in display until they ruined themselves in waste and expense. He submitted a memorial asking that the practice be banned, writing, "I have heard that enlightened kings of old taught the people and governed the state by always keeping to law and acting from ritual. What is not lawful is not done; what is not the Way is not followed. Roads are kept distinct and men and women are kept apart, to ward off what is crooked and bring all things within proper bounds. I observe that in the capital and in the outer provinces alike, on the full-moon night of the first month the streets are choked and the lanes blocked, as people gather for games and roam in crowds. Drums thunder to the sky and torches blaze over the earth; people wear beast masks, men dress as women, and singers, dancers, and acrobats twist themselves into grotesque shapes. They make filthy mockery their pleasure and vulgar obscenity their laughter; men and women watch together without the least restraint. High stages span the roads and broad tents rise like clouds; splendid dress and bright adornment fill the streets, and carriages and horses jam the ways. Delicacies and wine are spread in profusion, string and bamboo music crowd together, and families spend their last wealth and break themselves for this one night. Whole households turn out, noble and base alike, men and women mingling together, laymen and clerics undistinguished. From this come debased conduct and theft. The practice has slowly hardened into custom and has long roots; people follow a bad fashion, and no one has been first to see the harm. It does nothing to improve manners and truly harms the people. I ask that this be promulgated throughout the realm and forbidden at once. How peaceful are the Odes and Hymns—enough to praise the greatness of virtue; to beat one's belly and walk singing is itself the highest joy of rule without strain. If anyone dares to violate this, I ask that he be punished under the law for deliberate disobedience of an edict. The emperor approved the memorial. That year, bearing the imperial staff, he toured and inspected fifty-two prefectures in Hebei and memorialized the removal of more than two hundred corrupt and incompetent chief officials; prefectures and counties fell silent, and all were awed. The emperor praised him, granted two hundred bolts of silk and cloth and thirty felt rugs, and made him an honorary palace attendant of the third rank. After more than a year he was additionally made an extra regular palace attendant, while keeping his post as supervising censor. At the beginning of the Renshou era he again bore the imperial staff to tour and inspect nineteen prefectures on the Taiyuan circuit. On his return he was granted one hundred fifty bolts of silk.
24
彧嘗得博陵李文博所撰《治道集》十卷,蜀王秀遣人求之。 彧送之於秀,秀複賜彧奴婢十口。 及秀得罪,楊素奏彧以內臣交通諸侯,除名為民,配戍懷遠鎮。 行達高陽,有詔征還。 至晉陽,值漢王諒作亂,遣使馳召彧,將與計事。 彧為使所逼,初不知諒反,將入城而諒反形已露。 彧度不得免,遂詐中惡不食,自稱危篤。 諒怒,囚之。 及諒敗,楊素奏彧心懷兩端,以候事變,跡雖不反,心實同逆,坐徙敦煌。 楊素卒後,乃自申理,有詔征還京師,卒於道。 有子紹,為介休令。
Liu Yu once came into possession of the ten-juan Collection on the Way of Governance by Li Wenbo of Boling, and Prince Xiu of Shu sent someone to ask for it. Liu Yu sent the book to Prince Xiu, and Prince Xiu in turn gave Liu Yu ten household slaves and maidservants. After Prince Xiu fell from grace, Yang Su accused Liu Yu of trafficking with regional lords while serving at court. Yu was stripped of rank, reduced to commoner status, and sent to garrison duty at Huaiyuan Fort. He had reached Gaoyang when an imperial edict recalled him. At Jinyang he found Prince Liang of Han in open revolt. Liang dispatched riders to summon Yu in haste, meaning to take counsel with him. Pressed by Liang's envoys, Yu at first did not know of the rebellion—but before he could enter the city, the treason was plain for all to see. Seeing no way out, Yu pretended to be stricken with a sudden malady, refused all food, and proclaimed himself at death's door. Liang flew into a rage and had him imprisoned. After Liang's defeat, Yang Su charged that Yu had kept one foot in each camp, biding his time for whatever turn events might take. Though he had not openly rebelled, his heart, Yang Su argued, had gone over to the enemy—and Yu was exiled to Dunhuang. Only after Yang Su's death did Yu secure a hearing for himself. An edict recalled him to the capital, but he died on the journey. He left a son, Shao, who became magistrate of Jiexiu.
25
○趙綽
Zhao Chao
26
趙綽,河東人也,性質直剛毅。 在周初為天官府史,以恭謹恪勤,擢授夏官府下士。 稍以明幹見知,累轉內史中士。 父艱去職,哀毀骨立,世稱其孝。 既免喪,又為掌教中士。 高祖為丞相,知其清正,引為錄事參軍。 尋遷掌朝大夫,從行軍總管是雲暉擊叛蠻,以功拜儀同,賜物千段。 高祖受禪,授大理丞。 處法平允,考績連最,轉大理正。 尋遷尚書都官侍郎,未幾轉刑部侍郎。 治梁士彥等獄,賜物三百段,奴婢十口,馬二十匹。 每有奏讞,正色侃然,上嘉之,漸見親重。 上以盜賊不禁,將重其法。 綽進諫曰:「陛下行堯、舜之道,多存寬宥。 況律者天下之大信,其可失乎!」 上忻然納之,因謂綽曰:「若更有聞見,宜數陳之也。」 遷大理少卿。 故陳將蕭摩訶,其子世略在江南作亂,摩訶當從坐。 上曰:「世略年未二十,亦何能為! 以其名將之子,為人所逼耳。」 因赦摩訶。 綽固諫不可,上不能奪,欲綽去而赦之,固命綽退食。 綽曰:「臣奏獄未決,不敢退朝。」 上曰:「大理其為朕特赦摩訶也。」 因命左右釋之。 刑部侍郎辛亶,嘗衣緋衤軍,俗雲利於官,上以為厭蠱,將斬之。 綽曰:「據法不當死,臣不敢奉詔。」 上怒甚,謂綽曰:「卿惜辛亶而不自惜也?」 命左僕射高熲將綽斬之,綽曰:「陛下寧可殺臣,不得殺辛亶。」 至朝堂,解衣當斬,上使人謂綽曰:「竟何如?」 對曰:「執法一心,不敢惜死。」 上拂衣而入,良久乃釋之。 明日,謝綽,勞勉之,賜物三百段。 時上禁行惡錢,有二人在市,以惡錢易好者,武候執以聞,上令悉斬之。 綽進諫曰:「此人坐當杖,殺之非法。」 上曰:「不關卿事。」 綽曰:「陛下不以臣愚暗,置在法司,欲妄殺人,豈得不關臣事?」 上曰:「撼大木不動者,當退。」 對曰:「臣望感天心,何論動木!」 上複曰:「啜羹者,熱則置之。 天子之威,欲相挫耶?」 綽拜而益前,訶之不肯退。 上遂入。 治書侍御史柳彧複上奏切諫,上乃止。 上以綽有誠直之心,每引入閤中,或遇上與皇后同榻,即呼綽坐,評論得失。 前後賞賜萬計。 其後進位開府,贈其父為蔡州刺史。 時河東薛胄為大理卿,俱名平恕。 然胄斷獄以情,而綽守法,俱為稱職。 上每謂綽曰:「朕於卿無所愛惜,但卿骨相不當貴耳。」 仁壽中卒官,時年六十三。 上為之流涕,中使弔祭,鴻臚監護喪事。 有二子,元方、元襲。
Zhao Chao came from Hedong. By nature he was plain-spoken, upright, and unyielding. In the early Zhou dynasty he served as a clerk in the Office of Heaven. His reverent, tireless diligence won him promotion to lower officer in the Office of Summer. He gradually came to be known for clarity and capacity, rising through successive posts until he became middle officer in the Inner Scribe's office. Upon his father's death he left office. Grief wore him to skin and bone, and all who knew him praised his filial piety. When mourning was complete, he returned to office as middle officer in charge of instruction. While still Chancellor, Gaozu, recognizing Chao's integrity, appointed him Recording Affairs Adjutant. He was soon made Court Master and followed the campaigning grand marshal Shiyun Hui against rebellious tribes. For his service he was made Privy Counselor and granted a thousand rolls of goods. When Gaozu ascended the throne, Chao was appointed vice director of the Court of Judicial Review. He judged cases with even-handed fairness, and year after year his evaluations ranked first. He was promoted to director of the Court of Judicial Review. He was soon transferred to vice minister of the Board of Justice, and not long after to vice minister of punishments. For his handling of the cases of Liang Shiyan and others, he received three hundred rolls of goods, ten servants, and twenty horses. Whenever he presented a judgment he did so with stern, unflinching bearing. The emperor approved, and over time came to trust him deeply. Banditry would not cease, and the emperor resolved to tighten the laws. Chao remonstrated: "Your Majesty governs in the manner of Yao and Shun, and shows mercy in many things. Moreover, the law is the greatest bond of trust under Heaven. How can it be cast aside? The emperor accepted this with pleasure and told Chao: "If you see more that warrants speech, speak often. Chao was promoted to vice director of the Court of Judicial Review. The former Chen general Xiao Mohe was implicated because his son Shilue had raised rebellion in the south. The emperor said: "Shilue is not yet twenty. What could he have accomplished? He is only the son of a famed commander, pushed into action by others. On that ground the emperor pardoned Mohe. Chao protested that this could not stand. Unable to prevail, the emperor tried to dismiss Chao so he could issue the pardon, and ordered him to leave court and take his meal. Chao said: "This case is still before the court. I dare not leave while it remains unsettled. The emperor said: "Then let the Court of Judicial Review grant Mohe a special pardon in my name. He then ordered his attendants to set Mohe free. Vice Minister of Punishments Xin Yan had once worn a red military jacket—a garment common folk said brought good fortune in office. The emperor took this for witchcraft meant to harm him and ordered Xin Yan beheaded. Chao said: "By the law he does not deserve death. I dare not carry out such an order. The emperor was furious. "You would spare Xin Yan," he said to Chao, "but not yourself?" He ordered Left Vice Director Gao Jiong to execute Chao. Chao replied: "Your Majesty may kill me, but you may not kill Xin Yan. At the Hall of Court his robes were stripped and the blade readied. The emperor sent a messenger to ask: "Well? What now?" He answered: "I serve the law with undivided heart. I do not fear death. The emperor turned away and went inside. After a long interval, Chao was released. The next day the emperor apologized to Chao, praised his steadfastness, and granted him three hundred rolls of goods. The emperor had forbidden debased coin. Two men in the market were caught trading bad coin for good; the guards reported them, and the emperor ordered both beheaded. Chao remonstrated: "Their offense calls for the beating staff. To kill them is unlawful. The emperor said: "This is none of your affair. Chao said: "Your Majesty did not think me too dull to place me in the courts of law. When the throne would kill without right, how can that be none of my affair?" The emperor said: "He who shakes a great tree and cannot move it should withdraw. Chao answered: "I aim to move the heart of Heaven itself. Why speak of moving trees?" The emperor said again: "One who sips hot broth sets it aside until it cools. Would you bruise the majesty of the Son of Heaven? Chao bowed, pressed closer still, and rebuked him, refusing to retreat. At last the emperor withdrew inside. Supervising Secretary Liu Yu also submitted a sharp memorial of remonstrance, and only then did the emperor stay the executions. Trusting Chao's sincerity, the emperor often summoned him to the inner chambers. Even when he and the empress sat together on the same couch, he would call Chao to join them and speak freely of right and wrong. Rewards given him over the years ran into the tens of thousands. He was later promoted to Opening the Government, and his father was posthumously enfeoffed as governor of Cai Province. At the time Xue Zhou of Hedong served as director of the Court of Judicial Review. Both men were renowned for equitable, forgiving judgment. Zhou judged by human feeling; Chao held to the letter of the law. Both were held to have served well in their posts. The emperor often told Chao: "I withhold nothing from you—yet by your bone structure you were never meant for great fortune. In the Renshou era he died in office, aged sixty-three. The emperor wept for him. Palace envoys performed the mourning rites, and the Director of Ceremonies supervised the funeral. He left two sons, Yuanfang and Yuanxi.
27
○裴肅
Pei Su
28
裴肅,字神封,河東聞喜人也。 父俠,周民部大夫。 肅少剛正有局度,少與安定梁毗同志友善。 仕周,釋褐給事中士,累遷禦正下大夫。 以行軍長史從韋孝寬征淮南。 屬高祖為丞相,肅聞而歎曰:「武帝以雄才定六合,墳土未幹,而一朝遷革,豈天道歟!」 高祖聞之,甚不悅,由是廢於家。 開皇五年,授膳部侍郎。 後二歲,遷朔州總管長史,轉貝州長史,俱有能名。 仁壽中,肅見皇太子勇、蜀王秀、左僕射高熲俱廢黜,遣使上書曰:「臣聞事君之道,有犯無隱,愚情所懷,敢不聞奏。 竊見高熲以天挺良才,元勳佐命,陛下光寵,亦已優隆。 但鬼瞰高明,世疵俊異,側目求其長短者,豈可勝道哉! 願陛下錄其大功,忘其小過。 臣又聞之,古先聖帝,教而不誅,陛下至慈,度越前聖。 二庶人得罪已久,寧無革心? 願陛下弘君父之慈,顧天性之義,各封小國,觀其所為。 若能遷善,漸更增益,如或不悛,貶削非晚。 今者自新之路永絕,愧悔之心莫見,豈不哀哉!」 書奏,上謂楊素曰:「裴肅憂我家事,此亦至誠也。」 於是征肅入朝。 皇太子聞之,謂左庶子張衡曰:「使勇自新,欲何為也?」 衡曰:「觀肅之意,欲令如吳太伯、漢東海王耳。」 皇太子甚不悅。 頃之,肅至京師,見上于含章殿,上謂肅曰:「吾貴為天子,富有四海,後宮寵倖,不過數人,自勇以下,並皆同母,非為憎愛,輕事廢立。」 因言勇不可複收之意。 既而罷遣之。 未幾,上崩。 煬帝嗣位,不得調者久之,肅亦杜門不出。 後執政者以嶺表荒遐,遂希旨授肅永平郡丞,甚得民夷心。 歲餘,卒,時年六十二。 夷、獠思之,為立廟于鄣江之浦。 有子尚賢。
Pei Su, styled Shenfeng, came from Wenxi in Hedong. His father Xia had served as minister of the people under the Zhou. From youth Su was upright and broad-minded. In his early years he shared purpose and close friendship with Liang Pi of Anding. Entering service under the Zhou, he began as gentleman attendant and rose step by step to junior master of rectitude. As chief secretary on campaign he followed Wei Xiaokuan in the expedition against Huainan. When Gaozu became Chancellor, Su heard the news and sighed: "Emperor Wu, with heroic talent, had settled the realm under one rule—yet before the earth on his grave had dried, everything was overturned in a single morning. Is this the Way of Heaven? Gaozu heard of it and was deeply displeased. For this Su was left idle at home. In the fifth year of Kaihuang he was appointed vice minister of provisions. Two years later he became chief secretary to the regional commander of Shuozhou, then chief secretary of Beizhou. In both posts he won a name for competence. In the Renshou era Su saw Crown Prince Yong, Prince Xiu of Shu, and Left Vice Director Gao Jiong all cast down and dismissed. He submitted a memorial: "I have heard that to serve one's lord is to speak when one must, hiding nothing. What my humble heart holds, I dare not withhold. I have observed in private that Gao Jiong was endowed by Heaven with great talent and stood among the founding ministers of primal merit. Your Majesty's honors to him have already been generous beyond measure. Yet spirits envy the exalted, and the age resents the outstanding. Those who watch from the corner of the eye, hunting for fault—can their number even be counted? I beg Your Majesty to weigh his great service and set aside his lesser faults. I have also heard that the sage emperors of old taught where they could rather than punish. Your Majesty's mercy surpasses even those ancient kings. The two disgraced princes have long been in fault. Might they not yet turn their hearts? I beg Your Majesty to show the compassion of lord and father, honor the claims of natural kinship, grant each a small domain, and watch what they do. If they turn toward virtue, increase their standing by degrees. If they will not amend, reduction and disgrace will not come too late. As things stand, the road to renewal is shut forever, and no sign of shame or repentance can be seen. Is this not a grief? When the memorial arrived, the emperor said to Yang Su: "Pei Su frets over affairs within my house. That too is utmost loyalty. Su was thereupon summoned to court. The crown prince heard of it and said to Left Assistant Zhang Heng: "To let Yong renew himself—what would that serve? Zhang Heng said: "By Su's meaning, he would have them live as Wu Taibo did, or as the Prince of Donghai under the Han. The crown prince was deeply displeased. Before long Su reached the capital and was received at Hanzhang Hall. The emperor told him: "I stand as Son of Heaven, master of the four seas. Favored women in the inner palace are few. From Yong downward all share one mother. I did not lightly cast aside and replace a son out of caprice. He then made plain that Yong could not be restored. Presently he dismissed Su and sent him home. Not long after, the emperor died. When Emperor Yang took the throne, Su went long without office. He shut his doors and would not go abroad. Later those in power, reading the new emperor's mood, sent him to the far south as assistant administrator of Yongping Commandery in Lingbiao. There he won the hearts of both tribesmen and common folk. A little more than a year later he died, aged sixty-two. The Yi and Liao peoples mourned him and raised a shrine to him on the bank of the Zhang River. He left a son, Shangxian.
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史臣曰:猛獸之處山林,藜藿為之不采; 正臣之立朝廷,奸邪為之折謀。 皆志在匪躬,義形於色,豈惟綱紀由其隆替,抑亦社稷系以存亡者也。 晉、蜀二王,帝之愛子,擅以權寵,莫拘憲令,求其恭肅,不亦難乎! 元岩、王韶,任當彼相,並見嚴憚,莫敢為非,謇諤之風,有足稱矣。 行本正色于房陵,梁毗抗言于楊素,直辭鯁氣,懍焉可想。 趙綽之居大理,囹圄無冤,柳彧之處憲台,奸邪自肅。 然不畏強禦,梁毗其有焉,邦之司直,行本、柳彧近之矣。 裴肅朝不坐,宴不預,忠誠慷慨,犯忤龍鱗,固知嫠婦憂宗周之亡,處女悲太子之少,非徒語也。 方諸前載,有閻纂之風焉。
The historians say: Where fierce beasts hold the mountain forests, even brambles and wild greens go ungathered. Where upright ministers stand in court, the wicked abandon their schemes. All alike gave their lives without reserve, righteousness written plain upon their faces. Was it only that law and order rose or fell with them? The fate of the altars of state hung upon them as well. The princes of Jin and Shu were sons the emperor loved. They wielded favor and power beyond the reach of law. To expect from them reverence and restraint—was that not hard indeed? Yuan Yan and Wang Shao held posts fit for chief ministers; both inspired stern awe, and no one dared misconduct himself. Their tradition of blunt remonstrance is truly worth commending. Liu Xingben kept a stern face in guiding the heir, and Liang Pi spoke boldly against Yang Su. Their plain speech and unbending spirit still command respect today. Under Zhao Chao at the Court of Justice, the prisons held no wrongful prisoners; under Liu Yu at the Censorate, the wicked straightened themselves without being told. In fearlessness before the powerful, Liang Pi stood foremost; as the realm's plain-speaking officers of integrity, Liu Xingben and Liu Yu came close behind. Pei Su would not take his seat at court or join the feasts, yet he was loyal and openhanded and dared touch the dragon's scales. One sees that the widow grieving for the fall of the Zhou house and the girl mourning the crown prince's plight were not mere figures of speech. Measured against the men of earlier histories, he bears something of the spirit of Yan Zuan.