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李諤李諤，字士恢，趙郡人也。 好學，解屬文。 仕齊為中書舍人，有口辯，每接對陳使。 周武帝平齊，拜天官都上士，諤見高祖有奇表，深自結納。 及高祖為丞相，甚見親待，訪以得失。 于時兵革屢動，國用虛耗，諤上《重穀論》以諷焉。 高祖深納之。 及受禪，曆比部、考功二曹侍郎，賜爵南和伯。 諤性公方，明達世務，為時論所推。 遷治書侍御史，上謂群臣曰：「朕昔為大司馬，每求外職，李諤陳十二策，苦勸不許，朕遂決意在內。 今此事業，諤之力也。」 賜物二千段。
Li E, styled Shihui, was a native of Zhao Commandery. He was devoted to learning and adept at prose composition. Under the Northern Qi he served as a secretariat drafter. Eloquent in debate, he was regularly assigned to receive envoys from Chen. When Emperor Wu of Zhou conquered Qi, Li E was appointed director clerk in the Celestial Office. Seeing that Yang Jian had an extraordinary bearing, he cultivated a close bond with him. Once Yang Jian became chancellor, Li E enjoyed his close confidence and was consulted on the merits and failings of policies. War was being waged repeatedly and the treasury was depleted. Li E submitted his "Treatise on Valuing Grain" as a pointed admonition. Yang Jian took his advice to heart. After Yang Jian accepted the throne, Li E served in turn as vice director in the ministries of revenue review and of merit evaluation, and was enfeoffed as Earl of Nanhe. Li E was upright by nature and shrewd in practical affairs; contemporaries held him in high regard. He was promoted to gentleman-attendant of the imperial library. The emperor told the assembled ministers, "When I was grand marshal I often sought a provincial appointment. Li E offered twelve arguments and pleaded with me to refuse; I decided to stay at court. What we have achieved today is largely Li E's doing. Li E was rewarded with two thousand bolts of goods.
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諤見禮教凋敝，公卿薨亡，其愛妾侍婢，子孫輒嫁賣之，遂成風俗。 諤上書曰：「臣聞追遠慎終，民德歸厚，三年無改，方稱為孝。 如聞朝臣之內，有父祖亡沒，日月未久，子孫無賴，便分其妓妾，嫁賣取財。 有一於茲，實損風化。 妾雖微賤，親承衣履，服斬三年，古今通式。 豈容遽褫縗弊，強傅鉛華，泣辭靈幾之前，送付他人之室。 凡在見者，猶致傷心，況乎人子，能堪斯忍？ 複有朝廷重臣，位望通貴，平生交舊，情若弟兄，及其亡沒，杳同行路，朝聞其死，夕規其妾，方便求娉，以得為限，無廉恥之心，棄友朋之義。 且居家理治，可移於官，既不正私，何能贊務？」 上覽而嘉之。 五品以上妻妾不得改醮，始於此也。
Li E saw ritual norms in decline: when ministers and nobles died, their heirs would routinely marry off or sell the deceased's concubines and maidservants, until this became common practice. Li E submitted a memorial: "I have heard that honoring the departed and observing funeral rites with due care deepen public virtue, and that three years without change in one's father's ways is what truly counts as filial piety. I hear that among court officials, when a father or grandfather has died and scarcely any time has passed, dissolute descendants divide up the household's concubines and either marry them off or sell them for profit. Even a single such case truly degrades public morals. Concubines may be of low station, yet they served their lord in person; wearing mourning sackcloth for three years has been the universal rule in every age. How can they be stripped at once of their mourning garb, forced to apply cosmetics, made to weep their farewells before the spirit tablet—and then delivered into another man's household? Anyone who witnesses such a scene is moved to grief; how could a son endure such cruelty? There are also great ministers of high rank who in life were close as brothers; when a friend dies they treat him like a stranger met on the road—hearing of his death in the morning and by evening plotting to take his concubines, scheming by any means to obtain them, devoid of shame and betraying the bonds of friendship. Domestic conduct shapes public service; if a man cannot govern his private life with integrity, how can he assist in state affairs? The emperor read the memorial and approved it. The rule forbidding remarriage by wives and concubines of officials fifth rank and above dates from this memorial.
3
諤又以屬文之家，體尚輕薄，遞相師效，流宕忘反，於是上書曰：
Li E also observed that literary families favored a frivolous style, each imitating the other until excess became the norm. He therefore submitted another memorial:
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臣聞古先哲王之化民也，必變其視聽，防其嗜欲，塞其邪放之心，示以淳和之路。 五教六行為訓民之本，《詩》《書》《禮》《易》為道義之門。 故能家複孝慈，人知禮讓，正俗調風，莫大於此。 其有上書獻賦，制誄鐫銘，皆以褒德序賢，明勳證理。 苟非懲勸，義不徒然。 降及後代，風教漸落。 魏之三祖，更尚文詞，忽君人之大道，好雕蟲之小藝。 下之從上，有同影響，競騁文華，遂成風俗。 江左齊、梁，其弊彌甚，貴賤賢愚，唯務吟詠。 遂複遺理存異，尋虛逐微，競一韻之奇，爭一字之巧。 連篇累牘，不出月露之形，積案盈箱，唯是風雲之狀。 世俗以此相高，朝廷據茲擢士。 祿利之路既開，愛尚之情愈篤。 於是閭裡童昏，貴遊總丱，未窺六甲，先制五言。 至如羲皇、舜、禹之典，伊、傅、周、孔之說，不復關心，何嘗入耳。 以傲誕為清虛，以緣情為勳績，指儒素為古拙，用詞賦為君子。 故文筆日繁，其政日亂，良由棄大聖之軌模，構無用以為用也。 損本逐末，流遍華壤，遞相師祖，久而愈扇。 及大隋受命，聖道聿興，屏黜輕浮，遏止華偽，自非懷經抱質，志道依仁，不得引預搢紳，參廁纓冕。 開皇四年，普詔天下，公私之翰，並宜實錄。 其年九月，泗州刺史司馬幼之文表華豔，付所司治罪。 自是公卿大臣，咸知正路，莫不鑽仰墳集，棄絕華綺，擇先王之令典，行大道於茲世。 如聞外州遠縣，仍鐘敝風，選吏舉人，未遵典則，至有宗黨稱孝，鄉曲歸仁，學必典謨，交不苟合，則擯落私門，不加收齒； 其學不稽古，逐俗隨時，作輕薄之篇章，結朋黨而求譽，則選充吏職，舉送天朝。 蓋由縣令、刺史未行風教，猶挾私情，不存公道。 臣既忝憲司，職當糾察。 若聞風即劾，恐掛網者多，請勒諸司，普加搜訪，有如此者，具狀送台。
I understand that sage kings of antiquity governed the people by reshaping what they saw and heard, curbing their appetites, closing off depraved impulses, and guiding them toward simplicity and virtue. The five teachings and six conducts are the foundations of moral instruction; the Odes, Documents, Rites, and Changes are the gateways to the Way. Only thus could households recover filial devotion, and people learn decorum and forbearance; nothing does more to set right the manners of an age. Memorials, rhapsodies, dirges, and inscriptions should all serve to praise virtue, celebrate worthy men, and attest to merit and reason. Unless they admonish or encourage, they serve no legitimate purpose. In later ages moral instruction steadily declined. The three Wei emperors exalted polished phrasing, neglecting the ruler's great duty while indulging in trivial literary ornament—the "carving of insects." As ever below follows above, subjects raced to display literary brilliance until it became the custom of the age. Under the southern dynasties of Qi and Liang the abuse grew worse still: high and low, wise and foolish alike cared for nothing but verse. Writers abandoned substance for novelty, chasing empty effects and minute refinements, vying over a single rhyme or the cleverness of a single word. Their pages piled up, yet described nothing but moonlight and dew; their manuscripts filled chest after chest, yet depicted only wind and clouds. Society prized such writing, and the court selected officials according to it. Once literary skill became a route to salary and promotion, devotion to it only deepened. Village children and young nobles who had barely learned their letters were already composing five-character verse. The classics of Fuxi, Shun, and Yu, the teachings of Yi Yin, Fu Yue, the Duke of Zhou, and Confucius—they no longer held any interest, scarcely reaching their ears at all. They called arrogance clarity, sentimental indulgence achievement, plain Confucian learning old-fashioned, and literary rhapsody the mark of a gentleman. Writings multiplied while governance declined—the inevitable result of abandoning the sages' model and treating useless ornament as substance. Esteem for the trivial over the essential spread across the land, each generation imitating the last until the trend flared without limit. When Sui received Heaven's mandate the sage Way was revived: frivolity was cast aside and ornate pretense restrained. Only those steeped in the classics and devoted to the Way could enter the ranks of the gentry and hold official office. In Kaihuang 4 an edict went forth that all writings, public and private, must be plain and factual. That September, Sima Youzhi, prefect of Si province, was punished because his memorials were excessively ornate. Thereafter ministers and high officials knew the right course: they turned to the classics, rejected ornate display, took up the precedents of former kings, and practiced the great Way in their own day. I hear that distant prefectures and counties still clung to the old abuse: in selecting officials they ignored proper standards. Men praised for filial piety and integrity, who studied the classics and kept honest company, were rejected at the gate; yet those who shunned the classics, wrote frivolous verse, and curried favor through cliques were appointed to office and recommended to the capital. The fault lies with magistrates and inspectors who fail to enforce moral instruction, favor private connections, and neglect the public good. As a member of the censorate, it is my duty to investigate such matters. Immediate prosecution of every case might ensnare too many; I ask that all offices be ordered to investigate and report offenders fully to the censorate.
5
諤又以當官者好自矜伐，複上奏曰：
Li E also observed that officials tended to boast of their achievements and submitted another memorial:
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臣聞舜戒禹雲：「汝惟不矜，天下莫與汝爭能； 汝惟不伐，天下莫與汝爭功。」 言偃又雲：「事君數，斯辱矣，朋友數，斯疏矣。」 此皆先哲之格言，後王之軌轍。 然則人臣之道，陳力濟時，雖勤比大禹，功如師望，亦不得厚自矜伐，上要君父。 況複功無足紀，勤不補過，而敢自陳勳績，輕幹聽覽！ 世之喪道，極于周代，下無廉恥，上使之然。 用人唯信其口，取士不觀其行。 矜誇自大，便以幹濟蒙擢； 謙恭靜退，多以恬默見遺。 是以通表陳誠，先論己之功狀； 承顏敷奏，亦道臣最用心。 自衒自媒，都無慚恥之色； 強幹橫請，唯以幹沒為能。 自隋受命，此風頓改，耕夫販婦，無不革心，況乃大臣，仍遵敝俗！ 如聞刺史入京朝覲，乃有自陳勾檢之功，喧訴階墀之側，言辭不遜，高自稱譽，上黷冕旒，特為難恕，凡如此輩，具狀送台，明加罪黜，以懲風軌。
I recall Shun's admonition to Yu: "Only by not boasting will no one under Heaven contend with you for ability; only by not claiming credit will no one contend with you for merit. Yan Yan also said, "To serve one's lord too often is disgraceful; to importune a friend too often breeds estrangement." These are the maxims of the sages and the path for rulers to follow. A minister's duty is to serve with all his strength; even were his diligence equal to Yu's and his merit to the Duke of Shao's, he must not boast extravagantly or impose on his sovereign. How much worse when one's merit is negligible and one's efforts fail to remedy one's faults, yet one still proclaims one's achievements and presumptuously intrudes upon the emperor's attention! Moral collapse reached its worst under the Northern Zhou: integrity vanished below because the court encouraged it above. Officials were chosen for their words alone, without regard to conduct. Men who bragged loudly were promoted for their supposed competence; while the modest and retiring were passed over in silence. Memorials therefore began with self-praise, and audience presentations likewise dwelt on the speaker's devoted service. Officials displayed and promoted themselves without a trace of shame; pressing their demands and grasping for gain as if that were talent. Since Sui received the mandate this custom has changed sharply; even farmers and marketwomen have reformed—yet great ministers still cling to the old ways! I hear that when prefects come to court for audience, some noisily proclaim their auditing achievements on the palace steps, speaking impertinently and praising themselves—a grave offence against the throne. Let all such men be reported to the censorate, punished, and dismissed as a warning to others.
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上以諤前後所奏頒示天下，四海靡然向風，深革其弊。 諤在職數年，務存大體，不尚嚴猛，由是無剛謇之譽，而潛有匡正多矣。 邳公蘇威以臨道店舍，乃求利之徒，事業汙雜，非敦本之義，遂奏高祖，約遣歸農，有願依舊者，所在州縣錄附市籍，仍撤毀舊店，並令遠道，限以時日。 正值冬寒，莫敢陳訴。 諤因別使，見其如此，以為四民有業，各附所安，逆旅之與旗亭，自古非同一概，即附市籍，於理不可，且行旅之所托，豈容一朝而廢，徒為勞擾，於事非宜，遂專決之，並令依舊，使還詣闕，然後奏聞。 高祖善之曰：「體國之臣，當如此矣。」 以年老，出拜通州刺史，甚有惠政，民夷悅服。 後三歲，卒官，有子四人。 大體、大鈞，並官至尚書郎。 世子大方襲爵，最有材品，大業初，判內史舍人。 帝方欲任之，遇卒。 鮑宏鮑宏，字潤身，東海郯人也。 父機，以才學知名。 事梁，官至治書侍御史。 宏七歲而孤，為兄泉之所愛育。 年十二，能屬文，嘗和湘東王繹詩，繹嗟賞不已，引為中記室，遷鎮南府諮議、尚書水部郎，轉通直散騎侍郎。 江陵既平，歸於周。 明帝甚禮之，引為麟趾殿學士。 累遷遂伯下大夫，與杜子暉聘于陳，謀伐齊也。 陳遂出兵江北以侵齊。 帝嘗問巨集取齊之策，巨集對雲：「我強齊弱，勢不相侔。 齊主昵近小人，政刑日紊，至尊仁惠慈恕，法令嚴明。 事等建瓴，何憂不克。 但先皇往日出師洛陽，彼有其備，每不克捷。 如臣計者，進兵汾、潞，直掩晉陽，出其不虞，以為上策。」 帝從之。 及定山東，除少禦正，賜爵平遙縣伯，邑六百戶，加上儀同。 高祖作相，奉使山南。 會王謙舉兵于蜀，路次潼州，為謙將達奚期所執，逼送成都，竟不屈節。 謙敗之後，馳傳入京，高祖嘉之，賜以金帶。 及受禪，加開府，除利州刺史，進爵為公。 轉邛州刺史，秩滿還京。 時有尉義臣者，其父崇不從尉迥，後複與突厥戰死，上嘉之，將賜姓為金氏。 訪及群下，宏對曰：「昔項伯不同項羽，漢高賜姓劉氏，秦真父能死難，魏武賜姓曹氏。 如臣愚見，請賜以皇族。」 高祖曰：「善。」 因賜義臣姓為楊氏。 後授均州刺史，以目疾免，卒于家，時年九十六。 初，周武帝敕宏修《皇室譜》一部，分為《帝緒》、《疏屬》、《賜姓》三篇。 有集十卷，行於世。 裴政裴政，字德表，河東聞喜人也。 高祖壽孫，從宋武帝徙家于壽陽，曆前軍長史、廬江太守。 祖邃，梁侍中、左衛將軍、豫州大都督。 父之禮，廷尉卿。 政幼明敏，博聞強記，達于時政，為當時所稱。 年十五，辟邵陵王府法曹參軍事，轉起部郎、枝江令。 湘東王之臨荊州也，召為宣惠府記室，尋除通直散騎侍郎。 侯景作亂，加壯武將軍，帥師隨建甯侯王琳進討之。 擒賊率宋子仙，獻於荊州。 及平侯景，先鋒入建鄴，以軍功連最封夷陵侯。 征授給事黃門侍郎，複帥師副王琳拒蕭紀，破之於硤口。 加平越中郎將、鎮南府長史。 及周師圍荊州，琳自桂州來赴難，次於長沙。 政請從間道先報元帝。 至百里洲，為周人所獲，蕭詧謂政曰：「我武皇帝之孫也，不可為爾君乎？ 爾亦何煩殉身于七父？ 若從我計，則貴及子孫； 如或不然，分腰領矣。」 政詭曰：「唯命。」 詧鎖之，送至城下，使謂元帝曰：「王僧辯聞台城被圍，已自為帝。 王琳孤弱，不復能來。」 政許之。 既而告城中曰：「援兵大至，各思自勉。 吾以間使被擒，當以碎身報國。」 監者擊其口，終不易辭。 詧怒，命趣行戮。 蔡大業諫曰：「此民望也。 若殺之，則荊州不可下矣。」 因得釋。 會江陵陷，與城中朝士俱送于京師。 周文帝聞其忠，授員外散騎侍郎，引事相府。 命與盧辯依《周禮》建六卿，設公卿大夫士，並撰次朝儀，車服器用，多遵古禮，革漢、魏之法，事並施行。 尋授刑部下大夫，轉少司憲。 政明習故事，又參定《周律》。 能飲酒，至數鬥不亂。 簿案盈幾，剖決如流，用法寬平，無有冤濫。 囚徒犯極刑者，乃許其妻子入獄就之，至冬，將行決，皆曰：「裴大夫致我于死，死無所恨。」 其處法詳平如此。 又善鐘律，嘗與長孫紹遠論樂，語在《音律志》。 宣帝時，以忤旨免職。
The emperor had Li E's memorials promulgated throughout the realm; all the empire turned toward the new standard and deeply reformed its ways. Li E served several years in office, keeping to broad principles rather than harsh severity; he won no reputation as a fierce remonstrator, yet quietly corrected many abuses. Duke of Pi Su Wei argued that roadside inns served only profiteers and corrupted the economy; he memorialized Yang Jian to return innkeepers to farming. Those who wished to continue would be registered on market rolls, their old establishments demolished, and travelers along distant routes given a time limit to adapt. It was the depth of winter, and no one dared lodge a complaint. Li E, traveling on other business, saw the hardship and judged that each of the four classes of people had its proper occupation, and that inns and taverns had never been treated alike; registering them on market rolls was unreasonable, and travelers' accommodations could not be abolished overnight without useless disruption. He decided on his own authority to restore the old arrangements, then reported his action after the envoy returned to court. Yang Jian praised him, saying, "A minister who truly serves the state should act as Li E did. When he grew old he was appointed prefect of Tong province, where his benevolent administration won the affection of both Han Chinese and tribal peoples. Three years later he died in office, leaving four sons. Dati and Dajun both rose to gentleman of the secretariat. His eldest son Dafang inherited the title. The most capable of his sons, Dafang was appointed acting inner secretariat drafter at the start of the Daye era. The emperor was about to grant him greater responsibility when he died. Bao Hong, styled Runshen, was a native of Tan in Donghai commandery. His father Ji was known for his learning and talent. Under Liang he rose to gentleman-attendant investigating censor. Hong lost his father at seven and was lovingly raised by his elder brother Quan. At twelve he could already compose prose and verse; when he matched verses with Prince Xiangdong of the Xiao clan, Yi admired him greatly and made him central recorder. He went on to serve as counselor in the southern garrison office, gentleman in the secretariat's water bureau, and regular attendant of the scattered cavalry. After the fall of Jiangling he entered Zhou service. Emperor Ming of Zhou treated him with great honor and appointed him an academician of the Qilin Hall. He rose to grand master under Earl Sui and was sent with Du Zihui on embassy to Chen to arrange a joint attack on Qi. Chen duly sent troops north of the Yangtze to strike at Qi. The emperor once asked Hong for a plan to conquer Qi. Hong replied, "We are strong and Qi is weak; the two are not comparable in power. The Qi ruler favors petty men, and his government grows daily more corrupt, whereas Your Majesty is benevolent and merciful and your laws are strict and clear. Victory would be as easy as pouring water from a high roof—why doubt success? Yet when the former emperor marched on Luoyang, Qi was prepared each time and our forces failed to win. In my view the best course is to advance through Fen and Lu and strike directly at Jinyang before Qi expects it. The emperor accepted his advice. After the pacification of Shandong he was appointed junior director of the imperial household, enfeoffed as Earl of Pingyao with six hundred households, and granted supernumerary pillar-of-state equivalence. When Yang Jian served as chancellor, Hong was dispatched on mission south of the mountains. When Wang Qian rebelled in Shu, Hong was seized en route at Tong province by Qian's general Daxi Qi and taken to Chengdu, yet he never yielded. After Qian's defeat he rode post-horses to the capital; Yang Jian praised his fortitude and rewarded him with a gold belt. When Yang Jian took the throne, Hong was made grand general, appointed governor of Lizhou, and raised to duke. He was transferred to Qiongzhou and, when his term ended, returned to the capital. At the time there was a man named Wei Yichen whose father Chong had refused to join Yu Chi Yong and later died fighting the Turks. The emperor wished to honor this by granting the family the surname Jin. The emperor asked his court for advice. Hong answered: "Long ago Xiang Bo refused to follow Xiang Yu, and the founder of Han gave him the surname Liu. Qin Zhen's father died in service, and Cao Cao gave that line the surname Cao. In my humble opinion, he should be given the imperial surname instead." Emperor Wen said, "Well said." He then granted Yichen the surname Yang. Later appointed governor of Junzhou, he was dismissed for failing eyesight and died at home at ninety-six. Earlier, Emperor Wu of Zhou had ordered Hong to compile an imperial genealogy in one volume, divided into three sections: imperial lines, collateral kin, and granted surnames. His collected writings, ten fascicles in all, circulated widely. Pei Zheng, styled Debiao, came from Wenxi in Hedong. An early forebear named Shou, a descendant of the clan founder, had moved with Emperor Wu of Song to Shouyang and served as chief clerk of the forward army and administrator of Lujiang. His grandfather Sui had been Liang's attendant-in-chief, general of the left guard, and grand governor of Yuzhou. His father Zhili was commandant of justice. From childhood Zheng was quick and bright, widely read with a formidable memory, and well versed in public affairs; his contemporaries praised him highly. At fifteen he entered the Prince of Shaoling's household as a legal bureau attendant, then became a gentleman of the ministry of works and magistrate of Zhijiang. When the Prince of Xiangdong went to Jingzhou, Zheng was summoned as recorder of the Xuanhui palace and soon made direct attendant-in-ordinary of the scattered cavalry. When Hou Jing rebelled, Zheng was made general of robust martiality and led troops under the Marquis of Jianning, Wang Lin, to attack him. He captured the rebel commander Song Zixian and brought him to Jingzhou. After Hou Jing was defeated, Zheng entered Jiankang at the head of the army and, for repeated outstanding service, was enfeoffed as marquis of Yiling. Summoned to court as attendant-in-ordinary of the yellow gate, he again took command under Wang Lin, defeated Xiao Ji at Xiakou, and drove him back. He was also made general who pacifies the south and chief clerk of the southern headquarters. When Northern Zhou forces besieged Jingzhou, Wang Lin marched from Guizhou to relieve the city and stopped at Changsha. Zheng asked to go by a hidden route first and report to Emperor Yuan. At Baili Isle he was seized by Zhou troops. Xiao Cha said to him, "I am a grandson of Emperor Wu of Liang. Cannot I be your sovereign? Why should you throw your life away for your seventh uncle? If you heed me, honor will come to you and your children; if not, I will have you cut in two." Zheng pretended to agree. "As you command." Cha had him bound and brought to the city wall, ordering him to tell Emperor Yuan, "Wang Sengbian, learning that the capital is besieged, has already declared himself emperor. Wang Lin is alone and powerless and cannot come to your aid. Zheng assented. But then he shouted to the city, "Reinforcements are near! Hold firm! I was taken while carrying dispatches, and I will give my broken body for the realm. His guards beat his mouth, yet he would not take back a word. Enraged, Cha ordered him executed at once. Cai Daye urged him: "This man commands the people's respect. Kill him, and you will never take Jingzhou. On that advice, Zheng was spared. When Jiangling fell, he was sent to the Zhou capital along with the officials inside the city. Zhou Wendi, hearing of his loyalty, made him supernumerary attendant-in-ordinary of the scattered cavalry and brought him into the chancellor's office. He and Lu Bian were charged to reorganize government on the model of the Rites of Zhou: six ministries, ranks from duke down to serviceman, and new court ritual, carriages, dress, and regalia. Much followed ancient precedent and replaced Han and Wei usage, and the reforms were carried out. He was soon made grandee of the ministry of punishments, then junior director of justice. Zheng knew precedent thoroughly and helped draft the Zhou legal code. He could drink several dou of wine without losing his composure. Case files piled his desk, yet he decided them as swiftly as flowing water, applying the law with lenience and equity and without wrongful severity. Even men condemned to death were allowed to receive their wives and children in prison. When winter came and execution drew near, they would say, "It was Senior Grandee Pei who brought us to this, and we die without resentment. Such was the thoroughness and fairness of his justice. He was also learned in bells and pitch standards and once debated music with Zhangsun Shaoyuan; that exchange is recorded in the Treatise on Pitch and Mode. Under Emperor Xuan he lost his post for speaking against the throne.
8
高祖攝政，召複本官。 開皇元年，轉率更令，加位上儀司三司。 詔與蘇威等修定律令。 政采魏、晉刑典，下至齊、梁，沿革輕重，取其折衷。 同撰著者十有餘人，凡疑滯不通，皆取決於政。 進位散騎常侍，轉左庶子，多所匡正，見稱純愨。 東宮凡有大事，皆以委之。 右庶子劉榮，性甚專固。 時武職交番，通事舍人趙元愷作辭見帳，未及成。 太子有旨，再三催促，榮語元愷雲：「但爾口奏，不須造帳。」 及奏，太子問曰：「名帳安在？」 元愷曰：「稟承劉榮，不聽造帳。」 太子即以詰榮，榮便拒諱，雲「無此語」。 太子付政推問。 未及奏狀，有附榮者先言于太子曰：「政欲陷榮，推事不實。」 太子召責之，政奏曰：「凡推事有兩，一察情，一據證，審其曲直，以定是非。 臣察劉榮，位高任重，縱令實語元愷，蓋是纖介之愆。 計理而論，不須隱諱。 又察元愷受制于榮，豈敢以無端之言妄相點累。 二人之情，理正相似。 元愷引左衛率崔茜等為證，茜等款狀悉與元愷符同。 察情既敵，須以證定。 臣謂榮語元愷，事必非虛。」 太子亦不罪榮，而稱政平直。
When Yang Jian took power as regent, Zheng was restored to his former office. In the first year of Kaihuang he became director of regulators and was given the additional rank of superior chief of protocol of the third order. An edict put him with Su Wei and others to revise the laws and ordinances. Zheng drew on penal codes from Wei and Jin down through Qi and Liang, weighing how punishments had changed in severity and striking a balanced middle course. More than ten men worked on the project, but whenever a point stalled in dispute, Zheng's judgment settled it. Promoted to regular attendant-in-ordinary of the scattered cavalry and made left subordinate of the crown prince, he corrected many errors and was praised for plain, honest service. All weighty matters of the crown prince's household were placed in his hands. The right subordinate, Liu Rong, was stubborn by nature. Military officers were then rotating palace guard duty, and communication attendant Zhao Yuankai was drafting the written roster for the audience report but had not finished it. The crown prince pressed for the report again and again. Rong told Yuankai, "Just speak it aloud. There is no need to prepare the written roster." When the report was given, the crown prince asked, "Where is the name roster?" Yuankai answered, "Liu Rong told me not to prepare one." The crown prince confronted Rong, who denied it outright, claiming he had never said such a thing. The crown prince handed the case to Zheng for inquiry. Before Zheng could submit his findings, a partisan of Rong told the crown prince, "Zheng is trying to frame Rong. His inquiry is false." The crown prince summoned and scolded him. Zheng replied, "Every inquiry rests on two things: reading the parties' conduct and weighing the evidence. One judges right and wrong and decides accordingly. Looking at Liu Rong's position, even if he did tell Yuankai what is alleged, it would be a minor lapse at most. By any reasonable measure, he had no cause to deny it. As for Yuankai, he was under Rong's authority. Would he dare invent a charge against him? The conduct of both men points the same way. Yuankai produced Left Guard Commander Cui Qian and others as witnesses, and their statements matched his in every detail. Since the parties' accounts are evenly matched, the witnesses must decide the matter. I conclude that Rong did speak to Yuankai, and the charge is not false." The crown prince did not punish Rong, but praised Zheng for his evenhanded judgment.
9
政好面折人短，而退無後言。 時雲定興數入侍太子，為奇服異器，進奉後宮，又緣女寵，來往無節。 政數切諫，太子不納。 政因謂定興曰：「公所為者，不合禮度。 又元妃暴薨，道路籍籍，此于太子非令名也。 願公自引退，不然將及禍。」 定興怒，以告太子，太子益疏政，由是出為襄州總管。 妻子不之官，所受秩奉，散給僚吏。 民有犯罪者，陰悉知之，或竟歲不發，至再三犯，乃因都會時，於眾中召出，親案其罪，五人處死，流徙者甚眾，合境惶懾，令行禁止，小民蘇息，稱為神明。 爾後不修囹圄，殆無爭訟。 卒官，年八十九。 著《承聖降錄》十卷。 及太子廢，高祖追憶之曰：「向遣裴政、劉行本在，共匡弼之，猶應不令至此。」 子南金，仕至膳部郎。 柳莊柳莊，字思敬，河東解人也。 祖季遠，梁司徒從事中郎。 父遐，霍州刺史。 莊少有遠量，博覽墳籍，兼善辭令。 濟陽蔡大寶有重名于江左，時為岳陽王蕭詧諮議，見莊便歎曰：「襄陽水鏡，複在於茲矣。」 大寶遂以女妻之，俄而詧辟為參軍，轉法曹。 及詧稱帝，還署中書舍人，曆給事黃門侍郎、吏部郎中、鴻臚卿。 及高祖輔政，蕭巋令莊奉書入關。 時三方構難，高祖懼巋有異志，及莊還，謂莊曰：「孤昔以開府從役江陵，深蒙梁主殊眷。 今主幼時艱，猥蒙顧托，中夜自省，實懷慚懼。 梁主奕葉重光，委誠朝廷，而今已後，方見松筠之節。 君還本國，幸申孤此意于梁主也。」 遂執莊手而別。 時梁之將帥鹹潛請興師，與尉迥等為連衡之勢，進可以盡節于周氏，退可以席捲山南。 唯巋疑為不可。 會莊至自長安，具申高祖結托之意，遂言於巋曰：「昔袁紹、劉表、王淩、諸葛誕之徒，並一時之雄傑也。 及據要害之地，擁哮闞之群，功業莫建，而禍不旋踵者，良由魏武、晉氏挾天子，保京都，仗大義以為名，故能取威定霸。 今尉迥雖曰舊將，昏耄已甚，消難、王謙，常人之下者，非有匡合之才。 況山東、庸蜀從化日近，周室之恩未洽，在朝將相，多為身計，競效節于楊氏。 以臣料之，迥等終當覆滅，隋公必移周國。 未若保境息民，以觀其變。」 巋深以為然，眾議遂止。 未幾，消難奔陳，迥及謙相次就戮，巋謂莊曰：「近者若從眾人之言，社稷已不守矣。」
Zheng was quick to rebuke a man to his face, yet never spoke ill of him afterward. At the time Yun Dingxing often attended the crown prince in outlandish dress, sent curios into the inner palace, and, trading on a daughter's favor, came and went without restraint. Zheng admonished him again and again, but the crown prince would not listen. Zheng finally told Dingxing, "Your conduct violates propriety. The crown prince's consort died suddenly, and scandal fills the streets. This does the crown prince no credit. Withdraw now, while you still can, or disaster will find you. Dingxing, furious, complained to the crown prince. The prince grew colder toward Zheng, and Zheng was sent out as governor-general of Xiangzhou. His family did not accompany him to his post, and he gave away his salary to his subordinates. He kept quiet track of every crime in his jurisdiction. Often he would let a man go unpunished for a year, even two, until a third offense; then, at a public assembly, he would call the offender out before the crowd, hear the case himself, put five men to death, and exile many more. The whole region trembled; order held, litigation nearly ceased, and the people breathed easier, calling him a divine magistrate. After that he scarcely needed his prisons, and lawsuits all but disappeared. He died in office at eighty-nine. He wrote the Record of the Chengsheng Surrender in ten fascicles. After the crown prince was deposed, Emperor Wen looked back and said, "If Pei Zheng and Liu Xingben had remained to guide him, things might never have come to this." His son Nanjin rose to gentleman of the provisioners' bureau. Liu Zhuang, styled Sijing, came from Jie in Hedong. His grandfather Jiyuan had been attendant of the eastern department under Liang's minister over the masses. His father Xia was governor of Huozhou. From youth Zhuang had breadth of mind, read widely in the classics, and was gifted in speech and writing. Cai Dabao of Jiyang was famed throughout the south. Serving as adviser to the Prince of Yueyang, Xiao Cha, he saw Zhuang and exclaimed, "The clear mirror of Xiangyang has appeared again." Dabao gave him his daughter in marriage. Soon afterward Xiao Cha summoned Zhuang as a staff officer and later made him head of the legal bureau. When Xiao Cha declared himself emperor, Zhuang became palace attendant and later served in turn as attendant-in-ordinary of the yellow gate, director of the ministry of personnel, and chamberlain for dependencies. When Yang Jian became regent, Xiao Kui sent Zhuang through the pass with a letter to him. The realm was then divided in three, and Yang Jian feared Xiao Kui might turn against him. When Zhuang returned, Yang Jian told him, "Long ago I served at Jiangling as an open prefect and received extraordinary kindness from the Liang ruler. Now the throne is held by a child in troubled times, and I have been undeservedly entrusted with power. At night, when I examine myself, I am filled with shame and dread. The house of Liang has long stood in honor and has shown its loyalty to the court. Hereafter you will see that its integrity is as firm as pine and bamboo. When you return home, please convey this humble wish of mine to the Liang ruler. With that he took Zhuang by the hand and bid him farewell. At that time the Liang commanders all secretly urged raising an army and joining Wei Chidao and others in a coalition: advancing, they could prove their loyalty to the Zhou; retreating, they could overrun the country south of the mountains. Only Xiao Kui was skeptical and thought it unwise. When Zhuang returned from Chang'an, he fully relayed the Gaozu's pledge of trust, then said to Xiao Kui: "In former times Yuan Shao, Liu Biao, Wang Ling, Zhuge Dan, and men like them were all heroes of their generation. Yet once they held vital ground and led fierce, unruly armies, none established lasting success while ruin overtook them without delay—because Cao Cao of Wei and the house of Jin held the Son of Heaven, protected the capital, and acted in the name of righteous authority, and so could win awe and fix their dominion. Wei Chidao may be an old commander, but he is already far gone in age; Xiaonan and Wang Qian are men beneath the common run and possess no gift for rallying the realm. Moreover, Shandong and the Yong-Shu region draw closer to submission every day, while the Zhou court's favor has not yet won them over; many ministers and generals at court look to their own interests and vie to show loyalty to the Yang clan. By my reckoning, Wei Chidao and his allies will ultimately be destroyed, and the Duke of Sui is sure to supplant the Zhou. Better to hold your territory, give the people peace, and wait to see how matters develop." Xiao Kui was fully persuaded, and the assembly's plan was abandoned. Before long Xiaonan fled to Chen, and Wei Chidao and Wang Qian were put to death in turn. Xiao Kui said to Zhuang: "Had I recently heeded the others, the state would already be lost."
10
高祖踐阼，莊又入朝，高祖深慰勉之。 及為晉王廣納妃于梁，莊因是往來四五反，前後賜物數千段。 蕭琮嗣位，遷太府卿。 及梁國廢，授開府儀同三司，尋除給事黃門侍郎，並賜以田宅。 莊明習舊章，雅達政事，凡所駁正，帝莫不稱善。 蘇威為納言，重莊器識，常奏帝雲：「江南人有學業者，多不習世務，習世務者，又無學業。 能兼之者，不過於柳莊。」 高熲亦與莊甚厚。 莊與陳茂同官，不能降意，茂見上及朝臣多屬意于莊，心每不平，常謂莊為輕己。 帝與茂有舊，曲被引召，數陳莊短。 經歷數載，譖醖頗行。 尚書省嘗奏犯罪人依法合流，而上處以大辟。 莊奏曰：「臣聞張釋之有言，法者天子所與天下共也。 今法如是，更重之，是法不信于民心。 方今海內無事，正是示信之時，伏願陛下思釋之之言，則天下幸甚。」 帝不從，由是忤旨。 俄屬尚藥進丸藥不稱旨，茂因密奏莊不親監臨，帝遂怒。 十一年，徐璒等反於江南，以行軍總管長史隨軍討之。 璒平，即授饒州刺史，甚有治名。 後數載卒官，年六十二。 源師源師，字踐言，河南洛陽人也。 父文宗，有重名于齊，開皇初，終於莒州刺史。 師早有聲望，起家司空府參軍事，稍遷尚書左外兵郎中，又攝祠部。 後屬孟夏，以龍見請雩。 時高阿那肱為相，謂真龍出見，大驚喜，問龍所在，師整容報曰：「此是龍星初見，依禮當雩祭郊壇，非謂真龍別有所降。」 阿那肱忿然作色曰：「何乃幹知星宿！」 祭竟不行。 師出而竊歎曰：「國家大事，在祀與戎。 禮既廢也，何能久乎？ 齊亡無日矣。」 七年，周武帝平齊，授司賦上士。 高祖受禪，除魏州長史，入為尚書考功侍郎，仍攝吏部。 朝章國憲，多所參定。 十七年，曆尚書左右丞，以明幹著稱。 時蜀王秀頗違法度，乃以師為益州總管司馬。 俄而秀被征，秀恐京師有變，將謝病不行。 師數勸之不可違命，秀作色曰：「此自我家事，何預卿也！」 師垂涕對曰：「師荷國厚恩，忝參府幕，僚吏之節，敢不盡心。 但比年以來，國家多故，秦孝王寢疾，奄至薨殂，庶人二十年太子，相次淪廢。 聖上之情，何以堪處！ 而有敕追王，已淹時月，今乃遷延未去，百姓不識王心，儻生異議，內外疑駭，發雷霆之詔，降一介之使，王何以自明？ 願王自計之。」 秀乃從征。 秀廢之後，益州官屬多相連坐，師以此獲免。 後加儀同三司。 煬帝即位，拜大理少卿。 帝在顯仁宮，敕宮外衛士不得輒離所守。 有一主帥，私令衛士出外，帝付大理繩之。 師據律奏徒，帝令斬之，師奏曰：「此人罪誠難恕，若陛下初便殺之，自可不關文墨。 既付有司，義歸恆典，脫宿衛近侍者更有此犯，將何以加之？」 帝乃止。 轉刑部侍郎。 師居職強明，有口辯，而無廉平之稱。 未幾，卒官。 有子昆玉。 郎茂郎茂，字蔚之，恆山新市人也。 父基，齊潁川太守。 茂少敏慧，七歲誦《騷》、《雅》，日千餘言。 十五師事國子博士河間權會，受《詩》、《易》、《三禮》及玄象、刑名之學。 又就國子助教長樂張率禮受《三傳》群言，至忘寢食。 家人恐茂成病，恆節其燈燭。 及長，稱為學者，頗解屬文。 年十九，丁父憂，居喪過禮。 仕齊，解褐司空府行參軍。 會陳使傅縡來聘，令茂接對之。 後奉詔于秘書省刊定載籍。 遷保城令，有能名，百姓為立《清德頌》。 及周武平齊，上柱國王誼薦之，授陳州戶曹。 屬高祖為亳州總管，見而悅之，命掌書記。 時周武帝為《象經》，高祖從容謂茂曰：「人主之所為也，感天地，動鬼神，而《象經》多糾法，將何以致治？」 茂竊歎曰：「此言豈常人所及也！」 乃陰自結納，高祖亦親禮之。 後還家為州主薄。 高祖為丞相，以書召之，言及疇昔，甚歡。 授衛州司錄，有能名。 尋除衛國令。 時有系囚二百，茂親自究審數日，釋免者百餘人。 歷年辭訟，不詣州省。 魏州刺史元暉謂茂曰：「長史言衛國民不敢申訴者，畏明府耳。」 茂進曰：「民猶水也，法令為堤防。 堤防不固，必致奔突，苟無決溢，使君何患哉？」 暉無以應之。 有民張元預，與從父弟思蘭不睦。 丞尉請加嚴法，茂曰：「元預兄弟，本相憎疾，又坐得罪，彌益其忿，非化民之意也。」 於是遣縣中耆舊更往敦諭，道路不絕。 元預等各生感悔，詣縣頓首請罪。 茂曉之以義，遂相親睦，稱為友悌。
When the Gaozu took the throne, Zhuang again presented himself at court, and the Gaozu warmly comforted and encouraged him. When a bride was taken from Liang for Prince Jin of Guang, Zhuang traveled back and forth four or five times on the mission and was granted several thousand lengths of goods in all. When Xiao Cong succeeded to the throne, Zhuang was transferred to Grand Steward of the Imperial Treasury. When the Liang realm was abolished, he was given the title of Grand Master with Pomp equaling a third-rank office; soon afterward he was appointed Attendant Gentleman of the Yellow Gate, and was also granted fields and a residence. Zhuang knew the old regulations well and had a refined grasp of government; every correction he offered in review the Emperor praised without exception. Su Wei, as Chief Censor, esteemed Zhuang's talent and judgment and often told the Emperor: "Among the learned men of Jiangnan, many are unversed in practical affairs; those versed in practical affairs, in turn, lack learning. The man who unites both qualities is none other than Liu Zhuang." Gao Jiong was also on very close terms with Zhuang. Zhuang and Chen Mao served in the same office, but Zhuang would not humble himself; Mao saw that the Emperor and the court favored Zhuang, and his heart was always uneasy—he often said Zhuang slighted him. The Emperor had long-standing ties with Mao and repeatedly summoned him with special indulgence; Mao often listed Zhuang's faults. After several years, calumny had taken deep hold. The Ministry of Affairs once reported that a convicted man should by law be exiled, but the Emperor ordered his execution. Zhuang memorialized: "I have heard Zhang Shizhi's words: the law is what the Son of Heaven shares with all the world. Now the statute says one thing, yet the sentence is made heavier—this means the law will not be trusted in the people's hearts. At present the realm is at peace—this is exactly the time to show good faith. I humbly beg Your Majesty to ponder Shizhi's counsel; then the empire would be greatly fortunate." The Emperor would not heed him, and Zhuang thereby fell afoul of the throne. Soon after, when the Office of Imperial Medicines presented pills that failed to please, Mao secretly reported that Zhuang had not personally overseen the matter, and the Emperor grew angry. In the eleventh year Xu Zan and others rose in rebellion in Jiangnan; Zhuang served as chief clerk on the punitive campaign and marched with the army. When Xu Zan was subdued, Zhuang was at once appointed governor of Raozhou, where he won a strong reputation for good administration. A few years later he died in office, at the age of sixty-two. Yuan Shi, courtesy name Jianyan, was a native of Luoyang in Henan. His father Wenzong had a great name in Qi; in the early Kaihuang reign he died in office as governor of Juzhou. Shi won early renown. He entered service as a staff officer in the Office of the Minister of Works, gradually rose to Director in the Left Outer Bureau of Military Affairs under the Ministry of Affairs, and also served concurrently as head of the Sacrificial Rites section. Later, in the first month of summer, when the Azure Dragon star appeared, he requested the rain sacrifice. At that time Gao Anaqi was chancellor; believing a real dragon had appeared, he was greatly startled and delighted and asked where the dragon was. Shi composed himself and answered: "This is the first sighting of the Azure Dragon star. By ritual one should offer the rain sacrifice at the suburban altar—it does not mean an actual dragon has descended somewhere else." Anaqi flushed with anger and said: "What business have you interfering in knowledge of the stars!" The sacrifice was never carried out. Shi left and sighed to himself: "The great affairs of the state lie in sacrifice and arms. When ritual is cast aside, how can the state long endure? Qi's destruction is only a matter of time." In the seventh year Emperor Wu of Zhou conquered Qi, and Shi was appointed a senior clerk in the Revenue Bureau. When the Gaozu received the abdication, Shi was made chief administrator of Weizhou; he then entered the capital as Vice Director of the Evaluation Bureau in the Ministry of Affairs and continued to serve concurrently as head of the Ministry of Personnel. He took part in drafting many court regulations and national laws. In the seventeenth year he served in turn as left and right assistant minister of the Ministry of Affairs, famed for clarity and efficiency. At that time Prince Xiu of Shu often transgressed law and custom, and Shi was therefore appointed chief administrator under the Grand Commander of Yizhou. Soon Xiu was summoned to court; fearing trouble in the capital, he planned to plead illness and refuse to go. Shi repeatedly urged him not to disobey the summons. Xiu changed color and said: "This is my own family affair—what concern is it of yours!" Shi answered through tears: "I have received the state's deep favor and am honored to serve in Your Highness's staff; as a subordinate officer, how could I fail to give my whole heart? Yet in recent years the state has suffered many blows: Prince Xiaowang of Qin fell ill and died suddenly; the crown prince of twenty years' standing was in turn deposed and reduced to commoner rank. How can the holy sovereign's heart endure any more of this! An edict summoning Your Highness has already dragged on for months, yet now you linger and will not go—the people cannot read Your Highness's intent; if rumors spread and alarm rises within and without, and a thunderous decree arrives with a single envoy, how will Your Highness prove your innocence? I beg Your Highness to consider this carefully." Xiu then obeyed and set out for the capital. After Xiu was deposed, many officials in Yizhou were punished by association; Shi was spared on that account. Later he was granted the honorary title of Grand Master with Pomp equaling a third-rank office. When Emperor Yang took the throne, Shi was appointed Vice Minister of Justice. The Emperor was at Xianren Palace and decreed that the outer palace guards must not leave their posts without permission. One chief guard privately ordered the outer guards to leave their posts; the Emperor handed him over to the Ministry of Justice for punishment. Shi, citing the statute, recommended penal servitude; the Emperor ordered execution. Shi memorialized: "This man's offense is indeed hard to pardon—but if Your Majesty had killed him at once, that would not have touched the written law. Now that the case has been handed to the proper office, justice must follow the regular code—if those on night watch or in close attendance commit the same offense again, what penalty will you apply?" The Emperor then relented. He was transferred to Vice Director of the Punishments Bureau. In office Shi was forceful and sharp, skilled in argument, but he won no reputation for integrity and impartiality. Before long he died in office. He had a son named Kunyu. Lang Mao, courtesy name Weizhi, was a native of Xinshi in Hengshan. His father Ji served as governor of Yingchuan under Qi. Mao was bright and quick as a boy; at seven he could recite from the Songs of Chu and the Classic of Poetry, more than a thousand characters a day. At fifteen he studied under Quan Hui, erudite of the National University from Hejian, mastering the Classic of Poetry, the Classic of Changes, the Three Rites, and also astronomy, law, and legal nomenclature. He also studied under Zhang Shuaili, assistant erudite of the National University from Changle, taking the Three Commentaries and a wide range of learning, until he forgot to sleep or eat. His family feared he would ruin his health and constantly limited his lamp oil and candles. When he came of age he was acclaimed as a scholar and was quite adept at literary composition. At nineteen he entered mourning for his father and observed the rites of bereavement beyond what custom required. He entered service under Qi, beginning as acting staff officer in the Office of the Minister of Works. When the Chen envoy Fu Zan came on a diplomatic visit, Mao was assigned to receive and reply to him. Later, by imperial order, he collated and corrected historical texts at the Secretariat. He was transferred to magistrate of Baocheng, where he won a reputation for ability; the people composed an Eulogy of Pure Virtue in his honor. When Emperor Wu of Zhou conquered Qi, the Upper Pillar of State Wang Yi recommended him, and he was appointed registrar of the household bureau in Chenzhou. When the Gaozu served as grand commander of Bozhou, he met Mao, was pleased with him, and appointed him chief secretary. At that time Emperor Wu of Zhou had composed the Classic of Images; the Gaozu said casually to Mao: "A ruler's actions should move Heaven and Earth and stir the spirits—yet the Classic of Images is full of restrictive rules; how can one govern well by it?" Mao sighed to himself: "Words like these—how could an ordinary man utter them!" He then quietly attached himself to the Gaozu, who in turn treated him with personal respect. Later he returned home and served as chief clerk of the prefecture. When the Gaozu became chancellor, he summoned Mao by letter; recalling old times together, they were greatly pleased. He was appointed chief clerk of Weizhou, again winning a reputation for ability. Soon afterward he was appointed magistrate of Weiguo. At the time two hundred men were held in custody; Mao personally reviewed the cases for several days and released more than a hundred. For years lawsuits never reached the provincial or central authorities. Yuan Hui, governor of Weizhou, said to Mao: "The chief clerk says the people of Weiguo dare not bring suits because they fear you, magistrate." Mao replied: "The people are like water, and laws and ordinances are the dikes. If the dikes are weak, overflow is sure to follow—but if there is no breach, what has the governor to fear?" Hui had nothing to say in reply. Among the people was Zhang Yuanyu, who was estranged from his cousin Silan. The assistant magistrate and the county captain asked that strict punishment be applied. Mao said: "Yuanyu and his kinsman already hate each other; to punish them further would only deepen their anger—this is not how one transforms the people." He then sent the county elders again and again to instruct them, until the road was never without such messengers. Yuanyu and the others were moved to remorse, came to the county seat, and kowtowed to beg forgiveness. Mao enlightened them with right principle; thereafter they became close and harmonious, and were praised as models of brotherly affection.
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茂自延州長史轉太常丞，遷民部侍郎。 時尚書右僕射蘇威立條章，每歲責民間五品不遜。 或答者乃雲：「管內無五品之家。」 不相應領，類多如此。 又為餘糧簿，擬有無相贍。 茂以為繁紆不急，皆奏罷之。 數歲，以母憂去職。 未期，起令視事。 又奏身死王事者，子不退田，品官年老不減地，皆發於茂。 茂性明敏，剖決無滯，當時以吏幹見稱。 仁壽初，以本官領大興令。 煬帝即位，遷雍州司馬，尋轉太常少卿。 後二歲，拜尚書左丞，參掌選事。 茂工法理，為世所稱。 時工部尚書宇文愷、右翊衛大將軍于仲文競河東銀窟。 茂奏劾之曰：「臣聞貴賤殊禮，士農異業，所以人知局分，家識廉恥。 宇文愷位望已隆，祿賜優厚，拔葵去織，寂爾無聞，求利下交，曾無愧色。 于仲文大將，宿衛近臣，趨侍階庭，朝夕聞道，虞、芮之風，抑而不慕，分銖之利，知而必爭。 何以貽範庶僚，示民軌物！ 若不糾繩，將虧政教。」 愷與仲文竟坐得罪。 茂撰《州郡圖經》一百卷奏之，賜帛三百段，以書付秘府。
Mao was transferred from chief administrator of Yanzhou to vice director of the Ministry of Rites, then promoted to vice minister of the Ministry of Population. At that time Su Wei, Right Vice Minister of the Secretariat, instituted new regulations requiring annual reports from the populace on the five grades of unfilial and insubordinate conduct. Some respondents would even reply, "There are no fifth-rank households in my district. Their answers did not meet the requirement, and such evasions were common. He also instituted a surplus-grain register to arrange mutual aid between households with grain to spare and those without. Lang Mao regarded these measures as needlessly complicated and not pressing, and memorialized to have them all abolished. After several years he resigned to observe mourning for his mother. Before the mourning period was complete, he was recalled to office. He also memorialized that sons of men who died in the ruler's service should not forfeit their inherited land, and that ranked officials should not lose land allotments upon reaching old age—policies that all originated with Mao. Mao was quick-witted and decisive in adjudication, and was widely praised at the time for his skill as an administrator. At the start of the Ren shou era he retained his original rank while also serving as magistrate of Daxing. When Emperor Yang came to the throne, Mao was appointed Administrator of Yong Province and soon afterward promoted to Vice Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Two years later he was made Left Vice Director of the Secretariat and shared responsibility for personnel selection. Mao was expert in legal doctrine and widely admired for it. At the time Minister of Works Yuwen Kai and General of the Right Wing Guard Yu Zhongwen were disputing control of the silver mines east of the Yellow River. Mao memorialized to impeach them, writing: "I have heard that the noble and the base observe different rites, and scholars and farmers follow different callings, so that people know their proper stations and households understand shame. Yuwen Kai already enjoys high rank and generous emoluments; he ought to abstain from petty gain, yet he has remained utterly silent while seeking profit through dealings with social inferiors, without a trace of shame. Yu Zhongwen is a senior general and a close palace guard who attends the throne daily and hears the Way preached at court, yet he shows no desire to emulate the magnanimity of the lords of Yu and Rui, and will fight over profits no larger than a fraction of a coin. How can such men serve as models for the ranks of officials or teach the people proper conduct! If they are not investigated and punished, governance and moral instruction will suffer. Kai and Zhongwen were ultimately punished for the offense. Mao compiled the Gazetteer of Prefectures and Commanderies in one hundred scrolls and submitted it to the throne, for which he received three hundred bolts of silk; the work was placed in the imperial archives.
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于時帝每巡幸，王綱已紊，法令多失。 茂既先朝舊臣，明習世事，然善自謀身，無謇諤之節。 見帝忌刻，不敢措言，唯竊歎而已。 以年老，上表乞骸骨，不許。 會帝親征遼東，以茂為晉陽宮留守。 其年，恆山贊治王文同與茂有隙，奏茂朋黨，附下罔上。 詔遣納言蘇威、御史大夫裴蘊雜治之。 茂素與二人不平，因深文巧詆，成其罪狀。 帝大怒，及其弟司隸別駕楚之皆除名為民，徙且末郡。 茂怡然受命，不以為憂。 在途作《登壟賦》以自慰，詞義可觀。 複附表自陳，帝頗悟。 十年，追還京兆，歲餘而卒，時年七十五。 有子知年。 高構高構，字孝基，北海人也。 性滑稽，多智，辯給過人，好讀書，工吏事，弱冠，州補主簿。 仕齊河南王參軍事，曆徐州司馬、蘭陵、平原二郡太守。 劉滅後，周武帝以為許州司馬。 高祖受禪，轉冀州司馬，甚有能名。 征拜比部侍郎，尋轉民部。 時內史侍郎晉平東與兄子長茂爭嫡，尚書省不能斷，朝臣三議不決。 構斷而合理，上以為能，召入內殿，勞之曰：「我聞尚書郎上應列宿，觀卿才識，方知古人之言信矣。 嫡庶者，禮教之所重，我讀卿判數遍，詞理愜當，意所不能及。」 賜米百石。 由是知名。 尋遷雍州司馬，以明斷見稱。 歲餘，轉吏部侍郎，號為稱職。 複徙雍州司馬，坐事左轉盩啡令，甚有治名。 上善之，複拜雍州司馬，又為吏部侍郎，以公事免。 煬帝立，召令復位。 時為吏部者，多以不稱職去官，唯構最有能名，前後典選之官，皆出其下。 時人以構好劇談，頗謂輕薄，然其內懷方雅，特為吏部尚書牛弘所重。 後以老病解職，弘時典選，凡將有所擢用，輒遣人就第問其可不。 河東薛道衡才高當世，每稱構有清鑒，所為文筆，必先以草呈構，而後出之。 構有所詆訶，道衡未嘗不嗟伏。 大業七年，終於家，時年七十二。 所舉杜如晦、房玄齡等，後皆自致公輔，論者稱構有知人之鑒。
By then the emperor was touring the realm constantly; imperial governance was in disarray and many laws had fallen into neglect. Mao was a veteran of the previous reign who understood affairs well, but he was adept at self-preservation and lacked the courage for blunt remonstrance. Seeing the emperor's harsh and suspicious temperament, he dared not speak up and could only sigh to himself. On account of his age he submitted a memorial requesting retirement, but the request was denied. When the emperor personally marched against Liaodong, Mao was left behind as custodian of Jinyang Palace. That year Wang Wentong, Assistant Administrator of Hengshan, who bore a grudge against Mao, accused him of forming factions and flattering subordinates while deceiving superiors. An edict ordered Remonstrating Minister Su Wei and Censor-in-Chief Pei Yun to conduct a joint investigation. Mao had long been at odds with both men, who therefore stretched the law with artful accusations until his guilt was established. The emperor was furious; Mao and his younger brother Chuzhi, Vice Director of the Directorate of Justice, were both stripped of office and reduced to commoners, then exiled to Qiemo Commandery. Mao accepted the sentence calmly and showed no distress. En route he wrote the rhapsody "Climbing the Mound" to comfort himself; its language and sentiment were noteworthy. He also submitted a further memorial in his own defense, and the emperor partly relented. In the tenth year he was recalled to the capital region; he died a little over a year later, at the age of seventy-five. He had a son named Zhinian. Gao Gou—Gao Gou, styled Xiaoji, was a native of Beihai. He was witty and quick-witted, unusually eloquent, fond of reading, and skilled in administrative work; at twenty he was appointed chief clerk in his prefecture. Under Qi he served on the staff of the Prince of Henan, then successively held the posts of Administrator of Xu Province and Governor of Lanling and Pingyuan. After the fall of the Liu [Northern Qi] regime, Emperor Wu of Zhou appointed him Administrator of Xu Province. When Emperor Gaozu took the throne, Gou was transferred to Administrator of Ji Province and earned a strong reputation for competence. He was summoned to court and appointed Vice Director of the Ministry of Revenue, then soon transferred to the Ministry of Population. At the time Vice Director of the Secretariat Jin Pingdong and his elder brother's son Changmao disputed who was the legitimate heir; the Secretariat could not decide the case, and three rounds of discussion among court officials failed to settle it. Gou rendered a judgment that accorded with principle; impressed, the emperor summoned him to the inner hall and praised him, saying: "They say Secretariat gentlemen correspond to the stars; your talent and judgment show me the ancients spoke truly. The distinction between legitimate and secondary sons is what ritual teaching holds most dear; I have read your decision several times, and its reasoning is so apt that I could not have matched it myself. He rewarded him with one hundred shi of grain. From this he became widely known. He was soon transferred to Administrator of Yong Province, where he was praised for clear and decisive judgment. After a little over a year he was made Vice Director of the Ministry of Civil Office and was considered thoroughly competent. He was again transferred to Administrator of Yong Province, then demoted for an offense to magistrate of Zhouzhi, where he nevertheless earned a strong reputation for effective administration. The emperor thought well of him, reappointed him Administrator of Yong Province and again made him Vice Director of the Ministry of Civil Office, though he was later dismissed over an official matter. When Emperor Yang succeeded to the throne, Gou was recalled and restored to office. At the time many heads of the Ministry of Civil Office left office for incompetence; only Gou enjoyed the strongest reputation for ability, and officials who had previously overseen appointments all stood below him. Because Gou loved spirited conversation, many regarded him as somewhat frivolous, yet inwardly he remained upright and refined, and was especially esteemed by Minister of Civil Office Niu Hong. Later he retired on account of old age and illness; while Niu Hong was managing appointments, whenever he was about to promote someone he would send a messenger to Gou's home to ask whether the choice was sound. Xue Daoheng of Hedong, the foremost literary talent of the age, always said Gou had discerning judgment; whatever he wrote he would first show Gou in draft before publishing it. Whenever Gou criticized his work, Daoheng invariably sighed and accepted the correction. In the seventh year of Daye he died at home, at the age of seventy-two. Those he recommended—including Du Ruhui and Fang Xuanling—later all reached the highest offices; commentators said Gou had a true gift for recognizing talent.
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開皇中，昌黎豆盧實為黃門侍郎，稱為慎密。 河東裴術為右丞，多所糾正。 河東士燮、平原東方舉、安定皇甫聿道，俱為刑部，並執法平允。 弘農劉士龍、清河房山基為考功，河東裴鏡民為兵部，並稱明幹。 京兆韋焜為民曹，屢進讜言。 南陽韓則為延州長史，甚有惠政。 此等事行遺闕，皆有吏幹，為當時所稱。 張虔威張虔威，字元敬，清河東武城人也。 父晏之，齊北徐州刺史。 虔威性聰敏，涉獵群書。 其世父嵩之謂人曰：「虔威，吾家千里駒也。」 年十二，州補主簿。 十八為太尉中兵參軍，後累遷太常丞。 及齊亡，仕周為宣納中士。 高祖得政，引為相府典簽。 開皇初，晉王廣出鎮并州，盛選僚佐，以虔威為刑獄參軍，累遷為屬。 王甚美其才，與河內張衡俱見禮重，晉邸稱為「二張」焉。 及王為太子，遷員外散騎侍郎、太子內舍人。 煬帝即位，授內史舍人、儀同三司。 尋以籓邸之舊，加開府。 尋拜謁者大夫，從幸江都，以本官攝江都贊治，稱為幹理。 虔威嘗在途見一遺囊，恐其主求失，因令左右負之而行。 後數日，物主來認，悉以付之。 淮南太守楊綝嘗與十餘人同來謁見，帝問虔威曰：「其首立者為誰？」 虔威下殿就視而答曰：「淮南太守楊綝。」 帝謂虔威曰：「卿為謁者大夫，而乃不識參見人，何也？」 虔威對曰：「臣非不識楊綝，但慮不審，所以不敢輕對。 石建數馬足，蓋慎之至也。」 帝甚嘉之。 其廉慎皆此類也。 于時帝數巡幸，百姓疲敝，虔威因上封事以諫。 帝不悅，自此見疏。 未幾，卒官。 有子爽，仕至蘭陵令。
During the Kaihuang era, Dou Lu Shi of Changli served as Vice Director of the Yellow Gate and was admired for discretion and reliability. Pei Shu of Hedong served as Right Vice Director and corrected many abuses. Shi Xie of Hedong, Dongfang Ju of Pingyuan, and Huangfu Yudao of Anding all served in the Ministry of Punishments and were equally fair in enforcing the law. Liu Shilong of Hongnong and Fang Shanji of Qinghe served in the Ministry of Merit, and Pei Jingmin of Hedong in the Ministry of War—all were praised as capable and efficient. Wei Kun of Jingzhao served in the Population Bureau and repeatedly offered candid remonstrance. Han Ze of Nanyang served as Administrator of Yan Province and governed with notable benevolence. These men are mentioned here because, though their full careers are not recounted, they all possessed administrative talent and were admired in their time. Zhang Qianwei—Zhang Qianwei, styled Yuanjing, came from Dongwucheng in Qinghe. His father Yan Zhi had been Governor of Northern Xu Province under Northern Qi. Qianwei was intelligent and widely read. His uncle Song Zhi told others, "Qianwei is the thousand-li steed of our clan. At twelve he was appointed chief clerk in his prefecture. At eighteen he became an aide in the Ministry of War's Central Army section, and was later promoted repeatedly until he reached Vice Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. After the fall of Qi he served Northern Zhou as Attendant Gentleman for Reception. When Emperor Gaozu seized power, Qianwei was recruited as record keeper in the prince's headquarters. At the start of Kaihuang, when Prince Yang Guang of Jin went out to take command of Bing Province, Qianwei was selected as an aide for criminal affairs and was promoted repeatedly until he became a senior member of the prince's staff. The prince greatly admired his talent; he and Zhang Heng of Henei were both held in high esteem, and the prince's household called them "the Two Zhangs." When the prince became crown prince, Qianwei was made Supernumerary Gentleman Attendant at Court and Palace Secretary to the Crown Prince. When Emperor Yang came to the throne, Qianwei was appointed Palace Secretary and granted Third Order of Honor. Soon afterward, in recognition of his long service in the prince's household, he was additionally granted the title of General Who Opens a Government Office. He was soon appointed Grand Master of Ceremonial and accompanied the emperor to Jiangdu, where he concurrently served as Assistant Administrator of Jiangdu and was praised for efficient governance. Once on the road Qianwei saw an abandoned purse; fearing its owner might lose it while searching, he had his attendants carry it along. Several days later the owner came to claim it, and Qianwei returned everything intact. Yang Shen, Administrator of Huainan, once came with more than ten others to pay an audience; the emperor asked Qianwei, "Who is the man at the front? Qianwei descended from the hall to look closely and replied, "Yang Shen, Administrator of Huainan." The emperor said to Qianwei, "You are Grand Master of Ceremonial, yet you do not recognize those who come to audience—why is that?" Qianwei replied, "It is not that I fail to recognize Yang Shen, Your Majesty, but I was not fully certain and therefore did not dare answer rashly. Shi Jian counted the horses' legs—that is caution taken to the utmost. The emperor greatly praised him. His integrity and caution were characteristic in this way. At the time the emperor toured constantly and the people were exhausted; Qianwei therefore submitted a sealed memorial of remonstrance. The emperor was displeased, and from then on Qianwei fell from favor. Before long he died in office. He had a son named Shuang, who served as magistrate of Lanling.
14
虔威弟虔雄，亦有才器。 秦孝王俊為秦州總管，選為法曹參軍。 王嘗親案囚徒，虔雄誤不持狀，口對百餘人，皆盡事情，同輩莫不嘆服。 後曆壽春、陽城二縣令，俱有治績。 榮毗榮毗，字子諶，北平無終人也。 父權，魏兵部尚書。 毗少剛鯁有局量，涉獵群言，仕周，釋褐漢王記室，轉內史下士。 開皇中，累遷殿內監。 時以華陰多盜賊，妙選長吏，楊素薦毗為華州長史，世號為能。 素之田宅，多在華陰，左右放縱，毗以法繩之，無所寬貸。 毗因朝集，素謂之曰：「素之舉卿，適以自罰也。」 毗答曰：「奉法一心者，但恐累公所舉。」 素笑曰：「前者戲耳。 卿之奉法，素之望也。」 時晉王在揚州，每令人密覘京師消息。 遣張衡于路次往往置馬坊，以畜牧為辭，實給私人也。 州縣莫敢違，毗獨遏絕其事。 上聞而嘉之，賚絹百匹，轉蒲州司馬。 漢王諒之反也，河東豪傑以城應諒。 刺史丘和覺，遁歸關中。 長史渤海高義明謂毗曰：「河東要害，國之東門，若失之，則為難不細。 城中雖複恟渙，非悉反也。 但收桀黠者十餘人斬之，自當立定耳，」毗然之。 義明馳馬追和，將與協計。 至城西門，為反者所殺，毗亦被執。 及諒平，拜治書侍御史，帝謂之曰：「今日之舉，馬坊之事也。 無改汝心。」 帝亦敬之。 毗在朝侃然正色，為百僚所憚。 後以母憂去職，歲餘，起令視事，尋卒官。 贈鴻臚少卿。
Qianwei's younger brother Qianxiong was also a man of talent and ability. When Prince Jun of Qin Xia served as Commander-in-Chief of Qin Province, Qianxiong was chosen as an aide for legal affairs. The prince once personally reviewed prisoners; Qianxiong forgot to bring the case records, yet answered from memory for more than a hundred men, every detail correct, to the admiration of all his colleagues. He later served successively as magistrate of Shouchun and Yangcheng, governing both counties with distinction. Rong Pi—Rong Pi, styled Zichen, was a native of Wuzhong in Beiping. His father Quan had been Minister of War under Northern Wei. From youth Pi was firm, upright, and broad-minded; widely read, he entered Zhou service as Recorder to the Prince of Han and was later transferred to Attendant Gentleman in the Secretariat. During the Kaihuang era he was promoted repeatedly until he reached Director of Palace Attendants. Because bandits were rampant in Huayin at the time, the court sought an exceptional local administrator; Yang Su recommended Rong Pi as long secretary of Huazhou, and he was widely regarded as capable. Most of Yang Su's estates lay in Huayin, where his retainers behaved lawlessly; Pi enforced the law against them without exception. At a provincial assembly Pi attended, Su told him, "Recommending you was my way of punishing myself. Pi answered, "In enforcing the law as I must, I only fear I may discredit your recommendation." Su laughed and said, "I was only joking before. Your strict adherence to the law is exactly what I wanted." At that time the Prince of Jin was stationed at Yangzhou and frequently sent agents to spy on events in the capital. He had Zhang Heng establish horse farms at intervals along the roads—ostensibly for breeding stock, but in reality to supply his private retinue. Prefectural and county officials dared not resist, but Pi alone put a stop to it. When the emperor heard of this he commended Pi, rewarded him with a hundred bolts of silk, and appointed him marshal of Puzhou. When Prince Liang of Han rebelled, local magnates in Hedong surrendered their cities to him. Inspector Qiu He sensed the danger and fled to Guanzhong. Long secretary Gao Yiming of Bohai told Pi, "Hedong is a vital stronghold—the empire's eastern gate. Losing it would be no small disaster. The city may be in turmoil again, but not everyone there has rebelled. Just arrest and execute a dozen ringleaders and order will be restored at once." Pi agreed. Yiming spurred his horse after Qiu He to consult with him on a course of action. At the city's west gate Yiming was killed by the rebels and Pi was captured as well. After Liang's rebellion was suppressed, Pi was made investigating censor. The emperor told him, "This promotion owes to your stand on the horse farms. Do not change your resolve. The emperor held him in esteem as well. In court Pi was stern and unyielding, and all officials stood in awe of him. He later resigned to mourn his mother; recalled after a year, he resumed duty and soon died in office. He was posthumously made vice director of the Court of Ceremonial.
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毗兄建緒，性甚亮直，兼有學業。 仕周為載師下大夫、儀同三司。 及平齊之始，留鎮鄴城，因著《齊紀》三十卷。 建緒與高祖有舊，及為丞相，加位開府，拜息州剌史。 將之官，時高祖陰有禪代之計，因謂建緒曰：「且躊躇，當共取富貴。」 建緒自以周之大夫，因義形於色曰：「明公此旨，非僕所聞。」 高祖不悅，建緒遂行。 開皇初來朝，上謂之曰：「卿亦悔不？」 建緒稽首曰：「臣位非徐廣，情類楊彪。」 上笑曰：「朕雖不解書語，亦知卿此言不遜也。」 曆始、洪二州刺史，俱有能名。 陸知命陸知命，字仲通，吳郡富春人也。 父敖，陳散騎常侍。 知命性好學，通識大體，以貞介自持，釋褐陳始興王行參軍，後曆太學博士、南獄正。 及陳滅，歸於家，會高智慧等作亂于江左，晉王廣鎮江都，以其三吳之望，召令諷諭反者。 知命說下賊十七城，得其渠帥陳正緒、蕭思行等三百餘人，以功拜儀同三司，賜以田宅，複用其弟恪為汧陽令。 知命以恪非百里才，上表陳讓，朝廷許之。 時見天下一統，知命勸高祖都洛陽，因上《太平頌》以諷焉。 文多不載。 數年不得調，詣朝堂上表，請使高麗，曰：「臣聞聖人當扆，物色芻蕘，匹夫奔踶，或陳狂瞽。 伏願暫輟旒纊，覽臣所謁。 昔軒轅馭曆，既緩夙沙之誅，虞舜握圖，猶稽有苗之伐，陛下當百代之末，膺千載之期，四海廓清，三邊底定，唯高麗小豎，狼顧燕垂。 王度含弘，每懷遵養者，良由惡殺好生，欲諭之以德也。 臣請以一節，宣示皇風，使彼君臣面縛闕下。」 書奏，天子異之。 歲餘，授普寧鎮將。 人或言其正直者，由是待詔于御史台。 煬帝嗣位，拜治書侍御史，侃然正色，為百僚所憚，帝甚敬之，後坐事免。 歲餘，複職。 時齊王暕頗驕縱，昵小人，知命奏劾之。 暕竟得罪，百僚震栗。 遼東之役，為東暆道受降使者，卒于師，時年六十七。 贈御史大夫。 房彥謙房彥謙，字孝沖，本清河人也，七世祖諶，仕燕太尉掾，隨慕容氏遷于齊，子孫因家焉。 世為著姓。 高祖法壽，魏青、冀二州刺史，壯武侯。 曾祖伯祖，齊郡、平原二郡太守。 祖翼，宋安太守，並世襲爵壯武侯。 父熊，釋褐州主簿，行清河、廣川二郡守。 彥謙早孤，不識父，為母兄之所鞠養。 長兄彥詢，雅有清鑒，以彥謙天性穎悟，每奇之，親教讀書。 年七歲，誦數萬言，為宗黨所異。 十五，出後叔父子貞，事所繼母，有逾本生，子貞哀之，撫養甚厚。 後丁所繼母憂，勺飲不入口者五日。 事伯父樂陵太守豹，竭盡心力，每四時珍果，口弗先嘗。 遇期功之戚，必蔬食終禮，宗從取則焉。 其後受學于博士尹琳，手不釋卷，遂通涉五經。 解屬文，工草隸，雅有詞辯，風概高人。 年十八，屬廣甯王孝珩為齊州刺史，辟為主簿。 時禁網疏闊，州郡之職，尤多縱弛，及彥謙在職，清簡守法，州境肅然，莫不敬憚。 及周師入鄴，齊主東奔，以彥謙為齊州治中。 彥謙痛本朝傾覆，將糾率忠義，潛謀匡輔。 事不果而止。 齊亡，歸於家。 周帝遣柱國辛遵為齊州刺史，為賊帥輔帶劍所執。 彥謙以書諭之，帶劍慚懼。 送遵還州，諸賊並各歸首。 及高祖受禪之後，遂優遊鄉曲，誓無仕心。
Pi's elder brother Jianxu was notably upright and learned. Under the Zhou he served as junior grand master of the chariot masters and commissioner of the third rank. When Qi was first conquered he was left to garrison Ye, where he wrote the Records of Qi in thirty chapters. Jianxu had long known Emperor Gaozu; when Gaozu became chancellor he granted Jianxu opening-a-fu rank and made him inspector of Xizhou. As Jianxu was about to leave for his post, Gaozu—already scheming to seize the throne—told him, "Hold on; we shall rise to power together. Counting himself a Zhou minister, Jianxu colored with indignation and said, "My lord, such talk I have never heard before." Gaozu took offense, and Jianxu went on his way. Early in the Kaihuang reign he came to court. The emperor asked him, "Do you regret it now? Jianxu kowtowed and replied, "I am no Xu Guang in rank, but my loyalty is that of Yang Biao." The emperor laughed. "Though I am no scholar, I can tell that was hardly a humble answer." He served successively as inspector of Shizhou and Hongzhou, earning a name for ability in both posts. Lu Zhiming, styled Zhongtong, was from Fuchun in Wu commandery. His father Ao had been attendant-in-ordinary of the scattered cavalry under the Chen dynasty. Zhiming loved scholarship, grasped affairs at a high level, and held himself to strict integrity. He entered service as adjutant to Chen's Prince of Shixing, then served as imperial academy erudite and warden of the southern prison. After Chen fell he retired home. When Gao Zhihui and others rose in rebellion in the lower Yangzi, Prince Jin Guang at Jiangdu summoned him—renowned in the Jiangnan region—to win over the rebels by persuasion. Zhiming persuaded seventeen rebel-held cities to surrender and captured more than three hundred ringleaders including Chen Zhengxu and Xiao Sixing. For this he was made commissioner of the third rank and given land and a house; his younger brother Ke was appointed magistrate of Qianyang. Believing Ke unfit for county magistracy, Zhiming memorialized to decline the appointment on his brother's behalf, and the court agreed. Seeing the empire unified, Zhiming urged Gaozu to move the capital to Luoyang and submitted an "Ode to Great Peace" to press the point. Most of the text is not preserved. After several years without a new appointment he went to the court and memorialized asking to be sent as envoy to Goguryeo: "I have heard that a sage on the throne seeks counsel even from woodcutters in the lanes, and that common men pressing forward may sometimes speak rash folly. I beg Your Majesty to pause your state duties and give ear to what I submit. Even Huangdi, when he took the throne, delayed punishing Susha; even Emperor Shun, though he held the mandate, postponed the Miao campaign. Your Majesty stands at the turn of ages with all under heaven pacified and the frontiers secure—only Goguryeo's upstart ruler glares wolfishly from across the northeastern marches. Your Majesty's gracious forbearance and preference for conciliation stem from a genuine hatred of killing and love of life—you wish to win them over through virtue. Allow me to go as your envoy, proclaim the imperial virtue, and bring their ruler and ministers bound before the palace gates. The emperor was impressed when the memorial reached him. More than a year later he was made garrison general at Puning. When word of his integrity reached court, he was retained at the Censorate awaiting imperial orders. When Emperor Yang took the throne Zhiming became investigating censor. Stern and fearless, he awed the officials and earned the emperor's respect, though he was later dismissed after an incident. After a year he was reinstated. Prince Kan of Qi was then flagrantly arrogant and kept company with worthless men; Zhiming impeached him by memorial. Kan was eventually punished, and officials throughout court were shaken. During the Liaodong campaign he served as surrender envoy on the eastern route and died in camp at sixty-seven. He was posthumously made censor-in-chief. Fang Yanqian, styled Xiaochong, was originally from Qinghe. His seventh-generation ancestor Chen had served as aide to Yan's grand commandant; following the Murong clan's move to Qi, the family settled there. For generations they were a leading clan in the region. An ancestor, Fashou, had been joint inspector of Qing and Ji under Wei and held the title Marquis Zhuangwu. His great-grandfather Bozu had been administrator of Qi and Pingyuan commanderies. His grandfather Yi was administrator of Song'an; for generations they inherited the title Marquis Zhuangwu. His father Xiong entered service as a prefectural chief clerk and served as acting administrator of Qinghe and Guangchuan. Orphaned young, Yanqian never knew his father and was raised by his maternal elder brother. His eldest brother Yanxun had keen judgment; noting Yanqian's natural brilliance, he took a special interest in the boy and taught him to read himself. At seven he could recite tens of thousands of characters, and kinsmen regarded him as extraordinary. At fifteen he was adopted by his uncle Zizhen. He cared for his adoptive mother even more devotedly than his own, and Zizhen, moved by his plight, lavished affection on him. When his adoptive mother died he mourned so deeply that for five days he took not even a spoonful of food or drink. Serving his uncle Bao, administrator of Leling, he gave himself entirely to the task; when seasonal delicacies arrived he never tasted them before his uncle. On mourning occasions he ate only plain fare until the rites were complete, and kinsmen looked to him as their example. He later studied under erudite Yin Lin, never setting his books aside, until he had mastered the Five Classics. He wrote well, excelled at cursive and clerical calligraphy, debated with grace, and carried himself above the common run. At eighteen, when Prince Guangning Xiaohang became inspector of Qizhou, he recruited Yanqian as his chief clerk. Laws were loosely enforced and local officials generally negligent, but once Yanqian took office his clean, strict administration brought order to the prefecture and inspired universal respect and fear. When Zhou forces entered Ye and the Qi ruler fled east, Yanqian was made chief aide of Qizhou. Grieved by his dynasty's fall, Yanqian planned to rally loyal men and secretly plot restoration. The plan came to nothing. After Qi's fall he retired to his home. The Zhou emperor sent pillar of state Xin Zun as inspector of Qizhou, but bandit leader Fu Daijian seized him. Yanqian wrote to admonish him, and Daijian was shamed into submission. Daijian released Xin Zun and returned him to his post; the bandits all surrendered. After Gaozu took the throne Yanqian lived quietly at home, swearing never again to enter official service.
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開皇七年，刺史韋藝固薦之，不得已而應命。 吏部尚書盧愷一見重之，擢授承奉郎，俄遷監察御史。 後屬陳平，奉詔安撫泉、括等十州，以銜命稱旨，賜物百段，米百石，衣一襲，奴婢七口。 遷秦州總管錄事參軍。 嘗因朝集，時左僕射高熲定考課，彥謙謂熲曰：「書稱三載考績，黜陟幽明，唐、虞以降，代有其法。 黜陟合理，褒貶無虧，便是進必得賢，退皆不肖，如或舛謬，法乃虛設。 比見諸州考校，執見不同，進退多少，參差不類。 況複愛憎肆意，致乖平坦，清介孤直，未必高名，卑諂巧官，翻居上等，直為真偽混淆，是非瞀亂。 宰貴既不精練，斟酌取捨，曾經驅使者，多以蒙識獲成，未曆台省者，皆為不知被退。 又四方懸遠，難可詳悉，唯量准人數，半破半成。 徒計官員之少多，莫顧善惡之眾寡，欲求允當，其道無由。 明公鑒達幽微，平心遇物，今所考校，必無阿枉，脫有前件數事，未審何以裁之？ 唯願遠布耳目，精加採訪，褒秋毫之善，貶纖介之惡，非直有光至治，亦足標獎賢能。」 詞氣侃然，觀者屬目。 熲為之動容，深見嗟賞。 因曆問河西、隴右官人景行，彥謙對之如響，熲顧謂諸州總管、刺史曰：「與公言，不如獨與秦州考使語。」 後數日，熲言於上，上弗能用。 以秩滿，遷長葛令，甚有惠化，百姓號為慈父。 仁壽中，上令持節使者巡行州縣，察長吏能不，以彥謙為天下第一，超授鄀州司馬。 吏民號哭相謂曰：「房明府今去，吾屬何用生為！」 其後百姓思之，立碑頌德。 鄀州久無刺史，州務皆歸彥謙，名有異政。
In Kaihuang 7 Inspector Wei Yi repeatedly recommended him, and Yanqian accepted office only under compulsion. Minister of Personnel Lu Kai took an immediate liking to him, appointed him gentleman for attending submission, and soon made him supervising censor. After Chen was conquered he was ordered to pacify ten prefectures including Quan and Kuo; for carrying out the mission successfully he received a hundred bolts of goods, a hundred shi of grain, a suit of clothes, and seven household slaves. He was transferred to recording secretary on the staff of Qinzhou's overall commander. At a provincial assembly while left vice director Gao Bi was conducting merit reviews, Yanqian told him, "The classics prescribe triennial performance reviews to separate the worthy from the unworthy—a principle observed since the days of Yao and Shun. When promotions and demotions are sound and praise and blame accurate, advancement brings in the capable and dismissal removes the unfit; any mistake renders the whole system meaningless. Recent reviews across the prefectures apply wildly different standards, so the numbers promoted or demoted vary inconsistently. Worse, personal favor sways the results: upright men need not rank highly while sycophants and schemers rise to the top, until merit and fraud are indistinguishable and right and wrong utterly confused. The ranking officials lack the expertise to judge fairly: those previously known to them pass easily, while worthy men who have never served at court are dismissed as unknown quantities. Remote provinces are hard to assess in detail, so reviewers simply split the difference—roughly half pass and half fail. They count heads rather than weigh virtue and vice, so a fair outcome is impossible. You, my lord, see clearly and judge impartially, and I am sure your review will be fair; but if these problems I have named arise, how will you resolve them? I urge you to seek evidence far and wide, reward the slightest merit and punish the smallest fault—that would honor your governance and encourage worthy men throughout the empire. He spoke with fearless clarity, and all present watched intently. Bi was visibly moved and deeply impressed. Bi then quizzed him on officials throughout Hexi and Longyou; Yanqian answered instantly. Bi turned to the regional commanders and prefects and said, "Talking with all of you is nothing compared with speaking with Qinzhou's review commissioner alone. Days later Bi reported to the emperor, but the emperor did not act on it. When his term ended he became magistrate of Changge, governed with notable kindness, and the people called him their compassionate father. During the Renshou reign the emperor sent commissioners to tour the provinces and assess local administrators; Yanqian was ranked the finest in the empire and was promoted to marshal of Ezhou. Officials and people wept and said to one another, "Now that Magistrate Fang is going, what reason do we have to go on living! Later, when the people missed him, they raised a monument to celebrate his goodness. Ezhou had gone without a governor for a long time, so Yanqian handled all its affairs and became known for exceptional governance.
17
內史侍郎薛道衡，一代文宗，位望清顯，所與交結，皆海內名賢。 重彥謙為人，深加友敬，及兼襄州總管，辭翰往來，交錯道路。 煬帝嗣位，道衡轉牧番州，路經彥謙所，留連數日，屑涕而別。 黃門侍郎張衡，亦與彥謙相善。 于時帝營東都，窮極侈麗，天下失望。 又漢王構逆，罹罪者多，彥謙見衡當途而不能匡救，以書諭之曰：
Palace Attendant Xue Daoxheng was the leading literary figure of his age, a man of high standing and distinction whose circle included the most eminent scholars in the empire. He held Yanqian in the highest regard and honored him as a close friend; when he later doubled as grand commandant of Xiangzhou, their correspondence filled the roads. After Emperor Yang took the throne, Daoxheng was reassigned to Fanzhou; on his way he stopped at Yanqian's home, stayed several days, and left in tears. Palace Attendant Zhang Heng was another of Yanqian's close friends. The emperor was then building the Eastern Capital with boundless luxury, and the empire lost faith in him. When the Prince of Han rose in rebellion and many were punished, Yanqian saw that Zhang Heng held influence at court but could not intervene; he wrote to counsel him, saying:
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竊聞賞者所以勸善，刑者所以懲惡，故疏賤之人，有善必賞，尊貴之戚，犯惡必刑，未有罰則避親，賞則遺賤者也。 今諸州刺史，受委宰牧，善惡之間，上達本朝，懾憚憲章，不敢怠慢。 國家祗承靈命，作民父母，刑賞曲直，升聞於天，夤畏照臨，亦宜謹肅。 故文王雲：「我其夙夜，畏天之威。」 以此而論，雖州國有殊，高下懸邈，然憂民慎法，其理一也。 至如并州畔逆，須有甄明。 若楊諒實以詔命不通，慮宗社危逼，徵兵聚眾，非為干紀，則當原其本情，議其刑罰，上副聖主友于之意，下曉愚民疑惑之心； 若審知內外無虞，嗣後纂統，而好亂樂禍，妄有覬覦，則管、蔡之誅，當在於諒，同惡相濟，無所逃罪，梟懸孥戮，國有常刑。 其間乃有情非協同，力不自固，或被擁逼，淪陷凶威，遂使籍沒流移，恐為冤濫。 恢恢天網，豈其然乎？ 罪疑從輕，斯義安在？ 昔叔向置鬻獄之死，晉國所嘉，釋之斷犯蹕之刑，漢文稱善。 羊舌甯不愛弟，廷尉非苟違君，但以執法無私，不容輕重。 且聖人大寶，是曰神器，苟非天命，不可妄得。 故蚩尤、項籍之驍勇，伊尹、霍光之權勢，李老、孔丘之才智，呂望、孫武之兵術，吳、楚連磐石之據，產、祿承母后之基，不應曆運之兆，終無帝王之位。 況乎蕞爾一隅，蜂扇蟻聚，楊諒之愚鄙，群小之凶慝，而欲憑陵畿甸，覬幸非望者哉！ 開闢以降，書契雲及，帝皇之跡，可得而詳。 自非積德累仁，豐功厚利，孰能道洽幽顯，義感靈祇！ 是以古之哲王，昧旦丕顯，履冰在念，禦朽競懷。 逮叔世驕荒，曾無戒懼，肆於民上，聘嗜奔欲，不可具載，請略陳之。
I have heard that rewards are meant to encourage virtue and punishments to restrain evil. The humble, when they do good, must be rewarded; the highborn, when they do wrong, must be punished. Never yet has a state punished while sparing the powerful and rewarded while neglecting the lowly. Today's governors are entrusted to rule the people. Good and evil among them should reach the throne, and in fear of the law they ought not to slacken. The state reverently bears Heaven's mandate and serves as parent to the people. Whether punishments and rewards are just is heard in Heaven; under that watchful gaze one should be all the more careful and grave. King Wen said, "I rise early and lie down late, in awe of Heaven's power. By this reasoning, though provinces differ and ranks stand far apart, the duty to care for the people and uphold the law is the same everywhere. The rebellion at Bingzhou above all requires careful judgment. If Yang Liang truly raised troops because orders never reached him and he feared for the altars of state, not to overturn the law, then his original motive should be weighed and his sentence adjusted — honoring the emperor's brotherly feeling above and clearing the confusion of the common people below; But if it is clear that the realm was secure and the succession assured, and he yet delighted in disorder and nursed unlawful ambition, then he deserves the fate of Guan and Cai; accomplices must not escape, and decapitation and the punishment of kin are the law of the land. Among those caught up in it were men whose hearts were never truly with the rebels, who lacked strength of their own, or who were driven by force into submission — yet their estates were seized and they were banished. That may well be unjust excess. Can Heaven's far-reaching net truly work this way? When guilt is uncertain, the law favors mercy — where has that principle gone? In the past Shu Xiang executed a corrupt judge and Jin honored him for it; Zhang Shizhi blocked the harsh sentence for treading on the imperial road and Emperor Wen of Han praised his judgment. Yangshe Ning did not favor his brother, and the Minister of Justice did not lightly defy his sovereign — they upheld the law without private bias and would not bend it for kin or rank. The supreme prize of the sage-king is called the divine vessel; without Heaven's mandate it cannot be seized at will. Chiyou and Xiang Yu were peerless warriors; Yi Yin and Huo Guang wielded supreme power; Laozi and Confucius possessed surpassing wisdom; Lü Wang and Sun Wu mastered the art of war; Wu and Chu held territories like bedrock; Chan and Lu rested on the empress dowager's foundation — yet none possessed the signs of the destined age, and none in the end won the throne. How much less can a petty corner of the realm, a swarm of bees and ants, the dullness of Yang Liang and the villainy of his hangers-on, hope to threaten the capital and grasp at the throne! From the beginning of history to the age of writing, the deeds of emperors and kings can be traced in full. Without accumulated virtue and benevolence, great merit and lasting benefit, who could harmonize the seen and unseen worlds and move Heaven itself? That is why the sage rulers of old rose before dawn to make their virtue shine, walked as if on thin ice, and strove as if mending a leaking roof. Then came decadent ages of pride and excess, without caution or fear, lording it over the people and chasing every appetite — the list is endless; let me mention only a few.
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襄者齊、陳二國，並居大位，自謂與天地合德，日月齊明，罔念憂虞，不恤刑政。 近臣懷寵，稱善而隱惡，史官曲筆，掩瑕而錄美。 是以民庶呼嗟，終閉塞於視聽，公卿虛譽，日敷陳於左右。 法網嚴密，刑辟日多，徭役煩興，老幼疲苦。 昔鄭有子產，齊有晏嬰，楚有叔敖，晉有士會。 凡此小國，尚足名臣，齊、陳之疆，豈無良佐？ 但以執政壅蔽，懷私徇軀，忘國憂家，外同內忌。 設有正直之士，才堪幹持，於己非宜，即加擯壓； 倘遇諂佞之輩，行多穢匿，于我有益，遂蒙薦舉。 以此求賢，何從而至！ 夫賢材者，非尚膂力，豈系文華，唯須正身負載，確乎不動。 譬棟之處屋，如骨之在身，所謂棟樑骨鯁之材也。 齊、陳不任骨鯁，信近讒諛，天高聽卑，監其淫僻，故總收神器，歸我大隋。 向使二國祗敬上玄，惠恤鰥寡，委任方直，斥遠浮華，卑菲為心，惻隱為務，河朔強富，江湖險隔，各保其業，民不思亂，泰山之固，弗可動也。 然而寢臥積薪，宴安鴆毒，遂使禾黍生廟，霧露沾衣，吊影撫心，何嗟及矣！ 故詩雲：「殷之未喪師，克配上帝。 宜鑒於殷，駿命不易。」 萬機之事，何者不須熟慮哉！
Not long ago Northern Qi and Chen both sat on the throne, believing themselves the equal of Heaven and earth, bright as sun and moon, heedless of danger and indifferent to law and government. Favored courtiers praised what was good and hid what was evil; historians bent their pens, glossing over faults and recording only merit. The people groaned in misery yet never reached the ruler's ears; officials daily filled his presence with hollow flattery. The law grew ever tighter, punishments multiplied, corvée burdens mounted, and young and old alike were worn down. Zheng once had Zichan, Qi had Yan Ying, Chu had Shu'ao, and Jin had Shi Hui. Even these small states produced great ministers — could Qi and Chen truly have lacked able men? But those in power blocked the truth, served private ends at the state's expense, forgot their duty to ruler and family, and were united in appearance yet jealous at heart. If an upright man of real ability appeared and did not suit them, they crushed him; if they met sycophants steeped in corruption who served their interests, they promoted them. With such methods, how could worthy men ever be found! True talent is not a matter of brute strength or elegant prose; what matters is to stand upright and bear the weight without wavering. Like the beams of a house or the bones of a body — such are the men called pillars and backbones of the state. Qi and Chen would not use such backbone men and instead trusted slanderers at their side. Heaven, though high, hears what lies below; seeing their depravity, it entrusted the divine vessel to our great Sui. Had those two states honored Heaven, cared for the widow and orphan, entrusted the upright, driven away the frivolous, made humility their heart and compassion their work — with the north strong and rich and the south protected by rivers and lakes, each secure in its place and the people untroubled by rebellion — not even Mount Tai could have been shaken. Instead they slept on piled kindling and drank ease like poison, until millet sprouted in ancestral halls and dew soaked the mourner's robes. To clutch one's heart in solitude — what good is regret then! The Odes say, "Before Yin had yet lost its armies, it could match the Lord on High. Take Yin as your mirror; the great mandate is not easily kept. Among the countless duties of government — which does not demand deep reflection!
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伏惟皇帝望雲就日，仁孝夙彰，錫社分珪，大成規矩。 及總統淮海，盛德日新，當璧之符，遐邇僉屬。 贊曆甫爾，寬仁已布，率土蒼生，翹足而喜。 并州之亂，變起倉卒，職由楊諒詭惑，詿誤吏民，非有構怨本朝，棄德從賊者也。 而有司將帥，稱其願反，非止誣陷良善，亦恐大點皇猷。 足下宿當重寄，早預心膂，粵自籓邸，柱石見知。 方當書名竹帛，傳芳萬古，稷、契、伊、呂，彼獨何人？ 既屬明時，須存謇諤，立當世之大誡，作將來之憲範。 豈容曲順人主，以愛虧刑，又使脅從之徒，橫貽罪譴？ 忝蒙眷遇，輒寫微誠，野人愚瞽，不知忌諱。
Your Majesty, like the people turning to sun and cloud, has long shown benevolence and filial piety, received fief and jade regalia, and fulfilled the rites of rule. When you governed the Huaihai region your virtue grew daily brighter, and the mandate to rule was acknowledged far and near. Barely had you taken the throne when mercy and kindness were proclaimed, and the people everywhere waited eagerly in joy. The trouble at Bingzhou erupted suddenly because Yang Liang deceived officials and people — not because they hated the dynasty and chose rebellion over loyalty. Yet officials and commanders call them eager rebels — slandering the innocent and, I fear, deeply tarnishing your imperial purpose. You have long carried great responsibility and were trusted from the start as the emperor's right hand; even in the princely household you were seen as a pillar of the realm. You are poised to have your name recorded for ten thousand generations — are Ji, Qi, Yi, and Lü the only great ministers in history? In an age such as this you must speak frankly, set a great warning for the present, and become a standard for those who come after. How can you bend to please the throne, soften justice out of favor, and let those who were forced along suffer unjust punishment? Having received your kindness, I venture these sincere words — the blindness of a country man who knows no restraint.
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衡得書歎息，而不敢奏聞。
Zhang Heng read the letter and sighed, but did not dare present it to the throne.
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彥謙知王綱不振，遂去官隱居不仕，將結構蒙山之下，以求其志。 會置司隸官，盛選天下知名之士。 朝廷以彥謙公方宿著，時望所歸，征授司隸刺史。 彥謙亦慨然有澄清天下之志，凡所薦舉，皆人倫表式。 其有彈射，當之者曾無怨言。 司隸別駕劉灹，陵上侮下，訐以為直，刺史憚之，皆為之拜。 唯彥謙執志不撓，亢禮長揖，有識嘉之。
Seeing that the imperial order was failing, Yanqian resigned, withdrew from office, and planned to build a home beneath Mount Meng to live out his ideals. Just then the court created the office of metropolitan supervisor and sought out the most distinguished men in the empire. Because Yanqian's integrity and long-standing reputation made him the man the public looked to, the court summoned him and made him metropolitan supervisor. Yanqian took up the post with a passion to cleanse the realm; every man he recommended was a model of character. Those he impeached never bore him resentment. Metropolitan Assistant Liu Zha bullied his superiors and abused his subordinates, treating abuse as honesty; other supervisors feared him and bowed in his presence. Only Yanqian stood firm, greeting him with a formal bow instead of a full prostration — men of judgment applauded him.
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灹亦不敢為恨。 大業九年，從駕渡遼，監扶餘道軍。 其後隋政漸亂，朝廷靡然，莫不變節。 彥謙直道守常，介然孤立，頗為執政者之所嫉，出為涇陽令。 未幾，終於官，時年六十九。
Even Liu Zha did not dare resent it. In the ninth year of Daye he accompanied the emperor on the Liaodong campaign as supervisor of the Fuyu-route army. Afterward Sui rule sank into chaos; the court lost its bearings, and nearly everyone abandoned his principles. Yanqian held to the straight path and lived by his old standards, alone and apart; the men in power resented him and had him transferred to be magistrate of Jingyang. Before long he died in office, aged sixty-nine.
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彥謙居家，每子侄定省，常為講說督勉之，亹癖不倦。 家有舊業，資產素殷，又前後居官，所得俸祿，皆以周恤親友，家無餘財，車服器用，務存素儉。 自少及長，一言一行，未嘗涉私，雖致屢空，怡然自得。 嘗從容獨笑，顧謂其子玄齡曰：「人皆因祿富，我獨以官貧。 所遺子孫，在於清白耳。」 所有文筆，恢廓閒雅，有古人之深致。 又善草隸，人有得其尺牘者，皆寶玩之。 太原王邵，北海高構，蓚縣李綱，河東柳彧、薛孺，皆一時知名雅澹之士，彥謙並與為友。 雖冠蓋成列，而門無雜賓。 體資文雅，深達政務，有識者咸以遠大許之。 初，開皇中，平陳之後，天下一統，論者咸云將致太平。 彥謙私謂所親趙郡李少通曰：「主上性多忌克，不納諫爭。 太子卑弱，諸王擅威，在朝唯行苛酷之政，未施弘大之體。 天下雖安，方憂危亂。」 少通初謂不然，及仁壽、大業之際，其言皆驗。 大唐馭宇，追贈徐州都督、臨淄縣公。 諡曰定。 【論】史臣曰：大廈雲構，非一木之枝； 帝王之功，非一士之略。 長短殊用，大小異宜，㮞棁棟樑，莫可棄也。 李諤等或文能遵義，或才足幹時，識用顯于當年，故事留於台閣。 參之有隋多士，取其開物成務，皆廊廟之榱桷，亦北辰之眾星也。
At home, whenever his nephews and sons came to pay their respects, Yanqian would instruct and encourage them, tirelessly and without flagging. His family held old property and was comfortably well off, yet he spent every salary he earned in office on helping kin and friends. His household kept no surplus, and his carriage, dress, and furnishings were always plain. From youth to old age not one word or deed of his was self-serving; though he was often short of money, he remained cheerful and at ease. Once he smiled quietly to himself and said to his son Xuanling, "Other men grow rich from their salaries; I alone have grown poor from mine. What I leave my descendants is nothing but a clean name. His writings were expansive, refined, and elegant, with the depth of the ancients. He was also accomplished in cursive and clerical calligraphy; anyone who received one of his letters prized it. Wang Shao of Taiyuan, Gao Gou of Beihai, Li Gang of Gaoyi, and Liu Yu and Xue Ru of Hedong were all celebrated men of refined character in their day, and Yanqian counted each of them a friend. Though officials' carriages often filled the street before his door, he admitted no unworthy guest. Refined by nature and deeply versed in government, men of judgment all foresaw a great future for him. Early in the Kaihuang reign, after the conquest of Chen united the empire, many believed a golden age was at hand. Yanqian confided to his friend Li Shaotong of Zhao commandery, "The emperor is by nature suspicious and harsh and will not hear honest counsel. The crown prince is feeble, the princes hold too much power, and the court rules by severity alone without the breadth a great empire needs. The realm may look secure, but I already foresee turmoil. Shaotong at first disagreed, but by the Renshou and Daye reigns every word of Yanqian's had come true. After the Tang took power, he was posthumously made prefect of Xuzhou and Duke of Linzi county. His posthumous name was Ding. [Commentary] The historian writes: A towering hall is not upheld by a single beam; nor is an emperor's achievement the work of one man's wit alone. Long and short serve different ends, large and small fit different roles — rough timber and fine beams alike have their place and none should be cast aside. Li E and his fellows — some upheld righteousness in their writing, some had talent enough for their times; their insight and service stood out in their day, and their deeds remain in the records of the court. Surveying Sui's many worthy men, those who advanced affairs and fulfilled duties were all pillars of the imperial hall, like the host of stars wheeling about the North Star.