1
隋書卷七十九列傳第四十四
Book of Sui, Volume 79, Biographies 44
2
○外戚
○ Imperial Affines
3
曆觀前代外戚之家，乘母后之權以取高位厚秩者多矣，然而鮮有克終之美，必罹顛覆之患，何哉？ 皆由乎無德而尊，不知紀極，忽于滿盈之戒，罔念高危之咎，故鬼瞰其室，憂必及之。 夫其誠著艱難，功宣社稷，不以謙沖自牧，未免顛蹶之禍，而況道不足以濟時，仁不足以利物，自矜於己，以富貴驕人者乎？ 此呂、霍、上官、閻、梁、竇、鄧所以繼踵而亡滅者也。 昔文皇潛躍之際，獻後便相推轂，煬帝大橫方兆，蕭妃密勿經綸，是以恩禮綢繆，始終不易。 然內外親戚，莫預朝權，昆弟在位，亦無殊寵。 至於居擅玉堂，家稱金穴，暉光戚裡，重灼四方，將三司以比儀，命五侯而同拜者，終始一代，寂無聞焉。 考之前王，可謂矯其弊矣。 故雖時經擾攘，無有陷於不義，市朝遷貿，而皆得以保全。 比夫憑藉寵私，階緣恩澤，乘其非據，旋就顛隕者，豈可同日而言哉！ 此所謂愛之以禮，能改覆車。 輒敘其事，為《外戚傳》雲。
Surveying the imperial affines of earlier dynasties, one finds countless families who rode an empress's power to high office and rich stipends, yet scarcely any who finished well; ruin was almost inevitable. Why? The reason lay in gaining rank without merit, in losing all sense of limit, in ignoring the lesson that plenty invites spillover and high position invites fall—the house watched by ghosts, and trouble never far behind. Even men whose loyalty had been proved in hardship and whose service had strengthened the realm, if they failed to keep themselves humble, still risked ruin—what then of those whose conduct could not steady the times, whose kindness could not help others, who merely preened on their own good fortune and lorded their riches over everyone else? This is why the Lü, Huo, Shangguan, Yan, Liang, Dou, and Deng clans rose in turn only to be destroyed. When Emperor Wen was still struggling toward power, Empress Xian already shared in steering the realm; when Emperor Yang's reign was taking shape, Lady Xiao joined him in the closest counsel. Favor and ceremony therefore ran deep and held steady to the end. Yet none of their kin, whether by blood or marriage, was allowed into real power at court, and even brothers who held office received no special indulgence. As for the sort who seize the halls of state, whose homes are proverbial treasure vaults, whose glare dazzles the whole imperial clan and burns across the empire, who are treated like the Three Excellencies and have the Five Marquises bow beside them—for an entire reign there was not a trace of that. Measured against earlier rulers, the Sui emperors may be said to have corrected that abuse. So even when the times turned violent, none of these affines was driven into disgrace; though power shifted in the capital, they were still able to come through intact. How can that be mentioned in the same breath as those who traded on private favor, climbed by imperial indulgence, seized what they had no right to hold, and were overturned almost at once? This is what it means to love one's kin with proper restraint and to keep the overturned cart from rolling again. I therefore relate these matters in the Biographies of Imperial Affines.
4
○高祖外家呂氏
○ The Lü Clan, Maternal Kin of Gaozu
5
高祖外家呂氏，其族蓋微，平齊之後，求訪不知所在。 至開皇初，濟南郡上言，有男子呂永吉，自稱有姑字苦桃，為楊忠妻。 勘驗知是舅子，始追贈外祖雙周為上柱國、太尉、八州諸軍事、青州刺史，封齊郡公，諡曰敬，外祖母姚氏為齊敬公夫人。 詔並改葬，于齊州立廟，置守塚十家。 以永吉襲爵，留在京師。 大業中，授上党郡太守，性識庸劣，職務不理。 後去官，不知所終。
Gaozu's mother's people, the Lü, were of humble origin; after the conquest of Qi, officials searched for them but could not find where they were. Early in the Kaihuang era, Jinan commandery reported that a man named Lü Yongji claimed an aunt called Kutao had been the wife of Yang Zhong. Investigation showed he was indeed a nephew on the mother's side. The court then posthumously honored the maternal grandfather Shuangzhou as Supreme Pillar of State, Grand Commandant, commander of military affairs in eight prefectures, and governor of Qing, enfeoffing him as Duke of Qi with the posthumous name Jing; the maternal grandmother, née Yao, was titled Lady of Duke Jing of Qi. An edict ordered new burials, a temple built in Qi province, and ten households assigned to tend the graves. Yongji inherited the title and remained in the capital. In the Daye period he was made governor of Shangdang, but his mind was dull and he neglected his office. He later left office, and nothing more is known of him.
6
永吉從父道貴，性尤頑騃，言詞鄙陋。 初自鄉里征入長安，上見之悲泣。 道貴略無戚容，但連呼高祖名，雲：「種末定不可偷，大似苦桃姊。」 是後數犯忌諱，動致違忤，上甚耽之。 乃命高熲厚加供給，不許接對朝士。 拜上儀同三司，出為濟南太守，令即之任，斷其入朝。 道貴還至本郡，高自崇重，每與人言，自稱皇舅。 數將儀衛出入閭裡，從故人游宴，官民鹹苦之。 後郡廢，終於家，子孫無聞焉。
Yongji's cousin Daogui was even more obstinate and slow-witted, and his speech was coarse. When he was first summoned from the countryside to Chang'an, the emperor wept at the sight of him. Daogui showed no sign of family feeling at all. He only kept shouting Gaozu's personal name, saying, "The seed isn't set yet—you can't steal it. You're just like Big Sister Kutao. After that he broke taboo after taboo and constantly gave offense, until the emperor could hardly bear him. The emperor ordered Gao Jiong to provide for him generously but forbade him to associate with court officials. He was made Senior Master of Uniformity of the Third Rank and sent out as governor of Jinan with orders to take up his post at once and never return to court. Back in his home commandery, Daogui put on great airs and told everyone he was the emperor's uncle. He often paraded through the streets with an escort, carousing with old friends, to the misery of officials and commoners alike. When the commandery was later abolished, he died at home. Nothing more is known of his descendants.
7
獨孤羅弟陀
Dugu Luo and His Brother Tuo
8
獨孤羅，字羅仁，雲中人也。 父信，初仕魏為荊州刺史。 武帝之入關也，信棄父母妻子西歸長安，曆職顯貴，羅由是遂為高氏所囚。 信後仕周為大司馬。 及信為宇文護所誅，羅始見釋，寓居中山，孤貧無以自給。 齊將獨孤永業以宗族之故，見而哀之，為買田宅，遺以資畜。 初，信入關之後，複娶二妻，郭氏生子六人，善、穆、藏、順、陀、整，崔氏生獻皇后。 及齊亡，高祖為定州總管，獻皇后遣人尋羅，得之，相見悲不自勝，侍御者皆泣。 於是厚遺車馬財物。 未幾，周武帝以羅功臣子，久淪異域，征拜楚安郡太守。 以疾去官，歸於京師。 諸弟見羅少長貧賤，每輕侮之，不以兄禮事也。 然性長者，亦不與諸弟校競長短，後由是重之。 及高祖為丞相，拜儀同，常置左右。 既受禪，下詔追贈羅父信官爵曰：「褒德累行，往代通規，追遠慎終，前王盛典。 故柱國信，風宇高曠，獨秀生民，睿哲居宗，清猷映世。 宏謀長策，道著於弼諧，緯義經仁，事深於拯濟。 方當宣風廊廟，亮采臺階，而運屬艱危，功高弗賞，眷言令範，事切於心。 今景運初開，椒闈肅建，載懷塗山之義，無忘褒、紀之典。 可贈太師、上柱國、冀定等十州刺史、趙國公，邑萬戶。」 其諸弟以羅母沒齊，先無夫人之號，不當承襲。 上以問後，後曰：「羅誠嫡長，不可誣也。」 於是襲爵趙國公。 以其弟善為河內郡公，穆為金泉縣公，藏為武平縣公，陀為武喜縣公，整為千牛備身。 擢拜羅為左領左右將軍，尋遷左衛將軍，前後賞賜不可勝計。 久而出為涼州總管，進位上柱國。 仁壽中，征拜左武衛大將軍。 煬帝嗣位，改封蜀國公。 未幾，卒官，諡曰恭。
Dugu Luo, styled Luoren, was a native of Yunzhong. His father Xin first served Northern Wei as governor of Jing province. When Emperor Wu of Zhou entered the passes, Xin left his parents, wife, and children behind and went west to Chang'an, rising to high office; Luo was left behind and taken prisoner by the Northern Qi. Xin later served Zhou as Grand Marshal. After Xin was executed by Yuwen Hu, Luo was at last freed. He lived in Zhongshan, alone and destitute, with no way to support himself. The Qi general Dugu Yongye, a kinsman, took pity on him, bought him land and a house, and gave him livestock and supplies. After Xin entered the passes he had taken two more wives. Lady Guo bore six sons—Shan, Mu, Zang, Shun, Tuo, and Zheng—and Lady Cui bore Empress Xian. When Qi fell, Gaozu was governor-general of Dingzhou and Empress Xian sent men to find Luo. When they met, grief overwhelmed them and everyone present wept. She then sent him a generous gift of carriages, horses, and valuables. Soon afterward Emperor Wu of Zhou, seeing that Luo was the son of a meritorious minister long stranded in enemy territory, summoned him and made him governor of Chu'an commandery. Illness forced him to leave office, and he returned to the capital. His younger brothers, knowing he had grown up poor and far away, often slighted him and did not treat him as an elder brother. But Luo was by nature forbearing and never quarreled with them over precedence, and in time they came to respect him for it. When Gaozu became chancellor, Luo was made Master of Uniformity and kept constantly at his side. After Gaozu took the throne, he issued an edict posthumously honoring Luo's father Xin: "To reward accumulated virtue is the constant practice of antiquity; to honor the dead and finish well is the great rite of the ancient kings. The late Pillar of State Xin bore himself with lofty breadth, outstanding among men; wise and far-seeing, he upheld the ancestral charge, and his pure designs illuminated the age. His grand designs made the Way visible in counsel to the throne; in binding righteousness and ordering benevolence, his work went deep into the saving of the realm. Just as he was to bring his influence to the court and lend his light to the throne, fate turned harsh; his merit went unrewarded, and the memory of his example still pierces the heart. Now, as a new reign begins and the inner palace is duly established, mindful of the duty owed at Tushan, let us not forget the precedent set for the houses of Bao and Ji. Let him be posthumously honored as Grand Preceptor, Supreme Pillar of State, governor of ten prefectures including Ji and Ding, and Duke of Zhao, with a fief of ten thousand households. His younger brothers argued that because Luo's mother had died in Qi without ever receiving the title of Lady, he ought not to inherit the dukedom. The emperor asked the empress, who replied, "Luo is truly the eldest son of the primary line. That cannot be denied. Luo therefore inherited the title of Duke of Zhao. His brother Shan was made Duke of Henei, Mu Duke of Jinquan county, Zang Duke of Wuping county, Tuo Duke of Wuxi county, and Zheng an attendant of the Thousand-Ox Guard. Luo was promoted to general of the Left Retinue, then transferred to general of the Left Guard, and received rewards beyond counting. After some time he was sent out as governor-general of Liangzhou and promoted to Supreme Pillar of State. During the Renshou period he was recalled and made grand general of the Left Martial Guard. When Emperor Yang succeeded to the throne, Luo's title was changed to Duke of Shu. He died in office not long afterward and was given the posthumous name Gong.
9
子纂嗣，仕至河陽郡尉。 纂弟武都，大業末，亦為河陽郡尉。 庶長子開遠，宇文化及之弑逆也，裴虔通率賊入成象殿，宿衛兵士皆從逆，開遠時為千牛，與獨孤盛力戰於閤下，為賊所執，賊義而舍之。 善後官至柱國。 卒，子覽嗣，仕至左候衛將軍，大業末卒。
His son Zuan inherited the title and rose to commandant of Heyang commandery. Zuan's younger brother Wudu also became commandant of Heyang at the end of the Daye period. An elder son by a concubine, Kaiyuan, was serving in the Thousand-Ox Guard when Yuwen Huaji murdered the emperor. Pei Qiantong led the rebels into Chengxian Hall, and the palace guards joined them. Kaiyuan and Dugu Sheng fought fiercely below the gate-tower, were captured, and then released because the rebels admired their courage. Shan later rose to Pillar of State. When he died, his son Lan inherited the line, rose to general of the Left Garrison Guard, and died at the end of the Daye period.
10
獨孤陀，字黎邪。 仕周胥附上士，坐父徙蜀郡十餘年。 宇文護被誅，始歸長安。 高祖受禪，拜上開府、右領左右將軍。 久之，出為郢州刺史，進位上大將軍，累轉延州刺史。 好左道。 其妻母先事貓鬼，因轉入其家。 上微聞而不之信也。 會獻皇后及楊素妻鄭氏俱有疾，召醫者視之，皆曰：「此貓鬼疾也。」 上以陀後之異母弟，陀妻楊素之異母妹，由是意陀所為，陰令其兄穆以情喻之。 上又避左右諷陀，陀言無有。 上不悅，左轉遷州刺史。 出怨言。 上令左僕射高熲、納言蘇威、大理正皇甫孝緒、大理丞楊遠等雜治之。 陀婢徐阿尼言，本從陀母家來，常事貓鬼。 每以子日夜祀之。 言子者鼠也。 其貓鬼每殺人者，所死家財物潛移於畜貓鬼家。 陀嘗從家中素酒，其妻曰：「無錢可酤。」 陀因謂阿尼曰：「可令貓鬼向越公家，使我足錢也。」 阿尼便咒之歸。 數日，貓鬼向素家。 十一年，上初從并州還，陀於園中謂阿尼曰：「可令貓鬼向皇后所，使多賜吾物。」 阿尼複咒之，遂入宮中。 楊遠乃于門下外省遣阿尼呼貓鬼。 阿尼於是夜中置香粥一盆，以匙扣而呼之曰：「貓女可來，無住宮中。」 久之，阿尼色正青，若被牽曳者，雲貓鬼已至。 上以其事下公卿，奇章公牛弘曰：「妖由人興，殺其人可以絕矣。」 上令以犢車載陀夫妻，將賜死於其家。 陀弟司勳侍中整詣闕求哀，於是免陀死，除名為民，以其妻楊氏為尼。 先是，有人訟其母為人貓鬼所殺者，上以為妖妄，怒而遣之。 及此，詔誅被訟行貓鬼家。 經未幾而卒。 煬帝即位，追念舅氏，聽以禮葬，乃下詔曰：「外氏衰禍，獨孤陀不幸早世，遷卜有期。 言念渭陽之情，追懷傷切，宜加禮命，允備哀榮。 可贈正議大夫。」 帝意猶不已，複下詔曰：「舅氏之尊，戚屬斯重，而降年弗永，凋落相繼。 緬惟先往，宜崇徽秩。 複贈銀青光祿大夫。」 有二子：延福、延壽。
Dugu Tuo, styled Lixie. He served Zhou as a gentleman-attendant of Xufu and, because of his father's case, was exiled to Shu commandery for more than ten years. After Yuwen Hu was executed, he was at last allowed to return to Chang'an. When Gaozu took the throne, Tuo was made Senior Opener of the Mansion and general of the Right Retinue. After some time he was sent out as governor of E prefecture, promoted to grand general, and later transferred to governor of Yan prefecture. He was devoted to heterodox cult practices. His wife's mother had first worshipped the cat-demon, and the practice passed into his household. The emperor heard rumors but did not believe them. Then both Empress Xian and Yang Su's wife, Lady Zheng, fell ill. The physicians they summoned all said, "This is cat-demon sickness. Because Tuo was the empress's younger half-brother and his wife was Yang Su's younger half-sister, the emperor suspected Tuo and secretly had his brother Mu reason with him. The emperor also spoke to him privately, hinting at the matter, but Tuo denied everything. Displeased, the emperor demoted him to governor of Qian prefecture. He began to complain openly. The emperor ordered Left Vice Director Gao Jiong, Palace Counselor Su Wei, Chief of the Court of Judicial Review Huangfu Xiaoxu, Assistant of the Court of Judicial Review Yang Yuan, and others to investigate jointly. Tuo's maid Xu Ani testified that she had come from his mother's household and had long served the cat-demon. Every night at the hour of zi she made offerings to it. By "zi" she meant the rat—the hour of the rat. Whenever the cat-demon killed someone, the victim's wealth was secretly transferred to the household that kept the demon. Tuo once asked for wine at home. His wife said, "We have no money to buy any. Tuo then told Ani, "Send the cat-demon to Duke Yue's house and get me enough money." Ani chanted the spell to send it off. Within a few days the cat-demon was sent to Yang Su's house. In the eleventh year, soon after the emperor returned from Bingzhou, Tuo told Ani in the garden, "Send the cat-demon to the empress and make her give me more gifts. Ani chanted again, and the demon entered the palace. Yang Yuan then had Ani summon the cat-demon at the Outer Office of the Gate Department. That night Ani set out a bowl of fragrant porridge, tapped it with a spoon, and called, "Cat-girl, come—but do not stay in the palace. After a long while her face turned blue, as if she were being pulled, and she said the cat-demon had come. The emperor referred the case to the high officials. Duke Niuzhang Niu Hong said, "Such evil rises through men. Kill the man and it will end. The emperor ordered Tuo and his wife taken in a cart to their home to be put to death. Tuo's brother Zheng, Director of the Department of Merit and attendant-in-ordinary, pleaded at court for mercy. Tuo was spared death, reduced to commoner status, and his wife, Lady Yang, was made a nun. Earlier, a man had sued, claiming his mother had been killed by someone else's cat-demon. The emperor dismissed it as superstitious nonsense and sent him away in anger. Now an edict ordered the household accused in that earlier suit to be executed. He died not long afterward. When Emperor Yang took the throne, mindful of his mother's kin, he allowed Tuo a proper burial and issued an edict: "My mother's clan has fallen on hard times. Dugu Tuo died young, and the time has come to move his tomb and set his burial. Mindful of the bond between maternal kin, and deeply grieved in remembrance, let ritual honors be added and full mourning glory granted. Let him be posthumously honored as Grand Master of Correct Discussion. The emperor was still not satisfied and issued another edict: "Maternal uncles are men of great honor, and affinal kin carry heavy weight—yet their years are short, and they fall away one after another. Thinking of those who have gone before, their ranks should be raised in honor. He was again posthumously honored as Grand Master of the Silver-Green Light." He had two sons: Yanfu and Yanshou.
11
陀弟整，官至幽州刺史，大業初卒，贈金紫光祿大夫，平鄉侯。
Tuo's brother Zheng rose to governor of You province, died early in the Daye period, and was posthumously honored as Grand Master of the Gold-Purple Light and Marquis of Pingxiang.
12
蕭巋子琮琮弟瓛
Xiao Kui; His Son Cong; Cong's Brother Huan
13
蕭巋，字仁遠，梁昭明太子統之孫也。 父詧，初封岳陽王，鎮襄陽。 侯景之亂，其兄河東王譽與其叔父湘東王繹不協，為繹所害。 及繹嗣位，詧稱籓於西魏，乞師請討繹。 周太祖以詧為梁主，遣柱國於謹等率騎五萬襲繹，滅之。 詧遂都江陵，有荊郡、其西平州延袤三百里之地，稱皇帝于其國，車服節文一同王者。 仍置江陵總管，以兵戍之。 詧薨，巋嗣位，年號天保。 巋俊辯有才學，兼好內典。 周武帝平齊之後，巋來賀，帝享之甚歡。 親彈琵琶，令巋起舞，巋曰：「陛下親禦五糸玄，臣敢不同百獸！」 高祖受禪，恩禮彌厚，遣使賜金五百兩，銀千兩，布帛萬匹，馬五百匹。 巋來朝，上甚敬焉，詔巋位在王公之上。 巋被服端麗，進退閒雅，天子矚目，百僚傾慕。 賞賜以億計。 月餘歸籓，帝親餞于滻水之上。 後備禮納其女為晉王妃，又欲以其子瑒尚蘭陵公主。 由是漸見親待。 獻皇后言于上曰：「梁主通家，腹心所寄，何勞猜防也。」 上然之，於是罷江陵總管，巋專制其國。 歲餘，巋又來朝，賜縑萬匹，珍玩稱是。 及還，上親執手曰：「梁主久滯荊楚，未復舊都，故鄉之念，良軫懷抱。 朕當振旅長江，相送旋反耳。」 巋拜謝而去。 其年五月，寢疾，臨終上表曰：「臣以庸暗，曲荷天慈，寵冠外籓，恩逾連山，爰及子女，尚主婚王。 每願躬擐甲胄，身先士卒，掃蕩逋寇，上報明時。 而攝生乖舛，遽罹屙疾，屬纊在辰，顧陰待謝。 長違聖世，感戀嗚咽，遺嗣孤藐，特乞降慈。 伏願聖躬與山嶽同固，皇基等天日俱永，臣雖九泉，實無遣恨。」 並獻所服金裝劍，上覽而嗟悼焉。 巋在位二十三年，年四十四薨，梁之臣子諡曰孝明皇帝，廟號世宗。 子琮嗣。 巋著《孝經》、《周易義記》及《大小乘幽微》十四卷，行於世。
Xiao Kui, styled Renyuan, was a grandson of Liang's Crown Prince Zhaoming, Xiao Tong. His father Cha was first enfeoffed as Prince of Yueyang and posted at Xiangyang. During Hou Jing's rebellion, his elder brother Prince Yu of Hedong fell out with their uncle Prince Yi of Xiangdong and was killed by him. When Yi took the throne, Cha submitted to Western Wei as a vassal, asked for troops, and requested a campaign against Yi. Taizu of Zhou installed Cha as ruler of Liang and sent the Pillar of State Yu Jin with fifty thousand horsemen to strike Yi and destroy him. Cha then moved his capital to Jiangling, holding Jing commandery and Xiping prefecture to the west—a domain three hundred li across—and proclaimed himself emperor; his carriage regalia, dress, and ritual forms matched those of a true sovereign. Zhou still stationed a governor-general at Jiangling with troops to hold the city. When Cha died, Kui succeeded him under the era name Tianbao. Kui was handsome, eloquent, and learned, and also devoted to Buddhist scriptures. After Emperor Wu of Zhou conquered Qi, Kui came to offer congratulations and was entertained with great delight. The emperor played the pipa himself and ordered Kui to dance. Kui replied, "Your Majesty plays the five-stringed lute—how dare I not join the hundred beasts in response! When Gaozu took the throne, favor and ceremony grew still richer. Envoys were sent with five hundred taels of gold, a thousand taels of silver, ten thousand bolts of cloth and silk, and five hundred horses. When Kui came to court, the emperor treated him with great respect and ordered that his rank stand above the kings and dukes. Kui dressed with dignified elegance and moved with easy grace. The emperor watched him closely, and the whole court looked on with admiration. Rewards and gifts ran into the hundreds of millions. After more than a month he returned to his domain, and the emperor personally saw him off on the banks of the Ba River. Later his daughter was married with full ceremony to the Prince of Jin, and the emperor also wished to marry Kui's son Yang to Princess Lanling. From then on he was increasingly treated as family. Empress Xian told the emperor, "The Lord of Liang is family by marriage, a man you trust with your heart—why trouble yourself with suspicion? The emperor agreed, abolished the Jiangling governor-general, and let Kui rule his state on his own. A year later Kui came to court again and received ten thousand bolts of fine silk and treasures in like measure. When he departed, the emperor took his hand and said, "You have long been held in Jing-Chu and have not yet recovered your old capital. Thoughts of home must weigh heavily on your heart. I shall raise an army on the Yangzi and send you home in triumph. Kui bowed in thanks and departed. That fifth month he fell ill. On his deathbed he submitted a memorial: "Your servant, dull and unworthy, has undeservedly received Heaven's kindness. Favor has crowned me above the outer fiefs, grace has surpassed the mountains themselves; even my sons and daughters have married into the imperial house. I have always wished to don armor myself, lead the soldiers in person, sweep away the rebels, and repay this enlightened age. Yet I failed in caring for my health and have suddenly fallen gravely ill. Death is near, and I await the end. I must leave this sage age, and grief overwhelms me. My orphaned heirs are young and helpless—I beg your mercy for them. I pray that your sacred person may stand firm as the mountains, that the imperial foundation may last as long as heaven and sun—even in the grave I shall have no regret. He also presented the gold-mounted sword he had worn. The emperor read the memorial and sighed in grief. Kui reigned twenty-three years and died at forty-four. Liang's ministers gave him the posthumous title Emperor Xiaoming and the temple name Shizong. His son Cong succeeded him. Kui wrote the Classic of Filial Piety, Records of the Meaning of the Book of Changes, and Subtleties of the Greater and Lesser Vehicles in fourteen scrolls, all of which circulated in his day.
14
琮字溫文，性寬仁，有大度，倜儻不羈，博學有文義。 兼善弓馬，遣人伏地著帖，琮馳馬射之，十發十中，持帖者亦不懼。 初封東陽王，尋立為梁太子。 及嗣位，上賜璽書曰：「負荷堂構，其事甚重，雖窮憂勞，常須自力。 輯諧內外，親任才良，聿遵世業，是所望也。 彼之疆守，咫尺陳人，水潦之時，特宜警備。 陳氏比日雖複朝聘相尋，疆埸之間猶未清肅，唯當恃我必不可幹，勿得輕人而不設備。 朕與梁國，積世相知，重以親姻，情義彌厚。 江陵之地，朝寄非輕，為國為民，深宜抑割，恆加饘粥，以禮自存。」 又賜梁之大臣璽書，誠勉之。 時琮年號廣運，有識者曰：「運之為字，軍走也，吾君將奔走乎？」 其年，琮遣大將軍戚昕以舟師襲陳公安，不克而還。 征琮叔父岑入朝，拜為大將軍，封懷義公，因留不遣。 複置江陵總管以監之。 琮所署大將軍許世武密以城召陳將宜黃侯陳紀，謀泄，琮誅之。 後二歲，上征琮入朝，率其臣下二百余人朝于京師，江陵父老莫不隕涕相謂曰：「吾君其不反矣！」 上以琮來朝，遣武鄉公崔弘度將兵戍之。 軍至鄀州，琮叔父岩及弟瓛等懼弘度掩襲之，遂引陳人至城下，虜居民而叛，於是廢梁國。 上遣左僕射高熲安集之，曲赦江陵死罪，給民複十年。 梁二主各給守墓十戶。 拜琮為柱國，賜爵莒國公。 煬帝嗣位，以皇后之故，甚見親重。 拜內史令，改封梁公。 琮之宗族，緦麻以上，並隨才擢用，於是諸蕭昆弟布列朝廷。 琮性淡雅，不以職務自嬰，退朝縱酒而已。 內史令楊約與琮同列，帝令約宣旨誡勵，約複以私情喻之。 琮答曰：「琮若複事事，則何異於公哉！」 約笑而退。 約兄素，時為尚書令，見琮嫁從父妹于鉗耳氏，因謂琮曰：「公，帝王之族，望高戚美，何乃適妹鉗耳氏乎？」 琮曰：「前已嫁妹于侯莫陳氏，此複何疑！」 素曰：「鉗耳，羌也，侯莫陳，虜也，何得相比！」 素意以虜優羌劣。 琮曰：「以羌異虜，未之前聞。」 素慚而止。 琮雖羈旅，見北間豪貴，無所降下。 嘗與賀若弼深相友善，弼既被誅，複有童謠曰：「蕭蕭亦複起。」 帝由是忌之，遂廢於家，未幾而卒。 贈左光祿大夫。 子鉉，襄城通守。 複以琮弟子钜為梁公。 钜小名藏，煬帝甚昵之，以為千牛，與宇文皛出入宮掖，伺察內外。 帝每有遊宴，钜未嘗不從焉，遂于宮中多行淫穢。 江都之變，為宇文化及所殺。
Cong, styled Wenwen, was generous and humane, broad-minded, free-spirited and unrestrained, widely learned and accomplished in letters. He was also skilled with bow and horse. He had a man lie prone with a target on his back, then galloped and shot at it—ten shots, ten hits—and the man holding the target did not flinch. He was first enfeoffed as Prince of Dongyang and soon made crown prince of Liang. When he succeeded to the throne, the emperor sent a sealed letter: "To bear the weight of the realm is a grave matter. Though worn with worry and toil, you must constantly rely on your own strength. Harmonize within and without, personally employ the talented and worthy, and faithfully carry on your father's enterprise—that is my hope. Chen lies just beyond your border. In the rainy season you must be especially vigilant. Though Chen has lately resumed diplomatic visits, the border is still unsettled. Trust that they cannot possibly defy me—but do not treat them lightly or neglect your defenses. Liang and I have known each other across generations, and marriage ties have made our bond still deeper. Jiangling is no light charge from the court. For the sake of state and people you should restrain yourself, live simply on plain food, and preserve yourself through proper conduct. He also sent sealed letters to Liang's great ministers, sincerely exhorting them. Cong's era name was Guangyun. Men of insight said, "The character yun combines 'army' and 'flee'—will our lord take to flight? That year Cong sent Grand General Qi Xin with a naval force to strike Chen's An commandery but failed and returned. Cong's uncle Cen was summoned to court, made grand general, enfeoffed as Duke of Huaiyi, and detained there. The Jiangling governor-general was reinstated to keep watch over him. Grand General Xu Shiwu, whom Cong had appointed, secretly offered the city to Chen general Marquis Chen Ji of Yihuang. When the plot leaked, Cong executed him. Two years later the emperor summoned Cong to court. He led more than two hundred ministers to the capital, and the elders of Jiangling wept and said to one another, "Our lord will not return! Because Cong had come to court, the emperor sent Duke of Wuxiang Cui Hongdu with troops to garrison Jiangling. When the army reached E prefecture, Cong's uncle Yan and his brother Huan, fearing a surprise attack, brought Chen troops to the walls, seized the inhabitants, and rebelled. The state of Liang was abolished. The emperor sent Left Vice Director Gao Jiong to pacify the region, granted a special pardon for capital crimes in Jiangling, and gave the people ten years of tax relief. Ten households were assigned to guard each of the two Liang rulers' tombs. Cong was made Pillar of State and enfeoffed as Duke of Ju. When Emperor Yang succeeded to the throne, Cong was greatly favored because of the empress. He was made Director of the Palace Secretariat and his title was changed to Duke of Liang. Cong's clansmen, even those in the remotest degree of kinship, were promoted according to talent, and Xiao brothers filled the court. Cong was refined and detached by nature and did not burden himself with office; after court he merely drank. Director of the Palace Secretariat Yang Yue, Cong's equal in rank, was ordered to admonish him, and Yue spoke to him privately as well. Cong replied, "If I attended to every matter again, how would I differ from you! Yue laughed and withdrew. Yue's brother Su, then Director of the Department of State Affairs, saw that Cong had married a cousin to the Qian'er clan and said, "You are of imperial stock, with high standing and noble connections—why marry your sister to the Qian'er? Cong said, "I already married one sister to the Houmochen—what is there to question in this!" Su said, "The Qian'er are Diang; the Houmochen are barbarians—how can they be compared!" Su meant that barbarians ranked above the Diang. Cong said, "That the Diang differ from barbarians is something I have never heard before. Su, ashamed, said no more. Though Cong lived as an exile in the north, he bowed to none of its great nobles. He had been close friends with He Ruobi. After Ruobi was executed, a children's song ran, "Xiao, xiao—they rise again. The emperor grew suspicious and confined him at home. He died not long afterward. He was posthumously honored as Grand Master of the Left Light. His son Xian was defender of Xiangcheng. Cong's nephew Ju was then made Duke of Liang. Ju, childhood name Zang, was greatly favored by Emperor Yang. He was made an attendant of the Thousand-Ox Guard and, with Yuwen Xiao, went in and out of the inner palace, watching affairs within and without. Whenever the emperor held excursions and banquets, Ju was always present, and he committed many lewd acts within the palace. At the Jiangdu upheaval he was killed by Yuwen Huaji.
15
瓛字欽文，少聰敏，解屬文。 在梁為荊州刺史，頗有能名。 崔弘度以兵至若阝州，瓛懼，與其叔父岩奔于陳。 陳主以為侍中、安東將軍、吳州刺史，甚得物情，三吳父老皆曰：「瓛吾君子也。」 及陳亡，吳人推瓛為主。 吳人見梁武、簡文及詧、巋等兄弟並第三而踐尊位，瓛自以巋之第三子也，深自矜負。 有謝異者，頗知廢興，梁、陳之際，言無不驗，江南人甚敬信之。 及陳主被擒，異奔於瓛，由是益為眾所歸。 褒國公宇文述以兵討之，瓛遣王哀守吳州，自將拒述。 述遣兵別道襲吳州，哀懼，衣道士服，棄城而遁。 瓛眾聞之，悉無鬥志，與述一戰而敗。 瓛將左右數人逃於太湖，匿於民家，為人所執，送於述所，斬之長安，時年二十一。
Huan, styled Qinwen, was clever from youth and skilled in literary composition. In Liang he was governor of Jing province and had a considerable reputation for ability. When Cui Hongdu brought troops to Ruo prefecture, Huan fled to Chen with his uncle Yan. The Chen ruler made him attendant-in-ordinary, General Who Pacifies the East, and governor of Wu prefecture. He won great favor, and the elders of the Three Wu said, "Huan is our true gentleman. When Chen fell, the people of Wu urged Huan to lead them. The people of Wu noted that Emperor Wu of Liang, Emperor Jianwen, and the brothers Cha and Kui had all been third sons yet reached the throne. Huan, as Kui's third son, took great pride in this. A man named Xie Yi was skilled at reading the rise and fall of states. In the transition between Liang and Chen, nothing he said failed to come true, and the people of Jiangnan greatly revered him. When the Chen ruler was captured, Yi fled to Huan, and Huan gained still more support. Duke of Baoguo Yuwen Shu came with troops to suppress him. Huan sent Wang Ai to hold Wu prefecture and personally led the army against Shu. Shu sent troops by another route to strike Wu prefecture. Ai, terrified, dressed as a Daoist priest, abandoned the city, and fled. When Huan's troops heard of this, they lost all fighting spirit. After one battle with Shu they were defeated. Huan fled to Lake Tai with a few attendants and hid in a commoner's house. He was seized, sent to Shu, and beheaded in Chang'an at the age of twenty-one.
16
弟璟，為朝請大夫、尚衣奉禦。 瑒，曆衛尉卿、秘書監、陶丘侯。 瑀，曆內史侍郎、河池太守。
His younger brother Jing was a grand master for imperial audience and attendant for imperial vestments. Yang served as commandant of the guards for the palace, director of the palace library, and Marquis of Taoqiu. Yu served as vice director of the palace secretariat and governor of Hechi.
17
史臣曰：三五哲王，防深慮遠，舅甥之國，罕執鈞衡，母后之家，無聞傾敗。 爰及漢、晉，顛覆繼軌，皆由乎進不以禮，故其斃亦速。 若使獨孤權侔呂、霍，必敗于仁壽之前，蕭氏勢均梁、竇，豈全于大業之後！ 今或不隕舊基，或更隆先構，豈非處之以道，不預權寵之所致乎！
The historiographer says: The sage kings of antiquity guarded against danger and thought far ahead. Among states ruled by maternal uncles and nephews, few held real power; among empresses' kin, none were heard to fall into ruin. Down through Han and Jin, ruin came in succession—all because promotion did not follow proper ritual, and so their fall came quickly as well. Had the Dugu held power equal to the Lü and Huo clans, they would surely have fallen before the Renshou period; had the Xiao matched the Liang and Dou in strength, how could they have survived intact after the Daye era! That some did not fall from their old foundations, or even raised their ancestors' standing higher—was this not because they were treated with proper restraint and kept from power and favor!