Volume 64: Guo Zuo, Zhang Yi

郭祚張彝

Guo Zuo; Zhang Yi

郭祚，字季祐，太原晉陽人，魏車騎郭淮弟亮後也。祖逸，州別駕，前後以二女妻司徒崔浩，一女妻浩弟上黨太守恬。世祖時，浩親寵用事，拜逸徐州刺史，假榆次侯，終贈光祿大夫。父洪之，坐浩事誅，祚亡竄得免。少而孤貧，姿貌不偉，鄉人莫之識也。有女巫相祚後當富貴。祚涉歷經史，習崔浩之書，尺牘文章見稱於世。弱冠，州主簿，刺史孫小委之書記。又太原王希者，逸妻之姪，共相賙恤，得以饒振。

Guo Zuo, whose courtesy name was Jiyou, came from Jinyang in Taiyuan and was descended from Guo Liang, the younger brother of the Wei general Guo Huai. His grandfather Yi had served as regional aide-de-camp and, over time, married two daughters to Grand Commandant Cui Hao and one daughter to Hao's younger brother Tian, the Administrator of Shangdang. During the reign of Emperor Taiwu, when Hao was in intimate favor and wielded real power, Yi was made Inspector of Xuzhou and provisionally enfeoffed as Marquis of Yuci; after his death he was posthumously honored as Grand Master of Splendid Happiness. His father Hongzhi was executed in connection with Cui Hao's downfall, but Zuo went into hiding and survived. Orphaned and poor from boyhood, without a striking appearance, he was hardly known among his neighbors. A village shamaness foretold that Zuo would one day rise to wealth and high office. He steeped himself in the classics and histories, studied Cui Hao's works, and gained a reputation for his letters and literary compositions. At twenty he became chief clerk of his province, and the inspector Sun Xiao put him in charge of secretarial work. Wang Xi of Taiyuan, a nephew by marriage of his grandfather Yi, also helped support him, and together they managed to restore his fortunes.

高祖初，舉秀才，對策上第，拜中書博士，轉中書侍郎，遷尚書左丞，長兼給事黃門侍郎。祚清勤在公，夙夜匪懈，高祖甚知賞之。從高祖南征，及還，正黃門。車駕幸長安，行經渭橋，過郭淮廟，問祚曰：「是卿祖宗所承也？」祚曰：「是臣七世伯祖。」高祖曰：「先賢後哲，頓在一門。」祚對曰：「昔臣先人以通儒英博，唯事魏文，微臣虛薄，遭奉明聖，自惟幸甚。」因敕以太牢祭淮廟，令祚自撰祭文。以贊遷洛之規，賜爵東光子。高祖曾幸華林園，因觀故景陽山，祚曰：「山以仁靜，水以智流，願陛下修之。」高祖曰：「魏明以奢失於前，朕何為襲之於後？」祚曰：「高山仰止。」高祖曰：「得非景行之謂？」遷散騎常侍，仍領黃門。是時高祖銳意典禮，兼銓鏡九流，又遷都草創，征討不息，內外規略，號為多事。祚與黃門宋弁參謀幃幄，隨其才用，各有委寄。祚承禀注疏，特成勤劇。嘗以立馮昭儀，百官夕飲清徽後園，高祖舉觴賜祚及崔光曰：「郭祚憂勞庶事，獨不欺我；崔光溫良博物，朝之儒秀。不勸此兩人，當勸誰也？」其見知若此。

Early in the reign of Emperor Wen, he was nominated as an outstanding scholar, placed first in the court examination, and rose through appointments as Doctor of the Secretariat and Secretariat Gentleman to Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs, while also serving for a long time as Supervising Attendant of the Yellow Gate. Clear-handed and tireless in public office, he won Emperor Wen's keen esteem. He followed the emperor on the southern campaign, and on their return was made a full Attendant of the Yellow Gate. When the emperor visited Chang'an and passed the Wei Bridge, he came by Guo Huai's shrine and asked Zuo, "Is this the ancestor your line inherits?" Zuo replied, "He is my seventh-generation grand uncle." The emperor said, "Ancient worthies and present sages, all gathered in a single house." Zuo answered, "My ancestors were encyclopedic scholars who served only Cao Wen, Emperor of Wei; as for me, a man of little merit, to meet so sage an emperor is fortune beyond what I deserve." He then ordered a grand sacrifice at Huai's shrine and had Zuo compose the funeral ode himself. For his support of the move to Luoyang, he was enfeoffed as Viscount of Dongguang. On a visit to Hualin Park, where the emperor took in the old site of Jingyang Hill, Zuo said, "Mountains express benevolence in their stillness and water wisdom in its flow—may Your Majesty restore them." The emperor replied, "Emperor Ming of Wei lost everything to extravagance—why should I follow his example?" Zuo said only, "One looks up to a high mountain." The emperor asked, "Do you mean the path one ought to admire?" He was then promoted to Attendant-in-Ordinary while retaining direction of the Yellow Gate office. At that time the emperor was pressing ahead with ritual reform and screening talent across every walk of office, even as the new capital was still being built and campaigns continued without pause; court and realm alike were said to be overwhelmed with affairs. Zuo and Song Bian of the Yellow Gate advised him within the privy council, each entrusted with tasks suited to his talent. Zuo took charge of drafting imperial instructions and commentaries, work that proved especially demanding. On one occasion, when Lady Feng was installed as Honored Imperial Concubine, the officials feasted in the evening in the garden behind Qinghui; the emperor raised his goblet toward Zuo and Cui Guang and said, "Guo Zuo shoulders the realm's business and never deceives me; Cui Guang is mild, learned, and the court's finest scholar. If I do not raise a toast to these two, whom should I toast?" This was how highly he was regarded.

初，高祖以李彪為散騎常侍，祚因入見，高祖謂祚曰：「朕昨誤授一人官。」祚對曰：「陛下聖鏡照臨，論才授職，進退可否，黜陟幽明，品物既彰，人倫有序，豈容聖詔一行而有差異。」高祖沉吟曰：「此自應有讓，因讓，朕欲別授一官。」須臾，彪有啟云：「伯石辭卿，子產所惡，臣欲之已久，不敢辭讓。」高祖歎謂祚曰：「卿之忠諫，李彪正辭，使朕遲回不能復決。」遂不換彪官也。乘輿南討，祚以兼侍中從，拜尚書，進爵為伯。高祖崩，咸陽王禧等奏祚兼吏部尚書，尋除長兼吏部尚書、并州大中正。

Earlier the emperor had appointed Li Biao Attendant-in-Ordinary; when Zuo came in for an audience, the emperor told him, "Yesterday I gave an office to the wrong man." Zuo replied, "Your Majesty's judgment is infallible; you weigh talent in every appointment, promote and demote on merit, and keep the whole order of the realm in balance—how could a single edict be mistaken?" The emperor paused and said, "He ought to decline the post; once he does, I mean to give him something else." A moment later Biao submitted a memorial: "When Boshi declined a ministry, Zichan despised the pretense; I have wanted this post for a long time and dare not decline it." The emperor sighed and told Zuo, "Your loyal counsel and Li Biao's forthright reply leave me unable to settle the matter." In the end he left Biao in his post. On the southern campaign Zuo accompanied the emperor as Acting Palace Attendant, was made Director of the Department of State Affairs, and raised to the rank of baron. After Emperor Wen's death, the Prince of Xianyang and others recommended that Zuo serve concurrently as Director of the Ministry of Personnel; he was soon made permanent concurrent director of that ministry and Grand Rectifier of Bing Province.

世宗詔以姦吏逃刑，懸配遠戍，若永避不出，兄弟代之。祚奏曰：「慎獄審刑，道煥先古；垂憲設禁，義纂惟今。是以先王沿物之情，為之軌法，故八刑備於昔典，姦律炳於來制，皆所以謀其始迹，訪厥成罪，敦風厲俗，永資世範者也。伏惟旨義博遠，理絕近情，既懷愚異，不容不述。誠以敗法之原，起於姦吏，姦吏雖微，敗法實甚。伏尋詔旨，信亦斷其逋逃之路，為治之要，實在於斯。然法貴止姦，不在過酷，立制施禁，為可傳之於後。若法猛而姦不息，禁過不可永傳，將何以載之刑書，垂之百代？若以姦吏逃竄，徙其兄弟，罪人妻子復應從之，此則一人之罪，禍傾二室。愚謂罪人既逃，止徙妻子，走者之身，懸名永配，於眚不免，姦途自塞。」詔從之。

Emperor Xuanwu decreed that corrupt officials who evaded punishment should be registered for exile to distant garrisons, and if they never surrendered, their brothers would serve the sentence in their stead. Zuo submitted a memorial: "Careful prisons and measured punishments made the Way radiant in antiquity; to hand down statutes and establish prohibitions gathers its meaning in our own age alone. That is why the former kings shaped law to human nature: the Eight Punishments stood complete in the ancient canon, and statutes against corruption shone forth in later codes—all to trace crimes from their first signs, establish guilt when complete, strengthen custom, and supply a lasting model for the world. Your Majesty's intent is broad and far-reaching, its logic far from ordinary feeling; yet since I harbor doubts, I cannot remain silent. The root of law's ruin lies in corrupt petty officials; small though they are, the harm they do to the law is grave. Your decree plainly cuts off their path of escape, and the heart of good government lies precisely there. Yet law should stop corruption, not grow cruel beyond need; regulations are made to endure for generations. If harsh law fails to end corruption, and excessive prohibitions cannot endure, how are they to be written into the penal codes and handed down through the ages? If a fleeing corrupt official's brothers are exiled, and his wife and children must follow as well, one man's crime would ruin two whole families. I suggest that once the culprit has fled, only his wife and children be relocated, while the fugitive himself remain registered for perpetual exile, never pardoned even in general amnesties—so the road to corruption closes by itself. The emperor accepted his proposal.

尋正吏部。祚持身潔清，重惜官位，至於銓授，假令得人，必徘徊久之，然後下筆，下筆即云：「此人便以貴矣。」由是事頗稽滯，當時每招怨讟。然所拔用者，皆量才稱職，時又以此歸之。

He was soon made full Director of the Ministry of Personnel. Scrupulous in his personal conduct and deeply reluctant to confer rank, he would linger long over every appointment even when he had found the right man; only after prolonged hesitation would he set brush to paper, remarking as he did so, "This man has now been ennobled." Business therefore dragged, and he often drew resentment at the time. Yet those he promoted were always well matched to their posts, and contemporaries credited him for that.

出為使持節、鎮北將軍、瀛州刺史。及太極殿成，祚朝於京師，轉鎮東將軍、青州刺史。祚值歲不稔，闔境飢弊，矜傷愛下，多所賑恤，雖斷決淹留，號為煩緩，然士女懷其德澤，于今思之。入為侍中、金紫光祿大夫、并州大中正，遷尚書右僕射。時議定新令，詔祚與侍中、黃門參議刊正。故事，令、僕、中丞騶唱而入宮門，至於馬道。 [1]及祚為僕射，以為非盡敬之宜，言於世宗，帝納之，下詔：「御在太極，騶唱至止車門；御在朝堂，至司馬門。」騶唱不入宮，自此始也。詔祚本官領太子少師。祚曾從世宗幸東宮，肅宗幼弱，祚懷一黃㼐出奉肅宗。時應詔左右趙桃弓與御史中尉王顯迭相脣齒，深為世宗所信，祚私事之。時人謗祚者，號為桃弓僕射、黃㼐少師。

He was sent out as Bearer of the Staff of Authority, General Who Pacifies the North, and Inspector of Ying Province. When the Hall of Supreme Ultimate was completed, he attended court in the capital and was transferred to General Who Pacifies the East and Inspector of Qing Province. During years of poor harvest, when hunger spread through his whole jurisdiction, he showed compassion to the people and gave generous relief; though his legal decisions were slow and he was criticized as dilatory, the people cherished his kindness and remember him still. He returned to court as Palace Attendant, Grand Master of Splendid Happiness with Golden Seal and Purple Ribbon, and Grand Rectifier of Bing Province, and was promoted to Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs. When new statutes were being drafted, the emperor ordered Zuo, together with the Palace Attendant and the Yellow Gate office, to join in revising them. By precedent, directors, vice directors, and chief censors entered the palace gate with mounted attendants announcing their approach, all the way to the horse ramp. When Zuo became Vice Director, he argued that this fell short of full respect and spoke to Emperor Xuanwu; the emperor agreed and decreed: "When the emperor is in the Hall of Supreme Ultimate, mounted attendants shall announce the approach only as far as the Gate Where Chariots Stop; when the emperor is in the Audience Hall, only as far as the Sima Gate." From that time mounted attendants ceased announcing officials inside the palace gates. The emperor ordered Zuo to retain his present office while also serving as Junior Tutor of the Heir Apparent. Once, when Zuo accompanied Emperor Xuanwu to the Eastern Palace, the young heir Emperor Suzong was still a child; Zuo drew a yellow purse from his robe and offered it to him. At that time Zhao Taogong of the Attendants in Attendance on Imperial Edicts and Wang Xian, Chief Censor, were closely allied and deeply trusted by the emperor; Zuo cultivated them in private. Those who mocked him called him "Peach-Bow Vice Director" and "Yellow-Purse Junior Tutor."

祚奏曰：「謹案前後考格雖班天下，如臣愚短，猶有未悟。今須定職人遷轉由狀，超越階級者即須量折。景明初考格，五年者得一階半。正始中，故尚書、中山王英奏考格，被旨：但可正滿三周為限，不得計殘年之勤。又去年中，以前二制不同，奏請裁決。旨云：『黜陟之體，自依舊來恒斷。』今未審從舊來之旨，為從景明之斷，為從正始為限？景明考法，東西省文武閑官悉為三等，考同任事，而前尚書盧昶奏上第之人三年轉半階。今之考格，復分為九等，前後不同，參差無準。」詔曰：「考在上中者，得汎以前，有六年以上遷一階，三年以上遷半階，殘年悉除。考在上下者，得汎以前，六年以上遷半階，不滿者除。其得汎以後考在上下者，三年遷一階。散官從盧昶所奏。」

Zuo submitted a memorial: "Although the examination regulations, old and new, have been promulgated throughout the realm, I am still unclear on several points. Officeholders' promotions must now be fixed by dossier, and any leap over normal rank must be offset by a measured deduction. Under the initial Jingming examination rules, five years of service earned one and a half ranks. In the Zhengshi era the late Director Ying, Prince of Zhongshan, submitted regulations on examinations and received the reply that only three full cycles counted and partial years of service could not be tallied. Last year, because the two earlier systems differed, a memorial was submitted requesting a decision. The imperial reply said: "Promotion and demotion shall follow the standing practice of old." It remains unclear whether we should follow the old practice, the Jingming ruling, or the Zhengshi limit. Under the Jingming method, idle civil and military officials of the Eastern and Western Bureaus were all placed in three grades and examined like active officeholders; yet the former Director Lu Chang ruled that top-grade men should advance half a rank after three years. The present regulations again divide candidates into nine grades; the systems differ and leave no consistent standard." The edict replied: "For those rated upper-middle, counting back before the general review: six years or more earn one full rank, three years or more earn half a rank, and partial years are struck out entirely. For those rated upper-lower, counting back before the general review: six years or more earn half a rank; anything less is struck out. After the general review, those rated upper-lower advance one rank every three years. Idle officials follow Lu Chang's memorial."

祚又奏言：「考察令：公清獨著，德績超倫，而無負殿者為上上，一殿為上中，二殿為上以為第，隨前後年斷，各自除其善惡而為昇降？且負注之章，數成殿為差，此條以寡愆為最，多戾為殿。未審取何行是寡愆？何坐為多戾？結累品次，復有幾等？諸文案失衷，應杖十者為一負。罪依律次，過隨負記。十年之中，三經肆眚，赦前之罪，不問輕重，皆蒙宥免。或為御史所彈，案驗未周，遇赦復任者，未審記殿得除以不？」詔曰：「獨著、超倫及才備、寡咎，皆謂文武兼上上之極言耳。自此以降，猶有八等，隨才為次，令文已具。其積負累殿及守平得濟，皆含在其中，何容別疑也。所云通考者，據總多年之言，至於黜陟之體，自依舊來年斷，何足復請。其罰贖已決之殿，固非免限，遇赦免罪，惟記其殿，除之。」尋加散騎常侍。

Zuo submitted another memorial: "The examination ordinance ranks those outstanding in integrity with no demerit marks as upper-upper, one mark as upper-middle, and two marks as upper-lower—are promotions and demotions to follow the former or latter year rules, each striking out merits and faults accordingly? The chapter on demerit marks fixes how many marks constitute a demerit grade, treating few faults as best and many offenses as worst. Which conduct counts as few faults? Which offenses count as many violations? When demerit marks are totaled into grades, how many levels are there? For all documents and cases that miss the mark, offenses warranting ten blows with the staff count as one demerit mark. Guilt follows the sequence of the statutes, and offenses are recorded by demerit marks. Within ten years, if one passes through three general amnesties, pre-amnesty crimes, regardless of severity, are all pardoned. Or if impeached by the censor before the case is closed, and upon amnesty restored to office—are demerit marks to be struck out or not?" The edict replied: "Outstanding alone, surpassing the norm, and talent complete with few faults—all describe the highest civil and military grade of upper-upper. Below that there are still eight grades, arranged by talent; the ordinance text already covers them. Accumulated demerit marks, cumulative demerit grades, and maintaining the mean to pass are all covered there—what room is there for further doubt? The general review sums many years together; promotion and demotion follow the standing annual rules—there is nothing more to ask. Demerit marks for fines and ransoms already decided are not exempt; when amnesty pardons the crime, only the demerit marks are recorded and then struck out." He was soon additionally appointed Attendant-in-Ordinary.

時詔營明堂國學，祚奏曰：「今雲羅西舉，開納岷蜀；戎旗東指，鎮靖淮荊；漢沔之間復須防捍。徵兵發眾，所在殷廣，邊郊多壘，烽驛未息，不可於師旅之際，興板築之功。且獻歲云暨，東作將始，臣愚量謂宜待豐靖之年，因子來之力，可不時而就。」從之。世宗末年，每引祚入東宮，密受賞賚，多至百餘萬，雜以錦繡。又特賜以劍杖，恩寵甚深，遷左僕射。

When an edict ordered construction of the Bright Hall and the Imperial Academy, Zuo memorialized: "Banners now gather in the west as Min and Shu are brought in; military banners point east to pacify the Huai and Jing; the Han and Mian region again requires defense. Recruitment and mobilization fill every district; border fortresses multiply and beacon fires never rest—it is no time, amid active campaigns, to launch major building works. Moreover, the year's offering is nearly due and the eastern fields are about to be broken for planting. In my humble view we ought to wait for a year of plenty and peace, and lean on the strength that the season itself provides—the work could then be finished without forcing the moment. The court accepted his advice. In the closing years of Emperor Xuanwu's reign, the emperor often had Zuo brought into the Eastern Palace, where in secret he received gifts and grants—sometimes more than a million in value, along with silks and brocades. He was further granted the sword and staff of high office, and the depth of imperial favor saw him promoted to Left Vice Director of the Secretariat.

先是，蕭衍遣將康絢遏淮，將灌揚徐，祚表曰：「蕭衍狂悖，擅斷川瀆，役苦民勞，危亡已兆。然古諺有之，『敵不可縱』。夫以一酌之水，或為不測之淵，如不時滅，恐同原草。宜命一重將，率統軍三十人，領羽林一萬五千人，并科京東七州虎旅九萬，長驅電邁，遄令撲討。擒斬之勳，一如常制，賊資雜物，悉入軍人。如此，則鯨鯢之首可不日而懸。誠知農桑之時，非發眾之日，苟事理宜然，亦不得不爾。昔韋顧跋扈，殷后起昆吾之師；玁狁孔熾，周王興六月之伐。臣職忝樞衡，獻納是主，心之所懷，寧敢自默。并宜敕揚州選一猛將，遣當州之兵令赴浮山，表裏夾攻。」朝議從之。

Earlier, Xiao Yan had sent the general Kang Xuan to dam the Huai, intending to inundate Yang and Xu. Zuo memorialized the throne: "Xiao Yan is reckless and lawless. He has seized control of rivers and channels at will, grinding the people down with forced labor—the signs of ruin are already plain. Yet the old saying holds: 'Do not let the enemy go unchecked.' A single cup of water can become an unfathomable abyss; if it is not crushed in time, I fear it will spread like grass on an open field. We should appoint a senior general to lead thirty commanders of armies, fifteen thousand Feathered Forest guards, and the ninety thousand crack troops of the seven eastern provinces around the capital—then drive forward like lightning and strike at once. Rewards for captures and kills should follow the usual rules, and all rebel goods and spoils should go entirely to the troops. Thus the heads of the great beasts could be hung up within days. I know full well that this is the season of plowing and mulberry, not the season for raising armies; yet when reason and circumstance require it, there is no choice. In antiquity, when Wei and Gu grew overbearing, Empress Qi of the Shang raised the army of Kunwu; when the Xianyun burned hot, the Zhou king launched the campaign of the sixth month. My post touches the pivot of the realm, and my charge is to speak and to counsel. What I carry in my heart—how could I keep silent? Yang Province should also be ordered to choose a fierce general and send its local troops to Fushan, so that inner and outer forces may strike together. The court accepted his plan.

出除使持節、散騎常侍、都督雍岐華三州諸軍事、征西將軍、雍州刺史。太和以前，朝法尤峻，貴臣蹉跌，便致誅夷。李沖之用事也，欽祚識幹，薦為左丞，又兼黃門。意便滿足，每以孤門往經崔氏之禍，常慮危亡，苦自陳挹，辭色懇然，發於誠至。沖謂之曰：「人生有運，非可避也，但當明白當官，何所顧畏。」自是積二十餘年，位秩隆重，而進趨之心更復不息。又以東宮師傅之資，列辭尚書，志在封侯、儀同之位，尚書令、任城王澄為之奏聞。及為征西、雍州，雖喜於外撫，尚以府號不優，心望加大，執政者頗怪之。於時，領軍于忠恃寵驕恣，崔光之徒，曲躬承奉，祚心惡之，乃遣子太尉從事中郎景尚說高陽王雍，令出忠為州。忠聞而大怒，矯詔殺祚，時年六十七。

He was sent out and appointed Bearer of the Staff of Authority, Regular Attendant of the Scattered Cavalry, Commander-in-Chief of Military Affairs in Yong, Qi, and Hua, General Who Pacifies the West, and Governor of Yong Province. Before the Taihe era, court law was especially harsh: when great ministers slipped, they were cut down at once. When Li Chong held power, he recognized Zuo's talent and ability, recommended him as Left Assistant Director, and also gave him the concurrent post of Superintendent of the Yellow Gate. He was satisfied at heart, yet as a lone house that had once been swept up in the Cui clan's ruin, he lived in constant fear of destruction. He humbled himself again and again, his words and bearing painfully earnest, born of true sincerity. Li Chong told him, "Life has its allotted course, and there is no escaping it. Serve your office with a clear conscience—what is there to fear? From then on, for more than twenty years, his rank and honors grew ever grander, yet his hunger for advancement never slackened. Leaning on his standing as tutor of the Eastern Palace, he repeatedly petitioned the Ministry of Works, seeking a marquisate and the rank of Palace Attendant. The Minister of Works, Prince Cheng of Ren, submitted the request on his behalf. When he became General Who Pacifies the West and Governor of Yong, he was glad to govern in the provinces, yet still felt his title too modest and inwardly hoped for greater rank. Those in power were displeased. At that time the Director of the Imperial Guards, Yu Zhong, rode on imperial favor and grew arrogant and unrestrained; Cui Guang and men like him bowed low to court him. Zuo hated this and sent his son Jing Shang, Attendant Gentleman on the Grand Commandant's staff, to persuade Prince Yong of Gaoyang to have Yu Zhong posted out to a provincial command. When Yu Zhong heard of it, he flew into a rage, forged an imperial edict, and had Zuo killed. Zuo was sixty-seven.

祚達於政事，凡所經履，咸為稱職，每有斷決，多為故事。名器既重，時望亦深，一朝非罪見害，遠近莫不惋惜。靈太后臨朝，遣使弔慰，追復伯爵。正光中，贈使持節、車騎將軍、儀同三司、雍州刺史，諡文貞公。

Zuo was skilled in governance. Every office he held, he filled competently; many of his rulings became precedents. His rank was already great and his reputation deep; when he was destroyed without cause in a single morning, men near and far mourned him. When Empress Dowager Ling took the regency, she sent envoys to offer condolences and posthumously restored his marquisate. In the Zhengguang era he was posthumously granted Bearer of the Staff of Authority, General of Chariots and Cavalry, Palace Attendant, and Governor of Yong Province, with the posthumous title Duke Wen Zhen.

初，高祖之置中正，從容謂祚曰：「并州中正，卿家故應推王瓊也。」祚退謂密友曰：「瓊真偽今自未辨，我家何為減之？然主上直信李沖吹噓之說耳。」祚死後三歲而于忠死，咸以祚為祟。

Earlier, when Emperor Wen established the zhongzheng system, he said casually to Zuo, "For Bingzhou's zhongzheng, your family ought to have recommended Wang Qiong. When Zuo withdrew, he told a close friend, "Whether Qiong is genuine or false is still unclear—why should our house be reduced? The emperor simply believes whatever Li Chong boasts, that is all. Three years after Zuo's death Yu Zhong died, and all believed Zuo's ghost had brought it about.

祚長子思恭，弱冠，州辟為主簿。早卒。思恭弟慶禮以第二子延伯繼。

Zuo's eldest son Sigong, upon coming of age, was recruited by the province as chief clerk. He died young. Sigong's younger brother Qingli had his second son Yanbo succeed to the line.

延伯，襲祖爵東光伯。武定中，驃騎大將軍、將作大匠。齊受禪，爵例降。

Yanbo inherited his grandfather's title, Marquis of Dongguang. In the Wuding era he served as General of Agile Cavalry and Grand Master of Works. When Qi received the abdication, his title was reduced according to precedent.

思恭弟景尚，字思和。涉歷書傳，曉星歷占候，言事頗驗。初為彭城王中軍府參軍，遷員外郎、司徒主簿、太尉從事中郎。公強當世，善事權寵，世號之曰「郭尖」。肅宗時，遷輔國將軍、中散大夫。轉中書侍郎，未拜而卒，年五十一。

Sigong's younger brother Jing Shang, courtesy name Sihe. He read widely in the classics, understood the stars, calendrics, and divination, and his predictions about affairs often proved true. He first served as aide in the Prince of Pengcheng's Central Army Office, then rose to supplementary gentleman, chief clerk of the Minister of Public Works, and Attendant Gentleman on the Grand Commandant's staff. Forceful and dominant in his day, he was skilled at courting power and favor; his contemporaries called him "Sharp Guo." Under Emperor Suzong he was promoted to General Who Supports the State and Palace Attendant. He was transferred to Vice Director of the Palace Secretariat but died before assuming the post, at the age of fifty-one.

子季方，武定中，膠州驃騎府長流參軍。

His son Jifang, in the Wuding era, served as senior administrative aide in the Agile Cavalry office of Jiao Province.

景尚弟慶禮，字叔，為祚所愛。著作佐郎、通直郎。卒，贈征虜將軍、瀛州刺史。

Jing Shang's younger brother Qingli, courtesy name Shu, was a favorite of Zuo's. He served as Assistant Gentleman of Composition and Direct Attendant. When he died he was posthumously granted the title General Who Subdues the Barbarians and Governor of Ying Province.

子元貞，武定末，定州驃騎府長史。

His son Yuanzhen, at the end of the Wuding era, served as chief administrator in the Agile Cavalry office of Ding Province.

張彝，字慶賓，清河東武城人。曾祖幸，慕容超東牟太守，後率戶歸國。世祖嘉之，賜爵平陸侯，拜平遠將軍、青州刺史。祖準之襲，又為東青州刺史。父靈真，早卒。

Zhang Yi, courtesy name Qingbin, was a native of Dongwucheng in Qinghe. His great-grandfather Xing had been Administrator of Dongmu under Murong Chao; later he led his household in submission to the Wei. Emperor Shizu praised him, granted him the title Marquis of Pinglu, and appointed him General of Pacifying the Distance and Governor of Qing Province. His grandfather Zhun inherited the title and also served as Governor of Eastern Qing Province. His father Lingzhen died young.

彝性公強，有風氣，歷覽經史。高祖初，襲祖侯爵，與盧淵、李安民等結為親友，往來朝會，常相追隨。淵為主客令，安民與彝並為散令。彝少而豪放，出入殿庭，步眄高上，無所顧忌。文明太后雅尚恭謹，因會次見其如此，遂召集百僚督責之，令其修悔，而猶無悛改。善於督察，每東西馳使有所巡檢，彝恒充其選，清慎嚴猛，所至人皆畏伏，儔類亦以此高之。遷主客令，例降侯為伯，轉太中大夫，仍行主客曹事。尋為黃門。後從駕南征，母憂解任。彝居喪過禮，送葬自平城達家，千里徒步，不乘車馬，顏貌毀瘠，當世稱之。高祖幸冀州，遣使弔慰，詔以驍騎將軍起之，還復本位。以參定遷都之勳，進爵為侯，轉太常少卿，遷散騎常侍，兼侍中，持節巡察陝東、河南十二州，甚有聲稱。使還，以從征之勤，遷尚書。坐舉元昭為兼郎中，黜為守尚書。世宗初，除正尚書、兼侍中，尋正侍中。世宗親政，罷六輔，彝與兼尚書邢巒聞處分非常，出京奔走，為御史中尉甄琛所彈，云「非虎非兕，率彼曠野」，詔書切責之。

Yi was by nature upright and forceful, possessed of moral bearing, and had read widely in the classics and histories. In the early years of Emperor Wen, he inherited his grandfather's marquisate and became close friends with Lu Yuan, Li Anmin, and others; at court they were often together. Lu Yuan was Director of Guests; Li Anmin and Zhang Yi were both Directors of the Scattered Cavalry. From youth Zhang Yi was bold and free-spirited; entering and leaving the palace halls, he walked with his eyes lifted high, heedless of restraint. Empress Dowager Wenming prized reverence and restraint. Once at court she saw him behave so and summoned the hundred officials to rebuke him publicly, ordering him to repent—but he still would not change. He was skilled at inspection. Whenever envoys were sent east or west on tour, Yi was always chosen. Clear, cautious, strict, and stern, he inspired fear wherever he went, and his peers respected him for it. He was promoted to Director of Guests; by regulation his marquisate was reduced to a viscountcy. He became Grand Palace Grandee and continued to handle the Bureau of Guests. Soon afterward he was made Superintendent of the Yellow Gate. Later he accompanied the emperor on the southern campaign, then left office upon his mother's death. Zhang Yi mourned beyond the prescribed rites. To escort the funeral from Pingcheng home—a thousand li—he went entirely on foot, never mounting horse or carriage. His face was wasted and gaunt, and his age praised him. When Emperor Wen visited Ji Province, he sent envoys to offer condolences and ordered Zhang Yi recalled as General of Valiant Cavalry. On his return he resumed his former post. For his merit in planning the move of the capital, he was raised to marquis, made Vice Director of the Grand Imperial Ancestral Temple, then Regular Attendant of the Scattered Cavalry and concurrent Palace Attendant, bearing the staff to inspect the twelve provinces of Shaan East and Henan. His reputation soared. When he returned from his mission, he was promoted to Director of the Ministry of Works for his service on campaign. He was demoted to Acting Director of the Ministry of Works for recommending Yuan Zhao as concurrent Gentleman in the Secretariat. At the start of Emperor Xuanwu's reign he was made full Director of the Ministry of Works and concurrent Palace Attendant, and soon afterward full Palace Attendant. When Emperor Xuanwu took personal rule and dismissed the Six Assistants, Zhang Yi and Vice Director Xing Luan, hearing that extraordinary measures were afoot, fled the capital. Inspector-in-Chief Zhen Chen impeached them with the line "Neither tiger nor rhinoceros—driving through the open wild," and an imperial edict sharply rebuked them.

尋除安西將軍、秦州刺史。彝務尚典式，考訪故事。及臨隴右，彌加討習，於是出入直衞，方伯威儀，赫然可觀。羌夏畏伏，憚其威整，一方肅靜，號為良牧。其年冬，太極初就，彝與郭祚等俱以勤舊被徵。及還州，進號撫軍將軍，彝表解州任，詔不許。彝敷政隴右，多所制立，宣布新風，革其舊俗，民庶愛仰之。為國造佛寺名曰興皇，諸有罪咎者，隨其輕重，謫為土木之功，無復鞭杖之罰。時陳留公主寡居，彝意願尚主，主亦許之。僕射高肇亦望尚主，主意不可。肇怒，譖彝於世宗，稱彝擅立刑法，勞役百姓。詔遣直後萬貳興馳驛撿察。貳興，肇所親愛，必欲致彝深罪。彝清身奉法，求其愆過，遂無所得。見代還洛，猶停廢數年，因得偏風，手脚不便。然志性不移，善自將攝，稍能朝拜。久之，除光祿大夫，加金章紫綬。

Soon afterward he was appointed General Who Pacifies the West and Governor of Qin Province. Zhang Yi devoted himself to proper forms and searched out precedent. When he took up his post in Longyou, he applied himself all the more to study and drill. Whether entering or leaving, his guard escort and the bearing of a frontier governor were visibly imposing. The Qiang and Xia submitted in fear of his stern discipline. The region grew quiet, and he was hailed as an excellent governor. That winter, when the Taiji Palace was first completed, Zhang Yi and Guo Zuo and others were all summoned to court for their long service. When he returned to his province his title was raised to General Who Pacifies the Army. Zhang Yi memorialized asking to resign the governorship, but the edict refused. In Longyou Zhang Yi governed broadly, establishing many new rules, proclaiming a new ethos and reforming old custom. The people loved and looked up to him. For the state he built a Buddhist temple called Xinghuang. Offenders, according to the weight of their crimes, were assigned to construction labor instead of being flogged. At that time the Princess of Chenliu was a widow. Zhang Yi wished to marry her, and the princess agreed. Vice Director Gao Zhao also hoped to marry her, but the princess would not have it. Gao Zhao was furious and slandered Zhang Yi to Emperor Xuanwu, saying he had set up punishments on his own authority and overworked the people. An edict sent Direct Attendant Wan Erxing post-haste by relay to investigate. Erxing was a man Gao Zhao favored and was bent on bringing Zhang Yi to ruin. Zhang Yi had kept himself clean and upheld the law; they searched for fault and found none. When his successor arrived he returned to Luoyang, but remained idle for several years. He then suffered a stroke and his hands and feet were impaired. Yet his spirit did not change. He cared for himself well and gradually was able to attend court again. After a long while he was appointed Grand Master for Splendid Happiness with the gold seal and purple sash.

彝愛好知己，輕忽下流，非其意者，視之蔑爾。雖疹疾家庭，而志氣彌亮。上表曰：「臣聞元天高朗，尚假列星以助明；洞庭淵湛，猶藉眾流以增大。莫不以孤照不詣其幽，獨深未盡其廣。先聖識其若此，必取物以自誡。故堯稱則天，設謗木以曉未明；舜稱盡善，懸諫鼓以規政闕。虞人獻箴規之旨，盤盂著舉動之銘，庶幾見善而思齊，聞惡以自改。眷眷於悔往之衢，孜孜於不逮之路，用能聲高百王，卓絕中古，經十氏而不渝，歷二千以孤鬱。伏惟太祖撥亂，弈代重光。世祖以不世之才，開盪函夏；顯祖以溫明之德，潤沃九區。 [2]高祖大聖臨朝，經營云始，未明求衣，日昃忘食，開翦荊棘，徙御神縣，更新風軌，冠帶朝流。海東雜種之渠，衡南異服之帥，沙西氊頭之戎，漠北辮髮之虜，重譯納貢，請吏稱藩。積德懋於夏殷，富仁盛於周漢，澤教既周，武功亦匝。猶且發明詔，思求直士，信是蒼生薦言之秋，祝史陳辭之日。況臣家自奉國八十餘年，紆金鏘玉，及臣四世。過以小才，藉蔭出仕，學慚專門，武闕方略，早荷先帝眷仗之恩，末蒙陛下不遺之施。 [3]侍則出入兩都，[4]官歷納言常伯，忝牧秦藩，號兼安撫。實思碎首膏原，仰酬二朝之惠；輕塵碎石，遠增嵩岱之高。輒私訪舊書，竊觀圖史，其帝皇興起之元，配天隆家之業，修造益民之奇，龍麟雲鳳之瑞，卑宮愛物之仁，釋網改祝之澤，前歌後舞之應，囹圄寂寥之美，可為輝風景行者，輒謹編丹青，以標睿範。至如太康好田，遇窮后迫禍；武乙逸禽，罹震雷暴酷；夏桀淫亂，南巢有非命之誅；殷紂昏酣，牧野有倒戈之陳；周厲逐獸，滅不旋踵；幽王遇惑，死亦相尋；暨於漢成失御，亡新篡奪；桓靈不綱，魏武遷鼎；晉惠闇弱，骨肉相屠，終使聰曜鴞視并州，勒虎狼據燕趙：如此之輩，罔不畢載。起元庖犧，終於晉末，凡十六代，百二十八帝，歷三千二百七年，雜事五百八十九，合成五卷，名曰歷帝圖，亦謗木、諫鼓、虞人、盤盂之類。脫蒙置御坐之側，時復披覽，冀或起予左右，上補未萌。伏願陛下遠惟宗廟之憂，近存黎民之念，取其賢君，棄其惡主，則微臣雖沉淪地下，無異乘雲登天矣。」世宗善之。

Zhang Yi cherished those he knew and looked down on those beneath him; anyone who did not suit him he treated with contempt. Though illness kept him at home, his resolve burned all the brighter. He memorialized the throne: "I have heard that though primordial Heaven is high and clear, it still borrows the array of stars to help its light; though Dongting is deep and vast, it still relies on many streams to swell its breadth. Neither solitary light reaches every shadow, nor solitary depth fills every expanse. The ancient sages, knowing this, always took things around them as warnings to themselves. Thus Yao, styled Pattern of Heaven, set up a board for criticism to reveal what was still dark; Shun, styled Utmost Goodness, hung a drum for remonstrance to mark what was lacking in government. Forest keepers offered words of admonition; basins and cups bore inscriptions on conduct—so that seeing good one would strive to match it, and hearing evil one would turn and reform. Attentive on the road of repenting the past, tireless on the path of what they had not yet reached—they raised their fame above the hundred kings, stood alone through the middle ages, endured through ten houses without wavering, and shone across two thousand years. I humbly consider that Grand Ancestor quelled the chaos, and dynasty after dynasty renewed the imperial light. Emperor Shizu, possessing extraordinary talent, expanded rule over the Central Plains. Emperor Xianzu, with his gentle and luminous virtue, nourished all the realm. Emperor Gaozu the great sage came to the throne and began his labors from the very start—rising before dawn and forgetting meals at dusk—cutting away brambles, moving the capital to the sacred heartland, renewing laws and customs, and drawing the civilized world to court. Tribal leaders from the eastern seas, southern chiefs in exotic dress, felt-hatted barbarians west of the sands, and braided-haired peoples north of the desert—all sent tribute through successive interpreters and requested imperial administrators, styling themselves as vassals. Their accumulated virtue surpassed that of the Xia and Shang, their benevolence exceeded that of the Zhou and Han; civilizing influence was complete, and military achievements likewise comprehensive. They even issued enlightened decrees seeking upright officials—it was truly the season when the people might offer counsel and when the ritual officials might speak their minds. Moreover, my family has served the state for over eighty years, honored with gold seals and jade insignia, spanning four generations down to me. I came to office beyond my modest abilities through inherited privilege; I lacked specialized learning and military strategy. I was early favored by the late emperor and later found favor with Your Majesty despite my unworthiness. I attended at court, moving between the two capitals; I served as Chief Counselor and Regular Grandee, and shamefully governed the Qin domain with the concurrent title of Pacification Commissioner. I truly wished to give my life to repay the kindness of two emperors. Though insignificant as dust or pebbles, I hoped from afar to add to the stature of Mount Song and Mount Tai. I privately consulted ancient texts and historical records, and for accounts of emperors' founding achievements, dynastic glory endorsed by Heaven, marvelous works benefiting the people, auspicious omens of dragons, qilin, clouds, and phoenixes, humane governance through frugal palaces and care for creatures, merciful policies of sparing the net and reforming sacrifices, popular rejoicing, and the virtue of empty prisons—all that could inspire and instruct—I carefully compiled them in illustrated form to mark the wise standard. Taikang loved hunting and met disaster when the end came and his empress brought ruin. King Wuyi amused himself with flying birds and was struck down by thunder in violent punishment. Xia Jie was debauched and tyrannical; at Nanqiao he met an untimely death. King Zhou of Yin was dissolute and drunk; at Muye his troops turned their weapons against him. King Li of Zhou obsessed over hunting; his ruin followed almost immediately. King You was beguiled into error; death soon followed in turn. Later came Han Chengdi's loss of control and Wang Mang's usurpation. Emperors Huan and Ling neglected governance; Cao Cao moved the imperial seat. Emperor Hui of Jin was weak and muddled; his kin slaughtered one another, ultimately allowing Liu Cong and Liu Yao to covet Bingzhou like owls and Shi Le to wolf-like occupy Yan and Zhao—all such cases are fully recorded. From Fuxi at the beginning to the end of Jin—sixteen dynasties, 128 emperors, 3,207 years, and 589 miscellaneous records—compiled into five volumes titled Chronicle of Emperors, akin to the remonstrance boards, advice drums, forest keepers, and inscribed basins of old. If it might be placed beside Your Majesty's seat for occasional reading, I hope it may occasionally awaken me at your side and help remedy troubles before they arise. I humbly pray Your Majesty will heed distant concerns for the ancestral temple and keep near in mind the welfare of the people, taking the worthy rulers as models and rejecting the wicked—then though I lie buried underground, it would be as if I ascended to heaven on clouds. Emperor Xuanwu approved it.

彝又表曰：「竊惟皇王統天，必以窮幽為美；盡理作聖，亦假廣採成明。故詢於芻蕘，著之周什，輿人獻箴，流於夏典。不然，則美刺無以得彰，善惡有時不達。逮於兩漢、魏、晉，雖道有隆汚，而被繡傳檄，未始闕也。及惠帝失御，中夏崩離，劉苻專據秦西，燕趙獨制關左，姚夏繼起，五涼競立，致使九服搖搖，民無定主，禮儀典制，此焉堙滅。暨大魏應歷，撥亂登皇，翦彼鯨鯢，龕靖神縣，數紀之間，天下寧一，傳輝七帝，積聖如神。高祖遷鼎成周，永茲八百，偃武修文，憲章斯改，實所謂加五帝、登三王，民無德而名焉。猶且慮獨見之不明，欲廣訪於得失，乃命四使，觀察風謠。臣時忝常伯，充一使之列，遂得仗節揮金，宣恩東夏，周歷於齊魯之間，遍馳於梁宋之域，詢採詩頌，研撿獄情，實庶片言之不遺，美刺之俱顯。而才輕任重，多不遂心。所採之詩，並始申目，而值鑾輿南討，問罪宛鄧，臣復忝行軍，樞機是務。及輦駕之返，膳御未和，續以大諱奄臻，四海崩慕，遂爾推遷，不及聞徹。未幾，改牧秦蕃，違離闕下，繼以譴疾相纏，寧丁八歲。常恐所採之詩永淪丘壑，是臣夙夜所懷，以為深憂者也。陛下垂日月之明，行雲雨之施，察臣往罪之濫，矜臣貧病之切，既蒙崇以祿養，復得拜掃丘墳，明目友朋，無所負愧。且臣一二年來，所患不劇，尋省本書，粗有髣髴。凡有七卷，今寫上呈，伏願昭覽，敕付有司，使魏代所採之詩，不堙於丘井，臣之願也。」

Zhang Yi submitted another memorial: "I believe that emperors who align with Heaven must regard penetrating the hidden as a virtue; To perfect understanding and become sage likewise depends on broad collection to achieve enlightenment. Hence inquiry was made even of grass cutters and recorded in the Zhou odes, and chariot makers offered admonitions preserved in the Xia canon. Otherwise praise and blame could never be made clear, and good and evil would sometimes never reach the ruler. Down through the Two Han, Wei, and Jin, though governance rose and fell, officials in court dress presenting memorials never ceased. When Emperor Hui lost the throne, the heartland fragmented; Liu and Fu held western Qin, Yan and Zhao controlled the eastern passes, Later Yan and the Five Liang rose in turn—the nine provinces trembled, the people had no settled ruler, and ritual and institutions perished. When Northern Wei received the mandate, quelled chaos, and took the throne, it cut down its foes and restored order to the realm; within a few reigns the empire was unified, seven emperors passed down its glory, and sagacity accumulated like that of a spirit. Emperor Gaozu moved the capital to Luoyang, continuing the Zhou legacy of eight hundred years, sheathed the sword and fostered letters, and reformed law and institutions—truly surpassing the Five Emperors and equaling the Three Kings, a fame the people need not ascribe to virtue alone. Yet he still feared that his own judgment alone might be unclear and wished to seek widely for what was right and wrong; he therefore appointed four envoys to observe folk songs and local opinion. I then served as Regular Grandee and was one of the four envoys; bearing the imperial staff I proclaimed grace in the east, traveled through Qi and Lu and across Liang and Song, gathered folk songs, and examined legal cases—hoping that no voice would be lost and that praise and blame alike would come to light. But my abilities were slight and my responsibilities heavy, and much did not go as I had hoped. The poems collected had only just been entered on the register when the emperor marched south to punish Wan and Deng; I was again attached to the campaign staff, occupied with military affairs. When the emperor returned, the court was still in disarray; then came the sudden death of the emperor and universal mourning, and in the upheaval I never completed the submission. Soon I was transferred to govern the Qin region, far from court; then reproof and illness followed one upon another, and I spent eight years in mourning for my father. I constantly feared the poems I had gathered would be lost forever in obscurity—this has been my deepest worry night and day. Your Majesty shines like sun and moon and showers grace like rain, overlooking my past excesses and pitying my poverty and illness; honored with stipends for my support and allowed again to tend my family's graves, I can face my friends without shame. Moreover, over the past year or two my illness has not been grave, and reviewing the original compilation I have recovered a rough draft. There are seven volumes in all, which I now submit; I humbly pray Your Majesty will review them and order the proper offices to preserve the poems gathered in the Wei period from being lost to oblivion—this is my sole wish.

肅宗初，侍中崔光表曰：「彝及李韶，朝列之中唯此二人出身官次本在臣右，器能幹世，又並為多，近來參差，便成替後。計其階途，雖應遷陟，然恐班秩猶未賜等。昔衞之公叔，引下同舉；晉之士丐，推長伯游。古人所高，當時見許。敢緣斯義，乞降臣位一階，授彼汎級，齊行聖庭，帖穆選敍。」詔加征西將軍、冀州大中正。雖年向六十，加之風疾，而自強人事，孜孜無怠。公私法集，衣冠從事；延請道俗，修營齋講；好善欽賢，愛獎人物。南北新舊莫不多之。大起第宅，微號華侈，頗侮其疏宗舊戚，不甚存紀，時有怨憾焉。榮宦之間，未能止足，屢表在秦州預有開援漢中之勳，希加賞報，積年不已，朝廷患之。

Early in Emperor Xiaoming's reign, Palace Attendant Cui Guang memorialized: "Zhang Yi and Li Shao are the only two men in court whose family standing and seniority originally ranked above mine, yet both are gifted administrators; recently, through uneven treatment, they have been passed over. By the stages of their careers they ought to be promoted, yet I fear their ranks have still not been granted fairly. In antiquity Wei's Gongsun drew up his subordinates to advance together; and Jin's Shigai promoted the senior Boyou. What the ancients honored was praised and approved in their own day. I venture to follow this principle and beg to lower my own rank by one step, granting them an equal grade so we may stand together at court in fair and harmonious order. An edict appointed him General Who Pacifies the West and Grand Rectifier of Ji Province. Though nearing sixty and afflicted with wind disorder, he still drove himself in public affairs, diligent and never slackening. He compiled public and private law codes and gathered officials and gentry to assist; invited Daoists and lay believers and organized fasts and lectures; loved the worthy, cherished talent, and rewarded men of ability. Men old and new, from north and south, all flocked to him. He built grand mansions in a somewhat lavish style, showed little regard for distant clansmen and old kin, and at times stirred resentment. In his pursuit of rank he could not know when to stop; he repeatedly claimed credit for aiding the campaign to recover Hanzhong while governing Qinzhou and pressed for further rewards year after year until the court grew weary of it.

第二子仲瑀上封事，求銓別選格，排抑武人，不使預在清品。由是眾口喧喧，謗讟盈路，立榜大巷，剋期會集，屠害其家。彝殊無畏避之意，父子安然。神龜二年二月，羽林虎賁幾將千人，相率至尚書省詬罵，求其長子尚書郎始均，不獲，以瓦石擊打公門。上下畏懼，莫敢討抑。遂便持火，虜掠道中薪蒿，以杖石為兵器，直造其第，曳彝堂下，捶辱極意，唱呼嗸嗸，焚其屋宇。始均、仲瑀當時踰北垣而走。始均回救其父，拜伏羣小，以請父命。羽林等就加毆擊，生投之於烟火之中。及得尸骸，不復可識，唯以髻中小釵為驗。仲瑀傷重走免。彝僅有餘命，沙門寺與其比隣，輿致於寺。遠近聞見，莫不惋駭。

His second son Zhongyu submitted a sealed memorial calling for revised selection standards that would exclude military men from the pure grades. Because of this public outcry and slander filled the streets; placards were posted in the main thoroughfares fixing a date for assembly to attack his household. Zhang Yi showed no fear or evasion; father and sons remained at ease. In the second month of the second Shengui year, nearly a thousand Feathered Forest and Tiger Guard soldiers went together to the Department of State Affairs to revile and abuse the family, seeking his eldest son Shijun, a Secretariat Gentleman; failing to find him, they pelted the ministry gates with tiles and stones. Officials high and low were terrified; none dared restrain them. They then seized fire, looted fuel along the road, took up staffs and stones as weapons, marched straight to his residence, dragged Zhang Yi into the courtyard, beat and humiliated him without restraint, shouting wildly as they burned his houses. Shijun and Zhongyu at once leaped the north wall and fled. Shijun turned back to save his father, prostrating himself before the mob to beg for his life. The guards then beat him further and cast him alive into the fire and smoke. When his body was recovered it could no longer be identified; only a small hairpin in the topknot served to identify him. Zhongyu, badly wounded, escaped. Zhang Yi clung to life; a Buddhist monastery stood next door, and they carried him there on a litter. All who heard and saw it, near and far, were struck with grief and horror.

彝臨終，口占左右上啟曰：「臣自奉國及孫六世，尸祿素餐，負恩唯靦，徒思竭智盡誠，終然靡効。臣第二息仲瑀所上之事，益治實多，既曰有益，寧容默爾。通呈有日，未簡神聽，豈圖眾忿，乃至於此。臣不能禍防未萌，慮絕殃兆，致令軍眾橫囂，攻焚臣宅。息始均、仲瑀等叩請流血，乞代臣死，始均即陷塗炭，仲瑀經宿方蘇。臣年已六十，宿被榮遇，垂暮之秋，忽見此苦，顧瞻災酷，古今無比。臣傷至重，殘氣假延，望景顧時，推漏就盡，頃刻待終，臣之命也，知復何言。若所上之書，少為益國，臣便是生以理全，死與義合，不負二帝於地下，臣無餘恨矣。一歸泉壤，長離紫庭，戀仰天顏，誠痛無已。不勝眷眷，力喘奉辭，伏願二聖加御珍膳，覆露黔首，壽保南嶽，德與日昇。臣夙被芻豢，先後銜恩，欲報之期，昊天罔極，亡魂有知，不忘結草。」彝遂卒，時年五十九。官為收掩羽林凶強者八人斬之，不能窮誅羣豎，即為大赦以安眾心，有識者知國紀之將墜矣。喪還所焚宅，與始均東西分斂於小屋。仲瑀遂以創重避居滎陽，至五月，創得漸瘳，始奔父喪，詔賜布帛千匹。靈太后以其累朝大臣，特垂矜惻，數月猶追言泣下，謂諸侍臣曰：「吾為張彝飲食不御，乃至首髮微有虧落。悲痛之苦，以至於此。」

On his deathbed Zhang Yi dictated a final memorial: "My family has served the state for six generations, receiving salary without merit and grace I have only shamed; I thought only to exhaust my loyalty, yet in the end achieved nothing. The proposal my second son Zhongyu submitted would in truth benefit governance greatly; if it is beneficial, how could I keep silent? It had been submitted for days without yet reaching the emperor's ear; who could have imagined public fury would come to this? I could not forestall disaster before it sprouted or cut off the signs of calamity, and so soldiers rioted, attacked, and burned my house. My sons Shijun and Zhongyu begged with blood flowing to die in my place; Shijun at once perished in the flames, and Zhongyu revived only after a night. I am already sixty, long favored by the throne; in the autumn of my life I suddenly meet this agony—a cruelty without parallel in past or present. My wounds are grave; on borrowed breath I watch the shadow and count the hours, the water clock nearing its end, death imminent—this is my fate, and what more can I say? If what we submitted can even slightly benefit the state, then I have lived with integrity and die in righteousness, not failing the two emperors in the grave—I have no further regret. Once I return to the grave, forever parted from the imperial court, I shall still cherish Your Majesty's countenance—my grief will know no end. Overcome with devotion, gasping out these words I take leave; I humbly pray the two sovereigns will guard their precious health, shelter the common people, long preserve life as the southern mountains, and let virtue rise with the sun. I have long been fed by the state's bounty and repeatedly received grace; the time to repay is boundless as Heaven—if my departed soul has awareness, I shall not forget to repay with knotted grass. Zhang Yi then died at the age of fifty-nine. The authorities buried Zhang Yi and beheaded eight of the ringleaders among the guards but could not punish the whole mob; a general amnesty was then issued to calm the people—those with insight knew the dynasty's discipline was collapsing. The funeral procession returned to the burned house; Zhang Yi and Shijun were laid out separately in a small room east and west. Zhongyu, severely wounded, took refuge at Xingyang; by the fifth month his wounds had healed enough for him to attend his father's funeral, and an edict granted him a thousand bolts of cloth and silk. Empress Dowager Ling, because he had served many reigns, showed special compassion; for months she still spoke of him in tears, telling the attendant ministers: "For Zhang Yi I have refused my meals, even until the hair on my head has begun to thin. My grief has gone as far as this."

初，彝曾祖幸，所招引河東民為州裁千餘家，後相依合，至於罷入冀州，積三十年，析別有數萬戶，故高祖比校天下民戶，最為大州。彝為黃門，每侍坐以為言，高祖謂之曰：「終當以卿為刺史，酬先世誠效。」彝追高祖往旨，累乞本州，朝議未許。彝亡後，靈太后云：「彝屢乞冀州，吾欲用之，有人違我此意。若從其請，或不至是，悔之無及。」乃贈使持節、衞將軍、冀州刺史，諡文侯。

Earlier, Zhang Yi's great-grandfather Xing had settled more than a thousand households from Hedong in the province; over thirty years they grew through division and merger to tens of thousands of households—so when Emperor Gaozu compared household registers throughout the realm, Ji ranked as the largest province. When Zhang Yi served as Attendant of the Yellow Gate, he raised the matter whenever he attended the emperor, who told him: "In the end I shall make you inspector to reward your ancestors' loyal service. Zhang Yi pressed the emperor's earlier promise and repeatedly begged for his home province, but court deliberation did not approve. After Zhang Yi's death, Empress Dowager Ling said: "Zhang Yi repeatedly asked for Ji Province; I meant to grant it—someone opposed my wish. Had I granted his request, perhaps things would not have come to this—my regret is boundless. He was then posthumously honored as Bearer of the Staff, Defender General, and Inspector of Ji Province, with the posthumous title Marquis Wen.

始均，字子衡，端潔好學，有文才。司徒行參軍，遷著作佐郎。世宗以彝先朝勤舊，不幸疹廢，特除始均長兼左民郎中。遷員外常侍，仍領郎。始均才幹，有美於父，改陳壽魏志為編年之體，廣益異聞，為三十卷。又著冠帶錄及諸賦數十篇，今並亡失。初，大乘賊起於冀瀛之間，遣都督元遙討平之，多所殺戮，積尸數萬。始均以郎中為行臺，忿軍士重以首級為功，乃令檢集人首數千，一時焚爇，至於灰燼，用息僥倖，見者莫不傷心。及始均之死也，始末在於烟炭之間，有燋爛之痛，論者或亦推咎焉。贈樂陵太守，諡曰孝。

Shijun, whose courtesy name was Ziheng, was upright, pure, and fond of learning, with literary gifts. He served as staff officer to the Grand Commandant and was promoted to Assistant Gentleman of the Palace Library. Emperor Xuanwu, because Zhang Yi was a meritorious minister of the previous reign who had met a tragic end, specially appointed Shijun as long-term concurrent Left Gentleman of the Ministry of the People. He was promoted to Supernumerary Palace Attendant while retaining his gentleman post. Shijun's ability surpassed his father's; he reworked Chen Shou's Records of Wei into annalistic form, adding much additional material, in thirty volumes. He also wrote Record of Caps and Belts and several dozen fu rhapsodies; all are now lost. Earlier, Mahayana rebels rose in the Ji and Ying region; Commander Yuan Yao was dispatched to suppress them, killing many until corpses numbered in the tens of thousands. As a director on the campaign staff, Shijun was angered that soldiers prized enemy heads for merit; he had thousands of heads gathered and burned to ash at once to curb opportunism, and all who saw it were heartsick. When Shijun died, he had been caught from start to finish in smoke and fire, burned alive—some commentators blamed his earlier act for it. He was posthumously made Administrator of Laoling, with the posthumous name Xiao.

子暠，襲祖爵。武定中，開府主簿。齊受禪，爵例降。

His son Hao inherited his grandfather's title. In the Wuding era he served as chief clerk of the opening office. When Qi received the abdication, his title was reduced according to precedent.

暠弟晏之，武定中，儀同開府中兵參軍。

Hao's younger brother Yanzhi served in the Wuding era as Army Aide of Equal Rank in the Opening Office.

仲瑀，司空祭酒、給事中。

Zhongyu served as Libationer of the Minister of Works and Supervising Attendant.

子台，儀同開府參軍事。

His son Tai served as Army Staff Officer of Equal Rank in the Opening Office.

仲瑀弟珉，著作佐郎。

Zhongyu's younger brother Min served as Assistant Gentleman of Composition.

史臣曰：郭祚才幹敏實，有世務之長，高祖經綸之始，獨在勤勞之地，居官任事，動靜稱述。張彝風力謇謇，有王臣之氣，銜命擁旄，風聲猶在。並魏氏器能之臣乎？遭隨有命，俱嬰世禍，悲哉！始均才志未申，惜也。

The historian writes: Guo Zuo was talented, practical, and quick, skilled in affairs of state; at the outset of Emperor Wen's great enterprise he alone bore the heaviest burdens, and in every office his conduct won praise. Zhang Yi was forceful and upright, with the air of a true minister of the throne; entrusted with command and banner, his reputation endures still. Were they not both able servants of Wei? Subject to the turns of fate, both were struck down by the calamities of their age—how tragic! Shijun's talent and ambition were never fully realized—a pity.

校勘記

Collation Notes

至於馬道御覽卷二一一〈一０一一頁〉「馬」作「馳」，當是。

as far as the horse ramp—Imperial Overview, vol. 211 〈p. 1011〉 "Horse" is written as "gallop"; this is correct.

潤沃九區諸本「沃」訛「伏」，今據冊府卷五二三〈六二四八頁〉改。

"Moisten and enrich the nine regions"—in various editions wo is corrupted to fu; corrected here per Cefu, vol. 523 〈p. 6248〉 corrected.

末蒙陛下不遺之施諸本「末」作「未」，南本及冊府〈同上卷頁〉作「末」。按「末蒙」與上句「早荷」相對，「未」字形近而訛，今從南本。

"Finally received Your Majesty's gracious bestowal without abandonment"—in various editions mo ("finally") is written as wei ("not yet"); the Southern edition and Cefu 〈same volume, p.〉 It reads mo (finally). "Finally received" parallels "early received" in the preceding clause; wei is a graphic corruption of mo—follow the Southern edition.

侍則出入兩都按「侍」字上或下當脫一字。冊府〈同上卷頁〉作「陪侍兩宮」。「兩都」指代京和洛陽，兩宮指太后和帝，意有不同。

"Attending then entering and leaving the two capitals"—the character shi ("attend") probably has a missing character above or below it. Cefu 〈same volume, p.〉 It reads "attending the two palaces." "Two capitals" means Dai and Luoyang; "two palaces" means the empress dowager and the emperor—the senses are different.

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