1
王韓蘇薛王柳馮蔣
Wang, Han, Su, Xue, Wang, Liu, Feng, and Jiang
2
1.2.1石抱忠
1.2.1 Shi Baozhong
3
1.2.2丘悅
1.2.2 Qiu Yue
4
王義方
Wang Yifang
5
素善張亮，亮抵罪，故貶吉安丞。 道南海，舟師持酒脯請福，義方酌水誓曰：「有如忠獲戾，孝見尤，四維廓氛，千里安流。 神之聽之，無作神羞。」 是時盛夏，濤霧蒸湧，既祭，天雲開露。 人壯其誠。 吉安介蠻夷，梗悍不馴，義方召首領，稍選生徒，為開陳經書，行釋奠禮，清歌吹，登降跽立，人人悅順。 久之，徙洹水丞。 而亮兄子皎自朱崖還，依義方。 將死，諉妻子，願以屍歸葬，義方許之。 以皎妻少，故與之誓於神，使奴負柩，輟馬載皎妻，身步從之。 既葬皎原武，歸妻其家，而告亮墓乃去。 遷雲陽丞。
He had long been close to Zhang Liang. When Zhang was condemned for his offense, Yifang was demoted to assistant magistrate of Ji'an. On the voyage south to the sea, the boatmen brought wine and dried meat to seek divine favor. Yifang poured water instead and vowed: "If loyalty must be punished and filial devotion blamed, may the four cardinal virtues dispel the foul vapors and calm the waters for a thousand li. Spirits, hear me — do not bring disgrace upon yourselves. It was the height of summer; waves and mist boiled up around them. When the rite was finished, the clouds parted and clear sky broke through. All who witnessed it were moved by the force of his sincerity. Ji'an lay on the edge of the southern barbarian lands, where the people were stubborn and wild. Yifang summoned their leaders, chose students among them, and opened the classics to their hearing. He performed the libation sacrifice, with clear song and music; as men ascended and descended, knelt and rose, one and all came to take pleasure in order. After some time he was transferred to assistant magistrate of Huanshui. Zhang Liang's elder brother's son Jiao returned from Zhuyai and came to live under Yifang's care. When Jiao was near death, he entrusted his wife and children to Yifang and asked that his body be carried home for burial. Yifang promised. Because Jiao's wife was still young, Yifang swore an oath before the spirits in her presence: a servant bore the coffin, he gave up his horse for Jiao's wife, and he himself walked on foot behind them. After burying Jiao at Yuanwu, he restored the wife to her family, paid his respects at Zhang Liang's grave, and only then took his leave. He was promoted to assistant magistrate of Yunyang.
6
顯慶元年，擢侍御史，不再旬，會李義府縱大理囚婦淳於，迫其丞畢正義縊死，無敢白其奸。 義方自以興縣屬，不三時拜御史，且疾當世附離匪人以欺朝廷，內決劾奏，意必得罪，即問計於母。 母曰：「昔王母伏劍，成陵之誼。 汝能盡忠，吾願之，死不恨。」 義方即上言：「天子置公卿大夫士，欲水火相濟，鹽梅相成，不得獨是獨非也。 昔堯失之四凶，漢高祖失之陳豨，光武失之逄萌，魏武失之張邈。 彼聖傑之主，然皆失於前而得於後。 今陛下撫萬邦而有之，蠻區夷落，罪無逃罰，況輦轂下奸臣肆虐乎？ 殺人滅口，此生殺之柄，不自主出，而下移佞臣，履霜堅冰，彌不可長。 請下有司雜治正義死狀。」 即具法冠對伏，叱義府下，跪讀所言。 帝方安義府狡佞，恨義方以孤士觸宰相，貶萊州司戶參軍。 歲終不復調，往客昌樂，聚徙教授。 母喪，隱居不出。 卒，年五十五。
In the first year of Xianqing he was raised to attending censor. Within ten days, Li Yifu had a woman named Chunyu released from the Court of Judicial Review and forced Vice Magistrate Bi Zhengyi to hang himself. No one dared expose the crime. Yifang, a man of Xing County who had become censor in less than a year, loathed how men of the age clung to wicked patrons to deceive the throne. He resolved to impeach Li Yifu, knowing he would surely be punished, and went to ask his mother's advice. His mother said, "Long ago the Queen Mother drew her sword — such was the righteousness of guarding the imperial tomb. If you can give your full loyalty, that is all I ask. I shall die without regret. Yifang thereupon submitted a memorial: "The Son of Heaven appoints lords, ministers, grand masters, and officers so that water and fire may complement each other, salt and sour plum may together season a dish — a ruler must not hear only agreement and never dissent. Of old Yao lost the Four Evildoers, Han Gaozu lost Chen Xi, Emperor Guangwu lost Pang Meng, and Cao Cao lost Zhang Miao. Those were sage and heroic rulers, yet each erred at first and only set things right afterward. Now Your Majesty holds the myriad realms in peace; even in the farthest barbarian districts no crime escapes punishment — how then can wicked ministers run riot beneath the imperial chariot? To kill a man and silence his mouth — the power of life and death no longer issues from Your Majesty's own hand but has passed down to sycophantic ministers. Tread on frost and solid ice follows; this cannot be allowed to go on. I beg that the matter be referred to the proper offices for a full inquiry into the circumstances of Zhengyi's death. He immediately donned the censor's cap and bowed prostrate, ordered Yifu to come down from the dais, and knelt to read his accusation aloud. The Emperor was then well pleased with Yifu's cunning sycophancy and resented that Yifang, a lone scholar, had crossed the chief minister. Yifang was demoted to registrar of Leizhou. At the end of the year he received no new appointment. He went to live in Changle as a guest, gathering disciples and teaching. When his mother died, he withdrew into seclusion and did not emerge again. He died at the age of fifty-five.
7
義方為御史時，買第，後數日，愛廷中樹，復召主人曰：「此佳樹，得無欠償乎？」 又予之錢。 其廉不貪類此。 始，魏征愛其材也，每恨太直，後卒以疾惡不容於時。 既死，門人員半千、何彥先行喪，蒔松柏冢側，三年乃去。
When Yifang was censor he bought a house. Several days later, taken with a tree in the courtyard, he summoned the former owner and said, "This is a fine tree — surely you were not left unpaid for it? He paid him for it as well." His integrity and freedom from greed were like this in all things. From the first Wei Zheng admired his talent but always regretted that he was too blunt. In the end he died because his fierce hatred of evil could not be borne in that age. After his death his disciples Yuan Banqian and He Yanxian observed mourning for him, planted pine and cypress beside the grave, and did not leave until three years had passed.
8
何彥先
He Yanxian
9
彥先，齊州全節人。 武后時，位天官侍郎。
Yanxian was a native of Quanjie in Qizhou. During Empress Wu's reign he served as vice minister of the Bureau of Celestial Officials.
10
員半千
Yuan Banqian
11
員半千，字榮期，齊州全節人。 其先本彭城劉氏，十世祖凝之，事宋，起部郎，及齊受禪，奔元魏，以忠烈自比伍員，因賜姓員，終鎮西將軍、平涼郡公。
Yuan Banqian, courtesy name Rongqi, was a native of Quanjie in Qizhou. His ancestors were originally of the Liu clan of Pengcheng. His tenth-generation ancestor Ningzhi served the Song as director of the Bureau of Personnel; when Qi received the abdication he fled to Northern Wei, likening his loyalty and valor to Wu Zixu, and was granted the surname Yuan. He ended his career as General Who Guards the West and Duke of Pingliang.
12
半千始名餘慶，生而孤，為從父鞠愛，鹴草通書史。 客晉州，州舉童子，房玄齡異之，對詔高第，已能講《易》、《老子》。 長與何彥先同事王義方，以邁秀見賞。 義方常曰：「五百歲一賢者生，子宜當之。」 因改今名。 凡舉八科，皆中。 咸亨中，上書自陳：「臣家貲不滿千錢，有田三十畝，粟五十石。 聞陛下封神嶽，舉豪英，故鬻錢走京師。 朝廷九品無葭莩親，行年三十，懷誌潔操，未蒙一官，不能陳力歸報天子。 陛下何惜玉陛方寸地，不使臣披露肝膽乎？ 得天下英才五千，與榷所長，有一居先，臣當伏死都市。」 書奏，不報。
Banqian was originally named Yuqing. Orphaned from birth, he was raised with affection by his father's younger cousin; by the age of nine he was versed in the classics and histories. While staying in Jinzhou, the prefecture recommended him as a youth prodigy. Fang Xuanling was struck by him, and in the imperial examination he placed at the top, already able to lecture on the Book of Changes and the Laozi. As he grew up he studied with He Yanxian under Wang Yifang and was admired for his surpassing excellence. Yifang often said, "Once every five hundred years a sage is born — you ought to be that one. On that account he took his present name. He entered all eight civil-service examinations and passed every one. During the Xianheng era he submitted a memorial in his own person: "My household wealth does not amount to a thousand cash. I have thirty mou of land and fifty shi of grain. Hearing that Your Majesty was performing the feng sacrifice at the sacred peak and selecting outstanding men, I sold what I had and hurried to the capital. In the nine ranks of the court I have no kin even by the remotest tie. At thirty, with lofty resolve and unsullied conduct, I have yet to receive a single post — I cannot offer my strength in repayment to the Son of Heaven. Why should Your Majesty grudge a hand's breadth of the jade steps and not allow me to lay bare my heart? Gather five thousand outstanding men from the realm and weigh their strengths against mine; if any one ranks ahead of me, let me be executed in the marketplace. The memorial was submitted but received no reply.
13
調武陟尉，歲旱，勸令殷子良發粟振民，不從。 及子良謁州，半千悉發之，下賴以濟。 刺史大怒，囚半千於獄。 會薛元超持節度河，讓太守曰：「君有民不能恤，使惠出一尉，尚可罪邪？」 釋之。 俄舉嶽牧，高宗禦武成殿，問：「兵家有三陣，何謂邪？」 眾未對，半千進曰：「臣聞古者星宿孤虛，天陣也； 山川向背，地陣也； 偏伍彌縫，人陣也。 臣謂不然。 夫師以義出，沛若時雨，得天之時，為天陣； 足食約費，且耕且戰，得地之利，為地陣； 舉三軍士如子弟從父兄，得人之和，為人陣。 舍是，則何以戰？」 帝曰：「善。」 既對策，擢高第。
Assigned as magistrate of Wuzhi, in a year of drought he urged the prefect Yin Ziliang to open the granaries and relieve the people. Yin refused. When Ziliang went up to the prefectural seat on business, Banqian released all the grain, and the people below were saved by it. The prefect was furious and had Banqian thrown into prison. It happened that Xue Yuanchao arrived with imperial credentials to oversee the Yellow River region and reproached the prefect: "You have charge of the people yet cannot care for them, while a single magistrate dispenses relief — can that be a crime? Banqian was released. Soon afterward he was recommended in the prefectural-governor examination. Emperor Gaozong presided at Wucheng Hall and asked, "Military strategists speak of three formations — what are they? No one answered. Banqian stepped forward and said, "I have heard that in antiquity the star positions of Gu and Xu constituted the celestial formation; the facing of mountains and rivers constituted the earth formation; and deploying partial ranks to bridge gaps constituted the human formation. I say that is not so. When an army sets out on righteous grounds, abundant as timely rain, seizing heaven's season — that is the celestial formation; with ample provisions and restrained expenditure, tilling while fighting, gaining the land's advantage — that is the earth formation; treating the soldiers of the three armies like sons and younger brothers following fathers and elder brothers, gaining human harmony — that is the human formation. Without these, upon what basis could one fight? The Emperor said, "Well said." After he finished his answers, he was placed at the top of the list.
14
歷華原、武功尉。 厭卑劇，求為左衛胄曹參軍。 使吐蕃，將行，武后曰：「久聞爾名，謂為古人，乃在朝邪！ 境外事不足行，宜留侍制。」 即詔入閤供奉。 遷司賓寺主簿。 稍與丘悅、王劇、石抱忠同為弘文館直學士，又與路敬淳分日待制顯福門下。 擢累正諫大夫，兼右控鶴內供奉。 半千以控鶴在古無有，而授任者皆浮狹少年，非朝廷德選，請罷之，忤旨，下遷水部郎中。 會詔擇牧守，除棣州刺史。 復入弘文館為學士。 武三思用事，以賢見忌，出豪、蘄二州刺史。 半千不丐任吏，常以文雅粉澤，故所至禮化大行。 睿宗初，召為太子右諭德，仍學士職。 累封平原郡公。 表丐骸骨，有詔聽朝朔望。
He served successively as magistrate of Huayuan and Wugong. Weary of low and arduous posts, he requested appointment as army staff officer of the Left Guard. When he was about to be sent as envoy to Tibet, Empress Wu said, "I have long heard your name and thought you a man of antiquity — yet you are still in court! Affairs beyond the borders need not trouble you; you should remain as attendant draftsman. Immediately he was ordered to enter the privy chamber to serve in attendance. He was transferred to chief clerk of the Court for Dependencies. Before long he served with Qiu Yue, Wang Ju, and Shi Baozhong as regular academicians of the Hongwen Institute, and with Lu Jingchun took turns as attendant draftsman beneath Xianfu Gate. He was repeatedly promoted to right remonstrating grandee and concurrently right internal attendant of the Crane Controllers. Banqian held that the Crane Controllers had no precedent in antiquity and that those appointed were all frivolous young men — not men chosen for virtue by the court. He petitioned to abolish the office, defied the imperial will, and was demoted to director of the Water Bureau. When an edict was issued to select prefects and magistrates, he was appointed prefect of Di. He reentered the Hongwen Institute as an academician. When Wu Sansi held power, envied for his talent he was sent out as prefect of Hao and Qi. Banqian did not petition for appointments; he always refined governance with literary culture, so wherever he went ritual and moral transformation flourished. At the beginning of Emperor Ruizong's reign he was recalled as right mentor to the crown prince, retaining his duties as academician. He was repeatedly ennobled as Duke of Pingyuan. He memorialized requesting retirement; an edict permitted him to attend court on the first and fifteenth of each month.
15
半千事五君，有清白節，年老不衰，樂山水自放。 開元九年，遊堯山、沮水間，愛其地，遂定居。 卒，年九十四，即葬焉。 吏民哭野中。
Banqian served five rulers, maintained unsullied integrity, and though old did not flag, delighting to give himself over to mountains and streams. In the ninth year of Kaiyuan he traveled between Mount Yao and the Ju River, fell in love with the country, and settled there. He died at the age of ninety-four and was buried on the spot. Officials and common people wept in the open countryside.
16
石抱忠
Shi Baozhong
17
抱忠，長安人。 名屬文。 初置右臺，自清道率府長史為殿中侍御史，進檢校天官郎中，與侍郎劉奇、張詢古共領選，寡廉潔，而奇號清平，二人坐綦連耀伏誅。
Baozhong was a native of Chang'an. His given name was Shuwen. When the Right Censorate was first established, he was promoted from Senior Administrator of the Qingdao Guard to Palace Censor, and then to Acting Director in the Ministry of Personnel. He shared charge of official appointments with Vice Ministers Liu Qi and Zhang Xungu. Baozhong was corrupt, though Qi had a reputation for fairness; both were caught up in Qi Lianyao's conspiracy and put to death.
18
悅，河南人。 亦善論撰，仕至岐王傅。
Yue was a native of Henan. He was also accomplished in expository writing, and rose to the post of Tutor to the Prince of Qi.
19
韓思彥
Han Siyan
20
韓思彥，字英遠，鄧州南陽人。 遊太學，事博士谷那律。 律為匪人所辱，思彥欲殺之，律不可。 萬年令李乾祐異其才，舉下筆成章、誌烈秋霜科，擢第。 授監察御史，昌言當世得失。 高宗夜召，加二階，待詔弘文館，伏內供奉。
Han Siyan, styled Yingyuan, was a native of Nanyang in Deng Prefecture. He enrolled in the Imperial Academy and studied under the Erudite Gu Naliu. When a ruffian humiliated Naliu, Siyan wanted to kill him, but Naliu forbade it. Li Qianyou, magistrate of Wannian, recognized his gifts and nominated him for the Compose Upon Writing and Steadfast as Autumn Frost categories of the special examinations; Siyan passed and received his degree. He was appointed Supervising Censor and spoke bluntly about the strengths and failings of the times. Emperor Gaozong summoned him after dark, promoted him two ranks, made him a Hanlin attendant at the Hongwen Academy, and posted him to confidential service within the palace.
21
巡察劍南，益州高貲兄弟相訟，累年不決，思彥敕廚宰飲以乳。 二人寤，嚙肩相泣曰：「吾乃夷獠，不識孝義，公將以兄弟共乳而生邪！」 乃請輟訟。 至西洱河，誘叛蠻降之。 會蜀大饑，開倉振民，然後以聞，璽書褒美。 使并州，方賊殺人，主名不立，醉胡懷刀而汙，訊掠已服。 思彥疑之，晨集童兒數百，暮出之，如是者三。 因問：「兒出，亦有問者乎？」 皆曰：「有之。」 乃物色推訊，遂擒真盜。
While inspecting Jiannan, he found that in Yizhou the brothers Gao Zi had been litigating against each other for years without end. Siyan ordered the kitchen to serve them milk. When the two men recovered, they wept and clutched each other's shoulders, saying, "We are frontier tribesmen who never learned filial duty or righteousness. Were you, sir, telling us that brothers share the milk of one mother?" They then asked to withdraw their suit. At the West Er River he persuaded rebel tribes to submit. When Shu was struck by severe famine, he opened the storehouses to feed the people and reported the matter afterward; the throne answered with a letter of praise. On assignment in Bingzhou, a murder had just been committed and the killer was unknown. A drunken Hu tribesman was found carrying a bloody knife; under torture he had already confessed. Siyan had doubts. For three days running he assembled several hundred children in the morning and sent them out again at dusk. He then asked, "When the children left, did anyone question them?" They all answered, "Yes, there was." He then identified and interrogated the suspects and seized the true culprit.
22
後太后晝見，勸帝修德答天譴。 帝讓中書令李義府曰：「八品官能言得失，而卿冒沒富貴，主何事邪？」 義府謝罪。 司農武惟良擅用并州賦二百萬緡，思彥劾處死，武后為請而免。 義府與諸武共譖思彥，出為山陽丞。 初，尉遲敬德子姓陷大逆，思彥按釋其冤，至是贈黃金良馬，思彥不受。 至官閱月，自免去，放跡江、淮間。 久之，補建州司戶參軍。 帝召問：「不見卿久，今何官邪？」 思彥泣道所以然。 帝謂宰相：「此亦太屈。」 復召為御史。
Later Empress Wu held a daytime audience and urged the emperor to cultivate virtue to answer heaven's rebukes. The emperor upbraided Chief Minister Li Yifu: "A lowly eighth-rank official can speak plainly of right and wrong, yet you, drowning in wealth and status—what business are you actually tending?" Yifu begged forgiveness. Wu Weiliang, Minister of Agriculture, had diverted two million strings of Bingzhou tax revenue; Siyan memorialized for his execution, but Empress Wu pleaded on his behalf and he was pardoned. Yifu and the Wu clan conspired to slander Siyan, and he was demoted to Assistant Magistrate of Shanyang. Long before, a kinsman of Yuchi Jingde had been caught up in a treason case; Siyan reviewed the file and cleared the man's name. Now they sent him gold and fine horses in gratitude, but Siyan refused. After only a month in post he resigned on his own and drifted along the Yangtze and Huai. Some time later he was appointed Registrar of Jian Prefecture. The emperor summoned him and asked, "I have not seen you for ages—what post do you hold now?" Siyan wept as he told the whole story. The emperor said to the chief minister, "This is far too harsh." He recalled Siyan and reappointed him as censor.
23
俄出為江都主簿，又徙蘇州錄事參軍。 罷，客汴州。 張僧徹者，廬墓三十年，詔表其閭，請思彥為頌，餉縑二百，不受。 時歲凶，家窶甚，僧徹固請，為受一匹，命其家曰：「此孝子縑，不可輕用。」 上元中，復召見。 思彥久去朝，儀矩梗野，拜忘蹈舞，又詆外戚擅權，後惡之。 中書令李敬玄劾奏思彥見天子不蹈舞，負氣鞅鞅，不可用。 時已拜乾封丞，故徙朱鳶丞。 遷賀州司馬，卒。
Before long he was posted as Secretary of Jiangdu, then moved to Recording Secretary of Suzhou. After leaving office he lived as a guest in Bian Prefecture. Zhang Sengche had kept mourning at his parents' grave for thirty years; the throne ordered his neighborhood honored, and he asked Siyan to write the commemorative text, offering two hundred bolts of silk—but Siyan declined. Famine had left his household desperately poor; Sengche pressed him again and again, so he accepted a single bolt and told his family, "This silk comes from a filial son—it must not be spent carelessly." During the Shangyuan reign he was summoned once more. Long absent from court, Siyan's manners had turned rough and unpolished; he forgot the ritual dance of obeisance. He also attacked the empress's relatives for seizing power, and she grew to resent him. Chief Minister Li Jingxuan impeached Siyan for failing to perform the obeisance dance before the emperor, for nursing grievances, and for being unfit for office. He had already been named Assistant Magistrate of Qianfeng, so instead he was reassigned to Assistant Magistrate of Zhuyuan. He was promoted to Secretary of He Prefecture, where he died.
24
始，思彥在蜀，引什邡令鄧惲右坐，曰：「公且貴，願以子孫諉公。」 比其斥，而惲已為文昌左丞。
Early on, while Siyan was in Shu, he gave Magistrate Deng Yun of Shifang the seat of honor and said, "You are destined for high rank; I would like to commit my sons to your care." By the time Siyan fell from favor, Deng had already become Vice Director of the Left in the Secretariat.
25
子琬。 琬字茂貞，喜交酒徒，落魄少崖檢。 有姻勸舉茂才，名動里中。 刺史行鄉飲餞之，主人揚觶曰：「孝於家，忠於國，今始充賦，請行無算爵。」 儒林榮之。 擢第，又舉文藝優長、賢良方正，連中。 拜監察御史。 景雲初，上言：
His son Wan. Wan, styled Maozhen, loved the company of carousing friends and lived in careless disarray, with scant regard for propriety. A kinsman by marriage urged him to sit for the Maocai examination, and his name soon rang through the district. At the district farewell feast the prefect raised the horn cup and said, "Filial at home, loyal to the throne—today you go to take the examination for the first time; drink, and let no one count the cups." The scholars present applauded the moment. He passed the examination, then passed the Outstanding Literary Talent and Worthy and Upright categories one after another. He was appointed Supervising Censor. At the opening of the Jingyun era he submitted a memorial:
26
國安危在於政。 政以法，暫安焉必危； 以德，始不便焉終治。 夫法者，智也； 德者，道也。 智，權宜也； 道，可以久大也。 故以智治國，國之賊； 不以智治國，國之福。
Whether a state stands or falls depends on how it is governed. Govern by law alone, and though the realm may seem secure for a time, danger is sure to follow; govern by virtue, and though the start may be awkward, lasting order will come in the end. Law is cleverness; virtue is the Way. Cleverness is a temporary expedient; the Way is what can endure and grow great. To rule a state by cleverness is to become the state's enemy; to refuse to rule by cleverness is the state's good fortune.
27
貞觀、永徽之間，農不勸而耕者眾，法施而犯者寡； 俗不偷薄，器不行窳； 吏貪者士恥同列，忠正清白者比肩而立； 罰雖輕而不犯，賞雖薄而勸； 位尊不倨，家富不奢； 學校不勵而勤，道佛不懲而戒； 土木質厚，裨販弗蚩。 其故奈何？ 維以皇道也。 自茲以來，任巧智，斥謇諤； 趨勢者進，守道者退； 諧附者無黜剝之憂，正直者有後時之嘆； 人趨家競，風俗淪替。 其故奈何？ 行以霸道也。 貞觀、永徽之天下，亦今日天下，淳薄相反，由治則然。
In the Zhenguan and Yonghui reigns, farmers needed no prodding yet the fields were full; laws were in force, yet offenders were rare; morals were neither greedy nor mean, and goods were not made flimsy; officials who took bribes were ashamed before their peers, while the loyal, upright, and incorrupt stood side by side; punishments were light, yet no one broke the law; rewards were small, yet people still strove for them; the high-born were not haughty, and rich households were not wasteful; schools needed no special urging yet students applied themselves; Daoist and Buddhist clergy needed no crackdown yet people kept their discipline; builders and artisans worked in earnest, and street peddlers did not cheat their customers. Why was this so? Because the throne ruled by the supreme Way. From that time onward, cleverness has been prized and plainspoken honesty driven out; men who follow the tide rise, while men who keep to the Way fall back; flatterers need never fear demotion, while the honest are left sighing in the rear; every man scrambles, every household contends, and the manners of the age have collapsed. Why is this so? Because the throne now rules by brute expedience. The realm of Zhenguan and Yonghui is the same realm we have today; that it was once pure and is now corrupt comes of nothing but the difference between good government and bad.
28
夫巧者知忠孝為立身之階，仁義為百行之本，托以求進，口是而心非，言同而意乖，陛下安能盡察哉！ 貪冒者謂能，清貞者謂孤，浮沈者為黠，剛正者為愚。 位下而驕，家貧而奢。 歲月漸漬，不救其弊，何由變浮之淳哉？ 不務省事而務捉搦。 夫捉搦者，法也。 法設而滋章，滋章則盜賊多矣。 法而益國，設之可也。 比法令數改，或行未見益，止未知損。 譬弈者一棋為善，而復之者愈善，故曰設法不如息事，事息則巧不生。 聖人防亂未然，天下何繇不治哉？
The clever know that filial piety and loyalty are ladders to promotion, and that benevolence and righteousness are the foundation of every virtue—they invoke them to advance, yes on the lips but no in the heart, agreement in words but treachery in intent. How can Your Majesty see through them all! The grasping are praised as able; the clean-handed are mocked as aloof; the smooth are hailed as sharp; the steadfast are dismissed as dull. Men of low rank act insolent; households in poverty live in luxury. If year after year these faults are left to deepen unchecked, how will the age ever turn from shallow display back to genuine integrity? The court does not seek to simplify administration—it seeks only to hunt down offenders. That hunting down of offenders is what law has become. Once laws are set in place they only grow more tangled; the more tangled they become, the more thieves and rogues there are. When laws truly benefit the realm, they may rightly be instituted. Statutes have been revised again and again of late—often with no visible gain when enacted, and no clear loss when abandoned. It is like go: one good move may suffice, yet some players multiply their moves thinking more is better—hence the adage that legislating pales beside quieting disputes; when affairs are settled, cunning finds no opening. The sage wards off chaos before it takes shape; under such governance, how could the realm fail to prosper?
29
永淳時，雍丘令尹元貞坐婦女治道免官，今婦夫女役常不知怪。 調露時，河內尉劉憲父喪，人有請其員者，有司以為名教不取，今謂為見機。 太宗朝，司農以市木橦倍價抵罪，大理孫伏伽言：「官木橦貴，故百姓者賤。 臣見司農識大體，未聞其過。」 太宗曰：「善。」 今和市專刻剝，名為和而實奪之。 往者學生、佐史、里正每一員闕，擬者十人，今當選者亡匿以免。 往選司從容有禮，今如仇敵賈販。 往官將代，儲什物俟其至； 今交罷，執符紛競校在亡。 往商賈出入萬里，今市井至失業。 往家藏鏹積粟相匏，今匿貲示羸以相尚。 往夷狄款關，今軍屯積年。 往召募，人賈其勇； 今差勒，闔宗逃亡。 往倉儲盈衍，今所在空虛。
In the Yongchun period, Yongqiu magistrate Yin Yuanzhen was removed for employing women on road repair—a scandal then, but today no one blinks at wives and daughters pressed into labor service. Under Emperor Gaozong, when Henei Commandant Liu Xian mourned his father and someone sought his vacant post, the authorities refused on grounds of propriety—whereas today the same opportunism is praised as shrewd foresight. In Emperor Taizong's day, the Minister of Agriculture was charged with selling government tung timber at double price. Sun Fugai of the Court of Judicial Review argued: "State timber was overpriced, forcing the people to sell cheaply. In my view the Minister grasped the broader situation; I see no fault in his conduct. Taizong replied: "Well said." Today state procurement systematically gouges merchants—called "fair exchange" while in truth stripping them bare. Once, ten men competed for every opening among students, clerks, and village heads; now appointees go into hiding to escape duty. Selection offices once treated candidates with courtesy; now they bargain like bitter merchant rivals. Incoming officials once found supplies stocked and waiting for their arrival; now at handover they fight over tally slips in frantic accounting of what has vanished. Merchants once ranged freely across vast distances; now market towns see widespread unemployment. Families once openly hoarded coin and grain; now they hide assets and feign poverty as a virtue. Barbarians once came offering tribute at the borders; now armies camp year after year. Recruitment once drew volunteers proud of their valor; now under conscription entire clans take flight. Granaries once overflowed; now storehouses everywhere stand empty.
30
夫流亡之人非愛羈旅、忘桑梓也，斂重役亟，家產已空，鄰伍牽連，遂為遊人。 窮詐而犯禁，救死而抵刑。 夫亂繩已結，急引之則不可解。 今刻薄吏能結者也，舉劾吏能引者也，則解者不見其人。 願取奇材卓行者，量能授官。
Refugees do not love wandering or forget their homelands—heavy levies and urgent corvée drain them dry, neighboring households are dragged in, and they become rootless wanderers. Driven to deception by desperation, they break the law; struggling to survive, they face punishment. Once a rope is tangled into knots, yanking at it only makes it worse. Harsh officials tighten the knot, investigating officials yank at it—and no one remains who can unravel the mess. He urged that men of exceptional talent and upright conduct be chosen and given office according to their capacity.
31
又言：
He further stated:
32
仕路太廣，故棄農商而趨之。 一夫耕，一婦蠶，衣食百人，欲儲蓄有餘，安可得乎？ 書入，不報。
Too many routes lead to office, so people abandon farming and trade to pursue them. One man farms and one woman raises silkworms to feed and clothe a hundred mouths—how could they hope to save anything? The memorial was submitted but received no response.
33
出監河北軍，兼按察使。 先天中，賦絹非時，於是谷賤縑益貴，丁別二縑，人多徙亡。 琬曰：「御史乃耳目官，知而不言，尚何賴？」 又上言：「須報則弊已甚，移檄罷督乃聞。」 詔可。 開元中，遷殿中侍御史，坐事貶官，卒。
He was sent out to oversee the Hebei armies while also serving as surveillance commissioner. During the Xiantian period, silk levies were demanded off schedule; grain prices collapsed while silk soared, and each adult male owed two bolts—driving masses to flee. Wan said: "Censors are the emperor's eyes and ears—if we know and stay silent, what good are we? He petitioned again that waiting for approval would mean acting only after the damage was done, and urged an immediate edict to halt the levy supervisor. The emperor approved. In the Kaiyuan period he was promoted to palace censor, later demoted for an offense, and died.
34
蘇安恒
Su Anheng
35
蘇安恒，冀州武邑人。 博學，尤明《周官》、《春秋左氏》學。 武后末年，太子雖還東宮，政事一不與，大臣畏禍無敢言。 安恒投匭上書曰：「陛下膺先聖顧托，受嗣子揖讓，應天順人，二十餘年，豈不聞虞舜褰裳、周公復辟事乎？ 今太子孝謹，春秋盛壯，使統臨宸極，何異陛下身撫天下哉！ 胡不傳位東宮，休安聖躬？ 自昔天下無二姓並興，且梁、河內、建昌諸王，以親得封，恐萬歲後不能良計，宜退就公侯，任以閑簡。 又陛下二十孫，無尺土封，非長久計也，請以都督府要州分而王之。 縱今尚幼，且擇立師傅，養成德器，藩屏皇家。」 書奏，後雖猜克，不能無感，乃召見賜食，厚慰遣之。
Su Anheng came from Wuyi in Jizhou. He was broadly learned, with particular mastery of the Rites of Zhou and the Zuo Commentary. In Empress Wu's final years, though the crown prince had returned to the Eastern Palace, he was excluded from all affairs of state, and no minister dared speak for fear of disaster. Anheng dropped a memorial into the suggestion box: "Your Majesty received the former emperors' dying charge, accepted the crown prince's abdication, and has ruled fitly for more than twenty years—have you forgotten how Shun yielded the throne and the Duke of Zhou restored it? The crown prince is filial, prudent, and in the prime of life—if he ascended the throne, would that differ from Your Majesty governing in person? Why not transfer power to the Eastern Palace and allow yourself rest and ease? Since antiquity no two surnames have risen together; the princes of Liang, Hennei, and Jianchang hold titles through kinship—when you pass, they may prove unmanageable. They should step back to lesser noble ranks and be given quiet appointments. Moreover your twenty grandsons hold not a foot of territory—a poor long-term strategy. Grant them frontier prefectures as princely domains. Though still young, choose tutors to cultivate their virtue and make them bulwarks of the dynasty. When the memorial arrived, Empress Wu remained suspicious but was moved; she summoned him, offered a meal, comforted him generously, and sent him away.
36
明年，復諫曰：「臣聞天下者，高祖、太宗之天下。 有隋失馭，群雄鹿駭，唐家親事戎旅，以平宇縣，指河為誓，非李氏不王，非功臣不封。 陛下雖居正統，實唐舊基。 日前太子在諒暗，相王非長嗣，唐祚中弱，故陛下因以即位。 今太子年德已盛，尚貪有大寶，忘母子之恩，蔽其元良，以據神器，何旅顏面見唐家宗廟、大帝陵寢哉！ 臣謂天意人事，還歸李氏。 物極則復，器滿則覆； 當斷不斷，將受其亂。 誠能高揖萬機，自怡聖心，史臣書之，樂府歌之，斯盛事也。 臣聞見過不諫非忠，畏死不言非勇。 陛下以臣為忠，則擇是而用； 以為不忠，則斬臣頭以令天下。」 書聞，不報。
The following year he remonstrated again: "The realm belongs to Gaozu and Taizong. When Sui lost control, lords contended like frightened stags. The Tang personally took up arms to pacify the realm, swearing by the Yellow River that none but the Li clan would rule and none but meritorious ministers receive fiefs. Though Your Majesty holds legitimate succession, you stand on the Tang dynasty's foundation. When the crown prince was in mourning and the Prince of Xiang was not the eldest heir, the Tang line was weakened—hence Your Majesty took the throne. Now the crown prince has reached maturity in years and virtue, yet you cling to supreme power, forget the bond between mother and son, block your rightful heir from the sacred regalia—how can you face the Tang ancestral temple and the late emperor's tomb with any composure! He argued that Heaven and human affairs alike demanded the return of rule to the Li clan. When things reach their limit they reverse; when a vessel fills it overturns; hesitation at the decisive moment invites chaos. If you could relinquish affairs of state and cultivate serenity, historians would record it and court musicians celebrate—a truly splendid achievement. To see fault and not remonstrate is disloyalty; to fear death and stay silent is cowardice. If you deem me loyal, heed my counsel; if disloyal, behead me as an example to the realm. The memorial was received but went unanswered.
37
於是魏元忠為張易之克弟所構，獄方急，安恒獨申救曰：
When Wei Yuanzhong was framed by Zhang Yizhi's younger brother and faced imminent trial, Anheng alone spoke in his defense:
38
王者有容天下之量，故濟其心； 能進天下之善，故除其惡。 不然，則神鬼馮怒，陰陽紛舛。 陛下始革命，勤秉政樞，博逮謀猷，天下以為明主。 暮年厭怠，讒佞熾結，水火相災，百姓不親，五品不遜，天下以為暗君。 邪正糅進，獄訟冤劇。 何昔是而今非邪？ 居安忘危之失也。
A true ruler possesses the magnanimity to accommodate all under Heaven and thereby comfort their hearts; he promotes goodness throughout the realm and thereby removes evil. Otherwise gods and spirits grow wrathful and yin and yang fall into disorder. At the revolution's outset you diligently held the reins, sought counsel broadly, and the realm hailed an enlightened sovereign. In your declining years, weariness and sycophants took hold, calamities multiplied, the people grew estranged, ranks lost deference, and the realm saw a darkened ruler. Good and evil mingled indiscriminately; lawsuits overflowed with injustice. How had right become wrong? It was the failure of finding ease and forgetting peril.
39
竊見元忠廉直有名，位宰相，履忠正，邪佞之徒嫉之若讎。 易之兄弟無功無德，但以馮附，不閱數期，位勢隆極，指馬獻蒲，先害善良。 自元忠下獄，人人偶語，謂易之交亂，且及四國。 烈士撫髀，忠臣鉗口，懼易之之權，恐先諫受戮，虛死無名。 況賊虜方強，賦斂重困，而自縱讒慝，搖變遐邇。 臣恐四夷低目窺覘，為邊鄙患，百姓托義以清君側，逐鹿之人叩關而至，陛衛左右，從中以應，爭鋒朱雀之門，問鼎大明之宮，陛下何以謝之？ 臣今計者，莫若收雷電之威，解恢恢之網，復爵還位，君臣如初，則天下幸甚。 陛下縱不能斬佞臣，塞人望，且當抑奪榮寵，翦其羽翅，無使驕橫為社稷之憂。
Yuanzhong was renowned for integrity, served as chancellor with upright conduct, and was hated as a mortal enemy by the wicked. The Zhang brothers possessed neither merit nor virtue yet rose to supreme power through flattery alone within a few years, twisting truth and destroying the good. Since Yuanzhong's imprisonment, people whispered that Zhang Yizhi's faction would bring rebellion affecting the four quarters. Men of valor beat their thighs in frustration while loyal ministers sealed their lips, fearing Zhang's power and knowing early remonstrance meant death without honor. Moreover external enemies grow strong while heavy taxes oppress the people, yet you indulge slanderers, stirring unrest near and far. I fear foreign peoples will watch with lowered eyes and become border threats; subjects may rally under righteous banners to purge the court; rival claimants will storm the gates while traitors within open the palace—how will you answer when battle erupts at Zhuque Gate and usurpers seek the throne at Daming Palace? My counsel is to wield your full authority, loosen the net of punishment, restore ranks and office, and let ruler and ministers be as before—the realm would be greatly fortunate. Even if you cannot execute the sycophants and satisfy public expectation, at minimum strip their honors and clip their wings before their arrogance endangers the state.
40
疏奏，易之等大怒，遣刺客邀殺之，賴鳳閣舍人桓彥範等悉力營解，乃免。
When the memorial was submitted, the Zhang brothers furiously sent assassins to kill him, but Palace Aide Huan Yanfan and others worked strenuously to save him.
41
神龍初，為習藝館內教。 節湣太子難，或讒安恒豫謀，死獄中。 睿宗立，知其枉，詔贈諫議大夫。
Early in the Shenlong era he served as instructor in the Training Hall. After Crown Prince Jiemin's tragedy, slanderers accused Anheng of complicity, and he died in prison. When Emperor Ruizong took the throne, recognizing his innocence, he posthumously granted him Remonstrance Censor.
42
薛登，常州義興人。 父士通，為隋鷹揚郎將。 江都亂，與州民聞人遂安據城拒賊。 武德初，持地自歸，授東武州刺史。 輔公祏反，士通與賊將西門君儀戰，破之。 及平，封臨汾侯。 終泉州刺史。
Xue Deng came from Yixing in Changzhou. His father Shitong served as a Sui yingyang langjiang. During the Jiangdu uprising, he joined the local people and Minren Suian in holding the city against the rebels. In the early Wude period he submitted to Tang and was appointed governor of Dongwu. When Fu Gongshi rebelled, Shitong fought rebel general Ximen Junyi and defeated him. After the rebellion was suppressed, he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Linfen. He ended his career as governor of Quanzhou.
43
登通貫文史，善議論，根證該審，與徐堅、劉子玄齊名。 調閬中主簿。 天授中，累遷左補闕。 時選舉濫甚，乃上疏曰：
Xue Deng was thoroughly versed in literature and history, skilled in debate with meticulous evidence, and ranked alongside Xu Jian and Liu Zixuan. He was appointed chief clerk of Langzhong. During the Tianshou period, he rose through successive appointments to Left Assistant Censor. At that time official recommendations had become grossly indiscriminate, and he submitted a memorial saying:
44
比觀舉薦，類不以才，馳聲假譽，互相推引，非所謂報國求賢者也。 古之取士，考素行之原，詢鄉邑之譽，崇禮讓，明節義，以敦樸為先，雕文為後。 故人崇勸讓，士去輕浮，以計貢賢愚為州之榮辱。 昔李陵降而隴西溯，幹木隱而西河美。 名勝於利，則偷競日銷； 利勝於名，則貪暴滋煽。 蓋冀缺以禮讓升而晉人知禮，文翁以經術教而蜀士多儒。 未有上好而下不從者也。 漢世求士，必觀其行，故士有自脩，為閭里推舉，然後府寺交辟。 魏取放達，晉先門閥，梁、陳薦士特尚詞賦。 隋文帝納李諤之言，詔禁文章浮詞，時泗州刺史司馬幼之表不典實得罪，由是風俗稍改。 煬帝始置進士等科，後生復相馳競，赴速趨時，緝綴小文，名曰策學，不指實為本，而以浮虛為貴。
Of late I have observed that recommendations rarely rest on talent. Men broadcast their names with borrowed reputations and promote one another in turn. This is not what is meant by serving the state and seeking the worthy. In antiquity, when selecting men for office, rulers examined the roots of plain conduct and inquired into a candidate's standing in his home district. They honored ritual deference and made integrity clear, putting solid character first and polished writing second. As a result, people valued mutual encouragement and yielding, scholars cast off frivolity, and whether a prefecture's tribute recommendations were wise or foolish became a matter of local honor or disgrace. In the past, when Li Ling surrendered, Longxi turned away in shame; when Gan Mu lived in seclusion, Xihe was held up as a model. When fame outweighs profit, underhand rivalry daily fades; when profit outweighs fame, greed and violence grow ever fiercer. Ji Que rose through ritual deference, and the people of Jin learned propriety; Wen Weng taught the classics, and the scholars of Shu became largely Confucian. Never yet has a ruler above set the standard and those below failed to follow. Under the Han, when seeking men for office the court always looked to conduct. Scholars cultivated themselves, were recommended by their neighborhoods, and only then were they recruited by one government office after another. Wei favored men of free and unrestrained talent; Jin put clan status first; and under Liang and Chen, recommendations chiefly prized literary composition. Emperor Wen of Sui accepted Li E's counsel and issued an edict forbidding inflated phrasing in essays. At the time Sima Youzhi, prefect of Si Prefecture, submitted a memorial lacking solid substance and was punished for it, and from that point customs began to change. Emperor Yang first established the jinshi degree and related categories, and later generations again raced one another, hurrying to keep up with the times, patching together minor essays in what was called examination learning. Solid achievement was no longer the foundation; empty display was what counted.
45
方今舉士，尤乖其本。 明昭方下，固已驅馳府寺之廷，出入王公之第，陳篇希恩，奏記誓報。 故俗號舉人皆稱覓舉。 覓者，自求也，非彼知之義。 是以耿介之士羞於自拔，循常小人棄疏取附。 願陛下降明制，頒峻科，斷無當之遊言，收實用之良策，文試效官，武閱守禦。 昔吳起將戰，左右進劍，吳子辭之，諸葛亮臨陣，不親戎服，蓋不取弓劍之用也。 漢武帝聞司馬相如之文，恨不與同時，及其至也，終不處以公卿之位，非所任故也。 漢法，所舉之主，終身保任。 楊雄之坐田儀，成子之得魏相，賞罰之令行，則請謁之心絕； 退讓之義著，則貪競之路銷。 請寬年限，以容簡汰，不實免官，得人加賞，自然見賢不隱，貪祿不專矣。
Today's selection of scholars departs from that root more than ever. Hardly has the edict of announcement been issued when candidates are already racing through the halls of government offices and in and out of princes' and dukes' mansions, presenting essays in hope of favor and submitting petitions vowing repayment. For this reason candidates are popularly called those who 'seek recommendation.' 'Seeking' means seeking on one's own—it is not the sense of being discovered by others. As a result, upright men are ashamed to promote themselves, while ordinary petty men abandon the distant and attach themselves to the powerful. I ask that Your Majesty issue clear regulations and promulgate strict standards, cut off irrelevant chatter, and gather policies of real use: test literary candidates by their performance in office, and military candidates by their ability to guard and defend. In the past, when Wu Qi was about to give battle, his attendants offered swords and Master Wu declined them. Zhuge Liang at the front did not himself don military dress. In both cases they did not rely on bow and blade. Emperor Wu of Han heard of Sima Xiangru's writings and regretted that they were not contemporaries. Yet when Xiangru arrived at court, he was never given a grand minister's post, because that was not what he was fit for. Under Han law, the man who recommended an appointee bore lifelong responsibility for him. When Yang Xiong was implicated because of Tian Yi, and when Chengzi obtained Wei Xiang as minister—once the commands of reward and punishment are enforced, the urge to petition dies; when the principle of yielding is made clear, the road of greedy rivalry is cut off. Please extend the term of accountability so that selection and elimination have room to work: if a recommendation proves false, remove the man from office; if a worthy man is found, add reward. Then naturally the worthy will not be hidden and those grasping for salary will not monopolize office.
46
時四夷質子多在京師，如論欽陵、阿史德元珍、孫萬榮，皆因入侍見中國法度，及還，並為邊害。 登諫曰：
At the time many hostages from the four directions were in the capital, men such as Lun Qinling, Ashide Yuanzhen, and Sun Wanrong. Each had learned China's laws and institutions while attending court, and upon returning home each became a scourge on the frontier. Deng remonstrated, saying:
47
臣聞戎、夏不雜，古所戒也。 故斥居塞外，有時朝謁，已事則歸，三王之法也。 漢、魏以來，革襲衣冠，築室京師，不令歸國。 較其利害，三王是而漢、魏非，拒邊長而質子短。 昔晉郭欽、江統以夷狄處中夏必為變，武帝不納，卒有永嘉之亂。 伏見突厥、吐蕃、契丹往因入侍，並被獎遇，官戎秩，步黌門，服改氈罽，語習楚夏，窺圖史成敗，熟山川險易。 國家雖有冠帶之名，而狼子孤恩，患必在後。
Your minister has heard that barbarians and Chinese should not be mixed—this is a warning handed down from antiquity. Therefore they were kept beyond the frontier, coming to court only at set times and returning once their business was done. That was the law of the Three Sage Kings. Since Han and Wei, the practice has changed: hostages adopt Chinese dress, build houses in the capital, and are not permitted to return home. Weigh the benefits and harms: the Three Kings were right and Han and Wei wrong. Keeping barbarians at the frontier is a long-term policy; keeping hostages is a short-term one. In Jin, Guo Qin and Jiang Tong argued that settling barbarians in the heartland of China would surely lead to upheaval. Emperor Wu did not accept their counsel, and in the end came the Yongjia disaster. I observe that Turks, Tibetans, and Khitans who in the past attended court were all rewarded and favored: given military rank, admitted to the schools, changing their dress for felt and wool, learning both barbarian and Chinese speech, studying maps and histories for lessons of success and failure, and becoming familiar with the terrain and its strategic passes. Though the state gives them the name of civilized subjects, they are wolf cubs who forget kindness. Disaster is sure to follow.
48
昔申公奔晉，使子狐庸為吳行人，教吳戰陣，使之叛楚。 漢遷五部匈奴於汾、晉，卒以劉、石作難。 竊計秦並天下，及劉、項用兵，人士雕散，以冒頓之盛，乘中國之虛，而高祖困厄平城，匈奴卒不入中國者，以其生長磧漠，謂穹廬賢於城郭，氈罽美於章紱，既安所習，是以無窺中國心，不樂漢故也。 元海五部散亡之餘而能自振者，少居內地，明習漢法，鄙單于之陋，竊帝王之稱。 使其未嘗內徙，不過劫邊人繒彩、曲糵歸陰山而已。
In the past Duke Shen fled to Jin and sent Zihu Yong as Wu's envoy, teaching Wu battle formations and turning Wu against Chu. The Han relocated the five Xiongnu divisions to the Fen and Jin region, and in the end Liu Yuan and Shi Le raised rebellion. I reckon that when Qin united the empire and Liu Bang and Xiang Yu fought, the people were scattered. Though Modu was at the height of his power and seized on China's weakness, and though Gaozu was hard pressed at Pingcheng, the Xiongnu in the end did not enter China because they had grown up in the desert. They thought yurts better than walled cities and felt and wool finer than official insignia. Content with what they knew, they had no heart to covet China and took no pleasure in Han ways. Liu Yuan, among the scattered remnant of the five divisions, was able to revive himself because from youth he lived in the interior, knew Han law well, despised the Chanyu's rustic ways, and usurped the title of emperor. Had he never been moved inland, he would have done no more than raid border people for silk and ale and return to Yinshan.
49
今皇風所覃，含識革面，方由余效忠，日磾盡節。 然臣慮備豫不謹，則夷狄稱兵不在方外，非貽謀之道。 臣謂願充侍子可一切禁絕，先在國者不使歸蕃，則夷人保疆，邊邑無爭。
Now the imperial influence reaches everywhere and all who have understanding change their ways, as You Yu showed loyalty and Jin Midi showed utmost devotion. Yet I fear that if precautions are not taken with care, barbarians who take up arms will not remain beyond the frontier. That is not the way to leave sound counsel for posterity. Your minister holds that sending hostages to attend at court should be completely forbidden, and those already in the realm should not be allowed to return to their tribes. Then the barbarians will keep to their borders and the frontier towns will be free of strife.
50
武后不納。
Empress Wu did not accept his advice.
51
久之，出為常州刺史。 屬宣州賊鐘大眼亂，百姓潰震，登嚴勒守備，闔境賴安。 再遷尚書左丞。 景雲中，為御史大夫。 僧慧範怙太平公主勢，奪民邸肆，官不能直，登將治之，或勸以自安，答曰：「憲府直枉，朝奏暮黜可矣。」 遂劾奏，反為主所構，出岐州刺史。 遷太子賓客。 開元初，為東都留守，再為太子賓客。 登本名謙光，以與皇太子名同，詔賜今名。 坐子累歸田里，家苦貧，詔給致仕祿。 卒，年七十三，贈晉州刺史。
After some time he was sent out as prefect of Changzhou. When the bandit Zhong Dayan rebelled in Xuanzhou, the people were shaken and scattered. Deng strictly enforced defenses, and the whole prefecture owed its safety to him. He was promoted again to Left Vice Minister of the Secretariat. During the Jingyun period he served as Censor-in-Chief. The monk Huifan relied on Princess Taiping's power and seized shops from common people, and the authorities could not set matters right. When Deng was about to prosecute him, someone urged him to protect himself. He replied, 'The censorate exists to set wrongs right. A memorial in the morning and dismissal by evening will suffice. He submitted an impeachment, but was instead framed by the princess and sent out as prefect of Qizhou. He was transferred to Advisor to the Heir Apparent. At the beginning of the Kaiyuan era he served as Eastern Capital Intendant, and later again as Advisor to the Heir Apparent. Deng's original name was Qianguang. Because it was identical to the crown prince's name, an edict granted him his present name. Because of his son's offense he returned to the countryside. His family was deeply poor, and an edict granted him a retired official's stipend. He died at the age of seventy-three and was posthumously awarded the title of prefect of Jinzhou.
52
王求禮
Wang Qiuli
53
王求禮，許州長社人。 武后時，為左拾遺、監察御史。 後方營明堂，雕飾譎怪，侈而不法。 求禮以為「鐵鸑金龍、丹雘珠玉，乃商瓊臺、夏瑤室之比，非古所謂茅茨棌椽者。 自軒轅以來，服牛乘馬，今輦以人負，則人代畜」，上書譏切。 久不報。
Wang Qiuli was a native of Changshe in Xuzhou. During Empress Wu's reign he served as Left Reminder and Investigating Censor. The Empress was then building the Bright Hall, ornamented with strange and bizarre carvings, extravagant and contrary to proper standards. Qiuli held that 'iron phoenixes, golden dragons, cinnabar lacquer, pearls, and jade are on a par with Shang's Jade Tower and Xia's Jasper Hall—not what antiquity meant by thatched roofs and rafters of oak. 'Since the time of the Yellow Emperor, men have ridden oxen and horses. Now the imperial carriage is borne by men—men have taken the place of beasts.' He submitted a memorial with biting sarcasm. For a long time there was no response.
54
契丹叛，使孫萬榮寇河北，詔河內王武懿宗禦之，懦擾不進，賊敗數州去。 懿宗乃條華人為賊詿誤者數百族，請誅之。 求禮劾奏曰：「詿誤之人無良邊吏教習，城不完固，為虜脅制，寧素持叛心哉？ 懿宗擁兵數十萬，聞敵至，走保城邑，今乃移禍無辜之人，不亦過乎？ 請斬懿宗首以謝河北。」 懿宗大懼，後盡赦其人。
The Khitans rebelled and sent Sun Wanrong to raid Hebei. An edict ordered Wu Yizong, Prince of Hennei, to resist him. He was cowardly and agitated and would not advance, and the rebels overran several prefectures before withdrawing. Yizong then drew up a list of several hundred Chinese clans whom he claimed the rebels had misled, and requested that they be executed. Qiuli submitted an impeachment, saying, 'Those who were misled had no capable frontier officials to instruct them. The walls were not complete and strong, and they were compelled by the enemy. How could they have long harbored rebellious hearts? Yizong commanded an army of several hundred thousand men. When he heard the enemy was coming he fled to walled cities. Now he shifts the blame onto innocent people—is that not going too far? I ask that Yizong's head be cut off to appease Hebei. Yizong was greatly terrified, and the Empress fully pardoned those people.
55
當是時，契丹陷幽州，饋免屈竭，左相豆盧欽望請停京官九品以上兩月奉助軍興。 求禮曰：「公祿萬鐘，正可輟，仰祿之人可奈何？」 欽望拒不應。 既奏，求禮歷階進曰：「天子富有四海，何待九品奉，使宰相奪之以濟軍國用乎？」 姚璹曰：「秦、漢皆有稅算以佐軍，求禮不識大體。」 對曰：「秦、漢虛天下事邊，奈何使陛下效之？」 後曰：「止。」
At that time the Khitans had taken Youzhou, supply lines were exhausted, and Left Chancellor Doulu Qinwang requested that capital officials of the ninth rank and above forgo two months' salary to aid military expenses. Qiuli said, 'Those who draw salaries of ten thousand piculs may properly forgo them—but what of those who live on their stipends? Qinwang refused to answer. After the memorial was submitted, Qiuli mounted the steps and advanced, saying, 'The Son of Heaven possesses the wealth of the four seas. Why must he rely on ninth-rank salaries and have the chancellor seize them to meet military and state expenses? Yao Shu said, 'Qin and Han both levied special taxes to aid the army. Qiuli does not understand the larger picture.' He replied, 'Qin and Han exhausted the empire on frontier affairs. Why should Your Majesty follow their example?' The Empress said, 'Enough.'
56
久視二年三月，大雨雪，鳳閣侍郎蘇味道等以為瑞，率群臣入賀。 求禮讓曰：「宰相燮和陰陽，而季春雨雪，乃災也。 果以為瑞，則冬月雷，渠為瑞雷邪？」 味道不從。 既賀者入，求禮即厲言：「今陽氣僨升，而陰冰激射，此天災也。 主荒臣佞，寒暑失序，戎狄亂華，盜賊繁興，正官少，偽官多，百司非賄不入，使天有瑞，何感而來哉？」 群臣震恐，後為罷朝。 然以剛正故，宦齟齬。 神龍初，終衛王府參軍。
In the third month of the second year of the Jiushi era there was heavy rain and snow. Su Weidao, Vice Minister of the Phoenix Pavilion, and others took it as an auspicious sign and led the ministers in to offer congratulations. Qiuli objected, saying, 'The chancellor is charged with harmonizing yin and yang, yet snow in the third month of spring is a disaster. If you truly take this as auspicious, then would thunder in winter be auspicious thunder as well? Weidao would not agree. When those coming to congratulate entered, Qiuli immediately spoke sharply: 'Now yang qi surges upward while yin ice shoots forth. This is a heavenly disaster. The ruler is negligent and ministers are flatterers. Cold and heat are out of order, barbarians disturb China, and bandits abound. Proper officials are few and false officials many. No office admits anyone without a bribe. If heaven had an auspicious sign, what would it be responding to? The ministers were shaken with fear, and the Empress dismissed court because of it. Yet because of his firm uprightness, his official career was full of friction. At the beginning of the Shenlong era he ended his career as a staff member in the household of the Prince of Wei.
57
柳澤，蒲州解人。 曾祖亨，字嘉禮，隋大業末，為王屋長，陷李密，已而歸京師。 姿貌魁異，高祖奇之，以外孫竇妻之。 三遷左衛中郎將，壽陵縣男。 以罪貶邛州刺史，進散騎常侍。 代還，數年不得調。 持兄喪，方葬，會太宗幸南山，因得召見，哀之。 數日，入對北門，拜光祿少卿。 亨射獵無檢，帝謂曰：「卿於朕舊且親，然多交遊，自今宜少戒。」 亨由是痛飭厲，謝賓客，身安靜素，力吏事。 終檢校岐州刺史，贈禮部尚書、幽州都督，謚曰恭。
Liu Ze was a native of Jie in Puzhou. His great-grandfather Heng, courtesy name Jiali, at the end of the Daye era of Sui served as magistrate of Wangwu. He fell into Li Mi's hands, but later returned to the capital. His appearance was towering and extraordinary. Gaozu found him remarkable and gave him a granddaughter of the Dou clan in marriage. After three successive appointments as Left Guard Commandant of the Center, he was enfeoffed as Baron of Shouling. For an offense he was demoted to Prefect of Qiongzhou, but was later promoted to Regular Attendant of the Palace Aid. After his successor took over and he returned to the capital, he went several years without a new appointment. While in mourning for his elder brother and on the point of burying him, Emperor Taizong happened to be touring the Southern Mountains. Hen was summoned for an audience, and the emperor took pity on him. A few days later he was examined at the North Gate and appointed Vice Director of the Imperial Household Office. Heng hunted without restraint. The emperor said to him, "You are both an old friend and a kinsman of mine, yet you keep too much company. From now on you should show some restraint." From then on Heng took the admonition to heart, cut off his visitors, lived quietly and simply, and threw himself into his official responsibilities. He ended his career as acting prefect of Qizhou and, after death, was posthumously honored as Minister of Rites and area commander of Youzhou, with the posthumous epithet Respecting.
58
澤耿介少言笑，風度方嚴。 景雲中，為右率府鎧曹參軍，四歲不遷。 先是，中宗時，長寧、宜城、定安諸公主及後女弟、昭容上官與其母鄭、尚宮柴、隴西夫人趙及姻聯數十族，皆能降墨敕授官，號斜封。 及姚元崇、宋璟輔政，白罷斜封官數千員。 元崇等罷去，太平公主盡奏復之。 澤詣闕上疏曰：
Liu Ze was scrupulously upright and spoke little; his deportment was dignified and austere. During the Jingyun reign period (710–712) he served as army armor officer in the Right Guard Office and went four years without advancement. Earlier, under Emperor Zhongzong, the Princesses of Changning, Yicheng, and Ding'an, the empress's younger sisters, Lady Shangguan the Brilliant Attendant and her mother Lady Zheng, Inner Palace Lady Chai, Longxi Lady Zhao, and dozens of allied families by marriage could all issue appointments through informal imperial edicts—the so-called "side-seal" offices. When Yao Yuanchong and Song Jing took charge of the government, they had several thousand of these side-seal appointees dismissed on memorial. After Yao and his colleagues were removed from office, Princess Taiping had all of them restored by memorial. Liu Ze went to court and submitted a memorial:
59
臣聞藥不毒不可以蠲疾，詞不切不可以補過。 故習甘旨者，非攝養之方； 邇諛佞者，非治安之宜。 臣竊見神龍以來，綱紀大壞，內寵專命，外嬖制權，因貴憑勢，賣官鬻爵。 妃主之門同商賈然，舉選之署若阛阓然，屠販者由邪忝官，廢黜者因奸冒進。 天下混亂，幾危社稷，賴陛下聰明神武，拯溺舉墜。 耳目所親，豈可忘鑒誡哉？ 且斜封官者，皆仆妾私謁，迷謬先帝，豈盡先帝意邪？ 陛下即位之初，用元崇等計，悉以停廢，今又收用之。 若斜封之人不可棄邪，韋月將、燕欽融不應褒贈，李多祚、鄭克義不容蕩雪也。 陛下何不能忍於此而能忍於彼，使善惡混並，反覆相攻，道人以非，勸人以僻。 今天下咸稱太平公主與胡僧慧範以此誤陛下，故語曰：「姚、宋為相，邪不如正； 太平用事，正不如邪。」 臣恐流遁致遠，積小為大，累微成高。 勿謂何傷，其禍將長； 勿謂何害，其禍將大。
I have heard that medicine without potency cannot cure disease, and words without sharpness cannot set right errors. A diet of nothing but sweetness is no way to nourish the body; and consorting with flatterers and sycophants is no way to secure good government. I have watched, since the Shenlong era, how the moral order has collapsed utterly: palace favorites controlled appointments, outside favorites wielded power, and the well-born and well-connected trafficked in offices and sold noble titles. The doors of princesses became market stalls; the selection bureaus became bazaars. Butchers and hawkers bought their way into office by devious routes, while the dismissed and disgraced regained rank through fraud. The realm fell into turmoil and the dynasty itself was nearly lost. It is thanks to Your Majesty's intelligence and martial prowess that the drowning were pulled out and the fallen lifted up. Having seen and heard these things with your own senses, how can you forget them as a lesson and a warning? Moreover, side-seal appointments all came from private petitions by servants and concubines, misguiding the late emperor. Could they truly have reflected his will? At the start of your reign you followed Yao Yuanchong's counsel and abolished them all; now you have taken them back into service. If side-seal appointees are not to be cast off, then Wei Yuejiang and Yan Qinrong should not have been honored posthumously, and Li Duozhuo and Zheng Keyi should not have been pardoned and rehabilitated. Why can Your Majesty not tolerate the one but tolerate the other, mingling good with evil in a churn of reversal, teaching men what is wrong and encouraging them in crooked paths? All the realm now says Princess Taiping and the foreign monk Huifan misled Your Majesty in this matter. Hence the saying: "When Yao and Song were chancellors, wrong fell short of right; when Taiping held power, right fell short of wrong. I fear that what escapes notice in the moment may reach far, that small accumulations grow large and minute additions mount high. Do not say "What harm can it do?"—for the calamity will lengthen; and do not say "What damage can it do?"—for the calamity will grow great.
60
又言：
He went on to say:
61
尚醫奉御彭君慶以巫覡小伎超授三品，奈何輕用名器，加非其人？ 臣聞賞一人而千萬人悅者，賞之； 罰一人而千萬人勸者，罰之。 惟陛下裁察。 疏入，不報。 澤入調，會有詔選者得言事。 乃上書曰：
Palace Medical Attendant Peng Junqing was abruptly promoted to third rank on the strength of shamanistic tricks. How can you lightly bestow dignified offices on the wrong man? I have heard that when rewarding one man will please ten thousand others, reward him; and when punishing one man will warn ten thousand others, punish him. I ask Your Majesty to consider this. The memorial was submitted, but no reply was given. When Liu Ze went up for reassignment, an edict happened to allow selected candidates to address the throne on public affairs. He then submitted a memorial saying:
62
頃者韋氏蠱亂，奸臣同惡，政以賄成，官以寵進，言正者獲戾，行殊者見疑，海內寒心，人用不保。 陛下神聖勇智，安宗社於已危，振黎苗之將溺。 乃今蠲煩省徭，法明德舉，萬邦愷樂，室家胥歡。 《詩》曰：「靡不有初，鮮克有終。」 惟陛下慎厥初，脩其終。 《書》曰：「惟德罔小，萬邦惟慶； 惟不德罔大，墜厥宗。」 甚可懼也。
Not long ago the Wei faction plunged the court into sorcerous turmoil, and corrupt ministers acted in concert. Offices were bought, posts were won through favor, straight talk brought punishment, and unusual conduct aroused suspicion. The whole realm grew fearful, and no one could feel secure. Your Majesty, sacred in wisdom and resolute in courage, saved the altars of state when they were already imperiled and lifted the people when they were near drowning. You have now eased burdens and lightened corvée, made the law bright and promoted virtue. The myriad states rejoice, and every household shares in happiness. The Book of Odes says: "It is seldom indeed that anything is without a beginning; few things have a proper end. I urge Your Majesty to be careful at the outset and steadfast to the end. The Book of Documents says: "Even the smallest virtue brings rejoicing to the myriad states; even the greatest lack of virtue will bring down one's ancestral line. This is truly something to dread.
63
夫驕奢起於親貴，綱紀亂於寵幸。 禁之於親貴，則天下從； 制之於寵幸，則天下畏。 親貴為而不禁，寵幸撓而不制，故政不常，令不一，則奸詐起而暴亂生焉，雖朝施暮戮，而法不行矣。 陛下欲親與愛，莫若安之福之。 夫寵祿之過，罪之階也，謂安之邪？ 驕奢之淫，危之梯也，謂福之邪？ 前事不忘，後之師也。 陛下敷求俊哲，使朝夕納誨。 其有逆於耳、謬於心者，無速罰，姑求之道； 順於耳、便於身者，無急賞，姑求之非道。 羞淫巧者拒之，則淫巧息； 進忠讜者賞之，則忠讜進。
Pride and extravagance spring from kin of high station; order collapses when favorites are indulged. Restrain it among the royal kin and the realm will follow; check it among favored intimates and the realm will stand in awe. When kin of rank do as they please unchecked, and favorites interfere without restraint, policy grows inconsistent and commands contradict one another. Fraud flourishes and violence erupts—and even daily executions cannot make the law hold. If Your Majesty wishes truly to love your kin, nothing is better than securing their peace and conferring true blessing. Excessive favor and stipend are the steps to guilt—is that securing peace? Indulgence in pride and luxury is the ladder to ruin—is that conferring blessing? To remember the past is the teacher of the future. Your Majesty should seek out the wise and have them offer counsel morning and evening. When advice is harsh on the ear or unsettling to the mind, do not punish in haste—first ask whether it accords with the Way; and when words are pleasing to hear and easy to follow, do not reward in haste—first ask whether they diverge from the Way. Reject those who trade in lewd trickery and such trickery will die away; reward those who speak loyal and forthright counsel, and such counsel will prevail.
64
臣聞生於富者驕，生於貴者傲。 《書》曰：「罔淫於逸，罔遊於樂。」 今儲宮肇建，王府復啟，願采溫良、博聞、恭儉、忠鯁者為之僚友，仍請東宮置拾遺、補闕，使朝夕講論，出入侍從，授以訓誥，交修不逮。
I have heard that those born to wealth grow arrogant and those born to rank grow haughty. The Book of Documents says: "Do not wallow in idleness; do not roam in pleasure. The crown prince's establishment has just been formed and princely households reopened. I ask that you select men who are gentle, learned, reverent, frugal, loyal, and outspoken to serve as their companions, and that the Eastern Palace be given Reminder and Supplementation officers to lecture morning and evening, attend them in and out, impart instruction, and help correct their deficiencies.
65
臣又聞「馳騁畋獵，令人發狂」。 今貴戚打球擊鼓，飛鷹奔犬，狎比宵人，盤遊藪澤。 《書》曰：「內作色荒，外作禽荒。」 惟陛下誕降謀訓，勸以學業，示之以好惡，陳之以成敗，則長享福祿矣。
I have also heard that "galloping after the hunt drives a man to madness." Today the imperial kin play ball and beat drums, fly hawks and run dogs, consort with night-wandering idlers, and roam the marshes without rest. The Book of Documents says: "Within, sensual indulgence; without, hunting frenzy. I ask Your Majesty to impart counsel and instruction, urge them in their studies, show them what to love and what to hate, and set before them examples of success and failure—then they may long enjoy wealth and rank.
66
臣聞「富不與驕期而驕自至，驕不與罪期而罪自至，罪不與死期而死自至」。 頃韋庶人、安樂公主、武延秀等可謂貴且寵矣，權侔人主，威震天下。 然怙侈滅德，神怒人棄，豈不謂愛之太極、富之太多乎？ 「殷鑒不遠，在夏後之世。」 今陛下何勸？ 其皇祖謀訓之則乎！ 陛下何懲？ 其孝和寵任之失乎！ 故愛而知其惡，憎而知其善。 夫寵愛之心未有能免，要去其太甚，閑之以禮，則可矣。 諸王、公主、駙馬，陛下之所親愛也，矯枉監戒，宜在厥初，使居寵思危，觀過務善。 《書》曰：「三風十愆，卿士有一於身，家必喪，邦君有一於身，國心亡。」 惟陛下黜奢僭驕怠，進樸素行業，以勖其非心。
I have heard that wealth does not plan for pride, yet pride comes of itself; pride does not plan for guilt, yet guilt comes of itself; guilt does not plan for death, yet death comes of itself. Not long ago the commoner consort Wei, Princess Anle, Wu Yanxiu, and the like were as honored and favored as anyone could be—their power rivaled the emperor's and their authority shook the realm. Yet they relied on extravagance and forfeited virtue; the gods were angered and men forsook them. Was that not loving them to excess and enriching them too abundantly? "The mirror of the Yin dynasty is not far off—it is in the age that succeeded the Xia. What, then, should Your Majesty take for encouragement? The counsels and admonitions of your imperial grandfather! And what should you take as a warning? The errors of Emperor Xiaozong's indulgence of favorites! Therefore love them yet know their faults; dislike them yet recognize their virtues. Affection cannot wholly be suppressed, but its excess can be removed and it can be bounded by ritual—and that will suffice. The princes, princesses, and imperial sons-in-law are those Your Majesty holds dear. Correction and vigilant admonition should begin at the outset, so that in enjoying favor they remember danger and, seeing faults, strive for the good. The Book of Documents says: "Of the three depravities and ten faults—if a minister has even one in his person, his house is doomed; if a ruler has even one in his person, his state is lost. I ask Your Majesty to reject extravagance, presumption, pride, and sloth; promote plainness and upright conduct—to restrain what is improper in their hearts.
67
臣聞「常厥德，保厥位； 厥德匪常，九有以亡」。 願陛下不作無益，不啟私門，不差刑，不濫賞，則惟德是輔，惟人之懷，天祿永終矣。 睿宗善之，拜監察御史。
I have heard: "He who constantly keeps his virtue preserves his position; he whose virtue is not constant—the myriad domains are lost." I ask that Your Majesty undertake nothing useless, open no back channels, misapply no punishment, and grant no reward without cause—then virtue alone will be your support, the people alone your concern, and Heaven's blessing will endure without end. Emperor Ruizong was pleased and appointed him Investigating Censor.
68
澤從祖範、奭。
Liu Ze's junior granduncles were Liu Fan and Liu Shi.
69
範，貞觀中為侍御史，時吳王恪好田獵，範彈治之。 太宗曰：「權萬紀不能輔道恪，罪當死。」 範進曰：「房玄齡事陛下，猶不能諫止畋獵，豈宜獨罪萬紀？」 帝怒，拂衣起。 頃之，召謂曰：「何廷折我？」 範謝曰：「主聖則臣直，陛下仁明，臣敢不盡愚？」 帝乃解。 高宗時，歷尚書右丞、揚州大都督府長史。
Liu Fan served as Attending Censor under the Zhenguan reign. When Prince Wu of Wu, Li Ke, was devoted to hunting, Fan impeached him. Emperor Taizong said: "Quan Wanji failed to counsel and guide Li Ke—a capital offense. Fan stepped forward: "Fang Xuanling served Your Majesty yet could not dissuade you from hunting. Why should Wanji alone bear the blame? The emperor grew angry, flung aside his robes, and rose to leave. After a while the emperor summoned Fan and asked, "Why did you contradict me openly in court? Fan apologized: "When the sovereign is wise, his ministers speak plainly. Your Majesty is benevolent and clear-sighted; how could I fail to speak my mind?" The emperor's anger then subsided. Under Emperor Gaozong he served in succession as Vice Director of the Secretariat and Chief Administrator of the Yangzhou Metropolitan Area Command.
70
奭字子邵。 以父隋時使高麗卒焉，故往迎喪，號踴盡哀，為夷人所慕。 貞觀中，累遷中書舍人。 外孫為皇后，遷中書侍郎，進中書令。 皇后挾媚道覺，罷為吏部尚書。 後廢，貶愛州刺史。 許敬宗等構奭通宮掖，謀行鴆毒，與褚遂良朋黨，罪大逆。 遣使殺之，沒其家，期以上親並流嶺表，奭房隸桂州為奴婢。
Yi, whose courtesy name was Zishao. His father had died on a Sui embassy to Goguryeo, so he traveled to bring the coffin home, wailing and beating the ground in deepest mourning—a display the foreigners admired. During the Zhenguan reign he rose through repeated promotions to Drafting Attendant of the Secretariat. After his grandson's wife became empress, he was transferred to Vice Director of the Secretariat and then promoted to Grand Counselor. When the empress was caught using witchcraft, he was dismissed from the chancellorship and appointed Minister of Personnel. After the empress was later deposed, he was demoted to prefect of Ai Prefecture. Xu Jingzong and others fabricated charges that Yi had liaised with the inner palace, plotted poisoning, and banded together with Chu Suiliang, branding him guilty of high treason. An envoy was dispatched to execute him, his estate was confiscated, all relatives within five degrees of kin were exiled south of the Ling, and members of Yi's household were reduced to bondage in Gui Prefecture.
71
神龍初，乃復官爵，子孫親屬緣坐者悉免。 開元初，澤兄渙為中書舍人，上言：「臣從伯祖奭，去顯慶三年與褚遂良等五門同被譴戮，雖被原雪，而子孫殆盡，唯曾孫無忝客籍龔州。 陛下先天後詔書，嘗任宰相家並錄其後。 況臣之伯祖無辜被誅，今槁窆未還，後嗣僑處，願許伯祖歸葬，孤孫北遷。」 於是詔無忝護奭柩歸鄉里，官給喪事。 無忝後歷潭州都督。
In the early Shenlong period his rank and titles were restored, and every descendant and kinsman implicated in the case was released from punishment. Early in the Kaiyuan reign, Ze's elder brother Huan, then Drafting Attendant of the Secretariat, memorialized: "My grand-uncle Yi, in Xianqing 3 (658), was condemned and executed along with Chu Suiliang and four other families. Though later exonerated, his line was all but extinguished; only his great-grandson Wutian still lives as a registered guest in Gong Prefecture. Your Majesty's edicts from the Xiantian period onward have at times restored the descendants of former chief ministers to office. My grand-uncle was put to death though guiltless; his coffin still lies unburied, and his orphaned descendants remain in exile. I beg leave to bring his remains home for burial and to let the lone grandson return north. An edict then appointed Wutian to escort Yi's coffin back to his home district, with official funds for the funeral. Wutian later served as military commissioner of Tan Prefecture.
72
馮元常
Feng Yuanchang
73
馮元常，相州安陽人，其先蓋長樂信都著姓。 曾祖子琮，北齊右僕射。 叔祖慈明，有文辭，仕隋為內史舍人。 奉詔討李密，為密將所縛，身數創，密厚禮之，情謂曰：「東都危蹙，我欲率四方賢豪建功業，幸公同之。」 慈明曰：「公家事先帝，名在王室，乃挾玄感舉兵，亡命至今，復圖反噬，何耶？」 密囚之。 俄為翟護所殺。 武德初，贈吏部尚書，謚壯武。
Feng Yuanchang, a native of Anyang in Xiang Prefecture, came from what was likely a prominent clan of Xindu in Changle. His great-grandfather Zicong had been Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs under Northern Qi. His grand-uncle Ciming, a man of literary talent, served the Sui as Drafting Attendant within the Secretariat. Sent to suppress Li Mi, he was captured by one of Mi's generals after sustaining many wounds. Mi treated him with honor and pleaded, "The Eastern Capital is in dire straits. I mean to rally the worthy men of the realm to build an enterprise—will you stand with me? Ciming replied, "Your house served the late emperor; your name belongs to the imperial clan. Yet you followed Yang Xuangan in rebellion, have lived as a fugitive until now, and again seek to turn on your sovereign—how can that be?" Mi had him imprisoned. Soon afterward he was killed by Zhai Hu. At the start of the Wude reign he was posthumously appointed Minister of Personnel and given the posthumous title Zhuangwu.
74
元常舉明經及第，調浚儀尉。 高宗時，擢累監察御史、劍南道巡察使，興利除害，蜀人順賴。 歷尚書左丞。 嘗密諫帝中宮權重，宜少抑，帝雖置其計，而內然之，由是為武后所惡。 元常在職脩舉，識鑒澄遠，帝委遇特厚。 及不豫，詔平章百司奏事。 武后擅朝，嵩陽令樊文進瑞石，後暴石朝堂示百官。 元常奏石妄偽，不可以示群臣。 後怒，出為隴州刺史。 會天下嶽牧集乾陵，後不欲元常得會，故道徙眉州刺史。 劍南有光火盜，夜掠人，晝伏山谷。 元常喻以恩信，約悔過自新，賊相率脫甲面縛。 賊平，轉廣州都督，詔便驛走官。 安南酋領李嗣仙殺都護劉延祐，劫州縣，詔元常討之。 率士卒航海，馳檄先示禍福，賊黨多降，元常縱兵斬首惡而還。 雖有功，猶以拂旨見怨，不錄功。 凡三徙，終不得至京師，卒為酷吏周興所陷，追赴都，下獄死。
Yuanchang passed the Mingjing examination and was appointed commandant of Junyi. Under Emperor Gaozong he rose through repeated promotions to Investigating Censor and Touring Commissioner of the Jiannan Circuit, where he removed abuses and promoted what was beneficial until the people of Shu came to trust him. He served as Left Vice Director of the Secretariat. He once privately urged the emperor that the empress's power in the inner palace was excessive and should be curbed. The emperor did not adopt the proposal, yet inwardly he agreed—and from this Empress Wu came to detest him. In office Yuanchang upheld proper conduct and his judgment was lucid and far-sighted; the emperor relied on him with exceptional trust. When the emperor grew ill, an edict named him to join in deciding memorials from every department. With Empress Wu dominating the court, Songyang Magistrate Fan Wenjin presented a "propitious" stone, which the empress had displayed in the hall before the assembled officials. Yuanchang submitted that the stone was a forgery and should not be displayed to the ministers. The empress, enraged, had him transferred out to serve as prefect of Long Prefecture. When governors from across the empire assembled at Qianling, the empress did not want Yuanchang present and had his route diverted, transferring him instead to prefect of Mei Prefecture. In Jiannan there were "torch-and-fire" bandits who raided by night and lay hidden in the valleys by day. Yuanchang appealed to them with kindness and good faith, offering amnesty if they repented; the bandits then came forward in succession, stripping off armor and surrendering with hands bound. After the bandits were pacified he was transferred to military commissioner of Guang Prefecture, with orders to travel by post relay and take up the post immediately. The Annam chieftain Li Sixian killed Protector-General Liu Yanyou and plundered prefectures and counties; Yuanchang was ordered to campaign against him. He led troops by sea and first sent out proclamations setting out reward and punishment; many rebels submitted, and Yuanchang then sent his troops to execute the chief culprits before returning. Despite his success, he had crossed the empress's will and earned her resentment, so his merit went unrewarded. Transferred three times in all, he never reached the capital again. At last the cruel official Zhou Xing framed him; he was summoned to court, thrown into prison, and died there.
75
元常閨門雍睦，有禮法，雖小功喪不禦私室。 神龍中，旌其家，大署曰「忠臣之門」。 天下高其節，凡名族皆願通婚。
Within his household Yuanchang maintained harmony and strict ritual propriety; even during mourning for a distant kinsman he would not enter a private room. During the Shenlong period his family was officially honored with a large plaque reading "Gate of Loyal Ministers." The realm held his integrity in high esteem, and distinguished families everywhere sought marriage ties with his house.
76
從弟元淑，及後時，歷清漳、浚儀、始平三縣令，右善去惡，人稱為神明。 與奴仆日一食，馬日一秣，所至不挈妻子，斥奉余以給貧窮。 或譏其近名，元淑曰：「吾性也，不為苦。」 中宗降璽書勞勉，付狀史官。 元淑約潔過於元常，然剛直不及也。 終祠部郎中。
His younger cousin Yuanshu, under Empress Wu, served in succession as magistrate of Qingzhang, Junyi, and Shiping, where he promoted the good and punished the wicked until the people hailed him as a spirit of justice. He took one meal a day with his servants and fed each horse a single ration; he never brought wife or children on his postings, and gave away his surplus salary to the needy. When some ridiculed him for seeking a name for virtue, Yuanshu said, "That is simply my nature; I do not consider it hardship. Emperor Zhongzong issued an imperial letter of praise and had the record forwarded to the historiographer. Yuanshu was even more austere and abstemious than Yuanchang, but he fell short of him in forthright integrity. He ended his career as Director in the Ministry of Rites.
77
蔣欽緒
Jiang Qinxu
78
蔣欽緒，萊州膠水人。 頗工文辭，擢進士第，累遷太常博士。 中宗始親郊，國子祭酒祝欽明建言，皇后應亞獻，欲以媚韋氏。 天子疑之，詔禮官議。 眾曲意阿徇，欽緒獨抗言不可，諸儒壯其節。
Jiang Qinxu was a native of Jiaoshui in Laizhou. Skilled in literary composition, he passed the jinshi examination and rose through repeated promotions to Erudite of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. When Emperor Zhongzong first performed the suburban sacrifice in person, Chancellor of the Directorate of Education Zhu Qinming proposed that the empress serve as secondary offerer—a move meant to curry favor with the Wei clan. The emperor was uncertain and ordered the ritual specialists to debate the question. Most officials twisted their views to flatter and agree, but Qinxu alone protested that it was impermissible, and the ritual scholars admired his fortitude.
79
歷吏部員外郎。 始，韓琬為高郵主簿，使京師，自負其才，有不遇之言題客舍。 它日，欽緒見之，笑曰：「是子嘆後時耶？」 久之，琬舉賢良方正，欽緒擢其文異等，因謂曰：「朋友之過免未？」 琬曰：「今日乃見君子之心。」 其務薦引士類此。
He served as Vice Director in the Ministry of Personnel. Earlier, when Han Wan was chief clerk of Gaoyou and traveled to the capital, he was so confident in his talent that he inscribed a complaint about going unrecognized on the wall of a roadside inn. One day Qinxu saw the inscription and laughed: "Is this man complaining that his hour has not yet arrived? Years later, when Wan was nominated as Worthy and Upright, Qinxu graded his essay in the highest class and then asked him, "Is a friend's fault forgiven now?" Wan replied, "Today I have seen what a true gentleman's heart is like." Such was his zeal in recommending and advancing men of talent.
80
欽緒精治道，馭吏整嚴，雖銖秒罪不貸。 出為華州長史。 蕭至忠自晉州被召，過欽緒，欽緒本姻家，因戒曰：「以君才不患不見用，患非分而求耳。」 至忠竟及禍。 開元十三年，以御史中丞錄河南囚，宣尉百姓，振窮乏。 徙吏部侍郎，歷汴、魏二州刺史，卒。
Qinxu had mastered the principles of governance; he managed officials with strict discipline and would not overlook even the slightest infraction. He was sent out to serve as chief administrator of Hua Prefecture. When Xiao Zhizhong was recalled from Jin Prefecture and stopped to see Qinxu—a kinsman by marriage—Qinxu warned him: "With your ability you need not worry about going unrecognized; what you should fear is reaching for what is not rightfully yours. Zhizhong ultimately came to ruin. In Kaiyuan 13 (725) he served as Assistant Censor-in-Chief reviewing prisoners in Henan, proclaiming reassurance to the people and relieving the poor. He was transferred to Vice Director of the Ministry of Personnel, then served in succession as prefect of Bian and Wei before his death.
81
性孤潔自守，唯與賈曾、郭利貞相友雲。
Solitary, upright, and self-contained by nature, he kept close company with only Jia Zeng and Guo Lizhen.
82
子沇，亦專潔博學，少有名。 以孝廉授洛陽尉，遷監察御史，與兄演、溶、弟清俱為才吏，有名天寶間。 始，河南尹韓朝宗、裴迥嘗委訊覆檢句，而處事平，剖斷精允，群寮莫能望也。 乾元中，歷陸渾、盩厔、咸陽、高陵四縣令，美政流行，長老紀焉。 郭子儀軍出其縣，敕麾下曰：「蔣沇，賢令，供億當有素，士得蔬飯足矣，毋撓其清也！」 遷長安令，以刑部郎中兼侍御史，領渭橋運出納使。
His son Mian was equally upright and widely learned and won renown while still young. Nominated as Filial and Incorrupt, he was appointed assistant magistrate of Luoyang and then Investigating Censor; he and his elder brothers Yan and Rong and his younger brother Qing were all capable officials renowned during the Tianbao period. When Henan Intendant Han Chaozong and Pei Jiong first put him in charge of reviewing cases, his decisions were even-handed and his rulings exact, and none of his colleagues could equal him. During the Qianyuan reign he served in succession as magistrate of Luhun, Zhouzhi, Xianyang, and Gaoling, where his excellent administration was widely praised and remembered by the elders. When Guo Ziyi's army marched through his county, he instructed his commanders: "Magistrate Jiang Mian is a man of worth; his provisions should already be in good order. Plain vegetables and rice are enough for the troops—do not disturb his integrity! He was promoted to magistrate of Chang'an and, as Director in the Ministry of Justice with concurrent duty as Attending Censor, oversaw disbursements at the Weiqiao transport depot.
83
元載持政，守道士類不遷，沇以故滯郎位，不得調。 常袞代相，聞士議恨沇屈，故擢御史中丞、東都副留守。 再遷大理卿，持法明審，號稱職。 德宗出奉天，沇奔行在，為賊所拘，欲誘署偽職，沇絕食不應命，竄伏里中，不復見。 京師平，乃出，擢右散騎常侍。 卒年七十四，贈工部尚書。
Under Yuan Zai's dominance, upright officials were seldom promoted, and Mian for that reason languished in a director's post without reassignment. When Chang Gun replaced Yuan Zai as chancellor, hearing scholars complain that Mian had been treated unjustly, he promoted him to Assistant Censor-in-Chief and Deputy Eastern Capital Intendant. He was promoted again to Chief Judge of the Court of Judicial Review, where he applied the law with clarity and precision and was regarded as thoroughly competent. When Emperor Dezong withdrew to Fengtian, Mian hurried to the mobile court but was captured by rebels who tried to lure him into a puppet appointment. He refused food and would not submit, then went into hiding in the alleys and was seen no more. After the capital was recovered he emerged and was promoted to Right Regular Attendant. He died at seventy-four and was posthumously appointed Minister of Works.
84
清，舉明經中第，調鞏丞。 東京留守李靰賢之，表為判官。 與憕同死安祿山亂，贈禮部侍郎。 敬宗時，錄其孫鄅為伊闕令。 初，清蒙難，以秩卑不及謚。 太和初，其出吏部郎中王高言之朝，追謚曰忠。
Qing passed the Mingjing examination and was appointed assistant magistrate of Gong. Eastern Capital Intendant Li Cheng admired him and recommended him as judge on his staff. He died alongside Li Cheng during the An Lushan rebellion and was posthumously appointed Vice Minister of Rites. During Emperor Jingzong's reign his grandson Yu was appointed magistrate of Yique. At first, because Qing met his death while still in a low post, no posthumous title was granted. At the start of the Taihe reign his descendant Wang Gao, Deputy Director in the Ministry of Personnel, raised the matter at court, and Qing was posthumously given the title Zhong ("Loyal").