1
李棲筠，字貞一，世為趙人。 幼孤。 有遠度，莊重寡言，體貌軒特。 喜書，多所能曉，為文章，勁迅有體要。 不妄交遊。 族子華每稱有王佐才，士多慕向。 始，居汲共城山下，華固請舉進士，俄擢高第。 調冠氏主簿，太守李峴視若布衣交。 遷安西封常清節度府判官。 常清被召，表攝監察御史，為行軍司馬。 肅宗駐靈武，發安西兵，棲筠料精卒七千赴難，擢殿中侍御史。
Li Qiyun, whose courtesy name was Zhenyi, came from a Zhao family of long standing. He lost his parents while still young. He possessed breadth of vision, was solemn and reticent, and cut an imposing, distinguished figure. He delighted in learning, mastered many subjects, and wrote prose that was vigorous, swift, and structurally sound. He was careful about whom he befriended. His kinsman Li Hua often declared that he had the makings of a chief minister, and scholars flocked to admire him. At first he lived at the foot of Gongcheng Mountain in Ji; Li Hua pressed him to sit for the jinshi examination, and he soon placed at the head of the list. He was posted as chief clerk of Guanshi, where Prefect Li Xian treated him as an equal friend. He was transferred to serve as secretary in Feng Changqing's Anxi command. When Feng Changqing was recalled to court, Qiyun had himself appointed acting investigating censor and served as army marshal. When Emperor Suzong held court at Lingwu and Anxi forces were called up, Qiyun picked seven thousand elite troops to march to the emperor's aid and was promoted to palace attendant censor.
2
李峴為大夫，以三司按群臣陷賊者，表棲筠為詳理判官。 推原其人所以脅汙者，輕重以情，悉心助峴，故峴愛恕之，譽一旦出呂諲、崔器上。 三遷吏部員外郎，判南曹。 時大盜後，選簿亡舛，多偽冒，棲筠判析有條，吏氣奪，號神明。 遷山南防禦觀察使。 會峴去相，棲筠坐所善，除太子中允，眾不直，改河南令。
When Li Xian became censor-in-chief, he used the Three Offices to investigate officials who had yielded to the rebels and nominated Qiyun as judge for detailed review of their cases. He traced the circumstances in which each man had been forced into complicity, weighing guilt and mercy by the facts of each case, and gave Xian his full support; Xian came to cherish and forgive him, and his reputation soon eclipsed that of Lü Yin and Cui Qi. After three promotions he became vice director of the Ministry of Personnel with concurrent charge of the Southern Bureau. After the great rebellion the appointment registers were lost and confused, and impersonation was rife; Qiyun's rulings were lucid and systematic, the clerks were overawed, and men hailed him as uncannily perceptive. He was appointed defense and observation commissioner of Shannan. When Li Xian left the chancellorship, Qiyun was punished as one of his favorites with appointment as junior tutor to the heir apparent; the public deemed this unjust, and he was reassigned magistrate of Henan.
3
李光弼守河陽，高其才，引為行軍司馬，兼糧料使。 改絳州刺史，擢累給事中。 是時，楊綰以進士不鄉舉，但試辭賦浮文，非取士之實，請置五經、秀才科。 詔群臣議，棲筠與賈至、李廙以綰所言為是。 進工部侍郎。 關中舊仰鄭、白二渠溉田，而豪戚壅上遊取硙利，且百所，奪農用十七。 棲筠請皆徹毀，歲得租二百萬，民賴其入，魁然有宰相望。 元載忌之，出為常州刺史。 歲仍旱，編人死徙踵路，棲筠為浚渠，廝江流灌田，遂大稔。 宿賊張度保陽羨西山，累年吏討不克，至是發卒捕斬，支黨皆盡，裏無吠狗。 乃大起學校，堂上畫《孝友傳》示諸生，為鄉飲酒禮，登歌降飲，人人知勸。 以治行進銀青光祿大夫，封贊皇縣子，賜一子官。 人為刻石頌德。
Li Guangbi, holding Heyang, admired his ability and took him on as army marshal with concurrent charge of grain supply. He was made prefect of Jiangzhou and then promoted in succession to supervising censor. At that time Yang Guan argued that jinshi candidates were no longer chosen through local recommendation but were tested only on polished rhetoric and showy compositions, which did not reflect the true purpose of selecting officials; he proposed establishing examinations in the Five Classics and a xiucai category. The emperor ordered the court to deliberate; Qiyun, Jia Zhi, and Li Yi agreed that Guan's proposal was right. He was promoted to vice minister of the Ministry of Works. Guanzhong had long depended on the Zheng and Bai canals to irrigate its fields, but powerful families dammed the upper reaches to run nearly a hundred mills and diverted seven-tenths of the water from agriculture. Qiyun asked that all of them be demolished; annual tax receipts rose by two million, the people benefited from the restored flow, and he bore himself like a man destined for the chancellorship. Yuan Zai resented him and had him posted out as prefect of Changzhou. Drought persisted that year, and the common people died or fled in endless procession along the roads; Qiyun dredged canals and directed the river to irrigate the fields, and the region enjoyed a bountiful harvest. The veteran outlaw Zhang Du had held West Mountain in Yangxian for years without officials overcoming him; now Qiyun sent troops who captured and executed him, wiped out his followers, and left the hamlets so quiet that no dog barked. He then greatly expanded the schools, had the Biographies of Filial Sons and Brothers painted in the hall for the students to study, and held village drinking rites with the prescribed ascent and descent of song and cup, so that all knew what conduct to emulate. For his administrative achievements he was promoted to Grand Master of Splendid Brightness with Silver Seal, enfeoffed as Baron of Zanhuang County, and granted an official post for one son. The people erected a stone inscription in praise of his virtue.
4
蘇州豪士方清因歲兇，誘流殍為盜，積數萬，依黟、歙間，阻山自防，東南厭苦。 詔李光弼分兵討平之。 會平盧行軍司馬許杲恃功，擅留上元，有窺江、吳意，朝廷以創殘，重起兵，即拜棲筠浙西都團練觀察使圖之。 棲筠至，張設武備，遣辯士厚賫金幣抵杲軍賞勞，使士歆愛，奪其謀。 杲懼，悉眾度江，掠楚、泗而潰。 以功進兼御史大夫。 則又增學廬，表宿儒河南褚沖、吳何員等，超拜學官為之師，身執經問義，遠邇趨慕，至徒數百人。 又奏部豪姓多徙貫京兆、河南，規脫徭科，請量產出賦，以杜奸謀。 詔可。
Fang Qing, a powerful man of Suzhou, exploited successive bad harvests to recruit starving refugees into banditry until his forces numbered tens of thousands; they held the mountains between Yi and She and the southeast groaned under their depredations. An edict ordered Li Guangbi to divide his forces and suppress them. At the same time Xu Gao, army marshal of Pinglu, rested on his achievements, stayed at Shangyuan without authorization, and eyed Jiang and Wu; the court, still recovering from war, was reluctant to mobilize again and immediately appointed Qiyun supreme training commissioner and observation commissioner of Zhexi to counter him. When Qiyun arrived he made a show of military readiness and sent persuasive envoys laden with gold and cash to Xu's camp to reward the troops, winning their affection and breaking up their conspiracy. Xu Gao grew fearful, crossed the Yangtze with his entire force, plundered Chu and Si, and then broke and fled. For this achievement he was promoted to concurrent censor-in-chief. He again expanded the school halls, recommended the veteran scholars Chu Chong of Henan and He Yuan of Wu, promoted them directly as instructors, took the classics in hand himself to inquire into their meaning, and scholars near and far flocked to him until his disciples numbered several hundred. He also memorialized that powerful families in his circuit often shifted their household registration to Jingzhao and Henan to evade corvée and tax levies, and asked that taxes be assessed on actual production to shut down such schemes. The emperor approved.
5
元載當國久，益恣橫，代宗不能堪，陰引剛鯁大臣自助，欲收綱權以黜載。 會御史大夫敬括卒，即召棲筠與河南尹張延賞，擇可為大夫者。 延賞先至，遂代括。 會李少良、陸珽等上書劾載陰事，詔御史問狀，延賞稱疾，不敢鞫，少良、珽覆得罪死。 帝殊失望，出延賞為淮南節度使，引拜棲筠為大夫。 始，棲筠見帝，敷奏明辯，不阿附，帝心善之，故制麻自中以授，朝廷莫知也，中外竦眙。 棲筠素方挺，無所屈。 於是華原尉侯莫陳怤以優補長安尉，當參臺，棲筠物色其勞，怤色動，不能對，乃自言為徐浩、杜濟、薛邕所引，非真優也。 始，浩罷嶺南節度使，以瑰貨數十萬餉載，而濟方為京兆，邕吏部侍郎，三人者，皆載所厚，棲筠並劾之。 帝未決。 會月蝕，帝問其故，棲筠曰：「月蝕脩刑，今罔上行私者未得，天若以儆陛下邪？」 繇是怤等皆坐貶。 故事，賜百官宴曲江，教坊倡顐雜侍，棲筠以任國風憲，獨不往，臺遂以為法。
Yuan Zai had long dominated the government and grew ever more overbearing; Emperor Daizong could endure it no longer and secretly enlisted stern, upright ministers to help him recover authority and remove Zai. When Censor-in-Chief Jing Kuo died, the emperor summoned Qiyun and Zhang Yanshang, Intendant of Henan, to decide who should succeed him. Yanshang arrived first and was appointed in Kuo's place. When Li Shaoliang, Lu Ting, and others memorialized accusing Zai of secret wrongdoing, an edict ordered the Censorate to investigate; Yanshang pleaded illness and dared not conduct the inquiry, and Shaoliang and Ting were in turn condemned and put to death. The emperor was deeply disappointed, posted Yanshang out as military commissioner of Huainan, and summoned Qiyun to be appointed censor-in-chief. When Qiyun first appeared before the throne he spoke clearly and argued forcefully without flattery; the emperor took a liking to him and issued the appointment edict from the inner palace without the court's knowledge, and the whole government stood astonished. Qiyun had always been upright and unyielding. At this time Hou Mochen Fu, assistant commandant of Hua Yuan, had been appointed assistant commandant of Chang'an through the "outstanding talent" quota and was due to report to the Censorate; Qiyun looked into his record, Fu's face changed and he could not answer, and he confessed that Xu Hao, Du Ji, and Xue Yong had recommended him though he was not truly outstanding. Earlier, when Xu Hao left the Lingnan command he had sent Zai rare goods worth hundreds of thousands; Du Ji was then intendant of the capital, Xue Yong was vice minister of personnel—all three were favorites of Zai—and Qiyun impeached them together. The emperor had not yet reached a decision. When a lunar eclipse occurred, the emperor asked its meaning; Qiyun said, "Eclipses warn that punishments must be set right. Those who deceive the throne and pursue private gain have not yet been brought to justice—could Heaven be warning Your Majesty? Thereupon Fu and the others were all condemned and demoted. By custom the emperor gave the officials a banquet at Qujiang with performers from the Music Office in attendance; Qiyun, charged with upholding the state's moral standards, alone stayed away, and the Censorate thereafter made this its rule.
6
帝比比欲召相，憚載輒止。 然有進用，皆密訪焉，多所補助。 棲筠見帝猗違不斷，亦內憂憤，卒，年五十八，自為墓誌。 贈吏部尚書，謚曰文獻。
Again and again the emperor wished to appoint a chancellor, but fear of Zai always stopped him. Yet whenever he considered appointments, he secretly sought Qiyun's counsel, and Qiyun gave him much help. Seeing the emperor vacillate without resolution, Qiyun was inwardly troubled and aggrieved; he died at fifty-eight, having composed his own epitaph. He was posthumously made minister of personnel, with the posthumous title Wenxian (Literary Offering).
7
棲筠喜獎善，而樂人攻己短，為天下士歸重，不敢有所斥，稱贊皇公雲。
Qiyun delighted in encouraging excellence and welcomed criticism of his own faults; scholars throughout the empire looked up to him, and none dared speak ill of him—they called him the Duke of Zanhuang.
8
子吉甫。 吉甫字弘憲，以蔭補左司禦率府倉曹參軍。 貞元初，為太常博士，年尚少，明練典故。 昭德皇后崩，自天寶後中宮虛，恤禮廢缺。 吉甫草具其儀，德宗稱善。 李泌、竇參器其才，厚遇之。 陸贄疑有黨，出為明州長史。 贄之貶忠州，宰相欲害之，起吉甫為忠州刺史，使甘心焉。 既至，置怨，與結歡，人益重其量，坐是不徙者六歲。 改郴、饒二州。 會前刺史繼死，咸言牙城有物怪，不敢居。 吉甫命菑除其署以視事，吏由是安。 誅破奸盜窟穴，治稱流聞。
His son was Li Jifu. Li Jifu, courtesy name Hongxian, entered office by hereditary privilege as warehouse clerk of the Left Bureau of the Imperial Guard Command. Early in the Zhenyuan reign he served as Erudite of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices; though still young, he was thoroughly versed in ritual precedent. When Empress Zhaode died, the inner palace had stood vacant since the Tianbao era and mourning rites had long been neglected. Jifu drafted the full ritual program, and Emperor Dezong commended it. Li Bi and Dou Can admired his ability and treated him with great favor. Lu Zhi suspected him of factional ties and had him posted out as chief administrator of Mingzhou. When Lu Zhi was demoted to Zhongzhou, the chancellor wished to destroy him and appointed Jifu prefect of Zhongzhou so that he might take satisfaction in Lu Zhi's downfall. Once he arrived he put aside resentment and befriended Lu Zhi; people admired his magnanimity all the more, and for this reason he was not transferred for six years. He was transferred to the prefectures of Chen and Rao. Several successive prefects had died in office, and everyone said the yamen compound was haunted and dared not live there. Jifu ordered the overgrown compound cleared and took up residence to conduct affairs, and the staff were reassured. He destroyed the lairs of bandits and criminals, and his reputation for good governance spread widely.
9
憲宗立，以考功郎中召，知制誥。 俄入翰林為學士，遷中書舍人。 劉闢拒命，帝意討之，未決。 吉甫獨請無置，宜絕朝貢以折奸謀。 時李錡在浙西，厚賂貴幸，請用韓滉故事領鹽鐵，又求宣、歙。 問吉甫，對曰：「昔韋臯蓄財多，故劉闢因以構亂。 李錡不臣有萌，若益以鹽鐵之饒、采石之險，是趣其反也。」 帝寤，乃以李巽為鹽鐵使。 高崇文圍鹿頭未下，嚴礪請出并州兵，與崇文趨果、閬，以攻渝、合，吉甫以為非是，因言：「漢伐公孫述，晉伐李勢，宋伐譙縱，梁伐劉季連、蕭紀，凡五攻蜀，繇江道者四。 且宣、洪、蘄、鄂強弩，號天下精兵，爭險地兵家所長，請起其兵搗三峽之虛，則賊勢必分，首尾不救，崇文懼舟師成功，人有鬥誌矣。」 帝從之。 礪復請大臣為節度，吉甫諫曰：「崇文功且成，而又命帥，不復盡力矣。」 因請以西川授崇文，而屬礪東川，益資、簡六州，使兩川得以相制。 由是崇文悉力。 劉闢平，吉甫謀居多。
When Emperor Xianzong came to the throne, Jifu was summoned as director of the Bureau of Evaluations and entrusted with drafting edicts. Soon he entered the Hanlin Academy as academician and was promoted to drafting secretary of the Secretariat. Liu Pi defied imperial orders; the emperor wished to suppress him but had not yet made up his mind. Jifu alone advised against dispatching troops and urged that court tribute be cut off to frustrate Liu Pi's designs. At that time Li Qi held Zhexi, lavished bribes on the emperor's favorites, asked to take charge of the salt and iron monopoly by the precedent of Han Huang, and also sought Xuancheng and Shezhou. The emperor asked Jifu, who replied, "In the past Wei Gao amassed great wealth, and Liu Pi was thereby able to raise rebellion. Li Qi already shows signs of disloyalty; if you add the wealth of the salt and iron monopoly and the strategic strongpoint of Caishi, you will push him toward rebellion. The emperor saw the point and appointed Li Xun salt and iron commissioner instead. Gao Chongwen had besieged Lutou without success; Yan Li proposed sending Bingzhou troops to join Chongwen in marching on Guo and Lang to attack Yu and He. Jifu objected, saying, "When Han attacked Gongsun Shu, Jin attacked Li Shi, Song attacked Qiao Zong, and Liang attacked Liu Jilian and Xiao Ji—in all five campaigns against Shu, four went by the Yangtze route. Moreover the crossbowmen of Xuan, Hong, Qi, and E are reckoned the finest troops in the empire, and seizing strategic ground is what soldiers do best. Raise their forces to strike the undefended Three Gorges; the rebels will be divided and unable to aid each other, and Chongwen, fearing that the river fleet will win the glory, will fight all the harder. The emperor followed his advice. Yan Li again asked that a senior minister be made military commissioner; Jifu remonstrated, "Chongwen's victory is nearly won; if another commander is appointed over him, he will no longer give his full effort. He therefore proposed giving West River Circuit to Chongwen while assigning Yan Li East River Circuit with the six prefectures of Yi, Zi, and Jian added, so that the two circuits could keep each other in check. Thereupon Chongwen gave his full effort. When Liu Pi was suppressed, Jifu's counsel had played the leading part.
10
吐蕃遣使請尋盟，吉甫議：「德宗初，未得南詔，故與吐蕃盟。 自異牟尋歸國，吐蕃不敢犯塞，誠許盟，則南詔怨望，邊隙日生。」 帝辭其使。 復請獻濱塞亭障南北數千里求盟，吉甫謀曰：「邊境荒岨，犬牙相吞，邊吏按圖覆視，且不能知。 今吐蕃綿山跨谷，以數番紙而圖千里，起靈武，著劍門，要險之地所亡二三百所，有得地之名，而實喪之，陛下將安用此？」 帝乃詔謝贊普，不納。
Tibet sent envoys asking to renew the alliance; Jifu argued, "Early in Dezong's reign, before we had secured Nan Zhao, we allied with Tibet for that reason. Since Yi Mouxun submitted to the court, Tibet has not dared raid the frontier; if we renew the alliance now, Nan Zhao will grow resentful and border clashes will multiply day by day. The emperor declined the Tibetan envoys. They again offered maps of frontier forts and posts stretching thousands of li north and south in exchange for an alliance; Jifu advised, "The borderlands are rugged and interlocking; frontier officials who pore over maps still cannot tell where the lines run. Now Tibet spans mountains and valleys and maps a thousand li on a few sheets of paper from Lingwu to Jianmen; two or three hundred strategic strongpoints are lost—we gain the name of territory while in fact surrendering it. What use can Your Majesty make of this? The emperor then sent an edict thanking the Tibetan ruler and declined the offer.
11
張愔既得徐州，帝又欲以濠、泗二州還其軍，吉甫曰：「泗負淮，餉道所會，濠有渦口之險，前日授建封，幾失形勢。 今愔乃兩廊壯士所立，雖有善意，未能制其眾。 又使得淮、渦，厄東南走集，憂未艾也。」 乃止。
After Zhang Yin secured Xuzhou, the emperor again wished to return Hao and Si prefectures to his army; Jifu said, "Si commands the Huai and sits at the junction of supply routes; Hao holds the strategic Wokou crossing. When we gave these to Jianfeng before, we nearly lost control of the region. Yin was installed by the stalwart soldiers of the two wings; though he may mean well, he cannot control his men. If he also holds the Huai and Wo crossings, he will choke the southeast's lines of communication; our troubles will not end. The emperor dropped the plan.
12
中書史滑渙素厚中人劉光琦，凡宰相議為光琦持異者，使渙請，常得如素，宦人傳詔，或不至中書，召渙於延英承旨，迎附群意，即為文書，宰相至有不及知者。 由是通四方賂謝，弟泳，官至刺史。 鄭餘慶當國，嘗一責怒，數日即罷去。 吉甫請間，劾其奸，帝使簿渙家，得貲數千萬，貶死雷州。 又建言：「州刺史不得擅見本道使，罷諸道歲終巡句以絕苛斂，命有司舉材堪縣令者，軍國大事以寶書易墨詔。」 由是帝愈倚信。
Hua Huan, a clerk of the Secretariat, had long been close to the eunuch Liu Guangqi; whenever the chancellor's decision differed from what Guangqi wanted, Huan was sent to petition and usually got his way. Eunuchs sometimes delivered edicts without going through the Secretariat; Huan was summoned to Yan Ying to receive instructions, align with factional interests, and draft documents on the spot—chancellors sometimes learned of decisions only afterward. Through this he channeled bribes and gifts from all directions; his younger brother Yong rose to the rank of prefect. When Zheng Yuqing was in power, he once rebuked Huan in anger; within days Huan was dismissed. Jifu requested a private audience and impeached his corruption; the emperor ordered an audit of Huan's household and found assets worth tens of millions; Huan was demoted and died in exile at Leizhou. He also proposed: "Prefects must not visit their circuit commissioners without permission; abolish the year-end circuit inspections to end harsh exactions; order the relevant offices to recommend men fit to serve as county magistrates; and for major military and state affairs use the imperial treasure edict in place of informal ink edicts. Thereupon the emperor trusted him all the more.
13
元和二年，杜黃裳罷宰相，乃擢吉甫中書侍郎、同中書門下平章事。 吉甫連蹇外遷十餘年，究知閭裏疾苦，常病方鎮強恣，至是為帝從容言：「使屬郡刺史得自為政，則風化可成。」 帝然之，出郎吏十餘人為刺史。 自王叔文時選任猥冒，吉甫始簿其員，人得敘進，官無留才。 又度錡必反，勸帝召之，使者三往，以病解，而多持金啗權貴，至為錡遊說者。 吉甫曰：「錡，庸材，而所蓄乃亡命群盜，非有鬥誌，討之必克。」 帝意決。 復言：「昔徐州亂，嘗敗吳兵，江南畏之。 若起其眾為先鋒，可以絕徐後患。 韓弘在汴州，多憚其威，誠詔弘子弟率兵為掎角，則賊不戰而潰。」 從之。 詔下，錡眾聞徐、梁兵興，果斬錡降。 以功封贊皇縣侯，徙趙國公。 德宗以來，姑息蕃鎮，有終身不易地者。 吉甫為相歲餘，凡易三十六鎮，殿最分明。
In the second year of Yuanhe, when Du Huangchang left office, Jifu was promoted to vice director of the Secretariat and concurrent chancellor. After more than ten years of setbacks in provincial posts, Jifu knew firsthand the hardships of common people and had long deplored the overbearing power of military commissioners; now he told the emperor calmly, "If prefects in the subordinate commanderies could govern on their own, good government could take root. The emperor agreed and appointed more than ten court officials as prefects. Since Wang Shuwen's time appointments had been careless and corrupt; Jifu first drew up proper rosters so that men could advance in due order and no talent was left idle in office. He also judged that Li Qi would surely rebel and urged the emperor to summon him; envoys went three times but Qi pleaded illness, while he lavished gold on powerful courtiers until some even lobbied on his behalf. Jifu said, "Li Qi is a mediocrity, and his followers are desperate outlaws without fighting spirit; if we attack, we are sure to prevail. The emperor made up his mind. He added, "When Xuzhou rebelled in the past, its troops once defeated the Wu armies, and the Jiangnan region feared them. If we raise their troops as the vanguard, we can eliminate future trouble from Xuzhou. Han Hong at Bianzhou greatly feared their power; if we ordered Hong's sons and brothers to lead troops in a pincer movement, the rebels would collapse without a fight. The emperor followed his advice. When the edict was issued, Qi's followers heard that Xu and Liang troops were mobilizing, beheaded Qi, and surrendered. For this achievement he was enfeoffed Marquis of Zanhuang County and promoted to Duke of Zhao. Since Dezong's time the court had indulged military commissioners, and some held their posts for life without ever being transferred. In little more than a year as chancellor, Jifu rotated thirty-six military commands, with clear rankings of merit.
14
裴均以尚書右僕射判度支，結黨傾執政。 會皇甫湜等對策，指權強，用事者皆怒，帝亦不悅。 均黨因宣言：「殆執政使然。」 右拾遺獨孤郁、李正辭等陳述本末，帝乃解。 吉甫本善竇群、羊士諤、呂溫，薦群為御史中丞。 群即奏士諤侍御史，溫知雜事。 吉甫恨不先白，持之，久不決，群等銜之。 俄而吉甫病，醫者夜宿其第，群捕醫者，劾吉甫交通術士。 帝大駭，訊之無狀，群等皆貶。 而吉甫亦固乞免，因薦裴垍自代，乃以檢校兵部尚書、兼中書侍郎、同中書門下平章事，為淮南節度使。 帝為御通化門祖道，賜御餌禁方。 居三歲，奏蠲逋租數百萬，築富人、固本二塘，溉田且萬頃。 漕渠庳下不能居水，乃築堤閼以防不足，泄有餘，名曰平津堰。 江淮旱，浙東、西尤甚，有司不為請，吉甫白以時救恤，帝驚，馳遣使分道賑貸。 吉甫雖居外，每朝廷得失輒以聞。
Pei Jun, as right vice director of the Secretariat with concurrent charge of the Bureau of Revenue, formed a faction to undermine the ruling ministers. When Huangfu Shi and others answered the policy examination by denouncing the powerful, those in office were furious and the emperor was displeased as well. Jun's faction spread word that the chancellor was probably behind it. Right remonstrance officials Dugu Yu and Li Zhengci explained what had actually happened, and the emperor understood. Jifu had long favored Dou Qun, Yang Shie, and Lü Wen, and recommended Qun as vice censor-in-chief. Qun immediately memorialized appointing Shie attendant censor and Wen to handle miscellaneous censorial duties. Jifu resented not being consulted first, held up the appointments, and Qun and the others bore a grudge against him. Soon Jifu fell ill; a physician stayed overnight at his house; Qun arrested the physician and impeached Jifu for consorting with sorcerers. The emperor was greatly alarmed; investigation found no substance to the charge, and Qun and the others were all demoted. Jifu also firmly asked to be relieved, recommended Pei Ji to replace him, and was appointed acting minister of war, concurrent vice director of the Secretariat and chancellor, and military commissioner of Huainan. The emperor saw him off in person at Tonghua Gate and bestowed imperial provisions and secret medical prescriptions. After three years he memorialized remitting several million in overdue taxes, built the Furen and Guben reservoirs, and irrigated nearly ten thousand qing of farmland. The transport canal was too low to hold water; he built dikes and sluices to store water when scarce and release it when abundant, naming the structure the Pingjin Weir. The Jianghuai region suffered drought, especially eastern and western Zhe; the relevant offices failed to request relief; Jifu reported the need for timely aid; the emperor was alarmed and urgently dispatched envoys along separate routes to distribute relief. Though posted outside the capital, Jifu reported every gain and loss at court to the emperor.
15
六年，裴垍病免，復以前官召吉甫還秉政。 入對延英，凡五刻罷。 帝尊任之，官而不名。 吉甫疾吏員廣，繇漢至隋，未有多於今者，乃奏曰：「方今置吏不精，流品龐雜，存無事之官，食至重之稅，故生人日困，冗食日滋。 又國家自天寶以來，宿兵常八十餘萬，其去為商販、度為佛老、雜入科役者，率十五以上。 天下常以勞苦之人三，奉坐待衣食之人七。 而內外官仰奉稟者，無慮萬員，有職局重出，名異事離者甚眾，故財日寡而受祿多，官有限而調無數。 九流安得不雜？ 萬務安得不煩？ 漢初置郡不過六十，而文、景化幾三王，則郡少不必政紊，郡多不必事治。 今列州三百、縣千四百，以邑設州，以鄉分縣，費廣制輕，非致化之本。 願詔有司博議，州縣有可並並之，歲時入仕有可停停之，則吏寡易求，官少易治。 國家之制，官一品，奉三千，職田祿米大抵不過千石。 大歷時，權臣月奉至九千緡者，州刺史無大小皆千緡，宰相常袞始為裁限，至李泌量閑劇稍增之，使相通濟。 然有名在職廢，奉存額去，閑劇之間，厚薄頓異，亦請一切商定。」 乃詔給事中段平仲、中書舍人韋貫之、兵部侍郎許孟容、戶部侍郎李絳參閱蠲減，凡省冗官八百員，吏千四百員。 又奏收都畿佛祠田、硙租入，以寬貧民。
In the sixth year Pei Ji resigned due to illness; Jifu was summoned back to his former offices to resume power. He entered audience at Yan Ying Hall and the session lasted five quarter-hours. The emperor honored and trusted him, addressing him by title rather than by name. Jifu deplored the swollen bureaucracy—from Han through Sui none had been as large as today's—and memorialized, "Appointments are careless, ranks are chaotic, idle offices are maintained at the cost of heavy taxation, the people grow poorer daily, and superfluous officials multiply daily. Moreover since the Tianbao era the standing army has regularly exceeded eight hundred thousand men; of those who leave to become merchants, join Buddhist or Daoist orders, or are diverted into corvée labor, on average more than fifteen percent. Throughout the realm there are usually three who labor for every seven who sit idle awaiting their sustenance. Yet civil and military officials drawing salaries number no less than ten thousand; many bureaus duplicate one another under different names, so revenue grows daily scarcer while salary recipients multiply, offices are limited but appointments are endless. How could ranks and offices not become chaotic? How could government not become hopelessly burdened? Early Han had no more than sixty commanderies, yet under Emperors Wen and Jing good government nearly matched the Three Dynasties; few commanderies did not mean disorder, nor did many commanderies guarantee good government. Today there are three hundred prefectures and fourteen hundred counties, creating prefectures from mere towns and counties from villages—costly and weak in control; this is not the foundation of good government. I ask that the relevant offices be ordered to deliberate: merge prefectures and counties where possible, suspend annual recruitment where possible—then officials will be fewer and easier to find, offices fewer and easier to govern. By state regulation, a first-rank official received three thousand in salary, and field allotments and grain emoluments together generally did not exceed one thousand shi. In the Dali era powerful ministers received monthly salaries of up to nine thousand strings; prefects of every rank received one thousand strings; Chancellor Chang Gun first imposed limits, and Li Bi later adjusted salaries slightly according to the demands of each post so that all could be balanced. Yet some officials retained their titles after their posts were abolished, drawing salaries without duties, and pay varied wildly between light and heavy posts—I also ask that all salaries be uniformly fixed. An edict ordered Supervising Secretary Duan Pingzhong, Drafting Secretary Wei Guanzhi, Vice Minister of War Xu Mengrong, and Vice Minister of Revenue Li Jiang to review and cut redundant posts; in all eight hundred superfluous officials and fourteen hundred clerks were eliminated. He also memorialized reclaiming temple lands and mill rents from Buddhist establishments in the capital region to relieve the poor.
16
德宗時，義陽、義章二公主薨，詔起祠堂於墓百二十楹，費數萬計。 會永昌公主薨，有司以請，帝命減義陽之半。 吉甫曰：「德宗一切之恩，不可為法。 昔漢章帝欲起邑屋於親陵，東平王蒼以為不可。 故非禮之舉，人君所慎。 請裁置墓戶，以充守奉。」 帝曰：「吾固疑其冗，減之，今果然。 然不欲取編民，以官戶奉墳而已。」 吉甫再拜謝。 帝曰：「事不安者第言之，無謂朕不能行也。」 十宅諸王既不出閤，諸女嫁不時，而選尚皆繇中人，厚為財謝乃得遣。 吉甫奏：「自古尚主必慎擇其人。 江左悉取名士，獨近世不然。」 帝乃下詔皆封縣主，令有司取門閥者配焉。
In Dezong's time the Princesses of Yiyang and Yizhang died; an edict ordered ancestral halls of one hundred twenty bays built at their tombs at a cost of tens of thousands. When Princess Yongchang died, the relevant offices made the same request; the emperor ordered half the scale used for Yiyang. Jifu said, "Dezong's indiscriminate favors cannot serve as precedent. In the past Emperor Zhang of Han wished to build walled dwellings at the tombs of his kin; the King of Dongping, Liu Cang, held this improper. Thus acts contrary to ritual are what a ruler must guard against. I ask that tomb households be limited in number to guard and maintain the graves. The emperor said, "I had long suspected it was excessive; reduce it—and you have proved me right. But I do not wish to take registered commoners—only official households to maintain the tombs." Jifu bowed twice in thanks. The emperor said, "Whatever troubles you, speak of it—do not think I am unable to act. The princes of the Ten Residences never left their quarters, the princesses were not married in timely fashion, and selection of husbands all went through eunuchs who had to be richly bribed before a match could be arranged. Jifu memorialized, "Since antiquity emperors have carefully chosen husbands for their daughters. In the south they always chose men of distinction; only in recent times has this not been so. The emperor then issued an edict enfeoffing them all as county princesses and ordering the relevant offices to select husbands from eminent families.
17
田季安疾甚，吉甫請任薛平為義成節度使，以重兵控邢、洺，因圖上河北險要所在，帝張於浴堂門壁，每議河北事，必指吉甫曰：「朕日按圖，信如卿料矣。」 劉澭舊軍屯普潤，數暴掠近縣，吉甫奏還涇原，畿民賴之。
When Tian Ji'an fell gravely ill, Jifu asked that Xue Ping be appointed military commissioner of Yicheng with strong forces to control Xing and Ming; he also submitted a map of strategic points in Hebei; the emperor posted it on the wall of the Bath Hall; whenever Hebei affairs were discussed he would point to Jifu and say, "I consult this map daily—it is exactly as you predicted. Liu Yong's old army was stationed at Purun and repeatedly raided nearby counties; Jifu memorialized to return them to Jingyuan, to the great relief of the capital region.
18
八年，回鶻引兵自西城、柳谷侵吐蕃，塞下傳言且入寇。 吉甫曰：「回鶻能為我寇，當先絕和而後犯邊，今不足虞也。」 因請起夏州至天德復驛候十一區，以通緩急； 發夏州精騎五百屯經略故城，以護党項而已。 既而果邊吏妄言。 六胡州在靈武部中，開元時廢之，置宥州以處降戶，寓治經略軍，居中以制戎虜，北援天德，南接夏州。 至德、寶應間，廢宥州，以軍遙隸靈武，道裏曠遠，故党項孤弱，虜數擾之。 吉甫始奏復宥州，乃治經略軍，以隸綏銀道，取鄜城神策屯兵九千實之。 以江淮甲三十萬給太原、澤潞軍，增太原馬千匹。 由是戎備完輯。
In the eighth year the Uyghurs led troops from Xicheng and Liugu to invade Tibet; along the frontier rumors spread that they would soon raid the border. Jifu said, "If the Uyghurs intended to raid us, they would first break the alliance and then attack the border; there is nothing to fear now. He therefore asked to restore eleven relay and watch stations from Xiazhou to Tiande for urgent communications; and to dispatch five hundred elite cavalry from Xiazhou to garrison the old frontier command seat, solely to protect the Tangut tribes. In the end it proved to be false alarm raised by frontier officials. The Six Hu Prefectures lay within the Lingwu region; in the Kaiyuan era they were abolished and Youzhou was established for surrendered tribes, administered from the frontier command, positioned to control the barbarians, supporting Tiande to the north and linking Xiazhou to the south. Between Zhide and Baoying Youzhou was abolished and the army was placed under distant Lingwu command; the route was vast and remote, the Tangut were isolated and weak, and the barbarians repeatedly harassed them. Jifu first memorialized to restore Youzhou, restored the frontier command, placed it under the Suibin circuit, and stationed nine thousand Shence troops from Fucheng there. Three hundred thousand suits of armor from the Jianghuai region were supplied to the Taiyuan and Zelu armies, and Taiyuan's horse complement was increased by one thousand. Thereby frontier defenses were brought into good order.
19
自蜀平，帝銳意欲取淮西。 方吉甫在淮南，聞吳少陽立，上下攜泮，自請徙壽州，以天子命招懷之，反間以撓其黨，會討王承宗，未及用。 後田弘正以魏歸，吉甫知魏人謂田進誠才，而唐州乃蔡喉衿，請拔進誠為刺史，以臨賊境，且慰魏心。 烏重胤守河陽，吉甫以汝州捍蔽東都，聯唐、許，當蔡西面，兵寡不足憚寇，而河陽乃魏博之津，弘正歸國，則為內鎮，不宜戍重兵示不信，請徙屯汝州。 帝皆從之。 後弘正拜檢校尚書右僕射，賜其軍錢二千萬，弘正曰：「吾未喜於移河陽軍也。」 及元濟擅立，吉甫以內地無唇齒援，因時可取，不當用河朔故事，與帝意合。 又請自往招元濟，茍逆誌不悛，得指授群帥俘賊以獻天子。 不許，固請至流涕，帝慰勉之。 會暴疾卒，年五十七。 帝震悼，賻外別賜縑五百恤其家，自大斂至卒哭，皆中人臨吊。 吉甫圖淮西地，未及上，帝敕其子獻之。 及葬，祭以少牢，贈司空。 有司謚曰敬憲，度支郎中張仲方非之，帝怒，貶仲方，更賜謚曰忠懿。
Since Shu was pacified, the emperor was keenly intent on recovering Huaixi. While Jifu was in Huainan he heard that Wu Shaoyang had succeeded to power and that his followers were divided; he volunteered to transfer to Shouzhou to win him over by imperial command and use counterintelligence to divide his faction; but the campaign against Wang Chengzong intervened and the plan was never carried out. Later when Tian Hongzheng brought Wei back to allegiance, Jifu knew the people of Wei admired Tian Jincheng's ability, and that Tangzhou was the throat of Cai territory; he asked to appoint Jincheng prefect of Tangzhou to face the rebels and reassure Wei. Wu Chongyin held Heyang; Jifu argued that Ruzhou shielded the eastern capital, linked Tang and Xu, and faced Cai on the west, and with few troops could not deter the enemy; yet Heyang was Weibo's strategic crossing—with Hongzheng's return it became an inner command and should not be heavily garrisoned as a sign of distrust; he asked to move the garrison to Ruzhou. The emperor approved all of these proposals. Later Hongzheng was appointed acting right vice director of the Secretariat and granted twenty million in cash for his army; Hongzheng said, "What pleases me is not the money but the transfer of the Heyang garrison. When Wu Yuanji seized power on his own, Jifu argued that the central provinces had no mutual support, that the moment could be seized, and that the Hebei precedent of indulgence should not apply—the emperor agreed. He also asked to go in person to win over Yuanji; if the rebel would not repent, he could direct the commanders to capture him and present him to the throne. The emperor refused; Jifu pressed his request until he wept; the emperor comforted and encouraged him. He then died suddenly of illness at the age of fifty-seven. The emperor was shocked and grieved; beyond the standard funeral gifts he bestowed five hundred bolts of silk on the family; from the encoffinment to the final mourning rites, eunuchs attended on the emperor's behalf. Jifu had mapped Huaixi territory but had not yet submitted the map; the emperor ordered his son to present it. At his burial the emperor sacrificed with the lesser tai la ritual and posthumously appointed him Minister of Works. The relevant offices proposed the posthumous title Jingxian (Respectful and Law-abiding); Bureau of Revenue director Zhang Zhongfang objected; the emperor was angry and demoted Zhongfang, changing the posthumous title to Zhongyi (Loyal and Admirable).
20
始，吉甫當國，經綜政事，眾職咸治。 引薦賢士大夫，愛善無遺，褒忠臣後，以起義烈。 與武元衡連位，未幾節度劍南，屢言元衡材，宜還為相。 及再輔政，天下想望風采，而稍修怨，罷李藩宰相，而裴垍左遷，皆其謀也。 李正辭晚相失，及與蕭俛同召為翰林學士，獨用俛而罷正辭，人莫不疑憚。 帝亦知其專，乃進李絳，遂與有隙，數辯爭殿上，帝多直絳。 然畏慎奉法，不忮害，顧大體。 左拾遺楊歸厚嘗請對，日已旰，帝令它日見，固請不肯退。 既見，極論中人許遂振之奸，又歷詆輔相，求自試，又表假郵置院具婚禮。 帝怒其輕肆，欲遠斥之，李絳為言，不能得。 吉甫見帝，謝引用之非，帝意釋，得以國子主簿分司東都。 初，政事堂會食，有巨床，相傳徙者宰相輒罷，不敢遷，吉甫笑曰：「世俗禁忌，何足疑邪？」 徹而新之。 吉甫居安邑裏，時號「安邑李丞相」。 所論著甚多，皆行於世。 前卒一歲，熒惑掩太微上相，吉甫曰：「天且殺我。」 再遜位，不許。
At first, when Jifu held power, he coordinated government affairs and every office functioned well. He recommended worthy scholar-officials, cherished talent without reserve, honored the descendants of loyal ministers, and thereby inspired righteous fervor. He served in succession with Wu Yuanheng; before long Yuanheng was posted military commissioner of Jiannan; Jifu repeatedly said Yuanheng had the talent to return as chancellor. When he again took up power, the realm looked to him with hope; yet he gradually nursed grievances—dismissing Li Fan from the chancellorship and demoting Pei Ji were all his doing. He fell out with Li Zhengci late in life; when Xiao Mian and Zhengci were both summoned as Hanlin academicians, he used only Mian and dismissed Zhengci—everyone suspected and feared him. The emperor also knew he was overbearing and advanced Li Jiang; the two clashed and often argued in court; the emperor usually sided with Jiang. Yet he was cautious and law-abiding, did not harm others out of jealousy, and kept the larger interest in view. Left remonstrance official Yang Guihou once requested an audience; the day was already late; the emperor told him to return another day; he insisted and refused to leave. Once received in audience he denounced the treachery of the eunuch Xu Suizhen, went on to denounce the chancellors, asked to be given a trial assignment, and memorialized to borrow the postal relay compound for his wedding. The emperor was angry at his presumption and wished to banish him; Li Jiang spoke on his behalf but could not prevail. Jifu saw the emperor and apologized for having recommended him improperly; the emperor relented, and Guihou was allowed to serve as director of studies at the National University on detached duty in Luoyang. At first, when the chancellors dined together in the Chancellery, there was a great couch; tradition held that whichever chancellor moved it would be dismissed, and none dared touch it; Jifu laughed and said, "What worldly superstition is worth heeding? He had it removed and replaced with a new one. Jifu lived in Anyi Lane and was known as "Chancellor Li of Anyi." He wrote extensively, and his works all circulated widely. A year before his death Mars occulted the Upper Chancellor star in the Taiwei constellation; Jifu said, "Heaven is about to take my life. He twice offered to resign; the emperor refused.
21
子德修，亦有誌操，寶歷中為膳部員外郎。 張仲方入為諫議大夫，德修不欲同朝，出為舒、湖、楚三州刺史。 卒。 次子德裕，自有傳。
His son Dexiu also had moral integrity; during the Baoli reign he served as vice director of the Bureau of Provisions. When Zhang Zhongfang entered office as remonstrance grandee, Dexiu refused to serve in the same court and was posted out as prefect of Shu, Hu, and Chu. He died. His second son Li Deyu has his own biography.
22
李鄘，字建侯，北海太守邕之從孫。 第進士，又以書判高等補秘書省正字。 李懷光辟致幕府，擢累監察御史。 懷光反河中，鄘與母、妻陷焉，因紿懷光以兄病臥洛且革，母欲往視； 懷光許可，戒妻子無偕行。 鄘私遣之，懷光怒，欲加罪，謝曰：「鄘籍在軍，不得為母駕，奈何不使婦往？」 懷光止不問。 後與高郢刺賊虛實及所以攻取者，白諸朝，德宗手詔褒答。 懷光覺，嚴兵召二人問之，鄘詞氣不撓，三軍為感動，懷光不殺，囚之。 河中平，馬燧破械致禮，表佐其府，以言不用，罷歸洛中。 召為吏部員外郎。
Li Yong, courtesy name Jianhou, was a grandnephew of the famous calligrapher Li Yong, who had served as prefect of Beihai. He passed the jinshi examination and, by high rank in the document judgment test, was appointed corrector of the Secretariat. Li Huaiguang recruited him to his staff, and he rose in succession to investigating censor. When Huaiguang rebelled in Hezhong, Yong and his mother and wife were trapped there; he deceived Huaiguang, saying his elder brother lay gravely ill in Luoyang and his mother wished to visit him; Huaiguang agreed but warned that his wife and children must not travel together. Yong secretly sent them off; Huaiguang was furious and wished to punish him; Yong apologized, saying, "I am registered in the army and cannot escort my mother—how could I not let my wife go? Huaiguang let the matter drop. Later he and Gao Ye investigated the rebels' strengths and weaknesses and how to defeat them, reported to the court, and Dezong personally wrote an edict praising their work. Huaiguang discovered this, mobilized his troops, and summoned the two men to question them; Yong's bearing did not waver, the whole army was moved, and Huaiguang imprisoned them rather than execute them. When Hezhong was pacified, Ma Sui released them and treated them with courtesy; Yong offered to serve on his staff, but when his counsel was ignored he returned to Luoyang. He was summoned as vice director of the Ministry of Personnel.
23
徐州張建封卒，兵亂，囚監軍，迫建封子愔主軍務。 帝以鄘剛敢，拜宣慰使，持節直入其軍，大會士，喻以禍福，出監軍獄中，脫桎梏，使復位，眾不敢動。 愔即上表謝罪，稱兵馬留後，鄘曰：「非詔命，安得輒稱之？」 削去乃受。 既還，稱旨，遷郎中。
When Zhang Jianfeng of Xuzhou died, the army mutinied, imprisoned the army supervisor, and forced Jianfeng's son Yin to take command. The emperor, knowing Yong to be firm and bold, appointed him pacification commissioner; bearing imperial credentials he entered the camp, assembled the troops, explained the consequences of their actions, freed the supervisor from prison, restored him to office, and none dared resist. Yin immediately memorialized confessing guilt and styled himself acting military commissioner; Yong said, "Without an imperial edict, how can you presume to use such a title? Only when the improper title was removed did he accept the memorial. After his return he pleased the emperor and was promoted to director.
24
順宗時，進御史中丞。 憲宗立，為京兆尹，進尚書右丞。 元和初，京師多盜賊，復拜京兆。 以檢校禮部尚書為鳳翔、隴右節度使。 是鎮常兼神策行營，前此用武將，始受詔，即詣軍脩謁。 鄘以為不可，詔為去神策行營號。 俄徙河東，入為刑部尚書、諸道鹽鐵轉運使。
During Shunzong's reign he was promoted to vice censor-in-chief. When Xianzong came to the throne he became Intendant of the Capital and was promoted to right vice director of the Secretariat. Early in the Yuanhe reign bandits were rife in the capital, and he was again appointed Intendant of the Capital. As acting minister of rites he was appointed military commissioner of Fengxiang and Longyou. This command regularly also controlled the Shence field army; previously military generals, upon receiving their appointment, immediately went to the army to pay their respects. Yong held this improper; an edict removed the Shence field army designation from his command. Soon he was transferred to Hedong, then recalled as minister of justice and transport commissioner for salt and iron of all circuits.
25
拜淮南節度使。 王師討蔡方急，李師道謀撓沮之，鄘以兵二萬分壁鄆境，貲餉不仰有司。 是時兵興，天子憂財乏，使程异馳驛江淮，諷諸道輸貨助軍。 鄘素富強，即籍府庫留一歲儲，餘盡納於朝，諸道由是悉索以獻，繄鄘倡之。
He was appointed military commissioner of Huainan. As imperial forces pressed the campaign against Cai, Li Shidao plotted to interfere; Yong stationed twenty thousand troops along the Yan border and supplied them from his own resources without relying on the central government. War was underway and the emperor worried over lack of funds; he sent Cheng Yi posthaste to the Jianghuai region to urge the circuits to contribute supplies for the army. Yong's circuit had long been prosperous; he inventoried the treasury, kept one year's reserves, and sent the rest to the court; the other circuits thereupon all searched out contributions to present—it was Yong who led the way.
26
先是，吐突承璀為監軍，貴寵甚，鄘以剛嚴治，相禮憚，稍厚善。 承璀歸，數稱薦之，召拜門下侍郎、同中書門下平章事。 鄘不喜由宦幸進，及出祖，樂作泣下，謂諸將曰：「吾老安外鎮，宰相豈吾任乎？」 至京師，不肯視事，引疾固辭，改戶部尚書。 俄檢校尚書左僕射，兼太子賓客，分司東都。 以太子少傅致仕，卒，贈太子太保，謚曰肅。
Earlier Tutu Chenghui served as army supervisor and was greatly favored; Yong governed with stern rigor; they came to respect and fear each other and gradually became friendly. When Chenghui returned to court he repeatedly recommended Yong, who was summoned as vice director of the Chancellery and concurrent chancellor. Yong disliked having advanced through eunuch favor; at his farewell feast, when the music played, he wept and said to his generals, "I am old and content as a frontier commander—how could the chancellorship be my place? When he reached the capital he refused to take office, pleaded illness, and was reassigned minister of revenue. Soon he was made acting left vice director of the Secretariat and concurrent guest of the heir apparent on detached duty in Luoyang. He retired as junior tutor to the heir apparent; upon his death he was posthumously made grand tutor to the heir apparent, with the posthumous title Su (Solemn).
27
鄘強直無私，與楊憑、穆質、許孟容、王仲舒友善，皆以氣自任。 而鄘當官，以峭法操下，所至稱治。 猛決少恩，在淮南七年，其生殺禽擿，多委軍吏，而參佐束手不得與，人往往陷非法，議者亦以此少之。
Yong was forceful, upright, and impartial; he was friendly with Yang Ping, Mu Zhi, Xu Mengrong, and Wang Zhongshu—all men who prided themselves on their integrity. In office Yong governed subordinates with stern discipline; wherever he served he was praised for good administration. He was fierce in judgment and sparing of mercy; during seven years in Huainan, decisions of life and death and arrests were mostly left to army officers while his staff could not intervene; many people suffered injustice, and critics held this against him.
28
子拭，仕歷宗正卿、京兆尹、河東鳳翔節度使，以秘書監卒。
His son Shi served as director of the Imperial Clan Court, Intendant of the Capital, and military commissioner of Hedong and Fengxiang, and died while serving as director of the Secretariat.
29
拭子磎，字景望。 大中末，擢進士，累遷戶部郎中，分司東都。 劾奏內園使郝景全不法事，景全反摘磎奏犯順宗嫌名，坐奪俸。 磎上言：「『因事告事，旁訟他人』者，咸通詔語也。 禮，不諱嫌名； 律，廟諱嫌名不坐。 豈臣所引詔書而有司輒論奏？ 臣恐自今用格令者，委曲回避，旁緣為奸也。」 詔不奪俸。
Shi's son Xi, whose courtesy name was Jingwang. Late in the Dazhong reign he passed the jinshi examination and rose in succession to director of the Bureau of Revenue on detached duty in Luoyang. He impeached Inner Park Commissioner Hao Jingquan for unlawful conduct; Jingquan in turn accused Xi's memorial of violating the taboo name of Emperor Shunzong, and Xi was punished by loss of salary. Xi submitted, "The phrase 'reporting a matter by way of a matter and bringing a side suit against another person' comes from a Xiantong edict. By ritual, homophones of taboo names are not avoided; and by law, violation of ancestral taboo homophones is not punishable. How could the relevant offices prosecute me on the basis of the very edict I cited? I fear that from now on those who apply regulations will twist them to evade justice and use side pretexts to commit wrongdoing. An edict ordered that his salary not be forfeited.
30
黃巢陷洛，磎挾尚書八印走河陽，時留守劉允章為賊脅，遣人就磎索印，拒不與。 允章悟，亦不臣賊。 嗣襄王之亂，轉側淮南，高駢受偽命，磎苦諫，不納。 入為中書舍人、翰林學士。 辭職歸華陰，復以學士召。
When Huang Chao took Luoyang, Xi carried off eight seals of the Secretariat and fled to Heyang; the acting commander Liu Yunzhang had been coerced by the rebels and sent someone to demand the seals; Xi refused. Yunzhang took the hint and also refused to submit to the rebels. During the turmoil over the succession of the Prince of Xiang, as events shifted in Huainan, Gao Pian accepted a false imperial commission; Xi remonstrated bitterly but was not heeded. He entered office as drafting secretary of the Secretariat and Hanlin academician. He resigned and returned to Huayin, then was summoned again as Hanlin academician.
31
磎好學，家有書至萬卷，世號「李書樓」。 所著文章及註解諸書傳甚多。 子沇，字東濟，有俊才，亦遇害，贈禮部員外郎。
Xi loved learning; his household held ten thousand scrolls of books, and he was known as "Li the Book Tower." He wrote extensively, including many commentaries on the classics and histories. His son Yan, courtesy name Dongji, had outstanding talent, also met a violent death, and was posthumously made vice director of the Ministry of Rites.
32
贊曰：剛者天德，故孔子稱「剛近仁」。 骨強四支，故君有忠臣，謂之骨鯁。 若棲筠、庸阝二子，其剛者歟！ 棲筠抗權邪，不及相； 庸阝得相，不願拜。 非剛，疇克勝之？ 吉甫踐天宰，謀謨是矣，而鯁正有愧於父雲。
The encomium says: Firmness is Heaven's virtue; therefore Confucius said that firmness is close to benevolence. When the bones are strong in the four limbs, the ruler has loyal ministers—men called the bone in the throat. Of Qiyun and Yong, these two men—were they not men of firmness! Qiyun resisted the powerful and corrupt but never became chancellor; Yong was offered the chancellorship but did not wish to accept it. Without firmness, who could have accomplished these things? Jifu held the highest office and his counsel was sound, yet in the bone-spur uprightness of a loyal remonstrator he fell short of his father.