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卷一百五十一 列傳第七十六 關董袁趙竇

Volume 151 Biographies 76: Guan, Dong, Yuan, Zhao, Dou˚ guāndǒngyuánzhàodòu

Chapter 151 of 新唐書 · New Book of Tang
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Chapter 151
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1
Guan, Dong, Yuan, Zhao, and Dou
2
使 耀
Guan Bo, whose courtesy name was Wuyuan, came from Ji in Weizhou. He passed the jinshi civil examination. Deng Jingshan governed Qingji and Huainan, and Guan served twice on his staff. He was promoted to the post of Right Remonstrator. He was connected by marriage to Wang Jiahe of the Shence Army; Yuan Zai took a dislike to him and had him posted as military affairs adjutant in Henan. Assigned repeatedly to oversee subordinate counties, his governance was rated in the highest class. Chen Shaoyou, who held Zhedong and Huainan, recommended him as administrative aide and acting prefect of Chuzhou. When Li Lingyao rose in rebellion, Shaoyou held the Huai line while bandits flared up everywhere. Bo drew on stored supplies and local strength to meet military needs, and the people were spared hardship. Yang Guan and Chang Gun both took a liking to Bo and had him appointed Vice Director of the Ministry of Punishments.
3
殿 使 使
Early in Emperor Dezong's reign, the Hunan cave-bandit Wang Guoliang terrorized prefectures and counties beyond control. An edict sent Bo to pacify the region, and he secured an audience in the hall to report on the mission. The emperor asked what mattered most in governing the realm. Bo replied, "At the root of statecraft lies finding worthy men who truly follow the Way; only then can the realm be well ruled." The emperor said, "I have lately issued edicts seeking talent and sent commissioners to promote and dismiss officials, combing for anyone overlooked—when the capable appear, they are to be used. What more is needed?" Bo said, "Your Majesty may seek worthies and order recommendations, yet you still end up with men who chase reputation and polish their prose. What man of true worth who follows the Way would accept a summons and beg his way into the selection process?" The emperor was pleased and said, "Withdraw for now; we shall take this up again." Bo added, "In carrying out the edict to pacify the bandits, if my orders are not obeyed I ask leave to raise provincial troops and cut them down once and for all." The emperor said, "Very well." After he returned he was promoted again to Supervising Secretariat Drafter. By established practice, the armor depots of the various ministries were staffed by clerks on rotating duty, who shaved off funds and turned corrupt. Bo replaced them all with scholar-officials, and contemporaries praised the reform.
4
退
He served in turn as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. The emperor was looking for a chief minister. Lu Qi had long known that Bo and Wei Rou were men he could control, and remarked at leisure that Bo's talents fitted the chief ministership and that his Confucian steadiness could steady volatile times. He was then appointed Vice Director of the Secretariat and chief minister, but every policy decision rested with Lu Qi alone. Once, while discussing policy before the emperor, Bo found something unacceptable and rose from his seat to speak, but Lu Qi glared him into silence. Afterward Qi told him, "You were brought here because you keep quiet—why do you want to open your mouth and argue over policy?" Bo fell silent in fear and no longer dared dispute with him.
5
使 使 使
At the time Li Yuanping, Tao Gongda, Zhang Su, and Liu Chengjie led a crowd of frivolous young men who haunted Bo's household, boasting grand schemes and basking in dreams of merit and fame. Bo declared them all material for generals and ministers and repeatedly urged the emperor to employ them. Yuanping was a distant offshoot of the imperial clan who loved to talk of war and held every scholar-official under heaven beneath contempt; everyone resented him. When Li Xilie rebelled, the emperor saw Ruzhou lying on the rebel line of advance and its prefect as too weak for the post. Bo lavishly praised Yuanping; the emperor summoned him and appointed him Left Remonstrator. Within days he was made acting Director of the Ministry of Personnel and concurrently Vice Prefect of Ruzhou, with charge of prefectural affairs. When Yuanping first arrived he recruited laborers to build the outer wall and dredge the moat. Xilie secretly sent fugitives to enlist; several hundred were inside the works, and Yuanping never caught on. The rebels sent Li Kecheng with elite cavalry against the city. The recruits rose inside, bound Yuanping, and rushed him before Xilie, who fouled himself on the ground. Xilie, seeing how small and beardless he was, joked to Kecheng, "Did I send you to take Yuanping, or only to bring me his son?" He then mocked and reviled him: "The blind chief minister sent you to deal with me—why do you take me so lightly!" He was given a false appointment as Vice Censor-in-Chief. When Bo heard the news he exclaimed in astonishment, "Yuanping's mission has succeeded!" He meant that Yuanping would surely overthrow the rebels and win glory; those around him laughed. Before long Xilie gave him a false appointment as chief minister. When reports of disloyalty reached him, Yuanping cut off a finger to swear his faith. Gongda and the others, because Yuanping had submitted to the rebels, were all cast aside and never employed.
6
使 使
Bo accompanied the emperor when he fled to Fengtian. Though Lu Qi and Bai Zhizhen had already been demoted, Bo still held power as chief minister, and critics would not accept it; he was therefore removed to Minister of Justice. Wei Lun and others said, "The chief minister planned poorly and drove the Son of Heaven into exile—how can he still hold a ministry?" They wept together at court over the matter. Before long he was put in charge of the Revision Commission. Earlier, in the Shangyuan era, an edict chose ten celebrated generals of antiquity to receive sacrificial companionship in the Martial Accomplishment Temple, on the model of the Ten Sages who accompany Confucius. Bo memorialized, "The Duke of Zhou was an ancient worthy minister, yet those installed beneath him are now called Sub-Sages. Confucius's Ten Sages were all disciples of his own day, whereas those now installed belong to different ages. I ask that this practice be abolished." The edict approved the request.
7
Early in the Zhenyuan era he was made acting Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs and, bearing credentials, escorted Princess Xian'an to marry into the Uyghurs; the foreigners respected his integrity. On his return he was transferred to Minister of War. He retired as Junior Preceptor of the Heir Apparent, sold off his carriages and mounts, and shut his gate against outside affairs. He died at seventy-nine and was posthumously granted Grand Preceptor of the Heir Apparent.
8
使
After Xilie's death, some argued that although Yuanping had submitted to the rebels he had harbored a plot that never came off, and his death sentence was commuted to exile in Zhenzhou. A general amnesty brought him back, and he settled in Shanzhong. The surveillance commissioner Huangfu Zheng killed his nephew to stir the emperor's wrath, and Yuanping was exiled to die in Hezhou.
9
Dong Jin, whose courtesy name was Huncheng, came from Yuxiang in Hezhong. He passed the Mingjing examination. When Emperor Suzong reached Pengyuan, Dong submitted a memorial to the traveling court and was appointed proofreader in the Secretariat, with attendance duty at the Hanlin Academy. He went out to serve as administrative aide on the staff of Cui Yuan, military commissioner of Huainan. Returning to court, he rose in stages to Director in the Ministry of Rites.
10
使 使
In the Dali era Li Han, bearing credentials, escorted Princess Chonghui to the Uyghurs and appointed Jin his administrative aide. The Uyghurs, relying on their past service, received the envoy arrogantly and asked, "Each year we sell you horses, yet Tang returns our gifts in insufficient measure—why is that?" Han was afraid and had not yet answered when he kept glancing at Jin. Jin said, "It is not that we lack horses and must trade with you as in a market—the gifts we have already bestowed on you are not few, are they? Your horses arrive five times a year, yet border offices count pelts to set the compensation price. The Son of Heaven has not forgotten your service and has ordered officials not to press the matter—yet you use this as grounds to demand more from us? All the frontier peoples take what we give you as the standard—none dares dispute it. You and your father would not live in peace or raise so many horses if not for us—who else would allow it!" The whole assembly bowed facing south and dared say nothing more. On his return he was promoted to Vice Director of the Secretariat.
11
When Emperor Dezong took the throne, he was appointed Director of the Court of the Imperial Treasury. Within ten days he was made Left Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary and concurrently Vice Censor-in-Chief, with charge of the Censorate's affairs. He was sent out to serve as prefect of Huazhou. When Zhu Ci rebelled he sent troops against Huazhou; Jin abandoned the prefecture and fled to the traveling court. He was reassigned as Chancellor of the National University and sent as Commissioner for Pacification and Comfort to Hengzhou. On his return he reached Hezhong just as Li Huaiguang rebelled. Jin urged him, "Zhu Ci was a subject who betrayed his lord—even if he had his way, what would that mean for you? Moreover you hold the rank of Grand Marshal; even if Ci favored you, he could add nothing to your standing. He cannot serve his lord—how could he serve you as a subject? If you could serve him, would there be any lord you could not serve? You still have more than enough strength to defeat the rebels. If you strike and seize them and clear the palace to welcome the Son of Heaven, even great past faults can be covered over—and who, in your case, would dare raise them?" Huaiguang was moved to joy and tears, and Jin wept as well. He also addressed Huaiguang's officers and men, and all bowed in assent. Therefore, though Huaiguang remained overbearing and difficult, he still did not aid Zhu Ci.
12
When the emperor returned to the capital, Jin was promoted Grand General of the Left Golden Guard and reassigned as Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs. At the time the Right Vice Director Yuan Xuan had been impeached and punished on petty charges by Han Huang, whose power now dominated the court. When Jin met the chief ministers he spoke out on Yuan Xuan's innocence, and scholar-officials admired his moral courage. In the fifth year of Zhenyuan he was made Vice Director of the Chancellery and chief minister. Just then Dou Can had won the emperor's trust and could decide major affairs without consulting Jin; Jin followed cautiously and raised no objections. Can wished to make his nephew Shen Vice Director of the Ministry of Personnel and hinted that Jin should report it to the throne. The emperor said angrily, "Surely Dou Can pressured you into this?" Jin apologized and explained in full how the matter had arisen. The emperor immediately asked about Can's faults; Jin concealed nothing, and Can was therefore removed as chief minister. Jin was alarmed and submitted a memorial firmly declining his post. In the ninth year he was removed to Minister of Rites and appointed Minister of War as Eastern Capital Defender.
13
使 便
When Li Wanrong of Xuanwu fell gravely ill and was near death, an edict appointed Jin acting Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs and chief minister as deputy military commissioner of Xuanwu, with charge of the commission's affairs. When Wanrong died, Deng Weigong took overall command of his army. When Jin received the appointment he summoned no troops—only the mounted escorts and attendants of his staff accompanied him, and that same day he set out on the road. At Zhengzhou no welcoming party appeared; people urged him to halt and see how matters stood, but Jin would not listen and went straight on to Bian. At the suburban greeting ground Weigong at last came out to welcome him and perform obeisance. Once inside he immediately entrusted civil and military administration to Weigong without changing a thing; the men admired Jin's bearing and could not fathom his design. Weigong had originally plotted to replace Wanrong and therefore sent no officials to receive Jin, hoping to make him afraid to enter. Once Jin arrived and the situation was clear, Weigong was discontented and could not settle his mind. The men of Bian had long been arrogant and accustomed to disorder; they often posted warriors to lie in ambush beneath the command tent, rotating in shifts morning and evening—Jin abolished the practice at once. Weigong then conspired with the senior generals Xiangli Chongyan and others to raise a revolt. Jin uncovered the plot, executed the conspirators, and had Weigong bound and sent to the capital. The emperor took account of his capture, spared his life, and banished him to Tingzhou. Fearing that Jin was too mild and bookish, the emperor appointed Lu Changyuan, prefect of Ruzhou, as army adjutant to assist him. Jin was modest and inclined to frugality and simplicity, and most matters followed precedent, so the army remained broadly at peace. Changyuan applied the law with harsh severity and repeatedly sought to overhaul old practices. Jin initially agreed, but in the end set every proposal aside. Financial affairs were entrusted to Meng Shudu, a man of frivolous character whom the troops despised. Jin spent five years with the army, then died at seventy-six. He was posthumously honored as Grand Tutor with the posthumous name Gonghui.
14
退
While Jin was chief minister, on the first day of the fifth month the emperor held court with all the nobles and ministers present. The attendant-in-chief was leading the officials in congratulation when Dou Can, acting Director of the Secretariat, fell ill before he could transmit the edict. The court officials looked at one another in confusion until Jin calmly stepped forward and said, "Acting Director of the Secretariat Minister Dou is ill and unable to serve. I request to take his place. Facing south, he proclaimed the edict with meticulous propriety in every movement. Golden Guard General Shen Fang was in period mourning. When his mourning was publicly ended, he entered the inner hall in ordinary dress. The emperor questioned Jin about it, and Jin replied, "By precedent, court officials in mourning below the full term wear bordered coarse hemp and no longer wear light-colored garments; officials of the outer ranks follow the same rule. The emperor then asked Jin about the regulations governing caps and ceremonial dress. Jin replied, "In antiquity, one wore cap and robe and used jade pendants to regulate one's pace. On the hall one shortened the steps; below the hall one took full steps; before the ruler one merely quickened forward—that was all. Nowadays some break into a run and fall as a result. Under court regulations, ministers wore silk robes, and from the fifth rank upward they wore gold-and-jade belts, fully adorned in service to the sovereign. Hence the Han Ministry attendant bearing incense and Laolai in colored dress—the ruler and one's father are one and the same. If that is so, then wearing bordered coarse hemp is likewise improper." The emperor agreed with what he said. An edict followed: officials entering the inner hall must not run; those in mourning below the full term might not attend court in mourning dress; and all ministers were to wear silk robes and gold-and-jade belts appropriate to their rank—a practice restored at Jin's urging.
15
使
His son Xi, courtesy name Weishen, also passed the Mingjing examination and rose through three promotions to become magistrate of Wannian. During the campaign against Wang Chengzong he was promoted to Director in the Bureau of Revenue and appointed grain-supply commissioner for the Eastern Expedition field headquarters. Convicted of embezzling military funds, he was exiled to Fengzhou; upon reaching Changsha he was ordered to take his own life. His son Juzhong was a gifted poet and won praise from Zhang Ji.
16
Lu Changyuan was a native of Wu, courtesy name Yong. His grandfather Yuqing served as Household Chief of the Crown Prince during the Tianbao era and enjoyed a reputation for integrity.
17
使 調 使
Well versed in scholarship, Changyuan first entered the staff of Xue Song of Zhaoyi. Song was extravagant and wasteful, and Changyuan often admonished him with tact. Song said, "If not for you, who else could speak to me this way? He later served in succession as prefect of Jian and Xin. When Han Huang concurrently served as transport commissioner for the Huai and Jiang circuits, he recruited Changyuan as deputy censor-in-chief and made him his assistant. He entered court as Director in the Bureau of Punishments, then returned to the provinces as prefect of Ruzhou. He was then transferred to Xuanwu, where all administrative affairs were decided by the army adjutant. At first he wished to restrain the arrogant troops with strict law, but Jin held him back and the plan could not be carried out. Yet the adjutants Yang Ning and Meng Shudu and others were also harsh and petty. Shudu was dissolute and unrestrained, often visiting brothels for lewd jest and sport. Whenever Jin slackened discipline, Changyuan promptly corrected him. When Jin died, Changyuan assumed charge of rear affairs and declared, "The officers and soldiers have long been negligent—I shall bring them under the law! The troops were finally afraid. The army asked that treasury silk and cloth be issued for mourning garments for Jin, but he refused. When they pressed the request, he would only pay the cash equivalent. Shudu, hoping to profit, again paid the cash value in salt. He inflated the price of salt and undervalued the cloth, so each man received only two jin of salt, and the entire army erupted in fury. Someone advised Changyuan, "By precedent, when there is a great upheaval one bestows generous gifts upon the army, and only then does the army settle down. Changyuan said, "In former times the Hebei rebels bought off garrison soldiers with money to seize the commander's insignia. I cannot bring myself to do that." The troops' anger grew even fiercer. Changyuan was rigid by nature, ill suited to changing circumstances, and made no preparations. After only eight days the army mutinied, killed Changyuan, Shudu, and the others, devoured their flesh, and the troops ran wild in a great pillage. On the day he died an edict arrived appointing him military governor. Near and far mourned him with sighs, and he was posthumously honored as Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs.
18
Changyuan was easygoing and fond of humor, without imposing bearing, yet he kept himself pure and upright. When he left Ruzhou, two carriages saw him off. He said, "When my grandfather left Weizhou he had one carriage, and books filled half of it. I am ashamed that I cannot measure up to my forebears."
19
使 使
After Changyuan's death, the army overseer Ju Wenzhen secretly summoned Songzhou prefect Liu Quanliang to take charge of rear affairs. When Quanliang arrived, the army mutinied again that same night. Order was restored only after five hundred senior officers and their retinues had been killed. The emperor immediately appointed Quanliang acting Minister of Works and military governor of Xuanwu.
20
使使 使 祿使使 使 使 使
Quanliang had originally been named Yihuai; at this time he was granted his new name. He was a native of Wushe in Huaizhou. His father Kenü, through frontier garrison service, remained registered in Youzhou. He served in the Pinglu army and won distinction for his strength and ability. During the Kaiyuan era the Shiwei chieftain Duan Pulu repeatedly harassed the frontier. Military governor Xue Chuyu sent Kenü alone on horseback to raid him, beheaded him, and returned. He rose from the ranks to be appointed General of the Left Xiaowei Guard and patrol commissioner. Cautious and plain by nature, he fought in many battles and won merit. When An Lushan rebelled, an edict appointed Pinglu deputy military governor Lü Zhihui as military governor. The rebels sent Han Chaoyang to win him over. Zhihui surrendered at once, and the rebels killed Andong deputy protector Ma Lingcha. Indignant, Kenü joined the other generals in killing Zhihui and sent an envoy to establish contact with Andong general Wang Xuanzhi. In the fifteenth year of Tianbao, Kenü was made prefect of Liucheng Commandery, acting Censor Grandee and Pinglu military governor, and granted the name Zhengchen. Wang Xuanzhi was made Andong deputy grand protector. Zhengchen sent an envoy by sea to Pingyuan and formed an alliance with prefect Yan Zhenqing. Zhenqing was delighted. He sent his son as a hostage, returned funds and grain, and asked that troops be sent out. Before they arrived, Zhenqing had abandoned Pingyuan, and so they turned back. They then raided Fanyang, were defeated by Shi Siming, fled back, and Xuanzhi, fearing reprisal, had Zhengchen killed.
21
Quanliang served Liu Xuanzuo as a yamen guard general. Xuanzuo treated him generously for his courage, decisiveness, and skill in mounted archery. He repeatedly held the concurrent post of censor-in-chief as well. When Xuanzuo's son Shining succeeded him, he suspected that Songzhou prefect Zhai Liangzuo was not loyal to him. Shining announced that he would tour the prefectures, and upon reaching Songzhou replaced Liangzuo with Quanliang, so the officers and soldiers of Bian largely came to favor him. He governed for eight months and died. He was posthumously honored as Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs. The army established Han Hong to replace him as military governor.
22
使
Yuan Zi, courtesy name Deshen, was a native of Langshan in Caizhou and a descendant of Chen attendant-in-chief Xian. He studied hard and had a broad memory. In youth he relied on Daozhou prefect Yuan Jie. Reading books, he grasped their meaning on his own, and Jie valued him. Later he sojourned between Jing and Ying, built a study hall, and lectured there. At the beginning of the Jianzhong era, promotion-and-demotion commissioner Zhao Zan recommended him to the court. He was raised from private life and granted the post of probationary collator. He was repeatedly recruited into the staffs of Zhang Boyi and He Shigan and rose to Rectifier in the Heir Apparent's Household. When a Ministry official was imprisoned for stealing gold, Zi cleared him of the charge. Censor-in-Chief Wei Zhenbo heard of it and memorialized that Zi be made attendant censor. When the Ministry of Punishments and the Court of Judicial Review examined criminals, they lost impartiality. Fearing Zi's strict adherence to law, they used influence to seek leniency, but Zi ultimately refused to sign the memorial. He was transferred to Vice Director in the Ministry of Works.
23
西 使 使
Wei Gao first summoned the southwestern tribes, and Piluoge of Nanzhao submitted to the court. Dezong selected bureau officials capable of pacifying and comforting the region. All feared going, but when the choice fell to Zi he did not decline, and the emperor praised him. He was promoted to Director in the Bureau of Rites with the concurrent title of censor-in-chief, granted gold and purple insignia, and sent bearing the staff of authority. After more than a year he returned. The mission had merit, and he was promoted to Remonstrance Grandee. He was transferred to Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs and placed in charge of selections in the Ministry of Personnel. He sought a provincial appointment and became prefect of Huazhou. His administration was clear and simple. Refugees who arrived were given land to live on, and he named the district Righteous Unity. Yet he devoted himself above all to benevolence and kindness, never established regulations, and the people loved and trusted him. When people violated his orders, he often released them beyond what the law allowed. When he captured thieves, he sometimes pitied their poverty and paid from his own funds to compensate the victims. He was summoned to serve as Grand General of the Left Golden Guard, and Yang Yuling replaced him. As Zi departed, the elders blocked the road and would not let him leave. Yuling sent a messenger to say, "I dare not alter Lord Yuan's policies. The people all bowed in rows, and only then could he leave. None did so without tears.
24
西使西使 使 使
When Xianzong oversaw the state, Zi was promoted to Vice Director of the Secretariat and chief minister. When Liu Pi rebelled, an edict appointed Zi Pacification Commissioner for the Two Sichuan Circuits and the Western Hannan Circuit. Halfway there he was made acting Minister of Personnel, chief minister, and military governor of Eastern and Western Sichuan. At that time the rebels were at their height, and Zi's brother Feng in Shu had been seized by Liu Pi. Fearing he could not save himself, Zi long delayed advancing and was demoted to prefect of Jizhou. Before long he was transferred to military governor of Yicheng. Hua was a martial region, with Ziqing to the east and Wei and Bo to the north. Zi maintained strict defenses yet promoted sincerity and trust, aiming above all to win people over. Li Shidao and Tian Ji'an feared him and submitted. After seven years the common people erected a shrine in his honor and offered sacrifice. He was summoned as Minister of Revenue, reassigned as acting Minister of War, appointed military governor of the Eastern Hannan Circuit, and then transferred to Jingnan.
25
宿調 西 使 使
When Wu Yuanji rebelled, Zi said the Cai troops were strong, shared the same aims as their commanders, and could not be subdued overnight. Broad strategy was needed to divide them and break their morale. After the garrison troops had been encamped for three years and levies grew ever more strained, an edict ordered forbidden treasury funds released to sustain the campaign. Reading that the emperor was growing weary of war, Zi submitted a memorial asking to come to court to discuss ending the Huai-Xi campaign. On the road he learned that Xiao Fu and Qian Hui had been removed for blocking that very proposal. Zi reversed himself, declared that victory was certain, and said what would please the throne—and only then was he permitted to return. Before long Gao Xiayu suffered defeat. The emperor resolved to topple the rebels through kindness and trust; since Zi had already spoken in that vein, he was made military governor of Zhangyi, with his seat provisionally at Tangzhou. Because Zi was a scholar rather than a soldier, Yang Min was appointed prefect of Tangzhou to take command of the army. Zi's ancestral tombs lay in Cai. Under Wu Shaoyang they had been restored, grazing there was forbidden, many Yuans were given posts on the right wing, and all were kept on stipend. When Zi took up his post, he withdrew the outposts and entered into friendly communication with Wu Yuanji. When the rebels besieged Xinxing, Zi pleaded humbly for a settlement. The rebels took him lightly and ceased to guard against him. The emperor was pressing for swift action, yet by the sixth month of Zi's tenure he had accomplished nothing and was demoted to prefect of Fuzhou. Not long afterward he was transferred to governor of Hunan Circuit. He was repeatedly enfeoffed, ultimately as Duke of Huaiyang Commandery. He died at seventy and was posthumously honored as Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince.
26
When Zi fell ill, he set down last instructions for his household; for the three years that followed, everything was carried out in proper order. He was open and easy in temperament. Everyone who met him felt he had nothing to hide, yet even his own household could never read his pleasure or anger. He lived plainly in his dwelling, dress, and fare. He was accomplished in the Spring and Autumn Annals. He once argued that Liu Yun's "Lament for Ganling" praised virtue and condemned wickedness in ways that cut against the Annals' intent, yet judged the work too fine to suppress and wrote a preface for it. He was skilled in seal and clerical script and wrote in the ancient manner. His son Jun served as Right Remonstrator; his son Jiao was Hanlin Academician.
27
Zhao Zongru
28
調 使 使使 祿 西使
Zhao Zongru, courtesy name Bingwen, came from Rang in Dengzhou. His eighth-generation ancestor Tong had been Southern Campaign General under Later Wei. His father Hua, courtesy name Yunqing, loved learning from youth and was known for upright, uncompromising conduct. During the Kaiyuan era he passed the jinshi examination, was appointed Collator to the Heir Apparent, and served successively as assistant magistrate of Leize and Hedong. Investigation commissioner Wei Zhi admired him and memorialized to have him placed on his staff. He also served as dispatch officer on the staff of Chenliu investigation commissioner Guo Na. When An Lushan captured Chenliu, Hua was caught behind rebel lines. At the time a kinswoman of Jiangxi governor Wei Yan was punished because her husband, a metropolitan district official, had failed to supply the rebels, and she was reduced to servitude. Hua took pity on her, paid to ransom the Wei woman, and supported her generously. After the rebellion was crushed, he found her relatives and restored her to them. People of the time greatly admired his conduct. Because he had once been trapped among the rebels, Hua was demoted to assistant magistrate of Jinjiang. After a long interval he was recalled, appointed Left Remonstrator, and eventually rose to Vice Director of the Ministry of Revenue's Comparison Bureau. At the beginning of the Jianzhong era he was made Vice Director of the Secretariat. He prized friendship and integrity and would not bend his principles whether in comfort or in danger. In youth he was close to Yin Yin, Yan Zhenqing, Liu Fang, Lu Ju, Xiao Yingshi, Li Hua, and Shao Zhen. People said at the time, "Yin, Yan, Liu, Lu; Li, Xiao, Shao, Zhao"—meaning that they kept their friendships intact. Though Hua held a ministry post, he lived in want; his salary was thin, and his sons went on foot. People pitied him and praised his integrity. When the Jingyuan army mutinied, Hua fled into the hills and died of illness. He was posthumously honored as governor of Huazhou.
29
簿 使 殿 殿 使 西
Zongru passed the jinshi examination, was appointed collator, earned the highest rating on review, and was posted registrar of Luhun. Within a few months he was appointed Right Remonstrator and Hanlin Academician. At the time his father Hua had just been made Vice Director of the Secretariat. Dezong wished to honor the family and had father and son appointed on the same day. He was next promoted to Vice Director of the Ministry of Personnel's Merits Bureau. In the sixth year of Zhenyuan he took charge of the performance-review office. Since the Zhide era, performance ratings had ceased to reflect reality: officials everywhere were marked upper-middle, and distinctions of merit and failure were blurred. Under Zongru, promotions and demotions were exact and fair, with no bending to favor. Right Department Director Dugu Liangqi and Palace Censor Du Lun were marked down for misconduct; Left Vice Director Pei Yu and Censor-in-Chief Lu Dian were reduced to middle-middle. In all, only fifty men received upper-middle. The emperor heard of this with approval and promoted him to Director of the Merits Bureau. He rose through repeated promotions to Supervising Secretary. In the twelfth year he became Participating Secretary jointly with the Secretariat and Chancellery while retaining his existing rank, and was granted gold-and-purple robes. After two years he was removed from office and made Right Subprefect of the Heir Apparent's Household, living in quiet retirement and attending court only as required. He was transferred to Vice Director of the Ministry of Personnel and summoned to audience. The emperor comforted him, saying, "Knowing that you kept your doors shut for six years, I made this appointment for that reason. Long ago I appointed you on the same day as your late father—do you still remember? Zongru prostrated himself and wept. At the beginning of Yuanhe he was made acting Minister of Rites and appointed regent of the Eastern Capital. After three further promotions he became acting Director of the Ministry of Personnel and military governor of Jingnan, where he dismissed two thousand redundant soldiers kept on the rolls. He served as governor of Southwestern Shannan and Hezhong, was appointed Censor-in-Chief, and then became Minister of Personnel.
30
When Muzong ascended the throne, an edict directed that those summoned under the previous reign as Worthy and Upright candidates be examined by the regular offices. Zongru submitted a memorial: "Those who came in response to the imperial summons ought to be questioned by the emperor in person. To have them examined by the offices is not the old national practice. I ask that this be abolished. The edict approved his request. Soon afterward he was made acting Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs and acting Minister of Rites. The Ministry of Rites possessed the "Five-Direction Lion Music," which was performed only at the greatest court assemblies. The emperor doted on music and pleasure; the eunuch who headed the Music Bureau sent a letter demanding the score. Zongru did not dare refuse and appealed to the chief ministers. The chief ministers replied that the matter lay entirely within that office's jurisdiction and ought not to be referred to them. Judged cowardly and unfit for office, he was removed and made Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince. At the beginning of the Taihe era he was promoted to Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. Wenzong summoned him to ask about good government. He answered, "The rule of Yao and Shun rested on kindness and frugality alone. I pray Your Majesty will hold fast to them. The emperor accepted his counsel. In the sixth year he was appointed Minister of Works and retired from office. He died at eighty-seven. By imperial patent he was posthumously honored as Grand Secretary, with the posthumous name Zhao. Zongru rose through letters to posts as general and minister, bearing heavy and arduous responsibility. Yet he lacked proper bearing and lost standing through petty schemes of private gain.
31
Dou Yizhi
32
使 西使
Dou Yizhi, courtesy name Zongxuan, came from Shiping in Jingzhao. He passed the mingjing examination and was appointed collator. For ten years he declined summons to office; rated in the highest class on review, he became assistant magistrate of Lantian. He rose through repeated promotions to Director of the Ministry of Personnel Bureau. In the sixth year of Yuanhe he was promoted to Censor-in-Chief. From governor of Shan-Guo Circuit he entered the capital as metropolitan prefect. Wannian assistant magistrate Han Wu was implicated in bribery. Yizhi had his staff investigate and uncovered three hundred thousand in illicit gains. Xianzong suspected the figure was too low and ordered a full inquiry; the total reached three million, and Yizhi was demoted to prefect of Jinzhou. After a long interval he was restored to office as governor of Xuan-She and Zhexi circuits.
33
使
In the second year of Changqing, Li Tongjie rebelled at Bianzhou. Yizhi wished to open the treasury and reward the troops, but others warned that unaccounted payouts would only breed trouble, and he desisted. The Jiang and Huai regions were then in drought, and transport goods piled up, unable to move. The soldiers had heard of Yizhi's earlier proposal; his subordinate Wang Guoqing pointed to the transport stores and incited the men to mutiny. Yizhi learned of the plot, shackled Guoqing, and sent him to prison. Several thousand of his followers stormed the jail in a frenzy, seized him by force, and prepared for a great pillage. Yizhi mounted a tower and proclaimed, "Whoever kills a rebel shall receive ten million cash for each head! The crowd rejoiced, turned on the rebels, bound more than three hundred of them, and Yizhi had them all executed. He entered court as Vice Minister of Revenue with concurrent charge of fiscal accounts. In the fourth year he became Participating Secretary jointly with the Secretariat and Chancellery, was transferred to Vice Director of the Chancellery, and was enfeoffed Duke of Jinyang Commandery. He at once resigned the fiscal directorship, forgoing three months' salary, and an edict confirmed the end of his concurrent charge. When Wenzong ascended the throne, Yizhi was acting Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs and Participating Secretary, and military governor of Eastern Shannan Circuit. He entered court as Left Vice Director with concurrent charge of the Ministry of Rites. Before long he was made acting Minister of Works and military governor of Fengxiang. He returned to the capital on account of illness. He died and was posthumously honored as Grand Secretary, with the posthumous name Gonghui.
34
Yizhi prided himself on public-minded integrity. While in power he never promoted relatives or faction. Early in the Yuanhe era, Zheng Yuqing proposed that vice directors, being of upper ceremonial rank, should not exchange equal courtesies with officials of intervening rank. When Yizhi was censor-in-chief, he memorialized to rebut the proposal. When he himself became vice director, he then observed the courtesies due to officials of intervening rank—and contemporaries mocked him for it.
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His son Xiu rose to assistant magistrate of Weinan and collator in the Hall of Assembled Worthies. When his father-in-law Wang Ya met disaster, eunuchs recognized Yizhi's son and spared his life, but he was demoted to revenue adjutant of Xunzhou.
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The appraisal says: Guan Bo recommended Li Yuanping to defend Ruzhou; the rebels bound him, and he submitted to them. When a chief minister cannot judge men, he can indeed ruin the state. Dezong did not hold his chief minister to account for this and nearly lost the empire. Jin was weak, slack, and content with safety; Zi wished to topple the rebels through kindness and trust. Men so roundabout and dim—what talk can one have with them of merit and glory?
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