Volume 183 Biographies 108: Bi, Cui, Liu, Lu, Zheng, Zhu, Han

畢崔劉陸鄭朱韓

Bi, Cui, Liu, Lu, Zheng, Zhu, and Han.

畢諴，字存之，黃門監構從孫。構弟栩，生淩，淩生勻，世失官，為鹽估。勻生諴，蚤孤。夜然薪讀書，母恤其疲，奪火使寐，不肯息，遂通經史，工辭章。性端愨，不妄與人交。

Bi Yan, whose courtesy name was Cunzhi, was a collateral descendant of Bi Gou, Supervisor of the Yellow Gates. Gou's younger brother Xu had a son Ling, and Ling had a son Yun. For generations the line had fallen from office, and they made their living as salt merchants. Yun was Yan's father; Yan was orphaned while still young. He would read at night by burning firewood for light. When his mother, worried that he was exhausting himself, took away the fire and made him sleep, he still would not stop. In time he mastered the classics and histories and became accomplished in literary composition. He was upright and reserved by nature and did not enter friendships lightly.

大和中，舉進士、書判拔萃，連中。辟忠武杜悰幕府。悰領度支，表為巡官，又從辟淮南，入拜侍御史。李德裕始與悰同輔政，不協，故出悰劍南東川節度使。故吏惟諴餞訊如平日，德裕忌之，出為慈州刺史。累官駕部員外郎、倉部郎中。故事，要家勢人，以倉、駕二曹為辱，諴沛然如處美官，無異言。宰相知之，以職方郎中兼侍御史知雜事，召入翰林為學士。

During the Dahe reign he passed both the jinshi examination and the special "outstanding document analysis" selection, winning each in turn. He was invited to serve on the staff of Du Cong, governor of Zhongwu. When Cong took charge of the Directorate of Revenue, Yan was recommended as an inspection officer. He followed Cong again to Huainan and later entered the capital as a remonstrating censor. Li Deyu had first served as chief minister together with Cong, but the two fell out, and Cong was therefore sent out as military commissioner of Jiannan Dongchuan. Among his former subordinates, only Yan came to see him off and asked after his welfare as though nothing had changed. Deyu took offense at this and had Yan sent out as prefect of Cizhou. He advanced through the ranks to Vice Director of the Carriages Bureau and Director of the Granary Department. By custom men of powerful families treated the Granary and Carriages bureaus as humiliating posts, but Yan accepted them with evident satisfaction, as though they were prized offices, and never uttered a word of complaint. When the chief minister learned of this, he appointed Yan Director of Military Appointments while also making him a remonstrating censor in charge of miscellaneous matters, and then summoned him into the Hanlin Academy as an academician.

党項擾河西，宣宗嘗召訪邊事，諴援質古今，條破羌狀甚悉，帝悅曰：「吾將擇能帥者，孰謂頗、牧在吾禁署，卿為朕行乎。」諴唯唯，即拜刑部侍郎，出為邠寧節度、河西供軍安撫使。諴到軍，遣吏懷諭，羌人皆順向。時戍兵常苦調饟乏，諴募士置屯田，歲收谷三十萬斛，以省度支經費，詔書嘉美。俄徙昭義，又遷河東。河東尤近胡，復脩杷頭七十烽，謹候虜，寇不敢入。

When the Tangut were raiding along the Hexi frontier, Emperor Xuanzong once summoned Yan to consult him on border affairs. Yan drew on ancient and modern precedents and set out a detailed plan for defeating the Qiang. Delighted, the emperor said, "I mean to choose a capable commander—who would have thought that Pang and Mu were right here in my inner court? Will you go on my behalf, sir?" Yan assented again and again. He was at once appointed Vice Minister of Punishments and sent out as military commissioner of Binning and envoy to pacify the frontier and supply the Hexi armies. When Yan arrived at his command, he sent officials bearing conciliatory messages, and the Qiang all came over to the Tang side. At the time the garrison troops were constantly short of transported rations. Yan recruited men to establish military colonies and harvested three hundred thousand bushels of grain each year, easing the burden on the revenue directorate. An imperial edict commended his work. Before long he was transferred to Zhaoyi, and then again to Hedong. Hedong lay especially close to the northern tribes. Yan restored seventy beacon towers at Batou, kept strict watch on the enemy, and raiders no longer dared cross the border.

懿宗立，遷宣武節度使，召為戶部尚書，判度支。未幾，以禮部尚書同中書門下平章事。再期，固稱疾，改兵部尚書，罷。旋兼平章事節度河中。卒，年六十二。

When Emperor Yizong came to the throne, Yan was made military commissioner of Xuanwu, then recalled to serve as Minister of Revenue with charge of the budget. Before long he was appointed Minister of Rites and concurrent Co-Director of the Secretariat-Chancellery. At the end of a second year in office he insisted that he was ill, was reassigned as Minister of War, and then removed from the chancellorship. Soon afterward he again held the title of co-director while serving as military commissioner of Hedongzhong. He died at the age of sixty-two.

諴於吏術尤所長，既貴，所得祿奉，養護宗屬之乏，無間然。始，諴被知於宣宗，嘗許以相。令狐忌之，自邠寧凡三徙，不得還。諴思有以結，至太原，求麗姝盛飾使獻。曰：「太原於我無分，今以是餌，將破吾族矣。」不受。使者留於邸，諴亦放之。太醫李玄伯者，帝所喜，以錢七十萬聘之，夫婦日自進食，得其歡心，乃進之帝，嬖幸冠後宮。玄伯又治丹劑以進，帝餌之，疽生於背。懿宗立，收玄伯及方士王嶽、虞芝等，俱誅死。

Yan was especially gifted in the arts of administration. After he rose to high rank, he used his salary and stipends to support needy members of his clan without making distinctions among them. When Xuanzong first took notice of him, the emperor had even promised him the chancellorship. Linghu Tao came to resent him. After leaving Binning, Yan was transferred three times in succession and was never able to return to the capital. Yan looked for a way to win Tao over. When he reached Taiyuan, he sought out beautiful women, had them richly adorned, and sent them as a gift. Tao said, "Taiyuan has nothing to do with me. If you try to lure me with this now, you will bring ruin on my whole clan." He refused to accept them. The envoy left the women at Yan's residence, but Yan set them free as well. The imperial physician Li Xuanbo was a man the emperor favored. Yan paid seven hundred thousand cash to retain him. Husband and wife came each day to serve food with their own hands until they had won his goodwill, then presented him to the emperor, and Xuanbo became the foremost favorite of the inner palace. Xuanbo also prepared elixir pills and presented them to the throne. The emperor ingested them, and a festering sore developed on his back. When Yizong came to the throne, Xuanbo and the alchemists Wang Yue and Yu Zhi were arrested and all put to death.

崔彥昭，字思文，其先清河人。淹貫儒術，擢進士第。數應帥鎮辟奏，於吏治精明，所至課最。累進戶部侍郎。繇河陽節度使徙河東。先是，沙陀諸部多犯法，彥昭撫循有威惠，三年，境內大治，耆老叩闕願留，詔可。僖宗立，授兵部侍郎、諸道鹽鐵轉運使。俄同中書門下平章事，仍判度支。初，楊收、路巖、韋保衡皆坐朋比賄賂得罪死，蕭仿秉政，矯革之，而彥昭協力，故百職修舉，察不至苛。不六月，遷門下侍郎。帝因下詔暴收等過惡，申勵丁寧，以成其美。

Cui Yanhao, whose courtesy name was Siwen, came from a family originally of Qinghe. Deeply versed in Confucian learning, he passed the jinshi examination. He answered the recruitment calls of several military governors. In administration he was exceptionally capable, and wherever he served his performance evaluations ranked first. He was promoted step by step to Vice Minister of Revenue. He was transferred from military commissioner of Heyang to Hedong. Before this the Shatuo tribes had frequently broken the law. Yanhao governed them with a balance of sternness and kindness, and within three years the region was thoroughly pacified. The elders came to the capital to petition that he be allowed to stay, and the throne granted their request. When Emperor Xizong came to the throne, Yanhao was appointed Vice Minister of War and Commissioner for Salt and Iron Transport on all circuits. Before long he became Co-Director of the Secretariat-Chancellery while continuing to preside over the budget. Earlier Yang Shou, Lu Yan, and Wei Baoheng had all been condemned to death for forming factions and taking bribes. When Xiao Fang took charge of government he set about correcting these abuses, and Yanhao worked in concert with him, so that every office was put back in order and oversight never became oppressive. In less than six months he was promoted to Vice Director of the Chancellery. The emperor therefore issued an edict exposing the crimes of Shou and the others, urging the court with repeated admonitions so that their reforms might be brought to completion.

彥昭雖宰相，退朝侍母膳，與家人齒，順色柔聲，在左右無違，士人多其孝。與王凝外昆弟也。凝大中初先顯，而彥昭未仕，嘗見凝，凝倨不冠帶，嫚言曰：「不若從明經舉。」彥昭為憾。至是，凝為兵部侍郎。母聞彥昭相，敕婢多制屨襪，曰：「王氏妹必與子皆逐，吾將共行。」彥昭聞之，泣且拜，不敢為怨。而凝竟免。

Although Yanhao was a chancellor, after leaving court he would wait on his mother at meals and take his place among the family in proper order, always with a gentle look and a quiet voice, never defying those around him. Men of learning widely praised his filial devotion. He was related to Wang Ning as a cousin by marriage. Ning had risen to prominence early in the Dazhong era while Yanhao had yet to take office. On one occasion Yanhao called on him. Ning received him arrogantly without cap or sash and spoke contemptuously, saying, "You would do better to try the Mingjing examination." The remark left Yanhao deeply resentful. By this time Ning had become Vice Minister of War. When Ning's mother heard that Yanhao had become chancellor, she ordered the maids to make many pairs of shoes and socks, saying, "Wang's sister-in-law will surely be driven out together with her son. I shall go into exile with them." When Yanhao heard of this, he wept and bowed in submission and did not dare to act on his resentment. In the end, however, Ning was spared dismissal after all.

伶人李可及為懿宗所寵，橫甚，彥昭奏逐，死嶺南。累拜兼尚書右僕射，以疾去位，授太子太傅，卒。

The performer Li Keji was a favorite of Yizong and behaved with outrageous arrogance. Yanhao submitted a memorial calling for his banishment, and Keji died in Lingnan. He was promoted in stages to concurrent Right Vice Director of the Secretariat, then left office because of illness, was appointed Crown Prince Grand Tutor, and died.

劉鄴，字漢藩，潤州句容人。父三復，以善文章知名。少孤，母病廢，三復丐粟以養。李德裕為浙西觀察使，奇其文，表為掌書記。德裕三領浙西及劍南、淮南，未嘗不從。會昌時，位宰相，擢三復刑部侍郎、弘文館學士。

Liu Ye, whose courtesy name was Hanfan, was a native of Jurong in Run Prefecture. His father Liu Sanfu was known for his literary talent. Ye was orphaned while still young. His mother was disabled by illness, and Sanfu begged for grain to support her. When Li Deyu served as observation commissioner of Zhexi, he admired Sanfu's writing and recommended him as chief secretary. Deyu thrice held command over Zhexi, Jiannan, and Huainan, and Sanfu never failed to follow him. During the Huichang era, when Deyu rose to the chancellorship, he promoted Sanfu to Vice Minister of Punishments and made him a scholar of the Hongwen Academy.

鄴六七歲能屬辭，德裕憐之，使與其子共師學。德裕既斥，鄴無所依，去客江湖間。陜虢高元裕表署推官，高少逸又辟鎮國幕府。咸通初，擢左拾遺，召為翰林學士，賜進士第。歷中書舍人，遷承旨。鄴傷德裕以朋黨抱誣死海上，令狐久當國，更數赦，不為還官爵。至懿宗立，去位，鄴乃申直其冤，復官爵，世高其義。進戶部侍郎、諸道鹽鐵轉運使。以禮部尚書同中書門下平章事，判度支。僖宗嗣位，再遷尚書左僕射。

When Ye was only six or seven he could already compose texts. Deyu took pity on him and had him study under the same teachers as his own sons. After Deyu was dismissed from office, Ye had no patron to rely on and went off to wander as a guest among the rivers and lakes. Gao Yuanyu of Shan-Guo appointed him to his staff as an aide, and Gao Shaoyi later recruited him into the staff of Zhenguo. Early in the Xiantong era he was promoted to Left Remonstrator, summoned into the Hanlin Academy as an academician, and granted the rank of jinshi. He served as a Secretariat drafter and was then promoted to chief academician of the Hanlin Academy. Ye grieved that Deyu had died at sea, falsely condemned as a factionalist. Linghu Tao had long held power, and through one amnesty after another he refused to restore Deyu's offices and titles. When Yizong came to the throne and Tao left office, Ye petitioned to rectify Deyu's wrong and had his offices and titles restored. His contemporaries greatly honored this act of righteousness. He was promoted to Vice Minister of Revenue and Commissioner for Salt and Iron Transport on all circuits. He was appointed Minister of Rites and concurrent Co-Director of the Secretariat-Chancellery with charge of the budget. When Xizong succeeded to the throne, Ye was twice promoted to Left Vice Director of the Secretariat.

初，韋保衡、路巖與鄴同秉政，為跡親。俄而蕭仿、崔彥昭得相，罷鄴為淮南節度使、同平章事。黃巢方熾，詔高駢代之，徙節度鳳翔，固辭，還左僕射。帝西狩，追乘輿不及，與崔沆、豆盧瑑匿將軍張直方家，賊捕急，三人不肯臣，俱見殺。

At first Wei Baoheng and Lu Yan held power together with Ye, and the three were closely allied. Before long Xiao Fang and Cui Yanhao gained the chancellorship, and Ye was removed to serve as military commissioner of Huainan with the concurrent title of co-director. Huang Chao's rebellion was at its height, and an edict appointed Gao Pian to replace him. Ye was transferred to military commissioner of Fengxiang, but he firmly declined the post and returned to his former office as Left Vice Director. When the emperor went west on campaign, Ye could not overtake the imperial carriage. Together with Cui Hang and Doulu Zuan he hid in the home of General Zhang Zhifang. When the rebels pressed their search, the three men refused to submit and were all put to death.

豆盧瑑者，字希真，河南人。仕歷翰林學士、戶部侍郎，與崔沆皆拜同中書門下平章事。是日，宣告於廷，大風雷雨拔樹。未幾，及禍。初，咸通中，有治歷者工言禍福，或問：「比宰相多不至四五，謂何？」答曰：「紫微方災，然其人又將不免。」後楊收、韋保衡、路巖、盧攜、劉鄴、於琮、彖與沆，皆不得終雲。

Doulu Zuan, whose courtesy name was Xizhen, was a native of Henan. In his career he rose through the offices of Hanlin academician and Vice Minister of Revenue. He and Cui Hang were both appointed Co-Directors of the Secretariat-Chancellery. On the day their appointments were announced in court, a violent wind and thunderstorm uprooted trees. Before long they met with disaster. Earlier, during the Xiantong era, there was a man skilled in calendrical science who was adept at foretelling fortune and disaster. Someone asked him, "In recent times many chancellors do not remain in office even four or five years—what does this mean?" He answered, "Calamity is about to strike the Purple Forbidden Palace, yet those men themselves will not escape it either." Later Yang Shou, Wei Baoheng, Lu Yan, Lu She, Liu Ye, Yu Cong, Li Tan, and Cui Hang—none of them came to a peaceful end, just as he had foretold.

陸扆，字祥文，宰相贄族孫。客於陜，遂為陜人。光啟二年，從僖宗幸山南，擢進士第，累進翰林學士、中書舍人。扆工屬辭，敏速若註射然，一時書命，同僚自以為不及，昭宗優遇之。帝嘗作賦，詔學士皆和，獨扆最先就。帝覽之，嘆曰：「貞元時，陸贄、吳通玄兄弟善內廷文書，後無繼者，今朕得之。」始，得舉進士時，方遷幸，而六月榜出。至是，每甚暑，它學士輒戲曰：「造榜天也。」以譏扆進非其時。累為尚書左丞，封嘉興縣男。徙戶部侍郎、同中書門下平章事。故事，自三省得宰相，有光署錢，留為宴資，學士院未始有。至扆，送光院錢五十萬，以榮近司。進中書侍郎，判戶部。

Lu Yi, whose courtesy name was Xiangwen, was a collateral descendant of the chancellor Lu Zan. His family had long resided in Shan, and he came to be regarded as a native of that region. In the second year of Guangqi he followed Emperor Xizong to the south of the mountains, passed the jinshi examination, and rose step by step to Hanlin academician and Secretariat drafter. Yi was skilled at literary composition and wrote with a speed that seemed almost effortless. For a time, whenever court documents were drafted, his colleagues knew they could not keep pace with him, and Emperor Zhaozong treated him with special favor. On one occasion the emperor composed a fu and ordered all the academicians to write matching pieces. Yi alone finished first. When the emperor read his composition, he sighed and said, "In the Zhenyuan era Lu Zan and the Wu brothers, Tongxuan and Tongming, were masters of inner-court documents. After them there was no successor—until now, when I have found one in you." When he first passed the jinshi examination, the court was still on the move in flight, and the examination roster was issued in the sixth month. From then on, whenever the weather grew intensely hot, the other academicians would jest, calling him "Heaven Who Makes the Rosters." They did this to mock the fact that Yi's rise had come at an inauspicious season. He rose through repeated promotions to Left Vice Director of the Secretariat and was enfeoffed as Baron of Jiaxing. He was transferred to Vice Minister of Revenue and appointed Co-Director of the Secretariat-Chancellery. By precedent, when a man became chancellor after rising through the Three Departments, he received a "glory commission" payment set aside for celebratory feasts, but the Hanlin Academy had never received such a payment. When Yi became chancellor, he sent five hundred thousand cash to the Academy as a glory payment, thereby honoring the office he had just left. He was promoted to Vice Director of the Secretariat with charge of the Revenue Ministry.

嗣覃王以兵伐鳳翔，扆諫曰：「國步方安，不宜加兵近輔，必為它盜所乘，無益也。且親王而屬軍事，必有後害。」帝顧軍興，責扆沮撓，貶峽州刺史。師果敗。久之，授工部尚書。從天子自華州還，以兵部尚書復當國，封吳郡公。

When the Prince of Siyu raised an army to attack Fengxiang, Yi remonstrated, saying, "The fortunes of the state have only just begun to settle. It is not fitting to bring additional troops so close to the capital. Other marauders will surely take advantage of the situation, and nothing will be gained. Moreover, when a royal prince is placed in command of military affairs, harm is sure to follow afterward." The emperor, bent on pressing the military campaign, blamed Yi for obstruction and demoted him to prefect of Xia Prefecture. The campaign ended in defeat. After some time he was appointed Minister of Works. When the emperor returned from Hua Prefecture, Yi again took charge of government as Minister of War and was enfeoffed as Duke of Wu.

天復初，帝密語韓偓曰：「陸扆、裴贄孰忠於我？」偓曰：「扆等皆宰相，安有它腸？」帝曰：「外言扆不喜我復位，元日易服奔啟夏門，信不？」偓曰：「孰為陛下言此？」曰：「崔胤、令狐渙。」偓曰：「設扆如是，亦不足責。且陛下反正，扆素不知謀，忽聞兵起，欲出奔耳。陛下責其不死難則可，以為不喜，乃讒言也。」帝遂悟。累兼戶部尚書。

Early in the Tianfu era, the emperor spoke privately to Han Wo and asked, "Between Lu Yi and Pei Zan, which of them is more loyal to me?" Wo replied, "Yi and the others are all chancellors. How could they harbor any other intent?" The emperor said, "People outside the court say that Yi was displeased with my restoration. On New Year's Day he changed his clothes and fled toward Qixia Gate—is that true?" Wo asked, "Who told Your Majesty this?" The emperor answered, "Cui Yin and Linghu Huan." Wo said, "Even if Yi had done as alleged, he would not deserve blame. Moreover, when Your Majesty restored the throne, Yi had known nothing of the plot. When he suddenly heard that fighting had broken out, he simply wished to flee. Your Majesty may blame him for not sharing the peril of the moment, but to say that he was displeased with your restoration is nothing but slander." The emperor thereupon understood. He was repeatedly appointed to serve concurrently as Minister of Revenue.

帝至自鳳翔，大赦天下，諸道皆賜詔，獨不及李茂貞。扆曰：「國西，鳳翔為最近，跡其罪固不可赦。然尚修職貢，朝廷未之絕，無宜於詔書有以異也。」始，崔胤罷相，扆代之。胤內怨望，及是議以為陰有黨附，貶沂王傅，分司東都。胤死，復授吏部尚書，從遷洛。柳璨始附朱全忠，謀去朝廷衣冠有望者，貶扆濮州司戶參軍，殺之白馬驛，年五十九。扆初名允迪，後改雲。

When the emperor returned from Fengxiang, he proclaimed a general amnesty for the empire. Every circuit received an edict except Li Maozhen. Yi said, "To the west of the realm, Fengxiang is the nearest of the circuits. Judging by his crimes, he indeed cannot be pardoned. Yet he still sends his regular tribute, and the court has not severed relations with him. The amnesty edict ought not to treat him differently." Earlier, when Cui Yin was removed from the chancellorship, Yi had replaced him. Yin harbored resentment within, and on this occasion the court concluded that Yi had secretly maintained factional ties. Yi was demoted to Tutor of the Prince of Yi and assigned to the eastern capital. After Yin died, Yi was again appointed Minister of Personnel and accompanied the court in its move to Luoyang. Liu Can, who had attached himself to Zhu Quanzhong, plotted to remove from court every man of standing in official dress. Yi was demoted to registrar of Pu Prefecture and then killed at Baima Post Station. He was fifty-nine. Yi's original name was Yundi; he later changed it to Yun.

鄭綮，字蘊武。及進士第，歷監察御史，擢累左司郎中。因窶甚，丐補廬州刺史。黃巢掠淮南，綮移檄請無犯州境，巢笑，為斂兵，州獨完。僖宗嘉之，賜緋魚。歲滿去，贏錢千緡藏州庫。後它盜至，終不犯鄭使君錢。及楊行密為刺史，送都還綮。王徽為御史大夫，以兵部郎中表知雜事，遷給事中。杜弘徽任中書舍人，綮以其兄讓能輔政，不宜處禁要，上還制書，不報，輒移病去。召為右散騎常侍，往往條摘失政，眾讙傳之，宰相怒，改國子祭酒，議者不直，復還常侍。大順後，王政微，綮每以詩謠托諷，中人有誦之天子前者。昭宗意其有所蘊未盡，因有司上班簿，遂署其側曰：「可禮部侍郎、同中書門下平章事。」綮本善詩，其語多俳諧，故使落調，世共號「鄭五歇後體」。至是，省史走其家上謁，綮笑曰：「諸君誤矣，人皆不識字，宰相亦不及我。」史言不妄。俄聞制詔下，嘆曰：「萬一然，笑殺天下人！」既視事，宗戚詣慶，搔首曰：「歇後鄭五作宰相，事可知矣。」固讓，不聽。立朝偘然，無復故態。自以不為人所瞻望，才三月，以疾乞骸，拜太子少保致仕，卒。

Zheng Qi, whose courtesy name was Yunwu. After passing the jinshi examination, he served as a remonstrating censor and rose step by step to Director of the Left Secretariat. Because he was desperately poor, he begged to be appointed prefect of Lu Prefecture. When Huang Chao ravaged Huainan, Qi sent out a proclamation asking that his prefecture be left untouched. Chao laughed, but he restrained his troops, and Lu Prefecture alone remained intact. Emperor Xizong commended this act and granted him the crimson robe and fish insignia. When his term ended he departed, leaving a surplus of a thousand strings of cash stored in the prefectural treasury. Later, when other bandits arrived, they never touched the money left by Prefect Zheng. When Yang Xingmi became prefect, he sent the money to the capital and returned it to Qi. When Wang Hui served as censor-in-chief, he appointed Qi Military Department director in charge of miscellaneous matters, and Qi was later promoted to drafting attendant. When Du Hongwei was appointed Secretariat drafter, Qi argued that because Hongwei's elder brother Rangneng was assisting in government, he ought not hold so sensitive an inner-court post. Qi returned the appointment edict to the throne, and when no answer came, he promptly claimed illness and resigned. He was summoned as Right Regular Cavalier Attendant and often singled out failures in government for criticism. Word of this spread widely, and the chancellor grew angry and reassigned him as rector of the Imperial University. Critics did not regard this as justified, and he was restored to his former post. After the Datun era, royal administration grew weak. Qi often used songs and ballads to offer veiled criticism, and palace eunuchs would recite them before the emperor. Emperor Zhaozong suspected that Qi had more to offer than he had yet shown. When the relevant office presented the roster of officials on duty, the emperor wrote beside Qi's name, "May serve as Vice Minister of Rites and Co-Director of the Secretariat-Chancellery." Qi had long been skilled at poetry, and his language was often humorous and offbeat. For this reason his verses frequently ended with an unexpected trailing rhyme, and the age together called his style "Fifth Zheng's trailing-rhyme verse." At this point the provincial clerks hurried to his house to pay their respects. Qi laughed and said, "You gentlemen are mistaken. The people cannot even read, and the chancellor is no match for me either." The clerks insisted that this was no jest. Before long he heard that the appointment edict had been issued. He sighed and said, "If by any chance this is real, it will make the whole world die laughing!" Once he assumed office, his clansmen came to congratulate him. He scratched his head and said, "If trailing-rhyme Fifth Zheng has become chancellor, the state of affairs can already be guessed." He firmly declined the post, but his plea was not accepted. In court he conducted himself with grave propriety and showed none of his former manner. Feeling that people did not look up to him, after only three months he cited illness and requested retirement. He was appointed Crown Prince Junior Tutor with permission to retire, and soon died.

朱朴，襄州襄陽人。以三史舉，繇荊門令進京兆府司錄參軍，改著作郎。乾寧初，太府少卿李元實欲取中外九品以上官兩月俸助軍興，朴上疏執不可而止。

Zhu Pu was a native of Xiangyang in Xiang Prefecture. He entered service through the Three Histories examination, rose from magistrate of Jingmen to assistant recorder of the metropolitan prefecture, and was later appointed drafting gentleman. Early in the Qianning era, Li Yuanshi, Junior Chamberlain of the Grand Storehouse, proposed seizing two months' salary from every official of the ninth rank and above, inside and outside the capital, to fund the armies. Pu submitted a memorial firmly opposing the plan, and the proposal was abandoned.

擢國子《毛詩》博士。上書言當世事，議遷都曰：「古王者不常厥居，皆觀天地興衰，隨時制事。關中，隋家所都，我實因之，凡三百歲，文物資貨，奢侈僭偽皆極焉。廣明巨盜陷覆宮闕，局署帑藏，裏闬井肆，所存十二，比幸石門、華陰，十二之中又亡八九，高祖、太宗之制蕩然矣。夫襄、鄧之西，夷溫數百里，其東，漢輿、鳳林為之關，南，菊潭環屈而流屬於漢，西有上洛重山之險，北有白崖聯絡，乃形勝之地，沃衍之墟。若廣浚漕渠，運天下之財，可使大集。自古中興之君，去已衰之衰，就未王而王。今南陽，漢光武雖起而未王也。臣視山河壯麗處多，故都已盛而衰，難可興已；江南土薄水淺，人心囂浮輕巧，不可以都；河北土厚水深，人心強愎狠戾，不可以都。惟襄、鄧實惟中原，人心質良，去秦咫尺，而有上洛為之限，永無夷狄侵軼之虞，此建都之極選也。」不報。

He was promoted to Doctor of the Mao Odes at the National University. He submitted a memorial on current affairs and discussed moving the capital, writing, "Ancient kings did not keep to a single residence. They all observed the rise and fall of heaven and earth and shaped policy according to the times. Guanzhong was the capital of the Sui, and we in turn took it over. For three hundred years cultural treasures, goods, luxury, and usurpation all reached their extreme there. In the Guangming era the great rebel overran and destroyed the palace. Of the government offices, treasuries, lanes, and markets, only a tenth remained. After the emperor's flight to Shimen and Huayin, eight or nine tenths of even that remnant were lost. The institutions established by Gaozu and Taizong were swept away. West of Xiang and Deng lie several hundred li of warm frontier lands. To the east, Han Yu and Fenglin form its passes. To the south, Jutan bends and flows into the Han River. To the west stand the steep mountains of Shangluo. To the north, white cliffs link together. It is a place of strategic advantage and fertile ground. If the transport canals were broadly dredged and the wealth of the empire moved there, great resources could be gathered. From antiquity, rulers who restored a dynasty have left what was already in decline and gone to a place not yet crowned with kingship. Nanyang today is like the place where Emperor Guangwu of Han rose to power before he had yet become king. Your servant has observed that majestic mountains and rivers are abundant elsewhere, while the old capital has already flourished and declined and can hardly be revived again; south of the Yangtze the soil is thin and the waters shallow, and the people's hearts are restless, frivolous, and clever—it cannot serve as a capital; north of the Yellow River the soil is thick and the waters deep, but the people's hearts are stubborn, fierce, and cruel—it too cannot serve as a capital. Only Xiang and Deng are truly the central plains. The people there are plain and good-hearted. They lie within a stone's throw of Qin, yet Shangluo forms a natural barrier, so there would forever be no fear of barbarian raids. This is the finest possible choice for establishing the capital." The throne gave no reply.

朴為人木強，無它能。方是時，天子失政，思用特起士，任之以中興，而朴所善方士許巖士得幸，出入禁中，言朴有經濟才，又水部郎中何迎亦表其賢，帝召與語，擢左諫議大夫、同中書門下平章事。以素無聞，人人大驚，俄判戶部，進中書侍郎。帝益治兵，所處可一委朴。朴移檄四方，令近者出甲士，資饋饟，遠者以羨余上。後數月，巖士為韓建所殺，朴罷為秘書監，三貶郴州司戶參軍，卒。與朴皆相者孫偓。

Pu was dull and inflexible by nature and possessed no other special talent. At that time the emperor had lost control of government and wished to raise unusual men from obscurity and entrust them with restoring the dynasty. The alchemist Xu Yanshi, whom Pu favored, won favor and moved in and out of the inner palace, saying that Pu possessed talent for statecraft. He Ying, director of the Water Department, also memorialized Pu's worth. The emperor summoned Pu for an audience and promoted him to Left Remonstrating Grandee and Co-Director of the Secretariat-Chancellery. Because he had previously been unknown, everyone was greatly astonished. Before long he was put in charge of the Revenue Ministry and then promoted to Vice Director of the Secretariat. The emperor increasingly devoted himself to military affairs, and nearly everything that was done could be entrusted to Pu. Pu issued proclamations to the four quarters, ordering nearby regions to send armored troops and supplies and distant regions to submit their surplus revenues to the throne. Several months later Yanshi was killed by Han Jian. Pu was removed to Secretary Supervisor, then demoted three times to registrar of Chen Prefecture, and died. Serving as chancellor together with Pu was Sun Wo.

孫偓，字龍光。父景商，為天平軍節度使。偓第進士，歷顯官，以戶部侍郎同中書門下平章事，遷門下，為鳳翔四面行營都統。俄兼禮部尚書、行營節度諸軍都統招討處置等使。始，家第堂柱生槐枝，期而茂，既而偓秉政，封樂安縣侯。與朴皆貶衡州司馬，卒。

Sun Wo, whose courtesy name was Longguang. His father Sun Jingshang served as military commissioner of Tianping. Wo placed second in the jinshi examination and rose through eminent offices. He became Co-Director of the Secretariat-Chancellery while serving as Vice Minister of Revenue, was transferred to the Chancellery, and was appointed overall commander of the four-sided campaign against Fengxiang. Before long he also held the concurrent posts of Minister of Rites and commissioner for pacification, disposal, and overall command of the campaign armies. Earlier, sophora branches had sprouted from a pillar in the hall of his family residence and flourished in due season. Soon afterward Wo took power and was enfeoffed as Marquis of Le'an. Like Pu, he was demoted to militia vice-prefect of Heng Prefecture and died.

偓性通簡，不矯飭，嘗曰：「士茍有行，不必以己長形彼短、己清彰彼濁。」每對客，奴童相詬曳仆諸前，不之責，曰：「若持怒心，即自撓矣。」

Wo was open and unpretentious by nature and did not put on airs. He once said, "If a gentleman truly possesses moral conduct, he need not use his own strengths to expose others' weaknesses or his own purity to highlight others' corruption." Whenever he received guests, his servant boys would curse and wrestle with one another in front of him, yet he never blamed them. He said, "If you harbor anger in your heart, you defeat yourself."

兄儲，歷天雄節度使，終兵部尚書。

His elder brother Sun Chu served as military commissioner of Tianxiong and ended his career as Minister of War.

韓偓，字致光，京兆萬年人。擢進士第，佐河中幕府。召拜左拾遺，以疾解。後遷累左諫議大夫。宰相崔胤判度支，表以自副。王溥薦為翰林學士，遷中書舍人。偓嘗與胤定策誅劉季述，昭宗反正，為功臣。帝疾宦人驕橫，欲盡去之。偓曰：「陛下誅季述時，余皆赦不問，今又誅之，誰不懼死？含垢隱忍，須後可也。天子威柄，今散在方面，若上下同心，攝領權綱，猶冀天下可治。宦人忠厚可任者，假以恩幸，使自翦其黨，蔑有不濟。今食度支者乃八千人，公私牽屬不減二萬，雖誅六七巨魁，未見有益，適固其逆心耳。」帝前膝曰：「此一事終始屬卿。」

Han Wo, whose courtesy name was Zhiguang, was a native of Wannian in Jingzhao. He passed the jinshi examination and served on the staff of the Hedong command. He was summoned and appointed Left Remonstrator, but resigned because of illness. He was later promoted step by step to Left Remonstrating Grandee. When Chancellor Cui Yin took charge of the budget, he recommended Wo as his deputy. Wang Pu recommended him for the Hanlin Academy, and he was later promoted to Secretariat drafter. Wo once joined with Yin in planning the execution of Liu Jishu. When Emperor Zhaozong restored the throne, Wo was counted among the meritorious ministers. The emperor resented the eunuchs' arrogance and wished to remove them all. Wo said, "When Your Majesty executed Jishu, all the others were pardoned and left unpunished. If you execute eunuchs again now, who will not fear for his life? You must bear what is foul and endure in patience until a later time. The emperor's authority is now scattered among the regional commanders. If court and provinces can act with one heart and gather power back into a single framework, there may still be hope of governing the realm. Among the eunuchs there are men loyal and dependable enough to be used. Grant them favor and have them cut down their own factions, and nothing will fail to succeed. Today eight thousand men draw salaries from the revenue directorate, and their public and private dependents number no fewer than twenty thousand. Even if six or seven great leaders were executed, no real benefit would be seen; it would only harden their rebellious resolve." The emperor leaned forward and said, "From beginning to end, this whole affair is entrusted to you."

中書舍人令狐渙任機巧，帝嘗欲以當國，俄又悔曰：「渙作宰相或誤國，朕當先用卿。」辭曰：「渙再世宰相，練故事，陛下業已許之。若許渙可改，許臣獨不可移乎？」帝曰：「我未嘗面命，亦何憚？」偓因薦御史大夫趙崇勁正雅重，可以準繩中外。帝知偓，崇門生也，嘆其能讓。初，李繼昭等以功皆進同中書門下平章事，時謂「三使相」，後稍稍更附韓全誨、周敬容，皆忌胤。胤聞，召鳳翔李茂貞入朝，使留族子繼筠宿衛。偓聞，以為不可，胤不納。偓又語令狐渙，渙曰：「吾屬不惜宰相邪？無衛軍則為閹豎所圖矣。」偓曰：「不然。無兵則家與國安，有兵則家與國不可保。」胤聞，憂，未知所出。李彥弼見帝倨甚，帝不平，偓請逐之，赦其黨許自新，則狂謀自破，帝不用。彥弼譖偓及渙漏禁省語，不可與圖政，帝怒，曰：「卿有官屬，日夕議事，奈何不欲我見學士邪？」繼昭等飲殿中自如，帝怒，偓曰：「三使相有功，不如厚與金帛官爵，毋使豫政事。今宰相不得顓決事，繼昭輩所奏必聽。它日遽改，則人人生怨。初以衛兵檢中人，今敕使、衛兵為一，臣竊寒心，願詔茂貞還其衛軍。不然，兩鎮兵鬥闕下，朝廷危矣。」及胤召朱全忠討全誨，汴兵將至，偓勸胤督茂貞還衛卒。又勸表暴內臣罪，因誅全誨等；若茂貞不如詔，即許全忠入朝。未及用，而全誨等已劫帝西幸。

The Secretariat drafter Linghu Huan was skilled in intrigue. The emperor once wished to put him in charge of government, but soon regretted it and said, "If Huan becomes chancellor he may ruin the state. I ought to use you first." Wo declined, saying, "Huan comes from two generations of chancellors and is thoroughly versed in precedent. Your Majesty has already promised him the post. If a promise to Huan may be changed, may a promise to me alone not be changed as well?" The emperor said, "I never gave him the appointment in person. What is there to fear?" Wo then recommended Censor-in-Chief Zhao Chong, a man of stern integrity and weighty character who could serve as a standard for the court and the realm. The emperor knew that Wo had been Zhao Chong's student and marveled at his willingness to yield. At first Li Jizhao and the others were all promoted to Co-Director of the Secretariat-Chancellery for their merits, and the age called them the "Three Commissioner-Chancellors." Later they gradually attached themselves to Han Quanhui and Zhou Jingrong, and all came to resent Cui Yin. When Yin heard of this, he summoned Li Maozhen of Fengxiang to court and had Maozhen's clansman Li Jiyun remain behind as an inner guard. When Wo heard of this, he regarded the plan as unwise, but Yin would not listen. Wo spoke again to Linghu Huan. Huan said, "Do you think men like us do not value the chancellorship? Without guard troops we shall be plotted against by the eunuchs." Wo said, "That is not so. Without troops, both family and state may be secure; with troops, neither family nor state can be preserved." When Yin heard this, he grew anxious and did not know what to do. Li Yanbi behaved with great arrogance when he met the emperor, and the emperor was displeased. Wo asked that Yanbi be expelled and his followers pardoned on condition of reform, saying that their reckless plots would then collapse of themselves, but the emperor did not adopt the plan. Yanbi slandered Wo and Huan for leaking inner-court secrets and said they were unfit to take part in governing. The emperor grew angry and said, "You have your own officials discussing affairs day and night—why do you not wish me to see the academicians?" Jizhao and the others drank freely in the hall as though it were their own house, and the emperor was furious. Wo said, "The Three Commissioner-Chancellors have rendered service. It would be better to reward them generously with gold, silk, offices, and titles, and not allow them to take part in government affairs. At present the chancellor cannot decide affairs on his own, and whatever Jizhao and his associates submit must be heard. If policy is suddenly changed another day, everyone will harbor resentment. At first the guard troops were used to keep watch over the inner attendants. Now the edict-envoys and the guards have become one body, and I am privately filled with dread. I beg that an edict be issued ordering Maozhen to withdraw his guard troops. Otherwise the armies of the two commands will fight beneath the palace gates, and the court will be in grave peril." When Yin summoned Zhu Quanzhong to attack Quanhui and the Bian armies were about to arrive, Wo urged Yin to press Maozhen to withdraw his guard troops. He also urged that a memorial be submitted exposing the crimes of the inner attendants so that Quanhui and the others might be executed; and if Maozhen did not obey the edict, then Quanzhong should be permitted to enter the capital. Before these plans could be carried out, Quanhui and the others had already seized the emperor and forced him west on campaign.

偓夜追及鄠，見帝慟哭。至鳳翔，遷兵部侍郎，進承旨。

Wo overtook the emperor by night at E Prefecture and wept bitterly when he saw him. When they reached Fengxiang, he was appointed Vice Minister of War and then promoted to chief academician of the Hanlin Academy.

宰相韋貽範母喪，詔還位，偓當草制，上言：「貽範處喪未數月，遽使視事，傷孝子心。今中書事，一相可辦。陛下誠惜貽範才，俟變缞而召可也。何必使出峨冠廟堂，入泣血柩側，毀瘠則廢務，勤恪則忘哀，此非人情可處也。」學士使馬從皓逼偓求草，偓曰：「腕可斷，麻不可草！」從皓曰：「君求死邪？」偓曰：「吾職內署，可默默乎？」明日，百官至，而麻不出，宦侍合噪。茂貞入見帝曰：「命宰相而學士不草麻，非反邪？」艴然出。姚洎聞曰：「使我當直，亦繼以死。」既而帝畏茂貞，卒詔貽範還相，洎代草麻。自是宦黨怒偓甚。從皓讓偓曰：「南司輕北司甚，君乃崔胤、王溥所薦，今日北司雖殺之可也。兩軍樞密，以君周歲無奉入，吾等議救接，君知之乎？」偓不敢對。

When Chancellor Wei Yifan was in mourning for his mother, an edict ordered him back to office. Wo was to draft the appointment edict and memorialized, "Yifan has been in mourning only a few months. To hurry him back to office wounds the heart of a filial son. At present the affairs of the Secretariat-Chancellery can be handled by a single chancellor. If Your Majesty truly values Yifan's talent, you may summon him after he has completed the period of hemp mourning. Why must you send him forth in court dress to the temple hall and then have him stand weeping beside the coffin? If he grows emaciated, state affairs are neglected; if he remains diligent, he forgets his grief. This is not a situation any human heart can bear." The academician's envoy Ma Conghao pressed Wo to draft the edict. Wo said, "My wrist may be cut off, but I will not draft this edict!" Conghao said, "Do you seek death, sir?" Wo said, "My duty lies in the inner secretariat. How can I remain silent?" The next day the officials all arrived, but the edict did not appear, and the palace attendants raised a great clamor together. Maozhen entered to see the emperor and said, "A chancellor has been appointed, yet the academician refuses to draft the edict—is this not rebellion?" He flushed with anger and withdrew. When Yao Ji heard of this, he said, "If I had been on duty, I too would have chosen death rather than comply." Before long the emperor, fearing Maozhen, at last issued an edict restoring Yifan to the chancellorship, and Ji drafted the appointment edict in Wo's place. From this time the eunuch faction harbored intense anger toward Wo. Conghao reproached Wo, saying, "The southern offices hold the northern offices in great contempt. You were recommended by Cui Yin and Wang Pu. Today the northern offices could kill you without consequence. The secretariats of the two armies say that you have received no salary income for a full year, and we are discussing how to provide relief. Do you know this?" Wo dared not answer.

茂貞疑帝間出依全忠，以兵衛行在。帝行武德殿前，因至尚食局，會學士獨在，宮人招偓，偓至，再拜哭曰：「崔胤甚健，全忠軍必濟。」帝喜，偓曰：「願陛下還宮，無為人知。」帝賜以面豆而去。全誨誅，宮人多坐死。帝欲盡去餘黨，偓曰：「禮，人臣無將，將必誅，宮婢負恩不可赦。然不三十年不能成人，盡誅則傷仁。願去尤者，自內安外，以靜群心。」帝曰：「善。」崔胤請以輝王為元帥，帝問偓：「它日累吾兒否？」偓曰：「陛下在東內時，天陰雺，王聞烏聲曰：『上與後幽困，烏雀聲亦悲。』陛下聞之惻然，有是否？」帝曰：「然。是兒天生忠孝，與人異。」意遂決。偓議附胤類如此。

Maozhen suspected that the emperor might secretly slip away to place himself under Quanzhong's protection, and he posted troops to guard the traveling court. The emperor was walking before Wude Hall and then went to the Food Service Bureau. Finding the academician alone there, palace women summoned Wo. When Wo arrived he bowed twice and wept, saying, "Cui Yin is in excellent health. Quanzhong's army is sure to prevail." The emperor was delighted. Wo said, "I pray that Your Majesty return to the palace without anyone knowing." The emperor gave him noodles and beans, and he departed. After Quanhui was executed, many palace women were put to death as well. The emperor wished to remove all the remaining faction. Wo said, "By ritual law, when a minister harbors rebellious intent he must be executed, and palace maids who betray their sovereign's grace cannot be pardoned. Yet a person cannot reach adulthood in less than thirty years, and to execute them all would wound the principle of benevolence. I beg that only the worst offenders be removed, so that security within may bring calm without and all hearts may be quieted." The emperor said, "Well said." Cui Yin asked that the Prince of Hui be made commander-in-chief. The emperor asked Wo, "Will this bring trouble upon my son in days to come?" Wo said, "When Your Majesty was confined in the eastern inner palace, the sky was dark and misty. The prince heard the cry of crows and said, 'The sovereign and empress are confined in gloom—even the cries of crows and sparrows sound mournful. Did Your Majesty not hear this and feel moved to compassion—is that not so?" The emperor said, "It is so. This son is loyal and filial by nature, unlike other men." His mind was thereupon made up. Wo's counsels in support of Yin were mostly of this kind.

帝反正，勵精政事，偓處可機密，率與帝意合，欲相者三四，讓不敢當。蘇檢復引同輔政，遂固辭。初，偓侍宴，與京兆鄭元規、威遠使陳班並席，辭曰：「學士不與外班接。」主席者固請，乃坐。既元規、班至，終絕席。全忠、胤臨陛宣事，坐者皆去席，偓不動，曰：「侍宴無輒立，二公將以我為知禮。」全忠怒偓薄己，悻然出。有譖偓喜侵侮有位，胤亦與偓貳。會逐王溥、陸扆，帝以王贊、趙崇為相，胤執贊、崇非宰相器，帝不得已而罷。贊、崇皆偓所薦為宰相者。全忠見帝，斥偓罪，帝數顧胤，胤不為解。全忠至中書，欲召偓殺之。鄭元規曰：「偓位侍郎、學士承旨，公無遽。」全忠乃止，貶濮州司馬。帝執其手流涕曰：「我左右無人矣。」再貶榮懿尉，徙鄧州司馬。天祐二年，復召為學士，還故官。偓不敢入朝，挈其族南依王審知而卒。

When the emperor restored the throne he devoted himself diligently to government. Wo handled confidential matters and usually agreed with the emperor's intent. Three or four times the emperor wished to make him chancellor, but Wo declined and dared not accept. When Su Jian again drew him into joint government, he firmly declined once more. On one occasion when Wo was attending a feast seated together with Zheng Yuangui of the metropolitan prefecture and Chen Ban, envoy of Weiyuan, he declined, saying, "Academicians do not sit with the outer roster of officials." The host of the feast pressed him firmly, and only then did he sit down. When Yuangui and Ban arrived, he at last broke off the shared mat. When Quanzhong and Yin came to the steps to announce affairs, all those seated rose from their mats, but Wo did not move. He said, "At a feast one does not rise casually. The two lords will take me for a man who understands ritual." Quanzhong was angry that Wo had slighted him and withdrew in resentment. Someone slandered Wo, saying that he delighted in insulting men of rank. Yin also turned away from him. At that time Wang Pu and Lu Yi were driven out. The emperor appointed Wang Zan and Zhao Chong as chancellors, but Yin insisted that neither was fit for the chancellorship, and the emperor had no choice but to dismiss them. Both Zan and Chong were men Wo had recommended for the chancellorship. Quanzhong saw the emperor and denounced Wo's crimes. The emperor repeatedly looked toward Yin for help, but Yin offered no defense. Quanzhong went to the Secretariat and wished to summon Wo and have him killed. Zheng Yuangui said, "Wo holds the rank of vice minister and chief academician of the Hanlin Academy. My lord, you must not act in haste." Quanzhong thereupon desisted and demoted Wo to militia vice-prefect of Pu Prefecture. The emperor took his hand with tears streaming down his face and said, "I have no one left at my side." He was demoted again to defender of Rongyi and transferred to militia vice-prefect of Deng Prefecture. In the second year of Tianyou he was again summoned as an academician and restored to his former office. Wo dared not enter court. He took his clan south to place themselves under Wang Shenzhi and died there.

兄儀，字羽光，亦以翰林學士為御史中丞。偓貶之明年，帝宴文思球場，全忠入，百官坐廡下，全忠怒，貶儀棣州司馬，侍御史歸藹登州司戶參軍。

His elder brother Han Yi, whose courtesy name was Yuguang, likewise rose from Hanlin academician to censor-in-chief. In the year after Wo's demotion the emperor gave a feast at the Wensi ball ground. When Quanzhong entered, the officials were all seated beneath the corridor, and Quanzhong grew angry. He demoted Yi to militia vice-prefect of Di Prefecture and the remonstrating attendant Gui Ai to registrar of Deng Prefecture.

贊曰：懿、僖以來，王道日失厥序，腐尹塞朝，賢人遁逃，四方豪英，各附所合而奮。天子塊然，所與者，惟佞愎庸奴，乃欲鄣橫流、支已顛，寧不殆哉！觀綮、朴輩不次而用，捭豚臑，拒貙牙，趣亡而已。一韓偓不能容，況賢者乎？

The commentator says: From the reigns of Yizong and Xizong onward, the kingly way daily lost its proper order. Corrupt officials filled the court, worthy men fled into hiding, and heroes throughout the realm each attached themselves to whatever cause suited them and rose up in struggle. The Son of Heaven stood isolated. Those around him were only flatterers, obstinate fools, and servile men. Yet he wished to block the rushing torrent and prop up a throne already toppling—how could he not be brought to ruin! Consider how men like Qi and Pu were promoted out of turn: it was like flinging a pig shank at a leopard's fangs—nothing but a rush toward destruction. If even a single Han Wo could not be tolerated, how much less could true men of worth!

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