1
孝閔皇帝諱覺，字陁羅尼，太祖第三子也。 母曰元皇后。 大統八年，生於同州官舍。 九歲，封略陽郡公。 時有善相者史元華見帝，退謂所親曰：「此公子有至貴之相，但恨其壽不足以稱之耳。」 魏恭帝三年三月，命為安定公世子。 四月，拜大將軍。 十月乙亥，太祖崩，丙子，嗣位太師、大冢宰。 十二月丁亥，魏帝詔以岐陽之地封帝為周公。 庚子，禪位於帝。 詔曰：「予聞皇天之命不于常，惟歸於德。 故堯授舜，舜授禹，時其宜也。 天厭我魏邦，垂變以告，惟爾罔弗知。 予雖不明，敢弗龔天命，格有德哉。 今踵唐虞舊典，禪位於周，庸佈告遐邇焉。」 使大宗伯趙貴持節奉冊書曰：「咨爾周公，帝王之位弗有常，有德者受命，時乃天道。 予式時庸，荒求于唐虞之彝踵。 曰我魏德之終舊矣，我邦小大罔弗知，今其可久怫於天道而不歸有德歟。 時用詢謀。 僉曰公昭考文公，格勳德於天地，丕濟生民。 洎公躬，又宣重光。 故玄象徵見於上，謳訟奔走於下，天之歷數，用實在焉。 予安敢弗若。 是以欽祗聖典，遜位於公。 公其享茲大命，保有萬國，可不慎歟。」 魏帝臨朝，遣民部中大夫、濟北西元迪致皇帝璽紱。 固辭。 公卿百辟勸進，太 （師） 〔史〕陳祥瑞，乃從之。 是日，魏帝遜于大司馬府。
The Xiaomin Emperor, taboo name Jue and styled Tuoluoni, was the third son of the Grand Duke. His mother was the Empress Yuan. In the eighth year of Datong he was born in the government quarters at Tong Province. At the age of nine he was made Duke of Lueyang commandery. A skilled physiognomist named Shi Yuanhua once looked upon the future emperor and told his intimates afterward: “This boy bears the marks of the highest eminence—yet his lifespan will fall short of what his face promises.” In the third month of the third year of Emperor Gong of Wei he was named heir to the Duke of Anding. In the fourth month he received appointment as General-in-Chief. On yihai in the tenth month the Grand Duke died; on the following day, bingzi, Jue succeeded him as Grand Preceptor and Grand Chancellor. On dinghai in the twelfth month the Wei emperor decreed that Jue should be enfeoffed as Duke of Zhou with the lands of Qiyang. On gengzi the Wei emperor abdicated in his favor. The edict read: “We have heard that Heaven’s command is not constant—it rests only with the virtuous. Yao yielded to Shun, and Shun to Yu, each in season with Heaven’s intent. Heaven has grown weary of the house of Wei and shows its displeasure in portents—yet you alone seem not to see. Though We lack wisdom, how dare We refuse Heaven’s command or fail to yield to worth? We therefore follow the ancient precedent of Tang and Yu and yield the throne to Zhou—let this be proclaimed throughout the realm.” The Grand Director of Ritual Zhao Gui was sent with the staff of authority and the book of investiture, which declared: “O Duke of Zhou, the throne is not forever fixed; the virtuous receive the mandate—such is Heaven’s way. At this time We earnestly seek to follow the models left by Tang and Yu. The virtue of Wei has run its course, and none in the realm doubts it—how can the throne long defy Heaven and refuse the worthy? Counsel was now sought throughout the court. All declared: “Your late father Duke Wen matched Heaven and Earth in merit and brought vast benefit to the people. In your own person you have renewed that glory. Heaven’s signs have appeared above and songs of praise below—the mandate is manifest for all to see. How could We dare do otherwise? We therefore reverently bow to the sacred precedent and yield the throne to you. Receive this great mandate, preserve the myriad realms, and govern with care.” The Wei emperor came to court and sent Yuan Di of Western Jibei, Gentleman of the Ministry of the People, to present the imperial seal and cord. Jue firmly declined. The dukes, ministers, and all officials pressed him to ascend; the Grand (Grand Preceptor) the historian Chen presented auspicious omens, and only then did he accept. That same day the Wei emperor retired to the Grand Marshal’s residence.
2
壬寅，祠圓丘。 詔曰：「予本自神農，其於二丘，宜作厥主。 始祖獻侯，啟土遼海，肇有國基，配南北郊。 文考德符五運，受天明命，祖于明堂，以配上帝，廟為太祖。」 癸卯，祠方丘。 甲辰，祠太社。 初除市門稅。 乙巳，祠太廟。 丁未，會百官於乾安殿，班賞各有差。
On renyin he offered sacrifice at the Round Mound. An edict declared: “Our line descends from Shen Nong; at the two mounds he shall be chief among the spirits. Founding Ancestor Duke Xianhou opened the northeast and laid the state’s foundation; he is honored at the southern and northern suburban altars. Cultured Father’s virtue embraced the five phases and received Heaven’s mandate; in the Bright Hall he is honored to match the Supreme Lord, and his temple is titled Grand Ancestor.” On guimao he sacrificed at the Square Mound. On jiachen he sacrificed at the Grand Altar of Soil. For the first time, market-gate taxes were abolished. On yisi he sacrificed at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. On dingwei he gathered the officials in the Qian’an Hall and bestowed rewards according to rank.
3
戊申，詔曰：「上天有命，革魏於周，致予一人，受茲大號。 予惟古先聖王，罔弗先于省視風俗，以求民瘼，然後克治。 矧予眇眇，又當草昧，若弗尚于達四聰、明四目之訓者，其有聞知哉。 有司宜分命方別之使，所在巡撫。 五教何者不宣，時政有何不便； 得無脩身潔己，才堪佐世之人，而不為上所知； 冤枉受罰，幽辱于下之徒，而不為上所理； 孝義貞節，不為有司所申； 鰥寡孤窮，不為有司所恤； 暨黎庶衣食豐約，賦役繁省，災厲所興，水旱之處：並宜具聞。 若有年八十已上，所在就加禮餼。」 辛亥，祠南郊。 壬子，立王后元氏。
On wushen an edict proclaimed: “Heaven has ordered the transformation from Wei to Zhou and set Us alone to bear this great title. The ancient sage kings always examined local customs and sought out the people’s hardships before they could govern well—and so must We. How much more in Our slight person, at the founding of a new dynasty—if We neglect to open Our ears and eyes to all quarters, what will ever reach Us? Let the responsible offices send envoys to every region to tour and inspect. Whether the five teachings have not reached, and what policies cause hardship; whether men of talent who cultivate themselves remain unknown to the throne; whether the wrongly punished and the disgraced go unredressed; whether filial sons, the righteous, and the chaste fail to receive official commendation; whether widowers, orphans, and the destitute lack official relief; and whether the people have food and clothing, whether taxes are heavy or light, where disasters strike, and where flood or drought afflict the land—all must be reported in full. Wherever anyone has reached eighty years, local officials shall present ceremonial gifts on the spot.” On xinhai he sacrificed at the southern suburb. On renzi he installed Lady Yuan as empress.
4
乙卯，詔曰：「惟天地草昧，建邦以寧。 今可大啟諸國，為周藩屏。」 於是封太師李弼為趙國公，太傅趙貴為楚國公，太保獨孤信為衛國公，大司寇于謹為燕國公，大司空侯莫陳崇為梁國公，大司馬、中山公護為晉國公，邑各萬戶。 辛酉，祠太廟。 癸亥，親耕籍田。 丙寅，於劍南陵井置陵州，武康郡置資州，遂寧郡置遂州。
On yimao an edict said: “When Heaven and Earth were still unordered, states were raised up to bring peace. Let the feudal states now be broadly enfeoffed to serve as Zhou’s protective screen.” Grand Preceptor Li Bi became Duke of Zhao; Grand Tutor Zhao Gui, Duke of Chu; Grand Protector Dugu Xin, Duke of Wei; Grand Minister of Justice Yu Jin, Duke of Yan; Grand Minister of Works Houmochen Chong, Duke of Liang; and Grand Marshal the Duke of Zhongshan, Hu, Duke of Jin—each with ten thousand households. On xinyou he sacrificed at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. On guihai he performed the spring plowing rite in person. On bingyin Ling Province was created at Jianjing in Nanling; Zi Province at Wukang; and Sui Province at Suining.
5
二月癸酉，朝日於東郊。 乙亥，改封永昌郡公廣為天水郡公。 戊寅，祠太社。
On guiyou in the second month he worshipped the sun at the eastern suburb. On yihai Duke Guang of Yongchang was re-enfeoffed as Duke of Tianshui. On wuyin he sacrificed at the Grand Altar of Soil.
6
丁亥，楚國公趙貴謀反，伏誅。 詔曰：
On dinghai Zhao Gui, Duke of Chu, plotted rebellion and was put to death. An edict declared:
7
朕文考昔與群公洎列將眾官，同心戮力，共治天下。 自始及終，二十三載，迭相匡弼，上下無怨。 是以群公等用升余於大位。 朕雖不德，豈不識此。 是以朕於群公，同姓者如弟兄，異姓者如甥舅。 冀此一心，平定宇內，各令子孫，享祀百世。 而朕不明，不能輯睦，致使楚公貴不悅于朕，與万俟幾通、叱奴興、王龍仁、長孫僧衍等陰相假署，圖危社稷。 事不克行，為開府宇文盛等所告。 及其推究，咸伏厥辜。 興言及此，心焉如痗。 但法者天下之法，朕旣為天下守法，安敢以私情廢之。 《書》曰「善善及後世，惡惡止其身」，其貴、通、興、龍仁罪止一家，僧衍止一房，餘皆不問。 惟爾文武，咸知時事。
Our Cultured Father once joined the great dukes, the generals, and all officials in single-minded effort to govern the realm. For twenty-three years they supported one another without rancor between high and low. It was thus that they raised Us to the throne. Though We lack virtue, We are not unmindful of this debt. Toward the great dukes We treat those of our clan as brothers and those of other lines as uncles and nephews. We hoped that in unity the realm would be settled and their descendants would offer sacrifice for a hundred generations. Yet We failed to keep harmony, and Duke of Chu Gui, displeased with Us, joined Moqi Jitong, Chinu Xing, Wang Longren, Yuchi Sengyan, and others in secret plots against the state. The plot failed and was denounced by Founding Grand Commander Yuwen Sheng and others. When the matter was investigated to the end, all were found guilty. At the mention of it Our heart is wrung with grief. Yet law is the law of all under Heaven; as sovereign We cannot set it aside for private grief. As the Documents says: “Extend reward to the descendants of the good; let punishment for evil stop with the evildoer.” Gui, Jitong, Xing, and Longren’s guilt ends with their households; Sengyan’s with his branch; the rest shall not be implicated. Let all you civil and military officials understand the times.
8
太保獨孤信有罪免。
Grand Protector Dugu Xin was found guilty and removed from office.
9
甲午，以大司空、梁國公侯莫陳崇為太保，大司馬、晉國公護為大冢宰，柱國、博陵公賀蘭祥為大司馬，高陽公達奚武為大司寇，大將軍、化政公宇文貴為柱國。 己亥，秦州、涇州各獻木連理。 歲星守少微，經六十日。
On jiawu Houmochen Chong, Duke of Liang and Grand Minister of Works, became Grand Protector; Hu, Duke of Jin and Grand Marshal, Grand Chancellor; Helan Xiang of Boling, Grand Marshal; Daxi Wu of Gaoyang, Grand Minister of Justice; and Yuwen Gui of Huazheng, Grand Duke General of the Army. On jihai Qin and Jing provinces each presented trees whose branches had grown together. Jupiter remained in Shaowei for sixty days.
10
三月庚子，會文武百官，班賜各有差。 己酉，柱國、衛國公獨孤信賜死。 壬子，詔曰： 「（浙） 〔淅〕州去歲不登，厥民饑饉，朕用慜焉。 其當州租輸未畢者，悉宜免之。 兼遣使巡檢，有窮餒者，並加賑給。」 癸亥，省六府士員，三分減一。
On gengzi in the third month he gathered civil and military officials and distributed rewards by rank. On jiyou Dugu Xin, Grand Duke of Wei, was ordered to take his own life. On renzi an edict said: “(Zhe Province) Xi Province failed to ripen last year and its people hunger—We are deeply moved. All unpaid rent and tax still due from that province shall be remitted in full. Envoys shall tour the region and give additional relief wherever people face starvation. On guihai the staff of the six ministries was cut by one-third.
11
夏四月己巳，以少師、平原公侯莫陳順為柱國。 壬申，詔死罪以下，各降一等。 壬午，謁成陵。 乙酉，還宮。 丁亥，祠太廟。
On jisi in the fourth month of summer Houmochen Shun, Junior Preceptor and Duke of Pingyuan, was made Grand Duke General of the Army. On renshen an edict reduced by one degree all sentences below death. On renwu he visited Chengling. On yiyou he returned to the palace. On dinghai he sacrificed at the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
12
五月癸卯，歲星犯太微上將，太白犯軒轅。 己酉，槐里獻白燕。 帝欲觀漁於昆明池，博士姜須諫，乃止。
On guimao in the fifth month Jupiter trespassed on the Senior General in the Supreme Palace Enclosure, and Venus on Xuanyuan. On jiyou Huaili presented a white swallow. The emperor wished to watch fishing at Kunming Pool; Academician Jiang Xu remonstrated, and he abandoned the plan.
13
秋七月壬寅，帝聽訟於右寢，多所哀宥。 甲辰，月掩心後星。 辛亥，祠太廟。 熒惑犯東井北端第二星。
On renyin in the seventh month of autumn he heard cases in the right sleeping chamber and showed much mercy. On jiachen the moon occulted the star behind the Heart. On xinhai he sacrificed at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Mars trespassed on the second star at the northern end of the Well constellation.
14
八月戊辰，祠太社。 辛未，詔曰：「朕甫臨大位，政教未孚，使我民農，多陷刑網。 今秋律已應，將行大戮，言念羣生，責在於朕。 宜從肆眚，與其更新。 其犯〔死〕者宜降從流，流以下各降一等。 不在赦限者，不從此降。」 甲午，詔曰：「帝王之治天下，罔弗博求眾才，以乂厥民。 今二十四軍宜舉賢良堪治民者，軍列九人。 被舉之人，於後不稱厥任者，所舉官司，皆治其罪。」
On wuchen in the eighth month he sacrificed at the Grand Altar of Soil. On xinwei an edict declared: “Having just taken the throne, We have not yet won the people’s trust in Our rule, and many farmers have been caught in the courts. Autumn has come and executions are at hand; when We think of the people, the fault is Ours alone. Let a great amnesty be proclaimed and give them a new start. Death sentences shall be commuted to exile, and all lesser punishments reduced one degree. Those excluded from the amnesty shall not benefit from this reduction. On jiawu an edict said: “Every ruler who governs the realm must seek talent far and wide to bring peace to the people. Let each of the twenty-four armies nominate nine worthy men fit to govern the people. If any nominee later proves unfit for office, the officials who recommended him shall be punished.”
15
九月庚申，詔曰：「朕聞君臨天下者，非由一人，時乃上下同心所致。 今文武之官及諸軍人不霑爵封者，宜各授兩大階。」 改太守為郡守。
On gengshen in the ninth month an edict said: “A sovereign does not rule alone; the realm is governed when ruler and subjects share one heart. All civil and military officials and soldiers who have not yet received titles or fiefs shall each be advanced two full ranks. The title Grand Administrator was renamed Commandery Administrator.
16
帝性剛果，見晉公護執政，深忌之。 司會李植、軍司馬孫恒以先朝佐命，入侍左右，亦疾護之專，乃與宮伯乙弗鳳、賀拔提等潛謀，請帝誅護。 帝然之。 又引宮伯張光洛同謀。 光洛密白護，護乃出植為梁州刺史，恆為潼州刺史。 鳳等遂不自安，更奏帝，將召羣公入，因此誅護。 光洛又白之。 時小司馬尉遲綱總統宿衛兵，護乃召綱共謀廢立。 令綱入殿中，詐呼鳳等論事。 旣至，以次執送護第，並誅之。 綱仍罷散禁兵，帝方悟，無左右，獨在內殿，令宮人持兵自守。 護又遣大司馬賀蘭祥逼帝遜位。 遂幽於舊邸，月餘日，以弒崩，時年十六。 植、恆等亦遇害。
The emperor was firm and decisive by nature, and he deeply resented Duke of Jin Hu’s hold on power. Li Zhi, Director of Accounts, and Sun Heng, Army Marshal—both veterans of the founding reign who attended the emperor—likewise hated Hu’s dominance. With Palace Attendants Yifu Feng, Heba Ti, and others they plotted in secret to have the emperor kill him. The emperor gave his assent. He also enlisted Palace Attendant Zhang Guangluo in the conspiracy. Guangluo secretly warned Hu, who promptly sent Zhi to Liang Province and Heng to Tong Province as governors. Uneasy, Feng and his allies urged the emperor to summon the great dukes to court and kill Hu in the act. Guangluo again betrayed the plot to Hu. Junior Army Marshal Yuchi Gang then commanded the palace guard; Hu summoned him to plan the emperor’s removal. Hu had Gang enter the hall and call Feng and the others under pretense of business. As each arrived he was seized and taken to Hu’s house, and all were put to death. Gang then disbanded the palace guard. Only then did the emperor understand; left alone in the inner hall, he had the palace women arm themselves for his defense. Hu then sent Grand Marshal Helan Xiang to compel his abdication. He was imprisoned in his former residence and, a little over a month later, was assassinated at the age of sixteen. Zhi, Heng, and their fellows were killed as well.
17
及武帝誅護後，乃詔曰：「慎始敬終，有國彝典； 事亡如存，哲王通制。 義崇追遠，禮貴尊親。 故略陽公至德純粹，天姿秀傑。 屬魏祚告終，寶命將改，謳歌允集，歷數攸歸，上協蒼靈之慶，下昭后祇之錫。 而禍生肘腋，釁起蕭牆，白獸噬驂，蒼鷹集殿，幽辱神器，弒酷乘輿，冤結生民，毒流㝢縣。 今河海澄清，氛沴消蕩，追尊之禮，宜崇徽號。」 遣太師、蜀國公 （過） 〔迥〕於南郊上諡曰孝閔皇帝，陵曰靜陵。
After Emperor Wu killed Hu, he issued an edict: “Care at the beginning and reverence at the end are the enduring laws of statecraft; to honor the dead as though they still lived is the way of the sage kings. Duty bids us honor those who went before; ritual demands that we revere our kin. Duke of Lueyang possessed supreme virtue, pure and unalloyed, and a heaven-given brilliance. When the house of Wei ended and the mandate was about to pass, the people’s acclaim gathered and the throne was rightfully his—blessed by Heaven above and sanctioned by Earth below. Yet disaster struck at his very side and treason rose within the palace—a white beast savaged the team, a dark hawk alighted on the hall; the sacred regalia was defiled, the sovereign brutally slain, the people left in bitter wrong, and poison spread across the realm. Now that the realm is pacified and evil dispelled, his posthumous honors should be raised to a lofty title. He dispatched Grand Preceptor the Duke of Shu (Guo [Jiong]) Jiong to offer at the southern suburb the posthumous title Emperor Xiaomin; his mausoleum is named Jingling.
18
史臣曰：孝閔承旣安之業，應樂推之運，柴天竺物，正位君臨，邇無異言，遠無異望。 雖黃初代德，太始受終，不之尚也。 然政由寧氏，主懷芒刺之疑； 祭則寡人，臣無復子之請。 以之速禍，宜哉。
The historian writes: Xiaomin inherited a settled realm and answered the people’s willing acclaim. He offered up the goods of the land and took the throne without dissent near or far. Even the founding reigns of Wei and Jin were not to be preferred over his accession. Yet power lay with the Ning house, and the emperor lived with a thorn in his side; at the sacrifices he stood alone, and his ministers no longer played the part of loyal sons. Small wonder that disaster came upon him so quickly.
19
全文以中華書局、一九七一年十一月版《周書》為本校。
The entire chapter has been collated against the Zhonghua Shuju edition of the Book of Zhou (November 1971).