1
尉遲運王軌宇文神舉宇文孝伯顏之儀樂運
Biographies of Yuchi Yun, Wang Gui, Yuwen Shenju, Yuwen Xiaobo, Yan Zhiyi, and Yue Yun.
2
王軌，太原祁人也，小名沙門，漢司徒允之後。 世為州郡冠族。 累葉仕魏，賜姓烏丸氏。 父光，少雄武，有將帥才略。 每從征討，頻有戰功。 太祖知其勇決，遇之甚厚。 位至驃騎大將軍、開府儀同三司、平原縣公。
Wang Gui came from Qi in Taiyuan; his childhood name was Somen; he was descended from Minister over the Masses Yun of Han. His family had long been a leading house in their region. For many generations they served Wei and were granted the surname Wuhuan. His father Guang was fierce and martial from youth and possessed the talents of a commander. Whenever he joined campaigns, he won repeated battlefield honors. Grand Progenitor Yuwen Tai recognized his courage and resolution and treated him with great favor. He rose to fast cavalry grand general, opening-office equal in three departments, and duke of Pingyuan.
3
軌性質直，慷慨有遠量。 臨事強正，人不敢干。 起家事輔城公。 及高祖卽位，授前侍下士。 俄轉左侍上士，頗被識顧。 累遷內史上士、內史下大夫，加授儀同三司。 自此親遇彌重，遂處腹心之任。 時晉公護專政，高祖密欲圖之。 以軌沉毅有識度，堪屬以大事，遂問以可否。 軌贊成之。
Gui was blunt and upright by nature, generous-spirited, and far-seeing. In office he was forceful and upright, and none dared cross him. He began his career in the household of the Duke of Fucheng. When Emperor Xiaoyu took the throne, Gui was made a lower gentleman of the former attendants. Before long he was transferred to upper gentleman of the left attendants and came under marked favor. He rose in succession to upper gentleman and then lower grand master in the palace scribe service, and was given the added rank of equal in three departments. From then on he enjoyed ever closer trust and was entrusted with inner-circle duties. While Duke of Jin Yuwen Hu dominated the government, Emperor Xiaoyu secretly planned to move against him. Seeing that Gui was grave, resolute, and farsighted enough to be trusted with a grave matter, the emperor asked his view. Gui gave his approval.
4
建德初，轉內史中大夫，加授開府儀同三司，又拜上開府儀同大將軍，封上黃縣公，邑一千戶，軍國之政，皆參預焉。 五年，高祖總戎東伐，六軍圍晉州。 刺史崔景嵩守城北面，夜中密遣送款。 詔令軌率眾應之，未明，士皆登城鼓噪。 齊人駭懼，因卽退走。 遂克晉州，擒其城主特進、海昌王尉相貴，俘甲士八千人。 於是遂從平幷、鄴。 以功進位上大將軍，進爵郯國公，邑三千戶。
At the start of Jiande he became middle grand master in the palace scribe service, was given opening-office equal in three departments, then appointed upper opening-office equal-in-three-departments grand general and enfeoffed duke of Shanghuang with a fief of one thousand households, taking part in both civil and military policy. In the fifth year Emperor Xiaoyu took command of an eastern campaign, and the six armies laid siege to Jin Province. The inspector Cui Jingsong held the north side of the city and by night secretly sent word of surrender. An edict ordered Gui to lead troops to meet him; before dawn his men had scaled the walls with drums and shouting. The Qi forces were stunned and fled at once. Jin Province fell; its defender, the specially advanced Prince of Haichang Wei Xianggui, was taken, along with eight thousand armored troops. Gui then took part in the conquest of Bing and Ye. For his merit he was promoted to upper grand general and raised to duke of Tan with a fief of three thousand households.
5
及陳將吳明徹入寇呂梁，徐州總管梁士彥頻與戰不利，乃退保州城，不敢復出。 明徹遂堰清水以灌之，列船艦於城下，以圖攻取。 詔以軌為行軍總管，率諸軍赴救。 軌潛於清水入淮口，多豎大木，以鐵鎖貫車輪，橫截水流，以斷其船路。 方欲密決其堰以斃之，明徹知之，懼，乃破堰遽退，冀乘決水之勢，以得入淮。 比至清口，川流已闊，水勢亦衰，船艦竝礙於車輪，不復得過。 軌因率兵圍而蹙之。 唯有騎將蕭摩訶以二千騎先走，得免。 明徹及將士三萬餘人，幷器械輜重，竝就俘獲。 陳之銳卒，於是殲焉。 高祖嘉之，進位柱國，仍拜徐州總管、七州十五鎮諸軍事。 軌性嚴重，多謀略，兼有呂梁之捷，威振敵境。 陳人甚憚之。
When the Chen general Wu Mingche invaded Liang, the Xuzhou area commander Liang Shiyan fought him repeatedly without success, withdrew into the provincial capital, and dared not emerge again. Mingche dammed the Qing River to flood the city and lined ships beneath the walls, intending to take it by assault. Gui was appointed mobile campaign commander and sent at the head of relief armies. Gui quietly took up position where the Qing River enters the Huai, drove in many great posts, threaded iron chains through cart wheels, and strung them across the current to block the enemy fleet. Just as Gui planned secretly to burst the dam and trap the enemy, Mingche learned of it in alarm, broke the dam himself, and fled downstream, hoping the rush of released water would carry him into the Huai. By the time he reached the Qing mouth the channel had widened, the current had slackened, and every ship snagged on the chained wheels and could go no farther. Gui then closed in with his troops and hemmed them in. Only the cavalry commander Xiao Mohe escaped ahead with two thousand riders. Mingche, more than thirty thousand officers and men, and all their arms and supplies were taken captive. Thus the Chen army's elite was wiped out. Emperor Xiaoyu commended him, raised him to pillar of state, and appointed him area commander of Xuzhou with authority over seven provinces and fifteen garrison commands. Stern and deliberate, rich in stratagem, and now crowned by victory at Liang, Gui's renown shook the enemy frontier. The Chen greatly dreaded him.
6
宣帝之征吐谷渾也，高祖令軌與宇文孝伯竝從，軍中進取，皆委軌等，帝仰成而已。 時宮尹鄭譯、王端等竝得幸帝。 帝在軍中，頗有失德，譯等皆預焉。 軍還，軌等言之於高祖。 高祖大怒，乃撻帝，除譯等名，仍加捶楚。 帝因此大銜之。 軌又嘗與小內史賀若弼言及此事，且言皇太子必不克負荷。 弼深以為然，勸軌陳之。 軌後因侍坐，乃謂高祖曰：「皇太子仁孝無聞，復多涼德，恐不了陛下家事。 愚臣短暗，不足以論是非。 陛下恆以賀若弼有文武奇才，識度宏遠，而弼比每對臣，深以此事為慮。」 高祖召弼問之。 弼乃詭對曰：「皇太子養德春宮，未聞有過。 未審陛下，何從得聞此言？」 旣退，軌誚弼曰：「平生言論，無所不道，今者對揚，何得乃爾翻覆？」 弼曰：「此公之過也。 皇太子，國之儲副，豈易攸言。 事有蹉跌，便至滅門之禍。 本謂公密陳臧否，何得遂至昌言。」 軌默然久之，乃曰：「吾專心國家，遂不存私計。 向者對眾，良寔非宜。」 後軌因內宴上壽，又捋高祖須曰：「可愛好老公，但恨後嗣弱耳。」 高祖深以為然。 但漢王次長，又不才，此外諸子竝幼，故不能用其說。
When Emperor Xuandi marched against Tuyuhun, Emperor Xiaoyu had Gui and Yuwen Xiaobo accompany him; all operational decisions were left to them while the emperor merely signed off. The palace directors Zheng Yi and Wang Duan, among others, then enjoyed the emperor's special favor. In camp the emperor behaved with notable impropriety, and Zheng Yi and the rest shared in it. When the army returned, Gui and the others reported this to Emperor Xiaoyu. Emperor Xiaoyu flew into a rage, had the crown prince flogged, struck Zheng Yi and the rest from the rolls, and had them beaten as well. The crown prince nursed a deep grudge over this. Gui once told the junior palace scribe He Ruo Bi about the affair and said the crown prince would surely fail to carry the burden. Bi agreed wholeheartedly and urged Gui to bring the matter before the throne. Later, while attending the emperor, Gui said to Emperor Xiaoyu, "The crown prince has shown no sign of benevolence or filial devotion, and his conduct has been shameful in many ways. I fear he cannot manage Your Majesty's house. I am a dull and shortsighted subject, unfit to judge such matters. Your Majesty always credits He Ruo Bi with rare civil and military gifts and a far-reaching mind, and Bi has lately confided to me that this weighs heavily on his thoughts." Emperor Xiaoyu summoned Bi for questioning. Bi answered evasively, "The crown prince is being cultivated in the Eastern Palace, and I have heard no fault of him. May I ask from whom Your Majesty heard such words?" Afterward Gui rebuked Bi: "In private you say everything openly; before the throne today, why this sudden reversal?" Bi said, "That was your mistake. The crown prince is the heir to the realm — not a thing one speaks of lightly. One misstep could bring ruin upon an entire house. I thought you would speak your mind in private — not proclaim it in open court." Gui was silent a long while, then said, "My heart was fixed on the state alone; I gave no thought to my own safety. To have spoken so before the whole company was indeed ill judged." Later, at a palace feast celebrating the emperor's birthday, Gui tugged Emperor Xiaoyu's beard and said, "You are a dear old man — I only wish your heirs were stronger." Emperor Xiaoyu agreed deeply. Yet the Prince of Han, though next in age, lacked ability too, and the other sons were still children, so the emperor could not act on his advice.
7
及宣帝卽位，追鄭譯等復為近侍。 軌自知必及於禍，謂所親曰：「吾昔在先朝，寔申社稷至計。 今日之事，斷可知矣。 此州控帶淮南，鄰接強寇，欲為身計，易同反掌。 但忠義之節，不可虧違。 況荷先帝厚恩，每思以死自效，豈以獲罪於嗣主，便欲背德於先朝。 止可於此待死，義不為他計。 冀千載之後，知吾此心。」
When Emperor Xuandi took the throne, he recalled Zheng Yi and the rest to serve again at his side. Knowing retribution was inevitable, Gui told those close to him, "In the previous reign I spoke plainly for the good of the realm. What will happen now is all too clear. This province commands Huainan and borders a powerful foe; to scheme for my own survival would be as easy as turning my hand. Yet the code of loyalty and duty cannot be broken. Moreover I owe the late emperor a deep debt and have always wished to repay it with my life; shall I turn faithless to the previous reign because the new sovereign condemns me? I can only wait here for death; honor forbids any other course. I hope that ages hence someone will understand what moves me."
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大象元年，帝令內史杜虔信就徐州殺軌。 御正中大夫顏之儀切諫，帝不納，遂誅之。 軌立朝忠恕，兼有大功，忽以無罪被戮，天下知與不知，無不傷惜。
In Daxiang year 1 the emperor sent the palace scribe Du Qianxin to Xuzhou to execute Gui. The proper central upper grand master Yan Zhiyi argued against it urgently, but the emperor would not listen and had Gui put to death. Gui had served loyally and with large-hearted integrity and had won great merit; his sudden execution on no charge moved all under heaven, acquainted or not, to grief.
9
宇文神舉，太祖之族子也。 高祖晉陵、曾祖求男，仕魏，位竝顯達。 祖金殿，魏鎮遠將軍、兗州刺史、安吉縣侯。
Yuwen Shenju was a clansman of Grand Progenitor Yuwen Tai. His great-great-grandfather Jinling and great-grandfather Qiuman served Wei and both rose to notable rank. His grandfather Jindian was a Wei general who pacifies the distance, inspector of Yan, and marquis of Anji.
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父顯和，少而襲爵，性矜嚴，頗涉經史，膂力絕人，彎弓數百斤，能左右馳射。 魏孝武之在藩也，顯和早蒙眷遇。 時屬多難，嘗問計於顯和。 顯和具陳宜杜門晦迹，相時而動。 孝武深納焉。 及卽位，擢授冠軍將軍、合內都督，封城陽縣公，邑五百戶。 孝武以顯和藩邸之舊，遇之甚厚。 時顯和所居宅隘陋，乃撤殿省，賜為寢室。 其見重如此。
His father Xianhe succeeded to the title while still young. Stern by nature and well read in the classics and histories, he had strength beyond ordinary men, could draw a bow of several hundred jin, and shoot with equal skill from either hand while riding. While Emperor Xiaowu of Wei was still a frontier prince, Xianhe won his early favor. In those troubled times the emperor once asked Xianhe for counsel. Xianhe urged him plainly to withdraw from sight, bide his time, and act when the moment came. Xiaowu took this advice to heart. When Xiaowu took the throne he was promoted to general who wins, made combined inner area commander, and enfeoffed duke of Chengyang with a fief of five hundred households. Remembering their bond from the frontier days, Xiaowu treated Xianhe with great favor. When Xianhe's house proved cramped, the emperor tore down part of the palace offices and gave him the space for his quarters. Such was the esteem in which he was held.
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及齊神武專政，帝每不自安。 謂顯和曰：「天下洶洶，將若之何？」 對曰：「當今之計，莫若擇善而從之。」 因誦詩雲：「彼美人兮，西方之人兮。」 帝曰：「是吾心也。」 遂定入關之策。 帝以顯和母老，家累又多，令預為計。 對曰：「今日之事，忠孝不可並立。 然臣不密則失身，安敢預為私計。」 帝愴然改容曰：「卿卽我之王陵也。」 遷朱衣直閤、閤內大都督，改封長廣縣公，邑一千五百戶。
Once Gao Huan seized power, the emperor grew uneasy day by day. He said to Xianhe, "The realm is in turmoil — what am I to do?" Xianhe answered, "The best course now is to choose what is right and follow it." and quoted the ode: "That fair one — a man of the west." The emperor said, "That is my own thought." and so the plan to enter Guanzhong was decided. Because Xianhe's mother was elderly and his household large, the emperor told him to make arrangements in advance. He replied, "In the present crisis loyalty and filial duty cannot both be satisfied. And if a minister is not discreet he risks his life — how could I make private plans beforehand?" The emperor's face changed with sorrow as he said, "You are my Wang Ling." He was made crimson-robe direct guard and great area commander of the inner guard, and his title was changed to duke of Changguang with a fief of fifteen hundred households.
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及高祖東伐，詔神舉從軍。 幷州平，卽授幷州刺史，加上開府儀同大將軍。 州旣齊氏別都，控帶要重。 平定甫爾，民俗澆訛，豪右之家，多為奸猾。 神舉勵精為治，示以威恩，旬月之間，遠邇悅服。 尋加上大將軍，改封武德郡公，增邑二千戶。 俄進柱國大將軍，改封東平郡公，增邑通前六千九百戶。 所部東壽陽縣土人，相聚為盜，率其黨五千人，來襲州城。 神舉以州兵討平之。
When Emperor Xiaoyu marched east, Shenju was ordered to accompany the campaign. Once Bing Province was pacified he was made its inspector and given the added rank of upper opening-office equal-in-three-departments grand general. The province was the Qi dynasty's secondary capital and held a position of the first strategic importance. Hardly had order been restored when local mores turned lax; leading families were largely given to fraud and sharp dealing. Yuwen Shenju threw himself into administration, balancing sternness with grace, and within a month people near and far were won over. He was soon given the added rank of grand general, raised to duke of Wude commandery, and granted two thousand more households. Before long he was promoted to pillar-of-state grand general, made duke of Dongping commandery, and his fief reached six thousand nine hundred households in all. The natives of Dongshouyang county in his district banded together as robbers and, at the head of five thousand followers, raided the provincial capital. Yuwen Shenju put them down with the provincial army.
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初，神舉見待於高祖，遂處心腹之任。 王軌、宇文孝伯等屢言皇太子之短，神舉亦頗與焉。 及宣帝卽位，荒淫無度，神舉懼及於禍，懷不自安。 初定范陽之後，威聲甚振。 帝亦忌其名望，兼以宿憾，遂使人齎鴆酒賜之，薨於馬邑。 時年四十八。
Early on Emperor Xiaoyu had shown him special favor, and he came to stand among the emperor's closest confidants. Wang Gui, Yuwen Xiaobo, and others often criticized the crown prince, and Shenju joined them more than once. Once Emperor Xuan took the throne and gave himself over to boundless excess, Shenju feared he would be caught up in ruin and could not feel secure. After he first pacified Fanyang his reputation soared. The emperor resented his standing as well as an old grudge and sent an envoy with poisoned wine; Shenju died at Mayi. He was forty-eight years old.
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神舉偉風儀，善辭令，博涉經史，性愛篇章，尤工騎射。 臨戎對寇，勇而有謀。 蒞職當官，每著聲績。 兼好施愛士，以雄豪自居。 故得任兼文武，聲彰中外。 百僚無不仰其風則，先輩舊齒至於今而稱之。 子同嗣。 位至儀同大將軍。
Yuwen Shenju was imposing in presence, eloquent, widely read in the classics and histories, fond of writing by temperament, and especially masterful on horseback with bow in hand. In the field against the enemy he was bold and shrewd. In every post he held he won a name for solid achievement. He was generous to men of talent and carried himself like a great champion. He therefore served in both civil and military capacities, and his reputation rang at home and abroad. Every official looked up to him as a standard, and older contemporaries still speak of him with praise. His son Tong inherited his place. He rose to equal-in-protocol grand general.
15
神舉弟神慶，少有壯志，武藝絕倫。 大象末，位至柱國、汝南郡公。
Yuwen Shenju's younger brother Shenqing had been ambitious from boyhood and was without peer in arms. By the end of the Daxiang era he had become a pillar-of-state and duke of Runan commandery.
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建德之後，皇太子稍長，旣無令德，唯昵近小人。 孝伯白高祖曰：「皇太子四海所屬，而德聲未聞。 臣忝宮官，寔當其責。 且春秋尚少，志業未成，請妙選正人，為其師友，調護聖質，猶望日就月將。 如或不然，悔無及矣。」 帝斂容曰：「卿世載鯁直，竭誠所事。 觀卿此言，有家風矣。」 孝伯拜謝曰：「非言之難，受之難也。 深願陛下思之。」 帝曰：「正人豈復過君。」 於是以尉遲運為右宮正，孝伯仍為左宮正。 尋拜宗師中大夫。 及吐谷渾入寇，詔皇太子征之。 軍中之事，多決於孝伯。 俄授京兆尹，入為左宮伯，轉右宮伯。 嘗因侍坐，帝問之曰：「我兒比來漸長進不？」 答曰：「皇太子比懼天威，更無罪失。」 及王軌因內宴捋帝須，言太子之不善，帝罷酒，責孝伯曰：「公常語我，雲太子無過。 今軌有此言，公為誑矣。」 孝伯再拜曰：「臣聞父子之際，人所難言。 臣知陛下不能割情忍愛，遂爾結舌。」 帝知其意，默然久之，乃曰：「朕已委公矣，公其勉之。」
After the Jiande era the crown prince was no longer young, yet showed little worthy conduct and kept company only with base favorites. Yuwen Xiaobo told Emperor Xiaoyu, "The crown prince is the hope of the realm, yet we hear nothing of his moral reputation. I am unworthy to serve in the palace, but the duty is mine. He is still young and his character is not yet formed. Please choose worthy men as his teachers and companions to cultivate his nature, so that he may grow better day by day and month by month. If that is not done, it will be too late for regret." The emperor grew grave and said, "Your house has been upright for generations, and you serve with complete loyalty. From what you say, I see the spirit of your family." Xiaobo bowed and replied, "The hard part is not speaking, but being heard. I earnestly beg Your Majesty to weigh this." The emperor said, "Where would I find an upright man better than you?" Thereupon Yuchi Yun was appointed right palace tutor and Xiaobo remained left palace tutor. Soon afterward he was made middle grand master of the preceptorate. When Tuyuhun raided the frontier, the crown prince was ordered to take the field against them. Most decisions in the campaign were left to Xiaobo. He was soon made governor of Jingzhao, then served as left palace tutor and was transferred to right palace tutor. Once, while Xiaobo was in attendance, the emperor asked, "Has my son been making progress lately?" He answered, "Lately the crown prince has been in awe of your majesty and has not repeated his faults. When Wang Gui at a private banquet seized the emperor's beard and spoke of the crown prince's misconduct, the emperor broke off the feast and rebuked Xiaobo: "You always tell me the crown prince has done no wrong. Now Gui says this—you have misled me." Xiaobo bowed again and said, "Between father and son there are things men find hardest to say. I knew Your Majesty could not bear to cut off affection, and so I kept silent." The emperor understood, was silent a long while, then said, "I have already entrusted this to you. Do your utmost."
17
五年，大軍東討，拜內史下大夫，令掌留台事。 軍還，帝曰：「居守之重，無忝戰功。」 於是加授大將軍，進爵廣陵郡公，邑三千戶，幷賜金帛及女妓等。
In year 5, when the main army marched east, he was made under director of the internal secretary and charged with running the capital in the emperor's absence. When the army returned, the emperor said, "You held the capital well—your service matched the fighting merit." He was then given the added rank of grand general, raised to duke of Guangling with a fief of three thousand households, and rewarded with gold, silk, and female entertainers.
18
六年，復為宗師。 每車駕巡幸，常令居守。 其後高祖北討，至雲陽宮，遂寢疾。 驛召孝伯赴行在所。 帝執其手曰：「吾自量必無濟理，以後事付君。」 是夜，授司衛上大夫，總宿衛兵馬事。 又令馳驛入京鎮守，以備非常。
In year 6 he was again made preceptor. Whenever the emperor traveled, Xiaobo was left behind to guard the capital. Later, when Emperor Xiaoyu marched north and reached Yunyang Palace, he fell gravely ill. He summoned Xiaobo by fast courier to the traveling palace. The emperor took his hand and said, "I know I cannot recover. I leave what follows to you." That same night he was made senior grand master of the palace guard with overall command of the palace troops. He was also ordered to ride posthaste to the capital and hold it against any emergency.
19
宣帝卽位，授小冢宰。 帝忌齊王憲，意欲除之。 謂孝伯曰：「公能為朕圖齊王，當以其官位相授。」 孝伯叩頭曰：「先帝遺詔，不許濫誅骨肉。 齊王，陛下之叔父，戚近功高，社稷重臣，棟樑所寄。 陛下若妄加刑戮，微臣又順旨曲從，則臣為不忠之臣，陛下為不孝之子也。」 帝不懌，因漸疎之。 乃與于智、王端、鄭譯等密圖其事。 後令智告憲謀逆，遣孝伯召憲入，遂誅之。
When Emperor Xuan succeeded, Xiaobo was made lesser household minister. The emperor resented Prince of Qi Yuwen Xian and wanted him removed. He told Xiaobo, "If you will help me destroy the Prince of Qi, I will give you his offices and rank." Xiaobo kowtowed and said, "The late emperor's testament forbade the reckless killing of royal kin. The Prince of Qi is Your Majesty's uncle, a close kinsman of high merit and a pillar of the state. If Your Majesty kills him without cause and I go along, I shall be disloyal and Your Majesty unfilial." The emperor took offense and gradually estranged him. He then secretly plotted with Yu Zhi, Wang Duan, Zheng Yi, and others. Later he had Yu Zhi accuse Xian of treason, sent Xiaobo to summon him to court, and had him executed.
20
帝之西征也，在軍有過行，鄭譯時亦預焉。 軍還，孝伯及王軌盡以白，高祖怒，撻帝數十，仍除譯名。 至是，譯又被帝親昵。 帝旣追憾被杖，乃問譯曰：「我腳上杖痕，誰所為也？」 譯答曰：「事由宇文孝伯及王軌。」 譯又因說王軌捋須事。 帝乃誅軌。 尉遲運懼，私謂孝伯曰：「吾徒必不免禍，為之奈何？」 孝伯對曰：「今堂上有老母，地下有武帝，為臣為子，知欲何之。 且委質事人，本狥名義，諫而不入，將焉逃死。 足下若為身計，宜且遠之。」 於是各行其志。 運尋出為秦州總管。 然帝荒淫日甚，誅戮無度，朝章弛紊，無復綱紀。 孝伯又頻切諫，皆不見從。 由是益疎斥之。 後稽胡反，令孝伯為行軍總管，從越王盛討平之。 及軍還，帝將殺之，乃託以齊王之事，誚之曰：「公知齊王謀反，何以不言？」 孝伯對曰：「臣知齊王忠於社稷，為羣小媒孽，加之以罪。 臣以言必不用，所以不言。 且先帝付囑微臣，唯令輔導陛下，今諫而不從，寔負顧托。 以此為罪，是所甘心。」 帝大慚，俛首不語。 乃命將出，賜死于家。 時年三十六。
On the western campaign the crown prince, later Emperor Xuan, had behaved badly in camp, and Zheng Yi had joined in. When the army returned, Xiaobo and Wang Gui reported everything; Emperor Xiaoyu was furious, flogged the crown prince dozens of times, and stripped Zheng Yi of office. By then Zheng Yi had again become a favorite of the emperor. Brooding over the beating, the emperor asked Zheng Yi, "Who left the cane marks on my legs?" Zheng Yi answered, "It was Yuwen Xiaobo and Wang Gui. Zheng Yi also brought up Wang Gui's pulling the emperor's beard. The emperor then had Wang Gui executed. Yuchi Yun was frightened and said privately to Xiaobo, "Our sort will surely not escape harm. What can we do?" Xiaobo replied, "I have an old mother above and the late Emperor Xiaoyu below. As minister and as son, where could I go? Besides, once you have pledged yourself to serve, you live and die for duty. If remonstrance fails, death is the only course left. If you mean to save yourself, you had better keep your distance for now." After that each did as he thought best. Yuchi Yun was soon sent out as area commander of Qin Province. Yet the emperor grew more dissolute by the day, killing without restraint until court order collapsed altogether. Xiaobo remonstrated again and again, but the emperor would not listen. For this he was pushed farther away and cast aside. When the Ji Hu rebelled later, Xiaobo was made campaign marshal and marched with Prince of Yue Yuwen Sheng to put them down. When the army returned the emperor meant to kill him. Using the Prince of Qi as a pretext, he rebuked Xiaobo: "You knew the Prince of Qi was plotting rebellion—why did you say nothing?" Xiaobo replied, "I knew the Prince of Qi was loyal to the state. Petty men slandered him and piled false charges upon him. I knew anything I said would be ignored, so I kept silent. Moreover the late emperor entrusted me only to guide Your Majesty. Now that my remonstrance goes unheeded, I have failed that charge. If that is my crime, I accept it willingly." The emperor was deeply ashamed and looked down without a word. Even so he sent guards and had Xiaobo granted death at home. He was thirty-six years old.
21
及隋文帝踐極，以孝伯及王軌忠而獲罪，竝令收葬，復其官爵。 又嘗謂高熲曰：「宇文孝伯寔有周之良臣，若使此人在朝，我輩無措手處也。」 子歆嗣。
When Emperor Wen of Sui took the throne, he had Xiaobo and Wang Gui reburied with honor and their offices and ranks restored, because both had been loyal men punished unjustly. He also once told Gao Jiong, "Yuwen Xiaobo was a true good minister of Zhou. If he had still been at court, we would have had no opening." His son Xin inherited his place.
22
顏之儀字子升，琅邪臨沂人也，晉侍中含九世孫。 祖見遠，齊御史治書。 正色立朝，有當官之稱。 及梁武帝執政，遂以疾辭。 尋而齊和帝暴崩，見遠慟哭而絕。 梁武帝深恨之，謂朝臣曰：「我自應天從人，何預天下人事，而顏見遠乃至於此。」 當時嘉其忠烈，咸稱歎之。 父協，以見遠蹈義忤時，遂不仕進。 梁元帝為湘東王，引協為其府記室參軍。 協不得已，乃應命。 梁元帝後著《懷舊志》及詩，並稱讚其美。
Yan Zhiyi, courtesy name Zisheng, came from Linyi in Langye and was the ninth in descent from Yan Han, attendant-in-ordinary under Jin. His grandfather Jianyuan had served Qi as director of the censorate for legal text. Stern and upright at court, he was praised as a man who truly filled his post. When Emperor Wu of Liang seized power, he resigned on grounds of illness. Soon afterward Qi Emperor He died suddenly; Jianyuan mourned until he collapsed and died. Emperor Wu of Liang deeply resented it and told the court, "I merely answered Heaven and followed the people. What had Yan Jianyuan to do with the affairs of the realm that he should die like this? People at the time admired his loyalty and courage, and all spoke of him with praise. His father Xie, seeing that Jianyuan had chosen righteousness against the age, refused office thereafter. When Liang's Emperor Yuan was still Prince of Xiangdong, he brought Xie into his household as recording secretary. Left with no alternative, Xie finally accepted the post. Later Emperor Yuan of Liang wrote the Records of Nostalgia for Old Friends and poems, all commending Xie's virtue.
23
之儀幼穎悟，三歲能讀《孝經》。 及長，博涉羣書，好為詞賦。 嘗獻《神州頌》，辭致雅贍。 梁元帝手勑報曰：「枚乘二葉，俱得游梁； 應貞兩世，竝稱文學。 我求才子，鯁慰良深。」
As a boy Zhiyi was exceptionally bright; at three he could read the Classic of Filial Piety. As he matured he read widely and delighted in writing fu verse. He once submitted an "Ode to the Divine Land" with graceful, richly turned phrasing. Emperor Yuan of Liang wrote back in his own hand: "Two generations of the Mei family both found welcome in Liang; and two generations of Ying Zhen were alike renowned for literary learning. In finding a man of talent, my honest joy runs very deep."
24
江陵平，之儀隨例遷長安。 世宗以為麟趾學士，稍遷司書上士。 高祖初建儲宮，盛選師傅，以之儀為侍讀。 太子後征吐谷渾，在軍有過行，鄭譯等竝以不能匡弼坐譴，唯之儀以累諫獲賞。 卽拜小宮尹，封平陽縣男，邑二百戶。 宣帝卽位，遷上儀同大將軍、御正中大夫，進爵為公，增邑一千戶。 帝後刑政乖僻，昏縱日甚，之儀犯顏驟諫，雖不見納，終亦不止。 深為帝所忌。 然以恩舊，每優容之。 及帝殺王軌，之儀固諫。 帝怒，欲幷致之於法。 後以其諒直無私，乃舍之。
When Jiangling fell, Zhiyi was relocated to Chang'an along with the other captives. Emperor Ming appointed him a Linzhi Hall scholar, and he gradually rose to director of documents upper gentleman. When Emperor Wu first set up the crown prince's household, he carefully chose instructors and made Zhiyi one of the readers-in-waiting. When the crown prince later campaigned against Tuyuhun and misbehaved in camp, Zheng Yi and others were punished for failing to guide him; only Zhiyi was rewarded for having remonstrated again and again. He was at once made lesser palace governor, enfeoffed baron of Pingyang with a fief of two hundred households. When Emperor Xuan took the throne, Zhiyi was promoted to upper pillar-of-state grand general and direct regular grand master, raised to duke, and his fief increased by one thousand households. As the emperor's justice grew erratic and his recklessness daily worse, Zhiyi spoke bluntly time after time; though the throne would not listen, he would not cease. The emperor came to regard him with deep suspicion. Yet as an old associate he was still treated leniently. When the emperor put Wang Gui to death, Zhiyi remonstrated firmly against it. The emperor flew into a rage and meant to punish him as well. In the end, knowing his candor was disinterested, the emperor let him go.
25
宣帝崩，劉昉、鄭譯等矯遺詔，以隋文帝為丞相，輔少主。 之儀知非帝旨，拒而弗從。 昉等草詔署記，逼之儀連署。 之儀厲聲謂昉等曰：「主上升遐，嗣子沖幼，阿衡之任，宜在宗英。 方今賢戚之內，趙王最長，以親以德，合膺重寄。 公等備受朝恩，當思盡忠報國，奈何一旦欲以神器假人！ 之儀有死而已，不能誣罔先帝。」 於是昉等知不可屈，乃代之儀署而行之。 隋文帝后索符璽，之儀又正色曰：「此天子之物，自有主者，宰相何故索之？」 於是隋文帝大怒，命引出，將戮之，然以其民之望也，乃止。 出為西疆郡守。
After Emperor Xuan's death, Liu Fang, Zheng Yi, and others forged a deathbed edict naming Yang Jian, later Emperor Wen of Sui, regent for the young emperor. Zhiyi knew this was not the late emperor's wish and refused to comply. Liu Fang and the others drafted the edict and pressed Zhiyi to cosign it. Zhiyi said sharply to Liu Fang and his allies: "The sovereign is dead and the heir is only a child. The regency belongs with the most worthy prince of the blood. Of the princes, Zhao is the eldest — by blood and by merit he should bear this grave responsibility. You have all received deep favor from the throne. You ought to serve the realm faithfully — why would you hand the dynasty to an outsider overnight? I would rather die than dishonor the late emperor's will." Seeing he could not be moved, Liu Fang and the others forged his signature and issued the edict. When Yang Jian later demanded the imperial seals, Zhiyi again said sternly: "These belong to the emperor alone. By what right does a chancellor demand them? Yang Jian was furious and ordered him dragged out for execution, but spared him because of his reputation among the people. He was banished to serve as administrator of Xijiang commandery.
26
隋文帝踐極，詔徵還京師，進爵新野郡公。 開皇五年，拜集州刺史。 在州清靜，夷夏悅之。 明年代還，遂優遊不仕。 十年正月，之儀隨例入朝。 隋文帝望而識之，命引至御坐，謂之曰：「見危授命，臨大節而不可奪，古人所難，何以加卿。」 乃賜錢十萬、米一百石。 十一年冬，卒，年六十九。 有文集十卷行於世。
After Yang Jian took the throne, an edict recalled him to the capital and raised him to duke of Xinye. In Kaihuang year 5 he was appointed inspector of Ji. His administration was calm and upright, and both the native population and tribal peoples were content. The following year he was recalled and thereafter lived at leisure without serving again. In the first month of Kaihuang year 10, Zhiyi came to court as custom required. Yang Jian recognized him at once, had him brought to the throne, and said: "To accept death in danger and stand firm at a grave moral test — virtues the ancients found hard — how can I reward you enough? He then gave him one hundred thousand cash and one hundred shi of grain. He died in the winter of Kaihuang year 11, at sixty-nine. His collected works in ten scrolls circulated widely.
27
時京兆郡丞樂運亦以直言數諫於帝。
At the same time Le Yun, chief assistant of the Capital Area command, also spoke bluntly and remonstrated with the emperor repeatedly.
28
運字承業，南陽淯陽人，晉尚書令廣之八世孫。 祖文素，齊南郡守。 父均，梁義陽郡守。
Le Yun, courtesy name Chengye, came from Yuyang in Nanyang and was an eighth-generation descendant of the Jin minister of works Guang. His grandfather Wensu had been administrator of Nan commandery under Northern Qi. His father Jun had served Liang as administrator of Yiyang commandery.
29
運少好學，涉獵經史，而不持章句。 年十五而江陵滅，運隨例遷長安。 其親屬等多被籍，而運積年為人傭保，皆贖免之。 又事母及寡嫂甚謹。 由是以孝義聞。 梁故都官郎琅邪王澄美之，為次其行事，為《孝義傳》。 性方直，未嘗求媚於人。
From boyhood Yun loved learning and read broadly in the classics and histories without fixating on textual glosses. When he was fifteen and Jiangling fell, Yun was moved to Chang'an like the other captives. Many of his relatives had been enslaved; for years he hired himself out and paid off their redemption one by one. He also cared for his mother and widowed sister-in-law with scrupulous devotion. Through this he won renown for filial piety and moral conduct. Wang Cheng of Langya, a former Liang director of justice, admired him, recorded his deeds, and wrote a Biography of Filial Righteousness about him. Square and upright by nature, he never curried favor with anyone.
30
天和初，起家夏州總管府倉曹參軍，轉柱國府記室參軍。 尋而臨淄公唐瑾薦為露門學士。 前後犯顏屢諫高祖，多被納用。 建德二年，除萬年縣丞。 抑挫豪右，號稱強直。 高祖嘉之，特許通籍，事有不便於時者，令巨細奏聞。 高祖嘗幸同州，召運赴行在所。 旣至，高祖謂運曰：「卿來日見太子不？」 運曰：「臣來日奉辭。」 高祖曰：「卿言太子何如人？」 運曰：「中人也。」 時齊王憲以下，並在帝側。 高祖顧謂憲等曰：「百官佞我，皆雲太子聰明睿知，唯運獨雲中人，方驗運之忠直耳。」 於是因問運中人之狀。 運對曰：「班固以齊桓公為中人，管仲相之則霸，豎貂輔之則亂。 謂可與為善，亦可與為惡也。」 高祖曰：「我知之矣。」 遂妙選宮官，以匡弼之。 仍超拜運京兆郡丞。 太子聞之，意甚不悅。
At the start of Tianhe he entered service as granary bureau adjutant under the Xia Province area command, then became recording adjutant on a pillar-of-state's staff. Soon Duke of Linzi Tang Jin recommended him as a Loumen Gate scholar. Time and again he spoke bluntly to Emperor Wu, and much of what he said was heeded. In Jiande year 2 he was made chief assistant of Wannian county. He checked the great clans and was known for uncompromising firmness. Emperor Wu approved, gave him special access to court, and ordered him to report any matter great or small that harmed the public good. Once when Emperor Wu visited Tong Province he summoned Le Yun to his traveling court. When Yun arrived, Emperor Wu asked: "Did you see the crown prince on your way here? Yun answered: "On the way I stopped to pay my respects to him." The emperor then asked: "What kind of man do you find the crown prince? Yun replied: "A man of middling capacity." Prince of Qi Yuwen Xian and the other princes were all standing beside the throne. Emperor Wu turned to Yuwen Xian and the others and said: "My officials all flatter me and call the crown prince brilliant; only Yun dares call him middling — that is proof of his honesty." He then asked Yun what he meant by a middling man. Yun answered: "Ban Gu called Duke Huan of Qi a middling ruler — under Guan Zhong he became hegemon; under Shu Diao he brought chaos. That is to say, he can be led toward good or toward evil." Emperor Wu said: "I take your point." He then carefully chose palace tutors to guide the crown prince. Le Yun was further promoted to chief assistant of the Capital Area command. When the crown prince heard of this he was deeply offended.
31
及高祖崩，宣帝嗣位。 葬訖，詔天下公除。 帝及六宮，便議卽吉。 運上疏曰：「三年之喪，自天子達于庶人。 先王制禮，安可誣之。 禮，天子七月而葬，以俟天下畢至。 今葬期旣促，事訖便除，文軌之內，奔赴未盡； 鄰境遠聞，使猶未至。 若以喪服受弔，不可旣吉更凶； 如以玄冠對使，未知此出何禮。 進退無據，愚臣竊所未安。」 書奏，帝不納。
After Emperor Wu's death, Emperor Xuan took the throne. Once the funeral rites were complete, he ordered the whole empire out of mourning. The emperor and the inner palace at once planned to resume normal dress and rites. Le Yun submitted a memorial: "Three years of mourning bind everyone, from the Son of Heaven to the common people. The ritual codes left by the ancient kings cannot simply be set aside. By ritual the Son of Heaven is buried after seven months, so mourners from across the realm may arrive. The burial has already been rushed, and you now propose to end mourning immediately; within the empire many mourners have not yet arrived; and envoys from distant neighbors have not yet come. To receive condolences in mourning garb and then cast it off would turn auspicious rites back into inauspicious ones; to greet envoys in everyday dress has no basis in ritual that I know of. Proceeding or withdrawing, there is no proper ground for either — your humble servant cannot be at ease. The throne rejected the memorial.
32
自是德政不修，數行赦宥。 運又上疏曰：「臣謹案《周官》曰：『國君之過市，刑人赦。』 此謂市者交利之所，君子無故不游觀焉。 若游觀，則施惠以悅之也。 《尚書》曰：『眚災肆赦。』 此謂過誤為害，罪雖大，當緩赦之。 呂刑云：『五刑之疑，有赦。』 此謂 （赦） 〔刑〕疑從罰，罰疑從免。 《論語》曰：『赦小過，舉賢才。』 謹尋經典，未有罪無輕重，溥天大赦之文。 逮茲末葉，不師古始，無益於治，未可則之。 故管仲曰：『有赦者，奔馬之委轡。 不赦者，痤疽之礪石。』 又曰：『惠者，民之仇讐。 法者，民之父母。』 吳漢遺言，猶云『唯願無赦』。 王符著論，亦云『赦者非明世之所宜』。 豈可數施非常之惠，以肆奸宄之惡乎。」 帝亦不納，而昏暴滋甚。
Thereafter the emperor neglected good governance and issued frequent pardons. Le Yun memorialized again: "Your subject notes that the Rites of Zhou say: 'When the ruler passes through the market, punishments are remitted and prisoners released. That means the market is a place of profit-making — a gentleman does not visit it without good reason. If he does go there, it is to show favor and please the people. The Book of Documents says: 'When calamities occur, grant broad pardon.'" That refers to unintentional harm — even when the offense is grave, pardon should be considered. The Punishments of Lü says: 'When the five punishments are uncertain, there may be pardon.'" These passages mean [emended: punishment] that when criminal guilt is uncertain, punishment still applies; when the penalty itself is uncertain, acquittal follows. The Analects says: 'Overlook petty offenses and promote the worthy.'" Yet nowhere in the classics do I find authority for indiscriminate, empire-wide amnesties regardless of the gravity of the offense. In these decadent times to abandon ancient precedent helps no one govern well, and ought not be imitated. Guan Zhong said: 'Amnesty is like dropping the reins on a runaway horse. Refusing pardon is like a whetstone against festering sores.'" He also said: 'Indulgence is the people's enemy. Law is the people's parent.'" Wu Han's last words likewise were, "I only wish there were no amnesties." Wang Fu wrote in his essays as well that amnesties are unsuitable for an enlightened age. How can the throne repeatedly grant extraordinary indulgence and thereby give free rein to treachery and villainy?" The emperor again refused to listen, and his rule grew ever more brutal and capricious.
33
運乃輿櫬詣朝堂，陳帝八失。
Yue Yun then came to court bearing a coffin — a sign that he was ready to die — and laid out eight grave failures of the emperor's rule.
34
一曰：內史御正，職在弼諧，皆須參議，共治天下。 大尊比來小大之事，多獨斷之。 堯舜至聖，尚資輔弼，比大尊未為聖主，而可專恣己心？ 凡諸刑罰爵賞，爰及軍國大事，請參諸宰輔，與眾共之。
First: the inner scribe and the rectifier exist to assist and harmonize the throne; major affairs should be debated jointly so that all may govern the realm together. Your Majesty of late has decided most matters, great and small, entirely on your own. Even Yao and Shun, the most sage of rulers, relied on advisers; Your Majesty is not yet a sage sovereign — how then can you act entirely as you please? All punishments, enfeoffments, rewards, and military and state affairs should be referred to the chief ministers and decided with their counsel.
35
二曰：內作色荒，古人重誡。 大尊初臨四海，德惠未洽，先搜天下美女，用實後宮； 又詔儀同以上女，不許輒嫁。 貴賤同怨，聲溢朝野。 請姬媵非幸御者，放還本族。 欲嫁之女，勿更禁之。
Second: to indulge in lust within the palace is what the ancients sternly warned against. Your Majesty had barely taken the throne and your virtue had not yet won the realm when you already searched the empire for beautiful women to fill the inner palace; and also decreed that daughters of officials of third rank and above might not marry without permission. High and low alike resented this, and complaint filled both court and countryside. I ask that palace women and attendants not actually in Your Majesty's service be released to their families. And for daughters who wish to marry, lift the prohibition.
36
三曰：天子未明求衣，日旰忘食，猶恐萬機不理，天下擁滯。 大尊比來一入後宮，數日不出。 所須聞奏，多附內豎。 傳言失實，是非可懼。 事由宦者，亡國之徵。 請准高祖，居外聽政。
Third: a Son of Heaven rises before dawn and forgets to eat until evening, still fearing that the myriad affairs of state will go untended and the realm will stagnate. Your Majesty of late enters the inner palace and does not emerge for days on end. Business requiring memorials and reports is mostly routed through eunuch attendants. Messages passed along in this way lose their truth, and right and wrong become terrifyingly uncertain. When state affairs are handled by eunuchs, that is a sign of dynastic ruin. I ask that Your Majesty follow Emperor Wu's example and conduct affairs of state outside the inner palace.
37
四曰：變故易常，乃為政之大忌； 嚴刑酷罰，非致治之弘規。 若罰無定刑，則天下皆懼； 政無常法，則民無適從。 豈有削嚴刑之詔未及半祀，便卽追改，更嚴前制？ 政令不定，乃至於是。 今宿衛之官，有一人夜不直者，罪至削除； 因而逃亡者，遂便籍沒。 此則大逆之罪，與十杖同科。 雖為法愈嚴，恐人情愈散。 一人心散，尚或可止，若天下皆散，將如之何。 秦網密而國亡，漢章疎而祚永。 請遵輕典，竝依大律。 則億兆之民，手足有所措矣。
Fourth: to change established practice and overturn settled norms is among the gravest errors in governance; and harsh punishments and cruel penalties are not the broad path to good order. If penalties have no fixed standards, everyone under Heaven lives in fear; and if government has no stable law, the people have nothing reliable to follow. How can an edict easing harsh punishments, issued less than half a year ago, be reversed at once and made even harsher than before? Government has reached the point where edicts and orders cannot be relied upon. Now among the palace guard, if a single man misses one night of duty, the penalty is deprivation of rank; and if he then flees, his household is confiscated on the spot. Thus the crime of great treason is treated under the same statute as ten strokes of the cane. Though the law grows ever harsher, I fear that hearts grow ever more alienated. When one man's loyalty falters, that may still be checked; but if all under Heaven lose heart, what then can be done? Qin's laws were dense and the state perished; Han's statutes were comparatively lenient and the dynasty endured. I ask that Your Majesty follow the lighter standard of law and align punishments with the great code. Then the countless people of the realm will know where they may safely stand.
38
五曰：高祖斲雕為樸，本欲傳之萬世。 大尊朝夕趣庭，親承聖旨。 豈有崩未逾年，而遽窮奢麗，成父之志，義豈然乎。 請興造之制，務從卑儉。 雕文刻鏤，一切勿營。
Fifth: Emperor Wu cut away ornament to restore simplicity, intending that frugality be handed down for ten thousand generations. Your Majesty attended court morning and evening and personally received that sage instruction. How then, before a full year has passed since his death, can Your Majesty suddenly plunge into extravagance? Would that fulfill your father's intent? Surely not. I ask that all building projects be kept humble and frugal. Let there be no carved ornament or inlaid decoration of any kind.
39
六曰：都下之民，徭賦稍重。 必是軍國之要，不敢憚勞。 豈容朝夕徵求，唯供魚龍爛漫，士民從役，祇為俳優角抵。 紛紛不已，財力俱竭，業業相顧，無復聊生。 凡此無益之事，請並停罷。
Sixth: the people of the capital bear corvée and tax burdens that have grown heavy. If the need were truly military or fiscal, they would not shrink from the labor. But how can daily exactions be tolerated when they serve only aquatic pageants and dragon displays, and when scholars and commoners are conscripted solely for acrobats and wrestlers? Such demands go on without end; wealth and strength are exhausted; people tremble and stare at one another, with no means left to live. All such useless undertakings should be stopped at once.
40
七曰：近見有詔，上書字誤者，卽治其罪。 假有忠讜之人，欲陳時事，尺有所短，文字非工，不密失身，義無假手，脫有舛謬，便陷嚴科。 嬰徑尺之鱗，其事非易，下不諱之詔，猶懼未來，更加刑戮，能無鉗口！ 大尊縱不能采誹謗之言，無宜杜獻書之路。 請停此詔，則天下幸甚。
Seventh: recently an edict appeared stating that anyone who makes a written error in a memorial is to be punished immediately. Suppose a loyal and outspoken man wishes to address current affairs: everyone has his limits, and writing may not be his strength; if he cannot be careful he risks his life, and he has no one to draft the words for him — the slightest slip will bring him under harsh penalty. To kill the giant fish of Handan is no easy thing; even an edict promising that faults need not be concealed still leaves men afraid for the future — add executions on top of that, and who will not fall silent? Even if Your Majesty cannot accept harsh criticism, you should not close the path by which memorials reach the throne. I ask that this edict be withdrawn; then all under Heaven would be greatly fortunate.
41
八曰：昔桑穀生朝，殷王因之獲福。 今玄象垂誡，此亦興周之祥。 大尊雖減膳撤懸，未盡銷譴之理。 誠願諮諏善道，修布德政，解兆民之慍，引萬方之罪，則天變可除，鼎業方固。 大尊若不革茲八事，臣見周廟不血食矣。
Eighth: in antiquity mulberry and grain sprouted in the royal court, and the Yin king turned the omen into a blessing. Now celestial signs warn from above — this too may be an auspice for Zhou's renewal. Your Majesty has reduced your meals and removed court music, yet has not fully done what is needed to answer Heaven's reproof. I earnestly hope Your Majesty will seek good counsel, spread virtuous rule, ease the anger of the people, and take upon yourself the blame of the realm — then heavenly warnings may be dispelled and the dynasty made secure. If Your Majesty does not reform these eight matters, I foresee the temples of Zhou receiving no sacrifices at all.
42
帝大怒，將戮之。 內史元巌紿帝曰：「樂運知書奏必死，所以不顧身命者，欲取後世之名。 陛下若殺之，乃成其名也。」 帝然之，因而獲免。 翌日，帝頗感悟。 召運謂之曰：「朕昨夜思卿所奏，寔是忠臣。 先皇明聖，卿數有規諫。 朕旣昏暗，卿復能如此。」 乃賜御食以賞之。 朝之公卿，初見帝盛怒，莫不為運寒心。 後見獲宥，皆相賀以為倖免虎口。
The emperor flew into a rage and was about to have him executed. Inner Scribe Yuwen Yuan said to the emperor, "Yue Yun knew this memorial would mean his death; he risked his life only to win a name for posterity. If Your Majesty executes him, you will only make that name immortal." The emperor saw the point and Yue Yun was spared. The next day the emperor was somewhat moved by reflection. He summoned Yue Yun and said, "Last night I considered your memorial — you are truly a loyal minister. The late emperor was wise and sage, and you remonstrated with him many times. I am benighted by comparison, yet you were still able to speak as you did." He then rewarded him with food from the imperial table. When the court first saw the emperor's fury, every minister feared for Yue Yun's life. When they saw him spared, they congratulated one another on his escape from the tiger's jaws.
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內史鄭譯嘗以私事請託運而弗之許，因此銜之。 及隋文帝為丞相，譯為長史，遂左遷運為廣州滍陽令。 開皇五年，轉毛州高唐令。 頻歷二縣，竝有聲績。 運常願處一諫官，從容諷議。 而性訐直，為人所排抵，遂不被任用。 乃發憤，錄夏殷以來諫諍事，集而部之，凡六百三十九條，合四十一卷，名曰《諫苑》。 奏上之。 隋文帝覽而嘉焉。
Inner Scribe Zheng Yi once asked Yue Yun for a private favor, which he refused; Zheng Yi therefore nursed a grudge. When Yang Jian became chief minister and Zheng Yi served as his chief clerk, Yue Yun was demoted to magistrate of Zhiyang in Guangzhou. In the fifth year of Kaihuang he was transferred to magistrate of Gaotang in Maozhou. He served two counties in succession and won a good reputation in both. Yue Yun always hoped to hold a remonstrance office where he could offer calm, measured counsel. But his nature was blunt and uncompromising; others blocked him, and he was never given such a post. In frustration he then compiled cases of remonstrance from the Xia and Yin dynasties onward: six hundred thirty-nine entries in forty-one scrolls, entitled Garden of Remonstrance. He submitted the work to the throne. Emperor Wen of Sui read it and praised it highly.
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史臣曰：士有不因學藝而重，不待爵祿而貴者何？ 亦云忠孝而已。 若乃竭力以奉其親者，人子之行也； 致身以事其君者，人臣之節也。 斯固彌綸三極，囊括百代。 當宣帝之在東朝，凶德方兆，王軌、宇文孝伯、神舉志惟無隱，盡言於父子之間。 淫刑旣逞，相繼夷滅。 隋文之將登庸，人懷去就。 顏之儀風烈懍然，正辭以明節，崎嶇雷電之下，僅而獲濟。 斯數子者，豈非社稷之臣歟。 或人以為不忠，則天下莫之信也。 自古以外戚而居重任，多藉一時之恩，至若尉遲運者，可謂位以才升，爵由功進。 美矣哉。
The historiographer writes: Are there men honored without relying on learning, ennobled without waiting for rank and salary? One may say that it is loyalty and filial piety alone. To exhaust oneself in serving one's parents is the conduct of a son; to give body and life in serving one's lord is the integrity of a minister. These virtues indeed bind heaven, earth, and man and embrace every age. When Emperor Xuan was crown prince and his vicious character was already showing, Wang Gui, Yuwen Xiaobo, and Yuwen Shenju resolved to hide nothing and spoke plainly between father and son. Once cruel punishments were unleashed, they were destroyed one after another. When Yang Jian was about to seize power, men everywhere weighed whether to stay or flee. Yan Zhiyi stood with stern, awe-inspiring bearing, spoke with upright words to declare his integrity, and barely survived the storm when power changed hands. Were these men not true pillars of the state? If anyone called them disloyal, no one under Heaven would believe it. Since antiquity, in-laws who held high office have mostly owed their place to a moment's favor; but Wei Chiyun may be said to have risen by talent and advanced by merit. Truly admirable!
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全文以中華書局、一九七一年十一月版《周書》為本校。
This text was collated against the Zhonghua Shuju edition of the Book of Zhou (November 1971).