1
資治通鑑第133卷
Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 133
2
【宋紀十五】起重光大淵獻，盡旃蒙單閼，凡五年。 太宗明皇帝下泰始七年（ 辛亥，公元四七一年）
[Song Records 15] Covering the five years from the guangda yuānxian cycle year through zhānméng shányán. The latter part of the reign of Emperor Ming Taizong, seventh year of Taishi ( xīnhài [sexagenary year], AD 471)
3
春，二月，戊戌，分交、廣置越州，治臨漳。
In spring, in the second month, on the day wūxū [16 February 471], Yue Prefecture was carved out of Jiao and Guang, with its capital at Linzhang.
4
初，上為諸王，寬和有令譽，獨為世祖所親。 即位之初，義嘉之黨多蒙全宥，隨才引用，有如舊臣。 及晚年，更猜忌忍虐，好鬼神，多忌諱，言語、文書，有禍敗、凶喪及疑似之言應迴避者數百千品，有犯必加罪戮。 改「騧」字為「」，以其似禍字故也。 左右忤意，往往有刳斫者。
Early on, while still a prince, the emperor was known for his clemency and amiability and enjoyed an excellent reputation; of all the princes, he alone was cherished by Emperor Shizu [Emperor Wen]. At the start of his reign, many members of the Yijia faction were spared and appointed according to their abilities, much like veteran ministers of old. In his later years he grew still more suspicious and cruel, obsessed with spirits and omens and burdened with taboos: speech and documents had to avoid hundreds and thousands of categories of words suggesting calamity, defeat, mourning, or anything remotely ominous—and any breach brought certain execution. He even altered the written form of the character for "dapple-gray horse," because its shape too closely resembled the character for calamity. Attendants who crossed him were often disemboweled or hacked to pieces.
5
時淮、泗用兵，府藏空竭，內外百官，並斷俸祿。 而上奢費過度，每所造器用，必為正御、副御、次副各三十枚。 嬖倖用事，貨賂公行。
War on the Huai and Si fronts had drained the treasury, and salaries were suspended for officials throughout the government. Yet the emperor spent lavishly beyond measure: for every object he commissioned, he ordered thirty copies each for the primary, secondary, and tertiary imperial sets. Favored courtiers wielded power, and bribery was practiced openly.
6
上素無子，密取諸王姬有孕者內宮中，生男則殺其母，使寵姬子之。
The emperor had long been without an heir; he secretly brought pregnant consorts of the princes into the palace, and whenever a boy was born he had the mother killed and a favored consort raise the child as her own.
7
至是寢疾，以太子幼弱，深忌諸弟。 南徐州刺史晉平刺王休祐，前鎮江陵，貪虐無度，上不使之鎮，留之建康，遣上佐行府州事。 休祐性剛很，前後忤上非一，上積不能平，且慮將來難制，欲方便除之。 甲寅，休祐從上於巖山射雉，左右從者並在仗後。 日欲暗，上遣左右壽寂之等數人，逼休祐令墜馬，因共毆，拉殺之，傳呼「驃騎落馬！」 上陽驚，遣御醫絡驛就視，比其左右至，休祐已絕。 去車輪，輿還第。 追贈司空，葬之如禮。
By then he was bedridden with illness; with the crown prince still young and frail, he deeply distrusted his younger brothers. Prince Xiuyou of Jinping, the Spiny King and governor of South Xuzhou, had earlier governed Jiangling with boundless greed and cruelty; the emperor refused to let him return to his post, kept him in Jiankang, and sent a senior aide to run the prefecture and province in his name. Xiuyou was stubborn and abrasive and had crossed the emperor repeatedly; resentment had festered for years, and the emperor also feared he would be hard to control later—so he looked for a chance to eliminate him. On the day jiǎyín [11 March 471], Xiuyou accompanied the emperor to Yanshan for pheasant hunting; all the attendants were kept behind the armed escort. As dusk approached, the emperor sent several attendants, including Shou Jizhi, to force Xiuyou from his horse; they then beat and strangled him to death while shouting, "The Cavalry General has fallen from his horse!" The emperor pretended to be alarmed and sent imperial physicians post-haste to attend him; by the time Xiuyou's own attendants arrived, he was already dead. The wheels were removed from the carriage, and his body was carried back to his residence in a litter. He was posthumously appointed Minister of Works and buried with full honors.
8
建康民間訛言，荊州刺史巴陵王休若有至貴之相，上以此言報之，休若憂懼。 戊午，以休若代休祐為南徐州刺史。 休若腹心將佐，皆謂休若還朝，必不免禍。 中兵參軍京兆王敬先說休若曰：「今主上彌留，政成省閣，群豎恟□，欲悉去宗支以便其私。 殿下聲著海內，受詔入朝，必往而不返。 荊州帶甲十餘萬，地方數千里，上可以匡天子，除奸臣，下可以保境土，全一身； 孰與賜劍邸第，使臣妾飲泣而不敢葬乎！」 休若素謹畏，偽許之。 敬先出，使人執之，以白於上而誅之。
A rumor spread through Jiankang that Prince Xiuruo of Baling, governor of Jingzhou, bore the countenance of a man destined for supreme power; the emperor relayed the rumor to him personally, and Xiuruo was stricken with fear. On the day wùwǔ [15 March 471], Xiuruo was appointed to replace Xiuyou as governor of South Xuzhou. Xiuruo's closest generals and staff all agreed that if he returned to court he would not escape death. Central Army Major Wang Jingxian of Jingzhao urged Xiuruo: "The emperor is dying; power rests with the Secretariat, and the petty courtiers are panicking—they mean to purge every prince of the blood to serve their own ends. Your Highness's renown fills the realm; if you obey a summons to court, you will go and never return. Jingzhou fields more than a hundred thousand armed men across thousands of li of territory: you could restore the Son of Heaven and purge wicked ministers, or simply hold your borders and save yourself— which is better than receiving a sword in your own hall while your household weeps in secret, too afraid even to bury you properly?" Xiuruo had always been cautious and timid; he pretended to agree. When Jingxian left, Xiuruo had him seized, reported him to the emperor, and he was put to death.
9
三月，辛酉，魏假員外散騎常侍邢祐來聘。
In the third month, on the day xīnyǒu [20 March 471], Xing You of Northern Wei, acting Supernumerary Attendant-in-Ordinary of the Scattered Cavalry, arrived on a diplomatic mission.
10
魏主使殿中尚書胡莫寒簡西部敕勒為殿中武士。 莫寒大納貨賂，眾怒，殺莫寒及高平假鎮將奚陵。 夏，四月，諸部敕勒皆叛。 魏主使汝陰王天賜將兵討之，以給事中羅雲為前鋒； 敕勒詐降，襲雲，殺之，天賜僅以身免。
The Northern Wei emperor sent Palace Secretary Hu Mohan to draft men from the western Tiele tribes as palace guards. Mohan extorted bribes on a grand scale; the tribesmen rose in fury and killed both Mohan and Xi Ling, the acting garrison commander of Gaoping. In summer, in the fourth month, all the Tiele tribes rebelled. The Wei emperor sent Prince Tianci of Ruyin with an army to suppress them, appointing Attendant-within-the-Palace Luo Yun as vanguard; the Tiele feigned surrender, ambushed Yun, and killed him; Tianci barely escaped with his life.
11
晉平刺王既死，建安王休仁益不自安。 上與嬖臣楊運長等為身後之計，運長等慮上晏駕後，休仁秉政，己輩不得專權，彌贊成之。 上疾嘗暴甚，內外莫不屬意於休仁，主書以下皆往東府訪休仁所親信，豫自結納； 其或在直不得出者，皆恐懼。 上聞，愈惡之。 五月，戊午，召休仁入見，既而謂曰：「今夕停尚書下省宿，明可早來。」 其夜，遣人繼藥賜死。 休仁罵曰：「上得天下，誰之力邪！ 孝武以誅金且兄弟，子孫滅絕。 今復為爾，宋祚其得久乎！」 上慮有變，力疾乘輿出端門，休仁死，乃入。 下詔稱：「休仁規結禁兵，謀為亂逆，朕未忍明法，申詔詰厲。 休仁慚恩懼罪，遽自引決。 可宥其二子，降為始安縣王，聽其子伯融襲封。」
After the Spiny King of Jinping was dead, Prince Xiuren of Jian'an grew still more uneasy. The emperor and his favorite Yang Yunchang and others plotted for the succession; Yunchang and his circle feared that once the emperor died Xiuren would seize power and they would lose their grip—and they pressed the emperor all the harder to act. When the emperor's illness once turned acute, everyone at court looked to Xiuren; even clerks visited his Eastern Palace faction to curry favor in advance; those stuck on duty and unable to leave were terrified. When the emperor learned of this, his hatred for Xiuren deepened. In the fifth month, on the day wùwǔ [14 May 471], Xiuren was summoned to court; afterward the emperor told him, "Stay tonight in the lower offices of the Secretariat; come early tomorrow." That night he sent men with poison to grant him death. Xiuren cursed him: "When you won the realm, whose strength was it! Emperor Xiaowu slaughtered the Jin brothers, and his line was wiped out. Now you do the same again—how long can the Song dynasty endure!" Fearing an uprising, the emperor dragged himself from his sickbed into his carriage and rode out through the Duan Gate; only after Xiuren was dead did he return inside. An edict declared: "Xiuren plotted to suborn the palace guard and intended rebellion; We could not bear to punish him openly and sent repeated edicts to rebuke and question him. Xiuren, ashamed before Our grace and fearing punishment, hastily took his own life. His two sons are to be spared; his title is reduced to Prince of Shian County, and his son Borong is permitted to inherit the fief."
12
上慮人情不悅，乃與諸大臣及方鎮詔，稱：「休仁與休祐深相親結，語休祐云：『汝但作佞，此法自足安身； 我從來頗得此力。』 休祐之隕，本欲為民除患，而休仁從此日生嬈懼。 吾每呼令入省，便入辭楊太妃。 吾春中多與之射雉，或陰雨不出，休仁輒語左右云：『我已復得今一日。』 休仁既經南討，與宿衛將帥經習狎共事。 吾前者積日失適，休仁出入殿省，無不和顏，厚相撫勞。 如其意趣，人莫能測。 事不獲已，反覆思惟，不得不有近日處分。 恐當不必即解，故相報知。」
Fearing public discontent, the emperor circulated edicts to senior ministers and regional commanders claiming: "Xiuren and Xiuyou were deeply allied; Xiuren told Xiuyou, 'You need only play the sycophant—that alone will keep you safe; I myself have always drawn considerable strength from that approach.' Xiuyou's death was meant to rid the people of a scourge, but from that day Xiuren grew daily more agitated and afraid. Whenever I summoned him to the Secretariat, he would first go to bid farewell to Empress Dowager Yang. In spring I often hunted pheasants with him; when rain kept us indoors, Xiuren would tell his attendants, 'I have won another day.' Having campaigned in the south, Xiuren was on familiar, intimate terms with the palace-guard commanders from long service together. During my recent long illness, Xiuren moved through the palace offices always wearing a pleasant face and lavishing comfort on everyone. His true intentions, no one could fathom. The matter could not be helped; after long reflection, recent action became unavoidable. You may not grasp this at once, so I inform you in advance."
13
上與休仁素厚，雖殺之，每謂人曰：「我與建安年時相鄰，少便款狎。 景和、泰始之間，勳誠實重； 事計交切，不得不相除，痛念之至，不能自巳。」 因流涕不自勝。
The emperor and Xiuren had been close for years; though he had killed him, he often told others, "When we were young we lived side by side as neighbors; from boyhood we were intimate. Between the Jinghe and Taishi reigns his merit and loyalty were truly great; affairs pressed urgently and we could not but destroy one another—the grief when I think of it is unbearable; I cannot restrain myself." And he would weep beyond control.
14
初，上在籓與褚淵以風素相善； 及即位，深相委仗。 上寢疾，淵為吳郡太守，急召之。 既至，入見，上流涕曰：「吾近危篤，故召卿，欲使著黃衣羅耳。」 黃衣羅者，乳母服也。 上與淵謀誅建安王休仁，淵以為不可，上怒曰：「卿癡人！ 不足與計事！」 淵懼而從命。 復以淵為吏部尚書。 庚午，以尚書右僕射袁粲為尚書令，褚淵為左僕射。
Early on, while still a prince, he and Chu Yuan were close for their shared refinement of character; and when he took the throne he placed deep trust in him. When the emperor fell ill, Yuan was serving as governor of Wu Commandery and was urgently summoned. When he arrived and was received in audience, the emperor wept and said, "I have been gravely ill of late, and summoned you because I wish you to wear yellow gauze robes." Yellow gauze robes were the dress of a wet nurse. The emperor plotted with Yuan to kill Prince Xiuren of Jian'an; Yuan objected, and the emperor raged: "You fool! Not fit to plan affairs with!" Yuan, terrified, obeyed. Yuan was again appointed Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. On the day gēngwǔ [29 May 471], Yuan Can, Right Vice Director of the Secretariat, was appointed Director of the Secretariat, and Chu Yuan was made Left Vice Director.
15
上惡太子屯騎校尉壽寂之勇健； 會有司奏寂之擅殺邏將，徙越州，於道殺之。
The emperor hated Shou Jizhi, the crown prince's Colonel of the Garrison Cavalry, for his courage and strength; when the relevant office reported that Jizhi had killed a patrol commander without authority, he was banished to Yuezhou and killed en route.
16
丙戌，追廢晉平王休祐為庶人。
On the day bǐngxū [14 June 471], Prince Xiuyou of Jinping was posthumously deposed and reduced to commoner status.
17
巴陵王休若至京口，聞建安王死，益懼。 上以休若和厚，能諧緝物情，恐將來傾奪幼主，欲遣使殺之，慮不奉詔； 欲征入朝，又恐猜駭。 六月，丁酉，以江州刺史桂陽王休范為南徐州刺史，以休若為江州刺史。 手書殷勤，召休若使赴七月七日宴。
Prince Xiuruo of Baling reached Jingkou; when he learned that the Prince of Jian'an was dead, his fear deepened. Because Xiuruo was mild and popular and could win over hearts, the emperor feared he might one day displace the young heir; he wanted to send assassins but feared they would not obey; he considered summoning him to court but feared arousing suspicion and panic. In the sixth month, on the day dīngyǒu [25 June 471], Prince Xiufan of Guiyang was transferred from Jiangzhou to South Xuzhou, and Xiuruo was appointed governor of Jiangzhou. In his own hand he wrote warmly, summoning Xiuruo to attend the feast on the seventh day of the seventh month.
18
丁未，魏主如河西。
On the day dīngwèi [5 July 471], the Northern Wei emperor went to Hexi.
19
秋，七月，巴陵哀王休若至建康； 乙丑，賜死於第，贈侍中、司空。 復以桂陽王休范為江州刺史。 時上諸弟俱盡，唯休范以人才凡劣，不為上所忌，故得全。
In autumn, in the seventh month, the Lamented King Xiuruo of Baling reached Jiankang; on the day yǐchǒu [23 July 471] he was granted death at his residence and posthumously given the titles of Palace Attendant and Minister of Works. Prince Xiufan of Guiyang was again appointed governor of Jiangzhou. By then all the emperor's younger brothers were dead; only Xiufan survived, because his abilities were mediocre and the emperor did not regard him as a threat.
20
沈約論曰：「聖人立法垂制，所以必稱先王，蓋由遺訓餘風，足以貽之來世也。 太祖經國之義雖弘，隆家之道不足。 彭城王照不窺古，徒見昆弟之義，未識君臣之禮，冀以家情行之國道，主猜而猶犯，恩薄而未悟，致以呵訓之微行，遂成滅親之大禍。 開端樹隙，垂之後人。 太宗因易隙之情，據已行之典，翦落洪枝，不得顧慮。 既而本根無庇，幼主孤立，神器以勢弱傾移，靈命隨樂推回改，斯蓋履霜有漸，堅冰自至，所由遠矣！
Shen Yue remarked: "When the sages established laws and handed down institutions, they always invoked the former kings—because the legacy of their teachings and the force of their example are enough to bequeath to later ages. Though Emperor Taizu's vision for governing the state was broad, his way of strengthening the imperial house was insufficient. Prince Yizhao of Pengcheng did not study antiquity; he saw only brotherly affection and failed to grasp the rites between ruler and subject. He hoped to govern the state by family sentiment: the sovereign grew suspicious yet he still overstepped; imperial favor waned yet he did not wake—and a minor act of rebuke and reproof led at last to the great catastrophe of destroying his own kin. He opened the breach and planted the rift, and bequeathed it to posterity. Emperor Taizong, seizing on the rift thus opened, relied on precedent already established, and pruned away the great branches of the clan without scruple. Thereafter the dynastic root stood unprotected, the young ruler was isolated, the throne shifted as power weakened, and the mandate turned with the tide of acclaim—surely frost underfoot grows by degrees until solid ice forms of itself; how far back the cause reaches!
21
裴子野論曰：「夫噬虎之獸，知愛己子； 搏狸之鳥，非護異巢。 太宗保字螟蛉，剿拉同氣，既迷在原之天屬，未識父子之自然。 宋德告終，非天廢也。 夫危亡之君，未嘗不先棄本枝，嫗煦帝孽； 推誠嬖狎，疾惡父兄。 前乘覆車，後來並轡。 借使叔仲有國，猶不先配天； 而它人入室，將七廟絕祀； 曾是莫懷，甘心手前落。 晉武背文明之托，而覆中州者賈後； 太祖棄初寧之誓，而登合殿者元兇。 禍福無門，奚其豫擇！ 友于兄弟，不亦安乎！
Pei Ziye remarked: "Beasts that devour tigers still know to love their own young; birds that strike wildcats do not protect nests that are not their own. Emperor Taizong raised the name of the hornet's foster-child and slaughtered his own blood kin; he had forgotten the heaven-ordained bond of kin celebrated in the Odes, and failed to understand the natural tie between father and son. When the virtue of Song came to its end, it was not Heaven that cast it aside. Sovereigns on the brink of ruin invariably discarded their root branches first and cherished the emperor's collateral kin; they showed intimate trust to favorites and turned against their fathers and elder brothers. Those who went before rode in the overturned cart; those who came after drove side by side with them. Even if Shuzhong had possessed a realm, he would still not have been first to match with Heaven; yet others enter the house, and soon the sacrifices at the seven temples cease; they never woke to this; they were content to fall by their own hand. Emperor Wu of Jin betrayed Emperor Wenming's charge, and the Central Plains were overthrown by Empress Jia; Emperor Taizu abandoned the oath of Chuning, and the one who ascended the Hall of Union was the chief culprit; Fortune and disaster have no fixed gate—why choose in advance! Be friendly to your brothers—is that not peace indeed!
22
丙寅，魏主至陰山。
On the day bǐngyín [27 July 471], the Northern Wei emperor reached Yinshan.
23
初，吳喜之討會稽也，言於上曰：「得尋陽王子房及諸賊帥，皆即於東戮之。」 既而生送子房，釋顧琛等。 上以其新立大功，不問，而心銜之。 及克荊州，剽掠，贓以萬計。 壽寂之死，喜為淮陵太守，督豫州諸軍事，聞之，內懼，啟乞中散大夫，上猶疑駭。 或譖蕭道成在淮陰有貳心於魏，上封銀壺酒，使喜自持賜道成。 道成懼，欲逃，喜以情告道成，且先為之飲，道成即飲之。 喜還朝，保證道成。 或密以啟上，上以喜多計數，素得人情，恐其不能事幼主； 乃召喜入內殿，與共言謔甚款。 既出，賜以名饌。 尋賜死，然猶發詔賻賜。
When Wu Xi was campaigning against Kuaiji, he told the emperor, "When we capture Zifang of Xunyang and the other rebel leaders, execute them all at once in the east." Yet afterward he sent Zifang alive and released Gu Chen and others. The emperor, because Xi had just won a great victory, did not pursue the matter, but bore a grudge in his heart. When Jingzhou was taken, he plundered on a vast scale, booty reckoned in the tens of thousands. When Shou Jizhi was killed, Xi was governor of Huailing supervising Yuzhou military affairs; hearing of it, he was inwardly terrified and petitioned for the post of Palace Attendant of the Scattered Cavalry; the emperor remained suspicious and alarmed. Someone slandered Xiao Daocheng at Huaiyin as disloyal to Wei; the emperor sealed wine in a silver flask and had Xi carry it personally to Daocheng. Daocheng was afraid and wanted to flee; Xi told him the truth and drank first to prove it safe; Daocheng then drank. Xi returned to court and vouched for Daocheng's loyalty. Someone secretly reported this to the emperor; because Xi was full of schemes and had long won popular favor, the emperor feared he would not serve a young ruler faithfully; he summoned Xi into the inner palace and jested with him very warmly. When Xi left, the emperor granted him a feast of famous delicacies. Soon afterward he was put to death, yet an edict was still issued for funeral gifts.
24
又與劉勉等詔曰：「吳喜輕狡萬端，苟取物情。 昔大明中，黟、歙有亡命數千人，攻縣邑，殺官長，劉子尚遣三千精甲討之，再往失利。 孝武以喜將數十人至縣，說誘群賊，賊即歸降。 詭數幻惑，乃能如此。 及泰始初東討，止有三百人，直造三吳，凡再經薄戰，而自破岡以東至海十郡，無不清蕩。 百姓聞吳河東來，便望風自退； 若非積取三吳人情，何以得弭伏如此！ 尋喜心跡，豈可奉守文之主，遭國家可乘之會邪！ 譬如餌藥，當人羸冷，資散石以全身，及熱勢發動，去堅積以止患，非忘其功，勢不獲已耳。」
He also sent edicts to Liu Mian and others saying, "Wu Xi is frivolous and cunning in countless ways, grasping at popular favor. In the Daming era, several thousand outlaws in Yi and She attacked counties and killed officials; Liu Zishang sent three thousand elite troops against them and failed twice. Emperor Xiaowu sent Xi with several dozen men to the county; he persuaded the rebels, and they surrendered at once. By deceitful schemes and illusory persuasion he could accomplish such things. At the start of the Taishi eastern campaign he had only three hundred men, marched straight into the Three Wu, fought only two light engagements, and cleared ten commanderies from Pogang east to the sea. When the people heard that Wu was coming from east of the river, they fled at the mere rumor; without long accumulating goodwill in the Three Wu, how could he have pacified them so completely! Given Xi's true intentions, how could he faithfully serve a young ruler when the state offered an opportunity to be seized! It is like medicine: when a man is weak and cold, a mild powder preserves him; when fever rises, harsh drugs are withdrawn—not forgetting his merit, but circumstances leave no choice."
25
戊寅，以淮陰為北兗州，征蕭道成入朝。 道成所親以朝廷方誅大臣，勸勿就征，道成曰：「諸卿殊不見事！ 主上自以太子稚弱，翦除諸弟，何預它人！ 今唯應速發； 淹留顧望，必將見疑。 且骨肉相殘，自非靈長之祚，禍難將興，方與卿等戮力耳。」 既至，拜散騎常侍、太子左衛率。
On the day wùyín [8 August 471], Huaiyin was made North Yanzhou, and Xiao Daocheng was summoned to court. Daocheng's intimates, seeing the court executing great ministers, urged him not to go; Daocheng said, "You gentlemen truly do not understand! The sovereign himself, because the crown prince is young, is cutting down his brothers—what has that to do with anyone else! We should set out at once; if we linger and hesitate, we will surely be suspected. When kin slaughter kin, it is not the fortune of a long-lived dynasty; calamity is coming—we must strive together." When he arrived, he was appointed Attendant-in-Ordinary of the Scattered Cavalry and Left Commandant of the Crown Prince's Guard.
26
八月，丁亥，魏主還平城。
In the eighth month, on the day dīnghài [27 August 471], the Northern Wei emperor returned to Pingcheng.
27
戊子，以皇子躋繼江夏文獻王義恭。
On the day wùzǐ [28 August 471], Prince Ji was made to succeed Prince Yigong of Jiangxia, the Cultivated King.
28
庚寅，上疾有間，大赦。
On the day gēngyín [30 August 471] the emperor's illness eased somewhat and a general amnesty was declared.
29
戊戌，立皇子淮為安成王，實桂陽王休范之子也。
On the day wùxū [5 September 471] Prince Huai was established as Prince of Ancheng—in fact he was the son of Prince Xiufan of Guiyang.
30
魏顯祖聰睿夙成，剛毅有斷，而好黃、老、浮屠之學。 每引朝士及沙門共談玄理，雅薄富貴，常有遺世之心。 以叔父中都大官京兆王子推沉雅仁厚，素有時譽，欲禪以帝位。 時太尉源賀督諸軍屯漠南，馳傳召之。 既至，會公卿大議，皆莫敢先言。 任城王雲，子推之弟也，對曰：「陛下方隆太平，臨覆四海，豈得上違宗廟，下棄兆民。 且父子相傳，其來久矣。 陛下必欲委棄塵務，則皇太子宜承正統。 夫天下者，祖宗之天下。 陛下若更授旁支，恐非先聖之意。 啟奸亂之心，斯乃禍福之原，不可不懼也。」 源賀曰：「陛下今欲禪位皇叔，臣恐紊亂昭穆，後世必有逆祀之譏。 願深思任城之言。」 東陽公丕等曰：「皇太子雖聖德早彰，然實沖幼。 陛下富於春秋，始覽萬機，奈何欲隆獨善，不以天下為心，其若宗廟何！ 其若億兆何！」 尚書陸□曰：「陛下若捨皇太子，更方諸王，臣請刎頸殿庭，不敢奉詔！」 帝怒，變色； 以問宦者選部尚書酒泉趙黑，黑曰：「臣以死奉戴皇太子，不知其它！」 帝默然，時太子宏生五年矣，帝以其幼，故欲傳位子推。 中書令高允曰：「臣不敢多言，願陛下上思宗廟托付之重，追念周公抱成王之事。」 帝乃曰：「然則立太子，郡公輔之，有何不可！」 又曰：「陸□，直臣也，必能保吾子。」 乃以□為太保，與源賀持節奉皇帝璽紱傳位於太子。 丙午，高祖即皇帝位，大赦，改元延興。 高祖幼有至性，前年，顯祖病癰，高祖新吮。 及受禪，悲泣不自勝。 顯祖問其故，對曰：「代親之感，內切於心。」
Emperor Xianzu of Northern Wei was clever and perceptive from youth, resolute and decisive, yet fond of Huang-Lao and Buddhist learning. He often summoned courtiers and monks to discuss arcane principles; he naturally despised wealth and rank and often wished to renounce the world. Because his uncle Prince Zitui of Jingzhao, Grand Palace Official of the Center, was grave, elegant, and benevolent and had long enjoyed a fine reputation, he wished to abdicate in his favor. Grand Commandant Yuan He was then supervising armies south of the desert and was summoned by urgent relay. When he arrived, a great council of dukes and ministers was convened; none dared speak first. Prince Yun of Rencheng, Zitui's younger brother, replied: "Your Majesty is just now establishing great peace and ruling all within the four seas—how can you go against the ancestral temple above and abandon the myriad people below? Moreover, transmission from father to son has been the practice for ages. If Your Majesty must renounce worldly affairs, the crown prince should inherit the legitimate succession. The realm belongs to the ancestors. If Your Majesty transfers it to a collateral branch, I fear that is not what the former sages intended. It would awaken treachery and disorder—the source of fortune and disaster; it must be feared." Yuan He said: "Your Majesty now wishes to abdicate to your uncle; I fear disorder in the ancestral order, and later ages will surely reproach this as irregular sacrifice. I beg Your Majesty to ponder deeply the Prince of Rencheng's words." Duke Pi of Dongyang and others said: "Though the crown prince's virtue has shown early, he is still very young. Your Majesty is in the prime of life and has only begun to govern—why seek solitary withdrawal and not take the realm to heart? What of the ancestral temple! What of the hundred millions of people!" Minister Lu Kai said: "If Your Majesty abandons the crown prince for another prince, I beg to cut my throat in the palace hall—I dare not obey such an edict!" The emperor grew angry and changed color; he asked the eunuch, Minister of the Selection Bureau Zhao Hei of Jiuquan; Hei said, "I will die upholding the crown prince—I know nothing else!" The emperor fell silent. Crown Prince Hong was then five years old; because he was so young, the emperor had wished to pass the throne to Zitui. Director of the Secretariat Gao Yun said, "I dare not say much; I wish Your Majesty would reflect on the heavy charge of the ancestral temple and recall how the Duke of Zhou held the infant King Cheng." The emperor then said, "Then establish the crown prince and let the princes assist him—what is wrong with that!" He also said, "Lu Kai is a straight minister; he will surely protect my son." Thereupon Lu Kai was made Grand Tutor, and with Yuan He bearing the staff of authority they presented the imperial seal and cord and transferred the throne to the crown prince. On the day bǐngwǔ [9 September 471], Emperor Gaozu ascended the throne, declared a general amnesty, and changed the era name to Yanxing. Emperor Gaozu had been deeply filial from youth; the year before, when Emperor Xianzu had an abscess, Gaozu sucked it fresh himself. When he received the abdication, he wept uncontrollably in grief. Emperor Xianzu asked why; he replied, "The feeling of standing in a parent's place cuts deep within the heart."
31
丁未，顯祖下詔曰：「朕希心玄古，志存淡泊，爰命儲宮踐升大位，朕得優遊恭己，棲心浩然。」
On the day dīngwèi [10 September 471] Emperor Xianzu issued an edict: "We set Our heart on profound antiquity and keep Our will in simplicity; We have ordered the heir to ascend the throne, that We may retire at ease and lodge Our mind in vast calm."
32
群臣奏曰：「昔漢高祖稱皇帝，尊其父為太上皇，明不統天下也。 今皇帝幼沖，萬機大政，猶宜陛下總之。 謹上尊號曰太上皇帝。」 顯祖從之。
The ministers memorialized: "Formerly Emperor Gaozu of Han took the throne and honored his father as Supreme Emperor—making clear that the father did not rule the realm. Now the emperor is young; the great affairs of state should still be overseen by Your Majesty. We respectfully offer the honorific title Supreme Emperor." Emperor Xianzu assented.
33
己酉，上皇徙居崇光宮，采椽不斫，土階而已； 國之大事鹹以聞。 崇光宮在北苑中，又建鹿野浮圖於苑中之西山，與禪僧居之。
On the day jǐyǒu [12 September 471] the Supreme Emperor moved to Chongguang Palace; rafters were left unplaned and there were only earthen steps; all great affairs of state were still reported to him. Chongguang Palace stood in the Northern Park; he also built the Luye pagoda on the western hill within the park and lived there with Chan monks.
34
冬，十月，魏沃野、統萬二鎮敕勒叛，遣太尉源賀帥眾討之； 降二千餘落，追擊餘黨至枹罕、金城，大破之，斬首八千餘級，虜男女萬餘口，雜畜三萬餘頭。 詔賀都督三道諸軍，屯於漠南。
In winter, in the tenth month, the Tiele of the Wo Ye and Tongwan garrisons rebelled; Grand Commandant Yuan He was sent with an army to suppress them; more than two thousand clans surrendered; pursuing the remnant rebels to Baohan and Jincheng, he won a great victory, took more than eight thousand heads, captured more than ten thousand men and women, and more than thirty thousand head of livestock. He was ordered to command all armies of the three routes and encamp south of the desert.
35
先是，魏每歲秋、冬發軍，三道並出，以備柔然，春中乃還。 賀以為：「往來疲勞，不可支久； 請募諸州鎮武健者三萬餘人，築三城以處之，使冬則講武，春則耕種。」 不從。
Previously, each autumn and winter Wei sent troops out on three routes together to guard against the Rouran and did not return until mid-spring. He argued: "The constant marching back and forth cannot be sustained; I request recruiting more than thirty thousand stalwart men from the provinces and garrisons, building three cities to house them, drilling in winter and farming in spring." His proposal was not adopted.
36
庚寅，魏以南安王楨為都督涼州及西戎諸軍事，領護西域校尉，鎮涼州。
On the day gēngyín [5 October 471] Prince Zhen of Nan'an was made commander of Liangzhou and all western Rong military affairs, Protector of the Western Regions, and stationed at Liangzhou.
37
上命北琅邪、蘭陵二郡太守垣崇祖經略淮北，崇祖自郁洲將數百人入魏境七百里，據蒙山。 十一月，魏東兗州刺史於洛侯擊之，崇祖引還。
The emperor ordered Yuan Chongzu, governor of North Langye and Lanling, to operate north of the Huai; Chongzu led several hundred men from Yuzhou seven hundred li into Wei territory and seized Mengshan. In the eleventh month, Yu Luohou, governor of East Yanzhou in Wei, attacked him, and Chongzu withdrew.
38
上以故第為湘宮寺，備極壯麗； 欲造十級浮圖而不能，乃分為二。 新安太守巢尚之罷郡入見，上謂曰：「卿至湘宮寺未？ 此是我大功德，用錢不少。」 通直散騎侍郎會稽虞願侍側，曰：「此皆百姓賣兒貼婦錢所為，佛若有知，當慈悲嗟愍； 罪高浮圖，何功德之有！」 侍坐者失色； 上怒，使人驅下殿。 願徐去，無異容。 上好圍棋，棋甚拙，與第一品彭城丞王抗圍棋，抗每假借之，曰：「皇帝飛棋，臣抗不能斷。 上終不悟，好之愈篤。 願又曰：「堯以此教丹朱，非人主所宜好也。」 上雖怒甚，以願王國舊臣，每優容之。
The emperor converted his former residence into Xiang Palace Temple, equipping it with utmost splendor; he wished to build a ten-story pagoda but could not, and so built two instead. Chao Shangzhi, governor of Xin'an, left his post and came for an audience; the emperor asked, "Have you been to Xiang Palace Temple? This is my great merit; it cost no small sum." Yu Yuan of Kuaiji, Attendant Gentleman of the Direct Secretariat, attending at his side, said, "All this was built with money from people who sold their sons and pawned their wives; if the Buddha had knowledge, he would pity them in compassion; the sin towers higher than the pagoda—what merit is there!" Those seated at the audience turned pale; the emperor was furious and had men drive him from the hall. Yuan withdrew slowly, his expression unchanged. The emperor loved Go but played poorly. When he played against Wang Kang, the Pengcheng magistrate and a first-rank player, Kang always threw the game, saying, "When Your Majesty's stones fly across the board, I, Kang, cannot cut them off. The emperor never caught on and only grew more devoted to the game. Yuan added, "Yao used this game to instruct Danzhu—it is not a pastime fit for a sovereign." Though the emperor was furious, he always showed Yuan forbearance, for Yuan had been an old minister of the Wang kingdom.
39
王景文常以盛滿為憂，屢辭位任，上不許。 然中心以景文外戚貴盛，張永累經軍旅，疑其將來難信，乃自為謠言曰：「一士不可親，弓長射殺人。」 景文彌懼，自表解揚州，情甚切至。 詔報曰：「人居貴要，但問心若為耳。 大明之世，巢、徐、二戴，位不過執戟，權亢人主。 今袁粲作僕射領選，而人往往不知有粲，粲遷為令，居之不疑； 人情向粲，淡然亦復不改常日。 以此居貴位要任，當有致憂競不？ 夫貴高有危殆之懼，卑賤有填壑之憂，有心於避禍，不如無心於任運。 存亡之要，鉅細一揆耳。」
Wang Jingwen often feared the dangers of standing too high and repeatedly tried to resign his posts, but the emperor refused. Yet in his heart he feared that Jingwen, as a powerful imperial in-law, and Zhang Yong, a seasoned general, might prove untrustworthy in time; so he himself circulated a saying: "One 'shi' must not be approached—'gong' 'chang' shoots men dead." Jingwen became still more terrified and memorialized the throne begging to be relieved of Yangzhou—a plea utterly desperate in tone. The edict replied, "For one in high office, all that matters is the state of one's heart. In the Daming reign, Chao, Xu, and the two Dai brothers held nothing more than halberd-bearer's rank, yet their power rivaled the emperor's. Today Yuan Can is Vice Director overseeing appointments, yet many barely notice he is there; when he was promoted to Director, he assumed the office without a second thought; When favor flowed toward Can, he remained as calm and unchanged as ever. Given such conduct in high office, should one feel anxiety and rivalry? The great fear peril; the humble fear starving in a ditch. A heart bent on evading disaster is not as safe as a heart that accepts whatever comes. Whether great matters or small, the keys to survival and ruin are ultimately the same."
40
太宗明皇帝下泰豫元年（ 壬子，公元四七二年）
The latter part of the reign of Emperor Ming Taizong, first year of Taiyu ( rénzǐ [sexagenary year], AD 472)
41
春，正月，甲寅朔，上以疾久不平，改元。 戊午，皇太子會四方朝賀者於東宮，並受貢計。
In spring, in the first month, on the new moon of the day jiàyín, the emperor changed the era name, his illness having long failed to abate. On the day wùwǔ, the crown prince gathered congratulatory envoys from throughout the realm at the Eastern Palace and received their tribute together.
42
大陽蠻酋桓誕擁沔水以北、滍、葉以南八萬餘落降於魏，自雲桓玄之子，亡匿蠻中，以智略為群蠻所宗。 魏以誕為征南將軍、東荊州刺史、襄陽王，聽自選郡縣吏； 使起部郎京兆韋珍與誕安集新民，區置諸事，皆得其所。
Huan Dan, chieftain of the Dayang tribes, surrendered to Wei with more than eighty thousand households north of the Han and south of the Zhi and Ye rivers. He claimed to be a son of Huan Xuan, had hidden among the tribes, and won their allegiance through cunning. Wei made Dan General Who Pacifies the South, Governor of Eastern Jingzhou, and Prince of Xiangyang, allowing him to appoint his own county and district officials; Wei dispatched Wei Zhen of Jingzhao, a clerk of the Construction Bureau, to help Dan settle the new subjects; everything was organized to good effect.
43
二月，柔然侵魏，上皇遣將擊之； 柔然走。 東部敕勒叛奔柔然，上皇自將追之，至石磧，不及而還。
In the second month, the Rouran raided Wei; the retired emperor sent troops against them; The Rouran fled. The eastern Tiele rebelled and joined the Rouran; the retired emperor led the pursuit in person as far as Shiji, failed to catch them, and turned back.
44
上疾篤，慮晏駕之後，皇后臨朝，江安懿侯王景文以元舅之勢，必為宰相，門族強盛，或有異圖。 己未，遣使繼藥賜景文死，手敕曰：「與卿周旋，欲全卿門戶，故有此處分。」 敕至，景文正與客棋，叩函看已，復置局下，神色不變，方與客思行爭劫。 局竟，斂子內奩畢，徐曰：「奉敕見賜以死。」 方以敕示客。 中直兵焦度趙智略憤怒，曰：「大丈夫安能坐受死！ 州中文武數百，足以一奮。」 景文曰：「知卿至心； 若見念者，為我百口計。」 乃作墨啟答敕致謝，飲藥而卒。 贈開府儀同三司。
The emperor's illness turned critical. He feared that once the empress regent took power, Wang Jingwen, the empress's elder brother and Marquis Yi of Jiang'an, would inevitably become chief minister—and with his clan so powerful, might entertain darker ambitions. On the day jǐwèi, he sent an envoy bearing poison with orders that Jingwen take his own life. A personal note read, "In all our years together, I meant to protect your clan—that is why I must do this." When the order arrived, Jingwen was playing Go with a guest. He opened the box, read it, set it back under the board without altering his expression, and went on debating a capturing sequence with his guest. When the game ended, he put the stones away in their box and said calmly, "By imperial order, I am commanded to die." Only then did he show the order to his guest. His Central Direct Guardsmen Jiao Du and Zhao Zhilue erupted in rage: "What sort of man sits still and accepts death! The province holds hundreds of civil and military officers—more than enough for us to strike back." Jingwen said, "I know your heart is true; If you care for me at all, look to the safety of my entire household." He then wrote a brief reply thanking the emperor, drank the poison, and died. He was posthumously granted the title Grand Master of the Palace with Golden Seal and Threefold Honorific Equivalence.
45
上夢有人告曰：「豫章太守劉愔反。」 既寤，遣人就郡殺之。
The emperor dreamed that someone told him, "Liu Yin, Administrator of Yuzhang, is in rebellion." On waking, he sent men to the commandery and had him killed.
46
魏顯祖還平城。
Emperor Xianzu of Wei returned to Pingcheng.
47
庚午，魏主耕籍田。
On the day gēngwǔ, the Wei emperor performed the spring plowing rite in the sacred field.
48
夏，四月，以垣崇祖行徐州事，徙戍龍沮。
In summer, in the fourth month, Yuan Chongzu was put in charge of Xuzhou and transferred to garrison Longju.
49
己亥，上大漸，以江州刺史桂陽王休范為司空，又以尚書右僕射褚淵為護軍將軍，加中領軍劉勉右僕射，詔淵、勉與尚書令袁粲、荊州刺史蔡興宗、郢州刺史沈攸之並受顧命。 褚淵素與蕭道成善，引薦於上，詔又以道成為右衛將軍，領衛尉，與袁粲等共掌機事。 是夕，上殂。 庚子，太子即皇帝位，大赦。 時蒼梧王方十歲，袁粲、褚淵秉政，承太宗奢侈之後，務弘節儉，欲救其弊； 而阮佃夫、王道隆等用事，貨賂公行，不能禁也。
On the day jǐhài, as the emperor lay dying, he made Prince Guiyang Xu Fan, Governor of Jiangzhou, Grand Master of Works; made Chu Yuan, Vice Director of the Masters of Writing, Guardian General; promoted Central Army Commander Liu Mian to Vice Director; and decreed that Chu, Liu, Director Yuan Can, Jingzhou Governor Cai Xingzong, and Yingzhou Governor Shen Youzhi would all receive the dying emperor's testament. Chu Yuan had long been friendly with Xiao Daocheng and recommended him to the throne; an edict also made Daocheng Right Guard General and Commandant of the Guard, sharing control of state affairs with Yuan Can and the others. That very night, the emperor died. On the day gēngzǐ, the crown prince ascended the throne and proclaimed a general amnesty. The Lord of Cangwu was then only ten. Yuan Can and Chu Yuan held the reins of government; coming after Emperor Taizong's extravagance, they strove to promote thrift and remedy the abuses; Yet Ruan Tainfu, Wang Daolong, and their faction held sway; bribery ran rampant, and nothing could be done to stop it.
50
乙巳，以安成王准為揚州刺史。
On the day yǐsì, Prince Ancheng Liu Zhun was appointed Governor of Yangzhou.
51
五月，戊寅，葬明皇帝於高寧陵，廟號太宗。 六月，乙巳，尊皇后曰皇太后，立妃江氏為皇后。
In the fifth month, on the day wùyín, Emperor Ming was buried at Gaoning Mausoleum and given the temple name Taizong. In the sixth month, on the day yǐsì, the empress was honored as empress dowager and Consort Jiang was made empress.
52
秋，七月，柔然部帥無盧真將三萬騎寇魏敦煌，鎮將尉多侯擊走之。 多侯，眷之子也。 又寇晉昌，守將薛奴擊走之。
In autumn, in the seventh month, the Rouran chieftain Wulu Zhen led thirty thousand horsemen against Dunhuang in Wei; garrison commander Yuduohou drove them off. Yuduohou was the son of Juan. They raided Jinchang as well; defending general Xue Nu drove them off.
53
戊午，魏主如陰山。 戊辰，尊帝母陳貴妃為皇太妃，更以諸國太妃為太姬。
On the day wùwǔ, the Wei emperor went to Yinshan. On the day wùchén, the emperor's mother, Consort Chen, was honored as Grand Imperial Consort, and the title of imperial consorts of the various kingdoms was changed to Grand Lady.
54
右軍將軍王道隆以蔡興宗強直，不欲使居上流，閏月，甲辰，以興宗為中書監； 更以沈攸之為都督荊、襄等八州諸軍事、荊州刺史。 興宗辭中書監不拜。 王道隆每詣興宗，躡履到前，不敢就席，良久去，竟不呼坐。
Right Army General Wang Daolong, finding Cai Xingzong too stern and upright to keep on the upper Yangzi, made him Supervisor of the Masters of Writing in the intercalary month on the day jiǎchén; Shen Youzhi was instead made Commander-in-Chief over the eight provinces including Jing and Xiang, and Governor of Jingzhou. Xingzong declined the post of Supervisor of the Masters of Writing and refused to take office. Whenever Wang Daolong visited Xingzong, he would tiptoe forward and stand before him, not daring to take a seat; after a long while he would leave—and Xingzong never once asked him to sit.
55
沈攸之自以才略過人，自至夏口以來，陰蓄異志； 及徙荊州，擇郢州士馬、器仗精者，多以自隨。 到官，以討蠻為名，大發兵力，招聚才勇，部勒嚴整，常如敵至。 重賦斂以繕器甲，舊應供台者皆割留之，養馬至二千餘匹，治戰艦近千艘，倉廩、府庫莫不充積。 士子、商旅過荊州者，多為所羈留； 四方亡命歸之者，皆蔽匿擁護； 所部或有逃亡，無遠近窮追，必得而止。 舉錯專恣，不復承用符敕，朝廷疑而憚之。 為政刻暴，或鞭撻士大夫； 上佐以下，面加詈辱。 然吏事精明，人不敢欺，境內盜賊屏息，夜戶不閉。
Shen Youzhi considered himself more talented and capable than anyone else; from the time he reached Xiakou, he had secretly nursed other ambitions; When he was transferred to Jingzhou, he picked out Yingzhou's best troops, horses, and arms and took most of them with him. On taking office, he raised troops on a large scale under the pretext of campaigning against the tribes, gathered talented and brave men, and drilled them with such strict discipline that it was as if the enemy were always at the gates. He imposed heavy taxes to repair armor and weapons, kept for himself everything that should have gone to the capital, raised more than two thousand horses, built nearly a thousand warships, and filled every granary and treasury to overflowing. Scholars and traveling merchants passing through Jingzhou were often detained by him; Fugitives from all quarters who came to him were sheltered and protected; If anyone under his command fled, he pursued them without regard to distance until they were caught. He acted with arbitrary wilfulness, no longer heeding edicts from the court, which both suspected and feared him. His rule was harsh and cruel; he sometimes flogged scholar-officials; and from senior aides downward he would revile and humiliate men to their faces. Yet he was sharp and precise in administrative matters; no one dared deceive him; bandits fell silent within his borders, and at night people left their doors unlatched.
56
攸之賧罰群蠻太甚，又禁五溪魚鹽，蠻怨叛。 酉溪蠻王田頭擬死，弟婁侯篡立，其子田都走入獠中。 於是群蠻大亂，掠抄至武陵城下。 武陵內史蕭嶷遣隊主張英兒擊破之，誅婁佩，立田都，群蠻乃定。 嶷，賾之弟也。
Youzhi's fines and punishments on the tribal peoples were excessive, and he also banned the trade in fish and salt in the Five Streams region; the tribes rebelled in resentment. Tian Touni, king of the Youxi tribes, died; his younger brother Louhou usurped the throne, and his son Tian Du fled among the Liao tribes. The tribes then erupted in chaos and raided all the way to the walls of Wuling. Xiao Yan, Administrator of Wuling, sent Squad Leader Zhang Ying'er to defeat them, executed Louhou, installed Tian Du, and the tribes were pacified. Yan was the younger brother of Ze.
57
八月，戊午，樂安宣穆公蔡興宗卒。
In the eighth month, on the day wùwǔ, Cai Xingzong, Duke Xuanmu of Le'an, died.
58
九月，辛巳，魏主還平城。
In the ninth month, on the day xīnsì, the Wei emperor returned to Pingcheng.
59
冬，十月，柔然侵魏，及五原。 十一月，上皇自將討之。 將度漠，柔然北走數千里，上皇乃還。
In winter, in the tenth month, the Rouran invaded Wei and reached Wuyuan. In the eleventh month, the retired emperor led a campaign against them in person. As he was about to cross the desert, the Rouran fled north for thousands of li; the retired emperor then turned back.
60
丁亥，魏封上皇之弟略為文川王。
On the day dīnghài, Wei enfeoffed the retired emperor's younger brother Lüe as Prince of Wenchuan.
61
己亥，以郢州刺史劉秉為尚書左僕射。 秉，道憐之孫也，和弱無干能，以宗室清令，故袁、褚引之。
On the day jǐhài, Yingzhou Governor Liu Bing was appointed Left Vice Director of the Masters of Writing. Bing was the grandson of Dao'ai—gentle, mild, and without practical ability—but as a pure and distinguished member of the imperial clan, Yuan and Chu brought him forward.
62
中書通事舍人阮佃夫加給事中、輔國將軍，權任轉重，欲用其所親吳郡張澹為武陵郡； 袁粲等皆不同，佃夫稱敕施行，粲等不敢執。
Ruan Tainfu, Attendant Master of Communications of the Secretariat, was additionally made Palace Attendant and General Who Assists the State; his power grew ever heavier. He wished to appoint his protégé Zhang Dan of Wu Commandery as Administrator of Wuling; Yuan Can and the others all objected, but Tainfu claimed an edict and pushed the appointment through; Can and the others did not dare stand in his way.
63
魏有司奏諸祠祀合一千七十五所，歲用牲七萬五千五百。 上皇惡其多殺，詔：「自今非天地、宗廟、社稷，皆勿用牲，薦以酒脯而已。」
Wei officials reported that sacrificial sites numbered one thousand seventy-five in all, consuming seventy-five thousand five hundred sacrificial animals each year. The retired emperor deplored the slaughter and decreed, "From now on, except for rites to Heaven and Earth, the ancestral temple, and the altars of soil and grain, no sacrificial animals shall be used—wine and dried meat will suffice."
64
太宗明皇帝下元徽元年（ 癸丑，公元四七三年）
The latter part of the reign of Emperor Ming Taizong, first year of Yuanhui ( guǐchǒu [sexagenary year], AD 473)
65
春，正月，戊寅朔，改元，大赦。
In spring, in the first month, on the new moon of the day wùyín, the era name was changed and a general amnesty proclaimed.
66
庚辰，魏員外散騎常侍崔演來聘。 戊戌，魏上皇還，至雲中。
On the day gēngchén, Cui Yan of Wei, Supernumerary Palace Attendant of the Scattered Cavalry, came on a diplomatic mission. On the day wùxū, the retired emperor of Wei returned and reached Yunzhong.
67
癸丑，魏詔守令勸課農事，同部之內，貧富相通，家有兼牛，通借無者。 若不從詔，一門終身不仕。
On the day guǐchǒu, Wei decreed that prefects and magistrates should promote agriculture: within each district, rich and poor were to help one another—households with spare oxen were to lend them to those who had none. Those who disobeyed would see their entire household barred from office for life.
68
戊午，魏上皇至平城。
On the day wùwǔ, the retired emperor of Wei reached Pingcheng.
69
甲戌，魏詔：「縣令能靜一縣劫盜者，兼治二縣，即食其祿； 能靜二縣者，兼治三縣，三年遷為郡守。 二千石能靜二郡上至三郡亦如之，三年遷為刺史。」
On the day jiǎxū, Wei decreed, "A magistrate who can pacify banditry in one county shall concurrently administer two counties and draw both salaries; One who can pacify two counties shall concurrently administer three, and after three years be promoted to commandery governor. A two-thousand-dan official who can pacify two commanderies—or up to three—shall likewise be promoted after three years to regional inspector.”
70
桂陽王休范，素凡訥，少知解，不為諸兄所齒遇，物情亦不向之，故太宗之末得免於禍。 及帝即位，年在沖幼，素族秉政，近習用權。 休范自謂尊親莫二，應入為宰輔； 既不如志，怨憤頗甚。 典簽新蔡許公輿為之謀主，令休范折節下士，厚相資給。 於是遠近赴之，歲中萬計； 收養勇士，繕治器械。 朝廷知其有異志，亦陰為之備。 會夏口闕鎮，朝廷以其地居尋陽上流，欲使腹心居之。 二月，乙亥，以晉熙王燮為郢州刺史。 燮始四歲，以黃門郎王奐為長史，行府州事，配以資力，使鎮夏口； 復恐其過尋陽為休范所劫留，使自太洑徑去。 休范聞之，大怒，密與許公輿謀襲建康； 表治城湟，多解材板而蓄之。 奐，景文之兄子也。
Prince Liu Xiufan of Guiyang was a dull, slow-witted man with little learning; his elder brothers looked down on him, and the world paid him no regard—so when Emperor Taizong's reign drew to its end, he alone escaped the calamities that struck others. The new emperor was still a child; the imperial clan wielded government, and favored attendants held the reins of power. Xiufan believed that in rank and kinship none stood above him, and that he deserved to enter the capital as chief minister; Denied what he sought, his resentment festered. Xu Gongyu of Xincai, his bureau secretary, became his chief strategist and urged him to humble himself before worthy men and support them generously. Men from every quarter then gathered at his door; within a year they numbered in the tens of thousands; He took in bold warriors and put arms and equipment in order. The court perceived his rebellious designs and quietly made ready against him. When the Xiakou garrison post fell vacant, the court—because the place lay upstream from Xunyang—wished to place a trusted man there. In the second month, on yǐhài, Prince Liu Xie of Jinxi was made Inspector of Yingzhou. Xie was but four years old; Wang Huan, Gentleman at the Yellow Gate, was appointed Chief Administrator to govern the prefecture and province, given adequate resources, and sent to hold Xiakou; Fearing he might be seized and held by Xiufan if he passed through Xunyang, the court ordered him to go directly by way of Taipu. When Xiufan learned of this he was enraged, and secretly plotted with Xu Gongyu to strike Jiankang; He announced that he was repairing the city moat while secretly stockpiling timber and planks in vast quantities. Huan was Wang Jingwen's nephew.
71
吐谷渾王拾寅寇魏澆河。 夏，四月，戊申，魏以司空長孫觀為大都督，發兵討之。
King Shiyin of Tuyuhun raided Jiaohe in Wei territory. In summer, in the fourth month, on wùshēn, Wei made Grand Guardian Changsun Guan Grand Commander and sent troops against him.
72
魏以孔子二十八世孫乘為崇聖大夫，給十戶以供灑掃。
Wei appointed Kong Cheng, twenty-eighth-generation descendant of Confucius, Sage-Venerating Grand Master, assigning ten households to maintain the rites of sweeping and tending the shrine.
73
秋，七月，魏詔：「河南六州之民，戶收絹一匹，綿一斤，租三十石。」
In autumn, in the seventh month, Wei issued an edict: "For households in the six Henan provinces, each shall pay one bolt of silk, one jin of cotton, and thirty shi of grain as rent.”
74
乙亥，魏主如陰山。
On yǐhài the Wei emperor traveled to Yinshan.
75
八月，庚申，魏上皇如河西。
In the eighth month, on gēngshēn, the retired emperor of Wei went to Hexi.
76
長孫觀入吐谷渾境，芻其秋稼。 吐谷渾王拾寅窘急，請降，遣子斤入侍。 自是歲修職貢。
Changsun Guan crossed into Tuyuhun territory and reaped their autumn grain for fodder. King Shiyin of Tuyuhun, cornered, asked to surrender and sent his son Jin to serve at court. Thereafter he sent tribute every year.
77
九月，辛巳，上皇還平城。
In the ninth month, on xīnsì, the retired emperor returned to Pingcheng.
78
遣使如魏。
The court dispatched envoys to Wei.
79
冬，十月，癸酉，割南兗、豫州之境置徐州，治鐘離。
In winter, in the tenth month, on guǐyǒu, lands were carved from southern Yanzhou and Yuzhou to create Xuzhou, seated at Zhongli.
80
魏上皇將入寇，詔州郡之民十丁取一以充行，戶收租五十石以備軍糧。
As the retired emperor of Wei prepared to launch an invasion, he decreed that one man in ten from the provinces and commanderies be drafted for the campaign, and that each household furnish fifty shi of grain to feed the army.
81
魏武都氐反，攻仇池，詔長孫觀回師討之。
The Di people of Wudu in Wei rose in rebellion and attacked Chouchi; the court ordered Changsun Guan to withdraw and put them down.
82
武都王楊僧嗣卒於葭蘆，從弟文度自立為武興王，遣使降魏； 魏以文度為武興鎮將。
Prince Yang Sengsi of Wudu died at Jialu; his younger cousin Wen Du declared himself King of Wuxing and sent envoys to submit to Wei; Wei named Wen Du Garrison Commander of Wuxing.
83
十一月，丁丑，尚書令袁粲以母憂去職。
In the eleventh month, on dīngchǒu, Yuan Can, Director of the Department of State Affairs, resigned to observe mourning for his mother.
84
癸巳，魏上皇南巡，至懷州。 枋頭鎮將代人薛虎子，先為馮太后所黜，為門士。 時山東饑，盜賊競起，相州民孫誨等五百人稱虎子在鎮，境內清晏，乞還虎子。 上皇復以虎子為枋頭鎮將，即日之官，數州盜賊皆息。
On guǐsì the retired emperor of Wei made a southern progress and reached Huaizhou. Xue Huzi of Dai, who had once been garrison commander at Fangtou, had been dismissed by Empress Dowager Feng and reduced to a gate guard. Famine gripped the lands east of the mountains and bandits sprang up everywhere; five hundred men of Xiangzhou, led by Sun Hui and others, testified that under Huzi the frontier had been quiet and begged that he be restored. The retired emperor restored Huzi to command at Fangtou; he took up his post that same day, and banditry subsided across several provinces.
85
十二月，癸卯朔，日有食之。
In the twelfth month, on the new moon of guǐmǎo, the sun was eclipsed.
86
乙巳，江州刺史桂陽王休范進位太尉。
On yǐsì Prince Liu Xiufan of Guiyang, Inspector of Jiangzhou, was elevated to Grand Commander.
87
詔起袁粲，以衛軍將軍攝職，粲固辭。
An edict summoned Yuan Can back, appointing him General of the Guard to serve in the post; Yuan refused firmly.
88
壬子，柔然侵魏，柔玄鎮二部敕勒應之。
On rénzǐ Rouran invaded Wei; the two Chilie divisions at Rouxuan garrison marched to meet them.
89
魏州鎮十一水旱，相州民餓死者二千八百餘人。
Eleven provinces and garrisons in Wei suffered flood and drought; in Xiangzhou alone more than twenty-eight hundred people starved to death.
90
是歲，魏妖人劉舉聚眾自稱天子。 劉州刺史武昌王平原討斬之。 平原，提之子也。
That year the sorcerer Liu Ju of Wei gathered followers and declared himself Son of Heaven. Prince Liu Pingyuan of Wuchang, Inspector of Liuzhou, attacked him and took his head. Pingyuan was Liu Ti's son.
91
太宗明皇帝下元徽二年（ 甲寅，公元四七四年）
Reign of Emperor Ming Taizong, second year of Yuanhui ( jiǎyín of the sexagenary cycle, AD 474)
92
春，正月，丁丑，魏太尉源賀以疾罷。
In spring, in the first month, on dīngchǒu, Yuan He, Grand Commander of Wei, was relieved of office because of illness.
93
二月，甲辰，魏上皇還平城。
In the second month, on jiǎchén, the retired emperor of Wei came back to Pingcheng.
94
三月，丁亥，魏員外散騎常侍許赤虎來聘。
In the third month, on dīnghài, Xu Chihu of Wei, Supernumerary Palace Attendant of the Scattered Cavalry, arrived on a diplomatic mission.
95
夏，五月，壬午，桂陽王休范反。 掠民船，使軍隊稱力請受，付以材板，合乎裝治。 數日即辦。 丙戌，休范帥眾二萬、騎五百發尋陽，晝夜取道； 以書與諸執政，稱：「楊運長、王道隆蠱惑先帝，使建安、巴陵二王無罪被戮。 望執錄二豎，以謝冤魂。」
In summer, in the fifth month, on rénwǔ, Prince Liu Xiufan of Guiyang rose in rebellion. He commandeered civilian boats; his troops called out, offering payment for transport, and supplied timber and planks for the owners to fit out their vessels. Within days everything was ready. On bǐngxū Xiufan marched out of Xunyang at the head of twenty thousand foot soldiers and five hundred cavalry, pressing forward without rest day or night; He wrote to the chief ministers, saying: "Yang Yunchang and Wang Daolong misled the late emperor and brought about the execution of the Princes of Jian'an and Baling though they were innocent. I ask that you seize these two villains and offer their deaths to the spirits of the wronged.”
96
庚寅，大雷戍主杜道欣馳下告變，朝廷惶駭。 護軍褚淵、征北將軍張永、領軍劉勉、僕射劉秉、右衛將軍蕭道成、游擊將軍載明寶、驍騎將軍阮佃夫、右軍將軍王道隆、中書舍人孫千齡、員外郎楊運長集中書省計事，莫有言者。 道成曰：「昔上流謀逆，皆因淹緩致敗。 休范必遠懲前失，輕兵急下，乘我無備。 今應變之術，不宜遠出； 若偏師失律，則大沮眾心。 宜頓新亭、白下，堅守宮城、東府、石頭，以待賊至。 千里孤軍，後無委積，求戰不得，自然瓦解。 我請頓新亭以當其鋒。 征北守白下，領軍屯宣陽門為諸軍節度； 諸貴安坐殿中，不須競出，我自破賊必矣！」 因索筆下議。 眾並注「同」。 孫千齡陰與休范通謀，獨曰：「宜依舊遣軍據梁山。」 道成正色曰：「賊今已近，梁山豈可得至！ 新亭既是兵沖，所欲以死報國耳。 常時乃可屈曲相從，今不得也！」 坐起，道成顧謂劉勉曰：「領軍已同鄙議，不可改易！」 袁粲聞難，扶曳入殿。 即日，內外戒嚴。
On gēngyín Du Daoxin, commander of the Dalei garrison, galloped down with news of the revolt, and panic seized the court. Chu Yuan, Guardian of the Army; Zhang Yong, Commander of the North; Liu Mian, Commander of the Capital Guard; Liu Bing, Vice Director; Xiao Daocheng, Right Guard General; Zai Mingbao, Mobile Corps General; Ruan Tianfu, Valiant Cavalry General; Wang Daolong, Right Army General; Sun Qianling, Secretariat Attendant; and Yang Yunchang, Supernumerary Gentleman—all gathered at the Secretariat to deliberate, and not one spoke. Daocheng said: "Rebellions from upstream have failed in the past precisely because we responded too slowly. Xiufan will heed those earlier failures from afar and come down in a light, swift force to catch us off guard. The way to meet this crisis is not to march far afield; if a detached column loses discipline, it will crush the army's spirit. We should hold Xinting and Baixia, stand firm at the palace city, the Eastern Secretariat, and Shitou, and wait for the rebels to arrive. An army a thousand li from home, with no supplies in its rear and no chance to force a battle, will fall apart on its own. I ask leave to hold Xinting and meet their vanguard head-on. The Commander of the North shall hold Baixia; the Commander of the Capital Guard shall encamp at Xuanyang Gate and direct the armies; You nobles may sit at ease in the hall without rushing forth—I myself will surely break the rebels!" He then called for a brush and wrote out the plan for the assembly to approve. Everyone wrote "Agreed." Sun Qianling, secretly in league with Xiufan, alone objected: "We should, as before, send troops to hold Liangshan." Daocheng said with a stern face: "The rebels are already close—how could we even reach Liangshan! Xinting is the military chokepoint; what I intend is to repay the state with my life. At other times one might yield and go along—not now!" He stood up. Daocheng turned to Liu Mian and said: "The Commander of the Capital Guard has already agreed with my plan—it cannot be changed!" Yuan Can, hearing of the emergency, was helped and dragged into the hall. That same day martial law was proclaimed within and without the capital.
97
道成將前鋒兵出屯新亭，張永屯白下，前南兗州刺史沈懷明戍石頭，袁粲、褚淵入衛殿省。 時侖猝，不暇授甲，開南北二武庫，隨將士意所取。
Daocheng led the vanguard out to encamp at Xinting; Zhang Yong encamped at Baixia; Shen Huaiming, former Inspector of Southern Yanzhou, garrisoned Shitou; Yuan Can and Chu Yuan entered to defend the palace offices. Time was short and there was no leisure to distribute armor; the northern and southern arsenals were thrown open and officers and men took what they needed.
98
蕭道成至新亭，治城壘未畢，辛卯，休范前軍已至新林。 道成方解衣高臥以安眾心，徐索白虎幡，登西垣，使寧朔將軍高道慶、羽林監陳顯達、員外郎王敬則帥舟師與休范戰，頗有殺獲。 壬辰，休范自新林捨舟步上，其將丁文豪請休范直攻台城。 休范遣文豪別將兵趣台城，自以大眾攻新亭壘。 道成帥將士悉力拒戰，自巳至午，外勢愈盛，眾皆失色，道成曰：「賊雖多而亂，尋當破矣。」
Xiao Daocheng reached Xinting, but before the defenses were complete—on xīnmǎo—Xiufan's vanguard was already at Xinlin. Daocheng was at that moment loosening his garments and reclining at ease to steady the troops; slowly he sent for the White Tiger banner, climbed the western rampart, and ordered Gao Daoqing, General of Pacifying the North, Chen Xianda, Supervisor of the Forest of Feathers, and Wang Jingze, Supernumerary Gentleman, to lead the river fleet against Xiufan, inflicting considerable casualties. On rénchén Xiufan abandoned his boats at Xinlin and marched on foot; his general Ding Wenhao urged him to strike the capital at once. Xiufan sent Wenhao with a detached force toward the capital while he himself led the main army against the Xinting fortifications. Daocheng led his officers and men to resist with all their strength; from the si hour to the wu hour the enemy pressure mounted and faces paled. Daocheng said: "They are many but disorderly—the rebels will soon be broken.”
99
休范白服，乘肩輿，自登城南臨滄觀，以數十人自衛。 屯騎校尉黃回與越騎校尉張敬兒謀詐降以取之。 回謂敬兒曰：「卿可取之，我誓不殺諸王！」 敬兒以白道成。 道成曰：「卿能力事，當以本州相賞。」 乃與回出城南，放仗走，大呼稱降。 休范喜，召至輿側，回陽致道成密意，休范信之，以二子德宣、德嗣付道成為質。 二子至，道成即斬之。 休范置回、敬兒於左右，所親李恆、鐘爽諫，不聽。 時休范日飲醇酒，回見休范無備，目敬兒； 敬兒奪休范防身刀，斬休范首，左右皆散走。 敬兒馳馬持首歸新亭。
Xiufan wore white robes, rode in a shoulder-borne palanquin, and climbed the watchtower facing Cang on the south wall, guarded by only a few dozen men. Huang Hui, Commandant of the Handlers of Tributary Cavalry, and Zhang Jing'er, Commandant of the Yue Cavalry, plotted to feign surrender and seize him. Hui said to Jing'er: "You take him—I swear I will not kill any prince!" Jing'er brought word of this to Daocheng. Daocheng said: "If you can carry this off, I will reward you with your native province." Together they passed beyond the south gate, cast down their weapons, and fled, shouting that they surrendered. Xiufan was delighted and summoned them beside his palanquin; Hui pretended to convey Daocheng's secret intentions; Xiufan believed him and sent his two sons Dexuan and Dexi to Daocheng as hostages. When the two sons arrived, Daocheng had them executed at once. Xiufan kept Hui and Jing'er close at hand; his intimates Li Heng and Zhong Shuang remonstrated with him, but he would not listen. By then Xiufan was drinking heavily every day; Hui saw that he was off guard and signaled Jing'er with a glance; Jing'er snatched Xiufan's personal dagger and struck off his head; those standing about him all fled. Jing'er galloped back to Xinting, the head in his hand.
100
道成遣隊主陳靈寶送休范首還台。 靈寶道逢休范兵，棄首於水，挺身得達，唱云「已平」，而無以為驗，眾莫之信。 休范將士亦不之知，其將杜黑騾攻新亭甚急。 蕭道成在射堂，司空主簿蕭惠朗帥敢死士數十人突入東門，至射堂下。 道成上馬，帥麾下搏戰，惠朗乃退，道成復得保城。 惠朗，惠開之弟也，其姊為休范妃。 惠朗兄黃門郎惠明，明為道成軍副，在城內，了不自疑。
Daocheng dispatched Squad Commander Chen Lingbao to carry Xiufan's head back to the capital. On the road Chen Lingbao ran into Xiufan's troops; he cast the head into the water and broke through alone, crying that all had been pacified—but with nothing to show for it, no one believed him. Xiufan's troops likewise had no word of it; his general Du Heiluan was pressing the assault on Xinting with great fury. Xiao Daocheng was at the archery hall when Xiao Huilang, chief clerk to the Minister of Works, led several dozen dare-to-die troops in a surprise rush through the east gate to the foot of the hall. Daocheng mounted and led his men in hand-to-hand fighting; Huilang fell back, and Daocheng held the city once more. Huilang was the younger brother of Huikai; his elder sister was married to Xiufan. Huilang's elder brother Huiming, a Gentlemen-at-the-Palace Gates who served as Daocheng's deputy commander, was inside the city and never suspected himself at all.
101
道成與黑騾拒戰，自晡達旦，矢石不息； 其夜，大雨，鼓叫不復相聞。 將士積日不得寢食，軍中馬夜驚，城內亂走。 道成秉燭正坐，厲聲呵之，如是者數四。
Daocheng battled Heiluan from dusk until dawn without a pause in the hail of arrows and stones; That night a torrential rain fell, and drumbeats and battle cries could no longer be heard above the storm. The troops had gone days without sleep or food; horses panicked in the night, and men ran wildly through the city. Daocheng sat upright by candlelight and shouted them down sternly, doing so again and again.
102
丁文豪破台軍於皁莢橋，直至朱雀桁南，杜黑騾亦捨新亭北趣朱雀桁。 右軍將軍王道隆將羽林精兵在朱雀門內，急召鄱陽忠昭公劉勉於石頭。 勉至，命撤桁以折南軍之勢，道隆怒曰：「賊至，但當急擊，寧可開桁自弱邪！」 勉不敢復言。 道隆趣勉進戰，勉渡桁南，戰敗而死。 黑騾等乘勝渡淮，道隆棄眾走還台，黑騾兵追殺之。 黃門侍郎王蘊重傷，踣於御溝之側，或扶之以免。 蘊，景文之兄子也。 於是中外大震，道路皆云「台城已陷」，白下、石頭之眾皆潰，張永、沈懷明逃還。 宮中傳新亭亦陷，太后執帝手泣曰：「天下敗矣！」
Ding Wenhao routed the capital's forces at Zaoji Bridge and pushed all the way to the south end of the Vermilion Bird pontoon; Du Heiluan likewise abandoned Xinting and raced north toward the same bridge. Wang Daolong, General of the Right Army, held elite Feathered Forest troops inside the Vermilion Bird Gate and urgently summoned Liu Mian, the Loyal and Illustrious Duke of Poyang, at Shitou. When Mian arrived, he ordered the pontoon taken up to check the southern army's momentum. Daolong snapped: "The enemy is here—we should hit them hard. Why dismantle the bridge and weaken ourselves!" Mian said nothing more. Daolong pressed Mian to attack; Mian crossed to the south side of the pontoon, was defeated, and was killed. Heiluan and his men crossed the Huai in pursuit of victory; Daolong abandoned his troops and fled back toward the capital, and Heiluan's soldiers ran him down and killed him. Wang Yun, Gentleman Attendant at the Yellow Gate, was gravely wounded and fell beside the imperial moat; someone pulled him aside, and he survived. Yun was the nephew of Jingwen. Panic swept court and countryside; travelers everywhere said the capital had fallen; the garrisons at Baixia and Shitou broke and fled; Zhang Yong and Shen Huaiming retreated in disorder. Word reached the palace that Xinting too had fallen. The empress dowager took the emperor's hand and wept: "The realm is lost!”
103
先是，月犯右執法，太白犯上將，或勸劉勉解職。 勉曰：「吾執心行己，無愧幽明，若災眚必至，避豈得免！」 勉晚年頗慕高尚，立園宅，名為東山，遺落世務，罷遣部曲。 蕭道成謂勉曰：「將軍受顧命，輔幼主，當此艱難之日，而深尚從容，廢省羽翼。 一朝事至，悔可追乎！」 勉不從而敗。
Earlier the moon had trespassed on the Right Enforcer, and Venus had trespassed on the Senior General; some urged Liu Mian to give up his office. Mian said: "I conduct myself by my own conscience and have nothing to hide before heaven or earth. If disaster is fated, how can fleeing save me?" In his later years Mian had grown enamored of a lofty, secluded life. He built an estate he called Eastern Hill, withdrew from public affairs, and disbanded his personal retinue. Xiao Daocheng told Mian: "You were entrusted with the regency to guide a young emperor. In these desperate days you have grown fond of leisure and stripped away your own strength. When crisis strikes, will regret help you then?" Mian refused to listen—and paid for it with defeat.
104
甲午，撫軍長史褚澄開東府門納南軍，擁安成王准據東府，稱桂陽王教曰：「安成王，吾子也，勿得侵犯。」 澄，淵之弟也。 杜黑騾徑進至杜姥宅，中書舍人孫千齡開承明門出降，宮省恇憂。 時府藏已竭，皇太后、太妃剔取宮中金銀器物以充賞，眾莫有鬥志。
On the day jiawu, Chu Cheng, adjutant to the Pacifying General, opened the Eastern Palace gate to the southern army. He installed Prince Zhun of Ancheng in the palace and issued a proclamation in the Prince of Guiyang's name: "The Prince of Ancheng is my son—do not harm him." Cheng was the younger brother of Chu Yuan. Du Heiluan marched straight to the Old Du's residence; Sun Qianling, a Palace Secretary Attendant, opened the Chenming Gate and surrendered; the palace and ministries were seized with fear. By then the treasury was empty; the empress dowager and the imperial consort stripped gold and silver from the palace to pay the troops, but no one had the heart to fight.
105
俄而丁文豪之從知休范已死，稍欲退散。 文豪厲聲曰：「我獨不能定天下邪！」 許公輿詐稱桂陽王在新亭，士民惶惑，詣蕭道成壘投刺者以千數。 道成得，皆焚之，登北城謂曰； 「劉休范父子昨已就戮，屍在南岡下。 身是蕭平南，諸君諦視之，名刺皆已焚，勿憂懼也。」
Soon Wenhao's followers learned that Xiufan was dead and began to melt away. Wenhao shouted: "Am I not enough to settle the realm myself!" Xu Gongyu spread the false report that the Prince of Guiyang was still at Xinting. Terrified townspeople flocked by the thousands to Xiao Daocheng's camp to surrender their name cards. Daocheng collected the cards, burned them all, climbed the north wall, and called out: "Liu Xiufan and his sons were executed yesterday. Their bodies lie below the southern ridge. I am Xiao Pingnan—look closely. Your name cards are already ash. Have no fear.”
106
道成遣陳顯達、張敬兒及輔師將軍任農夫、馬軍主東平周盤龍等將兵，自石頭濟淮，從承明門入衛宮省。 袁粲慷慨謂諸將曰：「今寇賊已逼而眾情離沮，孤子受先帝付託，不能綏靖國家，請與諸君同死社稷！」 被甲上馬，將驅之。 於是陳顯達等引兵出戰，大破杜黑騾於杜姥宅，飛矢貫達目。 丙申，張敬兒等又破黑騾等於宣陽門，斬黑騾及丁文豪，進克東府，餘黨悉平。 蕭道成振旅還建康，百姓緣道聚觀，曰：「全國家者，此公也！」 道成與袁粲、褚淵、劉秉皆上表引咎解職，不許。 丁酉，解嚴，大赦。
Daocheng sent Chen Xianda, Zhang Jing'er, Auxiliary Commander Ren Nongfu, and Cavalry Commander Zhou Panlong of Dongping with their troops across the Huai from Shitou; they entered through the Chenming Gate to defend the palace. Yuan Can addressed the generals with burning resolve: "The enemy is at the gates and morale is collapsing. I was charged by the late emperor to steady the realm and have failed. Let us die together for the state!" He donned armor, mounted, and prepared to lead them out. Chen Xianda and his men marched out and routed Du Heiluan at the Old Du's residence. A stray arrow pierced Xianda's eye. On the day bingshen, Zhang Jing'er broke Heiluan's forces again at the Xuanyang Gate, beheaded Heiluan and Ding Wenhao, took the Eastern Palace, and wiped out the last of the rebels. Xiao Daocheng marched his troops back into Jiankang in good order. People lined the roads crying: "This is the man who saved the realm!" Daocheng, Yuan Can, Chu Yuan, and Liu Bing all memorialized the throne accepting blame and offering to resign—but the court refused. On the day dingyou, martial law ended and a general amnesty was proclaimed.
107
柔然遣使來聘。
Rouran sent envoys to pay a formal visit to the court.
108
六月，庚子，以平南將軍蕭道成為中領軍、南兗州刺史，留衛建康，與袁粲、褚淵、劉秉更日入直決事，號為「四貴」。
In the sixth month, on the day gengzi, Xiao Daocheng, General Who Pacifies the South, was appointed Central Army Inspector and Governor of South Yanzhou and left at Jiankang to guard the capital. He joined Yuan Can, Chu Yuan, and Liu Bing in rotating daily duty at court, and together they were known as the "Four Nobles."
109
桂陽王休范之反也，使道士陳公昭作《天公書》，題云「沈丞相」，付荊州刺史沈攸之門者。 攸之不開視，推得公昭，送之朝廷。 及休范反，攸之謂僚佐曰：「杜陽必聲言我與之同。 若不顛沛勤王，必增朝野之惑。」 乃與南徐州刺史建平王景素、郢州刺史晉熙王燮、湘州刺史王僧虔、雍州刺史張興世同舉兵討休范。 休范留中兵參軍長惠連等守尋陽，燮遣中兵參軍馮景祖襲之。 癸卯，惠連等開門請降，殺休范二子，諸鎮皆罷兵。 景素，宏之子也。
During Xiufan's revolt, he had the Daoist Chen Gongzhao write a "Letter from the Heavenly Lord" addressed to "Chancellor Shen" and deliver it to the gate of Jingzhou governor Shen Youzhi. Youzhi never opened the document; he tracked down Gongzhao and sent him to the capital. When Xiufan rose in rebellion, Youzhi told his staff: "Du Yang will surely claim I sided with the rebels. Unless I rush to the emperor's aid in disarray, court and countryside will only grow more confused." He then joined South Xuzhou governor Prince Jingsu of Jianping, Yingzhou governor Prince Xie of Jinxi, Xiangzhou governor Wang Sengqian, and Yongzhou governor Zhang Xingshi in raising armies against Xiufan. Xiufan left Middle Army Administrator Zhang Huilian and others to garrison Xunyang; Xie sent Middle Army Administrator Feng Jingzu to attack them. On the day guimao, Huilian opened the gates and surrendered. Xiufan's two sons were executed, and the regional commands all stood down. Jingsu was the son of Hong.
110
乙卯，魏詔曰：「下民凶戾，不顧親戚，一人為惡，殃及闔門。 朕為民父母，深所愍悼。 自今非謀反、大逆、外叛，罪止其身。」 於是始罷門、房之誅。
On the day yimao, Northern Wei issued an edict: "Common folk have grown cruel and reckless, kinship be damned. When one man turns wicked, his whole household pays. As father and mother to the people, We are deeply grieved. Henceforth, except for plotting rebellion, great treason, or defecting to a foreign state, punishment shall fall on the offender alone." With this, Wei abolished punishments that wiped out whole clans and household branches.
111
魏顯祖勤於為治，賞罰嚴明，慎擇牧守，進廉退貪。 諸曹疑事，舊多奏決，又口傳詔敕，或致矯擅。 上皇命事無大小，皆據律正名，不得為疑奏； 合則制可，違則彈詰，盡用墨詔，由是事皆精審。 尤重刑罰，大刑多令覆鞫，或囚系積年。 群臣頗以為言，上皇曰：「滯獄誠非善治，不猶俞於侖猝而濫乎！ 夫人幽苦則思善，故智者以囹圄為福堂，朕特苦之，欲其改悔而加矜恕爾。」 由是囚系雖滯，而所刑多得其宜。 又以赦令長奸，故自延興以後，不復有赦。
Emperor Xianzu of Wei was a tireless administrator: rewards and punishments were exact, provincial appointments carefully chosen, the honest promoted and the corrupt removed. Under the old ways, doubtful cases in the ministries were often settled by memorial, and oral orders from the throne could be forged or abused. The retired emperor ruled that every case, great or small, must be decided strictly by law—no more "doubtful matter" memorials; lawful rulings were approved, unlawful ones challenged; every order went out in written edict, and justice became meticulous. He was especially severe on punishment: major sentences were often reviewed again and again, and prisoners sometimes languished for years. Ministers complained, but the retired emperor replied: "Backlogged cases are poor government—but are they not better than rushed and sloppy justice? Hardship turns the mind toward goodness; the wise call prison a hall of blessing. We make prisoners suffer deliberately so they will repent—and so We may show mercy." Imprisonment dragged on, but the punishments handed down were mostly just. He also believed amnesties encouraged crime, so after the Yansing era there were no more general pardons.
112
秋，七月，庚辰，立皇弟友為邵陵王。
In autumn, the seventh month, on the day gengchen, the emperor's younger brother You was created Prince of Shaoling.
113
乙酉，加荊州刺史沈攸之開府儀同三司，攸之固辭。 執政欲征攸之而憚於發命，乃以太后令遣中使謂曰：「公久勞於外，宜還京師。 任寄實重，未欲輕之； 進退可否，在公所擇。」 攸之曰：「臣無廓廟之資，居中實非其才。 至於撲討蠻、蜑，克清江、漢，不敢有辭。 雖自上如此，去留伏聽朝旨。」 乃止。
On the day yiyou, Jingzhou governor Shen Youzhi was granted honorary status equal to the Three Dukes; Youzhi firmly refused. The regents wanted to recall Youzhi but hesitated to issue the order directly, so they sent a palace envoy with an empress dowager's command: "You have borne the burden abroad too long. It is time to return to the capital. Your post is vital, and We do not take it lightly; whether you come or stay is for you to decide." Youzhi replied: "I lack the talents of a statesman. I am not cut out for court. But when it comes to crushing the Man and Dan barbarians and pacifying the Jiang and Han, I ask for no exemption. Even so, whether I stay or go is entirely for the court to command." And the matter was dropped.
114
癸巳，柔然寇魏敦煌，尉多侯擊破之。 尚書秦：「敦煌僻遠，介居西、北強寇之間，恐不能自固，請內徙就涼州。」 群臣集議，皆以為然。 給事中昌黎韓秀獨以為：「敦煌之置，為日已久。 雖逼強寇，人習戰鬥，縱有草竊，不為大害。 循常置戍，足以自全； 而能隔閡西、北二虜，使不得相通。 今徙就涼州，不唯有蹙國之名，且姑臧去敦煌千有餘里，防邏甚難，二虜必有交通闚□之志； 若騷動涼州，則關中不得安枕。 又，士民或安土重遷，招引外寇，為國深患，不可不慮也。」 乃止。
On the day guisi, Rouran raided Dunhuang in Wei territory; Wei Duohou drove them off. The Secretariat memorialized: "Dunhuang is remote and sits between powerful enemies to the west and north. We fear it cannot hold. We ask that it be moved inland toward Liangzhou." The ministers debated the proposal and all agreed. Supervising Censor Han Xiu of Changli alone dissented: "Dunhuang has been a garrison for generations. Though menaced by strong enemies, the people there are hardened fighters. Petty raids are no serious threat. Routine garrisons are enough to keep it safe; and it blocks the western and northern barbarians from joining forces. Moving it toward Liangzhou would not only shrink the realm in name; Guzang lies more than a thousand li from Dunhuang, making defense nearly impossible—and the two barbarian powers would surely seize the chance to link up and scheme together; If Liangzhou were thrown into turmoil, no one in Guanzhong could sleep easy. And locals who dread leaving their homes might invite outside raiders in—a grave danger the court must weigh." The proposal was dropped.
115
九月，丁酉，以尚書令袁粲為中書監、領司徒； 加褚淵尚書令； 劉秉丹陽尹。 粲固辭，求反居墓所； 不許。
In the ninth month, on the day dingyou, Yuan Can, Director of the Secretariat, was appointed Director of the Palace Secretariat and concurrently Minister of Works; Chu Yuan was promoted to Director of the Secretariat; Liu Bing was made governor of Danyang. Can firmly declined and asked to retire to his family graves; The request was denied.
116
淵以褚澄為吳郡太守，司徒左長史蕭惠明言於朝曰：「褚澄開門納賊，更為股肱大郡，王蘊力戰幾死，棄而不收。 賞罰如此，何憂不亂！」 淵甚慚。 冬，十月，庚申，以侍中王蘊為湘州刺史。
Chu Yuan appointed Chu Cheng governor of Wu Commandery. Xiao Huiming, left senior administrator to the Minister of Works, protested at court: "Chu Cheng opened the gates to the rebels, yet wins a major commandery. Wang Yun nearly died fighting for the realm and is cast aside. With rewards and punishments like these, how can order fail to collapse!" Chu Yuan was deeply shamed. In winter, the tenth month, on the day gengshen, Attendant-in-Ordinary Wang Yun was appointed governor of Xiangzhou.
117
十一月，丙戌，帝加元服，大赦。
In the eleventh month, on the day bingxu, the emperor came of age and a general amnesty was proclaimed.
118
十二月，癸亥，立皇弟躋為江夏王，贊為武陵王。
In the twelfth month, on the day guihai, the emperor's younger brothers Ji and Zan were created Princes of Jiangxia and Wuling, respectively.
119
是歲，魏建安貞王陸□卒。
That year Lu [?], Prince of Jian'an and Zhen in Wei, died.
120
太宗明皇帝下元徽三年（ 乙卯，公元四七五年）
The latter part of the reign of Emperor Ming Taizong, third year of Yuanhui ( yǐmǎo [sexagenary year], AD 475)
121
春，正月，辛巳，帝祀南郊、明堂。
In spring, in the first month, on the day xīnsì [29 January 475], the emperor sacrificed at the Southern Altar and the Hall of Illumination.
122
蕭道成以襄陽重鎮，張敬兒人位俱輕，不欲使居之； 而敬兒求之不已，謂道成曰：「沈攸之在荊州，公知其欲何所作； 不出敬兒，以表裡制之，恐非公之利。」 道成笑而無言。 三月，己巳，以驍騎將軍張敬兒為都督雍、梁二州諸軍事、雍州刺史。
Xiao Daocheng considered Xiangyang a vital stronghold and thought Zhang Jinger too slight in stature and rank to hold it; but Jinger kept pressing for the post and told Daocheng, "Shen Youzhi is in Jingzhou—you know what he is plotting; if you do not post me there to control him from within and without, I fear it will not serve your interests." Daocheng smiled and said nothing. In the third month, on the day jǐsì [24 March 475], Zhang Jinger, General of the Valiant Cavalry, was appointed commander of Yong and Liang military affairs and governor of Yongzhou.
123
沈攸之聞敬兒上，恐其見襲，陰為之備。 敬兒既至，奉事攸之，親敬甚至，動輒咨稟，信饋不絕。 攸之以為誠然，酬報款厚。 累書欲因遊獵會境上，敬兒報以為：「心期有在，景跡不宜過敦。」 攸之益信之。 敬兒得其事跡，皆密白道成。 道成與攸之書，問：「張雍州遷代之日，將欲誰擬？」 攸之即以示敬兒，欲以間之。
When Shen Youzhi learned of Jinger's appointment, he feared an attack and secretly prepared his defenses. Once Jinger arrived, he served Youzhi with elaborate respect, consulting him on every matter and sending an unbroken stream of letters and gifts. Youzhi took this for genuine loyalty and responded with warm, generous courtesies. He repeatedly proposed meeting on the border during a hunt; Jinger replied that "our hearts are pledged, but we should not make our dealings look too intimate." Youzhi trusted him all the more. Jinger gathered intelligence on his activities and reported everything in secret to Daocheng. Daocheng wrote to Youzhi asking, "When Zhang of Yongzhou is transferred, whom do you plan to nominate as his successor?" Youzhi immediately showed the letter to Jinger, hoping to drive a wedge between them.
124
夏，五月，丙午，魏主使員外散騎常侍許赤虎來聘。
In summer, in the fifth month, on the day bǐngwǔ [20 May 475], the Northern Wei emperor sent Supernumerary Attendant-in-Ordinary Xu Chihu on a diplomatic mission.
125
丁未，魏主如武州山； 辛酉，如車輪山。
On the day dīngwèi [21 May 475] the Northern Wei emperor went to Wuzhou Mountain; on the day xīyǒu [4 June 475] he went to Chelun Mountain.
126
六月，庚午，魏初禁殺牛馬。
In the sixth month, on the day gēngwǔ [13 June 475], Northern Wei for the first time forbade the slaughter of cattle and horses.
127
袁粲、褚淵皆固讓新官。 秋，七月，庚戌，復以粲為尚書令，八月，庚子，加護軍將軍褚淵中書監。
Yuan Can and Chu Yuan both firmly declined their new appointments. In autumn, in the seventh month, on the day gēngxū [11 August 475], Can was again appointed Director of the Secretariat; in the eighth month, on the day gēngzǐ [31 August 475], Protector-General Chu Yuan was also made Director of the Secretariat.
128
冬，十二月，丙寅，魏徙建昌王長樂為安樂王。
In winter, in the twelfth month, on the day bǐngyín [26 December 475], Northern Wei transferred Prince Changle of Jianchang to the title Prince of Anle.
129
己丑，魏城陽王長壽卒。
On the day jǐchǒu [10 January 476] Prince Changshou of Chengyang of Northern Wei died.
130
南徐州刺史建平王景素，孝友清令，服用儉素，又好文學，禮接士大夫，由是有美譽； 太宗特愛之，異其禮秩。 時太祖諸子俱盡，諸孫唯景素為長； 帝凶狂失德，朝野皆屬意於景素。 帝外家陳氏深惡之，楊運長、阮佃夫等欲專權勢，不利立長君，亦欲除之。 其腹心將佐多勸景素舉兵，鎮軍參軍濟陽江淹獨諫之，景素不悅。 是歲，防閣將軍王季符得罪於景素，單騎亡奔建康，告景素謀反。 運長等即欲發兵討之，袁粲、蕭道成以為不可； 景素亦遣世子延齡詣闕自陳。 乃徙季符於梁州，奪景素征北將軍、開府儀同三司。」」」
Prince Jingsu of Pingping, governor of South Xuzhou, was known for filial piety, amiability, and integrity, lived simply, loved literature, and treated scholar-officials with courtesy, winning a fine reputation; Emperor Taizong especially favored him and granted him exceptional honors. By then all of Emperor Taizu's sons were dead, and among the grandsons only Jingsu was the eldest; the emperor was violent and debauched, and both court and country looked to Jingsu. The emperor's maternal Chen clan hated him deeply; Yang Yunchang, Ruan Tainfu, and others wanted to monopolize power, disliked elevating an elder prince, and also sought to destroy him. His closest generals and staff mostly urged Jingsu to rebel; only Jiang Yan of Jiyang, an army major, dissented, and Jingsu was displeased. That year garrison general Wang Jifu offended Jingsu, fled alone to Jiankang, and accused him of plotting rebellion. Yunchang and his faction at once wanted to send troops against him; Yuan Can and Xiao Daocheng objected; Jingsu also sent his heir Yanling to court to plead his innocence. Jifu was banished to Liangzhou, and Jingsu was stripped of his titles as General Who Conquers the North and Grandee of Splendid Happiness.”””