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卷137 齊紀三

Volume 137 Qi Records 3

Chapter 137 of 資治通鑑 · Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance
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1
137
Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 137
2
[Qi Records, Part Three] From the year Shangzhang Dunxiang through Xuanmo Yuantan—a span of three years.
3
Eighth year of Yongming of Emperor Wu of Qi ( gengwu, A.D. 490)
4
In spring, the first month, the court ordered that more than two thousand prisoners taken at Gecheng be sent back to Northern Wei.
5
On the day yichou, the Northern Wei emperor traveled to Mount Fang; in the second month, on xinwei, he went to Lingquan; on renshen, he returned to the palace.
6
西
Didougan raided the Northern Wei border again and again. In summer, the fourth month, on jiaxu, Yi's Prince of Yangping, general who conquered the west, routed him. Yi was a son of the Prince of Xincheng.
7
On jiawu, Northern Wei sent Xing Chan, acting supernumerary attendant cavalier attendant-in-ordinary, and others as envoys.
8
In the fifth month, on jiyou, the Kumo Xi attacked the Wei border. Lou Long'er, commander-in-chief of Anzhou, repulsed them.
9
In autumn, the seventh month, on xinchou, Mian, Marquis of Anlu and governor of Kuaiji, was appointed governor of Yongzhou. Mian was a younger brother of Emperor Ming (Xiao Luan). Mian took a close interest in criminal cases. When robbers were caught, he pardoned and released them on promise of reform; only those who offended again were put to death; the people both feared and loved him.
10
On guimao, the court proclaimed a general amnesty.
11
On bingwu, the Wei emperor went to Mount Fang; on bingchen, he proceeded to the Lingquan Pool; in the eighth month, on the new moon of bingyin, he returned to the palace.
12
使
Duyihou, Prince of Henan, died; on yiyou, his heir Fuliancou was appointed governor of Qin and He provinces. The general who quells martial foes, Qiu Guanxian, was sent to invest him and offer condolences. Fuliancou tried to force Guanxian to bow to him. Guanxian refused, and Fuliancou pushed him off a cliff to his death. The Emperor gave generous rewards to Guanxian's son Xiong; and decreed that because the father's body had been lost in a distant land and could not be recovered, there was no bar to the son's pursuing an official career.
13
使 便
Zixiang, Prince of Badong and governor of Jingzhou, was strong and brave, skilled at mounted archery, and devoted to military matters. He personally chose sixty armed retainers, every one bold and capable; once at his post, he often feasted them with beef and wine in his private quarters. He also had brocade robes and crimson jackets made in secret, planning to trade them to the tribal peoples for arms. The chief administrator Liu Yin of Gaoping, the marshal Xi Gongmu of Anding, and others filed a joint secret report. The Emperor ordered a thorough investigation. Zixiang heard that an imperial envoy had arrived but had not seen the edict. He summoned Yin, Gongmu, the consulting adjutant Jiang Yu, the registrar Wu Xiuzhi, Wei Jingyuan, and others to question them. Yin and his colleagues kept silent; Xiuzhi said, "An edict has already been sent down—we should just give them a plausible answer and be done with it." Jingyuan said, "We should search the premises first." Zixiang flew into a rage, seized Yin and seven others, and killed them in the rear hall, then reported the whole affair to the throne. The Emperor had intended to pardon Jiang Yu, but when he learned that all eight were already dead, he was furious. On renchen, Zilong, Prince of Sui, was appointed governor of Jingzhou.
14
忿 西
The Emperor planned to send Dai Sengjing, governor of Huainan, to lead troops against Zixiang. Sengjing spoke to him in person: "The Prince of Badong is young. The chief administrator pushed him too hard; in a fit of anger he acted without thinking—that is all there is to it. When an emperor's son kills someone in a fit of temper, what grave crime is that? If the court suddenly sends troops west, panic will spread everywhere. I dare not accept this commission." The Emperor did not answer, but he was pleased at heart. Instead he sent Hu Xiezhi, commandant of the guards, Yin Lue, mobile corps general, and Ru Faliang, palace secretariat attendant, with several hundred palace guards to Jiangling to round up the ringleaders, with orders: "If Zixiang surrenders with bound hands, his life may be spared." Zhang Xintai, interior minister of Pingnan, was appointed Xiezhi's deputy. Xintai told Xiezhi, "On this mission, victory would win us no glory, and defeat would be a lasting shame. His fierce followers have banded together. Those who fight for him do so for gain or under duress—they will not melt away on their own. If we halt at Xiakou and make clear what awaits them, we can take him without a battle." Xiezhi would not listen. Xintai was a son of Zhang Xingshi.
15
使 便 使 西 宿
When Xiezhi and his party reached the Yangtze crossing, they built a fort on Swallowtail Islet. Zixiang, dressed in white, went up on the wall and sent messengers again and again, saying, "Under heaven, can a son truly be called a rebel! I am no traitor—only rash and heedless. I will sail alone back to court to answer for the killings—why must you build a fort to seize me!" Yin Lue alone answered, "Who would parley with a son who turns against his father!" Zixiang could only weep; he had an ox killed and sent food and wine to the imperial troops; Lue threw the gifts into the river. Zixiang called for Ru Faliang; Faliang, fearful and suspicious, refused to go. Zixiang again asked to see the imperial messenger; Faliang would not send anyone and seized Zixiang's messenger besides. Enraged, Zixiang sent his personal warriors to muster two thousand prefectural and provincial troops and cross the Lingxi westward; Zixiang himself took more than a hundred men with heavy crossbows and camped on the river bank. The next day the prefectural and provincial troops fought the imperial force. Zixiang fired his crossbows from the bank, and the imperial army was routed; Yin Lue was killed; Xiezhi and the others fled in a lone skiff.
16
沿 使
The Emperor sent Xiao Shunzhi, governor of Danyang, with more troops in pursuit. That same day Zixiang took thirty attendants dressed in white and set out downstream for Jiankang in a small boat. Crown Prince Changmao had long envied Zixiang. When Shunzhi left Jiankang, the crown prince secretly told him to settle matters quickly and not let Zixiang reach the capital alive. When Zixiang met Shunzhi, he tried to plead his case; Shunzhi would not hear him and strangled him in the archery hall.
17
便 使 便
Facing death, Zixiang wrote to the Emperor: "My crimes tower higher than mountains and seas; I accept the axe without complaint. When you sent Xiezhi and the others, they announced no imperial decree but at once raised banners, entered the crossing, and built a fort on the south bank to besiege me. I sent letter after letter asking Faliang to come, begging to meet him in white robes; Faliang would not come. My followers panicked, and fighting followed—that is my fault. On the twenty-fifth of this month I surrendered with bound hands, hoping to return to court, stay at home one month, and then accept whatever fate you decree—so that Qi might escape the charge of killing a son, and I the charge of turning against my father. Since that hope was denied, my life ends today. My throat closes as I write—what more is there to say!"
18
The responsible officials recommended that Zixiang be struck from the imperial clan register, stripped of his title and fief, and given the surname Xiao; those implicated were to be tried and punished on their own merits.
19
Some time later the Emperor visited the Hualin Garden and saw an ape leaping and wailing. When he asked his attendants, they said, "Its young fell from a cliff and died a few days ago." The Emperor thought of Zixiang and broke into sobs. Ru Faliang bore the brunt of the Emperor's anger. Xiao Shunzhi, stricken with shame and fear, fell ill and died. Xiao Li, Prince of Yuzhang, petitioned to bury Zixiang properly; the request was denied, and Zixiang was posthumously demoted to Marquis of Yufu.
20
使
During Zixiang's uprising, the regional commanders all reported that he had rebelled. Yuan Rongzu, governor of Yanzhou, said, "That is not what ought to be said. The proper report is: 'Liu Yin and the others betrayed imperial favor and drove the Prince of Badong to this extremity. The Emperor noted this and judged Rongzu a man of sense."
21
西
The imperial troops burned the government buildings at Jiangling, and all official records were lost at once. Because Yue Ai of Nanyang, recorder in the office of the grand marshal, had served several times in Jingzhou, the Emperor summoned him and questioned him about affairs in the west. Ai answered with precision and ease. The Emperor was pleased and appointed him administrative aide of Jingzhou, charging him with rebuilding the provincial government. Ai restored several hundred government buildings. Soon all were finished, yet the common people were not pressed into service, and Jingzhou acclaimed him.
22
椿
In the ninth month, on guichou, Grand Empress Dowager Feng of Northern Wei died; Emperor Xiaowen took neither food nor drink for five days, mourning beyond what ritual prescribed. Yang Chun of Huayin in the central section remonstrated: "Your Majesty bears the legacy of your ancestors and the weight of the realm—how can you follow a commoner's grief to the point of collapse! Your officials are in anguish and do not know what to say. Moreover, the sages taught that mourning must not destroy the living; even if you wish to outshine all ages in filial piety, what of the ancestral shrines!" The Emperor was moved and took a bowl of gruel.
23
彿
Then the princes and nobles all came to court with memorials asking that the burial ground be chosen promptly and that, following Han and Wei precedent and the Grand Empress Dowager's final instructions, public mourning end once the funeral was complete. An edict replied: "Since this blow fell, I have been dazed as if it were yesterday. Attending her coffin, I still half expect to see her. I cannot bear even to hear of moving her to the tomb." In winter, the tenth month, the princes and nobles again petitioned insistently. An edict replied: "The burial may follow the canonical regulations; but to lay aside mourning garments—my heart cannot yet bear that." The Emperor wished to visit the tomb in person. On wuchen he decreed: "All the usual retinue and equipage may be dispensed with; only the military guard shall attend for protection as the law requires." On guiyou, the Civilized Empress Dowager was buried at Yonggu Mausoleum. On jiaxu, the Emperor visited the tomb. The princes and nobles again pressed for an end to public mourning. An edict replied: "I shall explain my mind in due course." "On jimao, he visited the tomb again."
24
滿
On gengchen, the Emperor went out to the right of the Sixian Gate and met with his ministers to offer mutual condolences. Grand Commandant Pi and others spoke up: "We are old men who have served successive emperors; and we know something of the state's former ways. When a remote ancestor died, only those escorting the coffin wore mourning; everyone else dressed as usual; and this practice held unchanged through four ancestors and three founders. Your Majesty, in supreme filial devotion, mourns beyond what ritual allows. We hear that your three daily meals do not fill half a bowl, and day and night you never remove your mourning sash. Our hearts are wrung with anguish; we cannot sit at ease. We beg you to restrain your grief a little and follow the precedents of former reigns." The Emperor said, "Grief is a common thing—why raise it! I take gruel morning and evening; that is enough to sustain me—why should you worry! Our ancestors devoted themselves to arms and did not cultivate learning; I now receive her sage instruction and hope to follow the ancient way; but our times differ from those of old. You elders of the state, to whom government is entrusted, may not know every old form in the records—yet you may grasp my general intent. As for the rest of ancient and modern mourning rites, I shall put my thoughts separately to Ministers You Minggen and Gao Lu—you may listen."
25
使 使 西
The Emperor then said to Minggen and the others, "The sages devised the rites of ending wailing and changing mourning garments—all to ease grief by degrees. Yet within ten days you speak of returning to normal dress—that truly wounds both reason and feeling." They replied, "We have searched the testamentary instructions in the golden book: burial after a month, and upon burial, return to normal dress at once; therefore at the burial we memorialized about ending the second stage of mourning." The Emperor said, "I believe the middle dynasties did not observe three-year mourning because when a ruler died, the successor had just taken the throne, his virtue had not yet spread, and his ministers' loyalty was not yet settled—so he donned ceremonial dress and performed the accession rites. I lack virtue, yet I have reigned beyond a full cycle—enough for the people to know they have a ruler. At such a time, not to follow my heart of mourning, letting both feeling and ritual be lost—that is deeply to be regretted!" Gao Lu said, "Du Yu, a great Jin scholar, argued that no Son of Heaven from antiquity ever observed three-year mourning, and that Emperor Wen of Han's practice tacitly matched the ancients. Though a practice of a declining age, it may be followed. Therefore we earnestly petition you again and again." The Emperor said, "I understand the golden book's intent: it wrests ministers' hearts and orders an early return to normal dress for fear that government will be abandoned. Your petition has the same aim. I now obey the book and bow to your wishes; I dare not keep silent and let government fall into ruin; only I wish to keep my hemp mourning and set aside auspicious rites, and on the new and full moons pour out my grief—my feeling permits this, and I especially wish to do it. Du Yu's argument, applied to a ruler still yearning for his mother, a sovereign in silent mourning—it is surely false." Secretary Director Li Biao said, "Empress Ma of Han, the Enlightened Virtue, raised Emperor Zhang; their bond as mother and son was beyond reproach. When she died, burial came within ten days, and soon mourning ended. Yet Emperor Zhang was not censured, and the empress's name was not harmed. We beg Your Majesty to follow the golden book's command and set grief aside to accept our counsel." The Emperor said, "The reason I cling to my mourning sash and reject your counsel is that my feelings cannot bear it—not merely to escape ridicule! In the funeral I have followed frugality, fully obeying the testament on that point; only my heart of grief is mine alone; I hope her spirit will not deny my deepest wish." Gao Lu said, "If Your Majesty does not lay aside mourning while we alone do so, our duty as ministers is unfulfilled. Moreover, you wear mourning yet attend to court—auspicious and inauspicious matters mixed. We find this troubling." The Emperor said, "The late empress cared for you all; you, in grief, still cannot lay mourning aside—how can you ask me alone to bear it toward my closest kin! I am now pressed by the testament and can only wait for the appointed term; though I do not fulfill every rite, the knot in my breast is somewhat eased. Let each minister remove mourning according to closeness, rank, and distance—perhaps this will approach antiquity and be practicable today." Gao Lu said, "Wang Sun was buried naked, and Shi An removed his coffin; their sons obeyed without protest. Now you received her final command yet in some matters do not follow it—this is why we petition again and again." Li Biao said, "Not to alter one's father's way for three years—that is great filial piety. Not to follow the book's command now may invite the charge of altering her way." The Emperor said, "Wang Sun and Shi An both taught their sons frugality; when they obeyed, was that so different from today! Altering a father's way is a different matter entirely. Even if I invite later ridicule, I cannot bear to accept your petition today." The ministers again said, "The spring and autumn sacrifices cannot be abandoned." The Emperor said, "From former reigns, officials have always conducted them; I, blessed with her loving instruction, often attended in person. Now Heaven has punished me; men and spirits have lost their support. Even with the ancestral temple's aid, I suspend the offerings. To perform the feasts now would violate her intent in the realm below." The ministers again said, "In antiquity, mourning ended at burial; the full rites need not be completed. This is how the two Han dynasties governed and how Wei and Jin ordered affairs." The Emperor said, "Ending mourning at burial was largely because in decadent times disorder multiplied—a temporary measure to save the age. Was the glory of Han, the rise of Wei and Jin, achieved by simplifying mourning and forgetting filial piety! In ordinary times you praised our age as peaceful, our rites and music ever renewed, rivaling Tang and Yu and the height of Xia and Shang. Yet today you would bitterly wrest my resolve and make me no better than Wei and Jin. I do not understand this change of heart." Li Biao said, "Though the realm is at peace, Wu in the south has not submitted, and barbarians in the north have not bowed—therefore we still fear the unforeseen." The Emperor said, "The Duke of Lu went to war in his mourning sash; the Marquis of Jin defeated his enemy in ink-stained mourning—the sages permitted this. If crisis comes, even stepping over the coffin ropes would be blameless—how much more wearing mourning! How can one, in days of peace, dwell on military matters and abandon mourning observances! The ancients also spoke of kings who laid aside mourning yet completed it in silent seclusion. If you will not let me wear mourning, I shall lay it aside, hold my peace, and entrust government to the chief minister. Between these two courses, choose." You Minggen said, "Deep silence, and government will fall idle; bowing to your sacred will, we ask that you keep your mourning garments." Grand Commandant Pi said, "Yuanyuan and I have served five emperors. In Wei custom, three months after a great taboo the spirit must be welcomed in the west and evil expelled in the north, with full auspicious rites—from Huangshi onward, this has never changed." The Emperor said, "If one serves the spirits with the Way, they come without being summoned; if one lacks benevolence and righteousness, they will not come though summoned. This ought not be done in ordinary times—how much more in my mourning! I am in the place of silence and ought not to be so talkative; but you insist on wresting my feelings, and this back-and-forth recalls grief to the breaking point." He then wailed aloud; the officials wept and withdrew. Earlier, the empress dowager resented the Emperor's keen intelligence and feared it would harm her. She wished to depose him. In severe cold she shut him in an empty room and cut off his food for three days; she summoned Xi, Prince of Xianyang, intending to make him emperor. Grand Commandant Pi, Prince of Dongyang, Vice Director Mu Tai, and Minister Li Chong firmly remonstrated, and she desisted. The Emperor at first bore no resentment, but deeply owed gratitude to Pi and the others. Tai was a great-great-grandson of Mu Chong.
26
Moreover, a eunuch slandered the Emperor to the empress dowager, and she beat him several dozen times; the Emperor silently accepted it and made no defense; when she died, he did not pursue the matter afterward.
27
綿
On jiashen, the Wei emperor visited Yonggu Mausoleum. On xinmao, an edict said, "The officials, because state affairs are weighty, have repeatedly asked me to hear government. But grief entwines me, and I am not yet able to exert myself. Those close attendants who formerly held power are entrusted with counsel and may be commissioned for now; if doubtful matters arise, I shall discuss and decide them at the time."
28
使 使
Fang Fasheng of Qinghe, governor of Jiaozhou, devoted himself to reading and often claimed illness, neglecting his duties. Thereby Chief Administrator Fu Dengzhi seized power, changing generals and officials without Fasheng's knowledge. Recorder Fang Jiwen reported this. Fasheng was furious and imprisoned Dengzhi for more than ten days. Dengzhi richly bribed Fasheng's brother-in-law Cui Jingshu and was released. He then led his troops in a surprise attack on the province, seized Fasheng, and said, "Since you are ill, Governor, you ought not be troubled with vexation." He confined him to a separate room. With nothing else to do, Fasheng again went to Dengzhi to ask for books to read. Dengzhi said, "Even if you rest quietly, Governor, I still fear your illness may worsen — how can you read books! He refused to give them to him. He then reported that Fasheng's heart ailment had worsened and that he was unfit to govern. In the eleventh month, on the day yimao, Dengzhi was made governor of Jiaozhou. Fasheng was sent home and died on the road when he reached the pass.
29
In the twelfth month, on the day jimao, the emperor's son Zijian was enfeoffed as Prince of Xiangdong.
30
使 便 使
Earlier, because the south had too little coin in circulation, Emperor Gao wanted to mint more. Near the end of the Jianyuan era, Attendant-in-Regular-Audience Kong Xi submitted a memorial arguing that food and money must circulate together, as nature and reason require. Li Kui said, 'When grain is too dear it hurts the people; when it is too cheap it hurts the farmers. Whether prices are too low or too high, the damage is the same. The Three Wus are the country's economic heartland. In recent years they have suffered floods, yet grain prices have not risen. That shows coin is scarce across the realm, not that grain is cheap — and this must be understood. The trouble with minting coin is that its weight and value keep changing. Heavy coin is awkward to use, and awkwardness pushes people toward lighter coin; light coin invites counterfeiting, and counterfeiting brings deep disaster. The people counterfeit coin because the state, when minting, scrimps on copper and labor — and harsh laws cannot stop them. Those who scrimp on copper and labor treat coin as a mere tool for exchange, trying to make it light and plentiful, cheap and easy to produce, without thinking through the harm. The people chase profit the way water runs downhill. To open a path to profit and then punish them severely is to lure people into crime and drive them toward death. Is that how a government should act? When the Han dynasty began, it minted light coin, and many people turned to forgery. By the Yuanshou period the court corrected the abuse, minting five-zhu coins with raised rims above and below so the alloy could not be shaved off. When people reckoned the cost, they could not turn a profit, and private minting declined — that is what comes of not scrimping on copper or labor. A ruler need not fear a shortage of copper or craftsmen. Make it impossible for the people to compete, and counterfeiting will stop. Emperor Wen of Song minted four-zhu coins, but by the Jinghe era the coin had grown lighter still. Though the coins had rims, the smelting was poor, and counterfeiting spread until it could no longer be suppressed. That is the proof of scrimping on copper and labor. In minting coin, if the weight cannot be exact, better too heavy than too light. From the Han minting of the five-zhu down to Emperor Wen of Song, more than five hundred years passed. Institutions rose and fell, yet the five-zhu endured because its weight was a reliable standard and suited to trade. Look at the coin in circulation today: nearly all bear the five-zhu mark; other types appear only now and then. Since Emperor Wen minted the four-zhu and failed to forbid clipping and chiseling, the damage has been vast and the abuse has reached today's crisis. Is it not lamentable! The Jin stopped minting coin. Afterward, through invasion, war, fire, and flood, coin was wasted, scattered, lost, and melted away year after year. It is like a whetstone worn down by grinding: the loss is invisible until nothing remains. How could the realm's supply of coin fail to run dry! When coin runs out, scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants all lose their livelihoods. How can the people survive! I believe the state should restore the old system, greatly expand minting, and issue five-zhu coin according to the Han standard. Once official coin is in circulation among the people, clipping and chiseling must be strictly forbidden, and all light, small, broken, or rimless pieces must be withdrawn. Small official coin should be weighed to the proper zhu and liang, then melted and recast into full-weight pieces. That would help the poor and honest and shut off the path of fraud. Once currency is uniform, near and far alike, the people will prosper in their trades, markets will be free of dispute, and food and clothing will increase. Emperor Gao agreed and ordered the major markets of every province and commandery to gather copper and charcoal. "But the emperor died suddenly, and the plan was abandoned.
31
使
That year, Liu Quan, acting governor of Yizhou, submitted a memorial saying that beneath Mount Meng lay the copper mountain of Yandao, an old mint site that could be put to use. The emperor agreed and sent envoys into Shu to mint coin. "Before long the project was stopped because the expense was too great."
32
Since Emperor Gao reformed the Yellow Registers, the present emperor had punished those guilty of registry fraud with ten years of garrison duty along the Huai frontier, and the people resented it. He then issued an edict: "For cases dating before the Shengming era of Song, all may be re-registered; those sent to frontier service may all return home; after this, offenders will be punished severely."
33
Prince Wei of Changsha, Huang, died.
34
Wang Yan, minister of the Ministry of Personnel, cited illness and resigned. The emperor wanted Marquis of Guchang Luan to take over the ministry first and sent a handwritten edict to ask Yan's view. Yan replied, "Luan has more than enough integrity and ability; but he is not versed in the hundred schools of thought, and I fear he is not fit for this office. The emperor dropped the idea."
35
Mok Da, king of Baekje, was appointed General Who Guards the East and confirmed as king of Baekje.
36
使
Avuzhiluo and Qiongqi of the Gaoche sent envoys to Wei asking the Son of Heaven to destroy the Rouran. The Wei ruler granted them embroidered trousers and jacket, along with a hundred bolts of assorted silks.
37
Ninth year of Yongming of Emperor Wu of Qi ( xinwei, A.D. 491)
38
In spring, the first month, on the day xinchou, the emperor sacrificed at the Southern Altars.
39
On the day dingmao, the Wei ruler began to hold court in the Eastern Hall of Imperial Trust.
40
An edict prescribed the seasonal sacrifices at the Grand Temple: for Emperor Xuan, raised flour cakes, duck and crane offerings; for Empress Xiao, bamboo shoots and duck eggs; for Emperor Gao, minced meat and pickled-vegetable soup; for Empress Zhao, tea, sacrificial cakes, and broiled fish — all foods they had loved. The emperor dreamed that Emperor Gao said to him, "The Song emperors are always in the Grand Temple begging me for food. You should set up separate rites on my behalf. He then ordered Lady Yu, consort of the Prince of Yuzhang, to perform seasonal sacrifices to the two emperors and two empresses at the old residence at Qingxi. The sacrificial animals and ritual dress all followed household custom.
41
使
Your subject Guang says: "Long ago Qu Dao loved water chestnuts, and Qu Jian had them removed, believing private appetite must not interfere with the state's rites. How much worse, then, for a son who is Son of Heaven to sacrifice to his father with the rites of a commoner — a grave breach of ritual! When Duke Cheng of Wei wished to sacrifice to Xian, Ning Wuzi still condemned it; and how much worse to demote sacrifice to one's ancestors to a private house and put a commoner's wife in charge of the rites!
42
Earlier, the Wei ruler had summoned Foulianchou, king of Tuyuhun, to court. Foulianchou pleaded illness and stayed away, but instead repaired the cities of Taoyang and Nihe and posted garrison troops there. In the second month, on the day yihai, Zhangsun Bainian, garrison commander of Baohan, asked permission to attack the two outposts, and the Wei ruler agreed.
43
使 使 使 使 使
Pei Zhaoming, regular attendant-in-chamber, and Xie Jun, attendant-in-chamber, went to Wei to offer condolences and intended to carry out their mission in court dress. The Wei chief of protocol said, "Condolence visits have fixed rites. How can you enter the mourning hall in vermilion court dress! Zhaoming and the others replied, "We received our orders from our own court and dare not change our dress on our own authority. They went back and forth four times, and Zhaoming and the others would not yield. The Wei ruler ordered Minister Li Chong to choose a learned man to debate with them. Chong memorialized that he would send Cheng Yan of Shanggu, a compiler at court. Zhaoming and the others asked, "The Wei court will not allow envoys to wear court dress — what precedent is that based on? Yan replied, "Auspicious and inauspicious do not mix. A lamb-skin robe and black cap are not worn for condolence visits — even children know that. Long ago, when Jisun went to Jin, he first asked what rites to follow upon encountering mourning. You have come all the way from Jiangnan to offer condolences in Wei, and only now ask what precedent you should follow; how far from proper conduct for an envoy you are! Zhaoming said, "The rites of our two states ought to match each other. When Emperor Gao of Qi died, Wei sent Li Biao to offer condolences. He did not wear plain mourning dress at first, and the Qi court raised no objection. Why should we alone be forced today! Yan said, "Qi could not observe the full mourning rites and returned to normal dress after a month. On the day Biao carried out his mission, Qi's lord and ministers filled the court with chiming jade pendants and dazzling sable-clad attendants. Without his host's command, how could Biao have dared to appear among them alone in plain mourning dress? Our emperor is filial and humane, comparable to Shun of Yu; he keeps mourning for his parent, dwelling in a hut and eating coarse porridge. How can you compare the two cases? Zhaoming said, "The Three Sage Kings had different rites — who can say which was right or wrong! Yan said, "And yet were Shun and Gaozong not correct? Zhaoming and Jun looked at each other and laughed. "Those without filial piety have no parents," they said. "How can one argue with that! They then said, "We envoys brought only our embroidered trousers and jacket. As this is military dress, it cannot be worn for condolences — only the host may decide our mourning attire! But if we defy our own court's orders, we will be punished when we return. Yan said, "If your court has a true gentleman in charge, you will have carried out your mission properly and will receive a rich reward. If there is no such gentleman, you will have gone forth and honored your state — what harm is there in taking blame! Surely worthy historians will record it. He then gave Zhaoming and the others clothing and mourning caps and had them dress accordingly before delivering their message. On the day jichou, Zhaoming and the others were led in to an audience, and civil and military officials all wept their fill of grief. The Wei ruler praised Yan's quick wit, promoted him to attendant, and granted him a hundred bolts of silk. Zhaoming was the son of Yin.
44
Prince Jian of Shixing, Jian, died.
45
宿
In the third month, on the day jiachen, the Wei ruler visited Yonggu Mausoleum. In summer, the fourth month, on the first day guihai, offerings were set out at the Taihe Temple. The Wei ruler first took vegetarian food, was overcome with grief and wept, and went the whole day without eating; The palace attendant Feng Dan and others remonstrated with him, and only after a whole night had passed did he take food. On the day jiazi, the morning and evening mourning cries were discontinued. On the day yichou, he visited Yonggu Mausoleum again.
46
Northern Wei had gone without rain since the first month; by the day guiyou, the responsible officials asked to offer prayers to the hundred spirits. The emperor said, "When King Cheng Tang met with drought, he brought rain through utmost sincerity—it did not lie in twisting one's prayers toward mountains and rivers. Now all under Heaven mourns the loss of its support; spirits and the living share the same grief. How can it be right, before the four seasons have fully turned, to rush ahead with sacrificial observances! One should only examine oneself and wait for what Heaven sends."
47
使 使
On the day jiaxu, Li Biao of Northern Wei, supernumerary attendant cavalier attendant-in-ordinary, and others came on a friendly mission; the court prepared a banquet and arranged music for them. Biao declined the music and said, "Our lord's filial devotion knows no bounds; he restores what has collapsed and sets right what has gone astray. As of the last day of the third month, the court ministers had only just put aside their coarse hemp mourning bands and were still conducting affairs in plain mourning dress. For that reason your envoy dares not accept the gift of music." The court agreed. Biao had served as envoy six times in all; the emperor held him in high regard. When he was about to return, the emperor personally escorted him as far as Langye city and ordered the ministers to compose poems to honor him.
48
On the day jimao, Northern Wei began building the Bright Hall and reconstructing the Grand Ancestral Temple.
49
In the fifth month, on the day jihai, the Wei ruler revised the laws and ordinances at the Dongming Pavilion and personally decided doubtful legal cases; he ordered Li Chong to determine penalties and polish the wording, while the emperor himself took up the brush and wrote out the text. Li Chong was loyal, diligent, clear-minded, and decisive, and besides that discreet and careful. The emperor entrusted him fully, and between them feeling and duty knew no breach; old ministers and imperial kin alike submitted to him in heart, and he was acclaimed throughout the court and the realm.
50
On the day yimao, Changsun Bainian of Northern Wei attacked the garrisons at Taoyang and Nihe, captured them, and took more than three thousand prisoners.
51
On the day bingchen, Northern Wei for the first time constructed the five ceremonial chariots.
52
In the sixth month, on the day jiaxu, Wang Huan, left vice director of the Masters of Writing, was appointed governor of Yong Province.
53
On the day dingwei, Yu, Prince of Jiyin, was ordered to take his own life for greed and cruelty.
54
In autumn, the intercalary seventh month, on the day yichou, the Wei ruler visited Yonggu Mausoleum.
55
On the day jimao, the Wei ruler issued an edict stating, "The Illustrious Ancestor had the achievement of founding the dynasty. The Shizu possessed the virtue of expansion and conquest and should stand as a founding ancestor, never to be displaced for a hundred generations. Emperor Pingwen's achievements were lesser than those of Emperor Zhaocheng, yet he bore the temple title Grand Ancestor; Emperor Daowu's achievements surpassed those of Emperor Pingwen, yet he bore the temple title Illustrious Ancestor. By right this was not fitting. We now honor the Illustrious Ancestor as Grand Ancestor, establish the Shizu and Xianzu as the two branch ancestral shrines, and shift the rest down in order." In the eighth month, on the day renchen, another edict ordered discussion of the rites for honoring the aged and for the yin sacrifice to the Six Ancestors. Previously, Northern Wei had often set up a canopy at court on an auspicious day in the first month, placed pine and cypress trees within it, arranged seats for the Five Emperors, and sacrificed to them. There was also a rite of divination by drawing lots. The emperor considered all of these contrary to proper rite and abolished them. On the day wuxu, the Dao altar was moved to the north bank of the Sanggan River and renamed Chongxu Temple.
56
西 西
On the day yisi, the emperor received the ministers and asked them, "Regarding di and xia, where does right and wrong lie in the interpretations of Wang and Zheng?" Minister of Writing You Minggen and others followed Zheng's view; Director of the Palace Secretariat Gao Lu and others followed Wang's view. An edict stated, "Both the Circular Mound and the Ancestral Temple bear the name di—following Zheng's view, di and xia are one sacrifice; following Wang's view, this is to be recorded in the ordinance." On the day wuwu, another edict stated, "The state performs feasts and sacrifices to the spirits at more than twelve hundred sites; we now wish to cut back the multitude of sacrifices and keep them as simple as possible." Another edict stated, "At the Bright Hall and Grand Ancestral Temple, associated offerings and shared worship are now fully provided for. As for the temples at Baideng, Guoshan, and Jiming Mountain, only send the responsible officials to perform the rites. The temple of Prince Xuan of the Feng clan stands at Chang'an; Yong Province should be instructed to provide sacrifices at the proper seasons." Another edict stated, "Formerly there were more than forty water-and-fire spirits and the star spirit north of the city wall. Now that the Circular Mound sacrifices to the Earl of Wind, the Master of Rain, the Director of the Center, and the Director of Fate, and the Bright Hall sacrifices to the gate, doorway, well, stove, and central drain, all forty of those spirits may be abolished." On the day jiayin, an edict stated, "In recent discussion of the morning sun and evening moon rites, all agreed they should be performed on the days of the two equinoxes at the eastern and western suburbs. Yet the moon has extra days and intercalary months, so there is no fixed standard for carrying this out. If one strictly followed the equinox days, the moon might still be in the east while the rite was performed in the west. In feeling as in reason, this could not be carried out. In the past Xue Wei, director of the Secretariat, and others held that the morning sun rite should fall on the day of the new moon and the evening moon rite on the day of the third-day moon. In your view, should the rites follow the new and third-day moons, or the two equinoxes? Which is correct?" Minister of Writing You Minggen and others asked to follow the new and third-day moons, and this was approved.
57
宿
On the day bingchen, the responsible officials of Northern Wei submitted a memorial asking to divine an auspicious day. An edict stated, "To divine a day in search of good fortune both departs from the spirit of reverent service and violates the heart of everlasting longing; use the last day of the month directly." In the ninth month, on the night of dingchou, the emperor lodged at the temple. After leading the ministers in mourning, the emperor changed into a white mourning cap, leather belt, and black shoes; the attending ministers changed into black mourning caps, white silk unlined garments, leather belts, and black shoes; and they continued weeping until the second watch of the night. On wuzi, the last day of the month, the emperor changed into sacrificial dress—a white mourning cap with plain hem, a white cloth deep garment, and hemp-cord shoes; the attending ministers removed their caps and changed into mourning cloths. After the sacrifice, as he left the temple, the emperor stood and wept. After a long while, he returned.
58
In winter, the tenth month, Northern Wei's Bright Hall and Grand Ancestral Temple were completed.
59
輿使 殿
On the day gengyin, the Wei ruler visited Yonggu Mausoleum; he was still severely emaciated from mourning. Minister of Works Mu Liang remonstrated, saying, "Your Majesty's mourning period has already ended, yet your wailing and longing are as intense as at the beginning. The king is the son of Heaven and Earth and father and mother to the myriad people. Never has a child grieved excessively while the parents did not sorrow, or the parents been troubled while the child alone took comfort. Now the harmonious qi does not respond, and wind and drought bring disaster. We ask that Your Majesty put on lighter mourning dress, take ordinary meals, move the imperial carriage from time to time, and order sacrifices to the hundred spirits, so that Heaven and mankind may together rejoice." An edict replied, "Filial and fraternal devotion at its utmost reaches everywhere. The whirling winds and drought now are all because sincere longing is not yet deep enough; neither spirits nor the living have been moved. What you say about the fault of excessive grief—I am sure does not hit the mark." In the eleventh month, on the first day jiwei, the Wei ruler performed the final mourning sacrifice at the Taihe Temple, wearing full ceremonial cap and robes. Afterward he wore a black mourning cap and plain silk deep garment, paid his respects at the mausoleum, and returned. On guihai, the day of the winter solstice, the Wei ruler sacrificed at the Circular Mound, then at the Bright Hall; on returning he reached the Taihe Temple before going inside. On the day jiazi, he attended court at the Taihua Hall, wearing the universal-penetration cap and crimson silk robe, and gave a feast for the ministers. Musical bells were set in place but not played. On the day dingmao, wearing full ceremonial cap and robes, he took leave at the Taihe Temple, led the hundred officials in escorting the spirit tablets, and moved them to the new temple.
60
On the day yihai, Northern Wei established its official ranks in full. On the day wuxu, the various provincial and commandery governors were evaluated.
61
Li Biao of Northern Wei, acting direct attendant cavalier attendant-in-ordinary, and others came on a friendly mission.
62
By Northern Wei's old regulation, at the end-of-year court congratulations in late winter, the ministers wore trousers and split jackets when attending to affairs—this was called the minor year; On the day bingxu, an edict abolished the practice.
63
西
In the twelfth month, on the day renchen, Northern Wei moved the altar of the soil to the west side of the inner city. Northern Wei appointed Prince Xiu of Anding as Grand Tutor and Prince Jian of Qi Commandery as Grand Preceptor.
64
Ryeon, king of Goguryeo, died at more than a hundred years of age. The Wei ruler had plain Weimao caps and cloth deep garments made for the occasion and led mourning rites at the eastern suburb; he sent Li An, chief of court intendant-attendants, to present an edict posthumously granting him the title Grand Tutor and the posthumous name Kang. His grandson Yun succeeded to the throne.
65
On the day yiyou, the Wei ruler for the first time welcomed spring at the eastern suburb. From then on he personally attended every seasonal welcoming of the qi.
66
使
Earlier, when Emperor Shizu of Northern Wei conquered Tongwan and Guzang, he captured elegant musical instruments, vestments, and craftsmen, and preserved them all. Later courts paid them no attention; musicians gradually died off, and much of the musical tradition was lost. Emperor Gaozu first ordered the responsible officials to seek out people in the realm who understood pitch and rhythm to discuss and establish elegant music, but at the time no one could be found who knew it. Even so, the adornments of bells, stones, feathers, and banners were somewhat more splendid than in former times. On the day xinhai, an edict ordered the selection and appointment of music officials to restore their duties, and also directed Gao Lu, director of the Palace Secretariat, to join in fixing the standards.
67
Earlier, Zhang Fei and Du Yu of Jin jointly annotated the Penal Code in thirty chapters, and it had been used since the Taishi era. The text of the Code was terse; within a single chapter the two schools' rulings on life and death could differ sharply, and when officials weighed matters on the spot, clerks found room for fraud. The emperor turned his attention to the laws and ordered prison officials to examine and correct the old annotations in detail. In the seventh year, Wang Zhi, review-and-fixation officer of the Masters of Writing, compiled and reconciled the two annotations and submitted them in memorial. An edict ordered the dukes, ministers, and Eight Seats to join in discussion and correction; Prince Ziliang of Jingling oversaw the work; where the assembled discussions could not be reconciled, the imperial decision settled the matter. That year the work was completed. Kong Zhigui of Shanyin, commandant of justice, submitted a memorial arguing that although the text of the Code was now fixed, if application lost its balance the law book would merely shine between its covers while wronged souls still lingered in prison. I reflect that eminent men of old mostly possessed legal learning; today's scholar-gentlemen are unwilling to make it their profession. Even when there are those who study it, public opinion holds them in contempt, and I fear this book will forever fall into the hands of low-level clerks. If a Penal Code assistant instructor were now established on the model of the Five Classics, Imperial University students who wished to study it could, if they ranked high on examination, be promoted at once to fill posts within and without the court, and perhaps the scholar class would have something to aspire to." The edict approved his request, but in the end the proposal was never implemented.
68
使
Earlier, Fan Yang Mai, king of Linyi, had ruled through successive generations until the barbarian Fan Danggen Chun seized the kingdom by force and sent envoys presenting golden mats and other goods. An edict appointed Danggen Chun commander of all military affairs along the coast and king of Linyi.
69
Yuan Xi, Prince of Xianyang and governor of Jizhou, came to court at Wei. The responsible officials memorialized that three thousand people of Jizhou praised Xi's clear-minded and benevolent rule and asked that he be granted hereditary sacrificial rights in Jizhou." The Wei ruler replied, "Establishing feudal domains is an ancient practice, but it is not necessarily suited to the present age; governing the realm is the ruler's prerogative, not something to be decided by popular petition. Xi was instead appointed governor of Sizhou and commander of all military affairs in six provinces, including Si and Yu.
70
使 使 殿
Earlier, Empress Dowager Wenming of Northern Wei had favored the eunuch Fu Chengzu of Lueyang, elevating him to attendant-in-ordinary and putting him in charge of the Capital Bureau; he was even granted an edict guaranteeing he would not be put to death. After the empress dowager died, Chengzu was found guilty of corruption and sentenced to death. The Wei ruler pardoned him, stripped him of office, and confined him at home, yet still appointed him General of Perverse Righteousness and enfeoffed him as Marquis Vile-Sycophant. A little over a month later he died. While Chengzu held power, his relatives by marriage all rushed to attach themselves to him in hope of gain. His maternal aunt, née Yang, who had married into the Yao clan, alone refused to join them. She often told Chengzu's mother, "Sister, your momentary glory is nothing compared with the peace I enjoy without worry. When her sister gave her clothes, she usually refused them; and if pressed to accept them, she would say, "My husband's family has been poor for generations. Fine clothes only make me uncomfortable. When she had no choice, she sometimes accepted them and buried them. When given slaves and maidservants, she would say, "My household has no food and cannot keep them. She always wore patched clothes and did hard labor herself. Chengzu sent a carriage to fetch her, but she refused to get up; when men forcibly lifted her into the carriage, she burst into tears and cried, "You mean to kill me! From then on, everyone in the Fu clan, inside and out, called her "Mad Aunt." When Chengzu fell from power, the responsible officials seized his two maternal aunts and brought them before the throne. One aunt was executed. Seeing that the aunt who had married into the Yao clan lived in poverty, the emperor specially pardoned her.
71
簿
When Li Hui was executed, all the brothers of Empress Si were put to death. Hui's younger cousin Feng had served as chief clerk to Chang Le, Prince of Anle. When Chang Le was convicted of treason and executed, Feng was put to death as well. Feng's sons Anzu and three others escaped and hid, surviving only because an amnesty was later declared. Later the Wei ruler inquired after surviving maternal relatives and found Anzu and the others. All were enfeoffed as marquises and given generalships. He soon received them in audience and said, "Your forebears twice fell afoul of the times. A ruler establishes offices to await men of talent. Promoting men simply because they are maternal kin is the practice of a decadent age. Since you possess no special ability, you may as well return home for now. From now on, maternal kin without ability should take this as their model. Later, by precedent, their ranks were reduced to earl and their military titles were removed. People at the time all thought the emperor treated the Feng clan too generously and the Gu clan too stingily; Minister of Ceremonies Gao Lu once raised the point, but the emperor would not heed him. When Emperor Shizong came to honor his maternal kin, he appointed Anzu's younger brother Xingzu governor of Zhongshan, posthumously enfeoffed Li Hui as grand marshal with ceremonial equal to the Three Excellencies and Duke of Zhongshan, and gave him the posthumous title Zhuang.
72
Tenth year of Yongming of Emperor Wu of Qi ( renshen, A.D. 492)
73
殿
In spring, the first month, on the new moon of wuwu, the Wei ruler held a morning feast for his ministers in Taihua Hall, with bells hung but no music played.
74
On the day jiwei, the Wei ruler sacrificed to the Illustrious Ancestor in the Bright Hall to accompany the Supreme Lord, then ascended the Spirit Terrace to observe celestial signs, descended to the left chamber of Qingyang, and there conducted state business. Thereafter he made this his regular practice at every new moon.
75
使
Yu Bi, attendant cavalier attendant-in-ordinary, and others went on a diplomatic mission to Wei. The Wei ruler sent Gentleman Cheng Yan to lead them south of the guest house to gaze from afar and perform the rites of respect.
76
On the day xinyou, Wei for the first time associated the Grand Ancestor with the southern suburban sacrifice.
77
The Wei ruler ordered his ministers to debate the dynasty's place in the cycle of the Five Virtues. Supervisor of the Secretariat Gao Lu argued that emperors and kings all took the Central Plains as the seat of orthodoxy and did not use the count of generations to decide succession, nor personal virtue or vice to determine legitimacy. Thus even though Jie and Zhou were utterly tyrannical, the Xia and Shang dynasties were not struck from the succession; and even though King Li and King Hui were utterly benighted, the Zhou and Jin lines were not excluded from the record. Jin had succeeded Wei as the Metal virtue; Zhao succeeded Jin as Water; Yan succeeded Zhao as Wood; and Qin succeeded Yan as Fire. When Qin fell, Wei assumed rule over the northern realm; moreover, Wei traced its surname to the Yellow Emperor; and in my humble view it ought to be assigned the Earth virtue." Secretary Director Li Biao, Compiler Cui Guang, and others argued that Shen Yuan had exchanged friendly missions with Jin Emperor Wu, and down through Huan and Mu had sought to assist the Jin house. The Sima line had ended at Jia and Luo, while the Tuoba received the mandate at Yun and Dai. In antiquity Qin had united the realm, yet Han still compared it to Gong Gong and in the end succeeded Zhou as the Fire virtue; how much more so when the Liu, Shi, and Fu regimes held narrow territory and brief reigns, and Wei succeeded their decline. How can Wei abandon Jin and claim Earth instead?" Minister of Works Mu Liang and the others all asked to follow the proposal of Biao and his colleagues. On the day renxu, an edict declared that Wei would succeed Jin as the Water virtue, with spirit-sacrifice on the day shen and winter sacrifice on the day chen.
78
On the day jiazi, Wei abolished rent assessment. Many members of the Wei imperial clan and descendants of meritorious ministers had been enfeoffed as kings. On the day yichou, an edict declared, "Except for descendants of the Illustrious Ancestor, all other kings are to be reduced to dukes, and dukes to marquises, while their official ranks remain unchanged. The barbarian king Huan Dan was also reduced to duke; only Zhangsun Guan, Prince of Shangdang, was exempted because his grandfather had rendered great service. Liu Chang, Prince of Danyang, was enfeoffed as Duke of Qijun and given the additional title Prince of Song.
79
Under the old Wei system, the four seasonal dawn sacrifices at the ancestral temple had all been held in the middle month of each season. On the day bingzi, an edict ordered that they be held instead in the first month of each season, on a day chosen for the occasion.
80
Prince Ziliang of Jingling was appointed director of the Secretariat.
81
殿殿
The Wei ruler demolished Taihua Hall and built Taiji Hall in its place. In the second month, on the day wuzi, he moved his residence to Yongle Palace. Minister Li Chong was appointed grand master of works and, together with Minister of Works Mu Liang, oversaw the construction.
82
On the day xinmao, Wei abolished the village feast held at the Cold Food Festival.
83
On the day jiawu, the Wei ruler for the first time performed the rite of greeting the sun at the eastern suburb. Thereafter he personally performed both the rites of greeting the sun and saluting the moon.
84
西
On the day dingyou, an edict ordered sacrifices to Yao at Pingyang, Shun at Guangning, Yu at Anyi, and the Duke of Zhou at Luoyang, commanding the local governors and prefects to perform the rites; while the temple of Confucius was to be honored with sacrifice at the Secretariat. On the day dingwei, Confucius's posthumous title was changed to Cultured Sage, Master Ni, and the emperor personally performed the bowing sacrifice. Under the old Wei system, at the turn of the season Heaven was sacrificed to at the western suburb. The Wei ruler and the dukes and ministers, with more than two thousand mounted followers in military dress, would circle the altar in what was called "gathering at the altar." The next day they would again ascend the altar in military dress to perform the sacrifice, and afterward circle it once more in what was called "circling Heaven." In the third month, on the day guiyou, an edict abolished all of these practices.
85
使
On the day xinsi, Wei appointed Gouyun of Goguryeo commander of all military affairs on the islets of the Liao Sea, Duke of Liaosong, and king of Goguryeo, and ordered him to send his heir to court. Gouyun pleaded illness and sent his younger uncle Sheng Yu to accompany the envoys to Pingcheng.
86
In summer, the fourth month, on the new moon of dinghai, Wei promulgated the new statutes and ordinances and declared a general amnesty.
87
On the day xinchou, Xiao Yi, Prince Wenxian of Yuzhang, died. He was posthumously granted the yellow battle-axe, command of all military affairs within and without, and the post of chancellor, and his funeral rites followed the precedent set for the Han Prince Xian of Dongping. Yi was benevolent, careful, incorrupt, and frugal, and never engaged in bribery. When the fast-day storehouse caught fire and burned the goods returned from Jingzhou, assessed at more than thirty million, the heads of the responsible offices were each flogged several dozen strokes and nothing more. When his illness grew grave, he left instructions to his sons: "Talent has its degrees, office its advances and setbacks, and fortune its poverty and wealth. These are natural conditions and give no one grounds to bully another. The emperor grieved deeply. Long afterward, whenever he spoke of Yi, he still sobbed and shed tears. On the day Yi died, his household treasury held no cash on hand, so the emperor ordered that his residence be granted one million cash each month; and this allowance continued until the end of the emperor's reign.
88
In the fifth month, on the day jisi, Prince Ziliang of Jingling was appointed governor of Yangzhou.
89
使
When Empress Dowager Wenming of Wei died, envoys were sent to announce her mourning to Tuyuhun. Foulianchou, king of Tuyuhun, received the announcement without proper respect. His ministers asked to punish him, but the Wei ruler refused; they again asked to return his tribute. The emperor said, "Tribute is the proper ritual of a subject. If we refuse them now, we cast him off entirely. Even if he wishes to reform himself, he will have no way to do so." He therefore ordered the return of captives taken at Taoyang and Nihe.
90
西西使 使 使
In autumn, the seventh month, on the day gengshen, Tuyuhun sent its heir Helutou to court at Wei. An edict appointed Foulianchou commander of all military affairs in the western marches, Duke of Xihai, and king of Tuyuhun, and sent Acting Supernumerary Attendant Cavalier Attendant-in-ordinary Zhang Li as envoy to Tuyuhun. Foulianchou said to Li, "Formerly Dangchang used to call himself by name yet was addressed as Great King. Now suddenly he is called Servant, and moreover our envoys are seized and detained; I wish to send a detached force to demand an explanation. What do you think? Li replied, "Your lordship and Dangchang are both vassals of Wei. To repeatedly raise troops and attack him grossly violates the duty of a subject. On the day I left the capital, the chief ministers said that if your lordship can recognize your own fault, your vassal status can be preserved; but if you do not reform, disaster will soon follow." Foulianchou fell silent.
91
On the day jiaxu, Wei sent Acting Supernumerary Attendant Cavalier Attendant-in-ordinary Song Bian of Guangping and others on a diplomatic mission. When they returned, the Wei ruler asked Bian, "What is the situation south of the Yangtze? Bian replied, "The Xiao father and son have rendered no great service to the realm. Having seized power by rebellion, they cannot preserve it through orderly rule; their government orders are harsh and minute, and taxes and corvée are heavy and burdensome; the court lacks loyal pillars of support, and in the countryside there are people full of grief and resentment; they would be fortunate merely to die of natural causes; that is hardly the way to leave a legacy for their descendants."
92
西
In the eighth month, on the day yimou, Northern Wei appointed Yi, Prince of Yangping and commander of Huashuo Garrison, and Lu Rui, general who guards the north, both as overall commanders over twelve generals and one hundred thousand infantry and cavalry. They split into three columns to attack the Rouran: the center column marched through Black Mountain, the eastern column toward the Shilu River, and the western column toward the Houyan River. The army crossed the great desert, routed the Rouran, and returned.
93
Earlier, the Rouran khan Fumidun and his uncle Nagai had divided their forces to attack Avuzhiluo of the Gaoche. Fumidun suffered defeat again and again, while Nagai won victory after victory. The Rouran believed Nagai enjoyed Heaven's favor, so they killed Fumidun and enthroned Nagai in his place, styling him Khan Huiqifudaike and changing the era name to Da'an.
94
祿
Wei's minister of education, Wei Yuan, and grand master of ceremonies, You Minggen, repeatedly memorialized asking to retire, and the Wei ruler approved. He received them in audience and sent them off with gifts: for Yuan, a black cap and plain white robes; for Minggen, a wei-mao cap and a blue gauze unlined garment, along with other clothing and household items. The Wei ruler personally honored the Three Elders and Five Respected Ones in the Bright Hall. On the day jiyou, an edict named Yuan Three Elders and Minggen Five Respected Ones. The emperor bowed twice to the Three Elders, bared his shoulder and cut the sacrificial animal himself, then held the cup and presented the offering; he made a respectful bow to the Five Respected Ones; then asked for their counsel, and Yuan and Minggen urged him to transform the people through filial piety and brotherly affection. He also honored the state elders and common elders on the steps below. When the ceremony was finished, he gave Yuan and Minggen each a hand-drawn carriage and robes. The Three Elders received the emolument of a senior duke, and the Five Respected Ones that of a chief minister.
95
In the ninth month, on the day jiayin, the Wei ruler arranged the zhao-mu order in the Bright Hall and sacrificed to Empress Dowager Wenming in the Mysterious Chamber. On xinwei, when the second mourning period for Empress Dowager Wenming ended, the Wei ruler wept beside Yonggu Mausoleum without stopping all day and went without food for two days. On the day jiaxu, he took leave of the tomb and returned to the Yongle Palace.
96
Yang Jishi, king of the Wuxing Di, invaded Hanzhong and advanced as far as Baima. Yin Zhibo, governor of Liang Province, sent the commanders Huan Lunu, Yin Chongchang, and others against them. They routed the invaders and captured or killed several thousand men. Jishi fled back to Wuxing and submitted to Wei; On the day xinsi, he came to court in Wei. Wei appointed Jishi governor of South Qin Province, marquis of Hanzhong commandery, and king of Wuxing.
97
In winter, the tenth month, on the day jiawu, the Emperor performed the yin sacrifice at the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
98
On the day gengxu, Wei appointed Xiu, Prince of Anding, grand marshal, and Feng Dan, specially advanced, minister of education. Dan was a son of Xi.
99
殿
Northern Wei's Hall of Supreme Ultimate was completed.
100
In the twelfth month, Xiao Chen, staff officer to the minister of education, and Fan Yun were sent on a diplomatic mission to Wei. The Wei ruler held the Qi envoys in high regard and spoke with them personally. Turning to his ministers, he said, "There are many fine ministers south of the Yangtze." Attendant Li Yuankai replied, "There are indeed many fine ministers south of the Yangtze—they change their lord every year; north of the Yangtze there are no fine ministers, yet rulers change only once in a century." The Wei ruler was deeply shamed.
101
使
The Emperor had Shen Yue, steward to the heir apparent, compile the Book of Song. Uncertain whether to include a biography of Yuan Can, Shen Yue sought the Emperor's judgement. The Emperor said, "Yuan Can was truly a loyal minister of the Song house." Shen Yue also included many indecent episodes concerning Emperor Xiaowu and Emperor Ming of Song. The Emperor said, "The deeds of Emperor Xiaowu cannot all be recorded so bluntly at once. I once served Emperor Ming myself; you should reflect on the principle of concealing a ruler's faults." As a result, much was deleted.
102
That year, Zhunong, grandson of Fan Yangmai, king of Linyi, led his tribesmen against Fan Dangenchun and recovered the kingdom. An edict appointed Zhunong commander-in-chief of all coastal military affairs and king of Linyi.
103
西 宿
Zheng Xi, Duke of Nanyang of Wei, was related by marriage to Li Chong, who brought him in as director of the secretariat. When sent out as governor of West Yan Province, he proved greedy and corrupt in office. Empress Dowager Wenming had the Wei ruler take his daughter as a consort and summoned Xi back to serve as director of the library. When he died, the Ministry of Works memorialized that his posthumous name should be Xuan. An edict said, "Once the coffin is closed the posthumous name is fixed, to exalt the upright and condemn the corrupt. Thus though He Zeng was filial, good historians recorded his errors and disgrace; though Jia Chong had merit, upright men called him Duke Absurd. Though Xi had long-standing literary attainments, his governance lacked integrity and purity. How could the Ministry of Works so far depart from utmost fairness in its partiality and violate the clear statutes! According to the Posthumous Name Law: 'Broadly learned and widely seen is called Wen; attaining renown without diligence is called Ling.' Let him be granted his former office and given the additional posthumous name Wen Ling."”
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