1
資治通鑑第142卷
Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance, Volume 142
2
【齊紀八】屠維單閼，一年。
[Qi Records 8] The eighth annal of Qi covers the xinyou year, a single year of the chronicle.
3
東昏侯上永元元年（ 己卯，公元四九九年）
The first year of Yongyuan under Marquis Donghun, Part One ( jimao, equivalent to 499 CE)
4
春，正月，戊寅朔，大赦，改元。
In spring, on the first day of the first month (wuyin), the court declared a general amnesty and adopted a new reign title.
5
太尉陳顯達督平北將軍崔慧景等軍四萬擊魏，欲復雍州諸郡； 癸未，魏遣前將軍元英拒之。
Grand Marshal Chen Xianda took command of a forty-thousand-man force led by General Who Pacifies the North Cui Jingjing and others to strike Wei, aiming to retake the commanderies of Yong Province; On guimou, Wei dispatched the former general Yuan Ying to oppose them.
6
乙酉，魏主發鄴。
On yiyou, the Wei emperor departed from Ye.
7
辛卯，帝祀南郊。
On xinmao, the Qi emperor performed the southern suburban sacrifice.
8
戊戌，魏主至洛陽，過李沖家。 時臥疾，望之而泣； 見留守官，語及沖，輒流涕。
On wuxu, the Wei emperor reached Luoyang and went by Li Chong's residence. Li was then bedridden with illness; the emperor looked upon him and wept; whenever he met the officials left behind in the capital and the conversation touched on Li Chong, tears would stream down his face.
9
魏主謂任城王澄曰：「朕離京以來，舊俗少變不？」 對曰：「聖化日新。」 帝曰：「朕入城，見車上婦人猶戴帽、著小襖，何謂日新！」 對曰：「著者少，不著者多。」 帝曰； 「任城，此何言也！ 必欲使滿城盡著邪！」 澄與留守官皆免冠謝。
The Wei emperor said to Prince Cheng of Ren, "Since I left the capital, have the old ways changed much at all?" He answered, "Your holy influence grows fresher every day." The emperor said, "When I entered the city I still saw women in carts wearing hats and short jackets—what do you mean by 'renewing every day'!" He replied, "Those who still dress that way are few; those who do not are many." The emperor said, "Prince of Ren, what kind of answer is that! Must every person in the whole city dress that way before you will call it changed!" Cheng and the capital officials who had stayed behind all removed their caps and begged forgiveness.
10
甲辰，魏大赦。 魏主之幸鄴也，李彪迎拜於鄴南，且謝罪。 帝曰：「朕欲用卿，恩李僕射而止。」 慰而遣之。 會御史台令史龍文觀告：「太子恂被收之日，有手書自理，彪不以聞。」 尚書表收彪赴洛陽。 帝以為彪必不然； 以牛車散載詣洛陽，會赦，得免。
On jiachen, Wei declared a general amnesty. When the Wei emperor visited Ye, Li Biao went out to welcome him south of the city, bowed, and pleaded for pardon. The emperor said, "I meant to use you, but held back out of regard for Vice Minister Li." He comforted him and let him go. Then the Censorate clerk Long Wenguang lodged a charge: "On the day Crown Prince Xun was arrested he wrote a plea in his own hand, and Biao never reported it." The Ministry of Works memorialized that Biao be arrested and brought to Luoyang. The emperor was convinced Biao could not have done such a thing; he had him conveyed to Luoyang in ordinary ox-carts without bonds, and when the amnesty was proclaimed he was spared.
11
魏太保齊郡靈王簡卒。
The Wei Grand Preceptor, Prince Jian the Spirited of Qi Commandery, died.
12
二月，辛亥，魏以咸陽王禧為太尉。
In the second month, on xinhai, Wei made Prince Xi of Xianyang Grand Marshal.
13
魏主連年在外，馮后私於宦官高菩薩。 及帝在懸瓠病篤，后益肆意無所憚，中常侍雙蒙等為之心腹。
With the Wei emperor away from the capital year after year, Empress Feng took the eunuch Gao Pusa as her secret lover. When the emperor grew critically ill at Xuanchi, the empress grew ever bolder and fearless, and the chief eunuchs Shuang Meng and others became her intimate confidants.
14
彭城公主為宋王劉昶之婦，寡居。 后為其母弟北平公馮夙求婚，帝許之； 公主不願，後強之。 公主密與家僮冒雨詣懸瓠，訴於帝，且具道后所為。 帝疑而秘之。 后聞之，始懼。 陰與母常氏使女巫厭禱，曰：「帝疾若不起，一旦得如文明太后輔少主稱制者，當賞報不貲。」
Princess Pengcheng had been the wife of Prince Song Liu Chang and now lived in widowhood. The empress sought a match for her with her uterine younger brother, Duke of Beiping Feng Su, and the emperor agreed; the princess refused, but the empress pressed the marriage upon her. The princess slipped away with a household servant through the rain to Xuanchi, laid her grievance before the emperor, and told him everything the empress had done. The emperor was troubled but kept the affair concealed. When the empress learned of this, fear seized her for the first time. In secret she and her mother Lady Chang had sorceresses perform malign rites, saying, "If the emperor's illness does not abate and he does not rise again, but should I one day rule as regent like Empress Dowager Wenming did for a young emperor, your reward shall be beyond counting."
15
帝還洛，收高菩薩、雙蒙等，案問，具伏。 帝在含溫室，夜引后入，賜坐東楹，去御榻二丈餘，命菩薩等陳狀。 既而召彭城王勰、北海王詳入坐，曰：「昔為汝嫂，今是路人，但入勿避！」 又曰：「此嫗欲手刃吾脅！ 吾以文明太后家女，不能廢，但虛置宮中，有心庶能自死； 汝等勿謂吾猶有情也。」 二王出，賜后辭訣； 后再拜，稽首涕泣。 入居後宮。 諸嬪御奉之猶如后禮，唯命太子不復朝謁而已。
After the emperor returned to Luoyang, Gao Pusa, Shuang Meng, and the rest were seized and examined; they confessed everything. The emperor was in the Hanwen Chamber. That night he had the empress brought in and gave her a seat by the eastern pillar, more than two zhang from his couch, then ordered Pusa and the others to lay out the whole affair. He then called in Prince Xie of Pengcheng and Prince Xiang of Beihai to sit with him and said, "She was once your sister-in-law; now she is a stranger on the road—yet come in and do not hold back!" He added, "This hag wanted to stab me in the side with her own hand! Because she is a daughter of Empress Dowager Wenming's clan I cannot depose her; I can only keep her idle in the palace, hoping in my heart that she may choose death for herself; do not imagine that I still harbor affection for her." The two princes withdrew, and the emperor gave the empress her parting words; the empress bowed twice, touched her forehead to the ground, and wept. She went to live in the rear palace. All the consorts and attendants still served her with empress's rites; the sole command was that the crown prince should no longer attend her.
16
初，馮熙以文明太后之兄尚恭宗女博陵長公主。 熙有三女，二為皇后，一為左昭儀，由是馮氏貴寵冠群臣，賞賜累巨萬。 公主生二子：「誕、修。 熙為太保，誕為司徒，修為侍中、尚書，庶子聿為黃門郎。 黃門侍郎崔光與聿同直，謂聿曰：「君家富貴太盛，終必衰敗。」 聿曰：「我家何所負，而君無諒詛我！」 光曰：「不然。 物盛必衰，此天地之常理。 若以古事推之，不可不慎。」 後歲餘而修敗。 修性浮競，誕屢戒之，不悛，乃白於太后及帝而杖之。 修由是恨誕，求藥，使誕左右毒之。 事覺，帝欲誅之，誕自引咎，懇乞其生。 帝亦以其父老，杖修百餘，黜為平城民。 及誕、熙繼卒，幽后尋廢，聿亦擯棄，馮氏遂衰。
Earlier, Feng Xi, brother of Empress Dowager Wenming, had married Emperor Gongzong's daughter, the Long Princess of Boling. Xi had three daughters—two became empresses and one Senior Lady of Bright Deportment on the left—so the Feng clan's favor surpassed every other house at court, and their rewards ran into the tens of millions. The princess bore two sons, Dan and Xiu. Xi served as Grand Preceptor, Dan as Minister of Works, Xiu as Palace Attendant and Minister of the Secretariat, and the son by a concubine, Yu, as Gentleman of the Yellow Gate. Gentleman of the Yellow Gate Cui Guang shared a watch with Yu and told him, "Your house is too rich and too grand; in the end it is bound to fall." Yu said, "What wrong has my family done, that you curse us without cause!" Guang said, "That is not the point. What flourishes must wither; that is the constant law of Heaven and Earth. Judge by what the past records, and you cannot afford to be careless." A little more than a year later Xiu was ruined. Xiu was flighty and quarrelsome; Dan warned him again and again, but he would not mend his ways, so Dan reported him to the empress dowager and the emperor and had him flogged. Xiu therefore hated Dan, obtained poison, and had Dan's attendants administer it. When the plot was exposed the emperor meant to put him to death; Dan accepted the blame and pleaded earnestly for his brother's life. The emperor, mindful that Xiu's father was aged, had Xiu beaten more than a hundred times and reduced him to a commoner of Pingcheng. "When Dan and Xi died one after another, the Deposed Empress was soon cast out, Yu was cast aside as well, and the Feng clan waned.
17
癸亥，魏以彭城王勰為司徒。
On guihai, Wei made Prince Xie of Pengcheng Minister of Works.
18
陳顯達與魏元英戰，屢破之。 攻馬圈城四十日，城中食盡，啖死人肉及樹皮。 癸酉，魏人突圍走，斬獲千計。 顯達入城，將士競取城中絹，遂不窮追。 顯達又遣軍主莊丘黑進擊南鄉，拔之。
Chen Xianda battled Yuan Ying of Wei and routed him again and again. He invested Maquan for forty days until the city's food was gone and the defenders ate the flesh of the dead and tree bark. On guiyou the Wei forces broke out and fled; the Qi army killed and captured thousands. Xianda entered the city, but his troops scrambled for the silk stored there and therefore did not press the pursuit. Xianda also sent the army commander Zhuangqiu He against Nanxiang and took it.
19
魏主謂任城王澄曰：「顯達侵擾，朕不親行，無以制之。」 三月，庚辰，魏主發洛陽，命於烈居守，以右衛將軍宋弁兼祠部尚書，攝七兵事以佐之。 弁精勤吏治，恩遇亞於李沖。
The Wei emperor said to Prince Cheng of Ren, "Xianda is pressing our borders; unless I take the field myself, there is no holding him in check." In the third month, on gengchen, the Wei emperor left Luoyang, left Yu Lie to guard the capital, and made General of the Right Guard Song Bian concurrent Minister of Rites with acting charge of military affairs to assist him. Bian was meticulous in civil administration, and the favor shown him was second only to Li Chong.
20
癸未，魏主至梁城。 崔慧景攻魏順陽，順陽太守清河張烈固守； 甲申，魏主遣振威將軍慕容平城將騎五千救之。
On guimou the Wei emperor reached Liangcheng. Cui Jingjing attacked Wei's Shunyang, but the governor Zhang Lie of Qinghe held the city; On jiashen the Wei emperor sent General Who Quells Might Murong Pingcheng with five thousand cavalry to relieve the city.
21
自魏主有疾，彭城王勰常居中侍醫藥，晝夜不離左右，飲食必先嘗而後進，蓬首垢面，衣不解帶。 帝久疾多忿，近侍失指，動欲誅斬。 勰承顏伺間，多所匡救。
Ever since the Wei emperor fell ill, Prince Xie of Pengcheng had stayed at his side within the palace tending his medicines, never leaving him day or night, tasting every meal before it was served, his hair unkempt, his face unwashed, his belt never loosened. The emperor, long ill and quick to rage, would seize on the slightest slip by those near him and at once want them put to death. Xie read his mood and seized every chance to intervene, saving many from execution.
22
丙戌，以勰為使持節、都督中外諸軍事。 勰辭曰：「臣侍疾無暇，安能治軍！ 願更請一王，使總軍要，臣得專心醫藥。」 帝曰：「侍疾、治軍，皆憑於汝。 吾病如此，深慮不濟； 安六軍、保社稷者，捨汝而誰！ 何容方更請人以違心寄乎！」
On bingxu Xie was appointed bearer of the imperial staff and supreme commander of all forces within and beyond the borders. Xie declined, saying, "I am wholly occupied nursing Your Majesty's illness—how can I command armies! Please appoint another prince to hold overall military command so that I may devote myself entirely to your care." The emperor said, "Both my nursing and the armies depend on you. My illness is so grave that I deeply fear I shall not recover; to steady the six armies and preserve the realm—who but you! How could I now ask for someone else and betray the trust I place in you!"
23
丁酉，魏主至馬圈，命荊州刺史廣陽王嘉斷均口，邀齊兵歸路。 嘉，建之子也。
On dingyou the Wei emperor reached Maquan and ordered the governor of Jing, Prince Jia of Guangyang, to block the Jun outlet and cut off the Qi army's retreat. Jia was the son of Jian.
24
陳顯達引兵渡水西，據鷹子山築城； 人情沮恐，與魏戰，屢敗。 魏武衛將軍元嵩免冑陷陳，將士隨之，齊兵大敗。 嵩，澄之弟也。
Chen Xianda led his troops west across the river and fortified Eagle Peak; morale sank in fear, and in battle with Wei they were beaten again and again. Wei's Martial Guard General Yuan Song cast off his helmet and charged into the enemy ranks; his men followed, and the Qi army was routed. Song was Cheng's younger brother.
25
戊戌，夜，軍主崔恭祖、胡松以烏布幔盛顯達，數人擔之，間道自分磧山出均水口南走。 己亥，魏收顯達軍資億計，班賜將士，追奔至漢水而還。 左軍將軍張千戰死，士卒死者三萬餘人。
On wuxu, by night, army commanders Cui Gongzu and Hu Song wrapped Xianda in a black cloth litter; several men bore him along a secret route south from Mount Fenqi through the Jun outlet to escape. On jihai Wei seized Xianda's supplies, worth hundreds of millions, rewarded the troops, pursued the fugitives to the Han River, and turned back. Left Army General Zhang Qian was killed in battle, and more than thirty thousand soldiers died.
26
顯達之北伐，軍入汋均口。 廣平馮道根說顯達曰：「汋均水迅急，易進難退； 魏若守隘，則首尾俱急。 不如悉棄船於酇城，陸道步進，列營相次，鼓行而前，破之必矣。」 顯達不從。 道根以私屬從軍，及顯達夜走，軍人不知山路，道根每及險要，輒停馬指示之，眾賴以全。 詔以道根為汋均口戍副。 顯達素有威名，至是大損。 御史中丞范岫奏免顯達官，顯達亦自表解職； 皆不許，更以顯達為江州刺史。 崔慧景亦棄順陽走還。
On Xianda's northern campaign his army entered the Zhuo-Jun outlet. Feng Daogen of Guangping warned Xianda, "The Zhuo-Jun current runs fast; it is easy to go in and hard to get out; if Wei holds the pass, you will be trapped at both ends. Better to leave every boat at Zheng and march overland, camp after camp in line, advancing to the drumbeat—you are sure to break them." Xianda would not listen. Daogen had come along as a private follower; when Xianda fled by night the troops did not know the mountain trails, but at every dangerous pass Daogen would stop his horse and show the way, and the army owed its escape to him. An edict made Daogen deputy commander of the Zhuo-Jun garrison. Xianda's name had long carried weight, but now it was gravely diminished. Censor-in-Chief Fan Xiu memorialized to strip Xianda of his posts, and Xianda too asked to resign; both pleas were denied, and Xianda was made governor of Jiang Province instead. Cui Jingjing likewise abandoned Shunyang and retreated.
27
庚子，魏主疾甚，北還，至谷塘原，謂司徒勰曰：「後宮久乖陰德，吾死之後，可賜自盡，葬以后禮，庶免馮門之丑。」 又曰：「吾病益惡，殆必不起。 雖摧破顯達，而天下未平，嗣子幼弱，社稷所倚，唯在於汝。 霍子孟、諸葛孔明以異姓受顧托，況汝親賢，可不勉之！」 勰泣曰：「布衣之士，猶為知己畢命； 況臣托靈先帝，依陛下之末光乎！ 但臣以至親，久參機要，寵靈輝赫，海內莫及； 所以敢受而不辭，正恃陛下日月之明，恕臣忘退之過耳。 今復任以元宰，總握機政； 震主之聲，取罪必矣。 昔周公大聖，成王至明，猶不免疑，而況臣乎！ 如此，則陛下愛臣，更為未盡始終之美。」 帝默然久之，曰：「詳思汝言，理實難奪。」 乃手詔太子曰：「汝叔父勰，清規懋賞，與白雲俱潔； 厭榮捨紱，以松竹為心。 吾少與綢繆，未忍睽離。 百年之後，其聽勰辭蟬捨冕，遂其沖挹之性。」 以侍中、護軍將軍北海王詳為司空，鎮南將軍王肅為尚書令，鎮南大將軍廣陽王嘉為左僕射，尚書宋弁為吏部尚書，與侍中、太尉禧、尚書右僕射，尚書宋弁為吏部尚書，與侍中、太尉禧、尚書右僕射澄等六人輔政。
On gengzi the Wei emperor was critically ill and headed north; at Gutang Plain he told Minister of Works Xie, "The inner palace has long betrayed feminine virtue; after I die, grant her death and bury her with empress's honors, lest the Feng clan's disgrace spread further." He added, "My illness grows worse; I will surely not recover. Though Xianda is broken, the realm is not yet at peace, the heir is young and frail, and the altars of state rest on you alone. Huo Guang and Zhuge Liang took the dying charge though they were not of the imperial clan—how much more must you, my close kin and worthy man, strive!" Xie wept and said, "Even a commoner will die for one who knows his worth; how much more I, who owe my being to the late emperor and live in Your Majesty's reflected light! Yet I am your closest kin and have long held the reins of power; my favor blazes so high that none under heaven can match it; I dared accept only because I trusted in Your Majesty's brilliance to forgive my failure to step back in time. Now to be named chief minister and hold every lever of state; a name that overshadows the throne—guilt is inevitable. Even the Duke of Zhou, greatest of sages, and King Cheng, brightest of kings, could not escape suspicion—how much more I! That way Your Majesty's love for me would fail to reach a graceful end." The emperor was silent a long while, then said, "I have weighed your words carefully; the logic is hard to refute." He then wrote a personal edict to the crown prince: "Your uncle Xie holds himself to pure standards and high merit, spotless as white clouds; weary of glory, he would cast off rank and keep pine and bamboo in his heart. We have been close since youth, and I cannot bear to part from him. After I am gone, let Xie lay down rank and crown and live out his modest nature." He named Palace Attendant and General Who Guards the Army Prince Xiang of Beihai Minister of Works, General Who Guards the South Wang Su Minister of the Secretariat, Grand General Who Guards the South Prince Jia of Guangyang Left Vice Minister, and Minister Song Bian Minister of Personnel; together with Palace Attendant and Grand Marshal Xi, Right Vice Minister of the Secretariat, Minister Song Bian as Minister of Personnel, together with Palace Attendant and Grand Marshal Xi, Right Vice Minister Cheng, and others—six men to form the regency.
28
夏，四月，丙午朔，殂於谷塘原。 高祖友愛諸弟，始終無間。 嘗從容謂咸陽王禧等曰：「我後子孫解逅不肖，汝等觀望，可輔則輔之，不可輔則取之，勿為它人有也。」 親任賢能，從善如流，精勤庶務，朝夕不倦。 常曰：「人主患不能處心公平，推誠於物。 能是二者，則胡、越之人皆可使如兄弟矣。」 用法雖嚴，於大臣無所容貸，然人有小過，常多闊略。 嘗於食中得蟲，又左右進羹誤傷帝手，皆笑而赦之。 天地五郊、宗廟二分之祭，未嘗不身親其禮。 每出巡遊及用兵，有司奏修道路，帝輒曰：「粗修橋樑，通車馬而已，勿去草鏟令平也。」 在淮南行兵，如在境內，禁士卒無得踐傷粟稻； 或伐民樹以供軍用，皆留絹償之。 宮室非不得已不修，衣弊，浣濯而服之，鞍勒用鐵木而已。 幼多力善射，能以指彈碎羊骨，射禽獸無不命中； 及年十五，遂不復畋獵。 常謂史官曰：「時事不可以不直書。 人君威福在己，無能制之者； 若史策復不書其惡，將何所畏忌邪！」
In summer, on the first day of the fourth month (bingwu), he died at Gutang Plain. Emperor Gaozu loved his younger brothers warmly, and their bond never broke. He once told Prince Xi of Xianyang and the others calmly, "If my descendants prove unworthy, watch them: assist them if you can; if not, take the throne yourselves—do not let outsiders have it." He personally employed the worthy, followed good counsel readily, and labored at state affairs from dawn to dusk without tiring. He often said, "A ruler's trouble is failing to keep a fair mind and extend sincerity to all. Master these two, and even Hu and Yue peoples can be made as close as brothers." Though he enforced the law strictly and showed no mercy to great ministers, he often overlooked petty faults. Once he found a worm in his food; another time attendants spilling soup scalded his hand—in both cases he laughed and pardoned them. For sacrifices to Heaven and Earth, the five suburban rites, and the ancestral temple observances at the equinoxes, he always performed the rites himself. Whenever he toured or campaigned and officials proposed road repairs, he would say, "Patch the bridges enough for carts and horses—that is all; do not strip the grass and level the ground." On campaign in Huainan he treated the land as his own domain and forbade troops to trample grain; if trees were felled for the army, silk was left to pay for them. He repaired palaces only when he must; worn clothes he washed and wore again; saddle and bridle were plain ironwood. As a youth he was powerful and skilled with the bow; he could snap sheep bones with a flick of his finger, and never missed his mark hunting birds and beasts; but from the age of fifteen he gave up hunting altogether. He often told the historiographers, "Current affairs must be recorded truthfully. A ruler holds all power in his own hands, and none can check him; if the histories do not record his wrongs, what will he have left to fear?"
29
彭城王勰與任城王澄謀，以陳顯達去尚未遠，恐其覆相掩逼，乃秘不發喪，徙御臥輿，唯二王與左右數人知之。 勰出入神色無異，奉膳，進藥，可決外奏，一如平日。 數日，至宛城，夜，進臥輿於郡聽事，得加棺斂，還載臥輿內，外莫有知者。 遣中書舍人張儒奉詔征太子； 密以凶問告留守於烈。 烈處分行留，舉止無變。 太子至魯陽，遇梓宮，乃發喪； 丁巳，即位，大赦。
Prince Xie of Pengcheng and Prince Cheng of Ren agreed that with Chen Xianda not yet far off he might turn back and trap them, so they kept the death secret, moved the emperor into the traveling litter, and told only the two princes and a handful of attendants. Xie came and went with an unchanged face, served meals, gave medicine, and ruled on outside memorials exactly as before. Several days later they reached Wancheng; that night they brought the litter into the commandery hall, coffined the body, and returned it to the litter—no one outside knew. They sent Palace Secretariat Attendant Zhang Ru with an edict to summon the crown prince; and secretly told Yu Lie, left behind in the capital, of the death. Lie carried on the administration without any change in manner. When the crown prince reached Luyang he met the bier and only then proclaimed mourning; On dingsi he ascended the throne and declared a general amnesty.
30
彭城王勰跪授遣敕數紙。 東宮官屬多疑勰有異志，密防之，而勰推誠盡禮，卒無間隙。 咸陽王禧至魯陽，留城外以察其變。 久之，乃入，謂勰曰：「汝此行不唯勤勞，亦實危險。」 勰曰：「兄年長識高，故知有夷險； 彥和握蛇騎虎，不覺艱難。」 禧曰：「汝恨吾後至耳。」
Prince Xie of Pengcheng knelt and presented the several sheets of the dying charge. The Eastern Palace staff mostly suspected Xie of ulterior designs and watched him in secret, but he acted with full sincerity and courtesy, and in the end they found no fault. Prince Xi of Xianyang reached Luyang but stayed outside the walls to watch for trouble. After a long while he entered and told Xie, "This journey was not only arduous—it was truly dangerous." Xie said, "You are older and wiser, brother, so you knew danger from safety; Yanhe held a serpent and rode a tiger and never felt the strain." Xi said, "You only resent that I came late."
31
勰等以高祖遺詔，賜馮后死。 北海王詳使長秋卿白整入授后藥，后走呼，不肯飲，曰：「官豈有此，是諸王輩殺我耳！」 整執持強之，乃飲藥而卒。 喪至洛城南，咸陽王禧等知后審死，相視曰：「設無遺詔，我兄弟亦當決策去之； 豈可令失行婦人宰制天下，殺我輩也！」 謚曰幽皇后。
Following Emperor Gaozu's dying charge, Xie and the others ordered Empress Feng to die. Prince Xiang of Beihai sent Director of the Long Autumn Bai Zheng in with poison for the empress; she ran about crying and would not drink, saying, "The court would never do this—it is those princes killing me!" Zheng seized her and forced the draught down; she drank and died. When the funeral reached south of Luoyang, Prince Xi of Xianyang and the others, knowing the empress was truly dead, looked at one another and said, "Even without the dying charge we brothers would have had to remove her; how could we let a woman of loose conduct rule the realm and slaughter us!" She was given the posthumous title Deposed Empress.
32
五月，癸亥，加撫軍大將軍始安王遙光開府儀同三司。
In the fifth month, on guihai, Grand General Who Pacifies the Army Prince Yaoguang of Shi'an was granted Bearer of the Insignia Equal to the Three Dukes with ministerial standing.
33
丙申，魏葬孝文帝於長陵，廟號高祖。
On bingshen Wei buried Emperor Xiaowen at Changling with the temple name Gaozu.
34
魏世宗欲以彭城王勰為相； 勰屢陳遺旨，請遂素懷，帝對之悲慟。 勰懇請不已，乃以勰為使持節、侍中、都督冀、定等七州諸軍事、驃騎大將軍、開府儀同三司、定州刺史。 勰猶固辭，帝不許，乃之官。
Emperor Shizong of Wei wished to make Prince Xie of Pengcheng his chief minister; Xie repeatedly cited the dying charge and asked to honor his lifelong wish; the emperor wept before him in grief. As Xie's pleas would not end, he was named bearer of the imperial staff, Palace Attendant, commander-in-chief of the seven provinces including Ji and Ding, Grand General of Agile Cavalry, Bearer of the Insignia Equal to the Three Dukes, and governor of Ding Province. Xie still refused, but the emperor would not hear of it, and he took up his post.
35
魏任城王澄以王肅羈旅，位加己上，意頗不平。 會齊人降者嚴叔懋告肅謀逃還江南，澄輒禁止肅，表稱謀叛； 案驗無實。 咸陽王禧等奏澄擅禁宰輔，免官還第，尋出為雍州刺史。
Prince Cheng of Ren resented that Wang Su, a man living in exile, held rank above his own. A Qi defector named Yan Shumao reported that Su planned to flee back to the south; Cheng at once detained Su and memorialized that he plotted rebellion; investigation found no truth in the charge. Prince Xi of Xianyang and others memorialized that Cheng had detained a chief minister on his own authority; he was stripped of office and sent home, then soon appointed governor of Yong Province.
36
六月，戊辰，魏追尊皇妣高氏為文昭皇后，配饗高祖，增修舊塚，號終寧陵。 追賜後父颺爵勃海公，謚曰敬，以其嫡孫猛襲爵； 封後兄肇為平原公，肇弟顯為澄城公； 三人同日受封。 魏主素未識諸舅，始賜衣幘引見，皆惶懼失措； 數日之間，富貴赫奕。
In the sixth month, on wuchen, Wei posthumously honored the emperor's mother Lady Gao as Empress Wenzhao, enshrined her beside Gaozu, enlarged her old tomb, and named it Zhongning Mausoleum. The empress's father Yang was posthumously made Duke of Bohai with the epithet Respectful, and his legitimate grandson Meng inherited the title; the empress's elder brother Zhao was enfeoffed as Duke of Pingyuan and Zhao's younger brother Xian as Duke of Chengcheng; all three were enfeoffed on the same day. The Wei emperor had never met his maternal uncles; when he first gave them robes and caps and received them in audience, they were all terrified and at a loss; within days their wealth and glory blazed beyond measure.
37
秋，八月，戊申，魏用高祖遺詔，三夫人以下皆遣還家。
In autumn, the eighth month, on wushen, Wei carried out Gaozu's dying charge and sent home every consort from Third Lady downward.
38
帝自在東宮，不好學，唯嬉戲無度； 性重澀少言。 及即位，不與朝士相接，專親信宦官及左右御刀、應敕等。
From his days in the Eastern Palace the emperor disliked study and played without restraint; his nature was grave and taciturn. Once enthroned he shunned court officials and trusted only eunuchs and personal attendants such as the imperial sword-bearers and edict runners.
39
是時，揚州刺史始安王遙光、尚書令徐孝嗣、右僕射江祏、右將軍蕭坦之、侍中江祀，衛尉劉暄更直內省，分日帖敕。 雍州刺史蕭衍聞之，謂從舅錄事參軍范陽張弘策曰：「一國三公猶不堪，況六貴同朝，勢必相圖，亂將作矣。 避禍圖福，無如此州，但諸弟在都，恐罹世患，當更與益州圖之耳。」 乃密與弘策修武備，它人皆不得預謀。 招聚驍勇以萬數，多伐材竹，沉之檀溪，積茅如岡阜，皆不之用。 中兵參軍東平呂僧珍覺其意，亦私具櫓數百張。 先是，僧珍為羽林監，徐孝嗣欲引置其府，僧珍知孝嗣不能久，固求從衍。 是時，衍兄懿罷益州刺史還，仍行郢州事，衍使弘策說懿曰：「今六貴比肩，人自畫敕，爭權睚眥，理相圖滅。 主上自東宮素無令譽，媟近左右，慓輕忍虐，安肯委政諸公，虛坐主諾！ 嫌忌積久，必大行誅戮。 始安欲為趙王倫，形跡已見； 然性猜量狹，徒為禍階。 蕭坦之忌克陵人，徐孝嗣聽人穿鼻，江祏無斷，劉暄闇弱； 一朝禍發，中外土崩，吾兄弟幸守外籓，宜為身計； 及今猜防未生，當悉召諸弟，恐異時拔足無路矣。 郢州控帶荊、湘，雍州士馬精強，世治則竭誠本朝，世亂則足以匡濟； 與時進退，此萬全之策也。 若不早圖，後悔無及。」 弘策又自說懿曰：「以卿兄弟英武，天下無敵，據郢、雍二州，為百姓請命，廢昏立明，易於反掌，此桓、文之業也。 勿為豎子所欺，取笑身後。 雍州揣之已熟，願善圖之！」 懿不從。 衍乃迎其弟驃騎外兵參軍偉及西中郎外兵參軍憺至襄陽。
At this time Governor of Yang Province Prince Yaoguang of Shi'an, Minister of the Secretariat Xu Xiaosi, Right Vice Minister Jiang Shi, Right General Xiao Tanzhi, Palace Attendant Jiang Si, and Commandant of the Guard Liu Xuan rotated duty in the inner palace, each affixing edicts on his assigned day. When Xiao Yan, governor of Yong Province, heard this he told his cousin on his mother's side, recording affairs officer Zhang Hongce of Fanyang, "Even three dukes in one state are unbearable—how much more six nobles at court together; they are bound to plot against one another, and turmoil is coming. To escape disaster and seek fortune there is no better province, but my younger brothers are in the capital and may be caught in the coming storm—we must also plan with Yi Province." He then secretly prepared defenses with Hongce; no one else was let into the planning. He recruited tens of thousands of fierce fighters, felled timber and bamboo in quantity and sank it in Tan Stream, piled thatch like hills—and used none of it yet. Middle army officer Lü Sengzhen of Dongping sensed his intent and secretly prepared several hundred scaling ladders on his own. Earlier, when Sengzhen was supervisor of the Feathered Forest guard, Xu Xiaosi tried to bring him into his staff; Sengzhen knew Xiaosi would not last and insisted on following Yan. At this time Yan's elder brother Yi had left the governorship of Yi and returned, still acting for Ying Province; Yan had Hongce tell Yi, "Now the six nobles stand side by side, each stamping his own edicts; they fight for power with murderous grudges—they are bound to destroy one another. The emperor has had no good name since the Eastern Palace; he dotes on those near him, is rash, cruel, and light—how would he hand power to these lords and sit idle nodding assent! Suspicion has built for years—he is sure to launch a great slaughter. Shi'an wants to be another Prince Lun of Zhao—his designs are already plain; yet he is suspicious and narrow-minded and will only pave the way to disaster. Xiao Tanzhi is jealous and harsh toward men of Ling; Xu Xiaosi stands by while men are pierced through the nose; Jiang Shi cannot decide; Liu Xuan is dull and weak; When disaster strikes overnight, court and country will collapse—our brothers are lucky to hold frontier commands; we must look to our own survival; Before suspicion takes hold, we should summon all our younger brothers—otherwise we may have no way to escape when the time comes. Ying Province commands Jing and Xiang; Yong has elite troops—in peace we can serve the dynasty faithfully, in turmoil we can set the realm right; Moving with the times—that is the safest course of all. If we do not act now, it will be too late for regret." Hongce then pressed Yi himself: "You and your brothers are unmatched in valor; holding Ying and Yong, you could plead for the people, depose a worthless ruler and raise a worthy one—easier than turning your hand. This is work fit for Duke Huan and Duke Wen. Do not let that boy fool you and make a fool of yourself for posterity. Yong Province has thought this through—plan wisely!" Yi refused. Yan then brought his younger brothers Wei (outer army officer under the Cavalry General-in-Chief) and Dan (outer army officer under the Western Commander of the Center) to Xiangyang.
40
初，高宗雖顧命群公，而多寄腹心在江祏兄弟。 二江更直殿內，動止關之。 帝稍欲行意，徐孝嗣不能奪，蕭坦之時有異同，而祏執制堅確，帝深忿之。 帝左右會稽茹法珍、吳興梅蟲兒等，為帝所委任，祏常裁折之，法珍等切齒。 徐都嗣謂祏曰：「主上稍有異同，詎可盡相乖反！」 祏曰：「但以見付，必無所憂。」
At first, though Gaozong had entrusted the throne to the chief ministers, he had placed his true confidants in the Jiang brothers. The two Jiang brothers rotated duty in the inner palace; the emperor's every move depended on them. The emperor gradually wanted his own way; Xu Xiaosi could not check him, Xiao Tanzhi sometimes disagreed, but Jiang Shi held firm—and the emperor hated him for it. The emperor's favorites Rufazhen of Kuaiji and Meichong'er of Wuxing and others enjoyed his trust; Jiang Shi often rebuked them, and they hated him bitterly. Xu Xiaosi told Jiang Shi, "When the emperor disagrees a little, must you oppose him on everything!" Jiang Shi replied, "I was simply given the trust—I have nothing to fear."
41
帝失德浸彰，祏議廢帝，立江夏王寶玄。 劉暄嘗為寶玄郢州行事，執事過刻。 有人獻馬，寶玄欲觀之，暄曰：「馬何用觀！」 妃索煮肫，帳下咨暄，暄曰：「旦已煮鵝，不煩復此。」 寶玄恚曰：「舅殊無渭陽情。」 暄由是忌寶玄，不同祏議，更欲立建安王寶寅。 祏密謀於始安王遙光，遙光自以年長，意欲自取，以微旨動祏。 祏弟祀亦以少主難保，勸祏立遙光。 祏意回惑，以問蕭坦之。 坦之時居母喪，起復為領軍將軍，謂祏曰：「明帝立，已非次，天下至今不服。 若復為此，恐四主瓦解，我期不敢言耳。」 遂還宅行喪。
As the emperor's misconduct became ever clearer, Jiang Shi proposed deposing him and enthroning Prince Bao Xuan of Jiangxia. Liu Xuan had once acted as Ying governor for Bao Xuan and ruled with excessive severity. When someone presented a horse, Bao Xuan wanted to see it; Xuan said, "What is there to see in a horse!" When the princess consort asked for boiled gizzard, the staff consulted Xuan; he said, "We already boiled goose this morning—no need for this too." Bao Xuan fumed, "My uncle has none of a mother's brother's kindness." From then on Xuan resented Bao Xuan, broke with Jiang Shi's plan, and wanted Prince Bao Yin of Jian'an instead. Jiang Shi secretly plotted with Prince Yaoguang of Shi'an; Yaoguang, as the elder prince, wanted the throne for himself and dropped hints to Jiang Shi. Jiang Si too thought the young emperor could not be kept and urged his brother to put Yaoguang on the throne. Jiang Shi wavered and consulted Xiao Tanzhi. Tanzhi was in mourning but had been recalled as General-in-Chief of the Resolute Army; he told Jiang Shi, "Ming Di's succession was already irregular—the realm never accepted it. Do this again and the dynasty may shatter—I dare not say what would become of us." He went home to resume mourning.
42
祏、祀密謂吏部郎謝朓曰：「江夏年少，脫不堪負荷，豈可復行廢立！ 始安年長，入纂不乖物望。 非以此要富貴，政是求安國家耳。」 遙光又遣所親丹陽丞南陽劉祏密緻意於祏，欲引以為黨，祏不答。 頃之，遙光以朓兼知衛尉事，朓懼，即以祏謀告太子右衛率左興盛，興盛不敢發。 朓又說劉暄曰：「始安一旦南面，則劉渢、劉晏居卿今地，但以卿為反覆人耳。」 晏者，遙光城局參軍也。 暄陽驚，馳告遙光及祏。 遙光欲出朓為東陽郡，朓常輕祏，祏尉議除之。 遙光乃收朓付廷尉，與孝嗣、祏、暄等連名啟「朓扇動內外，妄貶乘輿，竊論宮禁，間謗親賢，輕議朝宰。」 朓遂死獄中。
Jiang Shi and Jiang Si secretly told Directorate Director Xie Tiao, "Jiangxia is young and may not bear the weight—how can we depose and enthrone again! Shi'an is older; his accession would meet with general approval. We seek not fortune for ourselves but only the safety of the realm." Yaoguang also sent his confidant Liu Zhi of Nanyang, magistrate of Danyang, to sound Jiang Shi out and draw him into a faction; Jiang Shi did not reply. Soon Yaoguang put Tiao in charge of the Commandant of the Guard as well; frightened, Tiao reported Jiang Shi's plot to Left Xingsheng, Right Guard Leader of the Heir Apparent—who dared not move. Tiao also told Liu Xuan, "When Shi'an takes the throne, Liu Hun and Liu Yan will hold your posts—you will be treated as nothing but a turncoat." Yan was Yaoguang's city bureau officer. Xuan feigned shock and rode at once to warn Yaoguang and Jiang Shi. Yaoguang wanted to send Tiao away as prefect of Dongyang; Tiao often slighted Jiang Shi, but Shi urged against dismissing him. Yaoguang then arrested Tiao and handed him to the Court of Judicial Review; with Xiaosi, Jiang Shi, Xuan, and others he filed a joint memorial accusing Tiao of stirring court and country, slandering the throne, discussing palace affairs in secret, defaming kin and worthies, and slighting the ministers." Tiao died in prison.
43
暄以遙光若立，己失元舅之尊，不肯同祏議； 故祏遲疑久不決。 遙光大怒，遣左右黃曇慶刺暄於青溪橋。 曇慶見暄部伍多，不敢發； 暄覺之，遂發祏謀，帝命收祏兄弟。 時祀直內殿，疑有異，遣信報祏曰：「劉暄似有異謀。 今作何計？」 祏曰：「政當靜以鎮之。」 俄有詔召祏入見，停中書省。 初，袁文曠以斬王敬則功當封，祏執不與； 帝使文曠取祏，文曠以刀環築其心曰：「復能奪我封不！」 並弟祀皆死。 劉暄聞祏等死，眠中大驚，投出戶外，問左右：「收至未？」 良久，意定，還坐，大悲曰：「不念江，行自痛也！」
Xuan feared that if Yaoguang took the throne he would lose his status as chief maternal uncle and refused to back Jiang Shi; so Jiang Shi hesitated for a long time without deciding. Yaoguang was furious and sent his attendant Huang Tanqing to kill Xuan at Qingxi Bridge. Tanqing saw Xuan's large escort and did not dare act; Xuan caught on and exposed Jiang Shi's plot; the emperor ordered the Jiang brothers seized. Jiang Si was on duty in the inner palace; sensing trouble, he sent word to Jiang Shi: "Liu Xuan seems to be up to something. What shall we do now?" Jiang Shi said, "We need only stay calm." Soon an edict summoned Jiang Shi to court; he was held at the Secretariat Chancellery. Earlier, Yuan Wenkuan had earned a fief for killing Wang Jingze, but Jiang Shi blocked it; the emperor had Wenkuan seize Jiang Shi; Wenkuan rammed the pommel of his sword into Shi's chest and shouted, "Can you steal my fief now!" Both he and his brother Si were killed. When Liu Xuan heard the Jiang brothers were dead, he bolted upright in sleep and fell out the door, asking his attendants, "Have they come for me yet?" After a long while he calmed down, sat again, and wailed, "I gave no thought to Jiang—and now I will pay for it myself!"
44
帝自是無所忌憚，益得自恣，日夜與近習於後堂鼓叫戲馬。 常以五更就寢，至晡乃起。 群臣節、朔朝見，晡後方前，或際暗遣出。 台閣案奏，月數十日乃報，或不知所在； 宦者以裹魚肉還家，並是五省黃案。 帝常習騎致適，顧謂左右曰：「江祏常禁吾乘馬； 小子若在，吾豈能得此！」 因問：「祏親戚餘誰？」 對曰：「江祥今在冶。」 帝於馬上作敕，賜祥死。
From then on the emperor feared nothing and indulged himself freely, day and night drumming, shouting, and racing horses in the rear hall with his favorites. He usually slept from the fifth watch until late afternoon. Ministers attending court on festival and new-moon days were not admitted until afternoon; sometimes they were dismissed at dusk. Memorials from the bureaus might go unanswered for weeks, or vanish entirely; eunuchs carried fish and meat home wrapped in yellow-sealed documents from the five ministries. The emperor often rode for pleasure and told his attendants, "Jiang Shi always stopped me from riding; if that wretch were still alive, could I enjoy this!" He then asked, "Who is left among Jiang Shi's kin?" They answered, "Jiang Xiang is at the prison works." The emperor drafted an edict on horseback and had Xiang executed.
45
始安王遙光素有異志，與其弟荊州刺史遙欣密謀舉兵據東府，使遙欣自江陵引兵急下，刻期將發，而遙欣病卒。 江祏被誅，帝召遙光入殿，告以祏罪，遙光懼，還省，即陽狂號哭，遂稱疾不復入台。
Prince Yaoguang of Shi'an had long harbored ambitions; with his brother Yaoxin, governor of Jing, he secretly planned to raise troops and seize the Eastern Quarter, with Yaoxin rushing down from Jiangling on a set date—but Yaoxin died before they could move. After Jiang Shi was executed the emperor summoned Yaoguang and told him of Shi's crimes; terrified, Yaoguang went home, feigned madness and wailed, then pleaded illness and stopped coming to court.
46
先是，遙光弟豫州刺史遙昌卒，其部曲皆歸遙光。 及遙欣喪還，停東府前渚，荊州眾力送者甚盛。 帝既誅二江，慮遙光不自安，欲遷為司徒，使還第，召入諭旨。 遙光恐見殺，乙卯晡時，收集二州部曲於東府東門，召劉渢、劉晏等謀舉兵，以討劉暄為名。
Earlier Yaoguang's brother Yaochang, governor of Yu, had died, and his troops had passed to Yaoguang. When Yaoxin's funeral cortege returned it stopped at the landing before the Eastern Quarter, with a massive escort from Jing Province. Having killed the two Jiangs, the emperor feared Yaoguang's unease and planned to make him Grand Steward and send him home; he summoned him to explain. Fearing execution, at late afternoon on yimao Yaoguang assembled troops from both provinces at the Eastern Quarter's east gate, called Liu Hun, Liu Yan, and others to raise arms in the name of punishing Liu Xuan.
47
夜，遣數百人破東冶，出囚，於尚方取仗。 又召驍騎將軍垣歷生，歷生隨信而至。 蕭坦之宅在東府城東，遙光遣人掩取之，坦之露袒逾牆走向台。 道逢游邏主顏端，執之，坦之告以遙光反，不信； 自往詷問，知實，乃以馬與坦之，相隨入台。 遙光又掩取尚書左僕射沈文季於其宅，欲以為都督，會文季已入台。 垣歷生說遙光帥城內兵夜攻台，輦荻燒城門，曰：「公但乘輿隨後，反掌可克！」 遙光狐疑不敢出。 天稍曉，遙光戎服出聽事，命上仗登城行賞賜。 歷生復勸出軍，遙光不肯，冀台中自有變。 及日出，台軍稍至。 台中始聞亂，眾情惶惑； 向曉，有詔召徐孝嗣，孝嗣入，人心乃安。 左將軍沈聞變，馳入西掖門。 或勸戎服，約曰：「台中方擾攘，見我戎服，或者謂同遙光。」 乃朱衣而入。
That night he sent hundreds of men to smash the Eastern Prison Works, free prisoners, and seize arms from the Imperial Workshop. He also summoned Fierce Cavalry General Yuan Lisheng, who came at once. Xiao Tanzhi lived east of the Eastern Quarter; Yaoguang sent men to seize him; Tanzhi stripped to the waist, climbed the wall, and fled toward the palace offices. On the way he met patrol chief Yan Duan, who detained him; Tanzhi told him Yaoguang had rebelled, but Duan did not believe him; Duan went to investigate himself, found it true, gave Tanzhi a horse, and entered the palace with him. Yaoguang also tried to seize Left Vice Minister Shen Wenji at home to make him commander-in-chief, but Wenji was already at court. Yuan Lisheng urged Yaoguang to lead the garrison in a night assault on the palace, haul reeds to burn the gates, and said, "My lord need only follow in your carriage—you can take it in an instant!" Yaoguang hesitated and would not move. At dawn Yaoguang appeared in armor at headquarters, ordered troops armed and onto the walls, and distributed rewards. Lisheng again urged him to march out; Yaoguang refused, hoping the palace would collapse on its own. As the sun rose palace troops began to arrive. The palace had only just learned of the revolt and panic spread; Near dawn an edict summoned Xu Xiaosi; when he arrived, order was restored. Left General Shen heard of the revolt and raced in through the Western Side Gate. Some urged him to wear armor; he said roughly, "The palace is in chaos—if they see me armed, some may think I side with Yaoguang." He entered in court dress instead.
48
丙辰，詔曲赦建康，中外戒嚴。 徐孝嗣以下屯衛宮城，蕭坦之帥台軍討遙光。 孝嗣內自疑懼，與沈文季戎服共坐南掖門上，欲與之共論世事，文季輒引以他辭，終不得及。 蕭坦之屯湘宮寺，左興盛屯東籬門，鎮軍司馬曹虎屯青溪大橋。 眾軍圍東城三面，燒司徒府。 遙光遣垣歷生從西門出戰，台軍屢敗，殺軍主桑天愛。 遙光之起兵也，問咨議參軍蕭暢，暢正色不從。 戊午，暢與撫軍長史沈昭略潛自南門出，詣台自歸，眾情大沮。 暢，衍之弟； 昭略，文季之兄子也。
On bingchen the court declared a partial amnesty for Jiankang and put the capital under martial law. Xu Xiaosi and others garrisoned the palace; Xiao Tanzhi led palace troops against Yaoguang. Xiaosi was inwardly afraid; in armor he sat with Shen Wenji atop the Southern Side Gate hoping to discuss the situation, but Wenji kept changing the subject and never would. Xiao Tanzhi encamped at Xianggong Temple, Left Xingsheng at the Eastern Hedge Gate, and Pacifying Army Major Cao Hu at Great Qingxi Bridge. The armies surrounded the eastern city on three sides and burned the Grand Steward's residence. Yaoguang sent Yuan Lisheng out the west gate; palace troops were repeatedly beaten and lost their commander Sang Tian'ai. When Yaoguang rebelled he asked consultant officer Xiao Chang, who refused with a stern face. On wuwu Chang and Pacifying Army chief clerk Shen Zhaolue slipped out the south gate and surrendered at court; Yaoguang's followers lost heart. Chang was Xiao Yan's younger brother; Zhaolue was Shen Wenji's nephew.
49
己未，垣歷生從南門出戰，因棄槊降曹虎，虎命斬之。 遙光大怒，於床上自踴，使殺歷生子。 其晚，台軍以火箭燒東北角樓。 至夜，城潰，遙光還小齋帳中，著衣帢坐，秉燭自照，令人反拒，齋閣皆重關，左右並逾屋散出。 台軍主劉國寶等先入，遙光聞外兵至，滅燭扶匐床下。 軍人排閣入，於暗中牽出，斬之。 台軍入城，焚燒室屋且盡。 劉渢走還家，為人所殺。 荊州將潘紹聞遙光作亂，謀欲應之。 西部郎司馬夏侯詳呼紹議事，因斬之，州府以安。
On jiwei Yuan Lisheng sallied from the south gate, then threw down his spear and surrendered to Cao Hu, who had him executed. Yaoguang was furious; he stamped on his bed and ordered Lisheng's sons killed. That evening palace troops burned the northeast corner tower with fire arrows. When night fell the wall gave way. Yaoguang retreated to his small study, wearing a headcloth and sitting by candlelight. He had the doors barred from within and locked every door in the pavilion; his attendants all climbed over the walls and fled. Garrison commander Liu Guobao and his men were first to enter. Hearing troops outside, Yaoguang snuffed the candle and crawled under the bed. Soldiers broke into the pavilion, dragged him out in the dark, and killed him. Palace troops entered the city and burned nearly every building to the ground. Liu Huan fled to his home but was killed by his pursuers. When General Pan Shao of Jing Province heard that Yaoguang had rebelled, he plotted to join him. Xiahou Xiang, major to the Western Department attendant, summoned Shao on pretense of business and cut him down; the province and capital were thereby secured.
50
己巳，以徐孝嗣為司空； 加沈文季鎮軍將軍，侍中、僕射如故； 蕭坦之為尚書右僕射、丹陽尹，右將軍如故； 劉暄為領軍將軍； 曹虎為散騎常侍、右衛將軍。 皆賞平始安之功也。
On jisi Xu Xiaosi was appointed Minister of Works; Shen Wenji was made General Who Pacifies the Army while retaining his posts as Palace Attendant and Vice Minister; Xiao Tanzhi was appointed Right Vice Minister of the Secretariat and Governor of Danyang, keeping his rank as Right General; Liu Xuan was made General of the Guards; Cao Hu was appointed Regular Attendant in Dispensation and Right Guard General. These were all rewards for putting down the rebellion at Shi'an.
51
魏南徐州刺史沈陵來降。 陵，文季之族子也。 時魏徐州刺史京兆王愉年少，軍府事皆決於兼長史盧淵。 淵知陵將叛，敕諸城潛為之備； 屢以聞於魏朝，魏朝不聽。 陵遂殺將佐，帥宿預之眾來奔，濱淮諸戊以有備得全。 陵在邊歷年，陰結邊州豪傑。 陵既叛，郡縣多捕送陵黨，淵皆撫而赦之，唯歸罪於陵，眾心乃安。 閏月，丙子，立東陵公寶覽為始安王，奉靖王后。
Shen Ling, Wei governor of Southern Xu Province, defected to Qi. Shen Ling was a kinsman of Shen Wenji. Prince Yu of Jingzhao, the young Wei governor of Xu Province, left all military affairs to his acting chief administrator Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan knew Shen Ling was about to rebel and quietly ordered the garrison towns to prepare; He reported this to the Wei court repeatedly, but the court paid no heed. Shen Ling then killed his officers, led the garrison at Suyu over to Qi, and the Huai river forts were saved thanks to Lu Yuan's preparations. Shen Ling had spent years on the frontier cultivating ties with borderland magnates. After the defection, local authorities sent up many of Shen Ling's associates; Lu Yuan pardoned them one and all, pinning the guilt solely on Shen Ling, and the people were reassured. In the intercalary month, on bingzi, Duke Baolan of Dongling was made Prince of Shi'an to carry on the line of Prince Jing.
52
以沈陵為北徐州刺史。
Shen Ling was appointed governor of Northern Xu Province.
53
江祏等既敗，帝左右捉刀、應敕之徒皆恣橫用事，時人謂之「刀敕」。 蕭坦之剛很而專，嬖倖畏而憎之； 遙光死二十餘日，帝遣延明主帥黃齊濟將兵圍坦之宅，殺之，並其子秘書郎賞。 坦之從兄翼宗為海陵太守，未發，坦之謂文濟曰：「從兄海陵宅故應無它。」 文濟曰：「海陵宅在何處？」 坦之以告。 文濟白帝，帝仍遣收之。 檢其家，至貧，唯有質錢貼數百，還以啟帝，原其死，系尚方。
After Jiang Shi and his faction fell, the emperor's sword-bearing attendants and edict-handlers ruled with impunity; contemporaries called them the "Blade Edicts." Xiao Tanzhi was headstrong and overbearing; the emperor's favorites both feared and resented him; A little over twenty days after Yaoguang's death, the emperor sent chief commander Huang Qiji of Yanming with troops to surround Xiao Tanzhi's house. Tanzhi was killed, along with his son Shang, a secretary of the palace library. Xiao Tanzhi's elder cousin Yizong had been appointed governor of Hailing but had not yet set out. Tanzhi told Wenji, "My cousin the governor of Hailing — surely nothing is amiss at his house." Where is the Hailing residence?" Wenji asked. Tanzhi told him. Wenji reported to the emperor, who sent men to arrest Yizong as well. A search of his home turned up only a few hundred pawn tickets — he was utterly destitute. The emperor spared his life and sent him to the Palace Workshop as a prisoner.
54
茹法珍等譖劉暄有異志，帝曰：「暄是我舅，豈應有此？」 直閣新蔡徐世標曰：「明帝乃武帝同堂，恩遇如此，猶滅武帝之後； 舅焉可信邪！」 遂殺之。
Ru Fazhen and others accused Liu Xuan of disloyalty. The emperor said, "Xuan is my uncle — he wouldn't do such a thing, would he? Palace attendant Xu Shibiao of Xincai said, "Emperor Ming was Emperor Wu's own cousin, and look how well the court treated him — yet he still wiped out Emperor Wu's line. What makes you think you can trust an uncle! Liu Xuan was put to death.
55
曹虎善於誘納，日食荒客常數百人。 晚節吝嗇，罷雍州，有錢五千萬，它物稱是。 帝疑虎舊將，且利其財，遂殺之。 坦之、暄、虎所新除官，皆未及拜而死。
Cao Hu was a generous host who daily entertained several hundred penniless guests at his table. In his later years he turned miserly; when he left his post as governor of Yong Province he had fifty million in cash and commensurate possessions besides. The emperor distrusted him as a veteran general and coveted his fortune, and had him killed. Tanzhi, Xuan, and Hu were all killed before they could even assume their newly granted offices.
56
初，高宗臨殂，以降昌事戒帝曰：「作事不可在人後。」 故帝數與近習謀誅大臣，皆發於倉猝，決意無疑。 於是大臣人人莫能自保。
On his deathbed Emperor Gaozong had warned the emperor, citing the Jiang Chang affair: "When you act, do not let others get ahead of you. From then on the emperor often conspired with his intimates to kill high ministers, always striking suddenly and without second thoughts. No senior official could feel safe.
57
九月，丁未，以豫州刺史裴叔業為南兗州刺史，征虜長史張沖為豫州刺史。
In the ninth month, on dingwei, Pei Shuye was transferred from Yu Province to Southern Yan Province, and Zhang Chong, chief administrator to the campaigning general, was made governor of Yu Province.
58
壬戌，以頻誅大臣，大赦。
On renxu a general amnesty was proclaimed after the spate of ministerial executions.
59
丙戌，魏主謁長陵，欲引白衣左右吳人茹皓同車。 皓奮衣將登，給事黃門侍郎無匡進諫，帝推之使下，皓失色而退。 匡，新城之子也。
On bingxu the Wei emperor paid homage at Changling and wanted his commoner attendant Ru Hao, a man of Wu, to share his carriage. Ru Hao was about to climb aboard when Supervising Secretary Yuan Kuang of the Yellow Gate remonstrated. The emperor pushed Kuang aside; Ru Hao blanched and withdrew. Yuan Kuang was the son of Yuan Xincheng.
60
益州刺史劉季連聞帝失德，遂自驕恣，用刑嚴酷，蜀人怨之。 是月，遣兵襲中水，不克。 於是蜀人趙續伯等皆起兵作亂，季連不能制。
When Governor Liu Jilian of Yi Province heard of the emperor's depravity, he grew arrogant and cruel in his own rule; the people of Shu bitterly resented him. That month he sent troops against Zhongshui but failed to take it. Zhao Xubo and other Shu men then rose in revolt, and Jilian could not suppress them.
61
枝江文忠公徐孝嗣，以文士不顯同異，故名位雖重，猶得久存。 虎賁中郎將許准為孝嗣陳說事機，勸行廢立。 孝嗣遲疑久之，謂必無用干戈之理； 須帝出遊，閉城門，召百僚集議廢之。 雖有此懷，終不能決。 諸嬖倖亦稍憎之。 西豐忠憲侯沈文季自托老疾，不豫朝權，侍中沈昭略謂文季曰：「叔父行年六十，為員外僕射，欲求自免，豈可得乎！」 文季笑而不應。 冬，十月，乙未，帝召孝嗣、文季、昭略入華林省。 文季登車，顧曰：「此行恐往而不反。」 帝使外監茹法珍賜以藥酒，昭略怒，罵孝嗣曰：「廢昏立明，古今令典； 宰相無才，致有今日！」 以甌擲其面曰：「使作破面鬼！」 孝嗣飲藥酒至斗餘，乃卒。 孝嗣子演尚武康公主，況尚山陰公主，皆坐誅。 昭略弟昭光聞收至，家人勸之逃。 昭光不忍捨其母，入，執母手悲泣，收者殺之。 昭光兄子曇亮逃，已得免，聞昭光死，歎曰：「家門屠滅，何以生為！」 絕吭而死。
Xu Xiaosi, Duke Wenzhong of Zhijiang, stayed unobtrusive as a scholar-official who never openly picked sides; despite his eminence he managed to survive longer than others. Xu Zhun, a commandant of the Tiger Guards, laid out the situation to Xu Xiaosi and urged him to depose the emperor and install a replacement. Xu Xiaosi wavered for a long time, insisting there was no need for force of arms; they need only wait until the emperor went out on an excursion, then shut the gates, summon the officials, and vote to remove him. He entertained such plans but could never bring himself to act. The emperor's favorites gradually turned against him as well. Shen Wenji, Marquis Zhongxian of Xifeng, had withdrawn on pretext of age and illness, staying out of court politics. His nephew Shen Zhaolue, a palace attendant, told him, "Uncle, you are sixty and still serving as extraordinary vice minister — do you really think you can escape unscathed? Shen Wenji smiled and said nothing. In the tenth month of winter, on yimei, the emperor summoned Xu Xiaosi, Shen Wenji, and Shen Zhaolue to Hualin Pavilion. As Shen Wenji boarded his carriage he looked back and said, "I doubt I shall return from this." The emperor had Outer Intendant Ru Fazhen present them with poisoned wine. Shen Zhaolue flew into a rage and cursed Xu Xiaosi: "Deposing a dark ruler and raising a wise one is the timeless duty of a minister; yet a chancellor without courage has brought us to this pass!" He hurled a bowl at Xu Xiaosi's face, crying, "May you go a ghost with a broken face!" Xu Xiaosi drank more than a dou of the poisoned wine before he died. His sons Yan, husband of Princess Wukang, and Kuang, husband of Princess Shanyin, were executed as well. When Shen Zhaoguang, Zhaolue's younger brother, learned that arrest was imminent, his family urged him to flee. He could not bear to leave his mother, went in to clasp her hand and weep — and the arresters killed him there. His nephew Tanliang had escaped and was already safe; when he heard of Zhaoguang's death he sighed, "Our house is slaughtered to the last — what reason is there to live?" He cut his own throat and died.
62
初，太尉陳顯達自以高、武舊將，當高宗之世，內懷危懼，深自貶損，常乘朽弊車，道從鹵簿止用羸小者十數人。 嘗侍宴，酒酣，啟高宗借枕，高宗令與之。 顯達撫枕曰：「臣年衰老，富貴已足，唯欠枕枕死，特就陛下乞之。」 高宗失色曰：「公醉矣！」 顯達以年禮告退，高宗不許。 及王敬則反，時顯達將兵拒魏，始安王遙光疑之，啟高宗欲追軍還； 會敬則平，乃止。 及帝即位，顯達彌不樂在建康。 得江州。 甚喜。 嘗有疾，不令治，既而自愈，意甚不悅。 聞帝屢誅大臣，傳雲當遣兵襲江州，十一月，丙辰，顯達舉兵於尋陽，令長史庾弘遠等與朝貴書，數帝罪惡，云「欲奉建安王為主，須京塵一靜，西迎大駕。」
Grand Commandant Chen Xianda, a veteran of the Gao and Wu reigns, had lived in dread under Emperor Gaozong. He humbled himself deliberately — riding a broken cart and keeping only a dozen frail attendants in his guard. Once at a banquet, well into his cups, he asked Emperor Gaozong for a pillow; the emperor granted it. Chen Xianda stroked the pillow and said, "I am old, my lord, and have had wealth and honor enough. All I lack is a pillow to die on — I come to beg that of Your Majesty." Emperor Gaozong blanched. "You are drunk, sir!" Chen Xianda later asked to retire on grounds of age; the emperor refused. When Wang Jingze rebelled, Chen Xianda was on campaign against Wei. Prince Yaoguang of Shi'an grew suspicious and petitioned Emperor Gaozong to recall his army; but Jingze was suppressed before the order went out, and the matter was dropped. After Donghun acceded, Chen Xianda grew ever more reluctant to remain in the capital. He was given Jiang Province. He was delighted. Once when he fell ill he refused treatment; when he recovered on his own he was deeply displeased — he had wanted to die. Hearing of the emperor's serial killings of ministers and rumors that troops would strike Jiang Province, Chen Xianda rose at Xunyang in the eleventh month on bingchen. His chief administrator Yu Hongyuan wrote to court grandees enumerating the emperor's crimes: "We mean to install Prince Jian'an as ruler; once the capital is quiet, we shall escort the imperial carriage westward."
63
乙丑，以護軍將軍崔慧景為平南將軍，督眾軍擊顯達； 後軍將軍胡松、驍騎將軍李叔獻帥水軍據梁山； 左衛將軍左興盛督前鋒軍屯杜姥宅。
On yichou Cui Huijing, General Who Protects the Army, was made General Who Pacifies the South and placed in command of all forces against Chen Xianda; Rear General Hu Song and General of Valiant Cavalry Li Shuxian took the navy to hold Liangshan; Left Guard General Zuo Xingsheng commanded the vanguard and encamped at Old Lady Du's mansion.
64
十二月，癸未，以前輔國將軍楊集始為秦州刺史。
In the twelfth month, on guiwei, former General Who Assists the State Yang Jishi was appointed governor of Qin Province.
65
陳顯達發尋陽，敗胡松於採石，建康震恐。 甲申，軍於新林，左興盛帥諸軍拒之。 顯達多置屯火於岸側，潛軍夜渡，襲宮城。 乙酉，顯達以數千人登落星岡，新亭諸軍聞之，奔還，宮城大駭，閉門設守。 顯達執馬槊，從步兵數百，於西州前與台軍戰，再合，顯達大勝，手殺數人，槊折； 台軍繼至，顯達不能抗，退走，至西州後，騎官趙潭注刺顯達，墜馬，斬之，諸子皆伏誅。 長史庾弘遠，炳之之子也，斬於朱雀航。 將刑，索帽著之，曰：「子路結纓，吾不可以不冠而死。」 謂觀者曰：「吾非賊，乃是義兵，為諸軍請命耳。 陳公太輕事； 若用吾言，天下將免塗炭。」 弘遠子子曜，抱父乞代命，並殺之。
Chen Xianda marched from Xunyang and routed Hu Song at Caishi; the capital was stricken with fear. On jiashen Chen Xianda camped at Xinlin; Zuo Xingsheng led the imperial armies to block him. Chen Xianda lit decoy fires along the bank, slipped troops across the river by night, and struck at the palace. On yiyou Chen Xianda scaled Luoxing Hill with several thousand men. Troops at Xinting broke and ran back; the palace shut its gates in panic and manned the defenses. Wielding a lance at the head of several hundred foot soldiers, Chen Xianda fought imperial troops before Xizhou twice and won both engagements, killing several men himself until his lance snapped; More imperial troops kept arriving until Chen Xianda could hold no longer. As he fell back past Xizhou, cavalry officer Zhao Tan ran him through with a lance; Xianda fell from his horse and was beheaded, and all his sons were executed. Yu Hongyuan, the chief administrator and son of Yu Bingzhi, was executed at Zhuque Bridge. Facing execution, he asked for a cap and put it on. "Zilu adjusted his capstrings before death," he said; "I cannot die bareheaded." He addressed the onlookers: "I am no rebel but a man of principle, pleading for the armies — that is all. Master Chen took matters too lightly; had he heeded my counsel, the realm would have been spared such ruin." Hongyuan's son Ziyao clung to his father and begged to die in his place; both were killed.
66
帝既誅顯達，益自驕恣，漸出遊走，又不欲人見之； 每出，先驅斥所過人家，唯置空宅。 尉司擊鼓蹋圍，鼓聲所聞，便應奔走，不暇衣履，犯禁者應手格殺。 一月凡二十餘出，出輒不言定所，東西南北，無處不驅。 常以三四更中，鼓聲四出，火光照天，幡戟橫路。 士民喧走相隨，老小震驚，啼號塞道，處處禁斷，不知所過。 四民廢業，樵蘇路斷，吉凶失時，乳婦寄產，或輿病棄屍，不得殯葬。 巷陌懸幔為高鄣，置伏人防守，謂之「屏除」，亦謂之「長圍」。 嘗至沈公城，有一婦人臨產，不去，因剖腹視其男女。 又嘗至定林寺，有沙門老病不能去，藏草間； 命左右射之，百箭俱發。 帝有膂力，牽弓至三斛五斗。 又好擔幢，白虎幢高七丈五尺，於齒上擔之，折齒不倦。 自製擔幢校具，伎衣飾以金玉，侍衛滿側，逞諸變態，曾無愧色。 學乘馬於東冶營兵俞靈韻，常著織成褲褶，金薄帽，執七寶槊，急裝縛褲，凌冒雨雪，不避坑阱。 馳騁渴乏，輒下馬，解取腰邊蠡器，酌水飲之，復上馬馳去。 又選無賴小人善走者為逐馬左右五百人，常以自隨。 或於市側過親幸家，環回宛轉，周遍城邑。 或出郊射雉，置射雉場二百九十六處，奔走往來，略不暇息。
After killing Chen Xianda, the emperor grew ever more arrogant and began venturing out more often — yet he did not want to be seen; Whenever he went abroad, advance riders emptied every house along his route, leaving only deserted buildings behind. Commandery officers beat drums and swept the cordon; wherever drums sounded people had to run at once, often without time for clothes or shoes, and anyone who broke curfew was killed on the spot. In a month he went out more than twenty times, never announcing where he was bound, driving everywhere in every direction. He often went out between the third and fourth watches, with drums on every side, firelight filling the sky, and banners and halberds blocking the roads. Citizens ran shouting in his wake; old and young were terrified, wails filled the streets, barriers went up everywhere, and no one knew which way he would go. All four classes of people abandoned their trades; woodcutters and fuel-gatherers could not use the roads; weddings and funerals missed their seasons; nursing mothers gave birth in rented rooms; some carried the sick or abandoned corpses and could not bury them. In streets and alleys they hung curtains as high barriers and posted hidden guards, calling it "screening out" or "the long cordon." Once at Duke Shen's town a woman in labor would not leave the street; he had her belly cut open to see whether the child was male or female. At Dinglin Monastery an old, sick monk who could not flee hid in the grass; he ordered his attendants to shoot him, and a hundred arrows flew at once. The emperor was powerfully built and could draw a bow rated at three hu and five dou. He also loved carrying ceremonial banners; the White Tiger banner stood seven zhang and five chi high—he bore it on the toothed pole, breaking teeth without tiring. He designed his own banner gear; performers' costumes were studded with gold and jade; guards lined both sides as he performed every grotesque stunt without a trace of shame. He learned riding from Yu Lingyun, a soldier of the Eastern Forge camp, often wearing brocade trousers and jacket, a gold-foil cap, and a seven-jeweled lance; dressed for speed with leggings bound tight, he charged through rain and snow and ignored pits and traps. When thirst overtook him on the gallop he would dismount, take the gourd at his belt, drink, and ride off again. He also chose five hundred ruffians who could run well to chase beside his horse, and kept them with him constantly. Sometimes he would pass the homes of his favorites by the market, wheeling about until he had covered the whole city. Sometimes he went to the suburbs to shoot pheasants, setting up two hundred ninety-six shooting grounds and racing between them with scarcely a moment's rest.
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王肅為魏制官品百司，皆如江南之制，凡九品，品各有二。 侍中郭祚兼吏部尚書。 祚清謹，重惜官位，每有銓授，雖得其人，必徘徊久，然後下筆，曰：「此人便己貴矣。」 人以是多怨之； 然所用者無不稱職。」
Wang Su devised Wei's official ranking for the hundred offices on the southern model: nine ranks in all, each with two grades. Palace Attendant Guo Zuo also served as Minister of Personnel. Zuo was scrupulous and treasured official posts; for every appointment, even when he had the right man, he would hesitate a long while before signing, saying, "This man will already be exalted." Many resented him for this; yet every man he appointed proved fit for his post.”