Wang Guan 王觀

Wang Guan, courtesy name Weitai, was a man of Linqiu County in Dong Commandery. He lost his father young and was poor, but he applied himself to his aims. Taizu summoned him and made him Literary Scholar to the Chancellor, and he went out to serve as Prefect of Gaotang, Yangquan, Zan and Ren, winning praise for good government wherever he went. Records, Wei 24 §74

When Emperor Wen ascended the throne, Wang Guan entered the court as Gentleman of the Imperial Secretariat and Inspector under the Commandant of Justice, and went out to be Administrator of Nanyang and of Zhuo Commandery. Zhuo bordered the Xianbei to the north and suffered frequent raids by bandits, so Wang Guan had the frontier people gather and live together in groups of ten households or more and build watchtowers. When some were unwilling, he gave leave to the officials of the commandery office to go home and help their sons and younger brothers, setting no deadline and only instructing each to return when the work was done. Officials and people alike exerted themselves without being urged and finished everything at once within ten days, and once the defences were in place the bandits' plundering stopped. Records, Wei 24 §74–75

When Emperor Ming took the throne and ordered that the commanderies and counties be classed as demanding, middling or ordinary and reported item by item, the official in charge intended to report Zhuo as middling or ordinary. Wang Guan asked why a commandery close to the outer barbarians and often harmed by bandits should not be classed as demanding. When the official said he feared that, if it became a frontier demanding commandery, Your Excellency would have to send a hostage, Wang Guan said that a governor exists for the people, and that if the commandery were classed as frontier demanding there would be reductions in its labour-service obligations, so he could not betray the people of a whole commandery for the Administrator's private sake. In the end he reported it as a frontier demanding commandery, and later sent a hostage to Ye. At that time Wang Guan had only one son, who was still young. Records, Wei 24 §75–76

Wang Guan was incorruptible and plain in his conduct and led his subordinates by frugality, and his staff all followed his example and strove to do their best. When Emperor Ming made a progress to Xuchang, he summoned Wang Guan and made him Attendant Imperial Clerk Who Manages Documents, in charge of the trials of the Branch Department of State Affairs. At that time the emperor was often given to sudden joy and anger, but Wang Guan neither flattered his wishes nor humoured him. Records, Wei 24 §76–77

The Grand Commandant Sima Yi invited him to be Attendant Gentleman on his staff; he was promoted to Master of Writing, went out to be Intendant of Henan, and was transferred to Privy Treasurer. When the General-in-Chief Cao Shuang had the artisan officer Zhang Da cut timber for his house and various other things for private use, Wang Guan, learning of it, recorded them all, seized them and confiscated them to the government. The Privy Treasurer was in charge of the Three Imperial Workshops and the curios and treasures of the imperial wardrobe and inner storehouse; Cao Shuang and his circle, extravagant and unrestrained, made many demands, but because they disliked Wang Guan's adherence to the law, they moved him to Minister Coachman. Records, Wei 24 §77–78

In the 1st month of the 1st year of Jiaping (249), when Sima Yi had Cao Shuang and his brothers removed from office, he had Wang Guan act as Central Commander of the Army and take over the camp of Cao Shuang's younger brother Cao Xi, and granted him the rank of Marquis Within the Passes. Wang Guan again became Master of Writing and was given the additional title of Commandant-Escort. When the Duke of Gaogui Village took the throne, he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Zhongxiang Precinct; soon afterwards he was given the additional title of Grand Master of Splendid Happiness and was transferred to Right Supervisor of the Imperial Secretariat. Records, Wei 4 §28Records, Wei 24 §78

In the 3rd year of Zhengyuan (256), when Lu Yu, after retiring from office because of illness, was transferred to Minister of Works, he insisted on yielding the post to the General of Agile Cavalry Wang Chang, the Grand Master of Splendid Happiness Wang Guan and the Colonel-Director of Retainers Wang Xiang. An edict sent an envoy to confer the seal and ribbon on Lu Yu on the spot. Records, Wei 22 §105

When the Duke of Changdao Village took the throne, Wang Guan was raised to Marquis of Yangxiang Village and given an additional 1,000 households, making 2,500 households in all with his earlier fief. On the day guihai of the 6th month of the 1st year of Jingyuan (260) he went from Right Supervisor of the Imperial Secretariat to Minister of Works; he firmly declined but was not permitted, and an envoy came to his house to confer the appointment. A few days after taking office, Wang Guan sent back his seal and ribbon and at once rode home by carriage to his village, and in the 10th month, in winter of that year, he died at home. Records, Wei 24 §79Records, Wei 4 §114–115

In his last instructions he ordered that his grave be dug only large enough to hold the coffin, that no grave goods be placed in it, and that no mound be raised and no trees planted. His posthumous title was Marquis Su, and his son Wang Kui succeeded him. In the Xianxi era, when the five ranks of nobility were newly established, Wang Kui was re-enfeoffed as Viscount of Jiaodong because Wang Guan had distinguished himself under the former court. Records, Wei 24 §79

In his assessment Chen Shou named Wang Guan together with Han Ji, Cui Lin, Gao Rou and Sun Li, saying that Wang Guan was incorruptible, firm, upright and pure, and that all of them were able to reach the positions of the Three Excellencies and chief ministers. Records, Wei 24 §81