Bao Xun 鮑勛

Bao Xun, courtesy name Shuye, was a native of Pingyang County in Taishan Commandery and a ninth-generation descendant of Bao Xuan, Colonel-Director of Retainers under the Han. One of Bao Xuan's descendants had moved from Shangdang to Taishan, and the family settled there. His father Bao Xin was Chief Commandant of Cavalry under Emperor Ling, and was sent east by the General-in-Chief He Jin to raise troops; later he became Chancellor of Jibei and made plans together with Taizu, Cao Cao, but was himself killed. Records, Wei 12 §66

In the 17th year of Jian'an (212), Taizu, recalling Bao Xin's merit, submitted a memorial enfeoffing Bao Xun's elder brother Bao Shao (鮑邵) as Marquis of Xindu Village, and summoned Bao Xun to be a clerk on the Chancellor's staff. When the heir was established in the 22nd year of Jian'an (217), Bao Xun became Palace Cadet, was transferred to Gentleman of the Yellow Gate, and went out to be Chief Commandant of the Western Division of Wei Commandery. Records, Wei 12 §66–67

The younger brother of Lady Guo, wife of the crown prince Cao Pi, was a clerk in Quzhou County, and was sentenced for stealing government cloth; by law he should have been executed in the marketplace. Taizu was then at Qiao and the crown prince had stayed behind at Ye, and the crown prince repeatedly wrote in his own hand asking that the man's offense be pardoned. Bao Xun did not dare release him on his own authority and reported the facts in full. Because Bao Xun had earlier, in the Eastern Palace, upheld what was right and would not bend, the crown prince had never liked him, and when this was added his resentment grew all the deeper. Records, Wei 12 §67

When it happened that some soldiers on leave within the commandery overstayed their term, the crown prince secretly instructed the Commandant of the Capital to submit a memorial dismissing Bao Xun from office. After a long time Bao Xun was appointed Attendant Imperial Clerk. In the 1st year of Yankang (220), when Taizu died and the crown prince succeeded as king, Bao Xun became Commandant of Escort Cavalry and concurrently Palace Attendant. Records, Wei 12 §68

When Emperor Wen received the abdication, Bao Xun constantly urged that what was urgent now lay only in the army and agriculture and in showing leniency and kindness to the people, and that terraces, pavilions and parks should be left for later. When Emperor Wen was about to go out hunting, Bao Xun stopped his carriage and submitted a memorial saying that the Five Emperors and Three Kings had all governed the realm through filial piety, so why, while in mourning, did His Majesty wish to go galloping about? The emperor tore up the memorial with his own hands and went hunting anyway. Records, Wei 12 §69–70

When they halted along the way and the emperor asked how the pleasure of hunting compared with music, the Palace Attendant Liu Ye answered that hunting was better than music. Bao Xun raised his voice to refute him, saying that music communicates with the spirits above and harmonizes human relations below, and that nothing is better than music for changing customs, and that when Duke Yin of Lu went to watch fishing at Tang, the Spring and Autumn Annals censured him. He then asked that, since Liu Ye was a flatterer and disloyal and had pandered to His Majesty's excessive jest, the officials in charge be ordered to deliberate on his offense. The emperor flushed with anger, called off the hunt and returned, and at once sent Bao Xun out of the court as General of the Household of the Right. Records, Wei 12 §70–71

In the 4th year of Huangchu (223), the Director of the Imperial Secretariat Chen Qun and the Supervisor Sima Yi together recommended Bao Xun as Rectifier of the Palace, that is, Palace Assistant Imperial Clerk. The emperor employed him reluctantly, and all the officials held him in awe, none failing to be solemn. In the autumn of the 6th year of Huangchu (225), when the emperor wished to campaign against Wu, Bao Xun remonstrated to his face, saying that the royal army had campaigned many times without success because Wu and Shu depended on each other like lips and teeth and relied on the barriers of mountains and rivers, and that on a previous occasion the dragon boat had drifted and been cut off on the southern bank, so that His Majesty had personally been in danger. The emperor grew still more indignant and demoted Bao Xun to Legal Enforcer of Documents. Records, Wei 12 §72–73

When the emperor returned from Shouchun and camped within the borders of Chenliu Commandery, the Administrator Sun Yong had an audience and on leaving called on Bao Xun. At that time the camp's ramparts were not yet finished and only boundary markers had been set up, and Sun Yong cut across diagonally instead of keeping to the proper path. The camp clerk Liu Yao (劉曜) wished to report him, but Bao Xun stopped him on the grounds that the moats and ramparts were not yet finished, and he did not report it. After the main army returned to Luoyang, Liu Yao committed an offense and Bao Xun memorialized to have him dismissed and sent away, whereupon Liu Yao secretly memorialized that Bao Xun had privately let off the matter of Sun Yong. An edict, saying that Bao Xun had called a deer a horse, ordered him arrested and handed over to the Commandant of Justice. Records, Wei 12 §74

The Commandant of Justice judged according to law that the proper penalty was five years' punishment, while the Three Offices objected that by statute it called for a fine of two jin of gold. The emperor, in a great rage, said that Bao Xun had no chance of living and yet they dared to let him off; he had the Three Offices and those below them arrested and handed over to the Inspector of Crimes, saying, "I will make ten rats share one hole." The Grand Commandant Zhong Yao, the Minister over the Masses Hua Xin, the General-in-Chief Who Guards the Army Chen Qun, the Palace Attendant Xin Pi, the Master of Writing Wei Zhen, the acting Commandant of Justice Gao Rou and others jointly submitted a memorial asking that Bao Xun's offense be pardoned because his father Bao Xin had rendered service to Taizu, but the emperor refused and in the end put Bao Xun to death. Records, Wei 12 §75–76

Bao Xun cultivated his conduct in private, and was incorruptible yet generous to others, so that on the day he died his family had no wealth left. Twenty days later Emperor Wen also died, and there was no one who did not sigh and grieve for Bao Xun. The Annals of Emperor Wen record that the emperor returned to the palace at Luoyang in the 1st month of the 7th year of Huangchu (226) and died in the Jiafu Hall on the day dingsi of the 5th month. Records, Wei 12 §76Records, Wei 2 §52–53

In his assessment, Chen Shou said that Cui Yan's lofty character was the most outstanding and that Bao Xun upheld uprightness without flaw, but that neither was able to preserve his own life, which was regrettable. Records, Wei 12 §99