Records of Wei 12: Biographies of Cui Yan, Mao Jie, Xu Yi, He Kui, Xing Yong, Bao Xun and Sima Zhi

Records of Wei 12: Biographies of Cui Yan, Mao Jie, Xu Yi, He Kui, Xing Yong, Bao Xun and Sima Zhi

Cui Yan

崔琰

Cui Yan, courtesy name Jigui, was a man of Dongwucheng in Qinghe. As a youth he was plain and slow of speech; he loved fencing and prized martial pursuits. At twenty-three, when his district drafted him as a regular conscript, he was at last roused to effort and read the Analects and the Han Odes. At twenty-nine he joined Gongsun Fang and others in going to study under Zheng Xuan. They had studied for less than a year when the Yellow Turban bandits of Xu Province attacked and overran Beihai, and Zheng Xuan went with his disciples to Mount Buqi to escape the troubles. At that time there was no more grain to be bought in the county, so Zheng Xuan dismissed his students with apologies.

崔琰字季珪，清河東武城人也。少樸訥，好擊劍，尚武事。年二十三，鄉移爲正，始感激，讀《論語》、《韓詩》。至年二十九，乃結公孫方等就鄭玄受學。學未期，徐州黃巾賊攻破北海，玄與門人到不其山避難。時穀糴縣乏，玄罷謝諸生。

Cui Yan had been sent away, but bandits were everywhere and the road west was cut. So he wandered the countryside of Qing, Xu, Yan, and Yu Provinces, went down east to Shouchun, and looked south toward the Yangtze and its lakes. Only four years after leaving home did he return, and he amused himself with his zither and his books.

琰既受遣，而寇盜充斥，西道不通。於是周旋青、徐、兗、豫之郊，東下壽春，南望江、湖。自去家四年乃歸，以琴書自娛。

The General-in-Chief Yuan Shao heard of him and summoned him to office. At that time the soldiers were violent and dug up graves, and Cui Yan remonstrated, “Long ago Sun Qing (Xunzi) said, ‘If soldiers are not trained beforehand and their armor and weapons are not keen, even Tang and Wu could not win a battle with them.’ Now bones lie bare along the roads and the people have yet to see any virtue. You should order the commanderies and counties to cover the skeletons and bury the rotting bodies, to show a compassion that grieves for them and to follow the humaneness of King Wen.” Yuan Shao made him Chief Commandant of Cavalry. Later, when Yuan Shao was drilling his troops at Liyang and had halted at Yanjin, Cui Yan remonstrated again, “The Emperor is at Xu, and the people hope to support the side that is in the right. It would be better to guard your borders and discharge your duties, and so bring peace to the realm.”

大將軍袁紹聞而辟之。時士卒橫暴，掘發丘隴，琰諫曰：『昔孫卿有言：「士不素教，甲兵不利，雖湯武不能以戰勝。」今道路暴骨，民未見德，宜敕郡縣掩骼埋胔，示憯怛之愛，追文王之仁。』紹以爲騎都尉。後紹治兵黎陽，次于延津，琰復諫曰：『天子在許，民望助順，不如守境述職，以寧區宇。』

Yuan Shao did not listen, and in the end he was defeated at Guandu. When Yuan Shao died, his two sons fought each other, and each wanted to win Cui Yan over. Cui Yan pleaded illness and firmly declined, and for this he was charged with a crime and thrown into prison; he escaped only because Yin Kui and Chen Lin worked to rescue him.

紹不聽，遂敗于官渡。及紹卒，二子交爭，爭欲得琰。琰稱疾固辭，由是獲罪，幽於囹圄，賴陰夔、陳琳營救得免。

When Taizu had crushed the Yuans and taken charge of Ji Province as its Governor, he summoned Cui Yan to be his Attendant Officer with Separate Carriage. He said to Cui Yan, “Yesterday I went over the household registers. I can raise three hundred thousand men from them, so this is truly a great province.” Cui Yan answered, “Now the realm has fallen apart and the Nine Provinces are torn asunder. The two Yuan brothers have taken up arms against each other in person, and the multitudes of Ji lie as bones in the open fields. I have not yet heard that the royal army is sending word of its humaneness ahead of it, inquiring after the people’s ways and rescuing them from their misery; instead you count armor and soldiers and put this before all else. Is this what the men and women of our humble province hope for from Your Excellency?” Taizu’s expression changed and he apologized. All the guests present lay prostrate and turned pale.

太祖破袁氏，領冀州牧，辟琰爲別駕從事，謂琰曰：『昨案戶籍，可得三十萬眾，故爲大州也。』琰對曰：『今天下分崩，九州幅裂，二袁兄弟親尋干戈，冀方蒸庶暴骨原野。未聞王師仁聲先路，存問風俗，救其塗炭，而校計甲兵，唯此爲先，斯豈鄙州士女所望於明公哉！』太祖改容謝之。于時賓客皆伏失色。

When Taizu campaigned against Bing Province, he left Cui Yan at Ye as tutor to Emperor Wen. The heir kept going out hunting, changing his clothes and his carriage, his mind set on the chase. Cui Yan wrote to remonstrate with him: I have heard that indulgence in roaming and hunting is warned against in the Documents, and that Duke Yin of Lu’s going to watch the fishing was censured in the Spring and Autumn Annals. These are the maxims of the Duke of Zhou and Confucius and the clear teaching of the two classics. The mirror for Yin lay in the Xia, and the Odes say it was not far off; on the zi and mao days one does not make merry, and the rites treat them as days of abstention. These too are the successes and failures of times close at hand, and they must be examined deeply.

太祖征并州，留琰傅文帝於鄴。世子仍出田獵，變易服乘，志在驅逐。琰書諫曰：蓋聞盤于遊田，書之所戒，魯隱觀魚，春秋譏之，此周、孔之格言，二經之明義。殷鑒夏后，詩稱不遠，子卯不樂，禮以爲忌，此又近者之得失，不可不深察也。

The Yuan clan was rich and powerful, but its young lords were lax and self-indulgent; they lost themselves in roaming and hunting, grew ever more extravagant, and no word of righteousness was heard of them. Wise men and gentlemen soon had a mind to leave, and warriors as strong as bears were reduced to use in running down game. That is why, though they had a host of a million and held all the land north of the Yellow River, they were left with no place to set their feet. Now the state is worn and exhausted, and kindness and peace have not yet spread; what the men and women stand on tiptoe hoping for is virtue. What is more, Lord Cao himself is in the saddle leading the army, and high and low alike are toiling in hardship. You, the heir, should keep to the great road, take care to act uprightly, and think on lofty plans for governing the state; within, take warning from recent examples, and without, display far-reaching integrity. Reflect deeply on your place as successor, and treat your person as a treasure.

袁族富強，公子寬放，盤遊滋侈，義聲不聞，哲人君子，俄有色斯之志，熊羆壯士，墮於吞噬之用，固所以擁徒百萬，跨有河朔，無所容足也。今邦國殄瘁，惠康未洽，士女企踵，所思者德。況公親御戎馬，上下勞慘，世子宜遵大路，慎以行正，思經國之高略，內鑒近戒，外揚遠節，深惟儲副，以身爲寶。

Yet you have stooped to wear the lowly garb of a huntsman, suddenly galloping off over rough and dangerous ground, setting your heart on the petty pleasure of pheasants and hares and forgetting the weight of the altars of state. This is truly why men of understanding are grieved at heart. I only ask that you, the heir, burn your hunting blind and cast off your hunting jacket, so as to meet the hopes of all, and not let this old servant incur guilt before Heaven.

而猥襲虞旅之賤服，忽馳騖而陵險，志雉兔之小娛，忘社稷之爲重，斯誠有識所以惻心也。唯世子燔翳捐褶，以塞眾望，不令老臣獲罪於天。

The heir replied, “Yesterday I received your fine counsel and the excellent points you set out for me. You wished me to burn my hunting blind and cast off my hunting jacket: the blind has already been broken up, and the jacket has been put away as well. Should anything of this kind happen again, I hope to be instructed once more.”

世子報曰：『昨奉嘉命，惠示雅數，欲使燔翳捐褶，翳已壞矣，褶亦去焉。後有此比，蒙復誨諸。』

When Taizu became Chancellor, Cui Yan again served as a clerk of the Eastern and Western Bureaus and as Summoned Consultant. When he was first given the Eastern Bureau, Taizu issued an instruction: “You have the spirit of Bo Yi and the uprightness of Shi Yu. Greedy men admire your name and become honest, and bold men look up to your reputation and exert themselves; you are fit to lead the age. I therefore entrust you with the Eastern Bureau. Go and fulfill its duties.” When the state of Wei was first established, he was appointed Master of Writing. At that time no heir had yet been named, and Cao Zhi, Marquis of Linzi, was talented and beloved. Taizu was undecided, and he sought opinions in secret outside the court with sealed letters.

太祖爲丞相，琰復爲東西曹掾屬徵事。初授東曹時，教曰：『君有伯夷之風，史魚之直，貪夫慕名而清，壯士尚稱而厲，斯可以率時者已。故授東曹，往踐厥職。』魏國初建，拜尚書。時未立太子，臨菑侯植有才而愛。太祖狐疑，以函令密訪於外。

Cui Yan alone answered in an unsealed letter: “I have heard that the principle of the Spring and Autumn Annals is to establish the eldest son as heir. Moreover, the General of the Household for the Five Offices is humane, filial, intelligent, and wise, and it is fitting that he carry on the legitimate line. I will uphold this to the death.” Cao Zhi was the husband of Cui Yan’s elder brother’s daughter. Taizu valued his fairness and candor, sighed deeply, and promoted him to Commandant of the Capital.

唯琰露板答曰：『蓋聞春秋之義，立子以長，加五官將仁孝聰明，宜承正統。琰以死守之。』植，琰之兄女婿也。太祖貴其公亮，喟然歎息，¹遷中尉。

Cui Yan had a lofty voice and a commanding presence, with clear, bright brows and eyes and a beard four feet long, and he carried great dignity. The officials at court looked up to him, and Taizu too respected and stood in awe of him. Cui Yan had once recommended Yang Xun of Julu; though Yang Xun’s talents were not ample, he was pure and upright and held to the Way, and Taizu at once summoned him with due courtesy. Later, when Taizu became King of Wei, Yang Xun submitted a memorial praising his achievements and extolling his abundant virtue. Some people of the time laughed at Yang Xun as a time-server, shallow and false, and said Cui Yan had made a poor recommendation.

琰聲姿高暢，眉目疏朗，鬚長四尺，甚有威重，朝士瞻望，而太祖亦敬憚焉。¹琰嘗薦鉅鹿楊訓，雖才好不足，而清貞守道，太祖即禮辟之。後太祖爲魏王，訓發表稱贊功伐，襃述盛德。時人或笑訓希世浮僞，謂琰爲失所舉。

Cui Yan obtained the draft of the memorial from Yang Xun, read it, and wrote to Yang Xun, “I have looked over your memorial: the matter is fine, that is all (er)! The times, the times! There is bound to be a time when things change.” What Cui Yan meant was to mock the critics, who liked to find fault and did not look into the circumstances and the reasoning. But someone reported that this letter of Cui Yan’s showed contempt for the age and was full of resentment and slander. Taizu said angrily, “The proverb says, ‘It is only a girl (er),’ and er is no word of praise. ‘There is bound to be a time when things change’ points to insolent intentions.” He therefore sentenced Cui Yan to penal servitude and had men watch him, but Cui Yan did not bend in either his words or his expression.

琰從訓取表草視之，與訓書曰：『省表，事佳耳！時乎時乎，會當有變時。』琰本意譏論者好譴呵而不尋情理也。有白琰此書傲世怨謗者，太祖怒曰：『諺言「生女耳」，「耳」非佳語。「會當有變時」，意指不遜。』於是罰琰爲徒隸，使人視之，辭色不撓。

Taizu issued an order: “Though Cui Yan has been punished, he keeps company with guests, and his gate is as crowded as a marketplace. When he faces his guests he bristles his curling beard and stares straight ahead as though he were angry about something.” In the end Cui Yan was ordered to take his own life.

太祖令曰：『琰雖見刑，而通賓客，門若市人，對賓客虯鬚直視，若有所瞋。』遂賜琰死。¹

Early on, Cui Yan was on good terms with Sima Lang. When Sima Yi (King Xuan of Jin) was just coming of age, Cui Yan said to Sima Lang, “Your younger brother is brilliant and discerning, fair and sincere, firm and decisive, and outstanding; I dare say you are no match for him.” Sima Lang did not think so, but Cui Yan always held to this opinion. Cui Yan’s cousin Cui Lin had no reputation in his youth, and even his in-laws mostly made light of him, but Cui Yan always said, “He is what is meant by ‘a great vessel is completed late.’ In the end he is sure to go far.” When Sun Li and Lu Yu of Zhuo Commandery first entered the army headquarters, Cui Yan again gave them his verdict: “Sun is open and bright, proud and fiery, firm, straightforward, and able to decide. Lu is pure and alert and clear about principles, and he will not wear away though tempered a hundred times. Both have the makings of Excellencies.”

始琰與司馬朗善，晉宣王方壯，琰謂朗曰：『子之弟，聰哲明允，剛斷英跱，殆非子之所及也。』¹朗以爲不然，而琰每秉此論。琰從弟林，少無名望，雖姻族猶多輕之，而琰常曰：『此所謂大器晚成者也，終必遠至。』涿郡孫禮、盧毓始入軍府，琰又名之曰：『孫疏亮亢烈，剛簡能斷，盧清警明理，百鍊不消，皆公才也。』

Later Cui Lin, Sun Li, and Lu Yu all rose to be ministers of the highest rank. When Cui Yan’s friends Gongsun Yu and Song Jie died young, he looked after the orphans they left and treated them as kindly as his own children. His judgment of men and his devotion to duty were all of this kind.

後林、禮、毓咸至鼎輔。及琰友人公孫育、宋階早卒，琰撫其遺孤，恩若己子。其鑒識篤義，類皆如此。¹

Kong Rong

孔融

From early on Taizu was jealous by nature, and he did not spare those he could not tolerate: Kong Rong of Lu and Xu You and Lou Gui of Nanyang were all executed for presuming on old ties and failing to show him respect. But Cui Yan’s death was the one the world most grieved and regretted, and to this day people consider it an injustice.

初，太祖性忌，有所不堪者，魯國孔融、¹南陽許攸、²婁圭，皆以恃舊不虔見誅。³而琰最爲世所痛惜，至今冤之。⁴

Mao Jie

毛玠

Mao Jie, courtesy name Xiaoxian, was a man of Pingqiu in Chenliu. As a young man he served as a county clerk and was praised for his honesty and fairness. He meant to flee the disorders to Jing Province, but before he got there he heard that Liu Biao’s government was not well ordered, so he went to Luyang instead. When Taizu took over Yan Province, he summoned him to be his Headquarters Officer. Mao Jie said to Taizu, “Now the realm has fallen apart and the sovereign has been driven from place to place. The people have abandoned their livelihoods and wander in famine. The state has no stores to last a year, and the common people have no will to settle down. This cannot hold for long.

毛玠字孝先，陳留平丘人也。少爲縣吏，以清公稱。將避亂荊州，未至，聞劉表政令不明，遂往魯陽。太祖臨兗州，辟爲治中從事。玠語太祖曰：『今天下分崩，國主遷移，生民廢業，饑饉流亡，公家無經歲之儲，百姓無安固之志，難以持久。

Yuan Shao and Liu Biao may have many men and much strength, but neither has any far-reaching plan; neither has laid a foundation or established a base. In war it is the righteous who win, and a position is held by means of wealth. You should uphold the Emperor in order to command those who will not serve as his subjects, cultivate the fields, and lay up supplies for the army. If you do this, the work of a hegemon-king can be achieved.” Taizu respectfully accepted his advice and transferred him to be Officer of Merit in his headquarters.

今袁紹、劉表，雖士民眾強，皆無經遠之慮，未有樹基建本者也。夫兵義者勝，守位以財，宜奉天子以令不臣，脩耕植，畜軍資，如此則霸王之業可成也。』太祖敬納其言，轉幕府功曹。

When Taizu was Minister of Works and then Chancellor, Mao Jie served as Official of the Eastern Bureau and, together with Cui Yan, was in charge of selecting men for office. Those he recommended and employed were all honest and upright men; those whose conduct did not rest on fundamentals, however great their fame at the time, never managed to advance. He made it his task to lead others by frugality, and as a result there was no man of note in the realm who did not strive to be honest and principled; even eminent and favored ministers did not dare exceed the proper limits in their carriages and dress. Taizu sighed and said, “When men are employed like this, the people of the realm are made to govern themselves. What is left for me to do?”

太祖爲司空丞相，玠嘗爲東曹掾，與崔琰並典選舉。其所舉用，皆清正之士，雖於時有盛名而行不由本者，終莫得進。務以儉率人，由是天下之士莫不以廉節自勵，雖貴寵之臣，輿服不敢過度。太祖歎曰：『用人如此，使天下人自治，吾復何爲哉！』

When Emperor Wen was General of the Household for the Five Offices, he went to Mao Jie in person to recommend someone close to him. Mao Jie answered, “This old servant has been fortunate enough to avoid blame because he has been able to keep to his duty. The man you speak of is not in line for promotion, so I dare not obey your command.” When the main army returned to Ye, there were discussions about merging and cutting offices. Because Mao Jie would not grant requests for favors, people of the time were wary of him, and they all wanted to abolish the Eastern Bureau. So they jointly petitioned, “By old custom the Western Bureau ranks first and the Eastern Bureau second. The Eastern Bureau should be abolished.” Taizu knew what they were really after and issued an order: “The sun rises in the east and the moon waxes full in the east; whenever people speak of the directions, they too name the east first. Why should the Eastern Bureau be abolished?” In the end he abolished the Western Bureau.

文帝爲五官將，親自詣玠，屬所親眷。玠答曰：『老臣以能守職，幸得免戾，今所說人非遷次，是以不敢奉命。』大軍還鄴，議所並省。玠請謁不行，時人憚之，咸欲省東曹。乃共白曰：『舊西曹爲上，東曹爲次，宜省東曹。』太祖知其情，令曰：『日出於東，月盛於東，凡人言方，亦復先東，何以省東曹？』遂省西曹。

Earlier, when Taizu had pacified Liucheng and was distributing the goods captured there, he gave Mao Jie in particular a plain screen and a plain armrest, saying, “You have the manner of the ancients, so I give you the furnishings of the ancients.” Though Mao Jie held high office, he always wore plain cloth and ate vegetables. He raised his orphaned nephews, his elder brother’s children, with great devotion, and he used the rewards and gifts he received to relieve the poor of his clan, so that nothing was left over in his household. He was promoted to Army Instructor of the Right. When the state of Wei was first established, he became Supervisor of the Masters of Writing and was again in charge of selecting men for office. At that time the heir had not been settled, and Cao Zhi, Marquis of Linzi, was in favor. Mao Jie remonstrated in secret, “Recently Yuan Shao failed to distinguish between the sons of his principal wife and those of his concubines, and he overturned his clan and destroyed his state.

初，太祖平柳城，班所獲器物，特以素屏風素馮几賜玠，曰：『君有古人之風，故賜君古人之服。』玠居顯位，常布衣蔬食，撫育孤兄子甚篤，賞賜以振施貧族，家無所餘。遷右軍師。魏國初建，爲尚書僕射，復典選舉。¹時太子未定，而臨菑侯植有寵，玠密諫曰：『近者袁紹以嫡庶不分，覆宗滅國。

Deposing and establishing an heir is a grave matter, and it is not something that ought to be heard.” Later, at a gathering of the officials, when Mao Jie got up to change his clothes, Taizu pointed him out with his eyes and said, “This is what the ancients called ‘the upright minister of the state’—he is my Zhou Chang.”

廢立大事，非所宜聞。』後羣僚會，玠起更衣，太祖目指曰：『此古所謂國之司直，我之周昌也。』

After Cui Yan died, Mao Jie was inwardly displeased. Later someone denounced him: “When he went out he saw a rebel whose face had been tattooed and whose wife and children had been confiscated as government slaves, and Mao Jie said, ‘This must be why Heaven sends no rain.’” Taizu flew into a rage, arrested Mao Jie, and handed him over to prison. The Minister of Justice Zhong Yao interrogated Mao Jie: Since ancient times sage emperors and enlightened kings have extended punishment to wives and children. The Documents say, “If those on the left do not do their duty on the left, and those on the right do not do their duty on the right, I will put you to death together with your wives and children.” Under the office of the Minister of Crime, men were sent into penal servitude and women to pounding grain and working straw.

崔琰既死，玠內不悅。後有白玠者：『出見黥面反者，其妻子沒爲官奴婢，玠言曰「使天不雨者蓋此也」。』太祖大怒，收玠付獄。大理鍾繇詰玠曰：自古聖帝明王，罪及妻子。書云：「左不共左，右不共右，予則孥戮女。」司寇之職，男子入于罪隸，女子入于舂稿。

Under Han statute the wives and children of criminals are confiscated as slaves and tattooed on the face. The tattooing punishment practiced under Han law is preserved in the ancient canons. Today, genuine slaves whose ancestors committed crimes are still tattooed on the face and serve the government even after a hundred generations; this is done first to spare the lives of good people, and second to pardon those implicated in the crime. How does this offend the will of the spirits and bring on drought? According to the canonical teachings, harshness is attended by constant cold and laxity by constant heat; leniency makes the yang excessive, and that is what causes drought.

漢律，罪人妻子沒爲奴婢，黥面。漢法所行黥墨之刑，存於古典。今真奴婢祖先有罪，雖歷百世，猶有黥面供官，一以寬良民之命，二以宥並罪之辜。此何以負於神明之意，而當致旱？案典謀，急恆寒若，舒恆燠若，寬則亢陽，所以爲旱。

Did Mao Jie mean by his words that the punishment was too lenient, or too harsh? If harsh, there should have been long rains; why drought instead? Even in the sage age of Tang the Completer no living grass grew in the fields, and under the fine ruler King Xuan of Zhou the drought demon ran rampant. The great drought has now lasted thirty years; does blaming it on tattooing make any sense? When the people of Wey attacked Xing, rain fell as soon as their army set out. If crimes go unpunished, how can one answer Heaven? Mao Jie’s slanderous words have spread among the common people below, and the sound of his discontent has reached the ears of the sovereign above.

玠之吐言，以爲寬邪，以爲急也？急當陰霖，何以反旱？成湯聖世，野無生草，周宣令主，旱魃爲虐。亢旱以來，積三十年，歸咎黥面，爲相值不？衛人伐邢，師興而雨，罪惡無徵，何以應天？玠譏謗之言，流於下民，不悅之聲，上聞聖聽。

When Mao Jie said these words, he surely was not speaking to himself. How many tattooed people did he see at that time? Were the tattooed slaves people he knew? How did he come to see them, and did he face them and sigh as he spoke? To whom did he say it? What did that person answer? On what day and in what month? In what place? The matter has already come to light and cannot be hidden or lied about. Answer in full according to the facts.

玠之吐言，勢不獨語，時見黥面，凡爲幾人？黥面奴婢，所識知邪？何緣得見，對之歎言？時以語誰？見答云何？以何日月？於何處所？事已發露，不得隱欺，具以狀對。

Mao Jie answered: I have heard that Master Xiao (Xiao Wangzhi) hanged himself because he was hounded by Shi Xian; that Master Jia (Jia Yi) was sent away because of slander from the Marquis of Jiang and Guan Ying; that Bai Qi was handed a sword at Duyou; that Chao Cuo was executed in the Eastern Market; and that Wu Yuan met his end in the capital of Wu. Of these few men, some were envied by those ahead of them and some were harmed by those behind them. From the time my hair hung loose as a child I have held the writing slips, and I gained office through long diligence. My post has been close to the heart of affairs, a place where personal requests creep in. When anyone asked a private favor of me, however powerful he was, I always refused; when anyone told me of an injustice, however small, I always saw it righted.

玠曰：臣聞蕭生縊死，困於石顯；賈子放外，讒在絳、灌；白起賜劍於杜郵；晁錯致誅於東市；伍員絕命於吳都：斯數子者，或妒其前，或害其後。臣垂齠執簡，累勤取官，職在機近，人事所竄。屬臣以私，無勢不絕，語臣以冤，無細不理。

Human nature is drawn to profit, and the law forbids it; when the law bars men from profit, the powerful are able to harm the one who enforces it. Bluebottle flies have sprung up everywhere and spread slander about me, and those who slander me can be none other than they. Long ago, when Wang Shu and Chen Sheng contended over right and wrong at the royal court, Xuanzi judged the case fairly. He had them produce their documents, and right and wrong were duly settled and crooked and straight each found their place; the Spring and Autumn Annals commended this and so recorded it. I did not say these words; there was no such time and no such person. If it is claimed that I said them, there must be proof.

人情淫利，爲法所禁，法禁于利，勢能害之。青蠅橫生，爲臣作謗，謗臣之人，勢不在他。昔王叔、陳生爭正王廷，宣子平理。命舉其契，是非有宜，曲直有所，春秋嘉焉，是以書之。臣不言此，無有時、人。說臣此言，必有徵要。

I beg to receive a judgment like that of Xuanzi, and ask to be allowed to answer my accusers as Wang Shu did. If I am found to be in the wrong, I will count the day of my punishment as the gift of a fine four-horse carriage, and the coming of the sword as the favor of a rich reward. I respectfully submit this true account.

乞蒙宣子之辨，而求王叔之對。若臣以曲聞，即刑之日，方之安駟之贈；賜劍之來，比之重賞之惠。謹以狀對。

At that time Huan Jie and He Qia spoke up to save Mao Jie. In the end Mao Jie was dismissed from office, and he died at home. Taizu granted a coffin and burial goods, money, and silk, and appointed his son Mao Ji Gentleman of the Palace.

時桓階、和洽進言救玠。玠遂免黜，卒于家。¹太祖賜棺器錢帛，拜子機郎中。

Xu Yi

徐奕

Xu Yi, courtesy name Jicai, was a man of Dongguan. He fled the troubles to the region east of the Yangtze, where Sun Ce invited him with courtesy to serve. Xu Yi changed his name and returned to his home commandery in humble disguise. When Taizu became Minister of Works, he summoned Xu Yi to be a clerk on his staff, and Xu Yi followed him west on the campaign against Ma Chao. Ma Chao was defeated and the army returned. Guanzhong had only just submitted and was not yet settled, so Xu Yi was left behind as Chief Clerk to the Chancellor to pacify and govern the Western Capital, and the Western Capital praised his authority and good faith. He was transferred to Inspector of Yong Province, and then came back to serve as an assistant in the Eastern Bureau.

徐奕字季才，東莞人也。避難江東，孫策禮命之。奕改姓名，微服還本郡。太祖爲司空，辟爲掾屬，從西征馬超。超破，軍還。時關中新服，未甚安，留奕爲丞相長史，鎮撫西京，西京稱其威信。轉爲雍州刺史，復還爲東曹屬。

Ding Yi and others, who were in favor at the time, joined in trying to bring him down, but Xu Yi never wavered. He was sent out as Prefect of Wei Commandery. When Taizu campaigned against Sun Quan, he transferred Xu Yi to Chief Clerk of the Rear Headquarters and said to him, “Your loyalty and clear-sightedness are not surpassed even by the ancients, but you are a little too severe. Long ago Ximen Bao wore soft leather at his waist to temper himself. What I hope from you is the ability to control the hard and strong by means of the soft and weak. Now I am putting you in charge of affairs at the rear, and I need no longer worry about what lies behind me.” After the state of Wei was established, he became Master of Writing, was again in charge of selecting men for office, and was promoted to Prefect of the Masters of Writing.

丁儀等見寵於時，並害之，而奕終不爲動。¹出爲魏郡太守。太祖征孫權，徙爲留府長史，謂奕曰：『君之忠亮，古人不過也，然微太嚴。昔西門豹佩韋以自緩，夫能以柔弱制剛強者，望之於君也。今使君統留事，孤無復還顧之憂也。』魏國既建，爲尚書，復典選舉，遷尚書令。

When Taizu campaigned in Hanzhong, Wei Feng and others plotted rebellion, and the Commandant of the Capital Yang Jun was demoted. Taizu sighed and said, “Wei Feng dared to think of rebellion because among my claws and teeth there was no minister to check villainy and forestall plots. If only I could find someone like Zhuge Feng to take Yang Jun’s place!” Huan Jie said, “Xu Yi is the man.” Taizu then made Xu Yi Commandant of the Capital and issued an order in his own hand: “Long ago, while Chu had Ziyu, Duke Wen of Jin could not sit easy on his mat; while Ji An was at court, the King of Huainan abandoned his schemes.

太祖征漢中，魏諷等謀反，中尉楊俊左遷。太祖歎曰：『諷所以敢生亂心，以吾爪牙之臣無遏姦防謀者故也。安得如諸葛豐者，使代俊乎！』桓階曰：『徐奕其人也。』太祖乃以奕爲中尉，手令曰：『昔楚有子玉，文公爲之側席而坐；汲黯在朝，淮南爲之折謀。

The Odes speak of ‘the upright minister of the state’—are they not speaking of you?” After some months in office he fell gravely ill and asked to retire. He was appointed Grandee Remonstrant, and died.

詩稱「邦之司直」，君之謂與！』在職數月，疾篤乞退，拜諫議大夫，卒。¹

He Kui

何夔

He Kui, courtesy name Shulong, was a man of Yangxia in Chen Commandery. His great-grandfather He Xi rose to be General of Chariots and Cavalry under Emperor An of the Han. He Kui lost his father when young and lived with his mother and elder brother, and he was praised for his filial piety and brotherly devotion. He stood eight feet three inches tall and had a grave and dignified bearing. He fled the troubles to Huainan. Later, when Yuan Shu came to Shouchun and summoned him, He Kui did not respond, but he was nonetheless detained by Yuan Shu. Some time afterward Yuan Shu, together with Qiao Rui, attacked and besieged Qiyang, which held out firmly for Taizu.

何夔字叔龍，陳郡陽夏人也。曾祖父熙，漢安帝時官至車騎將軍。¹夔幼喪父，與母兄居，以孝友稱。長八尺三寸，容貌矜嚴。²避亂淮南。後袁術至壽春，辟之，夔不應，然遂爲術所留。久之，術與橋蕤俱攻圍蘄陽，蘄陽爲太祖固守。

Since He Kui was a man of that commandery, Yuan Shu wanted to force him to talk Qiyang into surrender. He Kui said to Yuan Shu’s adviser Li Ye, “Long ago, when Liuxia Hui heard of a plan to attack a state, a look of distress came over him and he said, ‘I have heard that one does not consult a humane man about attacking a state. How has this come to me?’” Then he fled and hid on Mount Qian. Yuan Shu realized that He Kui would never serve him, and let the matter drop. The mother of Yuan Shu’s cousin Yuan Yi, the Prefect of Shanyang, was He Kui’s father’s cousin, so although Yuan Shu resented He Kui, he did him no harm.

術以夔彼郡人，欲脅令說蘄陽。夔謂術謀臣李業曰：『昔柳下惠聞伐國之謀而有憂色，曰「吾聞伐國不問仁人，斯言何爲至於我哉」！』遂遁匿灊山。術知夔終不爲己用，乃止。術從兄山陽太守遺母，夔從姑也，是以雖恨夔而不加害。

In the second year of Jian’an, He Kui set out to return to his home district. Reckoning that Yuan Shu was sure to pursue him hard, he traveled by byways and got away, reaching his home commandery the following year. Soon afterward Taizu summoned him to be a clerk to the Minister of Works. At that time there were rumors that Yuan Shu’s army was in disorder, and Taizu asked He Kui, “Do you think it is true?” He Kui answered, “Heaven helps those who are in accord with it, and men help those who keep faith. Yuan Shu has neither faith nor accord in fact, yet he hopes for the help of Heaven and men. That is no way to achieve one’s aims in the realm.

建安二年，夔將還鄉里，度術必急追，乃間行得免，明年到本郡。頃之，太祖辟爲司空掾屬。時有傳袁術軍亂者，太祖問夔曰：『君以爲信不？』夔對曰：『天之所助者順，人之所助者信。術無信順之實，而望天人之助，此不可以得志於天下。

A ruler who has lost the Way is deserted even by his kin, let alone by those around him! As I see it, disorder is certain.” Taizu said, “A state that loses its worthy men perishes. You would not serve Yuan Shu; is it any wonder there is disorder?” Taizu was stern by nature, and his clerks were often caned over official business. He Kui always kept poison on him, vowing to die rather than suffer disgrace, and so in the end he was never caned. He was sent out as Magistrate of Chengfu.

夫失道之主，親戚叛之，而況於左右乎！以夔觀之，其亂必矣。』太祖曰：『爲國失賢則亡。君不爲術所用，亂，不亦宜乎！』太祖性嚴，掾屬公事，往往加杖；夔常畜毒藥，誓死無辱，是以終不見及。¹出爲城父令。²

He was promoted to Prefect of Changguang. The commandery lay between the mountains and the sea; the Yellow Turbans had not yet been put down, many of the local strongmen had rebelled, and Yuan Tan had even given them official posts. Guan Cheng, a man of Changguang County, had a following of more than three thousand households and was preying on the area. Those in council wanted to raise troops and attack him. He Kui said, “Guan Cheng and his men were not born loving disorder. They have grown used to disorder and cannot find their own way back, and never having received the teaching of virtue, they do not know how to return to good. If we press them hard with troops now, they will fear being wiped out and are sure to join forces and fight.

遷長廣太守。郡濱山海，黃巾未平，豪傑多背叛，袁譚就加以官位。長廣縣人管承，徒眾三千餘家，爲寇害。議者欲舉兵攻之。夔曰：『承等非生而樂亂也，習於亂，不能自還，未被德教，故不知反善。今兵迫之急，彼恐夷滅，必並力戰。

Attacking them, we will not easily take them, and even if we win, officials and people are bound to be hurt. It would be better to win them over slowly with kindness and give them room to repent of their own accord; then they can be settled without troubling our troops.” So he sent Huang Zhen, the Assistant of the commandery, to explain to them what would bring success and what would bring ruin, and Guan Cheng and his men all asked to submit. He Kui sent his officer Cheng Hong to take charge as Colonel, and the Assistant of Changguang County and others came out to the outskirts to greet them with offerings of oxen and wine and brought them to the commandery. The bandit Cong Qian of Muping also had a following of several thousand; He Kui led the commandery troops and, together with Zhang Liao, attacked and pacified them.

攻之既未易拔，雖勝，必傷吏民，不如徐喻以恩德，使容自悔，可不煩兵而定。』乃遣郡丞黃珍往，爲陳成敗，承等皆請服。夔遣吏成弘領校尉，長廣縣丞等郊迎奉牛酒，詣郡。牟平賊從錢，眾亦數千，夔率郡兵與張遼共討定之。

Wang Ying, a man of Dongmou, had a following of more than three thousand households and coerced Changyang County into rebellion. He Kui sent his officer Wang Qin and others, gave them a plan, and had them break the rebels apart. Within a month all was pacified.

東牟人王營，眾三千餘家，脅昌陽縣爲亂。夔遣吏王欽等，授以計略，使離散之。旬月皆平定。

At this time Taizu first drew up new regulations and sent them down to the provinces and commanderies, and he also began collecting taxes in grain, floss, and silk. He Kui felt that since the commandery had only just been established and had recently been through war, it could not suddenly be bound by the law, so he submitted a statement: Since the time of death and disorder, the people have lost their homes. Though things are now somewhat calmer, it has not been long since they came under instruction. The new regulations sent down are all meant to make punishments clear and put the laws in order, so as to unify the great work of civilizing. But the six counties under my charge have only just had their borders settled, and famine has struck besides. If all are made to conform at once to the regulations and prohibitions, I fear some may not follow the teaching.

是時太祖始制新科下州郡，又收租稅綿絹。夔以郡初立，近以師旅之後，不可卒繩以法，乃上言曰：自喪亂已來，民人失所，今雖小安，然服教日淺。所下新科，皆以明罰敕法，齊一大化也。所領六縣，疆域初定，加以饑饉，若一切齊以科禁，恐或有不從教者。

And if some do not follow the teaching, they must be put to death; that is not in keeping with the principle of observing the people, setting up teaching accordingly, and adapting to the times. The former kings distinguished the tribute of the Nine Zones so as to treat the far and the near differently, and they instituted the punishments of the Three Codes so as to treat order and disorder fairly. In my humble view, this commandery should follow the code for remote regions and newly founded states. Let the senior officials deal with the minor matters among the people as circumstances require, so that above they do not violate the proper laws and below they accord with the hearts of the common people. After three years or so, when the people are settled in their livelihoods, if they are then brought into conformity by law, there will be nowhere it does not reach.

有不從教者不得不誅，則非觀民設教隨時之意也。先王辨九服之賦以殊遠近，制三典之刑以平治亂，愚以爲此郡宜依遠域新邦之典，其民間小事，使長吏臨時隨宜，上不背正法，下以順百姓之心。比及三年，民安其業，然後齊之以法，則無所不至矣。

Taizu followed his advice. He summoned He Kui back and made him Military Adviser to the Chancellor. The pirate Guo Zu was raiding the borders of Lean and Jinan, and the province and commanderies suffered from him. Because He Kui had earlier won authority and trust in Changguang, Taizu appointed him Prefect of Lean. Within a few months of his taking office, all the towns were pacified.

太祖從其言。徵還，參丞相軍事。海賊郭祖寇暴樂安、濟南界，州郡苦之。太祖以夔前在長廣有威信，拜樂安太守。到官數月，諸城悉平。

He entered the court as Clerk of the Eastern Bureau to the Chancellor. He Kui said to Taizu, “Since the armies arose, institutions have only just been created, and in employing men we have not examined their foundations closely. As a result, each brings in his own kind, and at times morality is forgotten. I have heard that when ranks are set according to worth, the people are careful of their virtue, and when stipends are set according to merit, the people strive to achieve. I believe that from now on, those who are employed should first be examined in their home villages, so that the order of elder and younger is observed and no one oversteps another. If rewards for the loyal and upright are made conspicuous, and recompense for the fair and honest made clear, the distinction between the worthy and the unworthy will naturally become plain.

入爲丞相東曹掾。夔言於太祖曰：自軍興以來，制度草創，用人未詳其本，是以各引其類，時忘道德。夔聞以賢制爵，則民慎德；以庸制祿，則民興功。以爲自今所用，必先核之鄉閭，使長幼順叙，無相逾越。顯忠直之賞，明公實之報，則賢不肖之分，居然別矣。

Further, the regulations concerning those who guarantee a recommendation but deliberately misrepresent the facts may be revised, so that the responsible officials bear the liability separately. Ministers at court who from time to time are ordered to take part in selection together with the Bureau should each bear responsibility. Above, this will let you observe the integrity of the court officials; below, it will block the source of rivalry and competition. If in this way you oversee your subordinates and lead the myriad people, it will be a great blessing for the realm.”

又可脩保舉故不以實之令，使有司別受其負。在朝之臣，時受教與曹並選者，各任其責。上以觀朝臣之節，下以塞爭競之源，以督羣下，以率萬民，如是則天下幸甚。

Taizu approved. When the state of Wei was established, He Kui was appointed Deputy Director of the Secretariat. When Emperor Wen became Heir, Liang Mao was made Grand Tutor and He Kui Junior Tutor, and the two tutors were specially ordered to select, together with the Eastern Bureau of the Secretariat, the officials of the households of the Heir and the marquises. When Liang Mao died, He Kui replaced him. On the first day of each month the Grand Tutor went in to see the Heir, and the Heir put on his formal robes and paid him respect; on other days there was no ceremony of meeting. When He Kui was transferred to Minister Coachman, the Heir wished to take leave of him and had a reception prepared the day before, but He Kui had no intention of going. The Heir then wrote to invite him, but He Kui, saying that the state had fixed regulations, did not go in the end.

太祖稱善。魏國既建，拜尚書僕射。¹文帝爲太子，以涼茂爲太傅，夔爲少傅；特命二傅與尚書東曹並選太子諸侯官屬。茂卒，以夔代茂。每月朔，太傅入見太子，太子正法服而禮焉；他日無會儀。夔遷太僕，太子欲與辭，宿戒供，夔無往意；乃與書請之，夔以國有常制，遂不往。

Such was his adherence to what was right. Yet in an age that prized frugality he was the most lavish of all. When Emperor Wen ascended the throne, he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Chengyang Village with a fief of three hundred households. Falling ill, he repeatedly asked to resign his post. The edict in reply said, “To honor the worthy and cherish old friends is the constant duty of emperors and kings. In terms of closeness, you have the merit of having assisted and supported; in terms of worth, you have the excellence of purity and steadfastness. Whoever has hidden virtue will surely receive a manifest reward. Though your illness is not yet cured, the spirits have heard of it. Rest at ease, and comply with my wishes.” When he died he was posthumously named Marquis Jing.

其履正如此。然於節儉之世，最爲豪汰。文帝踐阼，封成陽亭侯，邑三百戶。疾病，屢乞遜位。詔報曰：『蓋禮賢親舊，帝王之常務也。以親則君有輔弼之勛焉，以賢則君有醇固之茂焉。夫有陰德者必有陽報，今君疾雖未瘳，神明聽之矣。君其即安，以順朕意。』薨，諡曰靖侯。

His Son He Zeng

子　曾

His son He Zeng succeeded him, and in the Xianxi era became Minister over the Masses.

子曾嗣，咸熙中爲司徒。¹

Xing Yong

邢顒

Xing Yong, courtesy name Ziang, was a man of Mao in Hejian. He was recommended as Filial and Incorrupt and summoned by the Minister over the Masses, but took up neither. Changing his surname and courtesy name, he went to Youbeiping and joined Tian Chou. After five years, Taizu pacified Ji Province. Xing Yong said to Tian Chou, “It is more than twenty years since the Yellow Turbans rose; the land within the seas seethes like a boiling cauldron, and the people are scattered and wandering. Now I hear that Lord Cao’s laws are strict. The people are weary of disorder, and when disorder reaches its extreme, peace follows. Let me be the first to go.” So he packed his things and returned home.

邢顒字子昂，河間鄚人也。舉孝廉，司徒辟，皆不就。易姓字，適右北平，從田疇遊。積五年，而太祖定冀州。顒謂疇曰：『黃巾起來二十餘年，海內鼎沸，百姓流離。今聞曹公法令嚴。民厭亂矣，亂極則平。請以身先。』遂裝還鄉里。

Tian Chou said, “Xing Yong is one who awakens before the rest of the people.” He then went to see Taizu and asked to serve as his guide so that Liucheng could be taken.

田疇曰：『邢顒，民之先覺也。』乃見太祖，求爲鄉導以克柳城。

Taizu summoned Xing Yong as Attendant Officer of Ji Province, and people of the time praised him, saying, “In virtue and conduct, dignified and grand, is Xing Ziang.” He was appointed Chief of Guangzong, but abandoned his post to mourn his former general. When the authorities impeached him, Taizu said, “Xing Yong is devoted to his former lord and has unwavering integrity,” and let the matter drop. He was again summoned, as Clerk to the Minister of Works, and appointed Magistrate of Xingtang, where he encouraged the people in farming and sericulture, and his moral influence spread widely. He entered the court as Gate Superintendent to the Chancellor and was transferred to Administrator of Zuopingyi, but left office because of illness.

太祖辟顒爲冀州從事，時人稱之曰：『德行堂堂邢子昂。』除廣宗長，以故將喪棄官。有司舉正，太祖曰：『顒篤於舊君，有一致之節。』勿問也。更辟司空掾，除行唐令，勸民農桑，風化大行。入爲丞相門下督，遷左馮翊，病，去官。

At this time Taizu was carefully selecting officials for his sons, and he issued a directive: “The officers of a marquis’s household should be men of depth and principle like Xing Yong.” Xing Yong was accordingly made Household Assistant to Cao Zhi, Marquis of Pingyuan. Xing Yong kept Cao Zhi in check according to the rites and would not bend in the least, and so the two did not get along. The Household Cadet Liu Zhen wrote to Cao Zhi in remonstrance: “Your Household Assistant Xing Yong is a paragon of the north. From his youth he has held to lofty principles; he is profound, calm and free of worldly desire, and speaks little but with much reason—a truly refined gentleman. I am in truth unworthy to stand in the same rank as this man at your side.

是時，太祖諸子高選官屬，令曰：『侯家吏，宜得淵深法度如邢顒輩。』遂以爲平原侯植家丞。顒防閑以禮，無所屈撓，由是不合。庶子劉楨書諫植曰：『家丞邢顒，北土之彥，少秉高節，玄靜澹泊，言少理多，真雅士也。楨誠不足同貫斯人，並列左右。

Yet I receive special courtesy while Xing Yong, on the contrary, is neglected. I secretly fear that onlookers will say that Your Lordship keeps unworthy men close and falls short in honoring the worthy—plucking the spring blossoms of a cadet while forgetting the autumn fruit of the Household Assistant. To bring slander upon one’s superior is no small offense, and for this I toss and turn.” Later Xing Yong became Military Adviser to the Chancellor and was transferred to Clerk of the Eastern Bureau. Earlier, when the Heir had not yet been decided, Cao Zhi, Marquis of Linzi, enjoyed favor, and Ding Yi and others all praised his merits and supported him.

而楨禮遇殊特，顒反疏簡，私懼觀者將謂君侯習近不肖，禮賢不足，採庶子之春華，忘家丞之秋實。爲上招謗，其罪不小，以此反側。』後參丞相軍事，轉東曹掾。初，太子未定，而臨菑侯植有寵，丁儀等並贊翼其美。

Taizu asked Xing Yong, who replied, “Replacing the legitimate heir with a secondary son is something past generations have warned against. I beg Your Highness to consider it deeply and carefully!” Taizu understood his meaning, and later made him Junior Tutor of the Heir and then promoted him to Grand Tutor.

太祖問顒，顒對曰：『以庶代宗，先世之戒也。願殿下深重察之！』太祖識其意，後遂以爲太子少傅，遷太傅。

When Emperor Wen ascended the throne, he became Palace Attendant and Deputy Director of the Secretariat and was granted the rank of Marquis Within the Passes. He went out to serve as Colonel-Director of Retainers and was then transferred to Minister of Ceremonies. He died in the fourth year of Huangchu. His son Xing You succeeded him.

文帝踐阼，爲侍中尚書僕射，賜爵關內侯，出爲司隸校尉，徙太常。黃初四年薨。子友嗣。¹

Bao Xun

鮑勛

Bao Xun, courtesy name Shuye, was a man of Pingyang in Taishan and a ninth-generation descendant of Bao Xuan, Colonel-Director of Retainers under the Han. One of Bao Xuan’s descendants moved from Shangdang to Taishan, and the family settled there. Bao Xun’s father, Bao Xin, was Commandant of Cavalry in the time of Emperor Ling, and General-in-Chief He Jin sent him east to recruit troops. He later became Chancellor of Jibei and made plans together with Taizu, but lost his own life. The account is in the Biography of Dong Zhuo and the Annals of Emperor Wu. In the seventeenth year of Jian'an, Taizu, recording Bao Xin’s merit posthumously, memorialized that Bao Xun’s elder brother Bao Shao be enfeoffed as Marquis of Xindu Village. He summoned Bao Xun as Clerk to the Chancellor.

鮑勛字叔業，泰山平陽人也，漢司隸校尉鮑宣九世孫。宣後嗣有從上黨徙泰山者，遂家焉。勛父信，靈帝時爲騎都尉，大將軍何進遣東募兵。後爲濟北相，協規太祖，身以遇害。語在《董卓傳》、《武帝紀》。¹建安十七年，太祖追錄信功，表封勛兄邵新都亭侯。²辟勛丞相掾。³

In the twenty-second year, when the Heir was established, Bao Xun was made Palace Cadet. He was transferred to Gentleman of the Yellow Gate and went out as Commandant of the Western Division of Wei Commandery. The younger brother of the Heir’s consort Lady Guo was a clerk of Quzhou County who was convicted of stealing government cloth, and by law he was to be executed in the marketplace. Taizu was then at Qiao, and the Heir, who had stayed behind at Ye, wrote several letters in his own hand pleading for the man to be pardoned. Bao Xun dared not release him on his own authority, and set out the full facts in a report. When Bao Xun had served earlier in the Eastern Palace he had kept to what was right and would not bend, so the Heir had never been fond of him; with this added, his resentment grew all the more.

二十二年，立太子，以勛爲中庶子。徙黃門侍郎，出爲魏郡西部都尉。太子郭夫人弟爲曲周縣吏，斷盜官布，法應棄市。太祖時在譙，太子留鄴，數手書爲之請罪。勛不敢擅縱，具列上。勛前在東宮，守正不撓，太子固不能悅，及重此事，恚望滋甚。

It happened that some soldiers on leave within the commandery failed to return on time, and the Heir secretly instructed the Commandant of the Capital to memorialize for Bao Xun’s dismissal. After a long while he was appointed Attending Censor. In the first year of Yankang, Taizu died and the Heir succeeded as King; Bao Xun, as Commandant of Attendant Cavalry, also served as Palace Attendant.

會郡界休兵有失期者，密敕中尉奏免勛官。久之，拜侍御史。延康元年，太祖崩，太子即王位，勛以駙馬都尉兼侍中。

When Emperor Wen accepted the abdication, Bao Xun repeatedly argued, “What is urgent now lies only in the army and agriculture, and in showing leniency and kindness to the people. Terraces, pavilions, parks and hunting grounds should wait until later.” When Emperor Wen was about to go out hunting, Bao Xun stopped his carriage and submitted a memorial: “I have heard that among the Five Emperors and Three Kings there was none who did not make clear the root and establish teaching, governing the realm by filial piety. Your Majesty is benevolent, sage and compassionate, equal to the illustrious rulers of old. I hope that you will follow in the footsteps of former ages and set an example for ten thousand generations. How can you, while still in mourning, engage in galloping and hunting!

文帝受禪，勛每陳『今之所急，唯在軍農，寬惠百姓。臺榭苑囿，宜以爲後。』文帝將出遊獵，勛停車上疏曰：『臣聞五帝三王，靡不明本立教，以孝治天下。陛下仁聖惻隱，有同古烈。臣冀當繼蹤前代，令萬世可則也。如何在諒闇之中，修馳騁之事乎！

I report this at the risk of death; I beg Your Majesty to consider it.” The Emperor tore up the memorial with his own hands and went hunting regardless. Halting to rest along the way, he asked his attendant officials, “How does the pleasure of hunting compare with the eight kinds of music?” The Palace Attendant Liu Ye replied, “Hunting is better than music.” Bao Xun retorted forcefully, “Music reaches up to the spirits above and harmonizes human relations below; it brings good government to its height and perfects moral transformation, so that all the states are well ordered. For changing customs and reforming manners, nothing is better than music. How much less can hunting compare—exposing the imperial canopy in the open fields, harming the supreme principle of birth and nurture, combing one’s hair in the wind and bathing in the rain, and not even waiting for a slack season!

臣冒死以聞，唯陛下察焉。』帝手毀其表而競行獵，中道頓息，問侍臣曰：『獵之爲樂，何如八音也？』侍中劉曄對曰：『獵勝於樂。』勛抗辭曰：『夫樂，上通神明，下和人理，隆治致化，萬邦咸乂。移風易俗，莫善於樂。況獵，暴華蓋於原野，傷生育之至理，櫛風沐雨，不以時隙哉？

Long ago Duke Yin of Lu watched fishing at Tang, and the Spring and Autumn Annals censured him for it. Even though Your Majesty regards this as a proper pursuit, it is not what your foolish servant would wish.” He then memorialized: “Liu Ye is a sycophant and disloyal; he fawned upon Your Majesty’s excessive jest. What is said of Liangqiu Ju currying favor at Chuan Terrace long ago applies to Liu Ye. I ask that the authorities deliberate his crime so as to keep the imperial temple pure.” The Emperor flushed with anger, broke off the hunt and returned, and at once sent Bao Xun out of court as General of the Household of the Right.

昔魯隱觀漁於棠，春秋譏之。雖陛下以爲務，愚臣所不願也。』因奏：『劉曄佞諛不忠，阿順陛下過戲之言。昔梁丘據取媚於遄臺，曄之謂也。請有司議罪以清皇廟。』帝怒作色，罷還，即出勛爲右中郎將。

In the fourth year of Huangchu, the Director of the Secretariat Chen Qun and the Deputy Director Sima Yi (King Xuan) jointly recommended Bao Xun as Palace Rectifier—the Palace Rectifier being the Palace Assistant Imperial Clerk. The Emperor employed him reluctantly, and all the officials held him in awe; none failed to be solemn and respectful. In the autumn of the sixth year, when the Emperor wished to campaign against Wu and the ministers held a great debate, Bao Xun remonstrated to his face: “The reason the royal armies have campaigned again and again without gaining anything is that Wu and Shu depend on each other like lips and teeth and rely on the barriers of mountains and rivers, giving them a position hard to overcome.

黃初四年，尚書令陳羣、僕射司馬宣王並舉勛爲宮正，宮正即御史中丞也。帝不得已而用之，百寮嚴憚，罔不肅然。六年秋，帝欲征吳，羣臣大議，勛面諫曰：『王師屢征而未有所克者，蓋以吳、蜀脣齒相依，憑阻山水，有難拔之勢故也。

In a past year the dragon boat drifted and was cut off at the southern bank; Your Sacred Person trod in danger, and your servants were terrified. At that moment the ancestral temples nearly toppled—this should be a warning for a hundred generations. If now we again weary the troops in a distant raid, spending a thousand pieces of gold a day, the central states will be drained, and we will let the cunning barbarians make light of our might. In my humble opinion, it should not be done.” The Emperor resented him all the more and demoted Bao Xun to Law-Enforcing Secretary.

往年龍舟飄蕩，隔在南岸，聖躬蹈危，臣下破膽。此時宗廟幾至傾覆，爲百世之戒。今又勞兵襲遠，日費千金，中國虛耗，令黠虜玩威，臣竊以爲不可。』帝益忿之，左遷勛爲治書執法。

The Emperor returned from Shouchun and camped at the border of Chenliu Commandery. The Prefect Sun Yong came to see him and, on leaving, called on Bao Xun. The encampment walls were not yet finished; only boundary markers had been set up, and Sun Yong cut across diagonally instead of keeping to the proper road. The camp clerk Liu Yao wanted to prosecute him, but Bao Xun, since the moats and walls were not yet finished, dissuaded him and did not report it. After the main army returned to Luoyang, Liu Yao committed an offense, and Bao Xun memorialized for his dismissal and expulsion; Liu Yao then secretly submitted a memorial alleging that Bao Xun had privately let Sun Yong’s offense go. The edict said, “Bao Xun has pointed at a deer and called it a horse. Arrest him and hand him over to the Commandant of Justice.”

帝從壽春還，屯陳留郡界。太守孫邕見，出過勛。時營壘未成，但立標埒，邕邪行不從正道，軍營令史劉曜欲推之，勛以塹壘未成，解止不舉。大軍還洛陽，曜有罪，勛奏絀遣，而曜密表勛私解邕事。詔曰：『勛指鹿作馬，收付廷尉。』

The Commandant of Justice, deliberating according to law, proposed: “The proper penalty is five years.” The three officers of the court objected: “Under the statutes, a fine of two jin.” The Emperor was furious and said, “Bao Xun has no claim to live, yet you dare to let him off! Arrest the three officers and those below them and hand them to the Inspector of Wrongdoing—I will have the 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 memorialized that “Bao Xun’s father Bao Xin rendered service to Taizu,” pleading for Bao Xun’s crime to be pardoned.

廷尉法議：『正刑五歲。』三官駮：『依律罰金二斤。』帝大怒曰：『勛無活分，而汝等敢縱之！收三官已下付刺姦，當令十鼠同穴。』太尉鍾繇、司徒華歆、鎮軍大將軍陳羣、侍中辛毗、尚書衛臻、守廷尉高柔等並表『勛父信有功於太祖』，求請勛罪。

The Emperor refused and finally had Bao Xun executed. Bao Xun had cultivated his conduct in private life; he was incorruptible yet generous in giving, and on the day he died his household had no wealth to spare. Twenty days later Emperor Wen also died, and there was no one who did not sigh and grieve over Bao Xun.

帝不許，遂誅勛。勛內行既脩，廉而能施，死之日，家無餘財。後二旬，文帝亦崩，莫不爲勛歎恨。

Sima Zhi

司馬芝

Sima Zhi, courtesy name Zihua, was a man of Wen in Henei. In his youth he was a student. Fleeing the disorders toward Jing Province, he met bandits at Mount Luyang. His companions all abandoned the old and weak and ran, but Sima Zhi alone sat and guarded his aged mother. When the bandits arrived and held a blade to him, Sima Zhi kowtowed and said, “My mother is old; her fate rests with you gentlemen!” The bandits said, “This is a filial son. It would be unrighteous to kill him.” So he escaped harm, and he pushed his mother along in a small handcart. He lived in the south for more than ten years, farming with his own hands and keeping to his principles.

司馬芝字子華，河內溫人也。少爲書生，避亂荊州，於魯陽山遇賊，同行者皆棄老弱走，芝獨坐守老母。賊至，以刃臨芝，芝叩頭曰：『母老，唯在諸君！』賊曰：『此孝子也，殺之不義。』遂得免害，以鹿車推載母。居南方十餘年，躬耕守節。

When Taizu pacified Jing Province, he made Sima Zhi Chief of Jian. At that time the realm was just being rebuilt, and many did not obey the law. The commandery Registrar Liu Jie was a powerful and swaggering man of an old family with more than a thousand households of retainers, who went out as bandits and came back to throw the administration into disorder. Before long Sima Zhi designated Liu Jie’s retainer Wang Tong and others for military service. The clerk Ju said, “Liu Jie’s household has never once supplied labor service. If they hide the men when the time comes, it will surely leave a shortfall for which we will be held responsible.” Sima Zhi did not listen, and wrote to Liu Jie: “You are the head of a great clan, and moreover a pillar of the commandery, yet your retainers never take part in service. Not only are the common people resentful, but word of this may reach the ears of those above.

太祖平荊州，以芝爲菅長。時天下草創，多不奉法。郡主簿劉節，舊族豪俠，賓客千餘家，出爲盜賊，入亂吏治。頃之，芝差節客王同等爲兵，掾史據白：『節家前後未嘗給繇，若至時藏匿，必爲留負。』芝不聽，與節書曰：『君爲大宗，加股肱郡，而賓客每不與役，既眾庶怨望，或流聲上聞。

Now that Wang Tong and the others are to be soldiers, I hope you will send them off in good time.” The soldiers had already assembled at the commandery, but Liu Jie hid Wang Tong and the others, and had the Investigator use the military levy as a pretext to lay false charges against the county. The county clerks, driven to desperation, asked to go in Wang Tong’s place. Sima Zhi then sent an urgent dispatch to Jinan, setting out Liu Jie’s crimes in full. The Prefect Hao Guang had always respected and trusted Sima Zhi, and at once sent Liu Jie in place of Wang Tong. In Qing Province Sima Zhi was called “the man who made the commandery Registrar a soldier.” He was transferred to Magistrate of Guangping. Liu Xun, General Who Conquers Barbarians, was high in rank and favor, arrogant and overbearing, and had also formerly been governor of Sima Zhi’s commandery; his retainers and kinsmen repeatedly broke the law within the county.

今同等爲兵，幸時發遣。』兵已集郡，而節藏同等，因令督郵以軍興詭責縣，縣掾史窮困，乞代同行。芝乃馳檄濟南，具陳節罪。太守郝光素敬信芝，即以節代同行，青州號芝『以郡主簿爲兵』。遷廣平令。征虜將軍劉勛，貴寵驕豪，又芝故郡將，賓客子弟在界數犯法。

Liu Xun wrote to Sima Zhi without signing his name, asking many favors; Sima Zhi did not answer the letter and handled everything according to law. Later, when Liu Xun was executed for sedition, all who had dealings with him were punished, but Sima Zhi was praised for this.

勛與芝書，不著姓名，而多所屬託，芝不報其書，一皆如法。後勛以不軌誅，交關者皆獲罪，而芝以見稱。¹

He was transferred to Rectifier of the Court of Justice. Someone stole a piece of government silk and left it on top of the public latrine; the officials suspected a woman worker, arrested her and sent her to prison. Sima Zhi said, “The failures of punishment lie in harshness and cruelty. Here the stolen goods were found first and her statement is being extracted afterwards; if she cannot bear the flogging, she may end by making a false confession. A false confession cannot be the basis for deciding a case. Moreover, to be simple and easy to follow is the way great men transform the people. Never letting the guilty escape is merely the governance of a mediocre age. Would it not be right now to pardon the suspect and so honor the principle of being easy to follow?” Taizu followed his proposal. He served in turn as Prefect of Ganling, Pei and Yangping, and achieved results wherever he went.

遷大理正。有盜官練置都廁上者，吏疑女工，收以付獄。芝曰：『夫刑罪之失，失在苛暴。今贓物先得而後訊其辭，若不勝掠，或至誣服。誣服之情，不可以折獄。且簡而易從，大人之化也。不失有罪，庸世之治耳。今宥所疑，以隆易從之義，不亦可乎！』太祖從其議。歷甘陵、沛、陽平太守，所在有績。

In the Huangchu era he entered the court as Intendant of Henan. He curbed the strong and aided the weak, and private requests got nowhere. It happened that a palace official wished to entrust some matter to Sima Zhi but dared not speak of it, and went through Dong Zhao, the elder uncle of Sima Zhi’s wife. Even Dong Zhao was in awe of Sima Zhi and would not pass it on. Sima Zhi issued an instruction to his subordinates: “A superior can lay down instructions, but cannot make certain that his officers never break them. Officers can break instructions, but cannot make certain that their superior never hears of it. When instructions are laid down and broken, it is the superior’s failing; when instructions are broken and it becomes known, it is the officer’s misfortune.

黃初中，入爲河南尹，抑強扶弱，私請不行。會內官欲以事託芝，不敢發言，因芝妻伯父董昭。昭猶憚芝，不爲通。芝爲教與羣下曰：『蓋君能設教，不能使吏必不犯也。吏能犯教，而不能使君必不聞也。夫設教而犯，君之劣也；犯教而聞，吏之禍也。

With the superior failing above and the officers suffering misfortune below—this is why government is not well ordered. Should not each of you exert himself!” After this there was none among the junior officers who did not strive. Once a gate patroller suspected a gate attendant of stealing a hairpin; the attendant’s statements did not tally, and the bureau had him imprisoned. Sima Zhi instructed, “Among things there are some so alike that they are hard to tell apart; unless one is Li Lou, few can avoid being confused. Even if it really was so, how can the patroller value a single hairpin so highly as to lightly harm a colleague! Drop the matter and ask no more.”

君劣於上，吏禍於下，此政事所以不理也。可不各勉之哉！』於是下吏莫不自勵。門下循行嘗疑門幹盜簪，幹辭不符，曹執爲獄。芝教曰：『凡物有相似而難分者，自非離婁，鮮能不惑。就其實然，循行何忍重惜一簪，輕傷同類乎！其寢勿問。』

When Emperor Ming came to the throne, Sima Zhi was granted the rank of Marquis Within the Passes. Soon after, Dang, the wet nurse of Cao Hong, Specially Advanced, was imprisoned together with a maid of the Princess of Linfen for worshipping the god of Wujian. Empress Dowager Bian sent a eunuch of the Yellow Gate to his office to deliver an order, but Sima Zhi would not admit him; instead he at once ordered the Luoyang prison to carry the interrogation through to its conclusion, and then submitted a memorial: “All those who deserve death should first be reported to the throne and a reply awaited. Earlier an imperial decree banned illicit cults in order to correct customs. Now the offense committed by Dang and the others is one of sorcery, and just as their statements were settled, the Yellow Gate eunuch Wu Da came to me and conveyed an order from the Grand Empress Dowager.

明帝即位，賜爵關內侯。頃之，特進曹洪乳母當，與臨汾公主侍者共事無澗神¹繫獄。卞太后遣黃門詣府傳令，芝不通，輒敕洛陽獄考竟，而上疏曰：諸應死罪者，皆當先表須報。前制書禁絕淫祀以正風俗，今當等所犯妖刑，辭語始定，黃門吳達詣臣，傳太皇太后令。

I did not dare admit him because I feared there was an intent to protect them, and that it would quickly reach Your Majesty’s ears, so that, having no choice, you would delay the matter. That the case was not concluded earlier is my fault; therefore I have transgressed the ordinary rules, at once ordered the county to conclude the interrogation, and carried out the execution on my own authority. I prostrate myself and await punishment.”

臣不敢通，懼有救護，速聞聖聽，若不得已，以垂宿留。由事不早竟，是臣之罪，是以冒犯常科，輒敕縣考竟，擅行刑戮，伏須誅罰。

The Emperor replied in his own hand: “Having read your memorial, I understand your perfect sincerity. Acting on your own discretion in order to uphold the imperial decree was right. This was your intention in upholding the decree—what is there to apologize for? If the Yellow Gate eunuchs come again, take care not to admit them.” Sima Zhi held that office for eleven years, and repeatedly discussed articles of law that were inconvenient. Among the ministers he walked the straight path. When the princes came to court and had dealings with people of the capital, he was held responsible and dismissed.

帝手報曰：『省表，明卿至心，欲奉詔書，以權行事，是也。此乃卿奉詔之意，何謝之有？後黃門復往，慎勿通也。』芝居官十一年，數議科條所不便者。其在公卿間，直道而行。會諸王來朝，與京都人交通，坐免。

Later he became Grand Minister of Agriculture. Before this, the Agricultural Commandants had each let the officials and people under them earn a living through commerce in order to bring in profit. Sima Zhi memorialized: “The rule of a true king honors the root and restrains the branches, devoting itself to agriculture and valuing grain. The ‘Royal Regulations’ says, ‘A state without three years’ reserves is no state at all.’ The Qu Yan section of the Guanzi treats the storing of grain as the most urgent matter. At present the two enemies have not yet been destroyed and the armies know no rest; the essential thing for the state lies only in grain and silk. Emperor Wu specially created the offices of the military farms, to make agriculture and sericulture their sole business.

後爲大司農。先是諸典農各部吏民，末作治生，以要利入。芝奏曰：王者之治，崇本抑末，務農重穀。王制：「無三年之儲，國非其國也。」管子區言以積穀爲急。方今二虜未滅，師旅不息，國家之要，惟在穀帛。武皇帝特開屯田之官，專以農桑爲業。

In the Jian'an era the granaries of the realm were full and the people prosperous. Since Huangchu, the Agricultural Commandants have been allowed to engage in business, each making plans for their own subordinates, which truly does not suit the overall interest of the state. A true king takes the whole land within the seas as his household; hence the commentary says, ‘If the people have not enough, with whom shall the ruler have enough?’ Prosperity from the fields lies in not missing the seasons of Heaven and in exhausting the strength of the earth. What traders seek may bring an obvious profit of double, yet in terms of the plan for unifying the realm it already causes incalculable loss; it is not as good as bringing land under cultivation and adding the yield of a single mu.

建安中，天下倉廩充實，百姓殷足。自黃初以來，聽諸典農治生，各爲部下之計，誠非國家大體所宜也。夫王者以海內爲家，故傳曰：「百姓不足，君誰與足！」富足之田，在於不失天時而盡地力。今商旅所求，雖有加倍之顯利，然於一統之計，已有不貲之損，不如墾田益一畝之收也。

The farmer’s work in the fields begins in the first month with plowing and sowing, then weeding and hoeing and pruning the mulberries, plowing and sun-drying the soil and sowing wheat, reaping and building the threshing floors, and only ends in the tenth month. Then there are the granaries to repair and bridges to join, taxes to transport, roads to clear and bridges to mend, and the walls of houses to plaster—so to the end of the year there is not a day without farm work. Now the Agricultural Commandants each say, ‘Those who stay behind are assigned to work the fields for those who go, according to their strength; the circumstances leave us no choice. If nothing is being neglected, they must have had spare strength all along.’

夫農民之事田，自正月耕種，耘鋤條桑，耕熯種麥，穫刈築場，十月乃畢。治廩繫橋，運輸租賦，除道理梁，墐塗室屋，以是終歲，無日不爲農事也。今諸典農，各言「留者爲行者宗田計，課其力，勢不得不爾。不有所廢，則當素有餘力。」

In my foolish opinion, commerce should no longer be allowed to disrupt things; to concentrate solely on agriculture and sericulture would be to the advantage of the state’s plans.”

臣愚以爲不宜復以商事雜亂，專以農桑爲務，於國計爲便。

Emperor Ming followed his advice.

明帝從之。

Whenever a superior official summoned his clerks for questioning, he would always see them first, work out the intent and reasons behind it for them, and teach them how to answer; everything turned out as he had foreseen. Sima Zhi was open and upright by nature, and did not make a show of integrity or scrupulousness. When talking with guests, if something did not accord with his views, he would refute their faults to their faces, and afterwards said nothing different behind their backs. He died in office, leaving no wealth to his family. From the time of Wei down to the present, none who served as Intendant of Henan has matched Sima Zhi.

每上官有所召問，常先見掾史，爲斷其意故，教其所以答塞之狀，皆如所度。芝性亮直，不矜廉隅。與賓客談論，有不可意，便面折其短，退無異言。卒於官，家無餘財，自魏迄今爲河南尹者莫及芝。

His Son Sima Qi

子　岐

When Sima Zhi died, his son Sima Qi succeeded him. He was transferred from Assistant of Henan to Rectifier of the Commandant of Justice, and promoted to Chancellor of Chenliu. In Liang Commandery there were prisoners whose case implicated many people, and for several years it had not been decided. An imperial decree transferred the case to a county under Sima Qi’s jurisdiction, and the county asked to prepare the instruments of the prison in advance. Sima Qi said, “There are now several dozen prisoners. Being cunning and deceitful, their stories are hard to reconcile, but they are already worn out by torture, so the truth will be easy to see. Why should they be kept long in prison again!” He went to the prisoners and questioned them, and none dared conceal or deceive; the case was settled in a single morning. He was thereupon promoted over others to Commandant of Justice.

芝亡，子岐嗣，從河南丞轉廷尉正，遷陳留相。梁郡有繫囚，多所連及，數歲不決。詔書徙獄于岐屬縣，縣請豫治牢具。岐曰：『今囚有數十，既巧詐難符，且已倦楚毒，其情易見。豈當復久處囹圄邪！』及囚室，詰之，皆莫敢匿詐，一朝決竟，遂超爲廷尉。

At this time the General-in-Chief Cao Shuang held all power, and the Masters of Writing He Yan, Deng Yang and others were his right-hand men. Gui Tai of Nanyang had once given offense by his words and was arrested and held for interrogation by the Commandant of Justice. Deng Yang, hearing the case, meant to impose a heavy punishment on Gui Tai. Sima Qi reproached Deng Yang: “Ministers at the pivot of affairs are the supports of the royal house. Unable to aid in transforming the people and perfecting virtue so as to equal the excellence of the ancients, you instead give free rein to your private anger and wrongly condemn the innocent. What else is it that makes the people uneasy, if not this?”

是時大將軍爽專權，尚書何晏、鄧颺等爲之輔翼。南陽圭泰嘗以言迕指，考繫廷尉。颺訊獄，將致泰重刑。岐數颺曰：『夫樞機大臣，王室之佐，既不能輔化成德，齊美古人，而乃肆其私忿，枉論無辜。使百姓危心，非此焉在？』

Deng Yang then withdrew, ashamed and angry. Sima Qi, fearing in the end that he would incur punishment if he stayed long, left office on grounds of illness. He died at home before a year had passed, at the age of thirty-five. His son Sima Zhao succeeded him.

颺於是慚怒而退。岐終恐久獲罪，以疾去官。居家未期而卒，年三十五。子肇嗣。¹

Appraisal

評

Appraisal: Xu Yi, He Kui and Xing Yong prized sternness and severity and became famous men of their age. Mao Jie was pure, fair and plain in conduct; Sima Zhi was loyal, clear-sighted and unswerving—they came close to those who “neither spit out the hard nor swallow the soft.” Cui Yan’s lofty character was the finest, and Bao Xun held to what was right without flaw, yet neither could save himself—what a pity! The Greater Odes value being “both enlightened and wise,” and the Book of Yu esteems being “upright yet gentle.” Who but a man of combined talents could possess all of these!

評曰：徐奕、何夔、邢顒貴尚峻厲，爲世名人。毛玠清公素履，司馬芝忠亮不傾，庶乎不吐剛茹柔。崔琰高格最優，鮑勛秉正無虧，而皆不免其身，惜哉！大雅貴『既明且哲』，虞書尚『直而能溫』，自非兼才，疇克備諸！