Records of Wu 20: Biographies of Wang Fan, Lou Xuan, He Shao, Wei Zhao and Hua He

Records of Wu 20: Biographies of Wang Fan, Lou Xuan, He Shao, Wei Zhao and Hua He

Wang Fan

王蕃

Wang Fan, courtesy name Yongyuan, was a man of Lujiang. He read widely and had heard much, and he was also versed in the arts of calculation and divination. He first became a Gentleman of the Secretariat but left office. When Sun Xiu came to the throne, Wang Fan, together with He Shao, Xue Ying, and Yu Si, became Cavalier Palace Regular Attendants, and all were given the additional post of Commandant of Escort Cavalry. The opinion of the time regarded them as men of integrity. He was sent as an envoy to Shu, where the people of Shu praised him, and on his return he became Army Supervisor at Xiakou.

王蕃字永元，廬江人也。博覽多聞，兼通術藝。始為尚書郎，去官。孫休即位，與賀邵、薛瑩、虞汜俱為散騎中常侍，皆加駙馬都尉。時論清之。遣使至蜀，蜀人稱焉，還為夏口監軍。

At the beginning of Sun Hao's reign he again entered the palace as Regular Attendant, holding the same office as Wan Yu. Wan Yu was an old acquaintance of Sun Hao, and vulgar men, taking advantage of this to attack Wang Fan, said that he slighted Wan Yu. Moreover, Chen Sheng, Assistant of the Palace Secretariat and a favorite of Sun Hao, repeatedly slandered and disparaged Wang Fan. Wang Fan was lofty and forthright in temperament and could not watch his ruler's face and bend to his wishes; at times he went against Sun Hao's will, and as this accumulated he incurred reproach.

孫皓初，復入為常侍，與萬彧同官。彧與皓有舊，俗士挾侵，謂蕃自輕。又中書丞陳聲，皓之嬖臣，數譖毀蕃。蕃體氣高亮，不能承顏順指；時或迕意，積以見責。

In the second year of Ganlu, when Ding Zhong returned from his mission to Jin, Sun Hao held a grand assembly of his ministers, and Wang Fan became thoroughly drunk and slumped forward. Sun Hao, suspicious and displeased, had Wang Fan carried outside. After a while he was called back in, though he was still not sober. Wang Fan was dignified by nature and carried himself with perfect composure; Sun Hao flew into a rage, shouted at his attendants, and had him beheaded below the hall. Teng Mu, General of the Guards, and Liu Ping, General Who Conquers the West, pleaded for his life, but to no avail.

甘露二年，丁忠使晉還，皓大會群臣，蕃沉醉頓伏。皓疑而不悅，舉蕃出外。頃之請還，酒亦不解。蕃性有威嚴，行止自若，皓大怒，呵左右於殿下斬之。衛將軍滕牧、征西將軍留平請，不能得。¹

The Chancellor Lu Kai sent up a memorial saying: “The Regular Attendant Wang Fan had virtue within and understood principle; he knew Heaven and knew the nature of things, and at court he was loyal and outspoken. He was a mainstay of the altars of the state, the Guan Longfeng of Great Wu. In the past he served Emperor Jing, offering counsel at his side, and Emperor Jing respected and commended him, marveling that he was without peer. Yet Your Majesty, angered by his bitter words and hating his frank replies, beheaded him in the palace hall and cast out his corpse exposed, so that all within the realm are grieved and men of understanding mourn him.” Such was his grief for Wang Fan.

丞相陸凱上疏曰：「常侍王蕃黃中通理，知天知物，處朝忠蹇，斯社稷之重鎮，大吳之龍逢也。昔事景皇，納言左右，景皇欽嘉，歎為異倫。而陛下忿其苦辭，惡其直對，梟之殿堂，屍骸暴棄，邦內傷心，有識悲悼。」其痛蕃如此。

Wang Fan was thirty-nine when he died. Sun Hao moved his family to Guang Province. His two younger brothers, Wang Zhu and Wang Yan, both became men of fine capacity; when Guo Ma rose in revolt, they would not serve him and were killed.

蕃死時年三十九，皓徙蕃家屬廣州。二弟著、延皆作佳器，郭馬起事，不為馬用，見害。

Lou Xuan

樓玄

Lou Xuan, courtesy name Chengxian, was a man of Qi County in Pei Commandery. In Sun Xiu's time he was Imperial Clerk Supervising Agriculture. When Sun Hao came to the throne, Lou Xuan, together with Wang Fan, Guo Chuo, and Wan Yu, became Cavalier Palace Regular Attendants; he went out to be Prefect of Kuaiji and returned to be Grand Minister of Agriculture. Formerly the ruler had himself appointed his intimates to take charge of the palace interior, but Wan Yu represented that close and confidential posts ought to be filled with good men. Sun Hao therefore ordered the officials concerned to seek out loyal and upright gentlemen to fill the selection, and in the end he made Lou Xuan Inspector Guarding the Palace Interior, in charge of affairs within the palace. Lou Xuan, though one of the Nine Ministers, took up a sword and stood guard; he kept himself upright and led the others, acted in accordance with the law, and answered earnestly and bluntly. He repeatedly went against Sun Hao's wishes and gradually incurred his reproach and anger.

樓玄字承先，沛郡蘄人也。孫休時為監農御史。孫皓即位，與王蕃、郭逴、萬彧俱為散騎中常侍，出為會稽太守，入為大司農。舊禁中主者自用親近人作之，彧陳親密近職宜用好人，皓因敕有司，求忠清之士，以應其選，遂用玄為宮下鎮禁中候，主殿中事，玄從九卿持刀侍衛，正身率眾，奉法而行，應對切直，數迕皓意，漸見責怒。

Later someone falsely reported that Lou Xuan had met He Shao, and that the two had stopped together, whispered in each other's ears and laughed loudly, slandering the affairs of government. He was then reprimanded by edict and sent away to Guang Province.

後人誣白玄與賀邵相逢，駐共耳語大笑，謗訕政事，遂被詔詰責，送付廣州。

The Director of the Eastern Pavilion, Hua He, sent up a memorial saying: “I humbly consider that the essence of governing a state is like that of governing a household. Those in charge of the fields should all be good and trustworthy. Further, one man should be found to take charge of all the particulars and establish the guiding framework, and then all affairs will be put in order. The Analects says: ‘He who governed without taking action — was it not Shun? He did nothing but hold himself reverently and face due south.’ This means that because those he appointed were the right men, he could take his ease and rest at leisure. Now the realm within the seas is not yet settled and the world is full of affairs; matters great and small must all be reported, and time and again they pass before the imperial seat, wearying and burdening Your sagely mind.

東觀令華覈上疏曰：臣竊以治國之體，其猶治家。主田野者，皆宜良信。又宜得一人總其條目，為作維綱，眾事乃理。《論語》曰：『無為而治者其舜也與！恭己正南面而已。』言所任得其人，故優遊而自逸也。今海內未定，天下多事，事無大小，皆當關聞，動經御坐，勞損聖慮。

Your Majesty has turned your mind to broad learning in antiquity and mastered the arts and letters to the utmost; you have, moreover, devoted your heart to the love of the Way, cultivating your breath according to the seasons. You ought to have leisure and quiet in which to unfold your spirit and thoughts, breathing in the pure and unmixed, and to be as limitless as Heaven. Day and night I have pondered this, and among all the officials there is none better than Lou Xuan for taking charge of affairs and being trusted with them. Lou Xuan is upright and loyal and serves the public good; he is foremost in this age, all admire his integrity, and none can vie with him. Those who are upright are calm of heart and straight of purpose, and those who are loyal tread only the correct path. With a nature such as Lou Xuan's, he can be relied upon from beginning to end. I beg Your Majesty to pardon Lou Xuan's past faults so that he may renew himself, to promote him to a ministerial post, and to hold him to account for results thereafter. If you choose men for the offices and assign duties according to talent, then Shun's holding himself reverently may be attained in our own time.”

陛下既垂意博古，綜極藝文，加勤心好道，隨節致氣，宜得閑靜以展神思，呼翕清淳，與天同極。臣夙夜思惟，諸吏之中，任幹之事，足委仗者，無勝於樓玄。玄清忠奉公，冠冕當世，眾服其操，無與爭先。夫清者則心平而意直，忠者惟正道而履之，如玄之性，終始可保，乞陛下赦玄前愆，使得自新，擢之宰司，責其後效。使為官擇人，隨才授任，則舜之恭己，近亦可得。

Sun Hao resented Lou Xuan's fame and moved him again, together with his son Lou Ju, handing them over to Zhang Yi, a general in Jiaozhi, so that they might redeem themselves in battle; secretly he sent a separate order instructing Zhang Yi to kill him. Lou Ju reached Jiaozhi and died of illness. Lou Xuan, alone, followed Zhang Yi to campaign against the rebels, carrying a sword and crossing rivers on foot, and whenever he saw Zhang Yi he bowed to him, so that Zhang Yi could not bring himself to kill him. Then Zhang Yi died suddenly, and while Lou Xuan was preparing the body for burial he found the imperial order among his effects; he went back and killed himself.

皓疾玄名聲，復徙玄及子據，付交阯將張奕，使以戰自效，陰別敕奕令殺之。據到交阯，病死。玄一身隨奕討賊，持刀步涉，見奕輒拜，奕未忍殺。會奕暴卒，玄殯斂奕，於器中見敕書，還便自殺。¹

He Shao

賀邵

He Shao, courtesy name Xingbo, was a man of Shanyin in Kuaiji. When Sun Xiu came to the throne, he went from Gentleman of the Palace to Cavalier Palace Regular Attendant and went out to be Prefect of Wu Commandery. In Sun Hao's time he entered the court as Superintendent of the Left Army, was promoted to Prefect of the Palace Secretariat, and concurrently served as Grand Tutor to the Heir Apparent. Sun Hao was savage, violent, arrogant, and boastful, and the affairs of government deteriorated day by day. He Shao sent up a memorial of remonstrance saying: “That the sage kings of antiquity, dwelling deep within layered palace gates, knew the conditions ten thousand li away, and, sitting with folded hands upon their mats, shed their light to the farthest reaches of the eight directions, was the achievement of entrusting affairs to the worthy.

賀邵字興伯，會稽山陰人也，¹孫休即位，從中郎為散騎中常侍，出為吳郡太守。孫皓時，入為左典軍，遷中書令，領太子太傅。皓兇暴驕矜，政事日弊。邵上疏諫曰：古之聖王，所以潛處重闈之內而知萬里之情，垂拱衽席之上，明照八極之際者，任賢之功也。

Your Majesty, with supreme virtue and fine endowments, has succeeded to the imperial enterprise; you ought to lead by your own conduct in treading the Way, reverently uphold the sacred vessel of rule, honor the worthy and distinguish the good, and so bring peace to all affairs of government. Yet in recent years the ranks of the court have been thrown into confusion, the true and the false have changed places, high and low hold their posts in vain, and the civil and military offices stand empty; abroad there are no bulwarks like mountains, and at home no ministers to make good what is overlooked. Flatterers and sycophants beat their wings and soar to the sky, meddling with the authority of the court and stealing honor and profit, while the loyal and good are pushed aside and cast down and trustworthy ministers come to harm.

陛下以至德淑姿，統承皇業，宜率身履道，恭奉神器，旌賢表善，以康庶政。自頃年以來，朝列紛錯，真偽相貿，上下空任，文武曠位，外無山嶽之鎮，內無拾遺之臣。佞諛之徒拊翼天飛，干弄朝威，盜竊榮利，而忠良排墜，信臣被害。

Therefore upright men break off their sharp edges while mediocre ministers fawn for their own advantage, anticipating your wishes and complying with your will, each hoping to follow the fashion of the moment. People hold to judgments that defy reason, and gentlemen spew out arguments that pervert the Way, so that the clear stream has turned muddy and loyal ministers hold their tongues. Your Majesty dwells above the Nine Heavens and hides in chambers a hundred layers deep; when your words go forth all bend like grass before the wind, and when your commands are issued all follow like shadows. You are intimate with favored and flattering ministers and hear every day only words that please you, so you must suppose that these men are truly worthy and that the realm is already at peace. Since my heart is uneasy about this, how could I dare not let it be heard?

是以正士摧方，而庸臣苟媚，先意承旨，各希時趣。人執反理之評，士吐詭道之論，遂使清流變濁，忠臣結舌。陛下處九天之上，隱百重之室，言出風靡，令行景從，親洽寵媚之臣，日聞順意之辭，將謂此輩實賢，而天下已平也。臣心所不安，敢不以聞。

I have heard that a ruler who makes his state flourish delights in hearing of his faults, while a ruler who brings ruin and disorder delights in hearing his praises. He who hears of his faults sees them diminish day by day and blessings arrive; he who hears his praises sees his repute diminish day by day and calamity come. Therefore the rulers of old were modest and yielding so as to advance the worthy, and emptied themselves so as to seek out their faults; they likened the Son of Heaven's throne to riding a runaway carriage and took treading on a tiger's tail as a warning. But when it comes to Your Majesty, you make the penal laws severe to forbid frank words and dismiss good men to rebuff remonstrating ministers; you are dazzled as to the truth of censure and praise and sunk in the words of your intimates.

臣聞興國之君樂聞其過，荒亂之主樂聞其譽。聞其過者過日消而福臻，聞其譽者譽日損而禍至。是以古之人君，揖讓以進賢，虛己以求過，譬天位於乘犇，以虎尾為警戒。至於陛下，嚴刑法以禁直辭，黜善士以逆諫臣，眩耀毀譽之實，沉淪近習之言。

In the past Gaozong longed for a minister to assist him and found a worthy man in his dreams, but Your Majesty seeks them as though you had forgotten them and neglects them as though you had discarded them. The late Regular Attendant Wang Fan was loyal and scrupulous in public service, with talent fit to be a chief minister, yet for a moment of drunkenness you inflicted the supreme penalty on him. Recently the Minister Herald Ge Xi, an old minister of the late emperor, happened to give offense, but it was merely the talk of a man befuddled with drink; what is said after three cups is not held against a man by the rites. Yet Your Majesty wantonly unleashed thunderous wrath, called it insolence, and made him drink strong wine, so that he was poisoned and lost his life.

昔高宗思佐，夢寐得賢，而陛下求之如忘，忽之如遺。故常侍王蕃忠恪在公，才任輔弼，以醉酒之間加之大戮。近鴻臚葛奚，先帝舊臣，偶有逆迕，昏醉之言耳，三爵之後，禮所不諱，陛下猥發雷霆，謂之輕慢，飲之醇酒，中毒隕命。

Since then all within the seas are grieved at heart and the court officials are at a loss; those in office count it good fortune to retire, and those who remain at court count it a blessing to be sent out. This is surely no way to preserve and glorify the great succession or to broaden and exalt the transforming influence of the Way.

自是之後，海內悼心，朝臣失圖，仕者以退為幸，居者以出為福，誠非所以保光洪緒，熙隆道化也。

Moreover, He Ding is by origin a petty errand-runner, lower than a servant or slave; in conduct he has not a grain of merit, and in ability not even the usefulness of a hawk or a hound. Yet Your Majesty, fond of his flattery and servility, has lent him authority, so that He Ding, relying on your favor, behaves without restraint, arrogates to himself the power to punish and reward, decides the deliberations of state with his mouth and manipulates the secret workings of the throne with his hands, dimming above the brightness of sun and moon and blocking below the path of true gentlemen. When a petty man seeks entry, he always offers some wicked profit. He Ding has lately and recklessly raised labor levies, calling out the garrison troops along the Yangtze to drive elk and deer; he has strung nets across the hills and mounds and cleared the forests and thickets to exhaust the beasts of all the wilds and gather them within ring upon ring of beaters. Above, this brings no benefit to the times; below, it brings only waste and expense.

又何定本趨走小人，僕隸之下，身無錙銖之行，能無鷹犬之用，而陛下愛其佞媚，假其威柄，使定恃寵放恣，自擅威福，口正國議，手弄天機，上虧日月之明，下塞君子之路。夫小入求入，必進奸利，定間妄興事役，發江邊戍兵以驅麋鹿，結罝山陵，芟夷林莽，殫其九野之獸，聚於重圍之內，上無益時之分，下有損耗之費。

The soldiers are worn out with hauling and men's strength is spent in driving the game; the old and weak go hungry and cold, and great and small alike complain and lament. I have humbly observed the changes in Heaven: in recent years yin and yang have been out of order, the four seasons have run against their proper course, there have been eclipses of the sun and earthquakes, and frost has fallen in midsummer. Compared with the classical records, these are all brought about when the yin force overrides the yang and petty men wield power. I have read the classics and their commentaries and tested them against past events, and the correspondence of calamities and omens makes me shudder.

而兵士疲於運送，人力竭於驅逐，老弱饑凍，大小怨歎。臣竊觀天變，自比年以來陰陽錯謬，四時逆節，日食地震；中夏隕霜，參之典籍，皆陰氣陵陽，小人弄勢之所致也。臣嘗覽書傳，驗諸行事，災祥之應，所為寒慄。

In the past Gaozong cultivated himself and dispelled the portent of the pheasant on the tripod, and Duke Jing of Song exalted virtue and averted the anomaly of Mars. I beg Your Majesty to fear above the rebuke that august Heaven sends as a warning, and to follow below the way by which those two rulers warded off disaster; to look far back to the achievements of former ages in entrusting affairs to the worthy, and to awaken nearer at hand to today's error in misplaced appointments. Purify the ranks of the court, honor and advance men of outstanding talent, banish the flatterers and the wicked, and curb and strip away the power of the treacherous. Never again employ a single one of such men; invite widely those who have been overlooked, accept frank words, reverently receive the guidance of Heaven, and respectfully uphold the legacy of your forebears. Then the great transformation will shine forth and spread, and the hopes of Heaven and men will be fulfilled.

昔高宗修己以消鼎雉之異，宋景崇德以退熒惑之變。願陛下上懼皇天譴告之誚，下追二君攘災之道，遠覽前代任賢之功，近寤今日謬授之失，清澄朝位，旌敘俊乂，放退佞邪，抑奪奸勢。如是之輩，一勿復用，廣延淹滯，容受直辭，祗承乾指，敬奉先業，則大化光敷，天人望塞也。

The Commentary says: ‘When a state is rising, it looks upon the people as infants; when it is perishing, it treats the people as weeds and dust.’ In the past Your Majesty hid your divine light and concealed your virtue in the eastern lands; then, with sagely and wise endowments, you soared like a dragon in response to Heaven, and all within the four seas craned their necks and all the eight directions rubbed their eyes, expecting that a transformation like that of Kings Cheng and Kang would surely flourish any day. Yet since you ascended the throne, laws and prohibitions have grown ever harsher and taxes and levies ever more numerous. Eunuchs of the inner palace are posted throughout the provinces and commanderies, arbitrarily raising labor levies and vying with one another to devise wicked profits.

《傳》曰：‘國之興也，視民如赤子。其亡也，以民為草芥。’陛下昔韜神光，潛德東夏，以聖哲茂姿，龍飛應天，四海延頸，八方拭目，以成康之化必隆於旦夕也。自登位以來，法禁轉苛，賦調益繁。中宮內豎，分布州郡，橫興事役，競造奸利。

The common people suffer the distress of empty looms, and the masses are exhausted by endless demands; old and young go hungry and cold, and every household has the pallor of starvation. Yet the senior officials everywhere, pressed by fear of being held culpable, make the laws strict and the punishments severe, tormenting the people to get the levies delivered. Therefore men's strength cannot bear it, households are scattered, and the sound of cries and lamentation disturbs the harmony of the cosmos. Furthermore, the garrison troops along the Yangtze are to be used, in the long run, to open up land and extend our borders, and in the near term to guard the frontier and prepare against trouble; they ought to be specially well cared for, to be ready when there is need. Yet levies and taxes come upon them like smoke and gather like clouds; their clothes do not amount even to a whole coarse jacket, and their food does not last from morning to evening; when they go out they face the peril of blades and arrowheads, and when they come back they carry a desolate grief.

百姓罹杼軸之困，黎民罷無已之求，老幼饑寒，家戶萊色，而所在長吏，迫畏罪負，嚴法峻刑，苦民求辦。是以人力不堪，家戶離散，呼嗟之聲，感傷和氣。又江邊戍兵，遠當以拓土廣境，近當以守界備難，宜特優育，以待有事，而征發賦調，煙至雲集，衣不全裋褐，食不贍朝夕，出當鋒鏑之難，入抱無聊之戚。

Therefore fathers and sons abandon one another and deserters walk off in columns. I beg Your Majesty to lighten the taxes and remove vexatious burdens, relieve the poor and destitute, cut back on all that is not urgent, sweep away prohibitions and simplify the laws; then all within the seas will be content in their livelihoods and the great transformation will reach everywhere. The people are the root of the state, and food is the life of the people. Now the state has not a year's reserves and households have not a month's stores, yet within the rear palace more than ten thousand people sit and eat. Within there is the resentment of women kept apart from husbands, and without there is waste and expense, so that the storehouses and granaries are emptied on useless things while gentlemen and commoners go hungry even for dregs and husks.

是以父子相棄，叛者成行。願陛下寬賦除煩，振恤窮乏，省諸不急，蕩禁約法，則海內樂業，大化普洽。夫民者國之本，食者民之命也，今國無一年之儲。家無經月之畜，而後宮之中坐食者萬有餘人。內有離曠之怨，外有損耗之費。使庫廩空於無用，士民饑於糟糠。

Moreover, the enemy in the north has its eyes fixed on us, watching for the rise or fall of our state, yet Your Majesty does not rely on your own authority and virtue but trusts that the enemy will not come; you neglect the hardship of all within the four seas and take lightly the danger the caitiffs pose. This is surely no far-reaching plan, nor the key to a victory planned in the ancestral temple. In the past the Great Emperor toiled in person and endured hardship, founding the state in the southern lands; he carved out his dominion among the rivers and mountains and opened up ten thousand li of territory. Though he received the aid of Heaven, in truth it came about through human effort. The blessings and fortune he left behind have come down to Your Majesty, and Your Majesty ought to strive to exalt your virtue and capacity so as to shed luster on the achievements of your predecessors.

又北敵注目，伺國盛衰，陛下不恃己之威德；而怙敵之不來，忽四海之困窮，而輕虜之不為難，誠非長策廟勝之要也。昔大皇帝勤身苦體，創基南夏，割據江山，拓土萬里，雖承天贊，實由人力也。餘慶遺祚，至於陛下，陛下宜勉崇德器，以光前烈。

You should love the people and nurture gentlemen, preserving intact the path laid down by your forebears. How can you disregard the toil and achievements of your illustrious ancestor, make light of the great enterprise so hard to attain, forget that the realm is failing to prosper, and ignore the great changes of rise and fall? I have heard that obstruction and prosperity are not constant, and that good and ill fortune depend on men. The barrier of the Yangtze cannot be relied on forever; if we do not defend it, it can be crossed on a single reed. In the past Qin established the title of Emperor and relied on the defiles of Mount Xiao and the Hangu Pass, but it did not cultivate virtuous transformation, its laws and government were harsh and cruel, poison flowed over the living, and loyal ministers shut their mouths. So when one common man gave a great shout, its altars of state toppled.

愛民養士，保全先軌，何可忽顯祖之功勤，輕難得之大業。忘天下之不振，替興衰之巨變哉？臣聞否泰無常，吉兇由人，長江之限不可久恃，苟我不守，一葦可航也。昔秦建皇帝之號，據殽函之阻，德化不修，法政苛酷，毒流生民，忠臣杜口，是以一夫大呼，社稷傾覆。

More recently the Liu clan held the dangerous Three Passes and guarded the stronghold of layered mountains; it could be called a city of metal and a chamber of stone, an enterprise for ten thousand generations. Yet because it failed to appoint worthy men, it perished in a single morning, and ruler and ministers, with ropes around their necks, together became captives. This is a clear mirror for our age and a glaring warning before our very eyes. I beg Your Majesty to examine former events far back and observe the changes of the world nearer at hand, to enrich the foundation and strengthen the root, and to sever private feelings to follow the Way. Then an order like that of Kings Cheng and Kang will arise, and the fortune of our sage ancestor will flourish.”

近劉氏據三關之險，守重山之固，可謂金城石室，萬世之業，任授失賢，一朝喪沒，君臣繫頸，共為羈僕。此當世之明鑒，目前之炯戒也。願陛下遠考前事，近覽世變，豐基強本，割情從道，則成康之治興，而聖祖之祚隆矣。

When the memorial was presented, Sun Hao bitterly resented it. He Shao served the public good with integrity and uprightness, and Sun Hao's intimates feared him. So together they slandered He Shao, alleging that he and Lou Xuan had defamed the affairs of state, and both were reprimanded. Lou Xuan was sent away to the southern provinces, while He Shao was pardoned and restored to his post. Later He Shao was struck by a malignant wind and lost the power of speech. After he had been away from his post for several months, Sun Hao suspected that he was feigning illness; he had him arrested and confined in the wine store, where he was beaten under interrogation nearly a thousand times, but He Shao never uttered a single word, and in the end he was put to death. His family were moved to Linhai. An edict was also issued ordering the execution of Lou Xuan's sons and grandsons. This was the first year of Tiance. He Shao was forty-nine years old.

書奏，皓深恨之。邵奉公貞正，親近所憚。乃共譖邵與樓玄謗毀國事，俱被詰責。玄見送南州，邵原復職。後邵中惡風，口不能言，去職數月，皓疑其托疾，收付酒藏，掠考千所，邵卒無一語，竟見殺害，家屬徙臨海。並下詔誅玄子孫，是歲天冊元年也，邵年四十九。¹

Wei Yao

韋曜

Wei Yao, courtesy name Hongsi, was a man of Yunyang in Wu Commandery. In his youth he loved learning and could compose literary works. From Clerk to the Chancellor he was appointed Magistrate of Xi'an, returned to become a Gentleman of the Secretariat, and was promoted to Palace Cadet to the Heir Apparent. At that time Cai Ying was also in the Eastern Palace, and he was by nature fond of board games. The Heir Apparent Sun He considered them of no benefit and ordered Wei Yao to write an essay on them. Its words were: “I have heard that the gentleman is ashamed if in his prime he has not established merit, and is troubled if at the end of his life his name is not praised. Hence it is said: ‘Learn as if you could never catch up, and still fear to lose what you have gained.’

韋曜字弘嗣，吳郡雲陽人也。¹少好學，能屬文，從丞相掾除西安令，還為尚書郎，遷太子中庶子。時蔡穎亦在東宮，性好博奕。太子和以為無益，命曜論之。其辭曰：蓋聞君子恥當年而功不立，疾沒世而名不稱，故曰‘學如不及，猶恐失之’。

Therefore the determined men of old grieved at the swift passing of their years and feared that their names would not be established. So they exerted their spirits and tempered their conduct, rising at dawn and retiring late at night, with no time to rest; they kept at it through the months and years and built it up day by day with their strength, like the diligence of Ning Yue or the devotion of Master Dong, gradually steeping themselves in the depths of virtue and righteousness and dwelling in the realm of the Way and the arts. Even with the sageliness of the Chief of the West and the talent of the Duke of Zhou, there was still the toil of going without food until the sun declined and sitting up to await the dawn; that is how they were able to make the Way of Zhou flourish and hand down their names for countless ages. How much less, then, may ministers and commoners cease their efforts?

是以古之志士，悼年齒之流邁而懼名稱之不立也，故勉精厲操，晨興夜寐，不遑寧息，經之以歲月，累之以日力，若寧越之勤，董生之篤，漸漬德義之淵，棲遲道藝之域。且以西伯之聖，姬公之才，猶有日昃待旦之勞，故能隆興周道，垂名億載，況在臣庶，而可以已乎？

If we survey the men of merit and fame, past and present, all of them left a record of accumulated and exceptional deeds; they wearied their bodies and endured hardship, toiling and thinking diligently; in ordinary times they did not neglect their work, and in poverty and distress they did not change their original purpose. Thus Bu Shi set his mind on farming and herding, and Huang Ba received the Way in prison, yet in the end they enjoyed the blessings of honor and eminence and achieved imperishable names. So Zhongshan Fu was diligent from dawn to dusk, and Wu Han never left the gate of his office; how could they have idled or been lazy?

歷觀古今功名之士，皆有累積殊異之跡，勞身苦體，契闊勤思，平居不墮其業，窮困不易其素，是以卜式立志於耕牧，而黃霸受道於囹圄，終有榮顯之福，以成不朽之名。故山甫勤於夙夜，而吳漢不離公門，豈有遊惰哉？

Nowadays most people do not apply themselves to the study of the classics but love to play board games, neglecting their affairs and abandoning their work, forgetting sleep and food; they play the whole day through while it is light and continue by the light of oil lamps and candles. When they face the board and contend with one another and victory is not yet decided, they concentrate their spirits and sharpen their wits until their minds are weary and their bodies exhausted; the affairs of men are left untended and guests and travelers go unreceived. Even if there were a feast of the Great Offering or the music of the Shao and the Xia, they would have no leisure to attend to it. Some even go so far as to wager their clothing, move pieces and change their plays, so that their sense of honesty and shame slackens and a look of anger and violence appears. Yet what they aim at goes no further than the top of a single board, and what they strive for goes no further than the spaces between its squares. Defeating an opponent brings no reward of a fief or rank, and taking territory brings no substance of annexed land. The skill is not one of the Six Arts, and its use has nothing to do with governing a state.

今世之人多不務經術，好玩博奕，廢事棄業，忘寢與食，窮日盡明，繼以脂燭。當其臨局交爭，雌雄未決，專精銳意，心勞體倦，人事曠而不修，賓旅闕而不接，雖有太牢之饌，《韶》、《夏》之樂，不暇存也。至或賭及衣物，徙棋易行，廉恥之意弛，而忿戾之色發，然其所志不出一枰之上，所務不過方罫之間，勝敵無封爵之賞，獲地無兼土之實，技非六藝，用非經國。

Those who make a career do not climb by this art, and those summoned and selected do not come by this road. Look for it in warfare and it does not rank with Sun Wu and Wu Qi; examine it in terms of the Way and the arts and it does not belong to the school of Confucius. Since it makes trickery its business, it is not the way of loyal and trustworthy men; since it takes capturing and killing as its terms, it is not the intention of the humane. It merely wastes the days and ruins one's work, and in the end brings no benefit at all. How is this different from setting up a post and striking it, or setting down a stone and throwing it?

立身者不階其術，徵選者不由其道。求之於戰陳，則非孫、吳之倫也。考之於道藝，則非孔氏之門也；以變詐為務，則非忠信之士也；以劫殺為名，則非仁者之意也；而空妨日廢業，終無補益。是何異設木而擊之，置石而投之哉！

Moreover, when a gentleman is at home he exerts himself to support his parents, and when he is at court he spends his life offering loyalty; when he has a task in hand he eats only after dark. How then could board games be worth indulging in? Because he is like this, his conduct of filial piety and brotherly love is established and his name for integrity and purity is made known.

且君子之居室也勤身以致養，其在朝也竭命以納忠，臨事且猶旰食，而何博奕之足耽？夫然，故孝友之行立，貞純之名彰也。

At present Great Wu has received the Mandate, but the realm within the seas is not yet at peace. The sagely court strives unceasingly, its task being to find the right men. Men of courage and strategy are given commands like bears and tigers, and scholars of refinement occupy the offices of dragons and phoenixes; every kind of conduct is embraced, and the civil and the military race side by side. Good talents are chosen far and wide and outstanding men are singled out and honored. Examinations have been instituted and rewards of gold and rank held out; truly this is a fine meeting such as comes once in a thousand years, a happy opportunity such as occurs once in a hundred generations. The gentlemen of this age ought to strive to contemplate the highest Way, treasure their efforts and husband their strength, and so assist this enlightened age, so that their names are written in the histories and their merits preserved in the archive of covenants. This is the foremost task of the gentleman and the most urgent matter of the present day.

方今大吳受命，海內未平，聖朝乾乾，務在得人，勇略之士則受熊虎之任，儒雅之徒則處龍鳳之署，百行兼苞，文武並騖，博選良才，旌簡髦俊。設程試之科，垂金爵之賞，誠千載之嘉會，百世之良遇也，當世之士，宜勉思至道，愛功惜力，以佐明時，使名書史籍，勳在盟府，乃君子之上務，當今之先急也。

How does a board made of a single piece of wood compare with a fief over a whole state? How do three hundred dry game pieces compare with command of ten thousand men? Robes embroidered with dragons and the music of bells and chimes are well worth trading for the game board and board games. If the gentlemen of the age were to shift the energy they give to board games and apply it to the Odes and the Documents, they would have the aspirations of Yan Hui and Min Ziqian; if they applied it to wisdom and planning, they would have the thinking of Zhang Liang and Chen Ping; if they applied it to wealth and goods, they would have the riches of Yi Dun; if they applied it to archery and charioteering, they would have the qualities of a general. In this way merit and fame would be established and baseness and lowliness kept far away.”

夫一木之枰孰與方國之封？枯棋三百孰與萬人之將？袞龍之服，金石之樂，足以兼棋局而貿博弈矣。假令世士移博奕之力而用之於詩書，是有顏、閔之志也。用之於智計，是有良、平之思也。用之於資貨，是有猗頓之富也；用之於射御，是有將帥之備也。如此則功名立而鄙賤遠矣。

After Sun He was deposed, Wei Yao became a Gentleman of the Yellow Gate. When Sun Liang came to the throne and Zhuge Ke assisted in the government, Zhuge Ke memorialized that Wei Yao be made Grand Historian and compile the Book of Wu, in which Hua He, Xue Ying, and others all took part. When Sun Xiu ascended the throne, Wei Yao became Gentleman of the Palace Writers and Libationer of the Erudites. Sun Xiu ordered him to collate and establish the texts of the various books following the precedent of Liu Xiang. He also wished to invite Wei Yao to lecture to him, but the General of the Left Zhang Bu, an intimate favorite whose conduct had many blemishes, was wary of Confucian scholars lecturing to the emperor; furthermore, Wei Yao was meticulous and exact by nature, and Zhang Bu feared that he would use examples past and present to put Sun Xiu on his guard, so he argued strongly that it should not be done. Sun Xiu deeply resented Zhang Bu, as is told in the Biography of Sun Xiu. Yet in the end the matter was dropped and Wei Yao did not enter the palace.

和廢後，為黃門侍郎。孫亮即位，諸葛恪輔政，表曜為太史令，撰《吳書》，華覈、薛瑩等皆與參同，孫休踐阼，為中書郎、博士祭酒。命曜依劉向故事，校定眾書。又欲延曜侍講，而左將軍張布近習寵幸，事行多玷，憚曜侍講儒士，又性精確，懼以古今警戒休意，固爭不可。休深恨布，語在《休傳》。然曜竟止不入。

When Sun Hao came to the throne, Wei Yao was enfeoffed as Marquis of Gaoling Village and promoted to Supervisor of the Palace Secretariat; when that office was abolished he became Palace Attendant, always concurrently serving as Historian of State of the Left. At that time people everywhere, following the emperor's wishes, repeatedly reported auspicious omens. Sun Hao asked Wei Yao about them, and Wei Yao replied: “These are merely things found in people's baskets and boxes.” Again, when Sun Hao wished to compose an Annal for his father Sun He, Wei Yao insisted that since Sun He had never ascended the imperial throne, it should be called a Biography. Such things happened more than once, and he gradually incurred reproach and anger. Wei Yao grew ever more anxious and afraid; pleading his age and infirmity, he asked to be relieved of his two offices of Palace Attendant and historian, begging to finish the book he was compiling and to have the rest of the work handed to someone else, but Sun Hao would not agree.

孫皓即位，封高陵亭侯，遷中書僕射，職省，為侍中，常領左國史。時所在承指數言瑞應。皓以問曜，曜答曰：“此人家筐篋中物耳。”又皓欲為父和作紀，曜執以和不登帝位，宜名為傳。如是者非一，漸見責怒。曜益憂懼，自陳衰老，求去侍、史二官，乞欲成所造書，以後業別有所付，皓終不聽。

At that time Wei Yao was ill, and Sun Hao had physicians and medicines to watch over him and held on to him all the more tightly. Whenever Sun Hao held a banquet it always lasted the whole day, and everyone seated there, whether able to drink or not, was held to a measure of seven sheng; even if it did not all go into their mouths, it was all poured in until it was finished. Wei Yao had never been able to drink more than two sheng. When he first enjoyed special courtesy, his measure was always reduced for him, and sometimes he was secretly given tea in place of wine. But when favor waned, he was forced to drink even more, and each time it was counted as an offense. Moreover, after the drinking Sun Hao would have his attending ministers challenge and humiliate the high officials, taking delight in mockery, attacks, and the exposure of their private failings.

時有疾病，醫藥監護，持之愈急。皓每饗宴，無不竟日，坐席無能否率以七升為限，雖不悉入口，皆澆灌取盡。曜素飲酒不過二升，初見禮異時，常為裁減，或密賜茶荈以當酒，至於寵衰，更見逼強，輒以為罪。又於酒後使侍臣難折公卿，以嘲弄侵克發摘私短以為歡。

Anyone who then committed a fault or inadvertently used Sun Hao's taboo name was at once seized and bound, even to the point of execution. Wei Yao thought that if men openly wounded one another, resentment would grow within, and the court would lose its dignified harmony, which was no good thing; so he merely made a show of posing difficult questions on the meaning of the classics and on arguments. Sun Hao took this to mean that he was not carrying out the imperial command and was not wholeheartedly loyal. At last, with his dislike and anger piled up from before and after, he had Wei Yao arrested and handed over to prison. This was the second year of Fenghuang.

時有愆過，或誤犯皓諱，輒見收縛，至於誅戮。曜以為外相毀傷，內長尤恨，使不濟濟，非佳事也，故但示難問經義言論而已。皓以為不承用詔命，意不忠盡，遂積前後嫌忿，收曜付獄，是歲鳳凰二年也。

Through the prison warden Wei Yao submitted a statement: “This prisoner received favor and pity beyond compare, yet never repaid the throne by so much as a hair’s breadth; I betrayed and disgraced your gracious favor and brought myself to the gravest of crimes. Thinking that I am to be reduced to ashes and cast away forever into the Yellow Springs, my foolish heart is earnest; I humbly have something in mind and long to have it heard by the throne. This prisoner once saw that there were old calendrical annotations in circulation, but what they recorded was mostly baseless, and what stood in books was likewise full of errors. So I searched the traditions and records, compared their agreements and differences, and gathered what my ears and eyes could reach,

曜因獄吏上辭曰：囚荷恩見哀，無與為比，曾無芒氂有以上報，孤辱恩寵，自陷極罪。念當灰滅，長棄黃泉，愚情慺慺，竊有所懷，貪令上聞。囚昔見世間有古歷注，其所記載既多虛無，在書籍者亦復錯謬。囚尋按傳記，考合異同，採摭耳目所及。

to compose the Dongji. It runs from Paoxi down to the Qin and Han, three volumes in all; the period from Huangwu onward was to form a separate volume, but that work is not yet finished. I also saw the Shiming written by Liu Xi, which truly has much that is excellent; but the kinds of things are so many that they are hard to examine in detail, so it is sometimes right and sometimes wrong, and on the matter of ranks and offices there are also points that are incorrect. In my foolish view, offices and ranks are a pressing concern today, and their errors should not be followed. Forgetting my own extreme insignificance, this prisoner also wrote the Guanzhi Xun and the Bian Shiming, one volume each, and meant to present them with a memorial.

以作《洞紀》，紀自庖犧，至於秦、漢，凡為三卷，當起黃武以來，別作一卷，事尚未成。又見劉熙所作《釋名》，信多佳者，然物類眾多，難得詳究。故時有得失，而爵位之事，又有非是。愚以官爵，今之所急，不宜乘誤。囚自忘至微，又作《官職訓》及《辯釋名》各一卷，欲表上之。

The new copies had just been finished when I happened to commit my offense and was imprisoned by special order; I regret that on the day of my extinction they will not have been brought to the throne’s attention. With respect, before my death I set them out in this statement, and beg that you instruct the Secret Archives to fetch them from outside and present them within for your hearing. Pressed by the fear that they are shallow and obscure and unfit for the Son of Heaven’s ear, I hold my terror and breathe like a sparrow, begging you to deign to pity and examine them.”

新寫始畢，會以無狀，幽囚特命，泯沒之日，恨不上聞。謹以先死列狀，乞上言秘府，於外料取，呈內以聞。迫懼淺蔽，不合天聽，抱怖雀息，乞垂哀省。

Wei Yao hoped by this to win a pardon, but Sun Hao was instead displeased that the books were soiled and worn, and questioned Wei Yao about it too. Wei Yao answered, “This prisoner wrote these books truly meaning to present them with a memorial. Fearing there might be errors, I read them over and over and did not notice that they were getting soiled. Now under questioning I shiver as if with cold; my body and breath tremble and my words falter. With respect I add to my statement, knock my head five hundred times, and beat myself with both hands.” And Hua He sent up memorial after memorial to save Wei Yao, saying: Wei Yao met with a fortune that comes once in a thousand years and received your special pity and recognition. For his Confucian learning he was allowed to join the historians, to wear the sable-and-cicada cap as an attendant within the palace, and to reply to the questions of the Son of Heaven. The sage court is humane and devoted, careful in honoring the departed and remembering distant ancestors; when welcoming the spirit, you shed tears and gave Wei Yao your instructions.

曜冀以此求免，而皓更怪其書之垢故，又以詰曜。曜對曰：“囚撰此書，實欲表上，懼有誤謬，數數省讀，不覺點污。被問寒戰，形氣吶吃，謹追辭叩頭五百下，兩手自搏。”而華覈連上疏救曜曰：曜運值千載，特蒙哀識，以其儒學，得與史官，貂蟬內侍，承答天問，聖朝仁篤，慎終追遠，迎神之際，垂涕敕曜。

Wei Yao was foolish and deluded and did not understand; unable to proclaim the beauty of Your Majesty’s great Shun-like virtue, he clung to the rules of the historian’s office, so that your sage intent went unrecorded and your supreme conduct unhonored. This is truly a crime of folly for which Wei Yao deserves death. Yet I earnestly observe that Wei Yao has studied diligently since his youth and does not tire of it even in old age; he has explored and gathered the ancient classics, reviewing the old to learn the new, and in his knowledge of the affairs of past and present there are few among the outer officials who surpass him. In the past Li Ling served as a general of Han; when his army was defeated he did not return but surrendered to the Xiongnu. Sima Qian did not condemn him but spoke on Li Ling’s behalf. Emperor Wu of Han, because Sima Qian had the gifts of a fine historian and he wished him to finish the work he was writing, restrained himself and did not put him to death; the book was at last completed and has been handed down without end.

曜愚惑不達。不能敷宣陛下大舜之美，而拘擊史官，使聖趣不敘，至行不彰，實曜愚蔽當死之罪，然臣慺慺，見曜自少勤學，雖老不倦，探綜墳典，溫故知新，及意所經識古今行事，外吏之中少過曜者。昔李陵為漢將，軍敗不還而降匈奴，司馬遷不加疾惡，為陵遊說，漢武帝以遷有良史之才，欲使畢成所撰，忍不加誅，書卒成立，垂之無窮。

Now Wei Yao is to Wu what the historian Sima Qian was to Han. I humbly observe that auspicious omens have appeared clearly one after another; the spirits point the way and Heaven responds, appearing in succession and seen again and again, so the time of unification is probably not far off.

今曜在吳，亦漢之史遷也。伏見前後符瑞彰著。神指天應，繼出累見，一統之期，庶不復久。

Once matters are settled, institutions should be established in view of the times. The Three Kings did not copy one another’s rites, nor did the Five Emperors carry on one another’s music; plainness and refinement took different paths, and what they reduced and added differed in form. Men like Wei Yao should be found to make reforms and establish new forms in accordance with ancient principles. When the Han succeeded the Qin, there was Shusun Tong to fix the ceremonies of a whole age, and Wei Yao’s talent and learning come next to those of Han’s Shusun Tong. Moreover, although the Book of Wu already has its general shape, its prefaces and eulogies have not yet been written. In the past Ban Gu composed the Book of Han, and its language was classical and elegant; later Liu Zhen, Liu Yi, and others composed the Han Ji, which fell far short of Ban Gu, and its narrative biographies were especially poor.

事平之後，當觀時設制，三王不相因禮，五帝不相沿樂，質文殊塗，損益異體，宜得曜輩依準古義，有所改立。漢氏承秦，則有叔孫通定一代之儀，曜之才學亦漢通之次也。又《吳書》雖已有頭角，敘贊未述。昔班固作《漢書》，文辭典雅，後劉珍，劉毅等作《漢記》，遠不及固，敘傳尤劣。

Now the Book of Wu is meant to last a thousand years, and talented men of later ages will weigh the merits and faults of what the officials compiled. Unless a fine talent like Wei Yao is secured, this immortal book truly must not be allowed to fall short. One as dull and obtuse as I am is certainly not the man for it.

今《吳書》當垂千載，編次諸吏，後之才士論次善惡，非得良才如曜者，實不可使闕不朽之書。如臣頑蔽，誠非其人。

Wei Yao is already seventy, and he has few years left. I beg you to reduce his crime by one degree and make him a convict laborer for life, so that he may complete his writings, which will be fit to be handed down forever and will last a hundred generations. With respect I submit this memorial and knock my head a hundred times.

曜年已七十，餘數無幾，乞赦其一等之罪，為終身徒，使成書業，永足傳示，垂之百世。謹通進表，叩頭百下。

Sun Hao did not permit it; he had Wei Yao executed and moved his family to Lingling. His son Wei Long was also a man of letters.

皓不許，遂誅曜，徙其家零陵。子隆，亦有文學也。

Hua He

華覈

Hua He, courtesy name Yongxian, was a man of Wujin County in Wu Commandery. He first served as Commandant of Shangyu and Commandant of Agricultural Colonies, then for his literary learning entered the court as Gentleman of the Secret Archives and was promoted to Assistant of the Palace Writers. When Shu was annexed by Wei, Hua He went to the palace gate and presented a memorial: “Lately I heard that the bandit hordes were massing like ants toward the western frontier, but since the western frontier is rugged and perilous, I thought there was nothing to fear. Now I have heard for certain that Lu Kang’s memorial has arrived: Chengdu was not held, ruler and ministers have fled into exile, and the altars of the state have been overthrown. In the past, when Wey was destroyed by the Di, Duke Huan preserved it; but now the road is long and distant, and we could not come to its rescue; we have lost a land that entrusted itself to us and abandoned a state that paid us tribute. I am but a blade of grass, yet I am inwardly uneasy.

華覈字永先，吳郡武進人也。始為上虞尉、典農都尉，以文學入為秘府郎，遷中書丞。蜀為魏所並，核詣宮門發表曰：“間聞賊眾蟻聚向西境，西境艱險，謂當無虞。定聞陸抗表至，成都不守，臣主播越，社稷傾覆。昔衛為翟所滅而桓公存之，今道里長遠，不可救振，失委附之土，棄貢獻之國，臣以草芥，竊懷不寧。

Your Majesty is sage and humane, and your grace reaches afar to comfort all; hearing of this so suddenly, you will surely grieve. I cannot bear my anxious sorrow and respectfully submit this memorial to inform you.” When Sun Hao took the throne, Hua He was enfeoffed as Marquis of Xuling Village. In the second year of Baoding, Sun Hao built a new palace as well, of vast scale and adorned with pearls and jade, at enormous expense. At that time the work was begun in the height of summer, and both farming and defense were neglected, so Hua He sent up a memorial of remonstrance: I have heard that in the time of Emperor Wen of Han, the nine provinces were at peace. The people of Qin rejoiced at leaving behind cruel and harsh government and turning to the leniency and benevolence of the Liu clan; the Han lightened labor service and simplified the laws, making a fresh start with them, and divided the land to enfeoff sons and brothers as kings to shield the Han house. At that time everyone thought it as secure as Mount Tai, a foundation that would never end.

陛下聖仁，恩澤遠撫，卒聞如此，必垂哀悼。臣不勝忡悵之情，謹拜表以聞。”孫皓即位，封徐陵亭侯。寶鼎二年，皓更營新宮，制度弘廣，飾以珠玉，所費甚多。是時盛夏興工，農守並廢，核上疏諫曰：臣聞漢文之世，九州晏然，秦民喜去慘毒之苛政，歸劉氏之寬仁，省役約法，與之更始，分王子弟以藩漢室，當此之時，皆以為泰山之安，無窮之基也。

Only Jia Yi held that there were three things to weep bitterly over, and six things to heave long sighs over, and he said that the situation of the day was no different from putting fire beneath a pile of firewood and sleeping on top of it, calling it safe because the fire had not yet caught. The disorders that followed all turned out as he had said. Though I am utterly foolish and do not understand the great principles, I venture to measure the present situation by the events of those former times.

至於賈誼，獨以為可痛哭及流涕者三，可為長歎息者六，乃曰當今之勢何異抱火積薪之下而寢其上，火未及然而謂之安。其後變亂，皆如其言。臣雖下愚，不識大倫，竊以曩時之事，揆今之勢。

Jia Yi said, ‘In a few more years the kings will be in their full strength, and the tutors and chancellors sent by Han will plead illness and go home. If you try to govern that way, even Yao and Shun could not keep things secure.’ Now the great enemy holds the land of nine provinces and the greater part of the population; it has practiced the arts of attack and battle left over from the past and rides the old momentum of its war horses, seeking to contend with the central realm in a struggle where each means to swallow the other. It is like Chu and Han, whose power could not both survive, and not merely like the Han kings of Huainan and Jibei.

誼曰復數年間，諸王方剛，漢之傅相稱疾罷歸，欲以此為治，雖堯、舜不能安。今大敵據九州之地，有大半之眾，習攻戰之餘術，乘戎馬之舊勢，欲與中國爭相吞之計，其猶楚漢勢不兩立，非徒漢之諸王淮南，濟北而已。

What Jia Yi wished to weep over was mild compared with today, and his image of embracing fire while lying on firewood is all the more urgent now. The Great Emperor saw how things had been in former ages and perceived how they stood in his own time; therefore he greatly expanded farming and sericulture, amassed reserves beyond measure, cared for the people and was sparing with labor service, and worked to nurture his soldiers. Thus great and small alike were moved by his grace, and each thought to give his life. But before that destiny could be fulfilled, he left the myriad states all too soon. After that, powerful ministers monopolized the government; above they defied the seasons of Heaven and below they went against the counsel of the multitude, forgetting the root of security and survival in pursuit of momentary gain. Time and again they raised armies and emptied the treasuries, until the soldiers were worn out and the people in distress, with never a moment of peace.

誼之所欲痛哭，比今為緩，抱火臥薪之喻，於今而急。大皇帝覽前代之如彼，察今勢之如此，故廣開農桑之業，積不訾之儲，恤民重役，務養戰士，是以大小感恩，各思竭命。斯運未至，早棄萬國，自是之後，強臣專政，上詭天時，下違眾議，忘安存之本，邀一時之利，數興軍旅，傾竭府藏，兵勞民困，無時獲安。

Those who survive today are but the remnants of the wounded, the leftovers of grief and suffering. As a result the army’s supplies are exhausted and the granaries unfilled; the grants of cloth and silk do not cover cold and heat, and moreover people have lost their livelihoods, so households lack enough. Meanwhile the north stores grain and nurtures its people, turning its whole attention to the east with no other alarms. Shu was our western bulwark; its land was rugged and secure, and it had inherited the First Ruler’s art of governing, so we thought its defenses would hold for a long time. Who would have imagined that in a single morning it would suddenly collapse!

今之存者乃創夷之遺眾，哀苦之餘民耳。遂使軍資空匱，倉廩不實，布帛之賜，寒暑不周，重以失業，家戶不贍。而北積穀養民，專心向東，無復他警。蜀為西藩，土地險固，加承先主統御之術，謂其守禦足以長久，不圖一朝奄至傾覆！

‘When the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold’: this is what the ancients feared. The commanderies of Jiao Province are the state’s southern lands; the two commanderies of Jiaozhi and Jiuzhen have already been lost, Rinan stands isolated and in peril with its survival hard to guarantee, and north of Hepu the people are all unsettled. As people keep fleeing labor service, many have deserted and rebelled, while the garrisons have shrunk and our power to overawe them grows ever lighter; I constantly fear that at any moment there will be another upheaval. Formerly the sea raiders spied on the eastern counties and took in many runaway people; they are used to seafaring and emboldened by past years, and not a day passes without plunder. Now there are threats at our chest and back, and troubles at head and tail: this is a time of crisis for the state.

唇亡齒寒，古人所懼。交州諸郡，國之南土，交阯、九真二郡已沒，日南孤危，存亡難保，合浦以北，民皆搖動。因連避役，多有離叛，而備戍減少，威鎮轉輕，常恐呼吸復有變故。昔海虜窺窬東縣，多得離民，地習海行，狃於往年，鈔盜無日，今胸背有嫌，首尾多難，乃國朝之厄會也。

It would truly be right to halt the construction work, first make plans of preparedness, and encourage land clearing and planting as relief against hunger and want. I only fear that the farming season will pass and the spring plowing come late, so that when a crisis arises our readiness will not be in order. If we set aside this urgent matter and pour all our strength into building, and suddenly some unforeseen upheaval of war occurs, we will have to abandon the rammed-earth work to answer the urgent call of the beacon fires, driving a resentful and suffering multitude to face the peril of naked blades. That is exactly what the great enemy would use to its advantage.

誠宜住建立之役，先備豫之計，勉墾殖之業，為饑乏之救。惟恐農時將過，東作向晚，有事之日，整嚴未辦。若捨此急，盡力功作，卒有風塵不虞之變。當委版築之役，應烽燧之急，驅怨苦之眾，赴白刃之難，此乃大敵所因為資也。

And if we merely hold fast and let the days drag on, our army’s provisions will surely run short, and the soldiers will be exhausted before blades are even crossed.

如但固守，曠日持久，則軍糧必乏，不待接刃，而戰士已困矣。

In the time of Tai Wu, a mulberry and a paper mulberry sprouted in the court; he was alarmed and cultivated his virtue, the prodigy vanished, and Yin flourished. When Mars lingered in the Heart lodge, Song took it for a disaster; Duke Jing humbly followed the words of the blind historian, Mars retreated by one lodge, and Duke Jing’s life was lengthened. Virtue cultivated in one’s own person moves even other kinds of beings, and words uttered from the mouth reach the spirits. Foolish and obtuse as I am, I have mistakenly been honored with a place in an office close to the throne, yet I cannot hope to spread benevolent grace so as to move the spirits of heaven and earth; looking up I am ashamed and looking down I am abashed, and I know not where to put myself.

昔太戊之時，桑谷生庭，懼而修德，怪消殷興。熒惑守心，宋以為災，景公下從瞽史之言，而熒惑退捨，景公延年。夫修德於身而感異類，言發於口通神明。臣以愚蔽，誤忝近署，不能冀宣仁澤以感靈祗，仰慚俯愧，無所投處。

Withdrawing to reflect, I consider that the portents of Mars and of the mulberry trees were shown by Heaven to those two rulers, while the other petty prodigies of late are the doing of the minor spirits of gates and courtyards; checked against heaven and earth, they show no other disturbance. Meanwhile auspicious signs and tokens have arrived again and again, one after another: bright pearls have already appeared and white sparrows have been seen in turn, so the blessing of a myriad ages is truly raised up by the spirits. Your Majesty takes the nine regions as your dwelling and the realm as your household, which is not the same as the registered commoners moving from place to place.

退伏思惟，熒惑桑谷之異，天示二主，至如他餘錙介之妖；近是門庭小神所為，驗之天地，無有他變，而徵祥符瑞前後屢臻，明珠既覿，白雀繼見，萬億之祚，實靈所挺。以九域為宅，天下為家，不與編戶之民轉徙同也。

Moreover, the present palace was built by the late emperor, who divined the ground and laid its foundations; it is by no means inauspicious. The land at Yangshi adjoins the palace, and if the great work is completed and Your Majesty’s carriage moves there to reside, the spirits of the gates and roads will all have to be moved as well; I fear that even in the long run it may not prove better than the old. Moving again and again is not possible, yet staying brings misgivings: this is why your foolish servant worries and frets day and night. I have examined the Monthly Ordinances: in the last month of summer one may not undertake earthworks, may not assemble the feudal lords, and may not raise troops or mobilize the multitudes, and whoever undertakes a great enterprise will surely meet great calamity.

又今之宮室，先帝所營。卜土立基，非為不祥。又楊市土地與宮連接，若大功畢竟，輿駕遷住，門行之神，皆當轉移，猶恐長久未必勝舊。屢遷不可，留則有嫌，此乃愚臣所以夙夜為憂灼也。臣省《月令》，季夏之月，不可以興土功，不可以會諸侯，不可以起兵動眾，舉大事必有大殃。

Now, although the feudal lords are not being assembled, gathering the lords’ armies amounts to the same thing. On the wu and ji days of the sixth month, the phase of Earth is at its height and must not be violated; moreover it is the farming season, and the time must not be lost. In the past, when Duke Yin of Lu fortified Zhongqiu in summer, the Spring and Autumn Annals recorded it as a warning for later ages. Building a palace today is meant as a great foundation for long generations, yet it violates the great prohibitions of heaven and earth, repeats what the Spring and Autumn Annals condemned, and neglects the foremost duty of respectfully granting the seasons to the people. In my narrow and foolish view, I cannot rest easy about it.

今雖諸侯不會，諸侯之軍與會無異。六月戊己，土行正王，既不可犯，加又農月，時不可失。昔魯隱公夏城中丘，《春秋》書之，垂為後戒。今築宮為長世之洪基，而犯天地之大禁，襲《春秋》之所書，廢敬授之上務，臣以愚管，竊所未安。

I also fear that some of the runaway people summoned for the work will not come. To punish them would mean dropping the work and starting a new affair; not to punish them would let them grow more insolent by the day. If they all arrive together, then when such great multitudes gather, it is rare for disease not to break out. Besides, when people’s hearts are at ease they think of good, and when they suffer they grow resentful and rebel. The picked troops of Jiangnan are what the northern lands find hard to face; they would set ten of their soldiers against one man of the east. With the realm not yet settled, this is a cause for deep concern and care. If by the time the palace is finished five thousand have died or deserted, the northern army will be swollen by fifty thousand; if the number reaches ten thousand, it will be doubled to a hundred thousand. The sick mean losses through death, and the deserters spread disaffected talk; this is exactly what would delight the great enemy.

又恐所召離民，或有不至，討之則廢役興事，不討則日月滋慢。若悉並到，大眾聚會，希無疾病。且人心安則念善，苦則怨叛。江南精兵，北土所難，欲以十卒當東一人。天下未定，深可憂惜之。如此宮成，死叛五千，則北軍之眾更增五萬，若到萬人，則倍益十萬，病者有死亡之損，叛者傳不善之語，此乃大敵所以歡喜也。

We are now about to test our strength in the Central Plains to decide who is strong and who is weak; this is the decisive juncture. That they should gain while we lose, and that we should be worn out with toil besides, is what men of valor and wisdom deeply worry about.

今當角力中原，以定強弱，正於際會。彼益我損，加以勞困，此乃雄夫智士所以深憂。

I have heard that when the former kings governed the state, they said that a state without three years’ reserves ‘is not truly its own state’; such was their vigilance even in times of peace. How much less, then, when the enemy is strong and great, can we neglect farming and forget to store up? This year a fair amount was sown and planted, but recently floods have submerged it, and what remains must still be weeded and harvested. Yet the senior officials, fearing their deadlines, go in person into the mountain forests of the upstream commanderies to fell timber with all their might, abandoning farming and neglecting their duties; the wives and children of officers and commoners are frail and young, so the clearing and planting is also meager. If there is flood or drought, nothing at all will be harvested.

臣聞先王治國無三年之儲，曰國非其國，安寧之世戒備如此。況敵強大而忽農忘畜。今雖頗種殖，間者大水沉沒，其餘存者當須耘獲。而長吏怖期，上方諸郡，身涉山林，盡力伐材，廢農棄務；士民妻孥羸小，墾殖又薄；若有水旱則永無所獲。

The rice on hand in the provinces and commanderies must be kept for emergencies, while the idle mouths rely on the government to feed them. If both above and below are empty and transport by water cannot keep up, and the northern enemy crosses our borders, then even if the Duke of Zhou and the Duke of Shao came back to life and Zhang Liang and Chen Ping appeared again, it is clear that they could devise no plan for Your Majesty. I have heard that when the ruler is enlightened his ministers are loyal, and when the sovereign is sage his ministers are forthright. Therefore, in my sorrow, I blindly risk offending Heaven’s majesty, and beg you to deign to pity and examine this.

州郡見米，當待有事，冗食之眾，仰官供濟。若上下空乏，運漕不供，而北敵犯疆，使周、召更生，良、平復出，不能為陛下計明矣。臣聞君明者臣忠，主聖者臣直，是以悽悽，昧犯天威，乞垂哀省。

The memorial was submitted, but Sun Hao did not accept it. Later Hua He was promoted to Director of the Eastern Pavilion, concurrently serving as Right Historian of the State, and he sent up a memorial declining. Sun Hao replied, “I have received your memorial saying that since the Eastern Pavilion is the office of the Confucian scholars, where literature is to be taught and collated and doubts and difficulties settled, and since in Han times this post was always held by famous scholars and great Confucians, you ask that another talented worthy be chosen. I have heard it. You, sir, have studied the ancient classics deeply and are widely read and well informed; you may be called one who delights in rites and music and is devoted to the Odes and the Documents. You ought to let your brush fly and give free rein to your eloquence, shedding luster on and praising the affairs of our time, so as to surpass the likes of Yang Xiong, Ban Gu, Zhang Heng, and Cai Yong. Strangely, you are modest and belittle yourself greatly. Strive to fulfill your office so as to outdo the former worthies, and make no more fuss about it.”

書奏，皓不納。後遷東觀令，領右國史，核上疏辭讓。皓答曰：“得表，以東觀儒林之府，當講校文藝，處定疑難，漢時皆名學碩儒乃任其職，乞更選英賢。聞之，以卿研精墳典，博覽多聞，可謂悅禮樂敦詩書者也。當飛翰騁藻，光贊時事，以越揚、班、張、蔡之疇，怪乃謙光，厚自菲薄，宜勉備所職，以邁先賢，勿復紛紛。”

At that time the granaries had no reserves and popular customs grew ever more extravagant, so Hua He sent up a memorial: Now bandits and barbarians are everywhere and the campaigns never cease; at home there are no reserves accumulated over the years, and in the field there are no stores for meeting the enemy. This is what those who possess a state ought to worry about most deeply. All wealth and grain are produced by the people, and hastening to farm in season is the state’s most urgent business. Yet the various offices in the capital each have their own separate charges and each issues its own levies, without considering the people’s strength, and always setting short deadlines.

時倉廩無儲，世俗滋侈，核上疏曰：今寇虜充斥，征伐未已，居無積年之儲，出無應敵之畜，此乃有國者所宜深憂也。夫財谷所生，皆出於民，趨時務農，國之上急。而都下諸官，所掌別異，各自下調，不計民力，輒與近期。

The senior officials, fearing punishment, press the people day and night; the people leave their fieldwork and rush to meet the delivery dates, sending the required goods to the capital, where some of them are simply stored and never used, so that the common people exhaust their strength and miss the season for nothing. When the autumn harvest month comes, the officials press for payment within the deadline, robbing the people of their time for sowing and planting while demanding delivery of that year’s taxes in full; if anything is in arrears, their property is confiscated. Hence households are impoverished and lack food and clothing. It would be right to suspend the many labor services for a time and concentrate wholly on farming and sericulture.

長吏畏罪，晝夜催民，委捨佃事，遑赴會日，定送到都，或蘊積不用，而徒使百姓消力失時。到秋收月，督其限入，奪其播殖之時，而責定送其今年之稅，如有逋懸，則籍沒財物，故家戶貧困，衣食不足。宜暫息眾役，專心農桑。

The ancients said, ‘If one man does not plow, someone will go hungry; if one woman does not weave, someone will go cold.’ Therefore the former kings, in governing the state, devoted themselves to agriculture alone. Since the wars began nearly a hundred years have passed; farmers have abandoned the work of the southern fields and women have stopped their looms and shuttles. Reckoning from this, those who live on greens and go hungry for long, and wear thin clothes while treading on ice, are surely not few. I have heard that the ruler seeks two things from the people, and the people hope for three things from the ruler.

古人稱一夫不耕，或受其饑。一女不織，或受其寒。是以先王治國，惟農是務。軍興以來，已向百載，農人廢南畝之務，女工停機杼之業。推此揆之，則蔬食而長饑，薄衣而履冰者，固不少矣。臣聞主之所求於民者二，民之所望於主者三。

The two are that he asks them to labor for him and asks them to die for him. The three are that the hungry be fed, the weary be given rest, and those with merit be rewarded. If the people render their two services while the ruler fails their three hopes, resentment arises and no achievement can be established. Now the treasuries are not full and the people’s labor services are excessive; the ruler’s two demands have already been met, but the people’s three hopes have yet to be answered. Moreover, the hungry need not wait for fine delicacies to be full, and the cold need not wait for fox and badger furs to be warm; fine flavors are a novelty for the mouth, and embroidered silks an ornament for the body.

二謂求其為己勞也，求其為己死也。三謂饑者能食之，勞者能息之，有功者能賞之。民以致其二事而主失其三望者，則怨心生而功不建，今帑藏不實，民勞役猥，主之二求已備，民之三望未報。且饑者不待美饌而後飽，寒者不俟狐貉而後溫，為味者口之奇，文繡者身之飾也。

Now affairs are many and labor services heavy; the people are poor yet their customs extravagant. Artisans make useless objects and women make gaudy finery; instead of working diligently at hemp and ramie, they all embroider ceremonial patterns, imitating one another and ashamed to be the only ones without. Even soldiers’ and commoners’ households follow this fashion: at home they have not a single measure of grain in store, yet when they go out they wear damask and figured silk; and as for the families of rich merchants and traders, they add gold and silver on top, and their extravagance is worst of all. With the realm not yet pacified and the common people in want, we ought to unify the sources of the people’s livelihood and enrich the work of producing grain and cloth.

今事多而役繁，民貧而俗奢，百工作無用之器，婦人為綺靡之飾，不勤麻枲，並繡文黼黻，轉相倣傚，恥獨無有。兵民之家，猶復遂俗，內無儋石之儲，而出有綾綺之服，至於富賈商販之家，重以金銀，奢恣尤甚。天下未平，百姓不贍，宜一生民之原，豐谷帛之業。

Yet they squander their efforts on frivolous crafts and waste their days on extravagant pursuits; above, there is no distinction of rank between high and low, and below, wealth and labor are wasted. Now among the households of officials and soldiers few have no daughters: the many have three or four, the few one or two. If a general order were issued that each household provide one woman, then a hundred thousand households would give a hundred thousand workers, and if each wove one bolt a year, that would make a hundred thousand bolts. If everyone within our four borders were of one heart and joined their efforts, within a few years cloth and silk would surely pile up.

而棄功於浮華之巧，妨日於侈靡之事，上無尊卑等級之差，下有耗財物力之損。今吏士之家，少無子女，多者三四，少者一二，通令戶有一女，十萬家則十萬人，人織績一歲一束，則十萬束矣。使四疆之內同心戮力，數年之間，布帛必積。

Let the people use the five colors freely and wear whatever they like, forbidding only such useless ornaments as figured silk and embroidery. Besides, a beautiful face does not need gorgeous colors to heighten its charm, and an alluring figure does not need patterned silk to win love; the adornment of the five colors is enough for beauty. Even with the utmost powder and eyebrow black and the finest dress, there will still be ugly women; and even if gorgeous colors are abolished and embroidery set aside, there will still be beautiful ones. If it is truly as I argue, something whose presence brings no benefit and whose removal causes no loss, why begrudge forbidding it for a while in order to meet the urgent needs of the treasury?

恣民五色，惟所服用，但禁綺繡無益之飾。且美貌者不待華采以崇好，艷姿者不待文綺以致愛，五采之飾，足以麗矣。若極粉黛，窮盛服，未必無醜婦。廢華采，去文繡，未必無美人也。若實如論，有之無益廢之無損者，何愛而不暫禁以充府藏之急乎？

This is the foremost means of relieving want and the fundamental business of enriching the state; even if Guan Zhong and Yan Ying were to live again, they could not improve on it. Emperors Wen and Jing of Han inherited the succession in an age of peace, when the realm was already settled and there were no worries on any side, and yet they held that carved ornament hindered farming and brocade and embroidery harmed women’s work, and so they opened the way to enriching the state and blocked the root of hunger and cold. How much more now, when the six directions are divided and at odds, jackals and wolves fill the roads, the soldiers never leave the frontiers, and armor is never unbelted: how can we fail to broaden the sources of wealth and fill the stores of the treasury?

此救乏之上務，富國之本業也，使管、晏復生，無以易此。漢之文、景，承平繼統，天下已定，四方無虞，猶以雕文之妨農事，錦繡之害女紅，開富國之利，杜饑寒之本。況今六合分乖；豺狼充路；兵不離疆；甲不解帶。而可以不廣生財之原，充府藏之積哉？

Because Hua He was old, Sun Hao ordered that he might write his memorials in cursive script, but Hua He did not dare. Sun Hao then ordered him to compose a piece in cursive script, and stood waiting for it. Hua He wrote: Ah, I, He, a petty minister,
as common as grass and mustard seed,
was favored and met a sage ruler,
and received grace of special abundance.
Leaping up from rotten soil,
I shed my shell like a cicada and entered the court;
I bask in the light of the purple gates
and lean upon the blue-latticed doors.
With care I draw the clear dew
and bathe in the gentle southern wind.
My service is not worth a silken thread,
my failings loom as high as a mountain.
You enrich me and bear with my faults;
your grace and forbearance weigh on me, heaped high.

皓以核年老，敕令草表，核不敢。又敕作草文，停立待之。核為文曰：咨核小臣，草芥凡庸。遭眷值聖，受恩特隆。越從朽壤，蟬蛻朝中。熙光紫闥；青璅是憑。毖挹清露，沐浴凱風。效無絲氂，負闕山崇。滋潤含垢，恩貸累重。

My sullied nature is clothed in honor,
my cramped fate finds room to grow.
I long to repay your boundless grace,
but can only leave it to high Heaven.
Your sage grace pours down like rain,
in pity you cast aside my faults;
you deign to order a reply in cursive,
your bounty reaching even this lowly fool.
I dare not disobey your command,
for fear of hastening guilt and punishment.
Venturing to receive your edict,
my soul has fled, and only my body remains.

穢質被榮，局命得融。欲報罔極，委之皇穹。聖恩雨注，哀棄其尤。猥命草對，潤被下愚。不敢違敕，懼速罪誅。冒承詔命，魂逝形留。

Over the years Hua He set forth proposals on expedient measures, recommended good and able men, and pleaded for pardons for those accused of crimes, sending up more than a hundred documents in all, every one of them helpful; they are too many to record in full. In the first year of Tiance he was dismissed for a slight fault, and he died a few years later. The memorials and submissions in which Wei Yao and Hua He discussed affairs have all been handed down to the world.

核前後陳便宜，及貢薦良能，解釋罪過，書百餘上，皆有補益，文多不悉載。天冊元年以微譴免，數歲卒。曜、核所論事章疏，咸傳於世也。

Appraisal

評

Appraisal: Xue Ying said, “Wang Fan had exceptional breadth of capacity and was broadly learned and widely versed. Lou Xuan was pure and upright with firm principles, and his talent and reasoning flowed freely. He Shao was resolute in purpose, lofty and pure, and his judgment was clear and to the point. Wei Yao was devoted to learning and loved antiquity; he had read widely in many books and had a gift for recording and narrating.” Hu Chong held that “Lou Xuan, He Shao, and Wang Fan were all pure and excellent in their day, with scarcely any difference in merit among them; if one had to rank them, Lou Xuan should come first and He Shao next. Hua He’s talent for prose and rhapsody surpassed Wei Yao’s, but in classical documents he did not measure up.”

評曰：薛瑩稱「王蕃器量綽異，弘博多通。樓玄清白節操，才理條暢；賀邵厲志高潔，機理清要。韋曜篤學好古，博見群籍，有記述之才。」胡沖以為「玄、邵、蕃一時清妙，略無優劣，必不得已，玄宜在先，邵當次之。華覈文賦之才，有過於曜，而典誥不及也。」

As I see it, Hua He repeatedly offered sound counsel and resolved to give his all; he came close to being a loyal minister. Yet these several men lived in an age of unforeseen calamity while holding fame and rank; that they should meet violent deaths was in the nature of things, and those who escaped were merely fortunate.

予觀覈數獻良規，期於自盡，庶幾忠臣矣。然此數子，處無妄之世而有名位，強死其理，得免為幸耳。