Book of Wei
Records of Wei 19: Biographies of the Princes of Rencheng, Chen and Xiao
5,849 characters of text 13 people 25 places Years mentioned 211 · 216 · 221 · 227 · 229 · 232 · 234 · 235 · 246 · 288 21 Pei Songzhi notes
Records of Wei 19: Biographies of the Princes of Rencheng, Chen and Xiao
Cao Zhang, Prince Wei of Rencheng, courtesy name Ziwen, was skilled at archery and horsemanship from his youth. His strength surpassed other men's; he grappled with wild beasts with his bare hands and did not shrink from danger. He often went along on campaigns, and his spirit was bold and ardent. Taizu once reined him in, saying, “You give no thought to reading books and aspiring to the way of the sages, but love riding blood-sweating steeds and fencing. That is the use of a single fighting man; what is there to value in it?” He set Cao Zhang to read the Odes and the Documents, but Cao Zhang said to those around him, “A real man should become a Wei Qing or a Huo Qubing, lead a hundred thousand horsemen galloping across the desert, drive out the Rong and the Di, win merit and make a name for himself. How could I become an academician?”
任城威王彰，字子文。少善射御，膂力過人，手格猛獸，不避險阻。數從征伐，志意慷慨。太祖嘗抑之曰：『汝不念讀書慕聖道，而好乘汗馬擊劍，此一夫之用，何足貴也！』課彰讀《詩》《書》，彰謂左右曰：『丈夫一為衛、霍，將十萬騎馳沙漠，驅戎狄，立功建號耳，何能作博士邪？』
Taizu once asked his sons what they liked and had each state his ambition. Cao Zhang said, “I would like to be a general.” Taizu said, “And how would you be a general?” He replied, “Wear strong armor and wield sharp weapons, never look back in the face of danger, and lead the soldiers from the front; rewards must always be given, and punishments must always be carried out.” Taizu laughed heartily. In the twenty-first year of Jian'an he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Yanling.
太祖嘗問諸子所好，使各言其志。彰曰：『好為將。』太祖曰：『為將柰何？』對曰：『被堅執銳，臨難不顧，為士卒先；賞必行，罰必信。』太祖大笑。建安二十一年，封鄢陵侯。
In the twenty-third year the Wuhuan of Dai Commandery rebelled. Cao Zhang was made General of the Household of the North and acting General of Valiant Cavalry. As he was setting out, Taizu warned him, “At home we are father and son; once you take up a charge we are lord and subject. In all you do, act according to the King's law. Take heed of this!” Cao Zhang marched north, and as he entered the borders of Zhuo Commandery several thousand rebel Hu horsemen suddenly came upon him. At that time his troops and horses had not yet assembled; he had only a thousand foot soldiers and a few hundred horses. Following Tian Yu's plan, he held fast at the key passes, and the enemy fell back and scattered.
二十三年，代郡烏丸反，以彰為北中郎將，行驍騎將軍。臨發，太祖戒彰曰：『居家為父子，受事為君臣，動以王法從事，爾其戒之！』彰北征，入涿郡界，叛胡數千騎卒至。時兵馬未集，唯有步卒千人，騎數百匹。用田豫計，固守要隙，虜乃退散。
Cao Zhang pursued them and fought hand to hand himself. He shot at the Hu horsemen, and those who fell at the twang of his bowstring came one after another. The fighting went on for more than half a day; several arrows struck Cao Zhang's armor, but his spirit only grew fiercer. Riding his victory, he chased the fleeing enemy as far as Sanggan, more than two hundred li from Dai. His Chief Clerk and the generals all thought that they had just come a long way, the men and horses were exhausted, and moreover they had received orders not to go beyond Dai; they should not advance deeper, for that would be disobeying orders and underestimating the enemy. Cao Zhang said, “When one leads an army, one goes wherever the advantage lies. What orders?
彰追之，身自搏戰，射胡騎，應弦而倒者前後相屬。戰過半日，彰鎧中數箭，意氣益厲，乘勝逐北，至于桑乾，1去代二百餘里。長史諸將皆以為新涉遠，士馬疲頓，又受節度，不得過代，不可深進，違令輕敵。彰曰：『率師而行，唯利所在，何節度乎？
Pei Songzhi’s notes (1)
1臣松之案桑乾縣屬代郡，今北虜居之，號為索干之都。
The Hu have not fled far. If we pursue them, we will surely crush them. To follow orders and let the enemy escape is not the way of a good general.” Then he mounted his horse and ordered the army, “Whoever sets out last will be beheaded.” In a day and a night they caught up with the enemy, attacked, and crushed them, taking heads and captives by the thousand. Cao Zhang then rewarded his officers and men lavishly at twice the usual rate, and there was none among them who was not delighted. At that time the Xianbei chieftain Kebineng, with several tens of thousands of horsemen, was watching to see which side was stronger; seeing Cao Zhang fight hard and break everything in his path, he asked to submit.
胡走未遠，追之必破。從令縱敵，非良將也。』遂上馬，令軍中：『後出者斬。』一日一夜與虜相及，擊，大破之，斬首獲生以千數。彰乃倍常科大賜將士，將士無不悅喜。時鮮卑大人軻比能將數萬騎觀望彊弱，見彰力戰，所向皆破，乃請服。
The north was completely pacified. At that time Taizu was at Chang'an, and he summoned Cao Zhang to his headquarters. On his way from Dai Cao Zhang passed through Ye, where the Crown Prince said to him, “You have just won merit. When you go west now to see the sovereign, you should not boast, and in your replies always act as though you fall short.” When Cao Zhang arrived he did as the Crown Prince had said and gave the credit to his generals. Taizu was pleased, and taking hold of Cao Zhang's beard he said, “My yellow-bearded boy has turned out truly remarkable!”
北方悉平。時太祖在長安，召彰詣行在所。彰自代過鄴，太子謂彰曰：『卿新有功，今西見上，宜勿自伐，應對常若不足者。』彰到，如太子言，歸功諸將。太祖喜，持彰鬚曰：『黃鬚兒竟大奇也！』1
Pei Songzhi’s notes (1)
1《魏略》曰：太祖在漢中，而劉備栖於山頭，使劉封下挑戰。太祖罵曰：『賣履舍兒，長使假子拒汝公乎！待呼我黃鬚來，令擊之。』乃召彰。彰晨夜進道，西到長安而太祖已還，從漢中而歸。彰鬚黃，故以呼之。
When Taizu returned east, he made Cao Zhang acting General of Elite Cavalry and left him at Chang'an. Taizu reached Luoyang and fell ill; he summoned Cao Zhang by post horse, but Taizu died before he arrived. When Emperor Wen succeeded as King, Cao Zhang went to his fief along with the other feudal lords. An edict said, “The way of the former kings was to employ the meritorious and to cherish kin. They set up the brothers born of the same mother side by side, founding states and continuing houses; thus they could serve as a bulwark for the main line, ward off insult and suppress calamity. Cao Zhang earlier received the command to campaign in the north and cleared and pacified the northern lands. Great indeed is his merit.
太祖東還，以彰行越騎將軍，留長安。太祖至洛陽，得疾，驛召彰，未至，太祖崩。1文帝即王位，彰與諸侯就國。2詔曰：『先王之道，庸勳親親，並建母弟，開國承家，故能藩屏大宗，禦侮厭難。彰前受命北伐，清定朔土，厥功茂焉。
Pei Songzhi’s notes (2)
1《魏略》曰：彰至，謂臨菑侯植曰：『先王召我者，欲立汝也。』植曰：『不可。不見袁氏兄弟乎！』
2《魏略》曰：太子嗣立，既葬，遣彰之國。始彰自以先王見任有功，冀因此遂見授用，而聞當隨例，意甚不悅，不待遣而去。時以鄢陵塉薄，使治中牟。及帝受禪，因封為中牟王。是後大駕幸許昌，北州諸侯上下，皆畏彰之剛嚴；每過中牟，不敢不速。
His fief is increased by five thousand households, making ten thousand with the former.” In the second year of Huangchu he was advanced in rank to Duke. In the third year he was made Prince of Rencheng. In the fourth year he came to court at the capital, fell ill, and died at his residence; he was given the posthumous title Wei. At his burial he was granted a carriage with luan bells, dragon banners, and a hundred Rapid as Tigers guards, following the precedent of the Prince of Dongping of the Han. His son Cao Kai succeeded him and was moved to a fief at Zhongmou. In the fifth year the fief was changed to Rencheng County. In the sixth year of Taihe it was changed again to the state of Rencheng, with an income from five counties of two thousand five hundred households.
增邑五千，并前萬戶。』黃初二年，進爵為公。三年，立為任城王。四年，朝京都，疾薨於邸，謚曰威。1至葬，賜鑾輅、龍旂，虎賁百人，如漢東平王故事。子楷嗣，徙封中牟。五年，改封任城縣。太和六年，復改封任城國，食五縣二千五百戶。
Pei Songzhi’s notes (1)
1《魏氏春秋》曰：初，彰問璽綬，將有異志，故來朝不即得見。彰忿怒暴薨。
In the third year of Qinglong Cao Kai was found guilty of privately sending members of his staff to the Central Imperial Workshop to have forbidden articles made, and two thousand households were cut from his fief. In the seventh year of Zhengshi he was moved to a fief at Jinan with three thousand households. At the beginning of the Zhengyuan and Jingyuan eras his fief was increased repeatedly, to four thousand four hundred households in all.
青龍三年，楷坐私遣官屬詣中尚方作禁物，削縣二千戶。正始七年，徙封濟南，三千戶。正元、景元初，連增邑，凡四千四百戶。1
Pei Songzhi’s notes (1)
1楷，泰始初為崇化少府，見《百官名》。
Cao Zhi, Prince Si of Chen
陳思王曹植
Cao Zhi, Prince Si of Chen, courtesy name Zijian, could recite by the age of ten or so the Odes, the Analects, and several hundred thousand words of rhapsodies and verse, and he was good at composition. Taizu once looked at his writing and said to him, “Did you have someone write this for you?” Cao Zhi knelt and said, “When I speak it becomes argument, and when I set down my brush it becomes composition. Please test me in person; why would I have someone write for me?” At that time the Bronze Sparrow Terrace at Ye had just been completed. Taizu took all his sons up the terrace and had each compose a rhapsody. Cao Zhi took up his brush and finished at once, and it was worth reading; Taizu thought him extraordinary.
陳思王植字子建。年十歲餘，誦讀《詩》《論》及辭賦數十萬言，善屬文。太祖嘗視其文，謂植曰：『汝倩人邪？』植跪曰：『言出為論，下筆成章，顧當面試，奈何倩人？』時鄴銅爵臺新成，太祖悉將諸子登臺，使各為賦。植援筆立成，可觀，太祖甚異之。1
Pei Songzhi’s notes (1)
1陰澹《魏紀》載植賦曰『從明后而嬉游兮，登層臺以娛情。見太府之廣開兮，觀聖德之所營。建高門之嵯峨兮，浮雙闕乎太清。立中天之華觀兮，連飛閣乎西城。臨漳水之長流兮，望園果之滋榮。仰春風之和穆兮，聽百鳥之悲鳴。天雲垣其既立兮，家願得而獲逞。揚仁化於宇內兮，盡肅恭於上京。惟桓文之為盛兮，豈足方乎聖明！休矣美矣！惠澤遠揚。翼佐我皇家兮，寧彼四方。同天地之規量兮，齊日月之暉光。永貴尊而無極兮，等年壽於東王』云云。太祖深異之。
By nature he was easygoing and paid no attention to dignified bearing. In carriages, horses, clothing, and ornaments he did not care for splendor. Whenever he came before Taizu and was put difficult questions, he answered at once, and he was especially favored.
性簡易，不治威儀。輿馬服飾，不尚華麗。每進見難問，應聲而對，特見寵愛。
In the sixteenth year of Jian'an he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Pingyuan. In the nineteenth year his fief was moved and he became Marquis of Linzi. When Taizu campaigned against Sun Quan, he had Cao Zhi stay behind to guard Ye and admonished him, “When I was made Magistrate of Dunqiu long ago, I was twenty-three. Thinking over what I did then, I have no regrets even now. Now you too are twenty-three; can you fail to exert yourself?” Cao Zhi was singled out for his talent, and the two Ding Yis, Yang Xiu, and others became his wings. Taizu wavered, and several times he nearly made him Crown Prince.
建安十六年，封平原侯。十九年，徙封臨菑侯。太祖征孫權，使植留守鄴，戒之曰：『吾昔為頓邱令，年二十三。思此時所行，無悔於今。今汝年亦二十三矣，可不勉與！』植既以才見異，而丁儀、丁廙、楊脩等為之羽翼。太祖狐疑，幾為太子者數矣。
But Cao Zhi acted as his nature led him, made no effort to refine or discipline himself, and drank without restraint. Emperor Wen handled the situation with craft, suppressing his feelings and putting on a good appearance, and the palace women and attendants all spoke up for him, so he was at last settled on as heir.
而植任性而行，不自彫勵，飲酒不節。文帝御之以術，矯情自飾，宮人左右，併為之說，故遂定為嗣。
In the twenty-second year his fief was increased by five thousand households, making ten thousand with the former. Cao Zhi once rode in a carriage along the middle of the imperial carriageway and had the Sima Gate opened to go out. Taizu was furious, and the Prefect of Official Carriages was put to death for it. From then on the regulations and prohibitions governing the feudal lords were made stricter, and Taizu's favor toward Cao Zhi declined day by day. Taizu, already worried about the changes that might come after him, considered that Yang Xiu had considerable talent and cunning and was moreover a nephew of the Yuan family, and so he had Yang Xiu executed on a charge. Cao Zhi grew all the more uneasy at heart.
二十二年，增置邑五千，並前萬戶。植嘗乘車行馳道中，開司馬門出。太祖大怒，公車令坐死。由是重諸侯科禁，而植寵日衰。1太祖既慮終始之變，以楊脩頗有才策，而又袁氏之甥也，於是以罪誅脩。植益內不自安。2
Pei Songzhi’s notes (2)
1《魏武故事》載令曰：『始者謂子建，兒中最可定大事。』又令曰：『自臨菑侯植私出，開司馬門至金門，令吾異目視此兒矣。』又令曰：『諸侯長史及帳下吏，知吾出輒將諸侯行意否？從子建私開司馬門來，吾都不覆信諸侯也。恐吾適出，便復私出，故攝將行。不可恆使吾（爾）〔以〕誰為心腹也！』
2《典略》曰：楊脩字德祖，太尉彪子也。謙恭才博。建安中，舉孝廉，除郎中，丞相請署倉曹屬主簿。是時，軍國多事，脩總知外內，事皆稱意。自魏太子已下，並爭與交好。又是時臨菑侯植以才捷愛幸，來意投脩，數與脩書，書曰：
數日不見，思子為勞；想同之也。僕少好詞賦，迄至于今二十有五年矣。然今世作者，可略而言也。昔仲宣獨步於漢南，孔璋鷹揚於河朔，偉長擅名於青土，公幹振藻於海隅，德璉發跡於大魏，足下高視於上京。當此之時，人人自謂握靈蛇之珠，家家自謂抱荊山之玉也。吾王於是設天網以該之，頓八紘以掩之，今盡集茲國矣。然此數子，猶不能飛翰絕跡，一舉千里也。以孔璋之才，不閑辭賦，而多自謂與司馬長卿同風，譬畫虎不成還為狗者也。前為書啁之，反作論盛道僕贊其文。夫鍾期不失聽，于今稱之。吾亦不敢妄歎者，畏後之嗤余也。世人著述，不能無病。僕常好人譏彈其文；有不善者，應時改定。昔丁敬禮嘗作小文，使僕潤飾之，僕自以才不能過若人，辭不為也。敬禮云：「卿何所疑難乎！文之佳麗，吾自得之。後世誰相知定吾文者邪？」吾常嘆此達言，以為美談。昔尼父之文辭，與人通流；至於制《春秋》，游、夏之徒不能錯一字。過此而言不病者，吾未之見也。蓋有南威之容，乃可以論於淑媛；有龍淵之利，乃可以議於割斷。劉季緒才不逮於作者，而好詆呵文章，掎摭利病。昔田巴毀五帝，罪三王，呰五伯於稷下，一旦而服千人，魯連一說，使終身杜口。劉生之辯未若田氏，今之仲連求之不難，可無嘆息乎！人各有所好尚。蘭茝蓀蕙之芳，眾人之所好，而海畔有逐臭之夫；《咸池》《六英》之發，眾人所樂，而墨翟有非之之論：豈可同哉！今往僕少小所著詞賦一通相與。夫街談巷說，必有可采，擊轅之歌，有應風雅，匹夫之思，未易輕棄也。辭賦小道，固未足以揄揚大義，彰示來世也。昔揚子雲，先朝執戟之臣耳，猶稱「壯夫不為」也；吾雖薄德，位為藩侯，猶庶幾戮力上國，流惠下民，建永世之業，流金石之功，豈徒以翰墨為勳績，辭頌為君子哉？若吾志不果，吾道不行，亦將採史官之實錄，辯時俗之得失，定仁義之衷，成一家之言，雖未能藏之名山，將以傳之同好，此要之白首，豈可以今日論乎！其言之不怍，恃惠子之知我也。明早相迎，書不盡懷。
脩答曰：
不侍數日，若彌年載，豈獨愛顧之隆，使係仰之情深邪！損辱來命，蔚矣其文。誦讀反覆，雖《風》《雅》《頌》，不復過也。若仲宣之擅江表，陳氏之跨冀域，徐、劉之顯青、豫，應生之發魏國，斯皆然矣。至如脩者，聽采風聲，仰德不暇，目周章於省覽，何惶駭於高視哉？伏惟君侯，少長貴盛，體旦、發之質，有聖善之教。遠近觀者，徒謂能宣昭懿德，光贊大業而已，不謂復能兼覽傳記，留思文章。今乃含王超陳，度越數子；觀者駭視而拭目，聽者傾首而聳耳；非夫體通性達，受之自然，其誰能至於此乎？又嘗親見執事握牘持筆，有所造作，若成誦在心，借書於手，曾不斯須少留思慮。仲尼日月，無得逾焉。脩之仰望，殆如此矣。是以對鶡而辭，作《暑賦》彌日而不獻，見西施之容，歸憎其貌者也。伏想執事不知其然，猥受顧賜，教使刊定。《春秋》之成，莫能損益。《呂氏》《淮南》，字直千金；然而弟子鉗口，市人拱手者，聖賢卓犖，固所以殊絕凡庸也。今之賦頌，古詩之流，不更孔公，風雅無別耳。脩家子雲，老不曉事，彊著一書，悔其少作。若此，仲山、周旦之徒，則皆有愆乎！君侯忘聖賢之顯跡，述鄙宗之過言，竊以為未之思也。若乃不忘經國之大美，流千載之英聲，銘功景鍾，書名竹帛，此自雅量素所蓄也，豈與文章相妨害哉？輒受所惠，竊備矇瞍誦歌而已。敢忘惠施，以忝莊氏！季緒瑣瑣，何足以云。
其相往來，如此甚數。植後以驕縱見疏，而植故連綴脩不止，脩亦不敢自絕。至二十四年秋，公以脩前後漏泄言教，交關諸侯，乃收殺之。脩臨死，謂故人曰：『我固自以死之晚也。』其意以為坐曹植也。脩死後百餘日而太祖薨，太子立，遂有天下。初，脩以所得王髦劍奉太子，太子常服之。及即尊位，在洛陽，從容出宮，追思脩之過薄也，撫其劍，駐車顧左右曰：『此楊德祖昔所說王髦劍也。髦今焉在？』及召見之，賜髦谷帛。◎摯虞《文章志》曰：劉季緒名脩，劉表子。官至東安太守。著詩、賦、頌六篇。◎臣松之案《呂氏春秋》曰：『人有臭者，其兄弟妻子皆莫能與居，其人自苦而居海上。海上人有悅其臭者，晝夜隨之而不能去。』此植所云『逐臭之夫』也。田巴事出《魯連子》，亦見《皇覽》，文多故不載。◎《世語》曰：脩年二十五，以名公子有才能，為太祖所器，與丁儀兄弟，皆欲以植為嗣。太子患之，以車載廢簏，內朝歌長吳質與謀。脩以白太祖，未及推驗。太子懼，告質，質曰：『何患？明日復以簏受絹車內以惑之，脩必復重白，重白必推，而無驗，則彼受罪矣。』世子從之，脩果白，而無人，太祖由是疑焉。脩與賈逵、王淩並為主簿，而為植所友。每當就植，慮事有闕，忖度太祖意，豫作答教十餘條，敕門下，教出以次答。教裁出，答已入，太祖怪其捷，推問始泄。太祖遣太子及植各出鄴城一門，密敕門不得出，以觀其所為。太子至門，不得出而還。脩先戒植：『若門不出侯，侯受王命，可斬守者。』植從之。故脩遂以交搆賜死。脩子囂，囂子準，皆知名於晉世。囂，泰始初為典軍將軍，受心膂之任，早卒。準字始丘，惠帝末為冀州刺史。◎荀綽《冀州記》曰：準見王綱不振，遂縱酒，不以官事為意，逍遙卒歲而已。成都王知準不治，猶以其為名士，惜而不責，召以為軍謀祭酒。府散停家，關東諸侯議欲以準補三事，以示懷賢尚德之舉。事未施行而卒。準子嶠字國彥，髦字士彥，並為後出之俊。準與裴頠、樂廣善，遣往見之。頠性弘方，愛嶠之有高韻，謂準曰：『嶠當及卿，然髦小減也。』廣性清淳，愛髦之有神檢，謂準曰：『嶠自及卿，然髦尤精出。』準歎曰：『我二兒之優劣，乃裴、樂之優劣也。』評者以為嶠雖有高韻，而神檢不逮，廣言為得。傅暢云：『嶠似準而疎。』嶠弟俊，字惠彥，最清出。嶠、髦皆為二千石。俊，太傅掾。
In the twenty-fourth year Cao Ren was besieged by Guan Yu. Taizu made Cao Zhi General of the Household of the South and acting General Who Subdues the Caitiffs, intending to send him to relieve Cao Ren, and called for him to give him instructions. Cao Zhi was too drunk to receive the command, and Taizu, regretting his choice, called it off.
二十四年，曹仁為關羽所圍。太祖以植為南中郎將，行征虜將軍，欲遣救仁，呼有所敕戒。植醉不能受命，於是悔而罷之。1
Pei Songzhi’s notes (1)
1《魏氏春秋》曰：植將行，太子飲焉，偪而醉之。王召植，植不能受王命，故王怒也。
When Emperor Wen succeeded as King, he executed the two Ding Yis together with the males of their households. Cao Zhi went to his fief along with the other feudal lords.
Pei Songzhi’s notes (1)
1《魏略》曰：◎丁儀字正禮，沛郡人也。父沖，宿與太祖親善，時隨乘輿。見國家未定，乃與太祖書曰：『足下平生常喟然有匡佐之志，今其時矣。』是時張楊適還河內，太祖得其書，乃引軍迎天子東詣許，以沖為司隸校尉。後數來過諸將飲，酒美不能止，醉爛腸死。太祖以沖前見開導，常德之。聞儀為令士，雖未見，欲以愛女妻之，以問五官將。五官將曰：『女人觀貌，而正禮目不便，誠恐愛女未必悅也。以為不如與伏波子楙。』太祖從之。尋闢儀為掾，到與論議，嘉其才朗，曰：『丁掾，好士也，即使其兩目盲，尚當與女，何況但眇？是吾兒誤我。』時儀亦恨不得尚公主，而與臨菑侯親善，數稱其奇才。太祖既有意欲立植，而儀又共贊之。及太子立，欲治儀罪，轉儀為右刺奸掾，欲儀自裁而儀不能。乃對中領軍夏侯尚叩頭求哀，尚為涕泣而不能救。後遂因職事收付獄，殺之。◎廙字敬禮，儀之弟也。《文士傳》曰：廙少有才姿，博學洽聞。初闢公府，建安中為黃門侍郎。廙嘗從容謂太祖曰：『臨菑侯天性仁孝，發於自然，而聰明智達，其殆庶幾。至於博學淵識，文章絕倫。當今天下之賢才君子，不問少長，皆願從其游而為之死，實天所以鍾福於大魏，而永授無窮之祚也。』欲以勸動太祖。太祖答曰：『植，吾愛之，安能若卿言！吾欲立之為嗣，何如？』廙曰：『此國家之所以興衰，天下之所以存亡，非愚劣瑣賤者所敢與及。廙聞知臣莫若於君，知子莫若於父。至於君不論明闇，父不問賢愚，而能常知其臣子者何？蓋由相知非一事一物，相盡非一旦一夕。況明公加之以聖哲，習之以人子。今發明達之命，吐永安之言，可謂上應天命，下合人心，得之於須臾，垂之於萬世者也。廙不避斧鉞之誅，敢不盡言！』太祖深納之。
In the second year of Huangchu, Guan Jun, the Internuncio Overseeing the State, playing to the Emperor's wishes, reported that “Cao Zhi, drunk, was insolent and disrespectful and threatened the envoys.” The officials in charge asked that he be punished, but for the Empress Dowager's sake the Emperor merely demoted him to Marquis of Anxiang. That same year his fief was changed and he became Marquis of Juancheng. In the third year he was made Prince of Juancheng with a fief of two thousand five hundred households.
黃初二年，監國謁者灌均希指，奏『植醉酒悖慢，劫脅使者』。有司請治罪，帝以太后故，貶爵安鄉侯。1其年改封鄄城侯。三年，立為鄄城王，邑二千五百戶。
Pei Songzhi’s notes (1)
1《魏書》載詔曰：『植，朕之同母弟。朕於天下無所不容，而況植乎？骨肉之親，舍而不誅，其改封植。』
In the fourth year his fief was moved and he became Prince of Yongqiu. That year he came to court at the capital and submitted a memorial: “Since I returned to my fief bearing my offense, I have carved it into my flesh and bones, pondering my crimes; I have eaten only at midday and slept only at midnight. For truly I felt that I must not fall into Heaven's net a second time, and that Your Sacred Grace could hardly be relied on again. I have been moved by the ode ‘Look at the Rat’ and its lesson that one without propriety should die quickly; my body and my shadow console each other alone, and all my five feelings burn with shame. Yet were I to cast away my life for my crime, I would go against the ancient worthy's counsel to ‘correct it by evening’; and were I to endure and cling to life, I would incur the poet's reproach, ‘With what face?’
四年，徙封雍丘王。其年，朝京都。上疏曰：臣自抱釁歸藩，刻肌刻骨，追思罪戾，晝分而食，夜分而寢。誠以天罔不可重離，聖恩難可再恃。竊感相鼠之篇，無禮遄死之義，形影相弔，五情愧赧。以罪棄生，則違古賢『夕改』之勸，忍活苟全，則犯詩人『胡顏』之譏。
I humbly consider that Your Majesty's virtue is modeled on heaven and earth, your kindness exceeds that of a father and mother, your bounty spreads like the spring wind, and your blessings fall like timely rain. Thus not to discriminate against thorns and brambles is the kindness of the auspicious clouds; to raise seven chicks equally is the benevolence of the cuckoo; to set aside a crime and ask for merit is the act of an enlightened ruler; to pity the foolish and love the able is the grace of a loving father. That is why your foolish servant lingers within your grace and cannot bring himself to cast his life away. Earlier I received the edict by which we were cut off from court; my heart was estranged and my hopes were ended, and I resigned myself to growing old without ever again holding the jade tablet of audience.
伏惟陛下德象天地，恩隆父母，施暢春風，澤如時雨。是以不別荊棘者，慶雲之惠也；七子均養者，尸鳩之仁也；舍罪責功者，明君之舉也；矜愚愛能者，慈父之恩也：是以愚臣徘徊於恩澤而不能自棄者也。前奉詔書，臣等絕朝，心離志絕，自分黃耇無復執珪之望。
Unexpectedly Your Sacred Edict graciously deigned to summon me, and from the day I arrived my heart has raced toward your carriage. Lodged apart in the western guesthouse, I have not yet been received at the palace; with leaping heart I gaze toward it, tossing and turning. I respectfully present this memorial and offer two poems.” The poems said: “Oh, solemn and glorious was my late father, the Martial Emperor; he received the mandate from Heaven and brought peace and relief to the four quarters
Where his crimson banners swept, the Nine Lands were laid open; his profound influence flowed far, and the wild frontiers came to pay homage
He surpassed Shang and outdid Zhou, walking abreast of Tang; richly he begot our Emperor, whose line has carried on its wisdom
In war he is stern and fierce; in peace he brings harmony; he received the abdication of the Fiery Han and rules over the myriad states
The myriad states now transformed, all following the old rules, he charged his close kin far and wide to be bulwarks of the royal state
The Emperor said, ‘You, my lord, shall rule this Green Land,’ holding all the seacoast, like the Zhou's gift of Lu
My carriages and robes shone, my banners and insignia were ranked in order; many were the talented men who aided and supported me
But I, the small one, relying on favor, grew proud and overweening; at every move I was caught in the net of the law and threw the state's order into disorder
Set up as a bulwark and screen, I overturned the precedents of old; I was arrogant to our Emperor's envoys and violated the rites of our court
The state has its statutes: I was cut down and degraded, and was to be handed over to the judges, for I was the chief offender
But the enlightened Son of Heaven, ever mindful of kinship, could not bear to punish me and expose me in the court or the market
Overruling the law's enforcers, he took pity on me, the small one, and moved my fief to a town of Yan Province on the banks of the River
No ministers were appointed to me; I had a lord's title but no servants; for my wild and dissolute failings, who would correct me?
With only a few lonely servants I dwelt there in the land of Ji; alas for me, the small one, to meet with such misfortune!
Glorious is the Son of Heaven, whose grace passes over nothing; he capped me with the black crown and girded me with the crimson sash
The crimson sash, bright and broad, brought me honor and splendor; he split the tally and gave me jade, and added a king's rank
Looking up I receive the golden seal; bowing down I hold the sacred patent; imperial grace too high—I receive it in reverence and trembling
Alas for me, the small one, bound up in stubbornness and wickedness! In death I would shame the tombs of my fathers; in life I am abashed before the palace
I dare not scorn your virtue; truly I rely only on your grace; that your majesty and power have changed my lot is enough to last me all my days
Boundless as high heaven is your grace; my life I cannot foresee; I always fear I will stumble and fall and go to the Yellow Springs still bearing my guilt
I wish to brave arrows and stones and plant my banner at the Eastern Peak, hoping to achieve some merit however slight, and by that small merit redeem myself
Offering my imperiled body, I know that only so can I escape my blame; gladly I would hasten to the Yangtze and the Xiang and brandish my spear in Wu and Yue
Heaven opened your heart, and I was able to come to the capital region; I wait to see your sacred face as one who thirsts and hungers
My heart longs for you, in grief and in sorrow; Heaven is high yet hears the lowly—may Your Majesty shine on this humble one.” And again: “Reverently receiving your bright edict, I answer the summons to the imperial capital; under the stars I prepare my carriage at dawn, feed the horses and grease the wheels
I command those in charge of my men to set my traveling company in order; in the morning I leave the Luan Terrace, at evening I lodge at Orchid Isle
Vast are the plains and marshes, many are the men and women; I pass the public fields and rejoice in our millet and grain
There are drooping trees with layers of shade, but I do not rest; though I have dried provisions, hungry, I have no time to eat
I see cities but do not stop; I face towns but do not tarry; my drivers keep their whips ready and follow the level road
My four black horses are sturdy; they toss their bits and fling foam; the flowing wind bears up the yoke like wings, light clouds hold up the canopy
We cross the edges of streams and follow the bends of mountains; we go along the banks of the River and climb the yellow slopes
West we cross the pass and valley, now descending, now ascending; the outer horses grow weary of the road; twice we sleep and twice we rise
About to have audience with the sage Emperor, I dare not linger or rest; holding the pace we gallop far, counting the days, hastening on
Outriders ahead raise torches, carriages behind lift banners; the wheels never stop turning, the harness bells never fall silent
At last we reach the imperial seat and unharness here by the western wall; but the gracious edict has not yet come, and I have no way to attend court
Looking up, I gaze at the city gate; looking down, I think of the palace; long I yearn and ever I long; my anxious heart is as if drunk.” The Emperor praised the sense and style of his words and answered him with a gracious edict of encouragement.
不圖聖詔猥垂齒召，至止之日，馳心輦轂。僻處西館，未奉闕廷，踴躍之懷，瞻望反仄。謹拜表獻詩二篇，其辭曰：於穆顯考 時惟武皇受命於天 寧濟四方朱旗所拂 九土披攘玄化滂流 荒服來王超商越周 與唐比蹤篤生我皇 奕世載聰武則肅烈 文則時雍受禪炎漢 臨君萬邦萬邦既化 率由舊則廣命懿親 以藩王國帝曰爾侯 君茲青土奄有海濱 方周於魯車服有輝 旗章有敘濟濟雋乂 我弼我輔伊予小子 恃寵驕盈舉掛時網 動亂國經作藩作屏 先軌是墮傲我皇使 犯我朝儀國有典刑 我削我絀將寘於理 元凶是率明明天子 時篤同類不忍我刑 暴之朝肆違彼執憲 哀予小子改封兗邑 於河之濱股肱弗置 有君無臣荒淫之闕 誰弼予身煢煢僕夫 於彼冀方嗟予小子 乃罹斯殃赫赫天子 恩不遺物冠我玄冕 要我朱紱朱紱光大 使我榮華剖符授玉 王爵是加仰齒金璽 俯執聖策皇恩過隆 祗承怵惕咨我小子 頑凶是嬰逝慚陵墓 存愧闕廷匪敢傲德 實恩是恃威靈改加 足以沒齒昊天罔極 性命不圖常懼顛沛 抱罪黃壚願蒙矢石 建旗東嶽庶立豪氂 微功自贖危軀授命 知足免戾甘赴江湘 奮戈吳越天啟其衷 得會京畿遲奉聖顏 如渴如飢心之雲慕 愴矣其悲天高聽卑 皇肯照微又曰：肅承明詔 應會皇都星陳夙駕 秣馬脂車命彼掌徒 肅我征旅朝發鸞臺 夕宿蘭渚芒芒原隰 祁祁士女經彼公田 樂我稷黍爰有樛木 重陰匪息雖有餱糧 飢不遑食望城不過 面邑匪游僕夫警策 平路是由玄駟藹藹 揚鑣漂沫流風翼衡 輕雲承蓋涉澗之濱 緣山之隈遵彼河滸 黃阪是階西濟關谷 或降或升騑驂倦路 再寢再興將朝聖皇 匪敢晏寧弭節長騖 指日遄征前驅舉燧 後乘抗旌輪不輟運 鸞無廢聲爰暨帝室 稅此西墉嘉詔未賜 朝覲莫從仰瞻城閾 俯惟闕廷長懷永慕 憂心如酲帝嘉其辭義，優詔答勉之。1
Pei Songzhi’s notes (1)
1《魏略》曰：初植未到關，自念有過，宜當謝帝。乃留其從官著關東，單將兩三人微行，入見清河長公主，欲因主謝。而關吏以聞，帝使人逆之，不得見。太后以為自殺也，對帝泣。會植科頭負鈇鑕，徒跣詣闕下，帝及太后乃喜。及見之，帝猶嚴顏色，不與語，又不使冠履。植伏地泣涕，太后為不樂。詔乃聽復王服。《魏氏春秋》曰：是時待遇諸國法峻。任城王暴薨。諸王既懷友於之痛。植及白馬王彪還國，欲同路東歸，以敘隔闊之思，而監國使者不聽。植髮憤告離而作詩曰：『謁帝承明廬，逝將歸舊疆。清晨發皇邑，日夕過首陽。伊洛曠且深，欲濟川無梁。汎舟越洪濤，怨彼東路長。回顧戀城闕，引領情內傷。大谷何寥廓，山樹鬱蒼蒼。霖雨泥我塗，流潦浩從橫。中逵絕無軌，改轍登高岡。修阪造雲日，我馬玄以黃。玄黃猶能進，我思鬱以紆。鬱紆將何念？親愛在離居。本圖相與偕，中更不克俱。鴟梟鳴衡軛，豺狼當路衢；蒼蠅間白黑，讒巧反親疏。欲還絕無蹊，攬轡止踟躕。踟躕亦何留，相思無終極。秋風發微涼，寒蟬鳴我側。原野何蕭條，白日忽西匿。孤獸走索群，銜草不遑食。歸鳥赴高林，翩翩厲羽翼。感物傷我懷，撫心長嘆息。嘆息亦何為，天命與我違。奈何念同生，一往形不歸！孤魂翔故域，靈柩寄京師。存者勿復過，亡沒身自衰。人生處一世，忽若朝露晞。年在桑榆間，影響不能追。自顧非金石，咄吒令心悲。心悲動我神，棄置莫復陳。丈夫志四海，萬里猶比鄰。恩愛苟不虧，在遠分日親。何必同衾幬，然後展殷勤。倉卒骨肉情，能不懷苦辛？苦辛何慮思，天命信可疑。虛無求列仙，松子久吾欺。變故在斯須，百年誰能持？離別永無會，執手將何時？王其愛玉體，俱享黃髮期。收涕即長塗，援筆從此辭。』
In the sixth year the Emperor campaigned in the east, and on his way back he passed through Yongqiu, visited Cao Zhi's palace, and increased his fief by five hundred households.
In the first year of Taihe his fief was moved to Junyi. In the second year he went back to Yongqiu again. Cao Zhi was constantly resentful that he held a keen instrument yet had nowhere to use it, and he submitted a memorial asking to be put to the test: “I have heard that when a gentleman is born into the world, at home he serves his father and abroad he serves his lord. In serving his father he values bringing honor to his parent; in serving his lord he prizes making the state flourish. Therefore even a loving father cannot love a son who is of no benefit, and even a benevolent ruler cannot keep a useless servant. The ruler who confers office after weighing virtue is the ruler who achieves success; the servant who accepts rank after measuring his ability is the servant who fulfills his charge.
太和元年，徙封浚儀。二年，復還雍丘。植常自憤怨，抱利器而無所施，上疏求自試曰：臣聞士之生世，入則事父，出則事君；事父尚於榮親，事君貴於興國。故慈父不能愛無益之子，仁君不能畜無用之臣。夫論德而授官者，成功之君也；量能而受爵者，畢命之臣也。
Therefore the ruler does not confer in vain, and the servant does not accept in vain. To confer in vain is called a mistaken appointment; to accept in vain is called drawing a salary like a corpse; this is why the Odes speak of ‘eating the bread of idleness.’ In ancient times the two lords of Guo did not decline the charge of two states, for their virtue was great; Dan the Duke of Zhou and Shi the Duke of Shao did not refuse the fiefs of Yan and Lu, for their merit was great. Now for three generations down to today I have enjoyed the weighty grace of the state. I happen to live in Your Majesty's time of peace and prosperity, bathed in your sacred bounty and steeped in your virtuous teaching; I may be called most fortunate.
故君無虛授，臣無虛受；虛授謂之謬舉，虛受謂之尸祿，詩之『素餐』所由作也。昔二虢不辭兩國之任，其德厚也；旦、奭不讓燕、魯之封，其功大也。今臣蒙國重恩，三世於今矣。正值陛下升平之際，沐浴聖澤，潛潤德教，可謂厚幸矣。
Yet I occupy a place as a bulwark in the east, my rank is among the highest, my body is clad in light, warm clothing, my mouth is sated with a hundred flavors, my eyes have seen every splendor, and my ears are weary of strings and pipes—all because my rank is high and my stipend generous. When I withdraw and reflect, those in ancient times who were granted rank and stipend were different: all of them saved the state by their merit and toil, aided their ruler, and benefited the people. Now I have no virtue worth recounting and no merit worth recording. If I go on like this to the end of my days without benefit to the state and court, I shall incur the poet's reproach of ‘that one there.’
而竊位東藩，爵在上列，身被輕暖，口厭百味，目極華靡，耳倦絲竹者，爵重祿厚之所致也。退念古之授爵祿者，有異於此，皆以功勤濟國，輔主惠民。今臣無德可述，無功可紀，若此終年無益國朝，將掛風人『彼其』之譏。
Therefore, looking up, I am ashamed before the black crown; looking down, I am abashed before the crimson sash. Now the realm is united and the Nine Provinces are at peace; yet when we look around, to the west there is Shu, which defies your commands, and to the east there is Wu, which refuses to be your subject. That the frontiers still cannot put off their armor and the strategists still cannot sleep on high pillows is truly because you wish to unite all within the seas and bring about the Great Peace. Thus when Qi destroyed Youhu the achievement of Xia shone forth, and when King Cheng conquered Shang and Yan the virtue of Zhou was made manifest. Now Your Majesty rules the age with sagacity and wisdom, and you intend to complete the work of Kings Wen and Wu and carry on the glory of Kings Cheng and Kang. You select the worthy and employ the able, and have ministers like Fangshu and Shao Hu guard and govern the four borders as the claws and teeth of the state; this may be called fitting.
是以上慚玄冕，俯愧朱紱。方今天下一統，九州晏如，而顧西有違命之蜀，東有不臣之吳，使邊境未得脫甲，謀士未得高枕者，誠欲混同宇內以致太和也。故啟滅有扈而夏功昭，成克商、奄而周德著。今陛下以聖明統世，將欲卒文、武之功，繼成、康之隆，簡賢授能，以方叔、召虎之臣鎮御四境，為國爪牙者，可謂當矣。
Yet the high-flying birds have not yet been caught by the light corded arrow, and the fish in the deep pools have not yet been hooked by the bait; I fear that the arts of angling and shooting have perhaps not yet been fully employed. In the past Geng Yan did not wait for Emperor Guangwu but hastened to attack Zhang Bu, saying that he would not leave the rebels for his lord and father. Thus the carriage-right warrior fell on his sword when the hub creaked, and Yongmen cut his own throat at the border of Qi. Did these two men hate life and esteem death? Truly they were outraged that the enemy slighted their master and insulted their lord.
然而高鳥未掛於輕繳，淵魚未縣於鉤餌者，恐釣射之術或未盡也。昔耿弇不俟光武，亟擊張步，言不以賊遺於君父。故車右伏劍於鳴轂，雍門刎首於齊境，若此二士，豈惡生而尚死哉？誠忿其慢主而陵君也。1
Pei Songzhi’s notes (1)
1劉向《說苑》曰：越甲至齊，雍門狄請死之。齊王曰：『鼓鐸之聲未聞，矢石未交，長兵未接，子何務死？知為人臣之禮邪？』雍門狄對曰：『臣聞之，昔者王田於囿，左轂鳴，車右請死之，王曰：「子何為死？」車右曰：「為其鳴吾君也。」王曰：「左轂鳴者，此工師之罪也。子何事之有焉？」車右對曰：「吾不見工師之乘，而見其鳴吾君也。」遂刎頸而死。有是乎？』王曰：『有之。』雍門狄曰：『今越甲至，其鳴吾君，豈左轂之下哉？車右可以死左轂，而臣獨不可以死越甲邪？』遂刎頸而死。是日，越人引軍而退七十里，曰：『齊王有臣，鈞如雍門狄，疑使越社稷不血食。』遂歸。齊王葬雍門狄以上卿之禮。
When a ruler favors a servant, he wants him to remove troubles and create benefit; when a servant serves his ruler, he must be ready to give his life to quell disorder and repay his lord with merit. In the past Jia Yi, barely twenty, asked to be tried in charge of the dependent states and begged to put a rope round the Chanyu's neck and hold his life in his hands. Zhong Jun, still a youth, went as envoy to Yue and wanted a long cord with which to tie up its king and haul him to the northern palace gate. Did these two servants love to boast to their lord and dazzle the world? Their ambition was pent up; they wanted to show their talent and strength and offer their abilities to an enlightened ruler.
夫君之寵臣，欲以除患興利；臣之事君，必以殺身靖亂，以功報主也。昔賈誼弱冠，求試屬國，請繫單于之頸而制其命；終軍以妙年使越，欲得長纓纓其王，羈致北闕。此二臣，豈好為誇主而耀世哉？志或鬱結，欲逞其才力，輸能於明君也。
In the past, when Emperor Wu of Han built a mansion for Huo Qubing, Huo declined, saying, ‘While the Xiongnu are not yet destroyed, I have no use for a home!’ To worry for the state and forget one's home, to give one's life to save it from danger—this is the resolve of a loyal servant. Now, living outside the capital, I am not ungenerously treated; yet I cannot rest easy on my mat nor find time to taste my food, because I humbly think of the two regions not yet conquered. I humbly observe that among the martial servants and veteran generals of the late Martial Emperor, some, I hear, have grown old and passed away. Though worthy men are never lacking in any age, it is the veteran generals and old soldiers who are versed in battle and formation. Presuming beyond my measure, I am resolved to offer my life, hoping to achieve merit as slight as a hair and so repay the grace I have received.
昔漢武為霍去病治第，辭曰：『匈奴未滅，臣無以家為！』夫憂國忘家，捐軀濟難，忠臣之志也。今臣居外，非不厚也，而寢不安席，食不遑味者，伏以二方未克為念。伏見先武皇帝武臣宿將，年耆即世者有聞矣。雖賢不乏世，宿將舊卒，猶習戰陳，竊不自量，志在效命，庶立毛髮之功，以報所受之恩。
If Your Majesty would issue an extraordinary edict and let me put my awl-and-knife usefulness to work—whether assigned west under the Grand General to lead a single battalion, or assigned east under the Grand Marshal to command a squadron of boats—I would surely brave danger and tread perilous ground, drive the boats and spur the black steeds, charge through blades and meet spear points, and lead the soldiers from the front. Though I may not be able to capture Sun Quan or take Zhuge Liang's ear as a trophy, I hope to take their bravest commanders and wipe out their vile hordes. I will surely deliver a swift victory to erase a lifetime's shame, so that my name may be written by the historian's brush and my deeds entered in the court's records.
若使陛下出不世之詔，效臣錐刀之用，使得西屬大將軍，當一校之隊，若東屬大司馬，統偏舟之任，必乘危蹈險，騁舟奮驪，突刃觸鋒，為士卒先。雖未能禽權馘亮，庶將虜其雄率，殲其醜類，必效須臾之捷，以滅終身之愧，使名掛史筆，事列朝策。
Even if my body were torn apart on the Shu border and my head hung at the gate of Wu, it would be as though I still lived. But if my meager talent is never tried and I pass from the world unknown, merely pampering my body and fattening my flesh, adding nothing to affairs while I live and subtracting nothing from the count when I die, holding high position in vain and disgracing a generous stipend, merely breathing like a bird and gazing about like a beast until my hair turns white—then I would be no more than an animal fattened in a pen, and that is not what I aspire to. When I heard the rumor that the eastern army had been caught unprepared and suffered a minor setback, I stopped eating and pushed away my meal, flung back my sleeves and hitched up my robe, and, gripping my sword, looked to the east; my heart had already galloped to Wu and Kuaiji.
雖身分蜀境，首縣吳闕，猶生之年也。如微才弗試，沒世無聞，徒榮其軀而豐其體，生無益於事，死無損於數，虛荷上位而忝重祿，禽息鳥視，終於白首，此徒圈牢之養物，非臣之所志也。流聞東軍失備，師徒小衄，輟食棄餐，奮袂攘衽，撫劍東顧，而心已馳於吳會矣。
In the past I followed the late Martial Emperor as far south as Chi'an, looked out on the Blue Sea in the east, gazed toward Yumen in the west, and went out beyond the Dark Barrier in the north. I humbly observed how he moved his armies and used his troops, and it may be called divinely subtle. Thus war cannot be foretold; it is a matter of meeting danger and controlling its changes. I aspire to exert myself in this enlightened age and to win merit in this sagely era. Whenever I read the histories and see how the loyal servants and righteous men of old gave up their lives in a single morning to die for their country's peril—their bodies were cut to pieces, yet their merit was inscribed on tripods and bells and their names handed down on bamboo and silk—I have never failed to beat my breast and sigh.
臣昔從先武皇帝南極赤岸，東臨滄海，西望玉門，北出玄塞，伏見所以行軍用兵之勢，可謂神妙矣。故兵者不可豫言，臨難而制變者也。志欲自效於明時，立功於聖世。每覽史籍，觀古忠臣義士，出一朝之命，以徇國家之難，身雖屠裂，而功銘著於鼎鍾，名稱垂於竹帛，未嘗不拊心而嘆息也。
I have heard that an enlightened ruler, in employing his servants, does not discard those who have done wrong. Thus by employing generals who had fled and lost their armies, Qin and Lu achieved their feats; and by pardoning the servant who snapped off a hat-string and the servants who stole a horse, Chu and Zhao were delivered from their troubles. I am privately moved to think that the late Emperor passed away early and King Wei of Rencheng has left this world; who am I alone, that I should endure a long life? I am always afraid that I shall vanish before the morning dew and fill a ditch, and that before the earth of my grave is dry my body and my name will perish together. I have heard that when a fine steed neighs long, Bo Le perceives its ability, and when the hound Lu howls mournfully, Han recognizes its talent.
臣聞明主使臣，不廢有罪。故奔北敗軍之將用，秦、魯以成其功；1絕纓盜馬之臣赦，楚、趙以濟其難。2臣竊感先帝早崩，威王棄世，臣獨何人，以堪長久！常恐先朝露，填溝壑，墳土未乾，而身名並滅。臣聞騏驥長鳴，則伯樂照其能；盧狗悲號，則韓國知其才。
Pei Songzhi’s notes (2)
1臣松之案：秦用敗軍之將，事顯，故不註。魯連與燕將書曰：『曹子為魯將，三戰三北而亡地五百里，向使曹子計不反顧，義不旋踵，刎頸而死，則亦不免為敗軍之將矣。曹子棄三北之恥，而退與魯君計。桓公朝天子，會諸侯，曹子以一劍之任，披桓公之心於壇坫之上，顏色不變，辭氣不悖。三戰之所亡，一朝而復之。天下震動，諸侯驚駭，威加吳、越。』若此二士者，非不能成小廉而行小節也。
2臣松之案：楚莊掩絕纓之罪，事亦顯，故不書。秦穆公有赦盜馬事，趙則未聞。蓋以秦亦趙姓，故互文以避上『秦』字也。
That is why the steed is sent out on the roads of Qi and Chu to show its fitness for a thousand-li journey, and the hound is tried against the swift hare to prove its use in pouncing and biting. Now I aspire to render even the small service of a dog or a horse, but when I privately weigh it, I see that in the end I shall have no Bo Le or Han to put me forward, and so I choke with sorrow and grieve in private. Those who rise on tiptoe and tremble at the sight of a pounce, or quietly clap their hands on hearing music, are perhaps people who appreciate the tune and understand the way. In ancient times Mao Sui was a mere underling of a retainer in Zhao, yet by borrowing the figure of the awl in the bag he awakened his lord and won merit. How much more, then, in the court of great and lofty Wei, so rich in men of quality, must there be ministers ready to die with ardor for the realm’s troubles!
是以效之齊、楚之路，以逞千里之任；試之狡兔之捷，以驗搏噬之用。今臣志狗馬之微功，竊自惟度，終無伯樂、韓國之舉，是以於邑而竊自痛者也。夫臨搏而企竦，聞樂而竊抃者，或有賞音而識道也。昔毛遂，趙之陪隸，猶假錐囊之喻，以寤主立功，何況巍巍大魏多士之朝，而無慷慨死難之臣乎！
Now to boast of oneself and act as one’s own matchmaker is ugly conduct in a gentleman or a woman, and to seize the moment in seeking advancement is plainly shunned by the Daoists. Yet I dare to lay this before Your Majesty because I truly share the same breath with the state though separate in form, and share its sorrows and troubles. I hope that with the slightness of dust and mist I may add to the mountains and seas, and with the last glimmer of a firefly or candle increase the brilliance of the sun and moon; therefore I dare to risk this ugliness and offer my loyalty.”
夫自衒自媒者，士女之醜行也。干時求進者，道家之明忌也。而臣敢陳聞於陛下者，誠與國分形同氣，憂患共之者也。冀以塵霧之微補益山海，熒燭末光增輝日月，是以敢冒其醜而獻其忠。1
Pei Songzhi’s notes (1)
1《魏略》曰：植雖上此表，猶疑不見用，故曰『夫人貴生者，非貴其養體好服，終竟年壽也，貴在其代天而理物也。夫爵祿者，非虛張者也，有功德然後應之，當矣。無功而爵厚，無德而祿重，或人以為榮，而壯夫以為恥。故太上立德，其次立功，蓋功德者所以垂名也。名者不滅，士之所利，故孔子有夕死之論，孟軻有棄生之義。彼一聖一賢，豈不願久生哉？志或有不展也。是用喟然求試，必立功也。嗚呼！言之未用，欲使後之君子知吾意者也。
In the third year his fief was moved to Dong'e. In the fifth year he again submitted a memorial asking to be allowed to inquire after his kinsmen, and set out his thoughts: “I have heard that Heaven is praised as high because there is nothing it does not cover; Earth is praised as broad because there is nothing it does not bear; the sun and moon are praised as bright because there is nothing they do not illumine; the rivers and seas are praised as great because there is nothing they do not contain. Thus Confucius said, ‘Great indeed was Yao as a ruler! Only Heaven is great, and only Yao modeled himself on it.’ The virtue of Heaven toward the myriad things may truly be called vast and wide.
三年，徙封東阿。五年，覆上疏求存問親戚，因致其意曰：臣聞天稱其高者，以無不覆；地稱其廣者，以無不載；日月稱其明者，以無不照；江海稱其大者，以無不容。故孔子曰：『大哉堯之為君！惟天為大，惟堯則之。』夫天德之於萬物，可謂弘廣矣。
For Yao’s teaching put kin first and strangers after, reaching from the near to the far. The record says, ‘He brightened his lofty virtue so as to make the nine degrees of kin affectionate; when the nine degrees of kin were in harmony, he distinguished and brought to light the hundred clans.’ King Wen of Zhou likewise honored this way of transformation, and the ode says, ‘He was a model to his wife, it reached to his brothers, and so he governed his family and his state.’ Thus all was harmonious and reverent, and the poets sang of it. In ancient times the Duke of Zhou grieved that Guan and Cai had not been in concord, and he enfeoffed his fine kinsmen widely as a hedge and screen for the royal house; the record says, ‘In the covenants of the Zhou clan, those of other surnames come after.’
蓋堯之為教，先親後疏，自近及遠。其傳曰：『克明峻德，以親九族；九族既睦，平章百姓。』及周之文王亦崇厥化，其詩曰：『刑於寡妻，至於兄弟，以御於家邦。』是以雍雍穆穆。風人詠之。昔周公弔管、蔡之不咸，廣封懿親以藩屏王室，傳曰：『周之宗盟，異姓為後。』
Truly the bond of flesh and blood may falter yet does not part, and the duty of cherishing kin lies in making it firm and deep; there has never been one who was righteous yet put his lord last, or humane yet abandoned his kin. I humbly consider that Your Majesty is endowed with the reverent and enlightened virtue of Emperor Yao and embodies the careful humaneness of King Wen; your kindness suffuses the Empress’s pepper-walled chambers and your grace shines on the nine degrees of kin. The lords and the hundred officials take turns to rest and come up to court in rotation, so that those who govern do not neglect the business of the court and those below can express their feelings in their private homes; the road for tending one’s kin is open, and the sentiments of congratulation and condolence find expression. This may truly be called measuring others by oneself in governing, and extending kindness in bestowing grace.
誠骨肉之恩爽而不離，親親之義實在敦固，未有義而後其君，仁而遺其親者也。伏惟陛下資帝唐欽明之德，體文王翼翼之仁，惠洽椒房，恩昭九族，群後百寮，番休遞上，執政不廢於公朝，下情得展於私室，親理之路通，慶弔之情展，誠可謂恕己治人，推惠施恩者矣。
As for me, the thread of human relations has been cut and I am confined in an enlightened age, and I privately grieve for myself. I dare not hope too much to associate with kindred spirits, to cultivate the affairs of men, or to set in order the human relationships. But even close at hand marriages cannot be arranged and brothers are estranged and cut off; inquiries on happy and sad occasions are blocked and the rites of congratulation and condolence abandoned. The failure of kindly ties is worse than among strangers on the road, and the gulf between us is wider than that between the Hu and the Yue. Now, under a uniform regulation, I have forever lost the hope of attending court, yet the spirits know how my heart is fixed on the imperial throne and my feelings bound to the purple gates.
至於臣者，人道絕緒，禁錮明時，臣竊自傷也。不敢過望交氣類，脩人事，敘人倫。近且婚媾不通，兄弟乖絕，吉凶之問塞，慶弔之禮廢，恩紀之違，甚於路人，隔閡之異，殊於胡越。今臣以一切之制，永無朝覲之望，至於註心皇極，結情紫闥，神明知之矣。
Yet since it is truly Heaven that has done this, what can be said? On reflection, the kings all constantly long, in their grief, for brothers to be near one another. I hope Your Majesty will generously send down an edict allowing the states to exchange congratulations and inquiries, with feelings expressed at each of the four seasonal festivals, so that the joy and grace of flesh and blood may be set forth and the deep bond of affectionate brotherhood made whole. Let the families of consorts and concubines exchange gifts of hair oil and cosmetics twice a year, so that they share the same duties as the noble clan and the same kindness as the hundred officials. In this way what the ancients sighed after and what the Airs and the Odes sang of will live again in this sage age.
然天實為之，謂之何哉！退唯諸王常有戚戚具爾之心，願陛下沛然垂詔，使諸國慶問，四節得展，以敘骨肉之歡恩。全怡怡之篤義。妃妾之家，膏沐之遺，歲得再通，齊義於貴宗，等惠於百司，如此，則古人之所嘆，風雅之所詠，復存於聖世矣。
I humbly reflect that I am of no more use than an awl or a knife. Yet when I look at those whom Your Majesty promotes and appoints, I privately judge that, were I treated as a minister of another surname, I would not fall behind the gentlemen of the court. If I could put off the Far-Roaming cap and wear the military cap, untie the vermilion seal-ribbon and wear the green one, and quickly obtain a single title—Commandant of Attendant Cavalry or Commandant of Imperial Carriages—so as to dwell in peace in the capital, holding the whip with a brush tucked behind my ear, following the canopy when you go out and attending your carriage when you come in, answering your sage questions and picking up what has been overlooked at your side, that would be the utmost wish of my red-hearted sincerity, never absent even from my dreams.
臣伏自惟省，無錐刀之用。及觀陛下之所拔授，若以臣為異姓，竊自料度，不後於朝士矣。若得辭遠游，戴武弁，解朱組，佩青紱，駙馬、奉車，趣得一號，安宅京室，執鞭珥筆，出從華蓋，入侍輦轂，承答聖問，拾遺左右，乃臣丹誠之至願，不離於夢想者也。
Far off, I long for the banquet of lord and ministers in ‘The Deer Cry’; in the middle, I recite the warning in ‘The Cherry Tree’ that brothers are ‘no strangers’; below, I think of the duty to friends in ‘Felling Trees’; and at the last I harbor the boundless grief of ‘The Tall Mugwort.’ At every gathering of the four seasonal festivals I dwell alone and forlorn, with only servants at my side and only wife and children to face; there is no one with whom to hold lofty talk and no one with whom to unfold a point of principle, and I have never heard music without beating my breast or faced a wine cup without sighing. I humbly think that the sincerity of a dog or horse cannot move a man, just as the sincerity of a man cannot move Heaven.
遠慕鹿鳴君臣之宴，中詠常棣匪他之誡，下思伐木友生之義，終懷蓼莪罔極之哀；每四節之會，塊然獨處，左右惟僕隸，所對惟妻子，高談無所與陳，發義無所與展，未嘗不聞樂而拊心，臨觴而嘆息也。臣伏以為犬馬之誠不能動人，譬人之誠不能動天。
I once believed the stories of the city wall that collapsed and the frost that fell, but measured against my own heart they are nothing but empty words. It is like the sunflower and the bean leaf that tilt their leaves: though the sun does not turn its light for them, their facing toward it is sincere. I privately liken myself to the sunflower and the bean leaf; the power to send down the bounty of Heaven and Earth and to shed the light of the three luminaries truly lies with Your Majesty. I have heard that Wenzi said, ‘Do not be the first to bring fortune, nor the forerunner of misfortune.’ Our present separation is a sorrow shared by all the brothers, yet I alone speak up first, because I privately do not wish that in this sage age there should be any creature that does not receive your bounty.
崩城、隕霜，臣初信之，以臣心況，徒虛語耳。若葵藿之傾葉，太陽雖不為之回光，然向之者誠也。竊自比於葵藿，若降天地之施，垂三光之明者，實在陛下。臣聞文子曰：『不為福始，不為禍先。』今之否隔，友於同憂，而臣獨倡言者，竊不願於聖世使有不蒙施之物。
Any creature that does not receive your bounty is sure to harbor bitterness and pain. That is why ‘The Cypress Boat’ has its complaint, ‘O Heaven!’, and ‘The East Wind’ its lament, ‘You have cast me off.’ And so Yi Yin was ashamed that his lord did not match Yao and Shun, and Mencius said, ‘One who does not serve his lord as Shun served Yao does not respect his lord.’ In my foolishness and blindness I am certainly no Shun of Yu or Yi Yin, but my wish that Your Majesty should exalt the glory of a harmonized age and spread it over all, and proclaim a virtue of continuous brilliance, is an earnest sincerity that I have privately guarded alone; truly I stand like a crane, on tiptoe in expectation.
有不蒙施之物，必有慘毒之懷，故柏舟有『天只』之怨，穀風有『棄予』之嘆。故伊尹恥其君不為堯舜，孟子曰：『不以舜之所以事堯事其君者，不敬其君者也。』臣之愚蔽，固非虞、伊，至於欲使陛下崇光被時雍之美，宣緝熙章明之德者，是臣慺慺之誠，竊所獨守，實懷鶴立企佇之心。
I dare to lay this before you again in the hope that Your Majesty may perhaps open your heavenly hearing and grant it your divine attention.” The edict in reply said: “The influence of teaching and transformation has its rise and decline in each case; it is not that all begin well and end badly, but that circumstances make them so. Thus when loyalty, generosity and humaneness extended even to grass and trees, the ode ‘By the Roadside Reeds’ was composed; and when grace and favor waned and thinned and the nine degrees of kin were not cherished, the verses of ‘The Horn-Tipped Bow’ satirized it. Now the brothers of the various states have grown slack and negligent in their feelings, and gifts of hair oil and cosmetics to the families of consorts and concubines have become sparse and scanty. Though We may not have been able to strengthen the bonds and bring harmony, the King has cited antiquity and drawn out its meaning most thoroughly. How can he say that his sincerity is not enough to move and reach Us?
敢復陳聞者，冀陛下儻發天聰而垂神聽也。詔報曰：『蓋教化所由，各有隆弊，非皆善始而惡終也，事使之然。故夫忠厚仁極草木，則行葦之詩作；恩澤衰薄，不親九族，則角弓之章刺。今令諸國兄弟，情理簡怠，妃妾之家，膏沐疏略，朕縱不能敦而睦之，王援古喻義備悉矣，何言精誠不足以感通哉？
Distinguishing noble from humble, honoring the cherishing of kin, treating the worthy and good with courtesy, and following the order of young and old are the guiding principles of the state. There was never any edict forbidding the states to exchange inquiries; in straightening what was bent they went too far, and the lower officials, fearing reprimand, brought matters to this pass. We have already ordered the officials concerned to act as the King has petitioned.”
夫明貴賤，崇親親，禮賢良，順少長，國之綱紀，本無禁固諸國通問之詔也，矯枉過正，下吏懼譴，以至於此耳。已敕有司，如王所訴。』
Cao Zhi again submitted a memorial setting out the principle of careful selection, saying: “I have heard that when Heaven and Earth blend their breaths the myriad things are born, and when lord and ministers unite in virtue the many tasks of government are accomplished. Not everyone was wise in the age of the Five Emperors, nor was everyone foolish at the end of the Three Dynasties; the difference lay in whether men were used or not, recognized or not. Since there is now the name of recommending the worthy but not the reality of obtaining them, it must be that each has drawn in his own kind and advanced them. The proverb says, ‘From a chancellor’s house come chancellors; from a general’s house come generals.’
植覆上疏陳審舉之義，曰：臣聞天地協氣而萬物生，君臣合德而庶政成；五帝之世非皆智，三季之末非皆愚，用與不用，知與不知也。既時有舉賢之名，而無得賢之實，必各援其類而進矣。諺曰：『相門有相，將門有將。』
A chancellor is one whose civil virtue shines forth; a general is one whose martial merit blazes. When civil virtue shines forth, he can set right the state and court and bring about harmony and splendor—Ji, Xie, Kui and Long were such men. When martial merit blazes, he can punish those who fail to attend court and overawe the barbarians of the four quarters—Nanzhong and Fangshu were such men. In ancient times, when Yi Yin was a servant sent with a bride, he was of the humblest station, and when Lü Shang was working as a butcher and an angler, he was of the meanest; yet when they were raised up by Tang the Martial and King Wen of Zhou, it was truly because their ways accorded and their aims were one, and their profound plans met in spiritual communion—how could they have relied on the recommendation of favorites or the introduction of attendants?
夫相者，文德昭者也；將者，武功烈者也。文德昭，則可以匡國朝，致雍熙，稷、契、夔、龍是也；武功烈，則所以征不庭，威四夷，南仲、方叔是矣。昔伊尹之為媵臣，至賤也，呂尚之處屠釣，至陋也，及其見舉於湯武、周文，誠道合志同，玄謨神通，豈復假近習之薦，因左右之介哉。
The Documents say, ‘When there is a ruler such as the ages rarely see, he will surely be able to use ministers such as the ages rarely see; and using such ministers, he will surely achieve feats such as the ages rarely see.’ So it was with the two kings of Yin and Zhou. As for petty men who take small steps, follow the usual and keep to the old ways, how are they worth mentioning to Your Majesty? Thus when yin and yang are out of harmony, the three luminaries do not move freely, offices stand empty of men and the many tasks of government are in disorder, the blame lies with the Three Excellencies. When the frontiers are in turmoil, the borderlands are invaded, armies are lost and multitudes perish, and shields and spears are never laid down, the care belongs to the frontier generals.
書曰：『有不世之君，必能用不世之臣；用不世之臣，必能立不世之功。』殷周二王是矣。若夫齷齪近步，遵常守故，安足為陛下言哉？故陰陽不和，三光不暢，官曠無人，庶政不整者，三司之責也。疆埸騷動，方隅內侵，沒軍喪眾，干戈不息者，邊將之憂也。
How can one bear the state’s favor in vain and fail to live up to one’s charge? Therefore the greater one’s charge, the heavier one’s burden; the higher one’s position, the deeper one’s responsibility. When the Documents say, ‘Leave none of the offices empty,’ and the Odes have ‘In his office he thinks of its cares,’ this is what they mean. Your Majesty embodies the pure sageliness of Heaven’s truth and has ascended the divine mechanism to continue the line of succession, and it was hoped that we would hear the song ‘All is at peace’ and see the beauty of laying down arms and practicing civil virtue. Yet for several years now floods and droughts have come out of season, the people are hard pressed for food and clothing, and the troops sent out have been levied more heavily every year. On top of this there has been an army overthrown in the east and a general slain in the west, so that clams and mussels drift upon the Huai River and the Si River and field rats and weasels clamor in the woods.
豈可虛荷國寵而不稱其任哉？故任益隆者負益重，位益高者責益深，書稱『無曠庶官』，詩有『職思其憂』，此其義也。陛下體天真之淑聖，登神機以繼統，冀聞康哉之歌，偃武行文之美。而數年以來，水旱不時，民困衣食，師徒之發，歲歲增調，加東有覆敗之軍，西有殪沒之將，至使蚌蛤浮翔於淮、泗，鼲鼬讙嘩於林木。
Whenever I think of this, I never fail to stop eating and throw down my food, or to face the wine cup and grip my wrist. In ancient times, when Emperor Wen of Han set out from Dai, he suspected that there might be an upheaval at court, and Song Chang said, ‘Within, you have kinsmen such as the Marquises of Zhuxu and Dongmou; without, you have Qi, Chu, Huainan and Langya. This is a clan as solid as a great rock; I beg Your Highness not to doubt.’ I humbly hope that Your Majesty will look far back to the support that King Wen of Ji Zhou received from the two Guo, consider nearer the help that King Cheng of Zhou had from the Dukes of Shao and Bi, and, closest to us, keep in mind the rock-solid strength that Song Chang spoke of.
臣每念之，未嘗不輟食而揮餐，臨觴而搤腕矣。昔漢文發代，疑朝有變，宋昌曰：『內有朱虛、東牟之親，外有齊、楚、淮南、琅邪，此則磐石之宗，願王勿疑。』臣伏惟陛下遠覽姬文二虢之援，中慮周成召、畢之輔，下存宋昌磐石之固。
In ancient times, when the fine steed was on the Wu slope, it could be said to be in dire straits; but once Bo Le had judged it and Sun You drove it, it covered a thousand li without toiling its body. For Bo Le was skilled at managing horses, and an enlightened ruler is skilled at managing ministers; Bo Le made a horse gallop a thousand li, and an enlightened ruler brings about great peace. This is the clear proof of entrusting affairs to the worthy and employing the able. If the officials of the court are all good, the myriad affairs will be managed within; and if the military commanders lead the armies, the troubles on every side can be quelled. Then Your Majesty could remain at ease in the capital—why should you trouble the imperial carriage and expose yourself on the frontier?
昔騏驥之於吳阪，可謂困矣，及其伯樂相之，孫郵御之，形體不勞而坐取千里。蓋伯樂善御馬，明君善御臣；伯樂馳千里，明君致太平；誠任賢使能之明效也。若朝司惟良，萬機內理，武將行師，方難克弭。陛下可得雍容都城，何事勞動鑾駕，暴露於邊境哉？
I have heard that a sheep in a tiger’s skin rejoices when it sees grass and trembles when it sees a jackal, forgetting that its skin is a tiger’s. Today the appointment of generals is not sound, and it resembles this. Hence the saying: ‘The trouble is that those who do it do not know how, and those who know how are not allowed to do it.’ In ancient times Yue Yi fled to Zhao, yet his heart never forgot Yan; Lian Po was in Chu, yet longed to be a general of Zhao. I was born amid disorder and grew up in the army, and I often received instruction from Emperor Wu and witnessed the essentials of leading troops and using soldiers; without needing to borrow from Sunzi and Wu Qi, I am in silent accord with them.
臣聞羊質虎皮，見草則悅，見豺則戰，忘其皮之虎也。今置將不良，有似於此。故語曰：『患為之者不知，知之者不得為也。』昔樂毅奔趙，心不忘燕；廉頗在楚，思為趙將。臣生乎亂，長乎軍，又數承教於武皇帝，伏見行師用兵之要，不必取孫、吳而闇與之合。
I privately consider in my heart that I have always wished for a single chance to attend court—to push open the golden gate, tread the jade steps, stand among the officials who hold posts, and be granted a moment’s questioning, so that I could once pour out what I cherish and unfold what has built up within me; then I would die without regret. I have received the document sent down by the Herald’s office for levying the sons of soldiers, with a very pressing deadline. I have also heard that the leopard-tail banner has already been raised and the war chariots are ready to race, and that Your Majesty will again weary your jade person and trouble your divine thoughts. I am truly awed and hold my breath, with no leisure to rest in peace.
竊揆之於心，常願得一奉朝覲，排金門，蹈玉陛，列有職之臣，賜須臾之問，使臣得一散所懷，攄舒蘊積，死不恨矣。被鴻臚所下發士息書，期會甚急。又聞豹尾已建，戎軒騖駕，陛下將復勞玉躬，擾掛神思。臣誠竦息，不遑寧處。
I wish I could whip up my horse and hold the reins, be the first to face the dust and dew, gather the strange stratagems of Fenghou and take up the essentials of Sunzi and Wu Qi, emulating Bu Shang who inspired his master at his side, giving my life in the vanguard and ending my days beside the chariot wheels; though it might be of no great benefit, I hope it would be of some small help. But Heaven is high and its hearing far away, and my feelings cannot reach upward; I can only gaze alone at the blue clouds and beat my breast, look up to the lofty sky and sigh. Qu Ping said, ‘The state has a fine steed but does not know how to ride it; why rush about seeking another?’
願得策馬執鞭，首當塵露，撮風后之奇，接孫、吳之要，追慕卜商起予左右，效命先驅，畢命輪轂，雖無大益，冀有小補。然天高聽遠，情不上通，徒獨望青雲而拊心，仰高天而嘆息耳。屈平曰：『國有驥而不知乘，焉皇皇而更索！』
In ancient times Guan and Cai were banished and executed, yet the Dukes of Zhou and Shao became the pillars of the state; Shu Yu fell foul of the law, yet Shu Xiang set his country right. The guilt of the Three Overseers I will take upon myself; but assistance like that of the Zhou and Shao of the Two South odes, if sought, will surely not be far to find. Among the illustrious clan, the noble kin and the feudal kings, there must be those who can answer this call. Therefore the record says, ‘Without the kinship of the Duke of Zhou, one may not do what the Duke of Zhou did.’ I beg Your Majesty to give this a little thought. In recent times the Han widely established feudal kings: the richly endowed held dozens of cities in a row, while the modestly endowed merely ate their revenues and sacrificed to their ancestors. This did not match the way Ji Zhou set up its states and regulated them by the five ranks of nobility.
昔管、蔡放誅，周、召作弼；叔魚陷刑，叔向匡國。三監之釁，臣自當之；二南之輔，求必不遠。華宗貴族，藩王之中，必有應斯舉者。故傳曰：『無周公之親，不得行周公之事。』唯陛下少留意焉。近者漢氏廣建藩王，豐則連城數十，約則饗食祖祭而已，未若姬周之樹國，五等之品制也。
Fusu’s remonstrance with the First Emperor and Chunyu Yue’s rebuttal of Zhou Qingchen may be said to show an understanding of the changes of the times. Those who can make the whole realm incline its ears and fix its eyes on them are the holders of power; hence their schemes can sway the ruler and their might can cow those below. Powerful magnates hold the reins of government, and it does not rest with the imperial kin. Where power lies, even the distant are sure to weigh heavily; where influence has departed, even close kin are sure to count for little. For those who seized Qi were the Tian clan, not the house of Lü, and those who divided Jin were Zhao and Wei, not the Ji surname.
若扶蘇之諫始皇，淳于越之難周青臣，可謂知時變矣。夫能使天下傾耳註目者，當權者是矣，故謀能移主，威能懾下。豪右執政，不在親戚；權之所在，雖疏必重，勢之所去，雖親必輕，蓋取齊者田族，非呂宗也。分晉者趙、魏，非姬姓也。
I beg Your Majesty to examine this. Those who monopolize their posts in good times and flee the troubles in bad times are ministers of other surnames. Those who desire the state’s security and pray for the honor of the house, who share its glory while they live and its misfortune when they die, are ministers of the ruling clan. Now, on the contrary, the ruling clan is kept at a distance and those of other surnames are drawn close; I am privately perplexed by this. I have heard that Mencius said, ‘When the gentleman is in straits, he perfects himself alone; when he prospers, he perfects the whole realm as well.’ Now I share with Your Majesty the treading of ice and the stepping on coals, the climbing of mountains and the fording of streams; cold and heat, dryness and damp, high and low, we share them all—how could I be parted from Your Majesty?
唯陛下察之。苟吉專其位，凶離其患者，異姓之臣也。欲國之安，祈家之貴，存共其榮，沒同其禍者，公族之臣也。今反公族疏而異姓親，臣竊惑焉。臣聞孟子曰：『君子窮則獨善其身，達則兼善天下。』今臣與陛下踐冰履炭，登山浮澗，寒溫燥濕，高下共之，豈得離陛下哉？
Unable to contain my indignation and distress, I respectfully submit this memorial to set out my feelings. If there is anything unfitting in it, I beg that it be stored away for the time being in the archives and not simply destroyed; after my death there may be something in it worth considering. If there is even a hair’s breadth that touches Your Majesty’s sage mind, I beg that it be brought out in the court hall, so that scholars versed in antiquity may correct whatever in my memorial does not accord with right principle. If this is done, my wish will be fulfilled.”
不勝憤懣，拜表陳情。若有不合，乞且藏之書府，不便滅棄，臣死之後，事或可思。若有豪釐少掛聖意者，乞出之朝堂，使夫博古之士，糾臣表之不合義者。如是，則臣願足矣。
Each time the Emperor answered him in gracious terms.
帝輒優文答報。1
Pei Songzhi’s notes (1)
1《魏略》曰：是後大發士息，及取諸國士。植以近前諸國士息已見發，孤稚弱，在者無幾，而復被取，乃上書曰：『臣聞古者聖君，與日月齊其明，四時等其信，是以戮凶無重，賞善無輕，怒若驚霆，喜若時雨，恩不中絕，教無二可，以此臨朝，則臣下知所死矣。受任在萬里之外，審主之所授官，必己之所以投命，雖有構會之徒，泊然不以為懼者，蓋君臣相信之明效也。昔章子為齊將，人有告之反者，威王曰：「不然。」左右曰：「王何以明之？」王曰：「聞章子改葬死母；彼尚不欺死父，顧當叛生君乎？」此君之信臣也。昔管仲親射桓公，後幽囚從魯檻車載，使少年輓而送齊。管仲知桓公之必用己，懼魯之悔，謂少年曰：「吾為汝唱，汝為和，聲和聲，宜走。」於是管仲唱之，少年走而和之，日行數百里，宿昔而至。至則相齊，此臣之信君也。臣初受封，策書曰：「植受茲青社，封於東土，以屏翰皇家，為魏藩輔。」而所得兵百五十人，皆年在耳順，或不逾矩，虎賁官騎及親事凡二百餘人。正復不老，皆使年壯，備有不虞，檢校乘城，顧不足以自救，況皆復耄耋罷曳乎？而名為魏東藩，使屏翰王室，臣竊自羞矣。就之諸國，國有士子，合不過五百人。伏以為三軍益損，不復賴此。方外不定，必當須辦者，臣願將部曲倍道奔赴，夫妻負襁，子弟懷糧，蹈鋒履刃，以徇國難，何但習業小兒哉？愚誠以揮涕增河，鼷鼠飲海，於朝萬無損益，於臣家計甚有廢損。又臣士息前後三送，兼人已竭。惟尚有小兒，七八歲已上，十六七已還，三十餘人。今部曲皆年耆，卧在床席，非糜不食，眼不能視，氣息裁屬者，凡三十七人；疲瘵風靡，疣盲聾聵者，二十三人。惟正須此小兒，大者可備宿衛，雖不足以禦寇，粗可以警小盜；小者未堪大使，為可使耘鉏穢草，驅護鳥雀。休侯人則一事廢，一日獵則眾業散，不親自經營則功不攝；常自躬親，不委下吏而已。陛下聖仁，恩詔三至，士子給國，長不復發。明詔之下，有若皦日，保金石之恩，必明神之信，畫然自固，如天如地。定習業者並復見送，晻若晝晦，悵然失圖。伏以為陛下既爵臣百寮之右，居藩國之任，為置卿士，屋名為宮，冢名為陵，不使其危居獨立，無異於凡庶。若柏成欣於野耕，子仲樂於灌園；蓬戶茅牖，原憲之宅也；陋巷簞瓢，顏子之居也：臣才不見效用，常慨然執斯志焉。若陛下聽臣悉還部曲，罷官屬，省監官，使解璽釋紱，追柏成、子仲之業，營顏淵、原憲之事，居子臧之廬，宅延陵之室。如此，雖進無成功，退有可守，身死之日，猶松、喬也。然伏度國朝終未肯聽臣之若是，固當羈絆於世繩，維繫於祿位，懷屑屑之小憂，執無已之百念，安得蕩然肆志，逍遙於宇宙之外哉？此願未從，陛下必欲崇親親，篤骨肉，潤白骨而榮枯木者，惟遂仁德以副前恩詔。』皆遂還之。
In the winter of that year an edict summoned the kings to court in the first month of the sixth year.
其年冬，詔諸王朝六年正月。
In the second month of that year Cao Zhi was enfeoffed as King of Chen with four counties of Chen, a fief of 3,500 households. Cao Zhi always hoped for a separate audience to talk with the Emperor alone, discuss the government of the day, and perhaps be given a trial in office, but he was never granted one. After he returned home he was disheartened and lost all hope. Under the regulations of the time, the treatment of the feudal states was already harsh and oppressive: their officers were all merchants and men of low ability, the soldiers they were given were the old and infirm, and they numbered in all no more than two hundred. Moreover, because of Cao Zhi’s earlier offenses, everything he had was cut by a further half, and in eleven years his capital was moved three times. He was always anxious and joyless, and at last he fell ill and died, at the age of forty-one.
其二月，以陳四縣封植為陳王，邑三千五百戶。植每欲求別見獨談，論及時政，幸冀試用，終不能得。既還，悵然絕望。時法制，待藩國既自峻迫，寮屬皆賈豎下才，兵人給其殘老，大數不過二百人。又植以前過，事事復減半，十一年中而三徙都，常汲汲無歡，遂發疾薨，時年四十一。1
Pei Songzhi’s notes (1)
1植常為琴瑟調歌，辭曰：『吁嗟此轉蓬，居世何獨然！長去本根逝，夙夜無休間。東西經七陌，南北越九阡，卒遇迴風起，吹我入雲間。自謂終天路，忽焉下沉淵。驚飈接我出，故歸彼中田。當南而更北，謂東而反西，宕宕當何依，忽亡而復存。飄颻周八澤，連翩歷五山，流轉無恆處，誰知吾苦艱？願為中林草，秋隨野火燔，糜滅豈不痛，願與根荄連。』孫盛曰：異哉，魏氏之封建也！不度先王之典，不思藩屏之術，違敦睦之風，背維城之義。漢初之封，或權侔人主，雖雲不度，時勢然也。魏氏諸侯，陋同匹夫，雖懲七國，矯枉過也。且魏之代漢，非積德之由，風澤既微，六合未一，而彫翦枝幹，委權異族，勢同瘣木，危若巢幕，不嗣忽諸，非天喪也。五等之制，萬世不易之典。六代興亡，曹冏論之詳矣。
In his testament he ordered a modest burial. Regarding his young son Zhi as the one who would preserve the family, he wished to make him his heir. Earlier, Cao Zhi had climbed Mount Yu overlooking Dong'e and, sighing, felt that he wished to end his days there; so he had his tomb built on that spot.
遺令薄葬。以小子志，保家之主也，欲立之。初，植登魚山，臨東阿，喟然有終焉之心，遂營為墓。
His son Zhi succeeded him and was moved to be King of Jibei. During the Jingchu era an edict said: “Though King Si of Chen once committed faults, he afterward mastered himself and was careful in his conduct, making up for his earlier shortcomings; moreover, from his youth to his end he never let books leave his hands, which is truly hard to do. Let all the memorials of the Huangchu era reporting Cao Zhi’s crimes, and the deliberations of the high ministers and those below them held at the three offices of the Masters of Writing, the Palace Library and the Palace Secretariat and at the Grand Herald, be gathered and expunged. Let the rhapsodies, eulogies, poems, inscriptions and miscellaneous essays that Cao Zhi wrote over the years, more than a hundred pieces in all, be compiled and recorded, with copies kept inside and outside the palace.” Zhi’s fief was increased several times, reaching 990 households including what he held before.
子志嗣，徙封濟北王。景初中詔曰：『陳思王昔雖有過失，既克己慎行，以補前闕，且自少至終，篇籍不離於手，誠難能也。其收黃初中諸奏植罪狀，公卿已下議尚書、秘書、中書三府、大鴻臚者皆削除之。撰錄植前後所著賦頌詩銘雜論凡百餘篇，副藏內外。』志累增邑，並前九百九十戶。1
Pei Songzhi’s notes (1)
1《志別傳》曰：志字允恭，好學有才行。晉武帝為中撫軍，迎常道鄉公於鄴，志夜與帝相見，帝與語，從暮至旦，甚器之。及受禪，改封鄄城公。發詔以志為樂平太守，歷章武、趙郡，遷散騎常侍、國子博士，後轉博士祭酒。及齊王攸當之藩，下禮官議崇錫之典，志嘆曰：『安有如此之才，如此之親，而不得樹本助化，而遠出海隅者乎？』乃建議以諫，辭旨甚切。帝大怒，免志官。後復為散騎常侍。志遭母憂，居喪盡哀，因得疾病，喜怒失常，太康九年卒，謚曰定公。
Cao Xiong, King Huai of Xiao
蕭懷王曹熊
Cao Xiong, King Huai of Xiao, died young. In the second year of Huangchu he was posthumously enfeoffed with the posthumous title Duke Huai of Xiao. In the third year of Taihe his rank was further raised posthumously to king. In the second year of Qinglong his son Cao Bing, King Ai, succeeded him, with a fief of 2,500 households. He died in the sixth year without a son, and the fief was abolished.
蕭懷王熊，早薨。黃初二年追封謚蕭懷公。太和三年，又追封爵為王。青龍二年，子哀王炳嗣，食邑二千五百戶。六年薨，無子，國除。
Appraisal
評論
Appraisal: The King of Rencheng was vigorous and fierce in martial skill and had the bearing of a commander. King Si of Chen had a rich and splendid literary talent, enough to make his own way to later generations, yet he could not yield and guard against trouble from afar, and in the end a rift opened. The record says, ‘Chu was at fault; yet Qi did not do right either’—is this not what it means?
評曰：任城武藝壯猛，有將領之氣。陳思文才富艷，足以自通後葉，然不能克讓遠防，終致攜隙。傳曰『楚則失之矣。而齊亦未為得也』，其此之謂歟！1
Pei Songzhi’s notes (1)
1魚豢曰：諺言『貧不學儉，卑不學恭』，非人性分也，勢使然耳。此實然之勢，信不虛矣。假令太祖防遏植等，在於疇昔，此賢之心，何緣有窺望乎？彰之挾恨，尚無所至。至於植者，豈能興難？乃令楊脩以倚註遇害，丁儀以希意族滅，哀夫！餘每覽植之華採，思若有神。以此推之，太祖之動心，亦良有以也。
English translation — by 3KDEX (not yet reviewed) · Original text: Wikisource edition of the Sanguozhi (traditional characters, with Pei Songzhi’s notes) · Pei Songzhi’s notes are given in the original Chinese only (not translated).