Comprehensive Reflections to Aid in Governance
By Sima Guang
Translated By Yiming Yang
Annals of Han Book 22 Scroll 30 (continued)
The 1st year of Emperor Cheng’s Yangshuo Era (24 B.C.)
In the spring, on February 30, a solar eclipse occurred.
In March, a general pardon was granted to all convicts throughout the empire.
In winter, the Intendant of Jingzhao, Wang Zhang of Taishan, was imprisoned and died.
At this time, Grand General Wang Feng held effective authority, and the Emperor was modest, yielding in most matters. The Emperor’s attendants once recommended Liu Xin, the youngest son of the Grand Master of Merit, Liu Xiang, praising his exceptional talent and ability. The Emperor summoned Liu Xin, who recited poetry and compositions, greatly delighting him. The Emperor wished to appoint him Attendant-in-Ordinary and called for his robes and cap. Just as Liu Xin was about to receive the appointment, the attendants said, “We have not yet informed the Grand General.”
The Emperor replied, “This is a minor matter; why involve the Grand General?” The attendants knelt and pressed their objection. The Emperor then consulted Wang Feng, who deemed the appointment inappropriate, and it was halted.
Members of the Wang family all held high offices as ministers, grandees, privy counselors, and administrators, dominating the court. Du Qin, seeing Wang Feng’s overwhelming authority, warned him: “I hope the Grand General will emulate the humility and caution of the Duke of Zhou, restrain the overbearing power of Marquis Rang (Wei Ran), curb the ambitions of Marquis Wu’an (Tian Fen), and not allow men like Fan Ju to find opportunities to sow discord.” Wang Feng did not heed this counsel.
At that time, the Emperor had no heir and was often in poor health. Prince Gong of Dingtao, Liu Kang, came to court. The Empress Dowager and the Emperor, following the wishes of the late Emperor, treated Prince Gong with great kindness, granting him rewards ten times greater than those given to other princes and allowing no past grievances to cause estrangement. They kept him in the capital and did not permit him to return to his fief. The Emperor said to Prince Gong, “I have no son, and human life is uncertain. If anything should happen to me, we may never see each other again. Remain always at my side.”
Later, the Emperor’s health improved, and Prince Gong continued to reside in the royal quarters, attending upon him day and night. The Emperor held him in high favor. Grand General Wang Feng, however, felt uneasy about Prince Gong’s continued presence in the capital. During a solar eclipse, Wang Feng said: “A solar eclipse is a sign of the ascendancy of yin. Though the Prince of Dingtao is a close kinsman, according to the rites he should remain in his fief. His staying in the capital is irregular and improper, and thus Heaven has issued this warning. It is fitting to send the Prince back to his principality.”
The Emperor, unable to oppose Wang Feng, agreed. When Prince Gong took his leave, the Emperor and the Prince wept as they bid farewell.
Wang Zhang was by nature upright and outspoken. Although he had been recommended by Wang Feng, he did not support Wang Feng’s monopolization of power and did not associate closely with him. He submitted a memorial stating, “The blame for the solar eclipse lies in Wang Feng’s seizure of authority and his obstruction of the Emperor.” The Emperor summoned Wang Zhang and questioned him on the matter. Wang Zhang replied:
“Heaven is discerning, favoring the good and punishing the wicked, using auspicious and inauspicious signs as its indicators. Now, because Your Majesty has no heir, you have drawn Prince of Dingtao close to you to secure the continuation of the ancestral temple and the stability of the state. This accords with Heaven’s will and brings peace to the people. It is a righteous and virtuous act and should give rise to auspicious signs. Why, then, have calamities occurred? These calamities arise from high ministers who monopolize power. I have heard that the Grand General Wang Feng falsely shifted the blame for the solar eclipse onto Prince of Dingtao and proposed sending him back to his fief. If he seeks to isolate the Emperor and control state affairs for his own advantage, that is not the conduct of a loyal minister.
“The solar eclipse, in which yin overcomes yang, signifies a minister usurping the authority of his lord. Now all matters of state, great and small, are decided by Wang Feng, while the Emperor does not so much as raise a hand. Instead of reflecting upon himself and assuming responsibility, Wang Feng casts blame upon the virtuous and drives away Prince of Dingtao. Moreover, Wang Feng’s deceit and disloyalty are not confined to a single instance. The former Chancellor, the Marquis of Lechang, Wang Shang, was a close maternal relative of the late Emperor and a man of firm principle and great influence, a true pillar of the state. Because he upheld his convictions and would not bend to Wang Feng’s will, he was dismissed on the pretext of private matters involving women, and died of grief. The people mourned him.
“Furthermore, Wang Feng knew that his concubine’s younger sister, the Lady of Beauty Zhang, had previously been married, and was therefore, by the rites, unfit to be presented to the Emperor. Yet he falsely claimed that she was suitable to bear sons and placed her in the imperial harem for his own household’s advantage. It is said that Lady of Beauty Zhang never conceived. Even among the Qiang and Xiongnu barbarians there are customs of purifying a woman by killing the firstborn and rectifying the woman’s intestines for future delivery, let alone asking the Son of Heaven to be intimate with a woman who has been previously married. These three major matters are things Your Majesty has personally witnessed; they suffice to reveal what remains unseen. Wang Feng should not be permitted to hold power for long. It would be best to retire him and choose in his place a loyal and virtuous man.”
Since Wang Feng’s recommendation to dismiss Wang Shang and his later proposal to send Prince of Dingtao away, the Emperor had grown increasingly discontented. When he heard Wang Zhang’s words, he was moved and enlightened. He said to Wang Zhang, “Had it not been for the direct counsel of the Intendant of Jingzhao, I would not have known the present state of affairs. Only the wise recognize the wise. Please find someone suitable to assist me.” Wang Zhang then submitted a sealed memorial recommending Feng Yewang, Prefect of Langya and maternal uncle of the Prince of Xindu (Liu Xing), for his loyalty, honesty, and exceptional strategic insight.
The Emperor, having heard of Feng Yewang’s reputation since his own days as Crown Prince, held him in high esteem and intended to replace Wang Feng with him. Whenever Wang Zhang was summoned, the Emperor would dismiss all attendants except for a Privy Counselor, Wang Yin—the son of the Empress Dowager’s cousin—who secretly listened and reported everything to Wang Feng. When Wang Feng learned of this, he grew deeply anxious and fearful. Du Qin advised him to feign illness and request retirement. Wang Feng submitted a sorrowful memorial seeking to withdraw from office. The Empress Dowager, upon hearing this, wept and refused to eat. The Emperor, who had been close to Wang Feng since his youth, could not bear to remove him and issued a gracious edict urging him to remain in service. Thus, Wang Feng resumed his duties.
The Emperor then had a minister of the State Secretariat draft a memorial impeaching Wang Zhang, stating: “Although Wang Zhang knew that Feng Yewang had previously been assigned outside the capital because he was the uncle of a prince, he nevertheless privately recommended him, seeking to bring him into court and to collude with the feudal lords. It is also known that the Lady of Beauty Zhang had served the Emperor intimately, yet Wang Zhang falsely claimed that the Qiang and Xiongnu tribes killed a woman’s firstborn to cleanse her, which was an improper and offensive statement.”
The matter was referred to the judicial officials. The Minister of Justice found Wang Zhang guilty of treason, declaring that “by comparing the Emperor to barbarians, he intended to sever the imperial lineage, rebel against the throne, and secretly support the Prince of Dingtao.” Wang Zhang eventually died in prison, and his wife and children were exiled to Hepu Commandery. From then on, high officials regarded Wang Feng with fear, avoiding even meeting his eyes.
Feng Yewang, fearing for his own safety, fell ill. After three months, he was granted leave to return to Duling with his wife and children for medical treatment. Grand General Wang Feng induced the Censor-in-Chief to submit an impeachment, stating: “While on sick leave, Feng Yewang privately went beyond the bounds of his commandery of Langya with the tiger tally, thereby showing disrespect for the imperial decree.”
Du Qin submitted a memorial to Wang Feng, saying: “When a high official of the two-thousand-picul rank falls ill and is granted leave to return home, there is precedent; there is no established law forbidding him to leave his post. The Classics say, ‘In cases of doubt, favor reward,’ to broadly encourage merit; and, ‘In cases of doubt, refrain from punishment,’ to exercise caution in the law, for it is difficult to discern the truth. Now, to disregard law and precedent and to bring a false charge of disrespect runs directly counter to the principle of refraining from punishment in cases of doubt. If we claim that high officials, because they guard vast territories and bear heavy military responsibilities, should be bound by a new precedent, then Feng Yewang’s alleged offense occurred before such a rule was established. Rewards and punishments must be consistent and administered with care.” Wang Feng did not heed this counsel and dismissed Feng Yewang from office.
At the time, many among the common people sympathized with Wang Zhang and criticized the court. Du Qin, wishing to rectify the situation, again advised Wang Feng: “The case of the Intendant of Jingzhao has been handled in secrecy; even the people of the capital do not know the true circumstances, much less those in distant regions. I fear that the world believes Wang Zhang was punished merely for speaking frankly. If this is so, it will stifle honest remonstrance and damage the virtues of leniency and clarity in the law. Your servant, in his dullness, submits that it would be fitting, on the basis of this memorial, to promote those who are most forthright in speech and remonstrance, and also to encourage the existing Gentlemen-Attendants and Retinue Officials to state matters fully, clearly marking the limits of what is tolerated. Thus it will be made known to the four quarters that His Majesty is sagely and enlightened, and does not punish those below for their words. If this is done, circulating rumors will be dispelled and doubts will be resolved.”
Wang Feng reported this to the Emperor and put the proposal into effect.
That year, Xue Xuan, Prefect of Chenliu, was appointed Intendant of Left Pingyi. Wherever Xue Xuan served as a regional administrator, he left a notable impression. His son, Xue Hui, was appointed Magistrate of Pengcheng County. When Xue Xuan once passed through his son’s jurisdiction, he knew in his heart that Xue Hui was incompetent, yet he did not question him about official affairs. Someone asked Xue Xuan, “Why do you not instruct Xue Hui in his duties?”
Xue Xuan laughed and said, “In the conduct of office, one takes the laws and regulations as one’s teacher, and these can be learned by inquiry. But as for ability or inability, that depends on one’s own nature and cannot be taught.”
The people repeated his words and regarded them as true.
Reflection by Rio Grande 
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