Comprehensive Reflections to Aid in Governance
By Sima Guang
Translated By Yiming Yang
Annals of Han Book 23 Scroll 31 (continued)
The 1st year of Emperor Cheng’s Yongshi Era (16 B.C. continued)
The Empress Dowager had eight brothers; only her brother Wang Man died young and was not enfeoffed, and she pitied him for this. Wang Man’s widow, Qu, was supported by the Eastern Palace, and their son, Wang Mang, grew up an orphan, unable to rival his cousins, all of whom were sons of generals and marquises and indulged in extravagance, competing in displays of wealth and pleasure. Wang Mang, by contrast, humbled himself, practiced frugality, and devoted himself to study, dressing like a scholar. He served his mother and widowed sister-in-law, raised his orphaned nephews, and conducted himself with great care. He befriended eminent men outside the court and, within the imperial clan, attended to his uncles with meticulous respect.
When the Grand General Wang Feng fell ill, Wang Mang waited upon him, personally tasting his medicine, remaining unkempt and unwashed, and not removing his clothes even to sleep or bathe for months. As Wang Feng lay dying, he commended Wang Mang to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, and Wang Mang was appointed Yellow Gates Attendant and later promoted to Colonel of Shooting the Sound.
After some time, Wang Mang’s uncle, Wang Shang, Marquis of Chengdu, submitted a memorial requesting that his fief households be divided so that Wang Mang might be enfeoffed. Dai Chong, Privy Treasurer of Changle Palace, Jin She, Privy Counselor, and Chen Tang, Commandant of the Guards—all noted gentlemen of the time—spoke highly of Wang Mang. The Emperor accordingly esteemed him, and the Empress Dowager also frequently praised him. On May 6, Wang Mang was enfeoffed as Marquis of Xindu and promoted to Cavalry Commandant, Grand Master of Merit, and Privy Counselor. He served with diligence and care, and as his rank and title grew more exalted, his conduct became ever more humble. He distributed his carriages, horses, clothing, and furs to his retainers, leaving nothing in excess at home. He sponsored and associated with renowned scholars and cultivated ties with generals, ministers, and high officials. Thus, those in office continually recommended him, and those who visited him spoke highly of him, spreading his reputation far and wide, until it surpassed that of his uncles.
He also ventured upon bold actions without apparent shame. Once he privately purchased a maidservant. When his brothers learned of it, Wang Mang said, “General of the Rear Zhu Ziyuan has no sons. I have heard that this maid is fit for bearing children, and so I bought her.” He then immediately presented the maid to General Zhu Bo. Such was his manner of concealing his pursuit of reputation.
On June 6, Empress Zhao was formally established, and a great amnesty was proclaimed throughout the realm. Once she had been installed, however, her favor declined. Her younger sister, by contrast, was deeply beloved and was made Zhaoyi (Consort of Bright Deportment), residing in the Zhaoyang Palace. Its central courtyard was painted vermilion, and the halls above were lacquered black; all the thresholds were plated and gilded with copper; the stairways were fashioned of white jade; the walls were inlaid at intervals with golden belt, Lantian jade, and luminous pearls, and adorned with peacock feathers. Such splendor had never before been seen within the harem.
Empress Zhao dwelt in a separate hall, often associating with attendants and palace servants who had borne many children. Consort(Zhaoyi) Zhao once said to the Emperor, “My sister is headstrong and fiery. If anyone were to slander her, the Zhao family would have no descendants.” She wept bitterly, and the Emperor was moved. Believing her, he ordered the execution of anyone who reported evidence of the Empress’s misconduct. As a result, the Empress indulged in debauchery without fear of accusation, yet in the end she remained childless.
The Grand Master of Merit, Liu Xiang, held that royal instruction should proceed from within outward, beginning with those closest to the Emperor. He therefore compiled accounts of virtuous consorts and chaste women who aided in the flourishing of their states, as well as tales of indulgence and favoritism that led to ruin, drawing from the Book of Songs and the Book of Documents, and produced a work entitled Biographies of Exemplary Women in eight volumes. He also gathered various records and deeds, composing New Prefaces and Stories of the Garden in fifty volumes, which he presented to the Emperor. He frequently submitted memorials discussing gains and losses and offering admonitions. These writings, numbering in the dozens, were meant to assist the Emperor’s understanding and to supply what was lacking in his knowledge. Although the Emperor could not fully carry out all of Liu Xiang’s proposals, he privately esteemed his words and often sighed in admiration.
The construction of the Changling Mausoleum was extravagant and sumptuous, yet even after a long time it remained unfinished.
Liu Xiang submitted a memorial, saying: “I have heard that kings must submit to the Three Norms—Heaven, Earth, and the People—and understand that the Mandate of Heaven bestowed upon them is broad and not confined to a single family. From antiquity to the present, there has never been a state that did not eventually perish. Emperor Wen once admired the solidity of stone sarcophagi, to which Zhang Shizhi replied, ‘If there is something desirable within, then even if it were cast in copper and buried in Mount Zhongnan, cracks would still appear.’ The dead have no ultimate end, while states rise and fall; Zhang Shizhi’s words thus look to the unending future. Emperor Wen understood this and resolved upon a simple burial.
“The making of coffins and sarcophagi began with the Yellow Emperor. The Yellow Emperor, Emperor Yao, Shun, Yu the Great, Tang(the Perfect) of Shang, King Wen of Zhou, King Wu of Zhou, and the Duke of Zhou all had small tombs and very modest burial places. Their wise ministers and filial sons likewise followed their example and buried them simply. This truly embodies the highest loyalty and filial piety in honoring and comforting one’s lord and father. Confucius buried his mother at Fang city, with a tomb four feet high. Ji Zha of Yanling buried his son, sealing the pit so that the mound, less than half a man’s height, was scarcely visible. Yet Confucius was a filial son, Ji Zha of Yanling a compassionate father, Shun and Yu loyal ministers, and the Duke of Zhou a dutiful brother; in burying their lords, parents, and kin, all practiced simplicity. This was not merely frugality for its own sake, but a principle truly worthy of adoption.
“The First Emperor of Qin was buried at the foot of Mount Li. His tomb was sealed down through three layers of aquifer, with a towering mound above. Mercury was made to flow as rivers and seas; golden geese and ducks were set in place; treasures were stored; mechanical devices were installed; the coffins were splendid, and the palace structures magnificent—beyond all imagining. The people of the world were driven to exhaustion by forced labor and rose in revolt. The works at Mount Li were not yet finished when a great army of a million, led by Zhou Zhang, reached its base. Xiang Yu burned the palaces and encampments, and later a shepherd boy, searching for a lost sheep with a torch, accidentally set fire to the hidden coffin and bier. From antiquity to the present, there has never been a burial as grand as that of the First Emperor, yet within a few years it suffered calamity from Xiang Yu without and from the shepherd boy within. Is it not tragic?
“Therefore, the greater the virtue, the simpler the burial; the deeper the wisdom, the less the expense in sepulture. Those lacking virtue and understanding make their tombs ever more elaborate. The higher the mound and the more splendid the temple, the sooner they are dug up. From this one can see the contrast between enlightenment and folly, and the auspiciousness or ominousness of burial is made plain.
“Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, you have practiced frugality. When the mausoleum was first planned, its scale was modest, and all praised Your Majesty’s wisdom. But after it was moved to Changling, humility was turned into ostentation: soil was heaped into a mountain, people’s graves were opened, and countless laborers were conscripted. Thousands of dwellings were built, the work rushed to meet deadlines, at the cost of tens of thousands. The dead are resentful below, and the living sorrowful above. I am deeply distressed. If the dead are conscious, to disturb their graves is a great injury; if they are not, what purpose does such grandeur serve? To consult the wise brings them no joy, and to display this to the common people brings only suffering. If it is merely to please the foolish and the extravagant, what value does it have?
“I beg that Your Majesty look to the wise precedents of antiquity as a model, take the calamity of fallen Qin as a warning, and return to the original plan for the mausoleum, in accordance with the deliberations of the nobles and ministers, so as to relieve the burden on the people.”
The Emperor was moved by these words.
At the outset, the Grand Architect Xie Wannian falsely claimed that the Changling Mausoleum could be completed in three years, yet in the end he failed to fulfill this promise. Many officials spoke of the project’s impracticality. The matter was referred to the relevant authorities for deliberation, and they all stated:
“The Changling Mausoleum depends on raising low ground to make it high, while the burial chamber must still be constructed on level earth. Set upon alien soil, it does not safeguard the spirit of the deceased in the afterlife, and its shallow outer layers are insecure. The labor of the workers has reached the tens of thousands; fires are lit at night, and earth is hauled from the eastern mountains, to the point that soil itself now rivals grain in price. The construction has continued for several years, and the entire realm has been burdened by its toil. Therefore, the mausoleum should follow the natural terrain, rest upon true soil, be situated in a high and prominent place, and lie close to the resting places of the other ancestors. Moreover, ten years of work have already been expended on the former mausoleums. It would be best to return to them and not relocate the people, for the sake of convenience.”
In July of autumn, an edict was issued, saying: “We have not firmly upheld our own virtue, nor fully consulted my advisors. We mistakenly heeded the words of the Grand Architect Xie Wannian, who claimed that ‘Changling could be completed in three years.’ After five years of labor, the central mausoleum and the Forbidden Gates have not even been begun. The resources of the state are exhausted, and the people are worn down. The foreign soil is loose and unsuitable, making completion impossible. We are deeply troubled and pained by this. As the saying goes, ‘To err and not to correct is itself an error.’ Therefore, let the construction of Changling cease, and let the officials and people not be relocated from the former mausoleums, so that the hearts of the people are not disturbed.”
The descendants of Xiao He, the Marquis of Zan, who inherited his title, either died without heirs or committed crimes, so that their line was extinguished five times. Empress Gaozu, Emperor Wen, Emperor Jing, Emperor Wu, and Emperor Xuan all remembered Xiao He’s great service and repeatedly restored collateral branches of his family to the marquisate. In this year, Xiao He’s seventh-generation descendant, Xiao Huo, Marquis of Zan, was charged with having his slave kill a man. His death sentence was commuted, and he was assigned to hard labor on the city walls. Earlier, the Emperor had issued an edict directing the authorities to seek out the descendants of the founding heroes of the Han dynasty, but for a long time the records remained incomplete.
Du Ye advised the Emperor, saying: “The ancient rulers Yao and Shun, and the kings of the Three Dynasties(Xia, Shang, Zhou), all enfeoffed the lords in order to secure the harmony of the realm. Thus the ancestral sacrifices of Yan and Qi were maintained alongside those of Zhou, with sons succeeding fathers and brothers following brothers, without interruption through the years. How could this have been achieved without the punishments and exertions of the ancestors, by which their descendants were enabled to enjoy the fruits? When we trace back the meritorious officials of the Han, all were granted hereditary titles and swore oaths by mountains and rivers. Yet in little more than a hundred years, those who inherited these titles have all passed away, their bones lying alone in the graves, their descendants scattered, living as destitute servants and dying as wandering corpses. When one reflects on the past, it is all the more grievous in the present.
“The benevolent court, moved by compassion, issued an edict to seek out their descendants, and people from all quarters returned joyfully with loyal hearts. Yet years have passed without proper inquiry, and I fear that those who speak of it do not grasp its great significance, offering only empty words. This obscures Your Majesty’s great virtue and spreads a reputation for ungenerosity on the part of the court, which does not serve to instruct or to encourage future generations. Though it may be difficult to carry it out in full, we should at least continue to honor those of outstanding merit.” The Emperor accepted this counsel.
On July 15, Xiao He’s sixth-generation descendant, Xiao Xi, Chief of Nanluan County, was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Zan.
The younger brother of Prince Ai of Chengyang, Liu Li, was also established as Prince of Chengyang.
On August 19, the Great Grand Empress Dowager Wang, consort of Emperor Xuan, passed away.
In September, a black dragon(dark cloud of odd shape?) appeared in Donglai.
On September 30, a solar eclipse occurred.
In this year, the Prefect of Nanyang, Chen Xian, was appointed Privy Treasurer, and the Privy Counselor Chunyu Chang was appointed Commandant of Waterways And Parks.
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