Comprehensive Reflections to Aid in Governance
By Sima Guang
Translated By Yiming Yang
Annals of Han Book 26 Scroll 34 (continued)
The 4th Year of Emperor Ai’s Jianping Era (3 B.C. continued)
In June summer, Empress Dowager Fu was honored as Grand Empress Dowager.
In autumn, on August 19, the Emperor issued an edict sharply rebuking the ministers and the Three Excellencies, stating: “In former times, the state of Chu had Ziyu as a minister, and Duke Wen of Jin sat leaning to one side out of respect due to him. More recently, Ji An thwarted the rebellious designs of the Prince of Huainan. Now, when men such as Liu Yun, Prince of Dongping, have plotted to assassinate the Son of Heaven and commit treason, this shows that the ministers and the Three Excellencies, who ought to serve as the arms and legs of the state, have failed to devote themselves with vigilance and wisdom to suppressing trouble before it arose. Fortunately, through the blessings of the ancestral temples, Dong Xian, Privy Counselor and Commandant of the Cavalry, together with others, discovered the plot and reported it. All the conspirators have accordingly been punished. Does not the Book of Documents say, ‘Employ virtue and confer benefit in order to manifest good deeds’? Therefore, I hereby enfeoff Dong Xian as Marquis of Gao’an, Prefect of Nanyang Sun Chong, as Marquis of Fangyang, Left Bureau Chief and Grandee of Merit Xifu Gong, as Marquis of Yiling, and Youshi Tan as Marquis within the Passes.”
In addition, he enfeoffed Fu Ye, son of Fu Zhengyun, a half-brother of Empress Dowager Fu, as Marquis of Yangxin.
Xifu Gong, having now drawn close to the Emperor, frequently came forward to speak on affairs and argued without restraint, submitting memorials that sharply attacked the ministers and the Three Excellencies. People feared his words and avoided meeting his eyes when they saw him.
The Emperor ordered the eunuchs to remove weapons from the Imperial Armory and, on ten separate occasions, deliver them to the residences of Dong Xian and Wang E, the Emperor’s wet nurse. The Bearer of the Mace[capital police chief] Wujiang Long, submitted a memorial stating:
“The weapons in the Imperial Armory are intended for public use throughout the empire. The state’s military preparations, including repair and manufacture, are all funded by the Minister of Agriculture. Yet the funds of the Minister of Agriculture are not even used to support the Emperor’s personal needs; the Emperor’s maintenance labor and the granted rewards come from the Privy Treasury. In general, one must not draw upon what is stored for the root in order to supply the needs of the branches, nor must one harness the strength of the people for frivolous expenditures. To distinguish public from private and thereby manifest the proper way—herein lies the essential point.
“In ancient times, when the feudal lords and regional commanders were permitted to carry out punitive expeditions on their own authority, they were then granted axes and halberds; likewise, under the Han, when frontier officers were charged with repelling invaders, they too were granted arms from the state arsenal. In every such case, these favors were bestowed only after duties had first been entrusted to them. According to the principles of the Spring and Autumn Annals, private households do not store armor, precisely in order to restrain ministerial power and diminish private force.
“Now Dong Xian and the others are merely favored companions or petty consorts personally cherished by the Emperor, yet they are being supplied with the public resources of All-under-Heaven to provision their private residences; the awe-inspiring instruments of the state are being diverted to equip their households; the resources of the people are being apportioned to these frivolous favorites, and military weapons are being laid out for petty consorts. This is an arrangement contrary to propriety, one that fosters wantonness and usurpation. It is not the means by which an example is set for the four quarters. Confucius said, ‘If solemn music fit for the Son of Heaven is played in the halls of the three great ministerial families, what may not be done?’ I request that these arms be returned to the state arsenal.”
The Emperor was displeased.
Shortly thereafter, Empress Dowager Fu sent an usher to purchase eight female servantmaids from the Office of the Bearer of the Mace at a deliberately low price. Wujiang Long submitted a memorial, saying: “The purchase price was too low; I request that it be adjusted to the fair market value.”
The Emperor then issued an edict to the Chancellor and the Grand Master of the Censorate, stating: “Wujiang Long holds rank among the Nine Ministers, yet instead of addressing the deficiencies of the court, he submits a petition bargaining over prices with Yongxin Palace. This harms public morals and violates proper norms. In consideration of Wujiang Long’s earlier sound advice on matters of national security, he is hereby demoted to the post of Commandant of Pei Commandery.”
Toward the end of Emperor Cheng’s reign, Wujiang Long had served as a Grand Master of Remonstrance and had once submitted a memorial stating: “In ancient times, outstanding feudal lords were chosen to become senior ministers, thereby displaying honor for merit and virtue. It would be fitting to summon the Prince of Dingtao to reside in the State Guesthouse, so that he may serve the needs of all under Heaven.” For this reason, the Emperor, who had formerly been the Prince of Dingtao, remembered his words and treated him with leniency.
The Grand Master of Remonstrance, Bao Xuan of Bohai, submitted a memorial:
“I have observed that during the reign of Emperor Cheng, affinal relatives wielded power, and all men pulled strings through their connections, filling the court with their favorites. This obstructed the way of worthy men, brought disorder to the realm, encouraged unbridled extravagance, and impoverished the common people. As a result, there were ten solar eclipses and four appearances of comets—omens of impending disaster—which Your Majesty personally witnessed. How is it, then, that matters are now becoming even worse than before?
“Today, the people suffer from seven miseries. When yin and yang are out of harmony, floods and droughts arise: this is the first misery. When the government imposes heavy exactions and endlessly levies taxes and rents: this is the second misery. When greedy officials collude with one another and continue to extort bribes: this is the third misery. When powerful families prey upon the people and exploit them without restraint: this is the fourth misery. When oppressive officials conscript labor, disrupting the seasons of farming and sericulture: this is the fifth misery. When villagers beat the drum in alarm, and men and women pursue burglars along the roads: this is the sixth misery. When thieves and bandits plunder and seize the property of the people: this is the seventh misery.
“If these seven miseries were not enough, there are also seven fatalities. When cruel officials beat people to death: this is the first fatality. When judgments in legal cases are excessively harsh: this is the second fatality. When the innocent are wrongly convicted and perish: this is the third fatality. When thieves and bandits rise up and commit acts of violence: this is the fourth fatality. When feuds and vendettas lead to mutual destruction: this is the fifth fatality. When bad harvests bring hunger and starvation: this is the sixth fatality. When pestilence and epidemic disease break out: this is the seventh fatality.
“The people endure seven miseries without receiving a single benefit; to hope for peace in the state is indeed difficult. The people suffer seven fatalities without a single reprieve; to hope for leniency in the enforcement of the law and the abolition of harsh punishments is indeed difficult. Are these not the result of the greed and cruelty of ministers and prefects, who have brought about such degeneration?
“The officials have been fortunate enough to occupy high positions and receive generous emoluments, yet where are those who show compassion for the common people and help Your Majesty spread virtue and instruct the masses? They seek only to benefit their own households, satisfy their clients, and pursue deceitful gain. They take compliance and concession for virtue, and keep their mouths shut while drawing their salaries, calling this wisdom. They regard men such as me, Bao Xuan, as foolish. Yet Your Majesty raised me from obscurity in the wilderness, sincerely hoping that I might contribute even the slightest assistance, like the feathers of a bird. Was it merely to bestow upon me fine food, high office, and a distinguished residence for no reason?
“The realm belongs to Heaven above. Your Majesty is, above, the Son of August Heaven, and below, the father and mother of the common people. On behalf of Heaven, you shepherd and nurture the multitude and should regard them all alike, in accordance with the ode “The Cuckoo.” (an ode in the Book of Songs praising a cuckoo feeding all his seven offspring equally). Now the poor eat nothing but vegetables, wear tattered clothes, and cannot even protect their own families. This truly fills me with grief. If Your Majesty does not save them, to whom can they turn for help? How can Your Majesty instead lavish favor solely upon affinal relatives and beloved courtiers such as Dong Xian, bestowing rewards upon them in amounts of tens of thousands, and allowing their slaves, attendants, and retainers to drink wine as if it were water and consume veal as if it were beans, so that even lackeys and errand-runners become rich? This is not the will of Heaven.
“As for Fu Shang, Marquis of Ruchang, he was enfeoffed without merit. Official titles and ranks are not for Your Majesty alone to dispense; they are offices of the empire, to be bestowed for the public good. If Your Majesty raises the unworthy to high position, how can Heaven approve and the people submit? Sun Chong, Marquis of Fangyang, and Xifu Gong, Marquis of Yiling, are eloquent enough to sway the multitude and brazen enough to act without restraint; they are the standard-bearers of the wicked and the most treacherous deceivers in the empire. It is time they were dismissed. As for the younger affinal relatives who have not yet studied the Classics, they should all be sent away to learn under proper teachers. The former Grand Commandant Fu Xi should be summoned with all urgency to restrain the affinal clans. He Wu, former Excellency of Works; Shi Dan; Kong Guang, former Chancellor; and Peng Xuan, former General of the Left, all served as Erudites and held offices among the Three Excellencies. Gong Sheng served as Director of Justice, and the selection of officials in the commanderies and principalities was always conducted with care. These men can be entrusted with great responsibilities. Previously, because Your Majesty could not tolerate a minor offense, He Wu and the others were dismissed, causing disappointment throughout the empire. Can Your Majesty tolerate so many who lack merit and virtue, yet not endure men such as He Wu and the rest? To govern the empire, one must take the heart of the empire as one’s own, and not act solely according to personal desires.”
Although Bao Xuan’s words were caustic, the Emperor, recognizing him as a renowned Confucian scholar, treated him with forbearance.
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