Comprehensive Reflections to Aid in Governance
By Sima Guang
Translated By Yiming Yang
Annals of Han Book 27 Scroll 35 (continued)
The 1st year of Emperor Ai’s Yuanshou Era (2 B.C. continued)
On January 17, Empress Dowager Fu died. She was buried together with Emperor Yuan at Weiling and was posthumously styled Empress Dowager Fu of Emperor Yuan.
The Chancellor and the Imperial Censor memorialized the throne concerning the sins of Xifu Gong, Sun Chong, and others. Consequently, the Emperor dismissed Xifu Gong and Sun Chong from office and sent them back to their respective states. In addition, several dozen court attendants, officials of the various offices, and eunuch attendants were removed from their posts.
Bao Xuan submitted a memorial stating: “Your Majesty takes Heaven as father, Earth as mother, and nourishes the people as your children. Since ascending the throne, the ‘father’ has been obscured”—referring to the solar eclipse—“the ‘mother’ has been shaken”—referring to the earthquakes—“and the ‘children’ have been alarmed by false rumors. Today’s eclipse, occurring at the beginning of the three cycles of year, month, and day, is truly something to be feared. Even common people, on the first day of the new moon, are careful not to break their household utensils; how much more so when the sun itself is eclipsed? Your Majesty has deeply reproached yourself inwardly, withdrawn from the main hall, invited frank remonstrance, sought criticism, dismissed and sent away the imperial affines, and other sycophants who consumed without contributing, summoned Kong Guang to serve as Grand Master of Merit, exposed the wrongdoing of Sun Chong and Xifu Gong, dismissed them from office, and sent them back to their fiefs. The people are all pleased and joyful. When Heaven and the people are of one mind, the satisfaction of the people reflects the intent of Heaven.
“However, on February 16, a white rainbow crossed the sun, and continuous clouds gathered without yielding rain. This shows that the anxieties and resentments of the people have not yet been resolved. Dong Xian, Privy Counselor and Commandant of the Cavalry, is not related to Your Majesty by blood, yet he has risen through his good look, flattery, and sycophancy. The rewards bestowed upon him have been excessive, exhausting the state treasury. He has combined three residences into one and still finds them too small, even demolishing a court infirmary to enlarge his estate. Imperial envoys and laborers serve the residences of Dong Xian and his father, and even officials and soldiers on night duty are rewarded for serving his household. Whenever there is a sacrificial gathering at their ancestral tomb, the Imperial Kitchen is ordered to provide the food. The revenues of all under Heaven, which ought to sustain one sovereign, are instead exhausted upon the household of Dong Xian. Is this the will of Heaven, or the will of the people?
“Heaven cannot be deceived for long; when favor is carried to such an extreme, it becomes a means of harming the one so favored. If Your Majesty truly wishes to show compassion to Dong Xian, then you should apologize to Heaven and Earth, reconcile yourself with the people of the empire, dismiss Dong Xian, and send him back to his fief. Confiscate his carriages and household goods and return them to the state treasury. In this way, Dong Xian and his father may preserve their lives; otherwise, those hated by all under Heaven have never been able to enjoy lasting peace. Sun Chong and Xifu Gong as well are unfit to remain in their fiefs and should be removed as a gesture of repentance before the world. Recall He Wu, Shi Dan, Peng Xuan, and Fu Xi, so that the people may see clearly what accords with the will of Heaven, and establish great policies to inaugurate an era of great peace.”
The Emperor, moved by these extraordinary words, accepted Bao Xuan’s recommendations and recalled He Wu and Peng Xuan. Bao Xuan was appointed Inspector Colonel of the Capital Region.
The Emperor, under the pretext of a parting edict left by Empress Dowager Fu, ordered the Grand Empress Dowager to instruct the Chancellor and the Censorate to increase Dong Xian’s fief by 2,000 households and to grant him three additional marquisates: Marquis of Kongxiang, Marquis of Ruchang, and Marquis of Yangxin. Wang Jia, however, returned the imperial edict and submitted a sealed memorial of remonstrance, stating:
“I have heard that titles, rewards, and land allocations are bestowed by Heaven. As it says in the Book of Documents: ‘Heaven mandates virtue, giving five garments to men of different rank, each with its proper form and color.’ A ruler who confers titles on Heaven’s behalf must therefore be especially cautious. If land is granted improperly, the people will not be convinced, and the harmony of yin and yang will be disturbed, bringing deep and swift harm to Your Majesty’s health. That Your Majesty’s health has long been unsettled has caused me profound inward anxiety.
“As for Dong Xian, Marquis of Gao’an, he is a flattering favorite. Your Majesty has exhausted titles and ranks in honoring him, depleted the treasury in enriching him, and diminished the dignity of the sovereign in indulging him. Your authority has already been impaired, and the imperial treasury exhausted, yet you still fear that it is not enough. Wealth comes from the labor of the people. Emperor Wen once wished to build a terraced pavilion, but abandoned the project because it would have cost only a few hundred catties of gold, thus displaying his restraint. Now, by contrast, Dong Xian squanders public resources for private gain, and his household has received as much as a thousand catties of gold. Never in history has there been such favor shown to an eminent subject, and word of it has spread to every quarter, provoking universal resentment. A local saying has it: ‘When a thousand men point at someone, he will die though he is not ill.’ This has always been a matter of deep concern to me.
“Now the Empress Dowager, invoking the alleged final command of Empress Dowager Fu of Yongxin, instructs the Chancellor and the Censorate to increase Dong Xian’s fief and grant him three marquisates. I, Wang Jia, am profoundly perplexed by this. The collapse of mountains, the earthquakes, and the solar eclipse occurring on the first day of the first month are all warnings of yin encroaching upon yang. Dong Xian has already been enfeoffed twice; Fu Yan and Fu Shang have twice exchanged fiefs; Zheng Ye sought rewards through private favor. They have already received favor beyond all measure, yet they continue to demand without end, utterly ignorant of restraint. This gravely undermines the intention of honoring Empress Dowager Fu. It cannot be proclaimed to the realm; great harm has already been done.
“Excessive indulgence and deceit throw yin and yang out of harmony, and their mutual disturbances in turn affect the body. Your Majesty has long been unwell, and the heir has not yet been established. It is fitting that all affairs now be rectified, bringing them into accord with the hearts of Heaven and the people, so as to seek blessings and protection. Why should Your Majesty disregard your own safety and indulge private whims, forgetting the hardships endured by Emperor Gaozu in establishing these institutions and intending them to be transmitted for all eternity?
“I have sealed and returned this edict and do not dare allow it to be made public. It is not that I begrudge death or do not dare impeach myself for acting contrary to the decree; rather, I fear that news of this will spread throughout the land.”
The Minister of Justice, Liang Xiang, was handling the case of Liu Yun, Prince of Dongping. At the time, fewer than twenty days remained in the winter month, and Liang Xiang suspected that Liu Yun had been falsely accused and that the charges had been exaggerated. He proposed that the case be transferred to Chang’an and reviewed by the ministers and officials. The Director of the State Secretariat, Ju Tan, and the Deputy Director, Zongbo Feng, agreed that this should be permitted. The Emperor, however, believed that Liang Xiang and the others were merely acting with excessive caution while waiting to see how his illness would develop, maintaining a two-faced posture and hoping to let the winter pass without taking decisive action against evil and punishing wrongdoing. Consequently he dismissed Liang Xiang and the others from office and reduced them to commoner status.
A few months later, a general amnesty was proclaimed. Wang Jia submitted a memorial recommending that “Liang Xiang and the others are men of talent and good conduct. A wise ruler commends his ministers for their achievements and forgives their past faults. I privately feel regret on behalf of the court for these three men.”
When this memorial was presented, the Emperor was displeased. More than twenty days later, Wang Jia submitted the sealed memorial quoted above opposing the addition of further households to Dong Xian’s fief, which further angered the Emperor. The Emperor summoned Wang Jia to the State Secretariat and rebuked him, saying, “Liang Xiang and the others had previously been charged with disloyalty, and their crimes were already well established. You yourself had already impeached yourself on this matter. Why, then, are you now praising them and saying that you ‘regret this on behalf of the court’?” Wang Jia removed his cap and apologized for his offense.
