Comprehensive Reflections to Aid in Governance
By Sima Guang
Translated By Yiming Yang
Annals of Han Book 24 Scroll 32 (continued)
The 1st year of Emperor Cheng’s Suihe Era (8 B.C. continued)
The Commandant of the Palace Guard and Privy Counselor, Chunyu Chang, enjoyed the Emperor’s favor and complete trust. He was held in greater esteem than the Three Excellencies and the Nine Ministers. He cultivated friendships with princes, governors, and prefects, accepted bribes and gifts amounting to tens of millions, and indulged extravagantly in pleasure and luxury. Empress Xu’s elder sister, Xu Mi, was the widow of the Marquis Si of Longluo. Chunyu Chang carried on an affair with Xu Mi and took her as a concubine.
The deposed Empress Xu, residing at Changding Palace, used Xu Mi as an intermediary to bribe Chunyu Chang in hopes of being restored as a consort of the Emperor with the title Jieyu[Lady of Handsome Fairness]. Chunyu Chang received gold, carriages, and garments from Empress Xu worth more than ten million coins, and falsely claimed that he had spoken with the Emperor about establishing her as Left Empress. Whenever Xu Mi entered Changding Palace, she carried letters from Chunyu Chang. In these letters, Chunyu Chang mocked and teased Empress Xu, making lewd and wanton remarks without restraint. Thus, the exchange of letters and bribes continued for many years.
At the time, Wang Gen, Marquis of Quyang, who was assisting in the governance of the state, had been ill for a long period and had repeatedly requested permission to retire. Chunyu Chang, as an affinal relative, held rank among the Nine Ministers and was widely expected to succeed Wang Gen. The Privy Counselor, Cavalry Commandant, and Grand Master of Merit, Wang Mang, grew jealous of Chunyu Chang’s prominence and secretly investigated these matters. While attending to the Marquis of Quyang during his illness, Wang Mang said to him: “Chunyu Chang, seeing that the general’s illness has dragged on, is secretly pleased and regards himself as the one who will succeed in assisting the government. He has already been privately conferring with gentry and members of the imperial clan about official appointments and the creation of offices.” He then detailed Chunyu Chang’s various misdeeds.
Wang Gen flew into a rage and said, “If this is so, why were these crimes not reported earlier?”
Wang Mang replied, “I did not know the general’s intentions, and therefore did not dare to speak out.”
Wang Gen said, “Go at once and report this to the Eastern Palace!”
Wang Mang sought an audience with the Empress Dowager and reported that Chunyu Chang was arrogant and dissolute, plotting to replace the Marquis of Quyang, and that he had an illicit relationship with Empress Xu’s sister, from whom he had accepted clothing and valuables. The Empress Dowager was greatly angered and said, “Has that wretch gone so far? Go—report this to the Emperor!”
Wang Mang then conveyed the matter to the Emperor. Under pressure from the Empress Dowager, Chunyu Chang was dismissed from office but not otherwise punished, and was sent back to his fief.
The Marquis of Hongyang, Wang Li, was unable to assist in governing and suspected that Chunyu Chang had slandered him, which bred deep resentment. The Emperor was aware of this. When Chunyu Chang was about to return to his fief, Wang Li had his eldest son, Wang Rong, request carriages and horses from Chunyu Chang. Chunyu Chang presented Wang Rong with valuable gifts and bestowed substantial rewards upon Wang Li. Thereupon, Wang Li submitted a sealed memorial to the Emperor, requesting that Chunyu Chang be retained, stating: “Since Your Majesty has entrusted this matter to the Empress Dowager, it would indeed be inappropriate to impose further punishment upon Chunyu Chang.”
The Emperor became suspicious and ordered an investigation. Officials arrested Wang Rong, whereupon Wang Li compelled Wang Rong to commit suicide in order to silence him. The Emperor grew even more suspicious, suspecting a major conspiracy, and thus had Chunyu Chang arrested and confined in the Luoyang prison for a thorough inquiry. Chunyu Chang was found to have mocked and insulted the resident of Changding Palace, conspired to establish a Left Empress, and committed grave acts of treason. He died in prison. His wife and children, who were subject to punishment, were exiled to Hepu, and his mother, Wang Ruo, was returned to her native place.
The Emperor dispatched the Minister of Justice, Kong Guang, bearing the tally of authority, to administer poison to the deposed Empress Xu and compel her to commit suicide. The Chancellor, Zhai Fangjin, once again accused the Marquis of Hongyang, Wang Li, of cunning and unscrupulous conduct and requested that he be imprisoned. The Emperor said, “The Marquis of Hongyang is my uncle, and I cannot bear to apply the law against him; he shall be sent back to his march.”
In addition, Zhai Fangjin requested that Wang Li’s posse—the General of the Rear, Zhu Bo, and Sun Hong, Prefect of Julu—as well as the former Grand Master of Merit, Chen Xian, be removed from office and returned to their native places. Chen Xian, knowing that he would be permanently banished, died of grief.
Zhai Fangjin was intelligent and accomplished in both letters and administration, combining Confucian refinement with legal expertise, and was renowned for his clarity of judgment and insight. The Emperor valued him highly. He was also adept at discerning the subtle intentions of his superiors and handled affairs in a manner that consistently accorded with their wishes. When Chunyu Chang controlled official affairs, Zhai Fangjin maintained a close relationship with him and praised and recommended him. After Chunyu Chang was punished for treason, the Emperor concealed Zhai Fangjin’s culpability as Chancellor. Zhai Fangjin, however, felt inwardly ashamed and submitted a memorial apologizing and requesting retirement.
The Emperor replied: “The Marquis of Dingling, Chunyu Chang, has already been punished for his crimes. Although you were associated with him, doesn’t the Book of Documents say, ‘A gentleman rejoices when errors made in the morning are corrected in the evening’? Why be troubled by this? Attend solely to your duties, do not neglect your medicine, and take care of yourself.”
Zhai Fangjin then resumed his duties and continued to submit memorials against those whom Chunyu Chang had favored, including Sun Bao, Intendant of Jingzhao, and Xiao Yu, Intendant of Fufeng. He also dismissed more than twenty officials holding ranks of two thousand piculs or above. Du Ye, Commandant of Hangu Pass and Marquis of Jianping, who had long been at odds with Zhai Fangjin, was accused by him of “receiving a letter from Wang Li, Marquis of Hongyang, and accepting his requests, thereby showing disrespect toward the Emperor.” Du Ye was dismissed and sent back to his march.
The Emperor praised Wang Mang as the first to expose a grave act of treachery, commending his loyalty and integrity. Accordingly, Wang Gen recommended Wang Mang to succeed him. On November 26, Wang Mang was appointed Grand Marshal at the age of thirty-eight. Having risen above his contemporaries, he succeeded his four uncles in assisting the governance of the state and aspired to surpass the reputations of his predecessors, devoting himself to his duties without rest. He employed virtuous and capable men as clerks and aides, used the rewards bestowed by the Emperor and the income from his fief to support retainers, and was all the more frugal in his own conduct.
When Wang Mang’s mother fell ill, ministers and marquises sent their wives to inquire after her health. Wang Mang’s wife received them wearing a plain gown that did not reach the ground and a simple cloth apron. Those who saw her mistook her for a maid; when they realized she was Wang Mang’s wife, they were all struck with awe. Such was the extent to which he pursued a reputation for virtue.
The Chancellor, Zhai Fangjin, and the Grand Excellency of Works, He Wu, submitted a joint proposal, stating: “According to the principles of the Spring and Autumn Annals, those of higher rank should supervise those of lower rank, not the reverse. At present, the provincial inspectors hold the pay grade of a lower grandee, at six hundred piculs, yet they oversee prefects ranked at two thousand piculs. This is inconsistent with proper function. We propose abolishing the office of inspector and restoring the ancient office of governor, with a rank of two thousand piculs.”
In December, the office of provincial inspector was abolished and replaced with that of governor, likewise ranked at two thousand piculs.
In Qianwei Commandery, sixteen ancient stone chimes were discovered by the riverbank, an event that court consultants regarded as an auspicious omen. Liu Xiang seized upon this occasion to admonish the Emperor, saying:
“It would be fitting to establish an imperial school at the capital, to found academies of learning, to array rites and music, to exalt the sounds of the Elegantiae and Hymns, and to display the forms of deference and submission, thereby transforming and civilizing the realm. If this is done and order is still not achieved, such a case has never existed.
“Some may object that the rites and vessels cannot yet be fully provided. Yet rites take the nourishment of men as their aim. Where there are excesses or deficiencies, this is an error in nourishing the people. Punishments today may extend even to death and bodily harm; they are not the criminal laws of Gao Yao, yet judicial officers still petition to establish statutes—cutting what should be cut and amending what should be amended—in order to meet present needs. But when it comes to rites and music, they claim they dare not proceed. This is the equivalence of daring to kill men, but not daring to nourish them.
“Because ritual vessels and musical instruments suffer minor deficiencies, one therefore abandons them entirely and does nothing—this is to discard a small deficiency and incur a great one. No delusion is greater than this.
“As for instruction and transformation in comparison with penal law: penal law is the lighter matter. To abandon what is weighty and hasten what is light is not the proper course. Instruction and transformation are what governance relies upon; penal law is that by which governance is assisted. To discard what is relied upon and to set up only what assists—this is not the way to attain Great Peace.
“Even in the capital, there are disobedient and unruly sons and grandsons, down to those who fall under capital punishment and are executed without end. All this arises from not practicing the Way of the Five Constant Virtues(benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness). Bearing the decline of a thousand years since the Later Zhou and inheriting the residual corruption of violent Qin, the people have gradually been steeped in vicious customs—greedy, gluttonous, reckless, and deceitful—unacquainted with righteousness and principle. If they are not guided by great transformation but are driven solely by punishments, they will in the end never be reformed.”
The Emperor transmitted Liu Xiang’s proposal to the officials. The Chancellor and the Grand Excellency of Works proposed establishing an imperial academy campus and ordered a survey south of Chang’an to select construction sites, but the project was never completed and was eventually abandoned. At the time, there was also discussion to the effect that “Confucius, though a commoner, taught three thousand disciples, whereas the Imperial Academy now has but few students.” Accordingly, the number of students at the Imperial Academy was increased to three thousand, but after a year it returned to its former level of about one thousand.
Liu Xiang was trusted by the Emperor and therefore often exposed and criticized members of the imperial house and contemporary officials, his words sharp yet sincere. The Emperor repeatedly sought to appoint him as one of the Nine Ministers, but was continually obstructed by those in power, including the Wang clan, the Chancellor, and the Grand Master of the Censorate. Thus, he never advanced, remaining a Grandee for more than thirty years until his death. Thirteen years after his passing, the Wang clan usurped the Han dynasty.
