Comprehensive Reflections to Aid in Governance
By Sima Guang
Translated By Yiming Yang
Annals of Han Book 8 Scroll 16 (continued)
The 1st year of Emperor Jing’s Later Era (143 B.C.)
In January of spring, an edict was issued, stating: “Legal cases are matters of utmost gravity. The intelligence of the people differs, and the ranks of officials vary. In cases of uncertainty, judicial officers should be consulted. Should they be unable to resolve the matter, it shall be referred to the Minister of Justice. If an investigation results in a wrongful verdict, it may be rectified thereafter. Officials who submit doubtful cases for review shall not be punished. Thus, those entrusted with legal affairs shall be guided by the principle of leniency.”
In March, a general amnesty was proclaimed throughout the realm.
In summer, a grand feast was held for five days. The people were permitted to drink wine, and the prohibition on alcohol, imposed in previous years, was lifted.
On May 9, an earthquake occurred. The region of Shangyong suffered tremors for twenty-two days, damaging the city walls.
In the autumn, on July 29, a solar eclipse took place.
On July 30, Chancellor Liu She was dismissed from office.
On September 22, the Grand Master of the Censorate, Wei Wan, was appointed Chancellor. The Commandant of the Guard, Zhi Buyi of Nanyang, was appointed Grand Master of the Censorate.
In his youth, Zhi Buyi served as a cadet. Once, a fellow cadet of the same dormitory, needing money to return home, secretly took the gold of another. When the loss was discovered, suspicion fell upon Zhi Buyi. Without protest, he assumed responsibility and repaid the sum in full. Thereafter, the true offender, remorseful, returned the stolen gold. The owner, moved by shame, deeply regretted his accusation. By this act of virtue, Zhi Buyi‘s reputation for integrity spread, and in time, he rose through the ranks to become a Grandee of the Palace.
Later, rumors arose concerning Zhi Buyi’s conduct, alleging illicit relations with his sister-in-law. Upon hearing this, Zhi Buyi replied only, “I have no brother,” and made no further effort to defend himself.
The Emperor dwelt within the inner palace and summoned Zhou Yafu to dine together. A large piece of ham was placed before Zhou Yafu, unsliced, and no chopsticks were provided. Displeased, Zhou Yafu glanced at the attendant and requested chopsticks. The Emperor, observing him, laughed and said, “Is this not sufficient for you?” Zhou Yafu removed his cap, and offered his apology. The Emperor bade him “get up”, and Zhou Yafu departed in a trot. As he watched him leave, the Emperor remarked, “He is grumpy and unfit to serve a young lord.”
Not long thereafter, Zhou Yafu’s son purchased five hundred suits of armor and shields from the imperial armory for funeral purposes. He employed laborers but failed to pay them properly. The laborers reported the matter, implicating Zhou Yafu’s son, and linking the affair to Zhou Yafu himself.
When the report reached the court, the Emperor referred the case to the judicial officers. Zhou Yafu was detained and pressed for an explanation, but he remained silent. In anger, the Emperor declared, “I will not deal with him!” and ordered Zhou Yafu to be handed over to the Minister of Justice.
The Minister of Justice questioned him, saying, “Marquis, why do you plot rebellion?”
Zhou Yafu rebutted, “The goods I purchased were for burial rites; how does that amount to rebellion?”
The Minister retorted, “Even if you rebel not above the earth, you may rebel beneath it!” The interrogation grew ever harsher.
Upon his arrest, Zhou Yafu sought to take his own life, but his wife restrained him. Unable to die by his own hand at home, he appeared before the Minister of Justice and abstained from food for five days, until he vomited blood and died.
In that same year, Liu Bushi, Prince Ai of Jiyin, passed away.
The 2nd year of Emperor Jing’s Late Era (142 B.C.)
In January of spring, there were three earthquakes in a single day.
In March, the Xiongnu invaded Yanmen Commandery. The Commandant Feng Jing engaged them in battle and perished. Cavalry, chariots, and militia were dispatched to garrison Yanmen.
Also in spring, owing to crop failure, the court forbade the feeding of grain to horses within the interior commanderies, and confiscated those horses that consumed grain.
In April of summer, an edict was proclaimed: “Elaborate carvings and ornate engravings hinder agriculture; intricate silks and fine embroidery impair the labors of women. When agriculture is harmed, famine ensues; when women’s work declines, cold and want follow. Few can escape both hunger and frost. We ourselves till the fields and later attend to the silkworms, in order to supply offerings to the ancestral temples and garments for ceremonial use, setting an example for all under Heaven. We refuse excessive tributes, reduce taxes and corvée labor, and desire that the people devote themselves to farming and sericulture, storing abundance to guard against disaster. Let the strong not oppress the weak, nor the rich exploit the poor. Let the aged live out their days in peace, and orphans grow to their full years. Should a single year’s harvest fail, the people will suffer hunger. Where then would the blame reside?
“At that time, swindlers deceived their way into officialdom, demanding bribes for goods, preying upon the people and plundering the common folks. Magistrates, who should uphold the law, colluded with thieves and burglars, stealing from the state—an outrage beyond measure. Therefore, We command all officials of two-thousand-picul rank to perform their duties with diligence. Those who neglect their office or engage in unlawful acts shall be reported by the Chancellor and punished accordingly. Let this decree be proclaimed throughout the realm, that all may know Our will.”
In May, an edict was issued lowering the threshold for purchasing office from one hundred thousand to forty thousand coins.
In autumn, a great drought befell the land.
The 3rd year of Emperor Jing’s Late Era (141 B.C.)
In October of winter, both the sun and the moon were eclipsed, and their light appeared red for five days.
On the last day of December, thunder was heard; the sun shone purple; and the five planets moved in retrograde, lingering within the Supreme Palace Enclosure. The moon traversed the center of the Supreme Palace Enclosure.
In January of spring, an edict was issued: “Agriculture is the foundation of the world. Gold, pearls, and jade cannot be eaten in times of hunger, nor can they provide warmth against the cold. Though they serve as mediums of exchange, people know not when to seek them and when to abstain. In years of poor harvests, it is perhaps because too many engage in secondary pursuits, and too few till the fields. Therefore, provincial and commandery authorities are commanded to promote agriculture and sericulture, and to plant trees to secure food and clothing. Officials who employ men to gather gold, pearls, and jade shall be treated as thieves; their earnings deemed criminal spoils, and punishment assigned accordingly. Those of two-thousand-picul rank who condone such actions shall be charged as accomplices.”
On January 17 of spring, the coming-of-age ceremony for the Crown Prince was held.
On January 27, the Emperor passed away in the Weiyang Palace. The Crown Prince ascended the throne at the age of sixteen. The Empress Dowager was honored as Grand Empress Dowager, and the Empress was established as Empress Dowager.
On February 6, Emperor Jing was buried at Yangling.
In the third month, Tian Fen, younger half-brother of the Empress Dowager, was enfeoffed as Marquis of Wu’an; and Tian Sheng was enfeoffed as Marquis of Zhouyang.
Ban Gu’s Praising Commentary:
Confucius once said, “The people now, are the same people who were the wise governance of the Three Dynasties—Xia, Shang, and Zhou—was replied upon.” Indeed! In the later ages of Zhou and the times of Qin, the teachings of civilization gradually waned; even with severe punishments, corruption and crimes grew rampant. When the Han dynasty arose, it swept away the complexities and excesses, granting the people breathing space. By the time of Emperor Wen, frugality was further exalted as a governing principle. Emperor Jing inherited and continued this path. Over the course of fifty to sixty years, customs shifted and morals improved, nurturing a populace inclined toward virtue and uprightness. When speaking of effective governance, one may mention King Cheng and King Kang of the Zhou dynasty, in the same breath as Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing of the Han dynasty—what a grace!
At the founding of the Han, the realm inherited the faults of Qin: the burdens of conscription and taxation weighed heavily, and the coffers were empty. The Emperor himself could not afford a chariot drawn by four color-matched horses, and high ministers and generals traveled in carts pulled by oxen. Among the common people, there was no accumulated wealth. After the empire was stabilized, Emperor Gaozu issued decrees restraining merchants—prohibiting them from wearing silks or riding in carriages. Taxes were increased to check their influence. In the reigns of Emperor Hui and Empress Dowager Lü, though the empire was newly settled and laws against merchants were somewhat relaxed, yet the descendants of street vendors remained barred from attaining office. Officials’ stipends and governmental expenses were meticulously weighed against the people’s tax burdens. The revenues from mountains, rivers, gardens, ponds, and marketplaces within feudal lands were accounted separately: from the Emperor down to the feudal lords, each maintained his own private treasury, apart from the state’s funds. The amount of grain transported from east of Mount Xiao to the capital annually totaled but a few hundred thousand piculs.
Under Emperors Wen and Emperor Jing, a policy of simplicity and frugal economy nourished the land. For seventy years the realm enjoyed tranquility, disturbed only by rare calamities of nature. The people had abundant food and clothing; granaries and storehouses overflowed; the treasuries at all levels of government accumulated surpluses. The coinage amassed within the imperial vaults rotted their own binding strings, and could no longer be tallied. The grain reserves in Tai’cang storehouses were so abundant they spilled into the open, rotting in the elements, unfit for use. Horses thronged the city streets and lanes; herds crowded the open fields. Riders of mares were even scorned at feasts. Gatekeepers dined daily on meat and fine grains; officials held stable posts, raising sons to adulthood during their tenure—some even adopting their official titles as surnames. Thus did the people cultivate a spirit of self-respect, propriety, and a sense of shame that deterred wrongdoing.
During this era, wealth increased and governance grew lenient. The people lived in contentment, and resources were plentiful. Yet in such times of prosperity, arrogance festered: the strong began to oppress the weak, forcibly annexing their neighbors’ lands. Clans of influence and privilege dominated the countryside. Princes of the blood and high officials alike vied in extravagance; their mansions, carriages, and garments exceeded imperial standards without restraint. Yet such flourishing could not last. Henceforth, Emperor Wu, indulging in magnificence at home and warfare abroad, drained the treasury and fatigued the people—ushering in a period of decline and exhaustion.
Reflection by Rio Grande 