Comprehensive Reflections to Aid in Governance
By Sima Guang
Translated By Yiming Yang
Annals of Han Book 26 Scroll 34 (continued)
The 3rd year of Emperor Ai’s Jianping Era (4 B.C.)
In January of spring, Liu Guanghan, the brother of Prince Yi of Guangde, was established as Prince of Guangping.
On January 21, a fire broke out in the main hall of Gui Palace, where Empress Dowager Fu resided.
The Emperor sent an envoy to summon Chancellor Ping Dang, intending to bestow a noble title upon him. Ping Dang, however, was gravely ill and did not answer the summons. Some members of his household urged him to force himself to rise and accept the marquisate for the sake of his descendants. Ping Dang said, “I have already occupied a high office and yet failed to fulfill my duties. If I rise now to accept the marquisate and then lie down again only to die, my death will bear even greater guilt. By not rising now, I am acting precisely for the sake of my descendants.”
He then submitted a letter requesting retirement, but the Emperor did not grant permission. On March 28, Ping Dang passed away.
A comet appeared near the constellation Ox-Driver.
In the summer, on April 17, Wang Jia was appointed Chancellor, and Wang Chong, Prefect of Henan, was appointed Grand Master of the Censorate. Wang Chong was the son of Wang Jun, Intendant of Jingzhao. Observing the harsh and strained character of government at the time, as well as the constant rise and fall of prefects and ministers, Wang Jia submitted a memorial, saying:
“I have heard that the achievement of a sage king lies in his ability to find the right men. Confucius said, ‘Talented men are hard to find’—is this not so? Therefore, ‘The succession of feudal lords by their sons was a means of emulating worthy forefathers.’ Even if the heirs were not all equally virtuous, the Son of Heaven selected ministers and principal officials to assist them. When these lords governed their states, they were honored for generations, and only then did the scholars and common people attach themselves to them. Thus education and culture flourished, and good government was established.
“Today’s prefects are more important than the feudal lords of old. In former times, when the worthy were selected, capable men were so difficult to find that some were chosen even from among prisoners. Wei Shang was imprisoned for an offense, but Emperor Wen, moved by the words of Feng Tang, sent an envoy bearing a mandate to pardon him and appoint him Prefect of Yunzhong. Xiongnu feared him. Emperor Wu(should have been Emperor Jing) selected Han Anguo from among the prisoners and appointed him Interior Minister of Liang, thereby bringing peace to the Prince of Liang and his household. Zhang Chang, while serving as Intendant of Jingzhao, was about to be dismissed for an offense. A cunning official, knowing this, deliberately provoked him. Zhang Chang arrested and executed the man, but the dead man’s family sought redress, and an investigator reopened the case, accusing Zhang Chang of unlawful homicide. The case was submitted, but Emperor Xuan withheld judgment. After remaining a fugitive for more than ten days, Zhang Chang was recalled by Emperor Xuan and appointed Inspector of Jizhou, where he proved his worth. The previous emperors did not favor these three men out of personal partiality, but valued their talents because they were of benefit to the state.
“During the time of Emperor Wen, some officials held office so long that they passed down the names of their offices as surnames to their children and grandchildren, as with the Cang and Ku families, who descended from officials in charge of granaries and storehouses. Officials of the two-thousand-picul rank took satisfaction in their offices and duties; as a result, superiors and subordinates alike were bound to mutual accountability, and no one dared act carelessly or neglect his responsibilities. Later, however, conditions gradually changed. Beginning with the highest ministers, appointments came to be made in haste, and policies were altered with constant frequency. The Inspector Colonel and the provincial inspectors examined matters with excessive minuteness, exposing even private affairs. Some officials remained in office only a few months before being replaced, so that farewells and receptions were continually seen along the roads. Men of average ability, if they could only comply and preserve themselves, did so; men of inferior ability harbored fear, looked inward only to secure their own positions, and in all things schemed for private advantage—and such men were many. Thus officials of the two-thousand-picul rank came increasingly to be slighted and held cheap; clerks and common people treated them with disdain. Some seized upon their minor faults, magnified them into crimes, and spoke of them to the inspectors and the Inspector Colonel of the Capital Region, or else submitted memorials accusing them before the Emperor. The populace, knowing how easily such officials might be imperiled, would, upon the slightest dissatisfaction, at once conceive thoughts of desertion and rebellion.
“Formerly, when Su Ling and others of Shanyang rebelled, the officials and soldiers faced the crisis, yet none was willing to die for principles and righteousness, because the authority of the prefects and ministers had already been undermined. Emperor Cheng regretted this and therefore issued an edict that officials of the two-thousand-picul rank were not to be condemned for giving the accused the benefit of doubt. He also sent an envoy to reward them with gold, so as to reassure them, for he truly understood that in times of national peril the responsibility rested upon officials of the two-thousand-picul rank. Only if they were honored and not lightly overruled could they command their subordinates. Emperor Xuan valued those officials who governed the people with benevolence, and he would sometimes hold accusations in abeyance until they happened to coincide with a general amnesty.
“According to former precedent, the State Secretariat was sparing in sending accusations down for prosecution, for such actions vexed and disturbed the common people: investigations and verifications would be undertaken, prosecutions ensued, and some would die in prison. Thus, only when the text of a charge contained the words ‘I dare to accuse this’ was it sent down. May Your Majesty devote your attention solely to the selection of the worthy, remember the good and forget the faults, show forbearance toward your ministers and sons, and not demand perfection from them. Among the officials of two-thousand-picul rank, the provincial inspectors, and the county magistrates of the Three Districts of the capital, if there are men of ability fit for office, human nature cannot but include some error or deviation. It is fitting to treat such matters with breadth and leniency, so that those who exert themselves to the utmost may find encouragement. This is the urgent task of the present age and the state’s immediate advantage.
“Previously, when Su Ling rebelled, it was decided to send an official to investigate, yet there was no suitable man to dispatch. Yin Feng, magistrate of Zhouzhi County, was then summoned, appointed Grand Master of Remonstrance, and sent to deal with the matter. Today, capable officials are very few. Those who show promise should be nurtured and trained in advance, so that in times of crisis they will not hesitate to sacrifice themselves. To seek talent in the haste of an emergency is not the way to display the clarity and wisdom of the court.”
Wang Jia then recommended such confucianists as Gongsun Guang and Man Chang, as well as capable officials such as Xiao Xian and Xue Xiu, all of whom had previously served in offices of the two-thousand-picul rank and enjoyed good reputations. The Emperor accepted his recommendations and employed them.
In June, Liu Min, the son of Prince Qing of Lu and Marquis of Wuxiang, was established as the Prince of Lu.
Because the Emperor’s illness had not yet stabilized, the Grand Empress Dowager (Wang Zhengjun) issued an edict in winter, on November 5, ordering the restoration of the Taiyi Altar at Ganquan and the Earth Shrine at Fenyin, and the abolition of the sacrificial rites at the southern and northern suburbs. As the Emperor himself was unable to go in person either to Ganquan or to the region east of the Yellow River, he sent officials to carry out the ceremonies and offer the sacrifices.
In Wuyan County, the loess on Mount Wei suddenly rose up, covering the grass like a roadway. Moreover, a stone on Mount Hu moved and stood upright. Liu Yun, Prince of Dongping, and his queen, Ye, personally went to the site to offer sacrifices. They set up a stone resembling the one on Mount Hu, bound bundles of cogon grass, and worshiped it. Xifu Gong of Henei and Sun Chong of Chang’an conspired to accuse others, saying, “This is a good opportunity to seek a marquisate.” They then joined with the Court Gentleman Youshi Tan and reported Liu Yun to the imperial court through the Attendant-in-ordinary Song Hong.
At that time, the Emperor was ill and beset by many taboos and apprehensions, so the matter was handed over to the responsible officials for investigation. Queen Ye of Dongping was arrested and imprisoned. She confessed that she had performed sacrificial rites and curses in prayer for Liu Yun to become Emperor, claiming that the upright stone was an omen corresponding to Emperor Xuan’s rise to the throne. The officials requested that the Prince be executed, but an imperial decree was issued instead demoting him and exiling him to Fangling. Liu Yun then committed suicide, while his queen Ye, her uncle Wu Hong, and Madame Fang, Emperor Cheng’s aunt and the Marchioness Gong of Ancheng, were all executed in the marketplace. The case also implicated Wang Chong, Grand Master of the Censorate, who was demoted to Minister of Agriculture. Sun Chong was promoted to Prefect of Nanyang, Youshi Tan to Commandant of Yingchuan, and Song Hong and Xifu Gong were both appointed Grandee of Merit, Left Bureau Chief, and Palace Stewards.