Comprehensive Reflections to Aid in Governance
By Sima Guang
Translated By Yiming Yang
Annals of Han Book 5 Scroll 13
The 1st year of the Empress Gao (187 B.C.)
In winter, the Empress Dowager proposed appointing members of the Lü family as kings and sought the opinion of Right Chancellor Wang Ling. Wang Ling replied, “When Emperor Gaozu swore an oath over the sacrificed white horse, he said, ‘If anyone outside the Liu family becomes king, the whole world will rise against them.’ If we make the Lü family kings now, we would be breaking that oath.” The Empress Dowager was displeased with this response, so she asked for the opinion of Left Chancellor Chen Ping and Grand Commandant Zhou Bo. They replied, “Emperor Gaozu established the rule that only the sons of kings may become kings. Now that the Empress Dowager holds power, making the Lü family kings is acceptable.” The Empress Dowager was delighted and ended the court session.
Afterwards, Wang Ling reprimanded Chen Ping and the Marquis of Jiang, reminding them of the oath they had sworn with Emperor Gaozu. He asked, “Were you not present? Now that Emperor Gaozu has passed, and the Empress Dowager wants to make the Lü family kings, if you yield and break the oath, how will you face Emperor Gaozu in the afterlife?” Chen Ping and the Marquis of Jiang replied, “When it comes to standing your ground and directly opposing the Empress Dowager, we do not have your courage. However, in safeguarding the empire and the Liu family’s lineage, you are not as prudent as we are.” Wang Ling was unable to argue with them.
On December 5, the Empress Dowager appointed Wang Ling as Grand Tutor to the Emperor, but in reality, she stripped him of his authority as chancellor. Wang Ling, citing poor health, resigned and retired to home.
The Empress Dowager then promoted Left Chancellor Chen Ping to Right Chancellor and appointed the Marquis of Biyang, Shen Yiji, as Left Chancellor. However, Shen Yiji was not assigned any functions of a chancellor; he was simply tasked with overseeing the palace, as if he were the Minister of the Imperial Household. Shen Yiji, favored by the Empress Dowager, became influential, and court officials began following his lead in decision-making.
The Empress Dowager harbored resentment toward Grand Master of Censorate Zhao Yao for his efforts to protect Prince Yin of Zhao (Liu Ruyi), and she accused him of a crime and removed him from office.
Ren Ao, formerly a jailer in Pei County and now Prefect of Shangdang Commandery, earned the Empress Dowager‘s favor through his virtuous service to her in the past and was appointed Grand Master of the Censerate.
The Empress Dowager posthumously honored her father, the Marquis of Linsi, Mr. Lü as King of Xuan, and her brother, the Marquis Lingwu of Zhoulü, Lü Ze, as King of Daowu, thereby paving the way for the Lü family to gradually ascend to kingship.
In January, the laws enforcing the execution of three clans for heinous crimes and the laws punishing heresy-mongering were abolished.
In April, Princess Yuan of Lu passed away. Her son, Zhang Yan, was named Prince of Lu, and Princess Yuan was posthumously honored as Empress Dowager Yuan of Lu.
On April 28, the so-called sons of Emperor Hui were given noble titles: Liu Shan was granted the title of Marquis of Xiangcheng, Liu Chao was named Marquis of Zhi, and Liu Wu was made Marquis of Huguan.
The Empress Dowager sought to establish members of the Lü family as kings. She began by naming Emperor Hui‘s so-called sons, Liu Qiang as Prince of Huaiyang and Liu Buyi as Prince of Hengshan. She then dispatched the Director of Internuncio Zhang Shi to subtly promote the idea of nominating Lü family members as kings among the ministers. The ministers subsequently proposed that Marquis of Li, Lü Tai, the eldest son of King of Daowu (Lü Ze), be made Prince of Lü, and that Jinan Commandery in Qi be ceded to the principality of Lü as its territory.
On May 4, a fire broke out on the Cong terrace in the King of Zhao’s palace.
In autumn, peach and plum blossoms bloomed unexpectedly.
The 2nd year of the Empress Gao(186 B.C.)
In November, during the winter, Prince Su of Lü, Lü Tai, passed away.
On January 27, an earthquake struck, causing mountains to collapse between Qiangdao County and Wudu County.
On May 9, Liu Yingke, the son of Prince Yuan of Chu, was granted the title of Marquis of Shangpi, and Liu Zhang, the son of Prince Daohui of Qi, was appointed Marquis of Zhuxu. Both were assigned to serve in the imperial guard. Additionally, the Empress Dowager married the daughter of Lü Lu to Liu Zhang.
On June 30, the last day of the month, a solar eclipse occurred.
In July, during autumn, Prince Ai of Hengshan, Liu Buyi, passed away.
The currency denomination of eight zhu was reintroduced into circulation.
On July 27, Emperor Hui‘s so-called son, the Marquis of Xiangcheng, Liu Shan, was established as Prince of Hengshan, and his name was changed to Liu Yi.
The 3rd year of the Empress Gao(185 B.C.)
In the summer, the Yangtze River and the Han River overflowed, causing flooding that affected over 4,000 households.
In the autumn, stars were visible in the daytime.
The Yi River and the Luo River also overflowed, causing flooding that affected over 1,600 households. The Ru River also overflowed, causing flooding that affected over 800 households.
The 4th year of the Empress Gao(184 B.C.)
On February 7, Emperor Hui’s alleged son, Liu Tai, was established as the Marquis of Changping.
On April 21, the Empress Dowager granted her younger sister, Lü Xu, the title of Marquess of Lin’guang.
As the Young Emperor grew older, he became aware that he was not Emperor Hui’s son and said, “How could the Empress Dowager kill my mother and make me emperor? When I am grown, I will do something about it!”
The Empress Dowager heard of this and confined him to a narrow alley (Yong Lane), where harem women were incarcerated, claiming that he was ill and could not be seen by anyone. She told her ministers, “The emperor has been mentally ill for a long time and is unable to govern the country. We must choose a successor.” All the ministers knelt and said, “The Empress Dowager is wise and benevolent and has always been deeply concerned with the welfare of the country and the ancestors’ temples. We humbly obey the imperial edict.”
Thus, the young emperor was deposed and killed in secret. On May 11, the Prince of Hengshan, Liu Yi, was installed as the new emperor and took the name Liu Hong. His reign was not counted as the first year of an era, as the Empress Dowager ruled as regent. The Marquis of Zhi, Liu Chao, was granted the title of Prince of Hengshan.
In the same year, Cao Zhu was appointed grand master of the censorate.
The officials in charge requested that the Empress Dowager ban the trade of goods and ironware at the border markets with the Nanyue kingdom. In response, the King of Nanyue, Zhao Tuo, dismissed the idea, saying, “Emperor Gaozu founded our kingdom and permitted us to trade with the Middle Kingdom and exchange emissaries. Now, Empress Gao has listened to the slanders of her advisors and seeks to isolate us and cut off our trade. This is surely the plot of the Prince of Changsha, who wants to use the Middle Kingdom’s power to attack and conquer Nanyue, annexing it as his own and taking it as his trophy.”
The 5th year of the Empress Gao(183 B.C.)
In the spring, King Zhao Tuo proclaimed himself Emperor Wu of Nanyue and launched an attack on Changsha. He defeated the defenses in several counties before retreating.
In August, during the autumn, the Prince Huai of Huaiyang, Liu Qiang, passed away and was succeeded by the Marquis of Huguan, Liu Wu, who became the new Prince of Huaiyang.
In September, cavalry from Hedong and Shangdang were dispatched to camp in Beidi commandery.
The 6th year of the Empress Gao(182 B.C.)
In October, during the winter, the Empress Dowager deposed the Prince of Lü, Lü Jia, for his arrogance and unruliness. In November, she appointed Lü Chan, the younger brother of Prince Su, as the new Prince of Lü.
In the spring, stars were visible during the daytime.
In the summer, on April 3, a general amnesty was declared across the empire.
The emperor granted Liu Xingju, the younger brother of the Marquis of Zhuxu, Liu Zhang, the title of Marquis of Dongmou and ordered him to join the imperial guard.
The Xiongnu invaded the counties of Didao and Ayang.
A five-fen currency was issued.
In the winter, the Marquis of Xuanping, Zhang Ao, passed away and was posthumously honored with the title “Prince Yuan of Lu.”
The 7th year of the Empress Gao(181 B.C.)
In December, during the winter, the Xiongnu invaded Didao County and captured over two thousand people.
In the spring, during the first month, the Empress Dowager summoned Liu You, Prince You of Zhao. Liu You had married a woman from the Lü clan but did not love her, preferring another concubine. The Lü woman, angered, left him and slandered him to the Empress Dowager, claiming he had said, “How could the Lü clan have a prince? After the Empress Dowager passes away at the age of 100, I will surely attack them.” Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager summoned Liu You to the capital, placed him under house arrest, and forbade him from seeing anyone or receiving food. Some of his officials secretly provided him food, but they were caught and punished. On January 18, Liu You died of starvation, and his body was buried in a commoner’s grave in Chang’an.
On January 30, there was a solar eclipse. The Empress Dowager, displeased, said to those around her, “This is because of me!”
In February, the Prince of Liang, Liu Hui, was transferred to become the Prince of Zhao, and Lü Chan, the Prince of Lü, was appointed as the new Prince of Liang. However, the new Prince of Liang did not go to his principality but instead served as the Grand Tutor to the Emperor.
In the autumn, on June 30, the Marquis of Pingchang, Liu Tai, was installed as the Prince of Jichuan.
The daughter of the Empress Dowager‘s sister, Lü Xu, was married to General Liu Ze, the Marquis of Yingling, who was a cousin of Emperor Gaozu. Tian Sheng from the state of Qi persuaded the Director of Internuncio, Zhang Shi, “The Lü clan has become kings, but the ministers have not yet fully accepted them. Now, the Marquis of Yingling, Liu Ze, is the eldest of the Liu clan. If you suggest to the Empress Dowager to make him a prince, the power of the Lü clan will be further strengthened.” Zhang Shi reported this to the Empress Dowager, who agreed with the idea, and thus she separated Langya commandery from the Qi state and made Liu Ze the Prince of Langya.
When Liu Hui, the Prince of Zhao, was relocated to the territory of Liang, he was unhappy. The Empress Dowager appointed a daughter of Lü Chan as his queen, and the queen’s attendants, all members of the Lü clan, abused their power and kept a close watch on the prince. The prince’s beloved concubine was poisoned and killed on the queen’s orders. In June, overwhelmed by grief and anger, the prince committed suicide. The Empress Dowager blamed his death on his lack of respect for his royal duties and lineage, attributing it to his preference for women over his responsibilities for ancestral temples. As a result, the prince was posthumously stripped of his title, and his descendants were disinherited.
At that time, members of the Lü clan held power and were in control. Marquis Zhuxu, Liu Zhang, though only twenty years old, was physically strong and resentful that the Liu clan was not given important positions. At one banquet with the Empress Dowager, Liu Zhang was appointed to serve wine. He requested to serve it according to military rules, and the Empress Dowager agreed. As they drank, Liu Zhang asked to sing the “Plowing and Weeding Song,” and the Empress Dowager consented. Liu Zhang sang, “Deeply plow and sow the seed, seedlings dislike being crowded. For seedlings not of the same kind, wield the hoe to weed them out!” The Empress Dowager remained silent.
Later, a member of the Lü clan became drunk and left the banquet early. Liu Zhang pursued him, drew his sword, and killed him. Upon his return, he reported, “Someone tried to escape, and I punished him according to military law.” The Empress Dowager and her attendants were greatly shocked, but since she had agreed to his use of military law, there was no way to chastise him. The banquet ended on a sour note. After this incident, the Lü clan members feared Marquis Zhuxu, Liu Zhang, and even high officials began to side with him, strengthening the Liu clan’s power.
Reflection by Rio Grande 