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Tag: Zhang Chang

  • Comprehensive Reflections to Aid in Governance(Part 210): Pheasants Incidence

    Comprehensive Reflections to Aid in Governance

    By Sima Guang

    Translated By Yiming Yang  

    Annals of Han Book 19 Scroll 27 (continued)

    A Pheasant

    The 3rd year of Emperor Xuan’s Wufeng Era (55 B.C.)

    On January 26 in spring, Bing Ji, Marquis Ding of Boyang, passed away.

    Ban Gu’s commentary:
     In antiquity, assigning a name to an object always followed the principle of analogy: distant comparisons were drawn from external objects, while close analogies were taken from one’s own body. Thus the Classics speak of the ruler as the head and the ministers as the arms and legs, signifying that they form one body, each dependent upon the other to function. The harmony between ruler and minister is therefore a constant principle from age to age, the natural order of things.

    Looking at the Chancellors of the Han: when Emperor Gaozu founded the dynasty, Xiao He and Cao Shen stood foremost in establishing its basis; during the renaissance under Emperor Xuan, Bing Ji and Wei Xiang became celebrated. In their time, promotions and dismissals were carried out with proper measure, offices were administered with clarity, many officials proved themselves worthy of their stations, and the realm abounded in courtesy and deference.

    Observing their achievements—could such excellence have been mere coincidence?

    On February 25, Huang Ba was appointed Chancellor. Though he excelled in governing the common people, once he assumed the chancellorship his reputation and accomplishments no longer matched those of his tenure as a commandery administrator.

    At that time, the Intendant of Jingzhao, Zhang Chang, witnessed a pheasant fly from his own residence and alight upon the roof of the Chancellor’s mansion. Huang Ba regarded it as an auspicious bird and discussed reporting it to the Emperor. Zhang Chang then submitted a memorandum criticizing him:

    “I have seen the Chancellor, together with the central ministers of 2,000-picul rank and the erudites, question the Chiefs of Staff and Associate Prefects of the principalities and commanderies regarding the benefits their policies brought to the people, the removal of harms, the effects of instruction, and demand that they report their experiences and statistics item by item.

    “Some enumerated examples of farmers yielding their borders while plowing, men and women taking different paths to avoid suspicion, and lost objects left untouched along the roads. Those who could list filial sons and virtuous women by name were ranked foremost, ascending the hall first; those who cited examples but without names or numbers were ranked second; those who could offer none were ranked last and bowed their heads in apology before the Chancellor.

    “Though the Chancellor did not speak, it was evident that he hoped they would produce such examples.”

    Zhang Chang continued:

    “While these officials were speaking, pheasants flew from my residence and landed on the Chancellor’s roof. Hundreds of people, including the Chancellor, saw it. Officials from the frontier, who are familiar with pheasants, were questioned but pretended ignorance. The Chancellor intended to report: ‘When I questioned my subordinates on promoting reform and moral instruction, Heaven responded with divine birds.’

    “Later, when he learned they had flown from my residence, he omitted the incident. Officials of the principalities and commanderies secretly mocked the Chancellor—though he is kind and learned, he makes a spectacle of trifling events.”

    Zhang Chang then delivered a deeper admonition:

    “Your servant does not presume to belittle the Chancellor, but fears that among the ministers none dare speak plainly. The Chiefs of Staff and Associate Prefects, fearing the Chancellor’s directives, may return to their posts and alter laws, each establishing private regulations. Thus they compete in embellishment, diminishing purity and burdening simplicity, exalting appearance over substance—name without reality—causing governance to tilt, slacken, and in extreme cases, resorting to voodoo.

    “Suppose first within the capital there were imposed rites of yielding on the road, of men and women taking alternate paths, or of leaving goods untouched along the ways: these acts contribute nothing to restraining greed through frugality or restraining desire through chastity, yet hypocrisy would rise to prominence beneath Heaven, and the consequences cannot be foreseen. If the feudal lords emulate these customs and acquire reputations surpassing the capital, the matter grows graver still.

    “The House of Han inherited corruption and has adapted through reform; its laws and ordinances were established to exhort the good and forbid the wicked. Their provisions are complete and need not be multiplied further. What is fitting is that the honored ministers command the Chiefs of Staff and Associate Prefects to return and admonish the leaders of 2,000-picul rank to promote Elders of the Three Merits, Filial and Fraternal men, Diligent Farmers, Filial Worthies, and Honest Officials, and earnestly seek men of genuine merit.

    “Let all affairs of the commanderies take the statutes as their model; let none dare establish private ordinances. Whoever presumes to feign virtue and steal reputation should be first to receive punishment, thus clarifying what is to be honored and what detested.”

    The Emperor approved Zhang Chang’s admonition, summoned the officials, and ordered the Chamberlain to convey instructions in accordance with Zhang Chang’s proposals. Huang Ba was deeply embarrassed.

    In addition, Shi Gao, Marquis of Leling—a maternal relative of the Emperor and serving as Privy Counselor—was greatly esteemed. Huang Ba recommended Shi Gao for the position of Grand Commandant. The Emperor dispatched a minister of the State Secretariat to summon Huang Ba and questioned him:

    “The office of Grand Commandant has long been vacant. It is the Chancellor’s charge to promulgate moral teachings, to discern and address hidden grievances, to ensure that no wrongful punishments occur in the courts and that no thieves arise in the villages.

    “The appointment of generals and ministers is my responsibility. The Marquis of Leling, Shi Gao, is a trusted adviser of mine. Why did you overstep your authority in recommending him?”

    The Emperor ordered the Chief of the State Secretariat to receive the Chancellor’s formal reply. Huang Ba removed his cap, offered apologies, and after several days the matter was concluded.

    From then on, Huang Ba did not dare make further recommendations. Even so, since the founding of the Han dynasty, he was regarded as a preeminent local official in the governance of the people.

    In March, the Emperor traveled to Hedong to offer sacrifices to Earth. He issued a decree reducing the poll tax throughout the empire and granting amnesty to all except those condemned to death.

    On June 16, Du Yannian, Prefect of Xihe, was appointed Grand Master of the Censorate.

    The commanderies of Xihe and Beidi were organized as dependent states to resettle surrendered Xiongnu.

    Prince Li of Guangling, Liu Xu, employed a sorceress named Li Nüxu to curse the Emperor in hopes of seizing the throne. When the plot came to light, he poisoned the shamaness and more than twenty palace attendants to eliminate witnesses. The ministers and the Three Excellencies jointly petitioned for Liu Xu’s execution.

  • Comprehensive Reflections to Aid in Governance(Part 195): Down with Gang of Huo

    Comprehensive Reflections to Aid in Governance

    By Sima Guang

    Translated By Yiming Yang  

    Annals of Han Book 17 Scroll 25 (continued)

    A Park in Dingtao (Shanyang), Shandong Province

    The 4th year of Emperor Xuan’s Di’jie Era (66 B.C.)

    In February of spring, the Emperor enfeoffed his maternal grandmother as Lady of Bo’ping. His maternal uncles were likewise ennobled: Wang Wugu was made Marquis of Ping’chang, and Wang Wu was made Marquis of Le’chang.

    In May of summer, hailstones the size of chicken eggs fell in Shanyang and Jiyin. Floodwaters rose to two feet and five inches. More than twenty persons died, and all birds in flight perished.

    An edict was issued: “Henceforth, those who shelter and conceal their parents, wives who shelter and conceal their husbands, and grandchildren who shelter and conceal their grandparents shall not be prosecuted.”

    Liu Wen, grandson of Prince Hui of Guangchuan, was appointed Prince of Guangchuan.

    At this time, Grand Madame Huo Xian, together with Huo Yu, Huo Shan, and Huo Yun, perceived that their authority was declining. They often gathered to lament and reproach themselves. Huo Shan said: “Now the Chancellor holds the reins of power, and the Emperor trusts him. He has overturned the statutes established by the Grand General, constantly exposing the General’s faults. Many Confucian scholars come from poor families, traveling far to the capital and enduring hunger and cold. They delight in haughty and reckless speech, heedless of taboos—such men the Grand General despised. Yet His Majesty takes pleasure in conversing with them, and all compose responses to the Emperor’s inquiries, frequently disparaging our clan.

    “Some even submitted memorials accusing our brothers of arrogance and unrestrained conduct; this wounded me deeply. I suppressed the reports and did not present them to the Emperor. But the informers have grown ever more crafty, submitting sealed memorials without cease. His Majesty commands the Chief of the Palace Secretariat to retrieve them directly, bypassing the Secretariat entirely, further diminishing his trust in me. Moreover, rumors circulate among the common people that ‘the Huo family poisoned Empress Xu.’ Could such a thing be true?”

    Huo Xian, stricken with fear, at once revealed the truth to Huo Yu, Huo Shan, and Huo Yun. They were stunned and cried out: “If this is so, why did you not tell us sooner? The Emperor’s dismissal and dispersal of the sons-in-law of our house were all because of this. The matter is grave, and the punishment will be heavy. What course remains for us?” Thus the shadows of treachery began to gather.

    A close associate of Li Jing—maternal uncle to Huo Yun—named Zhang She observed the panic within Huo Yun’s household. He said to Li Jing: “The Chancellor and the Marquis of Ping’en now hold full power. You should have Grand Madame Xian petition the Empress Dowager to remove these two first. Thereafter, depose His Majesty and establish a new Son of Heaven—such matters lie within the reach of the Empress Dowager.”

    A man of Chang’an named Zhang Zhang reported this plot. The Minister of Justice and the Bearer of the Mace took up the case, and Zhang She and his accomplices were arrested.

    Later, an imperial edict ordered the arrests suspended. Huo Shan and the others grew still more fearful and conferred among themselves: “The Emperor hesitates only out of filial reverence for the Empress Dowager; otherwise, matters would already have gone to the end. This bodes ill. The restraint will not last—once it breaks, our clan will be annihilated. It is better to act first.” They bade their daughters warn their husbands. The husbands all replied: “There is nowhere for us to flee or hide!”

    Li Jing was charged with illicit dealings with the feudal lords, and his testimony implicated the Huo clan. An edict was issued: “Huo Yun and Huo Shan are unfit to remain in the capital. Let them be stripped of office and retire to their fiefs.”

    Zhang Chang, Prefect of Shanyang, submitted a memorial:

    “I have heard that Prince Ji You rendered meritorious service to Lu, Zhao Cui contributed greatly to Jin, and Tian Wan achieved for Qi. All were amply rewarded by their states, and their descendants shared in the benefit. Yet in the end, the Tian clan usurped Qi, the Zhao clan partitioned Jin, and the Ji clan manipulated Lu. Therefore Confucius composed the Spring and Autumn Annals to trace rise and decline, censuring most severely the hereditary aggrandizement of noble houses.

    “Recently, the Grand General made resolute plans, secured the ancestral temples, and brought order to the realm—his merits are not insignificant. The Duke of Zhou governed for seven years, yet the Grand General held authority for twenty, controlling the fate of the empire. At the height of his power, he shook Heaven and Earth, disturbing the harmony of yin and yang. The court advisers should have submitted a frank memorial, saying: ‘Your Majesty has already rewarded the Grand General to the fullest for his service. Of late, the regent ministers have dominated affairs, and the power of the nobility has grown excessive; the boundary between ruler and subject is no longer distinct. It is fitting to remove the three marquises of the Huo clan from power and send them back to their fief; as for the Guard General, Zhang Anshi, grant him a cane and a tea table for retirement, consult him on occasion, and treat him with courtesy, appointing him as mentor to the Son of Heaven, with a marquis title.’

    “Your Majesty should then have issued an edict declining their proposal, expressing gratitude for past achievements. The ministers, asserting righteousness, would repeatedly press their case until it was accepted. The world would regard Your Majesty as mindful of past achievements, and the officials as discerning in principle. The Huo clan would have no grounds for resentment in generations to come.

    “Now, the court hears no upright words, and the Emperor issues decrees alone. This is no prudent course. The two marquises have already departed the capital, and the feelings of the people do not differ by much. In my humble estimation, Grand Marshal Huo Yu and his subordinates are likely gripped by fear. When those close to the throne feel insecure, it won’t be an ideal situation.

    “I, Zhang Chang, dare to speak first and expose the root of the matter. Yet I stand alone in this distant commandery, unable to pursue the argument further. I beseech Your Majesty to examine my words with care.”

    The Emperor greatly approved his proposal, but did not summon him.

    The households of Huo Yu, Huo Shan, and the others were repeatedly troubled by uncanny portents, which filled them with grief and dread. Huo Shan said, “The Chancellor has arbitrarily reduced the offerings in the ancestral temple—lambs, pigs, and even frogs. This may be the source of these calamities.” They conspired to have the Empress Dowager Shangguan host a banquet for Lady Bo’ping, the Emperor’s maternal grandmother, summoning the Chancellor, the Marquis of Ping’en(Xu Guanghan), and their subordinates. Their plan was that Fan Mingyou and Deng Guanghan, acting under the Empress Dowager’s command, would execute them during the feast, afterward depose the Emperor, and set Huo Yu upon the throne. The scheme was spoken of, but no action was taken.

    Before it could be carried out, Huo Yun was appointed Prefect of Xuantu, and Ren Xuan was sent as Prefect of Dai Commandery. When the plot came to light, in July of autumn, Huo Yun, Huo Shan, and Fan Mingyou took their own lives. Grand Madame Huo Xian, Huo Yu, Deng Guanghan, and others were arrested. Huo Yu was executed by waist-chopping; Huo Xian, her daughters, and her brothers were put to death. All connected with the Huo clan shared their fate, and several dozen households were exterminated. The Grand Coachman Du Yannian, because of past dealings with the Huo family, was also dismissed from office.

    On August 1, Empress Huo was deposed and confined in the Zhao’tai Palace. On August 17, an imperial edict enfeoffed Zhang Zhang, Court Guard Dong Zhong, Left Assistant to the Secretariat Yang Yun, and the Privy Counselors Jin Anshang and Shi Gao—all of whom had aided in exposing the conspiracy. Yang Yun was the son of the former Chancellor Yang Chang; Jin Anshang was nephew to the late General of Chariots and Cavalry Jin Midi; and Shi Gao was nephew to Lady Shi, grandmother of the Emperor.

  • Comprehensive Reflections to Aid in Governance(Part 183): New Emperor’s Faux Pas

    Comprehensive Reflections to Aid in Governance

    By Sima Guang

    Translated By Yiming Yang  

    Annals of Han Book 16 Scroll 24 (continued)

    Mudcap of Shanyang(Changyi) Prefect

    The 1st year of Emperor Zhao’s Yuanping Era (74 B.C. continued)

    When the imperial edict arrived, it was near midnight, with less than a quarter hour remaining. The Prince of Changyi lit a fire to read it. That day he set forth, and by afternoon reached Dingtao, having covered one hundred and thirty-five li. Many of his attendants’ horses perished from exhaustion on the road.

    The Commandant of the Capital Guard, Wang Ji, submitted a memorial, saying: “I have heard that Emperor Gaozong of Shang, in the time of mourning, spoke no word for three years. Now Sire, summoned in consequence of a funeral, should weep and mourn without ceasing, day and night. It is meet and right to refrain from taking initiatives and making demands.

    “The Grand General’s virtue, embracing benevolence, wisdom, and trustworthiness, is renowned under Heaven. He served Emperor Wu for over twenty years, without once committing a fault. When the late Emperor departed and abandoned his ministers, he entrusted the whole realm and the young orphaned Son of Heaven to the Grand General, who cradled and nurtured the young sovereign, governing with benevolence and wisdom. The empire enjoyed peace, and his conduct was without reproach. Even the Duke of Zhou and Yi Yin could scarcely surpass him.

    “Now, with the Emperor’s passing and no heir, the Grand General, mindful only of honoring the ancestral temple, has raised up Sire with boundless benevolence. I pray that Sire will hold this in reverence, hearken to his counsel in matters of state, and take your place as a dutiful sovereign, sitting southward upon the throne. Keep this ever in your thoughts!”

    Yet the Prince went to Jiyang to seek long-crowing cocks, and bought a cane made of joined bamboo. Passing through Hongnong, he bade his servant Shan, who was big and tall, to conceal young women in a curtained carriage. When he came to Hu county, the envoy from Chang’an arrived with greetings, and discovered the impropriety, censuring the prime minister. An Le, the prime minister, hearing of it, reported to Gong Sui. Gong Sui entered and asked the Prince. The Prince denied, “There is no such a thing.”

    Gong Sui said: “Even if there is nothing grave, why transgress righteousness for the sake of shielding Shan? Let the big servant be summoned, that Sire may be cleared of fault.” Forthwith Shan was seized, and the captain of the guard executed him.

    When the Prince of Changyi arrived at Bashang, the Grand Herald came forth to greet him on the outskirts, and he was transferred to the imperial carriages. The Prince appointed Shou Cheng as his driver, while Chamberlain Gong Sui accompanied him in the carriage.

    As they neared Guangming Gate and the East Capital Gate, Gong Sui said: “According to the rites, when one in mourning beholds the capital, he should begin to weep. This is already the eastern gate of Chang’an.” 

    The Prince replied: “My throat hurts; I cannot cry.”

    When they came to the city gate, Gong Sui spoke again. The Prince said: “City gates and outer gates are all the same.”

    When they approached the east gate of Weiyang Palace, Gong Sui said: “The mourning tent of the Changyi principality lies outside this gate, extending along the northward thoroughfare. Before it there is a road running north and south. When the horses halt a few steps away, Sire must dismount, turn west toward the gate, and bow in mourning until grief is fully expressed.”

    The Prince of Changyi answered: “I understand.” When they arrived, he mourned in accordance with the rites.

    On June 1, the Prince received the imperial seal and ribbon, ascended as Emperor, and honored the Empress as Empress Dowager.

    On June 7, Emperor Zhao was buried at Pingling.

    When the Prince of Changyi had ascended the throne, he gave himself over to extravagance without restraint. Officials from Changyi were summoned to Chang’an, and many were advanced to higher rank. An Le was appointed Guard Commandant of Changle Palace.

    When Gong Sui met An Le, he wept, saying: “Since His Majesty’s enthronement, his arrogance and indulgence daily increase, and he will not heed remonstrance. Though the realm is still in mourning, he feasts and revels each day, drinking and sporting with close attendants. He sets tigers and leopards to combat, summons carriages adorned with nine tiger-skin pendants, and drives them recklessly east and west, all in defiance of propriety.

    “In ancient times, indulgence was tempered by leniency, and ministers could retire in honor. Now there is no way to depart. I have thought to feign madness, but feared being detected, so that death would come and my name be cast into the mire after I am gone. What course may I take? Sir, you once served as his prime minister; you should raise your voice in remonstrance and contend with him in earnest.”

    The Prince of Changyi dreamed that the dung of green flies lay heaped from the western steps to the east, five or six hundred piculs in weight, roofed over with boards and tiles. He inquired of Gong Sui. Gong Sui said: “Does not the Book of Songs declare: The green flies buzz and swarm, settling on the fences. A courteous and brotherly gentleman should not trust slanderous words. Now there are many slanderers upon Your Majesty’s left and right, and the swarm of flies are abominable. It is fitting to advance the sons and grandsons of the late Emperor’s great ministers, bringing them near to serve as trusted aides. If Your Majesty cannot part with the old companions of Changyi, but continues to trust in flattery and slander, then disaster is certain. I entreat Your Majesty to turn misfortune into fortune by driving them all away. I myself am willing to be the first to depart.” The Prince did not listen.The Associate Grand Coachman, Zhang Chang of Hedong, memorialized, saying: “The late Emperor Zhao died young without heir, and the ministers of the realm were in deep concern. When selecting a wise and virtuous successor to inherit the ancestral temple, on the day of the eastward journey, we feared only that your chariot procession moved not fast enough. Now the young Emperor has mounted the throne, and all under Heaven strain eyes and ears, watching for transformation and listening to the winds. Yet the elder ministers of the state are not first employed, while the youths of Changyi are promoted before all. This is a grave error.” The Prince did not heed the advice.