Comprehensive Reflections to Aid in Governance
By Sima Guang
Translated By Yiming Yang
Annals of Han Book 26 Scroll 34 (continued)
The 2nd year of Emperor Ai’s Jianping Era (5 B.C. continued)
During the reign of Emperor Cheng, a man from Qi named Gan Zhongke fabricated two texts, the Calendar of the Heavenly Offices and the Scripture of Great Peace, in twelve volumes. He claimed that the Han dynasty was approaching the great end of Heaven and Earth and should therefore receive a new mandate from Heaven. He transmitted these doctrines to Xia Heliang of Bohai and others. Liu Xiang, Colonel of the Central Garrison, reported that Gan Zhongke was feigning powers derived from ghosts and spirits in order to deceive the Emperor and delude the people. Gan Zhongke was imprisoned and confessed, but he died of illness before his sentence could be carried out. Xia Heliang and others nevertheless continued to spread his teachings in secret.
After the Emperor ascended the throne, Xie Guang, Inspector Colonel of the Capital region, and Li Xun, Commander of the Cavalry, introduced Xia Heliang and others, all of whom were then serving on temporary assignment as Yellow Gate attendants. They were frequently summoned to present their arguments, declaring:
“The House of Han had already declined in mid-course and ought to have received a new mandate. Emperor Cheng did not respond to Heaven’s command; therefore his line was cut off. Now the Emperor has long been ill, and prodigies and anomalies have repeatedly appeared. This is the means by which Heaven reproaches and warns mankind. It is fitting that the court swiftly change the era name and alter the imperial appellation; only then may the Emperor’s years be prolonged, imperial sons be born, and the omens of disaster cease. If that which has been obtained through the mandate is not put into practice, then there will be no calamity or misfortune that does not occur. A great flood will arise, and a disaster of fire will also come, sweeping the people away.”
The Emperor, having long been ill and hoping to derive some benefit from these measures, ultimately accepted the proposals of Xia Heliang and the others. He issued an edict granting a general amnesty throughout the realm, renamed the second year of the Jianping era as the first year of the Taichu era, and assumed the title “Divinely Blessed, Peaceful Emperor Liu.” The length of the day was set at 120 units on the water clock, an increase of twenty over the previous 100 units.
In July of autumn, the area of Yongling Pavilion on the northwestern plain of Weicheng was designated as the preliminary site of the Emperor’s mausoleum. No people from the commanderies or principalities were required to relocate there.
A little more than a month after the Emperor changed his title, his illness remained unabated. Xia Heliang and the others again sought to alter state affairs arbitrarily, but the senior ministers strongly opposed them and argued that such measures should not be permitted. Xia Heliang and his group then submitted a memorial stating: “The high ministers are ignorant of the heavenly mandate. The Chancellor and the Grand Master of the Censorate should be dismissed, and Xie Guang and Li Xun should be appointed to assist in governance.”
The Emperor, seeing that their prophecies were baseless and had not been fulfilled, issued an edict in August, stating: “The attendant candidates Xia Heliang and others proposed changing the era name and the imperial title, as well as increasing the unit of time measurement, in order to secure the enduring stability of the state. I trusted their doctrine without sufficient scrutiny and mistakenly listened to their words, hoping thereby to bring blessings to the people, yet no auspicious signs came to pass. To err and not correct it—this is truly a mistake. The edict of June 10, with the exception of the amnesty, is to be entirely revoked. Xia Heliang and the others, who have departed from the right way and misled the people, are to have their treacherous conduct thoroughly investigated.”
As a result, all of them were imprisoned and executed. Xie Guang and Li Xun had their death sentences commuted by one degree and were exiled to Dunhuang Commandery.
Because of his lingering illness, the Emperor restored all the temples to the gods that had been established by previous generations, more than seven hundred in number, and in a single year thirty-seven thousand sacrifices were offered.
Empress Dowager Fu continued to harbor resentment toward Fu Xi. She instructed Fu Yan, the Marquis of Kongxiang, to hint to Chancellor Zhu Bo that he should submit a memorial seeking Fu Xi’s removal from his marquisate. Zhu Bo discussed the matter with Zhao Xuan, Grand Master of the Censorate. Zhao Xuan remarked, “The Emperor has already made his decision; would it not be improper to raise the matter again?”
Zhu Bo replied, “I have already given my word to the Marquis of Kongxiang. Even an ordinary man may compel another to risk his life through a pledge; how much more so the supreme ruler, the Empress Dowager? I have no choice but either to do it or to die.” Zhao Xuan thereupon agreed.
Zhu Bo was reluctant to single out Fu Xi alone in his memorial. He recalled that He Wu, the former Grand Excellency of Works and Marquis of Sixiang, had likewise been dismissed for a similar offense and sent back to his fief. Accordingly, Zhu Bo submitted a memorial stating: “Fu Xi and He Wu, while in office, were of no benefit to the government. Although they have already been dismissed, it is inappropriate for them to retain their marquisates. I request that both be stripped of their titles and reduced to commoner status.”
The Emperor, knowing that Empress Dowager Fu had long borne a grudge against Fu Xi, suspected that Zhu Bo and Zhao Xuan were acting under her orders. He summoned Zhao Xuan to the Office of the State Secretariat for questioning, and Zhao Xuan confessed. An imperial edict was then issued: “Let Peng Xuan, General of the Left, together with the officials of the central court, investigate this matter.”
Peng Xuan and the others reported: “Zhu Bo, Zhao Xuan, and Fu Yan acted unrighteously and with disrespect. We request that they be summoned to the imperial prison and handed over to the Minister of Justice.”
The Emperor reduced Zhao Xuan’s death sentence by three degrees and confiscated one-fourth of Fu Yan’s fief. He also dispatched a special envoy to summon Chancellor Zhu Bo to the Minister of Justice. Zhu Bo committed suicide, and his marquisate was abolished.
In September, Ping Dang, the Grand Chamberlain, was appointed Grand Master of the Censorate. In winter, on October 1, he was promoted to Chancellor. Because this appointment fell outside the customary season for the enfeoffment of marquises, he was instead granted the title of Marquis Within the Pass. Wang Jia of Pingling, Intendant of Jingzhao, was appointed the new Grand Master of the Censorate.
The Emperor wished to place members of the Ding and Fu clans in key positions. In this same year, Peng Xuan of Huaiyang, General of the Left, was dismissed and sent home with the title of Marquis Within the Pass. In his place, Ding Wang, the Grand Chamberlain, was appointed General of the Left.
Beiyuanzhi, chieftain of the Wusun, invaded and plundered the western borderlands of the Xiongnu. The Chanyu dispatched troops to attack him, killing several hundred people, capturing more than a thousand, and driving off cattle and other livestock. Fearing further retaliation, Beiyuanzhi sent his son Qulu to the Xiongnu as a hostage. The Chanyu accepted him and reported the matter to the Han court. The Emperor then sent an envoy to reprimand the Chanyu and demanded the return of Beiyuanzhi’s son. The Chanyu obeyed the order and sent him back.
