孝文本纪 — Shiji

Emperor Wen of Han was a middle son of Emperor Gaozu. In the spring of Gaozu's eleventh year, after defeating the army of Chen Xi and pacifying the region of Dai, he was established as King of Dai, with his capital at Zhongdu. He was the son of Empress Dowager Bo.

Seventeen years later, in the seventh month of Empress Dowager Lü's eighth year, she died. In the ninth month, Lü Chan and others of the Lü clan attempted to seize power and endanger the Liu family, but the senior ministers together executed them all. The plan to summon and install the King of Dai is recorded in the account of Empress Dowager Lü. Chancellor Chen Ping and Grand Commandant Zhou Bo sent men to invite the King of Dai.

The King consulted his advisors, including Chamberlain of the Gentlemen of the Palace Zhang Wu and others. Zhang Wu and his colleagues argued: "The Han ministers are all generals from the time of Emperor Gaozu. They are seasoned in military affairs and skilled in subterfuge. Their intentions surely extend beyond what we see. They merely feared the authority of Emperor Gaozu and Empress Dowager Lü. Now they have executed the Lü clan and fresh blood stains the capital. To invite Your Highness in the name of welcome—this is not to be trusted. We ask that Your Highness feign illness and do not go, so that we may observe how events unfold."

Assistant Chamberlain Song Chang stepped forward and said: "The ministers' counsel is all wrong. When the Qin dynasty lost its governance, feudal lords and heroes rose in revolt, each believing himself destined for the throne—yet in the end, only Liu achieved the throne. The realm despaired of anyone else—this is the first reason. Emperor Gaozu enfeoffed his sons and brothers, their territories interlocked like the teeth of a comb, forming a rock-solid base. The realm submitted to this strength—this is the second reason. When Han arose, it abolished Qin's harsh rule, established equitable laws, and dispensed benevolent government. Everyone felt secure and could not be swayed—this is the third reason. Though Empress Dowager was formidable, installing the Lü brothers as three kings and monopolizing power absolutely, the Grand Commandant entered the Northern Army on a single summons. He called out, and every soldier bared his left shoulder to support the Liu family and reject the Lü—ultimately destroying them. This was heaven's mandate, not human design. Now even if the ministers wished to rebel, the common people would not be their instruments. How could their faction succeed? Within, we have the kinship of the princes of Zhuxu and Dongwu; without, we have the might of Wu, Chu, Huainan, Langya, Qi, and Dai. Among Gaozu's sons, only the King of Huainan and Your Highness remain. Your Highness is the elder, and your wisdom, sageliness, benevolence, and filial piety are renowned throughout the realm. Therefore, the ministers, acting on the will of all under heaven, wish to install Your Highness. Do not hesitate."

He then ordered Song Chang to ride as his chariot companion, while Zhang Wu and five others proceeded by relay carriage to Chang'an. They rested at Gaoling, where the King sent Song Chang ahead to Chang'an to observe the situation. When Song Chang arrived at the Wei Bridge, the Chancellor and all subordinates came to welcome him. Song Chang returned to report. The King drove swiftly to the Wei Bridge, where the ministers knelt and addressed him as their lord. The King got down from his carriage and bowed in return.

The Grand Commandant stepped forward and said: "I wish to speak privately." Song Chang replied: "If Your Excellency speaks of public matters, speak them publicly. Private matters are not received by a ruler." The Grand Commandant then knelt and presented the imperial seal and tally. The King declined, saying: "Let us discuss this at the Dai Estate."

He drove to the Dai Estate, and the ministers followed. Chancellor Chen Ping, Grand Commandant Zhou Bo, Grand General Chen Wu, Palace Clerk Zhang Cang, the Clan Elder Liu Ying, the Prince of Zhuxu Liu Zhang, the Prince of Dongwu Liu Xingju, and Chief of protocol Liu Jie all knelt twice and said: "The sons of Emperor Hui—Hong and others—are not truly his sons and should not receive the ancestral offerings. We humbly request that the Lady of Yin'an, the displaced Marquises, the former King of Langya, the imperial clan, ministers, nobles, and officials of two thousand piculs discuss this: Your Highness, as the eldest son of Emperor Gaozu, should properly be his heir. We ask that Your Highness assume the throne."

The King said: "To serve the temple of Emperor Gaozu is a grave matter. I am without ability and unworthy to represent the ancestral temple. I ask that Your Majesty the King of Chu advise on what is proper—I dare not presume." The ministers all knelt and pressed their request. The King declined three times facing west and twice facing south.

The ministers attended him in order of rank. He ordered the Chamberlain of the Imperial Stables Ying and the Prince of Dongwu Xingju to purify the palace, and according to imperial protocol, to welcome the Emperor at the Dai Estate. The Emperor entered Weiyang Palace that very evening.

That night he appointed Song Chang as General Who Guards the Army, to command the Northern and Southern armies, and Zhang Wu as Chamberlain of the Gentlemen of the Palace, to oversee affairs within the palace. He then took his seat in the main hall.

On the day of renzi, the Emperor sent General of Cavalry Bo Zhao to escort the Empress Dowager from Dai.

In the twelfth month, the Emperor said: "Law is the proper governance of order, used to forbid violence and lead people toward goodness. Now when criminals have been tried and sentenced, yet their innocent parents, spouses, children, and siblings are punished along with them—this I find most objectionable. Discuss this matter."

The officials all said: "The people cannot govern themselves, so laws are established to restrain them. Collective punishment and enslavement of families—these exhaust the people's will and make them fear serious crimes. This practice has been long established."

The Emperor said: "I have heard that when law is upright, the people are honest; when punishment fits the crime, the people obey. Now, to govern the people and guide them toward goodness—this is the officials' task. If they fail to guide them, then to punish them with unjust laws is to harm the people through violence. How can this restrain them? I do not see that this is beneficial. Let each of you consider this carefully and advise me."

The officials said: "Your Majesty bestows great kindness; your virtue is most illustrious—far beyond what we ministers can achieve. We ask to obey your edict and abolish the laws of collective punishment and enslavement."

In the first month, the officials said: "Early designation of a Crown Prince honors the ancestral temple. We request the establishment of a Crown Prince."

The Emperor said: "I have not yet achieved virtue; the Supreme Deity has not yet accepted our offerings; the common people have not yet found contentment. Now if I cannot broadly seek throughout the realm a worthy and sagely person of virtue to whom I might cede the world, yet speak of prematurely establishing a Crown Prince—this only emphasizes my lack of virtue. What would I say to the world? Let us be at ease."

The officials said: "Premature designation of a Crown Prince—this honors the ancestral temple and state, and does not forget the world."

The officials all insisted: "In ancient times, the kingdoms of Yin and Zhou endured for over a thousand years—none who possessed all under heaven lasted longer. This was because they followed this principle: the heir must be a son. The practice is ancient indeed. Emperor Gaozu personally led his generals and officials, first pacified all under heaven, established the feudal lords, and became the Ancestor of Emperors. Feudal lords and nobles who first received their states also became the founders of their own kingdoms. Descendants have inherited and succeeded one another, generation after generation without break—this is the great principle of the world. Therefore Emperor Gaozu established it to pacify all under heaven. To abandon the proper succession and make new selections among the princes and clan—this is not the will of Emperor Gaozu. The discussion is concluded. One of the sons is the eldest, and he is pure, generous, kind, and benevolent. We request he be established as Crown Prince."

He said: "Sixty-eight nobles who followed Emperor Gaozu into Shu and Hanzhong shall each receive an additional three hundred households. The ten officials of two thousand piculs and above who followed Emperor Gaozu—among them the former Governor of Yingchuan, Zun, and others—shall receive six hundred households each. The ten officials—including the Governor of Huaiyang, Shen Tu Jia, and others—shall receive five hundred households each. The ten officials—including Palace Guard Commander Ding and others—shall receive four hundred households each. I enfeoff the maternal uncle of the King of Huainan, Zhao by name, as Marquis of Zhouyang; and the maternal uncle of the King of Qi, Si Jun by name, as Marquis of Qingguo."

In autumn, he enfeoffed the former Chancellor of Changshan, Cai by name, as Marquis of Fan. Someone advised the Right Chancellor: "Your Lordship originally executed the Lü clan and welcomed the King of Dai. Now if you pride yourself on your merits, accept great rewards, and hold a lofty position, misfortune will follow. The Right Chancellor thereupon requested illness and was dismissed, and Left Chancellor Chen Ping alone served as Chancellor."

In the second year, in the tenth month, Chancellor Chen Ping died. The Emperor reinstated the Marquis of Qiang, Zhou Bo, as Chancellor.

On the last day of the eleventh month, there was an eclipse. On the fifteenth day of the twelfth month, there was another eclipse. The Emperor said: "I have heard that heaven, having produced the multitude of the people, established rulers to nourish and govern them. If the sovereign lacks virtue and the government is unequal, heaven shows portents to warn of disorder. Thus, on the last day of the eleventh month, an eclipse occurred, appearing in heaven—what greater portent could there be? I have been preserved to protect the ancestral temple, my insignificant self entrusted above the masses and lords. The governance of the world rests with me alone, and the handful of ministers are like my limbs. Below, I am unable to nurture the common people; above, I have failed the brightness of the three lights. My lack of virtue is great. When this edict arrives, let each consider fully my errors and what has been overlooked in my knowledge and vision, and present them to me. Also, recommend men of worth, integrity, and ability who can speak plainly and counsel directly, so that they may correct my shortcomings. Let each attend to his official duties and reduce expenses to benefit the people. I have not been able to extend my virtue far, and thus I am anxiously concerned about foreign aggression. Therefore my preparations have not ceased. Now if we cannot dismiss the border garrisons, let us strengthen our forces and increase the guards. Let the army of the General Who Guards the Army be disbanded. The Palace Stables shall keep only enough horses for official couriers; the rest shall be released."

When ministers such as Zhang Wu were found to have accepted bribes and gifts of money, the Emperor, upon discovering this, distributed money from the imperial treasury to them, making them feel ashamed of themselves, and did not turn them over to the judicial authorities. He devoted himself entirely to transforming the people through virtue, and thus the empire became rich and prosperous, and rites and righteousness flourished. In the sixth month, on the day jihai, of the seventh year of the Later Era, the Emperor passed away in Weiyang Palace. His testamentary edict read: 'I have heard that among all the living things that sprout and grow under heaven, none escapes death. Death is the principle of Heaven and Earth, the natural course of all things—how can one mourn excessively? In the present age, people all delight in life and abhor death; they ruin their family estates with lavish burials and harm the living with heavy mourning. I find this most unacceptable.'

In the first month, the Emperor said: "Agriculture is the foundation of the realm. I shall open the imperial fields. I will personally plow them to provide the grain offerings for the ancestral temple."

The Emperor issued an edict: "In antiquity, rulers governed the realm through the system of praise banners that encouraged citizens to approach with good counsel, and of wooden tablets that invited criticism. Thus the path of good governance was kept open and loyal counsel could reach the throne. Yet now our laws punish criticism and false accusations as criminal offenses. This silences the ministers, who dare not speak their minds, and deprives the sovereign of any knowledge of his own failings. How then shall we attract worthy men from distant lands? Let these statutes be abolished.

"When common people curse the sovereign and make pacts with one another, later turning on each other, officials condemn this as sedition. If they speak of other matters, officials still charge them with defamation. These are ignorant commoners driven by foolishness, and I find it deplorable that they should be executed for such things. Henceforth, no one shall be prosecuted for such offenses."

He focused on agriculture and gave priority to the household registers; he spread virtue and ceased warfare. The late Emperor attached great importance to farming, making the register of the people his first concern, and strove to fill the granaries throughout the realm. He disseminated virtue and moral suasion, and laid down arms, so that the people settled peacefully in their lands and rejoiced in their work, and the borderlands were free of the flames of war. Thereby the foundations of the state were firm and stable, the people were harmonious and joyful, the culture of ritual and righteousness flourished, decrees and commands were carried out without obstruction, the path of governance shone bright, myriads of states came to pay homage, and peace prevailed within the four seas. Thus the state enjoyed enduring peace and good order, all officials performed their duties faithfully, the common people lived at ease and delighted in their occupations, the four quarters were without incident, and all under Heaven was at peace.

He abolished burdensome exactions and suppressed malicious slander, making governance simple and punishments just. With the harm of harsh taxes removed and defamatory speech restrained, the government was transparent and penalties were not severe. As a result, officials were free from greed, lawsuits were rare, the people escaped the torment of cruel laws, their lives settled, and ritual propriety and righteousness arose naturally, while customs returned to purity. In those days villages and towns were tranquil, officials were honest and upright, statutes were clear and concise, the common folk cherished his benevolence, and a spirit of loyalty and justice spread throughout the land, so that all praised the excellence of his way of governing. Therefore, descendants have never ceased to extol him, lauding his legal system for being generous and simple, his rule blending virtue with statecraft, leaving a good name that endures for a thousand ages.

He wore coarse silk garments to set an example of frugality and halted the construction of the open terrace. The law was lenient and military preparations were relaxed; prisons showed compassion for inmates and relieved the suffering of Tiying’s family from mutilating punishments. Thus the people dressed plainly and the palace no longer indulged in luxury; though weapons remained, they were not used lightly, and the legal system gave priority to leniency, so that all weapons in the realm were used only for rightful defence and military affairs did not disturb agriculture. The empire was at peace as a result; civil and martial virtues advanced together, the economy flourished, rites and music were properly ordered, and posterity has taken this as a model, praising his blending of leniency with firmness and his ever‑renewing art of government.

Baling stands unchanged, and praise resounds for a thousand years. His achievements tower like a lofty peak; the glory of his rule is made manifest at the tomb, and after a thousand years the voice of acclaim has never ceased, the myriad people praising his virtue, generation after generation paying him reverence, all regarding Baling as a standard to display the correct path of governance to later ages. Thus for endless aeons the radiance of Baling has served as a mirror, warning sovereigns of later times to take virtue as their foundation and to govern by law, so that the state may enjoy lasting peace and stability, the common people may dwell in contentment and joy in their work, heaven and earth may be in harmonious accord, and wind and rain may come at their proper seasons.