萬石張叔列傳

Lord Wanshi's personal name was Fen. His father was a man of Zhao, surnamed Shi. When Zhao fell, the family moved to Wen. When the Grand Progenitor marched east to attack Xiang Ji, he passed through Henei. Fen was then fifteen, serving as a minor clerk. The Grand Progenitor conversed with him and, impressed by his respectfulness, asked: "What family do you have?" Fen replied: "I have only my mother, who has lost her sight. Our family is poor. I have an elder sister who can play the zither." The Grand Progenitor said: "Can you follow me?" He said: "I would serve with all my strength." The Grand Progenitor summoned his sister as a palace lady, appointed Fen as Attendant of the Inner Chamber, and moved the family to the imperial quarter of Chang'an. By Emperor Wen's time, Fen had risen to Grand Palace Grandee through accumulated merit. He had no literary accomplishments, but in respectfulness and caution he was without equal.

During Emperor Wen's reign, all recommended Fen as Tutor to the Heir Apparent. When Emperor Jing ascended, he appointed Fen among the Nine Ministers but, finding his proximity intimidating, transferred him to be Chancellor of a feudal kingdom. Fen's four sons all reached the rank of Two Thousand Bushels through obedient, filial conduct. Emperor Jing remarked: "Shi Fen and his four sons all hold the rank of Two Thousand Bushels — such honor concentrated in one family." He gave Fen the title Lord Wanshi (Lord of Ten Thousand Bushels).

In Emperor Jing's final years, Lord Wanshi retired. Whenever he passed the palace gates, he would alight and walk briskly. When sons and grandsons came home, he always received them in full court attire, never using their personal names. If any committed a fault, he would sit at the table and refuse to eat until they bared their shoulders and begged forgiveness. Even in private he wore his formal cap. The Shi family became renowned throughout the commanderies for filial piety — even the Confucian scholars of Qi and Lu admitted they could not match them.

In the second year of Jianyuan (139 BC), the Empress Dowager, believing Confucian scholars strong in rhetoric but weak in substance, appointed Jian as Superintendent of Palace Attendants and Qing as Director of the Capital, since the Wanshi family practiced virtue through action rather than words.

Jian grew old and white-haired while Lord Wanshi was still in good health. As Superintendent, Jian secretly washed his father's soiled garments himself. In private counsel he spoke with extreme frankness; at court he appeared incapable of speech. Lord Wanshi rebuked Qing when he failed to dismount his carriage at the neighborhood gate. Lord Wanshi died in 124 BC. Jian wept so bitterly he could only walk with a staff; a year later Jian himself died.

As Superintendent, Jian once submitted a document and then discovered he had written the character for 'horse' with four strokes instead of five. He was terrified the emperor would execute him for the error. Such was his caution. The youngest son Qing, serving as Grand Coachman, counted the carriage horses one by one with his whip before answering the emperor's question. As Chancellor of Qi, the kingdom was governed without commands; the people erected a shrine to him.

In the first year of Yuanshou (122 BC), Qing became Tutor to the Heir Apparent, then Censor-in-Chief. In 112 BC, the emperor made him Chancellor and Marquis of Muqiu. But the Han was campaigning on every frontier; Sang Hongyang managed finances, harsh officials enforced law, and new favorites handled policy. Matters were no longer referred to the Chancellor. In nine years, Qing never offered corrective counsel.

When two million refugees were displaced in 107 BC, the emperor considered the Chancellor too old for the debate. Qing tried to resign, but the emperor rebuked him: "The granaries are empty and the people destitute. You propose to relocate them, destabilizing them further, and then resign — are you passing the crisis on?" Qing returned to his duties in shame.

Qing was thorough but had no grand vision. He died in 103 BC as Marquis Tian (the Serene). Thirteen of his descendants had held the Two Thousand Bushel rank while he was Chancellor, but after his death they were gradually dismissed and the tradition of filial conscientiousness declined.

Wei Wan, the Marquis of Jianling, was from Dai. He entered service through chariot acrobatics under Emperor Wen. When the future Emperor Jing summoned attendants to drink, Wan pleaded illness and refused. On his deathbed, Emperor Wen told his heir: "Wan is a man of integrity — treat him well." When Emperor Jing asked why Wan had refused the invitation, Wan said: "I was truly ill." The emperor gave him a sword; Wan said he still had the six swords Emperor Wen had given him, all still in their sheaths, never worn. The emperor, seeing his loyalty, eventually made him Chancellor. Yet from his first post to the chancellorship, Wan never had anything significant to say.

Zhi Buyi of Nanyang once took the blame when a colleague's gold went missing, buying gold to repay it. When the real culprit was discovered, Buyi was known as a man of integrity. When slandered for seducing a sister-in-law, he calmly replied: "I have no elder brother," and refused to defend himself further. He studied Laozi's teachings and governed so unobtrusively that no one noticed he was an official.

Zhou Ren served as Superintendent of Palace Attendants through sheer discretion. He was always present for Emperor Jing's private entertainments and never spoke a word of what he saw. The emperor trusted him so completely that he visited Ren's home in person.

Zhang Ou, the Censor-in-Chief, was trained in the Legalist school of Forms and Names but was personally a man of benevolence. He never once recommended prosecution. When unavoidable cases came before him, he would seal the verdicts with tears streaming down his face.

The Grand Historian remarks: Confucius said, "The gentleman wishes to be slow in speech but prompt in action." Was he not speaking of men like Lord Wanshi and the Marquis of Jianling? Their governance succeeded without being harsh. The Marquis of Sai showed subtle tact, and Zhou Ren occupied a position close to flattery — the gentleman might censure them as bordering on sycophancy. Yet all may be called gentlemen of steadfast practice.