《弘道錄》Vol. 15

The Meaning of Husband and Wife

The Book of Jin records: Wang Hui Feng, the wife of Crown Prince Minhuai, was the daughter of Grand Commandant Wang Yan. She was chaste and gentle, and possessed resolve and integrity. At first, the crown prince was deposed and confined in Jinyong Fortress. Wang Yan submitted a memorial asking that his daughter be allowed to divorce him. Hui Feng wept as she returned home, and those who saw her on the road wept for her.

Later, Liu Yao captured Luoyang and seized Hui Feng, giving her to his subordinate Qiao Shu. After crossing the Mengjin Ford, Qiao Shu reached the middle of the river and wanted to take her as his wife. Hui Feng drew her sword and held him off, saying, “I am the wife of the crown prince and the daughter of the Minister of Works. How dare you, rebellious barbarian boy, insult me?” With that, she threw herself into the river.

Her attendant Liuchu, a granddaughter of the Wei general Feng Ming, saw her mistress leap into the river and resolutely said, “Since my mistress has done this, I should do the same.” She then leapt into the river too.

The Hongdao lu comments: I have observed the customs of the Jin dynasty: people were benighted and confused, their judgment turned upside down. They were quick to prize empty reputations, while disregarding practical failings and disgrace. Women such as Wang and Liuchu were like fine jade buried in earth, or clear ice in a vessel. Yet Wang Yan could not distinguish right from wrong. He thought only of keeping as many options open as possible, and hastened to arrange his daughter’s divorce. Without their steadfast actions, how could their exceptional character have been revealed? In the end, they preserved their good names through the jade-like strength of their integrity.

Compared with those who tore down walls and filled in pits to kill people, they were like tiles and stones. How could one claim that there was any pearl or jade among that crowd? The harm caused by empty talk and moral posturing could not protect the state above, preserve one’s own life in the middle, or shield one’s children below. This is truly grievous. It is a lesson that all generations to come should take as a warning.

The Book of Tang records: One day, after returning from court, Emperor Taizong grew angry in the palace and said, “One day I’ll kill that old country bumpkin!” Empress Zhangsun, who was beside him, asked, “Whom does Your Majesty mean?” Taizong replied, “Wei Zheng speaks without respect. He often humiliates me in public at court.”

The empress withdrew, put on her formal court robes, and stood in the courtyard. Taizong was startled and asked why she had done so. She said, “I have heard that only when a ruler is enlightened can his ministers be upright. Wei Zheng dares to speak frankly precisely because Your Majesty is enlightened, so I have come to congratulate you.” Taizong was delighted to hear this.

The Hongdao lu comments: Taizong was angry not because Wei Zheng had truly humiliated him, but because his own heart was not sufficiently upright. The empress offered congratulations not because the matter had moved her inwardly, but because she saw that it could bring her a good reputation. If Taizong had truly understood the importance of an upright heart, he would not have grown angry over this. If he had truly understood that appointing worthy ministers was a pressing duty, he would not have taken offense.

Later, had it not been for the wisdom of Empress Zhangsun, Wei Zheng would have been unable to repay Taizong for treating him with the virtue of culture. And once the prince had lost his marriage, the empress, too, would have had no way to…

Imperial Consort Xu Hui, observing Emperor Taizong's simultaneous campaigns against Goguryeo in the east and the ancient kingdom of Kucha in the west, coupled with extravagant construction projects like Cuiwei Palace and Yuhua Palace, submitted a memorial of remonstrance: "Using the finite harvests of common farmers to fill the bottomless pit of military expenditure; sacrificing our existing military strength to seize foreign lands we don't yet possess. Did not the First Emperor of Qin's conquest of six states accelerate his dynasty's collapse? Did not Emperor Wu of Jin's unification of three kingdoms precipitate the War of Eight Princes? Are these not all consequences of vainglorious ambition, neglect of virtuous governance (De), covetousness for profit, and indulgence of desires? Those rare curios are but axes chopping at the state's foundations; pearls and brocades are truly poisons that befuddle the mind. Even with frugality as our standard, we still fear extravagance—what restraint will posterity know if extravagance becomes the norm?"

Emperor Taizong greatly appreciated her counsel. This historical account reveals that during the Zhenguan golden age, a virtuous consort could earn renown precisely because the Tang's rise represented a corrective to Sui dynasty extravagance. The key to good governance lay in the ruler's willingness to accept remonstrance. When both high and low spoke frankly, when both intimates and outsiders dared admonish—this forged an era of prosperity. If even upright ministers turned sycophantic, how much more would women in the inner chambers conform?

Later, when Emperor Gaozong summoned senior statesmen—Zhangsun Wuji (founding hero), Li Ji (renowned general), Yu Zhining, and Chu Suiliang—to the inner court, Chu anticipated: "Today's summons surely concerns deposing the empress. The Emperor's mind is made—opposition means death. The Grand Commandant (Zhangsun) is imperial kin; the Minister of Works (Li Ji) is a meritorious veteran—we cannot let them bear the infamy of killing royal relatives and heroes. I rose from humble origins without military merit yet reached the highest office, and received the late Emperor's trust. If I don't remonstrate unto death, how could I face him in the afterlife?" Li Ji feigned illness while the others attended, where Gaozong indeed proposed: "Empress Wang is childless while Consort Wu (later Wu Zetian) has borne me a son. I wish to install Wu as empress—what say you?"

Chu Suiliang objected bluntly: "The Empress comes from nobility and was chosen for you by the late Emperor. On his deathbed, he clasped your hand and told me: 'I entrust my good son and daughter-in-law to you.' You heard this yourself. Without fault, how can she be lightly deposed?" The displeased emperor adjourned court. At the next day's debate, Chu protested more vehemently: "If you must change empresses, why not select another noble lady? Why must it be Wu?" He even battered his forehead against the steps until blood flowed: "My defiance merits death!" This mortal remonstration embodied the Zhenguan spirit's last glow, though ultimately failing to prevent Wu Zetian's elevation—a poignant demonstration of how even the most courageous counsel could be overcome by imperial will.

Chu Suiliang laid his tablet on the steps of the hall, removed his headscarf, and knocked his head against the ground until it bled, begging the emperor to let him resign and return to the fields. The emperor was furious and ordered him dragged away. From behind the curtain, the Zhao Attendant—a palace official, here referring to Lady Wu, the later Empress Wu Zetian—shouted, “Why not beat him to death?”

Changsun Wuji said, “Chu Suiliang received the late emperor’s solemn charge at his deathbed. Even if he is guilty, he must not be punished.”

Later, Li Ji entered the palace to see the emperor and said, “This is Your Majesty’s family matter. Why ask outsiders?” The emperor’s decision was then settled.

The Hongdao lu comments: At the time, the positions of Changsun Wuji, Chu Suiliang, and Li Ji were as indistinctly divided as the waters of the Jing and Wei Rivers. One remark the next day would determine the safety of the Tang ancestral temples and state, as well as the fate of the branches of the imperial clan and of all the officials. They all stood in peril.

If Li Ji was trusted by the emperor and should therefore have spoken up, then who was truly the one who ought to speak? Chu Suiliang had the courage to correct the ruler and avert a crisis, so that later generations could still understand the duties between ruler and minister, husband and wife, and friends. Had Li Ji been the first to state his position, then words such as “a fine son and a fine wife” would have been treated as though they had gone unheard. Wouldn’t the principles of Heaven and the conscience of the people have nearly been extinguished? Though Chu Suiliang’s words did not change the emperor’s decision, his moral integrity shone like the bright sun. A gentleman cannot fail to record this.

Yang the Chaste was the wife of Li Kan. In the final years of the Jianzhong era, Li Xilie captured Bianzhou and sent out troops to raid and occupy the surrounding counties. At the time, Li Kan was magistrate of Dunqiu County. Dunqiu’s walls were low and the rebel army was strong, so Li Kan wanted to flee. His wife said, “When enemies arrive, you should defend the city; if your strength is not enough, you should die defending it. Once you flee, who will be left to defend the city?”

Li Kan said, “We have few soldiers and little money or supplies. What can we do?” His wife replied, “If the county seat cannot be defended, its land will fall into enemy hands. The goods in the granaries and treasuries will become the enemy’s resources, and the people will become the enemy’s soldiers. What benefit would that bring the state? Offer generous rewards to recruit those willing to fight to the death; perhaps the situation can still be saved.”

Li Kan then summoned the officials and people to the courtyard and said, “I am indeed your magistrate, but I will leave when my term ends. You, however, were born on this land, and your ancestors’ graves are here. We should all fight to defend the city. Can you bear to turn north and bow before the enemy?” The people wept and agreed.

Li Kan then announced, “Anyone who strikes the enemy with tiles or stones will receive a thousand coins; anyone who kills an enemy with a blade or an arrow will receive ten thousand.” He recruited several hundred men and led them to the walls to defend the city. Yang personally tended the cooking fires and fed the defenders. She also sent word to the enemy: “The elders and people of Dunqiu are holding fast to what is right and will not surrender. Even if you take the city, it will bring you no glory. Leave at once, before you lose men for nothing.” As it happened, an enemy commander was struck by an arrow and killed, and the rebels withdrew. Dunqiu County was saved. The court issued an edict transferring Li Kan to serve as magistrate of Taiping County.

Earlier, at the beginning of the Wansui Tongtian era, the Khitans invaded Pingzhou, and Zou Bao…

When Ying (surname missing) served as governor, the city was about to fall. His wife, Lady Xi, led the household servants and women up onto the walls to defend it, and never came down. The court issued an edict conferring on her the title “Lady of Sincerity and Fidelity.”

When Mochuo attacked Fei□ County (the place name is missing a character), Gao, the wife of He Guxuanying, held the city steadfastly. The court issued an edict conferring on her the title “Lady of Xunzhong County.”

During the rebellion of Shi Siming, Hou of Weizhou, Tang of Huazhou, and Wang of Qingzhou swore a blood oath together and went to the military camp to attack the rebels. Xu Shuji, military governor of Huapu, submitted a memorial praising their loyalty and courage, and all three were appointed to official posts as officers of courage and resolve. They were brave and decisive, and did not forget to serve their country. Yet in generosity of spirit and passionate resolve, and in their deep understanding of the duty between ruler and subject, they still fell short of Yang the Martyr.

The Hongdao lu comments: “When I read the biographies of exemplary women in the Tang History, I find that they are generally short on detail. Only this account is complete from beginning to end, and judges the conduct appropriately. Was it not written this way to make people of the present age feel ashamed? Kan (the person referred to in the original is unclear) also once died for another, yet was able to turn disaster into good fortune. When the people of twenty-four commanderies heard of this, would they not have been so ashamed that they wished the ground would swallow them? The matter censured here concerns not only one exemplary woman, but also those three women; people will go on mocking them.”

Wang, a worthy consort of Emperor Wuzong of Tang, was bright and quick-witted. She entered the palace at thirteen. At the time, Wuzong was still Prince Ying, and Emperor Muzong gave Wang to him. After Wuzong ascended the throne, Wang secretly helped him plan affairs of state. She was later promoted to the rank of Cairen and was deeply favored. She was slender and tall, and her appearance closely resembled Wuzong’s. Whenever Wuzong hunted in the imperial park, she always accompanied him, dressed in splendid riding clothes much like the emperor’s. The two rode side by side, and spectators often could not tell which one was the emperor.

Wuzong wished to make her empress, but Li Deyu would not agree. Later, Wuzong gradually became taken in by the claims of the Daoist alchemists and pursued immortality. Before long, his health steadily declined, and his complexion and skin lost their luster. Wang was deeply worried. Wuzong asked her, “If one day I should die, what do you intend to do?” Weeping, she replied, “After Your Majesty’s death, I wish to die with you.” Wuzong said no more.

When Wuzong was critically ill, the Cairen distributed among the people in the palace all the things she had accumulated over the years. Once she was certain that Wuzong had died, she hanged herself beneath the curtains. At that moment, the palace consorts and maids, even those who had envied her in the past, all came to respect her fidelity and were deeply moved.

The Hongdao lu comments: “Dying to accompany the dead was not the right way of antiquity, and hunting was not virtuous conduct either. Yet this story is still recorded because the Tang court lacked sound rules for governing the inner palace and was also infatuated with occult arts—matters especially deserving of caution. The account is included not only to praise the Cairen, but also as a warning about ethics within the household.”

The History of the Song records: “Cui, the daughter-in-law of Bao Zheng, was the wife of Bao Yi. Bao Yi died young, leaving a small child. Bao Zheng and his wife thought Cui would not remain faithful, so they had someone close to them sound out her intentions…”

With her clothes soiled and tears streaming down her face, she came to see Bao Zheng and said, “You are a virtuous official renowned throughout the realm. As your wife, I am willing to serve as a lowly servant and do the washing and laundry—duties that are mine by right in any case. Since I lived as a wife of the Bao family, after death I will remain a ghost of the Bao family. I swear I will never marry again.” Later, her young son also died.

Cui’s mother, Lü, came from Jingzhou and wanted to persuade Cui to remarry. She said, “Your husband has died, and you kept vigil for your son. Now your son has died too—what are you still keeping vigil for?” Cui replied, “I stayed before not for my son, but for my parents-in-law. Now my father-in-law has passed away, and my mother-in-law is old. Could I bear to leave her behind?” Lü angrily said, “I would rather die than return alone.” Cui replied, “Since you have come from so far away, it would be wrong of me to let you go back alone. But once we reach Jingzhou, if anyone pressures me to do something contrary to righteousness, I will certainly make my resolve known by hanging myself.” So she accompanied her mother. Lü was awed by her steadfastness and ultimately did not dare force her to change her mind.

Bao Zheng once sent one of his concubines back to her family. While there, she gave birth to a child. Cui secretly comforted the child’s mother and urged her to take good care of him. Later, Cui brought the child back to the household, named him Die, and had him continue the Bao family’s ancestral rites.

The Record comments: The Duke of Xiaosu, Bao Zheng, once said, “If any of my descendants hold office and take bribes, they are not to be allowed back into the family home, nor buried in the ancestral graveyard after death. Anyone who does not follow my wishes is no descendant of mine.” His family rules were so strict. Did he alone fail to make proper provision for his own wife? Why, then, did he let those around him test her? Given Bao Zheng’s wife, under pressure from Lü and influenced by those close to her, she could indeed have been led toward remarriage. How could a husband fail to handle such a matter with care? Cui not only remained steadfast in her virtue, but also secretly cared for the child born to the concubine, allowing the Bao family’s ancestral rites to continue. Was this merely the ordinary virtue of a woman who remained chaste? One could say that Heaven was mindful of the Duke of Xiaosu, Bao Zheng.

The wife of Chuanchá was Zhao, the daughter of Zhao Bian, a distinguished Northern Song official. Chuanchá was Zhao Yaoyu’s nephew. From childhood he loved reading and remained indifferent to power and profit. At eighteen he passed the jinshi examination, but before he had taken the court’s palace examination, Cai Jing tried to entice him into his faction. Cai sent his son Cai Shu and several fortune-tellers to call on him one after another, intending to marry his daughter to him. Chuanchá refused to respond and would not force himself to accept an invitation to meet. In the end, he married the daughter of the Duke of Qingxian, Zhao Bian. Those with exceptional insight had already recognized that his talent and capacity were beyond measure.

Later, Chuanchá served as an Erudite of the Ministry of War and was sent as an envoy to the Jin state. By then, the Jin forces had already broken the alliance, and some urged him not to hurry on. He said, “I have been ordered to go on this mission. If I stop as soon as I hear of hostilities, how can I answer for myself before the sovereign?” So he continued on his way. En route, he encountered Wali-bu, a Jin general leading troops south. The general ordered him to bow, but he refused. Spears and swords stood all around him; someone dragged him to the ground, yet he still rose to his feet, undaunted. He repeatedly explained his reasons and also said to the official Hou Yan and the others, “If I die, I will certainly…”

“If my parents hear of this, they will be overcome with grief. Please remember my words and pass them on to my family, so they will know that I died for my country and may find some small relief from their endless sorrow.” Later, she was indeed killed. When Yan and the others returned, they were able to describe how clearly she understood the situation and how she refused to yield, even at the cost of her life. She had so unmistakably put righteousness first that all who heard of her were saddened and admired her courage.

The Hongdao lu comments: “The daughter of Lord Qingxian and the daughter-in-law of Lord Xiaosu were equally renowned. Since Cha Ci-jing chose Bian as his son-in-law without being pressured to do so, how could her later sacrifice for her country while on an embassy have been a mere accident? She knew the value of her own person, and so chose her husband carefully; she knew how to cherish her family, and so held fast to what was right. The Zhao family was thereby all the more honored. This was unlike the cases of the Cui and Lü families, who were forced into their situations.”

Wu, wife of Lü Zhi, an official of the Southern Song. Lü Zhi was summoned by Zhang Jun, a high-ranking Southern Song official, and joined his staff. At the time, Yue Fei wanted to launch a major northern campaign against the Jin. Qin Hui feared Yue Fei, so he advised the emperor to order Yue Fei to summon the various commanders and discuss military affairs.

Zhang Jun said, “A report from the Huai region says they want Wang De to serve as commander-in-chief. I plan to have Lü Zhi, as a staff adviser to the military headquarters, take charge of these troops. What do you think?”

Yue Fei replied, “Wang De and Li Qiong have long been at odds. If Wang De is suddenly placed above Li Qiong, the two will certainly quarrel. Minister Lü is unfamiliar with military affairs and may find it difficult to command the troops’ respect.”

Zhang Jun asked again, “What about Zhang Jun and Yang Yizhong?”

Yue Fei said, “Zhang Jun was once my commander. He is impetuous and lacks foresight. Yang Yizhong’s abilities are about on a par with Wang De’s and the others’. How could he control these troops?”

Zhang Jun’s expression darkened. “I knew all along that no one but you, General, could do it.”

Yue Fei said, “Since the commander has asked me in earnest, I dare not withhold my honest opinion. I am not saying this to curry favor with you.”

Zhang Jun ultimately appointed Wang De commander-in-chief and Li Qiong his deputy, and assigned Lü Zhi to help plan military affairs. Li Qiong and Wang De argued with each other at court. The court then ordered Wang De to return to Jiankang and placed his troops under the military headquarters. It also ordered Lü Zhi to go to Luzhou and take command of the troops there, sending an imperial palace messenger to escort the saddled horses granted to him.

After accepting the reward, Lü Zhi said to his family, “The emperor’s command is clear; righteousness leaves me no grounds to refuse. I am not afraid of death. I only worry that this journey will do nothing for the country.” He and his wife and children wept together. Then he said farewell and set out.

When Lü Zhi arrived, he said to Li Qiong and the others, “If I were to say that you are in the right, I would be deceiving you badly. Chancellor Zhang simply likes people to press forward bravely. If you can win merit, he will treat even serious offenses leniently, let alone a small disagreement. I will do everything I can to speak up for you, so you need not worry.”

Li Qiong and the others were moved to tears, and their agitation eased somewhat. Later, someone secretly submitted a memorial asking that Lü Zhi be dismissed. The clerk who had copied the document let the news slip…

Qiong’s men intercepted documents being carried by the postal stations and searched out everything in them that concerned him. He flew into a rage. At the time, the court appointed Zhang Jun as pacification commissioner for Huai Xi, appointed Yang Yizhong as military commissioner, and summoned Qiong to join the army. Afraid, Qiong eventually rebelled.

One morning, the generals came to pay their respects to Zhi. They had only just taken their seats when Qiong pulled a document from his sleeve and said, “What crimes have the officers committed, that the court should believe such things?” Zhi read the document and turned pale with shock. He tried to rise and flee, but it was too late: Qiong seized and killed him.

Someone later took to Wu the silk band that Zhi had used to tie up his hair. Zhi’s wife, Lady Wu, used it to hang herself and follow her husband in death. When the story spread, all who heard it grieved for them.

The Records comments: Jealousy is a vile quality. Whether among the court in its exalted position, armies of great strength, loyal and virtuous martyrs, or foolish rebel generals and warriors, none have escaped its harm. Had Qin Hui been able to tolerate Yue Fei, Zhang Jun would surely not have brought calamity upon himself in this way. If Zhang Jun had not suffered this calamity, events might not have met with obstruction at every turn; if they had not been obstructed at every turn, disaster might not have come about so soon. In that case, whether Qiong would have rebelled and whether Zhi would have died would both be hard to predict.

Did the silk band Zhi used to tie his hair thus become an omen of death, hastened by the treacherous Qin Hui? Even so, Zhang Jun should have atoned with his life to make amends for the wrong he had done Zhi. If he still failed this good friend in the world beyond, how could anyone expect him to have the ability to recover the Central Plains? In truth, there was no need to wait for the defeat at the Battle of Fuli: discerning men had already seen that the commander’s plans were doomed to achieve little.

Chen Yin’s wife, Lady Du, was the daughter of Chen Xian, a Hanlin Academician in the Bao’en Pavilion. Chen Yin entered government service through family privilege and later became prefect of Xihezhou, a strategically important frontier post. Though a scholar, he believed it was his duty to defend a place in danger and that he could not refuse. When the Yuan army entered the territory, Commander He Jin was ordered to defend Da’an, leaving only Commander Wang Rui and a thousand loyal soldiers to guard the city. Chen Yin vowed to defend the land alongside its people. He kept his three sons and household possessions in the city, and used his own wealth to win over and reward the loyal soldiers, determined to hold out to the death.

A hundred thousand Yuan troops surrounded the city. Chen Yin led the loyal soldiers and volunteers prepared to die in battle, fighting fiercely through dozens of engagements day and night until they finally drove the enemy back. He Jin had long been at odds with Chen Yin, while the other generals were jealous of Chen Yin’s military achievements. When Chen Yin urgently sought reinforcements, they did not come to his aid, and the city eventually fell. Chen Yin turned to his wife, Lady Du, and said, “Hurry and find a way to save yourself.” Lady Du answered sharply, “How could I share your stipend in life, yet refuse to share the affairs of the state with you in death?” With that, she took poison and killed herself. Chen Yin then put on his court robes, faced the palace, burned incense, and wept as he said, “When I first planned the defense of this place…”

“The city is the shield of Shu. If it falls, I ought to give my life for the state.” With that, he bowed twice, lay face down on the ground, drew his sword, and killed himself. Twenty-eight of his sons and younger relatives, family members, and retainers died with him. Adjudicator Jia Zikun, Prefect of Wenzhou Liu Rui, Assistant Prefect of Jinzhou Jian Yi, and Assistant Prefect of Lizhou He Chong also perished with their entire families.

After He Chong was captured, the enemy set up a tent and sat around him, deliberately leaving an honored guest’s seat empty and inviting him to sit. He Chong said, “For three generations, my family has received stipends from the Zhao house. Now I die for the Zhao house, and I have no regrets.” As she faced death, He Chong’s wife, Lady Chen, bowed twice toward the east and said, “We, husband and wife, can now face the Zhao house without shame.”

The editors of the Record of the Vast Way comment: “When Yin’s father faced the rebellion of the Shu general Wu Xi, he was so resentful that he could not punish the rebels that he shaved his head and donned a monk’s robe, thus bringing shame upon himself. Yin, however, fought the enemy with courage. Though he eventually died of exhaustion, he was enough to bring honor to ‘Xian.’ What is more, there were also Jia Zikun, Liu Rui, Jian Yi, He Chong, and others, whose families all showed such loyalty and valor that they moved Heaven and touched people’s hearts. Had the court selected these people one by one, placed them in important posts, and entrusted them with vital responsibilities, it surely could have turned weakness into strength and danger into safety. This would not have been difficult. Yet in the end they were scattered to remote regions and confined to isolated cities in low-ranking posts. Their cities had neither reinforcements nor capable generals to defend them; they were also often subjected to suspicion and exclusion. They could only spill their blood upon the city walls—what help was that to the state as a whole? Thus, when the world is governed by the Dao, heroes and men of talent all find a place in service; when the world is without the Dao, they have nowhere to settle. Surely few can witness such a state of affairs without weeping bitterly.”

Zhao Angfa’s wife was Lady Yong. Zhao Angfa passed the imperial examinations as a student of the Imperial Academy and later served as Assistant Prefect of Chizhou. After the Yuan army crossed the river, Wang Qizong, the prefect of Chizhou, abandoned his post and fled. Zhao Angfa took over the administration of the prefecture, repaired the city walls, and stockpiled provisions in preparation for a resolute defense. When the Yuan patrol cavalry reached the area around Liwang River, Commander Zhang Lin urged Zhao Angfa to meet the enemy and surrender. Zhao Angfa was consumed with anger and glared at Zhang Lin, who dared not speak again. Later, Zhang Lin secretly sent someone to surrender to the enemy, while outwardly continuing to help Zhao Angfa defend the city. In reality, however, he handed everything over to Zhang Lin to decide.

Knowing that the situation was beyond saving, Zhao Angfa laid on a feast and gathered his friends and relatives to bid them farewell. He said to his wife, Lady Yong, “The city is about to fall. As the official charged with defending it, I cannot leave. You should escape first.” Lady Yong replied, “You are an official appointed by the court, and I am the wife of an official appointed by the court. If you can be a loyal subject, can I not be the wife of a loyal subject?” Zhao Angfa laughed and said, “How could women like you manage such a thing!” The next day, he divided his family’s possessions among his younger brother, nephews, and servants, and distributed them all…

When the Yuan army approached the city walls, Zhao Angfa wrote nine words at dawn: “The state must not be betrayed; the city must not be surrendered.” He and his wife, Lady Yong, decided to die together for their principles. Dressed carefully, they hanged themselves in the Hall of Composure.

When Zhao Angfa first built the hall, he once hosted a banquet there. Pointing to the inscribed plaque, he said, “The ancients said that it is easy to meet death with passion, but difficult to die with composure.” Now he had finally put those words into practice himself.

The Hongdao lu comments: “I have observed Zhao Angfa’s Hall of Composure and Jiang Wanli’s Pavilion of Still Waters. People of their time did not understand the deeper meaning of these places; in truth, both men’s resolve had been settled long before, in times of peace and calm. Consider the Hibiscus Pavilion and Fragrant Orchid Pavilion of Dong Songchen and Lu Yunsheng, Jia Sidao’s Pavilion of Many Treasures and Cotton Tree Hermitage, and Qin Hui’s plaque inscribed ‘One Virtue Reaches Heaven.’ The purity and filth represented by these places differ by more than ten thousandfold! Alas, when the Way prevails in the realm, buildings can be used to celebrate virtue; when the Way does not prevail, buildings become a source of harm. Zhao Angfa’s Hall of Composure has earned him a place in the pages of history. Is that not better than those other places?”

Xie Fangde’s wife was Lady Li. Xie Fangde was an openhearted man. Whenever he read, he could take in five lines at once, and never forgot what he had read after a single reading. He urged himself to live by loyalty and righteousness. When the Yuan army advanced east, he served as Inspector of the River Front, Surveillance Commissioner for Jiangdong, and governor of Xinzhou. The following year, Lü Shikui and the military commander Wu Wanhu were separately charged with suppressing Jiangdong. Xie Fangde led troops to meet them, entered Anren, and summoned Zhang Xiaozhong’s soldiers from Huainan to launch a counterattack. He then retreated to Xinzhou. After Xinzhou fell, he changed his name, dressed in hemp clothing and straw sandals, and went to the eastern district of Jianning, where he wept. People did not recognize him and thought he was ill.

In the twenty-third year of the Zhiyuan era, Cheng Wenhai, an Academician of the Jixian Hall, recommended twenty-two former Song officials, with Xie Fangde at the top of the list. Xie Fangde declined and refused to enter government service. The Minister of State, Liu Mengyan, recommended him again. Xie Fangde wrote to Liu Mengyan: “Are there no talented men south of the Yangtze? You seek someone like Lü Yisheng, Cheng Ying, or Chujiu, yet you cannot even find a low-ranking attendant to serve you. When the Shang ruler Zhou was doomed, faced with the elite troops of the eight hundred lords, he dared not stand against the sound arguments of two men of loyalty and righteousness. King Wu and the Grand Duke were so awed that they were overcome with shame. I am now over sixty; all that remains for me is to die. What else could I hope for?”

Wei Tianyou, Vice Commissioner of the Fujian Regional Secretariat, forced Xie Fangde to travel north. When he arrived in the capital, Xie Fangde asked where Empress Dowager Xie was buried and what had become of the Duke of Ying. He bowed again and again, weeping in grief. Before long, he fell ill. Liu Mengyan sent someone…

A doctor brought a medicinal broth mixed with rice and urged Xie Fangde, a loyalist of the Southern Song, to drink it. Xie grew angry and said, “I want to die. Do you want me to live?” He threw the broth to the ground and died without drinking it.

Li was beautiful, intelligent, and discerning. She had read works of instruction for women as well as many other books. After Xie Fangde’s army was defeated, he fled to Fujian. Wanhu Wu feared he might stir up a rebellion, so he offered a reward for his capture. Li took their two sons and hid in the mountains of Guixi, surviving by gathering and eating plants. In the fourteenth year of the Zhiyuan era, government troops from Xinzhou tracked them into the mountains and announced, “If Li is not captured, we will slaughter everyone here and raze the place to the ground.” When Li heard this, she said, “How can I bring trouble on others because of me? If I go out and accept punishment, this will be over.” She then surrendered of her own accord and was taken prisoner.

The Record says: “The histories say that Xie Fangde endured every kind of hardship to preserve a minister’s integrity. How sorrowful this is! How difficult it is to maintain one’s integrity. He had long known that he could not answer the summons to serve in office: he had declined twice and firmly refused the invitations of several gentlemen many times. Could he not also have known that he had obligations to his friends?” (In a poem, Zhang Zihui says, “On this departure, you can still persuade them with three inches of your tongue; when you return, you will be worth not a single coin.” This is what he was referring to.) Alas, this shows that a gentleman should help others fulfill their virtues, not assist them in doing wrong. The worthy people of the realm are naturally to be cherished by all under Heaven.

The History of the Yuan records: Yu Que’s wife, Jiang, and his concubines Yebu and Yelü defended an isolated city alongside him for six years. Bandits surrounded it on every side. The city had only their small force to hold it, yet it stood firm as a bulwark for the Jianghuai region. Then Chen Youliang, Zhao Pusheng, and others joined forces to attack. Enemy troops surged in from all directions, while no reinforcements appeared outside the city. When Yu Que’s strength was spent and the city fell, he drew his sword and took his own life. Jiang and the two concubines took their daughter, An’an, and in the end all threw themselves into a well and died.

His eldest son, Yu Dechen, was eighteen. Grief-stricken, he said, “My father died for loyalty and righteousness. What reason have I to go on living?” He then drowned himself in the pond behind the garden. His nephew Futong, a skilled fighter of great courage and strength, also died beside the moat. His niece’s husband, Huali, served as a commander of ten thousand in the volunteer militia; his entire family cut their own throats and died. The prefect, Han Jianzhen, was bedridden with illness, yet he still cursed the enemy and refused to yield. As a result, his entire family was killed. At the time, the able-bodied townspeople climbed onto the city walls and tore down the ladders themselves, saying, “We would rather die than surrender!” More than a thousand people died alongside them.

Yu Que gave clear and reliable commands and shared hardships with his subordinates. Once, during a battle, arrows and stones rained down around him. When his soldiers tried to shield him with their shields, he always pushed them away, saying, “You have lives of your own. Why should you take arrows for me?” As a result, the soldiers vied with one another to give their lives for him. When the fighting briefly let up, he would gather the students to teach them, and establish…

The soldiers stood outside the gate awaiting orders. This shows that respect for the ruler and deference to their elders, as well as loyalty to the state, had long been rooted in their hearts.

The Hongdao lu records several accounts of this man’s wife. A Song-dynasty biography names her the Yebu family; the History of the Yuan gives her as the Yelü family; and the Record of Those Who Died for Their Principles says her surname was Jiang. Drawing on the account of Gongsun Zonglie, the Anqing Gazetteer says that the man had a concubine surnamed Yebu or Yelü, while his principal wife was in fact surnamed Jiang. In matters of principle, a wife and a concubine were no different.

For one household to produce loyal ministers, women steadfast in their integrity, outstanding men, and unwavering women was already remarkable. Yet the man’s relatives by marriage, son-in-law, soldiers, attendants, and local commoners all gave their lives in loyalty at the same time. Why? Perhaps the rise of the “false Han” was not a righteous act carried out in accord with Heaven’s will to punish rebellion. And the Loyal and Manifest Duke had made a pledge in the spirit of Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan, who held Suiyang to the death. Heaven therefore allowed the duke to uphold his integrity, so that the great principle might be made clear and later generations might recognize the enemy as rebels and understand where legitimate rule truly lay. From this, we can see that it is wrong to claim that the Hu people’s mandate had not yet run its course.

The Brief Account of the Double Fidelity of the Su Family by Huang Ming records that Wang Zhiqing and Hu Shouzhen were the wife and elder sister of Hu Zongxin, a resident of Qiantang County. Hu Zongxin was born shortly before his parents died, and several of his elder brothers also passed away one after another. Zongxin was still very young. His sister feared he would not be able to grow up and make his way in the world, so she thought: “It makes little difference whether I marry sooner or later. If I can raise my young brother, what harm is there in marrying later?” So she stayed and took charge of the household.

Before long, Zongxin also died, leaving behind a son named Gong, who was only two years old. His sister said, “Alas, I will never be able to marry after all. While my brother was alive, I could not bear to leave him helpless in his youth. Now that he is gone, if I leave the child behind, who will care for this orphan?” Zhiqing had no other plans either. The two women wept together and vowed to remain chaste for life and raise the orphan. They shared their daily lives. Shouzhen honored Zhiqing as an elder sister, while Zhiqing served Shouzhen throughout her life as if she were her mother-in-law.

The household was poor, and often they had no means of support. They would say that if they opened the door and sold some books, the proceeds might just cover firewood, rice, oil, and vinegar; then they would close the door and do needlework. In cold weather, they worked at two looms placed side by side, by the light of a single lamp that burned until midnight. They lived this way for nineteen years and never complained. After Shouzhen died at the age of sixty, Zhiqing took Gong with her and observed the full three-year mourning period for her.

The Hongdao lu comments: Deng Bodao, a Jin-dynasty man renowned for his benevolence and righteousness, held to the Way with extraordinary devotion. Yet gentlemen said that he thereby left himself without descendants, as though Heaven had punished him for it.

Can the Way of Heaven be severed? It cannot. This niece could not live on alone. The Righteous Maiden of Lu escaped calamity, but the gentleman said that this was mere good fortune. Can one rely on good fortune? This niece could not be left behind alone. Rather than face such a fate, why not remain chaste and unmarried? Then there would be no need to part from the bonds of family affection, nor to rely on good fortune; she could devote herself to putting righteousness into practice. This is the aspiration of an ordinary woman, and no one else can force her to change it. Would a sage cast aside such customs among the people of the villages and countryside?

The Record of Queli states: The Kong clan’s distinguished daughter, named Mingyuan and styled Deqing, was the fifty-eighth-generation granddaughter of the Sage Proclaimer (Confucius). She was the second daughter of Kong Shen, who taught at a branch school in Suzhou. Clever by nature, she was skilled in women’s work and well versed in the classics and histories. At eighteen, she married Wang Lun of Qufu. After entering her husband’s household, she was filial and respectful, gentle and modest, and praised by all her relatives, both within and beyond the family.

Just two years into their marriage, Wang Lun contracted an epidemic fever. His illness dragged on, and he was near death. He said to Mingyuan, “I do not regret dying. I only worry that you are still young and will have no one to rely on. Even if I die, I will not be able to rest in peace.” Mingyuan replied, “In life, we shared one room; in death, we will be buried together. My husband, do not worry about me. I will never let you down.” Wang Lun died soon afterward. Mingyuan was so overcome with grief that she fainted. As soon as she came to, she tried to hang herself beside Wang Lun. Her mother-in-law loved her dearly and hurried to save her. Weeping, she said, “My son has died, and I am already beside myself with grief. Why would you do this too? Have you no regard for my old age, that you would add still more sorrow to it?” Choking back sobs, Mingyuan said, “I have already promised him. How could I break my word?”

Her mother-in-law had the family keep watch over her. Unable to carry out her wish for the time being, and repeatedly comforted by the family, Mingyuan accepted food and drink and behaved as usual. When the date of Wang Lun’s funeral was set, the family believed she had changed her mind and no longer needed watching. The funeral was to take place early the next morning. That night, Mingyuan hanged herself in the house. At daybreak, everyone was busy with preparations. Her mother-in-law wondered why Mingyuan was not with her and sent someone to look. They found that she had died. She was then placed in the coffin and buried together with Wang Lun. Mingyuan was twenty years old. She died on the eleventh day of the seventh month in autumn, in the Guisi year of the Chenghua era.

The editor says: Yao and Shun were models of human relationships and moral conduct, and Confucius was the master of ritual and propriety. Whatever has a beginning should also have an end.

Records of the Propagation of the Dao, juan 22