佛祖歷代通載 11.33

11.33

（十九）　相國蕭瑀字時文。梁明帝子也。九歲封新安王。國除入隋晉王妃實瑀姊。官右千牛。甞疾。不肯呼醫。自信天命。嘆曰。吾更餘年則從此遁矣。及晉王踐祚姊為后。聞其言。召責之以其不安小官。後病損拜內史侍郎。以直言事頗為煬帝憎。隋亂瑀出為河池郡守。唐高祖入關以書招之。因挈郡歸。封宋公。委以樞要。帝不名。呼為蕭郎。瑀家世貴胄。自武帝以來。皆奉佛清修。瑀及其孫勉精嚴尤甚。太宗即位屢入相。既而房杜得君事任稍分。瑀不能無少望。甞乞度為僧。帝許之。瑀尋度不能而止。事兩朝凡五入相位。年七十四薨。瑀性忠鯁雅薄福貴。善屬文。通儒柳顧輩皆高其才。唐史稱之曰。梁蕭氏興江左實有功在民。厥終無大惡。以寖微而亡。故餘祉及其後裔。自瑀逮遘。八葉宰相名德相望。與唐盛衰。世家之盛古未有也。

([Year] 19) Chancellor Xiao Yu, styled Shiwen, was a son of Emperor Ming of the Liang dynasty. At the age of nine, he was enfeoffed as the King of Xin'an. When his state was abolished, he entered the Sui. The consort of the Prince of Jin was in fact Yu's elder sister. He served as Right Qianniu. Once he fell ill, he refused to call a physician, having self-confidence in the mandate of Heaven, and sighed: "When I have passed a few more years, I shall escape from this world." When the Prince of Jin ascended the throne and his elder sister became Empress, she heard his words and summoned him to reprimand him for not being content with a minor office. Later, when his illness abated, he was appointed Vice Director of the Chancellery; because he spoke candidly on affairs, he was quite detested by Emperor Yang. During the turmoil of the Sui, Yu went out to serve as Governor of Hechi Commandery. When Emperor Gaozu of Tang entered the passes, he summoned him by letter; Yu thereupon brought the whole commandery to submit, was enfeoffed as Duke of Song, and was entrusted with pivotal affairs. The Emperor did not use his personal name, addressing him as "Lord Xiao." Yu's clan had been noble for generations; from Emperor Wu onward, they all revered Buddhism and practiced pure cultivation. Yu and his grandson Mian were especially rigorous. When Emperor Taizong ascended the throne, he repeatedly entered the chancellorship. Later, when Fang [Xuanling] and Du [Ruhui] gained the sovereign's favor and administrative duties were somewhat divided, Yu could not avoid feeling a little disappointment. He once begged to be ordained as a monk; the Emperor granted it, but Yu soon realized he could not carry it out and stopped. Serving two courts, he entered the position of chancellor five times in all, and died at the age of seventy-four. Yu was by nature loyal and forthright, and had an elegant indifference to worldly fortune and nobility. He was skilled in composition; broad Confucian scholars such as Liu and Gu all held his talent in high esteem. The Tang History praised him, saying: "The Xiao clan of Liang arose east of the Yangtze and truly had merit among the people; in their end there was no great evil, and they perished through gradual decline, so their residual blessings extended to their descendants. From Yu down to Gou, there were chancellors across eight generations whose renowned virtues succeeded one another, waxing and waning together with the Tang. The splendor of such a noble family was unprecedented in antiquity."