鐔津文集 15.20

15.20

After Master Han was exiled to Chaozhou, he presented a memorial thanking the Son of Heaven, in which he subtly urged the Son of Heaven to perform the Feng and Shan sacrifices, claiming that his own writings could extol achievements and virtues and be compiled alongside the Odes and Documents without yielding to the ancients. I privately laugh at Master Han's rashness and how his actions lacked foundation. In antiquity, the Feng and Shan sacrifices were great state ceremonies and majestic undertakings of emperors and kings. Even in ordinary times, ministers and subjects could not lightly prompt the sovereign to perform them; how much less should one speak of them while being banished and out of favor! Could Master Han be said to know how to comport himself fittingly? For instance, when Lu Zhi was demoted from grand councilor to Zhongzhou for ten years, he shut his doors, cut off human affairs, and wrote no more private letters. Lu was not only able to be prudent, but also knew that he ought not to meddle in court affairs. Duke Lu can truly be said to have understood the larger picture. As for the Feng and Shan sacrifices, they were not the affair of the Two Emperors and Three Kings. They began with the First Emperor of Qin and were carried to excess by Emperor Wu of the Han. Their ostentation, extravagance, and costs amounted to hundreds of millions. How could their ritual norms ever be compared to what antiquity termed 'presenting a sacrifice to the Sovereign on High' and 'gazing in sacrifice upon the mountains and rivers'? Although the Confucians of that time cited the chapter 'Canon of Shun', where it says 'he went to Mount Tai, made a burnt offering, and gazed in sacrifice in proper order upon the mountains and rivers', in order to stretch their theories to fit, this was merely specious and completely missed the reality. They further cited Guan Yiwu's words on the Feng and Shan sacrifices in response to Duke Huan of Qi, which also did not originate from the books of the Two Emperors and Three Kings. The Book of Han states, concerning Ni Kuan's deliberation on the Feng and Shan sacrifices: 'Yet the meaning of its offerings and sacrifices is not recorded in the classics.' This is indeed so. In the past, although the Grand Astrologer wrote a treatise on it, he merely avoided the ambiguities of his day, not daring to declare explicitly what was right and wrong; he only said: 'I followed the imperial progress, offering sacrifices to Heaven, Earth, the various spirits, and the famous mountains, and performing the Feng and Shan sacrifices. Retiring, I discussed and arranged in sequence those who had made offerings to ghosts and spirits since antiquity, presenting both the inside and outside of the matter, so that future gentlemen may peruse it.' As for Ban Gu's discussion of suburban sacrifices up to the Feng and Shan, vacillating on whether they were permissible or not, he likewise did not explicitly deem them right or wrong, but merely took Gu Yong's memorial as correct. Later generations should have had an eminent and worthy person of penetrating insight who would resolutely promote the system of the Two Emperors and Three Kings, strike a balance with the precedents of Qin and Han, and thereby await future rulers who would perform the Feng and Shan sacrifices. I have often lamented that former Confucians, such as the likes of Yang Ziyun, merely excelled at writing books to pronounce upon past and present, yet over ten thousand generations ultimately never addressed this. Although Wenzhongzi somewhat disputed it, wishing to warn against the Sui dynasty's Feng and Shan sacrifices, his statements were extremely brief and unelaborated. If in later generations there were those whose merit and virtue were deficient and auspicious portents had not arrived, yet they rashly followed that method and performed them carelessly, with what could they be corrected? Master Han took pride in himself throughout his life, claiming to be devoted exclusively to the Way of the Two Emperors and Three Kings and adept at repudiating the absurdities of the hundred schools throughout history; how could it be that, upon being demoted for a time, he degenerated into such error, conversely using the extravagant and boastful ways of the First Emperor of Qin and Emperor Wu of the Han to serve his sovereign? What kind of principles did Master Han maintain? Even granting that his sovereign possessed some merit and virtue that warranted the Feng and Shan sacrifices, he should still have weighed and compared them with the era of Taizong before proposing them. Emperor Wen of the Tang quelled the accumulated turmoil of several centuries and single-handedly revitalized the Kingly Way; his merit and virtue were so lofty and magnificent that they deserved comparison to Yu, Tang, Wen, and Wu, and even Emperors Wen and Jing of the Han were feared to fall short of what he attained—yet even so, Taizong did not dare discuss the Feng and Shan sacrifices. Thus he said: 'According to my original intent, if the realm is only made peaceful, even without the Feng and Shan sacrifices my virtue can be compared to Yao and Shun. If the common people lack sufficiency, even if we perform the Feng and Shan sacrifices, how would it differ from Jie and Zhou? In the past, the First Emperor of Qin ascended and performed the Feng sacrifice on Mount Tai, full of luxury and boastfulness, whereas Emperor Wen of the Han ultimately did not ascend to perform the sacrifice, personally practicing frugality. Today all regard the First Emperor as a tyrannical ruler and Emperor Wen as a virtuous sovereign. Judging from this, there is no need for the Feng and Shan sacrifices.' Tang Taizong can truly be called a sage, worthy, and principled sovereign! Now during the Zhangwu era (Emperor Xianzong), were his statecraft, merit, virtue, and auspicious portents superior to those of Taizong? Not only were they not superior, but it is also feared they fell far short of the ethos of the Zhenguan reign. Yet Master Han wished him to perform the Feng and Shan sacrifices; how utterly unthinking he was! Furthermore, when the emperors of Qin and Han performed the Feng and Shan sacrifices, did they do so solely to report their success to Heaven and Earth? It was actually because they admired immortals and sought longevity and everlasting life that they performed them. Therefore, their books say: 'Those who perform the Feng and Shan sacrifices do not die; the Yellow Emperor was one such.' They also say: 'Ascending to perform the Feng sacrifice enables one to become an immortal and ascend to heaven.' Toward the end of the Yuanhe era, the Son of Heaven was infatuated with theories of immortals and longevity, bringing in the occultist Liu Mi and consuming his golden elixir, which caused extreme harm. How much worse, then, to invoke the First Emperor of Qin and Emperor Wu of the Han, wishing him to place weight on this! When Master Han raised this matter, did he perceive the subtle signs of things? Could it be that, having met with banishment and distress, he wished to flatter the sovereign in order to secure his own pardon? The Doctrine of the Mean says: 'The gentleman acts in accordance with his station, and does not wish for what is outside it. In wealth and honor, he acts as becomes wealth and honor; in poverty and low station, he acts as becomes poverty and low station; among barbarian tribes, he acts as becomes barbarian tribes; in sorrow and difficulty, he acts as becomes sorrow and difficulty. There is no situation into which the gentleman enters where he does not find self-possession.' This means that as long as what he pursues does not depart from principle, he can rest content with all things, without letting favor, disgrace, misfortune, or fortune disturb his mind. It makes clear that the gentleman is able, through the Mean, to differ from the petty man. Formerly, Sunshu Ao served as chancellor of Chu; he was promoted three times and dismissed three times without showing any signs of joy or anger. Bai Juyi was banished to Xunyang, yet did not let his exile trouble his mind. These two gentlemen acted thus because they conducted themselves in accordance with the Mean. Master Han, having been bold in remonstrating on state affairs, as soon as he was demoted to a prefectural official, acted rashly and recklessly, boasting and lamenting, unable to remain calm for even a moment. He falls far short of Master Sun and Bai Letian!