Biography of Jia Mi
[From JS040. JS might not always be the most sober history.]
Mi, courtesy name Changshen. His mother Jia Wan was Chong's youngest daughter. His father, Han Shou, courtesy name Dezhen, was a native of Duyang in Nanyang and was the great grandson of Wei's Minister over the Masses, Ji. He had a pleasing bearing and countenance, and had a good appearances and deportment. Jia Chong nominated him to be on the staff of the Minister of Works.
Always when Chong banqueted guests and companions, his daughter every time spied on them from within the green and gold nest [?]. She saw Shou and was pleased with him. She asked her left and right if they knew who this person was or not. There was a servant girl who explained Shou's family and courtesy name, and said he was her former master. The daughter had great feelings and thoughts, and professed it waking and sleeping [?].
The servant girl later went to Shou's house, and set out and arranged the daughter's thoughts, and also talked of the daughter's brilliance, beauty, allure and independence, a special beauty surpassing the natural order. Shou heard and his heart moved, he expediently made her pass on his abundant diligence [?]. The servant girl accordingly reported to the daughter. The daughter thereupon secretly cultivated voice and excellence [?], to greatly bestow and connect with each other [?]. She called for Shou to enter at dusk. Shou's strength and nimbleness exceeded other people, he crossed over the wall and arrived. Within the house nobody knew, however when Chong woke up, his daughter's happiness and joy was different from ordinary days.
At the time the Western Regions had sent in tribute an unusual fragrance, if once worn by a person then for a month it would not disappear. The Emperor considerably valued it, and only accordingly bestowed it on Chong and the Great Marshal, Chen Qian [JS035]. His daughter secretly stole it and accordingly presented it to Shou. Chong's companions and subordinates feasted with Shou [?] and heard of his fragrance and scent, they talked about it to Chong.
From this Chong thought he knew the daughter and Shou were communicating, but his gates and posterns were strict and stern, and he did not understand in what way he had managed to enter. Therefore in the middle of the night, he feigned surprise [?], and relying on saying there were robbers, had someone sent to follow the wall to thereby observe it for changes. Left and right reported, saying:
Nothing beyond the usual [?], however the northern-eastern corner was as if a fox or raccoon-dog had walked there.
Chong therefore examined and questioned the daughter's left and right, drawing up accordingly a descriptive reply [?]. Chong kept it secret, and therepon had the daughter marry Shou. Shou's official rank reached Cavalier in Regular Attendance and Intendant of Henan. He passed on at the beginning of Yuankang [291 – 299], and was bestowed General of Agile Cavalry.
Mi excelled at studying, and had a talent for pondering. When he had became Chong's heir, and afterwards of continuing to assist the instructions, when also Emperor monopolized and indulged herself, Mi's power surpassed the ruler. Arriving therefore linking succession [?] Attendant Gentleman of the Yellow Gates, he became powerful and blessed like this. He carried his haughty favour, his extravagant luxuriousness transgressed the norms, the house eves revered and usurped [?], his receptacles and clothes were precious and magnificent, [he had] singing servant boys and dancing women, selecting the utmost in a single season.
He opened the postern and delayed visitors. Within the Seas the spokes joined [at him], he valued travelling prominent relatives and the movement of drifting contention [?], and could not but exhaust the rites and affairs with them. Some displayed writings and compositions to talk to and please Mi, thereby just so buying friendship.
Shi Chong [JS031] and Ouyang Jian [JS031] of Bohai, Pan Yue [JS055] of Xingyang, Lu Ji [JS054] and Lu Yun [JS054] of Wu state, Mou Zheng of Lanling, Du Bin and Zhi Yu [JS051] of Jingzhao, Zhuge Quan of Langye, Wang Cui of Hongong, Du Yu of Xiangcheng, Zou Jie of Nanyang, Zuo Si [JS092] of Qi sate, Cui Ji of Qinghe, Liui Gui of Pei state, He Yu and Zhou Hui of Runan, Qian Xiu [JS060] of Anping, Chen Zhen of Yingchuan, Guo Zhang [JS040] of Taiyuan, Xu Meng of Gaoyang, Liu Ne of Pengcheng, and Liu Yu [JS062] and Liu Kun [JS062] of Zhongshan, all tutored and met with Mi. They were called the Twenty-Four Friends. The remainder did not manage to prepare for him [?].
He was successively ranked Cavalier in Regular Attendance and General of the Army of the Rear. When the Countess of Guangcheng passed away, he left his post. The mourning was not yet at an end, when he rose up to be Overseer of the Private Writers, to be in charge of the state's history.
Before this, the Imperial Court had discussed establishing the boundary limits of the Book of Jin. The Overseer of the Palace Writers, Xun Xu [JS039] said they ought to use the starting year of Wei's Zhengshi [240 – 249]. The Gentleman Drafter, Wang Zan, desired the court officials from Jiaping [249 – 253] onwards to exhaustively enter the history of Jin. At that time there was hesitations and there had not been a decision.
When Emperor Hui was established, they furthermore had discussions about it. Mi sent up an opinion, requesting to conform to [?] Taishi [265 – 274] as the cut off point. Hence the affair was sent down to the Three Offices. The Minister over the Masses, Wang Rong [JS043], the Minister of Works, Zhang Hua [JS036], the General who Leads the Army, Wang Yan [JS043], the Palace Attendant Yue Guang [JS043], the Attendant Gentleman of the Yellow Gates, Ji Shao [JS089] and the Broad Scholar of the Sons of State, Xie Heng, all followed Mi's opinion. The Chief Commandant of Cavalry, the Marquis of Jibei, Xun Jun, the Palace Attendant Xun Fan [JS039] and the Attendant Gentleman of the Yellow Gates, Hua Hun, considered to be proper to use Zhengshi as beginning the inauguration. The Broad Scholars Xun Xi and Diao Xie [JS06] said it was proper [to use] the starting year of Jiaping. Mi heavily took charge of [?] memorialising Rong and Hua's opinions, the affair was thereupon carried out.
He was appointed and moved to Palace Attendant, acting as Overseer of the Private Writers like before. Mi at the time accompanied the Emperor to favour the Xuanwu watchtower for a barricade hunt. At the reciting of the Book of Documents within the assembly [the Emperor?] summoned Mi to accept the bows [?]. He admonished left and right to not make people know. Hence the multitudes suspected him for having disloyal aspirations.
Mi was already intimate and valued, and several times entered the two palaces, roaming the place together with the Heir-Apparent Minhuai, without yielding or surrendering his heart. He in board games with the Heir-Apparent would quarrel over the rules. The King of Chengdu, Ying, was sitting [next to them] and with a severe countenance said:
The August Heir-Apparent is the state's next lord. Jia Mi, how can you be discourteous!
Mi was afraid, and spoke of it to the Empress. Thereupon [she] sent out Ying to be General who Pacifies the North, headquartered at Ye.
When he became Regular Attendant, he attended discussions in the Eastern Palace. The Heir-Apparent's mind was not happy, and Mi worried about it. And in his household there several times was strange and unusual events. A whirlwind blew away his court clothes, flying high for several hundred zhang, and fell down within the chancellor's palace [?]. Also a snake set out from within its midst. At night violent thunder shook his house. A pillar sunk into the ground, and crushed and destroyed [his] bed and screen. Mi was increasing afraid. When he moved to Palace Attendant, he monopolized and was in charge of the forbidden interiors. Thereupon he and the Empress completed their plan, to defame and destroy the Heir-Apparent.
When the King of Zhao, Lun, deposed the Empress, he used a decree to summon Mi to the front of the hall, wanting to slay him. He ran to enter beneath the Western Bell [?], and with a shout said:
Dear Empress [阿后] save me!
Thereupon [they] approached and beheaded him. Han Shou's youngest brother Wei was a expected [to become] a capacity. He and Shou's elder brother, the Prefect of Gong, Bao, his younger brothers the Cavalier Attendant Gentleman, Yu, and the Companion of the King of Wu [?], Jian, and Mi's mother Jia Wan were all sentenced to execution.
Earlier, at the time when Chong attacked Wu, he once garrisoned Xiangcheng. Within the army [they] suddenly lost Chong's whereabouts [?]. Chong's Chief Controller Beneath the Tent, Zhou Qin at time was having a nap, he dreamt he saw more than a hundred people taking [?] Chong, pulling him into a single pathway. Qin woke with a startle, and heard they had lost Chong. He thereupon set out to seek and search, suddenly he was looking at the road from the dream. Thereupon he went to look for him. As a result he saw Chong moving to arrive at single office building, the attendant guards were considerably abundant. The lord of the office sat facing south, his voice and countenance considerably surpassed [ordinary people?]. He spoke to Chong, saying:
There is about to be chaos in the affairs of my household, surely you and Xun Xu is already misleading my son, and also will make chaos for my grandson. [I] covertly made Ren Kai demote you, yet [you] did not leave. [I] also made Yu Chun scold you, yet [you] did not change. Now when the bandits of Wu are to be pacified, you just now petitioned to behead Zhang Hua. Your dismal stupidity, is always of this kind. If [you] do not repent meticulously, [you] will from dawn to dusk add to [your] crimes.
Chong because of that knocked his head so blood flowed. The lord said:
You, though [you] delay the sun and moon, are yet a famous receptacle like this, That is for [your] deeds in guarding the office, and that is all. In the end [I?] will make [your] inheritor die at the inside of a bell's frame, the older child perish among golden alcohol, the younger child bound up beneath a withered tree. Xun Xu likewise ought to be the same, but for his ancestors' virtue less intense [?]. Because of your descendants [?], outside of several generations, the state's inheritance likewise will change.
He finished speaking, and instructed him to leave. Chong suddenly managed to return to the encampment, his facial appearance was worn-out and haggard, his natural reasoning [?]dulled and lost, after a day it returned.
And so Mi died beneath a bell, Empress Jia submitted to gold alcohol and died, Jia Wu was examined thoroughly with a great stick. In the end everything was like he said.
At the defeat of the King of Zhao, Lun, the imperial court posthumously recounted Chong's deeds, and discussed establishing his heir. They desired to use Chong's grandnephew the Cavalier Attendant Gentleman Zhong as the successor. Chong pretended to be mad to excuse himself. They used his son Xiu to succed Chong, and enfeoffed him Duke of Lu. He also became ill and died. In the middle of Yongxing [304 – 306], established Chong's great grandnephew Zhan as Duke of Lu, to serve as Chong's descendant. He came across chaos and died, and the state was abolished.
In the middle of Taishi [265 – 274], people had a song about Chong and others which said:
Jia, Pei Wang; chaos in the strands and guideropes. Wang, Pei, Jia; aids Under Heaven.
They spoke of destroying Wei and forming Jin.
9 notes
·
View notes