Chapter 29 Literature and History Twenty-eighth

At the beginning of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong called Fang Xuanling, who supervised the compilation of national history, and said: "Compared with the previous and later "Han History" recorded Yang Xiong's "Oasis" and "Yu Lie", Sima Xiangru's "Zixu" and "Shanglin", Ban Gu's " "Liangdu" and other Fu, this is a flashy style, not helpful to exhort, what is the historical strategy of the fake book? It has a letter to discuss the matter, the reasoning of the words is straightforward, and it can benefit the political theory. Whether I follow it or not, I must record it."

In the eleventh year of Zhenguan, the author Zuo Lang Deng Longbiao please compile Taizong's articles as a collection.Emperor Taizong said: "If I order things to benefit people, history will write them down, and they will be immortal. If things don't learn from the past, and chaos and politics harm things, even though there are rhetoric, it will eventually make future generations laugh, which is not necessary. Just like Liang Wudi and his sons, Chen Houzhu, and Sui Yangdi, they also have a large collection of anthologies, and their actions are so lawless that the clan and society will be overthrown in an instant.Mortals are only virtuous, so why bother with articles? "

Not allowed. In the thirteenth year of Zhenguan, Chu Suiliang was an admonishing doctor who also knew daily life notes.Emperor Taizong asked: "You know how to live, what are the books? Mostly you can see it? I want to see this reporter, but I will watch the gains and losses of what I do to warn myself." Suiliang said: "Today's daily life, the ancient left, The history of the right is to record the words and deeds of the emperor, the good and the evil, and the masters of the concubine are not illegal, and the emperor does not listen to the history." Taizong said: "If I am not good, you must remember it?" Suiliang said: "I heard that Keeping the Tao is not as good as guarding the officials. The position of a minister should be written, why not write it?" Liu Jijin, the servant of the Huangmen, said: "The faults of a ruler are like the eclipse of the sun and the moon. Everyone can see it. If you set an order, Suiliang will not remember it, and everyone in the world will remember it. That's it."

In the fourteenth year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong called Fang Xuanling and said: "Every time I look at the history books of the previous dynasties, I show the good and avoid the evil, which is enough to guide the future. I don't know the history of the country from ancient times to the present. Why didn't the emperor see it in person?" Confrontation: " Good and evil must be written in the history of the country, and it is not illegal for the common people to rule it. You should not be afraid of disobedience, so you can’t see it." Taizong said: "My meaning is different from that of the ancients. Those who want to read the history of the country today, it is not good to say that there are good deeds. It must be discussed; if there is something bad, I also want to take it as a warning, so that I can modify my ears. You can write it in." Xuanling and others then deleted the history of the country and made it into a chronological style.When Taizong saw the incident on June 4th, he spoke a lot of trivial words, but he said that Xuanling said: "In the past, Zhou Gong punished Guan, Cai and Zhou's family was safe, Ji Youzhen and Shuya and Lu Guoning. What I did, the meaning is the same, cover Therefore, the safety of the country and the benefit of the people.

The historian writes, why bother?It is advisable to change the floating words and write the matter directly. " Wei Zhengzou, the servant, said: "I heard that the Lord is extremely respected and has nothing to fear.Only the history of the country is used to punish evil and encourage good. If the book is not true, what will the descendants think?Your Majesty is now sending a historian to rectify his speech, which is elegant and fair. "