Sui and Tang · Official and Judge

Xu Yougong 徐有功

c. AD 641 - AD 702

Passages: 26
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Xu Yougong was an official and Judge.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Posthumous name	Loyal and Upright	忠正

Life and dates

Death

Age Value: 68 · Reckoning: Sui
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 224
AD 702 長安二年
Age 62
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 199

Age

62
Reckoning Sui
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 199

Attested activity

AD 690 to AD 705 武后僭位
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 113, passage 144
AD 689 永昌
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 113, passage 151
AD 690 載初元年
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 150
AD 702 長安二年
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 199

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Xu Wenyuan (徐文遠)
grandson 孫 · 2 generations · Through Parent of Xu Yougong
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 139
Descendant of Xu Wenyuan (徐文遠)
grandson 孫 · 2 generations · Through Father of Xu Yougong
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 145
Ancestor of Xu Shang (徐商)
fifth-generation descendant 五世孫 · 5 generations
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 233
Child of Parent of Xu Yougong
father 父
Strongly inferred · New Book of Tang 113, passage 139
Child of Father of Xu Yougong
father 父
Strongly inferred · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 145
Parent of Xu Lun (徐惀)
son 子
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 209; New Book of Tang 113, passage 226

Career and standing

Vice Director of Punishments 司刑丞
AD 690 載初元年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 150
Director of the Autumn Office 秋官郎中
Appointed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 175
Vice director of the Court of Punishments 司刑丞
Appointed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 143
posthumous Minister of Punishments 司刑卿
Bestowed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 224
Prefect of Yuezhou 越州刺史
AD 705 中宗即位 · Posthumously granted
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 208
Vice Minister of Punishments 司刑卿
Posthumously granted
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 199

Show 6 more source-backed claims

Baron of Dongguan 東莞男
Inherited
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 146
Baron of Dongguan 東莞縣男
Inherited
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 140
Entered
Commoner
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 193
Reduced to
Commoner
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 214
Removed
Removal from office
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 167
Stripped
Reduced to commoner
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 193

Places and affiliations

Tang 唐
Relation Served
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 139

Learning and skills

Earned
Credential Mingjing 明經
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 146; New Book of Tang 113, passage 140

Works and attributed material

Memorial · Author · With Wu Zetian (武則天)
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passages 170-180
Speech · Speaker · Quote true
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passages 154-160, 162-163, 165-166

Events and relationships

Proved innocent
Legal · Advocate · With Lady Pang (龐氏)
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passages 184, 193
Saved from death
Legal · Advocate · With Pei Xingben (裴行本)
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passages 159-161
Spared from death
Legal · Advocate · With Yan Yuqing (顏餘慶)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 168
Relation Compared to · Person Ding Guo (定國)
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passages 196, 205
Relation Compared to · Person Shi Zhi (釋之)
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passages 196, 205

Assessments and attributes

Assessment benevolent man who held only to the law · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passages 234-235
Assessment outstanding upholder of law; surpassed Shi Zhi and Ding Guo · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passages 214-215

Source notes

From Hongmin 弘敏 · To Yougong 有功 · Reason avoided taboo of Emperor Xiaojing
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 139

References in the histories

Search passages

History

26 passages

New Book of Tang, Chapter 113Volume 113 Biographies 38: Tang, Zhang, Xu · 26 passages

徐有功 Xu Yougong

徐有功，名弘敏，避孝敬皇帝諱，以字行，國子博士文遠孫也。 Xu Yougong, personal name Hongmin, avoided the taboo of Emperor Xiaojing and was known by his style; he was grandson of the National University erudite Xu Wenyuan.

為政仁，不忍杖罰，民服其恩，更相約曰：「犯徐參軍杖者，必斥之。」 He governed with benevolence and refused to use the rod. The people honored his kindness and agreed among themselves: "Whoever makes Staff Officer Xu use the rod will be driven out."

朝野震恐，莫敢正言，獨有功數犯顏爭枉直，後厲語折抑，有功爭益牢。 The court and countryside trembled with fear and none dared speak plainly. Only Yougong repeatedly defied the empress to argue right from wrong; though she rebuked him harshly, he held all the more firm.

有功曰：「永昌赦令：『與虺貞同惡，魁首已伏誅，支黨未發者原之。』 Yougong said, "The Yongchang amnesty states: 'Those who shared the guilt of Hui Zhen—since the ringleaders have been executed, followers not yet exposed are pardoned.'

當此時，左右及衛仗在廷陛者數百人，皆縮項不敢息，而有功氣定言詳，然不橈。 At that moment hundreds of attendants and guards on the palace steps shrank in silence, yet Yougong spoke calmly and in detail without yielding.

有功追議曰：「律，謀反者斬。 Yougong objected: "The law says rebels are beheaded.

有功奏曰：「俊臣違陛下再生之賜，不可以示信。」 Yougong memorialized, "Lai Junchen violates Your Majesty's grant of renewed life and cannot be trusted."

道州刺史李仁褒兄弟為人誣構，有功爭不能得。 Li Renbao and his brothers of Daozhou were falsely accused, and Yougong argued in vain.

有功故出反囚，罪當誅，請按之。」 Yougong deliberately released rebel prisoners and deserves death. I ask that he be prosecuted."

天下聞有功復進，灑然相賀。 When the empire heard Yougong had returned to office, people rejoiced throughout the land.

有功奏曰：「陛下寬殊死罪，已發者原之，是通改過之心、自新之路。 Yougong memorialized: "Your Majesty has widened mercy for capital crimes and pardoned those already exposed. This opens the way to repentance and renewal.

子希瑊訟冤，有功明其枉。 Her son Xi Huang appealed the injustice, and Yougong proved her innocence.

季昶劾有功黨惡逆，當棄市。 Jichang impeached Yougong for siding with rebels and demanded his public execution.

有功方視事，令史泣以告。 Yougong was at his desk when a clerk wept to tell him the news.

有功曰：「豈吾獨死，而諸人長不死邪？」 Yougong said, "Do you think I alone must die while the rest of you will live forever?"

龐得減死，有功免為民。 Pang's sentence was commuted from death, and Yougong was reduced to commoner status.

久之，文備坐事下獄，有功出之。 Later Wenbei was imprisoned for an offense, and Yougong secured his release.

故有功為獄，常持平守正，以執據冤罔，凡三坐大辟，將死，泰然不憂，赦之，亦不喜，後以此重之。 In every case he judged, he held to the middle way and relied on evidence against wrongful imprisonment. Three times he faced execution and met death calmly; when pardoned he showed no joy. For this the court esteemed him all the more.

開元初，竇希瑊等請以己官讓有功子惀，以報舊德，由是自大理司直遷恭陵令。 Early in Kaiyuan, Dou Xi Huang and others asked to yield their offices to Yougong's son Lun in repayment of his kindness, and Lun rose from straightener in the Ministry of Punishments to magistrate of Gongling.

會昌中，追謚忠正。 In the Huichang era he was posthumously titled Loyal and Upright.

初，鹿城主簿潘好禮慕有功為人，論之曰：「昔稱張釋之為廷尉，天下無冤人，今有功斷獄，亦天下無冤人。 Earlier Pan Haoli, chief clerk of Lucheng, praised Yougong: "People once said that when Zhang Shizhi was minister of punishments there were no wronged persons under Heaven. Under Yougong there were likewise none.

有功居革命之際，周興、來俊臣等掩義隱賊，崇飾惡言，以誣盛德，有功守死明道，身濱殆者數矣，此其賢於釋之明甚。」 Yougong lived in an age of revolution, when Zhou Xing, Lai Junchen, and others concealed villains and twisted words to slander the throne. He held to the Way even at the risk of death, several times on the brink of execution. In this he far surpassed Shizhi."

或稱有功仁恕過漢於、張。 Some said Yougong's benevolence and forbearance surpassed the celebrated Han judges Yu Dingguo and Zhang Shizhi.

起居舍人盧若虛曰：「徐公當雷霆之震，而能全仁恕，雖千載未見其比。」 Diary attendant Lu Ruoxu said, "Minister Xu preserved benevolence and forbearance even amid thunderous terror. In a thousand years his like has not been seen."

贊曰：「徐有功不以唐、周貳其心，惟一於法，身蹈死以救人之死，故能處猜後、酷吏之間，以恕自將，內挫虐焰，不使天下殘於燎，可謂仁人也哉！ The commentator writes: "Xu Yougong never divided his loyalty between Tang and Zhou. He held only to the law and risked his own life to save others. Amid suspicion and cruel officials he governed through forbearance, checked their cruelty inwardly, and kept the realm from being consumed by fire. He may truly be called a benevolent man!