He Sui
何隨
Administrator of Jiangyang
(江陽太守)
In office
? (?)–284 (284)
MonarchSima Yan
Prefect of Anhan
(安漢令)
In office
? (?)–263 (263)
MonarchLiu Shan
Main Adviser
(主事)
In office
? (?)–? (?)
MonarchLiu Shan
Assistant Officer
(從事)
In office
? (?)–? (?)
MonarchLiu Shan
Officer of Merit
(功曹)
In office
? (?)–? (?)
MonarchLiu Shan
Personal details
Born214
Pi County, Sichuan
Died284 (aged 70)
Jiangyang District, Sichuan
Relations
Children
  • He Guan
  • He You
Parent
OccupationOfficial, scholar
Courtesy nameJiye (季業)

He Sui (214–284), courtesy name Jiye, was an official and scholar of the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period of China. After the fall of Shu in 263, he continued serving under the Jin dynasty, that succeeded Cao Wei state in 266.

Life

He Sui was born in Pi County, Shu Commandery (蜀郡), which is present-day Pi County, Sichuan, and was a descendant of the Han minister He Wu (何武). He came from a family with a reputation for virtue and was recruited to serve in the Shu Han government.[1] He studied the Han shi waizhuan and Ouyang Gao (歐陽高)'s version of the Book of Documents, delving deeply into literature and mastering astronomy and the calendar systems.[2] He served in his home commandery Shu as Officer of Merit (功曹), then for the State government as Assistant Officer (從事) and Main Adviser (主事; host and manage affairs) to the guanglu langzhong (光祿郎中; "Gentleman of the Household and Palace"). Furthermore, he was appointed as Prefect of Anhan (安漢令).[3]

After the Conquest of Shu by Wei, he left his office. At that time, the Ba region suffered from a severe shortage of food, causing famine. As He Sui traveled, he would take yam from the fields to feed his entourage, leaving a piece of cotton behind as a way of payment.[4] The locals, recognizing the cotton, would say: "We heard that He Sui, the Prefect of Anhan is an honest and upright man. He must have been passing by. His followers are short of food so he most likely had no other options."[5] They would then return the cotton to He Sui, who consistently refused to accept it. As a result, a saying arose: "When the officials of Anhan take food, they make sure to compensate for it." He Sui was later nominated as a xiaolian (civil service candidate).[6]

Following Cao Wei's abdication to Jin, He Sui was summoned by the imperial court but declined to attend. Again, he was appointed as the Director of the Palace (中令) to the Prince of Hejian (河間王), but refused the position.[7] Living in poverty, he maintained a simple lifestyle, wearing worn out clothes and eating vegetarian meals. He spent his days working in the fields and his evenings teaching and reciting texts.[8] He did not accept gifts or bribes from his fellow villagers or powerful clans. Neither was he swayed by personal interests. Moreover, he authored ten volumes of Tan Yan (譚言), a text discussing morality, benevolence, and humility.[9]

As an example of his behaviour, one day, a butcher lost his pig when its leash broke. The butcher falsely accused He Sui of taking it. He Sui simply handed over another pig to the butcher without protest. When the butcher later found his lost pig, he apologized to He Sui and returned the pig, which He Sui then accepted.[10] Another anecdote. He Sui had a bamboo garden at his home and someone once stole bamboo shoots from it. When He Sui happened upon the thief, he was afraid that the thief would be frightened and injure himself trying to escape so He Sui quietly left the scene. Such was his benevolence.[11] During the Taikang (太康; 280–289 period), He Sui was appointed as the Administrator of Jiangyang (江陽太守) from his current home and the people longed for his rule. He died while serving in office at the age of 71 (by East Asian age reckoning).[12]

After his death, people in the township of Houzhou (後州) referred to any fair and just person as "He of Jiangyang" (何江陽). Even the indigenous people of Wenshan (汶山), who were known for their integrity and humility, were also called "He of Jiangyang" (何江陽) by other tribes. Du Jingwen (杜景文) and He Xingren (何興仁) both wrote biographies about He Sui.[13] Around the same time as He Sui, Zhang Chong (張崇), born from the same commandery of Shu, was well-known among his contemporaries for his incorruptible character.[14]

Appraisal

Chang Qu, who wrote He Sui's biography in the Chronicles of Huayang (Huayang Guo Zhi),[lower-alpha 1] appraised He Sui as follows: "Bright official, honest and pure of his generation."[15]

He Guan

He Guan (何觀), whose courtesy name was Juzhong (巨忠), was He Sui's eldest son. He was a man of integrity and prudence, well-known in the region.[16] He was nominated as a xiaolian (civil service candidate), served as Prefect (令) of Xidu (西都) and Nan'an (南安), and Chief Clerk (長史) of Pinxi (平西). In 303, Zhang Chang (Jin dynasty) rebelled in Jing, causing much turmoil in the province. All the local defenders reunited at Jiangyang (江陽). Luo Shang appointed him as Protector of the Army (護軍) and received his help to quell the rebellion. Furthermore, he served as Administrator of Ba Commandery (巴郡太守). The imperial court planned to appoint him as the Inspector of Ningzhou (寧州刺史).[lower-alpha 2] But he fell ill and died before assuming the position. His younger brother, He You (何遊), served as Headquarters Officer (治中從事).[17]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ He Sui's biography is recorded in the eleventh volume of the Huayang Guo Zhi, titled Biographies of later worthies (後賢志), covering the life of notable persons from the Sichuan region who lived during the Jin dynasty.
  2. ↑ Nanzhong was also called Ningzhou or Ning Province (寧州).

References

  1. ↑ (何隨，字季業，蜀郡郫人也，漢司空武後。世有名德，徵聘入官。) Huayang Guo Zhi vol. 11. 06.
  2. ↑ (隨治《韓詩》、《歐陽尚書》，研精文緯，通星「歷」〔曆〕。) Huayang Guo Zhi vol. 11. 06.
  3. ↑ (郡命功曹。州辟從事。光祿郎中主事。除安漢令。) Huayang Guo Zhi vol. 11. 06.
  4. ↑ (蜀亡，去官。時巴土飢荒，所在無穀，送吏行乏，輒取道側民芋。隨以綿繫其處，使足所取直。) Huayang Guo Zhi vol. 11. 06.
  5. ↑ (民視芋，見綿，相語曰：「聞何安漢清廉，行過，從者無糧，必能爾耳。」) Huayang Guo Zhi vol. 11. 06.
  6. ↑ (「將」持綿追還之。終不受。因為語曰：「安漢吏取糧，令為之償。」察孝廉。) Huayang Guo Zhi vol. 11. 06.
  7. ↑ (大同後，臺召，不詣。除河間王郎中令，不就。) Huayang Guo Zhi vol. 11. 06.
  8. ↑ (居貧固儉，衣弊蔬食，晝躬耕耨，夕脩講諷。) Huayang Guo Zhi vol. 11. 06.
  9. ↑ (鄉族饋及禮厚皆不納。目不視色，口不語利。著《譚言》十篇，論道德仁讓。) Huayang Guo Zhi vol. 11. 06.
  10. ↑ (有屠牽豬過隨門，豬索斷，失之。強認溷中豬。隨便牽豬與之。屠人出門，尋得其所失豬，謝隨，還豬。遂以乞之。) Huayang Guo Zhi vol. 11. 06.
  11. ↑ (隨家養竹園，人盜其筍，隨偶行見之，恐盜者覺，怖走竹中，傷其手足，挈屐徐步而歸。其仁如此。) Huayang Guo Zhi vol. 11. 06.
  12. ↑ (太康中，即家拜江陽太守，民思其政。年七十一卒官。) Huayang Guo Zhi vol. 11. 06.
  13. ↑ (後州鄉人言議平當者，皆相謂何江陽。至於汶山夷有正直廉讓者，亦號夷中何江陽。杜景文、何興仁皆為作傳。) Huayang Guo Zhi vol. 11. 06.
  14. ↑ (隨時，同郡繁令張崇，清廉推讓，見稱當時。) Huayang Guo Zhi vol. 11. 06.
  15. ↑ (江陽太守何隨季業：江陽皎皎，命世清淳。) Huayang Guo Zhi vol. 11. 01.
  16. ↑ (長子觀，字巨忠，清公淑慎，知名州里。) Huayang Guo Zhi vol. 11. 06.
  17. ↑ (察孝廉，西都、南安令，平西長史。張昌作亂荊州，從黨西上，郡守無不望風降下，至江陽。平西將軍羅尚表為安遠護軍，討賊，平殄。除巴郡太守。朝議欲以為寧州刺史，會病卒。次子遊，治中從事。) Huayang Guo Zhi vol. 11. 06.
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