Fan Xiu, courtesy name Maobin, was a native of Kaocheng in Jiyang. His grandfather, Fan Xuan, was a military scholar of the Jin Dynasty. His father, Fan Xi, was an assistant official in Yanzhou of the Song Dynasty. Fan Xiu lost his father at a young age, but he was deeply devoted to his mother and had a good reputation. He and Shen Yue from Wuxing were both recognized by Cai Xingzong.
During the Taishi period, Fan Xiu started his official career as a court official. When Cai Xingzong became the General of Anxi, he took Fan Xiu under his wing as his chief scribe. Fan Xiu was promoted several times, serving successively as the magistrate of Linhai County, Changcheng County, a cavalry staff officer, a censorate drafter, a guard army sergeant, and finally as the secretary to Prince Liang of Qizitou. He was later promoted to be the steward of the Crown Prince's residence. When Crown Prince Wenhui was in the Eastern Palace, talented individuals like Shen Yue were given significant prominence, and Fan Xiu was among them. Although Fan Xiu's literary talent was not as good as Shen Yue's, his character and reputation were widely respected by the people of that time. He was well-versed, particularly in the historical accounts of fortunes and misfortunes since the Wei and Jin Dynasties. Shen Yue often said, "Master Fan Xiu has extensive knowledge; even Hu Guang cannot compare!" Fan Yun from Nanxiang also said to others, "For any actions in the court, you should ask Master Fan Xiu." This was because Fan Xiu had a thorough knowledge of the history of previous dynasties. Eventually, Fan Xiu was promoted to be a Doctor of the Imperial Academy.
During the Yongming period, envoys from the Wei Kingdom arrived, and the Emperor ordered the selection of officials skilled in rhetoric and debate to greet the envoys at the border. Fan Xiu was appointed as the Prefect of Huaiyin to welcome the Wei Kingdom envoys. After his return, he was promoted to be the Deputy Minister of the Left, but his mother passed away, so he resigned from his position to mourn. Shortly after, he was soon reinstated and continued as the acting Deputy Minister of the Left.
Later, he was sent out again and successively served as General Ning Shuo, Chief Historian of the Southern Barbarians, and Prefect of Nan Yiyang. Before he had a chance to take office, he was promoted to the position of Right Army Consultant, while still retaining the position of Prefect of Nan Yiyang. Next, he was appointed as General of the Army. Afterwards, he was transferred to the positions of General Jian Wei and Interior Minister of An Cheng. He then returned to the court, serving as Yellow Gate Attendant Gentleman, and was later promoted to Deputy Imperial Secretary, concurrently serving as General of the Forward Army and Grand Supervisor of South and North Yanzhou Prefecture. Towards the end of the Yongyuan era, he was appointed as General of the Supporting State, Chief Historian of the Jin'an King, concurrently in charge of the affairs of South Xuzhou. After the righteous army pacified the capital, the Emperor specially appointed him as Minister of Personnel, participating in large-scale official recruitment. After the construction of the Liang platform, he was appointed as Minister of Revenue. In the fifth year of Tianjian, he was promoted to Cavalry Attendant, Household Counsellor, responsible for the Crown Prince's travel safety. In the sixth year, he also concurrently served as Left Guard Commander of the Crown Prince. In the seventh year, he was transferred to Attendant-in-Ordinary of the Palace Secretariat, Right Guard General, still retaining the position of Grand Supervisor. That year, he requested retirement, but the Emperor did not approve it. In the eighth year, he was transferred to serve as Prefect of Jinling, with a rank equivalent to two thousand stones. In the ninth year, he returned to the court as Minister of Rites, concurrently serving as Right Valiant Cavalry General, and later that year was promoted to Golden Purple Grandee, along with twenty additional trusted attendants. In the thirteenth year, he died while in office at the age of seventy-five. The court granted him fifty thousand coins and one hundred rolls of cloth for funeral expenses.
He was seven feet eight inches, respectful and cautious, and conducted himself with great politeness. Since his parents passed away, he had been a vegetarian and wore plain clothes until his death. Every official position he held was renowned for his integrity. When he was the county magistrate in Changcheng County, he possessed a box made of catalpa wood that he kept for decades, even after he was promoted to higher offices. When he was the governor of Jinling, he only had one toothpick pen and felt it was a bit wasteful. His works, including "The Book of Rites," "Miscellaneous Ceremonies," and "Character Instructions," have been preserved through the ages. He had two sons, one named Bao and the other named Wei.
Fu Zhao, courtesy name Maoyuan, was from Lingzhou in the northwest and was the seventh-generation descendant of Xi Xian, a Colonel during the Jin Dynasty. His grandfather was called Fu Hezhi, and his father was called Fu Dan. Fu Dan was well-versed in the "Three Rites" and was quite renowned during the Song Dynasty. His father once worked for Prince Jingling of the Song Dynasty, Liu Dan, who later staged a rebellion that led to Fu Dan's death. Fu Zhao became an orphan at the age of six, but his grief was mature beyond his years, surprising his family.
At the age of eleven, he sold almanacs with his grandfather at Zhuque Hang. Later, he served as an attendant to Yuan Yi, the governor of Yongzhou. Yuan Yi once paid a visit to Fu Zhao's home, and Fu Zhao was completely unflustered, calmly studying. Yuan Yi exclaimed, "This child has an extraordinary presence; he will surely achieve great things in the future!" When Prince Jian'an, Xiu Ren, heard of this, he was equally pleased and wanted to bring Fu Zhao to his side, but Fu Zhao declined the offer due to the troubles surrounding the Song family at that time.
Someone recommended Fu Zhao to Yu Yuan, the Tingwei, and Yu Yuan sent a carriage to pick him up. At that time, Yu Yuan's relative Yu Tong was also present, along with many other prominent figures. Yu Tong even presented him with a poem: "Brilliant in Shandong, a talent in Luoyang. Who can inherit the pure dust, and encounter your lingering fragrance?" Wang Yanshao of Taiyuan also recommended Fu Zhao to Yuan Can, the Danyang Yin, who valued him highly, appointed him as the county scribe, and had his children study under Fu Zhao.
Later, Emperor Ming died, and Yuan Can needed help writing a mourning article, so he asked Fu Zhao to help revise it. Every time he passed by Fu Zhao's house, Yuan Can would sigh: "Passing by his house, it is as quiet as if no one is there. Opening his curtain, talent is inside; what else could this be if not a virtuous person!" Soon after, Fu Zhao became the Chief Scholar of the Ming Dynasty and received royal appointments. During the Yongming period, he rose steadily, serving successively as a junior official and military adviser to Prince Ziliang, the Minister of Personnel.
Initially, the Chief Censor Liu Xiu recommended this person named Zhao to Emperor Wu. In the early years of Yongming, Zhao was appointed as the attendant reader for Prince Nanjun. Prince Nanjun later ascended to the throne, and at that time, the court officials were all scrambling to curry favor with the emperor for power and influence. Only Zhao and his friend Zong Quai from Nanyang stayed out of the power struggles and ultimately avoided any fallout. After Emperor Ming ascended the throne, he promoted Zhao to be the Attendant of the Imperial Library. Typically, those in this position wielded significant power and influence, but Zhao was honest and careful, never meddling in politics. He dressed plainly and lived simply. He often lit candles on a simple wooden bed to read. Upon hearing this, Emperor Ming rewarded him with lacquered candlesticks and other gifts, and ordered: "You have the demeanor of an ancient scholar, so I reward you with items used by ancient scholars." Later, Zhao was promoted to several official positions, serving as a military adviser for the Prince of Linhai, a magistrate of Changshui, the Prince's household steward, and a military adviser to the Prince of Jin'an. He was then promoted to the Deputy Left Minister of Personnel and the Grand Censor of Benzhou.
The founding emperor already understood Zhao's abilities. After the pacification of Jiankang City, he promoted him to the position of military officer responsible for record-keeping of the Cavalry. After the completion of the Liang platform, Zhao was promoted to the position of Attendant of the Yellow Gate and concurrently served as the Imperial Scribe Supervisor. Shortly after, he was also appointed as the Deputy Chief Imperial Secretary, while retaining his positions as Attendant of the Yellow Gate, Imperial Scribe Supervisor, and Chief Imperial Secretary. In the third year of Tianjian, he was reassigned as Minister of Military Affairs, participating in the selection process; in the fourth year of Tianjian, he officially took on the position of Minister of Military Affairs. In the sixth year of Tianjian, he was transferred to the position of Minister of the Masses, but before taking office, he was dispatched to serve as General Jianwei, Chief Secretary to the Prince of Ancheng, and Administrator of Xunyang. In the seventh year of Tianjian, he returned to the court to serve as General Zhenyuan and Chief Clerk of the Central Authority. In the eighth year of Tianjian, he was promoted to Palace Attendant to the General-in-Chief of the Scattered Cavalry, leading the Infantry Commandant, while continuing to serve as the Chief Imperial Secretary of the province. In the tenth year of Tianjian, he once again assumed the position of Minister of the Masses.
In the eleventh year of Tianjian, he was dispatched to Ancheng Commandery as General of Trust and Security and Interior Minister. Since the Song Dynasty, Ancheng Commandery had been plagued by constant warfare, and the commandery's government offices were in disrepair. After Zhao took office, the people in the commandery began having dreams at night of numerous armored soldiers, and some remarked, "good people should hide." The soldiers were so frightened that they fled. When the dreamers woke up, a storm suddenly arose, followed by heavy rain that knocked down several houses, precisely where the soldiers had trampled in their dreams. From then on, the government offices in the commandery were peaceful, and everyone believed it was because of Zhao's uprightness. The streams in the commandery were devoid of fish, so in the summer, people would offer fish to Zhao. He neither accepted nor outright declined, but chose to leave them at his door.
It is said that twelve years ago, he was appointed as the Secretary of the Secretariat and also served as the General of the Rear Guard. Fourteen years later, he was promoted to the Grand Minister of Rites. Seventeen years later, he was sent to serve as the General of Military Affairs and the Governor of Linhai. There was a honey cave in Linhai, which previous governors had claimed for themselves and enjoyed the benefits alone. However, he emulated King Wen of Zhou and opened up the land for the common people to share, to educate the people. Therefore, he ordered that the honey cave should remain accessible. The county magistrate frequently sent chestnuts, and even secretly placed some silk fabric underneath them. He simply smiled and returned them.
In the second year of Putong, he returned to the imperial court and served as the Cavalry Commandant and Imperial Attendant, Grand Master of Ceremonies, and also as the Chief Justice of the province. Soon after, he was appointed as the Secretary of the Secretariat again. Five years later, he was promoted to the Cavalry Commandant and Imperial Attendant, Golden Purple Grand Master of Ceremonies, while still retaining the position of Chief Justice. He governed his office with a light touch and never took himself too seriously. In the court, he never sought favors, kept no private followers, and did not engage in corrupt practices. He spent his days reading at home, enjoying organizing documents, and even in old age, he remained sharp. He was knowledgeable, well-versed in ancient and modern matters, especially skilled in assessing people. He could detail the misdeeds of high-ranking officials since the Wei and Jin dynasties, as well as their collusion with the court, leaving no stone unturned. He was extremely cautious in his conduct. Once, when his daughter-in-law brought beef to his house to eat, he summoned his son and said, "Eating this would be illegal; reporting it is also inappropriate, so let's just bury it!" He maintained the same diligence even in private. The younger generation in the capital admired his scholarship and viewed themselves as his inferiors. In September of the second year of Datong, he passed away at the age of seventy-five. The court awarded him thirty thousand coins for funeral expenses, fifty rolls of cloth, and held a memorial ceremony on the same day, posthumously bestowing upon him the title "Zhenzi." His eldest son, Xu, served as a court official and was the magistrate of Lin'an; his second son was named Gong.
His younger brother, Ying Zihui, became an orphan at the age of three. The two brothers had a deep bond, were upright individuals, and never violated etiquette. When his older brother served as the Prefect of Linhai, Lu Cui saw him off, and both the host and guest were very happy, playing until it was dark and they had not returned. Younger brother Ying, considering that his older brother was getting older and could not indulge in joy all night long, took the initiative to greet them and ride home together. Both brothers had streaks of gray in their hair, and people at the time admired their strong brotherly affection. After his older brother passed away, the younger brother handled the funeral arrangements as he would for a father. Even in his seventies, he was consumed by grief. Even though the mourning period had passed, whenever he talked about his older brother, he couldn't help but feel heartbroken.
This man, Shen Ying, was notably talented, but he had no taste for showing off. When he was young, he had a particularly good relationship with Liu Hui and Xiao Chen. Liu Hui later became the Prefect of Nankang, while Shen Ying served as an official at the time, and many official documents and decrees were drafted by Shen Ying. The renowned Chu Yanhui greatly admired him upon hearing this and even brought him into his circle of friends, where he played with Chu Yanhui's son, Chu Ziben. Before Shen Ying even turned twenty, Chu Yanhui wanted him to become an official, but Shen Ying insisted he hadn’t officially entered the service yet and firmly declined, only willing to consider an official position after he formally entered the service.
In the first year of Yongyuan, he participated in the military operation guarding the King of Jiangxia and was later sent to Wukang County as a magistrate. Later, when Gaozu's army arrived in Jiankang, Yuan Ang, the governor of Wuxing, who believed his family was loyal and steadfast in upholding moral principles, went to ask Shen Ying, "What do you think of the current situation?" Shen Ying replied, "In the later years of the Yuanjia period, the world has just been opened up, so the Grand Commandant died to demonstrate his resolve, and the Minister of State bore significant responsibilities and should not live complacently, disregarding danger and sacrificing themselves for honor and integrity. Now, the emperor is incompetent and cruel, close to villains, killing loyal subjects indiscriminately; the way of the virtuous has vanished, external enemies keep invading, but the emperor shows no remorse. Now Jingzhou and Yongzhou have joined forces, occupying the upper reaches, betraying the incompetent ruler and turning to the rightful lord; the situation is bound to succeed. The people long for peace; this is the will of heaven and the people's hearts. Wise men know what to do; the path of loyalty and filial piety is right in front of us. I hope the governor will consider it carefully to avoid future regret!" As a result, Shen Ying was dismissed because of this matter. In the early years of the Tianjian era, he became a military officer under Prince Poyang, a military officer under Prince Jian'an, a military historian, the magistrate of Wucheng County, etc. He gave all his salary to his elder brother. Later, he also served as a military officer under Prince Linchuan, the chief secretary of the Southern Platform, the chief secretary of Prince Ancheng, and the Colonel of the Crown Prince's Guard. He was promoted all the way to Senior Palace Attendant, Minister of Ceremonies, and Senior Palace Attendant. In the fifth year of Datong, Shen Ying passed away at the age of 83 years, leaving a son named Shen Hong. Now let's talk about Xiao Chen, whose courtesy name was Yanyu, hailing from Lanling. His grandfather Xiao Sengzhen was the Minister of Justice during the Song Dynasty, and his father Xiao Huixun was a Senior Palace Attendant. When Xiao Chen was young, his uncle Xiao Huikai patted him on the back and said, "You will surely bring prosperity to our Xiao family!"
Xie Chen was exceptionally intelligent from a young age, with excellent eloquence. He initially served as a lecturer at the Taixue in the Qi state. At that time, Wang Jian held great power, and Wang Jian did not yet know the young Xie Chen. Confident in his own talent, Xie Chen wanted to find an opportunity to make Wang Jian notice him. Hearing that Wang Jian was hosting a banquet at Leyou Garden, Xie Chen wore tiger-skin boots and carried a peach wood cane, and strode directly up to Wang Jian. Wang Jian exchanged a few words with him and was quite pleased. Later, when Wang Jian became the Intendant of Danyang, he appointed Xie Chen as his chief secretary and recommended him as a scholar in Nanxu Province. Xie Chen continued to rise in ranks, eventually becoming the Record Keeper of the Ministry of Works.
In the ninth year of the Yongming era, Northern Wei and Southern Qi began friendly exchanges, and Xie Chen was twice sent on a mission to Sanggan. Upon his return, he was appointed as an Attendant Cavalry Officer. At that time, Li Daogu was sent by Northern Wei as an envoy, and Emperor Wu of Qi hosted a banquet in his honor. At the banquet, Xie Chen raised his cup in a toast to Li Daogu, who declined, saying, "There are no personal courtesies in the court; I cannot accept your toast." Xie Chen calmly replied, "In the Book of Songs, it says 'The rain falls on my public field and reaches my private field'." Everyone present found Xie Chen's response reasonable, and Li Daogu accepted the toast. Later, Xie Chen was promoted to Chief Historian of the Ministry of Works and subsequently served as Chief Historian for Prince Jinxi, acting as the governor of Nanxu Province. Upon his return, he also held the positions of Minister of Finance and Deputy Minister of the Left.
When Xiao Baojuan first ascended to the throne, everyone discussed the absence of a precedent for ancestral temple worship. Xie Chen, drawing from the poems "Liewen" and "Minyu" in the Book of Songs, argued that ancient emperors had to worship the ancestral temple after ascending to the throne, and his argument was accepted by all. Later, when Emperor Gaozu of Qi established his capital in Jiankang, he summoned Xie Chen to serve as a consultant for the cavalry, responsible for managing official documents. He was subsequently promoted to Yellow Gate Attendant. After the construction of the Liang Dynasty's imperial court, he was appointed as the Deputy Imperial Censor. In the first year of the Tianjian era, he was promoted to the position of Crown Prince's Assistant, and later sent to serve as the Prefect of Xuancheng. He was later summoned back to the capital by the court to serve as the Minister of the Guards, and soon after was promoted to the position of Imperial Secretary of the Palace Attendants. Three years later, he was appointed as the Crown Prince's Tutor and Palace Attendant. Nine years later, he was appointed as General of Ningyuan, Chief Secretary of Pingxi, and Prefect of Jiangxia.
While Xie Chen was in Xuancheng, a monk from the north came south, carrying only a gourd that held the preface to the "Book of Han." The monk said, "The elders of the Sannai region have passed down that this is the genuine work of Ban Gu." Xie Chen went to great lengths to acquire this "Book of Han," which differed significantly from the existing versions, with ancient paper and ink, and the handwriting resembled dragons and phoenixes, neither in the style of clerical script nor seal script. Xie Chen treasured it greatly. Later, when Xie Chen was reassigned, he gave this book to Prince Fanzhen of Poyang, who subsequently presented it to the Eastern Palace.
First, let’s discuss a man named Shen Chen, who served as Chief Secretary of Anxi and Prefect of Nanjun. Later, after the death of his mother and the subsequent mourning for his father, he resigned from his post to return home for the funeral. He later became the General of Xinwu, Chief Military Officer, and was soon promoted to General of Zhenyi and Chief Secretary of the Grand Commandant. He was then sent away to serve as General of Xinwei and Prefect of Dongyang, and later promoted to Prefect of Wuxing.
In Wuxing County, there is a temple dedicated to Xiang Yu, and the locals call Xiang Yu "Fen Wang," believing the temple works wonders. Therefore, officials in the county, whether sent by the court or local officials, all have to pay their respects at the temple, even setting up a shrine for him in the county office, where everyone worships before sneaking off to other rooms. When Shen Chen took office, he moved Xiang Yu's shrine back to the temple without hesitation. He also banned cow sacrifices, using dried meat instead.
Shen Chen served as the governor of a large county many times, but he never engaged in any business. He took whatever he needed without a second thought. In the first year of the Pu Tong reign, he was summoned by the court to serve as Zong Zheng Qing and later got promoted to Left Minister of Personnel while also serving as the Grand Central Inspector of South Xu Province and the Right Guard for the Crown Prince. He was then transferred to the Ministry of Revenue, serving as the General of the Left Valiant Cavalry and the Commander of the Army, then as the Chief of the Secretariat and the General of the Rear Army, and eventually promoted to Palace Attendant.
When the founding emperor was still a prince, he was very familiar with Shen Chen. At court banquets, he treated Shen Chen like an old friend, calling him "Zong Lao." Shen Chen often reminisced about their past friendship, saying, "We met in Zhongyang in our early years and worked together. Although I later became confused by the changes in court affairs, I still benefited from your kindness." The founding emperor replied, "Even though we knew each other back then, we weren't really like-minded friends; let's skip the uprising talk and focus on the unique quirks of this 'mad slave' of yours!"
Shen Chen often said, "When I was young, I had three hobbies: music, calligraphy, and drinking. As I got older, I let music and calligraphy slide, but my love for reading has stayed strong." Shen Chen was quite laid-back, often whipping up meals for himself and always enjoying a good drink afterward.
In the second year of Datong, he was appointed as a Jinsi Guanglu Dafu and Jiatejin, and was also assigned thirty trusted followers. In the first year of Zhong Datong, he was appointed as Yunhui General and Jinling Prefect, with an official rank of Zhong Er Qian Shi. Later, due to illness, he requested to resign and was later appointed as Shizhong and Jinsi Guanglu Dafu. He died at the age of fifty-two. He left a will to be buried with his wife in the same tomb, but their coffins were to be placed separately, and sacrifices were to consist solely of vegetables. The funeral was limited to just ten carriages, and everything was to be kept simple. The emperor personally went to mourn, deeply saddened. The court posthumously reinstated his original official position, promoted him to Yunhui General, and bestowed upon him a set of secret artifacts from Dongyuan, a set of court attire, one piece of clothing, two hundred thousand coins, and one hundred pieces of cloth. He was posthumously given the title "Pingzi."
Lu Gao, styled Mingxia, was from Wu County, Jiangsu. His grandfather, Lu Hui, served as the Assistant General in the Song Dynasty and the Governor of Yizhou; his father, Lu Rui, had served as the Zhongzheng of Yangzhou. From a young age, Lu Gao had a passion for learning, excelled in calligraphy and painting, and his uncle, Zhang Rong, was quite renowned. Lu Gao bore a striking resemblance to his uncle, and people at that time said, "There's no one quite like the uncle and nephew."
He initially served as a military law officer in the Qi dynasty, then became an attendant to the Crown Prince, and later the chief clerk for Wang Jian, the commander of the guards. He was later promoted to the position of a clerk in the Ministry of Personnel; however, on his first day, he arrived late and missed the designated time, which led to his dismissal. After some time, he was appointed as a military advisor to Prince Jingling, then promoted to the position of a military historian for Prince Yidu, a military advisor to the Prince of Jin'an, and a subordinate official in the Ministry of War. After the establishment of the Liang dynasty, he was appointed as a military advisor in the Imperial Guard, and later promoted to a clerk in the Ministry of War. In the first year of Tianjian, he was appointed as the Chief of Military Affairs, but when his mother passed away, he resigned and returned home to observe mourning rites. After completing the mourning period, he was appointed as the General of Jianwei, a military advisor to the Prince of Linchuan, then promoted to the position of Gentleman of the Yellow Gate and Chief Historian of the Prince of Ancheng. In the fifth year of Tianjian, he was promoted to the position of Deputy Grand Censor.
Lu Gao is a person of integrity and uprightness, never acting based on others' opinions. When the magistrate of Shanyin County, Yu Jian, was found guilty of corruption and accepting bribes totaling millions, Lu Gao reported him and demanded an investigation. The Imperial Secretary Huang Muzhi sought Lu Gao's help with Yu Jian's case, but Lu Gao completely ignored him. When Emperor Liang Wu heard about this, he asked Lu Gao next: "Is this true?" Lu Gao replied: "Yes." The Emperor then asked: "Do you know Huang Muzhi?" Lu Gao answered: "I don't know him." At that moment, Huang Muzhi was right next to the Emperor, who pointed at him and said to Lu Gao: "This is the person." Lu Gao pointed at Huang Muzhi and said: "You little weasel, how dare you pass a criminal off to the Censorate?" Huang Muzhi turned red immediately. General Zhang Ji, who was Lu Gao's uncle, had previously accused him of official misconduct. Zhang Ji later complained to Emperor Liang Wu at a court banquet: "Lu Gao is my relative, but he didn't hold back in accusing me, even over trivial things." Emperor Liang Wu replied: "Lu Gao is just doing his duty; what do you have to complain about?" Lu Gao became well-known at the Censorate for standing up to authority.
At the age of eight, he was promoted to the position of Secretary Supervisor. Before that, he had also served as the Crown Prince's Attendant and as the Minister of Ceremonies. Eight years later, he was appointed as the Governor of Yixing, where he was known for his generosity and was deeply loved by the people. He later returned to the court and served as the Chief Historian for Prince Linchuan, as well as the Grand Central Inspector of Yangzhou. In the fourteenth year, he was promoted to the Supervisor of the Writing Masters, and shortly after became the Regular Attendant of the Writing Masters, while still retaining his previous position. In the fifteenth year, he was appointed as the Left Chief Historian in charge of Works. In the sixteenth year, he returned to the court as the Left Minister of the People, and later was promoted to the Minister of Ceremonies. In the second year of Putong, he was assigned as the General of Renwei and the Prefect of Linchuan. In the fifth year, he returned to the court as the Grand Official of the Golden Purple, while continuing to serve as the Grand Central Inspector of Yangzhou. In the first year of Dadao, he was further promoted to the title of Special Grandee, while still retaining his previous position. Four years later, he passed away at the age of seventy-four. He was posthumously honored with the title of "Sincerity."
Mr. Lu Gao devoutly practiced Buddhism, strictly adhered to the precepts, and authored a 30-volume work titled "Biographies of Monks."
His younger brother, Lu Xu, was highly knowledgeable and had profound insights. During the Tianjian period, he held various positions such as the Palace Library Supervisor, the Deputy Minister of Works, and the Steward of the Crown Prince's Household, before he passed away. He began writing the "Book of Jin" but could not finish it. He also wrote a 15-volume "History of Lu" and a volume titled "Records of the Li Spring of the Lu Family," both of which gained wide circulation at the time.
Lu Gao's son, Lu Zhao, was diligent and studious from an early age, with exceptional literary talent. He later held positions as a Crown Prince's Attendant and as the Minister of Ceremonies.
The historical records state that Fan Xiu and Fu Zhao were both known for their upright conduct and integrity. They led exemplary lives, comparable to Shi Jian and Shi Qing. Xiao Chen and Lu Gao were both renowned for their intellect and scholarship. Xiao Chen was intelligent, quick-witted, and eloquent, with a deep understanding of court regulations. The founding emperor became acquainted with Xiao Chen when he was still a farmer, and after ascending the throne, he held Xiao Chen in even higher regard. This is truly admirable! Lu Gao was principled and unafraid of the powerful, later working in the law enforcement department to combat corruption without flinching from the powerful. He was indeed a man of integrity! As the Book of Songs states: "The son of his family is a righteous minister of the state." Lu Gao was truly that kind of person!
