Xue Huan, courtesy name Tan Zhen, was a native of Henan. His family originally had the surname Chigan. His father was Xue Baozi, who once served as the Inspector of Xuzhou in the State of Wei. Xue Huan was tall and imposing, and he became known for his ability to get things done at a young age. He later became the Chief of Guests, and every time he brought guests to meet the Wei Emperor, he carried himself with great dignity. When the Wei Emperor summoned him, he said, "You have an impressive appearance and are quite handsome; you will surely be promoted in the future. How do you feel about your current position?" Xue Huan replied, "Regarding sacrifices at the ancestral temple, I dare not be disrespectful; concerning court affairs, I dare not be disloyal. Beyond that, other matters are not something an ordinary official like me can manage."
During the Zhengguang period, Xue Huan became the magistrate of Luoyang County, and the area under his jurisdiction quickly became orderly. When someone committed a crime, he did not need to resort to torture; through rigorous logical reasoning and investigation, he was able to uncover the truth. As a result, local thugs and troublemakers feared him, which made his job significantly easier. At that time, there was a severe drought, and prisoners in the capital were assembled at Hualin Garden to address wrongful convictions, resulting in only three prisoners remaining in the Luoyang prison. Emperor Xiaoming of Wei held him in high regard and rewarded him with one hundred rolls of silk. After Xue Huan was promoted to the Ministry of Personnel, Minister Cui Liang proposed implementing a seniority-based ranking system, without evaluating the abilities of candidates, only looking at years of service and qualifications. Xue Huan submitted a letter of dissent, stating, "The well-being of the common people rests in the hands of local officials. If the right individuals are chosen, the common people can enjoy a peaceful and prosperous life; if the wrong people are chosen, the consequences could be even more severe. If the Ministry of Personnel only selects older officials without assessing their abilities and virtues, it's like a queue, one after another; it would be enough to have officials who can just register names. Why do we need so many people? How can this be considered talent selection? Therefore, I urge you not to implement this system." However, his petition was not adopted.
Later, Xue Liu was summoned again, and he advised, "Governing the realm is a shared responsibility of all officials. The Han Dynasty often had the Three Grand Ministers recommend virtuous and upright talents who were bold enough to speak their minds to serve as local officials to win the people's trust. This practice was abandoned from the late Jin Dynasty onwards. Now that the world has just stabilized, the priority now is to win the people's trust. I request to follow the example of the Han Dynasty and re-establish four positions, allowing the Three Grand Ministers to recommend talented individuals to serve as governors of the commanderies and counties, and to formulate clear regulations to prevent them from engaging in corruption." The Wei Emperor ordered the courtiers to discuss this matter, but in the end, there was no result.
Yuan Tianmu wanted to attack Xing Gao and appointed Li Liu as the Minister of the Executive Council. At that time, Yuan Hao had already occupied Can City. Yuan Tianmu summoned civil and military officials to discuss whom to attack first. Everyone felt that Xing Gao had a large army and should be dealt with first. However, Li Liu believed that Xing Gao was gathering a rebellion, which lacked legitimacy; even though he was powerful, he was ultimately just a bandit. In contrast, Yuan Hao was a royal relative, claiming to fight for justice, making the situation more complicated and harder to assess. Xing Gao was like a rat in the shadows, a dog scavenging for scraps, lacking great ambitions; thus, Yuan Hao should be dealt with first. Since everyone believed Xing Gao was the bigger threat, Yuan Tianmu decided to attack him first. As a result, Xing Gao surrendered, but Yuan Hao entered Luoyang. Yuan Tianmu said to Li Liu, "I didn't listen to you, and that's how things turned out."
During the Tianping years of the Western Wei, Emperor Gaozu of the Western Wei promoted him to the position of Chief Minister. Li Xuan had long been renowned for his talents and received high regard from Emperor Gaozu. He was involved in significant military and state matters and was diligent and responsible, consistently providing earnest advice. When Emperor Gaozu planned a large-scale westward expedition, preparing to cross the Pujiang River, Li Xuan advised, "The bandits in the west have been suffering from famine for several years and have nothing to eat, which is why they risk their lives to invade Shan Prefecture to seize grain. Now that Minister Gao has surrounded Shan Prefecture, no grain can get out. We just need to station troops at all the road junctions, avoid direct confrontation with them, and wait until next year's wheat harvest; they will starve, and Baoyu and Heitan will naturally surrender. I urge Your Majesty not to cross the river!" Hou Jing also said, "Even though we have a large force this time, if we were to lose, the consequences could be disastrous. It would be wiser to divide the army into two columns, advancing in succession; if the front column is victorious, the rear column can then launch a full-scale attack; if the front column is defeated, the rear column can provide support." Emperor Gaozu did not heed this advice, which ultimately led to the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Shayuan.
Li Xuan later rose to the position of Minister of Rites and then passed away. Before his death, he instructed his son to bury him in ordinary clothes, to be interred a month later, and forbade anyone from seeking official positions on his behalf. He even made his own funeral cart, without any decorations, using only hemp twine for tassels and plain hemp rope. No burial items were allowed either. Li Xuan had long served in the court, skillfully handling documents and accounts, and was quick in adjudicating cases. However, he was inherently suspicious and resentful, seeming upright and honest on the outside, while being restless and uneasy on the inside. He took bribes, twisted legal provisions, was harsh and ungrateful, and offended many, causing scholars and commoners to fear and detest him. Zhang, the concubine of Wang Yuankuang of the Eastern Ping Kingdom, was known for her promiscuous behavior; Li Xuan initially had an affair with her and later married her. He was deceived by Zhang's slanders, divorced his first wife, and did not acknowledge his son, resulting in widespread complaints within his household and accusations flying back and forth, leading to Li Xuan being ridiculed by people. After his death, he was posthumously honored as the Inspector of Qingzhou.
Jing Xianjun, styled Xiaoying, was from Pingyang. In his youth, he was brave and chivalrous, with a strong sense of honor, and associated with many heroes and outstanding figures. He later became the Supervisor of the Imperial Guards. When Emperor Gaozu attacked Jinzhou, Jing Xianjun was sent to pay him a visit, and they hit it off well, which led to his promotion to Deputy. After Emperor Gaozu raised his army, he appointed Jing Xianjun as the Minister of Logistics. During the attack on Ye City, Emperor Gaozu assigned Jing Xianjun to oversee the construction of earthen mounds. Once the city fell, he accompanied Emperor Gaozu in quelling the rebellion of the Western Hu. He was later promoted to Minister of the Capital and participated in campaigns alongside various generals, earning numerous military accolades. He also helped Emperor Gaozu put down the disturbances caused by Kou Nan, defeating Emperor Wen of Zhou, vanquishing Hou Jing, stabilizing Shouchun, and securing the Huainan region. He expanded the territory of Sanjiangkou, constructing many cities and military camps. Ultimately, he was promoted to Inspector of Yanzhou, and later passed away.
Ping Jian, styled Mingda, was a native of Jixian in Yanjun. His father, Ping Sheng, had served as the governor of Anzhou. From a young age, Ping Jian was clever and quick-witted, with great ambition and capability. He studied under Xu Zunming, without being confined to textual interpretation; although he revered Confucianism, he also had a strong sense of chivalry. In the late years of Xiaochang, as bandits rose and chaos threatened the world, he went to Luoyang and became friends with Murong Yan, the two rode horses together. Ping Jian was skilled with his hands, painting at night to sell for a living to support himself. He told his relatives, "The rise and fall of the world follows a set course; when chaos reaches its peak, it will turn to stability. Bingzhou is a battleground for military strategists, and Er Zhu Rong is a hero of our time. He has raised the banner of righteousness to suppress rebels; we should serve him loyally and wholeheartedly; now is the time!" Thus, they joined Er Zhu Rong in Jinyang and presented strategies for quelling the rebellion and stabilizing the people. Er Zhu Rong held him in high regard and immediately appointed him as a military advisor, following Er Zhu Rong to pacify Gong County and Mi County, always charging into battle at the front. He was later promoted to the position of General and governor of Xiangzhou.
When Emperor Gaozu rose in rebellion at Xindu, Ping Jian joined him. Gaozu said to Ping Jian, "During this time of lax governance in the court, you have already shown your loyalty to your country. Now that Er Zhu Rong is causing chaos, you can turn from darkness to light; truly, it is in times of turmoil that loyal and steadfast individuals are revealed!" Thus, Gaozu promoted him to governor of Huai Prefecture in the west.
Ping Jian submitted a memorial to the court, requesting the construction of fortifications along the old Zhi Road in the west of the province to defend against the Western invaders, and the court approved his request. Soon after, the Western Wei army came to attack. At that time, the newly built fortifications had not yet received provisions, and there was already a water shortage, instilling great fear in the people. There was a well inside the south gate, but it ran dry as soon as water was drawn. Ping Jian then put on his armor, knelt by the well, and prayed until dawn, when the well water finally surged forth, allowing the entire city to drink. The Western Wei army ultimately retreated, and because of this achievement, Ping Jian was promoted to the position of Minister of State, holding the rank of San Si.
At this time, Shi Heshikai, relying on his good relationship with the emperor and his great power in the court, would suppress anyone he found displeasing. He even had someone ask the Minister of State, Zhang Jian, to take his concubine Liu for himself. Without hesitation, Zhang Jian sent Liu to Shi Heshikai. Zhang Jian also told others, "If I, old Zhang, lose Liu, what's the difference between that and dying? You all should think about your own situations; there's nothing we can do about it!" As a result, Zhang Jian was reassigned as the governor of Qizhou. Zhang Jian had served as governor of eight provinces and had been the governor of Huaizhou twice. Wherever he went, the local officials greatly missed him, and some even erected monuments in his honor. Later, he was later promoted at court and became the Minister of the Interior.
