Since ancient times, which emperor has not relied on his ministers' help to establish a dynasty together? The Han Dynasty began in the autumn of the year Qin II took the throne, during the Chu-Han contention. Initially, Liu Bang was chosen as supreme commander, leading the brave soldiers. Three years later, he destroyed the Qin Dynasty and proclaimed himself King of Han. Five years later, he defeated Xiang Yu and declared himself emperor. It took eight years to bring the country under control before rewards were given and vassals were appointed. By the twelfth year of Emperor Gaozu of Han, 143 people were appointed as lords. At that time, the major cities and towns across the country were deserted, with only a fifth, maybe less, of the population left. Therefore, only ten thousand households were granted the title of lord, with some as small as five to six hundred households. During the enfeoffment, Liu Bang swore, "May the Yellow River flow like a ribbon, Mount Tai stand firm as a blade, and our dynasty last forever, blessing our descendants!" He also wrote letters in cinnabar, made oaths on white horses, and established the order of eighteen noble titles.
In the second year of Empress Dowager Lü's reign, she ordered Prime Minister Chen Ping to thoroughly investigate the merits of the lords, record their achievements in the ancestral temples, and keep copies in the government archives. Initially, Emperor Gaozu of Han did not neglect to consolidate the foundation, but later things started to fall apart. Therefore, during the reigns of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing, within forty to fifty years, the exiled people returned, the population increased, and the larger lords had thirty or forty thousand households, while the smaller ones doubled in size and became prosperous. However, their descendants became spoiled and forgot the hardships of their ancestors' endeavors. Many people violated the law and lost their lives, ruining their families, and even their dynasty. By the first year of Emperor Wu of Han, almost none of the descendants of those meritorious officials remained, and they had all declined. That was pretty unusual. Therefore, Emperor Xuan of Han sympathized with them, built shrines to honor them, checked the old records, and ordered the relevant departments to find their descendants, most of whom were among the common people. They were then reappointed to official positions, and some were even rewarded with gold, silver, and treasures, to show the kindness of the new emperor.
After Emperor Xiaocheng ascended to the throne, he looked after the descendants of Xiao He. However, the influence of the Xiao He family gradually weakened, lacking successors, and the situation was dire, like a thin thread about to break. Ah, Du Ye's suggestion is really good! He said, "In the past, Tang Yao, Yu Shun, and Xia Yu all implemented benevolent governance, bringing peace to the world, with the vassal states coming to pay homage and sharing a golden age. King Tang inherited the achievements of the three generations of sage kings, maintaining the Yin Dynasty's prosperity. During the Zhou Dynasty, eight hundred vassal states were established, and envoys came from all the states to offer congratulations. Therefore, those rulers who implemented benevolent governance could pass on their achievements for generations; those rulers who were highly respected, even if their countries perished, their reputation could still endure. Even after their deaths, they were still remembered for their kindness and virtues. After King Cheng's victory in the Battle of Muye, he considered the hard work of the meritorious officials who fought alongside him, recognizing their deep popularity that also shone on the royal family. He inherited the will of the previous kings, adopted the advice of the old officials, raised their status, expanded their mansions, and showed them great care, respect, and generous rewards. That's what true filial piety is all about. After Xiao He's death, successive monarchs praised his achievements, and the people remembered him. Not even the trees he planted were cut down, let alone his temple. Therefore, the sacrificial rites of Yan and Qi, like those of Zhou, continued unbroken. Of course, there have been cases of punishment in history, but because Xiao He did his best to assist the previous emperor, his descendants were able to receive protection. Look at the meritorious officials of the Han Dynasty; they all received hereditary titles, took the oath of the country and the people, were honored with titles during their lifetimes, and were remembered through sacrifices after death, and the court was generous in its rewards! However, more than a hundred years later, most of these hereditary titles have been discontinued, some families have even lost their surnames, and some families have no one to inherit the titles. Their bones lie lonely in the graves, and many fell on hard times, living as slaves while alive, with their bodies left unattended after death. This was the case in the past, and it is the same now, truly sad! Now the emperor sympathizes with their plight, orders the search for their descendants, and people across the land eagerly responded to the call. However, despite searching for several years, not all situations have been clarified, and some officials might be covering things up. In this way, the court's virtues will be obscured, and this whole effort to find and honor them will be pointless, and it won't teach anyone a lesson. Even selecting one out of three to inherit the title is difficult to achieve perfection, but priority should be given to those with the greatest achievements." Therefore, Emperor Cheng reinstated Xiao He's title.
During the reigns of Emperor Ai and Emperor Ping, further rewards were bestowed upon the descendants of Cao Can, Zhou Bo, and others. In order to fully document these events, reconstruct the full history of these events, and list them according to the hierarchical order of their hereditary titles, the tracing goes all the way back to the reign of Emperor Xiao Wen, to showcase the achievements of these meritorious ministers and the succession of their titles. (Table omitted)
