Final 1

 Day 7

In Shi Ji 8: The Basic Annals of Emperor Gaozu, in one of his first acts as a ruler, the governor of Pie establishes a new set of laws governing the lands inside the Pass. The Governor of Pie asserts, "I hereby promise you a code of laws consisting of three articles only. He who kills anyone shall suffer death; he who wounds another or steals shall be punished according to the gravity of the offense; for the rest I hereby shall abolish all the laws of Qin" (62M). The governor of Pie's simplified legal code overtly rejects the harsh draconian laws that governed life under Qin rule. The governor of Pie's new law code informs the people living in the area within the Pass that he has not come "to exploit "them. (62M) In this short vignette, Sima Qian demonstrates that rule under the governor of Pie was fundamentally different from that of the Legalistic Qin Dynasty. By making such a clear delineation between the future Emperor's law code and the tyrannical legalistic rule of Qin, Sima Qian frames Gaozu as a benevolent and humane ruler. However, at no point in Shi Ji 8 does Sima Qian offer a meaningful exploration of Gaozu's approach to governance. Rather, Sima Qian merely describes how Gaozu came to power and the major events of his reign. Given that Sima Qian offers no exploration of Gaozu's thinking regarding government, the reader can merely conclude that Gaozu's approach to ruling was not meaningfully informed by a specific philosophical worldview. Nowhere in Shi Ji 8 does Sima Qian examine how the Han government formed or its basic structure. In Shi Ji 53: The Hereditary House of Prime Minister Xiao, regarding Prime Minister Xiao's role in the overthrow of Qin and his support of Gaozu in establishing the Han government, Sima Qian notes, "because the people groaned under the laws of Qin, he gratified their wishes by making a new beginning for the empire" (98MT). However, Sima Qian does not explore the “new beginning for the empire." The reader does get some sense that during the early years of Han rule the legal code was updated and the government of the Han evolved. Regarding Xiao He's time as Prime Minister, Sima Qian writes, 'he worked to simplify the laws and statuses and set up dynastic temples and altars, palaces and district office" (92M). Here, the reader gets some sense that once Gaozu became emperor he meaningfully reformed the legal code, but Sima Qian offers no insight as to what lies at the center of Han rule (Law, Tradition, Ritual). Sima Qian makes it abundantly clear that overtly Legalistic and tyrannical Qin Dynasty had lost the Mandate of Heaven. However, Sima Qian offers little insight as to what undergirds the new Han Dynasty approach to government.    

Day 8

At the bottom of page 102, Zhang Liang questions the governor of Pie as to whether he can defeat Xiang Yu. At this moment, Sima Qian notes, "The governor of Pei was silent for a long time and then said, 'No, of course not. But what should we do now?'" (102B). I have always been fascinated by the role silence plays in a text and how authors use silence. Throughout much of the Record of the Grand Historian: Han Dynasty 1, Sima Qian portrays Gaozu as boisterous and somewhat confrontational with his advisors. Thus, this moment of silence seems somewhat uncharacteristic of Gaozu. This moment of silence, occurring in the first year of Han as Gaozu decided how to navigate his relationship with Xiang Yu (206 BC), reveals something important about Gaozu. Gaozu's silence in response to Zhang Liang's pointed question reveals a side of Gaozu that Sima Qian does not reveal in other parts of the text. Here, silence indicates a reflective side to Gaozu, an aspect of his personality that can pause, navigate doubt, and grapple with crucial issues in a meaningful manner. I find it interesting that this consequential interaction and moment of silence does not occur in Shi Ji 8: The Basic Annals of Emperor Gaozu. Instead, Sima Qian places this episode in Shi Ji 53: The Hereditary House of Prime Minister Xiao. One possible explanation for why Sima Qian places this episode in Shi Ji 53 instead of Shi Ji 8 is that it denotes something significant about Zhang Liang. Gaozu's willingness to pause and silently reflect seemingly reveals something about his relationship with Zhang Liang as well as Zhang Liang's ability to engage Gaozu in deeply reflective conversation. By positing a silence and a subtle pause (in the text) at this crucial moment, Sima Qian establishes an intimacy between Gaozu and Zhang Liang while engendering a sense of humanity that I rarely experience while reading the Record of Grand Historian. Later, in Shi Ji 53, Gaozu once again gives way to silence as Zhang Liang questions him regarding his decision to follow Li Yiji's recommendation to reestablish the descendants of the former kingdoms. On pages 105-106, as Zhang Liang unpacks his seven reasons why Gaozu should not follow Li Yiji's recommendation, Gaozu merely replies, "No" or "Not yet." Here, Zhang Liang explains to Gaozu why his decision is misguided in such a way as to leave Gaozu with nothing to say. Zhang Liang frames his reasons in questions that require the king to respond while providing Gaozu no space to meaningfully voice his opinion; thus, Zhang Liang renders Gaozu silent while still maintaining the appearance that Gaozu can speak. This one-side exchange is another example of Zhang Laing's ability to engage Gaozu while simultaneously demonstrating that Gaozu is a leader capable of silently listening while being advised. Gaozu's brief silences with Zhang Laing add an interesting dimension to Sima Qian's portrait of the First Emperor of Han while subtly demonstrating Zhang Laing's merit as an advisor, administrator, and subject.