The Travels of Ssu-ma Hsiang-ju 司马相如 (179-117 B.C.E.)

Changan 长安

Armed Mounted Horseman in Regular Attendance

In exchange for the position as a gentleman of the palace, Ssu-ma Hsiang-ju gave the palace a portion of his wealth. As such, Hsiang-ju served Emperor Hsiao Ching as an Armed Mounted Horseman in Regular Attendance, which was not to his liking. 

以赀为郎，事孝景帝，为武骑常侍，非其好也。

Liang 梁国

Guest

Emperor Hsiao Ching disliked tz’u and fu poems, seemingly unlike King Hsiao of Liang (as evidenced by how King Hsiao brought wandering rhetoricians that Hsiang-ju immediately found common ground with and rejoiced in). Hsiang-ju retired from the palace, using his illness as an excuse. Then, he travelled to Liang to serve King Hsiao as a retainer. After lodging with scholars and rhetoricians for several years, Hsiang-ju composed Fu on Master Empty.

会景帝不好辞赋，是时梁孝王来朝，从游说之士齐人邹阳、淮阴枚乘、吴庄忌夫子之徒，相如见而说之，因病免，客游梁。梁孝王令与诸生同舍，相如得与诸生游士居数岁，乃着子虚之赋。

Ch’eng-tu 成都

After King Hsiao of Liang passed away, Hsaing-ju returned to Ch’eng-tu. However, he returned poor and was unable to pursue his passion and goals.

会梁孝王卒，相如归，而家贫，无以自业。

Lin-ch’iung 临邛

Esteemed Guest

Seeing Hsiang-ju's dire situation, Hsiang-ju’s old friend Wang Chi, the Prefect of Lin-ch’iung, welcomed Hsiang-ju as a guest in his county. Although Hsiang-ju was poor (especially compared to the rich households in Lin-ch’iung), he was still respected and invited to high profile parties-- after all, Hsiang-ju was an accomplished writer and Wang Chi made large efforts to pay him respect. In one party hosted by the wealthy Cho Wang- sun and Ch’eng Cheng, Hsiang-ju wooed Cho Wen-chün, the recently widowed daughter of Cho Wang-sun, with the zither and lavish gifts. 

素与临邛令王吉相善，吉曰：“长卿久宦游不遂，而来过我。”于是相如往，舍都亭。临邛令缪为恭敬，日往朝相如。相如初尚见之，后称病，使从者谢吉，吉愈益谨肃。临邛中多富人，而卓王孙家僮八百人，程郑亦数百人，二人乃相谓曰：“令有贵客，为具召之。”并召令。令既至，卓氏客以百数。至日中，谒司马长卿，长卿谢病不能往，临邛令不敢尝食，自往迎相如。相如不得已，彊往，一坐尽倾。酒酣，临邛令前奏琴曰：“窃闻长卿好之，愿以自娱。”相如辞谢，为鼓一再行。是时卓王孙有女文君新寡，好音，故相如缪与令相重，而以琴心挑之。相如之临邛，从车骑，雍容闲雅甚都；及饮卓氏，弄琴，文君窃从户窥之，心悦而好之，恐不得当也。既罢，相如乃使人重赐文君侍者通殷勤。

Ch’eng-tu 成都

Cho Wen-chün and Hsiang-ju eloped at night, returning to Hsiang-ju’s bare and modest home in Ch’eng-tu. Enraged, Cho Wang-sun denied his daughter any monetary assistance. 

文君夜亡奔相如，相如乃与驰归成都。家居徒四壁立。卓王孙大怒曰：“女至不材，我不忍杀，不分一钱也。”人或谓王孙，王孙终不听。

Lin-ch’iung 临邛

Unhappy with poverty, Cho Wen-chün convinced Hsiang-ju to accompany her to Lin-ch’iung and beg for money from her cousins. With that money, they bought a wine-house. 

文君久之不乐，曰：“长卿第俱如临邛，从昆弟假贷犹足为生，何至自苦如此！”相如与俱之临邛，尽卖其车骑，买一酒舍酤酒，而令文君当垆。相如身自着犊鼻裈，与保庸杂作，涤器于市中。

Ch’eng-tu 成都

After much effort, Cho Wang-sun’s family finally persuaded him to give Cho Wen-chün the dowry he initially denied. Suddenly finding themselves rich, Hsiang-ju and Wen-chün returned to Ch’eng-tu, bought land, and invested in a house. 

卓王孙闻而耻之，为杜门不出。昆弟诸公更谓王孙曰：“有一男两女，所不足者非财也。今文君已失身于司马长卿，长卿故倦游，虽贫，其人材足依也，且又令客，独柰何相辱如此！”卓王孙不得已，分予文君僮百人，钱百万，及其嫁时衣被财物。文君乃与相如归成都，买田宅，为富人。

Changan 长安

Gentleman

After a few years, Emperor Wu became enamored with Fu on Mastery Empty and, upon learning from the Master of Hounds that the author is Hsiang-ju, he summoned Hsiang-ju to court. Emperor Wu sponsored Hsian-ju to compose another fu poem. Pleased by the final fu, Emperor Wu made Hisang-ju a gentleman of the palace. 

居久之，蜀人杨得意为狗监，侍上。上读子虚赋而善之，曰：“朕独不得与此人同时哉！”得意曰：“臣邑人司马相如自言为此赋。”上惊，乃召问相如。相如曰：“有是。然此乃诸侯之事，未足观也。请为天子游猎赋，赋成奏之。”上许，令 尚书 给笔札。相如以“子虚”，虚言也，为楚称；“乌有先生”者，乌有此事也，为齐难；“无是公”者，无是人也，明天子之义。故空藉此三人为辞，以推天子诸侯之苑囿。其卒章归之于节俭，因以风谏。奏之天子，天子大说。

赋奏，天子以为郎。无是公言天子上林广大，山谷水泉万物，乃子虚言楚云梦所有甚众，侈靡过其实，且非义理所尚，故删取其要，归正道而论之。

Shu 蜀郡

Envoy

Tang Meng, an envoy sent by Emperor Wu to overrun territory west of Yeh-lang and within Po by connecting them with a road, invoked the martial law to execute local chieftains that weren’t compliant with the Emperor, startling the population of Pa and Shu. So, the Emperor sent Hsiang-ju as an envoy to reprimand Tang Meng and reassure the locals of his benevolence. 

相如为郎数岁，会唐蒙使略通夜郎西僰中，发巴蜀吏卒千人，郡又多为发转漕万馀人，用兴法诛其渠帅，巴蜀民大惊恐。上闻之，乃使相如责唐蒙，因喻告巴蜀民以非上意。

Changan 长安

Commander of the Gentlemen of the Palace, Envoy

Hsiang-ju returned to Changan to report to Emperor Wu the progress of the Han’s road-building projects in the nomadic people’s territory: the road to the nomadic south was completed, and the one to the west was undergoing construction. Upon the request of the Emperor, Hsiang-ju reasoned that expanding in the nomadic west would be beneficial because of the west’s potential for establishing commanderies and counties. Thoroughly agreeing with Hsiang-ju’s argument, Emperor Wu continued to support the expansion in the nomadic west, appointed Hsiang-ju as the Commander of the Gentlemen of the Palace, and sent him as an envoy to the western nomadic people.

相如还报。唐蒙已略通夜郎，因通西南夷道，发巴、蜀、广汉卒，作者数万人。治道二岁，道不成，士卒多物故，费以巨万计。蜀民及汉用事者多言其不便。是时邛笮之君长闻南夷与汉通，得赏赐多，多欲愿为内臣妾，请吏，比南夷。天子问相如，相如曰：“邛、笮、冉、駹者近蜀，道亦易通，秦时尝通为郡县，至汉兴而罢。今诚复通，为置郡县，愈于南夷。”天子以为然，乃拜相如为中郎将，建节往使。副使王然于、壶充国、吕越人驰四乘之传，因巴蜀吏币物以赂西夷。

Shu 蜀郡

Commander of the Gentlemen of the Palace, Envoy

When Hsiang-ju went to Shu to bribe the Western nomadic people on Emperor Wu's orders, he was greeted as a local hero. Everyone of importance--the Grand Administration of Shu, the counties' prefects, Cho Wang-sun (Hsiang-ju's father-in-law), and the notables of Lin-ch'iung-- came, hosting expensive feasts. Cho Wang-sun, no longer ashamed of his daughter's decision to marry Hsiang-ju, imparted Cho Wen-chün a generous share of his wealth. Using his newfound wealth and influence, Hsiang-ju pacified the Western nomadic people and admitted Ch’iung, Tso, Jan, Mang and Ssu-yü as vassals. Then, Hsiang-ju initiated a project that transformed old, pre-existing frontier passes into a road connecting Shu and the main settlement of Ch’iung.

至蜀，蜀太守以下郊迎，县令负弩矢先驱，蜀人以为宠。于是卓王孙、临邛诸公皆因门下献牛酒以交欢。卓王孙喟然而叹，自以得使女尚司马长卿晚，而厚分与其女财，与男等同。司马长卿便略定西夷，邛、笮、冉、駹、斯榆之君皆请为内臣。除边关，关益斥，西至沬、若水，南至牂柯为徼，通零关道，桥孙水以通邛都。还报天子，天子大说。

Changan 长安

Hsiang-ju returned to Changan to report to Emperor Wu of his accomplishments. Shortly after, someone presented a written accusation of Hsiang-ju accepting money when he was an envoy, resulting in his dismissal from court. After Hsiang-ju retired for about a year, he was once again summoned to court as a Gentleman of the Palace. 

还报天子，天子大说。其后人有上书言相如使时受金，失官。居岁馀，复召为郎。

Ch’ang Yang 长杨

Gentleman of the Palace

After Hsiang-ju returned to the court after his brief departure, he grew less ambitious and no longer sought to advance in office. In addition, Hsiang-ju also suffered from diabetes. Despite that, however, Hsiang-ju still accompanied Emperor Wu on several hunting trips. In one trip to Ch’ang-yang, Hsiang-ju rebuffed Emperor Wu for taking unnecessary risks during hunting trips. He referred to his Fu on Master Empty, which warns against impulsiveness and profligacy.

相如口吃而善著书。常有消渴疾。与卓氏婚，饶于财。其进仕宦，未尝肯与公卿国家之事，称病间居，不慕官爵。常从上至长杨猎，是时天子方好自击熊彘，驰逐野兽，相如上疏谏之。

Yi-ch'un Palace 宜春宫

Gentleman of the Palace

On the way back from another hunting trip, Hsiang-ju took the opportunity to present his Fu about the many failings of the Second Emperor of Ch'in as they passed by Yi-ch’un Palace. 

上善之，还过宜春宫，相如奏赋以哀二世行失也。

Changan 长安

Prefect of the Grave Garden of Emperor Wen

Once Emperor Wu and Hsiang-ju returned to the capital, Emperor Wu appointed Hsiang-ju as Prefect of the Grave Garden of Emperor Wen. As he carried on his duties, Hsiang-ju was allowed to compose Fu on the Great Man, considered his most extraordinary piece of writing.

相如拜为孝文园令。天子既美子虚之事，相如见上好仙道，因曰：“上林之事未足美也，尚有靡者。臣尝为大人赋，未就，请具而奏之。”相如以为列仙之传居山泽间，形容甚臞，此非帝王之仙意也，乃遂就大人赋。