第十回 · 獨少魏徵 The One Minister Missing — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

獨少魏徵 The One Minister Missing

眾zhòng官guān朝cháo賀hè已yǐ畢bì，各gè各gè分fēn班bān。唐táng王wáng閃shǎn鳳fèng目mù龍lóng睛jīng，一yī一yī從cóng頭tóu觀guān看kàn，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà文wén官guān內nèi是shì房fáng玄xuán齡líng、杜dù如rú晦huì、徐xú世shì勣jì、許xǔ敬jìng宗zōng、王wáng珪guī等děng，武wǔ官guān內nèi是shì馬mǎ三sān寶bǎo、段duàn志zhì玄xuán、殷yīn開kāi山shān、程chéng咬yǎo金jīn、劉liú洪hóng紀jì、胡hú敬jìng德dé、秦qín叔shū寶bǎo等děng，一yí個gè個gè威wēi儀yí端duān肅sù，卻què不bú見jiàn魏wèi徵zhēng丞chéng相xiàng。唐táng王wáng召zhào徐xú世shì勣jì上shàng殿diàn道dào：「朕zhèn夜yè間jiān得dé一yí怪guài夢mèng：夢mèng見jiàn一yì人rén，迎yíng面miàn拜bài謁yè，口kǒu稱chēng是shì涇jīng河hé龍lóng王wáng，犯fàn了le天tiān條tiáo，該gāi人rén曹cáo官guān魏wèi徵zhēng處chù斬zhǎn，拜bài告gào寡guǎ人rén救jiù他tā，朕zhèn已yǐ許xǔ諾nuò。今jīn日rì班bān前qián獨dú不bú見jiàn魏wèi徵zhēng，何hé也yě？」世shì勣jì對duì曰yuē：「此cǐ夢mèng告gào準zhǔn。須xū喚huàn魏wèi徵zhēng來lái朝cháo，陛bì下xià不bú要yào放fàng他tā出chū門mén，過guò此cǐ一yí日rì，可kě救jiù夢mèng中zhōng之zhī龍lóng。」唐táng王wáng大dà喜xǐ，即jí傳chuán旨zhǐ，著zhuó當dāng駕jià官guān宣xuān魏wèi徵zhēng入rù朝cháo。众zhòng官guān朝cháo贺hè已yǐ毕bì，各gè各gè分fēn班bān。唐táng王wáng闪shǎn凤fèng目mù龙lóng睛jīng，一yī一yī从cóng头tóu观guān看kàn，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà文wén官guān内nèi是shì房fáng玄xuán龄líng、杜dù如rú晦huì、徐xú世shì𪟝jì、许xǔ敬jìng宗zōng、王wáng珪guī等děng，武wǔ官guān内nèi是shì马mǎ三sān宝bǎo、段duàn志zhì玄xuán、殷yīn开kāi山shān、程chéng咬yǎo金jīn、刘liú洪hóng纪jì、胡hú敬jìng德dé、秦qín叔shū宝bǎo等děng，一yí个gè个gè威wēi仪yí端duān肃sù，却què不bú见jiàn魏wèi征zhēng丞chéng相xiàng。唐táng王wáng召zhào徐xú世shì𪟝jì上shàng殿diàn道dào：「朕zhèn夜yè间jiān得dé一yí怪guài梦mèng：梦mèng见jiàn一yì人rén，迎yíng面miàn拜bài谒yè，口kǒu称chēng是shì泾jīng河hé龙lóng王wáng，犯fàn了le天tiān条tiáo，该gāi人rén曹cáo官guān魏wèi征zhēng处chù斩zhǎn，拜bài告gào寡guǎ人rén救jiù他tā，朕zhèn已yǐ许xǔ诺nuò。今jīn日rì班bān前qián独dú不bú见jiàn魏wèi征zhēng，何hé也yě？」世shì𪟝jì对duì曰yuē：「此cǐ梦mèng告gào准zhǔn。须xū唤huàn魏wèi征zhēng来lái朝cháo，陛bì下xià不bú要yào放fàng他tā出chū门mén，过guò此cǐ一yí日rì，可kě救jiù梦mèng中zhōng之zhī龙lóng。」唐táng王wáng大dà喜xǐ，即jí传chuán旨zhǐ，着zhuó当dāng驾jià官guān宣xuān魏wèi征zhēng入rù朝cháo。

逐句解 Line by line

眾zhòng官guān朝cháo賀hè已yǐ畢bì，各gè各gè分fēn班bān。众zhòng官guān朝cháo贺hè已yǐ毕bì，各gè各gè分fēn班bān。

When the officials had finished their court-audience homage, each took his place in his own file.

朝賀 is the court-greeting, the formal homage that opens an audience, with 朝 read cháo; 分班 is to divide into ranks.

唐táng王wáng閃shǎn鳳fèng目mù龍lóng睛jīng，一yī一yī從cóng頭tóu觀guān看kàn，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà文wén官guān內nèi是shì房fáng玄xuán齡líng、杜dù如rú晦huì、徐xú世shì勣jì、許xǔ敬jìng宗zōng、王wáng珪guī等děng，武wǔ官guān內nèi是shì馬mǎ三sān寶bǎo、段duàn志zhì玄xuán、殷yīn開kāi山shān、程chéng咬yǎo金jīn、劉liú洪hóng紀jì、胡hú敬jìng德dé、秦qín叔shū寶bǎo等děng，一yí個gè個gè威wēi儀yí端duān肅sù，卻què不bú見jiàn魏wèi徵zhēng丞chéng相xiàng。唐táng王wáng闪shǎn凤fèng目mù龙lóng睛jīng，一yī一yī从cóng头tóu观guān看kàn，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà文wén官guān内nèi是shì房fáng玄xuán龄líng、杜dù如rú晦huì、徐xú世shì𪟝jì、许xǔ敬jìng宗zōng、王wáng珪guī等děng，武wǔ官guān内nèi是shì马mǎ三sān宝bǎo、段duàn志zhì玄xuán、殷yīn开kāi山shān、程chéng咬yǎo金jīn、刘liú洪hóng纪jì、胡hú敬jìng德dé、秦qín叔shū宝bǎo等děng，一yí个gè个gè威wēi仪yí端duān肃sù，却què不bú见jiàn魏wèi征zhēng丞chéng相xiàng。

The Tang king flashed his phoenix eyes and dragon pupils and looked them over one by one from the head of the ranks. Among the civil officers were Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Xu Shiji, Xu Jingzong, Wang Gui, and the rest; among the military officers were Ma Sanbao, Duan Zhixuan, Yin Kaishan, Cheng Yaojin, Liu Hongji, Hu Jingde, Qin Shubao, and the rest — every one of dignified and solemn bearing. But the chancellor Wei Zheng was nowhere to be seen.

The roll-call is a gallery of the real founding ministers of Tang: 房玄齡 and 杜如晦, the celebrated civil counselors, and among the generals 程咬金, 胡敬德 and 秦叔寶. But the emperor is not admiring them; he is looking for someone, and the name that is missing is 魏徵's. 勣 in 徐世勣, later famous as the general Li Ji, is read jì; 相 in 丞相, 'chancellor,' is xiàng; 那 is nà. In 一一從頭, 'one by one,' both characters stay level as yī yī: the tone-shift 一 normally undergoes before a following syllable does not apply to this doubled adverb.

唐táng王wáng召zhào徐xú世shì勣jì上shàng殿diàn道dào：「朕zhèn夜yè間jiān得dé一yí怪guài夢mèng：夢mèng見jiàn一yì人rén，迎yíng面miàn拜bài謁yè，口kǒu稱chēng是shì涇jīng河hé龍lóng王wáng，犯fàn了le天tiān條tiáo，該gāi人rén曹cáo官guān魏wèi徵zhēng處chù斬zhǎn，拜bài告gào寡guǎ人rén救jiù他tā，朕zhèn已yǐ許xǔ諾nuò。今jīn日rì班bān前qián獨dú不bú見jiàn魏wèi徵zhēng，何hé也yě？」唐táng王wáng召zhào徐xú世shì𪟝jì上shàng殿diàn道dào：「朕zhèn夜yè间jiān得dé一yí怪guài梦mèng：梦mèng见jiàn一yì人rén，迎yíng面miàn拜bài谒yè，口kǒu称chēng是shì泾jīng河hé龙lóng王wáng，犯fàn了le天tiān条tiáo，该gāi人rén曹cáo官guān魏wèi征zhēng处chù斩zhǎn，拜bài告gào寡guǎ人rén救jiù他tā，朕zhèn已yǐ许xǔ诺nuò。今jīn日rì班bān前qián独dú不bú见jiàn魏wèi征zhēng，何hé也yě？」

The Tang king summoned Xu Shiji up to the hall and said: 'Last night I had a strange dream: I dreamed that a man came face to face with me and bowed, calling himself the Dragon King of the Jing. He had broken the law of Heaven, he said, and was to be beheaded by the Registrar of Human Affairs, Wei Zheng; he begged me to save him, and I gave my promise. Yet today, before the ranks, Wei Zheng alone is not to be seen. Why is this?'

迎面拜謁 is to meet face to face and pay one's respects. 寡人, 'the solitary one,' is one of the ruler's words for himself, a formula of humility that only the most powerful man in the empire was entitled to use. 勣 is jì, and 一 in 得一怪夢 is yí before the falling tone of 怪.

世shì勣jì對duì曰yuē：「此cǐ夢mèng告gào準zhǔn。須xū喚huàn魏wèi徵zhēng來lái朝cháo，陛bì下xià不bú要yào放fàng他tā出chū門mén，過guò此cǐ一yí日rì，可kě救jiù夢mèng中zhōng之zhī龍lóng。」世shì𪟝jì对duì曰yuē：「此cǐ梦mèng告gào准zhǔn。须xū唤huàn魏wèi征zhēng来lái朝cháo，陛bì下xià不bú要yào放fàng他tā出chū门mén，过guò此cǐ一yí日rì，可kě救jiù梦mèng中zhōng之zhī龙lóng。」

Xu Shiji replied: 'This dream is a true portent. You must summon Wei Zheng to court, and Your Majesty must not let him go out the door; keep him past this one day, and the dragon of the dream may be saved.'

告準 is a portent that has proved true. The plan is beautifully simple: summon the executioner, keep him indoors, do not let him out until the hour has gone by. It is what anyone would try, and the rest of the chapter exists to show why it fails. 勣 is jì, and 朝 in 來朝, 'to come to court,' is cháo.

唐táng王wáng大dà喜xǐ，即jí傳chuán旨zhǐ，著zhuó當dāng駕jià官guān宣xuān魏wèi徵zhēng入rù朝cháo。唐táng王wáng大dà喜xǐ，即jí传chuán旨zhǐ，着zhuó当dāng驾jià官guān宣xuān魏wèi征zhēng入rù朝cháo。

The Tang king, greatly pleased, at once issued a decree, ordering the officer of the guard to summon Wei Zheng to court.

著 in 著當駕官, 'to order the duty-officer,' is the directing zhuó, having someone do something; 當駕官 is the officer on palace duty, and 朝 in 入朝, 'to enter court,' is cháo.

總評 Commentary

The catalog of assembled ministers is a roll-call of the celebrated founders of the Tang: the civil counselors 房玄齡 and 杜如晦, proverbial as a pair for wise administration, and the generals 程咬金, 尉遲敬德 (written here 胡敬德) and 秦叔寶, heroes of the founding wars and, in later folk religion, the very door-gods (門神) whose origin this chapter is about to supply. The novel roots its supernatural tale in a recognizable historical court.

But the whole splendid assembly is arranged around a single absence. Taizong, scanning the ranks, finds every minister present save the one his dream concerned. When he recounts the dream to Xu Shiji, the reply reduces the imperial problem to a simple, human stratagem: summon 魏徵, keep him at court, do not let him out the door until the fatal hour has passed. It is the kind of plan that ought to work — detain the executioner and there can be no execution — and the chapter's power lies in how a sleeping man carries out a beheading that his waking body never leaves the palace to perform.