Lu Yu

Historical Record

Lu Yu, courtesy name Zijia, was a native of Zhuo County in Zhuo Commandery. His father was Lu Zhi, a renowned scholar of the late Eastern Han^[1]. Lu Yu was orphaned at the age of ten, just as his home province was engulfed in war, and his two elder brothers also perished in the upheaval. While Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan were at war and famine struck the You and Ji regions, Lu Yu single-handedly cared for his widowed sisters-in-law and orphaned nephews, earning praise for his love of learning and his conduct^[1].

When Cao Pi served as General of the Household for All Purposes, he recruited Lu Yu as a Retainer Clerk of Bandit Affairs. Cui Yan recommended him as Registrar of Jizhou. At that time the realm was newly settled, the legal system was not yet complete, and harsh laws applied to fugitives, with punishment even extending to their wives and children. There was once a woman named Bai, the wife of a deserting soldier, who had been married into her husband's family only a few days and had not yet even met her husband; nevertheless the Court of Judicial Review petitioned to have her executed in the marketplace. Lu Yu objected to this, holding the verdict to be unjust^[2].

After the state of Wei was established, Lu Yu was appointed Gentleman of the Bureau of Personnel. After Cao Pi took the throne, Lu Yu successively served as Gentleman of the Yellow Gate, Chancellor of Jiyin, Grand Administrator of Liang Commandery, and Grand Administrator of Qiao Commandery. Because Qiao was his native place, Cao Pi had relocated large numbers of people to populate it and set it up as agricultural garrisons. However, the land of Qiao was barren and the people suffered, which moved Lu Yu to pity, and he submitted a memorial requesting that the people be relocated to the prosperous state of Liang. Although this was approved, it angered Cao Pi, and Lu Yu was consequently demoted to Agricultural Colonel of Suiyang, put in charge of the relocation. Lu Yu, mindful of the people, personally inspected the area and chose fertile land for them to settle, winning the people's hearts^[3].

In the second year of Qinglong, Lu Yu was summoned to court as Palace Attendant. Earlier, the Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary Liu Shao had been ordered to revise the legal code but had not yet completed it. Lu Yu submitted a memorial discussing the meaning of statutes ancient and modern, holding that the law should be uniform and free of ambiguity, lest cunning clerks find loopholes to exploit. When the Palace Attendant Gaotang Long repeatedly remonstrated bluntly over palace construction and angered the emperor, Lu Yu advised: "I have heard that when the ruler is enlightened, his ministers are forthright. The sage kings of old feared only that they would not hear of their own faults, and so they set up the drum of remonstrance. Close ministers offering their utmost loyalty in admonition—this is precisely where we fall short of Gaotang Long. Gaotang Long is a Confucian scholar, and his outspokenness may be called reckless candor; Your Majesty ought to be lenient with him."^[4] Lu Yu served three years as Palace Attendant, often refuting what was improper. The emperor issued an edict praising him as one whose "nature is steadfast and firm, whose mind is fair and bearing upright," a man "proven able in trial and untiring in his post," and appointed him Master of Writing of the Bureau of Personnel. The emperor had Lu Yu choose his own replacement, requiring that it be "someone like you." Lu Yu recommended the Attendant-in-Ordinary Zheng Chong; the emperor said he already knew Zheng Chong and asked for someone he had not heard of. Lu Yu then recommended Ruan Wu and Sun Yong, and the emperor ultimately accepted Sun Yong^[4].

The emperor adopted Lu Yu's advice and promptly issued an edict establishing a system of performance evaluation. When the post of Minister over the Masses was vacant, Lu Yu recommended the recluse Guan Ning, but the emperor was unable to employ him. When the emperor asked for his next choice, Lu Yu replied: "For sincere and honest conduct of the highest order, there is the Grand Palace Grandee Han Ji; for upright integrity, there is the Colonel-Director of Retainers Cui Lin; for steadfast purity, there is the Grand Master of Ceremonies Chang Lin." The emperor in the end employed Han Ji. In selecting talent, Lu Yu always examined conduct first and only afterward considered ability. The Gentleman of the Yellow Gate Li Feng once consulted Lu Yu on this, and Lu Yu replied: "Talent is what makes one capable of doing good. Thus great talent achieves great good, and small talent small good. To call a man talented yet say he cannot do good is for the talent not to fit the vessel." Li Feng and the others deeply agreed^[5].

After Cao Fang, the Prince of Qi, took the throne, Lu Yu was granted the rank of Marquis Within the Passes. At that time Cao Shuang monopolized power and sought to cultivate his faction, so he transferred Lu Yu to be Supervisor of the Masters of Writing, replacing him in his post with the Palace Attendant He Yan. Before long, Lu Yu was again sent out as Commandant of Justice. The Director of Retainers Bi Gui falsely accused Lu Yu, causing him to be dismissed from office, but public opinion largely defended him as wronged, and so Lu Yu was appointed Superintendent of the Imperial Household. After Cao Shuang and his associates were arrested, the Grand Tutor Sima Yi dispatched Lu Yu to act as Colonel-Director of Retainers and try the case. Afterward Lu Yu was again made Master of Writing of the Bureau of Personnel, with the additional title of Commandant of Equipage, and enfeoffed as Marquis of Gaole Precinct; later he was transferred to be Supervisor of the Masters of Writing, continuing to manage selection affairs, with the additional title of Grand Master of Splendid Happiness. After Cao Mao, the Duke of Gaogui Precinct, took the throne, Lu Yu was advanced to Marquis of Daliang Precinct, and one of his sons was enfeoffed as a precinct marquis. When Guanqiu Jian rose in revolt and the Grand General Sima Jingwang went on campaign, Lu Yu was put in charge of administrative affairs in the rear, with the additional title of Palace Attendant. In the third year of Zhengyuan, Lu Yu, due to illness, requested to resign. He was appointed Minister of Works, but he firmly declined and recommended the General of Agile Cavalry Wang Chang, the Grand Master of Splendid Happiness Wang Guan, and the Colonel-Director of Retainers Wang Xiang. The emperor issued an edict sending an envoy to confer the seal of office upon him at once, advancing his rank to Marquis of Rongcheng with a fief of two thousand three hundred households. In the second year of Ganlu, Lu Yu died, with the posthumous title Marquis Cheng. His grandson Lu Fan inherited the title^[6].

While serving as Grand Administrator of Guangping, Lu Yu once handled affairs concerning the recluse Zhang Jian. Three days after Grand Administrator Lu Yu of Guangping took up his post, his subordinates reported that custom dictated presenting a calling card to Zhang Jian. Lu Yu instructed them: "Master Zhang is the sort of man who serves no Son of Heaven above and befriends no feudal lord below. How could a calling card add to his glory!" He therefore merely sent a Registrar to present a letter along with gifts of mutton and wine^[7].

In the Novel

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms does not give Lu Yu any independent literary portrayal, and his deeds are not explicitly recorded in the novel. Lu Yu therefore has no distinctive characterization or plot development in the Romance; his image remains consistent with the historical and biographical material, showing no departure from it. The novel focuses chiefly on the military struggles of the Three Kingdoms period and the legendary careers of its principal figures, and generally does not portray in detail figures such as Lu Yu who, as civil officials, played important roles behind the scenes. Thus Lu Yu is all but invisible in the Romance; his quality of being "steadfast and firm in nature, fair-minded and upright in bearing," as well as his contributions to administration of officials and selection of talent, find no expression there.

Key Relationships

* Lu Zhi (kin_of): Lu Yu's father, a renowned scholar of the late Eastern Han, broadly learned, resolute, and possessed of great integrity^[1]. Lu Zhi's learning and character had a profound influence on Lu Yu, who inherited his father's Confucian bearing and upright character.
* Cao Pi (serves): Emperor Wen of Wei. Lu Yu was recruited by him in his early years as a Retainer Clerk of Bandit Affairs, and after Cao Pi became emperor, Lu Yu served as Gentleman of the Yellow Gate and in other posts^[2]. During Cao Pi's reign Lu Yu, out of concern for the people, submitted a memorial to relocate them and thereby angered Cao Pi, but in the end his measure benefiting the people was adopted^[3].
* Cao Wei (serves): Lu Yu served the Cao Wei regime throughout his life, beginning under Cao Pi and continuing through the reigns of Cao Rui, Cao Fang, Cao Mao, and others, contributing greatly in important posts such as the Bureau of Personnel, Commandant of Justice, and Minister of Works—a vital pillar of the state in late Cao Wei^[6].
* Zhang Jian (interaction): A Confucian scholar who lived in reclusion and refused office. While Grand Administrator of Guangping, Lu Yu showed him respect, did not press him with official authority but treated him with courtesy, sending a Registrar to present a letter and gifts^[7].
* Gaotang Long (colleague): A Palace Attendant who once angered the emperor through blunt remonstrance. Lu Yu defended him, praising his "reckless candor" and urging the emperor to be lenient^[4].
* Han Ji, Cui Lin, Chang Lin (recommended): Worthy men whom Lu Yu recommended to the emperor when the post of Minister over the Masses was vacant, reflecting his principle of valuing conduct in selecting talent^[5].

Defining Scenes

* Raising his widowed sisters-in-law and orphaned nephews, praised for learning and conduct: During the hard times when Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan were at war and famine struck You and Ji, the young Lu Yu took up the burden of his household, caring for his widowed sisters-in-law and orphaned nephews, and won the praise of his community for his love of learning and upright conduct—showing the resilience and virtue of his early years^[1].
* Overturning the execution verdict, upholding law and human bonds: While serving as Retainer Clerk of Bandit Affairs, Lu Yu, faced with the Court of Judicial Review's petition to execute in the marketplace the wife of a deserting soldier who had never even met her husband, dared to object—reflecting his deep understanding of law and human relations and his courage in upholding justice^[2].
* Pleading for the people, relocating them to fertile land: While serving as Grand Administrator of both Liang and Qiao Commanderies, faced with the suffering of the people of Qiao, Lu Yu, undeterred by the risk of angering the emperor, submitted a memorial requesting their relocation to the fertile state of Liang. Though he once lost the emperor's favor, his action out of concern for the people was ultimately realized, and he personally oversaw the relocation and worked for the people's welfare—showing his love of the people as if they were his own children^[3].
* Strongly defending Gaotang Long, manifesting harmony between ruler and minister: When the Palace Attendant Gaotang Long angered the emperor through blunt remonstrance, Lu Yu stepped forward to defend him, pointing out that "when the ruler is enlightened, his ministers are forthright," and urging the emperor to accept loyal counsel. This not only displayed Lu Yu's integrity but also showed his wisdom as a minister and his role in correcting the exercise of royal authority^[4].
* Valuing conduct in selecting talent, advancing the doctrine of "talent not fitting the vessel": While serving as Master of Writing of the Bureau of Personnel in charge of selecting talent, Lu Yu held to the principle of "first raising up conduct, and only then speaking of ability." He expounded to Li Feng the view that "talent is what makes one capable of doing good; thus great talent achieves great good and small talent small good. To call a man talented yet say he cannot do good is for the talent not to fit the vessel," profoundly revealing the importance of combining virtue and ability—a hallmark of his thinking on selecting talent^[5].
* Acting as Colonel-Director of Retainers, trying the case of Cao Shuang: After Cao Shuang, having monopolized power, was arrested, the Grand Tutor Sima Yi dispatched Lu Yu to act as Colonel-Director of Retainers and try the case. This shows that at a critical moment of political struggle, Lu Yu was trusted for his integrity and fairness and took on important judicial responsibilities^[6].
* Treating Zhang Jian with courtesy, manifesting respect for recluses: While Grand Administrator of Guangping, faced with the recluse Zhang Jian, Lu Yu did not treat him with a bureaucratic posture but instructed his subordinates, "How could a calling card add to his glory!" and merely sent a Registrar to present a letter and gifts—reflecting his understanding of and respect for the recluse's moral integrity^[7].