Background and early life

Gu Yong was born in Wu County, Wu Commandery, which is present-day Suzhou, Jiangsu, towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty. His great-grandfather Gu Feng (顧奉) was a former Administrator (太守) of Yingchuan Commandery (潁川郡; around present-day Xuchang, Henan). The Gu clan, which he was from, was one of the four most influential clans in Wu Commandery and also in the Jiangdong region at the time.

Sometime in the 180s, when Cai Yong was living in Wu Commandery, Gu Yong met him and learnt calligraphy and music from him. While studying under Cai Yong's tutelage, Gu Yong showed that he was not only diligent and focused in his studies, but also fast-learning and easily teachable. As a result, he earned high praise from Cai Yong, who told him: "You will definitely reach the pinnacle of success. I offer you a new name – the same as mine." Gu Yong thus changed his given name to "Yong" (雍) which was similar to Cai Yong's "Yong" (邕). He also adopted "Yuantan" (元歎), which literally means "top praise", as his courtesy name to reflect the high praise he received from his mentor.

The Administrator of Wu Commandery heard of Gu Yong's fame and recommended him as a talent to join the civil service. Shortly after he reached the age of adulthood, he started serving as the chief of Hefei County before he was reassigned to Lou County (婁縣; north of present-day Kunshan, Jiangsu), Qu'e County (曲阿縣; present-day Danyang, Jiangsu) and then Shangyu County (上虞縣; in present-day Shaoxing, Zhejiang).

Early career under Sun Quan

When the Han central government granted the warlord Sun Quan the nominal appointment of Administrator of Kuaiji Commandery (around present-day Shaoxing, Zhejiang) around 200 or 201, Sun Quan in turn appointed Gu Yong as his deputy and the acting Administrator to help him govern Kuaiji Commandery because he was based in Wu Commandery at the time. During his tenure, Gu Yong pacified and integrated rebels and minorities under his jurisdiction and maintained peace. He earned much respect from his subordinates and the people alike for his good performance. After holding office for many years, he was reassigned to be a Left Major under Sun Quan.

In 222, after Sun Quan became the King of Wu, he promoted Gu Yong to the positions of Minister of Imperial Ancestral Ceremonies (大理奉常) and Prefect of the Masters of Writing (尚書令) in his kingdom. He also enfeoffed Gu Yong as the Marquis of Yangsui District. As Gu Yong went straight back to his office after his conferment ceremony, his family did not know that he had been made a marquis so they were very surprised when they found out later.

In 225, Gu Yong fetched his mother from his hometown in Wu County (吳縣; present-day Suzhou, Jiangsu) to live with him in Wuchang (武昌; present-day Ezhou, Hubei), the imperial capital of Eastern Wu. When she arrived, Sun Quan greeted and welcomed her in person, and later paid his respects to her in his imperial court in the presence of all his subjects. Sun Quan's heir apparent, Sun Deng, also greeted her. In the same year, Gu Yong was reassigned to serve as Minister of Ceremonies (太常) and promoted from a district marquis to a county marquis under the title "Marquis of Liling" (醴陵侯). Later that year, he succeeded Sun Shao as the Imperial Chancellor of Eastern Wu and took charge of the imperial secretariat. Yi Zhongtian commented that the appointment of Gu Yong and later Lu Xun as Chancellor was the compromise between the local Jiangdong nobility and the ruling clique of Eastern Wu (mostly came from other regions), as both Gu and Lu descended from notable and powerful Jiangdong clans. Sun Quan was eager to grant more power shares for the Jiangdong noblity as long as it enabled the Sun royal family to maintain the overall control.

As Imperial Chancellor of Eastern Wu

While holding office as Imperial Chancellor, Gu Yong managed the administration well. He assigned his subordinates to their respective appointments in a way which not only generally suited their preferences, but also allowed them to put their talents to good use. He also often went on inspection tours to assess local conditions and see if policy changes could be made to improve the people's lives. When he had new ideas, he secretly proposed them to Sun Quan. If his ideas were approved and implemented, he gave the credit to Sun Quan instead of claiming it for himself. If his ideas were rejected, he kept quiet and did not reveal anything. As a result, Sun Quan trusted and regarded him highly.

A reticent person

Although Gu Yong always maintained a polite and respectful tone when he spoke up on issues in the imperial court, he was also known for standing by his principles and holding his ground when he had to. On one occasion, when Sun Quan sought feedback from his subjects on policy matters, Zhang Zhao used the opportunity to ask for a review of the laws. He presented the findings he collected over a period of time, and pointed out that the laws were too strict and the penalties for crimes were too harsh. Sun Quan did not respond to Zhang Zhao and instead turned to Gu Yong and asked him: "Sir, what do you think?" Gu Yong replied: "My observations coincide with what Zhang Zhao just described." Sun Quan thus approved Zhang Zhao's request for a review of the laws.

Sun Quan often sent his palace secretaries to consult Gu Yong on policy matters. If Gu Yong approved, he had food and drinks prepared for the secretaries while they discussed and refined their ideas with him. If he disapproved, he appeared solemn and remained silent, and had no food and drinks prepared for them. The secretaries then scrapped their ideas and went back. Sun Quan once said: "If Lord Gu is happy, that means he approves your idea. If he doesn't say anything, that means he thinks your idea can be improved. When that happens, I will think through again carefully." This quote showed that Sun Quan had much faith and respect for Gu Yong.

Response to suggestions to launch border raids

Around the time, many Wu military officers in charge of defending the border along the southern banks of the Yangtze River wanted to gain credit for making contributions in battle, so they often wrote to the imperial court to suggest launching small raids on Wu's rival state Wei in the north.

When Sun Quan sought Gu Yong's opinion on this, the latter said: "I heard that in warfare, one should refrain from trying to make petty gains. When these officers make such suggestions, they actually just want to claim some credit and glory for themselves, rather than for the greater benefit of our State. Your Majesty should ban them from making such suggestions. If a suggestion doesn't do much harm to the enemy and isn't sufficient for us to showcase our military prowess, then it shouldn't be taken into consideration." Sun Quan heeded his advice.

Throughout his tenure as Imperial Chancellor, Gu Yong never shared his opinions on policy issues except when he spoke to Sun Quan in person.

Lü Yi scandal

Around the 230s, Sun Quan appointed Lü Yi, whom he highly trusted, as the supervisor of the bureau in charge of auditing and reviewing the work of all officials in both the central and regional governments. Along with his colleague Qin Bo (秦博), Lü Yi freely abused his powers by picking on trivialities and falsely accusing numerous officials of committing serious offences. As a result, some officials were wrongfully arrested, imprisoned and tortured during interrogation.

Gu Yong was one of Lü Yi's targets. The latter initially prepared to make a case against him for incompetence and ask Sun Quan to remove him from office. However, after an official Xie Gong pointed out that Pan Jun, the Minister of Ceremonies, would most likely become the next Imperial Chancellor if Gu Yong were to be removed from office, Lü Yi immediately dropped the case against Gu Yong because he knew that Pan Jun resented him and would take action against him if he became Imperial Chancellor.

Lü Yi's abuses of power finally came to an end in 238 when Sun Quan learnt the truth about him and understood the gravity of the situation. After removing Lü Yi from office, Sun Quan had him imprisoned under the watch of the Ministry of Justice, and then ordered Gu Yong to conduct an investigation. While interrogating Lü Yi, Gu Yong maintained his composure and performed his job professionally. Before Lü Yi was escorted out, Gu Yong asked him, "Do you have anything else to say?" Lü Yi kowtowed and remained silent. When another official Huai Xu (懷叙) started scolding Lü Yi, Gu Yong sternly rebuked Huai Xu: "As government officials, we should follow the laws. Why must you do this?"

The Eastern Jin dynasty historian Xu Zhong (徐衆) disapproved of Gu Yong's handling of Lü Yi's case. He pointed out that Lü Yi's actions had severely damaged the integrity of the Eastern Wu government and reduced people's trust in the government. Xu Zhong argued that Gu Yong should not even provide Lü Yi an opportunity to defend himself, because if Lü Yi pleaded not guilty and Gu Yong submitted his plea to Sun Quan, there was a risk that Sun Quan might believe that Lü Yi was innocent and therefore release him. If that happened, then, in Xu Zhong's opinion, the efforts of Sun Deng, Pan Jun, Lu Xun and the others who stood up to Lü Yi's abuses of power would have been in vain. Xu Zhong also argued that Gu Yong should not reprimand Huai Xu for scolding Lü Yi because Lü Yi deserved it for his evil deeds.

Lecturing his grandson on proper behaviour

On one occasion, one of Sun Quan's nieces married a younger maternal relative of Gu Yong. Gu Yong, along with his sons and grandson Gu Tan, attended the wedding. At the time, Gu Tan held an important position as Master of Writing in the Selection Bureau (選曹尚書; the equivalent of a present-day human resources director) of the government. During the celebrations, he became drunk and started dancing wildly in an unrestrained manner in front of his grandfather, Sun Quan and the other guests. Gu Yong felt extremely embarrassed and upset with his grandson's behaviour but he did not say anything.

The following day, Gu Yong summoned Gu Tan and lectured him: "Rulers see it as a virtue to endure hardship for the sake of fulfilling a greater purpose; subjects see it as their duty to be mindful, humble and respectful. In the past, although Xiao He and Wu Han made great contributions to the Han dynasty, the former became tongue-tied in front of Emperor Gao while the latter exercised caution when he spoke in front of Emperor Guangwu. What great contributions have you made to our State? You are in the Emperor's favour only because of your family background. How dare you lose control of yourself! Even though you weren't sober, your behaviour still shows that you aren't humble enough, and that you think you don't need to be respectful just because the Emperor favours you. It looks like one day you will be the one who brings disgrace to our family."

Gu Yong then faced away as he lay on his couch and rested. Gu Tan stood there for about two hours before his grandfather allowed him to leave.

Death

After holding office as Imperial Chancellor for about 19 years, Gu Yong became critically ill towards the end of 243. When Sun Quan learnt about Gu Yong's condition, he sent his palace physician Zhao Quan to visit Gu Yong. He also commissioned Gu Yong's youngest son, Gu Ji (顧濟), as a Cavalry Commandant (騎都尉). When Gu Yong heard about it, he sadly remarked: "(Zhao) Quan is an expert at assessing whether someone will live or die. I know for sure that I won't recover. That is why the Emperor wants me to see (Gu) Ji receiving his commission." He died sometime between 29 November and 28 December that year at the age of 76 (by East Asian age reckoning).

Sun Quan donned mourning garments and personally attended Gu Yong's funeral. He also honoured Gu Yong with the posthumous title "Marquis Su" (肅侯), which means "serious marquis".

Appraisal

Gu Yong was known for his abstinence from alcohol and for being a reserved and quiet person. He also maintained proper conduct and behaviour all the time, even in casual and informal settings. Sun Quan once said: "Although Gu Yong doesn't talk much, he is spot on when he speaks." Whenever Gu Yong attended festive celebrations, he was usually a spoilsport because his mere presence often made his colleagues feel uneasy. They were worried that he would see them in their non-sober states, so they tended to exercise greater self-control while enjoying themselves. Sun Quan even once remarked: "When Gu Yong is around, no one will have fun."

Chen Shou, who wrote Gu Yong's biography in the Sanguozhi, appraised Gu Yong as follows: "Gu Yong relied on his personal integrity and showed great wisdom and tolerance. That was why he was able to remain in a most prestigious position until his death."

Family

Wife

Gu Yong married a daughter of Lu Kang, an official who served as the Administrator of Lujiang Commandery (廬江; around present-day Lu'an, Anhui) in the late Eastern Han dynasty. Through his marriage, he was a brother-in-law of Lu Ji, one of the 24 Filial Exemplars who served as an official under Sun Quan.

Children and descendants

Gu Yong had three sons: Gu Shao (顧邵), Gu Yu (顧裕) and Gu Ji (顧濟).

Gu Shao died around the age of 30 while holding office as the Administrator of Yuzhang Commandery (豫章郡; around present-day Nanchang, Jiangxi). He married a niece of Sun Quan, and had two sons, Gu Tan (顧譚) and Gu Cheng (顧承), who served as officials under Sun Quan but were eventually exiled to the remote Jiao Province.

Gu Yong's second son, Gu Yu, was also known as Gu Mu (顧穆). He served as the Administrator of Yidu Commandery (宜都郡; around present-day Yidu, Hubei) and was known for being in poor health. One of his sons, Gu Rong (顧榮), came to serve under the Jin dynasty after the fall of Eastern Wu and rose to high positions in the Jin government. One of Gu Rong's nephews, Gu Yu (顧禺), was already well known in his youth. He served as a Regular Mounted Attendant (散騎侍郎) under the Jin dynasty but died early.

Gu Yong's third and youngest son, Gu Ji, inherited his father's peerage as the Marquis of Liling (醴陵侯) because his eldest brother died early and his second brother was not in a good state of health to succeed their father. Gu Ji did not have any children so when he died, there was no one to inherit his peerage. During the Yong'an era (258–264), the third Eastern Wu emperor Sun Xiu issued an imperial edict as follows: "The late Imperial Chancellor (Gu) Yong was virtuous and loyal. He played a supportive role to the State with his graciousness. I am deeply saddened to hear that he has no descendant to succeed him. I hereby order (Gu) Yong's second son, (Gu) Yu, to inherit the peerage of the Marquis of Liling, so as to honour (Gu Yong) for his past contributions."

Other relatives

Other notable relatives of Gu Yong include his brother Gu Hui (顧徽) and relative Gu Ti (顧悌), who also served as officials in Eastern Wu.

生平

至德忠賢

顧雍是蔡邕的門生，後來獲州舉薦，成年後任合肥縣長，後歷任婁縣、曲阿和上虞縣長，所在皆有治跡。後孫權領會稽太守，但不到會稽，因為孫權不在，作為會稽郡丞的顧雍任代理太守，行使太守的權力；任內參與討平山賊，令會稽郡內安定。後遷任左司馬。

密重識雲

黃武元年（222年），孫權稱吳王，顧雍多次升遷至大理奉常、尚書令，封陽遂鄉侯。

黃武四年（225年），顧雍迎接母親到吳，孫權親自慶賀，親自向其母親拜禮。顧雍為人不喝酒，寡言少語，舉止大體。孫權感嘆道：「顧雍不說話，話中必有理。」改任太常，封醴陵侯，此時東吳第一任丞相孫邵逝世，顧雍接任丞相，平尚書事。任內選調朝中各官都以其能力作依據，並不存有私心；顧雍又派人到民間搜集資訊，以設計合適的政令或建議上呈，孫權亦因此而對顧雍十分器重。

赤烏六年（243年）十一月，任丞相十九年的顧雍逝世，謚號肅侯。長子顧邵早夭，次子顧裕有不治之症，因而由三子顧濟繼承爵位。

性格特徵

• 顧雍不飲酒，又沉默寡言。酒宴時，左右的人都因為顧忌顧雍而不敢盡情玩樂。連孫權也感嘆地說：「顧公在座，使人不快活。」

• 有一次宴會，其孫顧譚喝醉了酒，大肆地跳舞助興。隔天，顧雍因此責難他，說他必會敗壞顧家的名譽，後來正如顧雍所說，顧譚被流放到交州。

• 典校郎呂壹在朝中胡作非為，曾經誣陷顧雍。後呂壹因罪行被揭發而下獄，顧雍去見呂壹，表現得和顏悅色、寬宏大度，並不因為曾經被誣陷而憤怒。

家室

平輩

• 陸氏，陸康女，陸儁姐妹，陸績姐。顧雍妻。

• 顧徽，字子歎，同母弟。孫權統事，召署主簿轉東曹掾，拜輔義都尉。遙領巴東太守。

• 顧悌，字子通，同宗族人。少聰敏，以孝廉聞名。官拜郎中，領偏將軍。

子輩

• 顧邵，官至豫章太守，早卒。

• 顧穆，又名顧裕，官至宜都太守，永安元年因顧濟無子絕嗣，繼任醴陵侯。

• 顧濟，騎都尉，嗣侯。

• 顧裕，字季則，顧徽之子，顧雍之姪，少知名，位至鎮東將軍。

孫輩

• 顧譚，顧邵之子，太子四友之一，曾任太常。後被誣陷而流放到交州。

• 顧承，顧譚之弟，官至侍中。與顧譚一樣被誣陷而流放到交州。

• 顧榮，顧穆次子，東南名士，東吳黃門郎，後仕晉，晉元帝時任軍司馬。

曾孫輩

• 顧禺，顧榮兄之子，字孟著，少有名望，晉散騎侍郎，早卒。

• 顧毗，官至散騎侍郎。

評價

• 步騭：「丞相顧雍、上大將軍陸遜、太常潘濬，憂深責重，志在謁誠，夙夜兢兢，寢食不寧，念欲安國利民，建久長之計，可謂心膂股肱，社稷之臣矣。」

• 孫休：「故丞相雍，至德忠賢，輔國以禮，而侯統廢絕，朕甚愍之。」

• 陳壽：「顧雍依杖素業，而將之智局，故能究極榮位。」

• 孫權：「顧君不言，言必有中。」、「故丞相雍，至德忠賢，輔國以禮，而侯統廢絕，朕甚愍之。」（《三國志·吳書·張顧諸葛步傳第七》）

• 陸凱：「漢有蕭（何）、曹（參）之佐，先帝有顧、步（騭）之相。」

• 華譚：「賴先主承運，雄謀天挺，尚內倚慈母仁明之教，外杖子布廷爭之忠，又有諸葛、顧、步、張、朱、陸、全之族，故能鞭笞百越，稱制南州。」

• 慕容皝：「及權（孫權）據楊越，外杖周（周瑜）張（張昭），內憑顧（顧雍）陸（陸遜），拒魏赤壁，克取襄陽。」

• 袁宏：「元歎穆遠，神和形檢。如彼白珪，質無塵玷。立上以恆，匡上以漸。清不增潔，濁不加染。」

• 徐眾：「雍不以呂壹見毀之故，而和顏悅色，誠長者矣。然開引其意，問所欲道，此非也。壹奸險亂法，毀傷忠賢，吳國寒心，自太子登、陸遜已下，切諫不能得，是以潘浚欲因會手劍之，以除國患，疾惡忠主，義形于色，而今乃發起令言。若壹稱枉邪，不申理，則非錄獄本旨；若承辭而奏之，吳主儻以敬丞相所言，而複原宥，伯言、承明不當悲慨哉！懷敘本無私恨，無所為嫌，故詈辱之，疾惡意耳，惡不仁者，其為仁也。季武子死，曾點倚其門而歌；子鴋創發，子產催令自裁。以此言之，雍不當責懷敘也。」

• 虞世南：「昔顧雍領封侯之日，而家人不知，故前代稱其賢也。」

• 獨孤及：「魏晉以賈詡之籌策、賈逵之忠壯、張既之政能、程昱之智勇、顧雍之密重、王渾之器量、劉惔之鑑裁、庾翼之志略，彼八君子者。」

• 蕭常：「雍瑾二子，論思（闕）益，忠于所事。」

• 孫元晏：「贊國經綸更有誰，蔡公相嘆亦相師。貴為丞相封侯了，歸後家人總不知。」

• 郝經：「權初稱王，依放漢制，置丞相而用孫邵。及稱尊號，顧雍、陸遜、步騭相繼為之。皆以徳度見器，雍容泰定，有大臣之風焉。」「侃侃相臣，濟威以仁。震霆收聲，澤國生春。元嘆徳度，沉深穆逺。澄淵不波，龍盤蛟轉。子山純懿，子瑜共肅。贊元將命，共安坤軸。」

• 王夫之：「三代以下之材，求有如顧雍者鮮矣。寡言慎動，用人惟其能而無適莫；恤民之利病，密言于上而不炫其恩威；黜小利小功，罷邊將便宜之策，以圖其遠大。有曹參之簡靖而不弛其度，有宋璟之靜正而不耀其廉。求其德之相若者，曠世而下，唯李沆為近之，而雍以處兵爭之世，事雄猜之主，雍為愈矣。故曰：允為天子之大臣也。雍既秉國，陸遜益濟之以寬仁，自漢末以來，數十年無屠掠之慘，抑無苛繁之政，生養休息，唯江東也獨。惜乎吳無漢之正、魏之強，而終于一隅耳。不然，以平定天下而有餘矣。」

• 乾隆帝：「弟權因之，用賢納諫，周瑜、魯肅、張昭、顧雍、陸遜皆被擢用，于是成鼎足之勢，開有吳之基，兵強將勇，敵國畏之。」

• 石韞玉：「穆穆肅侯，清淨自持。封爵歸第，家人不知。」

藝術形象

三國演義

• 生平與正史大體相同，為蔡邕之徒。其為人少言語，不飲酒，嚴厲正大，被張紘推薦仕于孫權。孫權任命他為會稽郡丞，行太守事，後不斷升遷，官至吳國丞相。顧雍為官，多進良言，有功于吳。

影視形象

• 中國中央電視台電視劇《三國演義》（1994年）：李燕平

• 電影《赤壁》（2008年）：吳旗

• 中國電視劇《三國》（2010年）：張雷

• 香港無線電視台電視劇《回到三國》（2012年）：鄧英敏

參考

• 《三國志·吳書·張顧諸葛步傳》