Lü Hui吕诲

Where the histories differ

Discrepancy in the records regarding whether Lü Hui endorsed Liu Shu's proposal in the legal debate over the A Yun case

• histories differThe 'Treatise on Penal Law' states that Lü Hui in the A Yun case requested 'to follow Liu Shu's memorial' (endorsing Liu Shu), but the 'Biography of Liu Shu' and the 'Biography of Lü Hui' indicate that Lü Hui had submitted a memorial impeaching Wang Anshi earlier than Liu Shu, and when Liu Shu submitted his memorial, he cited Lü Hui's previous action as a precedent, so Lü Hui did not endorse Liu Shu.

  In the 'History of Song', 'Treatise on Penal Law 3', when recounting the dispute over the criminal classification in the A Yun case, it states that Liu Shu, the judge of the Ministry of Justice, requested a joint discussion by the Secretariat and the Bureau of Military Affairs, and 'Censor-in-Chief Lü Hui, Censor Liu Qi, and Qian Yi all requested to follow Liu Shu's memorial.' However, in the 'History of Song', 'Biography of Liu Shu', it is recorded that when Liu Shu led Liu Qi and Qian Yi in opposing Wang Anshi, the memorial explicitly stated: 'Lü Hui and others submitted successive memorials, requesting his banishment. Although Your Majesty granted their request, Anshi alone presented foolish words, confusing Your Majesty's sacred hearing.' This proves that when Liu Shu submitted his memorial, Lü Hui had already submitted memorials on the relevant matters, and Liu Shu was actually citing Lü Hui's previous actions. Moreover, the 'History of Song', 'Biography of Lü Hui' also clearly states: 'Since Hui was dismissed, Censors Liu Shu, Liu Qi, and Qian Yi were all demoted for speaking against Anshi,' indicating that Lü Hui was dismissed first and could not have endorsed (requested to follow Liu Shu's memorial) afterwards. There is a contradiction between the treatise and the biographies regarding the sequence of events and the endorsement relationship.