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Gu Rong (died 30 January 313), courtesy name Yanxian, was an official of the Jin dynasty (266–420). A grandson of the Eastern Wu chancellor, Gu Yong, he became a famous celebrity during his time in the Jin capital, Luoyang and served under a succession of princes in the War of the Eight Princes. Due to the turmoil in northern China, Gu Rong returned to his hometown in the Jiangnan, where, despite initially joining, he played a decisive role in quelling Chen Min's rebellion in 307. In his final years, he served the Prince of Langya and future founding emperor of the Eastern Jin, Sima Rui, helping him lay the foundations for the dynasty in the south. Along with Ji Zhan, He Xun, Yang Fang and Xue Jian, Gu Rong was referred to as one of the "Five Eminence" (五俊).(兼清素有器宇，少與同郡紀瞻、廣陵閔鴻、吳郡顧榮、會稽賀循齊名，號為「五俊」。) Jin Shu, vol.68
Not long after the usurpation, the Prince of Qi, Sima Jiong defeated Sima Lun and restored Emperor Hui to the throne. Gu Rong served as a registrar under Jiong, but seeing that the prince was acting like a tyrant in his administration, he became so worried that he would be implicated if Jiong fell from power that he even considered committing suicide. Gu Rong spent his days drinking and ignoring his official duties before telling his friend, Feng Xiong (馮熊) about the matter. Feng Xiong therefore persuaded Jiong's chief clerk, Ge Yu (葛旟) to transfer Gu Rong to the office of Palace Secretarial Attendant. Following his transfer, Gu Rong stopped drinking, but people began to question his change in behaviour, forcing him to drink again in order to quell their suspicions.(齊王冏召為大司馬主簿。冏擅權驕恣，榮懼及禍，終日昏酣，不綜府事，以情告友人長樂馮熊。熊謂冏長史葛旟曰：「以顧榮為主簿，所以甄拔才望，委以事機，不復計南北親疏，欲平海內之心也。今府大事殷，非酒客之政。」旟曰：「榮江南望士，且居職日淺，不宜輕代易之。」熊曰：「可轉為中書侍郎，榮不失清顯，而府更收實才。」旟然之，白冏，以為中書侍郎。在職不復飲酒。人或問之曰：「何前醉而後醒邪？」榮懼罪，乃復更飲。與州里楊彥明書曰：「吾為齊王主簿，恆慮禍及，見刀與繩，每欲自殺，但人不知耳。」) Jin Shu, vol.68
In January 303, the Prince of Changsha, Sima Ai killed Sima Jiong after a battle in Luoyang. Gu Rong sided with Ai and defeated Ge Yu, so he was conferred the title of Earl of Xixing and transferred to the office of Internal Companion of the Crown Prince. After Sima Ai became General of Elite Cavalry, Gu Rong was appointed to serve as his Chief Clerk.(及旟誅，榮以討葛旟功，封喜興伯，轉太子中庶子。長沙王乂為驃騎，復以榮為長史。) Jin Shu, vol.68
In 304, after Sima Ai was burnt to death by Zhang Fang in March and the Prince of Chengdu, Sima Ying became prime minister, Gu Rong became his Assistant Officer of the Household and moved to his base in Ye. Later that year, the Prince of Donghai, Sima Yue led a campaign against Ying from Luoyang, but failed, and Emperor Hui was relocated to Ye. Gu Rong was then appointed Palace Attendant and was ordered to pay tribute at homage at the imperial mausoleum in Luoyang. However, along the way, Luoyang was occupied by Zhang Fang, a general of the Prince of Hejian, Sima Yong, and Gu Rong was unable to proceed, so he fled to Chenliu. At the end of 304, Emperor Hui was forced to move to Chang'an by Zhang Fang. Gu Rong was summoned to serve as a Regular Mounted Attendant. However, Gu Rong, no longer wanting to serve through the chaos within the court, declined and returned to his hometown in Jiangnan. While Sima Yue was gathering his troops at Xu province to campaign against Sima Yong, he made Gu Rong an Army-Libationer Consultant.(乂敗，轉成都王穎丞相從事中郎。惠帝幸臨漳，以榮兼侍中，遣行園陵。會張方據洛，不得進，避之陳留。及帝西遷長安，徵為散騎常侍，以世亂不應，遂還吳。東海王越聚兵於徐州，以榮為軍諮祭酒。) Jin Shu, vol.68
In 307, two years since Chen Min took over the Jiangnan, the interior minister of Lujiang, Hua Tan sent out letters to the southern gentry admonishing them for submitting to Chen Min. By then, Sima Yue had already won the civil war, and Gu Rong felt shame upon reading the letter. Thus, Gu Rong and other Jin loyalists began plotting to overthrow Chen Min. They secretly informed the Jin general, Liu Zhun (劉準) in Shou County regarding their plot and asked him to send his soldiers south of the Yangtze while they acted from within. The conspirators pledged their allegiance by cutting their hair, a taboo in Confucianism filial piety, as Liu Zhun ordered Liu Ji (劉機), Heng Yan (衡彥) and others to campaign against Chen Min.
Chen Min sent his brother, Chen Chang (陳昶) to attack the Jin army, but one of the conspirators, Zhou Qi was able to kill him after convincing his subordinate, Qian Guang (錢廣) to assassinate him and rebel. Chen Min then ordered his Inspector of Yang province, Gan Zhuo to repel Qian Guang at the Zhuque Bridge (朱雀橋; located on the Qinhuai River near Nanjing). Gu Rong was worried that Chen Min was beginning to suspect him, so he requested to remain close by him. However, Chen Min thought that Gu Rong should be going out and fighting instead. Reassured, Gu Rong and Zhou Qi went out and met with Gan Zhuo, persuading him to defect. Gu Rong, Gan Zhuo, Zhou Qi and others led their forces to attack Chen Min at Jiankang.(顧榮慮敏之疑，故往就敏。敏曰：「卿當四出鎭衞，豈得就我邪！」榮乃出，與周玘共說甘卓曰：「若江東之事可濟，當共成之。然卿觀茲事勢，當有濟理不？敏旣常才，政令反覆，計無所定，其子弟各已驕矜，其敗必矣。而吾等安然坐受其官祿，事敗之日，使江西諸軍函首送洛，題曰『逆賊顧榮、甘卓之首』，此萬世之辱也！」卓遂詐稱疾，迎女，斷橋，收船南岸，與玘、榮及前松滋侯相丹楊紀瞻共攻敏。) Zizhi Tongjian, vol.86 Chen Min had more than 10,000 troops under his command, but a soldier from Gan Zhuo's army shouted at them, "It was Lord Gu Rong of Danyang and Lord Zhou Qi of Anfeng who supported Lord Chen Min from the start; yet here they are against him. What will you all do?" Chen Min's soldiers became unsure on what to do, and when Gu Rong waved a white fan ordering them to disperse, they all willingly scattered and fled. Chen Min was soon captured and executed, thus putting an end to his rebellion.(敏自帥萬餘人討卓，軍人隔水語敏衆曰：「本所以戮力陳公者，正以顧丹楊、周安豐耳；今皆異矣，汝等何爲！」敏衆狐疑未決，榮以白羽扇揮之，衆皆潰去。敏單騎北走，追獲之於江乘，歎曰：「諸人誤我，以至今日！」謂弟處曰：「我負卿，卿不負我！」遂斬敏於建業，夷三族。於是會稽等郡盡殺敏諸弟。) Zizhi Tongjian, vol.86
Sima Yue summoned Gu Rong to serve as a Palace Attendant. Gu Rong travelled with Ji Zhan and other scholars from the south, but when they arrived at Xu province, they heard about that the north was becoming increasingly chaotic and hesitated to proceed. Yue wrote a letter to the Inspector of Xu, Pei Dun (裴盾brother of Sima Yue's wife Princess Pei), stating that if they delayed any further, they will be escorted by the military. Gu Rong and his contemporaries were so frightened that they unloaded their boats and abandoned their carts to flee back to their hometowns.(詔徵顧榮爲侍中，紀瞻爲尚書郎。太傅越辟周玘爲參軍，陸玩爲掾。玩，機之從弟也。榮等至徐州，聞北方愈亂，疑不進，越與徐州刺史裴盾書曰：「若榮等顧望，以軍禮發遣！」榮等懼，逃歸。) Zizhi Tongjian, vol.86
Gu Rong died while still in office in January 313. Sima Rui was saddened by his death and personally attended his funeral. Rui submitted a petition to the imperial court asking that they honour Gu Rong in accordance with meritorious standards of Sima Jiong. Yin You wrote that Gu Rong's merits were extraordinary, but he was rewarded like a mere subordinate, and that no reward would be able to match his achievements. Sima Rui posthumously awarded him the offices of Palace Attendant, Regular Mounted Attendant and Executor and Assistant Minister of the Three Offices. Gu Rong was also given the posthumous name of "Yuan" (元), and when Sima Rui became the King of Jin in 317, he was further given the title of duke. He was succeeded by his son, Gu Pi (顧毗), who was promoted to Regular Mounted Attendant.(六年，卒官。帝臨喪盡哀，欲表贈榮，依齊王功臣格。吳郡內史殷祐箋曰：「...夫考績幽明，王教所崇，況若榮者，濟難甯國，應天先事，歷觀古今，未有立功若彼，酬報如此者也。」由是贈榮侍中、驃騎將軍、開府儀同三司，諡曰元。及帝為晉王，追封為公，開國，食邑...子毗嗣，官至散騎侍郎。) Jin Shu, vol.68
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