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Gu Yong (168 – November or December 243), courtesy name Yuantan, was a Chinese calligrapher, musician, and politician. He served as a minister and the second Imperial Chancellor of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born in the late Eastern Han dynasty in the Jiangnan region, Gu Yong studied under the tutelage of Cai Yong in his early years and earned high praise from his mentor. He started his career as a county chief and served in various counties throughout Jiangdong. Around the year 200, he came to serve the warlord Sun Quan, who controlled the Jiangdong territories, and performed well in office as an acting commandery administrator. After Sun Quan became the ruler of the independent state of Eastern Wu in 222, Gu Yong steadily rose through the ranks as a minister and ultimately became Imperial Chancellor. He held office for about 19 years from 225 until his death in 243.
Sometime in the 180s, when Cai Yong was living in Wu Commandery, Gu Yong met him and learnt calligraphy and music from him.(蔡伯喈從朔方還，嘗避怨於吳，雍從學琴書。) Sanguozhi vol. 52. 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).(江表傳曰：雍從伯喈學，專一清靜，敏而易教。伯喈貴異之，謂曰：「卿必成致，今以吾名與卿。」故雍與伯喈同名，由此也。) Jiang Biao Zhuan annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 52. 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.(吳錄曰：雍字元歎，言為蔡雍之所歎，因以為字焉。) Wu Lu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 52.
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 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).(州郡表薦，弱冠為合肥長，後轉在婁、曲阿、上虞，皆有治迹。) Sanguozhi vol. 52.
In 222, after Sun Quan became the King of Eastern Wu (吳王), 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 (陽遂鄉侯). 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.(權為吳王，累遷大理奉常，領尚書令，封陽遂鄉侯，拜侯還寺，而家人不知，後聞乃驚。) Sanguozhi vol. 52.
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.(黃武四年，迎母於吳。旣至，權臨賀之，親拜其母於庭，公卿大臣畢會，後太子又往慶焉。) Sanguozhi vol. 52. 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.(是歲，改為太常，進封醴陵侯，代孫邵為丞相，平尚書事。) Sanguozhi vol. 52. 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 nobility as long as it enabled the Sun royal family to maintain the overall control.
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.(江表傳曰：灌常令中書郎詣雍，有所咨訪。若合雍意，事可施行，即與相反覆，究而論之，為設酒食。如不合意，雍即正色改容，默然不言，無所施設，即退告。) Jiang Biao Zhuan annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 52. 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.(權曰：「顧公歡恱，是事合宜也；其不言者，是事未平也，孤當重思之。」其見敬信如此。) Jiang Biao Zhuan annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 52.
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.(權以訪雍，雍曰：「臣聞兵法戒於小利，此等所陳，欲邀功名而為其身，非為國也，陛下宜禁制。苟不足以曜威損敵，所不宜聽也。」權從之。) Jiang Biao Zhuan annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 52.
Throughout his tenure as Imperial Chancellor, Gu Yong never shared his opinions on policy issues except when he spoke to Sun Quan in person.(軍國得失，行事可不，自非面見，口未嘗言之。) Jiang Biao Zhuan annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 52.
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 (謝厷) 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.(時校事呂壹操弄威柄，奏桉丞相顧雍、左將軍朱據等，皆見禁止。黃門侍郎謝厷語次問壹：「顧公事何如？」壹荅：「不能佳。」厷又問：「若此公免退，誰當代之？」壹未荅厷，厷曰：「得無潘太常得之乎？」壹良乆曰：「君語近之也。」厷謂曰：「潘太常常切齒於君，但道遠無因耳。今日代顧公，恐明日便擊君矣。」壹大懼，遂解散雍事。) Sanguozhi vol. 61.
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 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?"(後壹姦罪發露，收繫廷尉。雍往斷獄，壹以囚見，雍和顏色，問其辭狀，臨出，又謂壹曰：「君意得無欲有所道？」壹叩頭無言。時尚書郎懷叙面詈辱壹，雍責叙曰：「官有正法，何至於此！」) Sanguozhi vol. 52.
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.(徐衆評曰：雍不以呂壹見毀之故，而和顏恱色，誠長者矣。然開引其意，問所欲道，此非也。壹姦險亂法，毀傷忠賢，吳國寒心，自太子登、陸遜已下，切諫不能得，是以潘濬欲因會同手劒之，以除國患，疾惡忠主，義形於色，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，而復原宥，伯言、承明不當悲慨哉！) Xu Zhong's annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 52. 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.(懷叙本無私恨，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；子晳創發，子產催令自裁。以此言之，雍不當責懷叙也。) Xu Zhong's annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 52.
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."(明日，召譚，訶責之曰：「君王以含垢為德，臣下以恭謹為節。昔蕭何、吳漢並有大功，何每見高帝，似不能言；漢奉光武，亦信恪勤。汝之於國，寧有汗馬之勞，可書之事邪？但階門戶之資，遂見寵任耳，何有舞不復知止？雖為酒後，亦由恃恩忘敬，謙虛不足。損吾家者必爾也。」) Jiang Biao Zhuan annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 52.
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.(因背向壁卧，譚立過一時，乃見遣。) Jiang Biao Zhuan annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 52.
Sun Quan donned mourning garments and personally attended Gu Yong's funeral. He also honoured Gu Yong with the Posthumous name "Marquis Su" (肅侯), which means "serious marquis".(權素服臨弔，謚曰肅侯。) Sanguozhi vol. 52.
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."(評曰： ... 顧雍依杖素業，而將之智局，故能究極榮位。) Sanguozhi vol. 52.
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),(顧邵年二十七，起家為豫章太守。 ... 在郡五年，卒官，子譚、承云。) Sanguozhi vol. 52. 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.(吳錄曰：裕一名穆，終宜都太守。裕子榮。) Wu Lu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 52.(晉書曰：榮字彥先，為東南名士，仕吳為黃門郎，在晉歷顯位。元帝初鎮江東，以榮為軍司馬，禮遇甚重。卒，表贈侍中、驃騎將軍、儀同三司。) Jin Shu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 52. 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.(榮兄子禺，字孟著，少有名望，為散騎侍郎，早卒。) Jin Shu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 52.
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.(長子邵早卒，次子裕有篤疾，少子濟嗣，無後，絕。) Sanguozhi vol. 52. 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."(永安元年，詔曰：「故丞相雍，至德忠賢，輔國以禮，而侯統廢絕，朕甚愍之。其以雍次子裕襲爵為醴陵侯，以明著舊勳。」) Sanguozhi vol. 52.
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