| | 马严: |
余卒时，严七岁，依姊婿父九江连率平阿侯王述。明年，母复终，会述失郡，居沛郡。建武三年，余外孙右扶风曹贡为梧安侯相，迎严归，养视之。至四年，叔父援从车驾东征，过梧安，乃将严兄弟西。严年十三至雒阳，留寄郎朱仲孙舍，大奴步护视之也。 |
| | When Yu died, Yan was seven years old and relied on his sister's husband, Wang Shu, the Inspector of Jiangling. The following year, his mother passed away again; at that time, Wang Shu lost his post as an official and settled in Pei Jun. In Jianwu third year, Yu's grandson, Cao Gong of You Fufeng, served as the magisterial officer of Wu'an Hou and brought Yan back to raise and care for him. In the fourth year, his uncle Yuan followed the imperial procession on an eastern campaign; when he passed through Wu'an, he took Yan and his brothers westward. Yan was thirteen years old when he arrived in Luoyang; he stayed at the residence of Zhu Zhongsun, a minor official, and was looked after by the major servant Bu Hu.
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| | 马严: |
严从其故门生肆都学击剑，习骑射。 |
| | Yan followed his former student Si Du to study swordsmanship and practiced horsemanship and archery.
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| | 马严: |
从司徒祭酒陈元受春秋左氏。 |
| | He studied the "Spring and Autumn Annals with Zuo's Commentary" under Chen Yuan, the Sacrificial Wine Official of the Ministry of Works.
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| | 马严: |
帝诏马严留仁寿闼，与校书郎杜抚、班固定建武注记。 |
| | The emperor summoned Ma Yan to remain in Renshou Ta and ordered him to collaborate with the Book-Checking Clerk Du Fu and Ban Gu on compiling annotations for the Jianwu era.
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| | 马严: |
显宗拜马严持兵长史，将北军五校士、羽林兵三千人，屯西河美稷，卫护南单于，听置司马、从事。牧守谒敬，同之将军。敕严过武库，祭蚩尤，帝亲御阿阁，观其士众，时人荣之。 |
| | Emperor Xianzong appointed Ma Yan as the Commander of Arms and Chief Clerk, leading 3,000 soldiers from the Five Northern Camps and the Yulin troops to garrison at Meiji in Xihé, guarding the Southern Chanyu. He was authorized to appoint a Sima (military officer) and attendants. Magistrates and governors who paid homage to him treated him with the same respect as they would a general. The emperor ordered Ma Yan to pass by the Wu Ku (military storehouse), hold a sacrifice for Chiyou, and personally ascended the E Ge pavilion to observe his troops; at that time, people regarded this as an honor.
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| | 马严: |
马严拜御史中丞，赐冠帻衣服车马。严为司马，职典兰台，外营州牧，举劾按章，申明旧典，奉法察举，无所回避，百寮惮之。 |
| | Ma Yan was appointed as the Chief Censor and bestowed with a ceremonial hat, headpiece, clothing, carriage, and horse. As a Sima, Ma Yan was in charge of the Lan Tai institution. He managed external military affairs and state governors, investigated and impeached officials according to regulations, clarified established precedents, enforced laws strictly, and conducted examinations without showing favoritism or avoidance; all government officials feared him.
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| | 马严: |
马严，字威卿，为五官中郎将，边境每有事，辄下严处便宜。上初立，汲汲欲知下情，引纳严，敕有所闻见辄言。帝令自今以往，诸上便宜封表，遣子以往，都使诣省门，帝自劳以手书。 |
| | Ma Yan, courtesy name Weiqing, served as the General of the Five Officials. Whenever there were matters along the border, the emperor would often delegate authority to Ma Yan for on-the-spot decision-making. When the emperor first ascended the throne, he was eager to learn about conditions among his subjects and summoned Ma Yan, ordering him to report anything he heard or observed. The emperor decreed that from then on, whenever officials submitted proposals for expedient measures in sealed memorials, they should send their sons to deliver them personally. The envoys were to present the documents at the provincial gate, and the emperor himself would greet them with handwritten letters.
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| | 马严: |
马严为陈留太守。建初中，严病，遣功曹史李龚奉章诣阙。上亲召见龚，问疾病形状，以黄金十斤、葛缚佩刀、书刀、革带付龚，赐严，遣太医送方药。 |
| | Ma Yan served as governor of Chenliu. In the Jianchu period, when Ma Yan fell ill, he sent Li Gong, an official in charge of administrative affairs, to present a memorial at court. The emperor personally summoned Gong, inquired about Ma Yan's illness and symptoms, gave him ten catties of gold, a hemp-bound ceremonial dagger, a book knife, and a leather belt to present as gifts to Ma Yan, and sent imperial physicians with prescriptions and medicine.
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