| | The descendants of our family have been passed down for one generation after another, up to the ninth generation; they served as prime ministers in the state of Wei and resided in Daliang. At first there were three sons, and from the descendants of the eldest son, they inherited the legacy of Yin and became the Duke of Song. The descendants of the second son honored the worship of Confucius and were enfeoffed as the Marquis of Baocheng. The descendants of the youngest son, Yan, served as generals under Emperor Gaozu and earned merit; they were enfeoffed as Marquises of Liao. His son Zang succeeded him, holding various positions among the Nine Ministers and later was promoted to Grand Censor. He declined by saying: "My family has long been engaged in Confucian scholarship as our profession; we have passed down this tradition from generation to generation as a model for instruction." Yet today's vulgar scholars elaborate on distant origins and mix in superstitious nonsense, which is difficult to use for teaching. The Attendant-in-Ordinary An Guo was ordered to compile the ancient meanings; I request to serve as Minister of Ceremonies, overseeing my family's legacy, and work with An Guo to establish the framework of ancient teachings so that they may be preserved for future generations." Emperor Xiaowu deeply respected his wishes and thus appointed him Minister of Ceremonies; the rites and gifts bestowed upon him were equal to those given to the Three Dukes. After serving in office for several years, he authored ten essays before passing away. Previously, he had once composed twenty-four fu (rhapsodies). Four of them were separately not included in the collection, as they were works written when he was young. He also wrote letters to his cousin and admonitions for his son; all of them are meaningful, so they are listed below.
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