《资治通鉴·汉纪·汉纪八》
朕亲身从事农耕，皇后亲自种桑养蚕，以其收获作为供奉宗庙的粮食和祭服，为天下做表率；不接受进贡，减少太宫的皇家饮食供应，节省徭役和赋税，想让天下百姓都从事农业和纺织，平常都有储备，以防备灾害；强的不抢夺弱的，多的不欺凌少的，老年人可以安享天年，年幼的孤儿可以平安长大成人。
朕亲耕，后亲桑，以奉宗庙粢盛、祭服，为天下先；不受献，减太官，省繇赋，欲天下务农蚕，素有蓄积，以备灾害。强毋攘弱，众毋暴寡；老耆以寿终，幼孤得遂长。
I personally engage in farming, while the empress personally plants mulberry trees and raises silkworms, using their harvests as food and sacrificial clothing for the ancestral temple, setting an example for the world; I do not accept tributes, reduce the royal food supply in the Taigong, save corvée labour and taxes, and want to let the people of the world engage in agriculture and textiles, and have reserves in normal times to guard against disasters; the strong do not rob the weak, the many do not bully the few, the elderly can enjoy their old age, and the young orphans can grow up safely to adulthood.