Lu Huaishen
Encyclopedia
Lu Huaishen (died December 11, 716), formally Count Wencheng of Yuyang (魚陽文成伯), was an official of the Chinese
dynasty Tang Dynasty
and Wu Zetian
's Zhou Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong
. He was known for his honesty as an official, but was criticized both in his time and posterity for not making decisions of his own and simply yielding to his colleague Yao Chong
.
), and traced itself to a line of prominent officials of Han Dynasty
, Cao Wei
, Jin Dynasty (265-420)
, Former Yan
, Later Yan
, Northern Wei
, and Northern Qi
. During Tang Dynasty
, Lu Huaishen's grandfather Lu Zhe (盧悊) served as the magistrate of Lingchang County (靈昌, in modern Anyang
, Henan
), and thus relocated his family to Lingchang. Lu Huaishen's father Lu Ting (盧挺) served as an official at Tan Prefecture (潭州, roughly modern Changsha, Hunan
).
Lu Huaishen was said to be highly intelligent as a child, and he impressed his father's friend, the imperial censor Han Siyan (韓思彥). It was said that he was careful with his behavior when he was young, and after he passed the imperial examination
s, he served as Jiancha Yushi (監察御史), a low-level imperial censor, probably during Wu Zetian
's reign.
the Crown Prince
, a former emperor, returned to the throne (as Emperor Zhongzong). His reign was one where the civil service system was heavily influenced by powerful individuals, and Lu Huaishen, who served as a chief deputy censor (御史中丞, Yushi Zhongcheng) during this time, made repeated petitions for civil service reforms, which Emperor Zhongzong did not accept. In 706, when Emperor Zhongzong sent officials to examine the 10 circuits the realm was divided into, Lu was one of the officials sent. Lu was eventually promoted to be Huangmen Shilang (黃門侍郎), the deputy head of the examination bureau of government (門下省, Menxia Sheng), and he was created the Count of Yuyang.
and daughter Li Guo'er the Princess Anle
. Emperor Zhongzong's son by a concubine, Li Chongmao
the Prince of Wen, was made emperor (as Emperor Shang), with Empress Wei serving as empress dowager
and regent
. A month later, Emperor Zhongzong's sister Princess Taiping
and nephew Li Longji
the Prince of Linzi rose in rebellion and killed Empress Dowager Wei and Li Guo'er. They supported Li Longji's father Li Dan
the Prince of Xiang, himself a former emperor, and Li Dan returned to the throne (as Emperor Ruizong). Lu was made deputy minister of defense (兵部侍郎, Bingbu Shilang), serving under the minister Yao Yuanzhi
, and it was said that the military promotion system was reformed during this time under Yao, him, and fellow deputy minister Lu Xiangxian
.
, were in charge of selecting officials at the eastern capital Luoyang
. In 713, after Yao Yuanzhi (by this point using the name Yao Chong) became chancellor, Yao managed to have fellow chancellors Zhang Shuo and Liu Youqiu
removed from chancellor positions. In their stead, Lu was given the designation Tong Ziwei Huangmen Pingzhangshi (同紫微黃門平章事), making him a chancellor de facto. In 714, he was made Huangmen Jian (黃門監), the head of the examination bureau (which by this point had been renamed Huangmen Sheng (黃門省)) and a post considered one for a chancellor. It was said that as Lu believed himself to be not as capable as Yao, he always yielded to Yao's opinion -- and that, on one occasion, when Yao was on leave due to the death of one of his sons, many important matters stacked up because Lu did not know how to rule on them and was forced to inform Emperor Xuanzong of this. Emperor Xuanzong responded, "I give important matters to Yao Chong, and I put you in a position that can be eliminated." The people at the time satirized the situation by referring to Lu as "the chancellor who just ate as the secondary guest" (伴食宰相, Banshi Zaixiang). However, he was credited, along with Yao, with reforming the civil service system and the criminal justice system, to eliminate corruption and unfairness.
In 715, he was, in addition to Huangmen Jian, given the additional office as minister of civil service affairs (吏部尚書, Libu Shangshu). It was said that he was careful and frugal, and that he spent his salaries on helping others -- so much so that even his family at times went hungry, and his house was in disrepair. Later in 715, when there was a major locust
infestation, Yao advocated a campaign of extermination, which Lu initially opposed, believing that this would bring discord in the cosmos, but Yao persisted and was able to get the extermination campaign carried out. When Emperor Xuanzong wanted a scholar to assist him in his studies, Lu recommended Ma Huaisu (馬懷素) the minister of worship.
In 716, when Guo Qianguan (郭乾瓘) the commander (jiedushi
) of Longyou Circuit (隴右, headquartered in modern Haidong Prefecture
, Qinghai
), petitioned to have eight of his servants, whom he cited for contributions in a military campaign, made generals, Emperor Xuanzong was initially set to approve the commission. Lu, however, opposed it, pointing out that having servants promoted to such high positions was against regulations, and Emperor Xuanzong agreed and stopped the commissions.
Later in 716, Lu grew ill and requested to resign. His resignation was approved, but he died the same day. Before his death, he wrote a petition recommending a number of officials who had been previously demoted because of minor offenses -- Song Jing
, Li Jie (李傑), Li Chaoyin (李朝隱), and Lu Chongyuan (盧從愿) -- be repromoted, and Emperor Xuanzong, after Lu's death, restored those officials. It was said that after his death, there was no savings at his household, and one of his old servants offered to sell himself into slavery to pay for Lu's proper burial. The imperial scholar Zhang Xing (張星) submitted a petition pointing out Lu's honesty and contributions, and Emperor Xuanzong, in response, awarded silk and grain to his household. The next year, when Emperor Xuanzong returned from a visit to Luoyang, he happened to go by Lu's house when he saw that Lu was being offered sacrifices, but the ceremony was very simple and lacking in supplies, and also that Lu's tombstone had not been properly written, he awarded Lu's family with silk and had the chancellor Su Ting
write the epitaph on Lu's tombstone. Lu's sons Lu Huan (盧奐) and Lu Yi (盧弈) later served as key officials late in Emperor Xuanzong's reign, and his grandson Lu Qi
served as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong's great-grandson Emperor Dezong
.
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
dynasty Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
and Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian , personal name Wu Zhao , often referred to as Tian Hou during the Tang Dynasty and Empress Consort Wu in later times, was the only woman in the history of China to assume the title of Empress Regnant...
's Zhou Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang , also commonly known as Emperor Ming of Tang , personal name Li Longji , known as Wu Longji from 690 to 705, was the seventh emperor of the Tang dynasty in China, reigning from 712 to 756. His reign of 43 years was the longest during the Tang Dynasty...
. He was known for his honesty as an official, but was criticized both in his time and posterity for not making decisions of his own and simply yielding to his colleague Yao Chong
Yao Chong
Yao Chong , né Yao Yuanchong , known 700s-713 by the courtesy name of Yuanzhi , formally Duke Wenxian of Liang , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as chancellor under four sovereigns—Wu Zetian, her sons Emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Ruizong,...
.
Background
It is not known when Lu Huaishen was born. His family was originally from Fanyang (范陽, in modern BeijingBeijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
), and traced itself to a line of prominent officials of Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
, Cao Wei
Cao Wei
Cao Wei was one of the states that competed for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period. With the capital at Luoyang, the state was established by Cao Pi in 220, based upon the foundations that his father Cao Cao laid...
, Jin Dynasty (265-420)
Jìn Dynasty (265-420)
The Jìn Dynasty , was a dynasty in Chinese history, lasting between the years 265 and 420 AD. There are two main divisions in the history of the Dynasty, the first being Western Jin and the second Eastern Jin...
, Former Yan
Former Yan
The Former Yan was a state of Xianbei ethnicity during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms in China.Initially, Murong Huang and his son Murong Jun claimed the Jin Dynasty -created title "Prince of Yan," but subsequently, in 352, after seizing most of the former Later Zhao territory, Murong Juan would...
, Later Yan
Later Yan
The Later Yan was a Murong-Xianbei state, located in modern day northeast China, during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms in China.All rulers of the Later Yan declared themselves "emperors". Later Yan fell to the Goguryeo dynasty.-Rulers of the Later Yan:...
, Northern Wei
Northern Wei
The Northern Wei Dynasty , also known as the Tuoba Wei , Later Wei , or Yuan Wei , was a dynasty which ruled northern China from 386 to 534 . It has been described as "part of an era of political turbulence and intense social and cultural change"...
, and Northern Qi
Northern Qi
The Northern Qi Dynasty was one of the Northern dynasties of Chinese history and ruled northern China from 550 to 577.-History:The Chinese state of Northern Qi was the successor state of the Chinese/Xianbei state of Eastern Wei and was founded by Emperor Wenxuan...
. During Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
, Lu Huaishen's grandfather Lu Zhe (盧悊) served as the magistrate of Lingchang County (靈昌, in modern Anyang
Anyang
Anyang is a prefecture-level city in Henan province, People's Republic of China. The northernmost city in Henan, Anyang borders Puyang to the east, Hebi and Xinxiang to the south, and the provinces of Shanxi and Hebei to its west and north respectively....
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
), and thus relocated his family to Lingchang. Lu Huaishen's father Lu Ting (盧挺) served as an official at Tan Prefecture (潭州, roughly modern Changsha, Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
).
Lu Huaishen was said to be highly intelligent as a child, and he impressed his father's friend, the imperial censor Han Siyan (韓思彥). It was said that he was careful with his behavior when he was young, and after he passed the imperial examination
Imperial examination
The Imperial examination was an examination system in Imperial China designed to select the best administrative officials for the state's bureaucracy. This system had a huge influence on both society and culture in Imperial China and was directly responsible for the creation of a class of...
s, he served as Jiancha Yushi (監察御史), a low-level imperial censor, probably during Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian , personal name Wu Zhao , often referred to as Tian Hou during the Tang Dynasty and Empress Consort Wu in later times, was the only woman in the history of China to assume the title of Empress Regnant...
's reign.
During Emperor Zhongzong's second reign
In 705, Wu Zetian was overthrown in a coup, and her son Li XianEmperor Zhongzong of Tang
Emperor Zhongzong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Xiǎn , at times during his life Li Zhe and Wu Xian , was the fourth Emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling briefly in 684 and again from 705 to 710.Emperor Zhongzong was the son of Emperor Gaozong of Tang and Empress Wu...
the Crown Prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
, a former emperor, returned to the throne (as Emperor Zhongzong). His reign was one where the civil service system was heavily influenced by powerful individuals, and Lu Huaishen, who served as a chief deputy censor (御史中丞, Yushi Zhongcheng) during this time, made repeated petitions for civil service reforms, which Emperor Zhongzong did not accept. In 706, when Emperor Zhongzong sent officials to examine the 10 circuits the realm was divided into, Lu was one of the officials sent. Lu was eventually promoted to be Huangmen Shilang (黃門侍郎), the deputy head of the examination bureau of government (門下省, Menxia Sheng), and he was created the Count of Yuyang.
During Emperor Ruizong's second reign
In 710, Emperor Zhongzong died suddenly -- a death that traditional historians believed was a poisoning by his powerful wife Empress WeiEmpress Wei (Zhongzong)
Empress Wei was an empress of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. She was the second wife of Emperor Zhongzong, who reigned twice, and during his second reign, she tried to emulate the example of her mother-in-law Wu Zetian and seize power...
and daughter Li Guo'er the Princess Anle
Princess Anle
Princess Anle , personal name Li Guo'er , was a princess of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. She was the youngest daughter of Emperor Zhongzong and his wife Empress Wei who was greatly favored by her parents and therefore grew very powerful and corrupt during her father's second...
. Emperor Zhongzong's son by a concubine, Li Chongmao
Emperor Shang of Tang
Emperor Shang , also known as Emperor Shao , personal name Li Chongmao , was an emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling briefly in 710....
the Prince of Wen, was made emperor (as Emperor Shang), with Empress Wei serving as empress dowager
Empress Dowager
Empress Dowager was the title given to the mother of a Chinese, Korean, Japanese or Vietnamese emperor.The title was also given occasionally to another woman of the same generation, while a woman from the previous generation was sometimes given the title of Grand empress dowager. Numerous empress...
and regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
. A month later, Emperor Zhongzong's sister Princess Taiping
Princess Taiping
Princess Taiping was a princess of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and her mother Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty. She was the youngest daughter of Wu Zetian and Emperor Gaozong and was powerful during the reigns of her mother and her elder brothers Emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Ruizong , particularly...
and nephew Li Longji
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang , also commonly known as Emperor Ming of Tang , personal name Li Longji , known as Wu Longji from 690 to 705, was the seventh emperor of the Tang dynasty in China, reigning from 712 to 756. His reign of 43 years was the longest during the Tang Dynasty...
the Prince of Linzi rose in rebellion and killed Empress Dowager Wei and Li Guo'er. They supported Li Longji's father Li Dan
Emperor Ruizong of Tang
Emperor Ruizong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Dàn , known at times during his life as Li Xulun , Li Lun , Wu Lun , and Wu Dan , was the fifth and ninth emperor of Tang Dynasty...
the Prince of Xiang, himself a former emperor, and Li Dan returned to the throne (as Emperor Ruizong). Lu was made deputy minister of defense (兵部侍郎, Bingbu Shilang), serving under the minister Yao Yuanzhi
Yao Chong
Yao Chong , né Yao Yuanchong , known 700s-713 by the courtesy name of Yuanzhi , formally Duke Wenxian of Liang , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as chancellor under four sovereigns—Wu Zetian, her sons Emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Ruizong,...
, and it was said that the military promotion system was reformed during this time under Yao, him, and fellow deputy minister Lu Xiangxian
Lu Xiangxian
Lu Xiangxian , né Lu Jingchu , formally Duke Wenzhen of Yan , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Ruizong and Emperor Xuanzong.- Background :Lu Jingchu was born in 665, during the reign of Emperor...
.
During Emperor Xuanzong's reign
In 712, Emperor Ruizong passed the throne to Li Longji, who took the throne as Emperor Xuanzong. Around this time, Lu Huaishen was again Huangmen Shilang, and he, along with Wei ZhiguWei Zhigu
Wei Zhigu , formally Duke Zhong of Liang , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Ruizong and Emperor Xuanzong.- Background :...
, were in charge of selecting officials at the eastern capital Luoyang
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...
. In 713, after Yao Yuanzhi (by this point using the name Yao Chong) became chancellor, Yao managed to have fellow chancellors Zhang Shuo and Liu Youqiu
Liu Youqiu
Liu Youqiu , formally Duke Wenxian of Xu , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Ruizong and Emperor Xuanzong.- Background :...
removed from chancellor positions. In their stead, Lu was given the designation Tong Ziwei Huangmen Pingzhangshi (同紫微黃門平章事), making him a chancellor de facto. In 714, he was made Huangmen Jian (黃門監), the head of the examination bureau (which by this point had been renamed Huangmen Sheng (黃門省)) and a post considered one for a chancellor. It was said that as Lu believed himself to be not as capable as Yao, he always yielded to Yao's opinion -- and that, on one occasion, when Yao was on leave due to the death of one of his sons, many important matters stacked up because Lu did not know how to rule on them and was forced to inform Emperor Xuanzong of this. Emperor Xuanzong responded, "I give important matters to Yao Chong, and I put you in a position that can be eliminated." The people at the time satirized the situation by referring to Lu as "the chancellor who just ate as the secondary guest" (伴食宰相, Banshi Zaixiang). However, he was credited, along with Yao, with reforming the civil service system and the criminal justice system, to eliminate corruption and unfairness.
In 715, he was, in addition to Huangmen Jian, given the additional office as minister of civil service affairs (吏部尚書, Libu Shangshu). It was said that he was careful and frugal, and that he spent his salaries on helping others -- so much so that even his family at times went hungry, and his house was in disrepair. Later in 715, when there was a major locust
Locust
Locusts are the swarming phase of short-horned grasshoppers of the family Acrididae. These are species that can breed rapidly under suitable conditions and subsequently become gregarious and migratory...
infestation, Yao advocated a campaign of extermination, which Lu initially opposed, believing that this would bring discord in the cosmos, but Yao persisted and was able to get the extermination campaign carried out. When Emperor Xuanzong wanted a scholar to assist him in his studies, Lu recommended Ma Huaisu (馬懷素) the minister of worship.
In 716, when Guo Qianguan (郭乾瓘) the commander (jiedushi
Jiedushi
The Jiedushi were regional military governors in China during the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. Originally set up to counter external threats, the jiedushi were given enormous power, including the ability to maintain their own armies, collect taxes, and pass their...
) of Longyou Circuit (隴右, headquartered in modern Haidong Prefecture
Haidong Prefecture
Haidong Prefecture is a prefecture of Qinghai province in Western China. Its name literally means "east of the Lake."-Geography:...
, Qinghai
Qinghai
Qinghai ; Oirat Mongolian: ; ; Salar:) is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake...
), petitioned to have eight of his servants, whom he cited for contributions in a military campaign, made generals, Emperor Xuanzong was initially set to approve the commission. Lu, however, opposed it, pointing out that having servants promoted to such high positions was against regulations, and Emperor Xuanzong agreed and stopped the commissions.
Later in 716, Lu grew ill and requested to resign. His resignation was approved, but he died the same day. Before his death, he wrote a petition recommending a number of officials who had been previously demoted because of minor offenses -- Song Jing
Song Jing
Song Jing , formally Duke Wenzhen of Guangping , was an official of the Chinese Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as the chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Ruizong and Emperor Xuanzong...
, Li Jie (李傑), Li Chaoyin (李朝隱), and Lu Chongyuan (盧從愿) -- be repromoted, and Emperor Xuanzong, after Lu's death, restored those officials. It was said that after his death, there was no savings at his household, and one of his old servants offered to sell himself into slavery to pay for Lu's proper burial. The imperial scholar Zhang Xing (張星) submitted a petition pointing out Lu's honesty and contributions, and Emperor Xuanzong, in response, awarded silk and grain to his household. The next year, when Emperor Xuanzong returned from a visit to Luoyang, he happened to go by Lu's house when he saw that Lu was being offered sacrifices, but the ceremony was very simple and lacking in supplies, and also that Lu's tombstone had not been properly written, he awarded Lu's family with silk and had the chancellor Su Ting
Su Ting
Su Ting , courtesy name Tingshuo , formally Duke Wenxian of Xu , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong...
write the epitaph on Lu's tombstone. Lu's sons Lu Huan (盧奐) and Lu Yi (盧弈) later served as key officials late in Emperor Xuanzong's reign, and his grandson Lu Qi
Lu Qi
Lu Qi , courtesy name Ziliang , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Dezong...
served as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong's great-grandson Emperor Dezong
Emperor Dezong of Tang
Emperor Dezong of Tang , personally name Li Kuo , was an emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty and the oldest son of his father Emperor Daizong. His reign of 26 years was the third longest in the Tang dynasty...
.