Lu Yuanfang
Encyclopedia
Lu Yuanfang courtesy name Xizhong (希仲), was an official of Wu Zetian
's Zhou Dynasty, twice serving as chancellor.
It is not known when Lu Yuanfang was born, but it is known that his family was from Su Prefecture (蘇州, roughly modern Suzhou
, Jiangsu
) and that he was from a line that had long served as officials during the Southern Dynasties
. His grandfather or great-grandfather Lu Chen (陸琛) served as an important official during Chen Dynasty
. His uncle Lu Jianzhi (陸柬之) was a well-known calligrapher
and served as a Tang official, but his father Lu Xuanzhi (陸玄之) was only a county sheriff.
It was said that Lu Yuanfang initially passed one imperial examination
out of eight -- which was already enough for him to become an official -- but he later passed all eight. He eventually became an assistant censor. On one occasion during Wu Zetian's reign, he was commissioned to go investigate cases in the Lingnan
region, which at that time required travel by sea. Once the ship launched, there was violent sea movement, and the people in the ship were fearful. Lu stated, "I am setting out on a mission, not for my own profit; how will the gods hurt me?" He ordered the ship to continue, and soon, the storm passed. After he returned, he was promoted as a censor and then successively as Fengge Sheren (鳳閣舍人) -- a mid-level at the legislative bureau of government (鳳閣, Fengge) -- and deputy minister of justice (秋官侍郎, Qiuguan Shilang). While serving as deputy minister of justice, he was falsely accused by the secret police official Lai Junchen
, but contrary to the fate of most officials accused by Lai, Wu Zetian took no actions against him, and in 693
made him Luantai Shilang (鸞臺侍郎) -- the deputy head of the examination bureau (鸞臺, Luantai) -- and gave him the designation Tong Fengge Luantai Pingzhangshi (同鳳閣鸞臺平章事), making him a chancellor de facto.
In late 694
, Wu Zetian, displeased with the powerful chancellor Li Zhaode
, exiled Li, and fellow chancellor Zhou Yunyuan
and the assistant chief judge of the supreme court, Huangfu Wenbei (皇甫文備), then submitted articles of impeachment against Lu and several fellow chancellors -- Doulu Qinwang
, Wei Juyuan
, Du Jingjian
, and Su Weidao
-- for not being able to curb Li Zhaode's power. The five chancellors so accused were all demoted to be prefectural prefect -- in Wei's case, to be the prefect of Sui Prefecture (綏州, roughly modern Yulin
, Shaanxi
).
Later, Lu was recalled to be the deputy minister of civil service affairs (天官侍郎, Tianguan Shilang) and the minister of military supplies (司衛卿, Siwei Qing). On one occasion, he was accused of only selecting his friends to be officials, and Wu Zetian, in anger, formally removed him from his posts but let him continue to serve in acting capacity. Lu continued to recommend officials, and when Wu Zetian asked how he dared to do so, he responded, "Your subject only knows how to recommend people that he knows about; I do not care whether they are friend or foe." He further recommended his friend Cui Xuanwei
, arguing that Cui had talent to be a chancellor. Wu Zetian by now was convinced that he was not personally biased. In 699
, she again made him Luantai Shilang and chancellor with the Tong Fengge Luantai Pingzhangshi designation.
However, in 700
, there was an occasion on which Wu Zetian was asking Lu about what was happening outside the palace, and Lu responded, "Your subject is a chancellor, and I will surely report all that is important. The trivial things that happens within the populace is not something I dare to report to Your Imperial Majesty." Wu Zetian was displeased, and she removed him as a chancellor, making him a staff member of her son and crown prince
Li Xian
(the later Emperor Zhongzong). Later, he was made Wengchang Zuo Cheng (文昌左丞), one of the secretaries general of the executive bureau (文昌臺, Wenchang Tai), before he died of illness.
It was said that Lu was honest and careful, and that in his second term as chancellor, whenever Wu Zetian was to commission an official, she would consult him first, but that he would never reveal the content of his recommendation. Before he died, he ordered that the drafts of all submissions that he made to Wu Zetian be brought to him and burned, stating, "My contributions to people are to remain hidden. Surely this will bring blessings to my descendants." He had a locked chest that he had never allowed people to open, and after his death, his family members opened it up, finding only a collection of imperial edicts inside. His sons Lu Xiangxian
, Lu Jingqian (陸景倩), and Lu Jingrong (陸景融) all became key officials later, and Lu Xiangxian served as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Ruizong
and Emperor Xuanzong
.
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, twice serving as chancellor.
It is not known when Lu Yuanfang was born, but it is known that his family was from Su Prefecture (蘇州, roughly modern Suzhou
Suzhou
Suzhou , previously transliterated as Su-chou, Suchow, and Soochow, is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai Municipality. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
) and that he was from a line that had long served as officials during the Southern Dynasties
Southern dynasties
The Southern dynasties comprise the Liu Song, Southern Qi, Liang Dynasty and Chen Dynasty, whose capital were at Jiankang , and Emperor Yuan of Liang, as well as the later Western Liang emperors , also set their...
. His grandfather or great-grandfather Lu Chen (陸琛) served as an important official during Chen Dynasty
Chen Dynasty
The Chen Dynasty , also known as the Southern Chen Dynasty, was the fourth and last of the Southern dynasties in China, eventually destroyed by the Sui Dynasty....
. His uncle Lu Jianzhi (陸柬之) was a well-known calligrapher
East Asian calligraphy
East Asian calligraphy is a form of calligraphy widely practised and revered in the Sinosphere. This most often includes China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. The East Asian calligraphic tradition originated and developed from China. There is a general standardization of the various styles of...
and served as a Tang official, but his father Lu Xuanzhi (陸玄之) was only a county sheriff.
It was said that Lu Yuanfang initially passed one 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...
out of eight -- which was already enough for him to become an official -- but he later passed all eight. He eventually became an assistant censor. On one occasion during Wu Zetian's reign, he was commissioned to go investigate cases in the Lingnan
Lingnan
Lingnan is a geographic area referring to lands in the south of China's "Five Ranges" which are Tayu, Qitian, Dupang, Mengzhu, Yuecheng. The region covers the Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces of modern China and northern Vietnam...
region, which at that time required travel by sea. Once the ship launched, there was violent sea movement, and the people in the ship were fearful. Lu stated, "I am setting out on a mission, not for my own profit; how will the gods hurt me?" He ordered the ship to continue, and soon, the storm passed. After he returned, he was promoted as a censor and then successively as Fengge Sheren (鳳閣舍人) -- a mid-level at the legislative bureau of government (鳳閣, Fengge) -- and deputy minister of justice (秋官侍郎, Qiuguan Shilang). While serving as deputy minister of justice, he was falsely accused by the secret police official Lai Junchen
Lai Junchen
Lai Junchen was a secret police official during the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, whose ability to interrogate and falsely implicate officials of crimes made him a subject of fear and hatred...
, but contrary to the fate of most officials accused by Lai, Wu Zetian took no actions against him, and in 693
693
Year 693 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 693 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Religion :* Wulfram of Sens attends the assembly of...
made him Luantai Shilang (鸞臺侍郎) -- the deputy head of the examination bureau (鸞臺, Luantai) -- and gave him the designation Tong Fengge Luantai Pingzhangshi (同鳳閣鸞臺平章事), making him a chancellor de facto.
In late 694
694
Year 694 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 694 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* November 9 – Hispano-Visigothic king...
, Wu Zetian, displeased with the powerful chancellor Li Zhaode
Li Zhaode
Li Zhaode was an official of Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty and at one point served as chancellor. He was known for his abilities and strong will, which eventually led to a conflict with Wu Zetian's secret police official Lai Junchen...
, exiled Li, and fellow chancellor Zhou Yunyuan
Zhou Yunyuan
Zhou Yunyuan , courtesy name Ruliang , was an official of Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, briefing serving as chancellor....
and the assistant chief judge of the supreme court, Huangfu Wenbei (皇甫文備), then submitted articles of impeachment against Lu and several fellow chancellors -- Doulu Qinwang
Doulu Qinwang
Doulu Qinwang , né Lu Qinwang , formally Duke Yuan of Rui , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving several terms as chancellor during the reigns of Wu Zetian and her son Emperor Zhongzong.- Background :Doulu Qinwang might have been born in 630,...
, Wei Juyuan
Wei Juyuan
Wei Juyuan , formally Duke Zhao of Shu , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving multiple times as chancellor during the reigns of Wu Zetian, her son Emperor Zhongzong, and her grandson Emperor Shang...
, Du Jingjian
Du Jingjian
Du Jingjian was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, twice serving as chancellor during Wu Zetian's reign....
, and Su Weidao
Su Weidao
Su Weidao , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, twice serving as chancellor during Wu Zetian's reign.- Background :...
-- for not being able to curb Li Zhaode's power. The five chancellors so accused were all demoted to be prefectural prefect -- in Wei's case, to be the prefect of Sui Prefecture (綏州, roughly modern Yulin
Yulin, Shaanxi
Yulin is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanxi province of the People's Republic of China. It has an area of 43,578 km² and a population of 3,380,000.-Geography and climate:...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
).
Later, Lu was recalled to be the deputy minister of civil service affairs (天官侍郎, Tianguan Shilang) and the minister of military supplies (司衛卿, Siwei Qing). On one occasion, he was accused of only selecting his friends to be officials, and Wu Zetian, in anger, formally removed him from his posts but let him continue to serve in acting capacity. Lu continued to recommend officials, and when Wu Zetian asked how he dared to do so, he responded, "Your subject only knows how to recommend people that he knows about; I do not care whether they are friend or foe." He further recommended his friend Cui Xuanwei
Cui Xuanwei
Cui Xuanwei , né Cui Ye , formally Prince Wenxian of Boling , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Wu Zetian and her son Emperor Zhongzong...
, arguing that Cui had talent to be a chancellor. Wu Zetian by now was convinced that he was not personally biased. In 699
699
Year 699 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 699 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Asia :* Umayyad troops invade Armenia and secure...
, she again made him Luantai Shilang and chancellor with the Tong Fengge Luantai Pingzhangshi designation.
However, in 700
700
Year 700 was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 700 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- North America :* The Mount Edziza volcanic complex...
, there was an occasion on which Wu Zetian was asking Lu about what was happening outside the palace, and Lu responded, "Your subject is a chancellor, and I will surely report all that is important. The trivial things that happens within the populace is not something I dare to report to Your Imperial Majesty." Wu Zetian was displeased, and she removed him as a chancellor, making him a staff member of her son and 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....
Li Xian
Emperor 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 later Emperor Zhongzong). Later, he was made Wengchang Zuo Cheng (文昌左丞), one of the secretaries general of the executive bureau (文昌臺, Wenchang Tai), before he died of illness.
It was said that Lu was honest and careful, and that in his second term as chancellor, whenever Wu Zetian was to commission an official, she would consult him first, but that he would never reveal the content of his recommendation. Before he died, he ordered that the drafts of all submissions that he made to Wu Zetian be brought to him and burned, stating, "My contributions to people are to remain hidden. Surely this will bring blessings to my descendants." He had a locked chest that he had never allowed people to open, and after his death, his family members opened it up, finding only a collection of imperial edicts inside. His sons 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...
, Lu Jingqian (陸景倩), and Lu Jingrong (陸景融) all became key officials later, and Lu Xiangxian served as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Ruizong
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...
and 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...
.