Yuan Zhihong was an official of 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, briefly serving as chancellor.

Despite Yuan high status, little is firmly established about his background or career except for the time that he served as chancellor -- as, unusual for a chancellor, he did not have a biography in either the Book of Tang

Book of Tang

The Book of Tang , Jiu Tangshu or the Old Book of Tang is the first classic work about the Tang Dynasty. The book began when Gaozu of Later Jin ordered its commencement in 941...

or the New Book of Tang

New Book of Tang

The New Book of Tang , is a classic work of history about the Tang Dynasty edited by Ouyang Xiu and Song Qi and other official scholars of the Song Dynasty. The emperor called for a revision of the former Book of Tang in 1044. The New Book was presented to the throne in 1060. It was given its...

. It is also known that his family was from Hedong (河東, in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi

Shanxi

' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....

), but nothing else is known about his ancestors.

As of 692

692

Year 692 was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 692 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 :* Leontios leading a substantial Byzantine army,...

, Yuan was serving as the minister of justice (秋官尚書, Qiuguan Shangshu), when Wu Zetian gave him the designation Tong Fengge Luantai Pingzhangshi (同鳳閣鸞臺平章事), making him a chancellor de facto. Seven months later, however, he, along with other chancellors Li Youdao

Li Youdao

Li Youdao was an official of Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, briefly serving as chancellor.Despite Li's high status, little is firmly established about his career except for the time that he served as chancellor -- as, unusual for a chancellor, he did not have a biography in either the Book of Tang or...

, Wang Xuan

Wang Xuan (Second Zhou)

Wang Xuan was an official of Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, briefly serving as chancellor.Despite Wang's high status, little is firmly established about his career except for the time that he served as chancellor—as, unusual for a chancellor, he did not have a biography in either the Book of Tang or...

, Cui Shenji

Cui Shenji

Cui Shenji , formally the Duke of Qingqiu , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, briefly serving as chancellor during Wu Zetian's reign....

, Li Yuansu

Li Yuansu

Li Yuansu was an official of Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving twice as chancellor.Li Yuansu was the younger brother of Li Jingxuan, who served as chancellor during the reign of Wu Zetian's husband Emperor Gaozong of Tang. It was said that he, like Li Jingxuan, showed abilities as an official...

, and other officials Kong Siyuan (孔思元), and Ren Linghui (任令輝), were falsely accused of crimes by Wu Zetian's secret police official Wang Hongyi

Wang Hongyi

Wang Hongyi was a secret police official during the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty.It is not known when Wang Hongyi was born, but it is known that he was from Hengshui...

. They were relieved from their posts and exiled to 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. That was the last historical reference to Yuan, and it is not known when he died, although it is known that his grandson Yuan Huan (袁澣) later served as a prefectural prefect.