Li Yijian
Encyclopedia
Li Yijian (756
– October 13, 822), courtesy name Yizhi (易之), was an official of the Chinese
dynasty Tang Dynasty
, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xianzong
.
. He was a member of Tang Dynasty
's imperial Li clan, being a great-great-grandson of Li Yuanyi (李元懿) the Prince of Zheng, a son of Tang's founding emperor Emperor Gaozu
. Li Yijian's grandfather Li Chayan (李察言) was not the oldest son of Li Yijian's great-grandfather Li Jing (李璥), who had inherited the title of Prince of Zheng, and therefore did not inherit the title and was not listed with any offices. Li Yijian's father Li Zixian (李自仙) served as a prefectural secretary general. Li Yijian appeared to be Li Zixian's oldest son and had at least three younger brothers, Li Yiliang (李夷亮), Li Yize (李夷則), and Li Yifan (李夷範). Because of Li Yijian's heritage, he was, at the start of his official career, made the secretary general of Zheng County (鄭縣, in modern Weinan
, Shaanxi
).
, during the reign of Emperor Dezong
, a mutiny by Jingyuan Circuit (涇原, headquartered in modern Pingliang
, Gansu
) at the capital Chang'an
forced Emperor Dezong to flee to Fengtian (奉天, in modern Xianyang
, Shaanxi
). The Jingyuan soldiers supported the general Zhu Ci
as their leader, and Zhu initially pretended to be calming the capital and then readying the troops to welcome Emperor Dezong back to Chang'an. He sent an emissary that was going through Hua Prefecture (華州, in modern Weinan), which Zheng County belonged to, and the official in charge of defense, Li Yi (李翼), did not dare stopping Zhu's emissary. However, Li Yijian opined that Zhu would soon turn against Emperor Dezong and pointed out that some of the Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing
) army that previously served under Zhu had been sent to Xiangcheng (襄城, in modern Xuchang
, Henan
) to help defend it against the warlord Li Xilie
; he believed that Zhu was summoning them to Chang'an to assist him. Li Yi thus quickly headed for Tong Pass to have Zhu's emissary searched, and indeed, an order to summon the Lulong soldiers was found. Li Yi reported this to the defender of Tong Pass, Luo Yuanguang (駱元光), who executed Zhu's emissary and submitted Zhu's order to Emperor Dezong. Emperor Dezong thus made Luo the prefect of Hua Prefecture, but as Luo took the entire credit for the incident, LI Yijian was not rewarded.
Li Yijian later left his office and submitted himself for imperial examination
s, passing them in the class of those who had good judgment. He was then made the sheriff of Lantian County (藍田, in modern Xi'an
, Shaanxi
). He was later made an imperial censor with the title Jiancha Yushi (監察御史). At one point, he was accused of faults and exiled to be a census officer at Qian Prefecture (虔州, in modern Ganzhou
, Jiangxi
). (It appeared that he was later made a prefect, based on his later actions.) Nine years after his exile, he was recalled to again be imperial censor with the title Dianzhong Shiyushi (殿中侍御史).
, during the reign of Emperor Dezong's grandson Emperor Xianzong
, Li Yijian was serving as deputy chief imperial censor (御史中丞). The mayor of Jingzhao Municipality (京兆, i.e., the Chang'an region) at the time was Yang Ping (楊憑), who had previously served as the governor of Jiangxi Circuit (江西, headquartered in modern Nanchang
, Jiangxi
) and a superior of Li Yijian's when Li Yijian served as a prefect. Yang did not respect Li Yijian at that time, and Li Yijian, in 809, indicted Yang for corruption. Yang was thus demoted to be the sheriff of Linhe (臨賀, in modern Hezhou
, Guangxi
). No friend or relative of Yang's dared to send him off except Xu Hui (徐晦), and when Li Yijian heard this, believing Xu to be a faithful friend to Yang and therefore would be faithful to the state, he recommended Xu to be a Jiancha Yushi. Later in the year, when Emperor Xianzong was set to commission the powerful eunuch Tutu Chengcui
as the commander of the imperial forces against the warlord Wang Chengzong
, who controlled Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang
, Hebei
), Li Yijian was one of the officials who opposed Tutu's commission, along with Li Yuansu (李元素), Li Yong, Xu Mengrong (許孟容), Meng Jian (孟簡), Lü Yuanying (呂元膺), Mu Zhi (穆質), and Dugu Yu (獨孤郁). Emperor Xianzong thus reduced Tutu's title but still put Tutu in command. Meanwhile, Li Yijian was made deputy minister of census (戶部侍郎) and acting director of finances.
Later, Li Yijian was made the military governor (Jiedushi
) of Shannan East Circuit (山南東道, headquartered in modern Xiangfan
, Hubei
). During Emperor Dezong's reign, 500 Jiangxi soldiers had been stationed at Shannan East to help defend it against the de facto independent Zhangyi Circuit (彰義, headquartered in modern Zhumadian
, Henan
), and the soldiers were paid by the central government director of finances. By the time that Li was military governor, the originally stationed Jiangxi soldiers had largely died, but Shannan East was still receiving funds for them. Li Yijian found this to be inappropriate and turned down the funding for them. After three years, he was transferred to Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu
, Sichuan
) to serve as its military governor. Prior to Li's service there, Wang Yong (王顒) the prefect of Xi Prefecture (雟州, in modern Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture
, Sichuan
) had, because of his corruption, angered the non-Han
tribes of the region, who thus left the Tang-controlled areas. After Li arrived at Xichuan, he had Wang removed, and he sent letters to the non-Han chieftains pointing out that it was in their interests to be in Tang territory, and the non-Han tribes thus resubmitted. Meanwhile, the army of Sichuan had been accustomed to play two styles of music known as the Fengsheng Style (奉聖樂) and Shunsheng Style (順聖樂), created by the generals Wei Gao
and Yu Di
, respectively. Li, believing that it was the central government's prerogative rather than local governors' to create new styles of military music, had the music stopped.
In 818
, Li Yijian was recalled to Chang'an to serve as chief imperial censor (御史大夫, Yushi Daifu). Soon thereafter, he was made Menxia Shilang (門下侍郎), the deputy head of the examination bureau of government (門下省, Menxia Sheng), as well as chancellor de facto with the title Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事). As, at the time, Emperor Xianzong heavily depended on Li's chancellor colleague Pei Du
in the campaigns against the warlords and Li considered himself not as capable, he requested to be assigned outside the capital. In fall 818, he was made the military governor of Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou
, Jiangsu
), carrying the chancellor title as an honorary title.
and was succeeded by his son Emperor Muzong
, the officials were discussing what Emperor Xianzong's temple name
should be. Li Yijian submitted a suggestion that because Emperor Xianzong had great accomplishments during his reign, he should be given a temple name that referred to him as Zu (祖) rather than Zong (宗). Other officials disagreed, however, and Emperor Xianzong's temple name was eventually fixed as Xianzong. After some time, Li Yijian requested retirement, but the central government considered Li Yijian to be still healthy, and therefore did not accept his retirement request; instead, he was recalled to serve as You Pushe (右僕射), one of the heads of the executive bureau (尚書省, Shangshu Sheng), but he declined. He was then made an advisor to the Crown Prince
, but had his office at the eastern capital Luoyang
. He died in 822
and was given posthumous honors.
756
Year 756 was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 756 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 :* Pepin the Short defeats the Lombards of...
– October 13, 822), courtesy name Yizhi (易之), was an official of the Chinese
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...
, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xianzong
Emperor Xianzong of Tang
Emperor Xianzong of Tang , personal name Li Chun , né Li Chun , was an emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty...
.
Background
Li Yijian was born in 756756
Year 756 was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 756 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 :* Pepin the Short defeats the Lombards of...
. He was a member of 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...
's imperial Li clan, being a great-great-grandson of Li Yuanyi (李元懿) the Prince of Zheng, a son of Tang's founding emperor Emperor Gaozu
Emperor Gaozu of Tang
Emperor Gāozǔ of Táng , born Lǐ Yuān , courtesy name Shūdé , was the founder of the Tang Dynasty of China, and the first emperor of this dynasty from 618 to 626. Under the Sui dynasty, Li Yuan was the governor in the area of modern-day Shanxi, and was based in Taiyuan.In 615, Li Yuan was assigned...
. Li Yijian's grandfather Li Chayan (李察言) was not the oldest son of Li Yijian's great-grandfather Li Jing (李璥), who had inherited the title of Prince of Zheng, and therefore did not inherit the title and was not listed with any offices. Li Yijian's father Li Zixian (李自仙) served as a prefectural secretary general. Li Yijian appeared to be Li Zixian's oldest son and had at least three younger brothers, Li Yiliang (李夷亮), Li Yize (李夷則), and Li Yifan (李夷範). Because of Li Yijian's heritage, he was, at the start of his official career, made the secretary general of Zheng County (鄭縣, in modern Weinan
Weinan
Weinan is a Municipality in the province of Shaanxi, PRC. The Grand Historian Sima Qian was born in Weinan.-Administration:...
, 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...
).
During Emperor Dezong's reign
In 783783
Year 783 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 783 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.- Byzantine Empire :* Campaigns of the Byzantine...
, during the reign of 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...
, a mutiny by Jingyuan Circuit (涇原, headquartered in modern Pingliang
Pingliang
Pingliang is a prefecture-level city in eastern Gansu Province in China. Pingliang is famous for a local mountain range that includes Kongtong Mountain, a site sacred to Taoism and mythical meeting place of the Yellow Emperor and Guangchengzi, an immortal....
, Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
) at the capital Chang'an
Chang'an
Chang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...
forced Emperor Dezong to flee to Fengtian (奉天, in modern Xianyang
Xianyang
Xianyang is a former capital of China in Shaanxi province, on the Wei River, a few kilometers upstream from Xi'an. It has an area of...
, 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...
). The Jingyuan soldiers supported the general Zhu Ci
Zhu Ci
Zhu Ci was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. He initially served as military governor of Lulong Circuit , but later became a general for the imperial government...
as their leader, and Zhu initially pretended to be calming the capital and then readying the troops to welcome Emperor Dezong back to Chang'an. He sent an emissary that was going through Hua Prefecture (華州, in modern Weinan), which Zheng County belonged to, and the official in charge of defense, Li Yi (李翼), did not dare stopping Zhu's emissary. However, Li Yijian opined that Zhu would soon turn against Emperor Dezong and pointed out that some of the Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing
Beijing
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...
) army that previously served under Zhu had been sent to Xiangcheng (襄城, in modern Xuchang
Xuchang
Xuchang is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province in Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the northwest, Kaifeng to the northeast, Zhoukou to the east, Luohe to the southeast, and Pingdingshan to the southwest....
, 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...
) to help defend it against the warlord Li Xilie
Li Xilie
Li Xilie was a general of the Chinese Tang Dynasty who, believing himself to be strong enough to claim imperial title, did so as the emperor of a new state of Chu...
; he believed that Zhu was summoning them to Chang'an to assist him. Li Yi thus quickly headed for Tong Pass to have Zhu's emissary searched, and indeed, an order to summon the Lulong soldiers was found. Li Yi reported this to the defender of Tong Pass, Luo Yuanguang (駱元光), who executed Zhu's emissary and submitted Zhu's order to Emperor Dezong. Emperor Dezong thus made Luo the prefect of Hua Prefecture, but as Luo took the entire credit for the incident, LI Yijian was not rewarded.
Li Yijian later left his office and submitted himself for 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, passing them in the class of those who had good judgment. He was then made the sheriff of Lantian County (藍田, in modern Xi'an
Xi'an
Xi'an is the capital of the Shaanxi province, and a sub-provincial city in the People's Republic of China. One of the oldest cities in China, with more than 3,100 years of history, the city was known as Chang'an before the Ming Dynasty...
, 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...
). He was later made an imperial censor with the title Jiancha Yushi (監察御史). At one point, he was accused of faults and exiled to be a census officer at Qian Prefecture (虔州, in modern Ganzhou
Ganzhou
Ganzhou is a prefecture-level city in southern Jiangxi province, People's Republic of China. Its administrative seat is at Zhanggong .-History:...
, Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
). (It appeared that he was later made a prefect, based on his later actions.) Nine years after his exile, he was recalled to again be imperial censor with the title Dianzhong Shiyushi (殿中侍御史).
During Emperor Xianzong's reign
As of 809809
Year 809 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* Emperor Saga succeeds Emperor Heizei as emperor of Japan.* Nagabhatta is defeated in India.- Births :* date unknown...
, during the reign of Emperor Dezong's grandson Emperor Xianzong
Emperor Xianzong of Tang
Emperor Xianzong of Tang , personal name Li Chun , né Li Chun , was an emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty...
, Li Yijian was serving as deputy chief imperial censor (御史中丞). The mayor of Jingzhao Municipality (京兆, i.e., the Chang'an region) at the time was Yang Ping (楊憑), who had previously served as the governor of Jiangxi Circuit (江西, headquartered in modern Nanchang
Nanchang
Nanchang is the capital of Jiangxi Province in southeastern China. It is located in the north-central portion of the province. As it is bounded on the west by the Jiuling Mountains, and on the east by Poyang Lake, it is famous for its scenery, rich history and cultural sites...
, Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
) and a superior of Li Yijian's when Li Yijian served as a prefect. Yang did not respect Li Yijian at that time, and Li Yijian, in 809, indicted Yang for corruption. Yang was thus demoted to be the sheriff of Linhe (臨賀, in modern Hezhou
Hezhou
-Administration:Hezhou has 2 urban district, 2 counties, and 1 autonomous county.Urban District:*Babu District *Pinggui District Counties:*Zhongshan County *Zhaoping County -Administration:Hezhou has 2 urban district, 2 counties, and 1 autonomous county.Urban District:*Babu District (八步区)*Pinggui...
, Guangxi
Guangxi
Guangxi, formerly romanized Kwangsi, is a province of southern China along its border with Vietnam. In 1958, it became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, a region with special privileges created specifically for the Zhuang people.Guangxi's location, in...
). No friend or relative of Yang's dared to send him off except Xu Hui (徐晦), and when Li Yijian heard this, believing Xu to be a faithful friend to Yang and therefore would be faithful to the state, he recommended Xu to be a Jiancha Yushi. Later in the year, when Emperor Xianzong was set to commission the powerful eunuch Tutu Chengcui
Tutu Chengcui
Tutu Chengcui , courtesy name Renzhen , was a powerful eunuch of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Xianzong.- Background :...
as the commander of the imperial forces against the warlord Wang Chengzong
Wang Chengzong
Wang Chengzong was a general of the Chinese Tang Dynasty who served a military governor of Chengde Circuit...
, who controlled Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang
Shijiazhuang
Shijiazhuang is the capital and largest city of North China's Hebei province. Administratively a prefecture-level city, it is about south of Beijing...
, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
), Li Yijian was one of the officials who opposed Tutu's commission, along with Li Yuansu (李元素), Li Yong, Xu Mengrong (許孟容), Meng Jian (孟簡), Lü Yuanying (呂元膺), Mu Zhi (穆質), and Dugu Yu (獨孤郁). Emperor Xianzong thus reduced Tutu's title but still put Tutu in command. Meanwhile, Li Yijian was made deputy minister of census (戶部侍郎) and acting director of finances.
Later, Li Yijian was made the military governor (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 Shannan East Circuit (山南東道, headquartered in modern Xiangfan
Xiangfan
Xiangyang is a prefecture-level city in Hubei Province of the People's Republic of China. It was formed from two famous ancient cities, Xiangyang and Fancheng...
, Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
). During Emperor Dezong's reign, 500 Jiangxi soldiers had been stationed at Shannan East to help defend it against the de facto independent Zhangyi Circuit (彰義, headquartered in modern Zhumadian
Zhumadian
Zhumadian is a prefecture-level city in southern Henan province, People's Republic of China. It borders Xinyang to the south, Nanyang to the west, Pingdingshan to the northwest, Luohe to the north, Zhoukou to the northeast, and the province of Anhui to the east.Its population is 7,230,744 at the...
, 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 the soldiers were paid by the central government director of finances. By the time that Li was military governor, the originally stationed Jiangxi soldiers had largely died, but Shannan East was still receiving funds for them. Li Yijian found this to be inappropriate and turned down the funding for them. After three years, he was transferred to Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu
Chengdu
Chengdu , formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status...
, Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
) to serve as its military governor. Prior to Li's service there, Wang Yong (王顒) the prefect of Xi Prefecture (雟州, in modern Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture
Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture
Liangshan , officially the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, is an autonomous prefecture in Sichuan, south central China whose capital is Xichang. Liangshan has an area of 60,423 km² and over 4.5 million inhabitants...
, Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
) had, because of his corruption, angered the non-Han
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
tribes of the region, who thus left the Tang-controlled areas. After Li arrived at Xichuan, he had Wang removed, and he sent letters to the non-Han chieftains pointing out that it was in their interests to be in Tang territory, and the non-Han tribes thus resubmitted. Meanwhile, the army of Sichuan had been accustomed to play two styles of music known as the Fengsheng Style (奉聖樂) and Shunsheng Style (順聖樂), created by the generals Wei Gao
Wei Gao
Wei Gao , courtesy name Chengwu , formally Prince Zhongwu of Nankang , was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty...
and Yu Di
Yu Di
Yu Di , courtesy name Yunyuan , formally initially Duke Li of Yan and later Duke Si of Yan , was a general and official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty...
, respectively. Li, believing that it was the central government's prerogative rather than local governors' to create new styles of military music, had the music stopped.
In 818
818
Year 818 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.-Europe:* Al-Andalus: Grave rebellion in the suburbs of Cordoba against the Umayyads.- Religion :...
, Li Yijian was recalled to Chang'an to serve as chief imperial censor (御史大夫, Yushi Daifu). Soon thereafter, he was made Menxia Shilang (門下侍郎), the deputy head of the examination bureau of government (門下省, Menxia Sheng), as well as chancellor de facto with the title Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事). As, at the time, Emperor Xianzong heavily depended on Li's chancellor colleague Pei Du
Pei Du
Pei Du , courtesy name Zhongli , formally Duke Wenzhong of Jin , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Xianzong, Emperor Xianzong's son Emperor Muzong, and Emperor Xianzong's grandsons Emperor Jingzong and Emperor Wenzong...
in the campaigns against the warlords and Li considered himself not as capable, he requested to be assigned outside the capital. In fall 818, he was made the military governor of Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou
Yangzhou
Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across...
, 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...
), carrying the chancellor title as an honorary title.
During Emperor Muzong's reign
After Emperor Xianzong died in 820820
Year 820 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* Tahir, the son of a slave, is rewarded with the governorship of Khurasan for supporting the caliphate...
and was succeeded by his son Emperor Muzong
Emperor Muzong of Tang
Emperor Muzong of Tang , personal name Li Heng , né Li You , was an emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China. He reigned from 821 to 824. Emperor Muzong was the son of Emperor Xianzong...
, the officials were discussing what Emperor Xianzong's temple name
Temple name
Temple names are commonly used when naming most Chinese, Korean , and Vietnamese royalty. They should not be confused with era names. Compared to posthumous names, the use of temple names is more exclusive...
should be. Li Yijian submitted a suggestion that because Emperor Xianzong had great accomplishments during his reign, he should be given a temple name that referred to him as Zu (祖) rather than Zong (宗). Other officials disagreed, however, and Emperor Xianzong's temple name was eventually fixed as Xianzong. After some time, Li Yijian requested retirement, but the central government considered Li Yijian to be still healthy, and therefore did not accept his retirement request; instead, he was recalled to serve as You Pushe (右僕射), one of the heads of the executive bureau (尚書省, Shangshu Sheng), but he declined. He was then made an advisor to 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....
, but had his office 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...
. He died in 822
822
Year 822 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.- Byzantine Empire :* The civil war between Byzantine Emperor Michael II and the general Thomas the Slav continues...
and was given posthumous honors.