Liu Yizhi
Encyclopedia
Liu Yizhi (631
– June 22, 687), courtesy name Ximei (希美), was an official of the Chinese
dynasty Tang Dynasty
, serving as chancellor during the first reign of Emperor Ruizong
. He was initially a trusted advisor of Emperor Ruizong's powerful mother Empress Dowager Wu
(later known as Wu Zetian), but later offended her by suggesting privately that she should return imperial powers to Emperor Ruizong, and in 687, she ordered him to commit suicide.
. His grandfather Liu Xingzong (劉興宗) had served as an army officer during Chen Dynasty
, and his father Liu Ziyi (劉子翼) was an official and scholar of renown during Sui Dynasty
and the early Tang Dynasty
, dying early in the reign of Emperor Taizong's son Emperor Gaozong
.
Liu Yizhi himself was said to be literarily talented, and his reputation was compared to contemporaries Meng Lizhen (孟利貞), Gao Zhizhou
, and Guo Zhengyi
. Eventually, all four were retained to be imperial scholars at the Zhaowen Pavilion (昭文館).
, Miao Chuke (苗楚客), Zhou Simao (周思茂), and Han Chubin (韓楚賓) -- were asked to serve as advisors to Emperor Gaozong's powerful wife Empress Wu
(later known as Wu Zetian), and they wrote a number of works on her behalf, including the Biographies of Notable Women (列女傳), Guidelines for Imperial Subjects (臣軌), and New Teachings for Official Staff Members (百僚新誡). Collectively, they became known as the "North Gate Scholars" (北門學士), because they served inside the palace, which was to the north of the imperial government buildings, and Empress Wu sought advice from them to divert the powers of the chancellors. At that time, both he and his brother Liu Yizhi (劉懿之, note different character) served in government, a fact that impressed many people.
In 677, Liu was made the assistant head of the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng) and the military advisor to Emperor Gaozong's and Empress Wu's youngest son Li Lun
(the later Emperor Ruizong). However, it was at this time that an incident involving his sister would cause him to be exiled. His sister was serving in a position inside the palace. Empress Wu had sent her to visit Empress Wu's mother Lady Yang, the Lady of Rong, at that time. Against regulations, when Liu Yizhi found out about this, he went to Lady Yang's mansion to meet his sister. As a result of this violation, he was exiled to Xi Prefecture (巂州, roughly modern Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture
, Sichuan
) for several years.
Later, at Empress Wu's request, Liu Yizhi was recalled from exile, and he was made Zhongshu Sheren (中書舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau, and again the military advisor to Li Lun (whose name was by then changed to Li Dan and whose title was then the Prince of Xiang). He also soon again became the assistant head of the legislative bureau. Emperor Gaozong was impressed with Liu Yizhi's family's reputation for faithfulness and filial piety, and had once told Liu, "The Prince of Xiang is my beloved son. Because you come from a family of faithfulness and filial piety, I want you to teach and guide him." It was further said that Liu himself was filially pious and caring for his siblings, and that he was generous with his salaries, often giving them to relatives with need, and that this further impressed Emperor Gaozong.
Emperor Gaozong died in 683 and was succeeded by Li Dan's older brother Li Zhe
the Crown Prince
(as Emperor Zhongzong), but Empress Wu retained most of the power, as empress dowager
and regent
. In 684, after Emperor Zhongzong showed signs of independence, she deposed him and replaced him with Li Dan (as Emperor Ruizong). Liu was involved in the planning for this, and he was, in return, given the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin (同中書門下三品), making him a chancellor de facto. He was also created the Baron of Linhuai. It was said that at that time, the edicts issued by Empress Dowager Wu and Emperor Ruizong were mostly drafted by Liu, and that he wrote them well and quickly.
told Fang, "This was the Empress Dowager's decision." Liu instead stated, "You were dragged into this because of another's fault, and your demotion was based on the decision of the officials." These words were reported to Empress Dowager Wu, and she was displeased that Qian blamed her and pleased that Liu did not, and she demoted Qian to be a prefectural prefect while bestowing Liu with the honorific title Taizhong Daifu (太中大夫).
However, in 687, it would be Liu's words that would bring his downfall. He had secretly told his subordinate Jia Dayin (賈大隱), "Given that the Empress Dowager had deposed an incompetent emperor and replaced him with an intelligent one, why does she still need to serve as regent? It would be better if she returned imperial powers to him to comfort the people of the empire." Jia reported these words to Empress Dowager Wu, who saw this as a betrayal of her trust in him. As a result, false accusations were made that Liu had received bribes from the Khitan
chieftain Sun Wanrong
, and that he had carried out an adulterous relationship with the concubine of the deceased chancellor Xu Jingzong
. Empress Dowager Wu ordered Wang Benli
the prefect of Su Prefecture (肅州, roughly modern Jiuquan
, Gansu
) investigate this. When Wang arrived at Liu's mansion and read Empress Dowager Wu's edict to Liu, Liu made the comment, "How can it be called an edict if it was not issued through the legislative and examination bureaus?" When Wang reported this to Empress Dowager Wu, she was incensed, and she accused Liu of resisting an imperial edict and arrested him.
Emperor Ruizong, who was friendly with Liu, sought to save him by submitting a petition to Empress Dowager Wu. When this was known, Liu's relatives and friends congratulated him in that even the emperor was interceding on his behalf. Liu, however, commented, "I will surely die because of this. The Empress Dowager is serving as regent. She decides matters herself and holds onto her power. A petition from the Emperor will only hasten disaster." Soon, Empress Dowager Wu issued an order for him to commit suicide. Without change in expression, he bathed and asked his son to draft a submission to Empress Dowager Wu thanking her for granting him his death. His son was so mournful as to be unable to write, so Liu wrote the submission himself and did so quickly. After his death, everyone who read the submission was deeply touched, and junior officials Guo Han (郭翰) and Zhou Sijun (周思均) particularly were complimentary of the writing -- displeasing Empress Dowager Wu so much that she exiled both of them.
Emperor Ruizong would eventually yield the throne to Empress Dowager Wu, who took the throne as "emperor" herself, in 690. After Emperor Ruizong returned to the throne in 710, he remembered Liu, and he posthumously honored him as Zhongshu Ling (中書令, head of the legislative bureau).
631
Year 631 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 631 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 :* The Battle of Wogastisburg is fought...
– June 22, 687), courtesy name Ximei (希美), 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 chancellor during the first reign 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...
. He was initially a trusted advisor of Emperor Ruizong's powerful mother Empress Dowager Wu
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...
(later known as Wu Zetian), but later offended her by suggesting privately that she should return imperial powers to Emperor Ruizong, and in 687, she ordered him to commit suicide.
Background
Liu Yizhi was born in 631, during the reign of Emperor Taizong of TangEmperor Taizong of Tang
Emperor Taizong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Shìmín , was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649...
. His grandfather Liu Xingzong (劉興宗) had served as an army officer 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....
, and his father Liu Ziyi (劉子翼) was an official and scholar of renown during Sui Dynasty
Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty was a powerful, but short-lived Imperial Chinese dynasty. Preceded by the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes. It was followed by the Tang Dynasty....
and the early 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...
, dying early in the reign of Emperor Taizong's son Emperor Gaozong
Emperor Gaozong of Tang
Emperor Gaozong of Tang , personal name Li Zhi , was the third emperor of the Tang Dynasty in China, ruling from 649 to 683...
.
Liu Yizhi himself was said to be literarily talented, and his reputation was compared to contemporaries Meng Lizhen (孟利貞), Gao Zhizhou
Gao Zhizhou
Gao Zhizhou was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaozong.Gao Zhizhou was born in 602, during the reign of Emperor Wen of Sui, the founding emperor of Tang's predecessor Sui Dynasty. His family was from what would become Chang...
, and Guo Zhengyi
Guo Zhengyi
Guo Zhengyi was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaozong and the regency of Emperor Gaozong's wife Empress Wu over their son Emperor Zhongzong.- Background :It is not known when Guo Zhengyi was born...
. Eventually, all four were retained to be imperial scholars at the Zhaowen Pavilion (昭文館).
During Emperor Gaozong's reign and Emperor Zhongzong's first reign
During Emperor Gaozong's Shangyuan 上元 era (674-676), Liu Yizhi was made an imperial chronicler, and a scholar at Hongwen Pavilion (弘文館). He and several colleagues also known for literary talent -- Yuan Wanqing (元萬頃), Fan LübingFan Lübing
Fan Lübing was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as chancellor during the first reign of Emperor Ruizong.- During Emperor Gaozong's reign :...
, Miao Chuke (苗楚客), Zhou Simao (周思茂), and Han Chubin (韓楚賓) -- were asked to serve as advisors to Emperor Gaozong's powerful wife Empress Wu
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...
(later known as Wu Zetian), and they wrote a number of works on her behalf, including the Biographies of Notable Women (列女傳), Guidelines for Imperial Subjects (臣軌), and New Teachings for Official Staff Members (百僚新誡). Collectively, they became known as the "North Gate Scholars" (北門學士), because they served inside the palace, which was to the north of the imperial government buildings, and Empress Wu sought advice from them to divert the powers of the chancellors. At that time, both he and his brother Liu Yizhi (劉懿之, note different character) served in government, a fact that impressed many people.
In 677, Liu was made the assistant head of the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng) and the military advisor to Emperor Gaozong's and Empress Wu's youngest son Li Lun
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 later Emperor Ruizong). However, it was at this time that an incident involving his sister would cause him to be exiled. His sister was serving in a position inside the palace. Empress Wu had sent her to visit Empress Wu's mother Lady Yang, the Lady of Rong, at that time. Against regulations, when Liu Yizhi found out about this, he went to Lady Yang's mansion to meet his sister. As a result of this violation, he was exiled to Xi Prefecture (巂州, roughly 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...
) for several years.
Later, at Empress Wu's request, Liu Yizhi was recalled from exile, and he was made Zhongshu Sheren (中書舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau, and again the military advisor to Li Lun (whose name was by then changed to Li Dan and whose title was then the Prince of Xiang). He also soon again became the assistant head of the legislative bureau. Emperor Gaozong was impressed with Liu Yizhi's family's reputation for faithfulness and filial piety, and had once told Liu, "The Prince of Xiang is my beloved son. Because you come from a family of faithfulness and filial piety, I want you to teach and guide him." It was further said that Liu himself was filially pious and caring for his siblings, and that he was generous with his salaries, often giving them to relatives with need, and that this further impressed Emperor Gaozong.
Emperor Gaozong died in 683 and was succeeded by Li Dan's older brother Li Zhe
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 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....
(as Emperor Zhongzong), but Empress Wu retained most of the power, 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...
. In 684, after Emperor Zhongzong showed signs of independence, she deposed him and replaced him with Li Dan (as Emperor Ruizong). Liu was involved in the planning for this, and he was, in return, given the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin (同中書門下三品), making him a chancellor de facto. He was also created the Baron of Linhuai. It was said that at that time, the edicts issued by Empress Dowager Wu and Emperor Ruizong were mostly drafted by Liu, and that he wrote them well and quickly.
During Emperor Ruizong's first reign
In 685, there was an incident that made Empress Dowager Wu trust Liu Yizhi even more. At that time, the official Fang Xianmin (房先敏) was demoted, and he met the chancellors to complain about the demotion. Qian WeidaoQian Weidao
Qian Weidao was twice briefly a chancellor of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, during the first reign of Emperor Ruizong....
told Fang, "This was the Empress Dowager's decision." Liu instead stated, "You were dragged into this because of another's fault, and your demotion was based on the decision of the officials." These words were reported to Empress Dowager Wu, and she was displeased that Qian blamed her and pleased that Liu did not, and she demoted Qian to be a prefectural prefect while bestowing Liu with the honorific title Taizhong Daifu (太中大夫).
However, in 687, it would be Liu's words that would bring his downfall. He had secretly told his subordinate Jia Dayin (賈大隱), "Given that the Empress Dowager had deposed an incompetent emperor and replaced him with an intelligent one, why does she still need to serve as regent? It would be better if she returned imperial powers to him to comfort the people of the empire." Jia reported these words to Empress Dowager Wu, who saw this as a betrayal of her trust in him. As a result, false accusations were made that Liu had received bribes from the Khitan
Khitan people
thumb|250px|Khitans [[Eagle hunting|using eagles to hunt]], painted during the Chinese [[Song Dynasty]].The Khitan people , or Khitai, Kitan, or Kidan, were a nomadic Mongolic people, originally located at Mongolia and Manchuria from the 4th century...
chieftain Sun Wanrong
Sun Wanrong
Sun Wanrong was a khan of the Khitan people who, along with his brother-in-law Li Jinzhong, rose against Chinese hegemony in 696, with Li Jinzhong as khan, and they further invaded Chinese territory then under the rule of Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty...
, and that he had carried out an adulterous relationship with the concubine of the deceased chancellor Xu Jingzong
Xu Jingzong
Xu Jingzong , courtesy name Yanzu , formally Duke Gong of Gaoyang , was a chancellor of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty...
. Empress Dowager Wu ordered Wang Benli
Wang Benli
Wang Benli was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as chancellor during the first reign of Emperor Ruizong.- Background :...
the prefect of Su Prefecture (肅州, roughly modern Jiuquan
Jiuquan
- Suzhou town :The administrative center of the "prefecture-level city" of Jiuquan is the "District" of Suzhou , which occupies 3,386 square km in the eastern part of Jiuquan "prefecture-level city", and had a population of 340,000 as of 2002....
, 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...
) investigate this. When Wang arrived at Liu's mansion and read Empress Dowager Wu's edict to Liu, Liu made the comment, "How can it be called an edict if it was not issued through the legislative and examination bureaus?" When Wang reported this to Empress Dowager Wu, she was incensed, and she accused Liu of resisting an imperial edict and arrested him.
Emperor Ruizong, who was friendly with Liu, sought to save him by submitting a petition to Empress Dowager Wu. When this was known, Liu's relatives and friends congratulated him in that even the emperor was interceding on his behalf. Liu, however, commented, "I will surely die because of this. The Empress Dowager is serving as regent. She decides matters herself and holds onto her power. A petition from the Emperor will only hasten disaster." Soon, Empress Dowager Wu issued an order for him to commit suicide. Without change in expression, he bathed and asked his son to draft a submission to Empress Dowager Wu thanking her for granting him his death. His son was so mournful as to be unable to write, so Liu wrote the submission himself and did so quickly. After his death, everyone who read the submission was deeply touched, and junior officials Guo Han (郭翰) and Zhou Sijun (周思均) particularly were complimentary of the writing -- displeasing Empress Dowager Wu so much that she exiled both of them.
Emperor Ruizong would eventually yield the throne to Empress Dowager Wu, who took the throne as "emperor" herself, in 690. After Emperor Ruizong returned to the throne in 710, he remembered Liu, and he posthumously honored him as Zhongshu Ling (中書令, head of the legislative bureau).