Liu Congyi (劉從一; 742 – November 4, 785) was a Chinese historian and politician during the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

, serving as a

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

during the reign of Emperor Dezong.

Background

Liu Congyi was born in 742, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong. He came from a line of officials of the Tang dynasty, starting with his great-great-grandfather Liu Linfu (劉林甫). His great-granduncle

Liu Xiangdao Liu Xiangdao (劉祥道) (596–666), courtesy name Tongshou (同壽), formally Duke Xuan of Guangping (廣平宣公), was a Chinese politician of the medieval Chinese Tang dynasty who served briefly as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaoz ...

served as a

during the reign of Emperor Gaozong, and Liu Xiangdao's son

Liu Jingxian Liu Jingxian (劉景先) (died 689), né Liu Qixian (劉齊賢), was a Chinese politician of the Chinese Tang dynasty, serving as chancellor late in the reign of Emperor Gaozong and the subsequent regency of Emperor Gaozong's wife Empress Dowager ...

served as a chancellor late in the reign of Emperor Gaozong as well as the regency of Emperor Gaozong's wife Empress Dowager Wu (later known as Wu Zetian) over their sons Emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Ruizong. Liu Congyi's grandfather Liu Lingzhi (劉令植) served as a deputy minister, while his father Liu Ruzhi (劉孺之) served as the deputy mayor of Jingzhao Municipality (京兆), which included the Tang capital

Chang'an Chang'an (; zh, t=長安, s=长安, p=Cháng'ān, first=t) is the traditional name of the city now named Xi'an and was the capital of several Chinese dynasties, ranging from 202 BCE to 907 CE. The site has been inhabited since Neolithic time ...

.''

Old Book of Tang The ''Old Book of Tang'', or simply the ''Book of Tang'', is the first classic historical work about the Tang dynasty, comprising 200 chapters, and is one of the Twenty-Four Histories. Originally compiled during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...

''
vol. 125
.

During Emperor Daizong's reign

Liu Congyi himself passed the

imperial examination The imperial examination was a civil service examination system in History of China#Imperial China, Imperial China administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the Civil service#China, state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureau ...

s when he was young, and during the ''Dali'' era (766–779) of Emperor Xuanzong's grandson

Emperor Daizong Emperor Daizong of Tang (11 November 726According to Daizong's biography in the ''Old Book of Tang'', he was born on the 13th day in the 12th month of the 14th year of the Kaiyuan era of Tang Xuanzong's reign. This date corresponds to 11 Nov 72 ...

, he passed a special examination for those who could write in a grand style. He was thereafter made ''Xiaoshulang'' (校書郎), an editor at the

Palace Library The Palace Library (; in Vietnam: 秘書所, ''Bí thư sở'') was a central government agency in Imperial and monarchical China, Korea, and Vietnam generally in charge of maintaining and archiving the collection of the monarch's documents. C ...

. He subsequently served as the sheriff of Weinan County (渭南, in modern

Weinan Weinan ( zh, s=渭南 , p=Wèinán) is a prefecture-level city in east-Guanzhong, central Shaanxi, Shaanxi province, northwest China. The city lies on the lower section of the Wei River confluence into the Yellow River, about east of the provinc ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...

). Because his behavior was elegant, he was respected by the official

Chang Gun Chang Gun (常袞) (729–783), formally the Duke of He'nei (河內公), was a Chinese politician and writer during the Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Daizong and Emperor Dezong. Background Chang Gun was bor ...

, and after Chang became

in 777, he made Liu ''Jiancha Yushi'' (監察御史), an imperial censor. Later, though, when Liu's mother died, he left governmental service to observe a period of mourning for her.

During Emperor Dezong's reign

When Liu Congyi's mourning period was complete, the emperor was Emperor Daizong's son Emperor Dezong, and the most powerful chancellor was Lu Qi. Lu recommended Liu, and Liu returned to the bureau of censors as ''Shiyushi'' (侍御史). After several months, because a relative of his was also becoming an imperial censor, under Tang regulations that relatives should not serve at the same agency, he was made ''Xingbu Yuanwailang'' (刑部員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of justice (刑部, ''Xingbu''). In 783, with

Li Xilie Li Xilie ( zh, c=李希烈) (died May 9, 786) was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician of the medieval Tang dynasty who, believing himself to be strong enough to claim imperial title, did so as the emperor of a new state of Chu. H ...

the military governor (''

jiedushi The ''jiedushi'' (, Old Turkic: Tarduş) or jiedu, was a regional military governor in China; the title was established in the Tang dynasty and abolished in the Yuan dynasty. The post of ''jiedushi'' has been translated as "military commissi ...

'') of Huaixi Circuit (淮西, headquartered in modern

Zhumadian Zhumadian ( zh, s= , t= , p=Zhùmǎdiàn; Postal romanization, postal: Chumatien) is a prefecture-level city in southern Henan province of China, province, China. It borders Xinyang to the south, Nanyang, Henan, Nanyang to the west, Pingdingshan to ...

Henan Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...

) rebelling against imperial rule, Emperor Dezong, believing that the armies sent against Li Xilie needed a supreme commander to coordinate their actions, commissioned his son Li Yi (李誼) the Prince of Pu to be the supreme commander of the forces against Huaixi, and he made Liu a secretary for Li Yi. However, before Li Yi could depart Chang'an, soldiers from Jingyuan Circuit (涇原, headquartered in modern

Pingliang Pingliang ( zh, s=平凉 , t=平涼 , p=Píngliàng , l="Pacify Liang") is a inner land prefecture-level city in eastern Gansu province, China, bordering Shaanxi province to the south and east and the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region to the north. T ...

Gansu Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...

), at Chang'an to await deployment to the east against Li Xilie or other warlords, mutinied after they were not awarded as they believed they deserved. Emperor Dezong fled to Fengtian (奉天, in modern

Xianyang Xianyang ( zh, s=咸阳 , p=Xiányáng) is a prefecture-level city in central Shaanxi province, situated on the Wei River a few kilometers upstream (west) from the provincial capital of Xi'an. Once the capital of the Qin dynasty, it is now int ...

). Many officials followed him there, including Liu. The Jingyuan soldiers supported the general

Zhu Ci Zhu Ci (; 742–784) was a Chinese military general, monarch, and rebel during the Tang dynasty. He initially served as military governor (''Jiedushi'') of Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing), but later became a general ...

as their leader, and Zhu soon claimed imperial title of his own state of Qin, competing with Emperor Dezong. While Emperor Dezong was thus kept at Fengtian, he made Liu the deputy minister of justice (刑部侍郎, ''Xingbu Shilang'') and gave him the designation of ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' (同中書門下平章事), making him a chancellor ''de facto'', along with

Xiao Fu Xiao Fu (; 732 – June 23, 788), courtesy name Lüchu (履初), was a Chinese politician during the Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Dezong. Background Xiao Fu was born in 732, during the reign of Emperor Xu ...

and

Jiang Gongfu Jiang Gongfu (, Vietnamese: ''Khương Công Phụ''; 731–805) was a Chinese poet, politician, and Taoist monk during the Tang dynasty who served as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Dezong. __TOC__ Biography It is not known when Jiang Go ...

. When Emperor Dezong was forced to further flee to Liang Prefecture (梁州, in modern

Hanzhong Hanzhong ( zh, s= , t= , l=middle of the Han River (Hubei), Han River; abbreviation: Han) is a prefecture-level city in Southern Shaanxi, the southwest of Shaanxi, Shaanxi province, China, bordering the provinces of Sichuan to the south and Gans ...

) in 784, he made Liu ''Zhongshu Shilang'' (中書侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau (中書省, ''Zhongshu Sheng''), and continued to have Liu serve as chancellor. It was said that Liu was much liked by Emperor Dezong and was known for being careful and virtuous personally, but did not help Emperor Dezong correct his ways. After the general Li Sheng destroyed Zhu's regime later in 784 and allowed Emperor Dezong to return to Chang'an, there was an incident in which Xiao, who had just returned from a mission to survey the southern circuits, recommended that Chen Shaoyou (陳少遊), the military governor of Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern

Yangzhou Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, East China. Sitting on the north bank of the Yangtze, it borders the provincial capital Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou, Jiangsu, ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

), who had submitted to Li Xilie during the time Emperor Dezong was away from Chang'an, be replaced by

Wei Gao Wei Gao (韋皋) (745 – September 13, 805), courtesy name Chengwu (城武), formally Prince Zhongwu of Nankang (南康忠武王), was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician of the Tang dynasty. He was a long-time (from 785 to 805) ...

—a Fengxiang officer who had resisted Li Chulin. Emperor Dezong agreed. He sent the imperial

eunuch A eunuch ( , ) is a male who has been castration, castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2 ...

messenger Ma Qinxu (馬欽緒) to inform Liu and ask Liu to discuss this matter with Xiao without consulting fellow chancellors

Li Mian Li Mian (; 717 – September 14, 788), courtesy name Xuanqing (玄卿), formally Duke Zhenjian of Qian (汧貞簡公), was a Chinese judge, military general, musician, poet, and politician during the Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor during t ...

and

Lu Han Lu Han (; born April 20, 1990), also known mononymously as Luhan, is a Chinese singer, actor, and dancer. He was a member of the South Korean-Chinese boy group Exo and its sub-group Exo-M, before leaving the group in October 2014. That year, ...

. However, Xiao was surprised by this, and, finding it inappropriate that Emperor Dezong was keeping secrets away from Li Mian and Lu, as fellow chancellors, stated:''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 231. When Liu informed Emperor Dezong about this, Emperor Dezong was displeased. Xiao, seeing that he had lost the emperor's favor, resigned. Further, when Emperor Dezong tried to promote Lu Qi, who had been exiled after being blamed for causing Zhu's rebellion, in 785, and the imperial attendant Yuan Gao (袁高) objected, Liu and Lu Han did not dare to support Yuan's position. Yuan had to protest the decision along with several of his junior colleagues and finally prevailed on Emperor Dezong to change Emperor Dezong's mind. Liu grew ill in late 785 and offered to resign. On November 3, 785, Emperor Dezong removed him from his chancellor position and made him the minister of census (戶部尚書, ''Hubu Shangshu''). Liu died the next day and was publicly mourned.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 232.

Notes and references

* ''

''
vol. 125
* ''

New Book of Tang The ''New Book of Tang'', generally translated as the "New History of the Tang" or "New Tang History", is a work of official history covering the Tang dynasty in ten volumes and 225 chapters. The work was compiled by a team of scholars of the So ...

''
vol. 106
* ''

Zizhi Tongjian The ''Zizhi Tongjian'' (1084) is a chronicle published during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) that provides a record of Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynasties and spanning almost 1400 years. The main text is ...

'', vols.

228 Year 228 ( CCXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Modestus and Maecius (or, less frequently, year 981 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 228 for this ...

229 __NOTOC__ Year 229 ( CCXXIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Cassius (or, less frequently, year 982 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 22 ...

231 Year 231 ( CCXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known in Rome as the Year of the Consulship of Claudius and Sallustus (or, less frequently, year 984 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 23 ...

232 Year 232 ( CCXXXII) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lupus and Maximus (or, less frequently, year 985 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 232 for this year ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Congyi 742 births 785 deaths 8th-century Chinese historians Chancellors under Emperor Dezong of Tang Tang dynasty historians