Song Jing (宋璟) (663 – November 21, 737), formally Duke Wenzhen of Guangping (廣平文貞公), was a Chinese 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 ...
and
Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian (624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was List of rulers of China#Tang dynasty, Empress of China from 660 to 705, ruling first through others and later in her own right. She ruled as queen consort , empress consort th ...
's Zhou dynasty, serving as the
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 reigns of
Emperor Ruizong and
Emperor Xuanzong. He was praised by historians for his insistence on being morally upright, and for being a just administrator of the law during his time as Xuanzong's senior chancellor.
Background
Song Jing was born in 663, during the reign of
Emperor Gaozong. His clan was originally from Guangping (廣平, in modern
Handan
Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwest of Hebei province, China. The southernmost prefecture-level city of the province, it borders Xingtai on the north, and the provinces of Shanxi on the west, Henan on the south and Shando ...
,
Hebei
Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...
), but by the time of Song Jing's birth, his family had relocated to Xing Prefecture (邢州, roughly modern
Xingtai
Xingtai ( zh, s= , t=邢臺, p=Xíngtái , w=Hsing2-tʻai2), formerly known as Xingzhou and Shunde, is a prefecture-level city in southern Hebei province, People's Republic of China. It has a total area of and administers 4 districts, 2 coun ...
,
Hebei
Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...
). The clan traced its ancestor to the
Northern Wei
Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei ( zh, c=北魏, p=Běi Wèi), Tuoba Wei ( zh, c=拓跋魏, p=Tuòbá Wèi), Yuan Wei ( zh, c=元魏, p=Yuán Wèi) and Later Wei ( zh, t=後魏, p=Hòu Wèi), was an Dynasties of China, impe ...
official Song Bian (), although Song Jing's grandfather Song Wuben () and father Song Xuanfu () served only as local officials. Song Jing was said to be upright in his character from youth. He was also said to be learned and capable in writing, and 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.
During Wu Zetian's reign
During the reign of Emperor Gaozong's wife
Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian (624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was List of rulers of China#Tang dynasty, Empress of China from 660 to 705, ruling first through others and later in her own right. She ruled as queen consort , empress consort th ...
, Song Jing became ''Fengge Sheren'' (鳳閣舍人, ''Fengge Sheren''), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau of government (鳳閣, ''Fengge''). It was said that he acting properly while in office and was respected by Wu Zetian. In 703, when Wu Zetian's lovers
Zhang Yizhi and
Zhang Changzong tried to falsely accuse the
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 ...
Wei Yuanzhong
Wei Yuanzhong (魏元忠) (630s - late 707?), né Wei Zhenzai (魏真宰), formally Duke Zhen of Qi (齊貞公), was an official of the Chinese Tang dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou dynasty, serving as chancellor during the reigns of Wu Zetian and h ...
by persuading Song's colleague
Zhang Shuo to provide corroboration of their accusation that Wei wanted to pledge loyalty to Wu Zetian's son and
crown prince
A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent.
''Crown prince ...
Li Xian instead of Wu Zetian herself, it was Song, along with Zhang Tinggui () and
Liu Zhiji
Liu Zhiji (; 661–721), courtesy name Zixuan (), was a Chinese historian and politician of the Tang dynasty. Well known as the author of '' Shitong'', he was born in present-day Xuzhou, Jiangsu. Liu's father Liu Zangqi and elder brother Liu Zhiro ...
who persuaded Zhang Shuo that historical reputation was more important than political expediency, which led Zhang Shuo to change his testimony and instead corroborate Wei's innocence. As a result, Wei (and Zhang Shuo) were exiled, but escaped death.
Meanwhile, Song himself refused to yield to Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong, despite their honored status. At one feast, Zhang Yizhi tried to placate Song by offering the most honored position on the table to Song, which Song declined—and subsequently, publicly showed disapproval when another official, Zheng Gao (), used an endearing epithet toward Zhang Yizhi. It was said that Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong later tried to attack Song before Wu Zetian, but Wu Zetian favored Song and therefore took no action.
Song soon became ''Yushi Zhongcheng'' (), one of the deputy chief imperial censors. In 704, when Zhang Changzong was accused of having had inappropriate discussions with the fortuneteller Li Hongtai (), who had told him that he had the appearance of an emperor, Song pressed on with the investigation even though Wu Zetian and the chancellor
Yang Zaisi signaled to him that he should stop the investigation. He even had Wu Zetian approve an interrogation of Zhang Changzong, although as the interrogation had just commenced, Wu Zetian issued an edict pardoning Zhang Changzong. Song sighed, "I should have first cracked that villain's skull." When Wu Zetian subsequently had Zhang Changzong try to meet Song to thank him for the release, Song refused to meet Zhang Changzong.
During Emperor Zhongzong's second reign
In 705, Wu Zetian was overthrown in a coup, and Li Xian, formerly emperor, was restored to the throne (as Emperor Zhongzong). Song Jing became the deputy minister of civil service affairs (), and as Emperor Zhongzong favored Song for his morals, he also gave Song the title of imperial consultant (諫議大夫, ''Jianyi Daifu''). Soon thereafter, he was made ''Huangmen Shilang'' (), the deputy head of the examination bureau of government (門下省, ''Menxia Sheng''). At that time, Wu Zetian's nephew and Emperor Zhongzong's cousin
Wu Sansi
Wu Sansi (died August 7, 707), known posthumously as Prince Xuan of Liang (), was a Chinese prince and politician of the Tang and Wu Zhou dynasties. Wu Sansi served as a chancellor and imperial prince during the reign of his aunt, Empress Wu Zetia ...
the Prince of Dejing, who was also the lover of Emperor Zhongzong's powerful wife
Empress Wei, was very powerful. On one occasion, Wu Sansi made a request to Song and Song sternly rejected, stating:
In summer 706, when the
hermit
A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions.
Description
In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Chr ...
Wei Yuejiang () submitted an accusation of the adulterous relationship between Wu Sansi and Empress Wei, Emperor Zhongzong was incensed and was set to execute Wei Yuejiang. Song refused, stating that executing Wei Yuejiang would merely bring more rumors and that if Emperor Zhongzong were to execute Wei Yuejiang, he needed to execute Song first. Meanwhile, other officials, including Su Xiang (), Xu Jian (), and Yin Sizhen (), pointed out that it was inappropriate to execute anyone during the summer. Emperor Zhongzong thus spared Wei Yuejiang and exiled him to the
Lingnan
Lingnan (; ) is a geographic area referring to the lands in the south of the Nanling Mountains. The region covers the modern China, Chinese subdivisions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong & Macau and Northern Vietnam.
Background
The ar ...
region. (However, Wei Yuejiang ultimately was unable to escape death, as Empress Wei's associate Zhou Rengui (), then the commandant at Guang Prefecture (廣州, roughly modern
Guangzhou
Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...
,
Guangdong
) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
), executed Wei Yuejiang as soon as fall came.) Soon thereafter, Wu Sansi had Song sent out of the capital to serve as acting prefect of Bei Prefecture (貝州, in modern Xingtai). Once Song got to Bei Prefecture, he further offended Wu Sansi—as he refused to have tax payments due Wu Sansi as his fief paid to Wu Sansi, citing that the region had just suffered a flood. He was moved to be the prefect of the more distant Hang Prefecture (杭州, roughly modern
Hangzhou
Hangzhou, , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly romanized as Hangchow is a sub-provincial city in East China and the capital of Zhejiang province. With a population of 13 million, the municipality comprises ten districts, two counti ...
,
Zhejiang
)
, translit_lang1_type2 =
, translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese)
, image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg
, image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains
, image_map = Zhejiang i ...
), and later served as the prefect of Xiang Prefecture (相州, in modern Handan). It was said that he was clean but strict as a prefect, and his subordinates did not dare to be corrupt.
During Emperor Shang's reign and Emperor Ruizong's second reign
Emperor Zhongzong died suddenly in 710—a death that traditional historians believed to be a poisoning carried out by Empress Wei and her daughter Li Guo'er the
Princess Anle
Princess Anle (; 684? – 21 July 710), personal name Li Guo'er (), was a Chinese princess of the Tang dynasty. She was the youngest daughter of Emperor Zhongzong and his wife Empress Wei. Popular history holds that she was doted upon heavily ...
, so that Empress Wei could become "emperor" like Wu Zetian and Li Guo'er could be crown princess. Meanwhile, though, Emperor Zhongzong's son by a
concubine
Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...
,
Li Chongmao the Prince of Wen, was named emperor (as Emperor Shang), but Empress Wei retained power as
empress dowager
Empress dowager (also dowager empress or empress mother; ) is the English language translation of the title given to the mother or widow of a monarch, especially in regards to Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese monarchs in the Chines ...
and
regent
In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
. Song Jing was made the secretary general of Luo Prefecture (), which contained the eastern capital
Luoyang
Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...
. Less than a month later, Empress Dowager Wei and Li Guo'er were killed in a coup led by Emperor Zhongzong's sister
Princess Taiping
Princess Taiping (, lit. "Princess of Great Peace", personal name unknown, possibly Li Lingyue (李令月) (after 662 – 2 August 713) was a royal princess and prominent political figure of the Tang dynasty and her mother Wu Zetian's Zhou dyna ...
and nephew
Li Longji the Prince of Linzi. Li Longji's father
Li Dan the Prince of Dan, himself a former emperor, returned to the throne (as Emperor Ruizong).
Emperor Ruizong made Song the minister of civil service affairs () and gave him the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin'' (), making him a chancellor ''de facto''. After Li Longji was created crown prince, Song was also made a member of his staff. During Emperor Zhongzong's reign, the civil service affairs system was subject to great abuses by powerful individuals at court, particularly while the chancellors
Cui Shi and
Zheng Yin were in charge — as they were allowing bribes and pleas by powerful individuals to influence them, going as far as naming reserve officials two years in advance. Song and his deputies Li Ai () and Lu Chongyuan () reformed the system and put the civil service system back in order, at the same time that Song's fellow chancellor
Yao Yuanzhi, who was then also minister of defense, put the military promotion system back in order as well. It was said that popular sentiment at the time viewed this as the return to the clean government of the days of Emperor Gaozong's father
Emperor Taizong. Song's reforms included removing all of the several thousands of officials that Emperor Zhongzong commissioned directly without submitting the commissions to the examination bureau for review.
Meanwhile, Princess Taiping and Li Longji were beginning to have discord, as both tried to influence Emperor Ruizong's administration. Princess Taiping, finding Li Longji difficult to control, began considering trying to replace him as crown prince with one of two nephews with arguable better claims than Li Longji—Li Longji's older brother
Li Chengqi
Li Chengqi () (679 – January 5, 742), known as Wu Chengqi () during the reign of his grandmother Wu Zetian and as Li Xian () after 716, formally Emperor Rang (, literally, "the emperor who yielded"), was an imperial prince of the Tang dynasty ...
the Prince of Song and his cousin
Li Shouli the Prince of Bin, the son of Emperor Zhongzong's older brother
Li Xián (note different tone), who had been crown prince at one point during Emperor Gaozong's reign. When she hinted that Li Longi should be replaced at a meeting she had with the chancellors, the other chancellors all did not dare to speak, but Song directly responded:
In spring 711, Song and Yao suggested to Emperor Ruizong that the way to stop the rumors about Li Longji's being replaced would be to send Princess Taiping and her husband
Wu Youji to live in Luoyang, while sending Li Chengqi and Li Shouli out of the 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 ...
to be prefectural prefects. Emperor Ruizong initially agreed (with the exception that he believed that Luoyang was too far, and therefore was ready to send Princess Taiping to Wu Youji to Pu Prefecture (蒲州, roughly modern
Yuncheng
Yuncheng () is the southernmost prefecture-level city in Shanxi province, People's Republic of China. It borders Linfen and Jincheng municipalities to the north and east, and Henan (Luoyang and Jiyuan to the east, Sanmenxia to the south) and ...
,
Shanxi
Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...
) instead), but after Princess Taiping found out and objected vehemently, Li Longji, fearful of consequences, disavowed and denounced Song and Yao. Emperor Ruizong removed both from their chancellor positions and demoted them to be prefectural prefects—in Song's case, to be the prefect of Chu Prefecture (楚州, roughly modern
Huai'an
)
, leader_title1 =
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, leader_title2 =
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,
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 ...
). He later served successively as the prefect of Yan Prefecture (兗州, roughly modern
Jining
Jining () is a former capital of Shandong. Is a prefecture-level city in southwestern Shandong province. It borders Heze to the southwest, Zaozhuang to the southeast, Tai'an to the northeast, and the provinces of Henan and Jiangsu to the no ...
,
Shandong
Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...
), Ji Prefecture (冀州, roughly modern
Hengshui
}
Hengshui ( zh, s=衡水) is a prefecture-level city in southern Hebei province, People's Republic of China, bordering Shandong to the southeast. It borders Shijiazhuang City to the west, Xingtai City to the south, and Baoding City and Cangzhou ...
,
Hebei
Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...
), and Wei Prefecture (魏州, in modern Handan); the examiner of Hebei Circuit (河北, roughly modern Hebei,
Beijing
Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
, and
Tianjin
Tianjin is a direct-administered municipality in North China, northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the National Central City, nine national central cities, with a total population of 13,866,009 inhabitants at the time of the ...
); the commandant at You Prefecture (幽州, roughly modern Beijing); and principal of the imperial university (國子祭酒, ''Guozi Jijiu''), being in charge of Luoyang. He was then recalled to Chang'an to serve as the secretary general of the capital prefecture Yong Prefecture (雍州, roughly modern
Xi'an
Xi'an is the list of capitals in China, capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong plain, the city is the third-most populous city in Western China after Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as the most populou ...
,
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 ...
).
During Emperor Xuanzong's reign
In 712, Emperor Ruizong passed the throne to Li Longji, who took the throne as Emperor Xuanzong. In 713, after Emperor Xuanzong converted Yong and Luo Prefectures to special municipalities, Song was made the mayor of Jingzhao Municipality (京兆府, i.e., the old Yong Prefecture). As of 715, he was serving as chief imperial censor (御史大夫, ''Yushi Daifu''), when, on one occasion, he was accused of not ordering for greater force to be applied when a criminal was being caned, and he was demoted to be the prefect of Mu Prefecture (睦州, in modern Hangzhou). He was later made the commandant at Guang Prefecture (廣州, roughly modern
Guangzhou
Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...
,
Guangdong
) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
). It was said that at that time, the people of Guang Prefecture used bamboo to build houses, and therefore the houses were prone to fires. Song promoted the use of bricks, which greatly reduced the damage of fires, and the people of the region were grateful for this.
As of 716, Yao Yuanzhi—who had changed his name to Yao Chong by that point—and
Lu Huaishen were serving as chancellors. Lu died in late 716, and before he did, submitted a petition arguing that Song and several other officials, Li Jie (), Li Chaoyin (), and Lu Chongyuan had been demoted only of minor offenses and, as they were talented, should be repromoted. Meanwhile, Yao was drawing displeasure from Emperor Xuanzong due to accusations that his sons and associate Zhao Hui () were corrupt. Yao, in fear, offered to resign and recommended Song to succeed him. Emperor Xuanzong, who was then preparing to go to Luoyang, thus recalled Song to serve as the minister of justice (刑部尚書, ''Xingbu Shangshu'') and be in charge of Chang'an. He sent one of his close
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 ...
associates, Yang Sixu (), to Guang Prefecture to escort Song back to the capital. Yang had many past achievements—including putting down a coup during Emperor Zhongzong's reign led by Emperor Zhongzong's crown prince
Li Chongjun
Li Chongjun (李重俊) (died 7 August 707( ��龙元年��,七月,辛丑,....太子以百骑走终南山,至鄠西,能属者才数人,憩于林下,为左右所杀。) ''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol.208), formally Crown Prince Jiemin (節愍 ...
—and was honored by the emperor, but on the trip back to Chang'an, Song, who did not like to ingratiate the emperor's associates, did not say anything to him. When Yang informed Emperor Xuanzong of this, Emperor Xuanzong was even more impressed with Song. Around the new year 717, he removed Yao and fellow chancellor
Yuan Qianyao
Yuan Qianyao (源乾曜; died December 22, 731), formally the Duke of Anyang (安陽公), was a Chinese politician during the Tang dynasty, twice serving as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong.
Background
Yuan Qianyao was from Xiang P ...
from their chancellor posts and replaced them with Song and
Su Ting—naming Song ''Huangmen Jian'' (黃門監, the head of the examination bureau, which by that point had been renamed ''Huangmen Sheng'' ()) and acting minister of civil service affairs. Emperor Xuanzong also created Song the Duke of Guangping. Song and Su worked well together, with Song taking the leading role and Su the assisting role. With Yao having distinguished himself as one who modified the regulations to fit the situation and Song known for following the laws strictly and fairly, it was said that while their styles were different, they were both considered great chancellors of Emperor Xuanzong's reign. Song was also known for often making suggestions to correct Emperor Xuanzong's and governmental officials' behavior, thus causing Emperor Xuanzong to respect him more. These actions included:
* In spring 717, when Emperor Xuanzong was heading to Luoyang, he saw that the roads were not in good condition and initially was angry, wanting to arrest the mayor of Henan Municipality (i.e., Luoyang) and the official in charge of the itinerary. Song pointed out that this would have the undesirable effect of causing the officials to put many citizens to labor to repair the roads. Emperor Xuanzong was set to release the two, but Song then pointed out that if he did so immediate, the officials would be grateful to Song, not to him, and therefore suggested that he should order the two to report to the place of investigation and then release them there.
* In fall 717, under Song's suggestion, Emperor Xuanzong restored the customs during Emperor Taizong's times that officials were not to meet the emperor privately without imperial chroniclers and advisors present, to promote openness.
* In winter 717, when Emperor Xuanzong requested that Song and Su submit a number of formal names and titles for his sons and daughters—but separately requested a set of particularly honorable names, presumably for a favorite son—Song and Su pointed out that this would be viewed as favoritism, and therefore submitted a group of names without any designation as to what were particularly honorable names.
* When Song found out that the officials of Guang Prefecture had established a monument for him, he informed that Emperor Xuanzong that he believed that the act was mere flattery, trying to ingratiate him as a chancellor. He suggested that not only the monument be abolished, but that such actions be prohibited in the future, and Emperor Xuanzong agreed.
* When Emperor Xuanzong's father-in-law Wang Renjiao () died, Wang Renjiao's son Wang Shouyi () requested that a tomb be built for Wang Renjiao that would be as large as Emperor Xuanzong's maternal grandfather Dou Xiaochen (), and Emperor Xuanzong initially agreed. Song and Su pointed out that Dou's tomb was already considered overly wasteful and should not be followed. Emperor Xuanzong agreed, and reduced the scale of Wang Renjiao's tomb.
* When Emperor Xuanzong wanted to give an extraordinary promotion to Wang Renchen () -- a former staff member of his who also appeared to be Wang Renjiao's cousin—Song pointed out that this was unfair favoritism, and that Wang Renchen might deserve an award but not an extraordinary promotion.
* When Song Yuanchao (), a reserve official who was also a cousin of Song Jing's father Song Xuanfu, tried to use the connection to gain influence on the civil service officials, Song Jing found out and removed Song Yuanchao from the roll of reserve officials.
* When Li Chengqi, whose name had been changed to Li Xiàn at this point and who was greatly honored by Emperor Xuanzong as an older brother, recommended a relative named Xue Sixian () as an official, Song pointed out that this would be unfair favoritism as well, and recommended that Xue's service be reexamined.
* It had been customary that the liaison officers that the regional governments sent to Chang'an carried large sums of money and treasure to Chang'an—and they were then often kept at Chang'an as officials, creating the perception that they had bribed powerful individuals. Song changed the regulations such that such liaison officers were required to return to the regional governments.
By 720, however, Song's strictness would eventually bring his removal. Song had ordered that individuals who had repeatedly appealed their cases without cause be detained by the imperial censors, until they were willing to drop their appeals. This drew much anger from people. At that time, there happened to be a drought, which, according to popular beliefs at the time, would be accompanied by the appearance of a spirit known as the ''Hanba'' (). One day, while Emperor Xuanzong was watching a play, an actor dressed as the ''Hanba'', and stated:
Meanwhile, further, Song and Su were strictly prohibiting the use of damaged coins, which they had tried to replace with newly minted coins. However, the damaged coins were still in circulation despite the prohibition, particularly in the region between the
Yangtze River
The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ) is the longest river in Eurasia and the third-longest in the world. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains of the Tibetan Plateau and flows including Dam Qu River the longest source of the Yangtze, i ...
and the
Huai River
The Huai River, formerly romanized as the Hwai, is a major river in East China, about long with a drainage area of . It is located about midway between the Yellow River and Yangtze River, the two longest rivers and largest drainage basins ...
. Song sent the imperial censor Xiao Yinzhi () to the region to be in charge of collecting the damaged coins and taking them out of circulation. Xiao was strict in his behavior, drawing much resentment. Emperor Xuanzong, when he heard this, demoted Xiao, and in spring 720 removed Song and Su from their chancellor posts, giving Song the honorific title of ''Kaifu Yitong Sansi'' () instead. He replaced Song and Su with Yuan and
Zhang Jiazhen.
In 722, while Emperor Xuanzong was at Luoyang, there was a coup attempt at Chang'an by the army officer Quan Chubi (), who had his nephew Quan Liangshan () claim to be the son of Emperor Shang and therefore deserving of the throne. The coup attempt was put down quickly, and Quan Chubi was killed. Emperor Xuanzong sent the mayor of Hunan Municipality, Wang Yi (), to Chang'an to investigate. Wang detained a large number of people but could not quickly come to resolutions as to who were responsible. Emperor Xuanzong made Song in charge of Chang'an and had him investigate. Song quickly determined who were the leaders and had them executed, and at his request, Emperor Xuanzong pardoned the rest of the detainees. In 724, when Emperor Xuanzong was set to visit Luoyang again, he again made Song in charge of Chang'an and made him minister of civil service affairs; he also awarded Song with silk. Around 725, when Emperor Xuanzong's trusted general Wang Maozhong () was set to have his daughter married, he invited the key government officials to the wedding banquet—but Song declined; Wang, who wanted the honor of Song's attendance, had Emperor Xuanzong order Song to attend, which Song did, but as soon as he had the chance to toast the emperor, he then claimed illness and left the banquet.
In 729, Song was made ''You Chengxiang'' (), one of the heads of the executive bureau of government (尚書省, ''Shangshu Sheng''). The day that Song was to take office, Yuan and Zhang Shuo were to take new offices as well, Emperor Xuanzong set up a grand ceremony for their inauguration, including an elaborate tent, music, and food from the imperial kitchen. Emperor Xuanzong personally wrote a poem commemorating the contributions of the three.
[''New Book of Tang'']
vol. 124
In 730, when the chancellor
Pei Guangting took the office of minister of civil service affairs as well, Pei instituted a system of promotion based on seniority. Song argued fervently against it, believing that this would cause capable people to be stuck in low positions, but Emperor Xuanzong did not agree.
In 733, Song retired and took residence in Luoyang, and Emperor Xuanzong ordered that full salaries be paid to Song notwithstanding his retirement. In 734, when Emperor Xuanzong visited Luoyang, Song came out of his mansion to greet the emperor, and Emperor Xuanzong had his son Li Huang () the Prince of Rong personally comfort Song, and thereafter frequently sent medicines and delicacies to Song. Song died in 737 and was given posthumous honors.
Notes and references
* ''
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. 96
* ''
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. 124
* ''
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.
207
Year 207 (Roman numerals, CCVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known in Rome as the Year of the Consulship of Maximus and Severus (or, less frequently, year 960 ''Ab urbe condita''). The deno ...
,
208,
209,
210,
211
Year 211 ( CCXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, in the Roman Empire it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Terentius and Bassus (or, less frequently, year 964 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomin ...
,
212
Year 212 ( CCXII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Asper and Camilius (or, less frequently, year 965 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 212 for this ye ...
,
213
Year 213 ( CCXIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time (in Rome), it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Calvinus (or, less frequently, year 966 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 213 ...
,
214.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Song, Jing
663 births
737 deaths
Chancellors under Emperor Ruizong of Tang
Chancellors under Emperor Xuanzong of Tang
Mayors of Xi'an