Xu Mian (徐勉) (466–535),

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China China, officially the People's R ...

Xiuren (脩仁), formally Duke Jiansu (簡肅公, literally "the undiscriminating and solemn duke"), was an official of the Chinese

Liang dynasty The Liang dynasty (), alternatively known as the Southern Liang () in historiography, was an imperial dynasty of China and the third of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. It was preceded by the South ...

. He was never titular prime minister, but was largely considered a de facto prime minister and well regarded by his contemporaries. Xu Mian's grandfather Xu Zhangzong (徐長宗) was an officer under

Emperor Wu of Liu Song Emperor Wu of (Liu) Song (()宋武帝; 16 April 363– 26 June 422), personal name Liu Yu (), courtesy name Dexing (), childhood name Jinu (),(皇考以高祖生有奇異，名為奇奴。皇妣既殂，養于舅氏，改為寄奴焉。) '' Song ...

, and his father Xu Rong (徐融) was a commandery governor. However, the Xu family was not rich. When he was young, Xu Mian became known for studiousness, and he was retained by

Southern Qi Qi, known in historiography as the Southern Qi ( or ) or Xiao Qi (), was a Chinese imperial dynasty and the second of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties era. It followed the Liu Song dynasty and was succeed ...

's prime minister Wang Jian to serve as an assistant. Wang was impressed by Xu's abilities, and often stated that he had the capability to become prime minister. Around this time, Xu also befriended the army officer Xiao Yi (蕭懿), who later became a general. In 502, Xiao Yi's brother Xiao Yan forced

Emperor He of Southern Qi Emperor He of Southern Qi () (488–2 May 502; r. 14 April 501– 20 April 502), personal name Xiao Baorong (), courtesy name Zhizhao (), was the last emperor of the Chinese Southern Qi dynasty. He was put on the throne by the generals Xiao Yingz ...

to yield the throne to him, establishing Liang as its Emperor Wu. Having known Xu from the time when Xu and Xiao Yi were friends, Emperor Wu made him a mid-level official. After the prime minister Fan Yun died in 503, Emperor Wu entrusted the important matters of state to Xu and

Zhou She Zhou She (周捨) (469–524), courtesy name Shengyi (昇逸), formally Viscount Jian (簡子, literally "the undiscriminating viscount"), was an official of the Chinese Liang Dynasty. He was never titular prime minister, and never held an offic ...

, effectively making them co-prime ministers, even though neither carried the title and neither received particularly high rank. As de facto prime minister, Xu was considered to be capable, diligent, and honest. He often spent nights at his office, rather than his house—so much so that when he went home, his dogs would not recognize him and would bark at him. During his service, Xu also authored works designed to reestablish the formality of funeral mournings. He did not care for storing wealth, and whenever he had possessions, he would give them to the poorer members of his clan. In 524, Xu Mian's second son Xu Fei (徐悱) died, and Xu Mian was so distressed that he tried to resign his post, but Emperor Wu would not let him. Also in 524, Zhou She died, and thereafter Xu handled prime minister duties alone. By 531, however, his resignation on account of illness appeared to have been accepted, as his posts from that point on appeared honorary. He died in 535, and both Emperor Wu and his

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 is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wife ...

Xiao Gang personally mourned Xu. Xu was awarded the posthumous name "Duke Jiansu," even though there is no record that Emperor Wu ever created him a duke while he was alive or posthumously.

References

* ''

Book of Liang The ''Book of Liang'' (''Liáng Shū''), was compiled under Yao Silian and completed in 635. Yao heavily relied on an original manuscript by his father Yao Cha, which has not independently survived, although Yao Cha's comments are quoted in sev ...

'', vol. 2

* ''

History of Southern Dynasties The ''History of the Southern Dynasties'' () is one of the official Chinese historical works in the ''Twenty-Four Histories'' canon. It contain 80 volumes and covers the period from 420 to 589, the histories of Liu Song, Southern Qi, Liang dyn ...

'', vol. 6

* ''

Zizhi Tongjian ''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynas ...

'', vol. 145. Liang dynasty politicians 466 births 535 deaths {{china-bio-stub