Cui Riyong 崔日用 (673–722), formally Duke Zhao of Qi 齊昭公, was an official of the

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

dynasty

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

and

Wu Zetian Wu Zetian (17 February 624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was the ''de facto'' ruler of the Tang dynasty from 665 to 705, ruling first through others and then (from 690) in her own right. From 665 to 690, she was first empres ...

's Zhou Dynasty, briefly serving as a

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

during the reign of Emperor Ruizong.

Background

Cui Riyong was born in 673, during the reign of Emperor Gaozong. His family was from Hua Prefecture 滑州 (roughly modern

Anyang Anyang (; ) is a prefecture-level city in Henan province, China. The northernmost city in Henan, Anyang borders Puyang to the east, Hebi and Xinxiang to the south, and the provinces of Shanxi and Hebei to its west and north respectively. It had a ...

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

), but was The third house of Boling of the prominent

Cui clan of Boling The Cui clan of Boling (博陵崔氏) was a notable Chinese clan of noble descent which was politically active from the Han dynasty to the end of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. They shared the same ancestry as the Cui clan of Qinghe. T ...

博陵 (in modern

Hengshui Hengshui () is a prefecture-level city in southern Hebei province, People's Republic of China, bordering Shandong to the southeast. At the 2010 census its population was 4,340,373 inhabitants whom 522,147 lived in the built-up (''or metro'') are ...

Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, an ...

), which became prominent during

Northern Wei Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei (), Tuoba Wei (), Yuan Wei () and Later Wei (), was founded by the Tuoba (Tabgach) clan of the Xianbei. The first of the Northern and Southern dynasties#Northern dynasties, Northern dynasties ...

. Cui Riyong's branch featured officials who served during Northern Wei,

Northern Qi Qi, known as the Northern Qi (), Later Qi (後齊) or Gao Qi (高齊) in historiography, was a Chinese imperial dynasty and one of the Northern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties era. It ruled the eastern part of northern China ...

, and

Sui Dynasty The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and layi ...

. Cui Riyong's great-grandfather Cui Shili 崔世立 served as a minister in the imperial government during Sui and carried the title of Viscount of Anping, although his grandfather Cui Kang 崔抗 and father Cui Yi 崔漪 both only served as local officials. Cui Riyong passed the

imperial examination The imperial examination (; lit. "subject recommendation") refers to a civil-service examination system in Imperial China, administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureaucrats by ...

s and was made the sheriff of Ruicheng County. In 701, during the reign of Emperor Gaozong's wife

, she was traveling from then-capital

Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...

to the western capital

Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin Shi ...

, and went through Shan Prefecture 陝州 (roughly modern

Sanmenxia Sanmenxia (; postal: Sanmenhsia) is a prefecture-level city in the west of Henan Province, China. The westernmost prefecture-level city in Henan, Sanmenxia borders Luoyang to the east, Nanyang to the southeast, Shaanxi Province to the west and Sh ...

), which Ruicheng belonged to, and at that time, the former

Zong Chuke Zong Chuke (宗楚客) (died July 24, 710), courtesy name Shu'ao (叔敖), was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as chancellor during the reigns of Wu Zetian, her son Emperor Zhongzong, and her ...

, a son of a cousin of Wu Zetian, was prefect. Cui was responsible for the supply of the imperial attendants, and he collected many delicacies and offered them to the imperial attendants in Zong's name. When Zong heard about this, he was greatly pleased and recommended Cui. Cui was therefore made the sheriff of Xinfeng County 新豐 (in modern

Xi'an Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by #Name, other names, is the list of capitals in China, capital of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province. A Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial municipalities, sub-provincial city o ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...

) -- considered a promotion, since Xinfeng was part of Yong Prefecture 雍州, which Chang'an belonged to. Soon thereafter, he was made an imperial censor.

During Emperor Zhongzong's second reign

Early in the second reign of Emperor Gaozong's and Wu Zetian's son Emperor Zhongzong (705-710), the sorcerer Zheng Pusi 鄭普思, whose daughter was a

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive. Concubi ...

of Emperor Zhongzong's, was suspected of planning treason. As Zheng Pusi was favored by Emperor Zhongzong, Emperor Zhongzong initially ordered the investigations to halt, and it was said that it was Cui Riyong's insistence that further investigation was carried out, eventually leading to Zheng Pusi's exile. At that time, a court faction was forming around Emperor Zhongzong's powerful wife Empress Wei, including her lover

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 Zetian ...

(Wu Zetian's nephew) the Prince of Dejing, Zong Chuke, and Wu Yanxiu (). It was said that Cui was a member of this faction as well, and was a result was promoted to be deputy minister of defense (兵部侍郎, ''Bingbu Shilang'') and made an imperial scholar at Institute for the Refinement of Letters (''xiuwen guan'' 修文館). (It was said that he received the imperial scholar status only after making the request after a dance at an imperial feast.)

During Emperor Shang's reign and Emperor Ruizong's second reign

In 710, Emperor Zhongzong died suddenly—a death 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 by ...

, so that Empress Wei could become "emperor" like Wu Zetian and Li Guo'er could become

crown princess 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 ...

. For the time being, Emperor Zhongzong's son by a concubine,

Li Chongmao Emperor Shang (695 or 698 – 5 September 714), also known as Emperor Shao (少帝), personal name Li Chongmao, was an emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling briefly in 710. Li Chongmao was the youngest son of Emperor Zhongzong, born to ...

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 Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese emperor in the Chinese cultural sphere. The title was also g ...

and

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

. Her party viewed Emperor Zhongzong's brother Li Dan the Prince of Dan and 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 dynas ...

as threats and considered eliminating them. Cui Riyong, who was aware of this situation, was fearful that if the plot to eliminate Li Dan and Princess Taiping backfired, he would be incriminated along with the rest of Empress Dowager Wei's party, and therefore, through the Buddhist monk Purun 普潤 and the

Taoist Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the ''Tao'' ...

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

Wang Ye 王瞱, arranged a meeting with Li Dan's son

Li Longji Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (; 8 September 685 – 3 May 762), personal name Li Longji, was the seventh emperor of the Tang dynasty in China, reigning from 712 to 756 CE. His reign of 44 years was the longest during the Tang dynasty. In the earl ...

the Prince of Linzi. At the meeting, he informed Li Longji of the situation. Li Longji and Princess Taiping quickly responded, starting a coup and killing Empress Dowager Wei and Li Guo'er. In the aftermaths of the coup, Cui was made acting secretary general of Yong Prefecture (which was the capital prefecture by this point, as Emperor Zhongzong moved the capital from Luoyang back to Chang'an) and charged with leading a group of imperial guards to the block where Empress Dowager Wei's clan lived and slaughtering it—and as the block was shared with the Du clan, it was said that Cui killed a number of the Du clan members as well. Li Dan, a former emperor himself, returned to the throne (as Emperor Ruizong), displacing Emperor Shang. Cui was given the honorific title ''Yinqing Guanglu Daifu'' 銀青光祿大夫 and made ''Huangmen Shilang'' 黃門侍郎, the deputy head of the examination bureau of government (門下省, ''Menxia Sheng''). He was also given the designation ''Canzhi Jiwu'' 參知機務, making him a chancellor ''de facto'', and created the Duke of Qi. After about a month as chancellor, he began to develop a rivalry with fellow chancellor

Xue Ji Xue Ji (; 649 – July 29, 713), courtesy name Sitong (嗣通), was a Chinese calligrapher, painter, and politician of the Tang dynasty, briefly serving as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Ruizong. He was considered one of the four greatest ...

, and he repeatedly argued with Xue before Emperor Ruizong—with him accusing Xue of flattering Wu Zetian's lover

Zhang Yizhi Zhang Yizhi (張易之; died February 20, 705),Both volume 207 of ''Zizhi Tongjian'' and Wu Zetian's biography in volume 4 of ''New Book of Tang'' recorded that the Shenglong Coup took place on the ''guimao'' day of the 1st month of the 1st year of ...

and Zong, and Xue accusing him of flattering Wu Sansi. Emperor Ruizong, tired of their bickering, removed both of them from their chancellor posts, with Cui becoming the prefect of Wu Prefecture 婺州, roughly modern

Jinhua , alternately romanized as Kinhwa, is a prefecture-level city in central Zhejiang province in eastern China. It borders the provincial capital of Hangzhou to the northwest, Quzhou to the southwest, Lishui to the south, Taizhou to the east, ...

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...

). He later successively served as the prefect of Yang 揚 (roughly modern

Yangzhou Yangzhou, postal romanization Yangchow, is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province (Suzhong), East China. Sitting on the north bank of the Yangtze, it borders the provincial capital Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yan ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...

), Bian 汴州 (roughly modern

Kaifeng Kaifeng () is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, China. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and is best known for having been the Chinese capital during the Nort ...

), and Yan 兗州 (roughly modern

Jining Jining () 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 northwest and south respectively. Jining ...

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...

) Prefectures.

During Emperor Xuanzong's reign

As of 713—by which time Emperor Ruizong had yielded the throne to Li Longji, who took the throne as Emperor Xuanzong, but Emperor Ruizong was still retaining power as ''

Taishang Huang In Chinese history, a ''Taishang Huang'' or ''Taishang Huangdi'' is an honorific and institution of a retired emperor. The former emperor had, at least in name, abdicated in favor of someone else. Although no longer the reigning sovereign, ther ...

'' (retired emperor) -- Cui Riyong was serving as the secretary general of Jing Prefecture 荊州 (roughly modern

Jingzhou Jingzhou () is a prefecture-level city in southern Hubei province, China, located on the banks of the Yangtze River. Its total residential population was 5,231,180 based on the 2020 census, 1,068,291 of whom resided in the built-up (''or metro' ...

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...

). At that time, Emperor Xuanzong and Princess Taiping were locked into a power struggle, and when Cui happened to be in Chang'an on official business on one occasion, he suggested to Emperor Xuanzong that he suppress Princess Taiping's party. Emperor Xuanzong, who received similar advice from Wang Ju () and Zhang Shuo, agreed, and as part of the preparation, made Cui the secretary general of Yong Prefecture. It was further said that Princess Taiping,

Dou Huaizhen Dou Huaizhen (; died July 29, 713), known by his courtesy name Dou Congyi (竇從一) during the second reign of Emperor Zhongzong (r. 705–710), posthumously renamed Du Huaizhen (毒懷貞), was an official of the Chinese Tang dynasty and Wu Ze ...

Cen Xi Cen Xi (; died July 29, 713), courtesy name Bohua (伯華), was an official of the Chinese Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Shang, Emperor Ruizong, and Emperor Xuanzong. He was k ...

Xiao Zhizhong Xiao Zhizhong (; died July 29, 713?The chronicles of Emperor Xuanzong's reign in the '' Old Book of Tang'' indicated that Xiao, along with Cen Xi, were arrested and beheaded on the same day that Emperor Xuanzong carried out the suppression of Pri ...

Cui Shi Cui Shi (崔湜; 671–713), courtesy name Chenglan (澄瀾), was a Chinese writer and politician. He served as an official of the Chinese Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Wu Zetian's sons ...

, Xue Ji; along with other officials Li Jin 李晉 the Prince of Xinxing (a grandson of Li Deliang (), a cousin of Tang's founder Emperor Gaozu), Li You (), Jia Yingfu (), Tang Jun (); the generals Chang Yuankai (), Li Ci (), and Li Qin (); and the monk Huifan (), were plotting to overthrow Emperor Xuanzong. It was further said that they discussed, with the

lady in waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

Lady Yuan to poison the ''

gastrodia elata ''Gastrodia elata'' is a saprophytic perennial herb in the family Orchidaceae. It is found in Nepal, Bhutan, India, Japan, North Korea, Siberia, Taiwan, and China. Description The orchid has an 8–12 centimeters long elliptical underground rhiz ...

'' that Emperor Xuanzong routinely took as an aphrodisiac. When this alleged plot was reported to Emperor Xuanzong by

Wei Zhigu Wei Zhigu (; 647–715), formally Duke Zhong of Liang (), was an official of the Chinese Tang dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Ruizong and Emperor Xuanzong. Background Wei Zhigu was b ...

, Emperor Xuanzong acted. He convened a meeting with his brothers Li Fan () the Prince of Qi, Li Ye () the Prince of Xue,

Guo Yuanzhen Guo Yuanzhen (郭元振; 656–713), formal name Guo Zhen () but went by the courtesy name of Yuanzhen, was an official, general, and diplomat of Tang and Zhou China, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Ruizong and Emperor Xuanzo ...

, along with a number of his associates — the general Wang Maozhong (), the officials Jiang Jiao () and Li Lingwen (), his brother-in-law Wang Shouyi (), the

eunuch A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been 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 2nd millennium ...

Gao Lishi Gao Lishi () (684–762), formally the Duke of Qi (齊國公), was a Chinese eunuch and politician of the Tang dynasty and the Wu Zhou dynasty, becoming particularly powerful during Emperor Xuanzong of Tang's reign. He is believed to have been in c ...

, and the military officer Li Shoude () — and decided to act first. On July 29, Emperor Xuanzong had Wang Maozhong take 300 soldiers to the imperial guard camp to behead Chang and Li Ci. Then, Jia, Li You, Xiao, and Cen were arrested and executed as well. Dou and Princess Taiping committed suicide. Emperor Ruizong yielded powers to Emperor Xuanzong and no longer actively participated in policy decisions thereafter. For his participation, Cui was made the minister of civil service affairs (吏部尚書, ''Libu Shangshu''), but was rebuffed in his attempts to return to chancellorship. On one occasion, at Emperor Xuanzong's birthday, he offered Emperor Xuanzong a collection of poems from the Mao Edition of the ''

Shi Jing The ''Classic of Poetry'', also ''Shijing'' or ''Shih-ching'', translated variously as the ''Book of Songs'', ''Book of Odes'', or simply known as the ''Odes'' or ''Poetry'' (; ''Shī''), is the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry, co ...

'', as well as the text of the declaration

Sima Xiangru Sima Xiangru ( , ; c. 179117BC) was a Chinese musician, poet, and politician who lived during the Western Han dynasty. Sima is a significant figure in the history of Classical Chinese poetry, and is generally regarded as the greatest of all com ...

wrote for

Emperor Wu of Han Emperor Wu of Han (156 – 29 March 87BC), formally enshrined as Emperor Wu the Filial (), born Liu Che (劉徹) and courtesy name Tong (通), was the seventh emperor of the Han dynasty of ancient China, ruling from 141 to 87 BC. His reign la ...

when Emperor Wu was set to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth at

Mount Tai Mount Tai () is a mountain of historical and cultural significance located north of the city of Tai'an. It is the highest point in Shandong province, China. The tallest peak is the '' Jade Emperor Peak'' (), which is commonly reported as being t ...

. In doing so, Cui was said to be trying to correct Emperor Xuanzong's behavior, and Emperor Xuanzong, appreciating the offering, issued an edict thanking him and awarding him with a robe and silk. Later, on the account of a brother or cousin's being punished,The context in Cui Riyong's biographies suggests that this was due to findings of corruption by Cui Riyong's cousin Cui Rizhi (崔日知), but is not completely clear. Cui Riyong was demoted out of the capital to serve as the prefect of Chang Prefecture (常州, roughly modern

Changzhou Changzhou ( Changzhounese: ''Zaon Tsei'', ) is a prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province, China. It was previously known as Yanling, Lanling and Jinling. Located on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, Changzhou borders the provin ...

), and his fief was reduced. He later served as the prefect of Ru Prefecture (汝州, roughly modern

Pingdingshan Pingdingshan (), also known as Eagle City ( zh, s=鹰城, p=Yīngchéng, t=鷹城), is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province, China. It had 4,904,701 inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 1,756,333 lived in the built-up (or metro) are ...

). In 719, Emperor Xuanzong issued an edict recognizing Cui for his contributions and partially restoring his fief. In 722, he was made the secretary general at Bing Prefecture (并州, roughly modern

Taiyuan Taiyuan (; ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; also known as (), ()) is the capital and largest city of Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China. Taiyuan is the political, economic, cultural and international exchange center of Shanxi Province. ...

Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...

), and soon died there. It was said that Cui spoke well and was dexterous in his reactions. Whenever events were about to occur at court, he would react in such a way that he avoided disaster and retained his status. It was said that he often said:

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. 9

* ''

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. 12

* ''

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 dynast ...

'', vols.

208 Year 208 ( CCVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Geta (or, less frequently, year 961 ''Ab urbe condita' ...

209 Year 209 ( CCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Commodus and Lollianus (or, less frequently, year 962 '' Ab urbe cond ...

, 210. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cui, Shenji Chancellors under Emperor Ruizong of Tang 673 births 722 deaths Politicians from Anyang Tang dynasty politicians from Henan Cui clan of Boling