Wei Chuhou (韋處厚) (773 – January 29, 829Academia Sinica Chinese-Western Calendar Converter.
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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 ...

'', vol. 243.), né Wei Chun (韋淳),

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, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theobald ...

Dezai (德載), formally the Duke of Lingchang (靈昌公), 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 ...

, 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 Wenzong.

Background

Wei Chun was born in 773, during the reign of Emperor Daizong. His family was from the

capital municipality Jingzhao (京兆, 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 ...

) – i.e., the

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 ...

region.''

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. 159. His family claimed original ancestry from a line of officials of

Han Dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

Cao Wei Wei ( Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' <

Middle Chinese

: *''ŋjwei^C'' <

Jin Dynasty (266–420) The Jin dynasty (; ) or the Jin Empire, sometimes distinguished as the (司馬晉) or the (兩晉), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed from 266 to 420. It was founded by Sima Yan (Emperor Wu), eldest son of Sima Zhao, who had pr ...

Later Yan Yan, known in historiography as the Later Yan (; 384 – 407 or 409) was a dynastic state of China ruled by the Xianbei people, located in modern-day northeast China, during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms. All rulers of the Later Yan declared them ...

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 ...

Northern Zhou Zhou (), known in historiography as the Northern Zhou (), was a Xianbei-led dynasty of China that lasted from 557 to 581. One of the Northern dynasties of China's Northern and Southern dynasties period, it succeeded the Western Wei dynasty 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 ...

, and Tang, although Wei Chun's male-line ancestors, for several generations prior to his father Wei Wan (韋萬), were not listed to have any official titles. Wei Wan served as a staff member for a military governor (''

Jiedushi The ''jiedushi'' (), or jiedu, was a title for regional military governors in China which was established in the Tang dynasty and abolished in the Yuan dynasty. The post of ''jiedushi'' has been translated as "military commissioner", "legate", ...

'') of Jingnan Circuit (荊南, headquartered in 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 some point, Wei Chun changed his name to Wei Chuhou due to

naming taboo A naming taboo is a cultural taboo against speaking or writing the given names of exalted persons, notably in China and within the Chinese cultural sphere. It was enforced by several laws throughout Imperial China, but its cultural and possibly r ...

for Emperor Daizong's great-grandson

Emperor Xianzong Emperor Xianzong of Tang (4 March to 1 April 778''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 14. – 14 February 820; r. 805 – 820), personal name Li Chun, né Li Chun (), was an emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty. He was the eldest son of Emperor Shunzon ...

(Li Chun) – although it is not clear whether Emperor Xianzong was then emperor. It was said that Wei Chuhou was an expressive child, and he was filially pious toward his stepmother. When observing mourning periods when his father and stepmother died, he lived at their tomb. After the mourning period was over, he travelled throughout the Chang'an region. It was said that he was well-learned in the

Five Classics The Four Books and Five Classics () are the authoritative books of Confucianism, written in China before 300 BCE. The Four Books and the Five Classics are the most important classics of Chinese Confucianism. Four Books The Four Books () are C ...

and the histories, and that he was talented in writing.

During Emperor Xianzong's reign

Early in Emperor Xianzong's ''Yuanhe'' era (806–821), Wei Chuhou 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 in the ''Jinshi'' (進士) class, and further passed a special examination for those considered intelligent and upright in their behavior. He was thereafter made ''Xiaoshu Lang'' (校書郎), a copyeditor at the

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

. When the

Pei Ji was put in charge of editing imperial history, Pei retained him to participate in the project in addition to his regular office, and while doing so, he went through serving as the sheriff of Xianyang County (咸陽, in modern Xi'an) and then ''You Shiyi'' (右拾遺), a low-level consultant at the legislative bureau of government (中書省, ''Zhongshu Sheng''). While serving in this editing role, he participated in the editing of 50 volumes of historical records of Emperor Xianzong's grandfather Emperor Dezong, and his accounts were considered credibly-written. Thereafter, Wei Chuhou was promoted to be ''Zuo Bujue'' (左補闕), a consultant at the examination bureau (門下省, ''Menxia Sheng''), and then successively as ''Libu Yuanwailang'' (禮部員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of rites (禮部, ''Lǐbu'') and ''Kaogong Yuanwailang'' (考功員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of civil service affairs (吏部, ''Lìbu'', note different tone than the ministry of rites). He was respected by the chancellor

Wei Guanzhi Wei Guanzhi (韋貫之) (760 – November 13, 821), né Wei Chun (韋純), courtesy name Guanzhi (貫之) or Zhengli (正理), was a Chinese politician and writer. He served as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xianzong. Background Wei Ch ...

. As a result, however, when Wei Guanzhi was demoted in 816 due to his disagreements with Emperor Xianzong on Emperor Xianzong's campaigns against warlords, Wei Chuhou was sent out of the capital to serve the prefect of Kai Prefecture (開州, in modern

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...

). He was later recalled to serve as ''Hubu Langzhong'' (戶部郎中), a supervisorial official at the ministry of census (戶部, ''Hubu''), and thereafter, while serving at that position, became in charge of drafting imperial edicts.''New Book of Tang'', vol. 142.

During Emperor Muzong's reign

After Emperor Xianzong died in 820 and was succeeded by his son Emperor Muzong,''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 241. Emperor Muzong was impressed by Wei Chuhou's scholarship, and he made Wei a deputy imperial scholar (翰林侍講學士, ''Hanlin Shijiang Xueshi''). Wei was also made ''Jianyi Daifu'' (諫議大夫), and later ''Zhongshu Sheren'' (中書舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau, while retaining his status as deputy imperial scholar. As Wei considered Emperor Muzong to be neglectful with his studies, he, along with his colleague

Lu Sui Lu Sui (路隨 or 路隋) (776 – August 16, 835 Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter.), courtesy name Nanshi (), was an official of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Wenzong. Backgro ...

, wrote a 20-volume summary of the ''

I Ching The ''I Ching'' or ''Yi Jing'' (, ), usually translated ''Book of Changes'' or ''Classic of Changes'', is an ancient Chinese divination text that is among the oldest of the Chinese classics. Originally a divination manual in the Western Zho ...

'', ''

Classic of History The ''Book of Documents'' (''Shūjīng'', earlier ''Shu King'') or ''Classic of History'', also known as the ''Shangshu'' (“Venerated Documents”), is one of the Five Classics of ancient Chinese literature. It is a collection of rhetorica ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

Spring and Autumn Annals The ''Spring and Autumn Annals'' () is an ancient Chinese chronicle that has been one of the core Chinese classics since ancient times. The ''Annals'' is the official chronicle of the State of Lu, and covers a 241-year period from 722 to 481 ...

'', ''

Classic of Rites The ''Book of Rites'', also known as the ''Liji'', is a collection of texts describing the social forms, administration, and ceremonial rites of the Zhou dynasty as they were understood in the Warring States and the early Han periods. The ''Book ...

'', ''

Xiao Jing The ''Classic of Filial Piety'', also known by its Chinese language, Chinese name as the ''Xiaojing'', is a Confucianism, Confucian Confucian classics, classic treatise giving advice on filial piety: that is, how to behave towards a senior such ...

'', and ''

Analects The ''Analects'' (; ; Old Chinese: '' ŋ(r)aʔ''; meaning "Selected Sayings"), also known as the ''Analects of Confucius'', the ''Sayings of Confucius'', or the ''Lun Yu'', is an ancient Chinese book composed of a large collection of sayings a ...

'', entitled, the ''Guiding Words from the Six Classics'' (六經法言). Emperor Muzong appreciated the work, and rewarded them with gold and silk. At that time, Emperor Muzong's favorite official Zhang Pingshu (張平叔) advocated that the state-supervised salt monopoly be further converted into a state-run business (with even stricter control by the state), believing that this would have great economic benefits. Zhang submitted a petition with 18 points, and Emperor Muzong tentatively indicated that he agreed with it, but distributed the petition among the officials for comment. Wei wrote a 10-point response rebutting Zhang, and when Emperor Muzong showed Wei's response to Zhang, Zhang, having no response to Wei, withdrew his proposal. As, at that time, the chronicles of Emperor Xianzong's reign had not yet been edited, Emperor Muzong put Wei and Lu in charge of the project, with each of them on duty on alternate days. Wei was also made acting deputy minister of defense (兵部侍郎, ''Bingbu Shilang'').

During Emperor Jingzong's reign

In 824, Emperor Muzong died and was succeeded by his son Emperor Jingzong. After Emperor Jingzong's ascension, the chancellor

Li Fengji Li Fengji (; 758 – February 27, 835), courtesy name Xuzhou (虛舟), formally Duke Cheng of Zheng (鄭成公) or Duke Cheng of Liang (涼成公), was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of ...

became very powerful. Li Fengji was resentful of the official

Li Shen Li Shen () (died July 29, 846''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 248.), courtesy name Gongchui (), formally Duke Wensu of Zhao (), was a Chinese historian, military general, poet, and politician of the Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign ...

, and thus falsely accused LI Shen of not supporting Emperor Jingzong and instead wanting to support Emperor Muzong's brother Li Cong (李悰) the Prince of Shen. Li Shen was exiled, and Li Fengji further tried to have Emperor Jingzong order Li Shen's death. Wei Chuhou, who passed the imperial examinations in the same year as Li Shen, submitted a defense of Li Shen, pointing out that there was no real evidence of Li Shen's alleged crime and that, as Li Shen was a close advisor of Emperor Muzong's, Emperor Jingzong should not be acting against him so quick after Emperor Muzong's death. When Emperor Jingzong subsequently discovered a petition in the archives in which Li Shen sought to have Emperor Jingzong created

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 wif ...

, Li Shen was spared. Later in the year, after Emperor Jingzong was shocked that the warlord

Wang Tingcou Wang Tingcou (王廷湊 or 王庭湊; died 834), formally the Duke of Taiyuan (), was a general of the Chinese Tang Dynasty who, in 821, during the reign of Emperor Muzong, took over control of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shi ...

(the military governor of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern

Shijiazhuang Shijiazhuang (; ; Mandarin: ), formerly known as Shimen and romanized as Shihkiachwang, is the capital and most populous city of China’s North China's Hebei Province. Administratively a prefecture-level city, it is about southwest of Beijin ...

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 ...

)) had slaughtered the family of the deceased general Niu Yuanyi (牛元翼), who had remained loyal to the imperial government and who had resisted Wang, Wei pointed out that the former chancellor

Pei Du Pei Du () (765 – April 21, 839), courtesy name Zhongli (), formally Duke Wenzhong of Jin (), was a Chinese politician. He served a government official of the during Tang dynasty, as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Xianzong, Emperor Xian ...

, then serving as the military governor of Shannan East Circuit (山南東道, headquartered in modern

Xiangfan Xiangyang is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hubei province, China and the second largest city in Hubei by population. It was known as Xiangfan from 1950 to 2010. The Han River runs through Xiangyang's centre and divides the city no ...

), had great contributions in Emperor Xianzong's campaigns against warlords and should have been allowed to remain chancellor. Emperor Jingzong did not recall Pei at that time, but did, at Wei's suggestion, bestow the honorary chancellor designation of ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' (同中書門下平章事) on Pei. Soon thereafter, Wei was made deputy minister of defense, and when he met Emperor Jingzong, who was then spending much time in feasts and games, to thank him, stated, "Your subject has committed a great crime. I beg for my life." Emperor Jingzong responded, "What are you talking about?" Wei responded: Emperor Jingzong appreciated his advice and awarded him with colored silk and silver vessels. Li Fengji continued to resent Li Shen, and after Emperor Jingzong issued another general pardon in summer 825, initially, the edict that Li Fengji drafted allows exiled officials ''who had previously moved toward the capital'' be allowed to be moved again — but intentionally failed to mention officials who had not previously been moved, to prevent Li Shen from being moved. When Wei pointed this out, Emperor Jingzong revised the edict to allow such movements, and Li Shen thus was moved closer to the capital, from his then-post as the military advisor to the prefect of Duan Prefecture (端州, in modern

Zhaoqing Zhaoqing (), alternately romanized as Shiuhing, is a prefecture-level city in Guangdong Province, China. As of the 2020 census, its population was 4,113,594, with 1,553,109 living in the built-up (or metro) area made of Duanzhou, Dinghu a ...

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

), to serve as the secretary general of Jiang Prefecture (江州, in modern

Jiujiang Jiujiang (), formerly transliterated Kiukiang or Kew Keang, is a prefecture-level city located on the southern shores of the Yangtze River in northwest Jiangxi Province, People's Republic of China. It is the second-largest prefecture-level city ...

Jiangxi Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...

). Around the new year 827, Emperor Jingzong was assassinated by a group of

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 ...

s and imperial guard officers, led by the eunuch Liu Keming (劉克明), who were resentful of his harsh temper. Liu tried to have Emperor Muzong's brother

Li Wu Li Wu (李悟) (died January 10, 827Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 243.), né Li Liao (李寮), formally the Prince of Jiàng (絳王), was an imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who, ...

the Prince of Jiàng made emperor, but another group of eunuchs, led by the powerful eunuch

Wang Shoucheng Wang Shoucheng (王守澄) (died November 3, 835) was a powerful eunuch of the Tang dynasty of China, wielding substantial powers during the reigns of Emperor Xianzong, Emperor Muzong, Emperor Jingzong, and Emperor Wenzong. By 835, however, tw ...

, attacked Liu's group and slaughtered them. Wang was intending to make Emperor Jingzong's brother Li Han the Prince of Jiāng (note different tone) made emperor, but did not know how to explain what had happened to the people. He consulted Wei, who argued that nothing should be hidden from the public, and that the entire incident should be explained. He further outlined the ceremony for Li Han to take the throne — for a declaration to be issued in Li Han's name explaining how the incident had occurred and how the conspirators had been destroyed; for the officials then to submit three successive petitions asking Li Han to take the throne; and then for Emperor Muzong's mother Grand Empress Dowager Guo to issue an edict ordering Li Han to take the throne. Wang followed Wei's suggestions, and Li Han subsequently took the throne (as Emperor Wenzong).

During Emperor Wenzong's reign

After Emperor Wenzong took the throne, Wei Chuhou, for his contributions during the crisis, was made the deputy head of the legislative bureau (中書侍郎, ''Zhongshu Shilang'') and made a chancellor with the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi''. He was also put in charge of editing the imperial history, given the honorary title ''Yinqing Guanglu Daifu'' (銀青光祿大夫), and created the Duke of Lingchang. It was said that while serving as chancellor, Wei focused on dealing with the problems at hand and had little regard for his own welfare. During Emperor Dezong's reign, then-chancellor Qi Kang had abolished the prefectural-level office of ''Biejia'' (別駕, chief advisor to the prefect) as unnecessary, and persons who would have ordinarily been made ''Biejia'' were instead kept as advisory officials with no real authorities at the capital. Further, during and after Emperor Xianzong's campaigns, officers who had contributions during the battles were often kept at the capital to serve on imperial princes' staffs; as a result, these highly decorated officials crowded the imperial meetings and were often left with nothing to do. Wei restored the ''Biejia'' office for 60 prefectures and thus relieved the crowding at these imperial meetings. Emperor Wenzong, initially, was diligent in listening to the advice of the imperial officials, but he was indecisive, and it was often the case that after he had made a decision, he would change it. In summer 827, Wei objected to this situation and offered to resign; Emperor Wenzong apologized and did not accept his resignation. As of 827, Emperor Wenzong was waging a general campaign against the rebel general

Li Tongjie Li Tongjie (李同捷) (died June 1, 829Academia Sinica
Chinese-Western Calendar Converter. ''

, who had seized Henghai Circuit (橫海, headquartered in modern

Cangzhou Cangzhou () is a prefecture-level city in eastern Hebei province, People's Republic of China. At the 2020 census, Cangzhou's built-up (''or metro'') area made of Yunhe, Xinhua districts and Cang County largely being conurbated had a populatio ...

) after the death of his father Li Quanlüe (李全略), who served as military governor. Emperor Wenzong ordered the nearby circuits to contribute soldiers to the campaign, but Shi Xiancheng the military governor of Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered 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 ...

), one of whose children was married to a child of Li Quanlüe's, was secretly aiding Li Tongjie with food supplies. Pei Du, who was by then again chancellor, was unaware of this and believed Shi to be faithful, but on one occasion when Shi sent a messenger to Chang'an, Wei stated to the messenger: When the messenger relayed this to Shi, Shi became apprehensive and did not dare to aid Li Tongjie any further. Subsequently, when one of the military governors acting for the imperial cause,

Li Zaiyi Li Zaiyi () (July 18, 788 - June 4, 837), né Li Zaiyi (李再義, note different character of his later name), courtesy name Fanggu (), formally the Prince of Wuwei (), was a general of the Chinese Tang Dynasty who, from 826 to 831, ruled Lulong C ...

the military governor of Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

), was fighting against Li Tongjie and his ally

the military governor of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern

), his soldiers often killed the Henghai and Chengde soldiers that they captured. Wei wrote a letter to Li Zaiyi rebuking him for the behavior, and Li Zaiyi obeyed his order. Thereafter, the captured Henghai and Chengde soldiers were usually spared. It was said that Wei lived frugally at home, often dressing like an ordinary scholar rather than a chancellor, and was hard-working. He was also said to be stern, such that his staff members did not dare to make private requests of him. He focused on commissioning officials with talent, such that he was willing to overlook character flaws or past inappropriate behavior — and for this was both praised and criticized. He was a fervent believer of

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

, particularly later in his life. He had more than 10,000 volumes in his collection of books, and in most of them, he wrote notes by hand. As the lead editor of the imperial histories, he began the project of chronicling Emperor Xianzong's reign, and while he did not see it to its completion, it was said that he laid the framework. On January 29, 829, he was attending a meeting with the other chancellors and Emperor Wenzong, when he suddenly stated, "Your subject is ill." He withdrew from Emperor Wenzong's presence. Emperor Wenzong had eunuchs accompany him back to his mansion. He died that night, and was given posthumous honors. It was said that because of his capability as chancellor, the public mourned his death.

Notes and references

* ''

'', vol. 159. * ''

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. 142. * ''

'', vols.

239 __NOTOC__ Year 239 ( CCXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gordianus and Aviola (or, less frequently, year 992 ''A ...

243 __NOTOC__ Year 243 ( CCXLIII) 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 Arrianus and Papus (or, less frequently, year 996 '' Ab ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Wei, Chuhou 773 births 829 deaths Chancellors under Emperor Wenzong of Tang Tang dynasty historians Tang dynasty Buddhists Wei clan of Jingzhao