Zhang Yue () (663–730),

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 ...

Daoji (道濟) or Yuezhi (說之), formally Duke Wenzhen of Yan (燕文貞公), was a Chinese historian, military general, poet, and politician. He served as an official under

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, 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 ...

with three separate stints during the reigns of Emperor Ruizong and under Emperor Xuanzong. He was known for having suggested the transition of Tang central government armed forces from being conscription-based to recruitment-based, and for turning the office of the chancellor into a specialized post with strong executive powers. Zhang Yue was a well-respected literary figure of his time, and was ranked alongside Su Ting (Duke Wenxian of Xu, another of Emperor Xuanzong's chancellors) as the two great writers of the

Kaiyuan era 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 early ...

. They were known in unison as 燕许大手笔 ("Immense pen-brushes from Yan and Xu").

Background

Zhang Yue was born in 663, during the reign of Emperor Gaozong. His family was from the

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 ...

eastern 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 ...

, and traced its ancestry to the great

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 ...

strategist

Zhang Liang Zhang Liang is the romanization of common names like 張良, 張亮 and 張梁. 張良 * Zhang Liang (Western Han) (died 189 BC), early Han dynasty strategist ** Zhang Liang, an animation character from the animated TV series ''The Legend of Qin'' ...

, as well as a line of officials that served

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 ...

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 ...

, and

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 ...

. In his youth, Zhang Yue 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 received the highest score among the group of people who took the exam at the same time. He was made an attendant in the

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 ...

's studies.

During Wu Zetian's reign

During the reign of

(r. 690–705), Zhang Yue was gradually promoted to ''You Bujue'' (), a low-level official at the legislative bureau of government (鳳閣, ''Fengge''). While serving there, he participated in a project, headed by Li Jiao to create a work known as the ''Essence of Pearls from the Three Religions'' (三教珠英, ''Sanjiao Zhuying'')—a compilation of various poetry about

Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...

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 ...

, and

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

, in which Wu Zetian's lovers

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

Zhang Changzong 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 ...

also participated, to give them a legitimate reason to enter the palace. In 700, when Wu Zetian spent summer and fall at Sanyang Palace (), away from Luoyang (which she had made capital), Zhang Yue submitted an earnest petition urging her to return to Luoyang, which she did not accept. Early in her ''Chang'an'' era (701-705), the ''Essence of Pearls from the Three Religions'' was completed, and the participants were rewarded—with Zhang Yue becoming ''You Shi'' (), an imperial chronicler, as well as an imperial attendant; he was also put in charge of grading the entries of imperial examination takers. Sometime thereafter, he was promoted to be ''Fengge Sheren'' (), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau. In 703, Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong were apprehensive that if Wu Zetian, who was ill at the time, died, they would be killed by the senior

Wei Yuanzhong Wei Yuanzhong (魏元忠) (died 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 her son Em ...

. They therefore falsely accused Wei and the official Gao Jian () of having said that Wu Zetian was too old and that it was better to support her son and crown prince, Li Xian. Wu Zetian, in anger, arrested Wei and Gao, who proclaimed their innocence. Zhang Changzong promised Zhang Yue a promotion if he would corroborate the accusations against Wei, who was Zhang Yue's superior. Zhang Yue initially agreed, but as he entered the palace, several fellow junior officials,

Song Jing 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 and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as the chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Ruizong and ...

, 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, during the Tang dynasty. Liu's father Liu Zangqi and ...

, pointed out to him that it was important for him to leave a clean name in history. After he entered Wu Zetian's presence, instead of corroborating Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong's accusations against Wei, he proclaimed Wei's innocence and accused Zhang Changzong of suborning perjury. Wu Zetian, while angry at Zhang Yue, spared Wei and Gao as a result, exiling them and Zhang Yue instead to the

Lingnan Lingnan (; Vietnamese: Lĩnh Nam) is a geographic area referring to the lands in the south of the Nanling Mountains. The region covers the modern Chinese subdivisions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong, and Macau, as well as modern northe ...

region—in Zhang Yue's case, to Qin Prefecture (欽州, roughly modern

Qinzhou Qinzhou ( postal: Yamchow, , Jyutping: ''Jam1 zau1'' ( Canton) /''Ham1 zau1'' (Local) ) is a prefecture-level city in south-central Guangxi, southern China, lying on the Gulf of Tonkin and having a total population of 3,302,238 as of the 2020 c ...

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) ...

). Zhang Yue would remain there for the rest of Wu Zetian's reign.

During Emperor Zhongzong's second reign

In 705, Wu Zetian was overthrown, and Li Xian, a former emperor, returned to the throne (as Emperor Zhongzong). He recalled Zhang Yue from exile to serve as an official at the ministry of defense (兵部, ''Bingbu''). Subsequently, Zhang was made the deputy minister of public works (工部侍郎, ''Gongbu Shilang''). During Emperor Zhongzong's ''Jinglong'' era (707-710), his mother died, and he left public service to observe a period of mourning—traditionally three years under Confucian principles, but which were often shortened for officials. After he had mourned for the typical shortened period, Emperor Zhongzong was set to recall him to serve as ''Huangmen Shilang'' (), the deputy head of the examination bureau (門下省, ''Menxia Sheng''), but he declined, asking to mourn for the entire three-year period. He was allowed to do so, and this drew popular approval. After the three-year period was complete, he was recalled to serve again as the deputy minister of public works, and then the deputy minister of defense (兵部侍郎, ''Bingbu Shilang''). He was also made an imperial scholar at Hongwen Pavilion (). Sometime during Emperor Zhongzong's reign, Zhang submitted a petition asking him to end his habit, which started in Wu Zetian's reign, of going up a tower to watch non-

Han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

splash cold water on themselves to celebrate the arrival of winter, on account that such a ceremony was disrespectful. Emperor Zhongzong agreed, and stopped watching such ceremonies.

During Emperor Ruizong's second reign

In 710, Emperor Zhongzong died suddenly—a death that traditional historians believed to be a poisoning carried out by his powerful wife Empress Wei and 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 be "emperor" like Wu Zetian and Li Guo'er could be crown princess. Meanwhile, Emperor Zhongzong's son by 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 ...

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 ...

. Less than a month later, 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 dynas ...

and nephew

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 rose in rebellion, killing Empress Dowager Wei and Li Guo'er. Li Longji's father Li Dan the Prince of Xiang, himself a former emperor, returned to the throne (as Emperor Ruizong), displacing Emperor Shang. After Emperor Ruizong's return to the throne, Zhang Yue was made ''Zhongshu Shilang'' (), the deputy head of the legislative bureau (by now named ''Zhongshu Sheng'' (), as well as the secretary general for the capital prefecture Yong Prefecture (雍州, roughly 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 ...

, as Emperor Zhongzong moved the capital back to

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 ...

from Luoyang). Later that year, Emperor Zhongzong's son

Li Chongfu Li Chongfu (李重福) (680?It is unclear whether Li Chongfu was Emperor Zhongzong's second son, as asserted by ''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 86, as his brother Li Chongrun, described as the first son, was said to have been born in 682, while Li Chong ...

the Prince of Qiao tried to rise against Emperor Ruizong at Luoyang, but was quickly defeated, and he committed suicide. Several hundred of people, accused of being complicit with Li Chongfu's plot, were arrested, but it was difficult to adjudicate their guilt or innocence. Emperor Ruizong sent Zhang to Luoyang to judge them. Zhang, after interrogating Li Chongfu's main co-conspirators Zhang Lingjun () and Zheng Yin, quickly figured out that most of the accused were not part of the plot, and released them. Once he returned to Chang'an, Emperor Ruizong thanked him: At that time, Li Longji was crown prince, and both Zhang Yue and Chu Wuliang () served as attending officials in his studies, and he became close to them. In 711, Zhang was given the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' (), making him a chancellor ''de facto''. At that time, there was much struggle at court between the factions of Princess Taiping and Li Longji. At one point, there was a prediction by a sorcerer that there would be an incursion into a palace—a prediction that much troubled Emperor Ruizong. Zhang stated that this rumor must have been spread by someone who was intent to harm Li Longji, and that the best way to dissipate the rumors would be for Emperor Ruizong to transfer some of the authority to Li Longji—an assessment that fellow chancellor

Yao Chong Yao Chong (; 650 – September 28, 721), né Yao Yuanchong (姚元崇), known 700s–713 by the courtesy name of Yuanzhi (元之), formally Duke Wenxian of Liang (梁文獻公), was an official of the Chinese Tang dynasty and Wu Zetian's Wu Zhou ...

concurred in. Emperor Ruizong agreed and did so. (However, when Yao and Song Jing then proposed sending Princess Taiping and two princes with arguably better claims on the crown prince title than Li Longji—his 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 cousin

Li Shouli Lĭ Shǒulĭ (672–741) () was the second son of Li Xián who was also known as Crown Prince Zhanghuai of Tang. Born Li Guangren (李光仁), during the Chuigong era of his youngest uncle Emperor Ruizong of Tang's reign when his grandmother ...

the Prince of Bin (the son of Emperor Zhongzong's and Ruizong's older brother Li Xian (note different character than Emperor Zhongzong)) -- out of the capital, Princess Taiping found out and got Yao and Song demoted out of the capital, although Zhang was not demoted at that time. Later that year, however, as a part of a government reorganization, Zhang, along with the other chancellors, were removed from their chancellor positions. Zhang was made ''Shangshu Zuo Cheng'' (), one of the Secretaries General of the executive bureau (尚書省, ''Shangshu Sheng''), and given an office in Luoyang, away from Chang'an.

During Emperor Xuanzong's reign

In 712, Emperor Ruizong passed the throne to Li Longji, who took the throne as Emperor Xuanzong. However, Emperor Ruizong retained most of the imperial authority 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), and Princess Taiping, through him, continued to exert excessive influence on governance, and she had a heated argument with Emperor Xuanzong on every issue, and under no circumstances did she allow him to judge the affairs of the country or the army, and even the rewards and punishments. As of 713, it was said that five of the seven chancellors at the time --

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 ...

, and

Lu Xiangxian Lu Xiangxian (陸象先) (665–736), né Lu Jingchu (陸景初), formally Duke Wenzhen of Yan (兗文貞公), was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor ...

, and three of the four generals of the Forbidden Troops at the time -- Chang Yuankai, Li Ci, and Li Qin—were recommended by her (although Lu was not considered a follower of hers). With Emperor Xuanzong and Princess Taiping locked into a power struggle, Zhang Yue, from his post at Luoyang, had a messenger present Emperor Xuanzong with his sword—meaning to tell him that it was time to take decisive action. Meanwhile, it was said that Princess Taiping, Dou, Cen, Xiao, and Cui; along with other officials

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 ...

, Li Jin () 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, who had already received advice from Wang Ju () and

Cui Riyong Cui Riyong 崔日用 (673–722), formally Duke Zhao of Qi 齊昭公, was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, briefly serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Ruizong. Background Cui Riyong ...

, in addition to Zhang, to act first, did so. He convened a meeting with his brothers Li Fan () the Prince of Qi, Li Ye () the Prince of Xue, Guo, 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 turned over imperial authority to Emperor Xuanzong and thereafter was no longer involved in important decisions. Emperor Xuanzong subsequently recalled Zhang from Luoyang to serve as ''Zhongshu Ling'' (), the head of the legislative bureau and a post considered one for a chancellor. Later in the year, when Emperor Xuanzong changed the names of many official titles, the legislative bureau's name was changed to ''Ziwei Sheng'' (), and its head's title changed to ''Ziwei Ling'' (); Zhang's title changed accordingly. When it was discovered that the former chancellor Li Jiao, during Empress Dowager Wei's regency, had suggested that Emperor Ruizong's sons be sent out of Chang'an to serve as local officials, there was suggestions that Li Jiao should be executed, but Zhang pointed out that while Li Jiao might be viewed as having suggested inappropriate, he was being faithful to Empress Dowager Wei. Emperor Xuanzong agreed, and only sent Li Jiao's son Li Chang () out of Chang'an to serve as a prefectural prefect, and had Li Jiao go with his son. Emperor Xuanzong, meanwhile, was prepared to recall Yao Chong to serve as chancellor as well. It was said that Zhang disliked Yao, and tried to prevent Yao's promotion by having the chief imperial censor

Zhao Yanzhao Zhao Yanzhao (), courtesy name Huanran (奐然), was an official of the Chinese Tang dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Zhongzong, Emperor Shang, and Emperor Ruizong. Background It is ...

file an indictment against Yao, and then had Emperor Xuanzong's associate Jiang Jiao () recommend Yao to serve as the commandant 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 ...

) -- both of which Emperor Xuanzong rebuffed, and Emperor Xuanzong recalled Yao to serve as minister of defense and chancellor ''de facto''. Yao, later in the year, accused Zhang of meeting Emperor Xuanzong's brother Li Fan secretly. Around the new year 713, Emperor Xuanzong demoted Zhang to serve as the prefect of Xiang Prefecture (相州, 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 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 ...

), and as the examiner of the Hebei Circuit (河北道, roughly 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 ...

, and

Tianjin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...

). For reasons lost to history, he was later demoted to be the prefect of Yue Prefecture (岳州, roughly modern

Yueyang Yueyang, formerly known as Yuezhou or Yochow, is a prefecture-level city on the eastern shores of Dongting Lake and Yangtze in the northeastern corner of Hunan Province in the People's Republic of China. Yueyang has an administrative area of a ...

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to ...

), and the benefits he was to draw from his fief were suspended. Zhang became fearful of what would come next. At that time, one of the chancellors was Su Ting, whose father Su Gui Zhang had been a friend of. Zhang thus wrote a poem praising five great officials, including Su Gui, and presented it to Su Ting. Su Ting was greatly touched by the poem, and submitted a petition to Emperor Xuanzong pointing out of Zhang's great contributions. Thereafter, Zhang was made the secretary general of the more important 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 ...

). He was later further given a general title and made the acting commandant at You Prefecture (幽州, roughly modern

). On one occasion when he went to Chang'an to meet Emperor Xuanzong, he did so in military uniform, impressing Emperor Xuanzong with his preparedness. Emperor Xuanzong then made him the acting secretary general at Bing Prefecture; the commander of the Tianbing Base (天兵軍, in Bing Prefecture); and chief imperial censor, with directions that he be responsible for editing imperial histories, despite his departure from Chang'an—that is, to have the historical archives delivered to him so that he can edit them while in the army. In 720, Wang Jun, the commander of the army at

Shuofang Shuofang () was an ancient Chinese commandery, situated in the Hetao region in modern-day Inner Mongolia near Baotou. First founded by Emperor Wu of Han in the wake of the successful reconquest of the area from Xiongnu tribes, it was dissolved ...

(朔方, in modern

Yinchuan Yinchuan (, ; ) is the capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China, and was the capital of the Tangut-led Western Xia dynasty. It has an area of and a total population of 2,859,074 according to the 2020 Chinese census, and its built- ...

Ningxia Ningxia (,; , ; alternately romanized as Ninghsia), officially the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (NHAR), is an autonomous region in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. Formerly a province, Ningxia was incorporated into Gansu in ...

), accused the Pugu () and Jiadie (name not in Unicode) tribal chieftains of plotting to betray Tang territory to

Eastern Tujue The Eastern Turkic Khaganate () was a Turkic khaganate formed as a result of the internecine wars in the beginning of the 7th century (AD 581–603) after the First Turkic Khaganate (founded in the 6th century in the Mongolian Plateau by t ...

, and slaughtered them. When this was heard by people of Bayegu () and Tongluo () tribes, who were settled in Zhang's territory, became terrified. Zhang, taking only 20 cavalry soldiers with him, toured the tribal areas to comfort them, spending nights with them in the tents. Zhang's deputy Li Xian (李憲, note different character than Emperor Zhongzong and the former crown prince) believed that it was not wise to trust the tribes in this manner and sent a letter to Zhang trying to dissuade him. Zhang responded famously: As a result of Zhang's tour, the Bayegu and Tongluo tribes were calmed and did not create any problems. Subsequently, in 721, when Kang Daibin () rose in rebellion in the Shuofang region, Emperor Xuanzong commissioned Zhang, along with Wang Jun and Wang Maozhong, to attack Kang. Wang Jun was soon able to capture Kang and deliver him to Emperor Xuanzong. Meanwhile, Zhang's subordinate, the general Ashina Xian (), suggested that the

Dangxiang The Tangut people ( Tangut: , ''mjɨ nja̱'' or , ''mji dzjwo''; ; ; mn, Тангуд) were a Tibeto-Burman tribal union that founded and inhabited the Western Xia dynasty. The group initially lived under Tuyuhun authority, but later submitted t ...

tribes, which did not rebel with Kang but was in contact with Kang's forces, be slaughtered, but Zhang refused, pointing out that Kang had already been defeated and that the killing should not be excessive. Later that year, Zhang was recalled to Chang'an to serve as minister of defense (兵部尚書, ''Bingbu Shangshu'') and chancellor ''de facto'' with the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin'' (), and he continued to be responsible for editing the imperial histories. In 722, Zhang was also given the title as military governor (with the recently created title of ''

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 Shuofang base, and he toured Shuofang. When Kang Daibin's former associate Kang Yuanzi () rebelled and claimed khan title, Zhang captured him and moved his people to the modern

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 ...

region. Meanwhile, at Zhang's suggestion, the Tang northern border defense forces, which had about 600,000 men at that time, was reduced by 200,000 men to allow the soldiers to return home. Further, seeing that the Tang conscription system, due to abuses against the soldiers at the time, was near a collapse, as the soldiers were forced into long tours of duty but their families were not exempt from taxes, thus causing great numbers of desertions, Zhang suggested a switch to a recruitment-based system where soldiers were paid salaries. This allowed, for a time, Tang's soldier supply to be replenished. (Some later historians condemned Zhang for the abolition of the conscription system, believing the abolition to be the root of Tang's later fracturing, but some others, such as the modern historian

Bo Yang Bo Yang (; 7 March 1920 – 29 April 2008), sometimes also erroneously called Bai Yang, was a Chinese historian, novelist, philosopher, poet, and politician based in Taiwan. He is also regarded as a social critic. According to his own memoir, t ...

, argued that Zhang's actions not only were necessary to restore the supply of soldiers but saved many lives.) Soon thereafter, Pei Zhouxian () the commandant at Guang Prefecture (廣州, roughly modern

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

) was accused of corruption, and the chancellor

Zhang Jiazhen Zhang Jiazhen (張嘉貞; 666 – September 19, 729), formally Marquess Gongsu of Hedong (河東恭肅侯), was a Chinese military general and politician. He was an official serving under Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty and served as a chancellor of Tan ...

advocated caning him. However, Zhang Yue argued that public caning is inappropriate for high-level officials, and Emperor Xuanzong agreed. After the meeting with Emperor Xuanzong was over, Zhang Jiazhen, displeased, asked Zhang Yue, "Why did you have to go into such deep talk?" Zhang Yue responded: As of 723, Zhang Yue and Zhang Jiazhen were not on good terms. When Zhang Jiazhen's brother Zhang Jiayou () was accused of corruption, Zhang Yue suggested to Zhang Jiazhen that he wear plain clothes and wait for punishment outside the palace, and Zhang Jiazhen agreed. Zhang Jiazhen was subsequently demoted to be the prefect of You Prefecture. Later that year, Zhang Yue was again made ''Zhongshu Ling''. Meanwhile, Emperor Xuanzong, an ardent student of literature, had commissioned the creation of a literary institute known as Lizheng Institute (麗正書院, later renamed Jixian Institute (), headed by Zhang Yue, for literary studies, with such officials as Xu Jian (), He Zhizhang (), and Zhao Dongxi () serving as scholars, to accompany him in his literary studies. The official Lu Jian (), believing that the expenses for maintaining Lizheng Institute were unjustified, planned to petition to disband it. Zhang Yue pointed out that the study of literature had relatively low expenses and had great cultural value to dissuade Lu from submitting the petition, and when Emperor Xuanzong heard this, he had even greater respect for Zhang. Around the same time, Zhang also proposed a reorganization of the office of the chancellors—renaming it from ''Zhengshi Tang'' () to ''Zhongshu Menxia'' (), and further creating five subordinate offices therein to be responsible for five separate areas of governance. In 724, at Zhang's suggestion, Emperor Xuanzong began to prepare a grand ceremony (known as ''Fengshan'' () 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 ...

—despite opposition from 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 ...

, which began discord between Zhang and Yuan. Emperor Xuanzong carried out the ceremony at 725—and the ceremony caused much resentment toward Zhang, as, at Zhang's recommendations, a number of officials at the legislative and examination bureaus participated in the ceremony and were promoted after the ceremony, but other officials were not awarded, and neither were the soldiers who attended to Emperor Xuanzong during the ceremony. Zhang himself was given the additional title of ''You Chengxiang'' (), one of the heads of the executive bureau. In 726, at Zhang's suggestion, regulations on ceremonies, which had twice been codified during the reigns of Emperor Taizong and Emperor Gaozong, were reorganized to harmonize the different regulations written during those reigns. Later in the year, though, Zhang's hold on power would crumble. Emperor Xuanzong had recalled Cui Yinfu () the mayor of Luoyang to Chang'an, planning to promote him. Zhang, who viewed Cui lightly because Cui's lack of literary talent, suggested that Cui be made a general. Meanwhile, Zhang had recommended another official, Cui Rizhi (崔日知, Cui Riyong's cousin), to be chief imperial censor. Emperor Xuanzong rejected both recommendations, and made Cui Rizhi a general and Cui Yinfu the chief imperial censor. Cui Yinfu, knowing that Zhang had opposed his promotion, subsequently submitted an indictment for corruption against Zhang, along with fellow censors

Yuwen Rong Yuwen Rong () (d. 730 or 731) was a Tang dynasty politician, serving as a chancellor for 100 days during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong. He was said to be the first official during Emperor Xuanzong's reign who became powerful on account of his abi ...

, whom Zhang also disliked, and

Li Linfu Li Linfu () (died January 3, 753), nickname Genu (), formally the Duke of Jin (), was a Chinese historian, musician, and politician during the Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor for 18 years (734–752), during the reign of Emperor Xuanzon ...

. Emperor Xuanzong had Yuan, Cui Yinfu, Wei Kang () the minister of justice, and Hu Gui () the assistant chief judge of the supreme court, interrogate Zhang. Evidence of Zhang's corruption were found. However, when Emperor Xuanzong sent Gao Lishi to visit Zhang, Gao reported back that Zhang had shown great humility—by sleeping on a straw mat and eating with clay pots—in his distress, and Gao further pointed out to Emperor Xuanzong of Zhang's contributions. Emperor Xuanzong, in response, removed Zhang from his chancellor post but allowed him to remain as head of the executive bureau and head of Jixian Institute. Subsequently, Cui Yinfu and Yuwen, fearful that Zhang would again become chancellor, continued to accuse him of offenses, while Zhang's allies made counteraccusations against Cui and Yuwen. Emperor Xuanzong, tired of these accusations, in 727, ordered Zhang to retire, Cui to be removed from his post to return home to support his mother, and Yuwen to be demoted to be the prefect of Wei Prefecture (魏州, also in modern Handan). As Zhang lost power those in his circle lost status, like

Zhang Jiuling Zhang Jiuling () (678 or 673–740), courtesy name Zishou (), nickname Bowu (), formally Count Wenxian of Shixing (), was a prominent minister, noted poet and scholar of the Tang dynasty, serving as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong. ...

who was demoted from his position as ''zhongshu sheren'' (, a third-level position in the Secretariat) and ''hanlin gongfeng'' () where his responsibilities had included consulting for drafts of imperial decrees and letters. In 728, Emperor Xuanzong again made Zhang a scholar at Jixian Institute. Even though Zhang was largely retired by this point, it was said that Emperor Xuanzong often sent eunuchs to ask for his suggestions when important matters were to be decided. In 729, Zhang was made ''Zuo Chengxiang'' (), the other head of the executive bureau. The day that Zhang was to take office, Song and Yuan were to be 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
. He also gave Zhang the honorific title ''Kaifu Yitong Sansi'' (). By this time, Zhang Yue's oldest son Zhang Jun () was serving as a mid-level official at the legislative bureau, and the second son Zhang Ji () had been given Emperor Xuanzong's daughter Princess Ningqing in marriage. Zhang Yue's brother Zhang Guang () carried the honorific title ''Yinqing Guanglu Daifu'' (). It was said that there was no official whose household was more honored than Zhang Yue's. In 730, Zhang Yue fell ill, and he died around new year 731. Emperor Xuanzong had him buried with great honors.

Notes

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. 97
* ''

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. 125
* ''

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. 207, 210,

212 Year 212 (Roman numerals, CCXII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) 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 '' ...

, 213.

External links

*Books of the ''

Quan Tangshi (''Complete Tang Poems'') is the largest collection of Tang poetry, containing some 49,000 lyric poems by more than twenty-two hundred poets. In 1705, it was commissioned at the direction of the Qing dynasty Kangxi Emperor and published under ...

'' that include collected poems of Zhang Yue at the

Chinese Text Project The Chinese Text Project (CTP; ) is a digital library project that assembles collections of early Chinese texts. The name of the project in Chinese literally means "The Chinese Philosophical Book Digitization Project", showing its focus on books ...

:
Book 85

Book 86

Book 87

Book 88

Book 89
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang, Yue 663 births 730 deaths 7th-century Chinese poets 8th-century Chinese historians 8th-century Chinese poets Chancellors under Emperor Ruizong of Tang Chancellors under Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Historians from Henan Poets from Henan Politicians from Luoyang Tang dynasty generals at war against the Göktürks Tang dynasty generals from Henan Tang dynasty historians Tang dynasty jiedushi of Shuofang Circuit Tang dynasty poets Tang dynasty politicians from Henan Writers from Luoyang

Background

During Wu Zetian's reign

During Emperor Zhongzong's second reign

During Emperor Ruizong's second reign

During Emperor Xuanzong's reign

See also

Notes

References

External links