Zheng Xunyu (鄭珣瑜) (738 – December 11, 805),

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 ...

Yuanbo (元伯), was a Chinese judge and politician during 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 ...

, 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 reigns of Emperor Dezong and Emperor Shunzong.

Background

Zheng Xunyu was born in 738, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong. His family was from Zheng Prefecture (鄭州, in modern

Zhengzhou Zhengzhou (; ), also spelt Zheng Zhou and alternatively romanized as Chengchow, is the capital and largest city of Henan Province in the central part of the People's Republic of China. Located in north-central Henan, it is one of the National ...

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 ...

). It claimed ancestry from the ducal house of the

Spring and Autumn period The Spring and Autumn period was a period in Chinese history from approximately 770 to 476 BC (or according to some authorities until 403 BC) which corresponds roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou period. The period's name derives fr ...

state

Zheng Zheng may refer to: *Zheng (surname), Chinese surname (鄭, 郑, ''Zhèng'') *Zheng County, former name of Zhengzhou, capital of Henan, China *Guzheng (), a Chinese zither with bridges *Qin Shi Huang (259 BC – 210 BC), emperor of the Qin Dynasty, ...

and traced its ancestry through 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 ...

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 ...

Han Zhao The Han Zhao (; 304–329 AD), or Former Zhao (), was a dynastic state of China ruled by the Xiongnu people during the Sixteen Kingdoms period of Chinese history. In Chinese historiography, it was given two conditional state titles, the Northern ...

Later Zhao The Later Zhao (; 319–351) was a dynasty of the Sixteen Kingdoms in northern China. It was founded by the Shi family of the Jie ethnicity. The Jie were most likely a Yeniseian people and spoke next to Chinese one of the Yeniseian languages.Vov ...

Former Yan The Former Yan (; 337–370) was a dynastic state ruled by the Xianbei during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms in China. Initially, Murong Huang and his son Murong Jun claimed the Jin dynasty-created title "Prince of Yan," but subsequently, in 352, ...

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 ...

, and

. His grandfather Zheng Changyu () served as a prefectural prefect, while his father Zheng Liang () served as a county magistrate. Zheng Xunyu lost his father prematurely. After the

Anshi Rebellion The An Lushan Rebellion was an uprising against the Tang dynasty of China towards the mid-point of the dynasty (from 755 to 763), with an attempt to replace it with the Yan dynasty. The rebellion was originally led by An Lushan, a general offi ...

erupted in 755, he took his mother into Mount Luhun (陸渾山, in modern

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 supported his mother there, not returning to Zheng Prefecture. After the rebellion was quelled, there were three occasions when the officials Liu Yan and Zhang Xiancheng () recommended him to be an official at the county level, and each time he declined the recommendation. During the ''Dali'' era (766–779) of Emperor Xuanzong's grandson Emperor Daizong, Zheng 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 special class of those who submitted constructive criticism. He was made ''Dali Pingshi'' (), a judge at the supreme court (大理寺, ''Dali Si''). He was later made the secretary general at Yangzhai County (陽翟, in modern

Xuchang Xuchang (; postal: Hsuchang) is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province of China, province in Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the northwest, Kaifeng to the northeast, Zhoukou to the east, Luohe to the s ...

), and, after he served with distinction there, was made the sheriff of Wannian County (萬年, 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 ...

), one of the two counties making up the Tang 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 ...

.''New Book of Tang''
vol. 165
.

During Emperor Dezong's reign

After

Cui Youfu Cui Youfu (崔祐甫) (721 – July 7, 780), courtesy name Yisun (貽孫), was a Chinese politician. He served as a chancellor briefly early during the reign of Emperor Dezong. He was credited for governing in an effective manner and guiding Emp ...

became

in 779 during the reign of Emperor Daizong's son Emperor Dezong, Cui promoted Zheng Xunyu to be ''Zuo Bujue'' (), a low-level consultant at the examination bureau of government (門下省, ''Menxia Sheng''). He later served as a secretary to the 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 Jingxuan Circuit (涇原, headquartered in modern

Pingliang Pingliang () is a prefecture-level city in eastern Gansu province, China, bordering Shaanxi province to the south and east and the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region to the north. The city was established in 376 AD. It has a residential population of 2, ...

Gansu Gansu (, ; alternately romanized as Kansu) is a province in Northwest China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeast part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibet ...

), and then returned to Chang'an to serve as an imperial censor with the title ''Shiyushi'' () then ''Xingbu Yuanwailang'' (), a low-level official at the ministry of justice (刑部, ''Xingbu''). He later left governmental service to observe a mourning period for his mother when she died, and after the mourning period was over, he was moved to the ministry of civil service affairs (吏部, ''Libu''). Early in Emperor Dezong's ''Zhenyuan'' era (785–805), he made an order that 10 central government officials be made magistrates of various counties in the Chang'an and Luoyang regions, and Zheng, while retaining his office, was made the magistrate of Fengxian County (奉先, near Chang'an). The next year, he got promoted to the prefect of Rao Prefecture (饒州, in modern

Shangrao Shangrao () is a medium-sized prefecture-level city located in the northeast of Jiangxi province, People's Republic of China. The city borders the province of Anhui to the north, the province of Zhejiang to the east, and the province of Fujian to t ...

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 ...

), and later returned to Chang'an to serve as ''Jianyi Daifu'' (), a high-level consultant; and then was made the deputy minister of civil service affairs (吏部侍郎, ''Libu Shilang''). Later, Zheng was made the mayor of Henan Municipality (河南, i.e., the Luoyang region). Before he could arrive at Henan, there was a birthday for Emperor Dezong, and it was customary for the mayors of the special municipalities to offer horses as tributes. A subordinate of Zheng's requested that he be permitted to fetch a horse to be offered, but Zheng refused, stating, "It is appropriate for someone who has not started serving to offer tributes?" It was also said that Zheng was serious and quiet in his character, and that he did not ask private favors of others; as a result, people did not dare to ask him for private favors. Once he arrived at Henan, he governed the city without much fanfare, and rested the people by lowering taxes and increasing stipends. At that time, the general Han Quanyi () was in charge of attacking the rebel general

Wu Shaocheng Wu Shaocheng () (750 – January 6, 810), formally the Prince of Puyang (), was a Chinese military general and politician who served as the military governor of Zhangyi Circuit (彰義, headquartered in modern Zhumadian, Henan), ruled the circuit in ...

.As Han's campaign against Wu was in 800, Zheng must have been mayor around that time as well. See ''

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. 236. Henan was responsible for shipping the army's supplies to Han, and Zheng responded by storing food at Yangzhai, reducing the burden of the people in shipping the supplies. Whenever Han and the

eunuchs 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 ...

monitoring the army had demands on Henan, Zheng would not agree with those demands unless there were imperial edicts authorizing them. When his subordinates worried for him that this would offend Han and the eunuchs, Zheng responded: Zheng's capability in governing the city was compared to a predecessor,

Zhang Yanshang Zhang Yanshang () (727 – September 7, 787), né Zhang Baofu (), was a Chinese politician serving as a chancellor of Tang Dynasty, chancellor during the reign of Emperor Dezong of Tang, Emperor Dezong. Background Zhang Baofu was born in 727, du ...

, but he was said to be more serious, lenient, and righteous than Zhang. He was later recalled to serve as deputy minister of civil service affairs again. In 803, he was given the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' (), making him a chancellor, along with

Gao Ying Gao Ying (高郢) (740Both Gao Ying's biographies in the '' Old Book of Tang'' and the '' New Book of Tang'' indicated that he was 71 years old at his death in 811, which would indicate that he was born in 740. However, the ''Old Book of Tang'' als ...

.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 236. At that time, one of Emperor Dezong's close associates, Li Shi () the Prince of Dao, was the mayor of Jingzhao Municipality (京兆, i.e., the Chang'an region), and Li was well known for being harsh in his tax collections in order to offer tributes to Emperor Dezong. Zheng, disliking the practice, questioned him: At that time, however, Li was trusted by Emperor Dezong, and therefore suffered no ill consequences from Zheng's investigation.

During Emperor Shunzong's and Emperor Xianzong's reigns

In 805, Emperor Dezong died and was succeeded by his son Emperor Shunzong. Emperor Shunzong made Zheng Xunyu the minister of civil service affairs (吏部尚書, ''Libu Shangshu'') and still a chancellor. At that time, Emperor Shunzong's close associate

Wang Shuwen Wang Shuwen ( zh, 王叔文; born 753, died 806) was a Chinese economist and politician during the Tang dynasty. He was a close associate of Emperor Shunzong (Li Song) while Li Song was crown prince under his father, Emperor Dezong, and was pow ...

had become very powerful and was allied with Zheng's chancellor colleague

Wei Zhiyi Wei Zhiyi (韋執誼) was a Chinese historian and politician during the Tang dynasty, serving briefly as chancellor of the Tang dynasty, chancellor in 805, during the brief reign of Emperor Shunzong of Tang, Emperor Shunzong and then briefly into ...

. On an occasion, when the chancellors, as per custom, were having lunch together, Wang wanted to see Wei and went to the office of the chancellors to do so. When a guard refused to let Wang in, Wang rebuked the guard and ordered him away. Wei rose from his seat and walked away to confer with Wang. Zheng, and the other chancellors

Du You Du You () (735 – December 23, 812), courtesy name Junqing (), formally Duke Anjian of Qi (), was a Chinese historian, military general, and politician. He served as chancellor of the Tang Dynasty. Du was born to an eminent aristocratic family i ...

and

, stopped dining and waited for Wei to return. After a while, they sent the guard to see what the situation was, and the guard stated, "Wang Shuwen had requested food, and Chancellor Wei is dining with him." Neither Du nor Gao dared to say anything, but Zheng stated, "How can I remain here still?" He had his attendants fetch horses, and he went home and stayed there for seven days, refusing to leave his bed. Several months later, when Emperor Shunzong, then seriously ill, passed the throne to his son

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 ...

, Zheng and Gao were removed as chancellors. Zheng himself died several months later and was given posthumous honors and the

posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments or ...

''Wenxian'' (文獻, meaning "civil and wise"). His sons

Zheng Tan Zheng Tan (鄭覃) (died 842''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 18, part 1.), formally the Duke of Yingyang (滎陽公), was a Chinese historian and politician during the Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Wenzong. He was vie ...

and

Zheng Lang Zheng Lang () (died 857), courtesy name Yourong (), was a Chinese historian and politician during the Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xuānzong. Background and early career It is not known when Zheng Lang was bo ...

later served as chancellors during the reigns of Emperor Wenzong and

Emperor Xuānzong Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (July 27, 810 – September 7, 859) (reigned April 25, 846 – September 7, 859) was an emperor in the latter part of the Tang dynasty of China. Personally named Li Yi, later renamed Li Chen (), and known before his rei ...

, respectively.

Notes and references

* ''

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. 165
* ''

'', vol. 236. {{DEFAULTSORT:Zheng, Xunyu 738 births 805 deaths Chancellors under Emperor Dezong of Tang Chancellors under Emperor Shunzong of Tang Chinese judges Mayors of Luoyang Politicians from Zhengzhou Tang dynasty politicians from Henan Zheng clan of Xingyang