Dai Zhide
Encyclopedia
Dai Zhide (died March 16, 679), formally Duke Gong of Dao (道恭公), was an official of the Chinese
dynasty Tang Dynasty
, serving as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaozong
.
served as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Taizong
but was sonless, and so adopted Dai Zhide as his son. After Dai Zhou's death in 633, Dai Zhide therefore inherited the title of Duke of Dao, a title that Emperor Taizong posthumously created Dai Zhou.
, the son and crown prince
of Emperor Taizong's son and successor Emperor Gaozong
in 671, when Emperor Gaozong and his wife Empress Wu
(later known as Wu Zetian) left the capital Chang'an
and took up residence at the eastern capital Luoyang
, rarely returning to Chang'an thereafter. Emperor Gaozong left Li Hong in charge of Chang'an, but because Li Hong was often ill, it was said that the major decisions were largely made by Dai and his colleagues Zhang Wenguan
and Xiao Dezhao (蕭德昭).
As of 667, Dai was serving as Xi Tai Shilang (西臺侍郎), the deputy head of the examination bureau of government (西臺, Xi Tai), when he was given the additional designation of Tong Dong Xi Tai Sanpin (同東西臺三品), making him a chancellor de facto. In 672, he became the minister of census and continued to serve as chancellor de facto.
In 675, Dai became Pushe, a co-head of the important examination bureau of government (尚書省, Shangshu Sheng), serving with the famed general Liu Rengui
. It was said that they rotated listening to the people's petitions on every other day, and that Liu, who often would give the petitioners encouraging words, quickly gained a good reputation among them, while Dai was more careful with his words with them but often advocated for them before the emperor. Nevertheless, because of Liu's words, the common people came to believe that he was capable and Dai was not, and on one occasion, it was recorded that an old lady submitted a petition to Dai, believe that he was Liu, and once she realized her mistake, she yelled at Dai, "I thought I am giving my petition to the Pushe who can do things, but instead I am giving it to the useless Pushe. Give me back my petition!" Dai laughed and gave her petition back to her. When asked about this, Dai said, "Awards and punishments are within the authority of our sovereign. Given that we are subjects, how can we fight for this authority with him?" When Emperor Gaozong heard this, he greatly approved of Dai. Dai died in 679, and Emperor Gaozong sent the imperial officials to his house to mourn him.
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
dynasty Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
, serving as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaozong
Emperor Gaozong of Tang
Emperor Gaozong of Tang , personal name Li Zhi , was the third emperor of the Tang Dynasty in China, ruling from 649 to 683...
.
Background
It is not known when Dai Zhide was born. His uncle Dai ZhouDai Zhou
Dai Zhou , courtesy name Xuanyin , formally Duke Zhong of Dao , was an official of the Chinese dynasties Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty, eventually becoming chancellor during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang....
served as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Taizong
Emperor Taizong of Tang
Emperor Taizong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Shìmín , was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649...
but was sonless, and so adopted Dai Zhide as his son. After Dai Zhou's death in 633, Dai Zhide therefore inherited the title of Duke of Dao, a title that Emperor Taizong posthumously created Dai Zhou.
Service under Emperor Gaozong
Not much is known about much of Dai Zhide's career as an imperial official, although it was known that he was serving as an assistant to Li HongLi Hong
Li Hong , formally Emperor Xiaojing with the temple name of Yizong , was a crown prince of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty...
, the son and crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
of Emperor Taizong's son and successor Emperor Gaozong
Emperor Gaozong of Tang
Emperor Gaozong of Tang , personal name Li Zhi , was the third emperor of the Tang Dynasty in China, ruling from 649 to 683...
in 671, when Emperor Gaozong and his wife Empress Wu
Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian , personal name Wu Zhao , often referred to as Tian Hou during the Tang Dynasty and Empress Consort Wu in later times, was the only woman in the history of China to assume the title of Empress Regnant...
(later known as Wu Zetian) left the capital Chang'an
Chang'an
Chang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...
and took up residence at the eastern capital Luoyang
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...
, rarely returning to Chang'an thereafter. Emperor Gaozong left Li Hong in charge of Chang'an, but because Li Hong was often ill, it was said that the major decisions were largely made by Dai and his colleagues Zhang Wenguan
Zhang Wenguan
Zhang Wenguan , courtesy name Zhigui , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaozong. He was acclaimed for his fairness while serving as the chief judge of the supreme court.- Background :Zhang Wenguan was born in 606, during the...
and Xiao Dezhao (蕭德昭).
As of 667, Dai was serving as Xi Tai Shilang (西臺侍郎), the deputy head of the examination bureau of government (西臺, Xi Tai), when he was given the additional designation of Tong Dong Xi Tai Sanpin (同東西臺三品), making him a chancellor de facto. In 672, he became the minister of census and continued to serve as chancellor de facto.
In 675, Dai became Pushe, a co-head of the important examination bureau of government (尚書省, Shangshu Sheng), serving with the famed general Liu Rengui
Liu Rengui
Liu Rengui , courtesy name Zhengze , formally Duke Wenxian of Lecheng , was a general and official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaozong and the subsequent regency of his wife Wu Zetian over his sons Emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Ruizong...
. It was said that they rotated listening to the people's petitions on every other day, and that Liu, who often would give the petitioners encouraging words, quickly gained a good reputation among them, while Dai was more careful with his words with them but often advocated for them before the emperor. Nevertheless, because of Liu's words, the common people came to believe that he was capable and Dai was not, and on one occasion, it was recorded that an old lady submitted a petition to Dai, believe that he was Liu, and once she realized her mistake, she yelled at Dai, "I thought I am giving my petition to the Pushe who can do things, but instead I am giving it to the useless Pushe. Give me back my petition!" Dai laughed and gave her petition back to her. When asked about this, Dai said, "Awards and punishments are within the authority of our sovereign. Given that we are subjects, how can we fight for this authority with him?" When Emperor Gaozong heard this, he greatly approved of Dai. Dai died in 679, and Emperor Gaozong sent the imperial officials to his house to mourn him.