Du Jingjian
Encyclopedia
Du Jingjian was an official of the Chinese
dynasty Tang Dynasty
and Wu Zetian
's Zhou Dynasty, twice serving as chancellor during Wu Zetian's reign.
It is not known when Du was born, but it is known that his family was from Ji Prefecture (冀州, roughly modern Hengshui
, Hebei
). He passed the imperial examination
when he was young and eventually became an assistant imperial censor. At a later point, he was made a secretary in charge of military matters at Yi Prefecture (益州, roughly modern Chengdu
). At that time, Fang Siye (房嗣業), the military advisor to the prefect of nearby Long Prefecture (隆州, roughly modern Nanchong
, Sichuan
) had just received an order of promotion to be the military advisor to the prefect of Yi Prefecture (considered a promotion since Yi Prefecture was larger and more important) and had arrived at Yi Prefecture. However, paperwork of Fang's commission had not yet arrived at Yi Prefecture, yet he wanted to take his post immediately. He was also beginning to subject the military staff, whom he commanded, to physical punishments. Du, who was under his command, responded, "Although you, Lord, have been ordered to be this prefecture's military advisor, the prefectural government has not yet received orders of your commission. Why do you care about your salary for a few days and not want to wait for the imperial edict. Is it not that you are in too much of a hurry to be in command?" Fang became angry, but Du then continued:
Du then dismissed the staff from Fang's presence, and Fang, humiliated, stopped giving orders. Several days later, the imperial edict arrived, but instead of making Fang the military advisor for Yi Prefecture, made him the military advisor of Jing Prefecture (荊州, roughly modern Jingzhou
, Hubei
). The officials at Yi Prefecture made up a rhyme, "The secretary's argument had a connection to heaven; the military advisor of Yi Prefecture lost his thunder." (錄事意, 與天通, 益州司馬折威風, Lushi yi, yu tian tong, Yizhou sima zhe weifeng.)
Du became famed for this incident. He was eventually made the secretary general at the ministry of vassal affairs (司賓主簿, Sibin Zhubu), and then the secretary general at the supreme court (司刑丞, Sixing Cheng). During Wu Zetian's Tianshou era (690-691), he was serving with such individuals as Xu Yougong (徐有功), Lai Junchen
, and Hou Sizhi
. He and Xu were known for lenience, while Lai and Hou were known for torturing prisoners and getting them to confess to nonexistent crimes. There was a saying at the time, "Meet Xu or Du and live; meet Lai or Hou and die." Eventually, he was made the military advisor to the prefect of the capital prefecture Luo Prefecture (洛州, roughly modern Luoyang
, Henan
).
In 694, Wu Zetian made Du Fengge Shilang (鳳閣侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau of government (鳳閣, Fengge), and gave him the designation Tong Fengge Luantai Pingzhangshi (同鳳閣鸞臺平章事), making him a chancellor de facto. On an occasion, Wu Zetian, who favored signs of fortune, showed a pear flower in the winter. All of the other chancellors thought it was a sign of fortune that the pear was flowering in the winter, but Du did not, instead pointing out that this showed that the seasons were not in order, and begged for forgiveness—stating that this must be a sign that the officials were not doing their jobs properly. Wu Zetian, in approval, responded, "Only you are a true chancellor." However, later in 694, Wu Zetian, displeased with the powerful chancellor Li Zhaode
, exiled Li, and fellow chancellor Zhou Yunyuan
and the assistant chief judge of the supreme court, Huangfu Wenbei (皇甫文備), then submitted articles of impeachment against Du and several fellow chancellors -- Doulu Qinwang
, Wei Juyuan
, Su Weidao
, and Lu Yuanfang
-- for not being able to curb Li Zhaode's power. The five chancellors so accused were all demoted to be prefectural prefect—in Du's case, to be the prefect of Zhen Prefecture (榛州, in modern Chongqing
).
Eventually, Du was recalled to the capital to serve as the chief judge of the supreme court (司刑卿, Sixing Qing). In 697, when, in the aftermath of a Khitan
invasion led by Sun Wanrong
, Wu Yizong (武懿宗) the Prince of Henan (the grandson of Wu Zetian's uncle Wu Shiyi (武士逸)) had proposed that the people who had previously surrendered to Khitan all be considered traitors and be executed. This was opposed by the official Wang Qiuli (王求禮) and Du, who pointed out that these people were forced into surrendering to save their lives. Wu Zetian agreed and spared them. Later that year, Du was again made Fengge Shilang and chancellor with the designation Tong Fengge Luantai PIngzhangshi. In 698, however, he was removed from his chancellor position and made the minister of justice (秋官尚書, Qiuguan Shangshu). While serving at that post, he was accused of revealing palace secrets and first made the deputy chief judge of the supreme court (司刑少卿, Sixing Shaoqing) and then the secretary general at Bing Prefecture (并州, roughly modern Taiyuan
, Shanxi
). He died on the way to Bing Prefecture.
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...
and Wu Zetian
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...
's Zhou Dynasty, twice serving as chancellor during Wu Zetian's reign.
It is not known when Du was born, but it is known that his family was from Ji Prefecture (冀州, roughly modern Hengshui
Hengshui
Hengshui is a prefecture-level city in Hebei province, China. It has an urban population of 460,240 in the built up area and a population of 4,340,373 at the 2010 census in its administrative area...
, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
). He passed the imperial examination
Imperial examination
The Imperial examination was an examination system in Imperial China designed to select the best administrative officials for the state's bureaucracy. This system had a huge influence on both society and culture in Imperial China and was directly responsible for the creation of a class of...
when he was young and eventually became an assistant imperial censor. At a later point, he was made a secretary in charge of military matters at Yi Prefecture (益州, roughly modern Chengdu
Chengdu
Chengdu , formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status...
). At that time, Fang Siye (房嗣業), the military advisor to the prefect of nearby Long Prefecture (隆州, roughly modern Nanchong
Nanchong
Nanchong is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of Sichuan Province of the People's Republic of China, with an area of 12,479 kilometers. and the home to 7,300,000 people. It has the second most populated area and suggested to be one of the eight largest cities of Sichuan Province...
, Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
) had just received an order of promotion to be the military advisor to the prefect of Yi Prefecture (considered a promotion since Yi Prefecture was larger and more important) and had arrived at Yi Prefecture. However, paperwork of Fang's commission had not yet arrived at Yi Prefecture, yet he wanted to take his post immediately. He was also beginning to subject the military staff, whom he commanded, to physical punishments. Du, who was under his command, responded, "Although you, Lord, have been ordered to be this prefecture's military advisor, the prefectural government has not yet received orders of your commission. Why do you care about your salary for a few days and not want to wait for the imperial edict. Is it not that you are in too much of a hurry to be in command?" Fang became angry, but Du then continued:
Du then dismissed the staff from Fang's presence, and Fang, humiliated, stopped giving orders. Several days later, the imperial edict arrived, but instead of making Fang the military advisor for Yi Prefecture, made him the military advisor of Jing Prefecture (荊州, roughly modern Jingzhou
Jingzhou
Jingzhou is a prefecture-level city in Hubei Province, People's Republic of China. The city is located on the banks of the Yangtze River.Its population is 5,691,707 at the 2010 census whom 1,154,086 in the built up area made of 3 urban districts.-Geography:Jingzhou occupies an area of...
, Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
). The officials at Yi Prefecture made up a rhyme, "The secretary's argument had a connection to heaven; the military advisor of Yi Prefecture lost his thunder." (錄事意, 與天通, 益州司馬折威風, Lushi yi, yu tian tong, Yizhou sima zhe weifeng.)
Du became famed for this incident. He was eventually made the secretary general at the ministry of vassal affairs (司賓主簿, Sibin Zhubu), and then the secretary general at the supreme court (司刑丞, Sixing Cheng). During Wu Zetian's Tianshou era (690-691), he was serving with such individuals as Xu Yougong (徐有功), Lai Junchen
Lai Junchen
Lai Junchen was a secret police official during the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, whose ability to interrogate and falsely implicate officials of crimes made him a subject of fear and hatred...
, and Hou Sizhi
Hou Sizhi
Hou Sizhi was a secret police official during the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty.It is not known when Hou Sizhi was born, but it is known that he was from Tang's capital prefecture Yong Prefecture...
. He and Xu were known for lenience, while Lai and Hou were known for torturing prisoners and getting them to confess to nonexistent crimes. There was a saying at the time, "Meet Xu or Du and live; meet Lai or Hou and die." Eventually, he was made the military advisor to the prefect of the capital prefecture Luo Prefecture (洛州, roughly modern 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...
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
).
In 694, Wu Zetian made Du Fengge Shilang (鳳閣侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau of government (鳳閣, Fengge), and gave him the designation Tong Fengge Luantai Pingzhangshi (同鳳閣鸞臺平章事), making him a chancellor de facto. On an occasion, Wu Zetian, who favored signs of fortune, showed a pear flower in the winter. All of the other chancellors thought it was a sign of fortune that the pear was flowering in the winter, but Du did not, instead pointing out that this showed that the seasons were not in order, and begged for forgiveness—stating that this must be a sign that the officials were not doing their jobs properly. Wu Zetian, in approval, responded, "Only you are a true chancellor." However, later in 694, Wu Zetian, displeased with the powerful chancellor Li Zhaode
Li Zhaode
Li Zhaode was an official of Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty and at one point served as chancellor. He was known for his abilities and strong will, which eventually led to a conflict with Wu Zetian's secret police official Lai Junchen...
, exiled Li, and fellow chancellor Zhou Yunyuan
Zhou Yunyuan
Zhou Yunyuan , courtesy name Ruliang , was an official of Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, briefing serving as chancellor....
and the assistant chief judge of the supreme court, Huangfu Wenbei (皇甫文備), then submitted articles of impeachment against Du and several fellow chancellors -- Doulu Qinwang
Doulu Qinwang
Doulu Qinwang , né Lu Qinwang , formally Duke Yuan of Rui , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving several terms as chancellor during the reigns of Wu Zetian and her son Emperor Zhongzong.- Background :Doulu Qinwang might have been born in 630,...
, Wei Juyuan
Wei Juyuan
Wei Juyuan , formally Duke Zhao of Shu , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving multiple times as chancellor during the reigns of Wu Zetian, her son Emperor Zhongzong, and her grandson Emperor Shang...
, Su Weidao
Su Weidao
Su Weidao , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, twice serving as chancellor during Wu Zetian's reign.- Background :...
, and Lu Yuanfang
Lu Yuanfang
Lu Yuanfang , courtesy name Xizhong , was an official of Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, twice serving as chancellor.It is not known when Lu Yuanfang was born, but it is known that his family was from Su Prefecture and that he was from a line that had long served as officials during the Southern Dynasties...
-- for not being able to curb Li Zhaode's power. The five chancellors so accused were all demoted to be prefectural prefect—in Du's case, to be the prefect of Zhen Prefecture (榛州, in modern Chongqing
Chongqing
Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...
).
Eventually, Du was recalled to the capital to serve as the chief judge of the supreme court (司刑卿, Sixing Qing). In 697, when, in the aftermath of a Khitan
Khitan people
thumb|250px|Khitans [[Eagle hunting|using eagles to hunt]], painted during the Chinese [[Song Dynasty]].The Khitan people , or Khitai, Kitan, or Kidan, were a nomadic Mongolic people, originally located at Mongolia and Manchuria from the 4th century...
invasion led by Sun Wanrong
Sun Wanrong
Sun Wanrong was a khan of the Khitan people who, along with his brother-in-law Li Jinzhong, rose against Chinese hegemony in 696, with Li Jinzhong as khan, and they further invaded Chinese territory then under the rule of Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty...
, Wu Yizong (武懿宗) the Prince of Henan (the grandson of Wu Zetian's uncle Wu Shiyi (武士逸)) had proposed that the people who had previously surrendered to Khitan all be considered traitors and be executed. This was opposed by the official Wang Qiuli (王求禮) and Du, who pointed out that these people were forced into surrendering to save their lives. Wu Zetian agreed and spared them. Later that year, Du was again made Fengge Shilang and chancellor with the designation Tong Fengge Luantai PIngzhangshi. In 698, however, he was removed from his chancellor position and made the minister of justice (秋官尚書, Qiuguan Shangshu). While serving at that post, he was accused of revealing palace secrets and first made the deputy chief judge of the supreme court (司刑少卿, Sixing Shaoqing) and then the secretary general at Bing Prefecture (并州, roughly modern Taiyuan
Taiyuan
Taiyuan is the capital and largest city of Shanxi province in North China. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 4,201,591 inhabitants on 6959 km² whom 3,212,500 are urban on 1,460 km². The name of the city literally means "Great Plains", referring to the location where the Fen River...
, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
). He died on the way to Bing Prefecture.