Li Zhaode
Encyclopedia
Li Zhaode (died April 28, 697) 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
. He was executed on the same day as Lai, who was in turn accused by others of treason.
capital Chang'an
. His father Li Qianyou (李乾佑) served as an imperial censor during the reign of Tang's second emperor Emperor Taizong
and later as minister of justice during the reign of Emperor Taizong's son and Wu Zetian's husband Emperor Gaozong
, and was known for his honesty but carelessness with words. Li Zhaode was the son of a concubine of Li Qianyou, and was said to be capable and strong-willed like his father, and he passed the imperial examination
when he was young. He was eventually promoted to be an assistant censor (御史中丞, Yushi Zhongcheng), but in 689, during the reign of Emperor Gaozong's son Emperor Ruizong
, he was accused of improprieties unspecified in history and briefly exiled to be the sheriff of Lingshui County (陵水, modern Lingshui, Hainan
), but was eventually recalled to be one of the three deputy ministers of defense (夏官侍郎, Xiaguan Shilang), along with Lou Shide
and Hou Zhiyi (侯知一).
the Prince of Wei was becoming too powerful. She initially responded, "He is my nephew, and so I I trust him." Li Zhaode responded:
She was persuaded, and in fall 692, she reorganized her administration, removing Wu Chengsi, his cousin Wu Youning
, and fellow chancellor Yang Zhirou
from their positions as chancellors. As part of the reorganization, Li Zhaode was made Fengge Shilang (鳳閣侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau of government (鳳閣, Fengge), and given the designation of Tong Fengge Luantai Pingzhangshi (同鳳閣鸞臺平章事), making him a chancellor de facto; also made chancellors at the same time were Cui Yuanzong
, Yao Shu
, Li Yuansu
, and Cui Shenji
, and several days later, so was Wang Xuan
. Around that time, there was a group of petitioners led by one Wang Qingzhi (王慶之), who advocated that Wu Chengsi be made crown prince, displacing her son Li Dan (the former Emperor Ruizong), and Wu Zetian, while not granting the petition, permitted Wang to see her frequently in the palace. However, Wang was coming too the palace too often, displeasing her, and she ordered Li Zhaode to batter Wang -- and Li Zhaode, quite intentionally, battered Wang to death, causing the group of petitioners he led to disband. He then spoke to Wu Zetian:
Wu Zetian agreed with his rationale and did not make Wu Chengsi crown prince. Because of this, Wu Chengsi despised Li Zhaode and tried to speak against him, but Wu Zetian responded, "I can only sleep because I promoted Li Zhaode, as he took over the hard work on my behalf. Do not speak further."
Meanwhile, Wu Zetian was rebuilding the capital Luoyang
to make it a magnificent capital, and Li Zhaode was particularly said to be responsible for the magnificence of the new executive bureau (文昌臺, Wenchang Tai) building, as well as Dingding (定鼎門) and Shangdong (上東門) Gates. He also built Luoyang's outer walls. Moreover, there was a bridge over the Luo River (洛水, flowing near Luoyang) near the Changxia Gate (長夏門) that the minister of agriculture Wei Ji (韋機) had built during Emperor Gaozong's reign that was useful and had heavy traffic, but was repeatedly damaged by the flow of the Luo River and required constant repairs. Li Zhaode devised a stone formation before the bridge that diverted the water strength, which allowed the bridge to stand without further damage. It was also said that Li Zhaode did much to try to curb the power of Wu Zetian's secret police officials, who were often falsely accusing people of treason and killing them, and that he, in particular, killed Hou Sizhi
.
In 694, Li Zhaode was made acting Neishi (內史), the head of the legislative bureau and a post considered one for a chancellor. Also around that time, Wu Zetian put her lover Huaiyi
the Duke of E in command of an army against Eastern Tujue and made Li Zhaode and fellow chancellor Su Weidao
Huaiyi's assistants, although Eastern Tujue forces withdrew before the army could launch, and therefore the army never set out. It was said that when Li Zhaode had a disagreement with Huaiyi, Huaiyi began to hit him, and Li Zhaode, despite his reputation for fortitude, was fearful and apologized.
Meanwhile, Li Zhaode gained a reputation for monopolizing power, drawing hatred from other officials. Later in 694, after petitions by the officials Qiu Yin (丘愔) and Deng Zhu (鄧注) that accused Li Zhaode of abuse of power, Wu Zetian began to dislike Li Zhaode. In fall 694, she demoted Li Zhaode to be the sheriff of Nanbin County (南賓, in modern Qinzhou
, Guangxi
). She also soon sentenced Li Zhaode to death but commuted the sentence to removal from office and exile. Fellow chancellors Doulu Qinwang
, Wei Juyuan
, Du Jingjian
, Su, and Lu Yuanfang
were accused of not being able to curb in Li Zhaode's abuses and were demoted.
, previously in place, was renewed. Further, on one occasion, eh insulted Huangfu Wenbei (皇甫文備) the deputy minister of justice. In 697, Lai and Huangfu therefore falsely accused Li Zhaode of treason, and Li Zhaode was arrested.
Meanwhile, however, Lai himself was said to be plotting to further falsely accuse the Wu clan princes, Princess Taiping
, Li Dan, and Li Dan's brother Li Zhe
the Prince of Luling, of plotting treason. When this was revealed by his friend Wei Suizhong (衛遂忠), the Wu clan princes and Princess Taiping accused him of crimes. Later in 697, Lai and Li Zhaode were executed on the same day, and it was said that there was no one who did not mourn Li Zhaode while rejoicing at Lai's death. Li Zhaode was eventually posthumously honored during both the resumed reign of Li Zhe (Emperor Zhongzong) in 706 and Emperor Dezong
in 782.
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 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
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...
. He was executed on the same day as Lai, who was in turn accused by others of treason.
Background
It is not known when Li Zhaode was born, but it is known that his family was from the Tang DynastyTang 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...
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...
. His father Li Qianyou (李乾佑) served as an imperial censor during the reign of Tang's second emperor 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...
and later as minister of justice during the reign of Emperor Taizong's son and Wu Zetian's husband 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...
, and was known for his honesty but carelessness with words. Li Zhaode was the son of a concubine of Li Qianyou, and was said to be capable and strong-willed like his father, and 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. He was eventually promoted to be an assistant censor (御史中丞, Yushi Zhongcheng), but in 689, during the reign of Emperor Gaozong's son Emperor Ruizong
Emperor Ruizong of Tang
Emperor Ruizong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Dàn , known at times during his life as Li Xulun , Li Lun , Wu Lun , and Wu Dan , was the fifth and ninth emperor of Tang Dynasty...
, he was accused of improprieties unspecified in history and briefly exiled to be the sheriff of Lingshui County (陵水, modern Lingshui, Hainan
Hainan
Hainan is the smallest province of the People's Republic of China . Although the province comprises some two hundred islands scattered among three archipelagos off the southern coast, of its land mass is Hainan Island , from which the province takes its name...
), but was eventually recalled to be one of the three deputy ministers of defense (夏官侍郎, Xiaguan Shilang), along with Lou Shide
Lou Shide
Lou Shide , courtesy name Zongren , formally Viscount Zhen of Qiao , was an official and general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, twice serving as chancellor during Wu Zetian's reign....
and Hou Zhiyi (侯知一).
As chancellor
As of 692 -- after Wu Zetian had seized the throne from her son Emperor Ruizong in 690 and taken the throne herself, establishing Zhou and interrupting Tang -- Li Zhaode was still serving as the deputy minister of defense when he secretly suggested to Wu Zetian that her nephew Wu ChengsiWu Chengsi
Wu Chengsi , formally Prince Xuan of Wei , was a nephew of Chinese sovereign Wu Zetian and an imperial prince during her Zhou Dynasty...
the Prince of Wei was becoming too powerful. She initially responded, "He is my nephew, and so I I trust him." Li Zhaode responded:
She was persuaded, and in fall 692, she reorganized her administration, removing Wu Chengsi, his cousin Wu Youning
Wu Youning
Wu Youning , formally the Duke of Jiang , was an imperial prince during the reign of Wu Zetian and served as chancellor both during her regency over her son Emperor Ruizong of Tang and her own reign....
, and fellow chancellor Yang Zhirou
Yang Zhirou
Yang Zhirou was an official of Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving briefly as chancellor.It is not known when Yang Zhirou was born. What is known is that his grandfather Yang Xu , a member of Tang Dynasty's predecessor Sui Dynasty's imperial clan, was a brother of the early Tang chancellors Yang...
from their positions as chancellors. As part of the reorganization, Li Zhaode was made Fengge Shilang (鳳閣侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau of government (鳳閣, Fengge), and given the designation of Tong Fengge Luantai Pingzhangshi (同鳳閣鸞臺平章事), making him a chancellor de facto; also made chancellors at the same time were Cui Yuanzong
Cui Yuanzong
Cui Yuanzong was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during Wu Zetian's reign.- Background :...
, Yao Shu
Yao Shu
Yao Shu , courtesy name Lingzhang , formally Count Cheng of Wuxing , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving twice as chancellor during Wu Zetian's reign.- Background :...
, Li Yuansu
Li Yuansu
Li Yuansu was an official of Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving twice as chancellor.Li Yuansu was the younger brother of Li Jingxuan, who served as chancellor during the reign of Wu Zetian's husband Emperor Gaozong of Tang. It was said that he, like Li Jingxuan, showed abilities as an official...
, and Cui Shenji
Cui Shenji
Cui Shenji , formally the Duke of Qingqiu , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, briefly serving as chancellor during Wu Zetian's reign....
, and several days later, so was Wang Xuan
Wang Xuan (Second Zhou)
Wang Xuan was an official of Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, briefly serving as chancellor.Despite Wang's high status, little is firmly established about his career except for the time that he served as chancellor—as, unusual for a chancellor, he did not have a biography in either the Book of Tang or...
. Around that time, there was a group of petitioners led by one Wang Qingzhi (王慶之), who advocated that Wu Chengsi be made crown prince, displacing her son Li Dan (the former Emperor Ruizong), and Wu Zetian, while not granting the petition, permitted Wang to see her frequently in the palace. However, Wang was coming too the palace too often, displeasing her, and she ordered Li Zhaode to batter Wang -- and Li Zhaode, quite intentionally, battered Wang to death, causing the group of petitioners he led to disband. He then spoke to Wu Zetian:
Wu Zetian agreed with his rationale and did not make Wu Chengsi crown prince. Because of this, Wu Chengsi despised Li Zhaode and tried to speak against him, but Wu Zetian responded, "I can only sleep because I promoted Li Zhaode, as he took over the hard work on my behalf. Do not speak further."
Meanwhile, Wu Zetian was rebuilding the 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...
to make it a magnificent capital, and Li Zhaode was particularly said to be responsible for the magnificence of the new executive bureau (文昌臺, Wenchang Tai) building, as well as Dingding (定鼎門) and Shangdong (上東門) Gates. He also built Luoyang's outer walls. Moreover, there was a bridge over the Luo River (洛水, flowing near Luoyang) near the Changxia Gate (長夏門) that the minister of agriculture Wei Ji (韋機) had built during Emperor Gaozong's reign that was useful and had heavy traffic, but was repeatedly damaged by the flow of the Luo River and required constant repairs. Li Zhaode devised a stone formation before the bridge that diverted the water strength, which allowed the bridge to stand without further damage. It was also said that Li Zhaode did much to try to curb the power of Wu Zetian's secret police officials, who were often falsely accusing people of treason and killing them, and that he, in particular, killed 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...
.
In 694, Li Zhaode was made acting Neishi (內史), the head of the legislative bureau and a post considered one for a chancellor. Also around that time, Wu Zetian put her lover Huaiyi
Huaiyi
Huaiyi , né Feng Xiaobao , sometimes referred to as Xue Huaiyi , was a Buddhist monk who was known for being the lover of Wu Zetian, the only woman to be commonly recognized as "emperor" in the history of China....
the Duke of E in command of an army against Eastern Tujue and made Li Zhaode and fellow chancellor 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 :...
Huaiyi's assistants, although Eastern Tujue forces withdrew before the army could launch, and therefore the army never set out. It was said that when Li Zhaode had a disagreement with Huaiyi, Huaiyi began to hit him, and Li Zhaode, despite his reputation for fortitude, was fearful and apologized.
Meanwhile, Li Zhaode gained a reputation for monopolizing power, drawing hatred from other officials. Later in 694, after petitions by the officials Qiu Yin (丘愔) and Deng Zhu (鄧注) that accused Li Zhaode of abuse of power, Wu Zetian began to dislike Li Zhaode. In fall 694, she demoted Li Zhaode to be the sheriff of Nanbin County (南賓, in modern Qinzhou
Qinzhou
Qinzhou is a municipal region in Guangxi, People's Republic of China.The municipality lies on the Gulf of Tonkin and has a population of 944, 000.-Administration:The Qinzhou municipal region comprises two districts and two counties....
, Guangxi
Guangxi
Guangxi, formerly romanized Kwangsi, is a province of southern China along its border with Vietnam. In 1958, it became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, a region with special privileges created specifically for the Zhuang people.Guangxi's location, in...
). She also soon sentenced Li Zhaode to death but commuted the sentence to removal from office and exile. 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...
, Du Jingjian
Du Jingjian
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....
, Su, 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...
were accused of not being able to curb in Li Zhaode's abuses and were demoted.
Return from exile and death
At a later point, however, Li Zhaode was recalled from exile to serve as imperial censor (監察御史, Jiancha Yushi), and his enmity with the secret police official Lai JunchenLai 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...
, previously in place, was renewed. Further, on one occasion, eh insulted Huangfu Wenbei (皇甫文備) the deputy minister of justice. In 697, Lai and Huangfu therefore falsely accused Li Zhaode of treason, and Li Zhaode was arrested.
Meanwhile, however, Lai himself was said to be plotting to further falsely accuse the Wu clan princes, Princess Taiping
Princess Taiping
Princess Taiping was a princess of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and her mother Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty. She was the youngest daughter of Wu Zetian and Emperor Gaozong and was powerful during the reigns of her mother and her elder brothers Emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Ruizong , particularly...
, Li Dan, and Li Dan's brother Li Zhe
Emperor Zhongzong of Tang
Emperor Zhongzong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Xiǎn , at times during his life Li Zhe and Wu Xian , was the fourth Emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling briefly in 684 and again from 705 to 710.Emperor Zhongzong was the son of Emperor Gaozong of Tang and Empress Wu...
the Prince of Luling, of plotting treason. When this was revealed by his friend Wei Suizhong (衛遂忠), the Wu clan princes and Princess Taiping accused him of crimes. Later in 697, Lai and Li Zhaode were executed on the same day, and it was said that there was no one who did not mourn Li Zhaode while rejoicing at Lai's death. Li Zhaode was eventually posthumously honored during both the resumed reign of Li Zhe (Emperor Zhongzong) in 706 and Emperor Dezong
Emperor Dezong of Tang
Emperor Dezong of Tang , personally name Li Kuo , was an emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty and the oldest son of his father Emperor Daizong. His reign of 26 years was the third longest in the Tang dynasty...
in 782.