Lu Xisheng
Encyclopedia
Lu Xisheng (d. 895) was an official of the Chinese
dynasty Tang Dynasty
, serving briefly as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Zhaozong
.
state Qi, and traced its subsequent ancestry through officials of Han Dynasty
, Jin Dynasty (265-420)
, Liu Song, Southern Qi
, Liang Dynasty
, Chen Dynasty
, and Tang Dynasty
. Both Lu Xisheng's great-great-great-grandfather Lu Yuanfang
and Lu Yuanfang's son Lu Xiangxian
served as chancellors — Lu Yuanfang under the female sovereign Wu Zetian
, who interrupted Tang and established her own state of Zhou, and Lu Xiangxian under Wu Zetian's son Emperor Ruizong of Tang
and grandson Emperor Xuanzong
. Lu Xisheng was descended from Lu Xiangxian's younger brother Lu Jingrong (陸景融). His grandfather Lu Mengru (陸孟儒) served under a prefectural prefect, and his father Lu Ao (陸翱) was not listed with any official titles.
, the Spring and Autumn Annals
, and the Tao Te Ching
well, and wrote many commentaries. At one point, he served on the staff of Zheng Yu (鄭愚) the prefect of Shang Prefecture (商州, in modern Shangluo
, Shaanxi
), at Zheng's request. After he left his service under Zheng, he became a hermit in Yixing
. After a long period of time, he was summoned by the imperial government to serve as You Shiyi (右拾遺), an advisory official at the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng). It was said that at that time the ruling officials were corrupt, and there had been several years of bad harvests, with the situation being particularly severe in the region of Bian (汴州, in modern Kaifeng
, Henan
) and Song (宋州, in modern Shangqiu
, Henan
) Prefectures. Lu realized the severity of the situation and submitted petitions that warned that these conditions would be prime for the appearance of agrarian rebels, but apparently his petition drew no reactions. The next year, as he warned, the agrarian rebel Wang Xianzhi
started a major rebellion. Lu later served as the prefect of She Prefecture (歙州, in modern Huangshan
, Anhui
). Emperor Zhaozong
heard of his fame, and recalled him to the imperial government to serve as imperial attendant (給事中, Geishizhong).
, Emperor Zhaozong made Lu Xisheng the deputy minister of census (戶部侍郎, Hubu Shilang) and a chancellor with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事). However, it was said that Lu did nothing important while being chancellor. He was removed from chancellorship just three months later and made an advisor to the Crown Prince
. Later in the year, when Emperor Zhaozong fled the capital Chang'an
into the Qinling Mountains
due to the attack by the warlords Li Maozhen
the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji
, Shaanxi
) and Wang Xingyu
the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (靜難, headquartered in modern Xianyang
, Shaanxi
), Lu followed despite his being ill at the time. He apparently died during flight, and was subsequently given posthumous honors and the posthumous name
of Wen (文, "civil").
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 briefly as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Zhaozong
Emperor Zhaozong of Tang
Emperor Zhaozong of Tang , né Li Jie , name later changed to Li Min , yet later name changed to Li Ye , was the penultimate emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China. He reigned from 888 to 904...
.
Background
It is not known when Lu Xisheng was born. His family claimed ancestry from the ruling house of Tian of the Warring States PeriodWarring States Period
The Warring States Period , also known as the Era of Warring States, or the Warring Kingdoms period, covers the Iron Age period from about 475 BC to the reunification of China under the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC...
state Qi, and traced its subsequent ancestry through officials of Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
, Jin Dynasty (265-420)
Jìn Dynasty (265-420)
The Jìn Dynasty , was a dynasty in Chinese history, lasting between the years 265 and 420 AD. There are two main divisions in the history of the Dynasty, the first being Western Jin and the second Eastern Jin...
, Liu Song, Southern Qi
Southern Qi
The Southern Qi Dynasty was the second of the Southern dynasties in China, followed by the Liang Dynasty. During its 23-year history, the dynasty was largely filled with instability, as after the death of the capable Emperor Gao and Emperor Wu, Emperor Wu's grandson Xiao Zhaoye was assassinated...
, Liang Dynasty
Liang Dynasty
The Liang Dynasty , also known as the Southern Liang Dynasty , was the third of the Southern dynasties in China and was followed by the Chen Dynasty...
, Chen Dynasty
Chen Dynasty
The Chen Dynasty , also known as the Southern Chen Dynasty, was the fourth and last of the Southern dynasties in China, eventually destroyed by the Sui Dynasty....
, and 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...
. Both Lu Xisheng's great-great-great-grandfather 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...
and Lu Yuanfang's son Lu Xiangxian
Lu Xiangxian
Lu Xiangxian , né Lu Jingchu , formally Duke Wenzhen of Yan , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Ruizong and Emperor Xuanzong.- Background :Lu Jingchu was born in 665, during the reign of Emperor...
served as chancellors — Lu Yuanfang under the female sovereign 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...
, who interrupted Tang and established her own state of Zhou, and Lu Xiangxian under Wu Zetian's son Emperor Ruizong of Tang
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...
and grandson Emperor Xuanzong
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang , also commonly known as Emperor Ming of Tang , personal name Li Longji , known as Wu Longji from 690 to 705, was the seventh emperor of the Tang dynasty in China, reigning from 712 to 756. His reign of 43 years was the longest during the Tang Dynasty...
. Lu Xisheng was descended from Lu Xiangxian's younger brother Lu Jingrong (陸景融). His grandfather Lu Mengru (陸孟儒) served under a prefectural prefect, and his father Lu Ao (陸翱) was not listed with any official titles.
Early career
It was said that Lu Xisheng was studious and was good at writing. He particularly understood the I ChingI Ching
The I Ching or "Yì Jīng" , also known as the Classic of Changes, Book of Changes and Zhouyi, is one of the oldest of the Chinese classic texts...
, the Spring and Autumn Annals
Spring and Autumn Annals
The Spring and Autumn Annals is the official chronicle of the State of Lu covering the period from 722 BCE to 481 BCE. It is the earliest surviving Chinese historical text to be arranged on annalistic principles. The text is extremely concise and, if all the commentaries are excluded, about 16,000...
, and the Tao Te Ching
Tao Te Ching
The Tao Te Ching, Dao De Jing, or Daodejing , also simply referred to as the Laozi, whose authorship has been attributed to Laozi, is a Chinese classic text...
well, and wrote many commentaries. At one point, he served on the staff of Zheng Yu (鄭愚) the prefect of Shang Prefecture (商州, in modern Shangluo
Shangluo
-Administrative divisions:...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
), at Zheng's request. After he left his service under Zheng, he became a hermit in Yixing
Yixing
Yixing is a county-level city in Jiangsu province, in eastern China with a population of 1.3 million. It is well-known for its Yixing clay and the pottery -- especially the "zisha"-style teapots -- made from the clay...
. After a long period of time, he was summoned by the imperial government to serve as You Shiyi (右拾遺), an advisory official at the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng). It was said that at that time the ruling officials were corrupt, and there had been several years of bad harvests, with the situation being particularly severe in the region of Bian (汴州, in modern Kaifeng
Kaifeng
Kaifeng , known previously by several names , is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, Central China. Nearly 5 million people live in the metropolitan area...
, 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...
) and Song (宋州, in modern Shangqiu
Shangqiu
Shangqiu is a city in eastern Henan province, Central China. It borders Kaifeng to the northwest, Zhoukou to the southwest, and the provinces of Shandong and Anhui to the northeast and southeast respectively. An ancient city with a rich history, Shangqiu was also the first capital of the Shang...
, 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...
) Prefectures. Lu realized the severity of the situation and submitted petitions that warned that these conditions would be prime for the appearance of agrarian rebels, but apparently his petition drew no reactions. The next year, as he warned, the agrarian rebel Wang Xianzhi
Wang Xianzhi
Wang Xianzhi , courtesy name Zijing , was a famous Chinese calligrapher of the Eastern Jin.He was the seventh and youngest son of the famed Wang Xizhi. Wang inherited his father's talent for the art, although his siblings were all notable calligraphers. His style is more fluid than his father's,...
started a major rebellion. Lu later served as the prefect of She Prefecture (歙州, in modern Huangshan
Huangshan
Huangshan may refer to:*Huangshan , a scenic mountain range and UNESCO World Heritage Site*Huangshan City, a prefecture-level city centered on the Huangshan Mountains...
, Anhui
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
). Emperor Zhaozong
Emperor Zhaozong of Tang
Emperor Zhaozong of Tang , né Li Jie , name later changed to Li Min , yet later name changed to Li Ye , was the penultimate emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China. He reigned from 888 to 904...
heard of his fame, and recalled him to the imperial government to serve as imperial attendant (給事中, Geishizhong).
Chancellorship and after chancellorship
In 895895
Year 895 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* The seven tribes of the Magyars settle in the Carpathian Basin under the leadership of Árpád...
, Emperor Zhaozong made Lu Xisheng the deputy minister of census (戶部侍郎, Hubu Shilang) and a chancellor with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事). However, it was said that Lu did nothing important while being chancellor. He was removed from chancellorship just three months later and made an advisor to the 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....
. Later in the year, when Emperor Zhaozong fled 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...
into the Qinling Mountains
Qinling Mountains
The Qin Mountains are a major east-west mountain range in southern Shaanxi province, China. The mountains provide a natural boundary between the North and South of the country, and support a huge variety of plant and wildlife, some of which is found nowhere else on Earth.To the north is the...
due to the attack by the warlords Li Maozhen
Li Maozhen
Li Maozhen , né Song Wentong , courtesy name Zhengchen , formally Prince Zhongjing of Qin , was the only ruler of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Qi...
the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji
Baoji
Baoji is a prefecture-level city in Shaanxi province, China.-Geography:The prefecture-level city of Baoji has a population of 3,716,731 according to the 2010 Chinese census, inhabiting an area of . The city itself has a population of approximately 800,000. Surrounded on three sides by hills,...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
) and Wang Xingyu
Wang Xingyu
Wang Xingyu was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who controlled Jingnan Circuit from 887 to his death in 895...
the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (靜難, headquartered in modern Xianyang
Xianyang
Xianyang is a former capital of China in Shaanxi province, on the Wei River, a few kilometers upstream from Xi'an. It has an area of...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
), Lu followed despite his being ill at the time. He apparently died during flight, and was subsequently given posthumous honors and the posthumous name
Posthumous name
A posthumous name is an honorary name given to royalty, nobles, and sometimes others, in East Asia after the person's death, and is used almost exclusively instead of one's personal name or other official titles during his life...
of Wen (文, "civil").