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Li Jue (Tang dynasty)
Li Jue (李珏 or 李玨) (c. 784?–852?), courtesy name Daijia (待價), formally Duke Zhenmu of Zanhuang (贊皇貞穆公), was a Chinese military general and politician during the Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Wenzong and (briefly) Emperor Wenzong's brother Emperor Wuzong. He was considered one of the leaders of the Niu Faction in the Niu-Li Factional Struggles.
Li Jue was born in 784, or possibly 785, during the reign of Emperor Dezong. He claimed ancestry from the eastern branch of the prominent Li clan of Zhao Commandery (趙郡, in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei), which claimed ancestry from the Warring States period state Zhao's prominent general Li Mu. However, Li Jue's ancestry was not conclusively traceable past his fifth-generation ancestor Li E (李諤), who held a ducal title during Tang dynasty's predecessor dynasty Sui dynasty. His grandfather Li Guangchao (李光朝) served as a military advisor to a prefectural prefect, while his father Li Zhongshu (李仲塾) served as an assistant to the director of the iron and salt monopolies.
In his youth, Li Jue's family lived in Huaiyin (淮陰, in modern Huai'an, Jiangsu). He lost his father early, and he was said to have served his mother with well-known filial piety. After attaining adulthood, he passed the imperial examinations, in the Mingjing class, which was not considered as prestigious as the Jinshi class. When the former chancellor Li Jiang, who was then the prefect of Hua Prefecture (華州, in modern Weinan, Shaanxi), saw Li Jue, he stated to Li Jue that it was inappropriate for someone as talented as he to have only passed the Mingjing class, so he recommended Li Jue to enter the Jinshi examinations, and Li Jue passed with high scores. The military governor (Jiedushi) of Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Jiaozuo, Henan), Wu Chongyin, subsequently invited Li Jue to serve on his staff. After Li Jue later passed a special examination for those making good rulings, he was made the sheriff of Weinan County (渭南, in modern Weinan). He was eventually made You Shiyi (右拾遺), a low-level advisory official at the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng).
In 820, Emperor Dezong's great-grandson Emperor Muzong became emperor after the death of his father Emperor Xianzong. That year, shortly after Emperor Muzong ended his mourning period for his father, he wanted to hold a grand feast in honor of the great generals Li Guangyan and Li Su. Li Jue, believing this to be inappropriate so soon after Emperor Xianzong's death, submitted a petition jointly with his colleagues Yuwen Ding (宇文鼎), Wen Yu (溫畬), Wei Guan (韋瓘), and Feng Yao (馮藥), urging against it. It was said that while Emperor Muzong did not accept their advice, he treated them with kindness.
In 821, the director of salt and iron monopolies, Wang Bo, increased the tea tax by 50%. Li Jue submitted a petition, arguing that the tax rate was too high, but his argument was not accepted, as Wang Bo had increased the tax in order to pay for Emperor Muzong's palace construction projects. As Li Jue's repeated advice was not accepted, he left the capital Chang'an to serve as the magistrate of Xiagui County (下邽, in modern Weinan). Later, during the reign of Emperor Muzong's son Emperor Jingzong of Tang, when the former chancellor Niu Sengru served as the military governor of Wuchang Circuit (武昌, headquartered in modern Wuhan, Hubei), he invited Li Jue to serve as his secretary.
At some point, probably early during the reign of Emperor Jingzong's younger brother Emperor Wenzong, Li Jue was recalled to Chang'an to serve as a low-level imperial censor with the title of Dianzhong Shiyushi (殿中侍御史). The chancellor Wei Chuhou, impressed with him, stated, "He is someone who is capable of cleaning up the government halls. Why have him just serve as someone who attacks?" Li Jue was subsequently made Libu Yuanwailang (禮部員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of rites (禮部, Libu). In 831, by which time Niu Sengru and Niu's ally Li Zongmin were chancellors, Li Jue was promoted to be Duzhi Langzhong (度支郎中), a supervisory official at the ministry of census (戶部, Hubu) and was put in charge of drafting edicts; he was thereafter also made an imperial scholar (翰林學士, Hanlin Xueshi). In 833, he was made Zhongshu Sheren (中書舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau. In summer 835, he was made the deputy minister of census (戶部侍郎, Hubu Shilang). In fall 835, after Li Zongmin offended Emperor Wenzong and was removed from his post, and Li Jue also offended Emperor Wenzong and Emperor Wenzong's close associate Zheng Zhu by refusing to meet with Zheng, he was sent out of the capital to serve as the prefect of Jiang Prefecture (江州, in modern Jiujiang, Jiangxi).
In 836 — after Zheng and another close associate of Emperor Wenzong's, Li Xun, had been killed after failing in a plot that they hatched with Emperor Wenzong to slaughter the powerful eunuchs — Li Jue was made an advisor to Emperor Wenzong's son and crown prince Li Yong, but ordered to have his office at the eastern capital Luoyang. He was subsequently made the mayor of Henan Municipality (河南, i.e., the Luoyang region). In 837, by which time Li Guyan was chancellor, Li Guyan, who was friendly with him, had him recalled to Chang'an to again serve as the deputy minister of census. In 838, apparently at Li Guyan's recommendation, Li Jue and Yang Sifu were made chancellors with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事), and Li Jue also continued to serve as deputy minister of census.
Immediately, Li Jue's chancellor colleague Chen Yixing was said to despise Yang Sifu and offered to resign, but Chen's request to resign was not accepted by Emperor Wenzong. Further, as Yang advocated for Li Zongmin, who had been exiled, to be moved closer to the capital, and Chen and another chancellor, Zheng Tan, both opposed. It was said that from this point, Yang and Li Jue were often in a factional struggle against Chen and Zheng, causing Emperor Wenzong to be unable to rule on their proposals easily. Meanwhile, as Emperor Wenzong had a love of poetry, he considered establishing imperial scholar positions dedicated to the study of poetry, but Li Jue opposed, pointing out that the popular poetry at the time were stylistically elegant but devoid of content. Emperor Wenzong thus did not carry out his original idea.
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Li Jue (Tang dynasty)
Li Jue (李珏 or 李玨) (c. 784?–852?), courtesy name Daijia (待價), formally Duke Zhenmu of Zanhuang (贊皇貞穆公), was a Chinese military general and politician during the Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Wenzong and (briefly) Emperor Wenzong's brother Emperor Wuzong. He was considered one of the leaders of the Niu Faction in the Niu-Li Factional Struggles.
Li Jue was born in 784, or possibly 785, during the reign of Emperor Dezong. He claimed ancestry from the eastern branch of the prominent Li clan of Zhao Commandery (趙郡, in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei), which claimed ancestry from the Warring States period state Zhao's prominent general Li Mu. However, Li Jue's ancestry was not conclusively traceable past his fifth-generation ancestor Li E (李諤), who held a ducal title during Tang dynasty's predecessor dynasty Sui dynasty. His grandfather Li Guangchao (李光朝) served as a military advisor to a prefectural prefect, while his father Li Zhongshu (李仲塾) served as an assistant to the director of the iron and salt monopolies.
In his youth, Li Jue's family lived in Huaiyin (淮陰, in modern Huai'an, Jiangsu). He lost his father early, and he was said to have served his mother with well-known filial piety. After attaining adulthood, he passed the imperial examinations, in the Mingjing class, which was not considered as prestigious as the Jinshi class. When the former chancellor Li Jiang, who was then the prefect of Hua Prefecture (華州, in modern Weinan, Shaanxi), saw Li Jue, he stated to Li Jue that it was inappropriate for someone as talented as he to have only passed the Mingjing class, so he recommended Li Jue to enter the Jinshi examinations, and Li Jue passed with high scores. The military governor (Jiedushi) of Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Jiaozuo, Henan), Wu Chongyin, subsequently invited Li Jue to serve on his staff. After Li Jue later passed a special examination for those making good rulings, he was made the sheriff of Weinan County (渭南, in modern Weinan). He was eventually made You Shiyi (右拾遺), a low-level advisory official at the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng).
In 820, Emperor Dezong's great-grandson Emperor Muzong became emperor after the death of his father Emperor Xianzong. That year, shortly after Emperor Muzong ended his mourning period for his father, he wanted to hold a grand feast in honor of the great generals Li Guangyan and Li Su. Li Jue, believing this to be inappropriate so soon after Emperor Xianzong's death, submitted a petition jointly with his colleagues Yuwen Ding (宇文鼎), Wen Yu (溫畬), Wei Guan (韋瓘), and Feng Yao (馮藥), urging against it. It was said that while Emperor Muzong did not accept their advice, he treated them with kindness.
In 821, the director of salt and iron monopolies, Wang Bo, increased the tea tax by 50%. Li Jue submitted a petition, arguing that the tax rate was too high, but his argument was not accepted, as Wang Bo had increased the tax in order to pay for Emperor Muzong's palace construction projects. As Li Jue's repeated advice was not accepted, he left the capital Chang'an to serve as the magistrate of Xiagui County (下邽, in modern Weinan). Later, during the reign of Emperor Muzong's son Emperor Jingzong of Tang, when the former chancellor Niu Sengru served as the military governor of Wuchang Circuit (武昌, headquartered in modern Wuhan, Hubei), he invited Li Jue to serve as his secretary.
At some point, probably early during the reign of Emperor Jingzong's younger brother Emperor Wenzong, Li Jue was recalled to Chang'an to serve as a low-level imperial censor with the title of Dianzhong Shiyushi (殿中侍御史). The chancellor Wei Chuhou, impressed with him, stated, "He is someone who is capable of cleaning up the government halls. Why have him just serve as someone who attacks?" Li Jue was subsequently made Libu Yuanwailang (禮部員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of rites (禮部, Libu). In 831, by which time Niu Sengru and Niu's ally Li Zongmin were chancellors, Li Jue was promoted to be Duzhi Langzhong (度支郎中), a supervisory official at the ministry of census (戶部, Hubu) and was put in charge of drafting edicts; he was thereafter also made an imperial scholar (翰林學士, Hanlin Xueshi). In 833, he was made Zhongshu Sheren (中書舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau. In summer 835, he was made the deputy minister of census (戶部侍郎, Hubu Shilang). In fall 835, after Li Zongmin offended Emperor Wenzong and was removed from his post, and Li Jue also offended Emperor Wenzong and Emperor Wenzong's close associate Zheng Zhu by refusing to meet with Zheng, he was sent out of the capital to serve as the prefect of Jiang Prefecture (江州, in modern Jiujiang, Jiangxi).
In 836 — after Zheng and another close associate of Emperor Wenzong's, Li Xun, had been killed after failing in a plot that they hatched with Emperor Wenzong to slaughter the powerful eunuchs — Li Jue was made an advisor to Emperor Wenzong's son and crown prince Li Yong, but ordered to have his office at the eastern capital Luoyang. He was subsequently made the mayor of Henan Municipality (河南, i.e., the Luoyang region). In 837, by which time Li Guyan was chancellor, Li Guyan, who was friendly with him, had him recalled to Chang'an to again serve as the deputy minister of census. In 838, apparently at Li Guyan's recommendation, Li Jue and Yang Sifu were made chancellors with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事), and Li Jue also continued to serve as deputy minister of census.
Immediately, Li Jue's chancellor colleague Chen Yixing was said to despise Yang Sifu and offered to resign, but Chen's request to resign was not accepted by Emperor Wenzong. Further, as Yang advocated for Li Zongmin, who had been exiled, to be moved closer to the capital, and Chen and another chancellor, Zheng Tan, both opposed. It was said that from this point, Yang and Li Jue were often in a factional struggle against Chen and Zheng, causing Emperor Wenzong to be unable to rule on their proposals easily. Meanwhile, as Emperor Wenzong had a love of poetry, he considered establishing imperial scholar positions dedicated to the study of poetry, but Li Jue opposed, pointing out that the popular poetry at the time were stylistically elegant but devoid of content. Emperor Wenzong thus did not carry out his original idea.