Li Shen
Li Shen (李紳) (died July 29, 846
Background
It is not known when Li Shen was born. His family claimed ancestry from the southern branch of the prominent Li clan of Zhao Commandery (趙郡, roughly modern
Li Shen was five years old when Li Wu died, and he therefore was raised by his mother Lady Lu, who taught him the
During Emperor Xianzong's reign
Early in the Yuanhe era (806–821) of
During Emperor Muzong's reign
As of the ascension of reign of Emperor Xianzong's son
In 822, Li Shen was made Zhongshu Sheren (中書舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau, and continued to be in charge of drafting edicts.[4] Soon thereafter, Yuan was made chancellor but only served a short time before he was removed, allegedly at the machination of his fellow chancellor Li Fengji.[4][6] It was further said that Li Fengji wanted Niu Sengru to be chancellor, and believed that Li Deyu and Li Shen would oppose, and therefore had Li Deyu sent out of Chang'an to serve as the governor (觀察使, Guanchashi) of Zhexi Circuit (浙西, i.e., Zhenhai).[4] However, he could not think of a way to remove Li Shen initially. In 823, the position of deputy chief imperial censor (御史中丞, Yushi Zhongcheng) was open, and Li Fengji recommended Li Shen for the post – and then manufactured a conflict between Li Shen and Han Yu the mayor of Jingzhao Municipality (京兆, i.e., the Chang'an region). (Per regulations, to honor the censors, the mayor of Jingzhao was supposed to pay tribute by visiting the Office of the Imperial Censors, but as Han was bestowed an honorary title as chief imperial censor, Li Fengji ordered that he did not have to carry out that regulation, leading to mutual accusations between Li Shen and Han of disrespect.) Li Fengji thus reported to Emperor Muzong that the two could not work with each other. As a result, Emperor Muzong made Han the deputy minister of defense (兵部侍郎, Bingbu Shilang) and Li Shen the governor of Jiangxi Circuit (江西, headquartered in modern Nanchang, Jiangxi). However, when Han and Li Shen went to visit Emperor Muzong to thank him for the commissions, he questioned them as to the nature of their conflict, and realized that Li Fengji had manufactured it. He thus kept Li Shen at Chang'an as the deputy minister of census (戶部侍郎, Hubu Shilang).[8]
During Emperor Jingzong's reign
In 824, Emperor Muzong died and was succeeded by his son Emperor Jingzong. Li Fengji, who remained powerful after the transition, continued to resent Li Shen, and soon thereafter his ally, the eunuch Wang Shoucheng, told Emperor Jingzong that Li Shen and the former chancellor Du Yuanying had supported Emperor Muzong's brother Li Cong (李悰) the Prince of Shen as emperor, rather than Emperor Jingzong. As a result, Li Shen was exiled and demoted to be the military advisor to the prefect of Duan Prefecture (端州, in modern Zhaoqing, Guangdong). Emperor Jingzong further agreed to put Li Shen to death, but after a defense of Li Shen submitted by the imperial scholar Wei Chuhou, Emperor Jingzong discovered past petitions in which Li Shen had sought to have him made crown prince. Emperor Jingzong, while not recalling Li Shen back to Chang'an, did not further carry out actions against Li Shen.[8]
In 825, when Emperor Jingzong issued a general pardon, the text of the general pardon initially indicated that those exiled officials who had been moved closer to Chang'an previously could be again moved closer – without stating that those who had not been could be as well. Wei submitted an objection, pointing out that the text had been written in the way that it was because Li Fengji was apprehensive that Li Shen would be moved closer to the capital. Emperor Jingzong had the text rewritten so that those who had not been moved closer to Chang'an before could be moved, and Li Shen was thereafter made the secretary general of Jiang Prefecture (江州, in modern Jiujiang, Jiangxi).[8] He was eventually made the prefect of Chu Prefecture (滁洲, in modern Chuzhou, Anhui) and then of Shou Prefecture (壽州, in modern Lu'an, Anhui), and then advisor to the crown prince,[9] with his office at the eastern capital Luoyang.[5]
During Emperor Wenzong's reign
In 833, during the reign of Emperor Jingzong's brother and successor Emperor Wenzong, when Li Deyu was chancellor, Li Shen was made the governor of Zhedong Circuit (浙東, headquartered in modern Shaoxing, Zhejiang) and the prefect of its capital Yue Prefecture (越州). In 835, with their political adversary Li Zongmin as chancellor as well, Li Deyu was removed from his chancellor position due to the collaboration between Li Zongmin and Emperor Wenzong's close associates Li Xun and Zheng Zhu; Li Shen was subsequently made an advisor to Emperor Wenzong's son and crown prince Li Yong, again with his office at Luoyang.[4]
In 836, with the Li Faction figure Zheng Tan as chancellor, Li Shen was made the mayor of Henan Municipality (河南, i.e., the Luoyang region). Later in the year, he was made the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan) and the prefect of its capital Bian Prefecture (汴州). In 837, when the realm suffered a great locust infestation, Xuanwu Circuit was somehow not affected, and as Emperor Wenzong considered this to be due to the virtues of Li Shen, he issued an edict praising Li Shen.[4]
During Emperor Wuzong's reign
Emperor Wenzong died in 840 and was succeeded by his brother Emperor Wuzong. Soon thereafter, Li Deyu became the leading chancellor,[10] and Li Shen was made the acting military governor of Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu).[4] Li Shen was the military governor when he, in 842, went to Chang'an to pay homage to Emperor Wuzong, and thereafter was made Zhongshu Shilang (中書侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau, and a chancellor de facto with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事). He was also made the acting director of the treasury.[10] Thereafter, he was created the Duke of Zhao.[4]
In 844, Li Shen suffered a stroke that made it difficult for him to walk. He therefore offered to resign.[4] Emperor Wuzong made him the military governor of Huainan, carrying the Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi title as an honorary title.[2]
In 845, Li Shen accused one of his subordinates, the magistrate of Jiangdu (江都, in modern Yangzhou), Wu Xiang (吳湘), whose uncle Wu Wuling (吳武陵) had long had an adversarial relationship with Li Deyu, of embezzlement and forcibly marrying the daughter of a commoner, Yan Yue (顏悅). Many advisory officials pointed out that the evidence against Wu Xiang was weak, and Emperor Wuzong sent the censors Cui Yuanzao (崔元藻) and Li Chou (李稠) to review the case. Cui and Li Chou reported that Wu Xiang did embezzle funds, but that his father-in-law Yan was not a commoner, nor was the marriage forced. Li Deyu, despite Cui's and Li Chou's report, nevertheless had Wu Xiang executed, and further, retaliating against Cui and Li Chou for their contrary reports, had them demoted and exiled.[2]
During Emperor Xuānzong's reign
Li Shen died in 846, by which time Emperor Wuzong had died and been succeeded by his uncle
Notes and references
- ^ Academia Sinica Chinese-Western Calendar Converter. Archived May 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c d Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 248.
- ^ New Book of Tang, vol. 72."漢川草廬-二十四史-新唐書-卷七十二‧表第十二". Archived from the original on November 20, 2008. Retrieved October 3, 2008."新唐書-宰相世系二(趙郡李氏南祖)". Archived from the original on 2010-06-20. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Old Book of Tang, vol. 173.
- ^ a b c New Book of Tang, vol. 181.
- ^ a b Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 241.
- ^ See, e.g., Bo Yang, The Outlines of the History of the Chinese (中國人史綱), vol. 2, p. 568.
- ^ a b c Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 243.
- ^ However, as there was no crown prince at the time, the post was entirely honorary.
- ^ a b Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 246.
- Old Book of Tang, vol. 173.
- New Book of Tang, vol. 181.
- Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 241, 243, 246, 248.
External links
- Books of the Quan Tangshi that include collected poems of Li Shen at the Chinese Text Project: