Lu Yi (Tang dynasty)
Lu Yi , né Lu Yundi, courtesy name Xiangwen, formally the Duke of Wu Commandery, was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as chancellor for two terms during the reign of Emperor Zhaozong.
Background
Lu Yi was born in 847, during the reign of Emperor Xuānzong; he was originally named Lu Yundi, and it is not known when his name was changed to Lu Yi. His family was originally from the former Wu Commandery but had, by Lu Yi's time, relocated to Shan Prefecture. His family claimed ancestry from the ruling house of Tian of the Warring States period state Qi, but his traceable ancestry only went back to his great-great-grandfather, the Tang Dynasty official Lu Qiwang. Lu Yi's grandfather Lu Shide was an imperial censor, while his father Lu Shan was a secretary for a prefectural prefect.Early career
Lu Yi passed the imperial examinations in the Jinshi class in 886, during the reign of Emperor Xuānzong's grandson Emperor Xizong, and later in the year was part of Emperor Xuānzong's procession to Xingyuan when Emperor Xuānzong fled there from the imperial capital Chang'an due to a military confrontation between the powerful eunuch Tian Lingzi and Tian's allies Zhu Mei the military governor of Jingnan Circuit and Li Changfu the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit on one side, and the warlords Wang Chongrong the military governor of Huguo Circuit and Li Keyong the military governor of Hedong Circuit on the other. Later that year, the chancellor Wei Zhaodu, who also served as the director of the salt and iron monopolies, made Lu a surveyor under him. In 887, another chancellor, Kong Wei, made Lu a copyeditor for the imperial histories. Soon thereafter, Lu's mother died, and he left governmental service to observe a mourning period for her.In 889, by which time Emperor Xizong had died and been succeeded by his brother Emperor Zhaozong, Lu was recalled to government service to serve as the sheriff of Lantian County, but also to serve as a scholar at Hongwen Pavilion. Thereafter, he was made Zuo Shiyi, an advisory official at the examination bureau of government, as well as a scholar at Jixian Pavilion. Soon thereafter, at the request of Liu Pi the deputy chief imperial censor, Lu was made an imperial censor with the title Jiancha Yushi. In 891, he was made an imperial scholar as well as Tuntian Yuanwailang, a low-level official at the ministry of public works. In 892, he was made Cibu Langzhong, a supervisory official at the ministry of rites and put in charge of drafting edicts. In 893, he was made Zhongshu Sheren, a mid-level official at the legislative bureau. It was said that Lu thought and wrote quickly, and his writings were both well-written and well-reasoned. On an occasion when Emperor Zhaozong wrote a poem and asked the imperial scholars to write responses, Lu wrote one quickly, impressing Emperor Zhaozong, who compared him to Lu Zhi and Wu Tongxuan, another talented official who served Emperor Dezong.
In 894, Lu Yi was made the deputy minister of census. In 895, he was made the deputy minister of defense ; he was also given the honorary title of Yinqing Guanglu Daifu and created the Baron of Jiaxing. In 896, he was made the chief imperial scholar, and soon thereafter Shangshu Zuo Cheng, one of the secretaries general of the executive bureau.
First chancellorship
Later in 896, Emperor Zhaozong made Lu Yi the deputy minister of census again, and made him a chancellor with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi. Traditionally, an officials from one of the three bureaus i.e., the executive, the legislative, and the examination were elevated to chancellorship, he would give an amount of money to the officials under him to thank them for their service under him, but that tradition did not include the office of the imperial scholars. Lu, in a break with that tradition, gave money to the officials at the office of the imperial scholars to thank them, and they felt honored.However, Lu did not remain chancellor long on this occasion. His elevation to chancellorship was intended to replace Cui Yin, and was carried out at a time when Emperor Zhaozong and the imperial officials had fled Chang'an and gone to Zhenguo Circuit to flee an attack that Li Maozhen the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit was carrying out against Chang'an; once they got to Zhenguo, Zhenguo's military governor Han Jian, with the emperor under his physical control, instigated Cui's removal and exile. However, soon thereafter, Cui elicited the aid of the powerful warlord Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit, and Zheng submitted a petition protesting Cui's removal and further suggesting that Emperor Zhaozong move the capital to the eastern capital Luoyang. Han, in fear, cancelled Cui's removal and had him made chancellor again. Thereafter, Cui, resenting Lu for replacing him, falsely accused Lu of being an ally of Li Maozhen's and had Lu demoted to be the prefect of Xia Prefecture.
Between chancellorships
In summer 897, Lu Yi was recalled to serve as the minister of public works. In fall 897, he was made the minister of defense, and soon thereafter he subsequently accompanied Emperor Zhaozong on the emperor's return to Chang'an.Second chancellorship
In 899, Lu Yi was again made chancellor, replacing Cui Yin. In 900, he was created the Duke of Wu Commandery. He was subsequently made Menxia Shilang — deputy head of the examination bureau — and put in charge of editing the imperial histories. Later in 900, Emperor Zhaozong was forced to abdicate in favor of his son and crown prince Li Yu, Prince of De after a coup by a group of powerful eunuchs led by Liu Jishu, but in spring 901, a group of Shence Army officers loyal to Emperor Zhaozong in turn overthrew the eunuchs and restored Emperor Zhaozong to the throne. Soon thereafter, Cui and Lu submitted a joint proposal to have the two Shence Armies, which were traditionally under the command of eunuch commanders, placed under the two chancellors' command instead. However, this proposal was opposed by the Shence Army officers who restored Emperor Zhaozong, as well as Li Maozhen, and Emperor Zhaozong rejected it, placing the Shence Armies under the commands of the eunuchs Han Quanhui and Zhang Yanhong instead. Meanwhile, Emperor Zhaozong secretly suspected that Lu did not support his return to the throne, but the imperial scholar Han Wo spoke in Lu's defense, and Emperor Zhaozong took no action against Lu.Subsequently, Han and Zhang, fearing that Emperor Zhaozong and Cui were going to slaughter the eunuchs, kidnapped Emperor Zhaozong and took him to Fengxiang. Zhu, at Cui's request, put Fengxiang's capital Fengxiang Municipality under siege. In 903, with Fengxiang in desperate straits, Li Maozhen killed Han, Zhang, and their supporters, and turned Emperor Zhaozong over to Zhu to sue for peace. Lu's actions during the Fengxiang siege were not recorded in history. However, after Zhu returned Emperor Zhaozong to Chang'an, Emperor Zhaozong issued an edict to the circuits — but specifically left Fengxiang out of the edict's distribution list. Lu argued that singling Fengxiang out showed a lack of magnanimity. Cui, in anger, suggested to Emperor Zhaozong that Lu be demoted, and Lu thereafter was made the teacher of Emperor Zhaozong's son Li Yan the Prince of Yi, but with his office at Luoyang. He was also reduced in his honorary title of Tejin down to Zhengyi Daifu.