Pei Du

Pei Du (; 765 – April 21, 839 ), courtesy name Zhongli , posthumous name Duke Wenzhong of Jin , was a Chinese politician and government official of the Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Xianzong, Emperor Muzong, Emperor Jingzong and Emperor Wenzong. Although Pei was a civilian official, he was also known for his military strategies, and he is best known for being in charge of the campaign against the warlord Wu Yuanji during Emperor Xianzong's reign.

Background Pei Du was born in 765, during the reign of Emperor Daizong. His family was from Hedong (河東, in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi) and traced his ancestry back to a line of government officials dating back to the Han Dynasty, Jin Dynasty (266–420), Former Yan, Later Qin, and Northern Wei, although Pei Du's direct ancestors was not listed with governmental offices for several generations until his grandfather Pei Youlin , who served as a county magistrate, and his father Pei Xu served as a county secretary general.

In 789, during the reign of Emperor Daizong's son Emperor Dezong, Pei Du passed the imperial examinations and the special examination for grand speech. He later further passed special examinations for those who could properly criticize the government. He was thereafter made the sheriff of Heyin County (河陰, in modern Luoyang, Henan), and thereafter was made an imperial censor with the title Jiancha Yushi . At one point, he submitted a secret petition that criticized those who were powerful due to their associations with Emperor Dezong, and thus was sent out of the capital Chang'an to serve as an administrator at the Henan Municipality (河南, i.e., the Luoyang region) government. He later became an imperial archiver (起居舍人, Qiju Sheren). After Pei returned from the mission to Weibo, he was made Zhongshu Sheren , a mid-level official at the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng).

Emperor Xianzong was greatly touched and shed tears.

After the campaign against Pinglu was complete, it was said that because of various accusations that Huangfu and his associates made against Pei, Pei was sent out of Chang'an to serve as the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shandong) and the mayor of its capital Taiyuan Municipality, continuing to carry the title of chancellor as an honorary title. )

After the campaign ended, Pei was initially made Sikong (司空, one of the Three Excellencies) and defender of Luoyang, continuing to carry the honorary chancellor title. After the advisorial officials submitted many petitions pointing out that Pei had both civilian and military talents and should not be left in a largely ceremonial position, Emperor Muzong did not change Pei's commission initially but ordered him to first report to Chang'an to meet the emperor before heading for Luoyang. While Pei was at Chang'an, he apologized for being unable to defeat Wang and Zhu. Meanwhile, around the same time, Liu Wu, who had been made the military governor of Zhaoyi Circuit (昭義, headquartered in modern Changzhi, Shanxi), had detained the imperial eunuch monitor Li Chengjie after Li Chengjie had disrespected him and further plotted with his subordinate Zhang Wen to arrest him and replace him with Zhang. Pei suggested issuing an edict executing Li Chengjie, believing that such a move would regain Liu's faithfulness to the imperial government, but Emperor Muzong, as both he and his mother Empress Dowager Guo favored Li Chengjie, did not do so. Rather, he accepted Pei's alternative suggestion to order that Li Chengjie be exiled. Only after such an edict was issued did Liu release Li Chengjie, but thereafter Liu began to disobey imperial orders. Shortly after the incident involving Liu Wu, Pei was commissioned to serve as the military governor of Huainan Circuit. However, the advisorial officials again petitioned to keep Pei at the central government. Emperor Muzong thus kept Pei at the capital as chancellor and sent Wang Bo to Huainan instead.

During Emperor Jingzong's reign In 824, by which time Emperor Muzong had died and been succeeded by Li Zhan (as Emperor Jingzong), Wang Tingcou, upon hearing the Niu Yuanyi, who had been serving as the military governor of Shannan East Circuit (山南東道, headquartered in modern Xiangfan, Hubei), had died, slaughtered Niu's family, which he had detained at Chengde. Emperor Jingzong, hearing reports of the Niu household being slaughtered, sighed and blamed the incident on the chancellors' lack of ability. The imperial scholar Wei Chuhou pointed out that Pei Du had great accomplishments but had been squeezed out of the chancellorship. Further, Emperor Jingzong saw that whenever Pei submitted reports, he did not list an honorary chancellor title among his titles. Wei blamed Li Fengji's machinations for this, and the chancellor Li Cheng also advised that Pei should be shown more respect. Emperor Jingzong thus conferred the honorary chancellor title on Pei, although he did not recall Pei at that time.

In 830, Pei, as he was old by this point, offered to resign his chancellorship. Emperor Wenzong, in response, made him Situ (司徒, also one of the Three Excellencies) and gave him the unusual chancellor title of Pingzhang Junguo Zhongshi , ordering him to report for duties only once every three or five days. Soon thereafter, however, as Li Zongmin resented Pei for having recommended Li Deyu over him, he had Pei sent out of the capital to serve as the military governor of Shannan East Circuit, carrying the honorary chancellor title of Shizhong . Pei Du had 7 sons. The old book of Tang and new book of Tang only included 5 of them and thus omitted 2 remaining sons. However, the list of chancellors of new book of Tang listed all 7 of his male children. Historians did not say anything about his female offspring.

Notes and references

Old Book of Tang, vol. 170. New Book of Tang, vol. 173. Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 239, 240, 241, 242, 243, 244, 245, 246.