Xiao Gou

Xiao Gou (died April 6, 887 ), courtesy name Desheng (得聖), was a politician of the late Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor and senior financial official during the turbulent reign of Emperor Xizong. A forceful politician and the scion of a prestigious aristocratic family, Xiao survived factional infighting that jeopardized his early career to become a ranking official at Emperor Xizong's court. When the imperial capital of Chang'an fell to rebel forces in early 881, Xiao managed to escape the city and reunite with Emperor Xizong, who appointed him to oversee the imperial treasury and, later, as chancellor at the imperial court-in-exile in Chengdu. Xiao worked aggressively to reform the imperial government and strengthen its position, and remained chancellor when the court eventually returned to Chang'an, but clashed with the powerful palace eunuch Tian Lingzi and found many of his efforts frustrated. When Emperor Xizong was once again ousted from the capital, a disillusioned Xiao declined to follow him into exile but also refused active service at the court of the pretender Li Yun. Nevertheless, when Li Yun's usurpation was suppressed, Xiao was accused of complicity in the rebellion by his rival Kong Wei and was forced to commit suicide.

Background It is not known when Xiao Gou was born. He came from a prominent family that descended from the imperial house of the Liang dynasty, and, just among his direct male-line ancestors, his father Xiao Zhi, Xiao Zhi's grandfather Xiao Fu, and Xiao Fu's grandfather Xiao Song were all chancellors.

During Emperor Yizong's reign Xiao Gou himself passed the imperial examinations in the Jinshi class in 864, during the reign of Emperor Yizong, in the same year as fellow future chancellor Wei Baoheng. Xiao thereafter served on the staff of a military governor (jiedushi) of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi), and was later recalled to the capital Chang'an to serve as You Shiyi (右拾遺), a low-level advisory official at the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng), and later was made an imperial chronicler (起居舍人, Qiju Sheren). to be the military advisor to the prefect of Bo Prefecture (播州, in modern Zunyi, Guizhou). Xiao followed Emperor Xizong. At that time, as the imperial treasury in exile was lacking funds, Emperor Xizong made him deputy minister of defense (兵部侍郎, Bingbu Shilang) and acting director of finances. who had been commissioned by Zhi,

While Emperor Xizong was still at Fengxiang, where the imperial officials had largely followed him, Xiao, apparently hoping to use Zhu to eliminate Tian's influence on Emperor Xizong, summoned Zhu and his army to Fengxiang. By the time that Zhu arrived, however, Emperor Xizong had already fled to Xingyuan, with the imperial officials largely remaining at Fengxiang—indeed, when Kong Wei tried to persuade Xiao and fellow chancellor Pei Che to head to Xingyuan as well, Xiao and Pei refused, in light of Tian's hold on the emperor. Zhu, who by this point was also disillusioned with Tian, decided that he would try to support a new emperor—and planned to make Emperor Xizong's distant relative Li Yun the Prince of Xiang the new emperor. He consulted Xiao, who opposed, blaming the errors of Emperor Xizong's administration on Tian. Zhu, however, forged ahead with his plans and forced the imperial officials at Fengxiang to declare Li Yun regent, in summer 886. When Zhu asked Xiao to draft the text of the declaration, however, Xiao declined, claiming that he was aged and no longer a good writer, so another imperial official, Zheng Changtu, authored it instead. Zhu then removed Xiao from his chancellor position, replacing him with Zheng, and instead gave Xiao the entirely honorary title of senior advisor to the Crown Prince. Xiao was then allowed to retire to Yongle (永樂, in modern Yuncheng), Soon thereafter, Zhu declared Li Yun emperor at Chang'an.

In winter 881, after Zhu's officer Wang Xingyu was unable to capture Xingyuan and seize Emperor Xizong as Zhu ordered, he turned against Zhu and killed Zhu in an ambush at Chang'an. Pei and Zheng escorted Li Yun to Yuncheng, hoping for support from Wang Chongrong, but Wang Chongrong, after initially feigning to welcome Li Yun, executed him and arrested Pei and Zheng, whom Emperor Xizong ordered in spring 882 to be executed. As Kong, who had been made chancellor by this point, had resented Xiao, he claimed that Xiao had also supported Li Yun. Thus, Xiao was also ordered to commit suicide at Yongle.

Notes and references

Old Book of Tang, vol. 179. New Book of Tang, vol. 101. Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 252, 254, 255, 256.