Cui Yin

Background

Cui Yin was born in 854, during the reign of Emperor Xuānzong. He was from the prominent Cui clan of Qinghe (清河, in modern Xingtai, Hebei), specifically from the "Wushui branch " of that clan. Cui Yin's father Cui Shenyou was a chancellor during Emperor Xuānzong's reign. Cui Yin had at least one older brother, Cui Changxia (崔昌遐). (According to the biography of the powerful eunuch Qiu Shiliang in the New Book of Tang, Cui Yin developed a hatred for eunuchs early in his life due to Cui Shenyou's relating to him of an incident during the earlier reign of Emperor Xuānzong's nephew Emperor Wenzong, when Qiu tried to have Emperor Wenzong deposed.)

Early career

After Cui Yin passed the imperial examinations in the Jinshi (進士) class, he served on the staff of Wang Chongrong the military governor of Hezhong Circuit (河中, headquartered in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi). (Wang was military governor of Hezhong from 881 to Wang's death in 887, placing a timeframe on Cui's service under him.) Later, after Cui was recalled to the imperial government, he served successively as Kaogong Yuanwailang (考功員外郎) and then Libu Yuanwailang (吏部員外郎), both low-level positions at the ministry of civil service affairs (吏部, Libu). He was later promoted to a supervisory position at the ministry of civil service affairs (郎中, Langzhong). He was later made imperial attendant (給事中, Jishizhong) and then Zhongshu Sheren (中書舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng). During the Dashun era of Emperor Xuānzong's grandson Emperor Zhaozong (890–891), Cui successively served as deputy minister of defense (兵部侍郎, Bingbu Shilang) then deputy minister of civil service affairs (吏部侍郎, Libu Shilang). (It was said that his repeated promotions were a result of his close association with the chancellor Cui Zhaowei, who, while not a close relative, regarded him as a clansman.)

First three terms as chancellor

Thanks to his association with Cui Zhaowei, Cui Yin was promoted to be chancellor in 893 with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事). As chancellor, he was described to be treacherous in his heart but appearing to be forgiving in his outward appearance. (It was also said that his uncle, the major general Cui Anqian, commented, "My father and brother had carefully built this household, but Zilang [(i.e., Cui Yin)] will destroy it!" although it was unclear whether Cui Anqian was still alive at this point.)

In 895, when Wang Chongrong's brother and successor Wang Chongying died at Hezhong (which had been renamed Huguo at this point), the soldiers supported Wang Chongrong's adoptive son and biological nephew Wang Ke to succeed him as the military governor, but Wang Chongying's son Wang Gong, then the military governor of neighboring Baoyi Circuit (保義, headquartered in modern Sanmenxia, Henan), also had designs on Huguo. Wang Ke was supported by his father-in-law Li Keyong the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi), while Wang Gong was supported by his allies Li Maozhen the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi), Wang Xingyu the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (靜難, headquartered in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi), and Han Jian the military governor of Zhenguo Circuit (鎮國, headquartered in modern Weinan, Shaanxi), and all these military governors submitted competing petitions to Emperor Zhaozong in support of Wang Ke or Wang Gong. Emperor Zhaozong initially approved Li Keyong's request and made Wang Ke the military governor of Huguo but, subsequently, trying to settle the dispute, named Cui the military governor of Huguo, still carrying the Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi designation as an honorary title. Wang Tuan was made a chancellor to replace him.

This failed to settle the dispute, however, and, at Cui Zhaowei's instigation (as Cui Zhaowei was allied with Li Maozhen and Wang Xingyu), the three military governors who supported Wang Gong marched on the imperial capital Chang'an, killing the chancellors Li Xi and Wei Zhaodu and forcing Emperor Zhaozong to accede to their demands. That, in turn, caused Li Keyong to launch his troops to attack them. Emperor Zhaozong, fearing that Li Maozhen and/or Wang Xingyu would seize him, fled into the Qinling Mountains. Cui Yin, along with chancellors Xu Yanruo and Wang Tuan, followed the emperor in flight. After Li Keyong defeated Wang Xingyu, who was then killed by his own subordinates, Li Maozhen and Han outwardly submitted to the emperor, and Emperor Zhaozong, after returning to Chang'an, ordered Li Keyong to end his campaign. Meanwhile, Cui was again made a chancellor, and also took the position of Zhongshu Shilang (中書侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau. However, his ally, Cui Zhaowei, was exiled and then executed.

Latter two terms as chancellor

In 900, Cui Yin was sent out of the capital to serve as military governor of Qinghai Circuit (清海, headquartered in modern Guangzhou, Guangdong), carrying the Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi as an honorary designation. Cui, believing that Wang Tuan was trying to eliminate him as a rival, wrote Zhu Quanzhong to ask for aid. Zhu Quanzhong, in response, submitted multiple petitions accusing Wang of collaboration with Zhu Daobi and Jing Wuxiu and urging Emperor Zhaozong to keep Cui as a chancellor. As a result, Cui was recalled from his journey to Qinghai. Upon arrival in Chang'an, he was made chancellor again, as well as Sikong (司空, one of the Three Excellencies) and Menxia Shilang (門下侍郎), the deputy head of the examination bureau (門下省, Menxia Sheng). Wang was initially demoted to be the deputy minister of public works, while Zhu Daobi and Jing were sent out of the capital to serve as eunuch monitors; soon, all three were ordered to commit suicide. After this incident, Cui became, effectively, the most powerful official at court, and the eunuchs hated him. It was said that, because he was jealous of the more senior Xu Yanruo, that Xu decided to ask for the Qinghai assignment himself and was soon made the military governor of Qinghai.

The most powerful eunuchs—the commanders of the Shence Armies Liu Jishu and Wang Zhongxian (王仲先) and the new directors of palace communications Wang Yanfan (王彥範) and Xue Qiwo (薛齊偓)—fearing the next steps that Cui and Emperor Zhaozong—whose behavior had become increasingly erratic after his return from Zhenguo, apparently fueled by alcoholism—might take, began to plan a coup to overthrow the emperor and replace him with his son and crown prince Li Yi. In winter 900, after an incident where Emperor Zhaozong killed a few eunuchs and ladies in waiting in a drunken rage, the eunuchs acted. They mobilized the Shence Armies and forced the imperial officials, including Cui (who did not dare to oppose them given their military strength) to sign a petition urging Emperor Zhaozong to yield imperial power to Li Yu. Armed with the petition, the eunuchs then removed the emperor and put him under house arrest, declaring Li Yu emperor instead. Liu killed a number of officials, eunuchs, ladies in waiting, and other people that Emperor Zhaozong favored, but hesitated at killing Cui, fearing that Cui's ally Zhu Quanzhong, whose support for the coup he was trying to court, would react violently. Rather, they only removed Cui from one of his secondary offices, the directorate of salt and iron monopolies.

Cui, meanwhile, had been writing Zhu urging him to mobilize his forces to return Emperor Zhaozong to the throne; Zhu's staff member Li Zhen urged the same. Zhu thus put Liu's emissaries to him—Liu's adoptive son Liu Xidu (劉希度) and another eunuch, Li Fengben (李奉本)—under arrest, and sent Li Zhen to Chang'an to personally confer with Cui on what to do next. Cui also sent his secretary Shi Jian (石戩) to persuade the Shence Army officer Sun Dezhao (孫德昭) to plan a countercoup. Sun subsequently persuaded his fellow officers Dong Yanbi (董彥弼) and Zhou Chenghui (周承誨) to join the countercoup as well. In spring 901, they killed Liu Jishu, Wang Zhongxian and Wang Yanfan; Xue committed suicide. They then restored Emperor Zhaozong. It was said that after this series of events Emperor Zhaozong trusted Cui even more.

Notes and references

Old Book of Tang, vol. 177.

New Book of Tang, vol. 223, part 2.

Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 259, 260, 261, 262, 263, 264.