Li Zhongyan (李仲言) (died December 16, 835), known as Li Xun (李訓) in 835, courtesy name initially Zixun (子訓), later Zichui (子垂), pseudonym Hermit Wang (王山人) during the mourning period for his mother, was an official of the Chinese Tang dynasty. He became a trusted advisor to Emperor Wenzong and plotted with Emperor Wenzong to end the hold the powerful eunuchs had on power by slaughtering the eunuchs, but when the effort failed (in an event later known as the Ganlu Incident), Li Xun and his associates were slaughtered.
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Background
It is not known when Li Zhongyan was born. According to his biographies in the official histories of Tang dynasty, the Old Book of Tang and the New Book of Tang, he was from the same branch of the Li family—the "Guzang Branch" (姑臧房)—as the chancellors Li Kui and Li Fengji, and was two generations below Li Kui and one generation below Li Fengji, although the family tree for the Greater Guzang Branch in the New Book of Tang did not mention Li Zhongyan or any of his male-line ancestors. It was said that Li Zhongyan was tall, handsome, charismatic, well-spoken, dexterous, and good at reading people's emotions. He passed the imperial examinations in the Jinshi (進士) class; thereafter, he served as an assistant teacher at the imperial university, before serving at as a staff member to the military governor (jiedushi) of Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Jiaozuo, Henan).
Early involvement in politics
During Emperor Jingzong's reign (824–827), Li Fengji served as chancellor. Li Zhongyan became a close associate of Li Fengji's, and it was said that shortly after Emperor Jingzong took the throne, Li Zhongyan, along with Li Fengji's other associates Li Yu (李虞) and Zhang Youxin (張又新), participated in manufacturing false evidence against a political enemy of Li Fengji's, the imperial scholar Li Shen. As a result of Li Fengji's accusations against Li Shen—that when Emperor Jingzong's father Emperor Muzong died, Li Shen was intending to support Emperor Muzong's brother Li Cong (李悰) the Prince of Shen—Li Shen was exiled. Subsequently, Li Zhongyan, Zhang, Li Xuzhi (李續之), Li Yu, Liu Qichu (劉栖楚), Jiang Qia (姜洽), Zhang Quanyu (張權輿), and Cheng Xifan (程昔范), became known as Li Fengji's "Eight Gates"—i.e., people who wanted to see Li Fengji had to go through them.
In 825, the official Wu Zhao (武昭), displeased that he was not given a position with authority and believing that Li Fengji was the one who prevented his commission, stated to his friend Mao Hui (茅彙), when he was drunk, that he wanted to kill Li Fengji. This declaration was reported to the authorities, and Wu and Mao were arrested. During the investigations, Li Zhongyan tried to induce Mao to implicate the chancellor Li Cheng, who was not on good terms with Li Fengji. Mao refused to implicate Li Cheng, and reported Li Zhongyan's inducement to the investigating officials. As a result of the investigations, Wu was executed by caning, while Mao, Li Zhongyan, and Li Cheng's relative Li Rengshu (李仍叔) (who had told Wu that Li Fengji was refusing to give him a commission), were executed—in Li Zhongyan's case, to Xiang Prefecture (象州, in modern Laibin, Guangxi).
After Emperor Jingzong died around the new year 827 and was succeeded by his brother Emperor Wenzong, a general pardon was declared, and Li Zhongyan was allowed to return from exile. Later, when his mother died, he stayed at the eastern capital Luoyang to observe a mourning period.
Association with Emperor Wenzong
At some point, Li Fengji, who wanted to be chancellor again, consulted Li Zhongyan. Li Zhongyan claimed to be friendly to the powerful eunuch Wang Shoucheng's close associate Zheng Zhu, and so Li Fengji gave Li Zhongyan a large amount of money to bribe Zheng. Zheng thereafter introduced Li Zhongyan to Wang, who in turn introduced Li Zhongyan to Emperor Wenzong and informed Emperor Wenzong that Li Zhongyan knew the I Ching well. As Li Zhongyan was then still supposed to be observing the mourning period for his mother, he could not enter the palace in mourning clothes, so he took on a Taoist monk's robe and took the name of Hermit Wang. It was said that Emperor Wenzong was impressed by Li Zhongyan's appearance, charisma, and ability to speak, and he treated Li Zhongyan well.
By fall 834, Li Zhongyan's mourning period was over. Emperor Wenzong wanted to make him an imperial scholar, but this was vehemently opposed by the chancellor Li Deyu, who pointed to Li Zhongyan's past, causing Emperor Wenzong to be displeased. 1Li Deyu's fellow chancellor Wang Ya, who initially agreed with Li Deyu, seeing Emperor Wenzong's displeasure, changed his mind and no longer opposed Li Zhongyan's commission—and, indeed, when Emperor Wenzong subsequently changed Li Zhongyan's commission to be one for an assistant teacher at the imperial university (a lower post, probably to placate Li Deyu) and advisory officials Zheng Su (鄭肅) and Han Ci (韓佽) sealed the edict and were set to return the edict to him for reconsideration, as was their prerogative, Wang persuaded them not to do so. Subsequently, because Wang, Li Zhongyan, and Zheng Zhu all resented Li Deyu, they had Li Deyu's political enemy, the former chancellor Li Zongmin, recalled from his post as military governor of Shannan West Circuit (山南西道, headquartered in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi), to the capital Chang'an to again serve as chancellor. Soon thereafter, Li Deyu was removed from his chancellor position and sent out to be the military governor of Shannan West. On the same day, Li Zhongyan was made an assistant imperial scholar, over the objections of a number of advisory officials, including Zheng Su and Han.
In winter 834, Li Zhongyan changed his name to Li Xun.
Meanwhile, while Emperor Wenzong appeared to be outwardly respectful to Wang and other eunuchs who helped him take the throne, he was in fact resentful of their hold on power. Zheng and Li Xun figured out what the emperor was thinking, and thereafter began to plot with Emperor Wenzong on eliminating the powerful eunuchs—and Emperor Wenzong associated with them because he felt that they, as officials recommended by Wang, would not draw suspicions from the eunuchs. It was under their suggestion that, in spring 835, Emperor Wenzong partially diverted Wang's power by giving the command of one of the eunuch controlled Shence Armies to Wang's rival Qiu Shiliang.
Ganlu Incident and death
In winter 835, at Li Xun's and Zheng Zhu's advice, Emperor Wenzong sent poisoned wine to Wang Shoucheng to poison him to death.
Wang Shoucheng's death was a part of further planning by Emperor Wenzong, Li Xun, and Zheng—the plan was that when Wang was set to be buried on December 20, 835, Zheng, who claimed that he was grateful to Wang, would take his personal guards, who were armed with sharp axes, with him to attend the funeral. At the funeral, the guards would then surround the eunuchs and slaughter them. However, Li Xun discussed the plan with his associates, and he concluded that if that were to happen, Zheng would receive all of the credit, and therefore he resolved to act before Zheng would, planning to kill Zheng as well after he succeeded. To that end, Li Xun had Guo Xingyu (郭行餘) made the military governor of Binning Circuit (邠寧, headquartered in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi); Wang Fan (王璠) made the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi); Luo Liyan (羅立言) made the acting mayor of Jingzhao; and Han Yue (韓約) made a general of the imperial guards; he had the four of them gather troops to be ready to act against the eunuchs. It was said that only Li Xun, Guo, Wang Fan, Luo, Han, Li Xiaoben (李孝本) the deputy chief imperial censor, and Shu were aware of Li Xun's plans.
On December 14, Li Xun acted, six days before the scheduled funeral for Wang, Han reported to Emperor Wenzong, at the imperial meeting hall Zichen Hall (紫宸殿), that there had been sweet dew (甘露, ganlu in Chinese) that appeared on a pomegranate tree outside the headquarters of Zuo Jinwu (左金吾), one of the Wei Army (衛軍) headquarters—viewed as a sign of divine favor. Emperor Wenzong then went to nearby Hanyuan Hall (含元殿) and ordered the imperial officials, including Li Xun, to examine the purported sweet dew. Li Xun soon returned and stated that it appeared that there was no sweet dew; at Li Xun's suggestion, Emperor Wenzong ordered Qiu and his fellow Shence Army commander Yu Hongzhi (魚弘志) to lead the eunuchs in examining the sweet dew. When Qiu and Yu arrived at the Zuo Jinwu headquarters, however, Han had lost his composure, and Qiu realized that something was wrong when he saw soldiers converging and the noise of weapons clanging. He and the other eunuchs immediately ran back to Hanyuan Hall and seized Emperor Wenzong. Li Xun tried to grab onto Emperor Wenzong's litter to stop the eunuchs from taking Emperor Wenzong back to the palace, and the soldiers under Luo and Li Xiaoben battled the eunuchs, killing a number of them, but the eunuchs were able to escort Emperor Wenzong back to the imperial palace. Knowing that he had lost this gambit, Li Xun put on the green uniform of chancellors' attendants and fled.
Notes and references
Old Book of Tang, vol. 169.
New Book of Tang, vol. 179.
Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 243, 245.