Kong Wei


Kong Wei , courtesy name Huawen, formally the Duke of Lu, was an official of the late Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Xizong and Emperor Xizong's brother Emperor Zhaozong.

Background and early career

Kong Wei's family was descended from the Spring and Autumn period philosopher Kong Qiu. His great-granduncle Kong Chaofu was a well-known official during the reign of Emperor Dezong, and his great-grandfather Kong Cenfu and grandfather Kong Kui also both served as imperial officials. His father Kong Wenru served as a county secretary general, but died early. Kong Wei had at least two younger brothers, Kong Jiang and Kong Jian.
As Kong Wenru died early, Kong Wei was raised by his uncles Kong Wenyu and Kong Wenye. As both Kong Wenyu and Kong Wenye served as regional governors, Kong Wei followed them to their assignments, and due to the friendships that Kong Wenyu and Kong Wenye had, Kong Wei became well known among the imperial officials. He passed the imperial examinations in the Jinshi class in 859, during the reign of Emperor Xuānzong, and therefore served as a copyeditor at the Palace Library. When the former chancellor Cui Shenyou served as the military governor of Dongchuan Circuit, he invited Kong to serve on his staff. Kong later served on the staff of another former chancellor, Cui Xuan, when Cui Xuan served as the military governor of Huainan Circuit. He then served under Cui Shenyou again at Hua Prefecture and then Hezhong Circuit. Under the recommendation of the chancellor Yang Shou, Kong was made the sheriff of Chang'an County, one of the two counties making up the Tang Dynasty capital Chang'an, and also served as a researcher at Hongwen Pavilion. Later, Wang Duo, who was then the deputy chief imperial censor, recommended Kong to be an imperial censor with the title Jiancha Yushi, and Kong was then made Libu Yuanwailang, a low-level official at the ministry of rites. The chancellor Xu Shang then recommended that he be made a scholar at Jixian Hall as well as Kaogong Yuanwailang, a low-level official at the minister of civil service affairs.
Kong later left government service when his mother died, to observe a mourning period. He then returned to the imperial government as Yousi Yuanwailang, a low-level official under one of the secretaries general of the executive bureau. As the chancellor Zhao Yin was impressed by his writing ability, Zhao recommended him to be an imperial scholar, as well as Kaogong Langzhong, a supervisory official at the minister of civil service affairs; he was also put in charge of drafting edicts. Later, he was made Zhongshu Sheren, a mid-level official at the legislative bureau, as well as deputy minister of census. In the middle of the Qianfu era of Emperor Xuānzong's grandson Emperor Xizong, he was relieved of his post as imperial scholar, and made the deputy chief imperial censor. It was said that because Kong had integrity and hated wickedness, during his service at the office of the imperial censors, the office became more cleanly run. Later, when he served successively as the deputy minister of census, then deputy minister of defense, then deputy minister of civil service affairs, he would refuse special requests by powerful individuals. This offended those who made requests of him, and he was given the largely powerless post of minister of worship.
In late 880, the major agrarian rebel Huang Chao attacked Chang'an, and Emperor Xizong fled to Chengdu. Kong followed Emperor Xizong there, and was made the minister of justice and acting director of finances. However, as the chancellor Xiao Gou, who was a colleague of Kong's while both served as imperial scholars, disliked Kong, he accused Kong of mismanagement, and had Kong given the entirely honorary post of advisor to the Crown Prince. In 885, Kong followed Emperor Xizong back to Chang'an after Huang's defeat.
Late that year, the powerful eunuch Tian Lingzi provoked the warlord Wang Chongrong the military governor of Hezhong by ordering Wang transferred, and Wang and his ally Li Keyong the military governor of Hedong Circuit reacted by engaging forces under Tian and Tian's allies Zhu Mei the military governor of Jingnan Circuit and Li Changfu the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit. Wang Chongrong's and Li Keyong's forces defeated Tian's, Zhu's, and Li Changfu's forces, and approached Chang'an. As a result, Tian escorted Emperor Xizong to flee to Fengxiang, and then to Xingyuan. The imperial officials largely followed Emperor Xizong to Fengxiang, but when he suddenly fled to Xingyuan, few followed, with Kong and Du Rangneng being among the few who did. Emperor Xizong then commissioned Kong as the chief imperial censor and ordered him to return to Chang'an and Fengxiang to order the imperial officials to report to Xingyuan. However, when Kong arrived at Fengxiang, the imperial officials — including the chancellors Xiao and Pei Che, who by this point were thoroughly disgusted with Tian's control over the emperor, refused to meet Kong, and even the imperial censors — Kong's subordinates — were finding excuses to refuse to follow him. In anger, Kong stated, "My wife is ill and about to die, and I have left her. If you, gentlemen, are going to care about yourselves this much, this is farewell!" He then met Li Changfu and asked Li Changfu to give him an escort. Li Changfu, impressed, agreed, and had soldiers escort him to Xingyuan.

First chancellorship

After Kong Wei's arrival in Xingyuan, Emperor Xizong made both him and Du Rangneng deputy ministers of defense, as well as chancellors, with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi. After Emperor Xizong subsequently was able to return to Chang'an after Zhu Mei was killed by his own officer Wang Xingyu, Kong was given the additional post of Zuo Pushe, and was given an iron certificate, guaranteeing that he would not be put to death.
After Emperor Xizong died in 888 and was succeeded by his brother Emperor Zhaozong, Kong continued to serve as chancellor, and was further created the Duke of Lu. Around the new year 889, when Emperor Zhaozong was set make sacrifices to heaven, the powerful eunuchs wanted to participate in the ceremony. Kong opposed, on account that this was against tradition. Emperor Zhaozong, however, still allowed eunuchs to do so, under Kong's subsequently compromise proposal that the eunuchs be required to wear the uniforms for the non-eunuch office titles that they held, rather than the eunuch titles that they held.
Still, Kong and fellow chancellor Zhang Jun were repeatedly advising Emperor Zhaozong to try to reduce Yang's influence, and Emperor Zhaozong was receptive. Kong went as far as publicly denouncing Yang for plotting treason. Kong also tried to stand against the influence of the warlord Zhu Quanzhong, the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit, and when Zhu requested the post of director of salt and iron monopolies for himself, Kong refused, stating to Zhu's emissary, "If Lord Zhu wants this post, he would need to use force to obtain it." Zhu thus withdrew the request.
Kong's and Zhang's drive to reduce the eunuchs' and the warlords' power, however, caused them to make an ill-advised recommendation to Emperor Zhaozong in 890, however. As of 890, Zhu, Helian Duo the defender of Yun Prefecture, and Li Kuangwei the military governor of Lulong Circuit, were all resentful of Li Keyong's efforts to expand his territory, and all three submitted petitions that the imperial government declare Li Keyong a renegade and declare a general campaign against him. When Emperor Zhaozong had the imperial officials discuss this matter, most imperial officials, including Kong's and Zhang's chancellor colleagues Du and Liu Chongwang, opposed. However, Kong and Zhang, believing that this was the time to assert imperial authority over warlords and to try to use a victory to then overpower the eunuchs, were insistent on a campaign against Li Keyong, citing Li Keyong's participation in the campaign that forced Emperor Xizong to flee the capital a second time. Emperor Zhaozong finally agreed, and put Zhang in overall command of the operation. However, despite the participation of forces from many circuits whose military governors resented Li Keyong, including Zhu, Li Kuangwei, Han Jian, Li Maozhen, and Tuoba Sigong, the imperial forces were crushed by Li Keyong, and Zhang fled back to Chang'an. Li Keyong then submitted a petition to Emperor Zhaozong condemning Zhang. To placate Li Keyong, Emperor Zhaozong issued a general pardon for him and his troops and restored his offices. In spring 891, Emperor Zhaozong further removed Kong and Zhang from their chancellor offices, making Kong the military governor of Jingnan Circuit and making Zhang the military governor of Wuchang Circuit.

Between chancellorships

As Kong Wei was departing Chang'an for Jingnan Circuit, Yang Fugong, resentful of Kong, sent his soldiers, disguised as bandits, intercept Kong just outside Chang'an, damaging Kong's staff and robbing him of his supplies, and it was said that Kong barely escaped with his life. Meanwhile, as Li Keyong was still angry, he submitted another petition against Zhang. Emperor Zhaozong, in ordered to placate Li Keyong further, ordered Kong and Zhang to be exiled to be prefects at distant prefectures – in Kong's case, the prefect of Jun Prefecture. Only then was Li Keyong placated, and he returned to Hedong.
As Zhang was departing for his exile, however, he fled instead to Han Jian, who was then the military governor of Zhenguo Circuit, and wrote Zhu Quanzhong, asking for him to intercede. Zhu submitted a petition proclaiming Zhang's and Kong's innocence. Emperor Zhaozong acceded to Zhu's request and freed Zhang and Kong from their exile orders, and thereafter, Kong also went to Zhenguo to stay with Han.

Second chancellorship

In 895, with the chancellor Cui Zhaowei conspiring with Li Maozhen, Wang Xingyu, and Han Jian, going as far as having Li, Zhu, and Han march on Chang'an to kill Cui's fellow chancellors and rivals Li Xi and Wei Zhaodu, Emperor Zhaozong, wanting to find chancellors who could stand up to the warlords, and so he recalled Kong Wei and Zhang Jun to Chang'an, intending to make them chancellors again. At that time, Kong was ill, but forced himself to get to Chang'an, to personally meet Emperor Zhaozong to decline. Emperor Zhaozong refused and made him chancellor anyway.
Meanwhile, in reaction to the killing of Li Xi and Wei Zhaodu by Li Maozhen, Wang, and Han, Li Keyong started a campaign against them and approached Chang'an. In response, Li Maozhen's adoptive son, the imperial guard officer Li Jipeng, as well as the eunuch Luo Quanguan, plotted to seize Emperor Zhaozong and take him to Fengxiang, while another eunuch, Liu Jingxuan, and Wang Xingyu's brother Wang Xingshi, plotted to seize Emperor Zhaozong and take him to Jingnan. In fear, Emperor Zhaozong, under the protection of the imperial guard general Li Yun, fled toward the Qinling Mountains. Kong followed, but when the imperial train reached Shacheng, Kong fell seriously ill, and he returned to Chang'an. He died shortly after, and was given posthumous honors.