34 Facts About Zhangsun Wuji

Zhangsun Wuji, courtesy name Fuji, formally the Duke of Zhao, was a Chinese politician who served as a chancellor in the early Tang dynasty.

Zhangsun Wuji was Empress Zhangsun's brother, which made him a brother-in-law of Emperor Taizong and a maternal uncle of Emperor Gaozong.

Zhangsun Wuji was an important advisor to Li Shimin when the latter was still the Prince of Qin during the reign of his father, Emperor Gaozu.

Zhangsun Wuji helped Li Shimin overcome his brothers Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji in a succession struggle at the Xuanwu Gate Incident, eventually enabling Li Shimin to become the heir apparent and later the emperor.

Zhangsun Wuji was instrumental in Emperor Taizong's selection of Li Zhi as the Crown Prince, and was exceedingly powerful after Li Zhi took the throne as Emperor Gaozong.

In 659, Zhangsun Wuji was falsely accused of treason by Empress Wu's political ally, Xu Jingzong, and eventually ordered to be sent into exile by Emperor Gaozong.

Xu Jingzong subsequently sent the official Yuan Gongyu to force Zhangsun Wuji to commit suicide on his way to exile.

Zhangsun Wuji's father was the Sui dynasty general Zhangsun Sheng, and his mother was Zhangsun Sheng's wife Lady Gao, the daughter of the official Gao Jingde.

When Li Yuan, at Li Shimin's instigation, rose against the rule of Emperor Yang of Sui in 617 and attacked the capital Chang'an, Zhangsun Wuji went to meet Li Shimin, then serving as a major general of his father's, and he began to serve on Li Shimin's staff, often following Li Shimin on various campaigns.

Zhangsun Wuji was thereafter made the minister of civil service affairs.

In spring 627, when the general Li Yi, an associate of Li Jiancheng's, rebelled at Bin Prefecture, Emperor Taizong sent Zhangsun Wuji to engage Li Yi, although before Zhangsun Wuji could arrive, Li Yi had been defeated by his own subordinates and killed in flight.

Xiao advocated an attack on Eastern Tujue, but Zhangsun Wuji pointed out that the peace treaty between the two states should not be breached, and Emperor Taizong accepted his suggestion.

Emperor Taizong publicly declared confidence in Zhangsun Wuji, but he himself feared that he was a target of resentment.

Zhangsun Wuji repeatedly offered to resign, both directly and through Empress Zhangsun, and in spring 628, Emperor Taizong accepted the resignation, although he conferred on Zhangsun the honorific position of Kaifu Yitong Sansi and continued to consult Zhangsun on many important matters.

In 637, a major revision of the Sui penal laws, led by Fang but assisted by Zhangsun Wuji, was completed, with 500 sections dividing the punishments into 20 grades.

Also in 637, as part of Emperor Taizong's scheme to bestow prefectures on his relatives and great generals and officials as their permanent domains, Zhangsun Wuji's title was changed to Duke of Zhao, and he was given the post of prefect of Zhao Prefecture, to be inherited by his heirs.

Many officials opposed the plan, with the strongest opposition coming from Zhangsun Wuji, who had his daughter-in-law, Princess Changle submit oppositions on his behalf as well, and Emperor Taizong cancelled the scheme, although Zhangsun Wuji's title remained Duke of Zhao.

Later in 643, Li Chengqian the Crown Prince, locked into an intense rivalry with his younger brother Li Tai the Prince of Wei, who was born of Empress Zhangsun Wuji and was Emperor Taizong's favorite son, was discovered to have plotted to overthrow Emperor Taizong, along with Hou Junji and Emperor Taizong's sons-in-law Zhao Jie and Du He.

Zhangsun Wuji discussed with Zhangsun the possibility of making another son, Li Ke the Prince of Wu, who was older than Li Zhi and considered more capable, crown prince instead.

Zhangsun Wuji strenuously opposed this idea, and Emperor Taizong did not carry it out.

In summer 645, at a major battle against the main Goguryeo forces commanded by the generals Go Yeonsu and Go Hyezin engaged Tang forces, Emperor Taizong had Li Shiji command 15,000 men to serve as decoy, and when Goguryeo forces attacked Li Shiji, Zhangsun Wuji attacked them from behind with 11,000 men, and Li Shiji and Zhangsun, as well as Emperor Taizong himself, defeated Goguryeo forces, forcing their surrender.

Zhangsun Wuji then considered directly attacking Goguryeo's capital Pyongyang itself, but Li Shiji believed that if Ansi was not captured first, the general in command of Ansi, might attack Tang forces from the rear.

Zhangsun Wuji opposed, believing the strategy to be too risky without first capturing Ansi and Geonan first.

In fall 647, when a commoner named Duan Zhichong submitted a petition to Emperor Taizong, asking him to yield the throne to Li Zhi, Li Zhi became concerned that Emperor Taizong would suspect that the proposal came from him, and Zhangsun Wuji requested that Duan be executed.

Zhangsun Wuji summoned Zhangsun and Chu to his bedside and entrusted Li Zhi to them.

Zhangsun Wuji soon died, and by Zhangsun's orders, his death was kept a secret until his casket, accompanied by Li Zhi, was returned to Chang'an.

Liu Shi lobbied Zhangsun Wuji to make the request for her.

Emperor Gaozong ordered Zhangsun Wuji to investigate, and Zhangsun Wuji discovered that Fang Yi'ai, Princess Gaoyang, the general Xue Wanche, and another brother-in-law of Emperor Gaozong's, Chai Lingwu, had considered to support Emperor Taizong's younger brother Li Yuanjing the Prince of Jing as emperor.

Further, Zhangsun Wuji had the chancellor Yuwen Jie, Li Daozong, and the general Zhishi Sili, Xue's brother Xue Wanbei as well as Li Ke's mother Consort Yang and Consort Yang's younger son Li Yin, reduced to commoner rank and exiled.

Zhangsun Wuji visited Zhangsun's mansion along with Consort Wu, bestowing lavish gifts on Zhangsun and making Zhangsun's three sons mid-level officials, and used the opportunity to bring up the topic of replacing Empress Wang with Consort Wu.

Zhangsun Wuji pretended not to understand and took no actions to endorse Consort Wu, and persisted in this stand despite later lobbying by both Consort Wu's mother Lady Yang and fellow chancellor Xu Jingzong.

Xu thereafter, when investigating a report of factionalism by the low level officials Wei Jifang and Li Chao, manufactured evidence that Zhangsun Wuji had plotted treason with them.

Xu took this opportunity to send Yuan Gongyu to Qian Prefecture, where Yuan by order of Empress Wu forced Zhangsun Wuji to commit suicide.

Zhangsun Wuji had Zhangsun's casket returned to Chang'an, to be buried near Emperor Taizong's tomb.