Pei Che
Pei Che (裴澈) (died April 6, 887[1][2]), courtesy name Shenyuan (
Background[edit]
It is not known when Pei Che was born. He was from The Eastern Juan Pei of Pei clan of Hedong. His grandfather Pei Su (裴肅) served as a governor during the reign of Emperor Dezong, and his father Pei Qiu (裴俅), a younger brother of Pei Xiu, who served as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xuānzong, served as an advisory official.[3][4] However, while Pei Qiu was referred to in Pei Xiu's biographies in the Old Book of Tang and the New Book of Tang, no reference was made to Pei Che,[4][5] perhaps because of Pei Che's eventual end.
Service under Emperor Xizong[edit]
In late 880, during the reign of Emperor Xuānzong's grandson Emperor Xizong, as the major agrarian rebel Huang Chao was on the cusp of reaching the imperial capital Chang'an, the leading chancellor Lu Xi was blamed for the imperial defeats by the powerful eunuch Tian Lingzi and removed from his post. (In response, Lu committed suicide.) Pei Che, who was then an imperial scholar (
In 883, by which time Huang had been defeated and Chang'an recaptured by Tang forces, and Emperor Xizong was beginning to prepare to return, then-leading chancellor Zheng Tian had offended Tian Lingzi and Chen and was removed. Pei was recalled to serve as Zhongshu Shilang (
Service under Li Yun[edit]
Meanwhile, another warlord, Zhu Mei the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (
Execution[edit]
Li Yun's claim, however, was short-lived, as Zhu's officer Wang Xingyu, who was given the task of attacking Xingyuan and capturing Emperor Xizong, was unable to do so, and feared punishment from Zhu. Further, Yang Fugong, who had by this point succeeded Tian Lingzi as the director of palace communications, issued a proclamation that anyone who killed Zhu would be made the military governor of Jingnan. Wang thus turned against Zhu and made a surprise return to Chang'an. When Zhu heard of this, he, not knowing Wang's intent to turn against him, summoned Wang and rebuked him for returning without orders. Instead, Wang seized and killed him, and Wang's soldiers subsequently pillaged the capital. Pei Che and Zheng Changtu, as well as some 200 officials, escorted Li Yun to Hezhong, hoping for protection from Wang Chongrong. Wang Chongrong, however, after initially feigning to welcome Li Yun, seized Li Yun and executed him. He also arrested Pei and Zheng.[8]
In spring 887, Emperor Xizong issued an edict that Pei, Zheng, and Xiao Gou (who had also accepted a chancellor title from Li Yun but did not actively participate in the regime) be executed wherever they were at the time of the edict — and thus, all three were executed at Qishan (
Notes and references[edit]
- ^ Academia Sinica Chinese-Western Calendar Converter.
- ^ New Book of Tang, vol. 63 Archived 2012-05-18 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "
漢 川 草 廬 -二 十 四 史 -新 唐 書 -卷 七 十 一 ‧表 第 十 一 ". Archived from the original on 2010-06-13. Retrieved 2010-05-03.New Book of Tang, vol. 71 Archived 2010-06-20 at the Wayback Machine - ^ a b Old Book of Tang, vol. 177.
- ^ New Book of Tang, vol. 182.
- ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 254.
- ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 255.
- ^ a b c d Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 256.
- Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 254, 255, 256.