Zheng Qi ( Chinese : 鄭綮 ; died 899), courtesy name Yunwu (蘊武), was an official of the Chinese Tang dynasty , serving briefly as chancellor in 894 during the reign of Emperor Zhaozong . He was known for writing poems filled with puns ( xiehouyu ) that satirized the political scene that impressed Emperor Zhaozong, leading to his brief term as chancellor despite his own misgivings.
43-543: Little is known about Zheng Qi's background, as his family was not included in the table of the chancellors ' family trees in the New Book of Tang . After he passed the imperial examinations , he initially served as an imperial censor with the title Jiancha Yushi (監察御史) then as Dianzhong Shi Yushi (殿中侍御史). He then served as a low-level official at the ministry of census (戶部, Hubu ), initially as Cangbu Yuanwailang (倉部員外郎) then as Hubu Yuanwailang (戶部員外郎). He then served as
86-474: A crown princely title, is not automatically hereditary. It generally requires a specific conferral by the sovereign, which may be withheld. Current and past titles in this category include: Currently, the following monarchies use the term "crown prince" (or "crown princess") for the heirs apparent to their thrones: In addition, the following heirs apparent to deposed monarchies continue to use their former titles by international courtesy: In Islamic tradition,
129-412: A different title from an heir apparent : hereditary prince (German: Erbprinz , French: prince héréditaire ). It is also the title borne by the heir apparent of Liechtenstein , as well as the heir apparent or presumptive of Monaco . In Luxembourg , the heir apparent bears the title of hereditary grand duke ( German : Erbgroßherzog , Luxembourgish : ierfgroussherzog ); along with hereditary prince, it
172-616: A more specific substantive title may be accorded and become associated with the position of heir apparent (e.g. Prince of Wales in the United Kingdom , Prince of Asturias in the Kingdom of Spain and formerly the Dauphin in France ). In these monarchies, the term crown prince may be used less often than the substantive title (or never). Until the late twentieth century, no modern monarchy adopted
215-417: A supervisory official at the ministry of census as Jinbu Langzhong (金部郎中), then at the ministry of justice (刑部, Xingbu ) as Xingbu Langzhong (刑部郎中), then at the executive bureau of government (尚書省, Shangshu Sheng ) as Yousi Langzhong (右司郎中). Although these posts carried prestige as imperial official posts, they lacked sufficient salary, and Zheng, because his family was poor, sought an assignment out of
258-412: A system whereby females would be guaranteed to succeed to the throne (i.e. absolute primogeniture ). A crown princess would therefore be more likely to refer to the spouse of a crown prince. She would be styled crown princess, not in her own right but by courtesy . Many European countries have now abolished male primogeniture; a notable exception is Spain. Today, in monarchies lower than royal rank
301-448: Is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy . The female form of the title, crown princess , is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. Crown prince as a descriptive term has been used throughout history for the prince who is first-in-line to a throne and is expected to succeed (i.e. the heir apparent), barring any unforeseen future event preventing this. In certain monarchies,
344-463: The Canyu Chaozheng also continued appearing, including Canzhi Jiwu (參知機務, literally "participator in important matters"), Canzhang Jimi (參掌機密, literally "participator in national secret matters"), Canzhi Zhengshi (參知政事, literally "participator in governance matters"), Canmou Zhengshi (參謀政事, similarly in meaning to Canzhi Zhengshi ) also appeared, which Bo rendered as "chancellors de facto of
387-507: The Crown Prince . He died in 899. Chancellor of Tang Dynasty The chancellor ( Chinese : 宰相 ; pinyin : zǎixiàng ) was a semi-formally designated office position for a number of high-level officials at one time during the Tang dynasty of China. This list also includes chancellors of the short-lived Wu Zhou dynasty , which is typically treated as an interregnum of
430-577: The Shàngshūpúshè (尚書僕射)). Ouyang asserts, however, that the heads of the examination and legislative bureaus were also considered chancellors. The Tang dynasty founder Emperor Gaozu initially followed the Sui's system of governance, including the five-bureau organization. However, he deviated from his predecessors by creating a single head for the executive bureau, known as the Shàngshūlǐng (尚書令) and appointed
473-504: The Succession to the Crown Act 2013 . The eldest living child of a monarch is sometimes not the heir apparent or crown prince, because that position can be held by a descendant of a deceased older child who, by "right of representation", inherits the same place in the line of succession that would be held by the ancestor if he or she were still living (for example, Carl Gustaf, Duke of Jämtland
SECTION 10
#1732845270491516-522: The papacy and Andorra , the eldest son or (more recently) eldest child of the current monarch fills the role of crown prince or princess, depending upon whether females of the dynasty enjoy personal succession rights . Male precedence has been abolished in Belgium , Denmark , Luxembourg , Norway , Sweden and the Netherlands , as well as in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms pursuant to
559-466: The " Xiehou style of the Fifth Zheng." (The fact that he referred to himself and was referred to others as the Fifth Zheng probably indicated that he was ranked fifth among his brothers.) When the imperial official Wang Hui served as the chief imperial censor, he recommended Zheng to serve as Bingbu Langzhong (兵部郎中), a supervisory official at the ministry of defense (兵部, Bingbu ), and also oversee
602-652: The Tang dynasty by historians. Ouyang Xiu , the author of the New Book of Tang , asserts that the Tang dynasty inherited its bureaucracy from its dynastic predecessor, the Sui dynasty , under which the founder Emperor Wen of Sui divided his government into five main bureaus: Under Emperor Wen, the executive bureau was regarded as the most important, and he had his most honored officials such as Gao Jiong , Yang Su , and Su Wei lead it at various points. Its heads were generally regarded as chancellors (as it always had two heads, known as
645-402: The Tang dynasty is disputed. The list does not include people who served as regional governors who were given the titles as honorific titles. The chancellors under the pretenders Li Yun and Li Yu, Prince of De are listed, but not the chancellors under the pretender Li Chenghong because, while Li Chenghong was described to have multiple chancellors, only two (Yu Kefeng (于可封) and Huo Huan (霍環))
688-404: The administration of the office of the censors (御史臺, Yushi Tai ). He later served as imperial attendant (給事中, Jishizhong ). When Emperor Xizong was set to commission Du Honghui (杜弘徽), the younger brother of the chancellor Du Rangneng , as a Zhongshu Sheren (中書舍人, mid-level official at the legislative bureau (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng )), Zheng, in his duty of reviewing edicts, sealed and returned
731-641: The bureaus, as chancellors, with titles such as Cānyù Cháozhèng (參豫朝政, literally "participator in the administration's governance"). Yet later in 643, he revised the designation and formalized it as the Tóngzhōngshūménxiàsānpǐn (同中書門下三品, literally meaning "equivalent to the officials with the third rank from the Zhōngshū and the Ménxià ") — because the heads of the legislative bureau, the Zhōngshūlǐng (中書令), and
774-415: The capital Chang'an , and thereafter was made the prefect of Lu Prefecture (廬州, in modern Hefei , Anhui ). As the major agrarian rebel Huang Chao advanced north in 880, Zheng wrote him a declaration ordering him not to invade Lu Prefecture — a declaration that amused Huang who thereafter skipped past Lu Prefecture. When Zheng later left the post as prefect, he had accumulated some savings, but he left in
817-442: The care of the prefectural treasury, which was not plundered even later when other agrarian rebels overran Lu Prefecture. Yet later, when Yang Xingmi served as the prefect, he had messengers deliver the money to Zheng. Zheng was good at writing poetry, and particularly became known for writing poetry that did not strictly comply with metric requirements and which focused on satirizing contemporary events. The format became known as
860-471: The chancellors begin to rotate off-days so that at least one would always be on duty; when submissions were to be made to the emperor, they were signed in the names of all chancellors, whether on duty or not. The name of their meeting place also changed back to Zhengshi Tang . This list also includes the chancellors during the Wu Zhou dynasty of Wu Zetian , even though the propriety of considering it as part of
903-465: The decisive factor in dynastic succession, a person may not possess the title or status of crown prince by right of birth, but may obtain (and lose) it as a result of an official designation made on some other legal or traditional basis, such as former crown prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan . Compare heir apparent and heir presumptive . In Scandinavian kingdoms, the heir presumptive to the crown may hold
SECTION 20
#1732845270491946-424: The deputy minister of rites (禮部侍郎, Libu Shilang ) and a chancellor with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事). When Zheng's assistants reported this to Zheng to congratulate him, Zheng himself did not take it seriously and stated, "Gentlemen, you must have erred. Even if no one else under heaven knew how to read, the Fifth Zheng cannot be a chancellor." When the assistants insisted that this
989-420: The edict to the emperor, arguing that it was inappropriate for one brother to oversee another (the chancellors had overall supervisory authority over the legislative bureau). Emperor Xizong took no action on Zheng's objection, so Zheng claimed an illness and resigned his post. Soon thereafter, Zheng was recalled to the imperial government to serve as Zuo Sanqi Changshi (左散騎常侍), a high-level advisory official at
1032-436: The emperor took no heed of them, so he felt compelled to report to his post as a chancellor. It was said that after Zheng became a chancellor, he took his responsibilities seriously and was no longer spending his time in humorous speech. However, he still felt that he was not a chancellor who met the expectation of the people. After serving as a chancellor for three months, he resigned and was allowed to retire as an advisor to
1075-428: The examination bureau (門下省, Menxia Sheng ). It was said that he submitted many suggestions whenever he saw a problem with imperial governance. Not many of his suggestions were accepted, but they became publicly known at the capital. The ruling officials disliked this phenomenon and made him the principal of the imperial university (國子祭酒, Guozi Jijiu ). When this assignment was announced, the public believed that Zheng
1118-559: The examination bureau, the Shìzhōng (侍中), were of the third rank. These officials were rendered as "chancellors de facto'" Shízhìzǎixiàng (實質宰相) by the Chinese historian Bo Yang in his modern Chinese edition of the Zizhi Tongjian . Throughout Tang history, the names of the examination and legislative bureaus were changed multiple times, and so the designation of Tóngzhōngshū Ménxià Sānpǐn
1161-441: The heads of the examination bureau had these titles during those periods: The men who held the office included: The office was created in 643. The titles, as modified from time to time to reflect the names in changes of the legislative and examination bureaus, included: The office was created in 682. The titles, as modified from time to time to reflect the names in changes of the legislative and examination bureaus, included: It
1204-465: The heads of the executive, examination, and legislative (which was renamed the Zhōngshūshěng (中書省)) bureaus regarded as the chancellors. As there were often, but not always, more than one head for the examination and legislative bureaus, there were not necessarily only four chancellors. Emperor Taizong's reign also began to designate certain high-level officials, even though they were not heads of one of
1247-518: The name to Zhongshu Menxia (中書門下), apparently employing a double entendre , as when the terms were put together, they meant, "within the doors of the Zhongshu ." Zhang also reorganized the Hall by creating five offices under the chancellors—in charge of civil service, state secrets, military matters, governance, and criminal law, respectively. Later in the dynasty—starting during the reign of Emperor Suzong —
1290-404: The office to his second son and future emperor Lǐ Shìmín (李世民). After Li Shimin became emperor in 626, the office was left vacant because none of his officials dared to occupy it. Thus from the year 626 the executive bureau was headed by its two vice-directors, the Shàngshūpúshè . Around this time, probably by Emperor Taizong's orders, the institution of multiple chancellors was formalized, with
1333-523: The office was for the deputy heads of the Shangshu Sheng ): After 705, the heads of the executive bureau were no longer considered chancellors unless they received the chancellor-de facto designation. The leiglsative bureau had these changes in name: Correspondingly, the heads of the legislative bureau had these titles during those periods: The men who held the office included: The examination bureau had these changes in name: Correspondingly,
Zheng Qi - Misplaced Pages Continue
1376-518: The term "crown prince" is used in English (e.g. Crown Prince of Umm al-Quwain ). The term crown prince is not used in European monarchies if the hereditary sovereign holds a title below that of king/queen or emperor/empress (such as grand duke or prince ), although it is sometimes used as a synonym for heir apparent. In Europe, where primogeniture governed succession to all monarchies except those of
1419-527: The third class." The chancellors periodically met together at the Zhengshi Tang (政事堂, literally "the Hall of State Matters"), originally physically located within the examination bureau. In 683, when Pei Yan , then the head of the examination bureau, became the head of the legislative bureau, the Zhengshi Tang was moved from the examination bureau to the legislative bureau. Later, during Emperor Xuanzong's reign, when Zhang Shuo became chancellor, he changed
1462-639: The title of Pingzhang Junguo Zhongshi (平章軍國重事) briefly in 830. Toward the end of the dynasty, Li Zhirou was briefly put temporarily in charge of the Office of the Chancellors in 895 with the designation Quanzhi Zhongshu Shi (權知中書事) and therefore could be regarded as a chancellor as well (and was listed in the table of chancellors in the New Book of Tang ); similarly, Lu Guangqi went through two similar titles. Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince
1505-412: Was Li Lin , in 757–758, and the chancellor-de facto-of-second-grade designation became very common and was used for the rest of Tang history. Furthermore, after 705, the heads of the executive bureau were no longer considered chancellors unless they received the chancellor-de facto designation of either kind. Throughout the early dynasty until the second reign of Emperor Ruizong in 710, variations of
1548-501: Was also the title borne by the heirs apparent to the thrones of the grand duchies, sovereign duchies and principalities , and of mediatized princely families in the German monarchies abolished in 1918. Many monarchies use or did use substantive titles for their heirs apparent, often of historical origin: Some monarchies have used (although not always de jure ) a territorial title for heirs apparent which, though often perceived as
1591-577: Was frequently changed in response thereof. For example, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong , when the legislative bureau was briefly known as the Zǐwéishěng (紫微省) and the examination bureau the Huángménshěng (黃門省), the chancellors de facto were known as the Tóng Zǐwéi Huángmén Sānpǐn . A lesser designation, with the same powers, was created in 682 during the reign of Emperor Gaozong , and
1634-542: Was initially known as the Tóng Zhōngshū Ménxià Píngzhāngshì (同中書門下平章事, literally "equivalent to the participators from the Zhōngshū and the Ménxià "), rendered by Bo as "chancellors de facto second grade." Later in Tang history, after the Anshi Rebellion , while the chancellor-de facto designation was not officially abolished, it was no longer in use, as the last chancellor to be designated as such
1677-416: Was moved because he was being honest. The ruling officials became fearful of the consequences and made him Zuo Sanqi Changshi again. Emperor Xizong's brother and successor Emperor Zhaozong eventually became aware of Zheng Qi's poems, as eunuchs recited them in their spare time. Emperor Zhaozong saw their biting satire and believed that they showed hidden talent. In 894, he issued an edict making Zheng
1720-464: Was named in historical accounts, and Yu and Huo's actual titles were not given in those accounts. The executive bureau had these changes in name: Correspondingly, the heads of the executive bureau, considered chancellors from 618 to 705, had these titles during those periods: The men who held the office included (including the Shangshu Puye during Emperor Gaozu's reign, even though at that time
1763-439: Was often referred to in brief as Tong Pingzhangshi (同平章事). The office recurred as variations of the pre-formalization titles, even after formalization of the chancellors de facto offices of the first and second grades, but did not regularly recur after 713. Liu Youqiu , who held the title as Zhi Junguo Zhongshi , was the last person to hold any variation of the title as chancellor as a regular title, although Pei Du would hold
Zheng Qi - Misplaced Pages Continue
1806-452: Was the crown prince of Sweden from 1950 to 1973, as the senior grandson by male primogeniture of King Gustaf VI Adolf , although the former Prince Sigvard, Duke of Uppland was Gustaf VI Adolf's eldest living son, and Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland his eldest living dynastic son during those years). In some monarchies, those of the Middle East for example, in which primogeniture is not
1849-413: Was the will of the emperor, he stated, "If this is true, people will laugh to death." When the edict announcing his chancellorship arrived the next day, along with congratulating guests, Zheng was confounded, stating to himself, "If the Fifth Zheng, the xiehou writer, becomes chancellor, what does this say about the current state of governance?" He submitted several petitions declining the commission, but
#490509