Lai Junchen (來俊臣)

Overview

Lai Junchen was an official and Judge.

PeriodSui and Tang

IdentityHistorical · Male

Roles

Found in

Life and dates

Death

AD 697 周興、來俊臣等誅死
Execution
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 56, passages 173, 180

Attested activity

AD 684 to AD 697 AD 684-697
Strongly inferred · New Book of Tang 113, passage 145
AD 692 來俊臣構獄時
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 123, passage 12
AD 697 來俊臣等誅死
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 56, passage 173
AD 690 唐…來俊臣
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 142, passage 19
AD 690 to AD 692 天授中
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 190
AD 690 to AD 692 後革命
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 114, passage 252

Show 3 more source-backed claims

AD 697 自來俊臣誅後
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 56, passage 180
AD 690 載初元年
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 151
AD 689 to AD 697 酷吏...典大獄
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 56, passage 161

Key source chapters

Career and standing

cruel official 酷吏
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 56, passage 161

Places and affiliations

Polity Tang 唐 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 142, passage 19; New Book of Tang 56, passage 161

Works and attributed material

Wuzi was friendly with the prisoners and concealed their rebel evidence
Accusation · Speaker · With Shi Wuzi (史務滋) · Paraphrased
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 252

Events and relationships

Directed major cases
Legal · Judge · With Empress Wu (武后)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 56, passage 161
Framed Lu Xian
AD 690 to AD 692 天授中 · Legal · Accuser · With Lu Xian (盧獻)
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 190
Framed officials in capital cases
AD 692 來俊臣構獄時 · Legal · Accuser · With Di Renjie (狄仁傑)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 123, passage 12
Ordered to try
Legal · Investigator · With Shi Wuzi (史務滋)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 252
Tried case with
Legal · Joint investigator · With Shi Wuzi (史務滋)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 252

Assessments and attributes

Assessment 深文慘刻 / twisted law into cruel severity · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 142, passage 19

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 190; New Book of Tang 56, passage 161

References in the histories

Search passages

History

13 passages

Old Book of Tang, Chapter 203Volume 193 Biographies 143: Exemplary Women · 1 passage

Open chapter

天授中為酷吏來俊臣所陷，左遷西鄉令而卒。 During the Tianshou reign he was framed by the cruel official Lai Junchen, demoted to Magistrate of Xixiang, and died in office.

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 142Volume 142 Treatises 117: Penal Law 1 · 1 passage

Open chapter

治獄者雖不盡仁恕，然如漢、唐之張湯、趙禹、周興、來俊臣輩，深文慘刻，無有也。 Those who ran the prisons were not always humane, yet there were none like Zhang Tang and Zhao Yu of Han or Zhou Xing and Lai Junchen of Tang, who twisted the law into cruel severity.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 56Volume 56 Treatises 52: Punishment and Law · 3 passages

Open chapter

乃引酷吏周興、來俊臣輩典大獄，與侯思止、王弘義、郭弘霸、李敬仁、康暐、衞遂忠等集告事數百人，共為羅織，構陷無辜。 She then put cruel officials such as Zhou Xing and Lai Junchen in charge of major cases. With Hou Sizhi, Wang Hongyi, Guo Hongba, Li Jingren, Kang Wei, Wei Suizhong, and others, they assembled several hundred informants to weave false charges and frame the innocent.

及周興、來俊臣等誅死，后亦老，其意少衰，而狄仁傑、姚崇、宋璟、王及善相與論垂拱以來酷濫之冤，太后感寤，由是不復殺戮。 After Zhou Xing, Lai Junchen, and others were executed, the Empress had also grown old and her zeal somewhat faded. Di Renjie, Yao Chong, Song Jing, and Wang Jishan together discussed the cruel excesses and wrongful convictions since the Chuigong era; the Empress Dowager was moved, and from then on she no longer carried out mass killings.

然而李林甫用事矣，自來俊臣誅後，至此始復起大獄，以誣陷所殺數十百人，如韋堅、李邕等皆一時名臣，天下冤之。 Yet Li Linfu was already in power. Since Lai Junchen's execution, major cases were raised again for the first time; dozens and hundreds were killed through framed charges. Men like Wei Jian and Li Yong were leading ministers of their day, and the realm deemed it unjust.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 113Volume 113 Biographies 38: Tang, Zhang, Xu · 6 passages

Open chapter

於是周興、來俊臣、丘神勣、王弘義等揣識後指，置總監牧院諸獄，捕將相，俾相鉤逮，掩搦護送，楚掠凝慘。 Zhou Xing, Lai Junchen, Qiu Shenji, Wang Hongyi, and others divined her intent, set up the supervisory prison system, arrested ministers and generals, forced mutual denunciations, and tortured prisoners with savage cruelty.

會沖坐逆誅，魏州人告餘慶豫沖謀，後令俊臣鞫治，以反狀聞。 When Chong was executed for treason, men of Weizhou reported that Yuqing had foreknown the plot. The empress ordered Lai Junchen to investigate and reported a finding of treason.

俊臣、張知默固請如法，後不許。 Lai Junchen and Zhang Zhimou insisted on applying the law, but the empress refused.

俊臣獨引行本更驗前罪。 Lai Junchen alone took Xingben back to reinvestigate earlier offenses.

有功奏曰：「俊臣違陛下再生之賜，不可以示信。」 Yougong memorialized, "Lai Junchen violates Your Majesty's grant of renewed life and cannot be trusted."

有功居革命之際，周興、來俊臣等掩義隱賊，崇飾惡言，以誣盛德，有功守死明道，身濱殆者數矣，此其賢於釋之明甚。」 Yougong lived in an age of revolution, when Zhou Xing, Lai Junchen, and others concealed villains and twisted words to slander the throne. He held to the Way even at the risk of death, several times on the brink of execution. In this he far surpassed Shizhi."

New Book of Tang, Chapter 114Volume 114 Biographies 39: Cui Rong and Descendent Cong, Descendent Neng, Neng's Nephew: Shen You, Neng's Nephew an Qian, Neng's Son: Yan Ceng, Xu Yanbo, Su Weidao, Dou Lu Qin Wang · 1 passage

Open chapter

雅州刺史劉行實兄弟為侍御史來子珣誣其反，詔務滋與來俊臣雜治，俊臣言務滋與囚善，掩其反狀，後命俊臣並治，遂自殺。 Prefect of Yazhou Liu Xingshi and his brothers were framed for rebellion by attending censor Lai Zixun; an edict ordered Wuzi and Lai Junchen to try the case together. Junchen accused Wuzi of favoring the prisoners and concealing evidence of rebellion; when Wuzi was later placed under Junchen's jurisdiction as well, he committed suicide.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 123Volume 123 Biographies 48: Li, Xiao, Lu, Wei, Zhao, He · 1 passage

Open chapter

會來俊臣構狄仁傑、李嗣真、裴宣禮等獄，將抵死，敕嶠與大理少卿張德裕、侍御史劉憲覆驗，德裕等內知其冤，不敢異。 When Lai Junchen framed Di Renjie, Li Sizhen, Pei Xuanli, and others in capital cases nearing execution, an edict sent Qiao, Vice Director Zhang Deyu of the Court of Judicial Review, and Investigating Censor Liu Xian to review the verdicts. Zhang and Liu knew the men were innocent but dared not disagree.