Sui and Tang · Official and Statesman

Liu Youqiu 劉幽求

Attested AD 698 - AD 718

Passages: 23
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Liu Youqiu was an official and Statesman.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Posthumous name	Wenxian	文獻	Wenxian

Life and dates

Death

Died on the road from resentment · Age 61
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 121, passage 37

Age

61
Reckoning Sui
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 121, passage 37

Attested activity

AD 712 先天元年
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 121, passage 23
AD 718 六年
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 121, passage 39
AD 711 景雲二年
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 121, passage 14
AD 698 to AD 700 聖歷中
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 121, passage 4
AD 713 to AD 714 開元初
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 121, passage 33

Family

Kinship Role sons · Count 2
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 121, passage 12

Career and standing

Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs 尚書右仆射
AD 712 先天元年 · Appointed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 121, passage 23
assistant magistrate of Chaoyi 朝邑尉
Appointed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 121, passage 6
magistrate of Langzhong 閬中尉
Appointed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 121, passage 5
Palace Attendant 侍中
Appointed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 121, passage 15
Secretariat Drafter 中書舍人
Appointed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 121, passage 12
Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs 尚書右丞
Appointed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 121, passage 13

Show 6 more source-backed claims

Minister of Revenue 戶部尚書
AD 711 景雲二年 · Held
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 121, passage 14
Baron of Zhongshan 中山縣男
Granted
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 121, passage 12
Grand Mentor 司徒
AD 780 to AD 783 建中中 · Posthumously granted
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 121, passage 40
Minister of Rites 禮部尚書
Posthumously granted
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 121, passage 38
Duke of Xu 徐國公
Granted
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 121, passage 13
Entered
Exile · At Fengzhou 封州
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 121, passage 31

Places and affiliations

Polity Tang 唐 · Relation Served
Strongly inferred · New Book of Tang 121, passage 3
At Wuqiang in Jizhou 冀州武強
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 121, passage 3

Learning and skills

Earned
Credential special civil-service examination 制科
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 121, passage 4

Works and attributed material

Edict · Subject
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 121, passages 16-22
Speech · Speaker · With Huan Yanfan (桓彥範)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 121, passages 7-8

Events and relationships

Participated
Coup · Planner · With Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (唐玄宗)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 121, passage 11
Warned
Political · Advisor · With Huan Yanfan (桓彥範)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 121, passages 7-8

Assessments and attributes

Item iron certificate 鐵券 · Relation Bestowed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 121, passage 22

References in the histories

Search passages

History

23 passages

New Book of Tang, Chapter 121Volume 121 Biographies 46: Liu, Zhong, Cui, and the Two Kings · 23 passages

劉鍾崔二王 Liu, Zhong, Cui, and the two Wangs

◎劉鐘崔二王 ◎ Liu, Zhong, Cui, and the two Wangs

劉幽求，冀州武強人。 Liu Youqiu came from Wuqiang in Jizhou.

桓彥範等誅張易之、昌宗，而不殺武三思，幽求謂彥範曰：「公等無葬地矣。 After Huan Yanfan and his allies killed Zhang Yizhi and Changzong but spared Wu Sansi, Youqiu warned Yanfan, "You will leave yourselves no ground for a grave.

臨淄王入誅韋庶人，預參大策，是夜號令詔敕一出其手。 When the Prince of Linzi marched in to destroy Consort Wei, Youqiu helped shape the coup; that night every command and proclamation bore his hand.

以功授中書舍人，參知機務，爵中山縣男，實封二百戶，授二子五品官，二代俱贈刺史。 Rewarded with the post of Secretariat Drafter and a share in governing, he was created Baron of Zhongshan with two hundred taxable households, his two sons were granted fifth-rank posts, and his forebears for two generations were posthumously made prefects.

睿宗立，進尚書右丞、徐國公，增封戶至五百，賜物千段、奴婢二十人、第一區、良田千畝、金銀雜物稱是。 After Ruizong's accession he rose to Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs and Duke of Xu, his fief was raised to five hundred households, and he received a thousand lengths of silk, twenty servants, a mansion, a thousand mu of fertile land, and commensurate gold and silver.

幽求處危思奮，翊贊聖儲，協和義士，震殄元惡。 Youqiu rose to the crisis, backed the rightful heir, rallied loyal men, and crushed the arch-villains.

國家之復存，繄幽求是賴，厥庸茂焉，朕用嘉之。 The realm's survival rested on Youqiu; his service was great, and I honor it accordingly.

幽求自謂有勞於國，在諸臣右，意望未滿，而竇懷貞為左仆射，崔湜為中書令，殊不平，見於言面。 Youqiu believed his service outranked every other minister and resented that Dou Huaizhen held the left vice-directorship and Cui Shi the directorship of the Secretariat; his discontent showed plainly in word and face.

幽求與右羽林將軍張暐定計，使暐說玄宗曰：「湜等皆太平黨與，日夜陰計，若不早圖，且產大害，太上不得高枕矣。 Youqiu and Zhang Wei of the Right Imperial Insignia Army laid a plan whereby Wei urged Xuanzong: "Shi and his allies are Princess Taiping's faction, scheming night and day; unless you strike first, grave harm will follow and your father will never sleep in peace.

睿宗以幽求等屬吏，劾奏以疏間親，罪應死。 Ruizong turned Youqiu and his associates over for trial; they were charged with driving a wedge between father and son, a crime punishable by death.

帝密申右之，乃流幽求於封州、暐於峰州、光賓於繡州。 The emperor intervened in secret, and the sentences were commuted to exile: Youqiu to Feng, Wei to Peak, and Guangbin to Xiu.

姚崇素忌之，奏幽求郁怏散職，有怨言。 Yao Chong, who had long envied him, reported that Youqiu, bitter over a sinecure, was voicing grievances.

詔有司鞫治，宰相盧懷慎等奏言：「幽求輕肆不恭，失大臣禮，乖崖分之節。」 The court was ordered to investigate; Chancellor Lu Huaishen and others reported, "Youqiu had been insolent and disrespectful, failing in a minister's decorum and overstepping his place."

贈禮部尚書，謚曰文獻。 He was posthumously honored as Minister of Rites with the title Wenxian (Cultivated and Meritorious).

明日，進中書令、越國公，實封五百戶，賚賜與劉幽求等。 The next day he became Director of the Secretariat and Duke of Yue with five hundred fief households, receiving rewards equal to Liu Youqiu's.

不為姚祟所喜，與幽求並以怨望得罪，貶果州刺史，賜封邑百戶。 Disliked by Yao Chong, he and Youqiu were alike punished for discontent and demoted; Shaojing became prefect of Guo with a nominal fief of one hundred households.

太子誠召張說、劉幽求、郭元振等計之，憂可紓也。」 Summon Zhang Yue, Liu Youqiu, Guo Yuanzhen, and others to counsel you, and your fear may ease."

公主謀益甚，幽求、暐謀先事誅之，侍御史鄧光賓漏謀，不克，皆得罪。 As the princess's plots deepened, Youqiu and Zhang Wei planned to strike first, but Censor Deng Guangbin leaked the plot; it failed and all were punished.

果毅葛福順、陳玄禮訴於王，王方與劉幽求、薛宗簡及利仁府折沖麻嗣宗謀舉大計，幽求諷之，皆願效死，遂入討韋氏。 Ge Fushun and Chen Xuanli appealed to the prince, who was plotting with Liu Youqiu, Xue Zongjian, and Ma Sizong; all pledged their lives, and they marched against the Wei clan.

贊曰：幽求之謀，紹京之果，日用之智，琚之辯，皆足濟危紓難，方多故時，必資以成功者也。 The commentator says: Youqiu's plots, Shaojing's boldness, Riyong's wit, and Ju's eloquence all availed in crisis; in troubled times such gifts win the day.

然待幽求等恨太薄雲。 Yet he treated Youqiu and the others with rather too little grace.