Below, the history encyclopedia editor brings you the story of Lu Qi. Interested friends can continue reading.
During the 290 year reign of the Tang Dynasty, many prime ministers emerged who were either famous in history or notorious for thousands of years. Among them, there is one person who is more sinister than Li Linfu, uglier than evil spirits, and even the famous general Guo Ziyi fears him three points. He was jealous of the wise and capable, excluded dissidents, and continuously persecuted many famous officials such as Yang Yan, Zhang Yi, Yan Zhenqing, etc., stirring up a chaotic atmosphere in the court and causing widespread complaints among the people, ultimately leaving an eternal reputation. He is Lu Qi.
Lu Qi’s grandfather, Lu Huaishen, was a prime minister of the former dynasty. His father, Lu Yi, served as the imperial censor of Dongtai during the Tianbao period and died for the country in the An Lushan Rebellion. Born into a family of scholars and loyal martyrs, he was supposed to inherit the family tradition of his ancestors, be loyal to the court, and seek the well-being of the people. However, this person went against the trend and embarked on a path of great treachery and evil that was quite in line with his evil appearance.
Lu Qi was born with a blue face and extremely ugly appearance. Some people even thought they had seen a ghost when they saw him. As the saying goes, people should not be judged by appearances. Lu Qi never belittles himself. He is knowledgeable, eloquent, and usually wears coarse clothes and eats simple meals. He has a frugal attitude and has gained a lot of good reputation.
Due to his background in a prestigious family, Lu Qiyin inherited the position of Commander in Chief of the Qing Dynasty and subsequently held various positions such as Secretary in Chief of Shuofang Prefecture, Governor of Zhongzhou, and Governor of Guozhou. During his tenure in Guozhou, someone complained to the court that the three thousand pigs kept by the government often caused harm to the local crops, and requested the court to resolve the issue. Tang Dezong planned to transport these pigs to Shayuan in Tongzhou.
Lu Qi reported to the emperor that the people of Tongzhou are also His Majesty’s people, and he suggested slaughtering these pigs on the spot to reward the poor. Emperor Dezong of Tang, Li Shi, read the memorial and sighed, saying that as the governor of Guozhou, Lu Qi was able to consider the people of Tongzhou, which was truly the talent of a prime minister!
Due to this small matter, the emperor began to intentionally favor Lu Qi. Afterwards, he indeed rose step by step, from the position of Imperial Censor to the position of Deputy Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and eventually became the prime minister of the current dynasty with the rank of Deputy Minister of the Imperial Secretariat.
Although Lu Qi was promoted continuously, the famous general Guo Ziyi saw through his character. Once, Lu Qi came to Guo Mansion to pay his respects. Guo Ziyi quickly asked his concubines to hide. Someone asked the reason strangely, and Guo Ziyi said that Lu Qi had a blue face and an ugly appearance. Although he appeared kind on the surface, he was extremely cunning and vengeful. If the concubines saw him like that, they would inevitably laugh uncontrollably. If Lu Qi gains power one day, our entire family’s lives will be in danger!
Guo Ziyi was extremely accurate in judging people, and Lu Qi became the prime minister, which indeed became the beginning of a nightmare for the court and the people. He is jealous of the wise and capable, and excludes dissidents; Excessive and harsh governance has led to people living in poverty. He is good at using borrowed weapons to kill people, killing three birds with one arrow, and his methods are even better than those of Li Linfu, who is known for his “sweet talk and cunning sword”.
The primary target of Lu Qi’s butcher’s knife was Yang Yan, who was also the prime minister of the current dynasty. Yang Yan, as a renowned prime minister, has always been ashamed to associate with Lu Qi. Lu Qi’s heart was filled with hatred, but on the surface, nothing happened. In July of the second year of Jianzhong, Li Xilie was ordered to attack the Shannan Jiedushi Liang Chongyi, but did not advance due to heavy rain. Tang Dezong was very dissatisfied.
Lu Qi found the opportunity to kill Yang Yan. He gave a brief report in front of the emperor: Li Xilie’s delay in attacking was due to Yang Yan’s advice to Emperor Dezong not to use him. The emperor indeed dismissed Yang Yan from his position as prime minister. Afterwards, Lu Qi continued to speak ill of the emperor by claiming that the Yang Yan family temple was close to Qujiang and interfered with Wang Qi. Thus, Yang Yan, a renowned prime minister of the first generation, was demoted to the position of Sima of Yazhou and ultimately died in despair on the way.
Although Lu Qi wielded absolute power, he was not satisfied. Afterwards, he continued to sharpen and strike, killing three arrows with one stone, continuously harming many courtiers such as Zhang Yi, Yan Ying, Zheng Zhan, and even Yan Zhenqing, a great calligrapher known for his loyalty and righteousness in the court, was also killed by him.
Lu Yi, the father of Lu Qi, was killed in the An Lushan Rebellion. Yan Zhenqing personally welcomed Lu Yi back to his head and licked off the bloodstains on his face with his tongue, showing great righteousness that moved the world. Even so, Lu Qi still didn’t let him go. Tang Dezong wanted to pacify Li Xilie, but struggled to find a suitable candidate. Lu Qi employed the tactic of “supporting and killing” and strongly recommended Yan Zhenqing to the emperor. Yan Zhenqing was indeed killed by Li Xilie.
Lu Qi also employed Zhao Zan and others, using tax laws such as “cutting off barriers and removing weeds” to undermine the people’s livelihoods, impose excessive taxes, and cause unbearable suffering. The streets were temporarily closed and desolate.
Lu Qi excluded dissidents politically and framed loyal and righteous individuals; The abuse of tyranny in the economy has caused widespread complaints among the people. More and more people inside and outside the court hate him to the bone. The emperor couldn’t withstand the pressure and finally demoted him to become a Sima in Xinzhou, and died in his position in Fengzhou, Hunan.
Lu Qi came from a prestigious family. He could have upheld the aspirations of his ancestors and made a great contribution to the court and the people, but he was narrow-minded, cunning, and vicious. He excluded dissidents from the court and imposed excessive tyranny on the people, ultimately causing great anger and resentment. He was exiled to a foreign land and left a lasting reputation, which is truly touching.
