Li Kui (chancellor)

Li Kui (李揆) (711 – May 17, 784), courtesy name Duanqing (端卿), was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Suzong.

Li Kui was born in 711, at the end of the reign of Emperor Ruizong. He was from a prominent clan that, by Li Kui's time, was domiciled in Zheng Prefecture (鄭州, in modern Zhengzhou, Henan) but which traced its ancestry to a line of prominent officials of Northern Wei, who in turn traced their ancestry to Li Fan (李翻), a son of Li Gao, the founder of the Sixteen Kingdoms state Western Liang. (The Tang Dynasty imperial clan also traced its ancestry to Li Gao, through Li Gao's second son and successor Li Xin.) After Northern Wei, Li Kui's ancestors served as officials of Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty. Li Kui was said to be intelligent, dextrous, and studious in his youth, and he was capable in writing.

Toward the end of Emperor Xuanzong's Kaiyuan era (713–741), Li Kui passed the imperial examinations and was made the sheriff of Chenliu County (陳留, in modern Kaifeng, Henan). After he submitted his writing to Emperor Xuanzong, Emperor Xuanzong, apparently impressed, issued an edict allowing him to work at the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng) on a trial basis. He was subsequently made You Shiyi (右拾遺), a junior official at the legislative bureau, and then successively served in the higher offices of You Bujue (右補闕) and Qiju Lang (起居郎) at the legislative bureau, and then as Zhi Zongzi Biaosu (知宗子表疏), the official in charge of receiving and acting on submissions from members of the imperial clan at the ministry of imperial clan affairs (宗正寺, Zongzheng Si). Later, he was promoted to be Sixun Yuanwai Lang (司勳員外郎), a junior official at the ministry of civil service affairs (吏部, Libu), and then the higher office of Kaogong Langzhong (考功郎中) at the ministry of civil service affairs, in charge of evaluating the officials' performance. He was also involved in drafting edicts for Emperor Xuanzong. After the general An Lushan rebelled in 755 and forced Emperor Xuanzong to flee to Jiannan Circuit (劍南, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan), Li Kui accompanied Emperor Xuanzong to Jiannan and was made Zhongshu Sheren (中書舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau.

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