Li Yong (chancellor)

Li Yong (李鄘) (died September 14, 820),courtesy name Jianhou (建侯), was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, briefly commissioned as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xianzong — but declining the office and never actually exercising the authorities of the office.

It is not known when Li Yong was born, but it is known that his family was originally from Jiangxia (江夏, in modern Wuhan, Hubei). His family claimed to be descended from the Warring States period State of Zhao general Li Mu and also claimed ancestry through a line of officials of Qin Dynasty, Han Dynasty, and Jin Dynasty (265-420). By the time of Li Yong's great-great-grandfather Li Yuanzhe (李元哲), the family had relocated to Guangling (廣陵, in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu). Li Yong's grandfather Li Pu (李璞) served as a prefectural military officer, while his father Li Xuan (李暄) served as an imperial archiver. He had at least one older brother, Li Yun (李鄆).

Li Yong himself passed the imperial examinations during the Dali era (766-779) of Emperor Daizong, and he scored high in the class of those who were capable of rendering legal judgments. He was made Mishu Zhengzi (秘書正字), a copyeditor at the Palace Library. He was later invited by the general Li Huaiguang to serve on Li Huaiguang's staff.

After Li Huaiguang rebelled against the rule of Emperor Daizong's son Emperor Dezong in 784 and took up position at Hezhong (河中, in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi), Li Yong was concerned that his continuing to serve under Li Huaiguang would cause harm to his family, and therefore informed Li Huaiguang that his older brother was ill at the eastern capital Luoyang and that his mother wished to see his older brother. Li Huaiguang agreed, but forbid Li Yong from sending his wife and children as well. Instead, Li Yong sent his mother, wife, and children to Luoyang. When Li Huaiguang became aware of this and rebuked him, he responded, "I, Li Yong, belongs to this army and therefore cannot follow my mother to serve her, but why would you not let my wife serve her mother-in-law?" Li Huaiguang could not fault him. In 785, after Li Huaiguang's officer Lü Mingyue (呂鳴岳) was found to be secretly in communications with the imperial general Ma Sui, Li Huaiguang massacred Lü's family and further discovered that Li Yong and his colleague Gao Ying were also involved. When Li Huaiguang gathered the troops and publicly rebuked Li Yong and Gao, both of them responded that they were merely being faithful to the emperor. Li Huaiguang did not kill them, but put them under arrest. After Li Huaiguang committed suicide later in the year, and his troops surrendered to Ma, Ma released Li Yong and Gao and invited them to serve on his staff. Later, after his advice was not accepted by Ma, he left Ma's staff and retired to Luoyang. Li Gao (李皋) the Prince of Cao, who then served as the military governor (Jiedushi) of Shannan East Circuit (山南東道, headquartered in modern Xiangfan, Hubei), then invited him to serve on staff, and he did so. He was later recalled to the capital Chang'an to serve as Libu Yuanwailang (吏部員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of civil service affairs (吏部, Libu).

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