Li Zhongyan

Li Zhongyan (李仲言) (died December 16, 835), known as Li Xun (李訓) in 835, courtesy name initially Zixun (子訓), later Zichui (子垂), pseudonym Hermit Wang (王山人) during the mourning period for his mother, was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. He became a trusted advisor to Emperor Wenzong and plotted with Emperor Wenzong to end the hold the powerful eunuchs had on power by slaughtering the eunuchs, but when the effort failed (in an event later known as the Ganlu Incident), Li Xun and his associates were slaughtered.

It is not known when Li Zhongyan was born. According to his biographies in the official histories of Tang Dynasty, the Old Book of Tang and the New Book of Tang, he was from the same branch of the Li family — the "Guzang Branch" (姑臧房) — as the chancellors Li Kui and Li Fengji, and was two generations below Li Kui and one generation below Li Fengji, although the family tree for the Greater Guzang Branch in the New Book of Tang did not mention Li Zhongyan or any of his male-line ancestors. It was said that Li Zhongyan was tall, handsome, charismatic, well-spoken, dexterous, and good at reading people's emotions. He passed the imperial examinations in the Jinshi (進士) class; thereafter, he served as an assistant teacher at the imperial university, before serving at as a staff member to the military governor (Jiedushi) of Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Jiaozuo, Henan).

During Emperor Jingzong's reign (824-827), Li Fengji served as chancellor. Li Zhongyan became a close associate of Li Fengji's, and it was said that shortly after Emperor Jingzong took the throne, Li Zhongyan, along with Li Fengji's other associates Li Yu (李虞) and Zhang Youxin (張又新), participated in manufacturing false evidence against a political enemy of Li Fengji's, the imperial scholar Li Shen. As a result of Li Fengji's accusations against Li Shen — that when Emperor Jingzong's father Emperor Muzong died, Li Shen was intending to support Emperor Muzong's brother Li Cong (李悰) the Prince of Shen — Li Shen was exiled. Subsequently, Li Zhongyan, Zhang, Li Xuzhi (李續之), Li Yu, Liu Qichu (劉栖楚), Jiang Qia (姜洽), Zhang Quanyu (張權輿), and Cheng Xifan (程昔范), became known as Li Fengji's "Eight Gates" — i.e., people who wanted to see Li Fengji had to go through them.

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