Su Liangsi

Su Liangsi (蘇良嗣) (606 – February 24, 690), formally the Duke of Wen (溫公), was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as chancellor during the first reign of Emperor Ruizong.

Su Liangsi was born in 606, during the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui. His father Su Shizhang (蘇世長) was then an official for Sui Dynasty, and had been an official for Sui's predecessor Northern Zhou. After Sui's fall in 619, Su initially submitted to one of the contenders to succeed Sui, Wang Shichong the Emperor of Zheng, but after Zheng was defeated by Tang Dynasty forces in 621, submitted to Tang and became a Tang official, subsequently serving under its first two emperors Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong. Su's family was from Yong Prefecture (雍州, roughly modern Xi'an, Shaanxi) -- the capital prefecture for both Sui and Tang.

During the reign of Emperor Taizong's son Emperor Gaozong, Su Liangsi served as the military advisor to Emperor Gaozong's son Li Xian the Prince of Zhou. It was said that because Li Xian was young, his behaviors were often against regulations; Su would sternly advise against such behavior, and Li Xian feared and respected him. It was also said that many staff members were not capable officials, but Su carefully governed the staff and there were few violations against regulations, earning him much praise from Emperor Gaozong.

Later in Emperor Gaozong's reign, he was made the secretary general at Jing Prefecture (荊州, roughly modern Jingzhou, Hubei). On an occasion in 682, Emperor Gaozong sent eunuchs to the Yangtze River region to seek out unusual bamboo plants, hoping to transplant them to the imperial garden. The eunuchs were said to abuse this authority to overpower the people, and when they went through Jing Prefecture, Su arrested them and submitted a petition to Emperor Gaozong, stating, "Looking for unusual things afar and disturbing the regions on the way is not the way for holy ones to show that they love the people. Further, these frivolous persons are abusing their authority and causing damage to the imperial reputation." Emperor Gaozong commented to his powerful wife Empress Wu (later known as Wu Zetian), "I did not think this through carefully, and I drew a rebuke from Su Liangsi." He wrote an edict thanking Su, and ordered that the collected bamboo plants be thrown into the river.

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