Cui Yuan (died 905) facts for kids
Cui Yuan (崔遠) was an important official in ancient China during the Tang dynasty. He served as a top advisor to the emperor, called a chancellor, two times. He worked for Emperor Zhaozong and his son, Emperor Ai. Sadly, Cui Yuan was killed by a powerful military leader named Zhu Quanzhong. Zhu Quanzhong was preparing to take over the throne and wanted to remove officials who might oppose him.
About Cui Yuan's Family
We don't know exactly when Cui Yuan was born. He came from a very famous family called the Cui clan of Boling. This family had many important officials throughout Chinese history. His ancestors served in many different dynasties, like the Qin dynasty and Han dynasty. Cui Yuan's granduncle, Cui Gong, was also a chancellor, showing how important his family was. His grandfather was a military leader, and his father was a deputy minister.
Starting His Career
In 889, when Emperor Zhaozong was emperor, Cui Yuan passed the special imperial examinations. These were tough tests that people had to pass to become government officials. After passing, he started working as a drafter of imperial orders. This meant he helped write down the emperor's commands.
Later, he became an imperial scholar, which was a high-ranking position. He also worked in the government's legislative bureau. By 896, he was made a deputy minister and was given the title Baron of Boling. People said Cui Yuan was very talented and good at writing. He was also serious and focused. People admired him so much that they called him the "Seat-Gluing Pear." This meant he was so interesting and valuable that people didn't want to leave his presence.
Becoming a Chancellor
In late 896, Emperor Zhaozong made Cui Yuan a chancellor. This was a very important job, as chancellors were the emperor's main advisors. He also became the deputy head of the legislative bureau and the minister of civil service affairs.
In 900, Cui Yuan was removed from his chancellor position for a short time. But in 904, he became a chancellor again. This happened when a powerful military leader, Zhu Quanzhong, forced Emperor Zhaozong to remove the previous chancellor, Cui Yin. Cui Yuan and another official, Liu Can, took their places. Soon after, Zhu Quanzhong forced the emperor to move the capital city from Chang'an to Luoyang. Cui Yuan traveled with the emperor to the new capital.
End of His Life
Later in 904, Zhu Quanzhong had Emperor Zhaozong killed and put the emperor's son, Emperor Ai, on the throne. Cui Yuan and the other chancellors, Pei Shu and Dugu Sun, came from old, noble families. They didn't get along with Liu Can because he was very close to Zhu Quanzhong.
By spring 905, Pei Shu had disagreed with Zhu Quanzhong about appointing an official. Liu Can used this chance to tell Zhu that Cui Yuan, Dugu Sun, and Pei Shu were not showing him enough respect. Because of this, Zhu Quanzhong had all three removed from their chancellor roles. Cui Yuan was given a different, less powerful job.
Zhu Quanzhong was getting ready to take over the throne completely. He decided to get rid of many important officials who came from noble families. Cui Yuan and many others were first sent to faraway places. Soon after, about 30 of these officials, including Cui Yuan, Pei Shu, and Dugu Sun, were gathered at a place called Baima Station. They were forced to end their lives. Their bodies were then put into the Yellow River.
