Pei Shu facts for kids

Pei Shu (born in 841, died July 5, 905) was an important government official in China during the Tang dynasty. He served as a top advisor, called a chancellor, two times. He worked for Emperor Zhaozong and his son Emperor Ai, near the end of the Tang dynasty. Pei Shu was later killed during a time when a powerful military leader named Zhu Quanzhong was getting ready to take over the throne.

Early Life and Family

Pei Shu was born in 841. His family, the Pei clan of Hedong, was very old and respected. They had many important officials in the government throughout history.

Pei Shu's great-grandfather, Pei Zunqing, was also a chancellor. His grandfather, Pei Xiang, was a chief judge, and his father, Pei Yin, was a chief imperial censor. This shows that Pei Shu came from a family that was used to serving in high government positions.

Starting His Career

Pei Shu passed the special government exams, called the Jinshi exams, in 871. This was a big achievement that allowed him to become an official.

He started with smaller jobs, like being a copyeditor at the Palace Library and a sheriff. He was noticed by a chancellor named Wang Duo, who saw his talent. However, when Wang Duo lost his position, Pei Shu's career also slowed down.

Things changed when the capital city, Chang'an, was attacked by a rebel leader named Huang Chao. Emperor Xizong had to flee, and Pei Shu went with him. Because of this, he was given a higher position as a censor. He later became an imperial chronicler, someone who recorded important events for history.

Pei Shu continued to work in different government departments, slowly moving up.

Working with Powerful Leaders

As he gained more experience, Pei Shu became an imperial attendant and then the mayor of the Chang'an region. He was praised by another chancellor, Kong Wei. However, when Kong Wei was removed from his job, Pei Shu was also demoted for a short time.

Later, Pei Shu was recalled to the capital. On his way back, he met Zhu Quanzhong, a very powerful military governor. Pei Shu treated Zhu Quanzhong with great respect, which made Zhu happy.

When Emperor Zhaozong had to flee Chang'an again in 896, Pei Shu followed him. He was then sent as a special messenger to Zhu Quanzhong. Because of their good relationship, Zhu Quanzhong sent a lot of gifts and support to the emperor. This pleased Emperor Zhaozong, who promoted Pei Shu. Pei Shu also became friends with Chancellor Cui Yin, who was an ally of Zhu Quanzhong.

Becoming a Chancellor

In 901, after some political struggles, Pei Shu was made a chancellor. This meant he was one of the emperor's most important advisors.

However, the emperor and his officials, including Pei Shu, faced challenges from powerful palace officials called eunuchs. The eunuchs were afraid that Emperor Zhaozong and Zhu Quanzhong would harm them. So, they forced the emperor to leave Chang'an. Pei Shu and other chancellors stayed behind and were temporarily removed from their chancellor roles.

In 903, Zhu Quanzhong defeated the eunuchs' ally, and Emperor Zhaozong returned to Chang'an. Zhu Quanzhong then asked the emperor to make Pei Shu chancellor again, saying he was good at managing the country. So, Pei Shu became chancellor once more and was also put in charge of editing the imperial histories.

Later, Zhu Quanzhong became suspicious of Chancellor Cui Yin and had him killed. Zhu then ordered the emperor and everyone in Chang'an to move to Luoyang, a different capital city. Soon after, Zhu Quanzhong had Emperor Zhaozong killed. Emperor Zhaozong's son, Li Zuo, became the new emperor. Pei Shu continued to serve as chancellor under the new young emperor.

End of His Life

Even though Pei Shu had been allied with Zhu Quanzhong for a long time, their relationship became difficult after Emperor Ai became emperor. Zhu Quanzhong appointed his own friend, Liu Can, as chancellor. Pei Shu and other chancellors did not respect Liu Can, which led Liu Can to make false accusations against them to Zhu Quanzhong.

The situation got worse when Zhu Quanzhong wanted to promote a performer he liked to a high government position. Pei Shu refused, saying the performer deserved an even higher military role, trying to avoid the appointment. Zhu Quanzhong was very angry when he heard this. He said that Pei Shu had shown his "true self."

Because of this incident and Liu Can's accusations, Zhu Quanzhong removed Pei Shu and the other chancellors from their positions in spring 905. Pei Shu was given a lower role.

Zhu Quanzhong was preparing to take over the throne completely. He decided to get rid of many high-ranking officials who came from old, respected families. Pei Shu was one of them. He was first sent to a far-off prefecture and then to an even more remote place. Soon after, Pei Shu and about 30 other officials were killed in this purge.