Liu Zi - Career Prior To Chancellorship

Career Prior To Chancellorship

Because of his heritage, Liu Zi was made a scribe to the crown prince when he was young. He later served as the magistrate of Lianshui County (漣水, in modern Huai'an, Jiangsu). Thereafter, the deputy minister of civil service affairs, Yang Wan, recommended him as someone who can serve as an advisor to the emperor, and so he was recalled to be Zuo Bujue (左補闕), a low-level official at the examination bureau of government (門下省, Menxia Sheng). He later resigned in order to take care of his mother, then at the eastern capital Luoyang, and while there, Li Yi (李廙) the mayor of Henan Municipality (河南, i.e., the Luoyang region) commissioned him to be a civil service officer. When his mother died, he left government service to observe a period of mourning for her. After the period of mourning was over, he was recalled to the imperial government to serve as Tuntian Yuanwailang (屯田員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of public works (工部, Gongbu). He later served as Sixun Yuanwailang (司勳員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of civil service affairs (吏部, Lìbu), but took on the additional responsibility of selecting low level officials. It was said that he was diligent in his duties and followed the law. He was later promoted to be Sixun Langzhong (司勳郎中), the supervisor of the officials who served as Sixun Yuanwailang, and yet later became an imperial attendant (給事中, Geishizhong).

In 783, Emperor Xuanzong's great-grandson Emperor Dezong was forced to flee the capital Chang'an when soldiers from Jingyuan Circuit (涇原, headquartered in modern Pingliang, Gansu) mutinied and supported the general Zhu Ci as their leader. Emperor Dezong fled to Fengtian (奉天, in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi). Liu Zi followed him there, and served as deputy minister of worship (太常少卿, Taichang Shaoqing), in charge of ceremonies. In 784, he was made the deputy minister of civil service affairs (吏部侍郎, Libu Shilang). At that time, as the persons from the southern parts of the empire, who normally would have gone to Chang'an to stand for imperial examinations, were unable to do so due to the wars and the famine in the Chang'an region at the time, Emperor Dezong sent Liu to Hong Prefecture (洪州, in modern Nanchang, Jiangxi), to examine them there. It was said that he carried out his duties well there.