Background and Early Career
Lu Shang was born in 789, during the reign of Emperor Dezong. His family was from the "Second Branch" of the prominent Lu clan of Fanyang, and claimed ancestry from the reigning Jiang house of the Spring and Autumn Period state Qi. His traceable male ancestry line included officials of Han Dynasty, Cao Wei, Jin Dynasty (265-420), Former Yan and/or Later Yan, Northern Wei, and Tang Dynasty. Lu Shang's grandfather Lu Ang (盧昂) served as a prefectural prefect, and his father Lu Guang (盧廣) served as the sheriff of Henan County (河南), one of the two counties making up the Tang eastern capital Luoyang.
Lu Shang lost his father early in life and was said to be poor, but studious. He passed the imperial examinations in the Jinshi class in 809, during the reign of Emperor Dezong's grandson Emperor Xianzong, and further passed a special examination for those who made good rulings. He was initially made Xiaoshu Lang (校書郎), a copyeditor at the archival ministry. When the official Fang Chuanshi (范傳氏) served as the governor of Xuanshe Circuit (宣歙, headquartered in modern Xuancheng, Anhui), Lu served as his assistant. Lu later served as a secretary under successive military governors (Jiedushi) of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan), the former chancellors Wang Bo and Duan Wenchang. Lu was later recalled to the capital Chang'an to serve as Gongbu Yuanwailang (工部員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of public works (工部, Gongbu), and then as the magistrate of Henan County. He later served three terms as supervisory officials at the ministries — Gongbu Langzhong (工部郎中), at the ministry of public works; Duzhi Langzhong (度支郎中), at the ministry of census (戶部, Hubu); and Sifeng Langzhong (司封郎中), at the minister of civil service affairs (吏部, Libu).
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