During Emperor Jingzong's Reign
In 824, by which time Emperor Muzong had died and been succeeded by Li Zhan (as Emperor Jingzong), Wang Tingcou, upon hearing the Niu Yuanyi, who had been serving as the military governor of Shannan East Circuit (山南東道, headquartered in modern Xiangfan, Hubei), had died, slaughtered Niu's family, which he had detained at Chengde. Emperor Jingzong, hearing reports of the Niu household being slaughtered, sighed and blamed the incident on the chancellors' lack of ability. The imperial scholar Wei Chuhou pointed out that Pei Du had great accomplishments but had been squeezed out of the chancellorship. Further, Emperor Jingzong saw that whenever Pei submitted reports, he did not list an honorary chancellor title among his titles. Wei blamed Li Fengji's machinations for this, and the chancellor Li Cheng also advised that Pei should be shown more respect. Emperor Jingzong thus conferred the honorary chancellor title on Pei, although he did not recall Pei at that time.
In winter 825, after Emperor Jingzong had sent several messengers to Shannan West's capital Xingyuan Municipality (興元) to confer with Pei and secretly asking him to request a trip to Chang'an to pay homage to the emperor, Pei did so. He arrived in Chang'an in spring 826, and, despite attacks Li Fengji and his partisans laid on Pei (including intimations that Pei had been prophesied to be emperor and was having designs on the throne), Pei was again made chancellor. Under Pei's advice, Emperor Jingzong abandoned his plans to visit Luoyang (after Pei pointed out the expenses it would take to repair the palaces at Luoyang and the palaces on the way from Chang'an to Luoyang). Meanwhile, at that time, both Wang and Zhu were submitted impolite petitions that, on the surface, offered to send troops to help repair Luoyang's defenses, but were intending to threaten the imperial government, Emperor Jingzong, per Pei's advice, acted without undue alarm and simply declined their offers.
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