Wei Sili - During Wu Zetian's Reign

During Wu Zetian's Reign

Sometime prior to 699, during the reign of Emperor Gaozong's wife Wu Zetian (who had displaced her own son Emperor Ruizong in 690 and taken the throne as "emperor" of a new Zhou Dynasty, interrupting Tang), Wei Sili was serving as the magistrate of Laiwu County (萊蕪, in modern Laiwu, Shandong), when Wei Chengqing, then serving as Fengge Sheren (鳳閣舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau of government (鳳閣, Fengge), was removed on account of illness. Wu Zetian recalled Wei Sili and told him, "Your father had once told me, 'I have two sons who are faithful and filially pious, who are capable of serving Your Imperial Majesty.' I have seen that both your brother and you are capable, just as your father said. Now I am going to make you Fengge Sheren, and let you brothers succeed each other." She then issued the commission, making him Fengge Sheren. At that time, imperial education, which had been emphasized by early Tang emperors, had largely been halted, and Wei Sili, finding the situation a bad one, as well as the penal punishments at the time to be too harsh, submitted a lengthy petition to Wu Zetian, advocating reemphasis on education and leniency for accused criminals. Historical records did not indicate what Wu Zetian's response was to him.

At some point thereafter, he was made the deputy minister of justice (秋官侍郎, Qiuguan Shilang), and as of 704, he was the deputy minister of civil service affairs (天官侍郎, Tianguan Shilang), when he was made Fengge Shilang (鳳閣侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau. He was also given the designation Tong Fengge Luantai Pingzhangshi (同鳳閣鸞臺平章事), making him a chancellor de facto. Soon thereafter, in response to the problem that imperial officials were not willing to be local officials, the chancellors Tang Xiujing and Li Jiao suggested that the officials at the central government be assigned to the prefectures and counties to serve as officials, offering to go first themselves. Wu Zetian had 20 officials randomly drawn, and Wei was one of the ones drawn. He was thus, in addition to his central government responsibilities, given additional responsibility of serving as prefect of Bian Prefecture (汴州, roughly modern Kaifeng, Henan). In winter 704, he became prefect of Wei Prefecture (魏州, in modern Handan, Hebei), but continued to serve in his central government posts as well, and around that time, when Wu Zetian asked for the chancellors to recommend people who could be capable to serve as low level officials in various ministries, Wei was set to recommend Cen Xi, a county magistrate, but then made the comment, "Alas, his uncle was Cen Changqian, and he suffers from the taint." (Cen Changqian served as chancellor late in Emperor Ruizong's reign and early in Wu Zetian's reign, but was executed in 691 on accusation of treason.) Wu Zetian responded, "As long as he is capable, what taint can there be?" She then made Cen Xi an official based on Wei's recommendation. Soon thereafter, Wei Chengqing became a chancellor as well, and as Wu Zetian did not like having multiple members of a clan serving as chancellors simultaneously, Wei Sili was removed from his chancellor post and made the principle of the university for nobles (成均祭酒, Chengjun JIjiu) and also continued to act as the prefect of Wei Prefecture, although he was soon moved to Ming Prefecture (洺州, also in modern Handan).