Wei Yuanzhong - During Emperor Zhongzong's and Emperor Ruizong's First Reigns

During Emperor Zhongzong's and Emperor Ruizong's First Reigns

Emperor Gaozong died in 683 and was succeeded by his son Li Zhe the Crown Prince (as Emperor Zhongzong), but actual power was in the hands of Empress Wu, as empress dowager and regent. In 684, when Emperor Zhongzong displayed signs of independence, she deposed him and replaced him with his younger brother Li Dan the Prince of Yu (as Emperor Ruizong), but thereafter wielded power even more securely. Later that year, Li Jingye the Duke of Ying rebelled against Empress Dowager Wu at Yang Prefecture (揚州, roughly modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu), claiming as his goal Emperor Zhongzong's restoration, and Empress Dowager Wu sent the general Li Xiaoyi (李孝逸) against Li Jingye. Wei Yuanzhong served as the army auditor. When Li Xiaoyi reached LInhuai (臨淮, in modern Suzhou, Anhui), his subordinate Lei Renzhi (雷仁智) challenged Li Jingye's forces to a battle but was defeated, and Li Xiaoyi, in fear, defended just his camp and did not dare to battle Li Jingye's forces. Wei warned him that by failing to advance, he would cause insecurity in the people's minds, and that he himself might be punished for not advancing. Li Xiaoyi thus advanced, and, under Wei's suggestion, first attacked Li Jingye's brother Li Jingyou (李敬猷). After defeating Li Jingyou, Li Xiaoyi then engaged Li Jingye, but was initially defeated, but under suggestion from Wei and Liu Zhirou (劉知柔), counterattacked and set the grassland on fire. Li Jingye's forces collapsed; he fled and was killed in flight. For his contributions, Wei was made Sixing Zheng (司刑正), a judge at the supreme court (司刑寺, Sixing Si), and then the magistrate of Luoyang County. In 689, when a number of officials were accused by Empress Dowager Wu's secret police official Zhou Xing of protecting Li Jingye's brother Li Jingzhen (李敬真) in his flight, a number of them were executed, and several, including Wei, Zhang Chujin (張楚金), Guo Zhengyi, and Yuan Wanqing (元萬頃), were spared of death at the execution field but exiled to the Lingnan region. It was said that when they were about to be executed, Empress Dowager Wu sent the official Wang Yinke (王隱客), on a fast horse, to head to the execution field to yell, "An imperial edict is here sparing them!" When Wang's voice was heard, the other prisoners were happy and jumping in joy, but only Wei remained sitting quietly, stating, "I do not yet know whether this is true or not." Once Wang arrived, he told Wang to rise, but Wei said, "I will wait until the edict is read." Once Wang read the edict, Wei got up and bowed in thanksgiving, without expression of sorrow or joy. This much impressed the witnesses to the event.