Background

Liu Chongwang was probably born around 839, during the reign of Emperor Wenzong. His ancestors claimed ancestry from the Cao Wei-era Xiongnu prince Liu Qubei, and his traceable ancestors included officials of Northern Qi, Sui Dynasty, and Tang Dynasty, including the early Tang general Liu Zhenghui. Both his grandfather Liu Zao and father Liu Fu were Tang officials as well, but neither was particularly prominent — with Liu Zao serving as Mishu Lang (秘書郎), an administrator at the Palace Library, and Liu Fu serving as a prefectural prefect. (According to a later statement by another chancellor, Li Xi, Liu Fu committed suicide after being investigated for bribery.) Liu Chongwang was the third of eight brothers; both of his older brothers Liu Chonggui and Liu Chongyi, as well as three younger brothers, Liu Chonglu, Liu Chongmo, and Liu Guī, would serve as Tang officials as well; his other younger brothers were Liu Guì (劉瓌, note different tone) and Liu Yu. Liu Chongwang passed the imperial examinations in the Jinshi class in 875, during the reign of Emperor Wenzong's cousin Emperor Yizong.

During Emperor Xizongs reign

During the reign of Emperor Yizong's son Emperor Xizong, when the imperial official Wang Ning (王凝) became the governor (觀察使, Guanchashi) of Xuanshe Circuit (宣歙, headquartered in modern Xuancheng, Anhui), Liu Chongwang served on his staff as the surveyor of food supply missions to the capital Chang'an. Later, when the imperial official Cui Anqian served as the military governor (Jiedushi) of Zhongwu Circuit (忠武, headquartered in modern Xuchang, Henan) and then of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan), he invited Liu and three of his brothers to serve on staff, and all four became known for being talented. Later, apparently after Cui was recalled to Chang'an, Liu followed him to Chang'an and served as sheriff of Chang'an County (one of the two counties making up the city) and was later made a scholar at Hongwen Pavilion (弘文館). When Cui served as the minister of civil service affairs, Liu served under him with the low-level titles of Sixun Yuanwailang (司勛員外郎) and then Libu Yuanwailang (吏部員外郎), but was said to be instrumental in reforming the state of the ministry of civil service affairs at that time.

Liu's activities during the next few years — which included tumultuous events including the major agrarian rebel Huang Chao's capture of Chang'an and Emperor Xizong's flight to Xichuan and subsequent return to Chang'an after Huang's defeat — were not clear. As of 886, however, Emperor Xizong was caught up in a conflict between the powerful eunuch Tian Lingzi and the warlords Wang Chongrong the military governor of Huguo Circuit (護國, headquartered in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi) and Li Keyong the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi), and was forced to flee Chang'an again when Wang and Li defeated Tian and Tian's allies Zhu Mei the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (靜難, headquartered in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi) and Li Changfu the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi). After the emperor fled to Xingyuan (興元, in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi), Zhu declared Li Yun the Prince of Xiang emperor at Chang'an, and for a while, it appeared that Emperor Xizong's court at Xingyuan would be defeated and replaced. With Tian having resigned and been replaced at the imperial court by Yang Fugong, whose late adoptive brother Yang Fuguang had worked closely with Wang, Emperor Xizong had Yang Fugong write a letter to Wang urging him to again support Emperor Xizong; Liu was in charge of carrying this letter to Huguo and persuading Wang, and he was successful in doing so, eventually leading to Emperor Xizong's prevailing over Li Yun and being able to return to Chang'an. For Liu's accomplishments, he was made an imperial scholar (翰林學士, Hanlin Xueshi). He was later promoted to be the chief imperial scholar (翰林學士承旨, Hanlin Xueshi Chengzhi) and the deputy minister of census (戶部侍郎, Hubu Shilang), and later the deputy minister of defense (兵部侍郎, Bingbu Shilang). It was said that he served as an imperial scholar for four years.

During Emperor Zhaozongs reign

In 889, by which time Emperor Xizong had died and been succeeded by his brother Emperor Zhaozong, Emperor Zhaozong made Liu Chongwang Zhongshu Shilang (中書侍郎) — the deputy head of the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng) — and chancellor, with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi. Liu also successively served, while chancellor, as the minister of defense (兵部尚書, Bingbu Shangshu) and minister of civil service affairs (吏部尚書, Libu Shangshu). In 890, when his chancellor colleague Zhang Jun and Kong Wei advocated a campaign against Li Keyong, Liu and another chancellor, Du Rangneng, opposed, but to no avail. After Li Keyong defeated the imperial troops and forced Emperor Zhaozong to remove Zhang and Kong, Liu remained chancellor, with his other posts changed to Menxia Shilang — the deputy head of the examination bureau (門下省, Menxia Sheng) and acting director of the treasury (知度支, Zhi Duzhi); he was also in charge of editing the imperial history.

By 891, the relationship between Emperor Zhaozong and Yang Fugong had deteriorated to such a point that Emperor Zhaozong forced Yang Fugong into retirement but became apprehensive that Yang Fugong and his adoptive nephew (Yang Fuguang's adoptive son) Yang Shouxin the commander of the Yushan Army were planning a coup. He decided to act against Yang Fugong first by sending imperial guards under the officers Li Shunjie (李順節) and Li Shoujie (李守節) to attack Yang Fugong's mansion. However, the Yangs' soldiers were initially victorious. The other imperial guards, who were initially not involved in the battle, were planning to pillage the Chang'an markets in the confusion, but Liu met with them and persuaded them to be faithful to the emperor and join the battle against the Yangs, leading them personally. When the Yangs' soldiers saw that the other imperial soldiers were joining the battle, they collapsed and fled. Yang Fugong and Yang Shouxin fled to Xingyuan to join Yang Fuguang's adoptive son Yang Shouliang the military governor of Shannan West Circuit (山南西道, headquartered at Xingyuan) in an open revolt against the imperial government, but the Yangs were eventually defeated.

Meanwhile, the warlords Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan) and Shi Pu the military governor of Ganhua Circuit (感化, headquartered in modern Xuzhou, Jiangsu) had been locked into years of warfare, and by spring 892, Shi was near defeat, with his capital Xu Prefecture (徐州) under intense siege by Zhu. He sued for peace, and Zhu initially agreed — but demanded, as part of the peace terms, that he leave Ganhua. Zhu thereafter reported the situation to the imperial government and asked the imperial government to send a successor to Shi; in response, Emperor Zhaozong commissioned Liu as the new military governor of Ganhua, still carrying the Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi title as an honorary title, while recalling Shi to Chang'an. After Liu departed Chang'an, however, Shi came to believe that this was a trick by Zhu to get him out of Xu Prefecture to be killed, and so refused to leave the city; Liu turned around at Huayin (華陰, in modern Weinan, Shaanxi) and returned to Chang'an, but apparently did not resume his post as chancellor. (Xu Prefecture subsequently fell to Zhu, and Shi committed suicide.) Liu was later given the post of minister of worship (太常卿, Taichang Qing).

In 895, Wang Chongrong's brother and successor at Huguo, Wang Chongying, died, leading to a succession struggle between Wang Chongrong's adoptive son Wang Ke (biological son of another brother of Wang Chongrong's, Wang Chongjian (王重簡)), whom the soldiers supported as Wang Chongying's successor, and Wang Chongying's son Wang Gong, who was then the military governor of neighboring Baoyi Circuit (保義, headquartered in modern Sanmenxia, Henan) but wanted the more important Huguo Circuit. Li Keyong supported Wang Ke, while Wang Gong was supported by Li Maozhen the military governor of Fengxiang, Han Jian the military governor of Zhenguo Circuit (鎮國, headquartered in modern Weinan), and Wang Xingyu the military governor of Jingnan. Emperor Zhaozong tried to resolve the dispute by commissioning the chancellor Cui Yin as the military governor of Huguo. Upon hearing the remarks, Li Keyong's liaison Xue Zhiqin (薛志勤) publicly stated, "While Lord Cui is honored and virtuous, but if there is to be a replacement to Wang Ke, it is better to name Lord Liu of Guangde, as my lord respects him." (Liu was referred to as Lord Liu of Guangde because he lived at Guangde Block (光德坊).) Later in the year, when Li Maozhen, Wang Xingyu, and Han, upset that Emperor Zhaozong rejected their request, led their armies to Chang'an to force Emperor Zhaozong's hand and killed the chancellors Li Xi and Wei Zhaodu (whom they believed encouraged Emperor Zhaozong to resist them), they also forced Emperor Zhaozong to exile Liu to Zhao Prefecture (昭州, in modern Guilin, Guangxi) to serve as the military advisor to the prefect. After Li Keyong defeated Wang Xingyu later that year and forced Li Maozhen and Han to reconcile with the imperial government, Li Keyong spoke on Liu's behalf, and Liu, who had reached Jingnan Circuit (荊南, headquartered in modern Jingzhou, Hubei, not the same circuit Wang Xingyu ruled) on the way to exile, was recalled to Chang'an to serve as the minister of defense.

In 897, warfare between Wang Jian the military governor of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan) and Gu Yanhui the military governor of Dongchuan Circuit (東川, headquartered in modern Mianyang, Sichuan) resulted in Gu's total defeat and suicide. In spring 898, Emperor Zhaozong, hoping to seize control of Dongchuan back, commissioned Liu the military governor of Dongchuan Circuit. However, when Liu was on the way to Dongchuan, the imperial government heard that Wang had already commissioned his adoptive son Wang Zongdi as the acting military governor of Dongchuan. Not wanting to create a conflict with Wang Jian, Emperor Zhaozong recalled Liu to serve as the minister of defense again and made Wang Zongdi the military governor of Dongchuan. Liu probably died in 900 and was given posthumous honors. One of his sons, Liu Jun, later became a chancellor for the Southern Han state of the subsequent Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period.

Notes and references

• Old Book of Tang, vol. 179.

• New Book of Tang, vol. 90.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 256, 258, 259, 260, 261.

家世

劉崇望可能生于唐文宗開成四年（839年），出自河南劉氏，是曹魏時期匈奴左賢王劉去卑之後，祖上有初唐名將劉政會等。祖父劉藻任秘書郎，父親劉符任蔡州刺史，都不是達官。（據後來另一宰相李磎所言，劉符因犯受賄罪服藥自殺。）劉崇望在八兄弟中排行第三；兩兄劉崇龜、劉崇彞，三弟劉崇魯、劉崇謨、劉珪都是朝廷官員；另有兩弟劉瓌和劉玗。劉崇望于唐僖宗咸通十五年（874年）中進士。

唐僖宗年間

唐僖宗年間，王凝為宣歙觀察使，闢劉崇望為轉運巡官。戶部侍郎裴坦領鹽鐵，闢劉崇望為參佐。朝官崔安潛任忠武節度使、西川節度使時，邀劉崇望兄弟四人入幕府，四人皆以才幹聞名。崔安潛被召回長安後，劉崇望跟隨他，做了長安尉，後又任弘文館學士。崔安潛任吏部尚書時，劉崇望遷監察御史、右補闕、起居郎、弘文館學士，轉司勛、吏部二員外郎，為崔安潛下屬，改革吏部。

此後短期內，發生了黃巢農民大軍攻占長安、僖宗逃往成都又在黃巢戰敗後返回長安等亂事，但此期間劉崇望的活動不詳。大約光啟二年（886年），唐僖宗捲入當權宦官田令孜和軍閥護國節度使王重榮、河東節度使李克用之間的衝突，被迫在王、李擊敗田令孜及其盟友靜難節度使朱玫和鳳翔節度使李昌符時再次逃離長安。他逃到興元後，朱玫在長安宣布立襄王李煴為帝，僖宗在興元的朝廷一度被認為將被擊敗和取代。田令孜辭職，他在朝中的地位被楊複恭取代，楊複恭的已故堂弟楊複光曾和王重榮在抗擊黃巢時親密合作，五月，僖宗讓楊複恭寫信給王重榮勸他再度擁立僖宗，劉崇望被任為右諫議大夫，受命將此信送到護國並說服王重榮，並以詔書召李克用，他不辱使命，李克用、王重榮皆同意討伐朱玫以贖罪。劉崇望回朝時，群臣皆賀。李克用、王重榮最終使僖宗得以勝出李煴，重返長安。劉崇望因功為翰林學士，累遷戶部侍郎、承旨，轉兵部侍郎，任翰林學士四年之久。又知制誥。三年（887年）十二月，僖宗命劉崇望撰德政碑以賜宣武軍節度使朱全忠。

唐昭宗年間

唐僖宗死後，弟唐昭宗繼位，于龍紀元年（889年）正月任劉崇望為中書侍郎，守本官，授同中書門下平章事，拜為宰相。劉崇望在宰相任上累兼兵部、吏部尚書。大順元年（890年）四月，同僚宰相張濬和孔緯倡議討伐李克用，劉崇望和另一宰相杜讓能反對，但徒勞。李克用擊敗朝廷軍隊迫使昭宗罷免張濬、孔緯後，劉崇望留任宰相，遷門下侍郎，監修國史、判度支。

二年（891年）十月，唐昭宗和楊複恭的關係已經惡化到昭宗迫使楊複恭致仕卻擔心楊複恭和養侄（楊複光的養子）玉山軍使楊守信圖謀政變的地步。他決定先發制人，命天威都將李順節、神策軍使李守節率兵攻楊複恭官邸。但最初卻是楊氏所部取勝。沒有捲入戰事的守含光門禁軍想趁亂劫掠長安街市，但劉崇望見了他們，說服他們效忠皇帝並加入對楊氏作戰，且親自率領。楊氏所部見其他禁軍加入戰鬥，即潰逃了。楊複恭和楊守信逃到興元投靠楊複光養子山南西道節度使楊守亮，公然反叛朝廷，但最終失敗。

同時，朱全忠和感化軍節度使時溥膠著戰事多年，景福元年（892年）二月，時溥將敗，軍部徐州陷入朱全忠重圍。他向朱全忠求和，朱全忠最初同意了，但在議和條件中要求時溥離開感化軍，隨後將情況報告朝廷，要朝廷派人接替時溥。作為回應，昭宗任劉崇望為檢校司空，兼徐州刺史，充武寧軍節度、徐宿觀察制置使，仍保有同中書門下平章事作為榮銜，召時溥回長安為太子太師。當時劉崇望已為光祿大夫、上柱國、右僕射，爵封彭城縣開國男。劉崇望離開長安後，時溥卻認為這是朱全忠將他騙出徐州再行殺害的把戲，拒絕離城；劉崇望在華陰轉身回長安，但顯然已不複居相位。徐州最終為朱全忠所破，時溥自殺。劉崇望後被任為太常卿。

乾寧元年（894年）六月，宰相崔昭緯怕新任宰相李磎分自己之權，故意指使時任水部郎中知制誥的劉崇魯阻止其事，劉崇魯在宣詔任命李磎為相時出班著麻大哭，彈劾李磎致其被罷相。李磎上了十篇表章自辯，直言劉符貪贓枉法畏罪自殺、劉崇望深交楊複恭、劉崇魯拜田令孜及為朱玫作勸進表等事。劉崇魯因而被停官。

二年（895年）正月，王重榮的哥哥和在護國軍的繼任者王重盈卒，王重榮養子（王重榮另一兄王重簡親子）王珂和王重盈子王珙之間發生繼承糾紛：士兵擁立王珂繼任，而王珙身為相鄰的保義節度使，想要更重要的護國軍。李克用支持王珂，鳳翔節度使李茂貞、鎮國軍節度使韓建和靜難節度使王行瑜支持王珙。昭宗試圖任宰相崔胤為護國節度使來解決爭執。李克用的進奏官薛志勤聞訊公然說：「崔公雖然有德，但用他來代王珂，不如我主所敬重的光德劉公。」劉崇望居住在光德坊，故稱。同年，李茂貞、王行瑜、韓建為昭宗拒絕他們的請求而不快，率軍赴長安脅迫昭宗，殺了他們認為鼓勵昭宗對抗他們的宰相李磎和韋昭度，也逼昭宗貶劉崇望為昭州司馬。同年，李克用敗王行瑜、迫使李茂貞和韓建與朝廷和解後，上表為劉崇望說話，六月，被貶途中行經荊南的劉崇望被召回長安任吏部尚書，未至，又改兵部尚書。

四年（897年），西川節度使王建和東川節度使顧彥暉之間的戰事以顧彥暉完敗自殺告終。光化元年（898年）正月，昭宗希望重新掌控東川，任劉崇望為檢校右僕射、平章事、梓州刺史、劍南東川節度使。但五月在劉崇望去東川途中，朝廷得知王建已任養子王宗滌為東川留後。昭宗不想和王建衝突，召回劉崇望，複為兵部尚書，以王宗滌為東川節度使。劉崇望又加特進，可能死于三年（900年），贈司空。一個兒子劉濬後來成為五代十國時期南漢宰相。

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注釋及參考文獻