Background

Not much is known about Wu Zhaoyi's personal background, including when he was born, but it is known that he was from Longmen (龍門, in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi). It was said that he was renowned in his knowledge and talent. When the Later Tang general Meng Zhixiang was commissioned by Later Tang's first emperor Li Cunxu as the military governor (Jiedushi) of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan) in late 925 in light of Later Tang's recent conquest of its southwestern neighbor Former Shu (which had ruled the territory), Meng invited Wu to serve as his secretary. After Li Cunxu was killed in a mutiny in 926 and succeeded by his adoptive brother Li Siyuan, Li Siyuan tried to assert more control over Meng by sending the official Li Yan (李嚴) to serve as the monitor of the Xichuan army later in the year, Wu suggested Meng to deny Li Yan entry, but Meng did not agree. He ultimately allowed Li Yan to come to Xichuan's capital Chengdu, and then found an excuse to kill Li Yan. Despite his not having agreed with Wu, however, Meng saw Wu's point and believed him to be talented, and therefore wanted to find greater responsibilities for him.

As Later Shu official

After Meng Zhixiang declared himself the emperor of a new independent state of Later Shu in 934, he commissioned Wu Zhaoyi as the deputy chief imperial censor (御史中丞, Yushi Zhongcheng).

Meng died later in 934, and was succeeded by his son Meng Chang. In 935, Wu was given the titles of Zhongshu Shilang (中書侍郎, deputy head of the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng)) and Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事), making him a chancellor. He was later made Menxia Shilang (門下侍郎, the deputy head of the examination bureau (門下省, Menxia Sheng)). In 940, when fellow chancellor Zhao Jiliang, who had been overseeing the three financial agencies (taxation, treasury, and salt and iron monopolies), asked to have that responsibility divided between him, Wu, and fellow chancellor Zhang Ye, Meng Chang put Wu in charge of salt and iron monopolies and Zhang in charge of treasury, leaving Zhao in charge of taxation.

In 948, two generals of Later Han (which was ruling the former Later Tang territory by this point), Wang Jingchong the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi), and Zhao Siwan, who then controlled Yongxing Circuit (永興, headquartered in modern Xi'an, Shaanxi), rebelled against Later Han and entered an alliance with another rebel general, Li Shouzhen. However, they also sent emissaries to Later Shu, offering to submit to Meng Chang. Meng sent An Siqian (安思謙) the military governor of Shannan West Circuit (山南西道, headquartered in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi) to aid them. Wu submitted a petition urging against it, pointing out the examples of Li Cunxu and Former Shu's last emperor Wang Zongyan as those who overly exerted their armies. Meng did not listen to him. Ultimately, the campaign was not successful, and Later Shu was unable to add those circuits to its possessions.

Several years later, Wu retired with the honorific title Taizi Taishi (太子太師). It was said that Wu was an ardent book collector and favored the study of old Confucian classic texts. He had the official Zhang Dezhao (張德釗) copy the classics and carve them on stone tablets to be displayed at Chengdu, in the example of Tang Dynasty's display of such classics at its capital Chang'an. Further, it was said that the Shu region had lacked schools ever since Tang fell. Wu expended his private wealth to build schools and dormitories, and also persuaded Meng to have the Four Books and Five Classics reprinted. He also had his followers Gou Wenzheng (句文正) and Sun Jiangji (孫絳吉) reprint a number of poetic texts that he considered worthy of publication (including the Wen Xuan, the Chuxueji (初學記), and the Baishi Liutie (白氏六帖)). Wu himself authored three volumes of commentaries on the sounds of the characters used in the Erya.

It is not known when Wu died, although presumably it was before the fall of Later Shu in 965. After Later Shu's fall, Wu's son Wu Shousu (毋守素) became an official of Song Dynasty (which had conquered Later Shu), and the books that Wu had published were spread throughout the land by Wu Shousu's efforts.

Notes and references

• Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms, vol. 52.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 279, 282, 288.

家世

毋昭裔家世、生年不詳，河中龍門（今山西運城）人。博學，以才聞名。中原政權後唐新滅原本占有西川軍的西南鄰國前蜀後，同光四年（926年）正月，知北都留守事孟知祥為開國皇帝李存勖所任，就任西川節度使，闢毋昭裔為掌書記。四月，李存勖死于兵變，由養兄李嗣源繼位，李嗣源試圖以加強對孟知祥的控制，十月，派客省使、泗州防禦使李嚴為西川都監（監軍），毋昭裔及諸將吏請求拒絕讓李嚴入川，孟知祥不同意。他允許李嚴來到西川軍部成都，尋機處決了他。雖然此事二人意見不一，但孟知祥為毋昭裔之才所奇，想大用他。

仕宦後蜀

應順元年（934年）閏正月，孟知祥建立後蜀，稱帝。擢毋昭裔為御史中丞。

七月，孟知祥崩，子孟昶繼位。明德二年（935年）四月，拜毋昭裔為中書侍郎、同平章事，為宰相。又改門下侍郎。廣政三年（940年），時任判三司的太保兼門下侍郎、同平章事趙季良請與毋昭裔、中書侍郎、同平章事張業分判三司，孟昶命毋昭裔判鹽鐵，張業判度支，趙季良判戶部。

毋昭裔嗜好藏書，酷愛古文，精通經術。貧賤時，曾在交遊間借《文選》，對方有難色，于是發憤：「他日若我富貴了，就印刷雕刻，留給學者！」七年（944年）七月，他命平泉令張德釗仿照唐朝都城長安石經，將四書五經刻在石頭上，展示于成都學宮。

十一年（948年），中原政權後漢兩將鳳翔節度使王景崇和永興軍節度使趙思綰叛，與另一叛將護國節度使李守貞結盟，也遣使于蜀表示歸順。十月，孟昶派山南西道節度使安思謙救之。時任左僕射兼門下侍郎、同平章事的毋昭裔上疏諫：「臣竊見莊宗皇帝（即李存勖）貪圖西進，前蜀主（王衍）意欲北行，朝廷大臣都上諫疏，他們都不採納，最終有何所成！只此兩朝，可為鑑誡。」孟昶不納。最終此役無功，蜀未能占有鳳翔、永興。

唐朝滅亡以來，蜀地學校荒廢。十六年（953年）三月，毋昭裔出私財百萬，建立學宮和宿舍，且請孟昶重印四書五經頒于郡縣，獲准。從此蜀地文學又興盛起來。毋昭裔又令門人句中正、孫逢吉重印《文選》《初學記》《白氏六帖》，刻版發行，實現了以前的諾言。當時書籍多由官家出資刊刻，而毋昭裔則成為第一個用私財刊刻書籍的人。句中正早先在毋昭裔府上設館，被毋昭裔奏授崇文館校書郎，又進士及第，最終為毋昭裔從事。毋昭裔本人也寫了《爾雅》音略三卷。

二十年（957年），毋昭裔子毋守素拜工部尚書。當時毋昭裔仍判鹽鐵，但衰老不能親自任職了，將事務都委任于判官李匡遠，事務停滯。孟昶命毋守素代判，父子相代，世人頗以為榮。

二十四年（961年）五月，毋昭裔以太子太師致仕。

毋昭裔卒年不詳。後蜀于廣政二十八年（965年）被宋朝滅亡後，毋守素仕宋，得授工部侍郎，將毋昭裔刻版的書帶到宋朝，因而使之得以廣為流傳。乾德五年（967年）十一月，毋守素被兄子岳州司法毋正己彈劾居父喪期間娶妾，被免職。可見當時毋昭裔已去世。大中祥符三年（1010年）（按《十國春秋》）或九年（1016年）（按《宋史》），毋守素幼子毋克勤獻上毋昭裔所刻《文選》《初學記》《六帖》諸版，得補三班奉職。

評價

• 《十國春秋》論曰：毋昭裔創興文教，李昊出入樞機，宏通贍雅，固有足稱者。

子孫

• 毋某

　• 毋正己

• 毋守素

注釋及參考文獻