Background

Wei Chengqing might have been born in 640, during the reign of Emperor Gaozong. His father Wei Siqian was a mid-level official at the time (and would eventually serve as chancellor from 685 to 687, during the first reign of Emperor Gaozong's son Emperor Ruizong). He had at least one younger half-brother, Wei Chengqing, born of Lady Wang, a later wife of Wei Siqian. It was said that Lady Wang was very strict in her discipline of Wei Chengqing because he was not born of her, and whenever she punished Wei Chengqing, Wei Sili would ask to be punished in Wei Chengqing's stead – and when she refused, he would have the household servants punish him in the same manner Lady Wang was punishing Wei Chengqing. Lady Wang saw this and realized that she needed to give Wei Chengqing better treatment. When others heard of this, they compared the Wei brothers to the Jin Dynasty (266–420) officials Wang Xiang and Wang Lan (王覽) – half-brothers in a situation similar to the Wei brothers.

After Wei Chengqing passed the imperial examination, he became the military advisor to Emperor Gaozong's son Li Xian the Prince of Yong, but was in charge of drafting important documents on Li Xian's staff, and it was said that he wrote in a beautiful style. After Li Xian became crown prince in 675, he continued to serve on Li Xian's staff. In 679, when Emperor Gaozong transferred some of the imperial authority to Li Xian, it was said that Li Xian began to favor luxuries and pleasures, and Wei submitted a petition urging him to curb behavior – a petition that Li Xian appreciated and thanked him for. Wei, also believing that people's anxieties largely came from their own creation, wrote an ode entitled the Ode of Ling Tower (靈臺賦), to both satirize the people's lack of inner peace and to show what his own intentions were. After Li Xian was removed as crown prince in 680 (after offending his mother, Emperor Gaozong's powerful empress Empress Wu (later known as Wu Zetian)), Wei was sent out of the capital to serve as the magistrate of Wucheng County (烏程, in modern Huzhou, Zhejiang), and it was said that he much improved the culture of the county.

During Wu Zetians reign

During the Changshou era (692-694), by which time Empress Wu had established her own Zhou Dynasty as its "emperor," interrupting Tang, Wei Chengqing served as Fengge Sheren (鳳閣舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau of government (鳳閣, Fengge), and was further given the responsibility to select officials at the ministry of civil service affairs (天官部, Tianguan Bu). It was said that he wrote important documents quickly and proficiently, but at times offended powerful people, and therefore was sent out of the palace to serve as the prefect of Xin Prefecutre (忻州, roughly modern Xinzhou, Shanxi), but was soon recalled to serve in the same capacities as before. Sometime before 699, he was removed on account of illness—and Wu Zetian had his brother Wei Sili succeed him. Wei Chengqing himself was made a member of the staff of Li Xian the Crown Prince (note different character than the first crown prince he served). He later successively served as the prefect of Yu Prefecture (豫州, roughly modern Zhumadian, Henan), and then Guo Prefecture (虢州, part of modern Sanmenxia, Henan). He was eventually recalled to serve as deputy minister of civil service affairs (天官侍郎, Tianguan Shilang), and was also responsible for editing the imperial history. It was said that people praised him for fairness during the three terms that he served in being responsible for selecting officials.

In 704, Wei Chengqing was made Fengge Shilang (鳳閣侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau, and he was also given the designation Tong Fengge Luantai Pingzhangshi (同鳳閣鸞臺平章事), making him a chancellor de facto. As Wu Zetian did not wish to have two members of the same clan serving as chancellors simultaneously, Wei Sili, who was then chancellor as well, was made the principal of the imperial university. Meanwhile, there had been accusations against Wu Zetian's lover Zhang Changzong that he had permitted the fortuneteller Li Hongtai (李弘泰) to foretell that he had the appearance of an emperor, and Wu Zetian had Wei Chengqing, Cui Shenqing (崔神慶), and Song Jing investigate. Wei and Cui, after investigation, concluded that Li Hongtai should be prosecuted, but Zhang should not, as he had reported what Li Hongtai said to Wu Zetian. Song insisted on investigating, but to no avail, as Wu Zetian protected Zhang.

During Emperor Zhongzongs second reign

In spring 705, when a coup led by Zhang Jianzhi, Cui Xuanwei, Jing Hui, Huan Yanfan, and Yuan Shuji overthrew Wu Zetian and restored Li Xian, a former emperor, to the throne (as Emperor Zhongzong), her lovers Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yizhi (Zhang Changzong's brother) were killed. On the same day, Wei Chengqing, along with fellow chancellor Fang Rong and Cui Shenqing), were accused of being associates of Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong and arrested. However, at that time, an imperial edict announcing a general pardon had to be drafted, and despite the fact that Wei was under arrest, the other officials still believed that no one could write it as well as he could, and so he was put in charge of drafting it. His style was said to be so beautiful despite the dangers that surrounded him that all who read the edict praised it. After half a month, Wei was demoted to be the sheriff of Gaoyao County (高要, in modern Zhaoqing, Guangdong). After about a year, he was promoted to be the prefect of Chen Prefecture (辰州, roughly modern Huaihua, Hunan), but even before he reported to Chen Prefecture, was recalled to serve as honorary Mishu Shaojian (秘書少監, deputy head of the archival bureau, although in this case without actual authority) and again made an imperial historian. He was also created the Viscount of Fuyang. Emperor Zhongzong had him draft a memorial text for Wu Zetian, and once he completed it, praised him for its beauty, giving him the honorific title Yinqing Guanglu Daifu (銀青光祿大夫). He was soon commissioned to be Huangmen Shilang (黃門侍郎), the deputy head of the examination bureau (門下省, Menxia Sheng), but died of illness before he could take office. Emperor Zhongzong mourned him greatly and recalled Wei Sili, then serving as a prefectural prefect, to succeed him.

Notes and references

• Old Book of Tang, vol. 88.http://ef.cdpa.nsysu.edu.tw/ccw/02/tan10.htm

• New Book of Tang, vol. 116.http://ef.cdpa.nsysu.edu.tw/ccw/02/ntan16.htm

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 202, 206, 207, 208.

家世

• 曾祖：韋弘瑗，周冬官司金上士，隋陽武郡令

• 祖父：韋德倫，唐瀛洲任丘縣令

• 父親：韋仁約，字思謙，唐尚書左丞、御史大夫、右御史大夫同鳳閣鸞台三品、納言、博昌縣開國男，贈使持節幽州都督

生平

事奉繼母至孝，23歲太學進士出身，24歲咸亨年間授雍王李賢府參軍，府中文案，皆出自其手。累遷王府功曹參軍。拜太子通事舍人，累遷太子文學、司議郎。太子李賢被廢黜，韋承慶被貶為湖州烏程縣令。不久，巡察使以政績優異上書武后，敕除魏州頓丘縣令。尋加朝散大夫，遷任太府寺丞，轉禮部員外郎。父親去世去職守孝。服闋，除鳳閣舍人（中書舍人）、內供奉、兼掌天官選事時，時稱「銓授平允」，有佳評。不久再次被貶出任沂州刺史。後追還，正除中書舍人。萬歲通天元年，丁繼母憂去職，奪情複任舊職。不久以生病罷職，改授太子左諭德，遷使持節豫州諸軍事，又遷虢州刺史。尋遷太僕少卿、天官侍郎。長安中（703年左右）拜鳳閣侍郎、兼知政事。異母弟韋嗣立也同時任鳳閣侍郎。張昌宗、張易之兄弟被誅殺後，神龍初年，韋承慶因審核二張罪行失實，流放循州（廣東）。一年後，被任命為辰州刺史，還未上任，就以秘書員外少監召入京，兼修國史、並判禮部侍郎事。他修成《則天聖后實錄》，被賜爵扶陽縣開國子，食邑四百戶。又奉命撰《則天聖后紀聖文》，授銀青光祿大夫。不久除任黃門侍郎，不及赴任，神龍二年十一月十九日（706年12月28日）卒于京師長安萬年縣大寧里第，年六十七。贈禮部尚書。

二子：

• 韋晉，常州刺史；

• 韋長裕，祠部員外郎，有子富平令韋當。

參考書目

• 《舊唐書·韋承慶傳》

• 《全唐文補遺》——《大唐故黃門侍郎兼修國史贈禮部尚書上柱國扶陽縣開國子韋府君墓誌銘並序》