Background

It is not known when Dai Zhide was born. His uncle Dai Zhou served as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Taizong but was sonless, and so adopted Dai Zhide as his son. After Dai Zhou's death in 633, Dai Zhide therefore inherited the title of Duke of Dao, a title that Emperor Taizong posthumously created Dai Zhou.

Service under Emperor Gaozong

Not much is known about much of Dai Zhide's career as an imperial official, although it was known that he was serving as an assistant to Li Hong, the son and crown prince of Emperor Taizong's son and successor Emperor Gaozong in 671, when Emperor Gaozong and his wife Empress Wu (later known as Wu Zetian) left the capital Chang'an and took up residence at the eastern capital Luoyang, rarely returning to Chang'an thereafter. Emperor Gaozong left Li Hong in charge of Chang'an, but because Li Hong was often ill, it was said that the major decisions were largely made by Dai and his colleagues Zhang Wenguan and Xiao Dezhao (蕭德昭).

As of 667, Dai was serving as Xi Tai Shilang (西臺侍郎), the deputy head of the examination bureau of government (西臺, Xi Tai), when he was given the additional designation of Tong Dong Xi Tai Sanpin (同東西臺三品), making him a chancellor de facto. In 672, he became the minister of census and continued to serve as chancellor de facto.

In 675, Dai became Puye, a co-head of the important examination bureau of government (尚書省, Shangshu Sheng), serving with the famed general Liu Rengui. It was said that they rotated listening to the people's petitions on every other day, and that Liu, who often would give the petitioners encouraging words, quickly gained a good reputation among them, while Dai was more careful with his words with them but often advocated for them before the emperor. Nevertheless, because of Liu's words, the common people came to believe that he was capable and Dai was not, and on one occasion, it was recorded that an old lady submitted a petition to Dai, believe that he was Liu, and once she realized her mistake, she yelled at Dai, "I thought I am giving my petition to the Puye who can do things, but instead I am giving it to the useless Puye. Give me back my petition!" Dai laughed and gave her petition back to her. When asked about this, Dai said, "Awards and punishments are within the authority of our sovereign. Given that we are subjects, how can we fight for this authority with him?" When Emperor Gaozong heard this, he greatly approved of Dai. Dai died in 679, and Emperor Gaozong sent the imperial officials to his house to mourn him.

Notes and references

• Old Book of Tang, vol. 70.

• New Book of Tang, vol. 99.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 201, 202.

家世

戴至德生年不詳。父壽州長平縣丞戴儉，戴儉妻南陽樂氏，隋朝曹州長史樂彥之嫡長女，未詳是否戴至德母。叔父戴胄在唐太宗年間為宰相，但無子，養戴至德為子。貞觀七年（633年）戴胄去世，唐太宗追封其為道國公，戴至德襲爵。

效力唐高宗

乾封二年（667年）四月，戴至德以西台侍郎、檢校太子左中護被授同東西台三品，為實質宰相。咸亨元年（670年），武皇后（後稱武則天）母衛國夫人楊氏過世，詔贈魯國太夫人，戴至德奉命持節弔祭。二年（671年）唐高宗夫婦離開都城長安去東都洛陽定居且很少歸來時，留皇太子李弘留守長安，此時戴至德兼太子左庶子，與同為兼太子左庶子的張文瓘及李敬玄等輔佐太子。因李弘多病，主要政務大都由戴至德、張文瓘和右庶子蕭德昭決斷。三年（672年），戴至德加兼戶部尚書，仍居相位。戴胄、戴至德父子相繼為尚書、拜相，時人以為榮。八月，特進許敬宗卒，太常博士袁思古、王福畤等認為其謚當為「繆」，戴至德和許敬宗孫太子舍人許彥伯反對，高宗下詔集五品以上官員再議，最後從禮部尚書陽思敬議，取「既過能改」之義，謚為「恭」。

唐高宗曾賜戴至德與中書侍郎崔知悌及郝處俊、李敬玄飛白書贊，稱戴至德「泛洪源，俟舟楫」。

上元二年（675年）八月，戴至德為右僕射，與被任為左僕射的名將劉仁軌同列。戴至德和劉仁軌輪流隔日聽取百姓的牒文訴訟，劉仁軌常以美言對訴訟者許諾，很快得到美譽；而戴至德更慎于言辭，但常將案情陳說于御前。因而百姓以為劉仁軌能幹，戴至德無能。一次，一老嫗誤將戴至德認作劉仁軌，遞上牒文，當得知自己認錯人後，就對著戴至德大吼：「我以為我把牒文給了『解事僕射』，但你不是！把牒文還我！」戴至德笑著將牒文還給了她。時人稱戴至德為長者。當被問及時，戴至德說：「威福是人主權柄所限的，我們身為人臣怎能盜取！」高宗聞之，深深嘆服稱美，器重戴至德。九月，與同僚宰相劉仁軌、張文瓘、郝處俊併兼太子賓客。儀鳳年間，恢復舊官號，高宗敕劉仁軌、戴至德、侍中張文瓘、中書令李敬玄、右庶子郝處俊、黃門侍郎來恆、左庶子高智周、右庶子李義琰、吏部侍郎裴行儉、馬載、兵部侍郎蕭德昭、裴炎、工部侍郎李義琛、刑部侍郎張楚、金部郎中盧律師等刪緝格式，為《永徽留本司格後》十一卷，二年（677年）上。《古今儀集》五十卷亦錄戴至德作《喪服變服》一卷。四年（679年），戴至德薨。高宗輟朝三日，詔命百官去他家哭喪。贈開府儀同三司、并州大都督，謚恭。

後戴至德亦得繪圖凌煙閣。

子孫

• 戴良紹

評價

• 史臣韋述曰：世稱劉樂城（劉仁軌爵封樂城郡公）與戴至德同為端揆，劉則甘言接人，以收物譽；戴則正色拒下，推美于君。故樂城之善于今未弭，而戴氏之勣無所聞焉。嗚呼！高名美稱，或因邀飾而致遠；深仁至行，或以韜晦而莫傳。豈唯劉、戴而然，蓋自古有之矣。

• 納言王德真：「昔戴至德每有善事，必推于君。」 /「戴至德無異才，惟能歸善於君，為時所服。」

• 武則天：「先朝每稱至德能有此事，逮其終歿，有制褒崇。為臣之道，豈過斯行，傳名萬代，可不善歟！」

注釋及參考文獻