Background and early career

It is not known when Li Chan was born. He was a member of Tang Dynasty's imperial Li clan, being a descendant of Li Hu (李虎), the grandfather of Tang's founding emperor Emperor Gaozu who was a general during Northern Zhou and carried the title of Duke of Tang, through Li Hu's son Li Yi (李禕) the Duke of Changping. (As Emperor Gaozu, after founding Tang, posthumously created Li Yi the Prince of Xun, Li Yi's branch of the imperial clan line became known as the Prince of Xun Branch.) Li Chan was a sixth-generation descendant of Li Yi's son Li Shuliang (李叔良) the Prince of Changping. Both Li Chan's grandfather Li Jun'e (李峻崿) and father Li Ruxian (李如仙) served as county magistrates.

Early in the Changqing era (821-824) of Emperor Muzong, Li Chan passed the imperial examinations in the Jinshi class, and he later passed a special imperial examination for those with good tactics. He thereafter served on the staffs of military governors (Jiedushi) of Yicheng Circuit (義成, headquartered in modern Anyang, Henan) and then Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu). He was later recalled to the capital Chang'an, initially to be the census officer at the Jingzhao Municipality (京兆, i.e., the Chang'an region) government, and then as the officer in charge of military rolls. He was later promoted to be Bujue (補闕), a low-level advisory official in the imperial government, as well as imperial chronicler (起居郎, Qiju Lang). It was said that he was capable in all matters he handled, and particularly impressed the chancellor Li Deyu. He was later made Zhifang Yuanwailang (職方員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of defense (兵部, Bingbu), but was also put in charge of handling matters for the ministry of census (戶部, Hubu). He later served as Libu Yuanwailang (吏部員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of civil service affairs (吏部, Libu), but was also put in charge of serving as assisting the minister directly. Yet later he served as Xingbu Yuanwailang (刑部員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of justice (刑部, Xingbu), but was also put in charge of the administrative affairs of the Office of Imperial Censors (御史臺, Yushi Tai). Early in the Kaicheng era (836-840) of Emperor Muzong's son Emperor Wenzong, he was promoted to be Kubu Langzhong (庫部郎中), a supervisory official at the ministry of census, and was also put in charge of drafting imperial edicts. He was then promoted to be Zhongshu Sheren (中書舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng).

During Emperor Wuzongs reign

Emperor Wenzong died in 840 and was succeeded by his brother Emperor Wuzong — and as Emperor Wuzong was named Li Chan (李瀍), albeit a different character than Li Chan's name, Li Chan changed his name to Li Hui to observe naming taboo. Li Deyu became lead chancellor, and thereafter, Li Hui became deputy minister of public works (工部侍郎, Gongbu Shilang), then deputy minister of census (戶部侍郎, Hubu Shilang). In 843, he was also made deputy chief imperial censor (御史中丞, Yushi Zhongcheng).

As of 843, Emperor Wuzong was preparing a major campaign against the warlord Liu Zhen, who had taken control of Zhaoyi Circuit (昭義, headquartered in modern Changzhi, Shanxi) without imperial sanction after the death of his adoptive father (and biological uncle) Liu Congjian, who had served as Zhaoyi's military governor. Concerned that the three de facto independent circuits north of the Yellow River — Weibo (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei), then governed by He Hongjing; Chengde (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei), then governed by Wang Yuankui; and Lulong (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing), then governed by Zhang Zhongwu — would side with Zhaoyi, Emperor Wuzong sent Li Hui to those three circuits to express to them that the imperial government had no intent to intervene in their internal affairs, so as long as they sided with the imperial government in the campaign against Zhaoyi. It was said that Li Hui was capable in speaking and persuasion, and all three circuits accepted the imperial orders. (It was also said that part of Li Hui's mission was to alleviate the adversarial relationship between Zhang and one of the imperial generals, Liu Mian (劉沔) the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi). Li Hui's biographies in the Old Book of Tang and the New Book of Tang indicated that that part of the mission was successful, but the Zizhi Tongjian indicated that he was unsuccessful, causing Emperor Wuzong to eventually transfer Liu Mian away to avoid creating complications in the Zhaoyi campaign.)

While the Zhaoyi campaign was going on, Emperor Wuzong's administration was also dealing with Dangxiang incursions. Under Li Deyu's proposal, which Emperor Wuzong accepted, Emperor Wuzong's son Li Qi (李岐) the Prince of Yan was nominally made the supreme commander over six circuits (i.e., the six circuits affected by the Dangxiang incursions) and chief comforter of the Danxiang. Li Hui was made the deputy commander, to be in actual command of the operations, working with Zheng Ya (鄭亞), who was made the secretary general.

In 844, after Liu Zhen was killed by his own officer Guo Yi (郭誼), who then surrendered Zhaoyi to the imperial forces, Li Deyu wanted to use the opportunity to carry out reprisals against his political enemies, the former chancellors Li Zongmin and Niu Sengru, and therefore, even though no evidence was found at Zhaoyi that Li Zongmin and Niu were in secret communications with Liu Congjian, had Liu Congjian's secretary Zheng Qing (鄭慶) claim that Liu Congjian would burn letters from Li Zongmin and Niu after reading them. Emperor Wuzong had Zheng report to the Office of the Imperial Censors, and subsequently, Li Hui and Zheng Ya, handling the investigations, indicated that they believed Zheng Qing's accusations. In anger, Emperor Wuzong had Li Zongmin and Niu exiled.

In 845, Li Hui was made Zhongshu Shilang (中書侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau, and chancellor de facto with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事). He also continued to oversee the ministry of census.

During Emperor Xuānzongs reign

Emperor Wuzong died in 846 and was succeeded by his uncle Emperor Xuānzong. As Emperor Xuānzong despised Li Deyu for his hold on power, he had Li Deyu removed from his chancellor post and sent out of the capital. Li Hui, meanwhile, remained as chancellor and oversaw the building of Emperor Wuzong's tomb, but in 847 was also sent out of the capital to serve as the military governor of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan). That winter, with Li Deyu accused of having wrongly killed Wu Xiang (吳湘) on charges of corruption and forced marriage with a commoner — a case that both Li Hui and Zheng Ya were both involved in reviewing and affirming the death sentence of — Li Hui was demoted to be the governor (觀察使, Guanchashi) of Hunan Circuit (湖南, headquartered in modern Changsha, Hunan) and prefect of its capital Tan Prefecture (in modern Changsha, Hunan). Emperor Xuānzong was then set to further give him the empty title of Taizi Binke (太子賓客), an advisor to the Crown Prince (there being no crown prince at the time) and having his office at the eastern capital Luoyang, when an imperial attendant objected to it as being an overly lenient punishment. Li Hui was thereafter demoted to be the prefect of Fu Prefecture (撫州, in modern Fuzhou, Jiangxi). (It was from Emperor Xuānzong's edict that it could be attested that Li Hui carried the title of Duke of Longxi, which was not otherwise mentioned in his biographies.)

Divergent accounts of late career and death

It is from this point on that the Old Book of Tang and the New Book of Tang accounts substantially diverged as to the rest of Li Hui's career and life. According to the Old Book of Tang, after the main chancellors of Emperor Xuānzong's reign, Bai Minzhong and Linghu Tao, were no longer chancellors — which would probably mean sometime around 861, during the reign of Emperor Xuānzong's son Emperor Yizong, as that was the end of Bai's second term as chancellor, Li Hui was recalled to Chang'an to serve as the minister of defense (兵部尚書, Bingbu Shangshu), and then again sent out to Xichuan to serve as its military governor. He died there and was given posthumous honors, including the posthumous name of Wenyi (文懿, "civil and benevolent"). The New Book of Tang, however, indicated that Li Hui died at Fu Prefecture, and that in 855 Emperor Xuānzong, still emperor at that point, posthumously restored the offices of governor of Hunan and ministry of defense to him.

Notes and references

• Old Book of Tang, vol. 173.

• New Book of Tang, vol. 131.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 247, 248.

家世及早期仕途

李躔出自唐朝宗室郇王房，為唐高祖叔父追封郇王李禕之子長平郡王李叔良六世孫。李躔祖父李峻崿官至泗水令，父李如仙官至奉先令。

唐穆宗長慶（821年-824年）初年，李躔中進士，又登賢良方正制科能直言極諫第四等，在義成、淮南幕府為從事、掌書記，又召回長安為監察御史，又為京兆府戶曹，轉司錄參軍。後又升為補闕、起居郎，因有吏才，能處理一切經手的事務，為宰相李德裕所欣賞。授職方員外郎，判戶部案，又改任吏部員外郎，判南曹，又改刑部員外郎，知御史台雜事，賜緋。唐文宗開成（836年-840年）初年在殿中御史任上得考功員外郎知制誥張次宗推薦，升庫部郎中，知制誥，拜中書舍人，賜金紫服。

唐武宗年間

開成五年（840年）唐文宗崩，弟唐武宗繼位，因武宗名李瀍，李躔改名李回以避諱。李德裕成為首相，李回拜工部侍郎，轉戶部侍郎，判本司事。會昌三年（843年），以刑部侍郎兼御史中丞。奏監察御史鄭亞為刑部郎中知雜事。也曾因水災受命與宰相及左僕射王起同審理御史台京兆府囚徒。

同年，唐武宗準備大舉討伐在養父和伯父昭義節度使劉從諫死後未經朝廷授權即控制昭義的軍閥劉稹。武宗擔心河北實質獨立的三鎮何弘敬治下的魏博、王元逵治下的成德、張仲武治下的盧龍和昭義結盟，七月，原本在延英殿宣詔派鴻臚卿張賈為使，但李德裕等宰相認為張賈雖然有才且懂軍務，但性剛負氣可能導致不愉快，建議改派李回，若御史台缺人，則可派兵部侍郎鄭涯。于是武宗派李回充幽州、鎮、魏等道宣慰，宣慰三鎮，只要和朝廷聯合對抗昭義軍，就並無幹涉內政之意。因李回有辯才，三鎮皆服從朝廷命令發兵討劉稹。此外，李回還受命出使盧龍軍部幽州緩和張仲武和河東節度使劉沔之間的敵對關係，兩唐書<李回傳>都稱他成功完成了這個任務，但《資治通鑑》稱他並不成功，武宗最終調走劉沔以免昭義戰事橫生枝節。張仲武本懷疑劉稹無辜，但在李回說了劉從諫的惡行、僭越、奢侈後，義憤，認為劉氏應當為朝廷誅滅。

昭義戰事進行的同時，武宗還要處理党項族入侵。武宗採納李德裕建議，十一月，以子兗王李岐為靈、夏等六道元帥兼安撫党項大使，李回為安撫党項副使和事實上的主事者，史館修撰鄭亞為元帥判官，齎詔書前往安撫党項及六鎮百姓。期間李回曾奏聞黠戛斯與唐朝相約夾擊回鶻餘部事。

會昌四年（844年），因李德裕指出朝廷只宣慰了河朔三鎮而沒有派使者宣慰忠武節度使王宰、河中節度使石雄，推薦李回再為使宣慰二人及問清破敵期限。李回到蒲東督戰，王宰、石雄在道左謁見，李回看著左右呼叫直史，責令破敵期限，王宰等震恐，約定六十天取潞州，否則死。五十七天後，劉稹被部下都押牙郭誼所殺，後者以昭義投降朝廷軍。李德裕想趁機報複政敵前宰相封州刺史李宗閔和太子太傅東都留守牛僧孺。他未能在昭義找到兩人私通劉從諫的証據，就讓劉從諫孔目官鄭慶稱劉從諫每次讀完李、牛的書信就將其焚毀。武宗將鄭慶交御史台審問，受理此案的李回和鄭亞都認為鄭慶所言為真。武宗怒貶李、牛。

會昌五年（845年）五月，李回以戶部侍郎判戶部事累加中書侍郎，授同中書門下平章事為實質宰相，充集賢殿大學士，仍判戶部。轉門下侍郎，歷戶、吏二部尚書。

唐宣宗年間

會昌六年（846年），唐武宗崩，叔唐宣宗繼位。宣宗不滿李德裕專權，罷其相位，遣出京城。李回維持相位，為武宗山陵使，但大中元年（847年）八月他也被遣出京城任成都尹、西川節度使。李商隱《樊南文集》有《為滎陽公上西川李相公狀》。大中二年（848年）正月，李德裕被彈劾誤以盜用糧錢及強娶民女之罪殺江都令吳湘，李回和鄭亞當時在覆核和確認對吳湘處以死刑時都有責任，李回因而以劍南西川節度、光祿大夫、檢校吏部尚書、同平章事、成都尹、上柱國、隴西郡開國公、食邑二千戶被貶為湖南觀察使、潭州刺史。當月，李商隱曾為他作《為湖南座主隴西公賀馬相公登庸啟》以賀新任宰相馬植。李回不久又以湖南都團練觀察處置等使、光祿大夫、行潭州刺史兼御史大夫、上柱國、隴西郡開國公、食邑二千戶被貶為行太子賓客空銜（當時並無皇太子），分司東都洛陽。有給事中反對，認為懲罰過輕，于是九月又貶持節賀州諸軍事、賀州刺史。後又遷撫州刺史。

後期仕途和過世的分歧記載

李回後來的生涯和經歷在兩唐書中自此出現了分歧。據《舊唐書》，宣宗年間的主要宰相白敏中、令狐綯卸任後，大約在白敏中第二次拜相任期結束時即唐懿宗年間的咸通二年（861年），李回被召回長安任兵部尚書，又再次被遣出為成都尹、西川節度使，在那裡過世，贈司徒，謚文懿。但《新唐書》稱李回卒于撫州，大中九年（855年），唐宣宗追複他為湖南觀察使，贈刑部尚書。

《唐摭言》載：太和初年李回任京兆府參軍時，不送剛中進士的魏謨，魏謨很記恨。會昌年間李回為刑部侍郎，魏謨為御史中丞，提起當初李回不送魏謨之事，李回說如今也不送，魏謨更憤恨。李回被貶為建州刺史，魏謨拜相，李回的上疏魏謨都不採納。後來李回將一衙官杖責停職，衙官憤恨自己因停職損失收入，逃到京城找宰相喊冤，宰相們都不問，旁人告知魏謨素與李回有隙，可找魏謨。于是衙官找到魏謨，論事二十餘件，第一件是李回娶同姓女入門。當時李回已遷鄧州刺史，行到九江，被御史問罪，只得回建州，最終因罪被貶為撫州司馬，卒于任上。

鬱賢皓《唐刺史考全編》未列李回任撫州刺史及第二次任西川節度使事，且據大中五年十月魏謨拜相直至十一年罷相，考証李回被貶建州刺史當在魏謨拜相時。《稽神錄》載建州有梨山廟，被當地人稱為「故相李回之廟」，李回去世當年，建安人都夢到李回乘白馬入梨山。此記載可佐証李回曾被貶建州刺史。六年鄧州刺史為蘇莊，九年刺史為薛弘宗，李回被遷鄧州刺史當在此間。

作品

• 《文武常參官準例置引馬奏》

• 《常參官兼憲官序立依前遵守奏》

評價

• 《舊唐書》史臣曰：惟回奉使命而喻籓臣，救危邦而除宿憾。

• 《新唐書》贊曰：周之卿士，周、召、毛、原，皆同姓國也。唐宰相以宗室進者九人。林甫奸諛，幾亡天下。李程和柔，在位無所發明。其餘以材稱職，號賢宰相。秦、隋棄親侮賢，皆二世而滅。周、唐任人不疑，得親親用賢之道，饗國長久。嗚呼盛歟！

子孫

• 滑州觀察巡官李知柔

• 興平尉李塤，字潛光

• 山南東道節度掌書記李筠，字禮符

　• 江陵令李少微

• 李小駕

族曾孫李濤、李瀚。

注釋及參考文獻