Background

Gao Qu's family was descended from the imperial house of Northern Qi, and one of his ancestors, Gao Shilian, served as a chancellor during the reign of the great early Tang emperor Emperor Taizong, although the Gao family was not subsequently prominent. Both Gao Qu's uncle Gao Shaoyi (高少逸) and father Gao Yuanyu (高元裕), however, were prominent officials in the imperial government.

Early career

Gao Qu passed the imperial examinations in the Jinshi class in 849, during the reign of Emperor Xuānzong of Tang, and after that he served on the staffs of regional governors. He later served as Zuo Shiyi (左拾遺), a low-level advisory official at the examination bureau of government (門下省, Menxia Sheng), and was made an imperial scholar (翰林學士, Hanlin Xueshi), apparently during Emperor Xuānzong's reign. He was later raised in his examination bureau post from Zuo Shiyi to Jianyi Daifu (諫議大夫), against the trend at the time that imperial scholars were rarely promoted in their other posts.

Chancellorship

During the reign of Emperor Xuānzong's son Emperor Yizong, Gao Qu was made the military governor of Dongchuan Circuit (東川, headquartered in modern Mianyang, Sichuan), but soon thereafter was recalled to Chang'an to serve as deputy minister of defense (兵部侍郎, Bingbu Shilang), with the additional designation of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事), making him a chancellor. He died ten months thereafter and was given posthumous honors — although, at the urging of the scholar Cao Ye (曹鄴), who argued that many of Gao's associations were with improper people, he was given the rather unflattering posthumous name of La (剌, "indiscriminate").

Notes and references

• Old Book of Tang, vol. 171.

• New Book of Tang, vol. 177.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 250.

家世

高璩是北齊皇族後裔，先祖高士廉在唐太宗朝拜相，儘管高家並未因此而顯貴，但高璩的伯父高少逸和父親高元裕都成為朝廷名臣。

早期仕途

高璩在唐宣宗大中三年（849年）中進士，授祕書省校書郎，旋為武昌軍節度掌書記。大中四年丁父憂。除服後任西川節度使白敏中的幕僚，又從白敏中移鎮荊南，除右拾遺內供奉。宣宗時召入金馬門，以本官兼翰林學士，遷起居郎、知制誥。儘管當時翰林學士被提拔是罕事，但高璩卻被提拔為右諫議大夫，賜金龜紫綬於麟德殿下。遷工部侍郎、承旨學士。未幾，轉兵部侍郎。

拜相

唐宣宗之子唐懿宗繼位後，咸通三年（862年）八月任時為翰林學士承旨、朝議大夫、守尚書兵部侍郎、知制誥、上柱國、賜紫金魚袋的高璩為檢校禮部尚書、兼梓州刺史、御史大夫、充劍南東川節度副使、知節度事、管內觀察處置等使，散官勛如故。不久又召回長安，于四年（863年）十一月任為兵部侍郎、同中書門下平章事，于是成為宰相。薛逢作詩《越王樓送高梓州入朝》。五年五月，高璩又改守中書侍郎。與劉瞻都引薦故人故弘文館學士判館事劉三複子劉鄴為左拾遺。九月二十日高璩就去世了，年四十七，贈司空，並得到追謚。但因為高璩生前和不良人士來往頻繁，在太常博士曹鄴堅持下，他得了一個「剌」的惡謚。

《舊唐書·崔彥昭傳》稱懿宗駕崩後唐僖宗初登基時，高璩與同年進士的同僚宰相趙隱推薦同為同年進士的崔彥昭長于治財賦。疑誤，因高璩早已去世。

注釋及參考文獻