Background

It is not known when Pei Che was born. He was from The Eastern Juan Pei of Pei clan of Hedong. His grandfather Pei Su (裴肅) served as a governor during the reign of Emperor Dezong, and his father Pei Qiu (裴俅), a younger brother of Pei Xiu, who served as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xuānzong, served as an advisory official. However, while Pei Qiu was referred to in Pei Xiu's biographies in the Old Book of Tang and the New Book of Tang, no reference was made to Pei Che, perhaps because of Pei Che's eventual end.

Service under Emperor Xizong

In late 880, during the reign of Emperor Xuānzong's grandson Emperor Xizong, as the major agrarian rebel Huang Chao was on the cusp of reaching the imperial capital Chang'an, the leading chancellor Lu Xi was blamed for the imperial defeats by the powerful eunuch Tian Lingzi and removed from his post. (In response, Lu committed suicide.) Pei Che, who was then an imperial scholar (翰林學士, Hanlin Xueshi) and deputy minister of census (戶部侍郎, Hubu Shilang), was made a chancellor with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事), along with Wang Hui. However, that same day, news arrived that Huang was about to attack Chang'an, and Tian took Emperor Xizong and fled toward Chengdu, where Tian's brother Chen Jingxuan served as military governor (Jiedushi) of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu). Pei was initially unable to catch up with Emperor Xizong, but in spring 881 reached Chengdu as well. He served as chancellor in Emperor Xizong's administration until late 881, when he was made the governor (觀察使, Guanchashi) of Eyue Circuit (鄂岳, headquartered in modern Wuhan, Hubei), retaining the Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi title as an honorary title.

In 883, by which time Huang had been defeated and Chang'an recaptured by Tang forces, and Emperor Xizong was beginning to prepare to return, then-leading chancellor Zheng Tian had offended Tian Lingzi and Chen and was removed. Pei was recalled to serve as Zhongshu Shilang (中書侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng), and chancellor again with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi. He continued to serve as chancellor after Emperor Xizong's return to Chang'an. However, after Tian provoked the warlords Wang Chongrong the military governor of Hezhong Circuit (河中, headquartered in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi) and Li Keyong the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi) into attacking Chang'an in late 885, Emperor Xizong fled Chang'an again, to Xingyuan (興元, in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi). Because Tian was considered an overpowering and corrupting influence for Emperor Xizong, few imperial officials cared to follow Emperor Xizong on this flight, and neither Pei nor his chancellor colleague Xiao Gou did so.

Service under Li Yun

Meanwhile, another warlord, Zhu Mei the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (靜難, headquartered in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi), who was initially allied with Tian but now turned against him as well, took over Chang'an and was poised to proclaim a distant relative of Emperor Xizong's, Li Yun the Prince of Xiang, emperor. As Zhu prepared to do so in summer 886, he gave himself the chancellor title of Shizhong (侍中) and made himself the director of the salt and iron monopolies, while making Pei the acting director of finances and Zheng Changtu the acting director of taxation. In winter 886, after Li Yun claimed imperial title, Pei and Zheng continued to serve as chancellors.

Execution

Li Yun's claim, however, was short-lived, as Zhu's officer Wang Xingyu, who was given the task of attacking Xingyuan and capturing Emperor Xizong, was unable to do so, and feared punishment from Zhu. Further, Yang Fugong, who had by this point succeeded Tian Lingzi as the director of palace communications, issued a proclamation that anyone who killed Zhu would be made the military governor of Jingnan. Wang thus turned against Zhu and made a surprise return to Chang'an. When Zhu heard of this, he, not knowing Wang's intent to turn against him, summoned Wang and rebuked him for returning without orders. Instead, Wang seized and killed him, and Wang's soldiers subsequently pillaged the capital. Pei Che and Zheng Changtu, as well as some 200 officials, escorted Li Yun to Hezhong, hoping for protection from Wang Chongrong. Wang Chongrong, however, after initially feigning to welcome Li Yun, seized Li Yun and executed him. He also arrested Pei and Zheng.

In spring 887, Emperor Xizong issued an edict that Pei, Zheng, and Xiao Gou (who had also accepted a chancellor title from Li Yun but did not actively participate in the regime) be executed wherever they were at the time of the edict — and thus, all three were executed at Qishan (岐山, in modern Baoji, Shaanxi).

Notes and references

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 254, 255, 256.

家世

裴澈生年不詳。他出自東眷裴氏。祖父裴肅，唐德宗年間為浙東觀察使，父裴俅，諫議大夫，伯父裴休，唐宣宗年間宰相。但兩唐書《裴休傳》都提及裴俅而沒有提及裴澈，可能是因為裴澈的下場。

效力唐僖宗

唐僖宗廣明元年（880年）十二月，黃巢的大規模農民變軍即將逼近京城長安，首相盧攜被當權宦官田令孜歸咎，被罷相，因而自殺。時任翰林學士、戶部侍郎的裴澈被任為工部侍郎，與新拜戶部侍郎的翰林學士承旨、尚書左丞王徽一同授同中書門下平章事，拜為宰相。但當天即傳來黃巢將攻長安的消息，田令孜兄長陳敬瑄時任西川節度使，田令孜帶僖宗逃往西川軍部成都。裴澈起初不及隨駕，但中和元年（881年）二月也來到成都。以金紫光祿大夫、守中書侍郎兼禮部尚書、同中書門下平章事、上柱國被任為特進、門下侍郎兼兵部侍郎、同中書門下平章事、監修國史，勛封如故。十一月，為檢校兵部尚書、御史大夫、充鄂岳觀察使。但當時鄂州尚有刺史崔紹，疑裴澈未赴任。

後來黃巢兵敗，唐軍收複長安，三年（883年），僖宗開始準備回京，時任首相鄭畋冒犯田令孜、陳敬瑄而被罷相。七月，裴澈時任兵部尚書、判度支，被任為中書侍郎、同平章事，再度拜相。淮南節度使高駢命從事崔致遠給裴澈寫信道賀。光啟元年（885年）十月，田令孜激怒軍閥河中節度使王重榮和河東節度使李克用導致二人進攻長安，次年正月，僖宗再次逃離長安，奔興元。因田令孜被認為弄權、腐敗，且僖宗此次出逃在夜間，故少有官員隨行，裴澈和同僚宰相工部侍郎、判度支蕭遘、鄭昌圖等文武百官不知僖宗出奔，都沒有隨駕。太子少保孔緯奉命來催百官隨駕，來見宰相，蕭遘、裴澈因田令孜在僖宗左右，不想隨駕，稱病不見。

效力李煴

蕭遘因厭惡田令孜，與裴澈合計，寫信召起初聯合田令孜但後也反對他的另一軍閥靜難軍節度使朱玫勤王。朱玫接管長安，準備另立僖宗曾祖父輩遠親李煴為帝。他先奉李煴為嗣襄王，四月，與蕭遘、裴澈率群僚奉李煴權監軍國事、承制封拜指揮，以兵部侍郎判戶部鄭昌圖為同平章事、判度支、鹽鐵、戶部；五月，朱玫加自己侍中、諸道鹽鐵、轉運等使，加裴澈判度支，鄭昌圖判戶部。又以裴澈為門下侍郎、右僕射、同平章事、判度支。十月，李煴稱帝，裴澈和鄭昌圖繼續為宰相。

伏誅

但李煴的任期短。朱玫部將王行瑜受命攻興元俘虜僖宗，卻不能成功，害怕被朱玫處罰。十二月，代田令孜為左神策中尉、觀軍容使的楊複恭傳檄關中，稱殺朱玫者將被任為靜難節度使。王行瑜因而背棄朱玫，突然回到長安。朱玫聞訊，不知王行瑜所欲，召之，責以擅歸。王行瑜執殺朱玫，部下軍兵劫掠京城。裴澈、鄭昌圖與約二百官員奉李煴經東渭橋奔河中，意欲尋求王重榮庇護。王重榮詐作奉迎，卻將李煴執殺，並將裴澈、鄭昌圖等下獄。李克用派出勤王的榆次鎮將李承嗣安定京城，得到裴澈、鄭昌圖。

三年（887年）三月，僖宗下詔就地處決裴澈、鄭昌圖和雖然受李煴拜相但沒有積極參與建立政府的蕭遘。三人被斬于岐山縣。

作品

• 《大唐故涼王墓誌之銘》，作于乾符六年

注釋及參考文獻