During the Five Dynasties

Born during the Later Liang, Xue Juzheng was said to be studious and ambitious from a young age. In 934 during the Later Tang Xue failed the imperial examination and wrote "An Essay to Dispel Sorrows" (遣愁文), which was much praised. He passed the imperial examination the following year.

After the Later Jin destroyed the Later Tang in 937, Xue served on the staff of Liu Suining, the military governor of Hua Prefecture. In 941, he was recommended by Liu Suining's older cousin Liu Suiqing and became a patrolling inspector for the Salt Monopoly. In 944, he served as a judge in the Bureau of General Accounts. When Li Song became the director for the Salt Monopoly, Xue served on his staff. Xue also received a position in the Court of Judicial Review, and subsequently he was made a reminder official in the Secretariat. In 946, when Sang Weihan was made the prefect of Kaifeng, Xue joined him as an administrative assistant.

During the Later Han, Xue once saved a commoner from execution. The man was accused of violating salt laws, but Xue found the evidence unconvincing. After further questioning he discovered bad blood between the defendant and the accuser, a minor government functionary who eventually admitted to making false accusations.

After Later Zhou's founding in 951, Xue was made vice director of the Bureau of Review, also in charge of all judges in the State Finance Commission.

During the Song dynasty

When the Song Dynasty replaced the Later Zhou in 960, Xue took service with the new dynasty as he had with dynasties prior to the new rulers of northern China. During the first two decades of the Song, Xue set about to compiling a history of the Five Dynasties.

Entitled Five Dynasties History, the main purpose of the work was to reinforce the claim of the Song to the Mandate of Heaven from the Tang Dynasty through the Five Dynasties to the reigning Song.

Death and legacy

Xue did not live much longer than after compilation of the Five Dynasties History in 974, dying in 981. However, his legacy of writing a history of a previous era of Chinese history for the purpose of bolstering the current patron dynasty would be repeated later in Chinese history, notably with the Yuan Dynasty』s writing of the History of Liao.

生平

祖父薛延魯，唐汝州刺史，父薛仁謙是後周太子賓客。薛居正早年科舉不順，只好寫《遣愁文》以自解，逾年，登第。後晉天福年間，華州節度使劉遂凝闢其為從事。劉遂凝堂兄劉遂清領邦計，奏署鹽鐵巡官。開運初，改度支推官。宰相李崧領鹽鐵，又奏署推官，加大理寺直，遷右拾遺。桑維翰為開封府尹，奏署判官。後漢乾祐初年，史弘肇領侍衛親軍，威權震主，殘忍自恣，無敢忤其意者。其部下吏告民犯鹽禁，法當死。獄將決，居正疑其不實，召詰之，乃吏與民有私憾，因誣之，逮吏鞫之，具伏抵法。弘肇雖怒甚，亦無以屈。

後周廣順初年，遷比部員外郎，領三司推官，旋知制誥。後周太祖征兗州，詔居正從行，以勞加都官郎中。顯德三年，遷左諫議大夫，擢弘文館學士，判館事。六年，使滄州定民租。未幾，以材幹聞於朝，擢刑部侍郎，判吏部銓。宋朝建立後，任戶部侍郎（寄祿官，正四品下），加兵部侍郎（寄祿官，正四品下）。當時趙普任宰相，趙匡胤恐趙普專權，想設置副相，以分散其權，故以薛居正、呂餘慶等人為參知政事（副宰相），性寬和，不好苛察。六年，拜門下侍郎（階官，正三品）、同中書門下平章事（宰相）。自任參知政事至任相的十八年內，恩遇始終不替。

湖南初定。薛居正知朗州事，期間爆發汪端作亂，監軍使懷疑是城中僧人是賊人黨羽，打算誅殺，被薛阻止，最後由都監尹重睿平定亂事，州內一千多名僧人賴以全活。乾德初，又官吏部侍郎（寄祿官，正四品下），好飲酒，飲至數斗不亂。

開寶九年（976年）十月太宗即位，以薛為昭文相（同中書門下平章事、昭文館大學士）。喜歡讀書，「為文落筆不能自休」。太平興國初，加尚書左僕射（寄祿官，從二品）、昭文館大學士（館職）。從平晉陽還，進位司空（加官，三公，正一品）。六年，因服丹砂遇毒，方奏事，覺疾作，遽出。至殿門外，飲水升餘，堂吏掖歸中書，已不能言，但指廡間儲水器。左右取水至，不能飲，偃閣中，吐氣如煙焰，輿歸私第卒，贈太尉（贈官，三公，正一品）、中書令（贈官，正二品），謚文惠。其養子薛惟吉將他生前的作品收集成冊，帝賜名《文惠集》，今佚。咸平二年，詔配饗太祖廟庭。

開寶六年（973年），由薛居正監修，盧多遜、扈蒙等受命修《五代史》。《五代史》成，又名《梁唐晉漢周書》。後世為別于歐陽修《新五代史》，改作《舊五代史》。

注釋

參考書目

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