Background and early career

It is not known when Wei Cong was born, and little is known about his background — as there was no biography of his in the Old Book of Tang, and his biography in the New Book of Tang merely stated that he came from a line of prominent officials, while omitting his ancestry entirely in its table of the chancellors' family trees, not listing him among the other chancellors of the Wei clan.

According to the New Book of Tang, Wei Cong passed the imperial examinations in the Jinshi class, and eventually served as an imperial censor with the title Dianzhong Shiyushi (殿中侍御史). While serving in that post, he was considered to have made incorrect conclusions in criminal investigations, and was instead made Taichang Boshi (太常博士), a scholar at the ministry of worship (太常寺, Taichang Si). After several promotions, he was eventually made the deputy minister of census (戶部侍郎, Hubu Shilang) and chief imperial scholar (翰林學士承旨, Hanlin Xueshi Chengzhi).

Chancellorship and aftermaths

In 847, during the reign of Emperor Xuānzong, Wei Cong was made Zhongshu Shilang (中書侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng), and chancellor de facto with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事). He was not a capable chancellor, however, and because of that, later in the year, he was removed from his chancellor position and made an advisor to the Crown Prince, with his office at the eastern capital Luoyang. He died while serving there.

Notes and references

• New Book of Tang, vol. 182.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 248.

家世和早期仕途

韋琮生年不詳，《舊唐書》無傳，《新唐書》本傳僅稱他世代為顯官，據《新唐書》，韋琮進士及第，後進殿中侍御史。在任上因訊問案情不實，被改任太常博士。數次升遷後為戶部侍郎、翰林學士承旨。唐武宗會昌三年（843年）五月，武宗以翰林學士承旨崔鉉為中書侍郎、同平章事，夜召韋琮，告以崔鉉之名，令起草詔書，宰相、樞密使都不知道。

拜相及以後

唐宣宗大中元年（847年）二月，因禮部侍郎魏扶奏稱自己所選進士中封彥卿、崔琢、鄭延休三人實有詞藝，為時所稱，但都因父兄現居重位而不得中選，宣宗詔令時為翰林學士、戶部侍郎、知制誥的韋琮覆試，敕稱今後此類人按常例放榜即可，不必另奏。七月，韋琮在正議大夫、尚書戶部侍郎、知制誥、翰林學士承旨、柱國、賜紫金魚袋任上被任為守本官、中書侍郎，授同中書門下平章事為實質宰相。又遷門下侍郎兼禮部尚書，但作為宰相無功，故大中二年（848年）十一月即以銀青光祿大夫、門下侍郎兼禮部尚書、同平章事被罷為太子賓客，分司東都洛陽。在任上過世。

進士魏潛是韋琮的姐妹夫，韋琮為相期間，魏潛任顯官。

作品

• :s:月明星稀賦（以「大明流光，群曜自戢」為韻）

• :s:明月照積雪賦（以「孤光上燭，寒彩下凝」為韻）

注釋及參考文獻