Background

Hao Chujun was born in 607, during the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui. His family was from what would eventually become An Prefecture (安州, roughly modern Xiaogan, Hubei). Late in Emperor Yang's reign, the Sui state was engulfed in agrarian rebellions, and Hao Chujun's father Hao Xianggui (郝相貴) and maternal grandfather Xu Shao (許紹), who was a Sui official, seized and controlled a significant amount of territory in modern Hubei and Chongqing. After they submitted to Tang Dynasty's founding emperor Emperor Gaozu, Hao Xianggui was created the Duke of Zengshan and made the prefect of Chu Prefecture (滁州, roughly modern Chuzhou, Anhui). When Hao Chujun was a teenager, Hao Xianggui died while still serving as prefect of Chu Prefecture, and Hao Xianggui's subordinates, pitying Hao Chujun, gathered silk and wanted to give the silk to him for his upkeep, but he declined it, an act praised by historians. Hao Chujun was said to be studious in his youth; he particularly favored studying the Book of Han (the official history of the Western Han Dynasty) and was said to be able to recite it from memory.

During Emperor Taizongs reign

Hao Chujun passed the imperial examination during the reign of Emperor Gaozu's son and successor Emperor Taizong and impressed the chancellor Gao Shilian in doing so. He thereafter served in the imperial administration as a scribe, and he inherited his father's title as Duke of Zengshan. He was known for having good relationships with his brothers and being respectful to his maternal uncles (one of whom, Xu Yushi, would eventually be a chancellor as well). Later, he was made a member of the staff of the Prince of Teng, but Hao found it dishonoring to serve as on a prince's staff, and therefore resigned. A long time thereafter, he was recalled to serve on the crown prince's staff. He was eventually promoted to the post of deputy minister of civil service.

During Emperor Gaozongs reign

Emperor Taizong died in 649 and was succeeded by his son and crown prince Li Zhi (as Emperor Gaozong). He became an assistant chancellors and over time gained higher status. By 664, Empress Wu』s influence on the governance of the country had angered Emperor Gaozong so much that he had Chancellor Shangguan Yi draft an edict for her deposition. Empress Wu pleaded with Emperor Gaozong, who relented and In this purge, Hao Chujun was also somewhat reduced. Shangguan was subsequently executed and, from then on, Empress Wu would sit behind a curtain beside Emperor Gaozong and give him advice during imperial meetings and Also, most of the decision apart from the emperor's action was the responsibility of Empress Wu.

Around the new year 667, Emperor Gaozong commissioned the chancellor Li Ji to command a major attack on Goguryeo, and Hao Chujun was made an assistant to Li Ji, a campaign during which Hao served with distinction. In one particular incident, Hao, who was said to be obese, was approaching a Goguryeo city when Goguryeo forces launched a surprise counterattack, causing much alarm for Hao's soldiers. Hao, who was said to be obese, did not panic, and instead pulled out a chair and sat down to eat his rations, while secretly ordering his elite troops to attack Goguryeo forces, defeating them. His calmness impressed his troops.

As of 668, Hao was Dong Tai Shilang (東臺侍郎) — deputy head of the examination bureau of government (東臺, Dong Tai) — when Emperor Gaozong became convinced that a Hindu monk, Lujia Yiduo (盧迦逸多), was capable of creating medicine that would bestow immortality. He therefore commissioned Lujia as a general and was poised to take the medicine that Lujia created. Hao spoke against it, pointing out that immortality is impossible and that taking such medicine could have caused Emperor Taizong's death previously. Emperor Gaozong took his advice and did not do so. In 669, he gave Hao the designation Tong Dong Xi Tai Sanpin (同東西臺三品), making Hao a chancellor de facto. Around new year 671, when Emperor Gaozong changed the officials' titles to the ones that were used before 662, Hao's title was changed to Huangmen Shilang (黃門侍郎). At times, when Emperor Gaozong was at the eastern capital Luoyang, he would put the crown prince Li Hong in charge of the capital Chang'an, and generally, all of the chancellors remained at Chang'an to assist Li Hong, except that Hao attended to Emperor Gaozong. In 672, Hao was given the honorific title Yinqing Guanglu Daifu (銀青光祿大夫) and made Zhongshu Shilang (中書侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau of government. In 673, he was put in charge of revising the imperial records, as it was suspected that the previous lead editor, Xu Jingzong, had made many inaccurate records.

In 674, during an imperial feast, for entertainment, Emperor Gaozong divided the imperial musicians into two teams and ordered that his sons Li Xián the Prince of Yong and Li Xiǎn the Prince of Zhou (note tone difference) lead the two teams in a competition. Hao, immediately argued against it:

Emperor Gaozong was surprised by but agreed with Hao, and he cancelled the competition.

In 675, Emperor Gaozong, suffering from a dizzying illness (may be hypertension) that caused serious headaches, considered making his powerful and influential wife Empress Wu regent and she would formally rule the empire. He consulted the chancellors, and Hao spoke against it:

Another official, Li Yiyan, also spoke against the idea, and Emperor Gaozong did not carry it out and still Empress Wu continued to rule the empire informally. because of this current of opposition Hao, From this point on, Empress Wu was said to be resentful of Hao, but as Hao always acted appropriately and was without fault, she could not find a way to accuse him of crimes. Later in 675, Emperor Gaozong made Hao Zhongshu Ling (中書令), the head of the legislative bureau and a post considered one for a chancellor. In 677, he gave Hao an additional title as staff member for Li Xián, who had become crown prince after Li Hong's death in 675, as well as the honorific Jinzi Guanglu Daifu (金紫光祿大夫). In 679, Hao was made Shizhong (侍中), the head of the examination bureau and still chancellor. In spring 681, he was made advisor to Li Xiǎn (whose name had been changed by this point to Li Zhe), who was made crown prince in 680 following Li Xián's removal, but was by Empress Wu removed from his post as chancellor. He died later that year and was buried with great honor, but at the request that Hao himself had made prior to his death, submitted by his son Hao Beisou (郝北叟), not with great amount of material.

After death

After Emperor Gaozong's death around the new year 684, Li Zhe initially took the throne (as Emperor Zhongzong), but in spring 684, after he showed signs of disobeying Empress Wu (who had become empress dowager and regent by that point), she deposed him and replaced him with his brother Li Dan (as Emperor Ruizong). Empress Dowager Wu held power firmly and encouraged reports of treason. In 688, a servant of Hao Chujun's grandson Hao Xiangxian (郝象賢) falsely accused Hao Xiangxian of plotting treason. Empress Dowager Wu put one of her favorite secret police officers Zhou Xing (周興) in charge of the investigation. Zhou found Hao Xiangxian guilty and sentenced him and his clan to death. On the way to the execution field, Hao Xiangxian cursed Empress Dowager Wu and accused her of all kinds of adulterous and otherwise inappropriate behavior, and at one point jumped out of the cart and took firewood to combat the soldiers escorting him. The soldiers killed him. Empress Dowager Wu ordered that Hao Xiangxian's body be cut into pieces, and that Hao Chujun's and Hao Xiangxian's father's tombs be dug open, the caskets be destroyed, and the bones be burned. From this point on, until Empress Dowager Wu's death, every time that a prisoner was to be executed, the executioners would stuff his or her mouth with a wooden sphere.

Notes and references

• Old Book of Tang, vol. 84.

• New Book of Tang, vol. vol. 115.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 201, 202, 204.

家世

父郝相貴，隋朝末年與岳父許紹占據峽州，歸順唐朝，拜滁州刺史，封甑山縣公。舅父許圉師，唐代名臣。

生涯

郝處俊生於隋煬帝大業三年（607年），十歲時，父親郝相貴在滁州去世。父親的門生故吏贈送非常豐厚，郝處俊皆推辭。好讀書，嗜《漢書》，略能暗誦。

唐太宗年間

郝處俊曾和高智周、孫處約、來濟等人一同投靠江都的石仲覽。石仲覽要四個人談談自己所期望的事。郝處俊、高智周、與來濟等三人都說大丈夫除非不做官，否則就要做宰相。

貞觀年間進士，吏部侍郎高士廉很看中他。貞觀元年，授校書郎，奉敕充修梁、陳、周、齊、隋等五個朝代史書。又授著作佐郎，襲爵甑山（漢川）縣公，故時人郝甑山。與兄弟相處和睦，對舅舅們很尊重。轉為滕王友，恥為王府官員，于是棄官歸鄉耕種。後來起用太子司議郎，累遷吏部侍郎。

唐高宗年間

乾封二年（667年），官至司立少常伯。高句麗反叛，司空李勣為浿江道大總管，郝處俊為副總管，率兵征討。曾領軍進攻高句麗軍城池，未曾布置陣勢，高句麗軍突然殺到，唐軍大駭。郝處俊鎮定自若，獨據胡床，吃著乾糧，暗中派精銳人馬出擊，大破敵軍。戰後，將士們都非常佩服其膽略。

咸亨初（670年），高宗駕臨東都，命太子在長安監國，留侍臣戴至德、張文瓘等輔弼太子，命郝處俊隨行。

總章二年（669年），拜東台侍郎，尋同東西台三品。

儀鳳二年（677年），加拜金紫光祿大夫，行太子左庶子，並依舊參知政事，監修國史。

儀鳳四年（679年），代替張文瓘為侍中。

開曜元年（681年）卒，年七十五歲，贈開府儀同三司、荊州大都督。

身後

郝處俊下葬後，有一書生路過其墓，嘆曰，「葬壓龍角，其棺必斫。」

後代

• 有二子：郝北叟，曾任司諫郎；郝南容，曾任祕書郎。

• 孫：郝象賢被誣告造反而處死，武則天下令將郝象賢的屍體割裂分解，再挖掘郝處俊的墳墓。

注釋

參考書目

• 《舊唐書・郝處俊傳》