Background

It is not known when Cui Dan was born. He was from the "Lesser Branch" of the prominent Cui clan of Qinghe (清河, in modern Xingtai, Hebei), and his ancestors originally claimed ancestry from the ruling house of the Spring and Autumn period state Qi. Cui Dan's traceable ancestry included officials of Han Dynasty (including Cui Yan), Liu Song, Northern Wei, and Tang Dynasty. His grandfather Cui Ji (崔佶) served as a staff member for a crown prince, while his father Cui Chui (崔陲) served as a deputy chief imperial censor.

Cui Dan had at least seven brothers — older brothers Cui Bin (崔邠), Cui Feng (崔鄷), Cui Yan (崔郾), Cui Xun (崔郇), Cui Han (崔邯), and Cui Shan (崔鄯), and younger brother Cui Fu (崔鄜). Among the brothers, Cui Bin was the most well-known and one whose acts were most well-recorded in the official histories Old Book of Tang and New Book of Tang. Six of the brothers would eventually reach high level positions within the Tang government.

Career before chancellorship

Cui Dan's biographies in the Old Book of Tang and the New Book of Tang had different descriptions of his career path, both agreed that he passed the imperial examinations in the Jinshi class. The Old Book of Tang mentioned that he served in an unspecified office before serving as an imperial censor with the title Jiancha Yushi (監察御史) and then as Kaogong Langzhong (考功郎中), a supervisory official at the ministry of civil service affairs (吏部, Libu). According to the Old Book of Tang, then, in 829, during the reign of Emperor Wenzong, while remaining as Kaogong Langzhong, he was also made an imperial scholar (翰林學士, Hanlin Xueshi), and thereafter was made Zhongshu Sheren (中書舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng). As of 832, he was no longer imperial scholar. The New Book of Tang, while discussing the same period of his career, mentioned that after he passed the imperial examinations, he served as the sheriff of Weinan County (渭南, in modern Weinan, Shaanxi), and after some promotions became Xingbu Langzhong (刑部郎中), a supervisory official at the ministry of justice (刑部, Xingbu). He subsequently served as the deputy military governor under the former chancellor Du Yuanying, the military governor (Jiedushi) of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan). After that, Cui was recalled to the capital Chang'an to serve as the deputy minister of public works (工部侍郎, Gongbu Shilang), and an imperial scholar at Jixian Hall (集賢殿) — an event that the Old Book of Tang also described and placed in 834, while further mentioning at that time, he was also made acting minister of rites (禮部尚書, Libu Shangshi).

The two biographies' description of Cui's career thereafter did not significantly diverge. According to the Old Book of Tang, he thereafter served as deputy minister of defense (兵部侍郎, Bingbu Shilang), and also was put in charge of selecting officials for the eastern capital Luoyang. When Emperor Wenzong once summoned the officials in selecting of commissioning officials to discuss with them the criteria for selecting officials. During that conversation, he asked Cui what Cui would do with candidates who were not capable; Cui responded that he would send them to the border regions, a response that Emperor Wenzong did not agree with, pointing out that that meant that the people living on the borders would be mistreated. Nevertheless, he subsequently made Cui the deputy minister of civil service affairs (吏部侍郎, Libu Shilang). In 837, Cui was sent out of Chang'an to serve as the governor (觀察使, Guanchashi) of Xuanshe Circuit (宣歙, headquartered in modern Xuancheng, Anhui), as well as the prefect of its capital Xuan Prefecture (宣州). In 839, he was recalled to Chang'an to serve as the minister of worship (太常卿, Taichang Qing).

Chancellorship

In fall 839, Cui Dan, while still serving as the minister of worship, was made a chancellor de facto with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事). He thereafter was also made Zhongshu Shilang (中書侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau, and given the honorary title Yinqing Guanglu Daifu (銀青光祿大夫). After Emperor Wenzong died in 840 and was succeeded by his brother Emperor Wuzong, although Cui's colleagues Yang Sifu and Li Jue were removed from their posts, and Li Deyu became the leading chancellor, Cui remained chancellor. (It was said that this was because Li Deyu and the Cui brothers had long had friendly relations.) In 841, when Emperor Wuzong came to believe in allegations that Yang and Li Jue had supported other candidates to succeed Emperor Wenzong rather than him and wanted to put Yang and Li Jue to death, Li Deyu, at the advice of Du Cong, interceded, along with Cui and their other chancellor colleagues Chen Yixing and Cui Gong, and Emperor Wuzong spared Yang and Li Jue's lives, although exiling them far away from the capital.

Career after chancellorship

Late in 841, Cui Dan was sent out of Chang'an to serve as the military governor of Xichuan Circuit. Early in the subsequent reign of Emperor Wuzong's uncle Emperor Xuānzong, Cui was made the military governor of Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu), carrying the title of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi as an honorary title. He died while still serving at Huainan, but the time is not known.

Notes and references

• Old Book of Tang, vol. 155.

• New Book of Tang, vol. 163.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 246.

家庭背景

崔鄲出自清河崔氏定著六房之一的清河小房，曾祖父崔綜，醴泉縣令，贈吏部侍郎；祖父崔佶曾任太子中允，贈左僕射；父親崔倕任檢校吏部郎中兼御史中丞，贈太師。母夫人姑臧李氏，贈秦國太夫人。

崔鄲至少有七個兄弟：哥哥崔邠、崔酆、崔郾、崔郇、崔邯、崔鄯，弟弟崔鄜。在眾兄弟中，崔邠最為知名，事跡在《舊唐書》《新唐書》中有大量記載；除崔邯、崔鄜外，崔氏六兄弟都在唐朝政府中身居高位。

拜相前

貞元十九年（803年），崔鄲中進士。調補秘書省正字，再調以書判入高等，授渭南縣尉。浙西觀察使李翛闢崔鄲為觀察推官，授監察里行，旋征入朝。拜正監察御史，轉左補闕，遷起居舍人，改司勛員外郎、刑部郎中。元和十五年（820年）六月，他曾因宗廟事務被罰一季俸料，削兩階。前宰相杜元穎為西川節度使，請崔鄲為自己效力，崔鄲被詔授檢校司勛郎中兼御史中丞，仍賜金紫。後征為兵部郎中，轉考功郎中。唐文宗好文，崔鄲因能作文且見識廣，被充翰林學士，加知制誥，拜中書舍人，依前充學士，且文宗認為他有宰相器。崔鄲不想久居要職，屢次上疏請辭，大和六年（832年），罷翰林學士。文宗出其守本官，不久改工部侍郎，充集賢殿學士、判院事。七年（833年）九月，以中書舍人為監內官考使。八年（834年）十二月，拜禮部侍郎。

九年（835年），改兵部侍郎。甘露之變後，大臣多躲在家，崔鄲卻不顧子弟勸諫，堅持上朝，時公卿上朝的只有三四人。開成元年（836年）春，知吏部選事。四月，文宗召崔鄲和尚書右丞知銓事鄭肅商議選官標準時，向崔鄲詢問他是如何處理不合格的候選人的。崔鄲說他會把這些人送到邊疆任職，文宗不贊同，認為這是苦了邊疆的百姓。但他仍然在當年任命崔鄲為吏部侍郎。二年（837年）十一月，崔鄲離開長安，任宣歙觀察使、宣州刺史，兼御史大夫。當月，奏溧陽縣百姓陳埏五代同爨，請免賦稅，獲准。三年（838年）十二月，奏請旌表陳埏門閭，獲准。當時茶法還由地方掌管，地方茶業的生產還是由州縣嚴格控制，從事茶葉生產的茶戶必須在地方官府規定的茶園製作茶葉，茶法實行專賣制度，官府不再收購茶戶的茶葉，而是向茶戶發放公帖，茶戶取得公帖後才可以出售茶葉。一些百姓由于沒有公帖而私下出售少量茶葉遭到官府的嚴懲，而參與緝拿百姓的官吏則得到獎賞。地方長官以下都從稅收方面的盈餘中得利，長官甚至將二千萬錢茶稅收入私囊。崔鄲到任後不受賄，四年（839年）二月，放鬆禁令，編戶心安。他建議徵收茶戶兩稅時還徵繳茶稅，未獲准。同年，他又被召回長安，任太常卿。很多人擁轅遮路望著他，哭喊說：父母走了！我們不知道依靠誰了。

拜相

當年七月二十五日，崔鄲以太中大夫、守太常卿、上柱國、賜紫金魚袋守本官，授同中書門下平章事，為實質宰相。隨後他又任中書侍郎，授銀青光祿大夫榮銜，監修國史，五年（840年）二月複兼禮部尚書，依前平章中書修史。同年，文宗駕崩，弟唐武宗繼位，宰相楊嗣複、李玨被罷撤，李德裕被任命為首席宰相，而崔鄲的宰相地位不變，仍以本官同平章事。會昌元年（841年），武宗認定楊嗣複、李玨不希望自己繼位，想處決他們。李德裕在杜悰建議下，和崔鄲及其他宰相陳夷行、崔珙一同介入，武宗饒過了楊、李的性命，改為流放到距京城很遠的地方。

拜相後

李德裕忌憚崔鄲正直且受寵，崔鄲因而乞求去職，十一月，罷相離京，任劍南西川節度使、檢校吏部尚書、平章事。人們都可惜他去職，而權臣則更橫行。崔鄲治蜀，政令明具，寬而有制，仁而必斷。當時西川的稅法只征緡錢，百姓甚至廢業以供賦。崔鄲請求改變，允許徵用貨物，蜀人受益，作歌謠歌頌。吐蕃、南詔也敬畏不敢窺境。又廢止前任李固言廣置的淫祠，誅殺流放巫者。武宗的叔父唐宣宗繼位後，因他累次上表請求面聖，征為檢校尚書右僕射，不久又以他檢校司空，充淮南節度使，均仍同中書門下平章事。淮南大治。卒于淮南任上。根據墓誌銘，崔鄲官終淮南節度副大使知節度事、管內營田觀察處置等使、金紫光祿大夫、檢校司空、兼揚州大都督府長史、御史大夫、上柱國，清河郡開國公，食邑二千戶。贈司徒。

評價

• 礪波護認為崔鄲是李黨。

妻兒

夫人

• 范陽盧氏，宣州宣城縣尉盧逷第二女，卒于820年

子女

• 崔璞，嗣子，左拾遺

• 崔氏，嫁范陽盧滔，早亡

• 崔璬，曾任京兆府武功縣尉

注釋