生平

早期仕途

唐文宗开成五年（840年）为礼部侍郎李景让所选，中进士，被任为山南东道节度使从事。唐武宗会昌（840年－846年）末年，因通过书判拔萃考试，拜监察御史，转殿中监。唐宣宗大中年间曾在将仕郎守殿中侍御史任上被任为侍御史，七年（853年），以员外郎知御史台杂事，不久知制诰，转郎中，正拜中书舍人。

唐懿宗年间

唐懿宗咸通五年（864年）十月，权知礼部贡举。六年（865年），拜礼部侍郎，累次升官转尚书右丞。不久拜京兆尹、太常卿。七年（866年）尚在京兆尹任。八年（867年）十月，懿宗以中书舍人刘允章权知礼部贡举，以时任吏部侍郎李蔚、卢匡、兵部员外郎薛崇、司勋员外郎崔殷梦考吏部宏词选人。唐懿宗常在宫中设大宴招待大群僧人，以旃檀为二高座，赐安国寺给僧人，每逢八日就给一万僧人赐饭。李蔚认为他过度热衷佛教，上了一篇长疏，引狄仁杰、姚元崇、辛替否所言，请求懿宗改变方针。懿宗下诏嘉奖他，但没有遵从。九年（868年）正月，出为检校刑部尚书、汴州刺史、御史大夫，充宣武节度、汴宋亳观察处置等使。曾兼亳州太清宫使，十年（869年）九月，传变军首领庞勋及其馀党因太上老君显灵而覆灭，李蔚上奏此事，诏李蔚谢老君并公告天下。任内潜心学道，修建道观。十一年（870年）十一月，迁检校吏部尚书、扬州大都督府长史，兼淮南节度副大使、知节度事。十二年（871年），在军部广陵建大旆。任用盐铁小吏吴尧卿。任期满受代时，百姓去宫门请求让他留任，于是懿宗同意让他多留任一年。辟殿中侍御史柳玭为掌书记。任上，他还建造了水池和亭子，命名亭子为「赏心亭」。

唐僖宗年间

后李蔚被召回长安。乾符元年（874年）四月，为吏部尚书。二年（875年）六月，在御史大夫、吏部尚书任上被拜为中书侍郎，授同中书门下平章事，为实质宰相，与崔彦昭、郑畋同列。九月，由银青光禄大夫进金紫光禄大夫。

李蔚在宰相任内的作为几无记载，仅知赏识有诗名的罗隐，及迁河南县令张读为驾部郎中、知制诰。乾符五年（878年）九月以门下侍郎、吏部尚书罢为检校尚书左仆射、检校司空、充东都留守、东畿汝都防御使。乾符六年（879年），河东节度使崔季康在兵变中被杀，继任者李侃不为士兵所喜，八月，朝廷因李蔚曾任太原从事，在太原府有惠政，任时任特进、检校司空、东都留守的李蔚为检校司徒、同平章事，兼太原尹、北都留守、充河东节度观察，兼代北行营招讨供军等使。闰十月，李蔚到任，但次日就病倒，两天后即暴毙而死。如前任窦浣、李侃一样，他虽以重臣镇守太原，也未能遏制当时生乱的沙陀势力。

《新唐书·陆龟蒙传》称李蔚、卢携素日交好隐士陆龟蒙，拜相后召拜左拾遗，诏书才下，陆龟蒙卒。但李蔚早在乾符五年即罢相，陆龟蒙约卒于中和元年（881年），卢携也在之前的广明元年（880年）被罢相、自杀，此记载存疑。

家族

李蔚出自陇西李氏姑臧房，李蔚祖父李上公官至司农卿，元和初年为陕虢观察使。父李景素官至太子庶子。

子李渥，礼部侍郎；李洵；李涗，字殷泽。

从孙李戴。李戴子李贻业。

延伸阅读

Background and early career

It is not known when Li Wei was born. He was from the Guzang Branch of the Li clan of Longxi, which, like the Tang dynasty's imperial clan, claimed ancestry from Li Gao, the founder of the Sixteen Kingdoms period state Western Liang—with the Tang imperial clan descended from Li Gao's second son Li Xin (Western Liang's second duke) and Li Wei's ancestors descended from Li Gao's eighth son Li Fan (李翻) and Li Fan's son, the prominent Northern Wei general Li Bao (李宝). Subsequent male-line ancestors of Li Wei's served as officials of Northern Wei, the Sui dynasty, and Tang. Li Wei's grandfather Li Shanggong (李上公) served as the director of the archival bureau (秘书监, Mishu Jian), while his father Li Jingsu (李景素) served on the staff of a crown prince.

Li Wei himself passed the imperial examinations in the Jinshi class late in Emperor Wenzong's Kaifeng era (836–840) and was made an assistant to the military governor (jiedushi) of Shannan East Circuit (山南东道, headquartered in modern Xiangfan, Hubei). At some point thereafter, he apparently served as an assistant to the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河东, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi). Late in the Huichang era (841–847) of Emperor Wenzong's brother and successor Emperor Wuzong, he passed a special imperial examination for those who made good rulings and was thereafter made an imperial censor with the title Jiancha Yushi (监察御史). He thereafter served as director of imperial palace affairs (殿中监, Dianzhong Jian). In 853, by which time Emperor Wuzong's uncle Emperor Xuānzong was emperor, Li Wei became in charge of the affairs of the Office of Censors. Thereafter, he became in charge of drafting imperial edicts and was made Zhongshu Sheren (中书舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau of government (中书省, Zhongshu Sheng).

During Emperor Yizongs reign

In 864, during the reign of Emperor Xuānzong's son Emperor Yizong, Li Wei was put in charge of the imperial examinations for that year at the ministry of rites (礼部, Libu). In 865, he was made the deputy minister of rites (礼部侍郎, Libu Shilang), and he was subsequently made Shangshu You Cheng (尚书右丞), one of the secretaries general of the executive bureau (尚书省, Shangshu Sheng). As he considered Emperor Yizong overly devout in Buddhism—with the emperor often holding grand feasts for large groups of Buddhist monks in the palace—he submitted a lengthy petition asking the emperor to curb his ways. Emperor Yizong praised him for the advice, but did not follow it. Li Wei later served as the mayor of Jingzhao Municipality (京兆, i.e., the region of the capital Chang'an), and then the minister of worship (太常卿, Taichang Qing). Yet later, he served as the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan), then of Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu). When his term as the military governor of Huainan was over, the people petitioned to have him remain as military governor, and Emperor Yizong agreed to a one-year extension.

During Emperor Xizongs reign

At some point, Li Wei was recalled to Chang'an, and in 875, by which time he was chief imperial censor (御史大夫, Yushi Daifu), he was made Zhongshu Shilang (中书侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau, and given the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中书门下平章事), making him a chancellor de facto.

Little is known about Li Wei's acts as a chancellor. In 878, he was removed from his chancellor position and made the defender of the eastern capital Luoyang. In 879, after Cui Jikang (崔季康) the military governor of Hedong was killed in a mutiny, and Cui's successor Li Kan (李侃) was not well liked by the soldiers, the imperial government decided that, because Li Wei had previously treated the people of Hedong well when he served there, to make him military governor. He arrived there late in 879 but died just three days after arrival.

Notes and references

• Old Book of Tang, vol. 178.

• New Book of Tang, vol. 181.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 252, 253.