Wei Sili

Life

He was the son of Wei Siqian and the younger half-brother of Wei Chengqing. He passed the presented-scholar examination when young and was appointed magistrate of Shuangliu; his administration was distinguished and was regarded as the best in Shu. He was later transferred three times to serve as magistrate of Laiwu.

Under Wu Zetian, he succeeded Wei Chengqing as Fengge Sheren and held the offices of Xingbu Shilang (also styled Qiuguan Shilang), Fengge Shilang, and Tong Fengge Lantai Pingzhangshi. During the Chang'an era, while retaining his office, he was concurrently made inspector of Bianzhou; during Shenlong, he again succeeded Chengqing as Huangmen Shilang. In Jinglong 3 (709), he became Minister of War and Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin.

Although his kinship with Empress Wei was distant, he was specially entered in the imperial clan register and ennobled as Duke Xiaoyao. After the empress's fall, he narrowly escaped being killed by mutinous soldiers.

After Emperor Ruizong's accession, he was appointed Zhongshu Ling. Early in the Kaiyuan era of Emperor Xuanzong, he entered the court as Guozi Jijiu and Taizi Binke, then went out as governor of Xu Prefecture. He was later demoted to Yuezhou Biejia and transferred again to Chen Prefecture because, in the matter of Zong Chuke and others' alteration of the edict, he failed to uphold the correct position.

His offices also included Taipu Shaoqing, Taifu Qing, Xiuwen Guan Xueshi, Zhang Libu Xuanshi, and Raozhou Zhangshi, as well as governorships of Ruzhou, Chenliu, Songzhou, Jizhou, Guangping, Bianzhou, Weizhou, Mingzhou, and Xiangzhou. He died in the seventh year of Kaiyuan (719), aged sixty-six; he was posthumously granted the rank of Minister of War and given the posthumous name Xiao.

Literary work

Wei Sili was known for poetry and prose and gained literary renown early; eight of his poems are preserved in the Quan Tangshi. He exchanged poetry and prose with Li Xian (Emperor Zhongzong), Zhang Shuo, and others; Zhang Shuo wrote his epitaph.