Niu Sengru (; 780 – January 27, 849http://dbo.sinica.edu.tw/ftms-bin/kiwi1/luso.sh?lstype=2&dyna=%AD%F0&king=%AB%C5%A9v&reign=%A4j%A4%A4&yy=2&ycanzi=&mm=12&dd=29&dcanzi=Li Jue, Commemorative Text for the Spirit Tablet for the Deceased Chancellor, Taizi Shaoshi, Posthumously-Honored Taiwei, Lord Niu, collected in All Tang Texts (全唐文), vol. 720.), courtesy name Si'an (), posthumous name Duke Wenzhen of Qizhang (), was a prominent statesman, scholar, chuanqi writer, and poet of China's Tang dynasty. Niu served multiple terms as a chancellor under Emperor Muzong and the latter's sons Emperor Jingzong and Emperor Wenzong. Alternately in and out of imperial favor and high office amid turbulence in the imperial court, Niu also served as the minister of war and a provincial military governor. Traditional historians often considered him a leader of the eponymous "Niu faction" in the Niu-Li factional struggles of the eighth-century Tang court, though contemporary scholars have questioned the degree to which Niu actively engaged in factional politics. Niu was regarded by contemporaries, including his political adversary Li Deyu, as an official of high integrity, and he was posthumously awarded prestigious honors after his death in the reign of Emperor Xuanzong.
Niu's literary output spanned multiple genres, including poetry and chuanqi, a form of fantastical short story popular in the later Tang. Niu's chuanqi anthology Accounts of Mysteries and Monsters (玄怪錄) is considered a step in the evolution of Tang fiction. While prior chuanqi writers had presented their writings as reflections of actual events, Niu clearly portrayed his subject matter as fictional and included detailed characterization in his work.
Background Assuming that Niu Sengru died in the Wuchen year of the Dazhong era (847-859) of Emperor Xuānzong as asserted in the commemorative text written by Li Jue, Niu was born in Lingtai County, Pingliang in 780, during the reign of Emperor Dezong. He was a descendant of the prominent Sui dynasty official Niu Hong ().New Book of Tang, vol. 174. His grandfather Niu Shao () served as a consultant at the ministry of worship, while his father Niu Youwen () served as a county magistrate.New Book of Tang, vol. 75 His father died when he was young, and he tended a farm at Xiadu (下杜, near the capital Chang'an) that his family had previously been bestowed to make a living. He was capable in writing, and eventually passed the imperial examinations in 805, in the same year as eventual colleague and ally Li Zongmin.Old Book of Tang, vol. 176.
During Emperor Xianzong's reign Niu Sengru eventually did serve as the magistrate of Yijue County (伊闕, in modern Luoyang, Henan).Old Book of Tang, vol. 172. In 808, when Emperor Dezong's grandson Emperor Xianzong held a special imperial examination for the examinees to give honest criticism of government, the officials in charge of the examination, Wei Guanzhi and Yang Yuling (), selected three examinees who gave blunt criticism — Niu, Huangfu Shi (), and Li Zongmin — for top marks. However, the chancellor Li Jifu were stung by the criticism that they gave and viewed these as personal attacks against him. Li Jifu tearfully complained to Emperor Xianzong that the reviewers of the scores that Wei and Yang gave — the imperial scholars Pei Ji and Wang Ya — had conflicts of interest, as Huangfu was Wang's nephew. As a result of Li Jifu's accusations, Pei, Wang, Yang, and Wei were all demoted, with Wei initially demoted to be the prefect of Guo Prefecture (果州, in modern Nanchong, Sichuan), and then further moved to be the prefect of Ba Prefecture (巴州, in modern Bazhong, Sichuan). Niu, Huangfu, and Li Zongmin were not exiled, but they were said in the Zizhi Tongjian to be effectively stalled in their careers, forcing them to find governmental positions themselves under regional governors.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 237. However, the other traditional accounts of Niu's own career did not indicate that he served under a regional governor at all; rather, he continued to serve as the magistrate of Yijue, and then the magistrate of Henan County (河南, one of the two counties making up the eastern capital Luoyang). He later served as an imperial censor with the title Jiancha Yushi (), then Kaogong Yuanwailang (), a low-level official at the ministry of civil service affairs (吏部, Libu), as well as an imperial scholar at Jixian Hall ().
During Emperor Muzong's reign After Emperor Xianzong died in 820 and was succeeded by his son Emperor Muzong, Niu Sengru was promoted to Kubu Langzhong (), a supervisorial official at the ministry of defense (戶部, Bingbu), and was put in charge of drafting imperial edicts. Later that year, he was made deputy chief imperial censor (御史中丞, Yushi Zhongcheng). At that time, there was a backlog of criminal cases in the prefectures, causing many people to be unduly detained while waiting adjudication. Niu worked to unclog the backlog, and indicted many responsible officials, causing the popular sentiment to respect him. In 821, when Li Zhichen () the prefect of Su Prefecture (宿州, in modern Suzhou, Anhui) was accused of corruption and sentenced to death, powerful eunuchs received Li Zhichen's bribes and spoke on his behalf. Emperor Muzong thus commented to Niu, "Li Zhichen is talented, and should be pitied." Niu responded, in advocating for Li Zhichen's death:Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 242.
Emperor Muzong agreed with Niu and accepted his suggestion. Emperor Muzong thereafter greatly respected Niu. Meanwhile, in 823, the former chancellor and major general Han Hong died, shortly after Han Hong's son Han Gongwu () had died. Han Hong had served as the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan) for a long time and amassed great wealth.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 243. After Han Hong had offered to stay at the capital Chang'an in 819,Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 241. he, at Han Gongwu's suggestion, offered many bribes to other officials in Chang'an such that his deeds at Xuanwu would not be further looked into. After both Han Hong and Han Gongwu died, there was a dispute involving the property that Han Hong left his young grandson Han Shaozong (). Emperor Muzong, pitying Han Shaozong's situation, ordered that Han Hong's property registries be given to the emperor personally for him to review. While Emperor Muzong was reviewing Han Hong's records, he discovered the bribes that Han Hong had been giving other officials, and he reached an entry indicating that a bribe had been offered to Niu but Niu rejected it. Emperor Muzong was very pleased and showed the entry to his attendants, stating, "I did not make a mistake judging him." He therefore made Niu Zhongshu Shilang (), the deputy head of the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng), and chancellor de facto with the title Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (). At that time, both Niu and Li Jifu's son Li Deyu were considered serious candidates for chancellorship, but while Niu was indeed made chancellor, Li Deyu was made the governor of Zhexi Circuit (浙西, headquartered in modern Zhenjiang, Jiangsu) and stuck there for eight years without movement. Li Deyu therefore came to believe that the chancellor Li Fengji had endorsed Niu and squeezed him out of the picture. The rivalry between Niu and Li Deyu, already precipitated by Li Jifu's earlier taking offense at Niu's examination answers, therefore grew more bitter.
During Emperor Jingzong's reign Emperor Muzong died in 824 and was succeeded by his son Emperor Jingzong. Upon enthronement, Emperor Jingzong conferred the honorary title of Yinqing Guanglu Daifu () on Niu Sengru, and also created him the Viscount of Qizhang. Late in the year, Emperor Jingzong upgraded his honorary title to Jinzi Guanglu Daifu and created him the Duke of Qizhang — a title that his ancestor Niu Hong had carried. Emperor Jingzong also put him in charge of editing the imperial history.
By 825, Niu had come to the conclusion that Emperor Jingzong was frivolous and not diligent, and that wicked people around Emperor Jingzong wielded actual power. He did not dare to speak on the issue in fear of bringing disaster on himself, so he repeatedly offered to resign and take a regional governor post. In spring 825, Emperor Jingzong converted Eyue Circuit (鄂岳, headquartered in modern Wuhan, Hubei) to Wuchang Circuit and made Niu the military governor (Jiedushi) of Wuchang, continuing to carry the Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi title as an honorary title. (When he went through Xiangyang, the military governor of Shannan East Circuit (山南東道, headquartered at Xiangyang), Liu Gongchuo (), in order to show respect to the central government, as Niu was recently chancellor, paid respect to Niu, over his staff's objection, even though they had the same rank as military governor and Shannan East was considered a circuit with higher precedence than Wuchang.)
Due to the humidity at Wuchang's capital city Jiangxia (), the city walls were often crumbling, and each year required repair with green soil. The labor levies of each year were heavy, and the bureaucrats took the opportunity to be corrupt as well. Once Niu arrived at Wuchang, he began a project to repair the walls with bricks instead, and it was said that after completion of the project, the Jiangxia walls no longer suffered from damage due to humidity. Because one of the prefectures of Wuchang, Mian Prefecture (沔州, in modern Xiantao, Hubei), was just across the Yangtze River from Wuchang's capital prefecture E Prefecture (), Niu requested that Mian Prefecture be merged into E Prefecture, to reduce administrative burdens on the people.
During Emperor Wenzong's reign In 830, by which time Emperor Jingzong's younger brother Emperor Wenzong was emperor, Li Zongmin was a chancellor. When, in spring 830, Niu Sengru went to Chang'an to pay homage to Emperor Wenzong, Li Zongmin argued to Emperor Wenzong that Niu was capable and should be kept at the central government. Emperor Wenzong thus again made Niu a chancellor with the title of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi, as well as the minister of defense (兵部尚書, Bingbu Shangshu).Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 244. It was said that, with Niu and Li Zongmin in power, they spent much effort in expelling Li Deyu's partisans out of the central government.
In 831, Li Zaiyi the military governor of Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing) — who had ruled Lulong largely independently from the imperial government but which had been respectful to the imperial government and following many of its orders, including in a recent campaign against the warlord Li Tongjie — was overthrown and expelled from Lulong by his officer Yang Zhicheng. When Emperor Wenzong contemplated how to react to the situation, Niu pointed out that Lulong had not actually belonged to the imperial government for decades and that a campaign against Yang would be futile. Under his suggestion, Yang was allowed to keep the command of Lulong, while Emperor Wenzong, due to Li Zaiyi's previous accomplishments, made him the military governor of Shannan West Circuit (山南西道, headquartered in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi). (Niu's advocacy for taking no actions against Yang drew a sharply-worded criticism from the Song dynasty historian Sima Guang in his Zizhi Tongjian.)