Zhang Yue ("说" in this place is pronounced as "Yue", not "Shuo". See, e.g., Heming Yong, Jing Peng, Chinese lexicography: a history from 1046 BC to AD 1911.) (667 – 9 February 731According to Zhang Yue's epitaph (《故开府仪同三司行尚书左丞相燕国公赠太师张公墓志铭》) by Zhang Jiuling, Zhang Yue was 64 (by East Asian reckoning) when he died on the wu'shen day of the 12th month of the 18th year of the Kai'yuan era. (大唐有天下一百十三年，开元十有八载，龙集庚午，冬十二月戊申，开府仪同三司行尚书左丞相燕国公薨于位，享年六十四。)), courtesy name Daoji (道濟) or Yuezhi (說之), posthumous name Duke Wenzhen of Yan (燕文貞公), was a Chinese historian, military general, poet, and politician of the Tang and Wu Zhou dynasties. He served as chancellor on three occasions during the reigns of Emperor Ruizong and under Emperor Xuanzong. He was known for having suggested the transition of Tang central government armed forces from being conscription-based to recruitment-based, and for turning the office of the chancellor into a specialized post with strong executive powers.
Zhang Yue was a well-respected literary figure of his time, and was ranked alongside Su Ting (Duke Wenxian of Xu, another of Emperor Xuanzong's chancellors) as the two great writers of the Kaiyuan era. They were known in unison as 燕許大手筆 ("Immense pen-brushes from Yan and Xu").
Background Zhang Yue was born in 667, during the reign of Emperor Gaozong. His family was from the Tang dynasty eastern capital Luoyang, and traced its ancestry to the great Han dynasty strategist Zhang Liang, as well as a line of officials that served Cao Wei, Jin dynasty (266–420), Northern Wei, and Northern Zhou.New Book of Tang, vol. 72 part 1, part 2, part 3.
In his youth, Zhang Yue passed the imperial examinations and received the highest score among the group of people who took the exam at the same time. He was made an attendant in the crown prince's studies.It is not known which crown prince Zhang served, however.
During Wu Zetian's reign During the reign of Wu Zetian (r. 690–705), Zhang Yue was gradually promoted to You Bujue (), a low-level official at the legislative bureau of government (鳳閣, Fengge). While serving there, he participated in a project, headed by Li Jiao to create a work known as the Essence of Pearls from the Three Religions (三教珠英, Sanjiao Zhuying)—a compilation of various poetry about Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, in which Wu Zetian's lovers Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong also participated, to give them a legitimate reason to enter the palace. In 700, when Wu Zetian spent summer and fall at Sanyang Palace (), away from Luoyang (which she had made capital), Zhang Yue submitted an earnest petition urging her to return to Luoyang, which she did not accept. Early in her Chang'an era (701-705), the Essence of Pearls from the Three Religions was completed, and the participants were rewarded—with Zhang Yue becoming You Shi (), an imperial chronicler, as well as an imperial attendant; he was also put in charge of grading the entries of imperial examination takers. Sometime thereafter, he was promoted to be Fengge Sheren (), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau.
In 703, Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong were apprehensive that if Wu Zetian, who was ill at the time, died, they would be killed by the senior chancellor Wei Yuanzhong. They therefore falsely accused Wei and the official Gao Jian () of having said that Wu Zetian was too old and that it was better to support her son and crown prince, Li Xian. Wu Zetian, in anger, arrested Wei and Gao, who proclaimed their innocence. Zhang Changzong promised Zhang Yue a promotion if he would corroborate the accusations against Wei, who was Zhang Yue's superior. Zhang Yue initially agreed, but as he entered the palace, several fellow junior officials, Song Jing, Zhang Tinggui (), and Liu Zhiji, pointed out to him that it was important for him to leave a clean name in history. After he entered Wu Zetian's presence, instead of corroborating Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong's accusations against Wei, he proclaimed Wei's innocence and accused Zhang Changzong of suborning perjury. Wu Zetian, while angry at Zhang Yue, spared Wei and Gao as a result, exiling them and Zhang Yue instead to the Lingnan region—in Zhang Yue's case, to Qin Prefecture (欽州, roughly modern Qinzhou, Guangdong). Zhang Yue would remain there for the rest of Wu Zetian's reign.
During Emperor Zhongzong's second reign In 705, Wu Zetian was overthrown, and Li Xian, a former emperor, returned to the throne (as Emperor Zhongzong). He recalled Zhang Yue from exile to serve as an official at the ministry of defense (兵部, Bingbu). Subsequently, Zhang was made the deputy minister of public works (工部侍郎, Gongbu Shilang). During Emperor Zhongzong's Jinglong era (707-710), his mother died, and he left public service to observe a period of mourning—traditionally three years under Confucian principles, but which were often shortened for officials. After he had mourned for the typical shortened period, Emperor Zhongzong was set to recall him to serve as Huangmen Shilang (), the deputy head of the examination bureau (門下省, Menxia Sheng), but he declined, asking to mourn for the entire three-year period. He was allowed to do so, and this drew popular approval. After the three-year period was complete, he was recalled to serve again as the deputy minister of public works, and then the deputy minister of defense (兵部侍郎, Bingbu Shilang). He was also made an imperial scholar at Hongwen Pavilion ().However, the Jinglong era was less than three years long, which suggests that Zhang Yue's mother actually died prior to the start of Jinglong era. Sometime during Emperor Zhongzong's reign, Zhang submitted a petition asking him to end his habit, which started in Wu Zetian's reign, of going up a tower to watch non-Han splash cold water on themselves to celebrate the arrival of winter, on account that such a ceremony was disrespectful. Emperor Zhongzong agreed, and stopped watching such ceremonies.
During Emperor Ruizong's second reign In 710, Emperor Zhongzong died suddenly—a death that traditional historians believed to be a poisoning carried out by his powerful wife Empress Wei and daughter Li Guo'er the Princess Anle, so that Empress Wei could be "emperor" like Wu Zetian and Li Guo'er could be crown princess. Meanwhile, Emperor Zhongzong's son by a concubine, Li Chongmao the Prince of Wen, was named emperor (as Emperor Shang), but Empress Wei retained power as empress dowager and regent. Less than a month later, Emperor Zhongzong's sister Princess Taiping and nephew Li Longji the Prince of Linzi rose in rebellion, killing Empress Dowager Wei and Li Guo'er. Li Longji's father Li Dan the Prince of Xiang, himself a former emperor, returned to the throne (as Emperor Ruizong), displacing Emperor Shang. After Emperor Ruizong's return to the throne, Zhang Yue was made Zhongshu Shilang (), the deputy head of the legislative bureau (by now named Zhongshu Sheng (), as well as the secretary general for the capital prefecture Yong Prefecture (雍州, roughly modern Xi'an, Shaanxi, as Emperor Zhongzong moved the capital back to Chang'an from Luoyang). Later that year, Emperor Zhongzong's son Li Chongfu the Prince of Qiao tried to rise against Emperor Ruizong at Luoyang, but was quickly defeated, and he committed suicide. Several hundred of people, accused of being complicit with Li Chongfu's plot, were arrested, but it was difficult to adjudicate their guilt or innocence. Emperor Ruizong sent Zhang to Luoyang to judge them. Zhang, after interrogating Li Chongfu's main co-conspirators Zhang Lingjun () and Zheng Yin, quickly figured out that most of the accused were not part of the plot, and released them. Once he returned to Chang'an, Emperor Ruizong thanked him:
At that time, Li Longji was crown prince, and both Zhang Yue and Chu Wuliang () served as attending officials in his studies, and he became close to them.
In 711, Zhang was given the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (), making him a chancellor de facto. At that time, there was much struggle at court between the factions of Princess Taiping and Li Longji. At one point, there was a prediction by a sorcerer that there would be an incursion into a palace—a prediction that much troubled Emperor Ruizong. Zhang stated that this rumor must have been spread by someone who was intent to harm Li Longji, and that the best way to dissipate the rumors would be for Emperor Ruizong to transfer some of the authority to Li Longji—an assessment that fellow chancellor Yao Chong concurred in. Emperor Ruizong agreed and did so. (However, when Yao and Song Jing then proposed sending Princess Taiping and two princes with arguably better claims on the crown prince title than Li Longji—his older brother Li Chengqi the Prince of Song and cousin Li Shouli the Prince of Bin (the son of Emperor Zhongzong's and Ruizong's older brother Li Xian (note different character than Emperor Zhongzong)) -- out of the capital, Princess Taiping found out and got Yao and Song demoted out of the capital, although Zhang was not demoted at that time. Later that year, however, as a part of a government reorganization, Zhang, along with the other chancellors, were removed from their chancellor positions. Zhang was made Shangshu Zuo Cheng (), one of the Secretaries General of the executive bureau (尚書省, Shangshu Sheng), and given an office in Luoyang, away from Chang'an.
During Emperor Xuanzong's reign