Cen Wenben
| Cen Wenben | |
|---|---|
| Chancellor of the Tang dynasty | |
| Born | 595 |
| Died | May 10, 645 (aged 49–50) |
| Names | |
| Traditional Chinese | 岑文本 |
| Simplified Chinese | 岑文本 |
| Pinyin | Cén Wénběn |
| Wade–Giles | T'sen Wen-pen |
| Courtesy name | Jingren (Chinese: 景仁; pinyin: Jǐngrén; Wade–Giles: Ching-jen) |
| Posthumous name | Viscount Xian of Jiangling (simplified Chinese: 江陵宪子; traditional Chinese: 江陵憲子; pinyin: Jiānglǐng Xiàn Zǐ; Wade–Giles: Chiang-ling Hsien Tzu) |
Cen Wenben (595 – May 10, 645), courtesy name Jingren, posthumously known as Viscount Xian of Jiangling, was a Chinese official who served as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Taizong in the Tang dynasty. He was an assistant editor of the Book of Zhou, the official history of the Northern Zhou dynasty.
Cen Wenben was born in 595 during the reign of Emperor Wen in the Sui dynasty. His grandfather, Cen Shanfang (岑善方), served under Emperor Xuan of Western Liang, a vassal of the Northern Zhou state who claimed to be the legitimate emperor of the Liang dynasty. His father, Cen Zhixiang (岑之象), served as a magistrate of Handan County late in the Sui dynasty. In 608, Cen Zhixiang was falsely accused of crimes. Cen Wenben, who was already talented in writing and was calm and dexterious in his actions, went to the ministry of justice to proclaim his father's innocence and, when questioned, was able to answer and explain clearly. The officials were surprised by his ability to do so despite his young age, and, to test his writing ability, asked him to write an ode to lotus. Cen was able to write it well quickly. Subsequently, he was able to convince the officials that his father was falsely accused, allowing his father to be exculpated. He became famous from the incident. He was subsequently recommended for the imperial examination by the local government of his home commandery, but as by that time, most of Sui territory was engulfed in agrarian rebellions against Emperor Yang, Cen Wenben did not report for the examination.
In 617, Xiao Xi, a great-grandson of Emperor Xuan of Western Liang, whom Cen Wenben's grandfather Cen Shanfang had served, rose in rebellion, claiming to restore the Liang dynasty. Xiao Xi established his capital at Jiangling (江陵, in modern Jingzhou, Hubei), and he summoned Cen Wenben to serve as Zhongshu Shilang (中書侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng). Cen was in charge of writing the imperial edicts. In 621, when the Tang dynasty general Li Xiaogong (a nephew of Emperor Gaozu, the founding emperor of the Tang dynasty) attacked Liang and put Jiangling under siege, Cen suggested to Xiao Xi that he surrendered, and Xiao Xi did so. After Xiao Xi's surrender, however, Li Xiaogong's subordinates wanted to pillage the city. Cen persuaded Li Xiaogong that it would be wrong to do so, and Li Xiaogong subsequently ordered against pillaging. As Li Xiaogong was then put in charge of the former Liang capital, he invited Cen to serve on his staff. In 623, when Emperor Gaozu sent Li Xiaogong to attack the rebel leader Fu Gongshi, Cen followed Li Xiaogong and was in charge of his military correspondences. After Li Xiaogong defeated and killed Fu Gongshi and was put in charge of Fu's capital Danyang (丹楊, in modern Nanjing, Jiangsu), Cen continued to serve on Li Xiaogong's staff.
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