Li Jianxun

It is not known what year Li Jianxun was born — although subsequent events of his life would tend to place a framework on the possible time of his birth. He was the fourth son of Li Decheng, who served as a general under the major late-Tang warlord Yang Xingmi the military governor of Huainan Circuit (, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu). He was studious in his youth and capable in writing, particularly in poetry. == During Hongnong/Wu ==

After Tang fell in 907, Yang Xingmi's domain, then ruled by his son and successor Yang Wo, became the state of Hongnong (later known as Wu). In 908, his officers Zhang Hao and Xu Wen assassinated him, and shortly after, Xu killed Zhang and supported Yang Wo's younger brother Yang Longyan to succeed Yang Wo as the Prince of Hongnong. Xu thereafter took effective reins of the state as its regent. At this time, Li Jianxun's father Li Decheng was serving as the prefect of Run Prefecture (潤州, in modern Zhenjiang, Jiangsu), and had a habit of going out of the city at night. This drew Xu's suspicion, concerned that Li Decheng might be planning to act against him, so he transferred Li Decheng to Jiang Prefecture (江州, in modern Jiujiang, Jiangxi), farther from the Hongnong capital Guangling. Realizing that Xu suspected him, Li Decheng tried to alleviate Xu's concerns by sending Li Jianxun to pay homage to Xu. When Xu met Li Jianxun, he was impressed and stated, "If he had a son like this, he cannot be an evil man." He then gave a daughter to Li Jianxun in marriage. Despite Li Jianxun's being honored based on his father's and his father-in-law's statuses, he himself was said to be careful and (at that time) not involved in politics, although he often met with the poorer members of the intelligentsia. Most of Xu Zhixun's staff members were demoted, but Li escaped this fate (perhaps because, as the later statement by Li's wife suggested, he was in communications with Xu Zhigao). Li served as Xu's deputy military governor. By late 936, when the plans for such a transition were deep in motion, Xu Zhigao had Li Jianxun's father Li Decheng and Zhou Ben, the two most senior generals of the realm, go to Guangling to petition Yang Pu to pass the throne to Xu Zhigao, and then come to Jinling to petition him to accept. This led Xu's advisor Song Qiqiu, who opposed the transition, to state to Li Jianxun, "Your honored father was a great contributor to Emperor Taizu [(i.e., Yang Xingmi)], but now his accomplishments are destroyed." (By this time, Li Jianxun carried the title of Zhongshu Shilang (中書侍郎, deputy head of the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng)), which was a post generally designated for a chancellor, although it is not completely clear whether he was in fact a chancellor, as the traditional accounts did not indicate whether he also carried the title of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (), usually a prerequisite title for a chancellor.) Xu thereafter accepted the throne, ending Wu and starting Southern Tang. == During Southern Tang ==

During Li Bian's reign After the establishment of the Southern Tang state, Li Jianxun continued to serve as Zhongshu Shilang, and by this point was clearly a chancellor, as he was given the title of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi, along with Zhang Yanhan and Zhang Juyong. As Li Bian took the throne based on his service as a Wu official, he was apprehensive of giving his own officials too much power. Chancellors thus did not remain in their positions for long, but Li Jianxun was an exception. Still, by 941, Li Bian was apprehensive of having Li Jianxun remaining as chancellor, but Li Jianxun was showing no signs that he would ask to leave the position. According to the Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms, at that time, there happened to be another official who made a proposal in governance, and, in the proposal, stated, "This is such an important matter that you should not let one of your subjects issue the order. You should issue the order yourself." While Li Bian had agreed to this proposal, he had not yet actually acted on it. Li Jianxun, however, knowing that Li Bian had agreed, ordered one of the designated imperial edict drafters to begin drafting the edict. The imperial attendant Chang Mengxi () thereafter submitted an accusation against Li Jianxun for wrongly drafting an edict. As Li Bian was looking for an excuse to relieve Li Jianxun from his chancellorship, he did so. However, the Grand Princess Guangde went to see Li Bian, and, in a pointed tone, stated, "When my father was ill, you, older brother, also often requested to see his instructions to Master Li [(i.e., Li Jianxun)]. Now why do you turn against him?" Li Bian responded, "This is a matter of the state. Master Li and I are flesh and blood, and I have no suspicions of him." Li Bian summoned Li Jianxun and comforted him, and soon returned him to chancellorship. During Li Jing's reign After Li Jing took the throne, others asked Li Jianxun of his impression of the new emperor. Li Jianxun commented, "The Master is kind and tolerant, and in that aspect is superior to the Deceased Emperor [(i.e., Li Bian)]. However, his habits are unset, and the people close to him are not righteous men. I fear that he cannot protect the foundation the Deceased Emperor left him." Li Jianxun, distressed at the poor discipline that the Southern Tang army displayed at Jian, including capturing the people of Jian to serve as servants, asked that the imperial government use its own stores of gold and silk to ransom the captured people of Jian to set them free, and Li Jing agreed. (Indeed, the next year, 952, an uprising by former Chu officers, led by Liu Yan, expelled the Southern Tang forces from the former Chu territory, leaving Southern Tang with no gain.) Li Jianxun died in 952 and was given posthumous honors. It was said that later, after Southern Tang was destroyed, the tombs of the prominent officials were largely all robbed for treasure. However, no one at that time knew where Li Jianxun's tomb was, and so it escaped such a fate. It was said that Song, proud of his abilities, rarely praised colleagues, but he praised Li for Li's ability to speak well. == Notes and references ==

• Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms, vol. 21. • Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 279, 280, 281, 282, 283, 285, 290.