Lu Yijian’s family members

Lu Yijian was originally from Laizhou, Jingdong Road (now part of Shandong). His grandfather Lu Guixiang once served as the magistrate of Shouzhou, Anhui, so the Lu family moved to Shouzhou. Lü Yijian was born into a family of officials. His uncle Lü Meng was the prime minister during the Song Taizong and Song Zhenzong periods; his father Lü Mengheng served as the Prime Minister of Guanglu Temple and Dali Temple.

Early career

In the third year of Xianping of Zhenzong (1000), Lu Yi passed the Jinshi examination and initially supplemented Jiangzhou military promotion. [2] He successively served as Tongzhou Tongpan, Binzhou magistrate, Yuanwailang of the Ministry of Rites, Yuanwailang of the Ministry of Punishment, and Censor. Lu Yijian was known for his outstanding talents, prudence and diligence, and was known as "honest and capable" at that time. When he learned about Binzhou, he asked to be exempted from the tax on agricultural tools, and Zhenzong enacted it throughout the world. When he was appointed as Wailang, the Minister of Rites, he criticized Zhenzong's construction of temples as a waste of people and money, and asked him to stop transporting wood and stone by river in winter. Zhenzong praised him for his "love for the country and the people" and entrusted him with important tasks several times. He once sent an envoy to Khitan to discuss peace and delimitation. After returning to the court, he was promoted to the post of Zhizhigao and became a close minister of Zhenzong.

In the last years of Zhenzong, he was promoted to a direct scholar of Longtuge and moved to the Ministry of Punishment as a doctor, with the right to know Kaifeng Mansion. Zhenzong wrote his name on the screen, and it was widely spread in the government and the public that Lu Yijian would be worshiped as prime minister.

Accepted in danger

In the first year of Qianxing (1022), Zhenzong collapsed. The young Renzong ascended the throne, and Empress Dowager Liu took the throne. Lu Yijian paid homage to Tong Zhongshu's disciple Ping Zhangshi and the bachelor of Jixian Hall, and formally paid homage to the prime minister. Empress Dowager Liu has a headstrong personality and does not understand the affairs of the state, but the affairs of the state must be approved by her. On the one hand, Lu Yijian had to handle national affairs carefully, and on the other hand, he also had to carefully restrain the Queen Mother's indulgence and arbitrary actions. Under such circumstances, Lu Yijian handled thousands of affairs with great care and dedication in the spirit of serving the country with public loyalty. He took care of the Queen Mother's face on small matters, but refused to give in on big matters, which sometimes made the Queen Mother very angry. When encountering this kind of situation, Lu Yijian always confessed in detail and repeatedly stated his opinions, forcing the Queen Mother to accept the correct opinions. For example, during the ceremony of Zhenzong's attachment to the temple, Empress Dowager Liu proposed that all the things Zhenzong used when he was alive should be offered in the Taimiao; at the same time, a silver cover should be used to cover Zhenzong's shrine. He also said that not doing so would be disrespectful to Zhenzong. Lu Yijian said that the best memory of Zhenzong was to assist the young master in governing the world. Waste and extravagance were not what the late emperor wanted, and he finally stopped the empress dowager.