During the Five Dynasties

Born during the Later Liang, Xue Juzheng was said to be studious and ambitious from a young age. In 934 during the Later Tang Xue failed the imperial examination and wrote "An Essay to Dispel Sorrows" (遣愁文), which was much praised. He passed the imperial examination the following year.

After the Later Jin destroyed the Later Tang in 937, Xue served on the staff of Liu Suining, the military governor of Hua Prefecture. In 941, he was recommended by Liu Suining's older cousin Liu Suiqing and became a patrolling inspector for the Salt Monopoly. In 944, he served as a judge in the Bureau of General Accounts. When Li Song became the director for the Salt Monopoly, Xue served on his staff. Xue also received a position in the Court of Judicial Review, and subsequently he was made a reminder official in the Secretariat. In 946, when Sang Weihan was made the prefect of Kaifeng, Xue joined him as an administrative assistant.

During the Later Han, Xue once saved a commoner from execution. The man was accused of violating salt laws, but Xue found the evidence unconvincing. After further questioning he discovered bad blood between the defendant and the accuser, a minor government functionary who eventually admitted to making false accusations.

After Later Zhou's founding in 951, Xue was made vice director of the Bureau of Review, also in charge of all judges in the State Finance Commission.

During the Song dynasty

When the Song dynasty replaced the Later Zhou in 960, Xue took service with the new dynasty as he had with dynasties prior to the new rulers of northern China. During the first two decades of the Song, Xue set about to compiling a history of the Five Dynasties.

Entitled Five Dynasties History, the main purpose of the work was to reinforce the claim of the Song to the Mandate of Heaven from the Tang dynasty through the Five Dynasties to the reigning Song.

Death and legacy

Xue did not live much longer than after compilation of the Five Dynasties History in 974, dying in 981. However, his legacy of writing a history of a previous era of Chinese history for the purpose of bolstering the current patron dynasty would be repeated later in Chinese history, notably with the Yuan dynasty』s writing of the History of Liao.

生平

祖父薛延鲁，唐朝汝州刺史，父薛仁谦是后周太子宾客。薛居正早年科举不顺，只好写《遣愁文》以自解，逾年，登第。后晋天福年间，华州节度使刘遂凝辟其为从事。刘遂凝堂兄刘遂清领邦计，奏署盐铁巡官。开运初，改度支推官。宰相李崧领盐铁，又奏署推官，加大理寺直，迁右拾遗。桑维翰为开封府尹，奏署判官。后汉乾佑初年，史弘肇领侍卫亲军，威权震主，残忍自恣，无敢忤其意者。其部下吏告民犯盐禁，法当死。狱将决，居正疑其不实，召诘之，乃吏与民有私憾，因诬之，逮吏鞫之，具伏抵法。弘肇虽怒甚，亦无以屈。

后周广顺初年，迁比部员外郎，领三司推官，旋知制诰。后周太祖征兖州，诏居正从行，以劳加都官郎中。显德三年，迁左谏议大夫，擢弘文馆学士，判馆事。六年，使沧州定民租。未几，以材干闻于朝，擢刑部侍郎，判吏部铨。宋朝建立后，任户部侍郎（寄禄官，正四品下），加兵部侍郎（寄禄官，正四品下）。当时赵普任宰相，赵匡胤恐赵普专权，想设置副相，以分散其权，故以薛居正、吕馀庆等人为参知政事（副宰相），性宽和，不好苛察。六年，拜门下侍郎（阶官，正三品）、同中书门下平章事（宰相）。自任参知政事至任相的十八年内，恩遇始终不替。

湖南初定。薛居正知朗州事，期间爆发汪端作乱，监军使怀疑是城中僧人是贼人党羽，打算诛杀，被薛阻止，最后由都监尹重睿平定乱事，州内一千多名僧人赖以全活。乾德初，又官吏部侍郎（寄禄官，正四品下），好饮酒，饮至数斗不乱。

开宝九年（976年）十月太宗即位，以薛为昭文相（同中书门下平章事、昭文馆大学士）。喜欢读书，「为文落笔不能自休」。太平兴国初，加尚书左仆射（寄禄官，从二品）、昭文馆大学士（馆职）。随宋太宗平定北汉后回朝，进位司空（加官，三公，正一品）。六年，因服丹砂遇毒，方奏事，觉疾作，遽出。至殿门外，饮水升馀，堂吏掖归中书，已不能言，但指庑间储水器。左右取水至，不能饮，偃阁中，吐气如烟焰，舆归私第卒，赠太尉（赠官，三公，正一品）、中书令（赠官，正二品），谥文惠。其养子薛惟吉将他生前的作品收集成册，帝赐名《文惠集》，今佚。咸平二年，诏配飨太祖庙庭。

开宝六年（973年），由薛居正监修，卢多逊、扈蒙等受命修《五代史》。《五代史》成，又名《梁唐晋汉周书》。后世为别于欧阳修《新五代史》，改作《旧五代史》。

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