Background

Despite Xin Maojiang's high status, little is firmly established about his background or career except for the years that he served as chancellor—as, unusual for a chancellor, he did not have a biography in either the Old Book of Tang or the New Book of Tang. (The table of chancellors family trees in the New Book of Tang gave his grandfather's name as Xin Zheng (辛政) and father's name as Xin Zhao (辛肇), but did not give any office titles for them, implicitly indicating that they were not governmental officials.) Little is known about Xin Maojiang's career prior to his becoming chancellor in 658.

Service under Emperor Gaozong

As of 658, during the reign of Emperor Gaozong, Xin Maojiang was serving as the chief judge of the supreme court, when he was made Shizhong (侍中) -- the head of the examination bureau of government and a post considered one for a chancellor. In summer 659, he and fellow chancellor Xu Jingzong were put in charge of an investigation of an alleged treason plot by the low level officials Wei Jifang (韋季方) and Li Chao (李巢), although it was Xu, an ally of Emperor Gaozong's powerful wife Empress Wu (later known as Wu Zetian), who spearheaded the investigation who ultimately convinced Emperor Gaozong that his uncle and chancellor Zhangsun Wuji, who had implicitly disapproved of Empress Wu's ascension (replacing Emperor Gaozong's first wife Empress Wang) in 655 by refusing to concur in the decision, was part of the plot. As a result of further investigations ordered by Emperor Gaozong (which not only Xin and Xu, but also Li Ji, Ren Yaxiang, and Lu Chengqing were involved in), Zhangsun was first exiled and then forced to commit suicide. Xin himself died around new year 660, and if he was given a posthumous name or noble title, neither is recorded in history.

Notes and references

• Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 200.

生平

唐高宗顯慶三年（658年）十一月十九，大理卿辛茂將為侍中（門下省首長）。659年夏四月，他和許敬宗負責審理韋季方、李巢朋黨一案。許敬宗是武后的心腹，他誣陷當初反對武后為皇后的高宗舅父、太尉長孫無忌與此案有牽連，並意圖謀反。唐高宗聽從許敬宗的意見，流放長孫無忌于黔州，七月唐高宗命許敬宗、辛茂將、李勣、任雅相、盧承慶審，許敬宗派人逼長孫無忌自殺。顯慶四年十一月十六（660年1月3日），侍中兼左庶子辛茂將去世。

家庭

高祖

• 辛文□，北魏□威將軍、儀同三司、散騎常侍、太常卿、秦州刺史、許昌侯

曾祖

• 辛仲略，北魏驃騎大將軍、開府儀同三司、散騎常侍、侍中、秘書監、□□將軍、南雍州刺史、廣州刺史、繁昌公

祖父

• 辛義良，北周純州別駕、隋朝汝州長史

父母

• 辛慈，隋朝東宮左親衛

• 滎陽鄭氏，開府儀同三司、淅介二州刺史、顯親公鄭某孫女，曠野將軍、殿中司馬、南鄉大□二郡太守鄭某之女

參考

• 《新唐書》, 卷73

• 《資治通鑑》, 卷200

• 兩千年中西曆轉換