背景

盧承慶的祖父盧思道是隋朝武陽太守、散騎侍郎。隋煬帝末年大將李淵在太原起兵反隋時，盧承慶之父盧赤松任河東令，先前就認識李淵，李淵兵到後立刻投降，成為李淵的僚屬。李淵建立唐朝後，封盧赤松為范陽郡公。盧承慶相貌英俊，儀態大方，博學有才。盧承慶年少時，父親去世，他繼承了范陽郡公的爵位。

唐太宗年間

唐太宗繼位初期，盧承慶任秦州參軍，一次入朝奏報河西軍情，說得很清楚，太宗稱奇，升他為考功員外郎，後又數次升遷至民部侍郎。一次，太宗問及歷代戶口之事，盧承慶對以夏朝、商朝乃至北周、隋朝的人口增減，太宗再次表示讚賞，不久讓他兼任檢校兵部侍郎，知五品選。盧承慶不接受，認為選官是尚書的職責，自己不能越權，但太宗沒有答應，說：「朕相信你，你為什麼不相信你自己呢？」後來盧承慶又歷任雍州別駕、尚書左丞。

二十二年（648年），太宗封禪泰山，以時任戶部侍郎盧承慶為檢校封禪副大使。

唐高宗年間

貞觀二十三年（649年）唐太宗駕崩，唐高宗繼位。由于權相褚遂良誣告，盧承慶被貶為益州大都督府長史；褚遂良又指控盧承慶在雍州時失職，盧承慶又被貶為簡州司馬。在這段時間，盧承慶結識了道因法師。一年後，盧承慶轉任洪州長史。高宗將要幸汝州溫泉，擢升盧承慶為汝州刺史，不久又召他回京任光祿卿。顯慶二年（657年），大將蘇定方擊破西突厥，俘獲其可汗阿史那賀魯，十二月，高宗派盧承慶持冊命去西突厥把西突厥的土地分給兩位忠于唐朝的西突厥王子興昔亡可汗阿史那彌射和繼往絕可汗阿史那步真，又命盧承慶和兩位王子給各部首領封刺史以下官職。

四年（659年），代杜正倫為度支尚書。五月，授參知政事銜，為實質宰相。七月，因涉嫌謀反被流放的前宰相國舅長孫無忌進一步遭到指控，盧承慶和其他宰相李勣、許敬宗、辛茂將、任雅相奉命調查。其中許敬宗是武皇后的黨羽，也是調查的發起者。長孫無忌最終被迫自殺。十一月，盧承慶被授予高一級的宰相銜同中書門下三品。但次年（660年）七月，他就因為對度支事務處理不當被免官，出為潤州刺史。曾任右肅機（尚書右丞），麟德二年（665年）三月奉命為使去東都訊察記錄囚犯的罪狀。約同年又遷雍州長史，授銀青光祿大夫。總章二年（669年）二月，他又被任為司刑太常伯，以代李乾祐。咸亨元年（670年）閏九月，詔贈新亡的武皇后之母為魯國太夫人，盧承慶攝同文正卿充監護大使，賜東園秘器，厚給官供。不久即告老請求致仕。高宗批准了，加金紫光祿大夫銜。

他的弟弟盧承業後來也擔任雍州長史、檢校尚書左丞，兄弟相繼擔任這些職位，時人以為榮。

當年，盧承慶卒，贈幽州都督，謚號定。臨終時，他對兒子們說：「死生至理，亦猶朝之有暮。吾終，斂以常服；晦朔常饌，不用牲牢；墳高可認，不須廣大；事辦即葬，不須卜擇；墓中器物，瓷漆而已；有棺無槨，務在簡要；碑誌但記官號、年代，不須廣事文飾。」

唐德宗年間，盧承慶得以續圖凌煙閣。

典故

盧承慶任考功員外郎時，有一個監督漕運的官員因遭遇大風丟了糧食，盧承慶給他評為「中下」。這名官員神色自若，一言不發退下了。盧承慶看重他的氣量，說「遭遇大風不是你所能阻止的」，改評為「中中」。這名官員既沒有表現出高興的樣子，也沒有表達慚愧。盧承慶對他的反應表示讚賞，又說他「寵辱不驚」，改評為「中上」。這是盧承慶能表彰別人的優點。

評價

• 《舊唐書》

　• 史臣論曰：崔、盧數公，皆以忠清文行，致位樞要。恪恭匪懈，以保名位，誠所謂持盈守成，太平之君子。

　• 贊曰：盧、劉兩族，奕世名卿。

家庭

子孫

• 盧住

　• 滁州刺史盧鄖

　• 盧垣

　　• 盧幼臨，刑部郎中

• 盧稹，涇州鶉觚縣縣令

延伸閱讀

注釋及參考資料

Background

Lu Chengqing was born in 595, during the reign of Emperor Wen of Sui. He was from "The elder house of northern ancestry" (北祖大房) of the prominent Lu clan of Fanyang. His grandfather Lu Sidao was an important official during the Sui dynasty. Late in the reign of Emperor Wen's son Emperor Yang, Lu Chengqing's father Lu Chisong (盧赤松) was serving as the magistrate of Hedong County (河東, in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi), when the general Li Yuan rebelled against Emperor Yang's rule at Taiyuan. Lu Chisong, who had previously known Li Yuan, surrendered as soon as Li Yuan's forces arrived and served on Li Yuan's staff. After Li Yuan established the Tang dynasty as its Emperor Gaozu, he created Lu Chisong the Duke of Fanyang. Lu Chengqing was said to be handsome and attentive to his appearance, but also knowledgeable and capable. When he was young, Lu Chisong died, and so he inherited the title of Duke of Fanyang.

During Emperor Taizongs reign

Early in the reign of Emperor Gaozu's son and successor Emperor Taizong, Lu Chengqing was serving as the census officer for the commandant at Qin Prefecture (秦州, roughly modern Tianshui, Gansu), when he had an opportunity to report to Emperor Taizong the status of military affairs west of the Yellow River (i.e., in modern central Gansu). Emperor Taizong was impressed by the clarity of his report, and promoted him to be a low-level official at the ministry of civil service. He was later promoted to by the deputy minister of census. On one occasion, when Emperor Taizong asked about historical population counts, Lu discussed historical population counts all the way from the Xia dynasty and Shang dynasty, down to Tang's immediate predecessors Northern Zhou and Sui. Emperor Taizong was impressed, and soon made him the deputy minister of defense but further also made him in charge of civil service matters. Lu initially declined, stating, "Civil service matters should be in the hands of the minister of civil service, and for me to handle them would be to exceed my authorities." Emperor Taizong insisted, stating, "I trust you. Why do you not trust yourself?" He later also served as deputy secretary general of the capital prefecture, Yong Prefecture (雍州, roughly modern Xi'an, Shaanxi), and secretary general of the executive bureau of government (尚書省, Shangshu Sheng).

During Emperor Gaozongs reign

Early in the reign of Emperor Taizong's son and successor Emperor Gaozong, who became emperor in 649 following Emperor Taizong's death, for reasons unknown, it was said that the powerful chancellor Chu Suiliang wrongly accused Lu Chengqing of faults. Lu was demoted to be the secretary general to the commandant at Yi Prefecture (益州, roughly modern Chengdu, Sichuan). Thereafter, Chu further accused Lu of misconduct while serving as the deputy secretary general at Yong Prefecture, and Lu was further demoted to be the military advisor to the prefect of Jian Prefecture (簡州, roughly modern Ziyang, Sichuan). After about a year, he was then made the secretary general of Hong Prefecture (洪州, roughly modern Nanchang, Jiangxi). On one occasion, when Emperor Gaozong was set to visit warm springs in Ru Prefecture (汝州, roughly modern Pingdingshan, Henan), he promoted Lu to be the prefect of Ru Prefecture, and soon recalled him to the capital to serve as director of vassal affairs. In 657, when the general Su Dingfang destroyed Western Tujue and captured its Shabuolüe Khan Ashina Helu (阿史那賀魯), it was Lu that Emperor Gaozong sent to Western Tujue lands to divide the lands between two Western Tujue princes loyal to Tang, Ashina Mishe (阿史那彌射), who was created the Xinxiwang Khan, and Ashina Buzhen (阿史那步真), who was created the Jiwangjue Khan. Emperor Gaozong further ordered Lu, along with Ashina Mishe and Ashina Buzhen, to grant the various tribal chiefs appropriate official titles.

As of 659, Lu was serving as the minister of treasury, when he was given the designation Canzhi Zhengshi (參知政事), making him a chancellor de facto. Later that year, when the former chancellor and Emperor Gaozong's uncle Zhangsun Wuji, who had already been exiled on suspicion of treason, was accused of further plotting, Lu, along with fellow chancellors Li Ji, Xu Jingzong, Xin Maojiang, and Ren Yaxiang were put in charge of the investigation (although it was Xu, who was an ally of Emperor Gaozong's powerful wife Empress Wu (later known as Wu Zetian), who drove the investigation), which resulted in Zhangsun's forced suicide. Yet later that year, Lu was given the designation of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin (同中書門下三品), a more honored designation for a chancellor de facto. However, in 660, he was accused of mishandling the ministry of treasury, and he was removed from his offices, and further was sent to Run Prefecture (潤州, roughly modern Zhenjiang, Jiangsu) to be its prefect. He was subsequently made the secretary general of Yong Prefecture and given the honorific title Yinqing Guanglu Daifu (銀青光祿大夫). In 669, he was made the minister of justice. He soon requested retirement on account of old age, and Emperor Gaozong agreed, further giving him the honorific title of Jinzi Guanglu Daifu (金紫光祿大夫).

Lu died in 670 and was buried with honors. Prior to his death, he gave this order to his sons:

Family

Younger Brothers

• Lu Cheng'en (盧承恩)

• Lu Chengti (盧承悌)

• Lu Chengji (盧承基)

• Lu Chengye (盧承業)

• Lu Chengtai (盧承泰)

• Lu Chengli (盧承禮)

• Lu Chengfu (盧承福)

Sons

• According to New Book of Tang vol. 73, Lu Chengqing only had a son named Lu Xu (盧諝), who would serve as director of ministry of personnel (吏部郎中). Lu Xu had two sons: Lu Yun (盧鄖), prefect of Chu (滁州); Lu Yuan (盧垣), whose son Lu Youlin (盧幼臨) would serve as director of ministry of justice (刑部郎中).