Cui Cha

Who was Cui Cha?

Cui Cha was briefly a chancellor of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, during the first reign of Emperor Ruizong.

Little is known about Cui Cha's career before his brief stint as chancellor, as, atypical for a chancellor, he did not have a biography in either the Book of Tang or the New Book of Tang. It is, however, known that his family was from Lantian. As of 684, he was serving as an assistant censor, when, in the midst of a rebellion by Li Jingye the Duke of Ying against Emperor Ruizong's powerful mother and regent Empress Dowager Wu, the chancellor Pei Yan suggested that Empress Dowager Wu could quell Li's rebellion easily by returning imperial authority to Emperor Ruizong. When Cui heard of Pei's suggestion, he submitted a note to Empress Dowager Wu stating, "Pei Yan received great responsibilities to look after the emperor after the deceased emperor [] entrusted him with those great responsibilities. If he were not planning to commit treason, why would he want the Empress Dowager to give up her imperial powers?" In response, Empress Dowager Wu had Pei accused with and investigated for treason, and Pei was executed. Later that year, she made Cui, who was at that point an editor of the imperial archives, Zhengjian Daifu, a senior advisor at the examination bureau of government and made him a chancellor de facto, with the designation Tong Fengge Luantai Pingzhangshi, along with Shen Junliang. In spring 685, both he and Shen were removed from those posts. As of 689, Cui was serving as deputy minister of defense, when, for reasons lost to history, Empress Dowager Wu had him assassinated.