Wang Xuan

Who is Wang Xuan?

Wang Xuan was an official of Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, briefly serving as chancellor.

Despite Wang's high status, little is firmly established about his career except for the time that he served as chancellor—as, unusual for a chancellor, he did not have a biography in either the Book of Tang or the New Book of Tang. It is known that his clan was a prominent one, from what was one point Langye Commandery, that traced its ancestry all the way back to a descendant of the original Zhou Dynasty's imperial house, then to officials of Qin Dynasty, Han Dynasty, Cao Wei, Jin Dynasty, Liu Song, Liang Dynasty, and Chen Dynasty. Wang Gui's great-grandfather Wang Meng served as a provincial governor during Chen and carried the title of Duke of Yingyang. His grandfather Wang Kuang served as a prefectural prefect during Tang Dynasty. His father Wang Dejian served as an imperial censor and was created the Baron of Guiren.

As of 692, Wang Xuan was serving as the minister of construction when Wu Zetian promoted him to be the minister of defense. She also gave him the designation Tong Fengge Luantai Pingzhangshi, making him a chancellor de facto. Just more than a month later, however, he, along with other chancellors Li Youdao, Yuan Zhihong, Cui Shenji, Li Yuansu, and other officials Kong Siyuan, and Ren Linghui, were falsely accused of crimes by Wu Zetian's secret police official Wang Hongyi. They were relieved from their posts and exiled to the Lingnan region. That was the last historical reference to Wang Xuan, and it is not known when he died, although it is known that his sons Wang Dayou, Wang Tongren, Wang Jiji, Wang Xiuming, Wang Xiuguang, Wang Xiuming, and Wang Xiuyan all later served as officials.