Li Jiang (李絳; 764 – March 8, 830), courtesy name Shenzhi (深之), formally Duke Zhen of Zhao Commandery (趙郡貞公), was a Chinese politician during the Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xianzong.
Background
Li Jiang was born in 764, during the reign of Emperor Daizong. His family was part of the prominent Li clan of Zhao Prefecture (趙州, in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei)—not part of the same clan as Tang dynasty's imperial Li clan, but which had been considered one of the five most prominent Han clans of Northern Wei. It traced its ancestry to the prominent Warring States period state Zhao general Li Mu, and the line included officials of the Qin dynasty, the Han dynasty, the state of Cao Wei, the Jin dynasty (266–420), the Northern Wei, the Sui dynasty, and the Tang dynasty His grandfather Li Gang () served as a county magistrate, while his father Li Yuanshan () served as a prefectural official.
After Li Jiang passed the imperial examinations, including a special examination in grand speech, he was made Xiaoshu Lang (), a copyeditor at the archival bureau, and later served as the sheriff of Weinan County (渭南, in modern Weinan, Shaanxi). Late in the Zhenyuan era (785–805) of Emperor Daizong's son Emperor Dezong, Li Jiang became an imperial censor with the title Jiancha Yushi ().
During Emperor Xianzong's reign
Prior to chancellorship
In 807, during the reign of Emperor Dezong's grandson Emperor Xianzong, Li Jiang was made Hanlin Xueshi (), an imperial scholar. Later that year, after the rebellion of the warlord Li Qi the military governor (jiedushi) of Zhenhai Circuit (鎮海, headquartered in modern Zhenjiang, Jiangsu) was suppressed, the officials in charge confiscated Li Qi's wealth. At the suggestion of Li Jiang and fellow imperial scholar Pei Ji, Emperor Xianzong agreed to have Li Qi's wealth deemed to substitute for the taxes that the people of Zhenhai would have submitted that year (as Li Jiang and Pei reasoned that Li Qi extracted the wealth from the people). Later that year, when Emperor Xianzong discussed with Li Jiang an accusation by the chancellor Li Jifu that another chancellor, Zheng Yin, was in secret communications with the warlord Lu Congshi (), the military governor of Zhaoyi Circuit (昭義, headquartered in modern Changzhi, Shanxi), Li Jiang pointed out that Zheng had a reputation for faithfulness and would not be conspiring with a warlord. As a result, Emperor Xianzong took no actions against Zheng. Yet later that year, when Emperor Xianzong was set to marry his daughter Princess Puning to Yu Jiyou (), the son of another warlord, Yu Di, the military governor of Shannan East Circuit (山南東道, headquartered in modern Xiangfan, Hubei), Li Jiang opposed, pointing out that Yu Di was of Xianbei extraction, and Yu Jiyou was not even born of Yu Di's wife—but Emperor Xianzong overruled him, as he used the marriage to bring Yu Di into the imperial fold.