Xuanzong's reign had begun well. He has…
721 CE
Xuanzong's reign had begun well.
He has carried out a sweeping reform of the bureaucracy, which had become vastly inflated by great numbers of nominal and supernumerary officials, many of whom had been appointed by patronage or by the open purchase of their posts.
Under Xuanzong, the purchase of office has been restricted and the authority of the throne, the efficient functioning of the bureaucracy, and the finances of the state have been largely restored.
Moreover, the canal system, upon which the capital at Ch'ang-an relies and which had fallen into decay while Empress Wu resided in Lo-yang, has been restored to action.
Successful campaigns have been waged against the Tibetans, the Turks, and the Khitan.
During this early stage of Xuanzong's reign, which lasts until about 721, he has successfully maintained a balance of power and influence between the competing factions of the examination-recruited ministers who had served the empress Wu, the members of the Imperial clan, and the palace officials and members of the families of the imperial consorts.
But a period of wide-ranging reforms in administration had begun in 720, and the whole structure of central government is changed in such a way as to concentrate more and more authority in the hands of the chief ministers.
A large-scale re-registration of the population produces a greatly increased number of taxpayers and restores state control over vast numbers of unregistered families.
The new household and land taxes are expanded.
At the same time there is a marked resurgence of the influence of the old aristocracy at court, and the period beginning in 721 is to be one of continuous political tension between the aristocrats and the examination-recruited professional bureaucrats.