Li Jingsui[1] (Chinese: 李景遂; 920[2] – 17 September 958[3][4]), né Xu Jingsui (徐景遂), courtesy name Tuishen (退身), formally Crown Prince Wencheng (文成太弟), was an imperial prince of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period state Southern Tang.
[2] However, in 936, Xu Jingqian fell ill, and was removed from the junior regency and recalled to Jinling in hopes of recuperation.
Xu Jingsui, then 16, was sent to Guangling to serve as junior regent, carrying the titles of Menxia Shilang (門下侍郎) and Can Zhengshi (參政事), as a de facto chancellor.
He created Xu Jingsui, who had arrived at Jinling as part of the procession of Wu officials offering the throne to him on Yang's behalf, the Prince of Ji.
Li Bian had to send Li Jingsui to his mansion to comfort him and promise to make him the military governor of Zhennan Circuit (鎮南, headquartered in modern Nanchang, Jiangxi) in order for him to come to the palace, upon which Song was given the Zhennan command.
However, Li Jingsui still had no desire to be heir, and decided to take, as his courtesy name, Tuishen — from the Tao Te Ching passage "withdraw your body after you complete your accomplishment" (功成名遂身退, gongchengming suishentui) — to show his lack of desire to be heir.
Zhang, in anger, grabbed a jade cup that Li Jingsui was holding and threw it on the ground, breaking it and shocking the entire staff.
Li Jing, however, responded, "Zhang Yi is an unusual man, such that even the god of the sea would fear him."
[2] By 958, Southern Tang had lost a war against Later Zhou (the successor state to Later Han, which had succeeded Later Jin), and had been forced to cede its territory north of the Yangtze River to Later Zhou, as well as formally submit as a subject).
Li Jingsui used this opportunity to submit, 10 times, petitions offering to yield his crown prince position, particularly citing his own lack of contributions to the military effort and Li Hongji's contributions in repelling the attack of Later Zhou's vassal state Wuyue during the war.
Li Jingsui was created the Prince of Jin, and was given the additional titles of Tiance Shangjiangjun (天策上將軍), generalissimo of Jiangnan West Circuit (i.e., Zhennan, but Li Jing intentionally using the more archaic Tang title for it for impressive effect), grand commandant of Zhennan's capital Hong Prefecture (洪州), Taiwei (太尉), and Shangshu Ling (尚書令).
There also happened be a time when false accusations were laid against the son of Li Jingsui's staff member Yuan Congfan (袁從範), such that Li Jingsui was considering executing Yuan's son.
On a day after Li Jingsui returned to his mansion after playing polo and was thirsty, Yuan gave him milk laced with poison.