Li Kui (李揆) (711 – May 17, 784[1]), courtesy name Duanqing (端卿), was a Chinese diplomat, historian, and politician during the Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Suzong.
Toward the end of Emperor Xuanzong's Kaiyuan era (713–741), Li Kui passed the imperial examinations and was made the sheriff of Chenliu County (陳留, in modern Kaifeng, Henan).
He was subsequently made You Shiyi (右拾遺), a junior official at the legislative bureau, and then successively served in the higher offices of You Bujue (右補闕) and Qiju Lang (起居郎) at the legislative bureau, and then as Zhi Zongzi Biaosu (知宗子表疏), the official in charge of receiving and acting on submissions from members of the imperial clan at the ministry of imperial clan affairs (宗正寺, Zongzheng Si).
Later, he was promoted to be Sixun Yuanwai Lang (司勳員外郎), a junior official at the ministry of civil service affairs (吏部, Libu), and then the higher office of Kaogong Langzhong (考功郎中) at the ministry of civil service affairs, in charge of evaluating the officials' performance.
After the general An Lushan rebelled in 755 and forced Emperor Xuanzong to flee to Jiannan Circuit (劍南, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan), Li Kui accompanied Emperor Xuanzong to Jiannan and was made Zhongshu Sheren (中書舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau.
Emperor Suzong, however, was instead considering his oldest son Li Chu the Prince of Cheng, who had contributed much to his campaigns to recapture Chang'an and the eastern capital Luoyang.
[3] In spring 759, when the officials who wanted to flatter Empress Zhang proposed that she be given a special honorific epithet of Yisheng (翊聖, meaning, "one who assists the holy one").
At that time, there were much banditry within the city of Chang'an itself, and the powerful eunuch Li Fuguo wanted to commission several hundred soldiers from part of the imperial guard corps, the Yulin Army (羽林軍), to patrol the streets at night.
Li Kui opposed this, pointing out that the Yulin Army and another part of the imperial guards corps, the Jinwu Guards (金吾衛), which were already responsible for patrolling the streets, served as counterweights to each other, and allowing the Yulin Army to patrol the streets throw the balance out of whack.
Li Kui, whose own clan was prominent and who looked down on those with humble origins — which was the case with Yuan Zai — refused, and stated to Miao:[5] Is it the case we are not promoting officials with the lineage of a dragon and appearance of a phoenix, but instead are promoting the son of a water deer or a rodent?This caused Yuan to have much resentment toward Li Kui.
Only after Yuan was executed in 777 was Li Kui again given a substantive position — the prefect of Mu Prefecture (睦州, in modern Hangzhou, Zhejiang).
He later returned to Chang'an to serve as the principal of the imperial university (國子監, Guozi Jian) and minister of rites (禮部尚書, Libu Shangshu).
Li Kui continued to serve as minister of rites, but the powerful chancellor Lu Qi was jealous of his reputation and seniority.