Li Zhaode (李昭德) (died April 28, 697[1]) was a Chinese politician in Wu Zetian's Zhou dynasty and at one point served as chancellor.
He was known for his abilities and strong will, which eventually led to a conflict with Wu Zetian's secret police official Lai Junchen.
He was eventually promoted to be an assistant censor (御史中丞, Yushi Zhongcheng), but in 689, during the reign of Emperor Gaozong's son Emperor Ruizong, he was accused of improprieties unspecified in history and briefly exiled to be the sheriff of Lingshui County (陵水, modern Lingshui, Hainan), but was eventually recalled to be one of the three deputy ministers of defense (夏官侍郎, Xiaguan Shilang), along with Lou Shide and Hou Zhiyi (侯知一).
Around that time, there was a group of petitioners led by one Wang Qingzhi (王慶之), who advocated that Wu Chengsi be made crown prince, displacing her son Li Dan (the former Emperor Ruizong), and Wu Zetian, while not granting the petition, permitted Wang to see her frequently in the palace.
Moreover, there was a bridge over the Luo River (洛水, flowing near Luoyang) near the Changxia Gate (長夏門) that the minister of agriculture Wei Ji (韋機) had built during Emperor Gaozong's reign that was useful and had heavy traffic, but was repeatedly damaged by the flow of the Luo River and required constant repairs.
In 694, Li Zhaode was made acting Neishi (內史), the head of the legislative bureau and a post considered one for a chancellor.
Fellow chancellors Doulu Qinwang, Wei Juyuan, Du Jingjian, Su, and Lu Yuanfang were accused of not being able to curb in Li Zhaode's abuses and were demoted.
At a later point, however, Li Zhaode was recalled from exile to serve as imperial censor (監察御史, Jiancha Yushi), and his enmity with the secret police official Lai Junchen, previously in place, was renewed.
When this was revealed by his friend Wei Suizhong (衛遂忠), the Wu clan princes and Princess Taiping accused him of crimes.