Pei Ju (547[a] – 3 October 627[2]), birth name Pei Shiju, courtesy name Hongda, formally Duke Jing of Anyi, was a Chinese cartographer, diplomat, politician, and writer who lived in the Sui and Tang dynasties, briefly serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaozu of Tang.
Modern historians have questioned these assessments: Arthur F. Wright labelled the latter judgement in the Zizhi tongjian a "particularly blatant piece of editorializing" and "absurd ... beyond doubt.
"[3] Pei Ju's clan was originally from Hedong Commandery (河東, roughly modern Yuncheng, Shanxi).
In 590, Pei was ordered to head to the Lingnan region (嶺南, i.e., modern Guangdong, Guangxi, and northern Vietnam) to comfort the people there, but while he was still traveling there, nearly all of former Chen territory, with the people unfamiliar with and resenting Sui laws, erupted into rebellion.
In all, Pei pacified more than 20 provinces, commissioning governors and county magistrates in Emperor Wen's name.
At that time, one of the major threats that Sui was facing was from Eastern Tujue, to the north, particularly because its Dulan Khan Ashina Yongyulü had married Northern Zhou's Princess Qianjin, who hated Yang for destroying Northern Zhou's imperial Yuwen clan.
Emperor Wen subsequently made him the minister of civil service affairs, and Pei was considered capable at that position.
Later that year, when Emperor Yang was set to offer sacrifices to the spirits of Mount Heng, Pei persuaded emissaries from 27 Xiyu states, headed by Qu Boya (麴伯雅) the King of Gaochang and Ashina Tutun (阿史那吐屯), the Western Tujue general in charge of Yiwu (伊吾, in modern Hami Prefecture, Xinjiang), to pay homage to him and to assist in offering sacrifices.
King Yeongyang, in fear, began to prepare for war, as did Emperor Yang, believing that conquest would be easy.
Emperor Yang, pleased with this development, awarded Pei with a sable coat and jewels that Ashina Daman offered as tribute.
In the fall of 615, when Emperor Yang was visiting Yanmen Commandery on the northern frontier, the khan launched a surprise attack on the area, overrunning most of its Chinese settlements.
[8][9] Emperor Yang put Yu and Pei in charge of planning the military counteroffensive, but was only able to get the siege lifted after he followed the advice of the empress's brother Xiao Yu and sent messengers to Princess Yicheng, who was directing military affairs at the Turkish capital in her husband's absence.
After the end of the siege, Pei accompanied Emperor Yang back to Luoyang, and was subsequently in charge of receiving a delegation led by Ashina Shekui's son.
In 616, Emperor Yang, despite the fact that most of his territory was engulfed by agrarian rebellions, went from Luoyang to Jiangdu (江都, in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu).
Pei, seeing that Emperor Yang's elite Xiaoguo Army (驍果), which Emperor Yang had taken to Jiangdu with him, had its soldiers deserting due to their missing their northern homes, treated the Xiaoguo officers with respect while suggesting that the soldiers be given wives in Jiangdu.
Yuwen Huaji made Pei Ju the co-head (僕射, Pushe) of the executive bureau of the government (尚書省, Shangshu Sheng).
After he poisoned Yang Hao and declared himself emperor of a state of Xu (許) later in 618, he created Pei the Duke of Cai.
He was subsequently captured and executed by another rebel ruler, Dou Jiande the Prince of Xia, in 619.
In 624, he was made acting Shizhong (侍中)—the head of the examination bureau of the government (門下省, Menxia Sheng) and a post considered one for a chancellor.
[10] When Li Shimin then effectively forced Emperor Gaozu to create him crown prince and then reorganized the government, Pei was made the minister of census.