武則天時代「酷吏政治」新探──以《舊唐書．刑法志》為分析主軸

A New Investigation of“the Politics of Cruel Officials”in the Era of Wu Zetian: The Treaties of Penal Law of the Old Book of Tang as the Main Axis of Analysis

武則天稱制至登基期間（684-705）的「酷吏政治」，歷來是學者熱衷探討的論題。過往從政治史、社會史與性別史的角度，雖已取得一定認識；但「酷吏政治」與法制的互動，仍有待更深入地釐清。有鑑於此，本文試圖從法制史視角，循《舊唐書．刑法志》書寫脈絡，探研「酷吏政治」所涉唐周之際法制諸面向。本文認為，武則天建立「投匭制度」、派遣「攝監察御史」按查不法、默許酷吏設「推事使院」，顯示武則天有意使酷吏群體繞過正式司法體系，遂行嚴法統治的目的。酷吏當道時，反對酷吏的官員企盼保持既有法制，雖然政策層面抵抗新制並不成功，但在個別法律案件中，說服皇帝恩赦的主張較為武則天接受，一定程度防止酷吏處死政敵。「酷吏政治」結束後，武周朝（690-705）末年、中宗朝（705-710）與玄宗朝（712-756）的詔敕，皆呈現唐廷平反「酷吏政治」受難者的努力，但對酷吏群體的認定、及其後代之處置，卻因政治權力變化而有所不同。本文分析發掘武則天時代「酷吏政治」較罕為人知的一面，並彰顯法制與政治史的交互作用。

“The politics of cruel officials (kuli酷吏)”during the period between Wu Zetian’s武則天reign and her accession to the throne (684-705) has always been a prominent topic in scholarly discourse. While significant insights have been gained from political history, social history, and gender history, the interaction between“the politics of cruel officials”and the legal system remains further exploration.
This article seeks to address this gap by examining the interaction between the cruel officialdom and the legal system of the Tang and Zhou dynasties through the lens of legal history, focusing on the Treaties of Penal Law (Xingfa zhi刑法志) in the Old Book of Tang (Jiu Tangshu舊唐書). The article argues that Wu Zetian strategically circumvented the formal judicial system to enforce strict rule by law by establishing the“system of casket-delivery (tougui zhidu投匭制度),”deploying the“Commanding Investigating Censors (she jiancha yushih攝監察御史)”to detect illegal affairs, and tacitly permitting the formation of the“Court of Reasoning Commissioners (tuishishi yuan推事使院)”under the leadership of the cruel officials. In response, officials who opposed the cruel officials sought to preserve the existing legal system. While they were unsuccessful in blocking the new policies at the institutional level, they did manage to persuade the emperor to grant pardons in individual cases—an approach more acceptable to Wu Zetian. This somewhat helped to curtail the cruel officials’power to execute political rivals.
Following the end of“the politics of cruel officials,”the edicts issued during the late Wu-Zhou武周(690-705), Zhongzong中宗(705-710), and Xuanzong玄宗(712-756) reigns reflected the Tang court's efforts to exonerate the victims of the cruel officials, but the identification of the group of cruel officials and the disposition of their descendants varied with changes in political power. This article contributes to the study of Wu Zetian’s reign by examining the lesser-known facets of“the politics of cruel officials”and highlighting the dynamic interplay between legal and political history.