Li Yinheng


Li Yinheng was an official of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period state Southern Han, serving as a chancellor.

Background

It is not known when Li Yinheng was born. He came from a prominent aristocratic family, and both his great-grandfather Li Jifu and grandfather Li Deyu were chancellors. Li Deyu, in particular, was particularly powerful during the reign of Emperor Wuzong of Tang, controlling the affairs of state. After Emperor Wuzong was succeeded by his uncle Emperor Xuānzong, however, Li Deyu lost power and was eventually exiled, as was his son Li Ye. Because of this, Li Yinheng was unable to obtain important offices early in his life.
After the fall of Tang Dynasty, Li Yinheng served under Zhu Wen, the founding emperor of the succeeding Later Liang, as You Bujue, a low-level advisory official at the legislative bureau of government. In 908, Emperor Taizu sent him as an emissary in officially bestowing the office of military governor of Qinghai and Jinghai Circuits on the warlord Liu Yin, who controlled Qinghai and who was nominally Emperor Taizu's vassal. When Zhao and Li arrived at Qinghai, Liu kept both of them on his staff and did not return them to Later Liang proper. Liu subsequently engaged him in much of the strategic planning and made him an assistant to Liu in Liu's role as military governor.

Career under Liu Yan

In 917, Liu Yin's brother and successor Liu Yan declared himself the emperor of a new state of Yue. He commissioned Li Yinheng, along with Zhao Guangyi and another official, Yang Dongqian, as chancellors with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi, with Li receiving the secondary office of deputy minister of rites. That was the last historical reference to Li, who was said to have died in office, but with no indication when he did.