Lu Zhen was a great-grandson of the Tang dynasty grand councilor Lu Yan. In the early 940s, his father Lu Xunmei served as an aide to the Chu governor Ma Xigao in Lian Prefecture. Lu Zhen was born in 957 in Qiyang in Yong Prefecture, then ruled by the warlordZhou Xingfeng; in 963 this domain would be incorporated into the Song dynasty territory. Before he was five Lu Zhen could already read Confucian Classics such as Classic of Filial Piety and Analects. When he was 11 his father died, leaving the family destitute, but his strict mother made sure he focused on his studies every day no matter the season. In 992 Lu Zhen passed the imperial examination. However, Emperor Taizong felt the exam was too easy and did not adequately cover ancient philosophical classics, so he gave the graduates another test question: compose a fu on "Zhiyan Richu", an expression found in the Zhuangzi. Most of the hundreds of graduates could not remember the quote, but the studious Lu Zhen was the exception. His composition, which skillfully contained numerous classical references, was well-liked by the emperor. Lu Zhen's official career began as a case reviewer in the Court of Judicial Review, Vice-Prefect of Bin Prefecture, and later Vice-Prefect of Xu Prefecture. He later returned to the capital Kaifeng to work in the Historiography Institute with a concurrent appointment of "Companion for the Heir Apparent". In late 1000, he was serving as the Prefect of Bin Prefecture, when the Khitan-ruled Liao dynasty invaded from the north. One day, the Liao forces arrived outside the city gate, and locals began to panic. Some began to cry, knowing that Lu Zhen had no military experience. Lu Zhen comforted the people, and told them he would focus on the city's defense and not actively engage the much stronger enemy. After a few days, the Liao army withdrew. Liu Zong, the fiscal commissioner of Hebei Circuit, praised Lu Zhen in a report to Emperor Zhenzong. After he was recalled to the capital, Lu Zhen served as a judge in the Court of Judicial review and an aide in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices before serving as Prefects first in Hezhong Prefecture and later in Deng Prefecture. Some time between 1004 and 1007 he served as Pacifícation Commissioner of Fujian Circuit. In 1009 he was sent to the Liao dynasty on a diplomatic mission; his experiences were recorded as "Cheng Yao Lu". Lu Zhen was an alcoholic and died in late 1014 from an illness. During his later years he wrote the Jiu Guo Zhi, a history book on the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, but he died before he could finish it. His son Lu Lun, who became a Master of Ceremonies in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices upon his death, added 2 chapters to the book.
Poetry
The 18th-century collection Recorded Occasions of Song Poetry includes 3 poems by Lu Zhen:
