Case of Lai Junchen Falsely Accusing Quan Xiancheng of Rebellion After Failing to Extort Gold

In 692 AD, during the reign of Wu Zetian, the notorious secret police official Lai Junchen demanded a bribe of gold from Quan Xiancheng, a respected general of Goguryeo origin serving as the Left Guard Grand General of the Tang Dynasty. Quan Xiancheng, known for his integrity, firmly refused to comply with the extortion attempt. Enraged and vengeful, Lai Junchen fabricated a charge of treason, accusing Quan Xiancheng of plotting a rebellion against the throne. Leveraging his position as a feared interrogator, Lai Junchen had the general arrested and subjected to severe torture within the imperial prison system, aiming to force a confession for a crime that never existed.

Before a formal verdict could be delivered by the court, Quan Xiancheng, unable to bear the excruciating torture and the utter humiliation, took his own life by hanging himself while imprisoned. His death prematurely ended the legal proceedings, leaving the false charge technically unresolved but effectively destroying the innocent man.

The core dispute centered on a blatant act of extortion and judicial abuse. It was fundamentally a conflict between the integrity of an upright military official refusing to pay a bribe and the absolute, unchecked power of a secret police chief who weaponized false accusations of treason to punish those who defied his personal greed.

The case epitomized the terror and lawlessness that characterized the reign of Wu Zetian's secret police, sparking deep fear and outrage within the aristocratic and military circles. It served as a grim warning of the lethal consequences of resisting the corrupt authority of officials like Lai Junchen. This event, among others, solidified Lai Junchen's historical infamy as a symbol of political persecution and contributed to the pervasive social instability and paranoia that eventually led to the decline of the cruel official system, where justice was obliterated by unchecked power.