Li Chongjun
Despite the rebuff, Li Guo'er and Wu Chongxun continued to try to have Li Guo'er made crown princess, and also repeatedly insulted Li Chongjun. In 707, Li Chongjun, in anger, started a rebellion and killed Wu Sansi and Wu Chongxun and tried to arrest Li Guo'er, Empress Wei, and Emperor Zhongzong's concubine Consort Shangguan Wan'er, also Wu Sansi's lover, before he was defeated and killed in flight. During Li Chongjun's rebellion, Wei Yuanzhong's son Wei Sheng () was forced to participate, and at the end of the rebellion, Wei Sheng was also killed. Wei Yuanzhong commented to others, "The prime evil is dead, and even if I were to be cooked in a "ding", what would be the harm? I only lament that the Crown Prince has fallen." When these words were reported, Li Guo'er had the chancellors Zong Chuke and Ji Chuna accuse Wei of being complicit in Li Chongjun's rebellion as well and request his execution. Emperor Zhongzong initially only had Wei retire and return to his mansion, but then had him demoted to be the military advisor to the prefect of Qu Prefecture (渠州, roughly modern Dazhou, Sichuan). Zong and Ji continued their accusations, however, and Emperor Zhongzong then demoted Wei further to be the sheriff of Wuchuan County (務川, in modern Tongren Prefecture, Guizhou). When Zong and Ji insisted on Wei's execution, however, Emperor Zhongzong stopped further investigation. While on the way to Wuchuan, however, when Wei reached Fuling (where he had once served as magistrate), he died, and was said to be in his 70s at death.