Emperor Xuanzong instead responded, "Just go back right now; I will surely recall you soon." In 720, when Emperor Xuanzong was set to remove the chancellors Song Jing and Su Ting and was considering whom to make chancellor, he thought of Zhang Jiazhen, but forgot Zhang Jiazhen's name. He thus asked the official Wei Kang (韋抗), "I can remember a general to the north who is capable; his name is Zhang, and his personal name has two characters. Can you think of it for me?" Wei thought it was Zhang Qiqiu (張齊丘), who was then the military governor ("jiedushi") of Shuofang Circuit (朔方, headquartered in modern Yinchuan, Ningxia), and so Emperor Xuanzong had an edict drafted up, making Zhang Qiqiu chancellor. That night, however, when Emperor Xuanzong was reviewing files, he ran across Zhang Jiazhen's name and remembered him. He thus modified the edict to commission Zhang Jiazhen instead as "Zhongshu Shilang" (中書侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau, with the designation "Tong Zhongshu Menxia PIngzhengshi" (同中書門下平章事), making him a chancellor "de facto", along with Yuan Qianyao. Later that year, Zhang was made "Zhongshu Ling" (中書令) -- the head of the legislative bureau and a post considered one for a chancellor. As chancellor, Zhang was said to be capable and energetic, but self-important and inflexible; he was criticized by popular sentiment for those faults. He recommended the junior officials Miao Yansi (苗延嗣), Lü Taiyi (呂太一), Yuan Jiajing (員嘉靜), and Cui Xun (崔訓) for promotions and entrusted them with many important tasks.