Li Linfu did not have any talent, why was he highly valued

There is a saying that goes: every treacherous minister who is despised by later generations is a loyal minister in the eyes of the emperor at that time. For example, Li Longji and Li Linfu. The prosperous era of the Kaiyuan period was a comprehensive and powerful combination of politics, economy, culture, and military, and is therefore regarded as a well deserved model of governance in ancient China. But for Li Longji personally, he paid a considerable “price” to achieve this brilliant achievement.
After Li Longji became the emperor, he faced a crisis ridden mess, known as “the household registration system in the world has escaped half of its demise, rent adjustments have been reduced, and the country is short of funds”, which means a shortage of people and money. In addition, the proliferation of “slanted officials”, political corruption, and foreign enemies’ covetousness have led to the disappearance of the former atmosphere of Zhenguan. In order to cope with this dilemma, Li Longji worked hard to restore the legacy of the Zhenguan era, and the first priority was to build an efficient central governing team. To this end, he adhered to the principle of “appointing people based on their merits” and successively appointed Yao Chong, Song Jing, Zhang Jiazhen, Zhang Jiuling, Han Xiu and others as prime ministers. With the assistance of these top politicians, the Tang Dynasty gradually emerged from the crisis and entered an unprecedented era of prosperity.
But in any era, solving the practical problems of human society is to some extent a redistribution of resources, so there will always be “a few joys and a few sorrows”. So, any achievement will bring about such “side effects”: those who are practical can easily “offend” others.
In feudal times, the emperor himself was the first to be offended. Emperors are not all talented, there are always cognitive misconceptions; Moreover, his personal demands cannot always align with the overall interests of the empire. To put it bluntly, imperial power and public authority are not completely on the same track, and they often conflict.
In this situation, those emperors who work hard to govern will choose to compromise on “public power” for noble ideals and goals. Just as Li Shimin was repeatedly infuriated by Wei Zheng, Li Longji couldn’t help but be infuriated by those prime ministers who were generally “outspoken and critical”.
For example, Song Jing. This guy was a veteran of the three dynasties of Wu Zetian, Tang Zhongzong, and Tang Ruizong, but he offended the powerful three times: during the Empress Wu period, he reported Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong for violating regulations; Even though Wu Zetian acted as a mediator, she firmly refused to change her opinion, and as a result, she was repeatedly slandered; During the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, he offended the powerful Wu Sansi and was therefore transferred to the position of Governor of Beizhou;
During the reign of Emperor Ruizong of Tang, he was appointed as a prime minister for the first time. He advocated for the policy of selecting only talented individuals and advocated that “even if one is qualified for the college entrance examination, those who are not talented should not be selected.” This offended Princess Taiping, who had formed factions for personal gain and placed close aides. As a result, he was dismissed as prime minister and demoted to the position of governor of Chuzhou. This ironclad “Wei Zheng” style official lacked a new “Li Shimin”, who happened to be Li Longji at that time. In order to reverse the chaotic politics and revive the trend of the Zhenguan era, Li Longji deliberately appointed three dynasties as prime ministers.
Years of honing have not smoothed out the sharp edges of Song Jing. His style remains unchanged from the past, repeatedly adhering to principles, giving direct advice, and disobeying orders. But Li Longji was much more magnanimous than his ancestors and fathers: sometimes even if he couldn’t maintain face, he would reluctantly accept it in the end.
Another typical example is Han Xiu. This old man is simply an enhanced version of Song Jing’s power in terms of straightness. Since he became the prime minister, Li Longji has been “slightly off the mark” and will usher in a storm. Once, Li Longji looked in the mirror and felt depressed. The eunuchs around him were understanding and said, “Since Han Xiu became the prime minister, Your Majesty has become thinner and thinner. Why don’t you dismiss him?” Li Longji said, “Although my appearance is thin, the world must be fat… I use Han Xiu for the benefit of the country, not for personal gain.” In my opinion, these words are enough to be remembered for generations and are worth learning from every emperor and leader.
Before the 25th year of the Kaiyuan era (737 AD), Li Longji roughly maintained this kind of magnanimous and lofty imperial style; He adhered to the principle of “not promoting officials excessively, not accepting them in vain, only relying on reputation and equipment, not pretending to be a person, and not being swayed by false rewards.” In order to promote the prosperity of the political power, he effectively suppressed the expansion of personal desires and the abuse of imperial power. But very few people can maintain self-discipline from beginning to end, let alone emperors who are high above and have the power to control life and death. With the comprehensive prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, Li Longji gradually showed a trend of being complacent, mentally lazy, and content with the status quo. This was manifested in his greed for pleasure, his abandonment of government affairs, his love for women, and his tendency to have a harem. The wording in historical books is “gradually indulging in extravagance and neglecting political affairs”.
This transformation is projected at the political level, which is the trend of the emperor’s private power gradually growing, rejecting dissent and suppressing opposition. Li Linfu’s rise to power was in line with Li Longji’s transformation.
Li Linfu, the great grandson of Li Shuliang (cousin of Tang Gaozu Li Yuan), is considered a member of the royal family. After reaching adulthood, he entered the officialdom through the channel of “favor and shade” (relying on his parents’ official position, family background, influence, etc., which was a legal process at that time); In 726 AD, upon the recommendation of Yuwen Rong, he was appointed as the Chief Censor.
Who is Yuwen Rong? Due to advocating for the suppression of runaway households and successfully increasing the government’s rental income; And he is shrewd and quick witted. These two major advantages made him a celebrity in front of Li Longji. With such a big shot leading the way, Li Linfu’s professional level improved and his position rose rapidly, serving as a deputy minister of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Personnel; In 734 AD, he was appointed as the Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites and the third rank of the Tongzhongshu Sect, and served as the prime minister together with the famous scholar Zhang Jiuling.
From that year until 752 AD, Li Linfu remained in the position of Grand Tutor of the Tang Dynasty. He not only broke the tradition of each prime minister serving for two or three years, but also continuously consolidated his power and formed a system of powerful officials led by himself during this process. The reason why he was so trusted by Li Longji is that his core “advantage” is very simple, “good at piercing the meaning”, that is, he is good at observing words and expressions, and catering to the emperor’s heart.
Officials like Li Linfu, who had a system of “favor and shade,” may not be as good as Confucian scholars in terms of literary literacy and moral character, but they have their own set of skills in politics, interpersonal relationships, and other fields. After serving as the Imperial Censorate, he deliberately befriended eunuchs and concubines who had significant influence in the palace at that time, relying on his eloquence and the Jin Yuan offensive. Through these ‘people around the leaders’, he became well aware of Li Longji’s temperament, hobbies, emotional fluctuations, and even every move he made. Therefore, every time he reported work, he could highly match Li Longji’s ideas, gradually gaining recognition.
In addition, he made precise investments and spent a lot of effort to stick with Empress Wu Huifei, who favored the imperial harem, and the two sides quickly reached a political alliance. It is precisely by relying on this extraordinary “social ability” that Li Linfu was able to quickly ascend to the position of assistant. Later on, he further developed this talent. He often bribed the left and right with gold and silk, and knew every move he made. He had a clear understanding of all Li Longji’s movements;
He followed the opposite path as Zhang Jiuling and others. At that time, Li Longji was no longer interested in government affairs, and Zhang Jiuling may not have noticed this sign, or perhaps had already noticed it and therefore became more diligent, so he “fought hard for every detail in every situation”; Li Linfu, on the other hand, adhered to the principle of “the emperor’s ideas are my opinions” and tried his best to cater to the ability of obedience. Taking the Niu Xianke incident as an example. In October 736 AD, in view of the outstanding performance of Niu Xianke, the military governor of Shuofang, Li Longji planned to promote him to the position of Shangshu. Zhang Jiuling believed that his “moral expectations were not enough” and advised him to stop; Li Longji fell for the second best and wanted to be granted a noble title, but Zhang Jiuling once again opposed it. Li Linfu, on the other hand, straightforwardly stated, ‘There is nothing impossible for the emperor to employ people.’.
In the end, Li Longji conferred the title of Duke of Longxi County on Niu Xianke, which was actually granted to 300 households. The majesty of imperial power has crushed the power of the prime minister.
Similarly, there is also the game of deposing the crown prince. In the same year, Li Longji intended to depose Crown Prince Li Ying and establish Prince Shou Li Mao. Li Linfu, as Empress Wu Huifei and a political ally of Prince Shou, catered to Li Longji with the reason of “why ask outsiders about this matter; However, Zhang Jiuling, who supported the traditional patriarchal system, argued with reason: “The Crown Prince is the foundation of the country, grew up in the palace, and received the will of His Majesty. No one has ever seen him before. How could His Majesty endure the anger and desire to depose him? I dare not obey the imperial decree.” In the end, Zhang Jiuling was demoted for repeatedly disobeying orders, and Crown Prince Ying was ultimately deposed; Li Linfu, who complied with and safeguarded imperial power, increasingly favored Mo Bi.
In summary, during the first and second half of Li Longji’s reign, he held two completely opposite attitudes towards imperial power. In the early stage, in order to achieve the ideal of national wealth and strong people, he chose to compromise with the interests of the dynasty, appoint people based on their merits, and suppress personal desires, resulting in the gratifying scene of famous ministers and officials throughout the dynasty. In the later stage, due to the satisfaction of the current situation, personal desires overcame the previous self-discipline, and the will of imperial power expanded recklessly. Li Linfu, who was good at understanding people’s hearts, followed this sign and held high the banner of safeguarding the emperor’s personal will and decision-making power, using the authority of the monarch as a weapon to suppress colleagues and consolidate his own position.
Li Longji and Li Linfu can be described as a perfect partner, obtaining what they need from their cooperation. However, due to personal motives and political needs, the two implemented a policy of appointing a local general as the military governor, which ultimately led to the outbreak of the An Lushan Rebellion and the emergence of a situation of regional separatism. As a result, the Tang Dynasty suffered a devastating blow and was on the brink of collapse. The inclusion of Li Linfu in the biography of treacherous ministers in the New Book of Tang is well deserved.
After Li Linfu’s death, Yang Guozhong inherited his mantle. After the outbreak of the An Lushan Rebellion, given Li Longji’s unwavering trust in Yang Guozhong, he may still consider Li Linfu as his “loyal minister”. Reading history is wise and learning from the past to understand the future. Seeing this, it may not be difficult for us to understand why some mediocre people in some companies nowadays can always become trusted aides of their leaders?