Li Bi was a famous minister in the mid Tang Dynasty, who went through four dynasties: Emperor Xuanzong, Emperor Suzhong, Emperor Daizong, and Emperor Dezong. He held various positions, including Assistant Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and Tongping Zhangshi, assisting the court and strategizing. Below, the history encyclopedia editor brings relevant content to share with you.
During the An Lushan Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty was deeply mired in dire straits. Li Bi, also known as the “mountain man,” stepped onto the political stage to assist Tang Suzong in his efforts to counter rebellion, turn the tide, and save the country. Li Bi gained deep trust and respect, withdrew multiple times, and was summoned to court multiple times. He became the Prime Minister during the reign of Emperor Tang Dezong.
Li Bi was born into a noble family. At the age of seven, he was summoned by Li Longji of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and was called a “prodigy”. As she grew up, Li Bi’s knowledge broadened. He swims between Mount Song, Mount Hua, and Mount Zhongshan all year round. He visited immortals and sought Buddha, and this was his first seclusion.
During the reign of Emperor Tianbao, after returning to the imperial capital from a famous mountain, Li Bi took the initiative to write an article titled “Discussions on the Dominance of the Fu Ming Hall” to discuss contemporary events. This immediately reminded Emperor Xuanzong of Tang of that young prodigy and summoned him to the court to teach Laozi. He also gave him a position in the Hanlin Academy and invited him to assist Prince Hengli in the Eastern Palace. During this period, he had a deep relationship with Hengli. However, due to his pride in the Eastern Palace and his youthful vitality, he couldn’t understand the authoritarian power of his favorite Yang, so he wrote a satirical poem to express his viewpoint. After learning about it, Yang summoned Emperor Xuanzong and exiled him to Qichun County on the grounds of “satirizing national politics”. Li Bi has retired again.
In the 14th year of Tianbao, An Lushan rebelled. After the fall of Tongguan, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang fled in panic, and Hengli succeeded Emperor Suzong of Tang to the throne. Su secretly went to Mount Heng in the south to search for Li Bi, who urgently rushed to Tang Suzong’s side. Li Bi provided advice and strategies to Tang Suzong, and soon achieved his first victory, which inspired people. Tang Suzong was very excited and wanted to appoint Li Bi as prime minister, but Li Bi refused. In the following years, the situation of suppressing rebellions gradually improved. During the years of recapturing the capital, Li Bi was treated with great respect and was hated by officials, especially eunuch Li. By the second year of rule, the world situation had stabilized. To avoid the sharpness of Li and others, Li Bi decided to retire to Hengshan.
In the third year of Dali, Li Bi, who was living in seclusion in Hengshan, was summoned by Emperor Tang to Korea and was called the Hanlin Scholar. Later, Emperor Daizong proposed Li Bi as the prime minister, but Li Bi refused again. But to Li Bi’s surprise, Emperor Dai forced him to “eat wine and meat, establish a family and career, and become a commoner” in order to prevent him from returning to the deep mountains and forests again, and Li Bi cut off his path of seclusion from then on. During the reign of Emperor Tang, the powerful Yuan Zai was dissatisfied with Li Bichong’s excessive prosperity and pushed him to Jiangxi to become a judge. Li Bi repeatedly resolved crises for Emperor Dezong of Tang, and soon became the Assistant Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and Assistant Minister of Tong Pingzhang, officially serving as the Prime Minister.
Li Bi sometimes works in the court and in seclusion, not seeking fame and fortune. However, whenever it comes to a critical moment, he always takes on the task and turns the tide. It can be said that Li Bi played a very important role in stabilizing the turbulent political situation of the mid Tang Dynasty.
