Do you like the story of Tang Suzong and Li Heng? Today, the History Encyclopedia editor will provide a detailed interpretation for everyone~
In ancient times, the position of prime minister was the lifelong pursuit of civil servants, but there was a person who would rather be a rural hermit than a prime minister. The emperor repeatedly tried to persuade him, but he refused one by one under the guise of cultivating immortality. The emperor had no choice but to force him to marry and let him fall into the secular world.
When he refused the emperor, he said he had five things he couldn’t keep. Do you know what they are?
Li Bi was a veteran of the four dynasties of the Tang Dynasty, who demonstrated extraordinary talents at a young age and was known as the “Qitong”. In the Three Character Classic
At the age of seven, Li Bi was able to play chess. Although he had the talent to govern the country, he had no ambition to do so. At first, he was appreciated by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang for an article and was summoned to the palace as a subordinate official of the Crown Prince.
Although he was unwilling to intervene in the political affairs of the court, he was moved by the Crown Prince’s frankness. The Crown Prince regretted meeting him late and called him ‘sir’ to show sincerity. The appearance of Li Bi made Li Heng, who had mediocre qualifications, shine brightly. Yang Guozhong’s party plotted to frame Li Bi in order to remove the crown prince’s wings and demoted him from the court.
After being demoted, Li Mi lived a leisurely life in seclusion in the mountains. Li Bi’s demotion was also his luck. He didn’t like to engage in scheming and intrigue. If he was caught between the Crown Prince and Yang Guozhong, he would eventually become a sacrificial lamb. After the outbreak of the An Lushan Rebellion, Yang Guozhong was killed in Mawei, and Crown Prince Li Heng ascended the throne in Lingwu. In order to resolve the An Lushan Rebellion, Li Heng sent people to invite Li Bi out of the mountains.
Although Li Mi had no interest in politics, he knew that relying solely on Tang Suzong could not solve such chaos. In order to maintain national stability, he cited ancient and modern times to clarify the current situation for Tang Suzong. Tang Suzong had great trust in him and consulted him on every detail. However, when Tang Suzong suggested that Li Bi be appointed as prime minister, Li Bi refused.
After the recapture of Chang’an, Tang Suzong was overjoyed and ignored Li Bi’s opinions, causing the war to continue indefinitely. At this time, the country was in a state of internal and external turmoil, with rebel forces pressing forward step by step and eunuchs interfering in politics in the palace. Li Bi could only survive in the cracks.
Eunuch Li Fuguo was jealous of Tang Suzong’s trust in Li Bi and prepared to assassinate him. Upon hearing the news, Li Bi returned to the mountains overnight. Can’t Li Bi’s talent and learning handle a mere eunuch? Someone explained that Li Mizhi was not in the imperial court and did not disdain to argue with these petty people who were struggling. He showed weakness and fled, but only wanted to live according to his own wishes.
Although Tang Suzong had a good relationship with Li Bi, he did not understand his true thoughts. After returning to the capital, he sent someone to find Li Bi and asked him to come out and do things for himself. Li Bi candidly told him that there were five reasons why he couldn’t stay: “I met Your Majesty too early; Your Majesty appointed me too heavily; Your Majesty favored me too deeply; My achievements were too high and my achievements were too remarkable; I couldn’t stay and insisted on staying, which was equivalent to killing me.
After ascending to the throne, Emperor Tang was grateful for Li Bi’s help and recalled him back to the palace. Emperor Tang had a domineering attitude and disregarded Li Bi’s wishes, forcing him to give up his faith and focus on his own work. In order to thwart his ambition, Emperor Tang said, “I want you to eat wine and meat, have a family, receive a position, and be a commoner
Emperor Tang once again acted on his own initiative and forced Li Bi to marry his wife. At this point, if Li Bi disobeys the imperial order again, it will only be a self inflicted humiliation. After becoming an official in the court, Li Bi was too straightforward and was excluded from the officialdom. He was once left unattended by two prime ministers.
After enduring hardships in another city, Li Bi was recalled by Emperor Dezong of Tang. This time, Li Bi was washed away by the secular world, completely abandoning his former aspirations and becoming a solid civil servant. In the chaotic situation, Li Bi repeatedly rescued the country from danger, and in the third year of Zhenyuan, Li Bi was appointed as the prime minister. He did not serve as prime minister for long, but he helped Emperor Dezong of Tang solve the problem of the Hu people and achieved eternal political achievements.
Emperor Tang forced Li Bi to leave the mountains, and although he failed Li Bi, he preserved the country. Li Bi transformed from a idle crane into a prime minister with one hand covering the sky, and his life was truly legendary.
