What’s the reason why Li Bai drinks and wanders around every day when he has an official position? Below, the History Encyclopedia editor will provide a detailed introduction to the relevant content.
In Chinese history, there are two celebrities who are particularly favored for visiting famous mountains and rivers, and traveling throughout the north and south of the country. One of them is Xu Xiake, a renowned Ming Dynasty geographer, tourist, and literary figure. The other one is Li Bai, the well-known “Poet Immortal”.
Xu Xiake can travel anywhere because he has a pursuit, which is a matter of energy. Moreover, Xu Xiake has a strong family background as support. Historical records show that Xu Xiake’s family is a famous wealthy family in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions. How wealthy is it?
It’s the kind of wealth that can spend a lot of money all day and is not afraid to spend it all. In short, Xu Xiake is a undoubtedly wealthy second-generation.
What about Li Bai? What kind of family background is he? Why does he dare not serve as a court official, but instead choose to travel like Xu Xiake?
Regarding Li Bai’s background, the New Book of Tang records that Li Bai was the ninth generation grandson of the Tang Dynasty’s Xingsheng Emperor Li Hao. This means that Li Bai had a blood relationship with the Tang Dynasty’s Li surnamed kings, and he was also the younger brother of Emperor Taizong Li Shimin. No matter whose younger brother it is, with such a distant blood relationship, if Li Shiping were reborn, he would not understand this irreconcilable younger brother.
In history, there have been very few records of Li Bai’s family situation, probably because his family situation was not very good. Therefore, Shi Cheng only recorded Li Bai’s literary talent, and omitted records about his family.
From this, we can conclude that Li Bai was indeed a talented person, not necessarily a wealthy one.
Li Bai, who came from a humble family background, relied on his unique insights in poetry, songs, and prose to finally gain the favor of Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji at the age of 42, and was appointed as a Hanlin official. But why didn’t Li Bai want to become a court official after serving for over a year?
In the year 730 AD, Li Bai, who was in his thirties, hoped to enter the officialdom, but due to family reasons, he was unable to enter the government through the normal process of the imperial examination. So he started running around, looking for opportunities for himself to enter the government.
Li Baixian found Pei Changshi, hoping that he could give him a chance, but he was criticized and the matter came to nothing. Later, he went to visit Prime Minister Zhang Yue and other nobles, but all ended up missing and defeated.
Finally, with the joint recommendation of Princess Yuzhen and He Zhizhang, Li Bai gained the appreciation of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji.
After Li Bai entered the palace, his primary task was to lead the local people to celebrate with Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and accompany him on his travels. After living like this for a year, Li Bai finally couldn’t take it anymore. How can Li Bai, who is full of literary dignity, endure being with the emperor and having fun all day long? So he began to be extremely lazy, drinking and reciting poetry all day long, and did not accompany the emperor even when he was summoned.
Once, in order to vent his dissatisfaction, Li Bai drank and issued an imperial decree for the emperor, and even lifted his feet to ask the attendants beside him to help him take off his shoes. Due to this incident, Li Bai aroused the hatred of his attendants, so they offered slanderous words to Li Longji, saying that Li Bai did not understand proper etiquette and did not respect the emperor. After hearing what the attendant said, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang gradually distanced himself from Li Bai.
Li Bai was also frank and decided to leave and embark on a journey of traveling everywhere.
Li Bai’s life journey has covered Shandong, Shanxi, Henan, Hebei, Anhui, Zhejiang and other places. No matter when, traveling anywhere still requires a certain amount of financial support.
We don’t know the background of Li Bai’s family, at least not very wealthy. It’s still possible to walk around the countryside. If we were to go far, it would probably not be sustainable.
However, do not forget that Li Bai also had two wives as granddaughters of prime ministers, one was the granddaughter of prime minister Xu Guishi and the other was the granddaughter of prime minister Zong Chuke. Li Bai can suffer, but his daughters and beauties around him cannot suffer.
One possible scenario is that Li Bai probably obtained help from his father-in-law and mother-in-law in a popular way, otherwise where would his money come from?
Li Bai’s life was spent wandering outside. If Li Bai had been too insecure and stayed in the palace to serve Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, he probably wouldn’t have had the reputation of a “poetic immortal”. It is precisely because of his courage to “not bow down for five dou of rice” that he resolutely rejected that decadent and decadent life. It is unknown whether we can see the “immortal spirit” of Li Bai’s articles.
