In 747 AD, in the sixth year of the Tang Dynasty, the emperor at that time carried out a special nationwide examination with the aim of recruiting talents from all over the world to enter the imperial court. The result was a surprise – none of the candidates from the countryside were selected. This examination was presided over by Li Linfu, who was the prime minister at the time, and he immediately presented himself to the emperor and praised the world's virtuous people, which meant that all talents had been recruited by the emperor, and these reference country people were just mediocre people.
Among these candidates, who are regarded as "mediocre", is a poet named Du Fu. He later expressed his dissatisfaction and criticism of Li Linfu in the poem, pointing out that Li Linfu was narrow-minded and jealous of talents. This was not only a personal grievance, but also a reflection of the general dissatisfaction of the society and the corruption of power at that time.
Li Linfu, the prime minister who was in power for 19 years during the Tang Xuanzong period, is polite on the surface, but in fact he is scheming. His political career, on the surface, appears to be a symbol of the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty. The in-depth analysis of history tells us that it was his dictatorship and exclusion of dissidents that laid the groundwork for the later Anshi Rebellion.
Cui Qun, the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, once pointed out that Li Linfu's rule was the beginning of the split of the Tang Dynasty. He believes that the Anshi Rebellion should not be regarded as a watershed, but should be a period when Li Linfu usurped power and excluded talents. In the "New Tang Dynasty Book" and "Zizhi Tongjian", Li Linfu's images are all traitors, and his crimes are listed and have a far-reaching impact.
In fact, the internal contradictions of the Tang Dynasty had already begun to manifest themselves during the Li Linfu period. By crowding out his opponents and controlling the government, he turned the position of prime minister into an almost absolute symbol of power. This concentration of power, on the one hand, ensures political stability, and on the other hand, inhibits political pluralism, so that in the event of a crisis, the ability of the entire country to respond is greatly reduced.
Under Li Linfu's political manipulation, a series of virtuous people were excluded from the political center, including some important ministers such as Zhang Jiuling. These people could have injected new vitality and insights into Tang politics, but they were forced to leave politics because of Li Linfu's jealousy and rejection. This is not only a blow to the individual, but also a great damage to the future development of the entire country. Without the assistance and advice of these talents, the policies of the Tang Dynasty gradually lost their due flexibility and foresight, and the operation of the government began to show signs of rigidity and corruption.
Li Linfu's political career can be said to be a gorgeous one-man show. On the surface, he pursued stability and prosperity, but in fact he quietly ate away at the vitality of the imperial court. Like a well-laid out chess game, he expelled his opponent step by step, and at the same time pushed the Tang Dynasty to a dangerous brink.
It is not only an examination for the selection of talents, but also a means for Li Linfu to consolidate his power. In this way, he effectively controlled the quality and type of new jinshi, ensuring that these people, once they entered the imperial court, could become his own political supporters, rather than threats.
This kind of control of power and suppression of talent eventually led to the simplification of the imperial court and the rigidity of thinking. When faced with a real crisis, such as the Anshi Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty no longer had enough talent and wisdom to deal with it, and the inefficiency and slow response of the state apparatus ultimately led to the extremely serious consequences of the rebellion.
Li Linfu's influence is not limited to politics. His style and policies have also profoundly influenced all levels of society, from culture to economy, from military to people's livelihood. His political strategies and decisions, in a sense, shaped the face of an era and foreshadowed the rise and fall of an empire.
In his later years, Li Linfu still adhered to his political line, even if Tang Xuanzong lamented his "jealousy and jealousy", but he still could not abandon it politically. This over-reliance and trust in one person reflected the helplessness and predicament of the imperial power at that time.
How a person's character and decisions can affect the fate of an entire nation. In the long river of history, every choice can become a turning point, and the process of the Tang Dynasty from prosperity to decline is precisely the accumulation of countless small turns.