Yan Zhenqing, courtesy name Qingchen. He studied diligently when he was young and was very talented in writing, especially good at calligraphy. Serving one's parents is known as filial piety. Was appointed as the supervisory censor. There was an unjust case in Wuyuan, but there was no verdict for a long time. After Zhenqing arrived, he immediately found out the actual situation. There was a severe drought, and it started to rain after the case was decided. People in the county called it "yushi rain". Yang Guozhong was angry that Yan Zhenqing did not rely on him and asked him to leave the capital and serve as the governor of Pingyuan. An Lushan's rebellious behavior was very obvious. Zhenqing used rain as an excuse to repair the city walls and dredge the moat, secretly selected young men, strengthened warehouse reserves, and pretended to gather with literati, rowing boats, drinking wine and composing poems. Some people slandered An Lushan in front of him, but An Lushan also secretly investigated him, thinking that Yan Zhenqing was just a scholar and not worth worrying about. Soon, Anlushan rebelled, and Heshuo fell. Only Pingyuan City had complete defensive equipment, so Li Ping was dispatched to join the army and rode to Shangzou. When Xuanzong began to hear about An Lushan's rebellion, he sighed: "Isn't there a loyal minister in the twenty-four counties of Hebei?" When Li Ping arrived, Xuanzong was overjoyed and said to those around him: "I don't know what Yan Zhenqing looks like. He is so beautiful." Make things like this!"
Lu Qi was in power and hated Yan Zhenqing. It happened that Li Xilie captured Ruzhou, so Lu Qi reported: "Yan Zhenqing is trusted by people from all over, let him go and tell the rebellion. Thieves, you don't need to tire the army." The emperor followed his advice, and everyone in the court was eclipsed. When Li Mian heard the news, he thought that he would lose a senator and bring shame to the court, so he secretly asked Yan Zhenqing to stay. He also sent people to meet him on the road, but he failed to catch up. As soon as I saw Xilie and wanted to read out the edict, more than a thousand of Xilie's adopted sons drew their swords and rushed forward to threaten Zhenqing, saying that they would eat his flesh. The generals surrounded him and cursed him, pointing their swords at him, but the true minister did not move. Xi Lie hosted a banquet for rebels and summoned Yan Zhenqing to watch the actors scolding the political party. Yan Zhenqing said angrily: "You are a gentleman's minister, why do you want these people to be like this?" Xi Lie stood up in Fuyi and felt ashamed. He also scolded and stopped the performance. Xilie then detained Yan Zhenqing, sent ten soldiers with weapons to guard him, dug a pit one foot square in the yard, and said that he would bury him alive. Zhenqing was calm and didn't mind. He guessed that he would die, so he wrote his own epitaph and memorial. He often pointed to the west wall of his bedroom and said: "This is the place where I died." In the first year of Xingyuan, the army regained its glory. The rebels sent generals Xin Jingzhen and Anhua to the place where Yan Zhenqing was detained. They piled firewood in the yard, poured grease on it, and conveyed the rebels' words: "If you don't obey, you will burn yourself to death." Yan Zhenqing then threw himself into the fire. Go, Jing Zhen hurriedly stopped him and reported to Xilie.
On August 3rd of the first year of Xingyuan, Xilie sent eunuchs together with Jing Zhen and others to kill Yan Zhenqing. First, he said: "There is an imperial edict." Yan Zhenqing knelt down and worshiped, and the eunuch said: "You should be sentenced to death." Yan Zhenqing said: "I have no etiquette, so it should be a death sentence. But I don't know when the envoy came from Chang'an?" The eunuch said: "From Come to Daliang." Yan Zhenqing scolded: "You are a traitor, where is the imperial edict?" (They) strangled Yan Zhenqing to death with a rope. Zhenqing was seventy-seven years old when he died.