In March of the second year of Yuanfeng (1079), Su Dongpo was transferred from Xuzhou to Huzhou on the shore of Taihu Lake. He wrote "Huzhou Thank You", which was actually just a routine matter. He briefly stated that he had no political achievements to speak of in the past, and then recounted the emperor's great kindness. However, he added a few words of complaint at the end:
"Your Majesty knows that When he is stupid and unfit, it is difficult to follow the newcomer; if he is old and does not cause trouble, he may be able to shepherd the small people."
Yu Shi Zhongcheng Li Ding, Shu Quan, He Zhengchen and others excerpted from Su Shi's "Huzhou Xie Shangbiao". "The sentences in "and the poems he had written before were used to arrest Su Shi for slandering the New Deal, ridiculing the New Deal, and slandering the emperor. The case was first reported by the supervisory censor and later tried in Yushitai Prison. Su Shi was arrested and imprisoned in Wutai for four months.
On October 15th, the Yushitai reported the trial status of Su Shi's poetry case. It compiled tens of thousands of words of Su Shi's confession materials and found out the list of people who collected Su Shi's satirical writings, including Sima Guang, Fan Zhen, Zhang Fangping, Wang Shen, Su Che, Huang Tingjian and other 29 ministers and celebrities. Li Ding, Shu Yu, Wang (Tugui) and others wanted to put Su Shi to death and then quickly, but Shenzong was undecided for a while. Taizu had already made an oath not to kill ministers except for treason and conspiracy.
At the same time, upright people also came to the rescue. Prime Minister Wu Chong said bluntly: "Your Majesty takes Yao and Shun as the law, and it is appropriate to belittle Wei Wu. However, Wei Wu is so suspicious that he can tolerate you. Your Majesty can't tolerate Su Shi. Why?" Wang Anshi, who had resigned as prime minister and retired to Jinling, wrote a letter saying: "An Do you want to kill talented people in a holy world?" Even Empress Dowager Cao, who was seriously ill, intervened: "In the past, Emperor Renzong was very happy when his virtuous people came back, and said: 'I am now the prime minister of Taiping for my descendants.' Gai Shi and Is it right to kill him?" Su Shi was not convicted of a serious crime. Those who rescued him in front of and behind the scenes were indispensable. Otherwise, China would have lost a lyricist, poet, painter, and calligrapher who would shine through the ages. Artistic genius.
However, the people at Yushitai are also acting frantically, and they are ready to wipe out all the opponents of the new law. Li Ding wrote a petition asking the Empress Dowager not to pardon those involved in the case during the national mourning. Shu Yu was even more ruthless. He petitioned that Sima Guang, Fan Zhen, Zhang Fangping, Li Chang and Su Shi's five other friends be executed.
On December 29, the imperial edict was issued, and Su Shi was demoted to Huangzhou and served as deputy envoy to the regiment, but he was not allowed to leave the area without permission, and he had no authority to sign official documents. With this result, Li Ding and others were greatly disappointed.
Among those implicated, three received heavier punishments. The consort Wang Shen was stripped of all his official titles because he leaked secrets to Su Shi, frequently interacted with him, and failed to hand over Su Shi's poems in time during the investigation. Next was Wang Gong, who was incidentally dealt with by the censor and sent to the northwest. The third one is Ziyou. He once petitioned the court to pardon his brother, and he was willing to return all his official positions to atone for his brother's sins. He did not receive any serious slanderous poems, but due to family ties, he was still demoted and transferred to Gao'an, served as wine supervisor in Junzhou.
Others, Zhang Fangping and other high officials were fined thirty catties of red copper. Sima Guang, Fan Zhen and Su Shi's eighteen friends were each fined twenty catties of red copper.
The poetry case is finally settled. Su Shi wrote two more poems on the day he was released from prison. One of them is: "I have been tired of writing all my life, and my reputation will not get tired of going here. Even if the horses are left behind, there will be no cockfights in the east of the city." If it were written by Yushitai The people checked and found that he had committed the crime of disrespect to the emperor again. The "young chicken" refers to Jia Chang. When he was old, Jia Chang told people that he had won the favor of the Emperor of Tang for his cockfighting when he was a boy, and he served as a juggler in the court. Ministers and actors, this can be extended to mean that the villains in power in the court are jesters and actors in the court, which is another slander!