Li Bai wrote in the poem "Children of Nanling Enter Beijing": "If we go out smiling in the sky, are we Artemisia people?" . It can be seen that Li Bai is still full of expectations for being an official. Since Li Bai wanted to be an official when he was young, why didn't he take the imperial examination?
The Biography of Li Bai in the Book of Old Tang Dynasty (volume 140) records that (Li Bai) lived in Culai Mountain with Confucius, Han Mian, Pei Zheng, Zhang Shuming and Tao Mian. Born in the middle of Shandong Province, he sang loudly and drank heavily. Li Bai has a free and easy temperament. When he was young, he formed a group with Confucius, Han Mian, Pei Zheng, Zhang Shuming and Tao Mian. Known as "Zhuxi Liu Yi". These people drink and sing together all day and live a hermit's life.
Li Bai stayed in Culai Mountain for a short time, so he went south to meet Ji and lived in seclusion with Wu Yun, a famous Taoist priest in Tang Dynasty. Wu Yun was much more famous than Li Bai. During his seclusion in China, literati and poets from wuyue and other places visited his home in succession. After a long time, Wu Yun's name reached the ears of Tang Xuanzong in Chang 'an. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty then summoned wujun to the palace as an academician, and Li Bai was also summoned as an academician by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty on the recommendation of wujun.
So what is Hanlin? According to "Hanlin", "At the beginning of Zhenguan, Hong Wen Pavilion conferred a bachelor's degree ... Xuanzong changed the Hanlin as an imperial edict, and Lu Jian, Zhang Jiuling and Xu followed suit and changed the Hanlin as a sacrifice. In the 26th year of Kaiyuan, both Liu Guangqian and Zhang Yang were bachelors, so they began to build a bachelor's college in the south of imperial academy. The old Hanlin Academy includes Han Yi, Yan Bozhen, Meng Kuangchao, Chen Jian, Li Bai and Jiang Zhen. Although it has its name, it doesn't work. " The original founder of the position of Hanlin was Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, who was generally selected by the emperor as an outstanding talent. Hanlin was an important person who drafted imperial edicts for the emperor and was in charge of confidential documents. However, during the Xuanzong period of the Tang Dynasty, the power of Hanlin was not that great. They are just the imperial literati of Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, at that time, the status of Hanlin was much lower than that of scholars who passed the imperial examination.
With Li Bai's bohemian temperament, as a royal scholar of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, one can imagine how uncomfortable he was. Later, Li Bai was driven out of Chang 'an because he offended Gao Lishi, the favorite of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.
Li Bai, frustrated in his official career, began to wander the rivers and lakes again and indulge in it. Li Bai's life seems to be full of contradictions. On the one hand, he has been living a bohemian life, and it seems that he just wants to be a happy and carefree person. On the other hand, he also pursues fame and fortune, otherwise he wouldn't say, "Are we Artemisia people?" . However, it is really puzzling why Li Bai, a talented person, didn't gain fame by taking the imperial examination. However, we may be able to find clues to answer this question through the records of history books.
First of all, let's look at the requirements for taking the imperial examination. "Literature General Examination" records that "Tang system, taking scholars, mostly because of the old, but there are three major factors. The museum says it's a student, and the county says it's a country sage. They are all promoted to teachers, and they have advanced and retreated. "According to the imperial examination system in the Tang Dynasty, people who take the imperial examination are generally divided into two categories: one is called an apprentice and the other is called a township tribute. A student is a candidate from the school library, and a rural tribute is a candidate who passed the state and county exams.
If Li Bai wants to gain fame, he must satisfy the status of a student or a rural tribute. Unfortunately, Li Bai was unknown in the Tang Dynasty. Where Li Bai's household registration is, it is still a controversial issue. Through historical records, we find that Li Bai is secretive about his life experience, and even the historian who wrote his biography can't figure out where Li Bai came from.
Biography of Li Bai in Yuan Wen Gorge, Chapter 140 of Biography of the Old Tang Dynasty, records: "Li Bai is a native of Shandong. There are few talents, ambitious and ambitious, and have the heart to surpass. My father is from the city, because of family reasons. " The Book of Old Tang Dynasty only says that Li Bai is from Shandong, and Li Bai's father was a city guard. Later, the Li family moved to Rencheng. Historians have not recorded the name of Li Bai's father here. This shows that people were not clear about Li Bai's life at that time.
Later, The Book of the New Tang Dynasty revised Li Bai's life experience. The Book of the New Tang Dynasty, Volume 222, Biography, No.127, Literature and Art, records: "Li Bai, whose word is too white, was promoted to emperor and nine grandchildren. First, at the end of the Sui Dynasty, he migrated to the Western Regions to commit crimes, and Shenlong fled back to Brazil at the beginning. " Historians here call Li Bai the ninth grandson of Li's ancestors in the Tang Dynasty. Li Bai's ancestors were exiled to the western regions for crimes at the end of Sui Dynasty. Later, Li Bai's ancestors fled the western regions and settled in Brazil. The book of the old Tang Dynasty is completely different from the book of the new Tang Dynasty, which shows that Li Bai's life experience was a controversial topic more than 1000 years ago.
It is difficult for us to find out why Li Bai deliberately concealed his life experience. But what is certain is that Li Bai's identity is unknown, and it is difficult to obtain the identity of rural tributes or students. "The General Examination of Literature" records that "the seven-year system of Emperor Wendi of Sui Dynasty: three people in Gongnian. Industry and commerce are not allowed to enter official positions. " The Tang Dynasty inherited the imperial examination system of the Sui Dynasty, and it was also strict in political examination. According to the provisions of the imperial examination system, people engaged in industrial and commercial activities are not allowed to take the imperial examination. Li Bai cannot pass the political examination by hiding his identity, and he is not qualified to take the imperial examination.