When it comes to the poetry of the Tang Dynasty, one of the characters that cannot be avoided is Li Bai. He can speak like half of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty has become more moving because of his presence. He He left us so many magnificent poems, but in fact, the Tang Dynasty was not friendly to Li Bai. His life was quite bumpy. He could not take the imperial examination and could not gain a foothold in the officialdom. At the same time, he was very persistent in the officialdom and wanted to achieve a career. However, sometimes he had no chance and sometimes he could not grasp the opportunity. , in short, he was a failure in officialdom.
On the other hand, Li Bai was always on the road because he could not get important. He loved the beautiful mountains and rivers of the Tang Dynasty, so he visited famous mountains and rivers, and sometimes looked for immortals. His life seemed They are all traveling around the mountains and rivers, from one place to another, all over the country. He has his footprints all over the country. He is a true representative of reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles. It is precisely because of this that his poems are particularly moving.
There is a problem here. We know that traveling is quite expensive, and Li Bai had almost no job in Datang, and he was very generous. So, where did his money come from? Where did it come from? How does he make ends meet? We can explain it from several aspects:
The first point is that Li Bai’s family is well off. Of course, this money was not earned by him, but was saved by his father and ancestors. Regarding Li Bai's family background, it is not only a mystery in the eyes of later generations, but also a mystery even in the Tang Dynasty. His true identity has always been kept secret. There are two popular theories. One is the ninth grandson of Liang Wuzhao Wang Hao, and this is Li Bai. Li Yangbing, an uncle of the Bai ethnic group, mentioned it in the "Preface to the Thatched Cottage Collection".
We know that Li Yuan is the seventh generation grandson of King Hao of Liangwu Zhao, so it seems that Li Bai is inextricably linked to the royal family of Li Tang. There is also a view that Li Bai is a descendant of Li Jiancheng. This further proves that Li Bai is a member of the Li Tang clan. Of course, there are other explanations.
But no matter what, Li Bai's family background should be quite good, and his family wealth is rich. Li Bai began to study at the age of five. He became famous in his hometown at the age of fifteen. He gradually began to travel in Sichuan and Sichuan, and later traveled all over the country. These were not affordable by ordinary families.
We can also see from Li Bai's lavish spending that he had no shortage of money since he was a child. In his "History of Pei Chang of Shang'an Prefecture" written to Pei Changshi, he said: In the past, he traveled east to Weiyang for less than a year, and scattered more than 300,000 yuan in gold. ?
More than 300,000 yuan was spent in one year, and not all of this money was spent on Li Bai himself, but most of it was used to support down-and-out literati and students. Li Bai's character has the qualities of a knight-errant, traveling around and doing good deeds.
The second point is that Li Bai’s father-in-law’s family is rich. Li Bai's first wife was the granddaughter of the late prime minister Xu Yushi. After he married Xu, he lived in Anlu for a long time. He visited Pei Changshi several times, but later Pei Changshi was unwilling to see him again. So he began to prepare for going to Chang'an.
Later Xu passed away, and Li Bai’s stepmother was the granddaughter of Prime Minister Zong Chuke. The two had a good relationship after marriage, especially Zong who also liked Taoist things, so he and Li Bai could talk well. Later, Li Bai made some mistakes and was imprisoned during the Anshi Rebellion, and the Zong family actively ran to save him.
We see that whether it is his first wife or his step-brother, his family background is quite good, and his family’s wealth is naturally not small. With such a father-in-law, Li Bai often has no shortage of money to spend. .
The third point is that Li Bai also makes money himself. Although Li Bai did not have any serious work experience, even if he served as an imperial scholar with Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, he had some work experience after all. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty gave Li Bai many rewards, and when he asked Li Bai to leave, he had some work experience. He was given gold, which was enough for Li Bai to spend a while. Moreover, Li Bai was appreciated by some people from time to time, and he could also save some money by working as an aide.
There is also the writing fee. We know that Li Bai has great literary talent, and his writing is smooth and smooth. Naturally, you can rely on this to earn some writing fees, which in today's terms are manuscript fees. For example, writing inscriptions, epitaphs, articles, etc. can make a lot of money. Many literati in the Tang Dynasty made their fortunes by relying on writing fees. .
For example, Li Yong, a calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty who had a relationship with Li Bai, was good at writing steles and odes. He composed hundreds of poems before and after, and received as many as tens of thousands of poems as gifts. ?
For another example, Han Yu once wrote "Ping Huaixi Stele". Later, Han Hong gave Han Yu 500 pieces of silk. If counted now, it would be about 200,000, etc. Retouching was very popular during the Tang Dynasty. As a well-known poet, it was impossible for Li Bai to be without retouching fees.
The fourth point is to help friends. Although Li Bai's family is rich, his father-in-law's family is also rich, and he can make money himself, but he spends money lavishly, travels everywhere, makes friends, and is charitable. Naturally, there will be a time when the money runs out. What should I do at this time?
Friends support, the scope of this friend is very broad, some are famous people in every place, Li Bai goes to visit them, they also like to make friends with Li Bai, naturally they are willing to spend money, Li Bai stays for a while You don’t have to worry about the cost at all.
Then there are good friends, such as Wang Lun. Wang Lun once let Li Bai live in his home, where he served him delicious food and drinks. When Li Bai left, Wang Lun also gave him a lot of good things.
When Li Bai himself was rich, he would help poor students and literati. But when Li Bai was in trouble, there were also people who were willing to help Li Bai.
He also had an uncle with whom he had a relatively good relationship, namely Li Yangbing. Li Bai defected to Li Yangbing in his last days. At that time, Li Yangbing was the magistrate of Dangtu County, and Li Bai lived in Li Yangbing's home. Li Yangbing was responsible for food and drink. Li Bai also gave all his manuscripts to Li Yangbing and asked him to sort them out. This is what became the "Thatched Cottage Collection".
The above four points are probably Li Bai’s source of income, which he uses to make a living. Of course, sometimes he is inevitably in poverty. For example, in the last period of his life, old age, illness, and poverty tortured him. , fortunately he had a good uncle who took him in.