Li Bai's father used to be a county magistrate or something. In addition, many scholars in the Jianghu admire his talent, so he relies on the support of fans and family background to eat, drink and be merry all his life. At the same time, he does not stick to officialdom like Bai Juyi. Li Bai used to be a bachelor in Hanlin for some time. This official is actually the secretary of the emperor and a royal scholar. Although Tang Xuanzong appreciated Li Bai's talent very much, his evaluation of Li Bai was actually not high, that is to say, it was mediocre and there was nothing outstanding. However, Li Bai's ambition is definitely far behind. He must be eager to be a big official, which is reflected in some of his literary works, but Tang Xuanzong never gave him such an opportunity.
Du Fu, on the other hand, was lonely all his life. He once followed Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and was named assistant minister. However, this did not improve his life. He is still poor, and many of his poems are full of sadness and desolation. At the same time, he also felt that the life of the bottom people was not easy, so many of his poems expressed sympathy for the working people and concern for the fate of the country. This is very different from Li Bai. Therefore, if Li Bai and Du Fu meet, they may just appreciate each other's poems, discuss literary theories, and write to each other after parting, but that's all.
Many people say that Li Bai and Du Fu may become bosom friends and life and death brothers. This is groundless. In fact, Li Bai and Du Fu did meet in Tianbao for three years, but they only stayed together for three days, wrote letters to each other after parting, and then forgot each other.