Li Deyu, an outstanding chancellor during the reign of Emperor Wuzong of Tang, made outstanding contributions to the stability of the late Tang Dynasty by resisting hui attacks externally, quelling rebellions internally, laying off redundant personnel, suppressing eunuch forces, and making outstanding contributions to the stability of the late Tang Dynasty. History has a high opinion of Li Deyu, and Liang Qichao called him, along with Guan Zhong, Shang Martin, Zhuge Liang, Wang Anshi, and Zhang Juzheng, the six outstanding politicians of feudal society.
Tang Wuzong had great trust in Li Deyu and was rarely suspicious, so Li Deyu never had any worries. However, after the death of Emperor Wuzong of Tang, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang succeeded to the throne and was very jealous of Li Deyu's high authority. Li Deyu was also aware of this and could not help but be a little worried about his future. He found a high-ranking monk and asked him to give him a good fortune.
The monk said, "It is not an easy task to give you a fortune, and it is not possible to know the result immediately, so you need to build an altar, put up a Buddha statue, burn incense and fast for three days before you can do it." Li Deyu then asked the monk to build an altar, and he fasted and bathed for three days, and the monk also prayed and bowed on the altar. Three days later, the monk said to Li Deyu, "The great man has not retreated from the disaster star, and he must go to the south." "At that time, the south, such as Hainan in Guangdong, was considered a desolate and remote place, and many officials who offended the emperor would be relegated there.
Li Deyu was told by the monk that he had a hidden worry in his heart, and he was furious, and he rebuked the monk fiercely and drove him out. The next day, Li Deyu felt that he was too impulsive, and he invited the senior monk back and said kindly: "Yesterday the master calculated for me, maybe some of the results were not carefully examined, please ask the master to calculate for me again." ”
The monk made Li Deyu fast for another three days, and after three days, the monk told Li Deyu: "You are going to the south, this is already fate, and it cannot be changed." And the date is approaching, less than a month later. Li Deyu listened, and his heart was even more unhappy, he forcibly suppressed his anger, and asked the monk, "What is the basis for the master to say this?" Is there anything that can prove that what the Master said is true? ”
The monk knew that Li Deyu did not want to be relegated to the south, and he said, "Your Honor, I say something at the moment, as evidence, to prove that what I am saying is not nonsense. Li Deyu didn't believe it: "Then you talk about it." The monk pointed to the ground and said to Li Deyu, "There is a stone box under this piece of land, please dig it out." Li Deyu asked people to dig out the ground, and sure enough, three feet from the ground, he found a stone box, opened it, but it was empty, and there was nothing. When Li Deyu saw that there was indeed a stone box on the ground, he felt surprised in his heart and believed the monk's words for a few minutes.
Li Deyu thought that since it was inevitable to be relegated to the south, he did not know when he would be able to return, and he asked the monk: "Since the south is inevitable, the master will help me calculate, can I come back when I go to the south?" The monk said without hesitation, "The lord should be able to come back." Li Deyu saw that he was so sure, so he asked the reason for it.
The monk said, "The Prime Minister has a deep blessing, and you are destined to be a sheep eater in this life." You've eaten nine thousand five hundred sheep so far, and since there are still five hundred sheep to eat, you should be able to come back. Li Deyu listened with excitement and sighed, "The master is really a god." When I was working under Zhang Chengxiang, I once dreamed of going to Jinshan and seeing that the mountains were full of sheep, and there were more than a dozen sheep herders who came to pay homage to me, and I asked these shepherds why they herded so many sheep, and the shepherds said, 'These are the sheep that adults eat in this lifetime.' Since then, I have always kept this dream in mind and never told anyone about it. Now that master you have said the same thing, it can be seen that the destiny of a person's life is determined, and it is indeed not bad at all. ”
Li Deyu rewarded the senior monk heavily, and he was no longer too worried about his degraded officials going south—after all, there was still a chance to return to the capital to make a comeback. Unexpectedly, however, ten days later, Zhenwu Jiedushi sent Mi Ji to send a letter to Li Deyu, and by the way, he also sent five hundred sheep as a gift. Li Deyu was shocked and frightened, so he quickly found a senior monk, told him about this matter, and asked him to think of a way for himself. The monk sighed and said, "Now that the ten thousand sheep are full, you will not be able to come back!" Li Deyu took a bit of luck and said, "I don't eat these sheep, can this change the result?" The monk shook his head, "These sheep have been delivered here, and they are already owned by adults, which is equivalent to adults having eaten them." ”
Li Deyu listened to the monk's words, sullen and unhappy, but helpless. After another ten days, Tang Xuanzong finally attacked Li Deyu and demoted him to Sima of Chaozhou, where he was located in present-day Guangdong. Li Deyu had to leave Chang'an in ashes and go to the south. Before arriving at the Chaozhou office, Tang Xuanzong once again made a will to demote him to the position of Yazhou Sihu and drove him to Hainan. The elderly and frail Li Deyulian was hit and eventually died in Yazhou, Hainan.