Lü Tao吕陶

Where the histories differ

Erroneous record in the Biography of Wen Yi about Wen Yi encroaching on and harassing the exiled official Lü Tao in Hunan

• histories differThe Biography of Wen Yi in the History of Song states that when Wen Yi was governor of Tanzhou, he encroached on and harassed exiled officials 'Fan Chunren, Liu Fengshi, Han Chuan, Lü Xichun, and Lü Tao' within his jurisdiction. However, according to the Biography of Lü Tao, although Lü Tao was demoted to a sinecure, he was never exiled or resettled within Hunan, so Wen Yi had no opportunity to encroach on him.

  The Biography of Wen Yi in the History of Song records that when Wen Yi was appointed governor of Tanzhou (in Hunan), he treated the demoted officials in his jurisdiction harshly: 'Other exiled officials in his territory, such as Fan Chunren, Liu Fengshi, Han Chuan, Lü Xichun, and Lü Tao, were all encroached upon and harassed by him.' Upon checking the relevant biographies in the History of Song, Fan Chunren (resettled in Yongzhou), Liu Fengshi (resettled in Chenzhou), Han Chuan (resettled in Daozhou), and Lü Xichun (resettled in Daozhou) were indeed exiled to Hunan. However, according to the Biography of Lü Tao in the History of Song, Lü Tao's demotion trajectory during Emperor Zhezong's reign was: 'Soon he was appointed as governor of Chenzhou with the title of Jixian Academy Scholar, then transferred to Heyang and Luzhou, stripped of his titles as per precedent, and further demoted to Vice Director of the Bureau of Receptions, with a sinecure. When Emperor Huizong ascended the throne, he was restored to the post of Editorial Director of the Jixian Academy and governor of Zizhou, then retired.' Lü Tao was only demoted to a sinecure (usually in the Western Capital or Southern Capital), and was never exiled or resettled in Hunan. Therefore, Wen Yi had no opportunity to encroach on Lü Tao during his tenure in Tanzhou. The inclusion of Lü Tao in the Biography of Wen Yi is clearly a case of mistaken attribution and textual error in the historical records.