Is “Li Bai saved Guo Ziyi from the crime of arson” true?
In official histories such as the Old Book of Tang, Annals of Emperor Daizong, it is recorded that Guo Ziyi pacified the An Lushan Rebellion and resisted the Tibetans through military exploits, with the statement: 'Guo Ziyi reported breaking 100,000 Tibetans, and all officials congratulated.' He successively held the posts of Deputy Marshal of the Imperial Forces and Grand Commandant. However, in the Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Chapter 083, it adopts folk legends, writing: 'Guo Ziyi, grateful for Li Bai's life-saving grace, vowed to repay it like the bird that repaid a kindness.' It claims that Li Bai strongly protected and saved him when he was convicted for a fire, but this is not found in official histories.
In official histories, Guo Ziyi was ennobled and became a prime minister due to his military achievements, while the novel fabricates a plot where Li Bai saves him from punishment for a fire.
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