Is “Li Linfu could not recognize the foreign script and was humiliated by Li Bai” true?
The New Book of Tang, Biographies of Guo, Two Ers, Wang, Zhang, and Niu, records that Li Linfu was autocratic and vicious, 'and Li Linfu especially resented his achievements, daily seeking faults and accusations,' framing the loyal and good. The Sui and Tang Romance, chapter 82, fabricates that the foreign letter was shaped like tadpoles, 'Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong both stepped forward to look, but they were as blind as if they had eyes, unable to recognize a single character,' and it was Li Bai who recited and drafted the edict to humiliate them. This is fictional embellishment in the novel.
In the official history, Li Linfu was deep, cunning, and framed many people in major cases, while the novel exaggerates his foolishness through Li Bai's drunken drafting of the intimidating letter.
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