Overview
Li Linfu was a statesman.
IdentityHistorical · Male
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New Book of Tang, Chapter 134Volume 134 Biographies 59: Yuwen, Wei, Yang, Wang · 9 passages
堅妻，姜皎女，李林甫舅子也。
Jian's wife was Jiang Jiao's daughter and Li Linfu's nephew by marriage.
初甚昵比，既見其寵，惡之。
At first Li Linfu and Jian were on intimate terms, but when he saw how favored Jian had become, he turned against him.
堅亦自以得天子意，銳於進，又與左相李適之善，故林甫授堅刑部尚書，奪諸使，以楊慎矜代之。
Jian, confident that he had the emperor's favor, pressed hard for advancement and was allied with Left Chancellor Li Shizhi. Linfu therefore made Jian Minister of Justice, removed all his transport commissions, and put Yang Shenjin in his place.
河西、隴右節度使皇甫惟明數於帝前短林甫，稱堅才，林甫知之。
Huangfu Weiming, military commissioner of Hexi and Longyou, repeatedly denigrated Li Linfu at court and praised Wei Jian's abilities. Li Linfu found out.
正月望夜，惟明與堅宴集，林甫奏堅外戚與邊將私，且謀立太子。
On the night of the Lantern Festival, Weiming and Jian held a banquet together. Li Linfu reported that Wei Jian, as an imperial connection by marriage, was colluding privately with a border commander and scheming to put the crown prince on the throne.
有詔訊鞫，林甫使楊慎矜、楊國忠、王鉷、吉溫等文致其獄，帝惑之，貶堅縉雲太守，惟明播川太守，籍其家。
The emperor ordered an investigation. Li Linfu set Yang Shenjin, Yang Guozhong, Wang Hong, Ji Wen, and others to fabricate the case. Misled, the emperor demoted Wei Jian to prefect of Jinyun and Huangfu Weiming to prefect of Bochuan, and had their families' property seized.
及得罪，林甫遣使江、淮，鉤索堅罪，捕治舟夫漕史，所在獄皆滿。
After Wei Jian's disgrace, Li Linfu sent agents to the Jiang and Huai regions to dredge up every charge against him, arresting boatmen and transport clerks for prosecution until local prisons overflowed.
林甫死，乃止。
Only when Li Linfu died did the persecution stop.
林甫方興大獄，撼東宮，誅不附己者，以鉷險刻，可動以利，故倚之，使鷙擊狼噬。
Li Linfu was then launching major prosecutions, undermining the crown prince, and destroying those who would not join him. Wang Hong was ruthless and could be bought, so Linfu relied on him as a weapon — set loose to strike and tear.