Li Yifu - Final Downfall

Final Downfall

In 663, Li Yifu was made the head of the legislative bureau (by now known as You Xiang (右相)), but continued to be in charge of civil service. He was also made the secretary for Emperor Gaozong's (and Empress Wu's) youngest son Li Xulun (the later Emperor Ruizong). However, it was said that Li Yifu actually lacked talent for selecting officials, and instead generally ranked officials simply based on the bribes they gave him, drawing discontent from the officials. Eventually, Emperor Gaozong heard about this, and on one occasion, still calmly stated to Li Yifu: "Your sons and sons-in-law are careless, and they have committed many unlawful acts. I was forced to cover for you. You should be careful." Li Yifu unhappily responded, "Who told Your Imperial Majesty?" Emperor Gaozong responded, "If I am correct, why do you want me to tell you who the informant is?" Li Yifu did not apologize but instead walked out, drawing Emperor Gaozong's displeasure.

Meanwhile, an astrologer Li Yifu trusted, Du Yuanji (杜元紀), informed him that there was an aura of imprisonment at his house, and that he could only suppress it by a large store of money. Li Yifu believed Du and redoubled his corruption. When this, in addition to Li Yifu's and Du's observations of auras, as well as Li Yifu's extortion of money from Zhangsun Wuji's grandson Zhangsun Yan (長孫延), were reported by the low-level official Yang Xingying (楊行穎), Emperor Gaozong ordered that Li Yifu be arrested, and then had the minister of justice Liu Xiangdao, as well as the imperial censor and the chief justice of the supreme court, investigate, reporting their findings to the chancellor Li Ji. Li Yifu was found guilty, removed from his posts, and exiled to Xi Prefecture (巂州, roughly modern Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan). His sons and sons-in-law were also exiled.

In 666, Emperor Gaozong offered sacrifices to heaven and earth at Mount Tai and, to celebrate the occasion, declared a general pardon -- but specifically exempted from the general pardon anyone who was given a long-term exile. Li Yifu, in anger and fear, died of an illness. His wife and children were not allowed to return to the eastern capital Luoyang until 674. In 692, after Empress Wu had seized the throne from her son Emperor Ruizong and took the title of emperor for her own, she, in recognition of how Li Yifu and five other officials had supported her, posthumously awarded Li Yifu the title of commandant of Yang Prefecture, but the posthumous honor was again stripped in 710 after Emperor Ruizong returned to the throne.