As a literati who loved poetry and songs, Li Yu never expected that he would inherit his father's throne and become the head of a country. Li Yu has twenty brothers, and he is only the sixth. According to common sense, it is impossible for Li Yu to ascend to the throne. But the wonderful thing is that several of the eldest brothers before him either died of illness or died young. Therefore, Li Yu naturally became the crown prince, and later became the monarch of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Since he wants to be the king of a country, it seems natural to become the lord of the prosperous world. However, the Southern Tang Dynasty was facing a crisis surrounded by strong enemies at that time, first coveted by the Later Zhou, and then the Northern Song Dynasty. None of this is something that Nantang can fight against. In desperation, Li Yu could only choose Taoguang to raise obscurity.
Outwardly, Li Yu showed humility and courtesy. In the Book of Taizu of the Song Dynasty on the Enthronement, he said that "only Jianchen Festival, Shangfeng **" surrendered to the Song Dynasty and sent rich gifts. However, deep down, Li Yu is keen on singing and dancing and lyrics, focusing on creating works of singing and dancing, trying to build the Southern Tang Dynasty into a pure and beautiful palace of art. However, Li Yu's vision was ultimately not realized. After eliminating other separatist regimes, Zhao Kuangyin quickly targeted the Southern Tang Dynasty. Nantang supported it for a while at most, but eventually it inevitably perished. Li Yu had no choice but to blame himself and become a king of the dead country who could not even protect his wife. His wife Xiao Zhou was beautiful and moving, but she was taken by the lustful Song Taizong Zhao Guangyi and forced to enter the palace to be "lucky", but Li Yu was powerless. The monarch who was once high above was humiliated in the blink of an eye, and his thoughts were like heaven and abyss. This huge contrast tortured Li Yu's spirit, and also stimulated his passion for creation, and he wrote a nostalgic phrase that has been passed down through the ages: "Falling flowers and flowing water are gone in spring, heaven and earth";"Ask how much sorrow you can have, just like a river flowing eastward. In these lamentations, he vented his sorrow and climbed to the peak of the art of Song poetry, while also incurring the wrath of the Song Emperor. Li Yu can only draw an unsatisfactory end to his life with endless sorrow and brilliant talent.
As a monarch, Li Yu's fate can be called unfortunate, after all, the Southern Tang Dynasty ended at his hands. However, as a lyricist, Li Yu is also lucky, at least his lyrics can be passed down through the ages. Luck and misfortune all converge in Li Yu's personal experience. This also makes Li Yu a controversial figure. Some people believe that Li Yu is an incompetent person, intoxicated by beauty and resignation, and finally ruined the land of the Southern Tang Dynasty, and is a loser;Some people believe that Li Yu is a typical inactive king, who does not do his job, does not attach importance to military affairs, and is indifferent to national affairsThere are also people who think that history has made the wrong object and let a poetry expert govern the countryDifferent people have different interpretations of Li Yu's situation. However, under these noisy words, we can always see Li Yu's helplessness and wisdom. In the face of the general trend of the unification of the Northern Song Dynasty, it is not a realistic choice to become an inactive monarch who travels the mountains and rivers and reverses poetry. Otherwise, how could the Southern Tang Dynasty hold out for 14 years in the face of the powerful Northern Song Dynasty?In a dangerous environment, it is not wise to hide one's intentions and use poetry to show that one's inaction is harmless. It's a pity that in the end, Li Yu's chant angered Emperor Song, which he didn't expect.