Li Linfu
Li Linfu () (died January 3, 753), nickname Genu (), formally the Duke of Jin (), was an official of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor for 18 years (734–752), during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong—one of the longest terms of service for a chancellor in Tang history, and the longest during Xuanzong's reign.
Li Linfu
In 734, Li Linfu was made the minister of rites (禮部尚書, "Libu Shangshu") and was further given the designation "Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin" (同中書門下三品), making him a chancellor "de facto", serving alongside Pei Yaoqing and Zhang Jiuling. By 736, he, who gained further favor from Emperor Xuanzong by flattering the emperor, was in serious conflict with the blunt Zhang, over a number of matters:Li Linfu thus made accusations to Emperor Xuanzong that Zhang and Pei were engaging in factionalism. Around the new year 737, Emperor Xuanzong removed Pei and Zhang from their chancellor posts, making them "Chengxiang" (丞相)—the heads of the executive bureau of government (尚書省, "Shangshu Sheng") instead, posts not considered chancellor posts. Niu was made chancellor to replace them, serving with Li Linfu, who was given the office formerly held by Zhang, "Zhongshu Ling" (中書令), the head of the legislative bureau (中書省, "Zhongshu Sheng"). This was often viewed by traditional historians as the turning point of Emperor Xuanzong's reign, which up to that point was considered a golden age in Chinese history, toward a path of degeneration. The Song Dynasty historian Sima Guang, in his "Zizhi Tongjian", for example, commented: