Liu Zongyuan Liancheng Yongzhou Ten Years

In the winter of 805, the first year of Yuanhe, the Yongzhen revolution failed miserably in only 146 days, and Shun Zong ascended the throne to Xianzong Li Chun. Liu Zongyuan, the core of the reform, was first demoted to the Shaozhou governor, and on the way he was demoted to the Yongzhou Yuanwai Sima. He had an official title but no real power, and was not allowed to interfere in local government affairs. He was actually under house arrest. Liu Zongyuan took his seventy-year-old mother Lu, his cousin Liu Zongzhi, and his cousin Lu Zun to the south along the Xiangjiang River and settled at Longxing Temple in Lingling. The following year, Longxing Temple caught fire, and his mother was infected with miasma. On the surface, Liu Zongyuan focused on the mountains and rivers to avoid disaster, but secretly visited the people to investigate cases of human trafficking and child abduction, recorded the harsh government, and used poetry as a sword to fight against the darkness. Lu Zun accompanied Liu Zongzong loyally and was skilled in martial arts. He was both a servant and a bodyguard. He was responsible for visiting the countryside to collect people's opinions, and he repeatedly protected Liu Zongyuan from spies and plots by evil gentry. Su Wanling accidentally met Liu Zongyuan who was in trouble, and stayed with him for many years to guide him, collect mountain treasures, and take care of the thatched cottage. Yongzhou was known as barbaric in ancient times, with rampant miasma, harsh taxes, evil gentry colluding with cruel officials to oppress the people, abandoned babies, catching snakes to offset taxes, and bad habits of witchcraft and poison everywhere. Jiuyi Mountain in the south is the tomb of Emperor Shun, where Yao and Han people live together, and there are many secrets in the mountains. Liu Zongyuan stayed here for ten years. He moved to the bank of Yuxi River and built his own thatched cottage. He traveled all over Xiaoxiang's mountains and rivers and wrote more than 400 poems. My friend Liu Yuxi exchanged letters and talked about masturbation. In the tenth year of Yuanhe, he was ordered to return to Beijing and was immediately demoted to Liuzhou. He died of illness four years later.