In 808,[REF] at special imperial examinations where Emperor Xianzong ordered that low-level officials submit honest opinions about the government, several of the examinees - Li Zongmin, Niu Sengru, and Huangfu Shi (皇甫湜) stated, without using any veiled language, the issues they saw with the governance at the time.
It was only after Li Jifu's death in 814[REF] that Li Zongmin began his service at the central government, as Jiancha Yushi (監察御史), a low-level imperial censor, and he was thereafter promoted to be Lǐbu Yuanwailang (禮部員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of rites (禮部, Lǐbu) [REF].