Li Yu was "a man of benevolence and filial piety, good at writing, good at calligraphy and painting, and had a large forehead, long teeth, and an eye with heavy pupils."[2] He was the sixth son of Li Jing, Yuanzong of the Southern Tang Dynasty (the central leader of the Southern Tang Dynasty). Since Li Jing's second to fifth sons all died early, when Li Yu's eldest brother Li Hongji became the crown prince, he was the de facto second son. Li Hongji was "a man of severe suspicion" [3]. Li Yu, who was the Duke of An Ding at that time, was afraid that Li Hongji would be suspicious of him and did not dare to participate in political affairs. He just read for fun every day.
In 959, Li Hongji died shortly after poisoning Li Jingsui. Li Jing planned to make Li Yu the crown prince, but Zhong Mo said, "I am a coward from Jiade, but I have too much faith in the Shi family. I am not a master of talent. I am good, courageous, and dignified, so I should make him his heir." Li Jing was angry and found an excuse to kill Zhong Mo. He was demoted to the position of Si Ye and exiled to Raozhou. Li Yu was granted the title of King of Wu, Shangshu Ling, and knows political affairs, and ordered him to live in the East Palace.
In 961, the second year of Jianlong of the Song Dynasty, Li Jing moved the capital to Nanchang and appointed Li Yu as the prince to supervise the country, ordering him to stay in Jinling. After Li Jing died in June, Li Yu ascended the throne in Jinling.
Li Yu "has an arrogant and extravagant nature, has a good voice, and is fond of illusory pictures. He only cares about high-minded talk and has no regard for political affairs." [4].
After the Song army destroyed the Southern Han Dynasty in 971, Li Yu changed his title to the Lord of Jiangnan in order to show that he would not fight against the Song Dynasty and proclaimed himself a vassal to the Song Dynasty.
In 973, when Song Taizu ordered Li Yu to go to Kaifeng, he refused to go because of illness. Song Taizu sent Cao Bin to lead the army to attack the Southern Tang Dynasty.
In December 974, Cao Bin captured Jinling.
After Li Yu was captured in 975, he was named a Disobedient Marquis in Kaifeng and worshiped General Zuo Qianniuwei. History books say that Zhao Guangyi raped Xiao Zhouhou many times[5]. Every time he went back after Xiao Zhou, he cried and cursed. In pain and depression, Li Yu wrote famous songs such as "Looking to the South of the Yangtze River", "Midnight Song", and "Poppy Beauty". Ancient painters also painted "The Picture of Xiling Blessing the Empress Xiao Zhou". In the "Ye Huo Bian" written by Shen Defu of the Ming Dynasty: "The Song Dynasty people painted "The Picture Xiling Blessing the Empress Xiao Zhou". Taizong wore a futou and had a Guizhou-colored face. If the body is fat, the limbs after Zhou Dynasty will be slender, and if several people in the palace hold it, it will make the forehead look like a frown." Feng Haisu, a native of the Yuan Dynasty, wrote a poem on the picture: "The remaining plum blossoms in the south of the Yangtze River were taken away by the king; the golden wind blew up from the strange bottom, and the imperial garden was filled with red and purple dragons."
In After reigning for fifteen years, he was known as the Empress Li and the Empress of the Southern Tang Dynasty.
According to the "Mo Ji" written by Wang Zhi of the Song Dynasty, he was poisoned by Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty in 978 because of his words that "the motherland cannot bear to look back" and "a river of spring water flows eastward". Some people say that the triggering drug is the traditional Chinese medicine Nux vomica. After taking it, it damages the central nervous system, causing convulsions all over the body, and the head and feet shrinking together [6], which is extremely painful. After Li Yu's death, he was buried in Beimang Mountain, Luoyang. Xiao Zhouhou was distraught and died soon after.