李吉甫
Soon thereafter, there was another incident in which Li Jifu and the official Dou Qun () came into conflict. Li Jifu had previously recommended the officials Yang Shi'e () and Lü Wen (), and because Dou was also friendly with Yang and Lü, he recommended them as well, without first informing Li Jifu. Li Jifu became displeased and refused to act on Dou's recommendations, thus drawing Dou's resentment. When Dou later found out that one Chen Keming () – whom Dou believed to be a sorcerer but who could have been a physician – was visiting Li Jifu's household because Li Jifu was ill – he submitted an accusation to Emperor Xianzong that Li Jifu was associating with sorcerers. When Emperor Xianzong investigated and found no proof of Li Jifu's guilt, Dou and his associates were exiled, but Li Jifu felt insecure and offered to resign, recommending Pei Ji to succeed him. Emperor Xianzong agreed, and, in late 808, made Pei Ji chancellor and made Li Jifu the military governor of Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu), and granted him various medical ingredients from the imperial pharmacy.