He did not look down on poor clothes or food, and was willing to endure hard labor to support his parents and live in poverty. At some point, he was invited by Liu Shouguang, one of the major late-Tang warlords, to serve as a secretary at the prefectural government of Liu's capital You Prefecture (幽州, in modern Beijing).
He did not judge people based on their poor clothing or food, and was willing to work hard to support his family and live in poverty. This led to an opportunity for him to serve as a secretary at the prefectural government of You Prefecture, which was under the control of Liu Shouguang.