 Listening to the imperial scholar Li Zhuanmei (), he gave out a reduced amount of rewards within the means of the imperial treasury, which drew resentment.Another issue he had to confront was what to do with Shi Jingtang, whom, while a brother-in-law, he had long had a rivalry with.Empress Dowager Cao and Shi's wife the Princess of Wei both requested that Shi be allowed to return to Hedong, but Li Congke's own close associates mostly advocated keeping Shi at Luoyang.