[1] He claimed ancestry from the eastern branch of the prominent Li clan of Zhao Commandery (趙郡, in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei), which claimed ancestry from the Warring States period state Zhao's prominent general Li Mu.
The military governor (Jiedushi) of Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Jiaozuo, Henan), Wu Chongyin, subsequently invited Li Jue to serve on his staff.
He was eventually made You Shiyi (右拾遺), a low-level advisory official at the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng).
Li Jue, believing this to be inappropriate so soon after Emperor Xianzong's death, submitted a petition jointly with his colleagues Yuwen Ding (宇文鼎), Wen Yu (溫畬), Wei Guan (韋瓘), and Feng Yao (馮藥), urging against it.
[8] As Li Jue's repeated advice was not accepted, he left the capital Chang'an to serve as the magistrate of Xiagui County (下邽, in modern Weinan).
Later, during the reign of Emperor Muzong's son Emperor Jingzong of Tang, when the former chancellor Niu Sengru served as the military governor of Wuchang Circuit (武昌, headquartered in modern Wuhan, Hubei), he invited Li Jue to serve as his secretary.
[3] In 831, by which time Niu Sengru and Niu's ally Li Zongmin were chancellors, Li Jue was promoted to be Duzhi Langzhong (度支郎中), a supervisory official at the ministry of census (戶部, Hubu) and was put in charge of drafting edicts; he was thereafter also made an imperial scholar (翰林學士, Hanlin Xueshi).
Further, as Yang advocated for Li Zongmin, who had been exiled, to be moved closer to the capital, and Chen and another chancellor, Zheng Tan, both opposed.
It was said that from this point, Yang and Li Jue were often in a factional struggle against Chen and Zheng, causing Emperor Wenzong to be unable to rule on their proposals easily.
Li Jue responded, "Your Imperial Majesty had told me previously that an Emperor should select chancellors, not suspect them."
Li Jue, offended, responded, "Chen Yixing is obviously suspecting that there are chancellors who are stealing power from Your Imperial Majesty.
Emperor Wenzong subsequently sent a eunuch to comfort him, and Zheng partially apologized, stating, "Your subject is foolish.
As Emperor Wenzong's casket was taken to the imperial tomb, on the way, due to a pothole on the road, the wheels dropped, and Emperor Wuzong considered this Li Jue's fault and removed him from the chancellor position; Li Jue was made the minister of worship (太常卿), while the mayor of Jingzhao Municipality (京兆, i.e., the Chang'an region), Jing Xin (敬昕) was demoted to be the military advisor to the prefect of Chen Prefecture (郴州, in modern Chenzhou, Hunan).
(It was said, however, that it was actually because Emperor Wuzong knew that Li Jue and Yang Sifu did not support him that they were removed from chancellor positions.)
[8] Meanwhile, Qiu Shiliang, who resented Liu Hongyi and Xue Jileng deeply, continued to make allegations against them, and in 841, Emperor Wuzong, believing in those allegations, ordered them to commit suicide, and also sent eunuchs to Gui Prefecture and Tan Prefecture (in modern Changsha, Hunan), where Yang was serving as the governor of Hunan Circuit (湖南), to order Yang and Li Jue to commit suicide as well.
[13] In 848, Li Jue was recalled to Chang'an to serve as the minister of census (戶部尚書, Hubu Shangshu).
He subsequently served stints as the military governor of Heyang Circuit and minister of civil service affairs (吏部尚書, Libu Shangshu), before eventually serving as the military governor of Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu).