Early in Emperor Wenzong's Kaifeng era (836-840), he served as Zuo Shiyi (左拾遺), a low-level advisory official at the examination bureau of government (門下省, Menxia Sheng).
After the period was over, he was given his old office back, and then promoted to Zuo Bujue (左補闕) and also made an editor of imperial histories.
Emperor Xuānzong then promoted Linghu Tao to be Kaogong Langzhong (考功郎中, a supervisory official at the ministry of civil service affairs (吏部, Libu)) and put him in charge of drafting edicts.
There was an occasion when Emperor Xuānzong was asking Linghu to read him what Linghu would consider to be the key part of the Golden Mirror (金鏡) — a work authored by Emperor Xuānzong's distinguished ancestor Emperor Taizong — when Linghu read, "If the state is in confusion, it is not necessarily the case that you have commissioned those who are inappropriate; if the state is being governed well, it is not necessarily the case that you have commissioned those who are faithful and wise."
[2] Also in 850, by which time Linghu Tao was referred to as deputy minister of defense (兵部侍郎, Bingbu Shilang) as well as chief imperial scholar (翰林學士承旨, Hanlin Xueshi Chengzhi), he made a chancellor de facto with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事).
[5] In 857, Linghu's chancellor colleague Wei Mo was removed from his chancellor position and made the military governor (Jiedushi) of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan), purportedly because Wei was strict and blunt, causing apprehension by Linghu.
In 861, he was made the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan), as well as the prefect of its capital Bian Prefecture (汴州).
Linghu Hao, in fear, declined the position and was made an assistant to the Crown Prince's head of household.
The Xusi mutineers, however, defeated the Huainan troops and captured most of them, including Li and Guo, whose hands and feet they cut off.
[2] In 876, with the Tang governmental troops deeply engaged against the agrarian rebels under Wang Xianzhi and Huang Chao, Emperor Yizong had Linghu and Li Kan (李侃) the military governor of Binning Circuit (邠寧, headquartered in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi), select 1,000 infantry soldiers and 500 cavalry soldiers to help defend Tong Pass against a possible attack by the agrarian rebels.
[11] That was the last historical record of an act by Linghu, who died while still serving at Fengxiang Circuit, at the age of 77, and was given posthumous honors, but the year was not known.