In the third year of Li Qing (1043), Han Qi, Fan Zhongyan and Fu Bi were in power, while Ouyang Xiu and Yu Jin served as remonstrators. At this time, some political reforms began to be implemented. Since Fan Zhongyan, Ouyang Xiu and others successively demoted officials, they were called cronies by conservative bureaucrats. Since then, the party will continue. 1038 (the first year of Baoyuan), Song Renzong specially issued the imperial edict of "no cronies". 1043, although Lv Yijian was dismissed, he still had great influence in the imperial court. A group of conservative bureaucrats headed by Xia Song formally attacked Fan Zhongyan and Ouyang Xiu as "party member" in order to oppose the political reform. Fan Zhongyan was demoted for speaking frankly, and Ouyang Xiu argued in court to save him. Only Gao Ruoyi, the admonisher at that time, thought that Fan Zhongyan should be demoted. Ouyang Xiu wrote a letter to Gao Ruoyi, accusing Gao Ruoyi of not knowing that there is still shame in the world. Gao Ruoyi forwarded this letter to the authorities, and as a result, Ouyang Xiu and even Fan Zhongyan were demoted. Some ministers were also demoted for trying to save Fan Zhongyan. At that time, some ministers regarded Fan Zhongyan and Ouyang Xiu as cronies. Later, Fan Zhongyan and Ouyang Xiu were recalled to the imperial court and entrusted with important tasks. Ouyang Xiu was an admonition officer at that time. In order to refute this statement and defend himself, he wrote an essay in Li Qing for four years (1044), which gave Xia Song and others a firm response. The famous political article "On Partisans" is also of great fighting significance in the struggle between reformists and conservatives.

Ouyang Xiu lost his father when he was a child and his family was poor. He studied hard and became a scholar. Later, he served as deputy envoy of the Tang Dynasty and participated in government affairs. Because he impeached his political opponents Xia Song and Lv Yijian, he was maliciously attacked by his political opponents' circle of friends. He was accused by his political opponents of cliques and cronies in the court, so he was repeatedly dismissed from office and demoted, and his career was destroyed. Ouyang Xiu was so angry that he wrote this heroic article, which was a theoretical liquidation of his political opponents and a lump in his chest.