Descendant of hermit Liang Hong, erudite Zhi Xun taught many scholars and wed his daughter to talented Ma Rong. Highly commended by ministers, he rejected multiple imperial summons and lived out his secluded life with an untainted reputation.
Zheng Xuan (127–200 CE) was a preeminent Confucian classicist of the Eastern Han dynasty. His courtesy name was Kangcheng, and he was a native of Gaomi, Beihai Commandery (in present-day Gaomi, Shandong).
When asked who the wisest man in Romance of the Three Kingdoms is, most would instantly answer Zhuge Liang. Yet there exists a figure—mentioned only briefly in the original text—who was not merely a scholar, but a mastermind whose influence shaped the course of history, despite never wielding a sword or commanding an army.