Huang-Lao recluse Wang Sheng never took office and aided his friend Zhang Shizhi, a just judge. He advised Zhang to reconcile with Emperor Jing. At court, he bade Zhang kneel to tie his sock, intentionally boosting Zhang’s reputation for humility before all ministers.
This article tells Eastern Han’s tragic tale of integrity amid decline. It features Ban Chao’s frontier service, Cai Lun’s paper invention, and Yang Zhen’s famous “Heaven knows, earth knows” stand against bribery. After Empress Deng’s death, corrupt eunuchs and clans seized power, executing upright officials and dooming the dynasty.
The pursuit of Daoist cultivation is a recurring theme in classical Chinese literature. For instance, Journey to the West’s Sun Wukong voyages to the Spirit Terrace, Square-Inch Mountain seeking immortality from Patriarch Subodhi (Subhuti).