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Zhong Yao, courtesy name Yuanchang, was a native of Changsha County, Yingchuan Prefecture. He was an important official and calligrapher of Cao Wei during the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period.

Zhong Yao was recommended as a filial and honest official in his early years and served as a secretary. Soon after, he was appointed as the magistrate of Yangling County, but resigned due to illness.

Later, Zhong Yao was hired by the Three Dukes' Palace as an aide, and also served as the Chief Justice and the Imperial Court Assistant Minister.

In the third year of Chuping, Li Jue and Guo Si rebelled, and Cao Cao, the governor of Yanzhou, sent envoys to Chang'an to pay tribute. Zhong Yao persuaded Li Jue and Guo Si to accept Cao Cao, and secretly helped Emperor Xian of Han leave Chang'an.

Cao Cao welcomed Emperor Xian of Han and moved the capital to Xuchang. Zhong Yao was appointed Chief Censor, and was later promoted to Palace Attendant and Minister of the Chancellery, and was granted the title of Marquis of Dongwuting.

Ma Teng and Han Sui led troops to rebel in Guanzhong. Cao Cao recommended Zhong Yao to act as the Inspector of the Imperial Guards and go to Guanzhong to pacify the rebellion. Zhong Yao wrote to Ma Teng and Han Sui to explain the pros and cons, and the two men submitted to the court.

"Later, Zhong Yao led his troops to quell the rebellion in Hedong County, beheaded Guo Yuan, and subdued the Xiongnu Chanyu."

"When Cao Cao conquered Hanzhong, Zhong Yao was appointed as the front military advisor."

"When the Cao Wei regime was established, Zhong Yao served as Dali and was later promoted to Xiangguo;"

"A few years later, Zhong Yao was dismissed from his post because of a rebellion by his subordinate, Wei Feng, a member of the Western Cao.

"In the 25th year of Jian'an, Cao Cao died, Cao Pi succeeded him, and Zhong Yao was reinstated as Dali;"

"When Cao Pi became emperor, Zhong Yao was appointed as the Minister of Justice and was promoted to the title of Marquis of Chonggao Township;"

"Soon after, he was promoted to Grand Commandant, ranked among the Three Dukes, and was granted the title of Marquis of Pingyang Township."

"When Emperor Ming of Wei, Cao Rui, succeeded to the throne, Zhong Yao was promoted to Marquis of Dingling and the position of Grand Tutor."

"In the fourth year of Taihe, Zhong Yao died at the age of seventy-nine. He was posthumously named Chenghou, and his son Zhong Yu inherited the title."

"In the fourth year of Zhengshi, Zhong Yao was enshrined in the temple of Cao Cao, the Emperor Wu of Wei."

"Zhong Yao was an important official of the Cao Wei Dynasty and served three dynasties. Cao Cao, Cao Pi and Cao Rui all spoke highly of him."

"Zhong Yao and the Three Kingdoms period calligrapher Hu Zhao are known as 'Hu Fei and Zhong Shou', and he is also known as 'Zhong Wang' together with the Eastern Jin Dynasty calligrapher Wang Xizhi."

"He had great achievements in calligraphy, and was good at official script and regular script. He was regarded as the "ancestor of regular script". Zhong Yao, Zhang Zhi, Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi were collectively known as the "Four Sages of Calligraphy". "

"Yuan Ang, a calligraphy theorist during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, commented on Zhong Yao's calligraphy as "dense and beautiful, like flying geese playing in the sea and dancing cranes flying in the sky". His calligraphy includes "Five Tablets", "Six Posts" and "Three Stele Tablets" handed down from generation to generation."

"Zhong Yao was the first person in the history of calligraphy to establish the regular script, breaking away from the Han Dynasty's official script style, and played an important role in promoting the development of Chinese calligraphy art in later generations."

"Zhong Yao was from Changsha County, Yingchuan Prefecture (now northeast of Changge, Henan). When he was a child, he went to Luoyang with his clan uncle Zhong Yu. On the way, he met a fortune teller who said that Zhong Yao had the appearance of being rich and noble, but he should be careful of bad luck on the water."

"After walking less than ten miles, the horse got startled when crossing a bridge, and Zhong Yao fell into the river and nearly drowned."

"Zhong Yu thought the fortune teller's prediction was accurate, so he valued Zhong Yao even more and provided him with financial support so that he could concentrate on his studies."

"Later, Zhong Yao was recommended as a filial and honest official and served as a secretary and magistrate of Yangling County, but resigned due to illness."

"After that, Zhong Yao was hired by the Three Dukes' Office and served as the Chief Justice and the Imperial Court Assistant Minister."

"In the third year of Chuping, Emperor Xian of Han was in Chang'an. Li Jue, Guo Si and others led their troops to capture Chang'an City, took the opportunity to cause chaos, and cut off contact with the Guandong region."

"Cao Cao was appointed governor of Yanzhou and sent an envoy to Chang'an to pay tribute and submit a letter."

"Li Jue, Guo Si and others believed that the Guandong region wanted to establish its own emperor, and Cao Cao sent an envoy with no sincerity;"

"He planned to detain the envoy sent by Cao Cao and reject his good intentions."

"Zhong Yao advised Li Jue and Guo Si that if they rejected Cao Cao's offer of tribute, it would cut off the hope of others joining the court."

"Li Jue and Guo Si adopted Zhong Yao's advice and treated Cao Cao generously. From then on, Cao Cao was able to communicate with the court."

"Cao Cao had heard Xun Yu praise Zhong Yao many times, and when he learned that he persuaded Li Jue and Guo Si, he admired him even more."

"Later, Li Jue coerced Emperor Xian of Han, and Zhong Yao and Shang Shu Lang Han Bin conspired together to finally allow Emperor Xian of Han to leave Chang'an."

"In the first year of Jian'an, Cao Cao welcomed the emperor and moved the capital to Xuchang."

"Zhong Yao was appointed as the Chief Censor for his meritorious service in protecting the emperor, and was soon promoted to the positions of Palace Attendant and Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and was granted the title of Marquis of Dongwuting."

"In the second year of Jian'an (197 AD), the generals in Guanzhong, such as Ma Teng and Han Sui, each led their own troops and attacked each other."

"Cao Cao was busy dealing with Lu Bu and Yuan Shao, and was deeply worried about the rebellion in Guanzhong, but he was powerless to deal with it."

Li Bai: The establishment of Cao Wei's power was inseparable from many former officials of the Han Dynasty. They all believed at the beginning that Cao Cao would choose to support the emperor and was a loyal official who would restore the Han Dynasty.
After all, Cao Cao was the only one in the world at that time who sent troops to welcome the emperor, and Cao Cao had been an official in Luoyang in his early years and had a good reputation.

Later, as Liu Xie wanted to gain power, he fought against Cao Cao. With some small moves and Cao Cao's increasing achievements, he had no way to retreat.

Cao Cao left Luoyang and went to Yecheng. At this time, the ministers also saw it and divided into two factions. One faction was Xun Yu who continued to protect Liu Xie.

The other group took advantage of the situation and supported Cao Cao. The most famous one among them was Zhong Yao, who was very good at calligraphy.

He also had a son named Zhong Hui, who is well-known to later generations. In fact, he also made great contributions to Cao Wei.

Zhong Yao, courtesy name Yuanchang, was born in Yingchuan. When he was young, he was handsome and intelligent. When he went to Luoyang with his uncle, he met a strange man.
He said that he was heading for wealth and honor, but now he was doomed to be drowned by water, so he should walk carefully. Then he left.

As a result, when the two men walked ten miles to the bridge, Zhong Yao's horse panicked and threw Zhong Yao into the water.
When his uncle saw that his fortune had come true, he believed that he would have a great future, so he gave him financial support so that he could concentrate on his studies.

Later, he was selected as a filial and honest official. Not long after serving in the court, he resigned due to illness. A few years later, he was summoned again. At that time, the Han Dynasty was in the midst of the chaos in Chang'an caused by Li Jue and Guo Si.
Emperor Xian of Han was worried and didn't know what to do, so he asked people around him for advice. At that time, the emperor was in the hands of Li Jue and Guo Si.
It was only after Xun Yu's advice that Cao Cao realized that the key point lay in Zhong Yao's hands, so he made friends with Zhong Yao and let him act as a go-between. In the end, Li Jue and Guo Si did not refuse Cao Cao's tribute to the emperor and sending envoys to communicate.

The conflict between Li Jue and Guo Si intensified, and they wanted to coerce the emperor. Liu Xie was also smart, and under the protection of a group of old ministers, he left Chang'an and returned to Luoyang.
Zhong Yao played a very important role in this, for which he was appointed Chief Censor and was also granted the title of Marquis of Dongwu Pavilion. This shows how quickly one can be promoted for his meritorious service in protecting the emperor.

Later, Cao Cao was busy competing with Yuan Shao for supremacy, but his territory was surrounded by enemies. It was easier for others to deal with it, as Guanzhong was a place with many forces. Xun Yu was a man of great insight and thought that Zhong Yao had a good relationship with Li Jue and others in his early years and had a good reputation in Guanzhong, so he sent him to Chang'an.

Let him play the role of a middleman and unite many forces. Even if he cannot pacify Guanzhong, at least he can stabilize the situation and make it easier for us to fight Yuan Shao.
Cao Cao agreed with this, so Zhong Yao was appointed as the Minister of the Interior and stationed in Guanzhong, commanding many troops.

After arriving in Chang'an, Zhong Yao wrote letters to Ma Teng, Han Sui and others, explaining their feelings, reason and benefits. So they both sent a son to the court as a hostage to show their loyalty.

Although Guanzhong was not pacified, it can be said that Cao Cao's rear was generally stabilized. In 200, during the Battle of Guandu, Zhong Yao was able to provide 2000 horses to Cao Cao, which really made Cao Cao excited.
He was even given achievements comparable to those of Xiao He, which shows how urgent the stability of Guanzhong was to Boss Cao at the time.

"Xun Yu recommended Zhong Yao to Cao Cao to pacify Guanzhong. Cao Cao then submitted a petition to the court to dispatch Zhong Yao as the acting lieutenant of Sili, holding a staff of authority and supervising the various armies in Guanzhong."

"Cao Cao entrusted all the affairs of Guanzhong to Zhong Yao, and also gave him the power to handle official affairs temporarily without asking for permission."

"When Zhong Yao arrived in Chang'an, he sent a letter to Ma Teng, Han Sui and others, explaining the benefits and harms;"

"Ma Teng and Han Sui each sent one of their sons to Xuchang as a hostage."

"In the fifth year of Jian'an, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were at a stalemate at Guandu, and Zhong Yao sent 2,000 war horses for military use."

"Cao Cao wrote back to praise Zhong Yao, saying that he had pacified Guanzhong and relieved the court of worries, and that his achievements were outstanding."

"In the seventh year of Jian'an, the Xiongnu Chanyu rebelled in Pingyang. Zhong Yao led his army to besiege him, but failed to capture the city.

"Yuan Shang also sent Hedong County Governor Guo Yuan to lead an army to rescue the Xiongnu Chanyu. The generals believed that Guo Yuan's troops were strong and planned to withdraw from Pingyang."

"Zhong Yao believed that the generals in Guanzhong were secretly communicating with Guo Yuan. If they withdrew their troops at this time, it would be a sign of weakness to the enemy, and the generals in Guanzhong would also side with Guo Yuan. "

"We cannot withdraw our troops in the current situation. If we attack the enemy while they are crossing the river, we will surely win a great victory."

"Zhang Ji persuaded Ma Teng to join the imperial army in attacking Guo Yuan. Ma Teng sent his son Ma Chao to lead an elite force to meet the enemy head-on;"

"Guo Yuan arrived with a large army and rashly ordered his soldiers to cross the Fen River. Everyone tried to dissuade him, but Guo Yuan refused to listen."

"Before half of the people crossed the river, Zhong Yao took advantage of the situation and launched an attack, defeating the enemy army, beheading Guo Yuan, and subduing the Xiongnu Chanyu."

"Later, Wei Gu, a native of Hedong County, gathered a group of people to rebel, and together with Zhang Sheng, Zhang Yan, Gao Gan and others, rebelled against the court. Zhong Yao led his army to suppress the rebellion and put it down."

"Since the emperor moved west, almost all the people in Luoyang fled. Zhong Yao moved the people in Guanzhong to Luoyang and recruited the fleeing people to supplement the population. After a few years, the number of people in Luoyang gradually increased."

"In March of the 16th year of Jian'an, Cao Cao sent Zhong Yao to attack Zhang Lu in Hanzhong, and also sent Xiahou Yuan and others, the Western Expedition Protector, to lead troops to Hedong County to join Zhong Yao."

"The generals in Guanzhong were suspicious and rebelled one after another. Cao Cao personally led a large army to suppress them and received support from the Luoyang area. Therefore, he recommended Zhong Yao as the front military advisor."

"In November of the 18th year of Jian'an, the Wei Kingdom was established and Zhong Yao was promoted to Dali."

"In the 216st year of Jian'an ( AD), Cao Cao was promoted to King of Wei and appointed Zhong Yao as Prime Minister."

"Three years later, Zhong Yao was implicated in a rebellion by his subordinate Wei Feng, a member of the Western Cao, and was dismissed by Cao Cao."

"After Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Pi, ascended the throne, he reappointed Zhong Yao as the Dali;"

"After Cao Pi became emperor, Zhong Yao was transferred to the position of Tingwei and promoted to the title of Chonggao Xianghou."

"In August of the fourth year of Huangchu (223 AD), Zhong Yao was promoted to the position of Grand Commandant and was transferred to the title of Marquis of Pingyang Township."

"In the seventh year of Huangchu (226 AD), Cao Pi died and Emperor Ming of Wei, Cao Rui, succeeded him. Zhong Yao was promoted to Marquis of Dingling and his fief was increased by households, for a total of households;"

"In December of the same year, Zhong Yao was promoted to Grand Tutor."

"At that time, Zhong Yao had a knee disease, and it was inconvenient for him to bow and stand up when attending court. The Grand Commandant Hua Xin was also old and sick. Cao Rui allowed the two of them to ride in a carriage when they met the emperor, and then be carried to the main hall by the Huben guards to sit down."

"In April of the fourth year of Taihe (230 AD), Zhong Yao died."

"Cao Rui personally went to pay his respects in mourning clothes and posthumously named him Marquis Cheng. His son Zhong Yu inherited the title."

"In addition, Zhong Yao's younger brother Zhong Yan, Zhong Yan's son Zhong Shao, and grandson Zhong Yu were all granted the title of Marquis during the reign of Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Pi."

Su Shi: When the Southern Xiongnu rebelled, Zhong Yao sent troops to besiege them. At this time, Yuan Shao's general Guo Yuan sent troops to support them.

After all, Yuan Shao had done favors for those grassland tribes, and the two sides could be said to be allies. Seeing that Yuan's army was strong, they wanted to withdraw. Zhong Yao understood.
They cannot retreat at this time. If they show weakness, many fence-sitters will defect to Yuan's army, and they will have no choice but to fight to the death. Moreover, Guo Yuan is brave but not wise. As long as he plans properly, he will still have a chance.

With the support of Ma Teng, Cao's army also had enough troops. In fact, Guo Yuan was Zhong Yao's nephew.
That's why he understood his nephew's weakness and launched a full-scale attack when Guo Yuan crossed the river, defeating Yuan's army.

The unlucky Guo Yuan was chopped to pieces by Pang De, who did not know him and the relationship between him and Zhong Yao. Zhong Yao had nothing to say.

Later, in 205, he defeated the rebellious Wei Gu, but if it were Zhong Yao's achievement, Chang'an would have prospered.

It restored the vitality of Guanzhong, which had been devastated by Dong Zhuo, Li Jue and others.

After years of Zhong Yao's governance, the army recovered its vitality. Later, when Cao Cao was conquering Ma Teng, he was very happy and recommended him as the front military advisor.

After the establishment of the Wei Kingdom, Cao Cao appointed Zhong Yao as Prime Minister. At that time, Crown Prince Cao Pi admired him very much and believed that the only one who could be the Prime Minister of the Wei Kingdom, who could be a role model for all officials and convince the people of the world was Zhong Yao.

Although he was later dismissed from office due to a conspiracy, he was reinstated after Cao Pi ascended the throne and was promoted to the title of Marquis and given a fiefdom.

He replaced Jia Xu as the Grand Commandant and became one of the Three Dukes. At that time, Cao Pi once said with emotion that the Three Dukes of this generation were so outstanding that they would probably never appear again in the future.
It can be seen that Zhong Yao had a good reputation among the scholars. After that, Zhong Yao kept a low profile and lived in Luoyang City for retirement.
So when Cao Pi died, he was not appointed as the regent, because he was Cao Cao's minister, different from Sima Yi and others, and not his own team.
After Cao Rui ascended the throne, Zhong Yao was appointed Marquis of Dingling and became the Grand Commandant. However, due to illness, he was unable to attend court.

So Cao Rui allowed him to ride in a carriage or a sedan chair, and be carried to court by guards. Over time, this became an old practice for the Three Dukes in later generations. In later generations, any of the Three Dukes who were ill or who were particularly favored by the emperor could enter the palace in this way.

After that, Zhong Yao did not make any outstanding contributions. He was more often a mascot in the court to calm people's hearts. He once participated in Cao Pi's discussion on replacing the death penalty with corporal punishment.
However, the ministers at that time all had their own opinions, and no one could convince anyone else. In addition, the country had not yet been unified, so it was impossible to implement it comprehensively. (End of this chapter)