Background
It is not known when Zhou Xing was born, but it is known that he was from Chang'an County (長安), one of the two counties making up the Tang Dynasty capital Chang'an. He studied law in his youth, and as of the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang he was serving as the magistrate of Heyang County (河陽, in modern Jiaozuo, Henan). Zhou became known for his abilities, and was summoned to the capital, as Emperor Gaozong was considering promoting him. However, someone submitted a letter to Emperor Gaozong, pointing out that Zhou had not passed imperial examinations, and Emperor Gaozong thereafter changed his idea about promoting Zhou. However, Zhou was not aware of this, and he repeatedly visited the government officials, awaiting a promotion. The chancellors said nothing to him, but eventually Wei Xuantong told him, "Magistrate Zhou, you may go." Zhou thereafter believed that Wei was the one who blocked his promotion, and hated Wei immensely.
Read more about this topic: Zhou Xing (Tang Dynasty)
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