Historical Record
Concerning the historical material on Zhao Zhong, no clear record has yet been found in the *Records of the Three Kingdoms* or other official histories. His life, official career, and specific role in history are therefore absent at the level of the official histories. This indicates that Zhao Zhong may not have been a central figure in actual history, or that his activities were not recorded in detail by the historians. For lack of historical support, we cannot offer an objective appraisal or depiction of him from the standpoint of historical fact.
In the Novel
In the literary work *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, Zhao Zhong, as one of the "Ten Attendants," is shaped into a representative of the eunuchs who threw the court into disorder. He banded together in wickedness with Zhang Rang, Feng Xu, Duan Gui, Cao Jie, Hou Lan, Jian Shuo, Cheng Kuang, Xia Yun, Guo Sheng, and others c:6433, together forming the core power of political corruption at the end of the Eastern Han. The novel, through a series of ill omens — a black serpent coiling on the imperial throne, great thunder and rain, earthquakes and tidal waves, a hen turning into a cock, and the like — lays the groundwork for the eunuchs' misrule c:6433. The Court Gentleman for Consultation Cai Yong once submitted a memorial speaking plainly, pointing out that these calamities and anomalies were brought on by "women and eunuchs meddling in government," but his loyal words were stolen and reported by Cao Jie, and in the end Cai Yong was framed and sent back to his native fields c:6433. Zhao Zhong, Zhang Rang, and the others deeply enjoyed the emperor's trust — especially Zhang Rang, whom Emperor Ling called "Foster Father" — so that they could manipulate the government, causing the hearts of all under heaven to turn to rebellion and bandits to rise in swarms c:6433. In the novel, Zhao Zhong's appearances are concentrated in Chapters 1, 2, and 3; although the specific episodes are few, his very existence as one of the "Ten Attendants" symbolizes the darkness and decay of late-Han politics and makes him one of the important instigators of the great chaos under heaven. The novel's depiction of Zhao Zhong is more a part of a collective image than an independent portrayal of his personal deeds, standing in sharp contrast with his being unrecorded in the histories and highlighting the literary work's re-creation of historical figures and the symbolic significance it confers.
Key Relationships
* Ten Attendants: Zhao Zhong was one of the core members of the "Ten Attendants" group c:6433. This eunuch faction is portrayed in *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* as a body that monopolized the government and brought ruin upon the state and people, their existence directly causing the decline of the Eastern Han dynasty and the great chaos under heaven. As one of them, Zhao Zhong, together with Zhang Rang, Cao Jie, and others, formed a screen over the emperor and a stranglehold on the government.
* Emperor Ling of Han: As one of the "Ten Attendants," Zhao Zhong, with Zhang Rang and the others, deeply enjoyed Emperor Ling's favor c:6433. Emperor Ling's indulgence and trust in them was the key factor in the growth of the eunuchs' power and directly hastened the process of the Eastern Han dynasty's fall.
* Cai Yong: Cai Yong was framed for speaking plainly of "women and eunuchs meddling in government," and in this the "Ten Attendants," Zhao Zhong among them, played their part in fanning the flames c:6433 (novel-only). Cai Yong's fate embodies the eunuch faction's persecution of the loyal and worthy and its suppression of the upright spirit at court.
Signature Scenes
* The "Ten Attendants" banding together in wickedness, throwing the government into disorder and ruining the state: At the opening of *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, a series of natural and man-made calamities is attributed to "women and eunuchs meddling in government," and it is then clearly stated that Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, and the other "Ten Attendants" banded together in wickedness, so that the government grew daily worse, the hearts of all under heaven turned to rebellion, and bandits rose in swarms c:6433. This scene is the most important background to Zhao Zhong's appearance in the novel, directly establishing his image as a treacherous minister and revealing the root of late-Han political corruption.
* Framing the loyal and worthy Cai Yong: Although the direct executor was Cao Jie, Cai Yong's being framed and sent back to his native fields for submitting a memorial speaking plainly of "women and eunuchs meddling in government" is an embodiment of the "Ten Attendants" doing evil together, and Zhao Zhong, as one of them, was without doubt a participant in and beneficiary of this unjust act c:6433 (novel-only). This scene highlights the eunuch faction's persecution of dissent and its undermining of the court order.
* Honored and trusted by the emperor, holding sway over the court: In the novel, Emperor Ling's honor and trust in the eunuchs such as Zhang Rang — even calling Zhang Rang "Foster Father" — allowed Zhao Zhong and the other "Ten Attendants" to hold sway over the court and manipulate the political situation c:6433. Although this depiction does not directly portray Zhao Zhong's personal conduct, as one of the "Ten Attendants" he was without doubt a beneficiary and upholder of this power structure, symbolizing the collective corruption of the eunuch faction and its usurpation of imperial authority.
Relationships
0 relationships
无
Chapters1 回 ▸
- 演ch.1
Inner monologues · AI-generated1 段 ▸
- I, Zhao Zhong, served within the palace, constantly attending the emperor at his side. On the fifteenth day of the fourt