A thousand years later, during the Sung dynasty, when the Sung emperor Chen-tsung, a deep believer in Taoism, went to Tai Mountain to worship nature and cultivate himself, the three censors manifested themselves to act as his guardians. Besides feeling profound gratitude, Chen-tsung also appointed them as the Lordly Magistrates of heaven, earth, and water.
到了一千多年後的宋朝，篤信道教的宋真宗在泰山封禪（祭拜天地）時，三人曾顯靈護衛，宋真宗感恩之餘，就將他們封為天、地、水三官。