Lü Meng
Lü Meng was from Fupo County (富陂縣), Runan Commandery (汝南郡), which is located southeast of present-day Funan County, Anhui. His family migrated to the south of the Yangtze River when Lü Meng was young. Lü Meng lived with his brother-in-law, Deng Dang (鄧當), who served as a military officer under Sun Ce. When he was 14 or 15, he secretly followed Deng Dang to the battles against the Shanyue tribes. Deng Dang was shocked to see his teenage brother-in-law in battle, so he scolded Lü Meng and warned him to stop. Lü Meng refused to listen so Deng Dang told Lü Meng's mother about this. When she wanted to punish him, Lü Meng said: "It is difficult to survive in poverty. If we can prove ourselves through hard work, then wealth will come eventually. How can we catch the tiger cub if we don't enter the tiger's den?" Lü Meng's mother sighed and let him have his way.
Miao Jinqing
Miao Jinqing was born in 685, during the first reign of Emperor Ruizong. His family was from Lu Prefecture (潞州, roughly modern Changzhi, Shanxi) and traced its ancestry to the royal clan of Chu, a state of the Warring States period. His ancestors had been Confucian scholars for generations. His grandfather Miao Kui (苗夔) was known for having refused appointment to civil service. His father Miao Daishu (苗殆庶) did serve as an official, but only reached the office of secretary general of Longmen County (龍門, in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi). Miao Jinqing himself was known for studiousness in his youth, and he was able to pass the imperial examinations, allowing him to enter civil service.