Zhu Xi
In 1179, after not serving in an official capacity since 1156, Zhu Xi was appointed Prefect of Nankang Military District (南康軍), where he revived White Deer Grotto Academy. and got demoted three years later for attacking the incompetency and corruption of some influential officials. There were several instances of receiving an appointment and subsequently being demoted. Upon dismissal from his last appointment, he was accused of numerous crimes and a petition was made for his execution. Much of this opposition was headed by Han Tuozhou, the Prime Minister, who was a political rival of Zhu's. Even though his teachings had been severely attacked by establishment figures, almost a thousand brave people attended his funeral. After the death of Han Tuozhou, Zhu's successor Zhen Dexiu, together with Wei Liaoweng, made Zhu's branch of Neo-Confucianism the dominant philosophy at the Song Court.
Mo Xi
Mo Xi (), also called Mei Xi 妹喜, was the concubine of Jie 桀, the last ruler of the legendary Xia dynasty 夏 (trad. c. 2070 – c. 1600 BCE). According to tradition, Mo Xi, Da Ji 妲己 (the concubine of the last ruler of Shang) and Bao Si 褒姒 (the concubine of the last ruler of Western Zhou) are each blamed for the fall of these respective dynasties. According to the "Wu Yue chunqiu" 吳越春秋 (Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue) “Xia fell because of Mo Xi; Yin (Shang) fell because of Da Ji; Zhou fell because of Bao Si” (夏亡以妹喜，殷亡以妲己，周亡以褒姒). Neither Mo Xi nor the Lake of Alcohol, with which she is associated, is mentioned in the story of Jie and the fall of Xia in the "Shiji" 史記 (Records of the Grand Historian).