Gao Huan
Later, when Zu served on the staff of Gao Huan's heir apparent Gao Cheng, he stole volumes from the book "Hualin Pianlüe" (華林遍略) and sold them for money so that he could gamble. He also embezzled from the imperial granary. Both Gao Cheng and Gao Huan were angry, and they whipped him and sentenced him to hard labor. At that time, however, a new Buddhist temple that Gao Huan had commissioned, the Dingguo Temple (定國寺), was completed. When Gao Huan asked Chen and Wen Zisheng (溫子昇) for recommendations on someone who would be able to write an appropriate text for the dedication tablet, Chen recommended Zu. Gao Huan ordered Zu to write the dedication text, and Zu completed a beautifully written text within two days. On account of the well-written text and the speed in which it was written, Gao Huan retracted the sentence of hard labor, but still removed him from his post.