Wang Xizhi is a "book saint", and there are two "sub-saints" under him, namely Yan Zhenqing and Zhao Ziang. However, the evaluation of "supreme sage" is usually undisputed, while the status of "sub-sage" is often influenced by social values and ruler preferences, and the Confucian evaluation of "sub-sage" has undergone a transition from Yan to Mencius.
Yan Zhenqing was not highly regarded before the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty, and even received some criticism, while his teacher Liu Gongquan was considered the "first person" at that time. In the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty, the "Old Tang Book: The Biography of Yan Zhenqing" only briefly commented on its calligraphy "You Gongshu". However, Yan Zhenqing's status gradually improved, and by the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty, the New Tang Dynasty Book gave high praise to his calligraphy. During the Southern Song Dynasty, he was regarded as the perfect calligrapher and became a role model in people's minds.
Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy is highly regarded, mainly because of his high morality. Zhu Xi, a physicist in the Southern Song Dynasty, once admonished his students to "learn calligraphy in a proper manner", and cited Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy as an example. When Zhu Xi and Liu Gongfu learned calligraphy, Zhu Xi imitated Cao Cao's calligraphy, while Liu Gongfu learned Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy. Although Zhu Xi ridiculed Yan Zhenqing's handwriting for not being elegant enough, Liu Gongfu believed that Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy was a model for loyal ministers.
Zhao Ziang, as another "sub-saint", was affected because of the values of loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness. Although he held an official position in the Yuan dynasty as a descendant of the Song royal family, he was accused of changing principles. However, with the Yuan court's attention to him and the increase in the social influence of the Jiangnan literati group, Zhao Ziang's status gradually improved, and the atmosphere of "worshipping the king" in the past gradually changed to "worshipping Zhao".