Ma Zhou was the legendary figure in history who made Li Shimin exclude chicken from the category of "meat."
Originally, His Majesty Li Er, in order to combat corruption and to avoid wasting resources, issued an order: When the Imperial Censor inspects various places, extravagant waste is prohibited, and eating meat is forbidden!
It's similar to today's various restrictions on entertaining officials, only the Tang Dynasty was poor, and eating meat was considered a luxury.
But Ma Zhou happened to be a foodie, believing that wine and meat were part of life's meaning, making it impossible for him to quit.
Just imagine, someone so poor that they had to pawn clothes to buy wine and meat—could he eat vegetarian?
Therefore, during his time as an Imperial Censor inspecting the land, he continued to drink wine and eat chicken daily; he could not neglect his appetite.
This matter soon drew attention from those who disapproved of Ma Zhou's rapid rise and sought to expose him.
