During the reign of Emperor An of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the emperor deeply favored his wet nurse, Wang Sheng. Her daughter, Wang Borong, relying on her mother's influence, joined her in meddling with state affairs and acting lawlessly, which stirred resentment among upright court officials.
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the upright official Yang Zhen, serving as Minister over the Masses, was known for his integrity and hatred of corruption. He submitted a memorial to Emperor An of Han, stating: "Your Majesty, evil forces now run rampant at court, and this is largely due to your favor toward your wet nurse, Wang Sheng, who has become their patron. Though she has served you for many years with hard work, the rewards she has received far exceed her merits. Yet, she is insatiably greedy, colludes with wicked ministers, disrupts the realm, and corrupts the government. Her daughter freely enters and leaves the palace, attracting scoundrels like moths to a flame. Therefore, Your Majesty should immediately forbid the wet nurse's daughter from entering the palace and banish Wang Sheng from the court."
However, Emperor An of Han dismissed this as unimportant and instead enfeoffed Wang Borong's husband, Liu Gui, as a marquis, which only emboldened the mother and daughter, Wang Sheng and Wang Borong, to become even more arrogant.
Yang Zhen could no longer bear it and soon submitted a memorial, saying, "Your Majesty has enfeoffed Liu Gui, who has no merit, as a marquis. This violates the rules established by Your Majesty's ancestors. Rewarding without merit confuses right and wrong, muddles the clear and the foul. The entire social climate will be corrupted. I implore Your Majesty to reconsider."
However, Emperor An of Han ignored Yang Zhen's advice
Yang Zhen, filled with grief and indignation, drank poisoned wine and took his own life.
Later, the idiom "Confusing Black and White" came to be used to describe reversing right and wrong and creating chaos.
Source: *Book of the Later Han*, "Biography of Yang Zhen"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "黑白混淆" came to describe reversing right and wrong and creating chaos.