During the reign of Emperor Ling of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the eunuch Zhang Rang wielded immense power, virtually controlling the imperial court. Meng Ta, who had been unsuccessful in securing an official post, resorted to bribing Zhang Rang's household supervisor with his entire personal wealth.

The supervisor, intrigued, asked Meng Ta what he desired. Meng Ta's request was unusual: he simply asked the supervisor to bow to him in public. People who came seeking favors from Zhang Rang witnessed this spectacle, mistakenly believing that Meng Ta had a strong personal connection with the powerful eunuch.

Consequently, they began to approach Meng Ta for assistance instead. Seizing this opportunity, Meng Ta then 'borrowed flowers to present to the Buddha' ", meaning he leveraged the valuable gifts he received from these supplicants, added some rare presents of his own, and topped it off with a hu (an ancient unit of measure) of fine wine, successfully obtaining the post of Governor of Liangzhou.