In the first year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1522), after the provincial examination, it was the first.

In the second year of Jiajing (A.D. 1523), he was a scholar, taught the Ministry of War as a master, and wrote the Nine Realms Map, which became famous for a while. When Zhang Fujing was in power, Zheng Xiao was elected as an academician. Zheng Xiao should not have gone home after his father died. When Xu Zan was appointed minister of the official department, Zheng Xiao, who was appointed as a doctor, was transferred to the official department. Because Zheng Xiao dismissed Qiao You and more than a dozen other people who were closely related to Yan Song, and opposed Yan Shifan, the son of Yan Song, as Shang Baocheng, Yan Song was dissatisfied and was demoted as a fellow state. Soon, he was transferred to TaiFuCheng, serving as TaiChangQing and right assistant minister of punishments, and was transferred to Cao Yun, right assistant minister of Ministry of War and vice governor of the capital. When the Japanese invaded Jianghuai, the grain transportation was blocked, and Tongzhou people took refuge in the Japanese as traitors, and Zheng Xiaoxian rewarded them. He also recruited salt people as soldiers, fortified ports such as Taizhou and Guazhou, and defeated the Japanese in Tongzhou, Rugao and Haimen. Finally, more than 900 people around Langshan were annihilated.

Gong called him the left assistant minister of the official department, and later he was promoted to the Nanjing official department. Because of his familiarity with the military, he was appointed as an assistant to the imperial and military affairs of Youdu. During the expedition to the Ministry of War in Bai Yang, Zheng Xiao was transferred to the Ministry of War. Ren Xuan, minister of punishments. Strict prison, heavy code and wide leave, each with opposition. At first, the lawsuits of Beijing military and civilians must be submitted to the General Political Department before being decided by the Legal Department. Later, due to Yan Song's misconduct, all departments failed to comply with this provision. Zheng Xiao proposed that it should be implemented according to the original regulations, and had a dispute with Zheng Cunren, the patrol advisor. Yan Song was possessed by evil spirits. Taking advantage of the gap between imperial edicts and imperial edicts, he pretended to ask Xian to step down, which aroused the dissatisfaction of Emperor Jiajing and finally left for home.