Translation of "промеж" in English

В то время промеж знати было также много учёных невысокого происхождения, которые подвизались в дебатах - как, например, ученики Сюнь-цзы, книги которых заполнили мир.

At that time in the courts of the feudal lords there were many scholars who engaged in discrimination, such as the followers of Xun Kuang, who wrote books that were disseminated throughout the whole world.