diff --git a/.github/workflows/main.yml b/.github/workflows/main.yml
index b6b757db..5f104963 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/main.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/main.yml
@@ -114,6 +114,7 @@ jobs:
             python${{ matrix.python }}-tox,
             gcc-core,
             gcc-g++,
+            zlib-devel,
             ncompress
             git
       - name: Run tests
diff --git a/distutils/command/check.py b/distutils/command/check.py
index 58b3f949..2eb72b45 100644
--- a/distutils/command/check.py
+++ b/distutils/command/check.py
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ def _check_rst_data(self, data):
         document.note_source(source_path, -1)
         try:
             parser.parse(data, document)
-        except AttributeError as e:
+        except (AttributeError, TypeError) as e:
             reporter.messages.append((
                 -1,
                 f'Could not finish the parsing: {e}.',
diff --git a/distutils/compat/py38.py b/distutils/compat/py38.py
index 2d442111..03ec73ef 100644
--- a/distutils/compat/py38.py
+++ b/distutils/compat/py38.py
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ def removeprefix(self, prefix):
             return self[len(prefix) :]
         else:
             return self[:]
+
 else:
 
     def removesuffix(self, suffix):
diff --git a/distutils/tests/test_build_ext.py b/distutils/tests/test_build_ext.py
index 6c4c4ba8..f88d216c 100644
--- a/distutils/tests/test_build_ext.py
+++ b/distutils/tests/test_build_ext.py
@@ -1,13 +1,16 @@
 import contextlib
+import glob
 import importlib
-import os
+import os.path
 import platform
 import re
 import shutil
 import site
+import subprocess
 import sys
 import tempfile
 import textwrap
+import time
 from distutils import sysconfig
 from distutils.command.build_ext import build_ext
 from distutils.core import Distribution
@@ -55,6 +58,9 @@ def user_site_dir(request):
     site.USER_BASE = orig_user_base
     build_ext.USER_BASE = orig_user_base
 
+    if sys.platform == 'cygwin':
+        time.sleep(1)
+
 
 @contextlib.contextmanager
 def safe_extension_import(name, path):
@@ -90,11 +96,35 @@ class TestBuildExt(TempdirManager):
     def build_ext(self, *args, **kwargs):
         return build_ext(*args, **kwargs)
 
-    def test_build_ext(self):
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("copy_so", [False])
+    def test_build_ext(self, copy_so):
         missing_compiler_executable()
         copy_xxmodule_c(self.tmp_dir)
         xx_c = os.path.join(self.tmp_dir, 'xxmodule.c')
         xx_ext = Extension('xx', [xx_c])
+        if sys.platform != "win32":
+            if not copy_so:
+                xx_ext = Extension(
+                    'xx',
+                    [xx_c],
+                    library_dirs=['/usr/lib'],
+                    libraries=['z'],
+                    runtime_library_dirs=['/usr/lib'],
+                )
+            elif sys.platform == 'linux':
+                libz_so = {
+                    os.path.realpath(name) for name in glob.iglob('/usr/lib*/libz.so*')
+                }
+                libz_so = sorted(libz_so, key=lambda lib_path: len(lib_path))
+                shutil.copyfile(libz_so[-1], '/tmp/libxx_z.so')
+
+                xx_ext = Extension(
+                    'xx',
+                    [xx_c],
+                    library_dirs=['/tmp'],
+                    libraries=['xx_z'],
+                    runtime_library_dirs=['/tmp'],
+                )
         dist = Distribution({'name': 'xx', 'ext_modules': [xx_ext]})
         dist.package_dir = self.tmp_dir
         cmd = self.build_ext(dist)
@@ -113,10 +143,13 @@ def test_build_ext(self):
             sys.stdout = old_stdout
 
         with safe_extension_import('xx', self.tmp_dir):
-            self._test_xx()
+            self._test_xx(copy_so)
+
+        if sys.platform == 'linux' and copy_so:
+            os.unlink('/tmp/libxx_z.so')
 
     @staticmethod
-    def _test_xx():
+    def _test_xx(copy_so):
         import xx
 
         for attr in ('error', 'foo', 'new', 'roj'):
@@ -131,6 +164,28 @@ def _test_xx():
         assert isinstance(xx.Null(), xx.Null)
         assert isinstance(xx.Str(), xx.Str)
 
+        if sys.platform == 'linux':
+            so_headers = subprocess.check_output(
+                ["readelf", "-d", xx.__file__], universal_newlines=True
+            )
+            import pprint
+
+            pprint.pprint(so_headers)
+            rpaths = [
+                rpath
+                for line in so_headers.split("\n")
+                if "RPATH" in line or "RUNPATH" in line
+                for rpath in line.split()[2][1:-1].split(":")
+            ]
+            if not copy_so:
+                pprint.pprint(rpaths)
+                # Linked against a library in /usr/lib{,64}
+                assert "/usr/lib" not in rpaths and "/usr/lib64" not in rpaths
+            else:
+                # Linked against a library in /tmp
+                assert "/tmp" in rpaths
+                # The import is the real test here
+
     def test_solaris_enable_shared(self):
         dist = Distribution({'name': 'xx'})
         cmd = self.build_ext(dist)
diff --git a/distutils/unixccompiler.py b/distutils/unixccompiler.py
index 7e68596b..b04359a5 100644
--- a/distutils/unixccompiler.py
+++ b/distutils/unixccompiler.py
@@ -148,6 +148,20 @@ class UnixCCompiler(CCompiler):
         dylib_lib_extension = ".dll"
         dylib_lib_format = "cyg%s%s"
 
+    def _fix_lib_args(self, libraries, library_dirs, runtime_library_dirs):
+        """Remove standard library path from rpath"""
+        libraries, library_dirs, runtime_library_dirs = super()._fix_lib_args(
+            libraries, library_dirs, runtime_library_dirs
+        )
+        libdir = sysconfig.get_config_var('LIBDIR')
+        if (
+            runtime_library_dirs
+            and libdir.startswith("/usr/lib")
+            and (libdir in runtime_library_dirs)
+        ):
+            runtime_library_dirs.remove(libdir)
+        return libraries, library_dirs, runtime_library_dirs
+
     def preprocess(
         self,
         source,