Zhang Cang, from Yangwu, was a real bookworm who loved studying books and calendars. During the Qin Dynasty, he served as a palace official in charge of records, responsible for managing the royal archives. Later, he got himself into trouble and ran for it. When Liu Bang attacked the world, his army passed through Yangwu, and Zhang Cang joined Liu Bang's army to attack Nanyang. Zhang Cang was found guilty and sentenced to death by law, so he took off his clothes and lay on the ground waiting to die. He was a big, fat, pale guy, like a giant gourd. At that time, Wang Ling saw him and thought, "What a waste of talent!" He informed Liu Bang, who then ordered his pardon.
So Zhang Cang followed Liu Bang westward, captured Wuguan, and reached Xianyang. Liu Bang was appointed as the King of Han, entered Hanzhong, and conquered the Sanqin region. Later, Chen Yu defeated King Changshan Zhang Er, who surrendered to the Han Dynasty. Liu Bang sent Zhang Cang to guard Changshan. He then served under Han Xin, the Marquis of Huaiyin, to attack the State of Zhao, where Zhang Cang captured Chen Yu. After the State of Zhao was pacified, the King of Han appointed Zhang Cang as the Prime Minister of Dai, protecting the border from bandits. He then served as Prime Minister of Zhao, assisting King Zhang Er, and after Zhang Er's death, he continued to serve under King Zhao Ao. He later returned to his post as Prime Minister of Dai. When King Yan Zang Tu rebelled, Liu Bang personally went to suppress the rebellion. As the Prime Minister of Dai, Zhang Cang also followed Liu Bang to attack Zang Tu, proving his worth, and six years later, he was ennobled as the Marquis of Beiping, receiving a fief of 1,200 households.
Zhang Cang was later appointed as the finance minister, and a month later, as a marquis, he managed the national finances for four years. At that time, Xiao He was the Prime Minister, and Zhang Cang had been an official responsible for records since the Qin Dynasty, being very familiar with imperial records and census data. Zhang Cang was also skilled in accounting and calendrical matters, so Liu Bang had this marquis reside in the Prime Minister's office, responsible for managing the accounts of the counties and states nationwide. Later, when Qing Bu rebelled, the Han Dynasty established Prince Liu Chang as the King of Huainan, and Zhang Cang became the Prime Minister of King Huainan. Fourteen years later, Zhang Cang was promoted to Grand Master of Records.
Zhou Chang was from Pei County. His cousin was Zhou Ke, and during the Qin Dynasty, they were both low-ranking officials in Sishui. When Liu Bang rose in Pei County, he captured the county office of Sishui, and Zhou Chang and Zhou Ke followed Liu Bang. Liu Bang appointed Zhou Chang as an official in charge of documents, while Zhou Ke was just a follower. They followed Liu Bang to the capital and overthrew the Qin Dynasty. After Liu Bang was named King of Han, he appointed Zhou Ke as Grand Master of Records and Zhou Chang as Captain of the Guard.
In the fourth year of the Han King, the Chu army surrounded the city of Xingyang where Han King Liu Bang was located. In desperate times, Liu Bang fled, leaving Zhou Ke to guard Xingyang. The Chu army broke through Xingyang and wanted Zhou Ke to surrender. Zhou Ke shouted, "Surrender to the Han King! Otherwise, you will be captured today!" Xiang Yu was furious and killed Zhou Ke. So Liu Bang appointed Zhou Chang as Grand Master of Records. Zhou Chang often accompanied Liu Bang on expeditions and participated in the war against Xiang Yu. Within six years, he, Xiao He, Cao Shen, and others were made marquises: Zhou Chang was made Marquis of Fenying; Zhou Ke's son Zhou Cheng was made Marquis of Gaojing for his father's sacrifice for the country.
Zhou Chang, a powerful guy who wasn't afraid to speak his mind, even had Xiao He and Cao Shen toady to him. Once, Zhou Chang went to report to the emperor during a banquet and caught Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang canoodling with Lady Qi. After reporting, Zhou Chang quickly left, but Liu Bang caught up to him, hopped on his back, and asked, "What do you think of me as an emperor?" Zhou Chang looked up and said, "You're a total tyrant, like those guys Xia Jie and Shang Zhou!" Liu Bang laughed, but he actually feared Zhou Chang.
Later, Liu Bang wanted to dump the crown prince and make Lady Qi's son, Ruyi, the crown prince. The ministers strongly opposed, but it didn't work. It was only through Zhang Liang's strategy that the plan was temporarily halted. Zhou Chang was strongly against it at the court. When Liu Bang asked for his reasons, Zhou Chang, who usually wasn't much of a talker, was even more angry this time and said, "Look, I'm not a smooth talker, but this is wrong! Even if Your Majesty wants to dump the crown prince, I will never obey!" Liu Bang laughed upon hearing this.
After the incident, Empress Lü was eavesdropping from behind a screen and overheard Zhou Chang coming out. She quickly knelt down and thanked him, saying, "You saved the crown prince!"
Later, Lady Qi's son, Liu Ruyi, was made King of Zhao, only ten years old at the time. Emperor Liu Bang was always worried about the kid's future.
There was a young man named Zhao Yao, who was some young government official at the time. Some officials from Zhao said to Grand Councilor Zhou Chang, "Your subordinate Zhao Yao, although young, is very talented! You should give him a chance; he might even take your job someday!" Zhou Chang smiled and said, "Zhao Yao is too young, just a clerk; no way he's getting that job!"
After a period of time, Zhao Yao served Emperor Gaozu alone. Emperor Gaozu was in low spirits and began singing mournful songs. The ministers did not know what troubled the emperor. Zhao Yao took the initiative to ask, "Your Majesty, what troubles you? Is it because Prince Zhao is too young, and there are conflicts between Lady Qi and Empress Lü, worrying that Prince Zhao will be unable to protect himself after your death?" Emperor Gaozu said, "Exactly. I have been worrying about this privately, but I don't know what to do." Zhao Yao said, "Your Majesty should find a highly influential and powerful minister to assist Prince Zhao, preferably someone whom Empress Lü, the Crown Prince, and the ministers all respect." Emperor Gaozu said, "Yes! I have thought about doing that, but who among the ministers is capable?" Zhao Yao said, "Grand Secretary Zhou Chang; he is upright and incorruptible, and Empress Lü, the Crown Prince, and the ministers all respect him; he is the only one capable." Emperor Gaozu said, "Good!" So Zhou Chang was summoned and told, "I want you to help; you must assist Prince Zhao." Zhou Chang cried and said, "I have followed Your Majesty from the beginning; how can you suddenly reassign me to a vassal state?" Emperor Gaozu said, "I know this is a step down for you, but I am just too worried about Prince Zhao; I can't think of anyone else but you. You have to go!" So, Grand Secretary Zhou Chang was appointed as the Prime Minister of Prince Zhao.
After a period of time, Emperor Gaozu played with the seal of the Grand Secretary and said, "Who can serve as the Grand Secretary?" He looked around and saw Zhao Yao, saying, "Zhao Yao is irreplaceable." So Zhao Yao was appointed as the Grand Secretary. Zhao Yao, already a fief-holder for his military service, further distinguished himself during Emperor Gaozu's campaign against Chen Xi, earning him the title of Marquis of Jiangyi.
Han Gaozu died, and Empress Dowager Lu sent for Prince Zhao, but Zhao's Prime Minister Zhou Chang advised him to pretend to be sick and not go. The messenger went three times, but Zhou Chang still insisted that Zhao should not go. Empress Dowager Lu was very angry and summoned Zhou Chang. After Zhou Chang arrived and paid his respects, Empress Dowager Lu became furious and scolded him, "Don't you know that I hate the Qi family? Why didn’t you let Prince Zhao come?" After this grilling, Zhou Chang was sent to summon Prince Zhao again, and this time, Prince Zhao went to Chang'an without complaint. After staying in Chang'an for over a month, Prince Zhao was poisoned to death. Due to this incident, Zhou Chang also pretended to be sick and did not attend court, and he died three years later.
Five years later, Empress Dowager Lu heard that the Chief Justice, Zhao Yao, had once painted a portrait for Prince Zhao during Gaozu's reign, so she framed Zhao Yao for a crime and appointed Ren Ao, the Marquis of Guang'a, as the Chief Justice. Ren Ao had previously been a jailer in Pei County. He'd been close to Gaozu and despised the Empress Dowager. When Gaozu raised troops, Ren Ao followed him as a guest and became a Chief Justice, serving as a county magistrate in Feng County for two years. After Gaozu became King of Han and fought Xiang Yu in the east, Ren Ao was promoted to governor of Shangdang. During the rebellion of Chen Xi, Ren Ao defended the city and was appointed as the Marquis of Guang'a, with a fief of 1,800 households. Later, during Empress Dowager Lu's regency, he served as the Chief Justice but was dismissed three years later and replaced by the Marquis of Pingyang, Cao Zhuo. After Empress Dowager Lu's death, Ren Ao and the ministers took out Lu Lu and his crew. After being dismissed, Zhang Cang, Huainan's chancellor, took over as Chief Justice.
Zhang Cang and other nobles supported the Crown Prince as Emperor Xiao Wen. Four years later, Prime Minister Guan Ying died, and Zhang Cang rose to prominence as Prime Minister. From the establishment of the Han Dynasty to Emperor Xiao Wen's reign, it took more than twenty years for the empire to stabilize. Most of the generals and ministers were military men. When Zhang Cang was Prime Minister, he reformed the legal and calendrical systems. Because Emperor Gaozu began his reign in October, and the Qin Dynasty originally started the year in October, Zhang Cang did not make any changes. He calculated the cycles of the Five Virtues, believing that the Han Dynasty should belong to the era of Water Virtue, so he retained black as the imperial color. He standardized the musical scales and used this to formulate laws. He also standardized the measurements and various crafts' standards nationwide. It was not until he became Prime Minister that he finally completed these tasks, so the Han Dynasty's legal and calendrical systems were based on Zhang Cang's work. Zhang Cang was a voracious reader, well-versed in many fields, especially in law and calendar. He greatly respected Wang Ling, the Marquis of An. After Zhang Cang's rise to power, he treated Wang Ling like a father. After Wang Ling died, Zhang Cang became Prime Minister. Following his ablutions, he would always deliver food to Wang Ling's widow before returning home.
Zhang Cang served as Prime Minister for more than ten years. There was a man from Lu named Gongsun Chen who submitted a memorial stating that the earth virtue of the Han Dynasty was flourishing, which foretold the appearance of a yellow dragon. The Emperor then asked everyone to discuss Zhang Cang's opinion on this matter. Zhang Cang felt that this statement was incorrect, and the whole thing fizzled out. Later, the yellow dragon actually appeared in Chengji, and Emperor Wen summoned Gongsun Chen, appointed him as an official, put him in charge of developing an earth virtue calendar, and changed the era name. Prime Minister Zhang felt embarrassed by this incident, so he pretended to be ill and retired. During Zhang Cang's tenure as Prime Minister, he appointed some people as guards, who were corrupt. The Emperor blamed Zhang Cang for this, causing him to fall ill and resign. Zhang Cang served as Prime Minister for fifteen years before stepping down. Five years into Emperor Jing's reign, Zhang Cang passed away and was posthumously honored as Lord Wen. His son succeeded him as Lord Kang, but passed away eight years later. His grandson Zhang Lei succeeded as Lord, but eight years later, due to acting disrespectfully at a noble's funeral, he was stripped of his title, and the state took away his land. Zhang Cang's father was very short, less than five feet tall, but Zhang Cang grew to over eight feet tall and became a Lord and Prime Minister. His son was also tall. However, his grandson Zhang Lei was just over six feet tall and lost his marquisate due to committing a crime. After stepping down as Prime Minister, Zhang Cang grew old, lost all his teeth, could only drink milk, and had to hire a woman as a wet nurse. He kept over a hundred wives and concubines, but he stopped sleeping with the pregnant ones. Old Zhang Cang lived to be over a hundred years old before passing away.
Shentu Jia, a native of the state of Liang, was a serious player. Initially serving as a low-ranking officer following Emperor Gaozu in battles against Xiang Yu, he later rose to the rank of squad leader. He also fought against Ying Bu and was promoted to district commander. During the reign of Emperor Xiaohui, he served as the Prefect of Huaiyang. In the first year of Emperor Xiaowen's reign, the emperor enfeoffed the old ministers who had held positions of over two thousand stones during the time of Emperor Gaozu as Marquis within the Passes, each receiving twenty-four estates. However, Shentu Jia received five hundred households of estates. After Zhang Cang became Prime Minister, Shentu Jia was appointed as the Chief Inspector. When Zhang Cang resigned as Prime Minister, Emperor Xiaowen wanted to appoint the Emperor's brother-in-law Dou Guangguo as Prime Minister. However, he was concerned that people would accuse him of favoritism, as Dou Guangguo, although talented, was a member of the imperial family. With few suitable candidates left from Gaozu's era, he made Shentu Jia Prime Minister and enfeoffed him as the Marquis of Gu'an due to his merits. Jia was known for his integrity and never took bribes. At that time, the Grand Master of the Palace, Deng Tong, was highly favored by the emperor and was showered with gifts. Emperor Wen often visited Deng Tong's home for dinner, indicating his deep affection for him. Once, during a court session, Deng Tong sat next to the emperor with a very arrogant attitude. After the Prime Minister finished his report, he said, "Even if you're the Emperor's favorite, there are still rules to follow!" Emperor Wen replied, "Don't worry about it, it's just between us."
After the court session ended, Emperor Wen headed back to the palace. Jia sent for Deng Tong, but Deng Tong refused to go. Jia threatened to have him executed. Frightened, Deng Tong hurried to see Emperor Wen. Emperor Wen said, "Go ahead, I'll send someone for you." When Deng Tong arrived at the Prime Minister's residence, he doffed his hat, went barefoot, and prostrated himself, begging for mercy. Jia, however, remained seated and ignored him, rebuking him by saying, "This is the Emperor's court! You insignificant official! Your insolence in court is punishable by death! Guards, seize him!" Deng Tong continued to kowtow, hitting his head until it bled, but Jia remained unmoved. Once the Prime Minister had sufficiently punished Deng Tong, Emperor Wen sent a messenger with an imperial token to bring Deng Tong back and told the Prime Minister, "He's just a low-level official I was having some fun with. Let him go." When Deng Tong returned, he cried to Emperor Wen, "The Prime Minister nearly had me killed!"
Jia was prime minister for five years. After Emperor Xiao Wen died, Emperor Xiao Jing ascended the throne. Two years later, Chao Cuo became the Interior Minister, becoming a favorite of the emperor and always sticking his nose into everything. He wanted to change a lot of laws and weaken the princes. Prime Minister Jia hated his guts and disagreed with everything he said. The east gate was a pain, so he opened a south gate. This south gate was right next to the imperial ancestor's temple. When Jia learned of this, he used this as an excuse to accuse Chao Cuo of digging up the temple and get him killed. Chao Cuo's guests informed him of this, and fearing for his life, he snuck into the palace in the middle of the night to confess to Emperor Jing. The next day in court, the prime minister demanded Chao Cuo's head. Emperor Jing said, "Chao Cuo didn't dig the temple wall itself, just the outer wall where other officials lived. Besides, I told him to do it. He's innocent." After the court session, Jia told his chief clerk, "I shoulda killed Chao Cuo first instead of ratting him out. He totally screwed me." Upon returning home, he was so angry that he vomited blood and died. He was given the posthumous title 'Lord of Rectitude.' His son, Marquis Gong, took over but died three years later. His grandson, Marquis Hou, succeeded his title and passed away thirty-one years later. His great-grandson, Marquis Yu, succeeded his title but at the age of six, due to the bribery of the Governor of Jiujiang sending him gifts, he was implicated, and his title was revoked.
After Shentu Jia's death, during the reign of Emperor Jing, the Marquis of Kaifeng, Tao Qing, and the Marquis of Tao, Liu She, became prime ministers. During the current emperor's reign, the Marquis of Bozhi, Xu Chang, the Marquis of Pingji, Xue Ze, the Marquis of Wuqiang, Zhuang Qingzai, and the Marquis of Gaoling, Zhao Zhou, have also served as prime ministers. They all inherited the job, were pretty straight-laced, and didn't exactly leave their mark on history.
Sima Qian said: "Zhang Cang is well-versed in literature and calendrical science and is a famous prime minister of the Han Dynasty, but he did not adopt the suggestions of Jia Yi, Gongsun Chen, and others on the calendar and dress system, insisting on using the Zhuanxu calendar of the Qin Dynasty. Why is this? Zhou Chang is a straightforward and honest man. He was promoted based on his past merits. Shentu Jia can be said to be a man of strong moral character and unwavering integrity, but he fell far short of the abilities of Xiao He, Cao Shen, and Chen Ping."
During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, there were so many prime ministers that I can't keep track of them all, and their biographies aren't well-documented.
There was a prime minister named Che Mou, who was from Changling. After his death, Wei Mou took over his position. This prime minister Wei was a capable man from the state of Lu. His studiousness led him to the post of Grand Herald. A fortune teller once predicted that he would become a prime minister in the future. Prime Minister Wei had four sons, and he had the fortune teller predict their futures. His second son, Xuancheng, was told by the fortune teller, "This child will be wealthy and receive a noble title in the future." Prime Minister Wei replied, "My eldest son is still alive; what need is there for titles?" However, after Prime Minister Wei actually became a prime minister, he died of illness, and his eldest son committed a crime and could not inherit the title. Therefore, Xuancheng was established as the heir. At that time, Xuancheng feigned madness to avoid the title, but he was eventually established as the heir, earning a reputation for eccentricity. Later, because he rode a horse in the temple and behaved disrespectfully, the emperor ordered him to be demoted to a lesser marquis, losing the title of marquis of higher rank and only able to enjoy the income from his original fief. After Prime Minister Wei's death, Wei Mou succeeded him.
Wei Prime Minister was from Jiyin. He went from being a civil official to prime minister, and he was rather fond of a strong hand, so he ordered all officials to wear swords when attending court. Any official without a sword had to borrow one before entering the palace. Once, the Jingzhao magistrate Zhao Jun, who had been pardoned due to a report from Wei Prime Minister, double-crossed him and sent people to arrest Wei Prime Minister, wanting him to confess, but Wei Prime Minister refused to admit guilt. Zhao Jun sent people to threaten Wei Prime Minister again, claiming that Wei Prime Minister's wife had killed a maid at home, and secretly asked the emperor to look into it. He had troops surround Wei Prime Minister's home, had the servants arrested and interrogated, only to find that the maid was not killed by a sword at all. Wei Prime Minister's subordinate Fan Jun immediately reported Zhao Jun to the emperor, accusing him of framing the prime minister and even sending troops to surround the prime minister's mansion, flouting the law; he also mobilized cavalry without authorization, resulting in Zhao Jingzhao being sentenced to death. Another official named Chen Ping accused the Secretary of State, suspecting him of kidnapping someone privately, and as a result, the Secretary of State was sentenced for his crime of disrespect, with many officials below him sentenced to death, some even being imprisoned in harsh confinement. In the end, Wei Prime Minister passed away due to illness, and his son inherited his title. Later, his son's disrespectful act of riding to the temple cost him his marquisate, leaving him with only his family stipend.
After Prime Minister Wei passed away, Prime Minister Bing took over. Bing was from the state of Lu. He was known for his love of learning and understanding of laws and regulations, eventually rising to the position of Chief Inspector. During the reign of Emperor Xuan of Han, due to their previous acquaintance, he was granted the title of Marquis and later appointed as Prime Minister. He was known for his sharp mind and wise decisions, and was praised by future generations. He died of illness, and his son Xian inherited his title. However, his disrespectful act of riding to the temple on horseback led to him being demoted by the Emperor, losing his Marquis title and only receiving the stipend from his ancestral home. Bing's son Xian held the position of Master of the Stables, but due to corruption and bribery, he and his son were stripped of their official positions and became commoners.
After Bing's death, Prime Minister Huang took over. There was a fortune teller in Chang'an named Tian Wen, who accurately predicted when he was younger that Wei, Bing, and Huang would all become Prime Ministers. Just as he predicted, all three served as Prime Ministers, one after the other. Talk about a perfect prediction!
Prime Minister Huang, whose name was Ba, was from Huaiyang. He became an official through studying and eventually became the Prefect of Yingchuan. While serving in Yingchuan, he taught the people right from wrong. For those who broke the law, he reasoned with them and let them sort it out. His remarkable political achievements earned him a widespread reputation. Emperor Xiaoxuan announced: "Prefect Ba of Yingchuan governs the people with imperial orders; there are no lost items on the road, men and women walk their separate paths, and there are no serious criminals in the prison. He was rewarded with the title of Marquis of Guannei and one hundred catties (approximately 133 pounds) of gold." Later, he was summoned to the capital to serve as the Intendant of Jingzhao and eventually promoted to Prime Minister, continuing to govern with propriety and righteousness. He died of illness. His son inherited his title and later became a marquis as well. After Prime Minister Huang's death, the Chief Minister Yu Dingguo succeeded his position. Previously, Zhang Tingwei had predicted that Yu would succeed Prime Minister Huang. After Prime Minister Huang's death, the Chief Minister Wei Xuancheng succeeded his position.
Prime Minister Wei, whose name was Xuancheng, was the son of the previous Prime Minister Wei. He succeeded his father's position but later lost the title of marquis. He enjoyed studying when he was young and was very knowledgeable in the Book of Songs and the Analects of Confucius. He served as the Head of the Guard and was later transferred to Tutor to the Crown Prince. After the Chief Minister Xue Jun was dismissed, he took on the role of Chief Minister. After Prime Minister Yu requested retirement, he was appointed as Prime Minister and conferred the title of Marquis of Fuyang, with his fiefdom in the original location. Several years later, he died of illness. Emperor Xiaoyuan personally mourned him and bestowed generous rewards. His son later inherited his title. His style of governance was seen as a bit of a yes-man, and people believed he was good at brown-nosing. The fortune teller originally predicted that he would inherit his father's title, which did not come true; however, he worked hard and rose from a low-ranking official to Prime Minister. Both father and son became Prime Ministers, and people praised them. So, it was fate, just as the fortune teller predicted. After Prime Minister Wei's death, the Chief Minister Kuang Heng succeeded his position.
Kuang Heng, from Donghai, Shandong, loved reading and studied the Book of Songs with a scholar. Coming from a poor family, he worked odd jobs to support himself. He failed the civil service examination several times before finally passing on his ninth attempt. Due to his previous failures, he became very familiar with the classics. Later, he was appointed as a low-ranking clerk in Pingyuan County. After working for a few years, he languished in obscurity in Pingyuan. The Chief Censor recommended him for a position as a government official, then he was promoted to scholar, and later appointed as tutor to the crown prince, teaching Emperor Xiao Yuan of Han. Xiao Yuan liked the Book of Songs, so Kuang Heng was promoted to Guanglu Xun, teaching in the palace to the attendants and even court officials who sat nearby to listen. His teaching was well-regarded, and he earned increasing respect. Later, the Grand Secretary Zheng Hong was dismissed for making mistakes, and Kuang Heng took over his position. Over a year later, Prime Minister Wei passed away, and Kuang Heng succeeded him as prime minister and was granted the title of Marquis of Le'an. His rise from obscurity to the highest office in just ten years was remarkable, a testament to both his ability and perhaps a little luck.
Sima Qian said: Upon careful consideration, the experiences of those who rise to high positions are often not easy. However, many people reach the position of Grand Secretary and stop there. Those who aspire to be prime minister wait for the previous prime minister to pass away. Some even slander and plot against others in secret to take their place. But some people hold onto the position for a long time without opportunity, while others quickly rise and eventually become marquis and prime minister. It seemed purely a matter of fate. Zheng Hong was Grand Secretary for several years without promotion, while Kuang Heng had been in the position for less than a year when Prime Minister Wei died, and he immediately succeeded him. That hardly seems like a testament to his intelligence and talent, does it? In fact, many talented and virtuous individuals remain unknown their entire lives; such examples are numerous.
