Chen Ping, the Prime Minister, is from Houye Township, Yangwu County. He came from a poor family but was a voracious reader. With only thirty acres of land, he lived with his brother Chen Bo, who farmed the land while Chen Ping dedicated himself to his studies. Chen Ping was tall and handsome. When someone asked him, "You're so poor, how come you're so plump?" his sister-in-law, jealous of Chen Ping's lack of work, said, "He just eats whatever he can get his hands on! We'd be better off without him!" After hearing this, Chen Bo drove his sister-in-law away.
When Chen Ping was of marrying age, rich families wouldn't have him, and he wouldn't marry into poverty. After a long time, there was a wealthy man in the village named Zhang Fu. His granddaughter was a five-time widow, and no one would touch her. Chen Ping wanted to marry her. At a village funeral, poor as he was, Chen Ping worked tirelessly. Zhang Fu noticed Chen Ping and lingered, watching him leave. Zhang Fu followed Chen Ping home, which was in a remote alley on the outskirts of the city; the door was just a tattered mat, yet the path in front was worn smooth from carriage wheels. When Zhang Fu returned home, he told his son Zhang Zhong, "I'm marrying my granddaughter off to Chen Ping." Zhang Zhong said, "He's a lazy bum, everybody laughs at him. Why would we marry our daughter to him?" Zhang Fu replied, "Is there really a guy as handsome and broke as this Chen Ping?" In the end, he married his granddaughter to him. Zhang Fu covered the wedding costs, lending him money for the dowry and providing the food and drink. Zhang Fu also instructed his granddaughter, "Don't judge him for being poor. Treat him like your father, and your aunt like your mother." After marrying into wealth, Chen Ping's life and social standing improved dramatically.
The village sacrificial activities were headed by Chen Ping, who distributed the meat fairly. The elders in the village said, "It's great that Chen Ping is in charge!" Chen Ping replied, "If I ran the whole country, I'd be just as fair as I am with this meat!"
Chen Sheng rebelled and declared himself king, sending Zhou Shi to conquer the Wei territory, appointing Wei Jiu as the king of Wei, and engaging in battle with the Qin army at Linji. Chen Ping had bid farewell to his brother Chen Bo long ago and had followed King Wei Jiu in Linji when he was young. King Wei appointed him as the Master of the Stables. However, King Wei did not listen to his advice, and someone ratted him out, so Chen Ping fled.
After a long time, Xiang Yu reached the banks of the Yellow River, and Chen Ping joined up with him. He fought alongside Xiang Yu to defeat the Qin army, and Xiang Yu appointed him as a high-ranking official. Later, Xiang Yu declared himself the King of the East in Pengcheng, and Liu Bang also came to the east after defeating the three Qin states, resulting in King Yin rebelling against the Chu state. Xiang Yu appointed Chen Ping as the Lord of Xinwu, leading the people from the Wei territory in Chu to fight against King Yin. After winning, they returned. Xiang Yu also had Xiang Han appoint Chen Ping as a military officer, rewarding him with a full box of gold. Not long after, Liu Bang captured the former Qin lands. Xiang Yu was furious and wanted to kill all the generals and officials who participated in the attack on the Yin territory. Scared stiff, Chen Ping sealed up the gold and his official seal. He sent them back to Xiang Yu and then, sword in hand, slipped away.
When crossing the river, the boatman saw how handsome he was, walking alone, and figured he was some runaway general, thinking he must have a load of gold and silver hidden on him. So he stared at him, wanting to kill him. Chen Ping was extremely afraid, quickly stripped down and helped him row the boat. When the boatman saw that he really had nothing, he gave up. Chen Ping made it to Xiuwu and surrendered to Liu Bang. Thanks to Wei Wuzhi, he requested to see Liu Bang, who called him in. Wanshi Jun, Liu Bang's attendant, met Chen Ping and took him to see the boss. Chen Ping was summoned along with six other people, and Liu Bang invited them to dinner. Liu Bang said, "Okay, you guys can all go home." Chen Ping replied, "I've got something important to report, and I need to do it today." So Liu Bang chatted with him, liking him more and more, and asked, "What was your gig back in Chu?" Chen Ping said, "Captain." That day, Liu Bang made Chen Ping a captain and his own personal bodyguard, in charge of protecting the troops. The other generals were all, "Whoa, hold on! You're making this Chu defector your bodyguard after just ONE day? And putting him in charge of the vets?" Liu Bang, upon hearing this, appreciated Chen Ping even more. So Liu Bang took Chen Ping east to take on Xiang Yu. They got creamed by the Chu army at Pengcheng. Liu Bang retreated to Xingyang, rounded up the stragglers, and made Chen Ping a deputy under Han Xin, stationed at Guangwu.
The Marquis of Jiang and Guan Ying together accused Chen Ping, saying bad things about him: "Although Chen Ping is handsome, like a good-looking man wearing a jade crown, his heart may not be reliable. We heard that Chen Ping even stole things from his brother's wife at home; he couldn't stay in the Wei Kingdom, so he fled to the Chu Kingdom; in the Chu Kingdom, he was not valued, so he went to the Han Kingdom. Now, Your Majesty has given him a high position and a generous salary, making him the military commander. We heard that Chen Ping accepted many bribes from generals, arranging good positions for those who gave more and poor positions for those who gave less. Chen Ping is two-faced and a turncoat. We hope Your Majesty will investigate carefully."
Liu Bang was a bit suspicious, so he called Wei Wuzhi to ask. Wei Wuzhi said, "I recommended Chen Ping based on his abilities; Your Majesty is asking about his character. Even if he had the loyalty and righteousness of Weisheng and Xiaoke, it wouldn't help in war victories. Do you need to worry about these things? In the struggle between Chu and Han, I recommended talents and strategists, only looking at whether their strategies are truly beneficial to the country. Furthermore, who cares if he stole from his brother's wife or took some bribes?"
Liu Bang then called Chen Ping and asked, "Sir, you couldn't stay in the Wei Kingdom, so you joined the Chu Kingdom, and now you come to me. Isn't this too inconsistent?" Chen Ping replied, "I worked under the Wei King, but he didn't accept my advice, so I left to join Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu doesn't trust others; he only promotes his relatives or his wife's siblings. Even talented people are not valued by him, so I left the Chu Kingdom. I heard that Your Majesty is good at using people, so I came to you. I arrived with nothing and needed to make a living. If my strategies are useful to you, please accept them; if not, I'll return it to the treasury and retire."
Liu Bang then apologized to Chen Ping, rewarded him with many things, appointed him as the Commander of the Guard, and put him in charge of managing all the generals. After that, the generals kept quiet.
So, the Chu army was laying siege to Yingyang, cutting off the Han army's supply lines and trapping the Han king in the city. The Han king was starting to sweat and wanted to give up the land west of Yingyang for peace. Xiang Yu disagreed. The Han king then asked Chen Ping, "When's this mess gonna end?" Chen Ping said, "Xiang Yu, on the surface, is respectful and values talent. Many honorable men have joined him. However, when it comes to rewarding their achievements, he is stingy, so those decent folks aren't willing to follow him wholeheartedly. As for you, King, you're relatively rough and don't pay much attention to etiquette, so the men of integrity won't come to seek refuge with you. But if you can generously reward titles and land, the rough-and-tumble, greedy types will be all over you. If you play your cards right, you'll rule the roost. The problem is, you're too arrogant now, and the upright men won't come to you. However, there are weaknesses in the Chu army as well. Xiang Yu's close confidants, like Ya Fu, Zhong Li Mu, Long Qie, and Zhou Yin, are only a few in number. If you can provide tens of thousands of catties of gold and employ the strategy of sowing discord among the Chu army's officials and generals, making them suspicious of each other, Xiang Yu's suspicious nature and gullibility will cause them to tear each other apart. Then we hit 'em, and it's game over." The Han king thought Chen Ping was spot on and gave him forty thousand catties of gold to do as he pleased, no questions asked.
Chen Ping used this gold to engage in a whispering campaign within the Chu army, planting disinformation that although generals like Zhongli Mo had rendered considerable service to Xiang Yu, they had never been rewarded. They wanted to collaborate with the Han army to defeat Xiang Yu and then carve up the territory for themselves. Xiang Yu indeed began to suspect Zhongli Mo and the others. He sent someone to the Han camp. The Han king welcomed the Chu envoy with a sumptuous feast. When he saw the envoy, the Han king pretended to be surprised and said, "I thought it was an envoy sent by my father, but it turns out it's from King Xiang!" He then withdrew the feast and served the Chu envoy plain fare. After returning, the Chu envoy reported everything to Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu indeed began to doubt Fan Zeng. Fan Zeng wanted to quickly capture Xingyang City, but Xiang Yu did not believe him and ignored his advice. Upon hearing that Xiang Yu suspected him, Fan Zeng angrily said, "The great affairs of the state are nearly settled. Your Majesty, you can handle it yourself! I want to retire and go home!" Before he could return to Pengcheng, Fan Zeng died from a festering boil on his back.
Chen Ping employed two thousand women as a diversionary tactic, releasing them from the east gate of Xingyang City at night. The Chu army pursued, while Chen Ping and the Han king escaped through the west gate. They entered Guanzhong, gathered their stragglers, and then moved east.
The following year, Han Xin defeated the State of Qi, declared himself king, and sent envoys to inform Liu Bang. Liu Bang hit the roof upon hearing this and began to curse, but Chen Ping quickly stopped him. Liu Bang then realized his mistake, warmly welcomed the Qi envoy, and quickly made Han Xin the King of Qi. Later, Liu Bang rewarded Chen Ping by granting him the title of Huyouxiang. Thanks to Chen Ping's brilliant strategies, Liu Bang ultimately conquered Chu. Han Xin later followed Liu Bang, serving as the Protector of the Army, and together they quelled the rebellion of King Zang Tu of Yan.
In the sixth year of the Han Dynasty, someone reported that Han Xin, the King of Chu, had rebelled. Liu Bang asked his generals what to do, and they all said, "Quickly send troops to deal with him!" Liu Bang remained silent for a while, then asked Chen Ping. Chen Ping replied, "What did the other generals say?" Liu Bang informed him of the generals' opinions. Chen Ping then asked, "Did anyone know if the informant's story was true?" Liu Bang said, "No." Chen Ping further inquired, "Does Han Xin himself know that someone reported him?" Liu Bang answered, "He doesn't know." Chen Ping analyzed, "Is our army stronger than Chu's?" Liu Bang replied, "No, it is not." Chen Ping continued, "Are our generals more formidable than Han Xin?" Liu Bang said, "There is no one better than him." Chen Ping remarked, "Currently, our forces are not as elite as Chu's, and our generals do not compare to Han Xin. If we rashly attack him, it would be like walking straight into an ambush. I think this is too dangerous!" Liu Bang asked, "Then what should we do?" Chen Ping suggested, "In ancient times, the emperor would tour and meet the feudal lords. There is Yunmeng Marsh in the south. Your Majesty can pretend to enjoy a leisure trip to Yunmeng Marsh and meet the feudal lords in the Chen region. Chen is to the west of Chu. When Han Xin hears that the emperor is coming to play, he will definitely not suspect anything and will come out to greet you. When he comes out to greet you, Your Majesty can capture him easily, as easy as catching a fly!" Liu Bang thought this was a good idea and sent messengers to inform the feudal lords to meet in the Chen region, announcing his intention to "enjoy a leisure trip to Yunmeng Marsh."
Liu Bang hit the road with his army, and before reaching Chen, Chu King Han Xin actually came out to greet him halfway. Liu Bang had already prepared warriors, and as soon as Han Xin appeared, he was grabbed by Liu Bang and tossed in the back of a prison cart. Han Xin shouted, "The whole country's pacified! I should've been dead already!" Liu Bang looked at Han Xin and said, "Shut up! We know all about your rebellion!" The warriors shoved Han Xin into the cart and brought him back to Chen. Liu Bang met with the feudal lords in Chen and completely pacified Chu. Upon returning to Luoyang, Liu Bang pardoned Han Xin, keeping him as Marquis of Huaiyin, and together with the meritorious officials, they sorted out the land. Liu Bang and Chen Ping agreed to be friends forever, so Chen Ping was appointed Marquis of Huyou. Chen Ping humbly said, "This ain't my doing." Liu Bang replied, "I won those battles using your plans, don't you think that counts for something?" Chen Ping responded, "If it weren't for Wei Wuzhi's blunder, I never would've gotten the chance." Liu Bang said, "You're a loyal guy!" So Wei Wuzhi was also rewarded. The following year, Chen Ping, as Liu Bang's top guy, followed him to suppress the rebellion of Han Wang Xin in the Dai region. They got surrounded by the Xiongnu at Pingcheng, and went seven days without a bite to eat. Liu Bang used Chen Ping's ingenious plan to get them out of there through the Chanyu's wife. After Liu Bang left, nobody ever found out about his plan. Liu Bang traveled south through Quni, ascended the city wall, and saw that the houses in the city were grand, exclaiming, "Man, this county's impressive! I've traveled the whole country, and only Luoyang comes close." Liu Bang asked the Imperial Censor how many households there were in Quni County, and the Censor replied, "There were over thirty thousand families back in the Qin days, but all the fighting scared most of them off; now there's only five thousand left." So Liu Bang made Chen Ping the Marquis of Quni, gave him all the county's taxes, and forgave him the taxes from his old title as Marquis of Huyou.
Later, Chen Ping followed Liu Bang as an officer to attack Chen Xi and Ying Bu several times. He presented a total of six clever plans, each time earning a promotion. Most of these plans were kept secret and are little known to later generations.
After Liu Bang defeated Ying Bu and returned to the capital, he was seriously injured and made a slow, painful journey back to Chang'an. At this time, King Yan Lu Wan rebelled, and Liu Bang sent Fan Kuai as the Prime Minister to lead the troops to suppress the rebellion. After Fan Kuai set off, someone spoke ill of him in front of Liu Bang. Liu Bang angrily said, "Is Fan Kuai hoping I'll die now that I'm ill?" So Liu Bang followed Chen Ping's plan and secretly summoned Zhou Bo, whispering to him: "Chen Ping should immediately send an express rider to replace Fan Kuai as the commander of the army. Once Chen Ping arrives in the army, he should behead Fan Kuai!" Before the messenger reached the camp, they discussed: "Fan Kuai is an old subordinate of the emperor, with great achievements, and he is also the husband of Lü's sister, Lü Xu. With both family ties and high status, the emperor only wanted to kill him out of anger. He may regret it later. It's better to first imprison him, escort him back to Chang'an, and let the emperor handle it himself." So they did not go directly to the military camp, but set up an altar to pray to the heavens and summoned Fan Kuai using an official summons. Fan Kuai received the decree and was immediately bound and escorted back to Chang'an, while Zhou Bo replaced him, quelling the rebellion in Yan.
Hearing the news of Emperor Gaozu's death, Chen Ping was afraid that Empress Dowager Lv and Lv Xu would bear him a grudge, so he immediately sent someone to make haste back to Chang'an. On the way, he met an envoy from the court, who ordered him and Guan Ying to garrison Yingyang. After receiving the order, Chen Ping hurried back to the palace, sobbing uncontrollably, and reported the Emperor's death to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager was moved by his inconsolable grief and said, "You must be exhausted; go get some rest." But Chen Ping was worried that the Lv family would harm him, so he firmly requested to remain in the palace to guard the Emperor. The Empress Dowager then appointed him as Langzhongling and said, "Serve Emperor Xiaohui well." From then on, Lv Xu's slanders were no longer heeded. Upon Fan Kuai's return, Chen Ping's title and lands were restored.
In the sixth year of Emperor Xiaohui's reign, Prime Minister Cao Shen passed away. Wang Ling, the Marquis of Anguo, was appointed as the Right Prime Minister, and Chen Ping was appointed as the Left Prime Minister. Wang Ling, originally from Pei County, was initially just a powerful local figure. Back when Liu Bang was still a nobody, Wang Ling respected him greatly, treating him like an elder brother. Wang Ling was talented from a young age, with a strong character and a penchant for speaking his mind. When Liu Bang raised troops in Pei County and captured Xianyang, Wang Ling also gathered a few thousand men on his own and stationed them in Nanyang, refusing to follow Liu Bang. Later, when King Han Liu Bang returned to attack Xiang Yu, Wang Ling led his troops to join the Han army. Xiang Yu captured Wang Ling's mother and imprisoned her in the camp in an attempt to force Wang Ling to surrender. Wang Ling's mother secretly sent a message to him, crying and saying, "He was to faithfully assist King Han. King Han is a just and honorable leader; do not waver because of me. I would rather take my own life than let him down." After speaking, she killed herself. Enraged, Xiang Yu had her executed. In the end, Wang Ling followed King Han, and together they unified the country. His close ties to Yong Chi, a sworn enemy of the founder, didn't help. And because Wang Ling hadn't rushed to join Liu Bang's side, he was made Marquis of Anguo relatively late.
After Wang Ling became the Right Chancellor for two years, Emperor Xiaohui kicked the bucket. Empress Dowager Lü wanted to put one of her own family on the throne, so she asked for Wang Ling's opinion. Wang Ling said, "No!" She then asked Chen Ping, who said, "Yes." Empress Dowager Lü was very angry, so she made Wang Ling Grand Tutor, a sinecure, and pretty much ignored him. Wang Ling was furious, so he faked a sickie, stayed home, and gave the court the cold shoulder. He passed away seven years later. After Wang Ling was removed from the position of Chancellor, Empress Dowager Lü appointed Chen Ping as the Right Chancellor and appointed Marquis Biyang, Shen Shiqi, as the Left Chancellor. Shen Shiqi, the Left Chancellor, was more of a palace pet than a statesman and often served the Empress Dowager in the palace. Shen Shiqi was also from Pei County. After the defeat of the Han King in the Battle of Pengcheng, the Chu army nabbed the Emperor and Empress Dowager Lü as hostages, and Shen Shiqi served the Empress Dowager as an attendant. Later, he was enfeoffed as a marquis after following Liu Bang in defeating Xiang Yu and became a favorite of the Empress Dowager. After becoming Chancellor, he often served the Empress Dowager in the palace, and everything went through him.
Lü often complained to the Empress Dowager about Chen Ping, saying that Chen Ping, as Chancellor, was a lazy drunkard who spent all his time chasing skirts. When Chen Ping heard about this, he just got worse. Lü secretly loved it.
Later, Lü directly called Lü Ya to face Chen Ping and said, "Like they say, 'Don't trust a word a daughter-in-law says.' So what she says to me doesn't mean a thing. Don't you worry about her gossiping!"
Empress Dowager Lü packed the court with her family, making them all kings and marquesses. Chen Ping played along, but he was secretly plotting. After the old girl Lü kicked the bucket, Chen Ping conspired with Zhou Bo, the Grand Commandant, to wipe out the Lü clan and put Emperor Wen on the throne. Chen Ping was the brains behind the whole operation. Shen Shiqi got the chop as a result of this incident.
Once Emperor Wen was king, he figured Zhou Bo deserved a promotion for his role in taking down the Lüs. So Chen Ping, wanting Zhou Bo to have his job, faked an illness. Emperor Wen was surprised, so he asked Chen Ping what was up. Chen Ping said, "Back when the old man was alive, I was more important than Zhou Bo. But this time, he outdid me. So I think Zhou Bo should be Right Prime Minister." Upon hearing this, Emperor Wen made Zhou Bo the top dog, Right Prime Minister, and Chen Ping the second-in-command, Left Prime Minister. He also got a thousand catties of gold and three thousand more households added to his land.
After a while, Emperor Wen got a better handle on things. One day, he asked Zhou Bo, "How many cases do we handle a year?" "Beats me," said Zhou Bo. Then the Emperor asked about the national budget. "No clue," said Zhou Bo. The poor guy was sweating bullets, mortified he didn't know.
So the emperor asked the Left Chancellor Chen Ping again. Chen Ping said, "There are departments in charge." The emperor asked, "Which departments are in charge?" Chen Ping said, "Your Majesty, if you ask about judging cases, you should ask the Imperial Censor; if you ask about matters of money and grain, you should ask the Minister of Revenue." The emperor said, "If all these matters have departments in charge, then what do you, as the chancellor, manage?" Chen Ping replied, "I manage the officials! Your Majesty, you don't know how humble I am, allowing me to serve as the prime minister. The duties of a prime minister are: to assist the emperor in governing the world, to maintain harmony between Heaven and Earth, to nourish all things; to keep the peace on the borders and among the vassal states, and to be close to the people internally, so that all ministers and officials can fulfill their duties." Emperor Xiao Wen was very pleased to hear this. The Right Chancellor Zhou Bo felt very ashamed, and after coming out, he rebuked Chen Ping, saying, "Why didn't you teach me how to answer in advance?" Chen Ping smiled and said, "You hold an important position, but don't know what you should manage? Besides, if the emperor asks how many thieves there are in Chang'an City, would you also be forced to answer?" So Zhou Bo finally understood that his abilities were far inferior to Chen Ping's. Not long after, Zhou Bo requested to be relieved of his duties as chancellor due to illness, and Chen Ping assumed the position of chancellor alone.
In the second year of Emperor Xiao Wen's reign, Chancellor Chen Ping passed away and was posthumously honored as the Marquis of Xian. His son inherited the title. Two years later, the Marquis passed away, and his son succeeded to the title as the Marquis of Hui. Twenty-three years later, the Marquis of Hui passed away, and his son He inherited the title. Twenty-three years later, He was executed for abducting a peasant girl, and the title of the Chen family was also revoked.
Chen Ping once said, "I am good at engaging in subterfuge, which is prohibited by Daoist principles. If my family declines because of this, it is also destined, and in the end, it cannot be revived, all because of my excessive use of schemes and tricks." However, his great-grandson Chen Zhang, due to his relationship with the Wei imperial family, tried to request the restoration of the Chen family's title, but ultimately was unsuccessful.
Sima Qian said: Prime Minister Chen Ping, when he was young, loved studying the teachings of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi. Even when he faced imminent death, his ambitions were already quite grand. He traveled between the states of Chu and Wei, and eventually threw in his lot with Liu Bang, the founding emperor. He often devised brilliant schemes, resolved crises, and pulled the country back from the brink of ruin. During Empress Lü's reign, many events unfolded in the court, but Chen Ping always managed to emerge unscathed, safeguarding the empire. In the end, he died a revered statesman. Now, isn't that a remarkable achievement, wouldn't you say? If it weren't for his extraordinary wisdom and strategy, who else could have accomplished this?
