Zhang Cang, a native of Yangwu, was a real bookworm and a whiz with calendars. During the Qin Dynasty, he was a low-level bureaucrat in charge of the palace archives. Later, he got himself into trouble and ran. When Liu Bang was conquering the world and passing through Yangwu, Zhang Cang joined him in attacking Nanyang. Zhang Cang nearly lost his head, so he stripped down and begged for his life. Zhang Cang was tall, fat, and fair-skinned, looking like a giant, pasty gourd. At that time, Wang Ling saw him and thought it'd be a shame to lose such a handsome dude, so he informed Liu Bang, who then ordered his pardon.
After that, Zhang Cang followed Liu Bang west to Wuguan and arrived in Xianyang. Liu Bang was crowned as the King of Han, entered Hanzhong, and then pacified the Sannin region. Chen Yu defeated King Zhang Er of Changshan, and Zhang Er sought refuge in the Han Dynasty. The Han made him governor of Changshan. Later, he followed Han Xin to attack the state of Zhao, and Zhang Cang even captured Chen Yu. After pacifying the state of Zhao, the King of Han appointed Zhang Cang as the prime minister of Dai, in charge of border affairs. Not long after, he was transferred to be the prime minister of Zhao, assisting King Zhang Er. After Zhang Er's death, he assisted Zhang Er's son Zhang Ao. Later, he was transferred back to Dai to be the prime minister. When King Yan Zang Tu rebelled, Zhang Cang participated in suppressing the rebellion as the prime minister of Dai, became a big shot, the Marquis of Beiping, with a sweet 1,200-household fiefdom.
Later, Zhang Cang was appointed as the Finance Minister, and a month later, due to his abilities, he was appointed as the top finance guy, serving for four years. At that time, Xiao He was the Prime Minister, and Zhang Cang had been working as an imperial censor under the pillars since the Qin Dynasty, being very familiar with the national archives and household registers, as well as skilled in calculations and calendars. Therefore, the Emperor put him up in the Prime Minister's mansion, overseeing the national budget. During the Qing Bu rebellion, the Han Dynasty appointed Prince Liu Chang as the King of Huainan, and Zhang Cang became his prime minister. Fourteen years later, Zhang Cang was promoted to Chief Imperial Censor.
Zhou Chang is from Pei County. His cousin Zhou Ke was a petty official in Sishui during the Qin Dynasty. When Liu Bang rose up in rebellion and seized the official residence in Sishui, Zhou Ke and Zhou Chang followed Liu Bang. Liu Bang appointed Zhou Chang to manage the paperwork, while Zhou Ke served as his attendant. They entered Guanzhong together and defeated the Qin Dynasty. After Liu Bang was crowned as the King of Han, he appointed Zhou Ke as the Chief Scribe and Zhou Chang as the Chief Marshal.
In the third year of the Han Dynasty, the Chu army surrounded the King of Han in Xingyang. The situation was desperate, and the King of Han evacuated Xingyang, leaving Zhou Ke to defend the city. The Chu army broke through the city and demanded Zhou Ke surrender. Zhou Ke scolded them, "You'd better surrender to the King of Han, or you'll all be prisoners!" Xiang Yu was furious and ordered Zhou Ke to be boiled alive. The King of Han then appointed Zhou Chang as the Chief Scribe. Zhou Chang often accompanied Liu Bang on expeditions and participated in the wars against Xiang Yu. Six years later, Zhou Chang, along with Xiao He, Cao Shen, and others, were made marquises, with Zhou Chang becoming the Marquis of Fenying. Zhou Ke's son, Zhou Cheng, was also ennobled as the Marquis of Gaojing for his father's sacrifice for the country.
Zhou Chang was a particularly hard-nosed and outspoken person, daring to speak his mind, even causing Xiao He, Cao Shen, and others to show him some respect. Once, when Zhou Chang went to the palace to report to the emperor, he happened to see Liu Bang hugging Lady Qi. Seeing this, Zhou Chang turned and ran. Liu Bang leaped off his horse, grabbed Zhou Chang, and hauled him up onto the saddle, asking him, "Tell me, am I a good emperor?" Zhou Chang raised his head and replied, "Your Majesty, you are just like Xia Jie and Shang Zhou!" Liu Bang laughed at the time, but he still had a healthy respect for Zhou Chang.
Later, Liu Bang wanted to depose the Crown Prince and make Consort Qi's son Ruyi the Crown Prince. The ministers strongly opposed this, but none could persuade him. In the end, it was only through Zhang Liang's strategy that they shelved it for now. However, Zhou Chang directly confronted Liu Bang in court. When asked why, Zhou Chang, known for his straightforward nature and quite angry at the time, replied, "I can't explain it, but this is wrong! If you depose the Crown Prince, I refuse to obey!" Liu Bang laughed so hard his sides ached, and that was the end of that. Empress Lü, who was hiding behind a box in the east, overheard Zhou Chang's boldness and quickly came out to kneel and thank him, saying, "If it weren't for you, the Crown Prince would have been in danger!"
That year, Consort Qi's son Ruyi was appointed as the King of Zhao at the age of ten. Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang was worried that after his death, Ruyi would be in danger. There was a man named Zhao Yao, an imperial clerk, who told Prime Minister Zhou Chang, "You should look after him; he might just be your successor one day!" Zhou Chang smiled and replied, "Yao is still young, just a low-level official who writes and draws. How could he reach that level?" Some time later, Zhao Yao served Emperor Gaozu and noticed his melancholy singing. Not understanding the reason for his sadness, Zhao Yao approached and asked, "Your Majesty, why are you unhappy? Is it because the King of Zhao is too young, and there is conflict between Consort Qi and Empress Lü, making you worry about the safety of the King of Zhao in a hundred years?" Emperor Gaozu admitted his concerns but didn't know what to do. Zhao Yao suggested appointing a strong and respected Chancellor for the King of Zhao, someone that everyone in power would fear. Emperor Gaozu agreed and asked who would be suitable for the role. Zhao Yao recommended Prime Minister Zhou Chang, praising his integrity and fearlessness, and his ability to command respect from everyone in power. Emperor Gaozu nodded. "Good," he said.
Liu Bang summoned Zhou Chang and said, "Look, I hate to bother you, but you've gotta be Zhao's prime minister for me." Zhou Chang cried and said, "I followed Your Majesty to conquer the world; how can you dump me in some backwater kingdom halfway through?" Gaozu replied, "Yeah, I know it's a step down, but I’m really worried about Zhao. Besides you, I can't think of anyone else. Please don't refuse!" So, the Grand Master of the Imperial Censorate, Zhou Chang, was appointed as the Prime Minister of Zhao Ruyi.
It is said that after a long time, Liu Bang toyed with the seal of office and asked, "Who is suitable to be the Grand Master of the Imperial Censorate?" He looked carefully at Zhou Chang and said, "Zhou Chang's the best man for the job!" So he appointed Zhou Chang as the Grand Master of the Imperial Censorate. Zhou Chang had previously made military achievements, had a fief, and later fought against Chen Xi, once again earning merit and being titled the Marquis of Jiangyi.
After Liu Bang's death, Empress Lü sent someone to summon Zhao Ruyi. Prime Minister Changpingjun of Zhao used King Zhao's illness as an excuse to refuse to let him go to Chang'an. The messenger went three times, and Changpingjun said, "Gaozu entrusted King Zhao to me. He’s still young. I heard that the Empress Dowager resented Lady Qi and wanted to summon him to kill him. I dare not let him go, and besides, he is indeed sick and cannot follow the decree." Empress Lü blew a gasket and sent for Changpingjun. When Changpingjun arrived, he went to see Empress Lü, who scolded him, "Don't you know that I hate Lady Qi? Why didn't you send King Zhao?" Changpingjun was called back, and Empress Lü sent someone to summon King Zhao. King Zhao did come, and after a month in Chang'an, he was poisoned to death. Changpingjun, claiming illness, did not attend court and died three years later, given the posthumous title of Marquis Dao. His descendants continued until his grandson Zhou Yi, who had his title revoked for committing a crime. Emperor Jing then appointed Changpingjun's grandson Zhou Zuochi as the Marquis of Anyang, but he also committed a crime later and had his title revoked.
At first, Zhou Chang replaced Zhou Yao as the Grand Historian. After Liu Bang's death, he served Emperor Hui until Emperor Hui's death. In the first year of Empress Dowager Lü, she resented Zhou Chang for previously painting a portrait of Prince Zhao Ruyi, so she brought charges against Zhou Chang and appointed Guang Ahou Ren Ao as the Grand Historian.
Ren Ao was from Pei County and had worked as a prison warden when he was young. When Liu Bang was evading capture by the authorities, they captured Empress Dowager Lü, and the prison warden at the time was not careful in handling her. Angered by the jailer's mistreatment of Empress Dowager Lü, Ren Ao—a close friend of Liu Bang—injured the man. Later, when Liu Bang rebelled, Ren Ao followed him as a guest and became a Grand Historian, staying in Feng County for two years. After Liu Bang became King of Han and attacked Xiang Yu in the east, Ren Ao was promoted to Prefect of Shangdang. When Chen Xi rebelled, Ren Ao defended the city and was appointed Guang Ahou, with a fief of 1,800 households. During Empress Dowager Lü's reign, he served as the Grand Historian but was dismissed three years later. He passed away in the first year of Emperor Xiao Wen and was posthumously named the Marquis Yi. His descendants continued until his great-grandson Ren Yueren, who lost his title because he failed to replace the sour wine in the Taichang Temple in time, which was considered disrespectful.
After Ren Ao was dismissed, Marquis Pingyang Cao Zhu took over as the Grand Historian. After Empress Dowager Lü's death, Cao Zhu and the ministers together executed the Lü clan. Later, Cao Zhu was dismissed for wrongdoing, and the Huainan Chancellor, Zhang Cang, took over as the Grand Historian. Zhang Cang was involved in supporting Marquis Jiang and others in enthroning Emperor Xiao Wen, and four years later, he replaced Guan Ying as Prime Minister.
Twenty-odd years after the Han Dynasty was founded, things had finally calmed down. The officials were all ex-military men. When Zhang Cang became Prime Minister, he was in charge of formulating the calendar. Because the founder, Liu Bang, only took the throne in October, the calendar continued to start the year in October as per the Qin Dynasty tradition without any changes. Following the Five Elements theory, he reckoned the Han belonged to Water, so court colours stayed black. He also standardised the music and used this as a basis for new laws. He even standardised handicrafts nationwide. So Zhang Cang's the first name that springs to mind when you talk about Han Dynasty calendar experts. Zhang Cang was a voracious reader, a polymath, and a real whiz with calendars.
Zhang Cang was incredibly devoted to the Marquis of Anguo, Wang Ling, treating him like his own dad once Wang Ling hit the big time. After Wang Ling kicked the bucket, Zhang Cang became Prime Minister. Every morning, after his wash, he'd take a meal round to Wang Ling's wife before heading home.
After serving as Prime Minister for more than ten years, then a bloke from Lu, Gongsun Chen, wrote to the Emperor, arguing that the Han was actually Earth, symbolized by the yellow dragon, and that the calendar and colours should be changed. Zhang Cang shot it down. Then, lo and behold, a yellow dragon turned up in Chengji. Emperor Wen summoned Gongsun Chen, made him a scholar, and had him draft a new Earth-element calendar and change the era name. Feeling outclassed, Zhang Cang faked illness and quit. Later, one of Zhang Cang's appointees got caught taking bribes, and the Emperor blamed Zhang Cang, forcing another "sick" resignation. He died in the fifth year of Jing's reign, was posthumously titled Marquis Wen, but his family's titles were later stripped after some dodgy dealings.
At first, Zhang Cang's father was less than five feet tall, while Zhang Cang himself was over eight feet tall. His son was also over eight feet tall, and his grandson was over six feet tall. After Zhang Cang was dismissed from his position, he lost all his teeth and could only eat a milk-based diet, so he hired a woman as a wet nurse. He had many wives and concubines—over a hundred—and once they became pregnant, he no longer favored them. He lived to be over a hundred and wrote eighteen works, all related to the Yin and Yang calendar.
Shen Tu Jia was from the Liang Kingdom. He followed the founding emperor Liu Bang due to his military achievements and rose to the rank of captain. He also assisted Liu Bang in defeating Xiang Yu and became a captain. During the reign of Emperor Xiaohui, he served as the governor of Huaiyang County. In the first year of Emperor Xiaowen's reign, the court granted the officials who had followed the founding emperor in conquering the world with a rank of over 2,000 stones the title of "Marquis within the Passes," with each receiving a fiefdom of twenty-four households. Shen Tu Jia, however, received a fief of five hundred households. In the sixteenth year, he was promoted to Chief Inspector. After Zhang Cang was dismissed, Emperor Wen believed that Dou Guangguo, the empress's brother, was virtuous and wanted to appoint him as Prime Minister. However, he worried about being accused of favoritism. After much consideration, he decided it was not feasible, as there were no suitable candidates among the ministers from the founding emperor's time, so he appointed Shen Tu Jia as Prime Minister and granted him the title of Marquis of Gu'an based on his original fief.
So, this Prime Minister Zhang Cang was known for his honesty and integrity, and his household never accepted bribes or used backdoor connections. At that time, the High-Ranking Palace Official, Deng Tong, was a favorite of Emperor Wen, receiving countless rewards and becoming extremely wealthy. Emperor Wen often visited Deng Tong's home for drinks and meals, showing how much he favored him. When Zhang Cang attended court, Deng Tong would sit next to the emperor, acting arrogantly and showing no respect. After finishing his report, Zhang Cang gently chided the Emperor about maintaining court decorum, even in private. The Emperor waved him off, saying it was a personal matter.
After the court session, Zhang Jia returned to the Prime Minister's mansion and immediately sent for Deng Tong. When Deng Tong refused to go, Zhang Jia threatened, "You're as good as dead!" Deng Tong, frightened, hurried to the palace to plead with Emperor Wen. Emperor Wen said, "You can go; I will send someone to call you now." When Deng Tong arrived at the Prime Minister's mansion, he took off his hat, knelt down barefoot, and began banging his head against the ground in apology. However, Zhang Jia remained seated, didn't even look at him, and directly rebuked, "This is Emperor Gaozu's court! You, a nobody, dare to be so disrespectful? You're as good as dead! Guards, seize him and chop off his head!" Deng Tong kept banging his head on the ground, his forehead bleeding from the blows, but Zhang Jia still refused to let him go. Seeing Zhang Jia mercilessly persecuting Deng Tong, Emperor Wen sent someone with the Emperor's seal to summon Deng Tong back, and then said to Zhang Jia, "This is a courtier who jokes with the Emperor, so just let him go." After Deng Tong returned, he cried to Emperor Wen, "The Prime Minister nearly killed me!"
Zhang Jia served as Prime Minister for five years. When Emperor Wen kicked the bucket, Emperor Xiaojing ascended to the throne. Two years later, Chao Cuo became the guy in charge of the interior. Due to the emperor's favor, he held great power and was responsible for many changes in laws, even suggesting weakening the power of the feudal lords. Prime Minister Zhang Jia disagreed with his views and really hated him. After Chao Cuo took his position, he found that the east gate of the ministry was inconvenient, so he opened a gate right next to the temple wall. When Zhang Jia heard that Chao Cuo had opened a gate there, he ratted Chao Cuo out. Someone informed Chao Cuo about this, and out of fear, he slipped into the palace at night to beg the emperor's forgiveness. The next day in court, Zhang Jia demanded Chao Cuo's execution. Emperor Xiaojing said, "It wasn't the main temple wall, just the outer one, and that area was already used by some extra government workers. Besides, I allowed him to open it, so Chao Cuo is not guilty." After the court session, Zhang Jia told his chief clerk, "I should've whacked him first! Now he's gotten the better of me!" Upon returning home, Zhang Jia died of a bloody rage. He was posthumously named "Marquis Jie." His descendants continued until his grandson, who committed a crime, resulting in the cancellation of the Zhang family's title. Then, a whole bunch of marquises popped up: Marquis of Kaifeng, Tao Qing, Marquis of Tao, Liu She, as well as the former Marquis of Bozhi during the reign of Emperor Wu, Xu Chang, Marquis of Pingji, Xue Ze, Marquis of Wuqiang, Zhuang Qingzhai, and Marquis of Shangling, Zhao Zhou. They were all in line to be Prime Minister, all pretty good boys, but none of them amounted to much.
Let's be honest, Zhang Cang was a whiz with astronomy and calendars, one of the Han Dynasty's top ministers. However, he was pigheaded about using the outdated "Zhuānxū Calendar." Why was that? Then there's Zhou Chang, a real stick-in-the-mud, just coasting on his seniority. Ren Ao was also riding on his family's coattails. Although Shen Tu Jia was a straight shooter who always did his job, unfortunately, he wasn't exactly a genius. Compared to Xiao He, Cao Can, and Chen Ping, he couldn't hold a candle to them.
