Zhang Liang was the chief strategist of Liu Bang, the founder of the Han dynasty. After he was made a marquis, he announced: “To be teacher to an emperor by a three-inch tongue, with a fief of ten thousand households and the rank of marquis, this is the highest a commoner can reach. For me it is enough. I wish to leave the affairs of men and wander with Master Red Pine.”
Master Red Pine is a legendary figure. Zhang Liang stopped eating grain and practiced breathing exercises. After the emperor died, Empress Lü insisted that he eat, and he gave in. (Sima Qian, Records of the Grand Historian)