汉景帝
Around 150BC, while in his twenties, Sima left his home in Shu and traveled to the imperial capital Chang'an, where he received a court appointment "by virtue of property", meaning he possessed at least 40,000 copper cash. He was made a mounted military attendant to Emperor Jing of Han, which was a low-ranking position but allowed Sima to accompany the emperor and the court on imperial excursions. Sima does not seem to have enjoyed this position, likely because Emperor Jing, and his mostly Legalist advisors, were known for their dislike of literary embellishment.