He was particularly noted for his cruelty and his penchant for favoring cannibalism, and he, while not having a set base of operation, generally roved with his army in the modern southern Henan area, claiming for himself the title of Emperor of Chu.

Zhu Can was from Bo Province (毫州, roughly modern Bozhou, Anhui), and he was initially a minor official with his local county government.

Although Zhu claimed for himself a princely title, he was also communicating with other rebel leaders, and in 617, he sent messengers to submit to Li Mi the Duke of Wei, who was then trying to capture the Sui eastern capital Luoyang.

Meanwhile, he continued to roam in southern Henan, despite defeats by Li Yuan's generals Ma Yuangui (馬元規) and Zhou Chao (周超).

In spring 619, Yang Shilin (楊士林) and Tian Zan (田瓚), leaders of the gentry at Huai'an (淮安, in modern Zhumadian, Henan), attacked him, and the other cities joined them.

After he woke from his drunkenness, however, he realized that he had effectively broken with Tang, and he fled to Luoyang, where Wang Shichong made him a general.

In 620, Tang's emperor Gaozu commissioned his son Li Shimin to attack Zheng, and by 621, Wang was forced to surrender.

It was said that the people of Luoyang despised Zhu for his cruelty, and after his death threw rocks at his body in such great numbers that they soon piled up like a tomb.