 His ancestors were actually from Longxi Commandery (隴西郡; around present-day Dingxi, Gansu), but they migrated to Yingchuan Commandery during the Jianwu era (25–56 CE) of the reign of Emperor Guangwu in the early Eastern Han dynasty.Xin Ping started his career as an adviser to the warlord Han Fu, who governed Ji Province (covering much of present-day Hebei) from 189 to 191.In 191, Xin Ping, along with Xun Chen and Guo Tu, managed to persuade Han Fu to give up his governorship of Ji Province to another warlord Yuan Shao, whom they said would be in a better position to defend Ji Province from an invasion by a rival warlord Gongsun Zan.