Post by Egao, Egao Everywhere on Dec 23, 2014 22:55:42 GMT -8
Okk yeah no lazy linking this time kind of just an idea I'm throwing out. I'm rolelaying Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China as a Servant. His most loyal subject in General Meng Tian, the general who came with the idea of building the great wall to stop the Xiongnu tribe (potentially the Huns) and implemented its construction. He was a resourceful, though also an inhumane, ruthless man. Devoted too. He was the mentor to Shihuangdi's heir, Prince Fu Su. The two of them became a target for Zhao Gao (a cunning eunuch) and Chancellor Li Si (Shihuangdi's former tecaher) who wanted Prince Hu Hai to take the throne so that they can use him as a puppet king. On Shihuangdi's death, a fake will was made by the two, ordering Meng Tian and Fu Su to take their own lives for crimes they didn't commit. Originally, the will instated Fu Su as successor and Meng Tian as a head of military affairs.
Prince Fu Su took his own life while Meng Tian obviously knew it was fake. His family was killed (including Meng Qi, his brother, another important figure in the court) and he was imprisoned. After contemplating for what crimes he might have done to deserve this, he took his own life.
I think it would be interesting to have the two reunite. Meng Tian is a very interesting character to me. He had a lot of behind-the-scenes role during Shihuangdi's reign...well, we don't know most of them since information has been lost in time. But I think he was that kind of guy. He might be holding some grudge/guilt against Shihuangdi. It would be great regardless.
Also, I should note that my QSH isn't portrayed in the traditional perspective. Here's a copy pasta of some of the app.
Prince Fu Su took his own life while Meng Tian obviously knew it was fake. His family was killed (including Meng Qi, his brother, another important figure in the court) and he was imprisoned. After contemplating for what crimes he might have done to deserve this, he took his own life.
I think it would be interesting to have the two reunite. Meng Tian is a very interesting character to me. He had a lot of behind-the-scenes role during Shihuangdi's reign...well, we don't know most of them since information has been lost in time. But I think he was that kind of guy. He might be holding some grudge/guilt against Shihuangdi. It would be great regardless.
Also, I should note that my QSH isn't portrayed in the traditional perspective. Here's a copy pasta of some of the app.
PERSONALITY:
ALIGNMENT:
LAWFUL GOOD.
BRIEF PERSONALITY:
It takes a lot of courage, determination, and sacrifice to face madness. To realize at a young age the rotten hell their times lived in and not be swallowed by the despair shows that Zheng is wise beyond his years. He does not return violence with hatred, or act with violence through hatred. Zheng understands that these dark feelings are not something a king must carry, for it is only by carrying goodness that life will flourish. Is he a saint? Not at all. A saint will not be willing to make compromises. A saint is pure, untouched, unadulterated. A saint will not be willing to draw the first blood even if it means saving countless of lives. Oh, for sure, if just a single person's death can cause peace, then Zheng will have no hesitation taking it. But such a thing is nothing but fantasy. As a pragmatic person, Zheng does what he has to do with his own hands to make what he wants a reality.
How far will he go? As far as it is necessary. But evil is not something he will ever condone. As long as it is within his power, Zheng will crush the pests and insects trying to spread their disease and he will have no qualms using pigs if they helped him achieved his purpose, then later reusing their meat for something beneficial to society. He is not kind. He can be quite savage, a placid-looking businessman hiding a fearsome, passionate dragon from within. But he is very fair and perceptive, always choosing the difficult path for the sake of future generations.
He can be a difficult person to talk to, especially after being summoned in the modern era. To strangers, he is quite pleasant and polite. It is not an act, but it's definitely just a front. He is rarely at ease, his mind always on his people and his role as a king. He keeps them to himself, though he isn't really withdrawn either and is capable of trusting others. Not everything he's done has been wise, but Zheng knows that he is still a good judge of people.
LEGEND:
In the Spring and Autumn period, also known as The Warring States period, several kingdoms were formed following the collapse of the Zhao Dynasty. Each state, once a vassal state of the former rule, vied for supremacy, claiming to be the true people of Zhao. Seven states - Qin, Zhao, Chu, Han, Yan, Wei, and Qi continued the nonstop warring for 500 years since it began.
Birth and early life
The nature of war was cruel and brutal, not even the royalty was spared from it. At that time, it was normal for rulers to use their children as tools for war. Zheng's father, King Zhuangxiang (Birth name: Yiren), the young prince who had older brothers in line before him to the throne, was sent to Zhao as a political hostage. He was befriended by the Wei merchant, Lu Buwei, who would later use his riches and cleverness to make the powerless prince as King of Qin and become the Prime Minister of the state. Yiren was smitten by the dancer Lady Zhao Ji and asked Lu Buwei, her fiance, to hand him over as his wife to which Lu Buwei agreed. Zheng was then born by Lady Zhao Ji.
During the reign of Zheng's great-grandfather, Bai Qi, the man who would be recognized as one of the greatest four generals during the Warring States, became responsible for the massacre of more than 1, 000, 000 enemy soldiers and civilians of Zhao. This incident caused Zheng and his mother to be treated poorly by the people of Zhao. During this time, Lu Buwei orchestrated Yiren's escape from Zhao and had him adopted by the childless, primary spouse of the second heir to Qin's throne, Zheng's grandfather, Lord Anguo.
Lord Anguo rose to the throne and became known as King Xiaowen. He would rule only for 3 days before being succeeded by Zheng's father, who ruled only for 3 years. Following his father's death, at 13 years of age, Zheng became king of Qin.
Young King of Qin
Being too young to rule, Lu Buwei, his father's friend and Prime Minister of Qin, handled the governance. Though young and born in circumstances he wouldn't have normally lived through, Zheng was wise, tough and strong-willed. He desired to become a great king who would bring people happiness. But as he grew older, tasting the venom of politics in the court where he was powerless, he realized that the path of kingship he wanted required greater ambition. Li Si, the legalist expert and who would later serve as Zheng's Chancellor, inspired Zheng to achieve what no king had ever achieved: the unification of Zhongguo or the Middle Kingdom (What China was referred to back then.)
Zheng's hardship was as continuous as the 500-war-era. His half-brother, Cheng Jiao, was set up by greedy officials as a leader of a rebellion to overthrow Zheng. When the brothers first met, they were at odds at each other but soon became allies. This "rebellion" by Cheng Jiao would force Zheng to order the death of his own brother.
Next, he would be pit against his own mother, who gave birth to two children from the false eunuch Lao Ai, a man with a "prodigious genital" sent to the queen to pleasure her. Though Zheng would have no choice but to publicly execute Lao Ai and banish his mother, Zheng was able to fake the execution of his half-brothers to spare them.
For years, Zheng had been a dark reminder of his mother's suffering - being betrayed by her fiance, abandoned by her husband, ostracized by the people of Zhao - but the two were able to at least forgive each other before they separated ways and never saw each other again. His mother found happiness with her two children and Zheng continued on to his thorny path as king.
Following Lao Ai's rebellion and the Queen Dowager's adultery, rumours of Zheng not being a legitimate heir spread right before his coming-of-age ceremony, a ritual that would recognize Zheng as king of Qin in power. Many believed that Zheng was in fact Lu Buwei's son after the dowager's former relationship with him was revealed. In the twofold task to remove Lu Buwei's influence in the country and to eradicate the slander, Zheng banished Lu Buwei on the grounds of treason, for putting Lao Ai in the eunuch and for allowing the rebellion to occur. Though Zheng considered the man as an enemy, there were no feelings of enmity. He wished the man well. Lu Buwei congratulated him, telling him how he was just like his father. Just a year after his banishment, Lu Buwei drank poison and took his own life.
Before Zheng could attempt to unify Zhongguo, the other states rallied together to destroy Qin. Such alliances or coalition armies was rare but had happened before. It was through the power of the other states that the once-powerful Qi was obliterated to one city. But through the efforts of the officials and Zheng's bravery by joining the battle and raising morale through speech, Qin became the only known state to have warded off a joint attack by several states.
Conquest Of The 6 States
The next 9 years saw the fall of states one at a time, employing tactics from the Thirty-Six Strategems by allying with distance states (Yan and Qi), holding down protected states (Wei an Chu), and first conquering nearby states (Zhao and Han.)
Although Zheng participated in some battles (particularly the ones in Zhao), Zheng's military contribution was limited. In today's time, he would be falsely given the title of warrior-emperor and regarded as a military genius (which had really no concrete evidence), but what Zheng truly possessed was indomitable will to see things through. As Qin's power continued to rise, Zheng remained as its undisputed king, served by his loyal officials.
Through the unification, several assassination attempts were made on Zheng, one of which included a tale where he had to fight his own assassin while the court officials helplessly watched. One of the states, Yan, feared the Qin army so much that the king had his own son executed and handed his head to Zheng as a peace offering. Aghast by the callous action of the king, Zheng decided to honor it regardless for the sacrifice of the prince.
Upon becoming emperor, Zheng renamed himself as Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of Qin.
The First Emperor
The unification was widely considered to be Zheng's greatest accomplishment but his reign as emperor saw drastic changes that persisted until today. He standardized weights and currency and devised characters for writing. Zheng gathered weapons and recycled them as materials for everyday objects.
There were small rebellions during Zheng's reign but Qin saw nonetheless the peace and prosperity Zheng had desired. War did not exist anymore. He was loved by the people and as Emperor, the Son of Heaven, he was revered akin to a god. Interestingly - as many historians today found out - Zheng wrote little about himself. No one knew what he looked like, how he sounded like, or what kind of person he really was. Zheng abandoned his humanity in favor of becoming emperor. Changing his name had been more than symbolic. The only clues he left behind were his works and projects. Zheng allowed history to freely judge him, whether as a demon or as a saint.
Zheng knew, however, that he could not allow his people to rest yet. With enemy tribes harassing them on the borders, the need for war rose again. Zheng insisted to find a way to maintain Qin's peace without engaging in another fruitless war. General Meng Tian, his most trusted vassal, proposed the idea of building a wall. It would be a wall that would be built on the blood and sweat of his people, but it would safeguard the peace Zheng wanted future generations to enjoy.
While his generals took care of protecting peace, Zheng faced severe challenges from within the court. His projects were not viewed as kindly by scholars. They saw it as discarding culture, squandering of taxes, and inhumane cruelty. The aftermath of the Warring State era saw a rise of such scholars, who, with the war gone, created philosophies and beliefs that would help promote value among people. It was through the voices of the scholars that Zheng became a power-hungry tyrant. Li Si, Zheng's former teacher and Chancellor, was among the few who understood Zheng's goals and stood by his side.
However, though it was with good intentions, Li Si would be the beginning of Zheng's and the Qin Dynasty's downfall.
Immortality, and the descent to madness
During Zheng's time, they believed that they were all that existed in the universe. To unify Zhongguo was to unify the entire world, making Zheng mankind's ruler. Being at the peak of power, the next step had been to find immortality.
Zheng's quest for immortality was among the famous tales surrounding his legend. But it was never an object of his desire. Believing that there were more countries beyond Zhongguo, Zheng wanted to send expeditions on the sea. Being already hounded by scholars and officials in his spending, Li Si suggested that he do this under the guise of finding an elixir. Being the Son of Heaven, no one could say anything about his desire to become immortal without implying the slightest treason.
While it seemed Li Si did not believe an elixir that could grant immortality to ever exist, he wanted Zheng to reign for many more years to come. He was dismayed by Zheng's heir, Fu Su, who was impulsive and naive, at times openly criticizing his own father. Li Si criticized Zheng for being too lenient, but Zheng believed that his children saw things they - men who only knew of war and fighting whenever they looked back - did not. By the time Zheng would step down from the throne, all the bloodbath would be over and Fu Su would be the king Qin would need to live in times of peace. In the following events, this future became impossible.
At the orders of Li Si, Zheng was prescribed by pills to extend his lifespan. Although hesitant, Zheng agreed but in six months since taking the pills, Zheng quickly realized that they were poisonous. He ordered the alchemists imprisoned and to destroy the pills, but an irreversible damage had already occurred. His body coordination was impaired and his sanity had been compromised. In his bouts of madness, he would demand for more pills and execute anyone on the spot who dared to refute him. To avoid a repeat of the incidents, Zheng withdrew from the court and secluded himself in a castle where he continued his work. But his deteriorating mental health was losing to the pressures of being an emperor.
With Zheng away from court, Li Si took charge and performed actions without Zheng's consent. One of them was the burning of all non-Qin books that were not related to medicine, war, agriculture, and divination. Such extreme censorship was not unheard of. In the past and in other cultures, many kings have done the same. But the burning of books and the execution of scholars who possessed illegal books were met with intense opposition. When these oppressed men earned a right to write history after the fall of Qin, the incident was coloured with extreme bias.
The other incident was often associated with the burning of books, but they were in truth not related. The "burial of scholars" was said to be an event where hundreds of Confucian scholars were buried alive. For many years, it persisted until it was discovered that there was a potential mistranslation. With Zheng's ailment slowly destroying him and his ability to rule, he had a rare display of wrath and ordered the execution of all alchemists and shamans. The incident was the burial of shamans, not scholars.
The fall of Qin Dynasty
In the last few years of Zheng's rule, Zhao Gao, the mentor of his younger son, Hu Hai, was stirring up a conspiracy together with Li Si. Hu Hai was a timid child who loved his father and brother wholeheartedly, but he did not realize that he was being used in a plot to kill Fu Su. Zheng passed away at the age of 50 during a trip with Hu Hai and Zhao Gao. Zhao Gao used the opportunity to destroy Zheng's will, which named Fu Su, heir, and General Meng Tian, head of the military. He doctored a will that made Hu Hai the heir and ordered Fu Su and General Meng Tian to commit suicide under crimes they did not commit.
General Meng Tian did not believe the false will presented by Zhao Gao. Fu Su did not either, but knowing that Hu Hai had been with their father during his death, Fu Su suspected betrayal and realized that if he and General Meng Tian fought, a civil war would occur. With his father's death already splitting the country, Fu Su decided to take his own life. General Meng Tian was imprisoned and his family killed. After mourning of what crimes he could have possibly commit to deserve this fate, he, too, took his own life.
ALIGNMENT:
LAWFUL GOOD.
BRIEF PERSONALITY:
It takes a lot of courage, determination, and sacrifice to face madness. To realize at a young age the rotten hell their times lived in and not be swallowed by the despair shows that Zheng is wise beyond his years. He does not return violence with hatred, or act with violence through hatred. Zheng understands that these dark feelings are not something a king must carry, for it is only by carrying goodness that life will flourish. Is he a saint? Not at all. A saint will not be willing to make compromises. A saint is pure, untouched, unadulterated. A saint will not be willing to draw the first blood even if it means saving countless of lives. Oh, for sure, if just a single person's death can cause peace, then Zheng will have no hesitation taking it. But such a thing is nothing but fantasy. As a pragmatic person, Zheng does what he has to do with his own hands to make what he wants a reality.
How far will he go? As far as it is necessary. But evil is not something he will ever condone. As long as it is within his power, Zheng will crush the pests and insects trying to spread their disease and he will have no qualms using pigs if they helped him achieved his purpose, then later reusing their meat for something beneficial to society. He is not kind. He can be quite savage, a placid-looking businessman hiding a fearsome, passionate dragon from within. But he is very fair and perceptive, always choosing the difficult path for the sake of future generations.
He can be a difficult person to talk to, especially after being summoned in the modern era. To strangers, he is quite pleasant and polite. It is not an act, but it's definitely just a front. He is rarely at ease, his mind always on his people and his role as a king. He keeps them to himself, though he isn't really withdrawn either and is capable of trusting others. Not everything he's done has been wise, but Zheng knows that he is still a good judge of people.
LEGEND:
In the Spring and Autumn period, also known as The Warring States period, several kingdoms were formed following the collapse of the Zhao Dynasty. Each state, once a vassal state of the former rule, vied for supremacy, claiming to be the true people of Zhao. Seven states - Qin, Zhao, Chu, Han, Yan, Wei, and Qi continued the nonstop warring for 500 years since it began.
Birth and early life
The nature of war was cruel and brutal, not even the royalty was spared from it. At that time, it was normal for rulers to use their children as tools for war. Zheng's father, King Zhuangxiang (Birth name: Yiren), the young prince who had older brothers in line before him to the throne, was sent to Zhao as a political hostage. He was befriended by the Wei merchant, Lu Buwei, who would later use his riches and cleverness to make the powerless prince as King of Qin and become the Prime Minister of the state. Yiren was smitten by the dancer Lady Zhao Ji and asked Lu Buwei, her fiance, to hand him over as his wife to which Lu Buwei agreed. Zheng was then born by Lady Zhao Ji.
During the reign of Zheng's great-grandfather, Bai Qi, the man who would be recognized as one of the greatest four generals during the Warring States, became responsible for the massacre of more than 1, 000, 000 enemy soldiers and civilians of Zhao. This incident caused Zheng and his mother to be treated poorly by the people of Zhao. During this time, Lu Buwei orchestrated Yiren's escape from Zhao and had him adopted by the childless, primary spouse of the second heir to Qin's throne, Zheng's grandfather, Lord Anguo.
Lord Anguo rose to the throne and became known as King Xiaowen. He would rule only for 3 days before being succeeded by Zheng's father, who ruled only for 3 years. Following his father's death, at 13 years of age, Zheng became king of Qin.
Young King of Qin
Being too young to rule, Lu Buwei, his father's friend and Prime Minister of Qin, handled the governance. Though young and born in circumstances he wouldn't have normally lived through, Zheng was wise, tough and strong-willed. He desired to become a great king who would bring people happiness. But as he grew older, tasting the venom of politics in the court where he was powerless, he realized that the path of kingship he wanted required greater ambition. Li Si, the legalist expert and who would later serve as Zheng's Chancellor, inspired Zheng to achieve what no king had ever achieved: the unification of Zhongguo or the Middle Kingdom (What China was referred to back then.)
Zheng's hardship was as continuous as the 500-war-era. His half-brother, Cheng Jiao, was set up by greedy officials as a leader of a rebellion to overthrow Zheng. When the brothers first met, they were at odds at each other but soon became allies. This "rebellion" by Cheng Jiao would force Zheng to order the death of his own brother.
Next, he would be pit against his own mother, who gave birth to two children from the false eunuch Lao Ai, a man with a "prodigious genital" sent to the queen to pleasure her. Though Zheng would have no choice but to publicly execute Lao Ai and banish his mother, Zheng was able to fake the execution of his half-brothers to spare them.
For years, Zheng had been a dark reminder of his mother's suffering - being betrayed by her fiance, abandoned by her husband, ostracized by the people of Zhao - but the two were able to at least forgive each other before they separated ways and never saw each other again. His mother found happiness with her two children and Zheng continued on to his thorny path as king.
Following Lao Ai's rebellion and the Queen Dowager's adultery, rumours of Zheng not being a legitimate heir spread right before his coming-of-age ceremony, a ritual that would recognize Zheng as king of Qin in power. Many believed that Zheng was in fact Lu Buwei's son after the dowager's former relationship with him was revealed. In the twofold task to remove Lu Buwei's influence in the country and to eradicate the slander, Zheng banished Lu Buwei on the grounds of treason, for putting Lao Ai in the eunuch and for allowing the rebellion to occur. Though Zheng considered the man as an enemy, there were no feelings of enmity. He wished the man well. Lu Buwei congratulated him, telling him how he was just like his father. Just a year after his banishment, Lu Buwei drank poison and took his own life.
Before Zheng could attempt to unify Zhongguo, the other states rallied together to destroy Qin. Such alliances or coalition armies was rare but had happened before. It was through the power of the other states that the once-powerful Qi was obliterated to one city. But through the efforts of the officials and Zheng's bravery by joining the battle and raising morale through speech, Qin became the only known state to have warded off a joint attack by several states.
Conquest Of The 6 States
The next 9 years saw the fall of states one at a time, employing tactics from the Thirty-Six Strategems by allying with distance states (Yan and Qi), holding down protected states (Wei an Chu), and first conquering nearby states (Zhao and Han.)
Although Zheng participated in some battles (particularly the ones in Zhao), Zheng's military contribution was limited. In today's time, he would be falsely given the title of warrior-emperor and regarded as a military genius (which had really no concrete evidence), but what Zheng truly possessed was indomitable will to see things through. As Qin's power continued to rise, Zheng remained as its undisputed king, served by his loyal officials.
Through the unification, several assassination attempts were made on Zheng, one of which included a tale where he had to fight his own assassin while the court officials helplessly watched. One of the states, Yan, feared the Qin army so much that the king had his own son executed and handed his head to Zheng as a peace offering. Aghast by the callous action of the king, Zheng decided to honor it regardless for the sacrifice of the prince.
Upon becoming emperor, Zheng renamed himself as Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of Qin.
The First Emperor
The unification was widely considered to be Zheng's greatest accomplishment but his reign as emperor saw drastic changes that persisted until today. He standardized weights and currency and devised characters for writing. Zheng gathered weapons and recycled them as materials for everyday objects.
There were small rebellions during Zheng's reign but Qin saw nonetheless the peace and prosperity Zheng had desired. War did not exist anymore. He was loved by the people and as Emperor, the Son of Heaven, he was revered akin to a god. Interestingly - as many historians today found out - Zheng wrote little about himself. No one knew what he looked like, how he sounded like, or what kind of person he really was. Zheng abandoned his humanity in favor of becoming emperor. Changing his name had been more than symbolic. The only clues he left behind were his works and projects. Zheng allowed history to freely judge him, whether as a demon or as a saint.
Zheng knew, however, that he could not allow his people to rest yet. With enemy tribes harassing them on the borders, the need for war rose again. Zheng insisted to find a way to maintain Qin's peace without engaging in another fruitless war. General Meng Tian, his most trusted vassal, proposed the idea of building a wall. It would be a wall that would be built on the blood and sweat of his people, but it would safeguard the peace Zheng wanted future generations to enjoy.
While his generals took care of protecting peace, Zheng faced severe challenges from within the court. His projects were not viewed as kindly by scholars. They saw it as discarding culture, squandering of taxes, and inhumane cruelty. The aftermath of the Warring State era saw a rise of such scholars, who, with the war gone, created philosophies and beliefs that would help promote value among people. It was through the voices of the scholars that Zheng became a power-hungry tyrant. Li Si, Zheng's former teacher and Chancellor, was among the few who understood Zheng's goals and stood by his side.
However, though it was with good intentions, Li Si would be the beginning of Zheng's and the Qin Dynasty's downfall.
Immortality, and the descent to madness
During Zheng's time, they believed that they were all that existed in the universe. To unify Zhongguo was to unify the entire world, making Zheng mankind's ruler. Being at the peak of power, the next step had been to find immortality.
Zheng's quest for immortality was among the famous tales surrounding his legend. But it was never an object of his desire. Believing that there were more countries beyond Zhongguo, Zheng wanted to send expeditions on the sea. Being already hounded by scholars and officials in his spending, Li Si suggested that he do this under the guise of finding an elixir. Being the Son of Heaven, no one could say anything about his desire to become immortal without implying the slightest treason.
While it seemed Li Si did not believe an elixir that could grant immortality to ever exist, he wanted Zheng to reign for many more years to come. He was dismayed by Zheng's heir, Fu Su, who was impulsive and naive, at times openly criticizing his own father. Li Si criticized Zheng for being too lenient, but Zheng believed that his children saw things they - men who only knew of war and fighting whenever they looked back - did not. By the time Zheng would step down from the throne, all the bloodbath would be over and Fu Su would be the king Qin would need to live in times of peace. In the following events, this future became impossible.
At the orders of Li Si, Zheng was prescribed by pills to extend his lifespan. Although hesitant, Zheng agreed but in six months since taking the pills, Zheng quickly realized that they were poisonous. He ordered the alchemists imprisoned and to destroy the pills, but an irreversible damage had already occurred. His body coordination was impaired and his sanity had been compromised. In his bouts of madness, he would demand for more pills and execute anyone on the spot who dared to refute him. To avoid a repeat of the incidents, Zheng withdrew from the court and secluded himself in a castle where he continued his work. But his deteriorating mental health was losing to the pressures of being an emperor.
With Zheng away from court, Li Si took charge and performed actions without Zheng's consent. One of them was the burning of all non-Qin books that were not related to medicine, war, agriculture, and divination. Such extreme censorship was not unheard of. In the past and in other cultures, many kings have done the same. But the burning of books and the execution of scholars who possessed illegal books were met with intense opposition. When these oppressed men earned a right to write history after the fall of Qin, the incident was coloured with extreme bias.
The other incident was often associated with the burning of books, but they were in truth not related. The "burial of scholars" was said to be an event where hundreds of Confucian scholars were buried alive. For many years, it persisted until it was discovered that there was a potential mistranslation. With Zheng's ailment slowly destroying him and his ability to rule, he had a rare display of wrath and ordered the execution of all alchemists and shamans. The incident was the burial of shamans, not scholars.
The fall of Qin Dynasty
In the last few years of Zheng's rule, Zhao Gao, the mentor of his younger son, Hu Hai, was stirring up a conspiracy together with Li Si. Hu Hai was a timid child who loved his father and brother wholeheartedly, but he did not realize that he was being used in a plot to kill Fu Su. Zheng passed away at the age of 50 during a trip with Hu Hai and Zhao Gao. Zhao Gao used the opportunity to destroy Zheng's will, which named Fu Su, heir, and General Meng Tian, head of the military. He doctored a will that made Hu Hai the heir and ordered Fu Su and General Meng Tian to commit suicide under crimes they did not commit.
General Meng Tian did not believe the false will presented by Zhao Gao. Fu Su did not either, but knowing that Hu Hai had been with their father during his death, Fu Su suspected betrayal and realized that if he and General Meng Tian fought, a civil war would occur. With his father's death already splitting the country, Fu Su decided to take his own life. General Meng Tian was imprisoned and his family killed. After mourning of what crimes he could have possibly commit to deserve this fate, he, too, took his own life.