Romance of the Former Han Dynasty (6)

[CHUNG Yoon-Ngan <chungyn@mozart.collective.com.au>]

Romance of the Former Han Dynasty (6)

Qin2 Zhao Wang2, the ruler of Qin2, died in the third month in 251BC. 
The crown prince, An Guo2 Jun, was installed as the King of Qin2 and 
Madam Hua2 Yang2 became the Queen of Qin2. The new King kept his promise 
and appointed Yi4 Ren2 as the crown prince. However, the new King died on 
the third day. According to the rules of Qin2, Yi4 Ren2 was crowned as 
the King of Qin2. He was known by his official title as Qin2 Zhuang Xiang 
Wang2. Zhu Ji became the Queen and Lu3 Bu4 Wei2 was appointed as the 
Premier. Yi4 Ren2 also bestowed upon him the title of Wen2 Xin4 Hou2. 
Yi4 Ren2 invested his son, Zheng4 as the crown prince.   

Wanting to avenge the State of Zhao4 for holding him as a hostage Yi4 Ren2 
ordered General Wang2 Jian3 and General Zhang Gan to lead an large army 
to attack the frontier town of Zhang He2 which was occupied in a brief 
encountered with the Zhao4. Yi4 Ren2 officially ended the Zhou Dynasty 
by occupying the Zhou capital of Luoyang. 

Yi4 Ren2 died in 246BC and the young boy, Zheng4, was installed as the 
new King of Qin2. However, Zheng4 was only thirteen years old and was 
too young to rule. Therefore, the Qin2 Court appointed Lu3 Bu4 Wei2 as 
the Regent and the Godfather of the young King. Lu3 became the most 
powerful man in the State. 
 
   Lu3 Bu4 Wei2 established his own private court and employed more than 
three thousand people as his think tank. They helped him by fair means 
or foul to stay in power. They were the experts of all professions. 
Among them were the specialists in politics, current affairs, history, 
financial, story and fable story writers. Their livelihoods depended on 
Lu3 Bu4 Wei2.

   Putting their brains together they compiled a book of more than two 
hundred thousand words. The book was called,

  "Lu3 Shi4 Chun Qiu (The Spring and Autumn Annals of Mr Lu3)"

This book was the sum total of all human knowledge at that time. Lu3 used 
this book as his guide to conquer other States and unify this vast land 
into one big empire. Lu3 also wanted every citizen in Qin2 to read this 
book. So he hang the scripts of this book up on the walls in the capital. 
He proclaimed that if anyone could erase or change a word in the book he 
promised that he would reward that person with a thousand taels of gold 
for each word he erased or changed. It was a perfect book. For ten days 
not a single scholar came forward to change or delete a single word.

Even though Zheng4 was young he knew what was going on in the State. He 
had a vision that he would conquer and destroy other States and unify the 
land. He knew that soon or later he would win back the political and 
military power from Lu3. But Lu3 regarded him as just a boy and was not 
matured yet to resume the Kingship. He would not relinguish the power.

Lu3 continued to have affairs with Zhu Ji. As Lu3 was too busy with his 
books and the affirs of the State he engagged a man named Lei2 Du4 to 
continue on his behalf the affairs with Zhu Ji. Lei2 Du4 was disguised 
as an eunuch by pulling off all his bear on his face. Lu3 rewarded Lei2 
Du4 the title of Chang2 Xin4 Hou2. To keep the affair as secret as possible 
Zhu Ji moved to live in Qi4 Yong, far away from the capital. After having 
lived with Lei2 Du4 for ten years, eventually, Zhu Ji had two sons.

On the fifth day of the fifth month of in 238BC Lei2 Du4 was drunk and 
scolded an old house maid named Ji4 Shi4 for being too clumsy by spilling 
the wine. Lei2 Du4 punished Ji4 Shi4 by whipping on her back. Ji4 Shi4 went 
back to the capital and informed the chief eunuch named Zhao4 Gao that Lei2 
Du4 was a fake eunuch. Zhao4 Gao informed Zheng4 who was very angry. Zheng4 
arrested Lu3 Bu4 Wei2 and went to his mother's palace in Qi4 Yong and had 
his two step-brothers killed and arrested Lei2 Du4. He banished his 
mother to Yong which was very far from the capital. Zheng4 had Lei2 
Du4 executed and decreed that whoever advised matter regarding his 
mother would be put to death.        

Twenty seven people tried to persuade the young King to take his mother 
back and Zheng4 executed them all. Eventually he was persuaded by a man 
named Mao2 Jiao to take his mother back to live with him in Xian2 Yang2. 
Zheng4 appointed Mao2 Jiao as a high official and appointed a scholar 
named Li3 Si as his Prime Minister. Zheng4 ostracized his godfather, 
Lu3 Bu4 Wei2 to Luoyang city. The followers of Lu3 swamped to Luoyang to 
work for him.

A year later Lu3 drew an open party in his house. The party was attended 
by thousands of his followers. Zheng4 was afraid that Lu3 might organize  
an rebellion against him. So he issued a decree to exile Lu3 for life to 
Shu in the present province of Sichuan. Lu3 knew that Zheng4, his own son 
was using execuses to get rid of him and wanted him to end his own life. 
Lu3 committed suicide by drinking some posion wine. Lu3 Bu4 Wei2 was 
buried in a place north of the city of Luoyang in Henan province. 

Zheng4 ordered his generals and armies to conquer all the States in the 
land. By 221BC he achieved his ambition and had subjugated the States of 
Zhao4, Chu3, Yan4, Han3, Wei4 and Qi2. After having unified the land 
Zheng4 proclaimed that he was the first Emperor of the Qin2 Dynasty.
He titled himself Qin2 Shi3 Huang2 Di4, the first Emperor of a thousand 
Emperors of the Qin2 Dynasty.............................   

CHUNG Yoon-Ngan.