Qin Shihuang, whose surname is Ying Mingzheng, was born in Handan, the capital of Zhao State in the Warring States Period. His father, Ziyi, was the Duke of Qin who was a hostage in Handan. His mother was a dancer born in a rich family in Handan. Her name was not left in the history books, but Zhao Ji.
When Ziyi and Zhao Ji met, there was a third intermediary, Lu Buwei, a wealthy businessman in Handan. It is precisely because of Lv Buwei's involvement between Ziyi and Zhao Ji that after Ying Zheng was born, it became unclear who his biological father was, Ziyi or Lv Buwei.
The unknown father is an unspeakable family affair for ordinary people. For the royal family in the world, it is a state affair related to the fate of the dynasty. This is related to the Qin regime, which has been inherited from generation to generation for more than 600 years, whether it is still called Ying or not. Did Qin change its name when King Ying Zheng ascended the throne?
Because it is so important, the question of who the father of Qin Shihuang is has not only become a mystery in the history of the Qin State, but also a lawsuit in history for thousands of years, and has become a topic of conversation for people over the past two thousand years.
Sima Qian's "Enchanting Array"
This case originated from the Records of the Historian. In other words, it was Sima Qian who caused the trouble. Sima Qian described the life experience of Qin Shihuang in "The Chronicle of Qin Shihuang", saying that Qin Shihuang was the son of Prince Yi of Qin Zhuangxiang. When King Zhuang Xiang was a hostage in the State of Zhao, he met Zhao Ji at Lv Buwei's house. He fell in love at first sight, married her, and gave birth to Qin Shihuang.
He was born in Handan in the first month of the 48th year of King Zhao of Qin Dynasty.
However, Sima Qian told about the birth of the first emperor of Qin Dynasty in his Biography of Lu Buwei that Lu Buwei lived with Zhao Ji, a gorgeous beauty in Handan who was good at dancing, and knew that Zhao Ji was pregnant. Ziyi went to Lv Buwei's house for a banquet. When he saw Zhao Ji, he fell in love at first sight. He got up and toasted and asked Lv Buwei to send Zhao Ji to him.
Lv Buwei was very angry at first. Later, considering that he had already invested most of his property for Ziyi's political future, he had to push the boat along the current to send Zhao Ji to Ziyi in order to get success in "fishing for novelty". Zhao Ji conceals that she is pregnant. She marries Yi and gives birth to Ying Zheng as scheduled.
Ziyi made Zhao Ji his wife.
In different chapters of the same Records of the Historian, there are different records of the same thing, which is the origin of the question of who is the father of the Qin Shihuang, just like the "Enchanting Array" set for us by Sima Qian.
In fact, from Ying Zheng's birth to Ying Zheng's succession to the throne, Ziyi never had any doubt that Ying Zheng was his own son. He always admitted that Ying Zheng was his eldest son.
Ziyi was born in the 27th year of the reign of King Zhao of Qin, that is, 280 BC. He later succeeded to the throne and became the 33rd King of the State of Qin, with a posthumous title of King Zhuang Xiang.
When Ziyi was 18 years old, that is, in the 43rd year of King Zhao of Qin, the State of Qin and the State of Zhao made an agreement to make peace and exchange royal children as hostages. Ziyi came to Handan, the capital of the State of Zhao, as a grandson, and was called proton.
When Ziyi was in Handan, it was the night before the Changping War broke out. In order to fight for the dominance of the whole world, Qin and Zhao made an agreement on the surface and expanded their troops behind their backs to prepare for the war. Therefore, Ziyi was in a very difficult situation in Handan.
Ziyi got to know Lv Buwei two or three years after he arrived in Handan. He got Zhao Ji from Lv Buwei and lived together. It was March of the 47th year of King Zhao of Qin. Ying Zheng was born in the first month of the 48th year of King Zhao of Qin.
At that time, Ziyi was 23 years old.
In the year when Zhao Jihuai won the government, that is, in the 47th year of King Zhao of Qin, the battle between Qin and Zhao Changping broke out, and Zhao was defeated. 400000 Zhao troops were buried alive by Qin generals. Handan was shocked by panic.
The next year, the Qin army seized the victory and attacked the territory of Zhao. In the 49th year of King Zhao of Qin Dynasty, the Qin army began to besiege Handan for a long time. After Ying Zheng was born in the war, Ziyi's family was trapped in the sea of hatred of the Zhao people, and was in danger at any time.
Ziyi never doubted
In the fiftieth year of King Zhao of Qin, Lv Buwei and Ziyi risked to escape from Handan and return to the State of Qin. Zhao Ji and three-year-old Ying Zheng stayed in Handan and were hunted down by Zhao people with hatred. They narrowly escaped death, relying on the hiding of Zhao Ji's family.
Ziyi, who returned to the State of Qin, formally became the heir of Prince An, and married and had children. At that time, Ying Zheng was 4 years old and hid in Handan with his mother.
In the 56th year of King Zhao, King Zhao of Qin died. Ying Zheng's grandfather, An Guojun, became King of Qin, serving as King Xiaowen. Taking this opportunity, Qin and Zhao reconciled, and Zhao sent Zhao Ji and Ying Zheng back to Qin.
Ziyi reunited with Zhao Ji and Ying Zheng after six years of separation. Even as a bystander, he was moved by the separation between husband and wife, father and son. He has officially become the prince's son Yi, with Zhao Ji as the prince's wife and Ying Zheng as the prince's heir. He has made an unforgettable account of Fa's wife and eldest son.
At that time, Lei Zheng was 9 years old.
King Xiaowen was over 50 years old when he ascended the throne, and died three days after his official accession. Ziyi succeeded to the throne as King of Qin, for the sake of King Zhuang Xiang. After King Zhuangxiang ascended the throne, Zhao Ji became the queen, 11 year old Lei Zheng became the crown prince, and Lv Buwei was appointed prime minister.
Three years later, King Zhuang Xiang died, and Ying Zheng, 13, succeeded to the throne. Zhao Ji became the Queen Mother, and Lv Buwei continued to serve as Prime Minister. As Ying Zheng was still young, his mother and Lv Buwei took charge of the political power.
From this, it can be clearly seen that Ziyi never had any doubt that Yingzheng was his son from the birth of Yingzheng until he succeeded to the throne. On the contrary, after a long separation in life and death, another wife and son, Zhao Ji and Ying Zheng had a lot of love and always admitted that they were their true wives and eldest sons.
In the complex royal family and the interior of the Qin State, as well as among the enemies and friends of the royal family, there was no movement of doubt, and no rumors were heard. So far, the state affairs of the State of Qin and the family affairs of the King of Qin have been in order.
That is to say, if we examine it from the perspective of King Zheng and father son differences, until Ying Zheng ascends the throne and becomes the 34th King of Qin, the question of who is the father of Qin Shihuang simply does not exist in history.
Lv Buwei can't avoid
On the other hand, Lv Buwei, born in a family of merchants, has achieved great success in international trade and is known as Yangzhai Dajia.
Lv Buwei met Ziyi when he went to Handan, the capital of Zhao, to do business. With the shrewd eyes of businessmen, he was keenly aware of Ziyi's special commodity value and thought that Ziyi was a rare commodity. After careful consideration and careful planning, Lu Buwei boldly made a decision to transform his career and life.
He resolutely liquidated his business and cashed in. He invested in Ziyi's political future. He packaged Ziyi and lobbied his wife, Madam Huayang, to make Ziyi the heir of the crown prince, Prince An, and to succeed to the throne in the future. This is the highest risk investment.
If Lv Buwei regards children as valuable golden eggs, in his unparalleled business vision, Mrs. Huayang is an "incubator".
After Lv Buwei invested in Ziyi, Mrs. Huayang became his public relations target. Lv Buwei came to Xianyang as an envoy of protons and children with heavy jewels. He first persuaded Mrs. Huayang's brothers and sisters to succeed through their cooperation. Madame Huayang recognized the collar as her adopted son, and then blew a breeze on her pillow, so that King An officially appointed her son as the heir to the crown prince.
It can be seen that Lv Buwei successfully applied the business principle of mutual benefit and mutual complementarity, win-win and mutual benefit to politics. Through a series of investment plans, Ziyi and Madame Huayang worked together to win the battle for royal power and finally gained the power of Qin State.
The historical event of Lv Buwei lobbying Madam Huayang to make Ziyi the heir of the crown prince is complicated and dramatic on the surface, but its essence is that Prince Ying and his relatives of the Mi family once again conclude a political alliance.
Of course, the most important thing is that in Lv Buwei's opinion, Ziyi's investment value lies in his royal blood. Lv Buwei lobbied Madam Huayang, and his selling points were all in Ziyi's royal blood.
Lv Buwei's action is like a gamble, all bets are on Ziyi's unique blood of the Qin royal family. The pure blood of the King of Qin is the essence of rare commodities, and also the fundamental stake that determines Lu Buwei's action. For Lv Buwei, maintaining the purity and credibility of the Qin King's blood is a matter of life and death that he dare not neglect.
The activities of historical figures have their own local motivations at that time. When we try the question of who is the father of Qin Shihuang as a historical case, if we regard Lv Buwei as a suspect, we can say that he not only has no motive to commit the crime, but also has to be cautious to avoid suspicion. The so-called story of offering pregnant concubines to catch strange things can only be gossip. The tidbits added by later generations are not only completely inconsistent with the behavior of a big businessman and politician, but also impossible to achieve.
