Death of Qin Shi Huang (210 BC) and the Shaqiu Succession Plot

Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China, died at Shaqiu in what is now Hebei province in 210 BC while touring his empire. According to the historian Sima Qian, his death was kept secret by a small group of insiders, who forged an imperial edict that removed the rightful heir, Fusu, and placed the younger prince Huhai on the throne. The plot, known as the Shaqiu conspiracy, helped bring about the rapid collapse of the Qin dynasty.

Background: an emperor without a named heir

After completing the unification of China in 221 BC, Qin Shi Huang made five long tours of inspection across his new empire. He also sought immortality, sponsoring expeditions to find elixirs of life, and avoided discussing death.

He had not openly named an heir. His eldest son, Fusu, had criticised the harsh punishment of scholars in 212 BC and had been sent to the northern frontier to supervise the army of the general Meng Tian. Many at court nonetheless regarded Fusu as the likely successor.

The final tour

The emperor set out on his fifth tour at the start of 210 BC. With him were the chancellor Li Si, the eunuch official Zhao Gao, who controlled the imperial seals and carriages, and Huhai, a younger son who had asked to come along.

The procession travelled south to Yunmeng and to Kuaiji, where the emperor sacrificed to the legendary ruler Yu the Great, and then north along the coast to Langya. On the return journey the emperor fell ill at Pingyuan Ford. He died at Shaqiu in the seventh month of the year, probably in the summer of 210 BC, at about 49 years old. Sima Qian does not name the illness.

The forged edict

Before he died, the emperor had written a sealed letter to Fusu telling him to come to the capital for the funeral, which implied that he would succeed. The letter was in Zhao Gao’s hands and was never sent.

Sima Qian describes how Zhao Gao persuaded Huhai to seize the throne, and then convinced Li Si that he would lose his position if Fusu, a friend of Meng Tian, became emperor. The three men forged a new edict. It named Huhai as heir and accused Fusu and Meng Tian of failing in their duty, ordering both to commit suicide.

Fusu obeyed and killed himself. Meng Tian suspected a trick and refused, and was imprisoned. He was later forced to take poison, and his brother Meng Yi was also killed.

Hiding the death

To keep the secret, the emperor’s body was placed in a closed carriage. Food was brought in and officials continued to present reports as if he were alive. As the summer heat caused the body to decay, the conspirators ordered carts loaded with salted fish to travel with the carriage to disguise the smell.

The procession returned to the capital Xianyang by way of the northern frontier and the Qin Straight Road. Only then was the death announced. Huhai was enthroned as the Second Emperor, and the First Emperor was buried in his vast tomb at Mount Li, guarded by the Terracotta Army.

Consequences

The new reign was short and violent. Huhai and Zhao Gao purged officials and many of the emperor’s other children. Heavy labour and military demands continued, and in 209 BC the Dazexiang Uprising of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang began a wave of rebellions. Zhao Gao had Li Si executed in 208 BC and forced the Second Emperor to commit suicide in 207 BC. The last Qin ruler, Ziying, surrendered to the rebel Liu Bang soon afterwards.

Doubts about the story

Sima Qian wrote his account about a century after the events, and it includes private conversations that no outsider could have witnessed. In 2009 Peking University acquired a collection of Han bamboo manuscripts that includes a text known as the Zhao Zheng Shu. In this version, the dying emperor asks his ministers about the succession and approves Huhai on Li Si’s advice. Historians debate which tradition is closer to the truth, but the newer find shows that more than one story circulated in the Han period.

Timeline

• 221 BC: Qin unifies China; Zheng becomes the First Emperor.
• 212 BC: Fusu protests against the executions of scholars and is sent north.
• 210 BC, early in the year: The emperor begins his fifth tour.
• 210 BC, seventh month: The emperor dies at Shaqiu; the edict is forged.
• 210 BC: Fusu commits suicide; Huhai becomes the Second Emperor.
• 209 BC: The Dazexiang Uprising begins.
• 207 BC: The Second Emperor is forced to commit suicide.

Why it matters

The death of Qin Shi Huang and the Shaqiu plot turned a powerful empire into a fragile one almost overnight. Whether or not every detail is true, the story became a classic Chinese lesson about court intrigue, eunuch power and the dangers of an unclear succession.