Lü Buwei's death What is the truth about the hero's suicide?
Lü Buwei, as a minister who assisted the Qin king for two generations, made great achievements for the Qin state, but after the assassination of Chang Yu in the ninth year of the reign of King Qin (238 BC), Lü Buwei's situation became increasingly difficult. Not only was he dismissed from his post and returned home, Qin Shi Huang erased all his exploits in a letter, ordering him to move to his estate. Lü Buwei was not stupid, he knew that he had reached the point where Qin Shi Huang could no longer tolerate him, and suicide was the appropriate way to die no matter what.
After Qin Shi Huang killed Chang Yu, Lü Buwei's situation became more and more bad.
Lü Buwei was originally a businessman, and he saw that Isren, the crown prince of Qin, was one"Scarce goods", so he gave up business and entered politics. He not only personally put Isren on the throne of the monarch, but also assisted the two generations of emperors of Qin Zhuangxiang and Qin Shi Huang, winning honor for the Qin State. After Qin Shi Huang ascended the throne, he not only respected him as Xiang Bang, but also honored him"Middle Father"。
When Qin Shi Huang ascended the throne, he was young and ignorant, and the power was in the hands of Lü Buwei. Because Qin Shi Huang's biological mother Zhao Ji was the concubine of Lü Buwei's family, the two had already had a feeling of pity. Later, Lü Buwei saw that Qin Shi Huang had grown up**, so he introduced Zhao Ji to Chang Yu, who was worried that this matter would not be good for him, so he took the opportunity to escape.
After Zhao Ji entered the palace, because of his excellence"Bedtime behavior"and was favored by Qin Wangzheng, and began to rapidly expand his power under the favor of Qin Wangzheng. In the ninth year of the reign of King Qin (238 BC), he rebuked his ministers after being drunk, claiming to be the false father of King Qin. The ministers denounced him to Qin Shi Huang, saying that he was not a eunuch and that he had two sons illegitimate with Empress Dowager Zhao.
Qin Shi Huang ordered a thorough investigation into the matter. When Chang Yu found out, he prepared to rebel. In order to stabilize Chang Yu, Qin Shi Huang announced that a coronation ceremony would be held in the Yongcheng Herb Palace where Chang Yu and Zhao Ji lived. Chang Yu thought that Qin Shi Huang had not yet known about his crime and was not fully prepared for rebellion, so he chose the time of coronation as the time of rebellion.
Due to Qin Shi Huang's early preparations, Chang Yu's rebellion was finally crushed by the 3,000 elite soldiers organized by Qin Shi Huang. Chang Yu was finally beheaded into three sections, the body was displayed to the public, the three clans were destroyed, Chang Yu's two illegitimate sons and Zhao Ji were executed, and Zhao Ji was also imprisoned in Yongcheng. Lü Buwei was dismissed from his post the following year, expelled from Xianyang, and moved to a fiefdom in Henan. With the deposition of Chang Yu and Lü Buwei one after another, Qin Shi Huang began to hold real power.
It can be said that Lü Buwei was in an extremely embarrassing situation at this time. Although his exploits and power in the court saved his life, this strength also exposed him to the suspicion of Qin Shi Huang. After all, for an emperor like Qin Shi Huang, who was once powerful in the court, Lü Buwei, who was once powerful in the court, has obviously become an obstacle to his power.
This letter became the last straw, and Lü Buwei finally decided to commit suicide.
After Lü Buwei was appointed as the Taishou of Henan, not only did he not lose his position, but he was full of guests, and the envoys of various vassal states came to visit one after another. What would Qin Shi Huang think if envoys from various countries had not visited the king of Qin, but had visited the ministers of the previous dynasty who had fallen out of favor? Lü Buwei, do you have bad intentions? Or do you want to defect to another country?
That's why Qin Shi Huang wrote a letter to Lü Buwei in the Xianyang Palace:"What have you done for the Qin State? Emperor Qin gave you 100,000 households in Henan. What is your relationship with the State of Qin? His name is the middle father. You and your family should move to Shudi! "Meaning to say:"What good deeds did you Lu Buwei do for the Qin State? You asked Qin to give you 100,000 households in Henan. What is your relationship with the State of Qin? Are you embarrassed to say that you are a Zhongshu Ling? That's why he was ordered to move his family to Shudi.
The accusations in the letter seem to be only a few words, but they are heart-wrenching. Qin Shi Huang only used a few words to write off Lü Buwei's previous merits and contributions to the Qin State, which can be said to have put a heavy burden on Lü Buwei's back and made him unable to live. Lü Buwei was obviously a smart man, and after reading this letter, he must have clearly realized that Qin Shi Huang's tolerance for him had almost reached the bottom.
Lü Buwei saw the root of the contradiction between him and Qin Shi Huang, and knew that Qin Shi Huang would execute him sooner or later, and he had only one way to die. Lü Buwei knew very well that Qin Shi Huang did not kill him now because he had no sin to speak of except for his own merits.
If Lü Buwei decides to commit suicide under such circumstances, now that his danger has been eliminated, with his past merits and Qin Shi Huang's diligence, he will definitely not make his family even more embarrassed. However, if he waited until Qin Shi Huang finally raised the butcher's knife, I am afraid that his family would not have been spared.
After Lü Buwei's death, Qin Shi Huang not only made things difficult for Lü Buwei's family and tribe, but even allowed Chang Yu**, who had moved to Shudi, to return to the capital.