A Kingdom in Peril: The Sudden Illness of King Ying Yiren

In the early spring of 238 BCE, the Qin court faced an unprecedented crisis when King Ying Yiren, the ruler who had ascended the throne just two years prior, suddenly fell gravely ill. The monarch’s mysterious affliction sent shockwaves through the corridors of power, as symptoms appeared erratic and unpredictable – feverish sweats, uncontrollable shivering, and a pulse that baffled even the most experienced royal physicians. This medical emergency occurred at a particularly vulnerable moment for Qin, still recovering from recent military setbacks against the eastern states.

The king’s condition created an immediate power vacuum at the heart of the Qin government. Chancellor Lü Buwei, the architect of Ying Yiren’s rise to power and the de facto administrator of state affairs, found himself confronting not just a health crisis but a looming constitutional dilemma. The absence of a designated heir threatened to destabilize the kingdom that had been steadily consolidating its power under Ying Yiren’s predecessors.

The Mysterious Healer and the Race Against Time

As the royal physicians debated uncertain diagnoses outside the king’s chambers, Lü Buwei took decisive action by introducing an unconventional solution – a mysterious healer from the eastern seas. This white-haired practitioner, whose methods blended medicine with martial arts, administered a dark red pill that provided temporary relief but offered a grim prognosis: the king had at most three months to live, with each subsequent crisis requiring another of the limited-supply pills.

The healer’s dramatic treatment session, involving swirling white energy and thunderous snoring from the king, highlighted the intersection of medical practice and mystical arts in ancient Chinese court life. More significantly, it underscored the desperate measures Lü Buwei was willing to employ to maintain stability. The chancellor’s subsequent solitary walk through the palace’s willow groves revealed his growing concerns about succession and the need for urgent political arrangements that wouldn’t appear as premature preparations for the king’s demise.

The Succession Dilemma: Tradition Versus Necessity

The heart of the crisis lay in Qin’s succession protocols, which traditionally required princes to reach adulthood (age 21) before being considered for heir apparent status, and kings to reign for at least three years before naming successors. These customs aimed to prevent both the elevation of immature youths and pressure from powerful ministers or relatives. Ying Yiren, only in his thirties and having ruled for just two years, had naturally assumed he had time to produce more offspring and select the most capable heir.

Lü Buwei, however, forcefully argued for immediate action, citing historical precedents where earlier kings had broken protocol during crises. He reminded Ying Yiren that Duke Xiao of Qin had named an eight-year-old as heir during national peril, while King Wu had specifically designated his teenage brother Ying Ji (later King Zhao) when facing imminent death. The chancellor’s uncharacteristically blunt speech marked the urgency of the situation and his determination to secure an orderly transition.

The Two Princes: Contrasting Candidates for the Throne

At the center of the succession debate stood Ying Yiren’s two sons – the elder Zheng (later Qin Shi Huang) and younger Chengjiao. Zheng, born in Zhao to Lady Zhao during his father’s hostage years there, had spent his formative years outside Qin and still occasionally referred to himself as “Zhao Zheng,” reflecting his complex identity. Reports suggested an intense, unconventional personality – self-educated, militarily skilled, but resistant to formal instruction and court protocols.

Chengjiao, born in Qin to a Hu consort, represented the more traditional choice. Described as bright, physically robust, and free of Zheng’s reputed eccentricities, he appealed to conservatives like General Meng Ao who valued stability and conventional virtues. The general expressed concerns that Zheng’s Zhao connections and unpredictable temperament might make him another King Min of Qi or King Wu of Qin – rulers whose erratic behavior had brought chaos to their states.

The Political Landscape: Factions and Interests

The succession question activated various power centers within Qin. The Chu faction, represented by Queen Dowager Huayang (Ying Yiren’s adoptive mother), maintained influence despite setbacks. The military, led by Meng Ao, favored stability and conventional candidates. The bureaucratic apparatus under Lü Buwei sought continuity in governance. Meanwhile, the absence of strong maternal relatives for either prince (Lady Zhao having no Zhao kin in Qin, and Chengjiao’s Hu mother lacking connections) simplified but didn’t eliminate factional calculations.

Lü Buwei’s subsequent consultations with key figures – including the ritual master Cai Ze and the ailing Minister of the Royal Clan Ying Ben – revealed both the procedural challenges and the need for broad consensus. The chancellor’s visit to Queen Dowager Huayang proved particularly crucial, securing her promise to support the eventual decision and restrain any unruly royal relatives.

The Assessment Process: Designing a Meritocratic Selection

To legitimize the succession, Lü Buwei devised a comprehensive evaluation system:
– Literary examinations overseen by Cai Ze
– Military tests administered by Meng Ao
– Character assessments still under development

This three-pronged approach aimed to identify the most capable heir while maintaining procedural fairness. The inclusion of all eligible royal males (eventually thirteen candidates) reflected Qin’s meritocratic traditions, where lineage alone didn’t guarantee succession.

The Hidden Prince: Wang Wan’s Discovery of Ying Zheng

Perhaps the most revealing episode involved Lü Buwei’s dispatch of official Wang Wan to secretly assess Ying Zheng at his rural estate. Wang’s account depicted a remarkable youth – fiercely independent, militarily accomplished, and extraordinarily well-read despite eschewing formal tutelage. The prince’s spartan lifestyle, encyclopedic library (organized into legal, philosophical, and statecraft sections), and disciplined routine suggested unusual maturity and dedication.

Ying Zheng’s treatment of his young Zhao attendant revealed both his strict adherence to Qin law (refusing special privileges) and his complex relationship with his Zhao heritage. His voracious reading habits (including the latest works of Xunzi) and capacity for sustained intellectual engagement (debating with Wang Wan until dawn) painted a portrait far removed from the “eccentric” label some courtiers applied.

The Chancellor’s Calculus: Lü Buwei’s Political Maneuvering

Lü Buwei’s actions throughout the crisis reveal a statesman balancing multiple imperatives:
1. Ensuring continuity of governance
2. Maintaining his own influence post-transition
3. Navigating factional politics
4. Upholding Qin’s legal traditions

His careful cultivation of alliances, meticulous planning of assessment procedures, and evident preference for Ying Zheng (while maintaining procedural fairness) demonstrate sophisticated political acumen. The chancellor’s promise to Queen Dowager Huayang – that the new king wouldn’t neglect her – illustrates his attention to stabilizing relationships across potential regime changes.

Historical Echoes: The Significance of the 238 BCE Succession

This succession crisis occurred at a pivotal moment in Chinese history. Within two decades, Ying Zheng would launch the campaigns that unified China under Qin rule. The thoroughness of the selection process and the ultimate choice of Zheng (despite his unconventional background) speaks to Qin’s institutional strengths and its ability to identify transformative leadership.

The episode also highlights often-overlooked aspects of Qin governance:
– The role of meritocratic principles even in royal succession
– The importance of legal procedures in political decisions
– The complex interplay between personal relationships and institutional norms

Legacy of a Crisis: How the Succession Shaped China’s Future

The 238 BCE succession established patterns that would characterize Qin’s unification era:
– Willingness to break with tradition when necessary
– Emphasis on capability over convention
– Integration of diverse influences (as seen in Ying Zheng’s Zhao background)
– Institutionalized processes for major decisions

The careful management of this transition, occurring against the backdrop of Ying Yiren’s illness and Qin’s recent military setbacks, provided stability when the kingdom needed it most. Within a generation, the decisions made during these tense months would enable the creation of imperial China.

The story of Ying Yiren’s illness and the subsequent succession struggle offers more than historical drama; it provides a window into the political culture that made Qin’s eventual unification possible. From the mysterious eastern healer to the scholarly debates in rural estates, from courtly intrigues to institutional innovations, this episode captures the complexity of statecraft in China’s pivotal Warring States period.