The First Emperor’s Quest for Immortality

Qin Shi Huang, the unifier of China and the first emperor of the Qin dynasty, was a man consumed by power—and the fear of losing it. By the later years of his reign, his obsession with immortality had reached a fever pitch. Having conquered the warring states and established a centralized empire, he now sought to conquer death itself.

This desperation made him vulnerable to the promises of mystics and alchemists. Among them was Lu Sheng, a young, unassuming diviner whose plump, cheerful face belied his cunning. Unlike the stereotypical wizened sage, Lu Sheng’s youthful appearance paradoxically made him more credible in the emperor’s eyes. Qin Shi Huang distrusted aged scholars, associating them with the Confucian literati he had suppressed.

A Fateful Encounter

When Lu Sheng was brought before the emperor, he was immediately struck by Qin Shi Huang’s imposing presence. The ruler’s piercing gaze, hardened by decades of ruthless governance, seemed capable of stripping a man’s soul bare. The emperor wasted no time with pleasantries:

“Do you know of the immortals?”

Lu Sheng, drawing from Confucian storytelling techniques, initially framed immortality as a metaphor—”True immortality lies in moral legacy, like the legendary Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.” But seeing the emperor’s displeasure, he quickly pivoted: “Ah, but the highest immortals are those whose flesh never perishes!”

Qin Shi Huang leaned forward eagerly. “Who are they?”

“Xianmen and Gao Shi,” Lu Sheng declared, naming obscure mythical figures.

“Can they be found?” the emperor pressed.

Trapped, Lu Sheng improvised: “They can be found… and yet cannot be found.” He explained that while he knew their dwelling—a mythical island in the eastern seas—he could not guarantee their presence.

To Lu Sheng’s shock, the emperor took this as a challenge. He outfitted the diviner with a ship, 500 men, and supplies, effectively making him a prisoner of his own mission.

The Desperate Scheme

At sea, with no immortals in sight, Lu Sheng and his crippled friend Shi Sheng hatched a plan. Knowing they could never produce an elixir of life, they decided to redirect the emperor’s paranoia.

They forged a prophecy from the Lu Tu Shu, a popular divination text, inserting a single ominous line:

“The one who will destroy Qin is Hu.”

Presenting this to Qin Shi Huang, Lu Sheng claimed that the immortals would only appear once the “Hu” threat was eliminated. The emperor, interpreting “Hu” as the northern Xiongnu (Huns), launched a massive campaign under General Meng Tian, leading to the construction of the Great Wall.

The Domino Effect

Qin Shi Huang’s reaction was characteristically extreme. He not only mobilized 300,000 troops against the Xiongnu but, recalling that “Hu” could also refer to southern tribes, sent another army to conquer modern-day Guangdong and Guangxi.

Lu Sheng, meanwhile, was rewarded for his “discovery,” becoming a favored courtier. General Meng Tian, now commanding half the empire’s forces, drove back the Xiongnu and connected the disjointed walls of Yan, Zhao, and Qin into the iconic Great Wall.

The Irony of Prophecy

The forged prophecy had unintended consequences. Years later, Qin’s collapse would indeed come from a “Hu”—but not the Xiongnu. The emperor’s weak successor, Hu Hai, would oversee the dynasty’s ruin, fulfilling the prediction in a way no one anticipated.

Legacy of Deception and Power

This episode reveals much about Qin Shi Huang’s reign:

– The Cost of Paranoia: His fear of mortality and rebellion led to colossal projects (like the Great Wall) that drained resources and manpower.
– The Power of Manipulation: Lu Sheng’s survival depended on understanding and exploiting the emperor’s psyche.
– Historical Irony: The very prophecy meant to save Lu Sheng’s life may have hastened the empire’s downfall.

The Great Wall, now a symbol of Chinese resilience, owes its existence in part to a diviner’s desperate lie. And Qin Shi Huang, despite his quest for immortality, would die within a decade—his tomb guarded by terracotta warriors, a silent army for the afterlife he could never truly secure.