The Fall of a Powerful Chancellor

In 235 BCE, Lü Buwei, the once-mighty chancellor of Qin, died by suicide after drinking poison. His death, however, was far from the quiet end of a disgraced statesman. Instead, it ignited a political firestorm that reverberated across the warring states.

Lü Buwei had been a pivotal figure in Qin’s rise—instrumental in securing the throne for King Zhuangxiang and later serving as regent for the young King Ying Zheng (later Qin Shi Huang). Yet his downfall came swiftly after his involvement in the scandalous affair of the false eunuch Lao Ai, which had shaken the Qin court. Stripped of his titles and exiled to his fiefdom in Luoyang, Lü remained a figure of immense influence, drawing scholars, merchants, and even envoys from rival states to his estate. His sudden death, whether coerced or voluntary, became a flashpoint for dissent.

The Illegal Burial and Public Outcry

News of Lü’s death spread rapidly, and mourners—former retainers, merchants with ties to his vast commercial network, and even envoys from the crumbling state of Wey—flocked to Luoyang. The situation escalated when the local Qin governor, following legal protocol, sealed Lü’s residence and delayed burial pending an official investigation.

This bureaucratic delay clashed violently with ancient funeral customs, which demanded immediate rites to honor the dead. Outraged mourners, seeing Lü’s body left unattended in his study, accused Qin of barbaric disrespect. The anger was not merely sentimental; it was political. Many saw Lü’s treatment as emblematic of King Ying Zheng’s ruthlessness—a ruler who had already executed his false father (Lao Ai), killed his half-brothers, imprisoned his mother, and now hounded his former mentor to death.

In defiance of Qin law, Lü’s supporters staged a clandestine burial on Mount Mang, a site traditionally reserved for Zhou royalty and nobility. The act was a direct challenge to Qin’s authority, and the response was swift.

Ying Zheng’s Legalist Crackdown

King Ying Zheng, incensed by the defiance, initially mobilized troops to suppress the unrest. Yet, after counsel from advisors like Meng Wu and Wang Wan, he opted for a calculated legal response. The Qin legal system, refined under Shang Yang’s reforms, left no room for sentiment.

The state issued a sweeping indictment:
– Foreign merchants and scholars who participated in unauthorized mourning were expelled from Qin.
– Qin officials who attended the illegal rites were stripped of rank and exiled.
– Commoners who joined the protests faced fines and forced labor.

A royal proclamation, The Declaration to the People, justified the crackdown by framing Lü Buwei as both a功臣 (meritorious servant) and a traitor. It reminded the populace that Qin’s laws applied equally to all—noble or commoner, insider or outsider.

The Cultural and Political Repercussions

The suppression of Lü’s mourners marked a turning point in Qin’s governance. Ying Zheng’s actions underscored his commitment to Legalist principles:
– Rule of Law Over Ritual: By overriding funeral customs with legal procedure, Qin asserted that state order trumped Confucian or traditional rites.
– Centralized Authority: The expulsion of foreign influencers and punishment of disloyal officials tightened Qin’s control over internal dissent.
– Deterrence Through Severity: The harsh penalties sent a clear message—opposition to the king’s vision would not be tolerated.

Yet the episode also exposed vulnerabilities. The widespread grief for Lü revealed lingering affection for his policies of relative leniency, contrasting sharply with Ying Zheng’s uncompromising Legalism. The drought that followed, interpreted by some as divine retribution, further fueled whispers of the king’s tyranny.

Legacy: The Path to Unification

The Lü Buwei affair was a microcosm of the struggles Ying Zheng faced in consolidating power. By crushing the dissent, he eliminated a rival ideological faction (the syncretic Lüshi Chunqiu scholars) and reinforced Qin’s Legalist backbone. This hardening of control paved the way for the final campaigns against the six rival states, culminating in the unification of China in 221 BCE.

Yet the tensions never fully dissipated. The same Legalist rigor that enabled Qin’s rise also sowed the seeds of its eventual collapse—proving that even the most formidable empire could not legislate away the human yearning for dignity and tradition.

In the end, Lü Buwei’s death was not just the fall of a man but a pivotal clash between two visions of governance: one pluralistic and accommodating, the other absolute and unyielding. The aftermath revealed which path Qin would take—and at what cost.