Lü Buwei
Lü Buwei (
Chinese: 呂不韋;
pinyin: lǚ bù wéi) - according to Chinese beliefs, he was the real father of the first emperor of China,
Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng(贏"). The story that he was the real father came about because Qin Shi Huang's mother, the queen, was originally a concubine of Lü Buwei given to Qin Shi Huang's father.
There is a folktale about why Lu Buwei wanted to meddle in the affairs of the royal family. One day, he asked his father,"How much profit can I gain when I farm and the harvest is good?"
His father said, "Ten times the farm's worth." Buwei then asked, "What about if I sell pearls?" "A hundred." "What about helping a king ascend to the throne, and taking control of a country's affairs?" (若扶立一人為王，掌握山河，其利幾倍?)Buwei asked again.
His father smiled. "A thousand, even ten thousand. It can't be calculated."(如得王而掌江山，其利不可計量也。)
Thus Buwei went and tried to find a suitable king. The mother of Qin Shi Huang went with him.
Lü Buwei then presented her to
Zichu(子楚), a prince of the
State of Qin (a kingdom in the
Warring States Period) who was then serving as a hostage in the
State of Zhao (another kingdom in the warring states era). When this prince eventually became king of Qin, he appointed Lü Buwei as prime minister. When he died, Lü Buwei became the regent over the young Qin Shi Huang, son of the queen and the king (officially).
While serving at the court of Qin, Lü organized a text named the
Lüshichunqiu (吕氏春秋, Springs and Autumns of Mr. Lü), which attempted to organize various Chinese philosophical systems of the time. The purpose of the text was to encompass all the philosophical knowledge of the Qin Empire, as well as create state philosophy.
When Qin Shi Huang came of age and became officially empowered, he first ordered Buwei's position as Prime Minister taken from him, then ordered Buwei to move to
Sichuan - an order of death to Lü Buwei. At his death by drinking poisoned wine, he was said to be laughing to Heaven, and uttered: "If he does not kill me, then he is not fit to be my son." When Qin Shi Huang came to his grave a few years later, he ordered his son to pay respects to Lu Buwei.
After his death, the Lüshichunqiu fell out of favor with the Qin government, but was resurrected by the Qin's long-lived successor, the
Han Dynasty.
Lü Buwei is a major character in the 1999 movie
The Emperor and the Assassin which focuses on the events just before the unification of China by Qin Shi Huang. The true nature of the relationship between the future Emperor and Lü Buwei is a major factor to the story.
