In 247 BC, King Zhuangxiang of Qin died of illness, and 13-year-old Ying Zheng hurriedly ascended the throne. At the enthronement ceremony, he wore heavy royal robes, but had no real power in the face of the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty. The state affairs were all controlled by his "father Zhong" Lu Buwei. Even the etiquette of worshiping ancestors required Lu Buwei's guidance, which was like a puppet on strings.
