I Am Destined to Rule

“The rise and fall of the realm is everyone’s responsibility. But who takes responsibility for the rise and fall of the common people? I am chosen by Heaven, and I am the last barrier protecting all under Heaven! The world laments that the people suffer in times of prosperity and suffer in times of collapse. I will defy Heaven and change fate, breaking this age-old deadlock!

“I swept across the Six Kingdoms and pacified the realm, built the Great Wall to guard the dragon veins of the Nine Provinces, and laid imperial highways to connect the four seas. I unified the written language and standardized the tracks of chariots, bringing all under Heaven together as one! I did not do this to claim supremacy for myself, nor to perpetuate my own reign. I did it to protect these lands of the Nine Provinces and secure a chance of survival for all the people of the realm! Today, war beacons rise on every side, and the land is on the verge of being torn apart. I am willing to offer my dragon soul as a sacrifice and make my imperial body the fuel, giving up all the merits and sins of my life, and the very foundations of the Great Qin!

“I may die, and the Great Qin may fall, but not an inch of this Chinese land may be divided! The people of this realm must never again be ravaged by war! May my sacrifice bring lasting peace to the Nine Provinces and prosperity to the people. Let the sun and moon bear witness, and the mountains and rivers be our covenant. I, Ying Zheng, willingly embrace this calamity!”