The End of the Qin Dynasty: The Useless Prince Takes His Place at Court

The morning bells of Xianyang Palace had yet to fade when I yawned in front of the assembled officials. All eyes turned toward me. On the high dais, Ying Zheng coughed twice but said nothing. I knew the original owner of this body was famously useless: nine of his ten imperial tutors had been driven away, and the last one had gone mad. He had made no progress in martial arts in five years, while the servants in his residence ran rampant. Today’s court examination had suddenly been moved up, and the eunuch bearing the decree had hauled me out of bed. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and took my place among the princes. Beside me, Hu Hai’s sleeve brushed the back of my hand. I could hear Zhao Gao sharpening his blade from across the entire court.