Biographies of Su Qin and Zhang Yi (A Modern Chinese Translation of Records of the Grand Historian)

A poor scholar is mocked by his family for pursuing no livelihood and studies so hard he pricks his thigh to stay awake. Once he sets out into the world, he unites the Six States and bears the seals of office for all six. When he returns home in glory, the sister-in-law and brother who once mocked him crawl on the ground, too afraid to look up at him. His fellow student Zhang Yi is even more ruthless. Falsely accused of stealing a jade disk and beaten half to death, the first thing he asks his wife when he gets home is, "Check if my tongue is still there." As long as his tongue remains, the world is still in his grasp. One uses "vertical alliances" to bind the Six States together, while the other uses "horizontal alliances" to cut that bond apart, strand by strand. Two fellow students, two silver tongues, stirring up the entire Warring States era. After reading this, you'll understand: language has never been just language.