Xunzi was traveling through the State of Zhao when he found an abandoned baby in the Julu Marshes and named her Shu.
That year, Ying Zheng was born in Handan. Han Fei was twenty-one, and Li Si was twenty-five. Liu Bang would be born in three years, Zhang Liang in nine, Lu Zhi in eighteen, Xiang Ji in twenty-seven, and Han Xin in twenty-eight...
At that time, the King of Qin had taken power in his own right, Han Fei was writing books in Han, and Li Si served as an official in Qin. Zhang Cang traveled through the various states to study, while Xun Shu, also a student of Xunzi, rode a camel westward through the vast desert, accompanied by the sound of a pipa, on her way back to Qin.
Xun Shu wanted to cure the deep-rooted ills buried in the land and in people's bloodlines. Her hopes were shattered, and the great edifice was on the verge of collapse. The strength of one person was insignificant.
With the people's words as her blade and a vermilion brush as her edge, she rose from guest official to Minister of the Household, eventually becoming chancellor.
“Xun Shu, Chancellor of Qin, was from Julu. She was the daughter of the nobleman Shan, and was sometimes called Zhao Shu. Her courtesy name was Shenshu... She studied under Li Mu... She slew the Xiongnu at Bianyang... The King of Chu was enraged: ‘This woman is no human being. The King of Qin must kill her.’...”, Records of Qin: Biography of Xun Shu
A few rambling thoughts: I wrote the opening of this Qin story in a document a long time ago, but writing something with a historical focus is a bit difficult. Once Mei Jun's story is finished, I'll pick one of three upcoming projects (gazing into the distance... no worries! That's still a long way off!). They're all ideas and subjects I really like and want to write about. I hope you're interested, too.
Theme: I'll give the First Emperor a longer life.
