Ying Zheng

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Ying Zheng (嬴政)
Alias(es)	King Zheng of Qin; King of Qin 39 68
Species/Race	Human; still described as mortal during the later assassination plots 552
Gender	Male 39
Age	Barely over thirty at his first appearance 39
Affiliation	Qin State; Ying royal clan 39 191
Occupation/Role	King of Qin; directs Qin’s conquests, state administration, and military rewards 39 169 580
Family	Son of Zichu and Zhao Ji; father of Zhao Cheng and Fusu 93 96 597
Status	Alive at his final documented appearance 597
First Appearance	Receives the military report on the capture of Fang City Pass 39

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Begins practicing the Blood-Clad Army Body Refining Technique; no named realm established	88	Starts after Dun Ruo confirms the technique is safe. His blood and Qi become more vigorous, accumulated fatigue dissipates, and increased digestion replenishes his strength. He persists through intense pain during approximately one hour of training.

Background / History

Ying Zheng grew up in Handan as the son of Zichu, a Qin prince held hostage in Zhao. Hostility between the two states made his childhood impoverished and dangerous. The future King Qian of Zhao mocked him as a hostage’s son, arranged insults and beatings, obstructed basic necessities, and pressured Zhao Ji’s relatives into ostracizing him 93.

After his father died, Ying Zheng ascended the Qin throne while still too young to govern personally. Lu Buwei controlled state affairs, while the Empress Dowager’s support for Lao Ai further weakened his position. Ying Zheng concealed his opposition, studied Qin law, military strategy, and economics, and used inspections of storehouses and irrigation projects to test his understanding against conditions outside the palace 39.

At fourteen or fifteen, he was severely wounded in an assassination attempt during an inspection of Sanchuan Commandery. Lady Zhang, a common woman from Huaiyang Village near Yang City County, rescued and sheltered him. While he was incapacitated, she initiated the encounter that resulted in Zhao Cheng’s birth. Ying Zheng concealed his identity, gave her a personal jade ring, and left behind the character “Cheng,” meaning sincerity. Political enemies and the divide between royalty and commoners prevented him from acknowledging her position; he did not learn of the child until Zhao Cheng’s military achievements brought him to his attention 39 597.

By his first appearance, Ying Zheng had secured complete control of Qin’s government following Lao Ai’s execution and Lu Buwei’s demotion. Zheng Guo’s canal had strengthened Guanzhong agriculture and grain reserves. After repeated setbacks against Zhao, he redirected his expansion toward Han, intending to use its territory as a springboard for a later conquest of Zhao 39.

Appearance

Ying Zheng is tall and upright, with an eagle-like nose, long eyes compared to cold pools, and a commanding bearing 39 283.

• Posture: Sits with his spine “as straight as a sword”; later descriptions emphasize broad shoulders and a back resembling a towering mountain 39 488.
• Court clothing: Black robes embroidered with bird motifs, dark patterns, and muted golden clouds 39 488.
• Informal clothing: Visits the Ming River construction site without imperial regalia, wearing plain dark robes despite the dust 233.
• Ceremonial dress: Wears a Heaven-Reaching Crown, black robes with a vermilion lower garment, the Twelve Emblems, and a yellow-and-red waist ribbon during Zhao Cheng’s enfeoffment 567.

Personality

Ying Zheng is patient in strategy but relentless in ambition. He delays further campaigns when conquered territory needs stabilization and consults veteran generals rather than relying solely on Zhao Cheng’s eagerness to attack. He regards conquest as the necessary foundation for lasting unity and finds a kindred spirit in Zhao Cheng’s argument that benevolent governance cannot resolve the conflicts of their era by itself 73 105 119.

His endurance extends beyond politics. During body-refining practice, he increases the intensity despite severe pain and refuses to let training displace his state duties. His authority is similarly restrained: a small gesture can silence an entire hall of arguing ministers without a rebuke 88 488.

He remembers both cruelty and kindness with extraordinary clarity. In Handan, he orders the nobles who abused him buried alive, yet personally supports Old Madam Xu and rewards the people who protected him as a child. Toward Zhao Cheng, his public composure conceals pride, regret, and fear of rejection; Zhao Cheng’s refusal to seek his absent father causes him visible inward pain 198 199 206.

Abilities & Skills

Statecraft and Legal Administration

• Studies Qin law, economics, military strategy, and the practical problems of integrating conquered populations 39.
• Upholds military merit as a basis for advancement, refusing to reduce Zhao Cheng’s reward merely to preserve a balance of power 169.
• Strips the Chu ritual shamans of authority over sacrifices, omens, and government decisions after taking personal control of Qin 193.
• Reconsiders conventional administrative arrangements when local clans obstruct Qin officials and the court lacks sufficient manpower 580.

Intelligence and Political Deception

• Uses Dun Ruo and the Black Ice Terrace to investigate Zhao Cheng’s background, verify reports, and monitor foreign alliances and disloyal officials 50 51 283.
• Agrees in advance to exploit Zhao’s forged correspondence by staging Zhao Cheng’s removal from command 105.
• Sees through Wang Ji’s attempt to frame Zhao Cheng over missing provisions and orders Wang Ji’s execution 179.

Body Refining

• Practices Zhao Cheng’s Blood-Clad Army Body Refining Technique, combining breathing, stances, and movement 88.
• Experiences improved energy, appetite, digestion, and physical strength during his first session 88.
• Endures pain severe enough to cause involuntary facial twitching without abandoning the exercise 88.
• Has no documented higher cultivation realm or supernatural combat technique. During Gongshu Yuan’s final attack, his reactions are too slow to evade the sword, and protectors intervene 552 564.

Equipment / Items

• Personal jade ring: Gives Lady Zhang a jade ring as thanks for saving his life 39.
• Jade ring: Rolls a jade ring between his fingertips while examining Zhao Cheng at Wangyue Post Station 191.
• Golden Root Chariot: Used for the royal procession to Handan, accompanied by five Escort Chariots and a substantial guard 166 169.
• Rail-Car / Iron Dragon Horse: Uses Zhao Cheng’s railway transport to travel between Handan, Wu’an, and Xianyang. A later thirteen-carriage royal train places him in the ninth carriage and carries guards, officials, attendants, and supplies 283 559.
• Defended royal carriage: Protected by repeating crossbows and skilled guards during the journey to Wu’an 559.

Relationships

• Zhao Cheng — Biological eldest son, leading general, and ideological ally. Ying Zheng privately recognizes the connection early but delays disclosure because of political and succession complications. He finally tells Zhao Cheng the truth in the finale 39 119 206 597.
• Fusu — Son. Welcomes his decision to study military administration under Zhao Cheng, worries about the harshness of his education, and later takes pride in his competence at Wu’an 89 96 564.
• Lady Zhang — Rescuer and Zhao Cheng’s mother. Ying Zheng remembers her kindness alongside the encounter that occurred while he was wounded and unable to move. He learns that she died of illness three years before the investigation 39 50 597.
• Dun Ruo — Trusted intelligence official and protector. Handles sensitive investigations, assesses the body-refining technique, and places himself between Ying Zheng and Gongshu Yuan’s sword 50 88 564.
• Meng Wu — Senior general whose letter first draws attention to Zhao Cheng’s resemblance to the king. Advises Ying Zheng and defends Zhao Cheng when accusations reach the court 39 119 126.
• Wang Jian — Veteran general consulted on major campaigns and the credibility of Zhao Cheng’s extraordinary achievements 51 119.
• Li Si — Trusted legal and political adviser. Supports the military-merit system, but Ying Zheng overrules his recommendation to limit Zhao Cheng’s reward after the conquest of Zhao 52 169.
• Lord Changping / Xiong Qi — Royal kinsman and former trusted chancellor. Helped defend Ying Zheng’s rule during Chengjiao’s and Lao Ai’s rebellions, but later conspires against Zhao Cheng and the royal procession. His past service complicates Ying Zheng’s judgment; his execution is confirmed afterward 191 283.
• Lu Buwei — Former chancellor who dominated government during Ying Zheng’s early reign. His demotion precedes Ying Zheng’s consolidation of power 39.
• Old Madam Xu — Childhood benefactor who supplied warm wheat cakes and a padded coat. Ying Zheng greets her gently as “Grandmother Xu” and rewards her 199.
• Wang Xin — Former Handan prison guard who cleared Ying Zheng of a false theft accusation. Ying Zheng personally helps him rise and fulfills his promise to repay the favor 199.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Recognizing Zhao Cheng and Conquering Han

• Meng Wu’s report from Fang City Pass identifies Zhao Cheng as a sixteen-year-old soldier with exceptional courage and a striking resemblance to Ying Zheng. The king privately concludes that the youth is his son 39.
• Orders a background investigation, then stops further inquiries into the father’s identity. Instead, he asks whether Zhao Cheng’s character makes him suitable for important service 50.
• Initially questions reports of seemingly impossible feats. When Lord Changping proposes testing Zhao Cheng against one hundred strongmen, Ying Zheng raises the test to eight hundred retainers from Changping’s own household 51 52 57 70.
• Appoints Zhao Cheng Great General for the Destruction of Han and later Da Liangzao. After Han’s fall, he establishes the Blood-Clad Elite, incorporates the Iron Eagle Elite, and lets Zhao Cheng select and train its troops 56 68 73.

The Blood-Clad Army and Fusu’s Education

• After verifying the army’s painful training method, Ying Zheng begins practicing it himself 87 88.
• Gives the Blood-Clad Army an independent camp in Shanglin Park, directly across the Wei River from Xianyang Palace 89.
• Challenges Confucian scholars with the Chariot Dilemma and approves Fusu’s decision to learn from Zhao Cheng 89.
• Zhao Cheng’s explanation of conquest and historical change clarifies Ying Zheng’s own political convictions. He summons Wei Liao, Wang Jian, and Meng Wu to discuss attacking Zhao 119.

The Feigned Demotion and Fall of Zhao

• Zhao Cheng deliberately leaves written copies where enemy spies can obtain them. Ying Zheng agrees to use the resulting discord plot as cover for a surprise invasion 105.
• Publicly removes Zhao Cheng from military command and sends him to Yingchuan as Commandery Commandant after a forged letter appears. The subsequent capture of Handan reveals their coordinated deception 126 146.
• Pauses his planned Handan tour after receiving Li Xin’s report of Zhao Cheng’s rescue at Fanwu, waiting for the northern campaign to conclude 167.
• Awards Zhao Cheng the nineteenth-rank Lun Marquis title despite Li Si’s concern about elevating a subject too far 169.

The Handan Tour

• Rejects a fabricated provisions scandal and orders Wang Ji’s execution. Zhao Cheng later presents authenticated confessions, forged ledgers, counterfeit seals, and prisoners implicating Lord Changping’s faction 179 191.
• Becomes a target of a Chu shamanic curse fueled by Changping’s sacrifice. Zhao Cheng stands before him and uses accumulated Killing Intent to repel the descending apparition 195.
• Returns to Handan, punishes the nobles responsible for his childhood abuse, and rewards former benefactors with land, homes, and appointments 198 199.
• Treats the proposed Mohist Pavilion as a matter affecting Qin’s long-term foundations and summons senior officials to discuss it 202.
• Rewards every Blood-Clad Army participant in the Zhao campaign with rank advancement, ten mu of land, a residence, and three years’ exemption from labor service 206.
• Indirectly asks whether Zhao Cheng wants to find his father. Zhao Cheng rejects the idea, unaware that he is speaking to that father 206.

Assassinations, Innovation, and Further Expansion

• Survives an attack during an unannounced visit to the Ming River construction site when Zhao Cheng intercepts the Sword Hut’s flying sword 233 234.
• Uses the Iron Dragon Horse to return from Handan and discusses the Wei–Chu–Yan–Qi alliance, Chu troop movements, and suspected collaborators inside Qin 283.
• Orders investigation of rumored overseas immortal mountains, but refuses an immortal’s recurring dream-demand that he honor gods and build temples 284.
• Receives reports that Zhao Cheng has defeated the Yan invasion of Wu’an and the Wei–Qi allied army, strengthening his confidence in the general 405.
• Travels to Wu’an to inspect its transformation and expose court officials to the practical implementation of Mohist technology 564.
• Survives Gongshu Yuan’s attack when three of Zhao Cheng’s assassins simultaneously sever the attacker’s neck, sword, and arm 564.
• Personally proclaims an enfeoffment decree recognizing Zhao Cheng’s conquests and inventions, including railways, cannon, glass, paper, and printing 567.

Governing the Conquests and Revealing Paternity

• Qin’s rapid expansion strains its resources, officials, and garrisons. By the later administrative crisis, its territory has grown more than threefold in three years, while local powerful clans prevent decrees from reaching villages and undermine appointed officials 488 580.
• Considers transferring responsibility for troubled territories to Zhao Cheng despite objections based on court dignity and ancestral precedent 580.
• Recognizes the purpose of Zhao Cheng’s Thunder Executors and Thunderclap Camp as they remove obstructive clans and rapidly extend Qin law into the conquered lands 593.
• Finally reveals that he is Zhao Cheng’s biological father. Explains that early court instability prevented him from investigating Lady Zhang’s circumstances and that he had not known about the child before Zhao Cheng came to his attention 597.

Notable Quotes

“No matter. This Lonely One does not fear hardship.” 88

“This Lonely One is a tyrant, Zhao Cheng is the Blood Butcher; ha, hahahaha...” 119

“The rise of Great Qin relies upon the code of ‘rewards for merit, punishment for faults.’” 169

“Easy to conquer, hard to digest.” 580