Lu Buwei hailed from Youteki City in the state of Han, initially building his fortune as a merchant trading between Yan and Zhao. Witnessing warfare firsthand solidified his conviction that economic power could supersede military conflict. He pivoted to politics upon recognizing the potential in Prince Yiren, a Qin royal hostage held in Zhao. Lu Buwei invested his entire wealth and influence to secure Yiren's position as heir to the Qin throne. This involved orchestrating Yiren's adoption by Lady Huayang and arranging his return to Qin. As part of this plan, Lu Buwei relinquished his fiancée, Bi Ki, to Yiren; she later became Queen Dowager Zhao and bore Yiren a son, Ying Zheng. Following Yiren's ascension as King Zhuangxiang, Lu Buwei was named Chancellor of the Right and enfeoffed as Marquis Wenxin. When King Zhuangxiang died in 247 BCE, the 13-year-old Ying Zheng became king. Lu Buwei consolidated authority as regent and Chancellor of the State, dominating Qin's government and military. He leveraged his merchant wealth to construct a powerful political faction centered around his "Four Pillars": the strategist Shou Hei Kun (Lord Changping), the general Mou Bu (Meng Wu), the legalist scholar Ri Shi (Li Si), and the diplomat Sai Taku (Cai Ze). Lu Buwei championed the idea of Qin achieving economic dominance, believing financial interdependence among the warring states would make warfare obsolete. However, his actions starkly contradicted this philosophy. He repeatedly orchestrated violent coups and assassination attempts against Ying Zheng, including the Sei Kyou rebellion and multiple plots employing the Chi You assassin clan. He also maintained a long-term affair with Queen Dowager Zhao and later engineered the introduction of the imposter eunuch Lao Ai (Rou Ai) to her. This led to Lao Ai's enfeoffment as Marquis Changxin and culminated in a rebellion against Ying Zheng in 238 BCE. Implicated after Lao Ai's failed rebellion, Lu Buwei was stripped of his titles and exiled to the remote region of Shu. During his exile, remnants of his faction rallied around him, threatening civil war. Ying Zheng confronted him personally. Lu Buwei warned the king that his perceived "kindness" could become a weakness. Shortly afterward, Lu Buwei committed suicide by consuming poisoned wine to avoid further persecution, dissolving his faction. Beyond politics, Lu Buwei sponsored the compilation of the *Lüshi Chunqiu* (Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals), an encyclopedic text synthesizing philosophies from China's Hundred Schools of Thought, reflecting his intellectual ambitions. This work fell out of favor in Qin after his exile. Lu Buwei was characterized by shrewdness, ambition, and a love for high-stakes gambles, often citing odds in political or military contexts. He displayed a perpetual smile and calm demeanor, even in defeat. A master manipulator, he exploited money, connections, and the ambitions of others. His claim to being Ying Zheng's biological father—a historical rumor referenced in the narrative—was dismissed as a tactical lie during his arrest.