1
呂不韋者，陽翟大賈人也。 往來販賤賣貴，家累千金。
Lü Buwei was a wealthy merchant from the city of Yangzhai. He traveled widely, buying low and selling high, until his household had amassed a fortune of a thousand catties of gold.
2
秦昭王四十年，太子死。 其四十二年，以其次子安國君為太子。 安國君有子二十餘人。 安國君有所甚愛姬，立以為正夫人，號曰華陽夫人。 華陽夫人無子。 安國君中男名子楚，子楚母曰夏姬，毋愛。 子楚為秦質子於趙。 秦數攻趙，趙不甚禮子楚。
In the fortieth year of the reign of King Zhao of Qin, the crown prince died. Two years later, the king designated his second son, Lord Anguo, as the new crown prince. Lord Anguo had more than twenty sons. Lord Anguo deeply favored one of his concubines and elevated her to the rank of principal wife, bestowing upon her the title of Lady Huayang. Lady Huayang, however, had borne no sons. One of Lord Anguo's middle sons was named Zichu. His mother, Lady Xia, had long fallen out of favor. Zichu had been sent to the state of Zhao as a hostage prince on behalf of Qin. Since Qin had repeatedly waged war against Zhao, the Zhao court showed Zichu little courtesy.
3
子楚，秦諸庶孽孫，質於諸侯，車乘進用不饒，居處困，不得意。 呂不韋賈邯鄲，見而憐之，曰「此奇貨可居」。 乃往見子楚，說曰：「吾能大子之門。」 子楚笑曰：「且自大君之門，而乃大吾門！」 呂不韋曰：「子不知也，吾門待子門而大。」 子楚心知所謂，乃引與坐，深語。 呂不韋曰：「秦王老矣，安國君得為太子。 竊聞安國君愛幸華陽夫人，華陽夫人無子，能立適嗣者獨華陽夫人耳。 今子兄弟二十餘人，子又居中，不甚見幸，久質諸侯。 即大王薨，安國君立為王，則子毋幾得與長子及諸子旦暮在前者爭為太子矣。」 子楚曰：「然。 為之柰何？」 呂不韋曰：「子貧，客於此，非有以奉獻於親及結賓客也。 不韋雖貧，請以千金為子西游，事安國君及華陽夫人，立子為適嗣。」 子楚乃頓首曰：「必如君策，請得分秦國與君共之。」
Zichu was merely one of the many grandsons of the Qin royal house born to concubines. Held hostage among the feudal lords, he lacked carriages, horses, and provisions. He lived in straitened circumstances, frustrated and discontented. When Lü Buwei came to Handan on business, he encountered Zichu and took pity on him. "Here," he said to himself, "is a rare commodity worth investing in." He went to call on Zichu and said, "I can raise the standing of your house." Zichu laughed. "You had better raise the standing of your own house first, before you worry about mine!" Lü Buwei replied, "You do not understand. The standing of my house depends upon the standing of yours." Zichu grasped his meaning at once and invited him to sit down, and the two men talked at length. Lü Buwei said, "The King of Qin is growing old, and Lord Anguo has been made crown prince. I have heard that Lord Anguo dotes on Lady Huayang, yet Lady Huayang has no sons of her own. She alone has the power to determine who will be named the legitimate heir. You are one of more than twenty brothers, ranked somewhere in the middle, and you have never been particularly favored. You have been kept as a hostage among the feudal lords for a long time. When the king dies and Lord Anguo ascends the throne, you will have no chance of competing for the position of heir against the eldest son and those brothers who attend upon him morning and evening." Zichu said, "You are right. But what can be done?" Lü Buwei said, "You are poor and living as a stranger here, with no means to send gifts to your family or cultivate a circle of retainers. Though I am not a rich man, allow me to spend a thousand catties of gold to travel west to Qin on your behalf. I will attend upon Lord Anguo and Lady Huayang and secure your appointment as the legitimate heir." Zichu bowed his head to the ground and said, "If your plan succeeds, I swear I shall share the kingdom of Qin with you."
4
呂不韋乃以五百金與子楚，為進用，結賓客； 而復以五百金買奇物玩好，自奉而西游秦，求見華陽夫人姊，而皆以其物獻華陽夫人。 因言子楚賢智，結諸侯賓客遍天下，常曰「楚也以夫人為天，日夜泣思太子及夫人」。 夫人大喜。 不韋因使其姊說夫人曰：「吾聞之，以色事人者，色衰而愛弛。 今夫人事太子，甚愛而無子，不以此時蚤自結於諸子中賢孝者，舉立以為適而子之，夫在則重尊，夫百歲之後，所子者為王，終不失勢，此所謂一言而萬世之利也。 不以繁華時樹本，即色衰愛弛後，雖欲開一語，尚可得乎？ 今子楚賢，而自知中男也，次不得為適，其母又不得幸，自附夫人，夫人誠以此時拔以為適，夫人則竟世有寵於秦矣。」 華陽夫人以為然，承太子閒，從容言子楚質於趙者絕賢，來往者皆稱譽之。 乃因涕泣曰：「妾幸得充後宮，不幸無子，願得子楚立以為適嗣，以託妾身。」 安國君許之，乃與夫人刻玉符，約以為適嗣。 安國君及夫人因厚餽遺子楚，而請呂不韋傅之，子楚以此名譽益盛於諸侯。
Lü Buwei then gave Zichu five hundred catties of gold to cover his daily expenses and to cultivate a circle of retainers. With the remaining five hundred catties, he purchased rare treasures and curiosities, then traveled west to Qin himself. There he sought an audience with Lady Huayang's elder sister and presented all the objects as gifts to Lady Huayang. He spoke of Zichu's wisdom and virtue, of how the young prince had befriended retainers and guests across all the feudal states, and how Zichu always said, "I look upon Lady Huayang as my heaven, and day and night I weep with longing for the crown prince and the Lady." Lady Huayang was overjoyed. Lü Buwei then had the elder sister counsel Lady Huayang, saying, "I have heard it said that she who wins a man's love through beauty will find that love fading when her beauty fades." You now serve the crown prince and enjoy his deep love, yet you have borne him no sons. If you do not seize this moment to choose the worthiest and most filial of his sons, establish him as the legitimate heir, and adopt him as your own, then you will have squandered your chance. While your husband lives, you will be doubly honored. After he passes, the son you have chosen will be king, and you will never lose your position. This is what they call gaining ten thousand generations of benefit through a single decision. If you do not plant your roots during your time of glory, then once your beauty fades and his love wanes, you will not be able to utter even a single word of influence. Now Zichu is a worthy man who knows full well that as a middle son with no claim to the succession and an unfavored mother, he must depend upon your patronage. If you take this opportunity to elevate him as the legitimate heir, he will be devoted to you, and you will enjoy power and favor in Qin for the rest of your days." Lady Huayang agreed with this counsel. When she found the crown prince at leisure, she brought up the subject of Zichu with studied casualness, remarking that the hostage in Zhao was said to be extraordinarily talented, and that all travelers who had met him spoke highly of his character. Then she began to weep and said, "I have been fortunate enough to serve in your household, yet I have been cursed with no son of my own. I beg you, let Zichu be established as the legitimate heir, so that I may have someone to depend upon in my old age." Lord Anguo consented, and he and Lady Huayang carved a jade tally together, sealing the pledge that Zichu would be named the legitimate heir. Lord Anguo and Lady Huayang then sent generous gifts to Zichu and appointed Lü Buwei as his tutor. With this patronage, Zichu's reputation grew ever more distinguished among the feudal lords.
5
呂不韋取邯鄲諸姬絕好善舞者與居，知有身。 子楚從不韋飲，見而說之，因起為壽，請之。 呂不韋怒，念業已破家為子楚，欲以釣奇，乃遂獻其姬。 姬自匿有身，至大期時，生子政。 子楚遂立姬為夫人。
Lü Buwei had taken as his consort a woman of Handan renowned for her extraordinary beauty and skill in dance, and she had become pregnant. One day while drinking with Lü Buwei, Zichu caught sight of the woman and was captivated. He raised his cup to toast his host and then asked to have her. Lü Buwei was furious, but then he reflected that he had already spent his entire fortune on Zichu's behalf and hoped to reap an extraordinary return from the investment. So he presented his concubine to Zichu. The woman concealed the fact that she was already pregnant. When her time came, she gave birth to a son, whom they named Zheng. Zichu then made her his principal wife.
6
秦昭王五十年，使王齮圍邯鄲，急，趙欲殺子楚。 子楚與呂不韋謀，行金六百斤予守者吏，得脫，亡赴秦軍，遂以得歸。 趙欲殺子楚妻子，子楚夫人趙豪家女也，得匿，以故母子竟得活。 秦昭王五十六年，薨，太子安國君立為王，華陽夫人為王后，子楚為太子。 趙亦奉子楚夫人及子政歸秦。
In the fiftieth year of King Zhao of Qin's reign, the king sent the general Wang Yi to besiege Handan. As the siege tightened, the state of Zhao moved to execute Zichu. Zichu and Lü Buwei hatched a plan. They bribed the officials guarding him with six hundred catties of gold. Zichu escaped, fled to the Qin army lines, and was able to make his way back home. The state of Zhao intended to kill Zichu's wife and son. But Zichu's wife was the daughter of a powerful Zhao family and managed to go into hiding. Through her family's protection, mother and son survived. In the fifty-sixth year of his reign, King Zhao of Qin died. Lord Anguo, the crown prince, ascended the throne. Lady Huayang was made queen, and Zichu was named crown prince. The state of Zhao then escorted Zichu's wife and his son Zheng back to Qin.
7
秦王立一年，薨，謚為孝文王。 太子子楚代立，是為莊襄王。 莊襄王所母華陽后為華陽太后，真母夏姬尊以為夏太后。 莊襄王元年，以呂不韋為丞相，封為文信侯，食河南雒陽十萬戶。
The new King of Qin reigned for only a year before he died. He was given the posthumous title King Xiaowen. The crown prince Zichu succeeded him on the throne and became known as King Zhuangxiang. King Zhuangxiang elevated his adoptive mother, Queen Huayang, to the title of Empress Dowager Huayang, and his birth mother, Lady Xia, was honored as Empress Dowager Xia. In the first year of his reign, King Zhuangxiang appointed Lü Buwei as chancellor and enfeoffed him as the Marquis of Wenxin, granting him the revenue from one hundred thousand households in Luoyang, Henan.
8
莊襄王即位三年，薨，太子政立為王，尊呂不韋為相國，號稱「仲父」。 秦王年少，太后時時竊私通呂不韋。 不韋家僮萬人。
King Zhuangxiang reigned for three years before his death. The crown prince, Zheng, ascended the throne and elevated Lü Buwei to the position of prime minister, addressing him with the honorific "Second Father." As the King of Qin was still young, the Queen Dowager secretly resumed her liaison with Lü Buwei from time to time. By this time, Lü Buwei's household servants numbered ten thousand.
9
當是時，魏有信陵君，楚有春申君，趙有平原君，齊有孟嘗君，皆下士喜賓客以相傾。 呂不韋以秦之彊，羞不如，亦招致士，厚遇之，至食客三千人。 是時諸侯多辯士，如荀卿之徒，著書布天下。 呂不韋乃使其客人人著所聞，集論以為八覽、六論、十二紀，二十餘萬言。 以為備天地萬物古今之事，號曰呂氏春秋。 布咸陽市門，懸千金其上，延諸侯游士賓客有能增損一字者予千金。
In that era, the state of Wei had the Lord of Xinling, Chu had the Lord of Chunshen, Zhao had the Lord of Pingyuan, and Qi had the Lord of Mengchang. Each of these great lords vied with the others in humbling himself before scholars and hosting retainers. Lü Buwei, with the might of Qin behind him, was ashamed to be outdone. He too recruited scholars and treated them generously, until the retainers at his table numbered three thousand. In those days the feudal states boasted many eloquent scholars, men like Xunzi and his followers, who wrote books that circulated throughout the realm. Lü Buwei then instructed each of his retainers to write down his knowledge, and compiled their essays into the Eight Surveys, the Six Discussions, and the Twelve Almanacs, totaling over two hundred thousand characters. He believed the work encompassed all matters of heaven and earth, the myriad things of past and present, and gave it the title The Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Lü. He had the work displayed at the market gate of Xianyang and suspended a thousand catties of gold above it, inviting any traveling scholar or retainer who could add to or remove a single character to claim the gold.
10
始皇帝益壯，太后淫不止。 呂不韋恐覺禍及己，乃私求大陰人嫪毐以為舍人，時縱倡樂，使毐以其陰關桐輪而行，令太后聞之，以啗太后。 太后聞，果欲私得之。 呂不韋乃進嫪毐，詐令人以腐罪告之。 不韋又陰謂太后曰：「可事詐腐，則得給事中。」 太后乃陰厚賜主腐者吏，詐論之，拔其須眉為宦者，遂得侍太后。 太后私與通，絕愛之。 有身，太后恐人知之，詐卜當避時，徙宮居雍。 嫪毐常從，賞賜甚厚，事皆決於嫪毐。 嫪毐家僮數千人，諸客求宦為嫪毐舍人千餘人。
As the young king grew into manhood, the Queen Dowager's appetites remained unabated. Lü Buwei grew fearful that their affair would be discovered and bring ruin upon him. He secretly sought out a man named Lao Ai, who was remarkably well-endowed, and took him on as a retainer. From time to time he arranged entertainments in which Lao Ai displayed his endowment by threading his member through a paulownia-wood wheel and walking about, ensuring that word of the spectacle would reach the Queen Dowager and entice her. When the Queen Dowager heard of this, she desired to have Lao Ai for herself, just as Lü Buwei had intended. Lü Buwei then presented Lao Ai to her and arranged for someone to bring a false charge against him that carried the punishment of castration. Lü Buwei also secretly told the Queen Dowager, "If we can fake the castration, he can be assigned to serve inside the palace." The Queen Dowager secretly bribed the official overseeing the castrations with lavish gifts, and the man falsely certified that the punishment had been carried out. Lao Ai had his beard and eyebrows plucked to pass for a eunuch, and so he entered the palace to attend upon the Queen Dowager. The Queen Dowager took Lao Ai as her secret lover and became passionately devoted to him. When she became pregnant, the Queen Dowager feared discovery. On the pretext that a divination had advised her to avoid an inauspicious period, she relocated her residence to the palace at Yong. Lao Ai accompanied her constantly, received lavish rewards, and all matters of state in her household were decided by him. Lao Ai's household servants numbered in the thousands, and over a thousand men seeking government appointments had attached themselves to him as retainers.
11
始皇七年，莊襄王母夏太后薨。 孝文王后曰華陽太后，與孝文王會葬壽陵。 夏太后子莊襄王葬芷陽，故夏太后獨別葬杜東，曰「東望吾子，西望吾夫。 後百年，旁當有萬家邑」。
In the seventh year of the First Emperor's reign, Empress Dowager Xia, the mother of King Zhuangxiang, died. Empress Dowager Huayang, the queen of King Xiaowen, was to be interred with King Xiaowen at the Shouling tomb. Her son, King Zhuangxiang, was buried at Zhiyang. Therefore Empress Dowager Xia was buried separately, east of Du. She had said, "To the east I shall gaze upon my son, and to the west upon my husband." "A hundred years hence, a city of ten thousand households will rise beside this spot."
12
始皇九年，有告嫪毐實非宦者，常與太后私亂，生子二人，皆匿之。 與太后謀曰「王即薨，以子為後」。 於是秦王下吏治，具得情實，事連相國呂不韋。 九月，夷嫪毐三族，殺太后所生兩子，而遂遷太后於雍。 諸嫪毐舍人皆沒其家而遷之蜀。 王欲誅相國，為其奉先王功大，及賓客辯士為游說者眾，王不忍致法。
In the ninth year of the First Emperor's reign, someone informed on Lao Ai, revealing that he was not truly a eunuch, that he had been carrying on an illicit affair with the Queen Dowager, and that they had secretly borne two sons, both of whom they had hidden. He and the Queen Dowager had conspired together, agreeing that when the king died, they would place their son on the throne as his successor. The King of Qin ordered his officials to conduct an investigation, and they uncovered the full truth. The affair implicated the prime minister, Lü Buwei. In the ninth month, Lao Ai's three clans were exterminated, the two sons the Queen Dowager had borne him were put to death, and the Queen Dowager herself was banished to Yong. All of Lao Ai's retainers had their households seized and were exiled to the remote region of Shu. The king wished to execute the prime minister as well, but Lü Buwei's service to the late king had been too great, and the retainers and eloquent scholars who interceded on his behalf were too numerous. The king could not bring himself to put him to death.
13
秦王十年十月，免相國呂不韋。 及齊人茅焦說秦王，秦王乃迎太后於雍，歸復咸陽，而出文信侯就國河南。
In the tenth month of the tenth year of the King of Qin's reign, Lü Buwei was dismissed from the office of prime minister. When Mao Jiao, a man from Qi, remonstrated with the king, the King of Qin relented and welcomed the Queen Dowager back from Yong to Xianyang. He then sent the Marquis of Wenxin to take up residence in his fief in Henan.
14
歲餘，諸侯賓客使者相望於道，請文信侯。 秦王恐其為變，乃賜文信侯書曰：「君何功於秦？ 秦封君河南，食十萬戶。 君何親於秦？ 號稱仲父。 其與家屬徙處蜀！」 呂不韋自度稍侵，恐誅，乃飲酖而死。 秦王所加怒呂不韋、嫪毐皆已死，乃皆復歸嫪毐舍人遷蜀者。
After more than a year, a steady stream of envoys and retainers from the feudal lords could be seen traveling the roads, all seeking audience with the Marquis of Wenxin. The King of Qin feared that Lü Buwei would stir up rebellion. He sent the Marquis of Wenxin a letter that read, "What service have you ever rendered to Qin? Yet Qin enfeoffed you in Henan and granted you the revenue of one hundred thousand households. What kinship do you have with the royal house of Qin? Yet you bear the title of 'Second Father.' You and your entire household are to relocate to Shu!" Lü Buwei judged that the noose was tightening. Fearing execution, he drank poison and died. Now that both Lü Buwei and Lao Ai, the targets of the King of Qin's wrath, were dead, the king allowed all of Lao Ai's retainers who had been exiled to Shu to return.
15
始皇十九年，太后薨，謚為帝太后，與莊襄王會葬茝陽。
In the nineteenth year of the First Emperor's reign, the Queen Dowager died. She was given the posthumous title of Empress Dowager and was interred beside King Zhuangxiang at Zhiyang.
16
太史公曰：不韋及嫪毐貴，封號文信侯。 人之告嫪毐，毐聞之。 秦王驗左右，未發。 上之雍郊，毐恐禍起，乃與黨謀，矯太后璽發卒以反蘄年宮。 發吏攻毐，毐敗亡走，追斬之好畤，遂滅其宗。 而呂不韋由此絀矣。 孔子之所謂「聞」者，其呂子乎？
The Grand Historian remarks: When Lü Buwei rose to power alongside Lao Ai, he was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Wenxin. When someone informed against Lao Ai, word of it reached him. The King of Qin conducted inquiries among those close to the case but had not yet acted. When the king traveled to the suburban altars at Yong for the sacrifices, Lao Ai feared that his downfall was imminent. He conspired with his confederates, forged the Queen Dowager's seal to mobilize troops, and launched a rebellion at the Qinian Palace. The king dispatched officials to attack Lao Ai. Lao Ai was defeated and fled, but was pursued and cut down at Haozhi. His entire clan was exterminated. Through these events, Lü Buwei was brought to ruin. Was it not Master Lü whom Confucius had in mind when he spoke of those who pursue mere 'reputation' rather than true renown?