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Qin Shi Huang's life is full of legends, and under his rule, the Qin Dynasty completed the unification of the Six Kingdoms, inaugurated a centralized feudal system, and also carried out a series of reforms, such as the unification of weights and measures, currency, and writing, which strengthened the unity and centralization of the state. However, as he grew older, Qin Shi Huang began to worry about his longevity, and he hoped to rule the empire he had built forever.
Seek eternal life
Against this backdrop, Qin Shi Huang began to seek a way to live forever. He believed that the legendary immortals possessed the art of immortality, so he sent the priest Xu Fu to lead the boys and girls and a large amount of supplies to the sea in search of immortals and elixirs. Xu Fu's voyage to the sea is full of mystery, and he claims to be able to find the elixir of immortality in the immortal mountains overseas.
But in the end, Xu Fu did not return, and Qin Shi Huang's hopes were dashed. Xu Fu's whereabouts have become a mystery for the ages, with some saying that he may have met with misfortune at sea, others saying that he may have found a new continent and settled there, while others say that he had found the immortals but chose not to return to the world. Whatever the truth, Xu Fu's departure marked the end of Qin Shi Huang's dream of immortality.
Take a different path
However, Qin Shi Huang did not give up his pursuit of immortality. Later, another Fang Shi Han finally entered Qin Shi Huang's field of vision.
Han Zhong claimed to have discovered a miraculous substance, bloodstone, which was able to refine a medicinal liquid called "Yuan Shui". He assured Qin Shi Huang that this "yuan water" had the miraculous effect of embalming, preventing the corpse from decomposing, thus implying that it could also help the living achieve immortality.
After hearing this, Qin Shi Huang was very useful, and immediately decided to start taking this so-called "yuan water". However, what Qin Shi Huang didn't know was that this "Yuan Shui" came from certain ingredients in the elixir refined by Han Zhong, such as mercury sulfide (i.e., dansha or bloodstone).
In ancient alchemy, dansha was often used as an important ingredient in refining elixirs, but its potential toxicity was not understood at the time. Qin Shi Huang may not have immediately experienced severe symptoms when he took this "yuan water" containing mercury, but over time, mercury accumulated in the body, gradually causing irreversible damage to health.
After taking "Yuan Shui" for about ten years, Qin Shi Huang's physical condition began to deteriorate significantly. He may have experienced memory loss, physical weakness, mood swings, and other typical symptoms of mercury poisoning. Due to the limited level of ancient medicine, Qin Shi Huang and his imperial physicians may not have realized that these symptoms were related to the consumption of "Yuan Shui", but instead blamed it on other causes, such as fatigue, old age, etc.
Finally, in 210 BC, Qin Shi Huang died suddenly at the age of 49 during his eastern tour. Although we cannot know for sure the exact cause of Qin Shi Huang's death, according to the analysis of historians and medical experts, it is likely that long-term consumption of "yuan water" containing mercury was one of the main causes of his early death.
I don't know why so many emperors are obsessed with the pursuit of immortality. Ladies and gentlemen, do you think immortality is a good thing or a bad thing?