Despite being the beloved daughter of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, Ying Yuman met a painful and tragic death at the hands of her own family.
Ascending to the throne at just 13 years old, Qin Shi Huang became the first emperor and one of the greatest kings in Chinese history. Numerous legends and stories surround this emperor, especially the Great Wall of China and the Lingqu Canal, which still exist today as the clearest evidence of Qin Shi Huang’s visionary foresight.
Although he is considered the “greatest emperor of all time” with a magnificent reign, Qin Shi Huang’s private life was marked by tragedy. According to experts, he had 33 heirs, with the most famous being Prince Fusu (242 BC – 210 BC) and Huhai (229 BC – 207 BC; who later became the second emperor of the Qin dynasty). Among them, the princess most cherished by Qin Shi Huang was Ying Yuman.
Favored by her father, Ying Yuman lived a life of luxury and carefree indulgence. However, everything changed dramatically after Qin Shi Huang’s death. Overnight, this princess lost everything, facing execution alongside her brothers, cruelly punished and dismembered.
This is vividly illustrated in an ancient tomb complex located in the eastern Qinling Mountains (Shaanxi, China), which experts excavated in October 1976. After unearthing the first eight tombs, they discovered many unusual details.
In this burial site, most of the remains were laid to rest in a highly disorderly manner. Some bodies were even decapitated, with arrows piercing through them or limbs dismembered. This indicates that these individuals were brutally and mercilessly killed.
Tomb of Qin Shi Huang’s daughter.
Moreover, since these tombs were located near the Qinling Mountains and contained a vast and valuable number of burial items, experts speculate that the identities of these remains are undoubtedly linked to the royal family of the Qin dynasty, particularly Qin Shi Huang.
Notably, a seal inscribed with the characters “阳滋” (Yang Zi) found in the tomb partially unveiled the mystery. According to experts, this seal confirms the identity of Princess Ying Yuman – the beloved daughter of Qin Shi Huang.
At this point, all secrets have been revealed. Specifically, after Qin Shi Huang passed away (210 BC), Prince Huhai conspired with the eunuch Zhao Gao to forge imperial edicts, plotting to eliminate Crown Prince Fusu in order to ascend to the throne.
Although he had just taken the throne, what Huhai accomplished during this time was truly astonishing. In particular, the brutal actions of Emperor Qin Er Shi against his siblings shocked future generations.
Once he secured the throne, Huhai proceeded to massacre all opposition and murdered his brothers and sisters.
The result was 12 princes beheaded in the market of Handan, 10 princesses dismembered, resulting in a palace filled with death. However, after only three years in power, the court fell into chaos. Consequently, Huhai was forced to abdicate and committed suicide in shame, leading to the gradual downfall of the Qin dynasty.
The discovery of this tomb complex has provided numerous historical materials for experts in general. Moreover, it has confirmed that Huhai was indeed a ruthless and
cold-blooded” figure far surpassing his father, Qin Shi Huang.
