Pointing at a Deer and Calling it a Horse

CORE DEFINITION

Zhao Gao (258 BC – 207 BC) was a chancellor, favorite minister, and eunuch of the Qin dynasty during the Warring States period in China. He served three generations of rulers: Qin Shi Huang, Qin Er Shi, and Ziying, the last Qin ruler. Zhao Gao, whose surname was Zhao, was a distant relative of the Qin royal family, but he rose from a lowly military background. In 210 BC, when Qin Shi Huang died at Shaqiu, Zhao Gao conspired with Prince Huhai and Chancellor Li Si to alter the emperor's will, installing Huhai as Qin Er Shi. They forged an edict ordering Prince Fusu to commit suicide and had the Meng brothers imprisoned, an event known as the Shaqiu Coup. After Qin Er Shi ascended the throne, Zhao Gao was promoted to Chief of Palace Attendants (Langzhong Ling). He encouraged the new emperor to purge the royal family and high officials, including the Meng brothers and Li Si, who had been a co-conspirator in the Shaqiu Coup. After Li Si's death, Zhao Gao became the Central Chancellor (Zhong Chengxiang), wielding absolute power. Fearing that Qin Er Shi would hold him accountable for the peasant uprisings east of Hangu Pass, he launched the Wangyi Palace Coup, forcing the emperor to commit suicide. He then installed Ziying as king, but Ziying did not trust him and had the eunuch Han Tan kill Zhao Gao in a trap. It is generally believed that Zhao Gao's repeated internal court intrigues were a major factor in the rapid collapse of the Qin dynasty, though historical debates persist over whether Zhao Gao was truly a eunuch and his motives for causing such chaos.