Abstract
The recently discovered Han bamboo manuscript Book of Zhao Zheng appears to be a text on the history of the end of Qin Dynasty, but the scholarly community has not formed an agreement about its exact nature. Through an analysis of the text and context of Book of Zhao Zheng, this paper reveals its hidden subtext. Under the disguise of a narrative of Qin history, Book of Zhao Zheng alludes to the attempt of the Emperor Gaozu of Han (Liu Bang) to replace the Crown Prince Ying with the King of Zhao Ruyi as his successor. The manuscript further predicts the disastrous consequences of Gaozu’s plan: if the Empress-born Crown Prince was indeed replaced by the consort-born King of Zhao, Han Dynasty would repeat the fate of Qin Dynasty which ended in the second generation shortly after the youngest son of the First Emperor of Qin succeeded the throne instead of the oldest son. From the manuscript’s content, we conclude that the main body of Book of Zhao Zheng was compiled in the last year of the Emperor Gaozu’s reign (195 B.C.), and the comment at the end was written in response to the murder of King of Zhao by Empress Lü in the following year.