Qin Shihuang has made many unprecedented achievements in unifying China. He established the emperor system, implemented the "three publics and nine aristocrats" system in the central government, abolished the enfeoffment system in local areas, implemented the county system, unified writing, currency and weights and measures, attacked Xiongnu in the north, served Baiyue in the south, and built the Great Wall of Wan Li, which laid the basic pattern of China's territory today, pushed China into the era of great unification, and created a new situation of centralization, which had a far-reaching impact on China and world history. He laid the basic pattern of China's political system for more than two thousand years.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, governors of various countries called "Jun" or "Wang". At the end of the Warring States period, Qin and Qi were once called "emperors", but this title was different at that time. Qin, who dominated the country, thought that these titles in the past were not enough to show his respect. "Today's name is even less important, so it is impossible to call it success and pass it on to future generations." He ordered ministers to discuss titles.
After some discussions, Prime Minister Wang Wan, Yu Shi Feng Jie, Ting Wei Li Si and others thought that the government of the Qin Dynasty was "attacking Xingyi, killing the remnant thieves and leveling the world", and its achievements were "unprecedented since ancient times, and the five emperors were far behind". They quoted the traditional honorific title, saying that "there were emperors in ancient times and emperors in the land, and Ren Huang was the most expensive", and suggested that Qin adopt the title of "Ren Huang". However, Qin Shihuang was not satisfied with this. He only used the word "emperor" and added the word "emperor" under it because of "three emperors and five emperors", creating a new title of "emperor" and awarding it to himself. From then on, "Emperor" became the title of the supreme ruler of China.
The emergence of the title "Emperor" is not only a simple name change, but also a new concept of governing the country. In ancient times, "emperor" meant "great", and people sometimes called ancestor gods and other gods "emperor". "Emperor" is the highest god who dominates everything in ancient people's imagination. Qin Shihuang combined the words "emperor" and "emperor" into one. First, it shows that he wants to express his supreme status and authority, which is given by God, that is, "the supreme power is given by God"; Second, it reflects that he is not satisfied with being only the ruler of the world, but also a god. It can be seen that the title of "emperor" is the product of the deification of the monarchical power in Qin Dynasty.
Qin became the first emperor in the history of China, calling himself "the first emperor". He also stipulated that when he passed the throne to future generations after his death, the heirs would be called the second emperor, the third emperor and even eternal life. The dream that Qin Shihuang's throne will be inherited by his family forever "spreads endlessly" (Historical Records of Qin Shihuang's Biography). In order to sanctify the status of the emperor, Qin Shihuang took a series of measures to "respect the monarch":
Cancel the funeral ceremony The funeral ceremony began in the early Zhou Dynasty, and it was given an evaluation title based on the life story of the king after his death. However, Qin Shihuang thought that "discussing the father by the son and the monarch by the minister" was outrageous and meaningless. He announced the abolition of the obituary law and prohibited future courtiers from evaluating themselves.
The son of heaven calls himself "I" The word "I" has the same meaning as "I". In the past, ordinary people could use it, but Qin Shihuang limited that only the emperor could call himself "I". The emperor's orders are called "system" or "imperial edict" (life is called system, order is called imperial edict, and cover has different effects).
It is not allowed to mention the name of the emperor in the text and should be avoided. Whenever the words "emperor" and "first emperor" appear on the document, a new line should be written.
Only the jade carving seal used by the emperor can be called "seal"
The purpose of these regulations is to highlight the special position of the emperor, emphasize that the emperor is different and strengthen the mystery of imperial power in people's hearts. Qin Shihuang fantasized that with these measures, his throne would be passed down from generation to generation.
fold