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[attr="class","field"]Upon uniting the Middle Kingdom, the King of Qin, Zhao (modern: Ying) Zheng proclaimed his name to be Qin Shi Huang, meaning the First Emperor, and banned the use of his birth name. Among his many accomplishments were the standardization of coins (which were used until the 19th century), weights, and written script, which had changed little to the present time. Besides the symbolic Great Wall, he constructed roads and canals and in his mausoleum, a detailed book of Qin's Legal Code was found.

There were few written records of the Qin Dynasty that survived time. Most were written by the succeeding dynasties, which, to uplift their reign, naturally slandered the Qin and labeled Zheng as a “bad” emperor. Such was the historian Sima Qian, whose book provided the most amount of information on the emperor and his dynasty. But despite harsh and exaggerated criticisms, particularly that from the Confucian scholars whose ideas flourished after the Qin Dynasty, there was no factual information on the Emperor's personal life. Not what he looked like, not what he sounded like, not what he was like. No one really knew what kind of person Ying Zheng was.

And that was exactly his intentions were.

It was not important who Ying Zheng was. He was Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor. He would not be known by beauty, by strength, by mercy, by cruelty, nor by luxury. He was a blank slate to be judged by his people and country. What he did were all the people needed to know him as. This left out a lot of credit from him, for Zheng was to be never known as a benevolent Emperor who was loved – to the point of worship – by the people. Although there were scattered insurgencies, there was never a big rebellion during Zheng's reign. The only time the newly-created country trembled was from the news of his death while the group of people who quarreled with him were insecure nobles and stubborn scholars, who believed in the absoluteness of past ideas and traditions.

The several facts known of Zheng's life were unpleasantly political. He was born in Handan, capital of Zhao, where his father, known by then as Prince Zi Chu, was a political hostage. The merchant Lu Buwei provided Zheng's father power to inherit the throne to be rewarded a high position in Qin, which he achieved by becoming its Prime Minister. Lu Buwei gave Prince Zi Chu everything he asked, including Lu Buwei's own fiance, Zhao Ji, Zheng's mother.

Zheng was abandoned by his father, just as Lu Buwei had abandoned Zhao Ji. His father escaped Zhao to Qin, ruled for three years before dying. Zheng and his mother were smuggled out of Zhao and Zheng became king at the age of thirteen. Lu Buwei controlled the country until he became of age – twenty-two years old.

Nine years as a puppet king was a nonstop struggle from the bottom of a pit. Everyday, he kept a docile face to the fangs of his enemies. He fought his own half-brother, mother, and, upon being told the truth, his true father, Lu Buwei. Though in history it was said he had executed his half-brother and banished his parents, the true story was the complete opposite, but circumstances led against him tragically. Zheng, however, let nothing stop him on his path.

Nothing else was really known of Zheng. There were many assassination attempts, stories of his obsession with immortality, his tours around China, his disastrous attempt of incognito, his grand palaces and so on and so forth. General Meng Tian was known as his most loyal adviser, but just as the true person behind Qin Shi Huang lives in the shadow, so does Zheng's truest allies. History only mentions them in the passing, some never being mentioned at all, and one slandered forever despite being the closest friend Zheng was eternally grateful for.

[attr="class","field"]AGGRESSIVE. If you are to spill the blood of ten thousand men for a piece of land, you might as well spill a hundred times of that to conquer everything. Men will protect, take, and steal lands continuously. If it had gone on for 500 years, who's to say it wouldn't continue for another 500? To take everything and share it amongst all would put an end to this cycle and create a path towards life. Madness will overcome madness.

AMBITIOUS. To Zheng, conquering kingdoms isn't enough; that's stopping halfway through. Unless one swallows everything whole, then borders will never be removed. They will merely expand, rename enemies as allies, and label outsiders as foes. Take everything. Do not stop no matter what.

CHARISMATIC. Stating the obvious, Zheng has ways with words, a trait he inherited from his merchant father. He does not use words to make lies, but to beguile people into fighting for him. As a passionate man, he can touch deep into people's souls. He arranges his speech with logic but weaves and delivers it with powerful emotion. You could say it was crueler than lying and many scholars – greatly fearing such power – criticized him for this.

COMPASSIONATE. When Zheng realized the vicious cycle of hatred in the land, he did not sigh and shake his head nor blink and went on his way. He gritted his teeth, felt his entire body shake, and his eyes burned with fury and determination. This was not how it was meant to be. Being a model to his beliefs, Zheng abandoned contempt and sought redemption for all his people.

CONTROLLING. To prevent rebellions and keep an eye on powerful individuals, Zheng had 120, 000 wealthy families and nobles relocate to the capital, rebuilding for them a replica of their former houses so that there would be no complains. Zheng finds such behaviour necessary to establish order and to prevent the repetition of past mistakes.

EFFICIENT. Punish the thieves and reward the farmers. Put them all to good use. Send the thief to the Great Wall and give the farmer a land to till.

JUST. Punish the thieves and reward the farmers. Should the thief seek redemption, provide him basic tools. Should the farmer turn against his neighbors, send him to the Great Wall. Contrary to popular belief, the legalism-based laws established in Zheng's reign was not – by intent – unfair. Zheng created very specific laws that held punishment based on intent. For example, killing a child because of physical defects was not illegal but killing because the parent already has too many children was.

HAUNTED. Ever since he was a child, Zheng had ghosts clinging up to him. Hearing hundred thousands of deaths and having his name responsible for it just because he was prince had scarred his childhood. Though he was able to move on from it, he became haunted again after the burial of shamans. The flip side of being an unflinching man capable of pushing onward a carnage is when he falls down just once in his life, he becomes crippled forever.

KING. He is not the friend who will watch out for you and wait for you. He is not the husband who will care for you and fill your needs. He is not the father who will raise you and be there in every important moment of your life. He is not the man who can be among society. Zheng is only a king, far above from where the others are. To call him cruel when he neglects his family, when he abandons friends, when he turns back for no one is failing to understand that Zheng is from another world. This is something only he can do. This is something he does so that everyone else can live the life he would never have. To those who try to criticize him, he listens with deaf ears.

PEACE-LOVING. He wanted a self-sufficient country that would not attack other nations. The reality of the Warring States Era made this impossible for him at that time. He pushed to war and violence so as to achieve the peace he'd always dreamed of. Once unified, Zheng asked General Meng Tian a way to defend the country without having to fight as nomadic tribes encircling them were posing as a threat. “How can war be made obsolete? How can battles never have to rise from their graves again?” Since they cannot guarantee peace through talk, then they will make it so their kingdom will be impossible to be attacked. And hence, the construction of the Great Wall of China was started.

STUBBORN. He wanted to unify China, he unified China. He wanted the Great Wall, he had the Great Wall. He wanted a city-size mausoleum, he got a city-size mausoleum. No – see – this is being stubborn because a lot of people were obviously against or skeptical about these but then he was like, well fuck you I'm making it happen. He NEVER meets halfway with anyone unless he has to pretend to. This trait pushes up to the afterlife as a Heroic Spirit. He isn't going to respond to any summonings – with or without catalysts – to Grail Wars that do not involve China. And if somehow the Master was able to do so, he would most likely kill himself.

WORKAHOLIC. In the The Grand Scribe's Records, one of the court alchemists complained that Zheng's love for work was a hindrance to achieving immortality for the Emperor. One story says that “he would not sleep until he had read a daily quota of 30 kilos of official documents” (Wood, 2007). Well, it was right. Zheng didn't always weigh them as he's usually working on a lot anyway but when he's a little behind, Zheng tries to do more work for that day. In a more popular story of a foreigner coming to visit Zheng to advise him on governance, the foreigner had described him as a beast with “the voice of a jackal” and “the chest of a birds of prey.” That's what happens when you haven't had proper sleep for weeks.

WRATHFUL. He chooses the path of forgiveness because it is logical and efficient. In his words and actions, he may show leniency but in his heart, Zheng harbours intense thoughts. This part of Zheng had only been seen twice. One was when news of Qin's army (led by General Li Xin) being wiped up by the Chu, Zheng became so enraged that he stepped out of the court immediately and set forth to meet General Wang Jian. Wang Jian was under the impression that he was able to manipulate Zheng into trusting him but in truth, Zheng was excessively pouring resources to Wang Jian's cause so as to annihilate Chu. The other was what led to the burial of shamans...

WISH. He's still thinking about it. Ultimately, the wish Zheng is looking for is the "right" one. What is the "right" wish to make? Is it "right" to make one? Is this a storm he must weather for China, or is this an opportunity waved in front of him by the heavens?

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• Zheng has bouts of mental instability, especially when it involves a massive amount of deaths. Zheng was always surrounded by it – people constantly dying for him. In that way, he can be considered a war veteran who has acquired a post-traumatic stress disorder, made worse by the curse of Mercurialism.
• Zheng is a perfect example of a king. Alone, he is nothing but with his army and legacy, he is a man of power. Evidence of this is his lack of means for melee or magic (despite being a Caster) combat. Similarly, his Noble Phantasms are accomplishments that are not really his. Wanli Changcheng and Fen Shu Keng Ru are example of this. And, like a typical king, he's best off sitting at his throne while he let his men do his work for him.
• Like Master, like Servant. Zheng's powerful phantasms are offset by an insanely long “casting time” and huge prana cost. He requires a territory or he will either be killed early on or be crushed in the middle of the competition. With perfect conditions though, he is worthy of becoming an endgame boss.
• Some sources call Zheng the Warrior Emperor who participated in melee combat. He wields the best quality sword China has to offer but at the end of the day, the hell can you do with E-ranked Strength man. His main weapon would be Wanli Changcheng, which, though a defensive phantasm, can be used offensively thanks to its versatile properties.
• Zheng can weave golden armour for battle. He doesn't really fight but armour is armour!
• Because of the secretiveness of his personal life, it's not a known fact that Zheng's greatest weakness is his closest friend, General Li Xin. He has the resolve to sacrifice him if necessary, but if we're looking for ways to destabilize Zheng's mental health even more, this can mess up Zheng's alignment big time.

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• [attr="class","stat"]STRENGTH
  ▬ E
• [attr="class","stat"]ENDURANCE
  ▬ ▬ ▬ C
• [attr="class","stat"]AGILITY
  ▬ ▬ D
• [attr="class","stat"]MANA
  ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ A
• [attr="class","stat"]LUCK
  ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ B
• [attr="class","stat"]NOBLE PHANTASM
  ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ EX
  Qin Shi Huang – The Earthly, Immortal King. Left with treasures to posses on the afterlife, Zheng has access to all the contents in his mausoleum in their best quality. This includes wine, food, rare birds and animals, weapons, armours, chariots, and – most prominently – his terracotta army, which represented every race in China and is the symbol of Zheng's power.
  
  Each object has varying level of incantation. Summoning a terracotta warrior has the longest, with the summoning of generals reaching up to twenty phrases. The terracotta already contains the consciousness of the person and the ritual allows Zheng to give it life. The terracotta has the following characteristics:
  
  1) They are not identical to the terracotta army more than 2, 000 years ago but follow exactly the appearance of the person the clay figure was based from.
  2) They do not qualify as living beings since they do not grow and are unable to reproduce.
  3) They are not spiritual beings like Servants, so they cannot materialize objects or themselves. Things like weapon and clothes have to be handled manually.
  4) Their presence would feel extraordinarily normal. Generals may give off a more suspicious presence.
  
  Zheng's terracotta army is divided into four types based on the four pits they were found in:
  
  
  SPOILER: Click to show
  PIT 1: Contains the bulk of his army (~ 7, 000): archers, infantry, heavy infantry. It also consists of Generals, the tallest of figures in the terracotta army. Generals are the most powerful familiars, possessing three skills, average parameters, and, a few, Noble Phantasms.
  
  Archers: E – E – D – E – N/A
  Infantry: E – E – D – E – N/A
  Heavy Infantry: D – C – E – E – N/A
  General: Varies.
  
  PIT 2: Contains the main force (~ 1, 500): cavalry and chariots.
  
  Cavalry: C – E – C – E – N/A
  Chariots: C – E – B – E – N/A
  
  PIT 3: Contains scholars, civil officers, merchants, musicians, artisans (~ 800). Non-combatants. All possess at least a single skill related to their profession and merchants posses Luck. In terms of strength, they are completely human.
  
  PIT 4: An empty pit. This pit was to contain the alchemists and shamans in service of Zheng but they were annexed out of the army.
  
  There had been no mention of the terracotta army in any of the surviving records. Its existence would have remained a secret had it not been accidentally dug up in 1974.
• [attr="class","stat"]NOBLE PHANTASM
  N/A
  Mandate of Heaven - Son of Heaven. A Noble Phantasm bore by those chosen by the heavens. Will be sealed when Charisma is lower than B. When the bearer of this Noble Phantasm dies, a permanent "buff" effect (indicating them as the Son of Heaven when viewing Servant parameter) will be cast on its new chosen, usually the one responsible for killing the original bearer. The "buff" will keep on passing on when its chosen dies.
  
  Despite its quirky nature, it is nothing but a "superstitious" noble phantasm. It has no concrete effects but it is believed to grant luck regardless.
  
  ...and I guess it's a fucking dead giveaway of identity. Good job, Grail.
• [attr="class","stat"]NOBLE PHANTASM
  ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ A
  Fen Shu Keng Ru – The Flames That Swallowed History Into Darkness. The Noble Phantasm is a curse that erases anything – information, objects, Noble Phantasms, persons – from existence as a form of extreme censorship. It comes in the form of black flames from Zheng's left hand and can be undone upon his death or by the amputation of the hand.
  
  The phantasm's effect is reduced by magic resistance and properties. While it can erase a piece of paper instantly, erasing a Noble Phantasm would require more exposure to the flames. When afflicted by the curse, there is no side-effect and will gradually recover over time.
  
  Zheng can choose which information he could erase but he must know the information he is erasing. For example, he can only 1) erase the entire book if he knows what the book is about or 2) if he knows what the book is about, he can alternatively erase that specific information, keeping the actual book intact. He can only erase a Noble Phantasm or a Servant if he knows their true name.
  
  Zheng cannot censor information in a memory or data, though he can erase all together the person or the device that has it.
• [attr="class","stat"]NOBLE PHANTASM
  ▬ ▬ D
  Imperial Library - Archive of Lost Knowledge. Contained in one of the miraculous structures in the world, the Epang Palace, is the imperial library housing the state's archives and copies of illegal books, particularly books brought forth by the Hundred Schools of Thought. Zheng has access to all these lost knowledge, but they appear blank to him due to the censorship he'd caused. Anyone else with the capacity to understanding the book's contents will be able to read it in full Chinese. The books count as a Mystic Code, serving as a tool for potential enlightenment. Once read, the characters vanish from the scroll.
• [attr="class","stat"]NOBLE PHANTASM
  ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ A ~ EX
  Wanli Changcheng – The Great Dragon That Encircled China. Through the slavery of love and lives, the embodiment of Zheng's ideals of a unified, self-sufficient nation has come to be. He was only the pioneer. This impenetrable phantasm achieved its ridiculous strength from the combined efforts of the past dynasties that had worked to fortify the Great Wall for more than two thousand years. With one's own eyes, he could see concretely this symbol that stood until today.
  
  Wanli Changcheng manifests as a mineral that can be shaped in any form, or in Zheng's case, a dragon, which can grow for up to 26 feet tall, 30 feet in width, and 8, 850 kilometers long – the dimensions of the modern Great Wall. The summoning requires a ritual, which costs a hefty amount of prana. Once accomplished, Zheng can maintain the wall indefinitely for as long as he has prana for it (which costs small enough for him to keep it around for four to six days). Ordinarily, destroying the area where Zheng summoned the phantasm will cause its destruction but while in China, the area stretches for up to the entire country, making it impossible to destroy without an anti-fortress Noble Phantasm able to match it.
  
  Rank up while in China.
• [attr="class","stat"]ITEM CONSTRUCTION
  ▬ ▬ ▬ C
  Zheng only has one item he can reconstruct: the false Elixir which shortened his life. Consuming the Elixir grants the skill of Mercurialism. Continuous consumption increases its rank, granting surge of mana due to its main component, mercury, a potent magical ingredient. Will cause instant death when consumed by humans. For mages, it will provide them great mana though it can be as deadly for them too. The side-effects will grow stronger as the rank increases.
• [attr="class","stat"]TERRITORY CREATION
  ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ A+++
  As an earthbound king, his kingdom can only exist under the surface -- underground. Using precious gems like gold, jade, mercury, and other metals, Zheng can recreate his mausoleum, a city-sized site containing multiple chambers and expansive courtyards. As long as he has the riches for it, Zheng can continuously expand his territory. He has full control over it, able to manipulate the rooms into his own labyrinth. Because of its own complexity, he cannot detect the presence of others within his territory despite being a bounded field.
  
  While in his territory, Zheng's Luck decreases by a parameter but his Counter Assassin skill increases. He also gains an immense boost in mana to the point that it's an extremely difficult task to make him empty his mana.
• [attr="class","stat"]CHARISMA
  ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ ▬ A
  Through speech, Zheng can inspire valour from others. They gain fortitude, breaking away from any form of mental interference such as pressure, mind control, and fascination, and gaining an increase in Endurance.
• [attr="class","stat"]COUNTER ASSASSIN
  ▬ ▬ ▬ C ~ B
  Zheng was a walking miracle. From the circumstances of his birth as a political hostage to his outrageous ambition to unify China after 500 years of endless conflict, Zheng, favoured by the heavens, lived through multiple assassinations, rebellions, and of course, war, having been able to die a natural death. Servants of the Assassin class have their Luck reduced by a level. Will also apply to those launching a surprise attack albeit temporarily (until their presence becomes known).
  
  Increased rank while in his territory. At Rank B, it decreases the Luck parameter by two levels. Zheng temporarily gains a boost in Luck during the surprise attack.
• [attr="class","stat"]MERCURIALISM
  ▬ ▬ D
  A curse from his previous life. Zheng continues to experience the effects of mercury poisoning in occasional attacks, impairing his vision, hearing, and speech, and inducing uncontrollable shaking as well as bouts of paranoia and irrationality. At a higher rank, Mercurialism provides prana. While under the state of Mercurialism, his Charisma decreases to D.