King Xiaowen of Qin (reigned 250 BC) is not noted for doing anything spectacular during his reign. Indeed, he only became King of the Qin for less than 1 year, and 3 days after his coronation he died. Qin, Qín or Chin (Wade-Giles) can refer to. ...

This gave rise to many theories as to his short reign. The most accepted one is that he was very old when he ascended to the throne (his predecessor, King Zhao of Qin, ruled for over 50 years).

However, there is a conspiracy theory: that Lu Buwei poisoned the king or at least hastened his death, to put the next king, King Zhuangxiang of Qin onto the throne. This is supported in a way by the fact that Zhuangxiang reigned for only 3 years. Lü Buwei (呂不韋) - according to Chinese beliefs, he was the real father of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. ... King Zhuangxiang of Qin, personal name Zichu, was a ruler of the State of Qin, a part of what is now China, during the 3rd century BCE. This article is based on the biography of Lü Buwei which is part of the Records of the Grand Historian written by Sima...

So some people link Xiaowen and Zhuangxiang's deaths all the way to Lu Buwei, claiming that it was a plot by Buwei to put his son, Qin Shi Huang, onto the throne. Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇; Hanyu Pinyin: Qín Shǐ Huáng; Wade-Giles: Chin Shih-huang) (November/December 260 BC-September 10, 210 BC), personal name Zheng, was king of the Chinese State of Qin from 247 BC to 221 BC, and then the first emperor of a unified China...