King Zhaoxiang of Qin
In 306 BC, the young King Zhaoxiang ascended to the throne, with his mother Queen Dowager Xuan serving as regent. Knowing Qin could not focus on eradicating Yiqu when it had the hostile eastern states to deal with, and her son's rule was still shaky due to numerous rival princes keen to capture the throne, Queen Dowager Xuan decided to use an approach of pretended conciliation. She invited the king of Yiqu to live long-term in the Ganquan Palace, and consummated a seductive liaison that produced two sons with him. This completely removed the Yiqu King's hostility towards Qin, as the beguiled king had lost all cautiousness around the Queen Dowager. At the same time, King Zhaoxiang was aggressively acting to weaken rival warring states in the east and south, and Queen Dowager Xuan was secretly planning with her son the eventual annihilation of Yiqu.
Empress Dowager Cixi
Historians both in China and abroad have debated her reputation. The long time view portrayed her as a ruthless despot whose reactionary policies led to the fall of the Qing dynasty. Revisionists suggested that reformers and revolutionaries succeeded in blaming her for long term problems beyond her control and that she prevented political disorder, was no more ruthless than other rulers of her time, and that she was an effective reformer in the last years of her life.The future Empress Xiaoqinxian was born on the tenth day of the tenth lunar month in the 15th year of the reign of the Daoguang Emperor, which translates to 29 November 1835 in the Gregorian calendar.