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| 1. | At Píngyuánjīn 平原津 he fell ill. Since the emperor could not bear to talk of death, his ministers dared not mention the subject either. When his illness grew worse, he wrote a letter under the imperial seal to [Crown] Prince Fúsū 扶苏saying, | 至平原津而病。 始皇恶言死，群臣莫敢言死事。 上病益甚，乃为玺书赐公子扶苏曰: Zhì Píngyuán jīn ér bìng. Shǐhuáng èyán sǐ, qúnchén mò gǎn yán sǐshì. Shàng bìng yìshèn, nǎi wéi xǐ shū cì gōngzǐ Fúsū yuē: 至平原津而病。 始皇惡言死，群臣莫敢言死事。 上病益甚，乃為璽書賜公子扶蘇曰: |
| 2. | “On my death, come to Xiányáng 咸阳 for the funeral.” This sealed letter was entrusted to [the eunuch] Zhào Gāo 赵高, keeper of the chariots, who kept it in the place where tallies were issued but did not give it to a messenger. | “与丧会咸阳而葬。” 书已封，在中车府令赵高行符玺事所，未授使者。 “Yǔ sāng huì Xiányáng ér zàng.” Shū yǐ fēng, zài zhōng chē fǔ lìng Zhào Gāo xíng fúxǐ shì suǒ, wèi shòu shǐzhě. “與喪會咸陽而葬。” 書已封，在中車府令趙高行符璽事所，未授使者。 |
| 3. | In the seventh month, the First Emperor died at Píngtái 平台 in Shāqiū 沙丘. Since he died away from the capital, the prime minister Lǐ Sī 李斯 hushed the matter up for fear that the princes and others in the land might start trouble, and no preparations were made for the funeral. | 七月丙寅，始皇崩于沙丘平台。 丞相斯为上崩在外，恐诸公子及天下有变，乃秘之，不发丧。 Qīyuè Bǐng Yín, Shǐhuáng bēng yú Shāqiū Píngtái. Chéngxiàng Sī wéi shàng bēng zàiwài, kǒng zhūgōng zi jí tiānxià yǒubiàn, nǎi mì zhī, bù fāsāng. 七月丙寅，始皇崩於沙丘平臺。 丞相斯為上崩在外，恐諸公子及天下有變，乃祕之，不發喪。 |
| 4. | The coffin was borne in a litter escorted by the emperor’s favourite eunuchs, who presented food and official reports as usual and issued the imperial orders from the covered litter. The only ones who knew that the emperor was dead were his [favorite] son Húhài 胡亥, Zhào Gāo 赵高 and five or six other trusted eunuchs. | 棺载辒凉车中，故幸宦者参乘，所至上食。 百官奏事如故，宦者辄从辒凉车中可其奏事。 独子胡亥、赵高及所幸宦者五六人知上死。 Guān zài qī liáng chē zhōng, gù xìng huàn zhě cān chéng, suǒ zhìshàng shí. Bǎi guān zòushì rúgù, huàn zhě zhé cóng qī liáng chē zhōng kě qí zòushì. Dúzǐ Húhài、Zhào Gāo jí suǒxìng huàn zhě wǔ-liù rén zhī shàng sǐ. 棺載辒涼車中，故幸宦者參乘，所至上食。 百官奏事如故，宦者輒從辒涼車中可其奏事。 獨子胡亥、趙高及所幸宦者五六人知上死。 |
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