<P> Three assassination attempts were made on Qin Shi Huang 's life , leading him to become paranoid and obsessed with immortality . He died in 210 BC , while on a trip to the far eastern reaches of his empire in an attempt to procure an elixir of immortality from Taoist magicians , who claimed the elixir was stuck on an island guarded by a sea monster . The chief eunuch , Zhao Gao , and the prime minister , Li Si , hid the news of his death upon their return until they were able to alter his will to place on the throne the dead emperor 's most pliable son , Huhai , who took the name of Qin Er Shi . They believed that they would be able to manipulate him to their own ends , and thus effectively control the empire . Qin Er Shi was , indeed , inept and pliable . He executed many ministers and imperial princes , continued massive building projects ( one of his most extravagant projects was lacquering the city walls ) , enlarged the army , increased taxes , and arrested messengers who brought him bad news . As a result , men from all over China revolted , attacking officials , raising armies , and declaring themselves kings of seized territories . </P>
what led to the decline of the qin dynasty in china
Three assassination attempts were made on Qin Shi Huang 's life , leading him to become paranoid and obsessed with immortality . He died in 210 BC