In the beginning, the Qin court only issued public warnings, forbidding occultists, alchemist-sorcerers, and corrupt scholars from leading themselves and others astray through false teachings.
The occultists and alchemist-sorcerers used witchcraft and demonic powers to mislead people's hearts and even cause them harm. The "corrupt scholars" (腐儒) — pedantic Confucian-style scholars — pursued their own political ambitions. Their goal was to restore the power of the old Zhou royal house and hollow out the emperor's authority.
Even when these men "in their hearts opposed [the court] yet outside spread their criticisms in the alleyways" (an old Chinese expression for two-faced subversion), the Qin dynasty did not bury them. At that point, Qin Shi Huang had only forbidden their teachings without taking any severe action against them.
But this lenient and merciful approach did nothing to restrain these occultists, alchemists, and corrupt scholars. On the contrary, their words and actions grew ever more reckless!
In the end, many occultists and alchemist-sorcerers were defrauding the populace of their wealth through sorcery and witchcraft. Some even claimed to be gathering medicinal herbs and refining elixirs of immortality on behalf of Qin Shi Huang — using this as a pretext to swindle people and to slander the emperor's reputation.
The corrupt scholars, meanwhile, viciously slandered the new government, led mobs to resist Qin rule throughout the country, and spread rumors that Qin Shi Huang was a tyrant who taxed harshly, took bribes, and levied taxes arbitrarily. This caused widespread unrest among the people, and during these uprisings, officials and civilians were even killed!
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