How did Sima Qian die?

First, Sima Qian may have committed suicide. After the manuscript of Historical Records, life has become insignificant for Sima Qian, especially after being imprisoned. It's time for people to clear up their misunderstanding of his so-called fear of death. Is Sima Qian a person who is afraid of death, so based on these, he may commit suicide. I analyzed it from Bao Ren An Shu. That is to say, Sima Qian has this suicidal intention, and a lot of information can already be revealed from the book "Bao Ren An Shu". Think about it, when Sima Qian wrote to Ren An, Ren An was in prison, and then Ren An was executed. Sima Qian wrote back to Ren An, and Ren An wrote back to Sima Qian. Before he went to prison, he never had time to reply to him. Later, Ren An was in prison and wanted to kill Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Why do you write so long? Ren An is in prison because he is involved in a case, and may be executed at any time. Why did Sima Qian write such a long and passionate letter to a dying man? Why did he repeatedly tell in his letter that he couldn't stand the humiliation after corruption? Why did he choose this time and object to announce the completion of 130 historical records? Why did he talk about "death is more important than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather" in his letter? In the letter, it said, "the day of death, and then right and wrong will be decided." He said that you shouldn't say that I am right or wrong before a person dies, and the right or wrong of life is forgotten. It will be years before people can judge right from wrong for him. In other words, what kind of person I am, Sima Qian, is left to future generations to evaluate. Now you can attack me and look down on me. You can come and see what kind of person I will be after I die. I have made my feelings, thoughts and facts clear in this letter, so the Letter to Ren An may be a suicide note.

The second possibility is that Sima Qian was implicated in the Ren 'an case and was beheaded in the city by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. At that time, there was a struggle in the imperial court, so Ren An was involved. By the time Sima Qian turned around and sent his Letter to Ren An to prison, Ren An had been beheaded. After Ren 'an was beheaded, the jailer found Sima Qian's letter when he searched the cell, and presented it to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. This letter expressed his anger and dissatisfaction with Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. After reading it, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty flew into a rage when he saw so much resentment in the letter. In addition, some people took the opportunity to falsely accuse Sima Qian and Ren An of being companions and good friends, so Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty ordered Sima Qian to be put in prison and beheaded in the city. So, it seems that the letter to Ren An caused the trouble. In fact, why didn't Sima Qian know what a letter to Ren An would bring? Sima Qian is not unaware that Ren An, as a prisoner on death row, may never see this letter. Sima Qian is not unaware that this letter may become an open letter, because the dissatisfaction he vented in the letter will lead to disaster, which Sima Qian is very clear about. But he can't help but say, because when he finished the masterpiece Historical Records, the disaster was insignificant to him. In addition, he chose to write to his friends who were in trouble with him, and he chose to write to his friends, announcing the completion of Historical Records to the world. This is a struggle in itself, which is a great comfort to his friends and even to their souls after death.

The third possibility is that Sima Qian was executed collectively and innocently in Chang 'an Prison after he was imprisoned again. What happened? According to "History of the Han Dynasty, Xuandi Ji", when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty knew the letter to Ren 'an, he saw that there were many complaints in the letter, so he arrested Sima Qian and called Yushitai to discuss the crime, that is to say, he would not be sentenced to death or discuss the crime. During the period of talking about his sin, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was seriously ill soon. If there is a wizard, show him Feng Shui. Then the wizard told Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, who is the son of heaven in Chang 'an prison? I don't know, so Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty ordered that all prisoners in prison, regardless of their severity, should be put to death. It is recorded in history that all the prisoners in Chang 'an were killed at one time, so Sima Qian was killed by the collective innocently, and a generation of historians died like this. This is the third possibility.

The fourth possibility is that Sima Qian is dead. In fact, historical data can't completely prove that Sima Qian was killed. Sima Qian's suicide is just a guess. In the absence of historical data, he can only be regarded as a normal death. Sima Qian lived about 60 years old and died. After the completion of Historical Records, he passed away quietly. His life ended in exchange for the birth of Historical Records. His death left a historical mystery, but his works erected a historical monument.