 In 307 BC, Ying Ji's older half-brother, King Wu, unexpectedly died after breaking his shin bones while trying to show off his physical prowess by lifting a heavy bronze cauldron in the Zhou palace at Wangcheng.King Wu died young and childless, hence placing the state of Qin into a succession crisis, with a number of princes now eligible to claim the throne.At the time, Prince Ji was still a hostage in the state of Yan, and was generally considered unlikely to be a candidate.