During the reign of Qin Shi Huang, the brothers Meng Tian and Meng Yi enjoyed the emperor's deep trust. Meng Tian was dispatched north to command three hundred thousand troops, defending against barbarian invasions and building the Great Wall stretching thousands of miles. Meng Yi was appointed as a high-ranking minister, involved in all major military and political decisions. Because the emperor placed such faith in them, few officials dared to challenge or dispute the brothers' authority.
After the First Emperor of Qin died, Zhao Gao, the imperial carriage prefect, and Li Si, the prime minister, conspired to install the emperor's youngest son, Hu Hai, as crown prince. Fearing their plot would be exposed, they fabricated charges and sent an envoy to order the eldest son, Fu Su, and the general Meng Tian to commit suicide. Zhao Gao had long harbored a grudge against Meng Tian, who had once punished him. Fu Su obediently took his own life, but Meng Tian refused to believe the order was genuine. He repeatedly questioned the envoy, who eventually placed him under guard.
After Hu Hai ascended the throne, Zhao Gao constantly whispered slander about Meng Tian and Meng Yi in his ear. Believing these lies, Hu Hai falsely accused Meng Yi of once dissuading the First Emperor from making Hu Hai the crown prince, deeming him disloyal and ordering his death. Feeling deeply wronged, Meng Yi defended himself, arguing, "In the past, Duke Mu of Qin buried three loyal ministers alive and wrongfully executed Baili Xi; King Zhao of Qin killed the great general Bai Qi; King Ping of Chu slew Wu She; and King Fuchai of Wu put Wu Zixu to death. These four rulers all committed grave errors by killing good men, earning the condemnation of the world and a terrible reputation among the feudal lords. To govern by the right path means not killing the innocent. I urge you not to shed innocent blood..."
No matter how Meng Yi pleaded his case, the officials sent by Hu Hai refused to listen and ultimately executed him.
The Second Emperor of Qin then sent an envoy to order Meng Tian's death. Meng Tian, too, was forced to take his own life.
Historical texts, when annotating the phrase "thus disgraced among the feudal lords," used the line "a foul reputation spread like wolf's litter among the lords," from which people derived the idiom "a reputation foul as wolf's litter." Later, this idiom came to describe someone with such a bad reputation that others feel disgusted just hearing their name.
Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Biography of Meng Tian"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "声名狼藉" came to describe how someone with such a bad reputation that others feel disgusted just hearing their name.