Mastermind of the Assassination is the 440th chapter of the Kingdom manga.
Summary
As the people are queuing to enter the hall to pay their last respects to the late Shun Shin Kun, Ka Rin, and Bam Yu look upon them and the Great General comments that there seems to be more people coming to Shun Shin Kun’s funeral than King Kou Retsu’s funeral a few days ago. Kou Yoku and Haku Rei are part of the crowd. The narrator then tells that in the same year that Ei Sei quelled the Rou Ai’s rebellion, something huge also happened in Chu - the sudden death of the fierce Chu King, Kou Retsu, and the assassination of Shun Shin Kun, the Prime Minister and Chief of Military Affairs!
Ka Rin seems to know the truth behind the biological father of King Kou Retsu’s son, who is in fact, Shun Shin Kun’s. This news shocked Kou Yoku and Haku Rei. She further explains that the king had the problem of not having any children to inherit his throne, until two years ago, when women bore a son for him. That woman was Shun Shin Kun’s lover and was impregnated before Shun Shin Kun gave her to the king. As the two-year-old child ascends the throne, the bloodline of Chu’s royalty is now broken, and from then on, the entire Chu will be under the control of Shun Shin Kun and the woman’s family. Ri En, the woman’s older brother, who aims to control the entire Chu by himself, is behind the assassination of Shun Shin Kun.
Now, a mysterious man wants to meet Ka Rin to discuss the future of Chu, which is why Ka Rin wants Kou Yoku and Haku Rei to follow her to the meeting and kill him if things go wrong. As they arrive, Kou Yoku and Haku Rei are shocked to see Ren Pa and his lieutenants, together with an unknown man.
Ren Pa explains that with the passing of both King Kou Retsu and Shun Shin Kun, it is as if Chu's “ship” had lost its captains. The loss of Shun Shin Kun will create chaos in the court as the rest of the court, who used to listen to Shun Shin Kun, will now fight for power. Moreover, the problem of inheritance of the throne is also a problem now. These problems will not only weaken the superstate of Chu but will also attract the armies of the other 6 states into their lands for an invasion. Even Ren Pa commented that if he was still in Zhao now, he would ask for a temporary truce with the Wei and invade Chu with their combined forces. Moreover, Qin is an even bigger problem now.
The nameless man then speaks, commenting that they should now rebuild a new Chu, one that is even stronger than the era of both King Kou Retsu and Shun Shin Kun. Ka Rin is unhappy with the interruption and asks the stranger’s name. Ren Pa tells her that he is a secret envoy from the palace, and he is also the man who wants to meet her. Ka Rin hates politicians and the man commented that he also hates generals. However, the man had to bow down to Ka Rin in this time of turmoil as she is currently the second highest ranked general commanding the largest army in Chu today apparently, he knows that Ka Rin has 300,000 soldiers in the southern castles, which is supposed to be a secret.
He then offers Ka Rin to become the prime minister of Chu together with him. Ka Rin seems to know who the man is, and the man finally reveals his name, Ri En, the man behind Shun Shin Kun's death.
Characters
Chu
- Royal Palace
- King Kou Retsu (corpse, flashback)
- Shun Shin Kun (flashback)
- Ri En (flashback and main story)
- Ri En's younger sister (shown)
- Unnamed officials
- Unnamed soldiers
- Eldest son of Kou Retsu (mentioned)
- Shun Shin Kun’s aide (flashback)
- Unidentified assassin's (flashback)
Qin
- Royal Palace
- Ei Sei Faction
- Ei Sei (mentioned)
- Ei Sei Faction
Ai
- Royal Palace
- Rou Ai (mentioned)
Trivia
- First appearance of Ri En and his sister.