The Position of Prime Minister is the 441st chapter of the Kingdom manga, written and illustrated by Yasuhisa Hara.
Summary
In another location, Ka Rin and Ri En continue their discussion while Ren Pa relaxes with a cup of wine with a frantic Kou Yoku and Haku Rei watching their meeting.
The Chu General asks Ri En why he killed Shun Shin Kun. The official explains that since the late king Kou Retsu couldn’t produce a male heir, it would mean that his younger brother would ascend the throne after his death. However, the king’s brother is a perverted deviant who is infamous for his disgusting "hobbies" that have created numerous problems for the people in the palace and the courts.
If the king’s younger brother were to ascend the throne, it will cause great problem to the entire Chu and drive it to its own destruction.
At this time, Ri En’s younger sister was found to be pregnant with Shun Shin Kun’s son as they were lovers. With this in mind Ri En, Shun Shin Kun and the Chu king then planned to make this child the king’s child so that the king’s brother will not become the new king in the future, even if that means putting someone without the royal bloodline on the throne.
However, just before the death of the king, Shun Shin Kun changed his mind and wanted to let the king’s brother ascend the throne instead, saying that allowing someone who does not have the royal bloodline ascend the throne is a much greater sin than letting a useless king ascend the throne.
Since it was too late to change their plans, as revealing the secret will result in death to all parties involved, including himself, his sister, and nephew Ri En had to kill Shun Shin Kun. Ka Rin finds it funny that he killed Shun Shin Kun just to save his sister.
He then rebuffs her statement as it his duty as an older brother and brings up her own past as she herself searched frantically for her younger brother in the various battlefields, comparing that to his attempt to save his sister now. With a grim expression Ka Rin is angered by his mentioning of her history as she threats him, and Ri En apologizes as he meant no disrespect by it.
Ri En continues as he explains that both Shun Shin Kin and him sent their own respective assassins to kill each other, but only he survived.
Ka Rin then says that in a country, one prime minister is enough for its operation, but Ri En mentioned that Great General Kou En, the Conqueror of the East, once said that despite having the largest land mass in the Middle Kingdom, Chu is still unable to utilize all its resources. Therefore, even though Ri En knows that Ka Rin is uninterested in politics, he begs her to help him in reviving and strengthening the superstate.
Back in Kanyou, Shou Hei Kun and Kai Oku discuss the recent news of Ka Rin accepting Ri En’s offer to become the prime minster of Chu as Ri En created a new temporary "Double Prime Minster" system, stabilizing Chu's political turmoil within a month.
Surprised by this development, Shou Hei Kun estimates that Ri En might be a better politician than themselves. Moreover, Ka Rin has also proved to be talented strategist during the Coalition War, and now she joins Shou Hei Kun and Ri Boku as a strategical Chief of Military and prime minister. With that, they decided to call off their surprise attack on Chu. Meanwhile in the Hi Shin Unit's encampment, Kyou Kai and Shin are in the middle of sparring with each other as a messenger arrives from the HQ.
Ten reads the message out and tells Shin (and everybody else there) that they are to give up on attacking Chu and instead attack Kokuyou Hills of Zhao. Ten seems to know the identity of the opposing general but did not finish her sentence. She then continues that it is not an easy area to attack, and the order is to have Hi Shin Unit meet up with the 50000 main body of a Qin army who is currently moving east towards the destination. When Shin asked who they are joining in this war, Ogiko appears with a message.
Characters
Chu
- Royal Palace
- King Kou Retsu (Mentioned)
- Shun Shin Kun (Mentioned)
- Ri En
- Unnamed servant girl
- Kou Retsu’s younger brother (Image)
- Ri En's sister (Mentioned)
- Eldest son of Kou Retsu (Mentioned)
- Unidentified assassin's (Mentioned)
- Kou En Army
- Kou En (Mentioned)
Qin
- Mou Bu Army
- Mou Bu (Mentioned)
Zhao
- Ri Boku Army
- Ri Boku (Mentioned)
Trivia
- Kou Retsu's younger brother is shown for the first time.