The North East Gate to the Qin royal capital had opened amidst the war, the sunlight breached on the walls, only to reveal the man on the other side.
His face was buried in the darkness of the damao, and the glowing red marbles shone on one side.
The eerie look and that diabolical smile revealing his teeth sent shivers down the gatekeeper's spine.
The man guarding the walls approached the gatekeeper out of fear, asking
"Is that a ghost or a man?"
The gatekeeper himself was frightened to the depths of hell.
"His Qi isn't normal", said the man.
"Seems like the alliance is formed", replied the keeper.
"What alliance? We soldiers were not given any information about it", said the man.
"That man...he is a Lao", said the keeper.
"A Lao?"
"Lao are the messengers sent by the dark king who rules Qi", said the Keeper.
"The dark king? And does that mean we have allied with Qi?", The man was perplexed.
"Seeing a Lao, the answer is clear as daylight"
"The Qin are now allied with the Qi"
**************
The doors to the courtroom opened, and on the throne sat the king of Qin.
"Lord Qin Seu Kai"
The long hair of the lord pinned on either side, and his golden robe shone along with the golden throne.
His blue eyes stared at the Lao, who emanated the dark Qi all over the courtroom.
The Lao bowed before the king...
"I am Lao Xinmen from the state of Qi"
"Rise", said the king.
"Status of the alliance?", asked the king.
"Our Lord has approved the alliance. As an act of friendship, we will be sending out the supreme general to change the tides", replied the Lao.
"Great"
The Lao bowed before him and walked away. The doors opened, and he exited the royal courtroom. Grabbing his robe, he quietly disappeared from the capital.
The court for the day was over, and the king had retired to his quarters. Walking along the corridor of his pleasure quarters, there stood a mistress.
"Furin Liiba"
The supreme concubine of the harem, and the mistress of the king. Her eyes glowed in the darkness, revealing her fair, soft body. The captivated king had her charm reflected in his blue eyes.
"Liiba", he uttered.
The king hugged her warm body; her scent drugged him. The taste paralysed him, and without knowing, he latched on to her like a wolf.
"Qin, what are you sorrowed of?", Liiba's sweet voice reverberated in his brain.
She asked again.
"Qin, what are you sorrowed of?"
"The state is crumbling to the depths of the earth", uttered Qin.
"No matter what, I will follow your breath to the depths of the abyss", the words flowed out of Liiba's lips.
"Our love has borne the fruit", her scarlet red lips moved.
Without any hesitation, he tasted the rose. The taste of the sweet honey, along with a bitterness, twisted his tongue.
SFX: CLTTER
A red bead fell from from Liiba's dress. The red refracted through his blue eyes, forming the heliotrope to colour his mind.
The red bead was the same as the Lao, but the heliotrope was different. The king just wanted to rest.
A field of purple tulips appeared in his mind...and a red coloured sky. The king just walked under that sky. The blue sea on the other side, he just walked there.
Wetting his legs in that salt water, and the water turned crimson, so did the tulips turn to roses.
Blood rushed through the king's eyes.
So did it rush through Liiba's.
In the tint of red and in the taste of blood, they still tasted the roses. Reluctant to leave each other.
"Why die together? You should have just killed me alone", whispered the king.
"I don't want to go back to Qi...I just fulfilled my duty and fell in love with a man", replied Liiba.
"I want to be born again...again with you till the end"
The crimson enveloped both of them in the darkness of the other world. Both of them closed their eyes, fell onto the cold ground, never leaving each other's hands.
***********
The next day, their corpses were found by another concubine, like an epidemic the rumour spread throughout the whole capital. The scholars rushed through the palace, and so did the ministers.
Amidst the chaos came him, walking through that cold floor. The golden robe shone, along with that bald head. He headed towards the royal court.
Opening the doors, he appeared in the room.
The ministers stood up along with the people who were being interrogated. He slowly walked and sat on the chair beside the golden throne.
The state of Qin had a unique way to handling crimes, particularly the one related to royalty. According to crime law of the state, the ones involving common people would dealt by the people of Qio clan.
The ones involving the royalty would be dealt by the Qao clan. The law also states that...
"If the state is involved in any kind of war during the murder of the king, the Qao head would temporarily take over the throne till the time a new king is decided"
The Qio clan head stood up and bowed his head...ordering.
"Everyone rise!!"
"Bow!"
The man also bowed. He looked to the people and said...
"Thanking everyone who are in the court today. But I Qao Gun is not here to deal with the lord's death. I am here to reveal the truth behind the murder"
"Murder...?", muttered the minister Qion Jiua.
The king's wife who sat there, shivered. Here eyes wavered, but she was adamant to hear the truth.
"Fuurin Liiba, the head concubine of the harem, the woman was a spy from Qi"
"That beautiful woman?", the discussion spread through the court like a wildfire.
"Furthermore, the king was deeply in love with her. As a spy who worked for Qin, I have spent 10 years in Qi. I have known Fuurin Liiba for 5 years, she was my mistress"
"Eh?"
"Why....", the king's wife muttered.
"Why did this happen?...", she cried.
"I loved him...and he loved me, and our children. Why her...?"
"But my intent today involves something else too. We are currently in a war with Han. If out administration crumbles at this crucial hour, then out mighty state will be under Han"
"As the supreme lawmaker, leader of administration and law. I hereby declare a free rule till the end of this war. I will be temporarily ruing this state as the leader of administration"
Thus declared Qao Gun.