Kingdom Qin Factions: Ryo Fui, Sei Kyou and the Ai Coup

Quick answer

Qin’s court in Kingdom has three power blocs: Ei Sei’s faction, Chancellor Ryo Fui’s (Lü Buwei’s) faction with his Four Pillars, and the Queen Mother’s harem faction with Rou Ai.
The Four Pillars are Shou Hei Kun, Mou Bu, Sai Taku and Ri Shi; Shou Hei Kun’s switch to Ei Sei during the Ai rebellion (Ch. 433) is what breaks Ryo Fui.
Three power struggles decide it: Sei Kyou’s coup (Ch. 1–47), the Tonryuu rebellion where Sei Kyou is framed and killed (Ch. 377), and the Ai rebellion that ends with Rou Ai’s execution (Ch. 436–437).
Ryo Fui is exiled and fakes his suicide (Ch. 648); in real history Lü Buwei drank poison in 235 BC.

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Spoiler warning: this page covers Qin’s court politics from Chapter 1 to Ryo Fui’s exit in Chapter 648 (Volume 60), and compares them with the historical record. The manga is ongoing; this is current as of Volume 80 (released in Japan on August 19, 2026). Anime episodes use overall numbering.

Qin’s court in Kingdom is split into three power blocs: Ei Sei’s faction (the young king and his loyalists), Ryo Fui’s faction (the chancellor and his Four Pillars) and the Queen Mother’s faction (the royal harem, later the “State of Ai” with Rou Ai). Three power struggles decide who wins: Sei Kyou’s coup, the Tonryuu rebellion, and the Ai rebellion. Ei Sei comes out on top of all three.

Names follow the Japanese readings used by the English fandom, with Chinese pinyin in parentheses.

Kingdom Qin factions at a glance

Faction	Leader	Key members	Power base
Ei Sei’s faction	Ei Sei (Ying Zheng)	Shou Bun Kun (Lord Changwen), Heki, Shin, later Shi Shi and Sei Kyou	The throne’s legitimacy
Ryo Fui’s faction	Ryo Fui (Lü Buwei)	The Four Pillars, Ho Kaku, Rou Ai (planted)	Money, offices, the army
Queen Mother’s faction	The Queen Mother (Bi Ki, “Zhao Ji”)	Rou Ai (Lao Ai), Chou Kou	The royal harem and its seal

At the very start there is a fourth bloc. Chancellor of the Left Ketsu Shi (Jie Shi) is Ryo Fui’s rival, and he backs Sei Kyou’s coup. He dies in it, and his people, including his strategist Shi Shi, are absorbed into Ei Sei’s camp.

Who are Lu Buwei’s (Ryo Fui’s) Four Pillars?

Ryo Fui is a former merchant who bankrolled Ei Sei’s father, Sou Jou (King Zhuangxiang), onto the throne and became chancellor. His faction’s core is the Four Pillars, each the best in his field.

Pillar	Role	What happens to him
Shou Hei Kun (Lord Changping)	Head of Military Affairs	Secretly sides with Ei Sei in the Ai rebellion (Ch. 433); later Chancellor of the Right
Mou Bu (Meng Wu)	Great General	Stays a general; one of the new Six Great Generals (Ch. 671–672)
Sai Taku (Cai Ze)	Veteran diplomat	Arranges the Qin–Qi kings’ meeting, then dies of old age (Ch. 489)
Ri Shi (Li Si)	Legalist, administration	Jailed after the Ai rebellion, then recruited by Shou Bun Kun to write Ei Sei’s laws

Ryo Fui’s power comes from these four plus over a thousand retainers. For most of the early story, the king himself is the weakest player in his own court.

Sei Kyou’s coup: the first power struggle (Ch. 1–47)

Who: Prince Sei Kyou (Cheng Jiao), Ei Sei’s younger half-brother, allied with Ketsu Shi.
Why: Sei Kyou’s mother was royal; Ei Sei’s was a dancer. Sei Kyou thinks Ei Sei has no right to the throne.
When: the opening arc, Volumes 1–5 (Episodes 1–15).

While Ryo Fui is away fighting Wei, Sei Kyou seizes the capital, Kanyou. Ryo Fui has Ei Sei’s messenger executed: he wants Sei Kyou to kill the king so he can crush Sei Kyou and take the throne himself.

Ei Sei escapes with Shin, wins over the Mountain King Yo Tan Wa, and retakes the palace. Ketsu Shi is cut down by the mountain warriors Bajio and Shunmen, and Ei Sei beats Sei Kyou with his own hands (Ch. 46).

Result:

Winner: Ei Sei.
Sei Kyou: imprisoned for about three years.
Ketsu Shi’s faction: gone. Shi Shi joins Ei Sei.
Ryo Fui: furious, and now the only rival left.

In the Sanyou Aftermath arc (Vols. 23–24), Ei Sei frees Sei Kyou. The two agree to work together against Ryo Fui, and the royal relatives behind Sei Kyou let Ei Sei make Shou Bun Kun Chancellor of the Left (Ch. 256).

The Tonryuu rebellion: Cheng Jiao’s death (Ch. 366–378)

Who: Ryo Fui’s faction against Sei Kyou.
When: 239 BC in the manga, Volumes 34–35 (Episodes 104–108).

By now Sei Kyou has changed. Ei Sei left him in charge of Kanyou during the Battle of Sai, and he has started to believe in his brother’s dream. That makes him a threat to Ryo Fui.

Ryo Fui, working with Zhao, stages a small Zhao attack on Tonryuu, where Sei Kyou’s wife Rui lives. Sei Kyou rides to the rescue and drives Zhao off. Then the city’s lord Ho Kaku and Sei Kyou’s own general Ryuu, both Ryo Fui’s men, spring the trap. Sei Kyou is jailed, and a rumor spreads that he has rebelled again.

Ei Sei doesn’t believe it. He sends Heki’s army to “put down the rebellion” and gives Shin’s unit a secret order to rescue his brother.

Result:

Winner: Ryo Fui’s faction.
Sei Kyou: breaks out and kills Ho Kaku, but dies of his wounds in Rui’s arms (Ch. 377). His last words ask Shin to be Ei Sei’s sword and shield.
Ryuu: killed by Heki’s army.
Sei Kyou’s faction: passes to Rui, and most of it stays loyal to Ei Sei.

Real history: the Shiji says that in 239 BC Cheng Jiao, Lord Chang’an, led an army against Zhao, “rebelled, and died at Tunliu.” His officers were executed and the townspeople deported. The frame-up is Hara’s invention. So is the earlier palace coup: the records mention only the Tunliu revolt.

The Ai rebellion: Rou Ai and the Queen Mother (Ch. 402–437)

Who: the Queen Mother and Rou Ai, with Ryo Fui’s agents hidden in their army.
When: Volumes 37–40, the Season 4 arc (Episodes 116–128).

Ryo Fui planted Rou Ai in the harem as a fake eunuch to replace himself as the Queen Mother’s lover. Rou Ai and the Queen Mother have two secret children. With harem money and Ryo Fui’s help, they take over Taigen (Taiyuan) and declare it the State of Ai.

At Ei Sei’s coming-of-age ceremony at Kinen Temple in You, the Ai army uses a forged royal seal to pass Kankoku Pass and march on Kanyou (Ch. 412–414). Ryo Fui reveals his real plan to the Queen Mother: let the rebels burn the capital and wipe out the royal family, then crush them with Mou Bu and take Qin (Ch. 413).

Ei Sei refuses to end the ceremony and debates Ryo Fui on how a state should be ruled, a debate that ends in Ch. 427. Meanwhile Shou Hei Kun abandons Ryo Fui. He leads the defense of Kanyou with Shou Bun Kun and Heki and kills the rebel commander, the Duke of Juuteki (Wa Tegi). Shou Hei Kun says why: he too dreams of unifying China, and he thinks this king can do it (Ch. 433).

Result:

Winner: Ei Sei. Shou Bun Kun calls it the end of a nine-year struggle (Ch. 433).
Ryo Fui: admits he has been “completely defeated” (Ch. 434).
Rou Ai: captured by Kan Ki’s army and torn apart by horses (Ch. 436–437). He takes all the blame to protect the Queen Mother.
The Queen Mother: locked in a tower. Ei Sei secretly spares her two children and promises to reunite them after unification (Ch. 437).
Chou Kou and 4,000 families: exiled to Shu (Ch. 437).

What happened to Ryo Fui after the Ai rebellion?

Ryo Fui loses his rank and is exiled to Kanan. Former followers and enemies of the king start gathering around him. Shi Shi advises killing him. Instead Ei Sei goes to see him in person (Ch. 647–648).

A month later Kanan reports that Ryo Fui drank poisoned wine. But a sealed carriage leaves the city: Ryo Fui faked his death to travel and watch Ei Sei unify China (Ch. 648, Vol. 60).

Kingdom vs real history: the factions’ fates

Person	In the manga	In the Shiji
Sei Kyou (Cheng Jiao)	Framed and killed at Tonryuu	Rebels and dies at Tunliu, 239 BC
Rou Ai (Lao Ai)	Torn apart by horses	Torn apart by chariots, clan wiped out, 238 BC
The Queen Mother (Zhao Ji)	Confined; children secretly spared	Two sons killed; moved to Yong, brought back in 237 BC; dies 228 BC
Ryo Fui (Lü Buwei)	Exiled; fakes his suicide	Dismissed over Lao Ai (237 BC); drinks poison, 235 BC
Shou Hei Kun (Lord Changping)	Ei Sei’s chief strategist	Suppresses Lao Ai with Lord Changwen, 238 BC; later defects to Chu
Ri Shi (Li Si)	Ei Sei’s legalist	Rises at Ei Sei’s court after the “expel the foreigners” memo

One more match: the Shiji really does say Taiyuan was made into “Ai’s state” for Lao Ai. Hara built the State of Ai from that line.

FAQ

Who are Ryo Fui’s Four Pillars in Kingdom?

Shou Hei Kun (head of military affairs), Mou Bu (great general), Sai Taku (diplomat) and Ri Shi (legalist). All four end up serving Ei Sei or staying neutral after Ryo Fui falls.

Why did Shou Hei Kun betray Ryo Fui?

He tells Shin he also dreams of unifying China and believes Ei Sei is the king who can do it (Ch. 433). His defection during the Ai rebellion saves Kanyou.

How does Sei Kyou die in Kingdom?

Ryo Fui’s men Ho Kaku and Ryuu frame him for a rebellion at Tonryuu. He escapes prison and kills Ho Kaku but dies of his wounds in Rui’s arms (Ch. 377).

What happens to Rou Ai and the Queen Mother?

Rou Ai is captured and torn apart by horses after the Ai rebellion fails (Ch. 436–437). The Queen Mother is confined, and Ei Sei secretly saves her two children.

Is Ryo Fui dead in Kingdom?

Officially yes, by poison in exile, but Chapter 648 shows he faked it and left Kanan in secret. The historical Lü Buwei did drink poison, in 235 BC.

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This guide is the English edition of a BuzzBeaver article originally written in Japanese: 日本語版を読む. Facts are checked against the official manga and anime; fan theories are labeled as such.