Nothing in this world ever bloomed without fading, nor could anyone live forever. Heroes and great men would ultimately become dry bones in their tombs.
In the twenty-eighth year of Ji Ni, the King of Qi died in Linzi. He received the posthumous name "Xuan" and was known to history as King Xuan of Qi.
He was the first of the feudal kings to die. With his passing, the generation of illustrious ministers who had created Qi State's golden age began to wither away, one after another.
Strange undercurrents began flowing through the lands of All Xia. Ever since Luo State had withdrawn and a group of states of similar strength had come to coexist on this land, there had been an unspoken rule: no superpower could be allowed to exist.
When Chu State was strongest, the six states formed a Vertical Alliance to attack Chu. When Wei State was strongest, the States joined forces to weaken Wei. Now that Qi State was strongest, many discerning men knew it was time to weaken Qi.
The capable men within Qi State naturally knew this too. The worthy ministers of the previous generation had foreseen this danger, which was why they had chosen to win over and divide the States.
But as that generation of worthy ministers passed away, and Qi State had not fully abolished its system of hereditary ministerial offices and stipends, the caliber of this generation's ruler and ministers fell far short of theirs.
These men had always lived in a world where Qi State stood first under heaven. An indelible arrogance naturally filled their hearts, and they could not help lording it over the States.
The six states had all paid court to Qi in those years because Qi State's momentum was at its height, while the six