During the Warring States period, the other six states were frequently attacked by the State of Qin, so Qu Yuan, a high-ranking official of Chu, traveled to the other five states to advocate for a united front against Qin. In 317 BC, Qu Yuan's diplomatic efforts paid off when the rulers of Qi, Yan, Zhao, Han, and Wei gathered at Ying, the capital of Chu, and formed a six-state alliance centered around King Huai of Chu. With the backing of this alliance, Chu grew stronger, and Qin no longer dared to provoke it recklessly. As a result, the King of Chu placed great trust in Qu Yuan, entrusting him with many matters of domestic and foreign policy.
The King of Chu's favor toward Qu Yuan aroused jealousy among nobles like Prince Zilan, who frequently slandered Qu Yuan to the king. Believing their words, the king gradually reduced Qu Yuan's authority and lost trust in him.
Chu sought to form an alliance with the other five states, which became a major concern for Qin, as they desperately sought a breakthrough to dismantle the six-state coalition. The rift between Qu Yuan and the King of Chu presented an opportunity for Qin, prompting the King of Qin to urgently consult with his prime minister, Zhang Yi. Zhang Yi believed that among the six states, Qi and Chu were the most powerful, and if their alliance could be broken, the other states would be rendered ineffective. Seizing the moment of internal discord in Chu, Zhang Yi planned to personally carry out this scheme of sowing discord.
The King of Qin was very pleased and gave him a batch of money and jewels to use as bribes to open doors. Zhang Yi pretended to resign from his position as Prime Minister of Qin, handed over his official seal, and traveled to the state of Chu. He first went to persuade Qu Yuan, urging him to abandon the alliance with the other five states and form an alliance with Qin instead, but Qu Yuan remained unmoved. Zhang Yi then visited Prince Zilan, who had always been jealous of Qu Yuan, and said, "The reason the King of Chu trusts Qu Yuan so much is because of the alliance of six states. Once that alliance no longer exists, what can a mere Qu Yuan do?" These words struck a chord with Zilan, and the two quickly saw eye to eye. With Zilan's approval, Zhang Yi soon gained the trust and support of other nobles in Chu.
Through Zilan's introduction, Zhang Yi met Zheng Xiu, the favored consort of King Huai of Chu. Zhang Yi catered to her tastes by presenting a pair of priceless white jade discs, delighting Zheng Xiu, who readily agreed to his request and facilitated an alliance between Chu and Qin. They believed that as long as King Huai of Chu no longer trusted Qu Yuan, the orchestrator of the Six-State Alliance, that alliance would collapse on its own; and once the Six-State Alliance fell apart, Chu would have the opportunity to form an alliance with Qin.
But how could they make the King of Chu lose trust in Qu Yuan? They came up with a plan: Zilan brought Zhang Yi to see King Huai of Chu, and Zhang Yi advised the king that forming an alliance with weak states like Qi was not as good as allying with the powerful Qin, and that if Chu agreed to the alliance, Qin would gift six hundred li of land to Chu. The king believed this and was overjoyed, and Zheng Xiu took the opportunity to say, "I heard that Zhang Yi visited Qu Yuan recently, and Qu Yuan wanted a pair of white jade discs from him, but Zhang Yi didn't give them. I wonder if Qu Yuan will oppose this?"
The next day, the King of Chu hosted a banquet to discuss an alliance between Chu and Qin. Unaware of the trap, Qu Yuan strongly opposed it. King Huai of Chu, recalling Zheng Xiu's words, angrily rebuked him: "In your eyes, is six hundred miles of land worth less than a pair of white jade discs?" From then on, he never summoned Qu Yuan again. Seeing his efforts come to nothing, Qu Yuan realized that without the alliance, Chu was like a lamb walking into the tiger's mouth, and its ruin was imminent. Overwhelmed with grief and indignation, he wrote a long poem, "Li Sao" (Encountering Sorrow). Unexpectedly, this poem became ammunition for Zi Lan and his faction to slander him, claiming he called the king a tyrant. Enraged, King Huai of Chu stripped him of his official position. Qu Yuan then left Yingdu and went to Hanbei.
King Huai of Chu, heeding slanderous rumors, severed his alliance with the state of Qi and sent envoys to follow Zhang Yi to the state of Qin to receive the promised six hundred li of land. Zhang Yi, employing a trick, pretended to fall and injure his leg from drinking too much wine just before reaching the Qin capital of Xianyang, entering the city first under the pretext of a leg injury and avoiding the Chu envoys. Only after three months, when Zhang Yi received news that the alliance of the six states had indeed been dissolved, did he agree to meet with the Chu envoys, evading responsibility by saying, "What I said at the time was that I would gift my own fief of six li to Chu—how could state lands be given away so casually?" The envoys, left with no choice, returned empty-handed.
Upon hearing this, King Huai of Chu flew into a rage and immediately sent troops to attack the State of Qin. Qin allied with Qi and launched a pincer attack on Chu from both sides. Unable to withstand the assault, Chu quickly lost the Hanzhong region to Qin. At this point, King Huai remembered Qu Yuan, who was in Hanbei, and promptly summoned him back, sending him as an envoy to Qi to repair relations between the two states.
The King of Qi was particularly furious at Chu's betrayal, but out of respect for Qu Yuan, he agreed to withdraw his troops. Just as Qu Yuan's negotiations with the King of Qi concluded, news arrived that Qin and Chu had made peace. Fearing another deception, Qu Yuan hurried back to Chu. News of Qu Yuan's return alarmed Prince Zilan, who promptly instructed Zheng Xiu to speak to the King of Chu, saying, "Qu Yuan is telling the people that the soldiers' deaths are all my fault for advising Your Majesty. They died unjustly, and he is coming back to avenge them." The next day, King Huai issued an order that Qu Yuan need not enter the palace and should immediately assume his post as Grand Master of the Three Clans.
As soon as Qu Yuan left, the Chu court immediately fell under the control of Prince Zilan. The alliance of the six states ceased to exist, and Qin began launching continuous attacks on Chu, seizing eight cities in succession. In 299 BCE, King Huai of Chu received a letter from the King of Qin, inviting him to meet at Wuguan to discuss ways to ensure everlasting peace between Qin and Chu. Ignoring Qu Yuan's warnings, King Huai insisted on going, but as soon as he arrived at Wuguan, he was detained by Qin forces and taken to Qin.
When the news reached Yingdu, Zheng Xiu installed Crown Prince Xiong Heng as King Qingxiang of Chu, with Zilan serving as Prime Minister, both seizing control of state affairs. Qu Yuan submitted advice, urging King Qingxiang to restore alliances with the other five states, strengthen Chu's power, and rescue King Huai, but Zilan and his faction ignored him. King Huai had insisted on going to Wuguan under their influence, and they feared he would return to hold them accountable, especially since they dared not confront the powerful Qin state.
They expelled Qu Yuan from Yingdu and forbade him from ever returning. Three years later, King Qingxiang of Chu suddenly received a notice from the State of Qin stating that King Huai had died. It turned out that after King Huai arrived in Xianyang, the King of Qin demanded he cede Qianzhong to Qin, but King Huai refused and was placed under house arrest. A year later, taking advantage of lax surveillance, King Huai escaped and fled to the border of Zhao. However, his repeated violations of the alliance of the six states had angered the people of Zhao, who refused to let him enter the city. Forced to turn south, King Huai sought refuge in Wei, but before he could reach it, he was caught up by pursuing Qin soldiers and taken back to Xianyang. In a fit of rage, King Huai vomited blood, fell ill for over a year, and died of depression. Now, Qin was returning his remains to Chu.
Before King Huai's coffin, Qu Yuan wailed bitterly. He once again advised King Qingxiang to ally with other states and launch a joint military campaign against Qin. King Qingxiang ignored him, so he knelt at the palace gate, weeping day and night. Zheng Xiu grew impatient and ordered Zilan to rebuke him. Qu Yuan, with stern words and a harsh tone, scolded him: "It was you who sent the king to Qin! Are you even still a citizen of Chu? You're nothing but a spy for Qin! The people of Chu would gladly devour your flesh!"
After Zilan returned, he embellished and exaggerated these words to Zheng Xiu. Enraged, Zheng Xiu had King Qingxiang of Chu dismiss Qu Yuan from his post and exile him to the south of the Yangtze River, forbidding him from ever crossing the river again. Qu Yuan lived in exile in Lingyang for nine years, sinking into depression day by day. In 278 BCE, when news arrived that the Qin general Bai Qi had captured Ying, the capital of Chu, Qu Yuan realized that the state of Chu was doomed. He went to the Miluo River, gazed at his reflection in the water, and lamented, "The whole world is muddy, and I alone am clear; everyone is drunk, and I alone am sober." Utterly despairing, he picked up a stone, embraced it, and drowned himself in the river.