Great Xia Imperial Palace.
The Old Emperor received a report from his spy.
Great Sui's Fifth Prince, Ye Yunzhou, had not come to hate his daughter Zhao Lu to the bone as he had expected.
By all rights, how could a strapping man who had suffered such utter humiliation not be enraged?
Especially when the other party was a prince of a nation.
Yet Ye Yunzhou instead felt exceedingly fortunate.
The Old Emperor frowned slightly and gave a cold snort.
There had been a small mishap in the plan, but it was nothing serious.
It would not affect the plan's progress.
Within the dim bedchamber.
The Old Emperor dragged his long dragon robe behind him, barefoot and hunched over as he paced step by step.
The Myriad Souls Banner needed more power.
He needed more—more people.
To nourish the Myriad Souls Banner.
The identity of Coiled Dragon City's City Lord could no longer be used.
Besides, after the incident with Coiled Dragon City's City Lord, Shushan was doing everything it could to trace the whereabouts of the Myriad Souls Banner.
The Old Emperor dared not continue imitating his previous actions.
It could not be helped. In an age of peace, large-scale population disappearances were far too likely to draw attention.
Even if those five Shushan Disciples had not, through a twist of fate, entered his Myriad Souls Banner.
Shushan would still have noticed the missing people in Coiled Dragon City.
Therefore, only chaos under heaven would do.
Only war could give him an opportunity.
And as Emperor, if he did not have a legitimate reason to wage war.
The court would not support him, and the people would not support him.
Most crucially, Shushan would also suspect him.
Unless he had an utterly legitimate reason.
His most beloved youngest daughter