Emperor Shura was quite depressed. He’d always known that young lord Zhen was an annoying pest. But before convening the Vassal Meeting, he’d also been sure that the throne was as good as his without Emperor Peafowl around. All signs had pointed to it.

Someone like young lord Zhen was far too immature, regardless of how brilliant he might be. From what Emperor Shura remembered, the young lord was perhaps a bit more excellent than his favorite disciple, Li Jiancheng. But, at the end of the day, he was just another young genius. How could someone like that stand up to an emperor, much less compete with him in the Vassal Meeting?

But harsh reality lay cruelly before him. Bit by bit, young lord Zhen had fortified Sacred Peafowl Mountain’s position. He was actually pressing towards Emperor Shura in a gradual advance. If the emperor made one misstep, it was quite likely that his machinations would fail entirely.

With what he’s been doing so far, is he truly a master of everything? Or is he merely saying all this to play up to the vassals and put me in...