The Xuan Emperor's brows knotted, and he looked at the Right Chancellor.

The civil and military officials whispered among themselves.

The Xuan Emperor's face went cold. "Beloved ministers. The Wu army is on our border. What is to be done?"

There was not a sound in the hall.

Ning Chen stepped out of the ranks without warning. "Your Majesty. As things stand, sending Lord Shen to the talks gives us little chance of success... It must be a man of high place and great power who goes, to show respect to the Wu Kingdom. Only then is there any possibility at all."

The Right Chancellor suddenly felt that something was wrong, and turned his head to look at Ning Chen.

Ning Chen turned a brilliant smile on him, then looked at the Xuan Emperor and went on. "Your Majesty. Your subject proposes that the Right Chancellor go to the talks."

"The Right Chancellor of our Great Xuan stands below one man in this court, and above ten thousand. That rank and that standing are enough to show how sincere our Great Xuan is about these talks."

Something dropped in the Right Chancellor's chest.

Why is Ning Chen recommending me for the talks? Can Ning Chen have found something out?

And if Ning Chen really has found something out, then I absolutely cannot go as envoy to the Wu Kingdom, or I will not come back alive.

He knew about Ning Chen and the woman emperor of Wu. He was only hampered by having no proof of it.

"Your Majesty. The road to the Wu Kingdom is long, and your subject is old and failing. I fear I am not equal to it."

Ning Chen said, smiling, "The Right Chancellor is too modest. This humble commoner hears that the Right Chancellor's nephew is far away in Mingzhou as governor, and that not long ago he sent men a thousand li to bring the Right Chancellor eight beauties, every one of them the loveliest thing under heaven."

"Eight beauties. With a constitution like the Right Chancellor's, who would dare call him old…