The whole street the Heavenly Blessing Tower stood on had been placed under curfew.

Imperial guards were posted everywhere you could see and everywhere you could not, and the mouse holes had been stopped up with stones.

The Xuan Emperor took Ning Chen to the largest private room on the second floor.

The dishes passed through one checkpoint and inspection after another before they reached the table.

Ning Chen could do nothing about it. The food had gone cold again.

The only ones in the room were the Xuan Emperor, Ning Chen, the Eldest Prince and Eunuch Quan.

"Today is a family dinner. No need to stand on ceremony!"

The Xuan Emperor waved a hand downward, signaling the Eldest Prince to sit and eat with them.

The whole court, civil and military, had been sent home by the Xuan Emperor.

The Xuan Emperor looked at Ning Chen and said with a smile, "Eat, eat... Conditions are hard on campaign. Have your fill."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Conditions on campaign were hard enough, but Ning Chen had not denied himself a thing.

He had a kitchen of his own.

The Xuan Emperor watched Ning Chen dig in, his own face full of satisfaction.

"Ning Chen, the woman emperor of the Wu Kingdom wrote to this emperor a while back and put a proposal to him."

Of course Ning Chen knew what the proposal was. It had to be the building of Xuanwu City.

"What proposal?"

The Xuan Emperor said, "The woman emperor of the Wu Kingdom proposes that the two states work together to build a city on the border between the Great Xuan and the Wu Kingdom, to be named Xuanwu City."

"That was your idea, wasn't it?"

Ning Chen's heart jumped. It seemed there was no hiding it from the Xuan Emperor.

"Heh heh... It was your subject's idea."

He thought he might as well admit it outright.

Ning Chen said, "Your Majesty, what your subject mainly wanted was for the Great Xuan and the Wu Kingdom to live side by side in peace. That woman of the Wu…