The ministers nodded one after another.

If the other states learned that Ning Chen had dropped dead, they would certainly start making trouble.

Nanyue above all. Ning Chen had taken its imperial city.

Nanyue had Kang Luo, its Fourth Prince, skilled in war and stratagem. With Ning Chen dead, who could stop him?

The An Emperor shook her head, her voice low. "It can't be hidden. News of Ning Chen's death has already spread through Bianzhou. I'm sure every state's spies sent word home long ago."

At that, the hall was in turmoil again.

The An Emperor glanced at Heye.

Heye stepped forward. "Silence!" she snapped.

The officials fell quiet at once.

The An Emperor's eyes were full of grief, but her face was cold. "What are you afraid of?

Ning Chen has fallen, but the great generals under him are all still here: Yuan Long, Lei An, the Ning'an Army... What do we have to fear?

Right now, the most important thing is to bring Ning Chen home.

Proclaim this emperor's decree: announce the death, and let the whole realm mourn.

Everything after the Prince Regent's death is to be done on the scale of a state funeral."

The officials looked at one another.

A censor stepped out of the ranks and bowed. "Your Majesty, this is against the rules. The Prince Regent was of noble rank, but holding a state funeral for him is overstepping."

Under the laws of the Great Xuan, only the Emperor Emeritus, the Empress Dowager, the emperor and the Empress could be given a state funeral when they died. Not even the crown prince was entitled to one.

The An Emperor's face was ice.

But before she could speak, Ji Mingchen tore into him. "Bullshit! The Prince Regent served the country and the people. His achievements belong to this age and will benefit a thousand generations. Why shouldn't he have a state funeral?"

The censor shot back, "This official does not deny the prince's achievements, but rules are rules. Even if his achievements were as great as the heavens, he could not be allowed…