That the civil and military officials would obstruct it was no more than Ning Chen had expected.

On the Xuan Emperor's dragon desk the memorials impeaching him were nearly piled into a mountain.

In fact, whether he was made a prince or not did not matter to him.

The power he held now genuinely put him below one man in this court and above ten thousand.

The Left Chancellor of the old days had held less power than he did now.

What he wanted now was to cure the Xuan Emperor.

And of course, where some opposed, others supported.

Li Hanru, Shen Min, Li Zhixing and others stepped out and stood firmly behind making Ning Chen a prince.

Each side held to its own view, and the argument would not settle.

"Silence!"

At a sign from the Xuan Emperor, Eunuch Quan's shrill voice rang out.

The assembled ministers fell quiet at once.

The Xuan Emperor held down his cough and said, low and hard, "Ning Chen pacified the southern frontier, and his war record is a blaze of merit."

"At the imperial park he came to the throne's aid and guarded the sovereign, and protected this emperor's life... This emperor promised him then that he would be made a prince on the return to the palace."

"The word of a sovereign is not a joke. The thing is settled and there is no more to discuss."

"Ning Chen, from now on this emperor permits you to ride within the palace."

The assembled ministers were even less willing than before.

Riding within the palace meant that he could go on horseback inside the palace itself.

There was no other instance of such favor in all the Great Xuan's history.

The Xuan Emperor could not hold back another fit of violent coughing.

It was some time before he said, breathing hard, "There is one more thing. This emperor has had it reckoned, and five days from now is a good day... Ning Chen and Huai'an's wedding is set for five days from now."

"This emperor is weary. Anything else can be discussed…