A month went by in a blink.

The Ning'an Army was back in the capital.

The modao army's training was nearly done too.

Yuan Long and the others came to the Ning residence.

They were about to bow when Ning Chen waved a hand. "No ceremony. Sit down and talk!"

Ning Chen looked at Yuan Long. "How's the building at Xuanwu City coming?"

Yuan Long said, "To answer my lord prince, it's beginning to take shape. The wall is up more than six feet already... Xuanwu City is a lively place now. Merchants from the Great Xuan and the Wu Kingdom gather there, and a lot of new buildings have gone up."

Ning Chen nodded slightly.

"How are Ning Mao and Ning Xing?"

Yuan Long said, "They work hard and take it seriously."

Ning Chen's eye fell on Lei An, and he smiled. "How do you keep getting blacker?"

Lei An's skin had been dark to begin with. Now it was darker.

Lei An scratched his head. "This officer has no idea either!"

Ning Chen had a banquet set out.

They were marching out soon, and chances to drink together would be scarce.

Every one of them was drunk by the middle of the day!

It was evening before Ning Chen woke up.

All this time, Ning Chen had barely gone out at night. He put his head down and worked at it every evening.

Once he left this time, he'd be abstinent for a long while.

The next morning Ning Chen rode to the palace to settle the details of the campaign with His Majesty.

On the way, he pounded a fist against the small of his back.

He'd been overdoing it lately. Even drinking the Nine Yang Decoction for Nourishing the Source every day, he was having trouble keeping up.

The real problem was Yudie's body. However much he had of her, it was never enough.

In the imperial study, the Xuan Emperor was going through memorials.

The crown prince stood off to one side, hands at his sides, head down, not daring to speak.

The memorials the…