Time flew by.

In Xuanwu City, everything had settled into its proper course, and Ning Chen was living a carefree life.

The Great Xuan, though, had enemies on every side, and the new emperor was at his wits' end.

Kang Luo's demands reached the palace of the Great Xuan.

The new emperor raged up and down.

Kang Luo wanted far too much.

He had been on the throne less than a year. He held all the power now, yet not one good thing had happened, and the bad things just kept coming.

The palace. The imperial study.

The new emperor sat in silence, his face livid.

After a long while, he finally sighed. "Right Chancellor, tell me. Is this emperor really not as good as Father Emperor?

Everyone says Father Emperor was weak and useless. Yet while he was on the throne, the Great Xuan grew stronger by the day and never lost an inch of ground. The officials respected him, and the common people loved him.

And now, in this emperor's hands, the Great Xuan's eighteen prefectures are about to become sixteen."

Seeing that, Zong Sibo spoke up quickly. "Your Majesty, if this old subject may say something grossly disrespectful, the Emperor Emeritus was simply lucky.

When the Emperor Emeritus took the throne, he had Old General Chen at his side. Then, after Old General Chen's misfortune, Ning Chen appeared out of nowhere.

It isn't that Your Majesty lacks ability, only that fortune has been a little less generous... In ability and in courage, Your Majesty is far above the Emperor Emeritus."

The new emperor nodded. Exactly. It wasn't that he lacked ability. He just lacked a little luck, and men like Old General Chen and Ning Chen at his side.

Then he said abruptly, "Zhao Da, draft a decree... This emperor will proclaim it across the whole country: we are looking for a man fit to be commander in chief. Our Great Xuan abounds in men of talent. This emperor refuses to believe there is no one to match Ning Chen."

Zhao Da said respectfully, "This servant obeys!"