More than a month had passed since Ning Chen declared himself emperor!

The news had spread far and wide long ago.

The capital. The imperial study in the palace.

Memorials lay scattered across the floor again.

Why again? Because every time news about Ning Chen arrived, the De Emperor flew into a towering rage, full of impotent fury.

"Fine, fine, fine... That despicable, two-faced little man! Didn't he say he had no interest in the throne?

The Ning Emperor? A bastard who grew up in some dirt-poor mountain gully, who sweet-talked Father Emperor into— all he knows how to do is suck up! What right does he have to call himself emperor?

There can be only one emperor of the Great Xuan, and that's me... Send the army! March on Ning Chen and kill that traitor!"

Kneeling below the dragon desk with his head bowed, Zong Sibo listened to the De Emperor roar and quietly rolled his eyes.

March on him?

Ning Chen had taken Beilin Pass, and Mangzhou too... He had more than two hundred thousand troops now, and firearms besides. March on him how?

Zong Sibo spoke up. "Your Majesty should never have gone soft back then and let Ning Chen leave the capital... You let the tiger go back to the mountain, and now he's become a great danger."

The De Emperor looked thunderous!

"It wasn't this emperor going soft. This emperor had just taken over the government, and his footing wasn't secure... Father Emperor's authority still counted for something, and with him vouching for Ning Chen, this emperor couldn't very well move against Ning Chen directly.

You, on the other hand, you old dog, you should have just killed Ning Chen back then instead of letting him go."

The corner of Zong Sibo's mouth twitched. What the hell does that have to do with me?

"This old subject had Ning Chen cornered at the city gate. If the Emperor Emeritus hadn't arrived, Ning Chen would have gone on to his next life long ago, and we wouldn't have all these headaches today."

The De Emperor's voice…