Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 330 Alligator Ring
Although we don't know what this ring means!
However, Yu Qian clearly remembered that this ring was a gift from the Prince of Han himself! The Prince had said it was part of the dowry for his daughter's marriage! He had also carefully instructed Yu Qian to keep the ring safe. He said that when Yu Qian had the opportunity to meet the Crown Prince of Han in the future, once the Crown Prince saw the ring, he would know that Yu Qian was one of the Prince of Han's men, and would even give Yu Qian the dowry that the Prince of Han had given his daughter.

Therefore, as the group approached Yunnan, Yu Qian specifically took out the ring and put it on his hand. Of course, Yu Qian wasn't just trying to get a dowry from his wife; he simply wanted to clearly show the Crown Prince of Han that he, Yu Qian, was one of their own, thus increasing his bargaining power during negotiations.

But now, looking at the reactions of Yang Shiqi and Fan Zhong, Yu Qian knew in his heart that the so-called dowry ring given by the Prince of Han was not simple!
Could it be that this ring holds some special meaning, or that the Prince of Han has some special trump card in mind?! For a moment, Yu Qian couldn't help but recall the scene when he was given the ring, and frantically considered all the possible outcomes.

"Of course, it's this ring!"
"Lord Yu, may I ask how you obtained this ring?" Fan Zhong stared at Yu Qian carefully, then looked at the ring on Yu Qian's hand and examined it closely. Finally, he asked Yu Qian with a serious expression about the origin of the ring.

Yu Qian even noticed that Fan Zhonglian had his hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist, ready to strike. Upon seeing this, Yu Qian couldn't help but tremble.

"This ring was indeed a gift from the Prince of Han, who said it was a dowry token for his daughter's marriage!"
At that time, after the Prince of Han was defeated and captured and brought back to the capital, the Emperor ordered me to lecture the Prince of Han. Seeing that the problem truly lay with this ring, Yu Qian, observing the expressions of Yang Shiqi and the other man, guessed that the ring might bring something serious. Therefore, Yu Qian recounted without reservation the entire process of lecturing the Prince of Han. He even detailed how he and the Prince of Han met through literary duels, drank and chatted, and how the Prince of Han later entrusted him with his illegitimate daughter. He even described in detail how, while he was sleeping, someone suddenly presented him with a wife.

Yu Qian explained in great detail, leaving Yang Shiqi and Fan Zhong speechless for a moment after hearing his words.

"Minister Yu, are you saying that the woman you married is the illegitimate daughter hidden by the Prince of Han? The half-sister of the Crown Prince of Han?" Yang Shiqi stared blankly at Yu Qian, his face filled with disbelief. Yang Shiqi knew, of course, that Yu Qian had recently married, and as for the woman's background, everyone only said she was a pitiful woman who had lost both her parents. At the time, Yang Shiqi hadn't thought much of it and had even gone to the wedding banquet! But what no one expected was that Yu Qian's wife would actually be the illegitimate daughter of the Prince of Han!
"Yes!" Having already made himself clear, Yu Qian didn't hide anything anymore. He bluntly told Yang Shiqi, "My wife is the illegitimate daughter of the Prince of Han! And the Prince of Han himself sent her to my house in the middle of the night! A wife sent by someone else!"

"Lord Yu, are you saying that this ring on your hand was given to you personally by the Prince of Han as part of his dowry to protect his illegitimate daughter?" Fan Zhong stared blankly at Yu Qian, looking him over and over again.

Fan Zhong never expected that the wife Yu Qian, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, was actually the half-sister of the Han Crown Prince! Moreover, the marriage was personally arranged by the Han Prince! Furthermore, the Han Prince even gave Yu Qian such a valuable dowry! Clearly, Yu Qian was kept in the dark and did not know the purpose of this ring!
After all, in Fan Zhong's view, this ring represented the absolute approval of the Han Crown Prince! And, the possibility of anyone temporarily controlling the true dragon in the future! This was the most important aspect of the ring! It was a true dragon! A true dragon over ten zhang long! Fan Zhong couldn't even imagine the earth-shattering shock that would be brought when that true dragon appeared before the world!
"Yes, didn't I just say that?"

The Prince of Han said that with this ring, the Crown Prince of Han would acknowledge the illegitimate daughter's identity and would even provide her with a dowry.

Of course, I wasn't after a dowry; my salary was enough for both of us to live on.

I was thinking that since the Prince of Han said this ring was so important, it must be an important token of the Han Prince's lineage.

"Since it's so important, I'll reveal it when we arrive in Yunnan and negotiate with the Crown Prince of Han. That way, I can persuade His Highness not to send troops, and we'll have more leverage." Yu Qian clearly told Yang Shiqi and Fan Zhong that the reason he was taking out the ring was to facilitate negotiations with the Crown Prince of Han!
Yang Shiqi did not refute Yu Qian's words. After all, based on his understanding of Yu Qian, he knew Yu Qian was capable of such a thing. Of course, Yang Shiqi scoffed at Yu Qian's claims that the Prince of Han's illegitimate daughter hadn't been sent to Yunnan in time and was therefore left in Beijing for Yu Qian's protection. In the eyes of both Yang Shiqi and Fan Zhong, these were utter nonsense!

With the immense power of the Prince of Han, if he wanted to send one or two people in or out of Beijing, or even to Yunnan, it would be a matter of him simply asking and having countless people vying to do it! What do you mean there's no time to send them? This is definitely because the Prince of Han has his eye on Yu Qian, this potential asset, and is making an early investment!
Yang Shiqi was filled with resentment towards the Prince of Han's actions, and he did not hesitate to expose the Prince of Han's clumsy excuse!

Of course, most importantly, Yang Shiqi and Fan Zhong needed to confirm that Yu Qian was not a member of the Prince of Han's household! As long as he wasn't a confidant of the Crown Prince of Han!

"Grand Secretary Yang, General Fan, I'm still very puzzled. What exactly does this ring, given to me by the Prince of Han, represent?! Why are you two so cautious?" Seeing how much importance Yang Shiqi and Fan Zhong placed on the ring, Yu Qian took it off his hand and examined it intently. Upon closer inspection, Yu Qian saw that it was a brass ring, engraved with a dragon with its head and tail connected; otherwise, there was nothing particularly remarkable about it. Therefore, filled with curiosity, Yu Qian asked Yang Shiqi and Fan Zhong.

Upon hearing Yu Qian's question, Yang Shiqi and Fan Zhong exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes. Clearly, while they had some guesses, they were still somewhat surprised to learn that Yu Qian genuinely didn't know the ring's meaning.

"Lord Yu, this ring was commissioned by the Crown Prince of Han to be made and given to his most trusted confidants within the Han Prince's residence."

In other words, only those who have the absolute trust of the Crown Prince of Han, or those who are close confidants of the Crown Prince of Han, have the opportunity to obtain this style of dragon-shaped ring as a token!

Moreover, this ring is the key to the enormous secret hidden in the Han Prince's mansion that you need to know about our trip to Yunnan! Yang Shiqi told Yu Qian earnestly that having this ring meant that the holder was an absolute confidant of the Han Prince! Furthermore, possessing this ring would make it easier for Yu Qian to learn the shocking secret hidden in the Han Prince's mansion!

"What?!" Upon hearing Yang Shiqi's words, Yu Qian's hand, holding the ring, trembled involuntarily. With this ring, he was the Crown Prince's absolute confidant? But he, Yu Qian, was a court official! How could he be the Crown Prince's absolute confidant? This was no joke!

Startled, Yu Qian's hand trembled, and the ring slipped from his grasp, nearly falling to the ground. Fortunately, Fan Zhong, who was nearby, reacted quickly, catching the ring and handing it back to Yu Qian.

"Gulp!" Yu Qian subconsciously reached out to take the ring Fan Zhong offered. But Yu Qian's hand suddenly stopped. It was because Yu Qian had suddenly realized something terrifying.

(End of this chapter)