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

Chapter 364 The Overt Conspiracy Discovered by Yang Shiqi
"Your subject, Hu Tian, ​​thanks Your Highness for your great favor!" Upon hearing that he was the first to step forward and feed the alligator dragon, Hu Tian was overjoyed. Amidst the eager and envious gazes of his colleagues, he stepped out from the crowd, knelt respectfully on the ground, and thanked the prince to whom he served.

"Rise!" Seeing that his lord was still standing arrogantly on the dragon's head without saying a word, Xiao Xizi was very perceptive and called out loudly for Hu Tian to get up.

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Hu Tian respectfully stood up after hearing Xiao Xizi's words. Then, after Hu Tian stood up awkwardly, he first took off his dragon ring from his hand, dipped it in the crimson blood on the plate that Xiao Xizi was holding, and then carefully put the dragon ring on his hand.

Then, Hu Tian went to a pile of offerings and looked at them again and again. Finally, he picked up a bull's head in each hand and came to the alligator dragon.

Seeing that someone was actually coming to feed it, the alligator dragon opened its mouth wide and waited for Hu Tian to feed it.

"I respectfully invite the True Dragon to feast!" Hu Tian looked at the alligator dragon with its mouth full of sharp teeth in front of him, as if on a pilgrimage. He slowly bent down and put half of his body into the alligator dragon's mouth. Smelling the fishy smell of the ocean from the alligator dragon's mouth, Hu Tian actually felt that this was what a true dragon was like!
Finally, Hu Tian respectfully placed the two bull heads in his hand into the alligator's mouth, and then Hu Tian pulled half of his body back out of the alligator's mouth.

"Snap!" As Hu Tian tossed the two bull heads into the alligator's mouth and then withdrew his body, a snap was heard, and the alligator closed its ferocious maw. Then, everyone saw the alligator simply raise its neck slightly, without any swallowing motion, and swallow the two bull heads whole.

Throughout the dragon's feeding spree, the Han Prince, standing atop the dragon's head, remained as steady as a mountain, one hand on his sword hilt, the other on his belt. Majestic and imposing!

After feeding the alligator dragon, Hu Tian first bowed to Zhu Zhanhe, then bowed to the alligator dragon that looked down on everything, and finally returned to his subordinates with a proud look on his face.

"Please, Admiral Wang Jinghong, come forward and feed the dragon!" After Hu Tian finished feeding the dragon knot, Xiao Xizi glanced at the high-ranking prince and, seeing that the prince did not make any move, continued to call out Wang Jinghong's name, signaling Wang Jinghong to be the second to feed the dragon.

"Your subject, Wang Jinghong, thanks Your Highness for your great favor!" Upon hearing Xiao Xizi call his name, Wang Jinghong, amidst the envious glances of his colleagues, walked through the crowd and respectfully knelt down to express his gratitude to Zhu Zhanhe.

"Get up!" Xiao Xizi expertly helped Wang Jinghong to his feet. After getting up, Wang Jinghong approached Xiao Xizi somewhat nervously, awaiting further instructions. Because Wang Jinghong didn't have the ring and had never encountered a crocodile dragon before, he could only anxiously wait for Xiao Xizi's guidance.

"His Highness has given orders~"
"Reward: General Wang Jinghong, one alligator ring!" Seeing Wang Jinghong standing before him, looking at him expectantly, Xiao Xizi directly announced the prince's order, bestowing upon Wang Jinghong a ring. After all, without the ring, anyone other than the prince himself who went to feed the alligator was courting death!

So, while reciting the imperial edict, Xiao Xizi gestured to Wang Jinghong with her eyes to take a ring from the box on the tray. Wang Jinghong, being a quick-witted man, noticed Xiao Xizi's gesture instantly and understood her meaning.

Immediately, Wang Jinghong cooperatively took out a ring from the box, then looked at Xiao Xizi with his eyes, asking if she wanted to get her hands on the red liquid in the other container. After all, Wang Jinghong had seen Hu Tian operate in this way!
After confirming Xiao Xizi's approving look, Wang Jinghong, imitating Hu Tian, ​​dipped his finger into the red liquid in the other small bowl next to his ring. For Wang Jinghong, a veteran of countless battles, the red liquid in the small bowl was immediately recognized as blood!
After staining the ring with blood, Wang Jinghong carefully put it on his hand, just like Hu Tian had done. Xiao Xizi nodded in appreciation.

"Thank you for the reward, Your Highness!" After putting on the ring, Wang Jinghong looked at Xiao Xizi's eyes to make sure that he had done everything correctly. Then he knelt down again and kowtowed to Zhu Zhanhe to express his gratitude.

"Get up~" After carefully observing his prince's expression, Xiao Xizi decisively told Wang Jinghong to get up.

Next, Wang Jinghong also came to the offering table, looked at the various offerings on the table, and then picked up a large pig's head and walked towards the alligator dragon.

When Wang Jinghong arrived before the alligator dragon, gazing at its majestic yet ferocious form, he looked up at the imposing prince standing atop its head. The scene before him seemed surreal. "I respectfully invite the True Dragon to feast!" Wang Jinghong swallowed hard, looking at the alligator dragon's mouth full of sharp teeth, then at the large pig's head in his hands. With a determined bite, he shouted, then, mimicking Hu Tian, ​​he leaned forward tremblingly and placed the entire pig's head into the alligator dragon's open mouth, filled with its menacing teeth.

After putting the large pig's head in, Wang Jinghong was shocked to find that the pig's head he had fed was actually less than 20% the size of the alligator's tongue in front of him!

After a moment of stunned silence, Wang Jinghong seemed to be overwhelmed by the strong, fishy smell emanating from the alligator's mouth, and somewhat flusteredly pulled half of his body back out of the alligator's gaping maw.

"Snap!" After Wang Jinghong placed the large pig's head in the alligator's mouth, he had just taken a step back when he heard a snap. The alligator had already closed its ferocious mouth! Then, Wang Jinghong saw the alligator simply raise its neck and swallow the large pig's head that he had fed it.

Then, the alligator opened its large, menacing mouth full of sharp teeth again, seemingly waiting for the next person to feed it.

Upon seeing this scene, Wang Jinghong was momentarily dazed. After the daze subsided, Wang Jinghong raised his hand to bow respectfully to Zhu Zhanhe and Tuolong, and then, as if from another world, walked unsteadily back to his previous position.

At this moment, Xiao Xizi stepped forward again.
"Please, Admiral Xia Xuan, the Navy Commander, step forward and feed the dragon! His Highness will bestow upon you a dragon-shaped ring."

"General Qian Zhongcai, commander of the three thousand battalion, please step forward and offer sacrifices to the true dragon!"

"General Jiang Xiaohu, commander of the Fifth Army Battalion, please step forward and offer food to the true dragon!"

"Prefect Yao Guan of Anzhou, please step forward and feed the real dragon! The Prince will reward you with a dragon-shaped ring."

"Please, Grand Secretary Yang Shiqi of the Ming Dynasty, step forward and offer this sacrifice to the true dragon!"

"Please summon General Fan Zhong, commander of the Ming Imperial Guard, to step forward and offer food to the true dragon!"

"Please, Yu Qian, Vice Minister of War of the Ming Dynasty, come forward and feed the dragon!" In the end, Yu Qian followed in everyone's footsteps and completed his first feeding of the alligator dragon. When Yu Qian came down from the high platform in a daze, Yang Shiqi and Fan Zhong both saw a deep look of shock in each other's eyes.

Because Yang Shiqi saw that not all the officials present participated in feeding the alligator dragon! Nor did all the officials receive the alligator dragon ring bestowed by the Prince of Han!

The Prince of Han's methods completely exploited the psychology of the officials! Those officials who were not rewarded with rings or fed to the dragon would be even more frantically devoted to the Prince of Han!

For the countless ordinary soldiers below the platform, their ultimate goal was undoubtedly the position Wang Tiezhu was currently in! And for those in Wang Tiezhu's position, their goal was to obtain the ring and feed it to the alligator dragon!
A perfect closed loop! A perfect open conspiracy! A perfect open conspiracy from reputation to land, to official position, to what happens after death!
(End of this chapter)