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

Chapter 507 Prince Cheng Feeds the Dragon
Fortunately, Emperor Longwu did not refuse; instead, he summoned Prince Cheng, Zhu Qiyu, to his side.

"Second Uncle~!" Upon hearing Emperor Longwu's call, Prince Cheng, Zhu Qiyu, respectfully approached Emperor Longwu and bowed in greeting.

"Raise your hands!" Emperor Longwu said softly to Prince Cheng, Zhu Qiyu.

"Yes!" Although he didn't know what he was going to do by raising his hands, Prince Cheng, Zhu Qiyu, still obediently raised both of his hands and presented them to his second uncle, Emperor Longwu.

"Uh~!" Emperor Longwu was momentarily embarrassed as he looked at Prince Zhu Qiyu, who was extending his hand towards him. After all, he seemed to have forgotten that he wasn't carrying a sword! With his tough skin, it would be difficult to break through! For a moment, the scene became somewhat awkward.

"Grand Secretary Yang!" However, Emperor Longwu quickly looked at Yang Shiqi, who was seated on the Sumeru Throne. Emperor Longwu simply called out softly, and Yang Shiqi immediately understood the problem.

Without hesitation, Yang Shiqi went directly to the guards outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, wanting to borrow a knife. The problem was, Yang Shiqi forgot that this was the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and court officials were not allowed to bring knives inside!

Yang Shiqi was immediately somewhat helpless. In the end, having no other choice, he had to drag a guard into the main hall.

Emperor Longwu didn't mind at all. He simply stepped down from the Sumeru Platform, came to the guard, and, to everyone's horror, drew the precious sword from the guard's waist with a "whoosh."

And to the horror of all the ministers, Emperor Longwu made a cut on his own finger!

"Whoosh!"

"Go down!" After another crisp sound of a precious sword being sheathed, Emperor Longwu dismissed the dazed imperial guard.

"Yes!" The imperial guard, looking terrified, seemed to only just realize what was happening and fled the Hall of Supreme Harmony as if his life depended on it.

Then, Emperor Longwu ascended the Sumeru Throne again, looked at Prince Cheng Zhu Qiyu who still had his hands outstretched, grabbed Prince Cheng Zhu Qiyu's left hand, and smeared the blood from his hand onto the golden dragon ring that Prince Cheng Zhu Qiyu was wearing!

Emperor Longwu's actions left his court officials utterly bewildered. After all, none of them knew what he was doing!
"Qi Yu, with this, you can contact and easily control the alligator dragon at any time within thirty days without being harmed by it!"

So, after the battle is over, you can go with Elder Yang to feed the alligator dragon!

"Remember, when the time comes, you should approach first and tell the alligator that you are bringing people to feed it, then it won't attack!" Amidst the bewildered gazes of the court officials, Emperor Longwu softly instructed Prince Cheng, Zhu Qiyu.

"Yes! Nephew understands!" Upon hearing his second uncle, Emperor Longwu's, words, Prince Zhu Qiyu of Cheng was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected that his second uncle had merely smeared a little blood on his ring, and he could use it to approach that majestic and terrifying true dragon! He could even easily control the alligator dragon!

At this moment, Prince Cheng, Zhu Qiyu, was simply overwhelmed with excitement!

Little did they know, the courtiers beneath the throne were the most excited people at that moment!

Only now did they realize that the blood of the Dragon Emperor could truly control a dragon! And it wasn't a lie that Yang Shiqi and Yu Qian had made up to deceive them!

If that's the case, then Emperor Longwu's offspring must also have the potential to inherit the true dragon bloodline! In an instant, countless court officials began to have different thoughts!
After all, inheriting the bloodline of a true dragon is an unparalleled honor!

"Is everything alright now?" Emperor Longwu gently patted Prince Cheng, Zhu Qiyu, on the shoulder and turned to Yang Shiqi to ask. "Your Majesty, there's one more small matter that I need you to inquire about!" Yang Shiqi was a shrewd man; how could he not see the ulterior motives of his colleagues? He immediately spoke again.

"Please speak, Grand Secretary Yang!" Emperor Longwu asked curiously, noticing Yang Shiqi's slightly teasing gaze.

"Your Majesty, yesterday evening, Esen, the leader of the Oirat Mongols, sent his daughter, Princess Qiqige, to Xizhimen, saying that he wanted her to be Your Majesty's maid and to serve Your Majesty's daily life!"

The general guarding Xizhimen dared not be negligent and sent the Oirat princess to the palace last night. Now, the palace maids are examining and instructing her!

"I hope His Majesty Longwu will be aware of this matter!" Yang Shiqi said softly without any hesitation. After speaking, he glanced around at the strange looks he received from his colleagues. He was speechless for a moment.

"Okay, got it!"

"You all should hurry up and prepare for the new emperor's ascension to the throne!" After hearing Yang Shiqi's words, Emperor Longwu couldn't help but twitch his lips. He silently complained to himself: If I had known that a young girl would be sent, why would I have bothered to provoke a mature woman with a child!

Didn't you see the precedent that even Dorgon couldn't handle? ~! Then, Emperor Longwu gave another instruction to quickly prepare for the Prince of Cheng's ascension to the throne, and then turned and left.

After all, I haven't had breakfast yet! My body used up a lot of energy yesterday, so I need to replenish it!
On this day, outside Zhangyi Gate, the Ming army, led by Yu Qian, feigned defeat and retreated to the earthen city. The Oirat army pursued their victory, but was ambushed by the artillery battalion hidden in the residential buildings, suffering heavy losses! After a battle filled with the roar of cannons, a sea of ​​heads, and corpses strewn across the field, the Oirat army was defeated once again!

As evening fell, the day's battle ended. The Oirat people left behind a field of corpses and slunk away. The Ming Dynasty did not pursue them. After all, Yu Qian knew that although he had tens of thousands of troops under his command, and reinforcements from Shandong and Zhejiang, they were all new recruits—the kind who had never seen blood!

At this point, if they chose to pursue, the chances of being ambushed would be too great! Yu Qian couldn't afford to gamble, nor would he!
At the same time, Yu Qian knew that it was already the end of October, and the Oirat people's food supplies wouldn't last much longer! If they held on, they would definitely win! There was no need to take risks now and add unnecessary variables!

Just as the Ming army was cleaning up the battlefield, Yang Shiqi and Prince Zhu Qiyu of Cheng arrived outside the city.

"Your Highness Prince Cheng, Grand Secretary Yang, what's going on here?!" Yu Qian, who was organizing the cleanup of the battlefield, was also surprised to see the long procession behind Prince Cheng and Yang Shiqi.

"Minister Yu, His Highness Prince Cheng has come to feed the alligator dragon on the orders of Emperor Longwu. Why don't we go together?" Yang Shiqi spoke first, explaining as Yu Qian approached and inquiring. He then invited Yu Qian to join him in feeding the alligator dragon.

"Are the offerings for the feeding prepared?" Faced with Yang Shiqi's explanation, Yu Qian paused for a moment, then said nothing. He simply asked if the food needed for the feeding was ready.

"Minister Yu, I have prepared all the sacrificial offerings. Perhaps you could take a look and see if anything else needs to be added?" Prince Zhu Qiyu of Cheng was no fool. He knew that Yang Shiqi would not invite Yu Qian for no reason, so Prince Zhu Qiyu of Cheng also invited Yu Qian to take a look at his preparations to see if they were adequate.

"There is no problem with offering three kinds of sacrificial animals."

However, with such a majestic crocodile, a small number might not be enough to feed it. "Your Highness, please wait a moment. Quite a few horses have died on the battlefield. I will arrange to add one or two more!" Yu Qian nodded after hearing the Prince of Cheng's words.

However, turning his head, he saw the clearly visible figure far outside Xizhimen, and Yu Qian added, "We're going to prepare the horses that were wounded or killed in the battle and feed them to the alligator dragon. After all, the alligator dragon is just too enormous!"
"Good! Minister Yu is right!" Prince Zhu Qiyu of Cheng was also taken aback by Yu Qian's suggestion, but when he turned his head and saw the imposing figure of the alligator dragon, he nodded in agreement.

Immediately, Yu Qian beckoned to a soldier, whispered a few words to him, and then followed Prince Cheng, Zhu Qiyu, and Yang Shiqi toward Xizhimen.

(End of this chapter)