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

Chapter 196 The Imperial Seal of the State as a token?!

Emperor Hongxi stared in disbelief at the enormous alligator dragon that had suddenly appeared out of thin air in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Now it was lying on the ground with its blood-red mouth wide open and its tail as thick as a roof beam swaying. He was momentarily stunned and instinctively took a few steps back, but he stumbled and almost fell to the ground.

"Your Majesty, be careful!" Fortunately, Fan Zhong, who was standing behind Emperor Hongxi, caught him quickly and prevented the emperor from falling.

Even so, Fan Zhong keenly noticed that Emperor Hongxi's body was trembling uncontrollably, and his hands were instantly covered with a thick layer of sweat!

"Your Majesty, do not be afraid. This dragon is controlled by His Highness the Crown Prince of Han. There is absolutely no danger." Seeing that Emperor Hongxi was in a daze and almost fell, Fan Zhong hurriedly reached out to support him from behind, constantly comforting him.

Although his words of comfort to Emperor Hongxi were pleasant, Fan Zhong himself was filled with nervousness. After all, the dragons that covered the entire room were truly awe-inspiring and incredibly intimidating! Even Fan Zhong himself felt his mouth go dry and his legs go weak!

Moreover, judging from Fan Zhong's current perspective, the alligator dragon in front of him is probably much larger than when they met before. At least the dragon horns on its head weren't that long when they met last time!

As for the current Emperor Hongxi, there's no need to elaborate. This was the first time he had ever seen such a terrifying creature, especially one of the legendary dragons! The terrifying pressure from the boundary of biological hierarchy made Emperor Hongxi unsteady on his feet. He could only barely stand by relying on Fan Zhong's support!
On the other side, Zhu Zhanhe once again felt the weakness of the alligator dragon leaving his body, as if he had instantly gone from a superhuman body to an ordinary human body, which made him feel a huge sense of loss and discomfort.

"Tsk tsk~" Zhu Zhanhe smacked his lips twice, then turned his head and saw the table of offerings that Fan Zhong had prepared for feeding the alligator dragon. Without any hesitation, Zhu Zhanhe grabbed a plate of fruit and started eating.

About fifteen minutes later, Zhu Zhanhe ate two plates of fruit, some rice, and roast chicken, and slowly recovered from his weakness. At that moment, Zhu Zhanhe was leisurely rinsing his mouth with a pot of wine.

"He'er, this really is a crocodile dragon!?" Zhu Zhanhe, who was rinsing his mouth with wine, heard the voice behind him and turned around to see that Emperor Hongxi had slowly recovered from his panic and was being helped by Fan Zhong toward the direction where the crocodile dragon was coiled.

"Uncle, isn't it lying on the ground right now? You can take a closer look yourself in a little while, and you'll know everything soon enough." Zhu Zhanhe leaned against a pillar in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, holding a pot of wine in his hand, slowly sipping it, and casually explained to Emperor Hongxi.

"Your Majesty, we cannot get any closer!" Fan Zhong supported the trembling Emperor Hongxi. They had already gotten close to the alligator dragon, but Emperor Hongxi was clearly not satisfied and wanted to get even closer to see the dragon up close. Fan Zhong was alarmed and quickly reminded him.

"What? Is there a problem?" Emperor Hongxi was taken aback after hearing Fan Zhong's words, but he still obediently stopped his slightly unsteady steps and asked Fan Zhong with a hesitant look.

"Your Highness, please stop drinking and say something."

Like the late emperor, this emperor also wanted to see the real dragon up close.

"Perhaps His Majesty will have to feed the alligator dragon himself later!" Faced with Emperor Hongxi's question, Fan Zhong could only look pleadingly at the leisurely drinking Han Crown Prince. Although Fan Zhong could explain the reason, he couldn't solve the problem of contacting the alligator dragon later! That would have to be done by the Han Crown Prince himself.

"Uncle, this alligator dragon is a creature that recognizes its master, just like some excellent horses. They only allow their masters to ride them!"
And this alligator dragon is even worse; it doesn't allow anyone but me to get close at all! Zhu Zhanhe casually picked up a box of steamed pastries and slowly popped them into his mouth to savor them.

"No one is allowed to approach?" Upon hearing Zhu Zhanhe's words, Emperor Hongxi's expression shifted between light and dark.

"Uncle, don't worry, this problem is not unsolvable."

"In fact, as long as you have my token, the alligator dragon will allow anyone to approach." Zhu Zhanhe said, while also beckoning to Fan Zhong, signaling him to come closer.

"Here he comes, here he comes." After carefully helping Emperor Hongxi to stand up, Fan Zhong immediately ran over to Zhu Zhanhe with a happy expression.

"Get your stuff, what are you looking at?" Seeing Fan Zhong running over excitedly, holding the ring in his hand with anticipation and staring at him expectantly, Zhu Zhanhe muttered to Fan Zhong with an annoyed look.

"Yes, yes, Your Highness, wait a moment." To Emperor Hongxi's astonishment, Fan Zhong seemed to suddenly awaken, first running out of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, then quickly returning with a small dagger in hand, respectfully handing it to Zhu Zhanhe. "He'er?!" Seeing Zhu Zhanhe brandishing the dagger, as if about to use it on himself, Emperor Hongxi's eyes were filled with confusion and astonishment. He couldn't help but feel tense, calling out repeatedly.

"Uncle, I'm alright!" Zhu Zhanhe was just gesturing with his knife, indicating where to strike, when he suddenly heard his uncle's call. Seeing the worry in his uncle's eyes, Zhu Zhanhe immediately returned the call with a smile.

Then, to the astonishment of Emperor Hongxi, Zhu Zhanhe used a short knife to make a shallow cut on his hand, from which a few drops of blood flowed. Zhu Zhanhe then dripped the blood onto the ring that Fan Zhong was holding in his hands.

"Enough, enough, Your Highness Xie!" Fan Zhong looked at the blood-stained ring in his hand, gripped it tightly, and immediately put it on his finger.

Then, Fan Zhong bent down and, as if by magic, unexpectedly pulled out a jade ruler from his trouser leg. Then, Fan Zhong stared at Zhu Zhanhe with pitiful eyes, not blinking.

"You've prepared quite thoroughly." Zhu Zhanhe couldn't help but twitch his lips as he watched Fan Zhong's actions, but he didn't object.

"Go ahead, go ahead." Faced with Fan Zhong's expectant eyes, Zhu Zhanhe waved his hand helplessly, indicating that Fan Zhong could measure the alligator dragon's body.

"Thank you, Your Highness!" After receiving Zhu Zhanhe's instructions, Fan Zhong slowly moved closer to the alligator dragon again.

The thick scales of the alligator dragon gleamed with a metallic sheen, making Fan Zhong swallow hard and feel weak in the knees.

"Slap!" To Zhu Zhanhe's astonishment, Fan Zhong slapped himself hard across the face, the sound ringing out clearly. Then, Fan Zhong gripped the ruler tightly in his hand, slowly climbed to the alligator dragon's tail, and began to take detailed measurements of the alligator dragon's body.

"Uncle, you brought something too, right?"
To get close to the alligator dragon, one needs a token from the nephew, and the most direct token would certainly be the nephew's blood!

The nephew's blood carries the most of the scent, so it can be effective for up to a month.

In other words, anyone with a single drop of the nephew's blood can get close to the alligator dragon within a month.

Of course, if it takes more than a month, it will be dangerous, since the alligator dragon doesn't recognize people!
Of course, if the bloodstains are accidentally washed off, then it's useless." Zhu Zhanhe looked at his still-dripping fingers, swayed over to Emperor Hongxi's side, and gestured for Emperor Hongxi to also bring out something, which could only be stained with Zhu Zhanhe's blood.

"Let's take this one!" Emperor Hongxi was stunned for a moment after hearing Zhu Zhanhe's words. In the end, he took out a yellow cloth bag from his waist and took out an imperial seal from it.

Yes, Zhu Zhanhe was not mistaken. Emperor Hongxi took out an imperial seal and handed it over, and it was the real Imperial Seal of the State!

"Uncle, is this appropriate?" Zhu Zhanhe stared blankly at his uncle, Emperor Hongxi, who was handing over the Imperial Seal of the State as a token of his trust. He asked in disbelief.

"It's alright, this will do!" Emperor Hongxi waved his hand, appearing indifferent.

In fact, Emperor Hongxi was somewhat embarrassed at this moment. After all, Fan Zhong had only said that he would bring a token, and that the token was very important. So Emperor Hongxi directly brought his most important possession, the Imperial Seal of the State.

What troubled Emperor Hongxi, and what he never expected, was that no one told him that the Imperial Seal of the State was brought to receive Zhu Zhanhe's blood and to serve as a token for contacting the true dragon.

However, Emperor Hongxi didn't think it was a big deal! As long as he could see and touch the real dragon with his own eyes, the Imperial Seal of the State would not have been a wasted trip!
(End of this chapter)