Mo Han couldn't help but feel a wry amusement upon hearing that. How could the Dragon Princess be someone he invited? She had clearly forced her way in and refused to leave; Mo Han wished she would depart sooner. With this fierce dragoness around, his manor faced constant danger of collapse, keeping him on tenterhooks daily. If the dragoness was displeased, she might unleash magic and bring disaster upon his residence.

So, upon hearing the Emperor’s words, Mo Han could only offer an awkward reply: "Your Majesty is joking. How can I compare to you? The Holy Dragon Princess was merely passing by. She just stopped here for a rest; I certainly didn't invite her." Ignoring Mo Han’s final statement, which was the truth—the Holy Dragon Princess had indeed come on her own accord, Mo Han had nothing to do with it.

The Emperor merely smiled, said no more, and walked directly to the main seat beside Rou Xue before addressing Mo Han and the others: "Everyone, please sit. Don't be constrained; treat me as your elder, haha."

Hearing this, everyone quickly offered their thanks and found their seats. The Emperor then smiled at Murong Feixue and spoke, "Young Murong, how has your health been lately? Ah, and the one beside you must be Miss Daili, one of Prince Kang’s confidantes, right?" Upon hearing the Emperor's inquiry, Murong Feixue immediately rose and respectfully replied, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty; I am much better now. Your Majesty has keen eyes; the one beside me is indeed Sister Daili."

When Daili was addressed by the Emperor, she, having been trained in court etiquette since childhood, remained completely composed. Daili gracefully stood, offered a sweeping bow to the Emperor, and spoke with respectful deference, "This commoner, Daili, pays respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years, and may the destiny of the Tianlong Empire flourish forever." Her words were poised and graceful. Elegant and proper.

The Emperor chuckled heartily and quickly said, "Miss Daili, please rise. Since you are Prince Kang's confidante, you are essentially half the mistress of this residence now. There is no need to be so restrained; please, have a seat." Daili quickly expressed her thanks and returned to her seat.

At this moment, the Emperor looked at Rou Xue, who remained leisurely and composed, a slight smile touching his lips. He spoke, "It is truly the Emperor's good fortune to witness the charm of the Dragon Princess in person today. I hope our Tianlong Empire can become fast friends with the Dragon Clan, and I hope Your Highness will convey my sentiments to your father upon your return: the Tianlong Empire wishes to be the Dragon Clan's eternal ally." The Tianlong Emperor’s tone was clearly reaching out to the Dragon Clan. Indeed, at this juncture, only the Dragon Clan could aid the Tianlong Empire; otherwise, the Empire's situation would become truly perilous. The Emperor also wished to use this opportunity to gauge the Dragon Clan's stance, to see if there was any hope of forging an alliance.

Although Rou Xue was quite young by dragon standards, she had lived for several hundred years in human terms. Therefore, she understood the intricacies of social engagement quite well. Naturally, she grasped the Emperor’s underlying meaning. Rou Xue then spoke in a strange tone, "How did you know my identity?" As soon as she asked, Rou Xue guessed that Mo Han must have informed the Emperor. Thinking of this, Rou Xue continued on her own, "I know now; it must have been that big-mouthed Duke who told you." Hearing Rou Xue’s reply, everyone smiled, including the Emperor, who chuckled softly.

Mo Han couldn't help feeling exasperated. When did he become big-mouthed? Sigh, this girl certainly wasn't giving him any face; saying such a thing in front of so many people. No, he absolutely had to find an opportunity to let her see clearly whether or not he was big-mouthed. Heh heh, if this girl wanted to test his mouth, he certainly wouldn't mind, Mo Han thought wickedly.

The Emperor merely smiled and said, "Your Highness speaks quite amusingly. By the way, do you have any thoughts on the proposal I just made, Your Highness?" The Emperor continued his probing.

Rou Xue immediately adopted an expression of utter innocence and replied, "I don't understand what Your Majesty means. But I think these are matters for you adults. If Your Majesty has such intentions, you can tell my father yourself. I am just a little girl; how would I understand state affairs? Your Majesty, have you mistaken me for someone else?" With these words, Rou Xue deftly deflected the entire matter, pushing all excuses onto her father without leaving a trace. She neither expressed support nor opposition, making it impossible to guess her true feelings—truly worthy of being a clever sprite who had lived for several centuries. Then Rou Xue added, "Moreover, Your Majesty, if you have any questions, you can completely ask the big-mouthed Duke under you. Since my father has met him, I imagine if he were sent to relay the message, it would suffice."

The Emperor couldn't help but laugh a little awkwardly, replying faintly, "Oh, I was too hasty. Just pretend I never said anything." After saying this, the Emperor immediately changed the subject, smiling at Mo Han and saying, "Right, Prince Yu (that is Long Gufan) has already prepared the ten thousand guards allotted to you, Prince Kang, as per my instructions. Prince Kang, you can take them over anytime; I have already notified Prince Yu."

Mo Han quickly offered his thanks. Afterward, the Emperor engaged in some casual small talk with Mo Han and the others before departing with his entourage. However, after all this commotion, by the time Mo Han escorted the Emperor away, it was nearly noon. As Mo Han returned to his manor, he saw Ma Ke looking extremely excited, saying to him, "My Lord Duke... oh, pardon my memory, I should address you as Prince now. Congratulations, Your Highness." Ma Ke’s expression was one of sheer delight and excitement, as if he himself had become a Prince. But he had his reasons to be happy; he was originally the steward of the Duke’s residence. Now that Mo Han had been titled a Prince, his status would naturally rise accordingly. He would become the steward of the Prince’s Manor. Although it was only one rank higher, the difference in status was vast. Mo Han was now part of the Imperial Family, placing him far above the empire's nobles. This was an honor he had never dared to dream of. Just six months ago, he was a penniless vagrant, yet now he was the steward of a Prince’s Manor—all thanks to Mo Han. Naturally, he was overwhelmingly grateful to Mo Han and had recognized him as the object of his lifelong loyalty.

Mo Han smiled and said, "Uncle Ma Ke, thank you. But from now on, you might be even busier, haha. If you encounter any difficulties, just tell me, and I will certainly help you resolve them. I must trouble you now." Ma Ke immediately replied with deep gratitude, "Ma Ke dares not accept such praise, Your Highness. If Your Highness hadn't seen value in this humble man, I would still be a penniless vagrant. I am deeply honored that Your Highness does not despise me and trusts me to manage such a large residence as steward. Please rest assured, Your Highness, I will serve with utmost devotion until death and absolutely not betray the heavy trust you have placed in me."

Mo Han quickly waved his hands, saying, "Uncle Ma Ke, please don't speak like that. I trust my judgment of character completely. I also believe you have the absolute capability to handle this position. Please don't overburden yourself, haha. Just do your best. If you wear yourself out, that would go against my intentions."

Hearing Mo Han’s words, Ma Ke’s eyes grew redder with gratitude, and he replied, "Please rest assured, Your Highness. I will certainly take good care of myself so that I can serve Your Highness better."

Mo Han nodded with a smile. Just as he was about to leave, he heard Ma Ke call out to him. Seeing Mo Han's questioning look, Ma Ke quickly asked, "Your Highness, shall we hang this plaque up immediately, or..." Mo Han smiled and replied, "Since it is an item bestowed by the Emperor, we must certainly treasure it. Find someone to hang it up. From now on, you can make the final decisions on such matters yourself. If I am not present and you are unsure about anything, just consult Miss Daili or Miss Murong." Ma Ke immediately nodded in agreement and personally went to arrange Mo Han's instructions.

Mo Han had just stepped inside the manor when he saw Princess Rou Xue standing not far from the entrance, gazing at him with a smile. Seeing Mo Han, Rou Xue immediately said with a friendly smile, "Lord Duke, could I ask you for a favor?" "No, I'm busy right now." Mo Han refused Rou Xue's request bluntly, his mind immediately on high alert. This girl was always opposing him and never gave him a pleasant look. For her to be so friendly now, who knew what scheme she was hatching? He wasn't foolish enough to fall for it.

Rou Xue’s expression shifted upon hearing Mo Han’s reply, and she said angrily, "You bastard! I haven't even told you what it is, and you refuse me. You have no sincerity at all." As she spoke, her eyes turned red, seemingly on the verge of tears.

Mo Han panicked upon seeing this. He had never seen this girl like this before! She was always arrogant and fierce. To think she could burst into tears so easily—it was true what they said about women being made of water. Thinking this, Mo Han quickly spoke, "Don't cry. If someone sees you, they'll think I bullied you, and I'll be wrongly accused! Are you still crying? Fine, fine, tell me what it is. As long as I can do it, I will certainly help you. Is that satisfactory?" Hearing Mo Han's reply, Rou Xue immediately wiped her tears and smiled, "Are you serious? You mustn't lie to me. Don't humans often say, 'A gentleman's word is as good as four horses pulling it?' Oh, don't worry, whatever it is, you can definitely do it. It’s not difficult at all, and furthermore, no one else can do this for me."

Mo Han grew even more suspicious. He spoke playfully, "Only I can do it? Heh heh, girl, you aren't planning to ask me for something difficult, are you? Like asking me to assault you or something? Well, although I am a virtuous gentleman, if you propose it, I might seriously consider it. Ah, I’ll take the loss and agree. Hey, why are you hitting me? It was just a joke." As Mo Han spoke, he dodged the fireball Rou Xue sent his way. This time, Mo Han was prepared while speaking, so he easily avoided her magical attack. But the plants behind Mo Han suffered; a patch was directly scorched by the fireball.

Seeing this, Mo Han winced in pain and quickly said, "My Lady, I was wrong, alright? It was just a joke! Do you think you’re just a magic apprentice? If you cast one more spell, my manor will be demolished! And you’re this fierce when you need help? That’s simply going too far!" Mo Han grumbled dissatisfiedly.

Rou Xue couldn't help but let out a giggle, laughing, "Serves you right for trying to take advantage! This is just a warning. See if you dare speak nonsense next time." Mo Han put on a wronged expression and replied, "I was just joking. That counts as taking advantage? Truly, 'It is easy to condemn when one wishes to condemn.'"

"Who told you to say it? Saying things like that naturally counts as taking advantage. If I say so, then it is! Do you want to try the taste of my Fire Rain next?" Rou Xue fixed Mo Han with a threatening gaze.

Mo Han quickly waved his hands and said, "Fine, fine, my fault, alright? My Princess, just tell me what you need before I actually leave."

Hearing Mo Han's answer, Rou Xue remembered the purpose of her visit and quickly said, "Actually, I wanted to ask you. Didn't my father ask you to go to the Gulan Ruins and kill a giant dragon for our Dragon Clan?" Mo Han quickly nodded and said, "Oh, you mean that fellow named Blaze? Yes, that's right. What about it? Why bring this up all of a sudden?" Rou Xue immediately said with visible agitation, "Big Brother Mo Han, can you promise me not to kill Big Brother Blaze? I’m begging you." In her urgency, Rou Xue stopped addressing Mo Han as Duke and began calling him Big Brother, just like Daili and the others. This showed that Blaze held a significant position in her heart. This girl, who usually feared no one, was now willing to humble herself and beg him for the sake of Blaze. Mo Han mused internally that Blaze must be very important to her. Yet, for some reason, when he considered this, Mo Han felt a strange discomfort in his heart, a feeling he couldn't quite place.

However, Mo Han quickly shook off the thought and asked curiously, "Why? If I do that, it goes completely against what your father asked of me. Moreover, I promised your father—if he helped me unseal the power of the Sacred Light Sword, I would deal with Blaze for him. That was an agreement between us. If I do as you say, won't I become a faithless scoundrel?" Rou Xue hastily replied, "I know this request puts you in a difficult position, but Big Brother Blaze and I grew up together, and I understand his personality. Although he is a bit extreme, he is certainly not merciless or disloyal. I believe Big Brother Blaze would never kill Grandpa; there must be some misunderstanding. It's just that no one gave him a chance to explain at the time, insisting on killing him, which is why he fled to the Gulan Ruins for refuge."

Mo Han couldn't help but offer a wry smile, "But you are only making this conclusion based on your guesses, right? There is no evidence. If it’s just this, how can you expect me to believe you? I'm sorry, but I fear I cannot help you with this favor."

Seeing Mo Han refuse her, Rou Xue became very anxious and said, "Big Brother Mo Han, please, you must believe me. Big Brother Blaze truly would not do such a thing. There must be a misunderstanding, or perhaps he was framed. I will investigate thoroughly, and then I can clear his name. Can you just stall for me for a while?"

Mo Han said helplessly, "It's not that I don't want to help you, but this matter happened so many years ago. How are you going to investigate? Furthermore, so much time has passed. If there were any doubts, I imagine even your father would have noticed by now. Since nobody has uncovered anything after all this time, how much more time do you need? You must remember, we humans are not like you dragons; we don't have lifespans in the thousands of years. Besides, even if I agreed to your request, I don't think your father would. He can't expect me to delay indefinitely, can he?"