Xue Qinghe stared into Tang Yu's eyes, her tone turning grave.
"Your sudden rise and your terrifying record of taking ten cities in a row have already made Father uneasy."
"Heaven Dou Empire has never had a precedent for granting a title of nobility to someone outside the imperial family. Father made an exception, but he actually had other intentions."
At that, she paused and carefully watched Tang Yu's reaction.
But Tang Yu only listened quietly, without even twitching an eyebrow.
Xue Qinghe had no choice but to continue explaining.
"Your fief is in the Northwest Three Provinces."
"That place lies very close to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's sphere of influence."
"If you want to recruit troops and expand your power in your fief, you'll inevitably come into conflict with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect over their interests."
"Father deliberately assigned you there."
"So that your two sides would compete with each other, allowing him to maintain a balance of power."
"He feared that you'd grow so powerful that you'd overshadow the throne and become too big to control, so he came up with this scheme to use one tiger to devour another."
After hearing her out, Tang Yu chuckled.
His long fingers tapped casually on the stone table, making a steady clacking sound.
"You're a prince of the Heaven Dou Empire and the future heir to the throne."
"Why come all the way here to tell me this?"
"Aren't you afraid I'll fly into a rage and turn the Heaven Dou Imperial City upside down?"
Xue Qinghe smiled confidently, her gaze burning as she looked at Tang Yu.
"Because I want to recruit you."
"If you're willing to help me ascend the throne, then when I rule the world, I can share the Douluo Continent with you!"
Her voice brimmed with ambition she could hardly conceal.
"Your current situation isn't in your favor."
"But I can help you."
"As long as I mediate, I can help you avoid a conflict with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and let you develop peacefully in the Northwest Three Provinces."
In Xue Qinghe's eyes, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was one of the Upper Three Sects, with a deep and formidable foundation.
Tang Yu was powerful, but there was no need for him to provoke such a giant right after being made a prince.
A reward this enormous should have been enough to move him.
However.
After hearing her out, Tang Yu's expression didn't turn grave in the slightest. Instead, it held a haughty disdain.
He rose to his feet, walked to the edge of the pavilion, and gazed across the broad lake with his hands behind his back.
"Avoid conflict?"
"When I, Tang Yu, act, why should I yield to anyone?"
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is nothing to worry about."
"If they know what's good for them, fine. But if they're foolish enough to get in my way, I won't mind wiping them out while I'm at it."
He spoke lightly, yet his words carried an overbearing arrogance that looked down on the world.
Xue Qinghe froze, her beautiful eyes filled with shock.
She had never imagined Tang Yu could be this brazen.
"Prince Wuyang, perhaps you don't fully understand the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's strength."
"They're a top-tier sect with two Titled Douluo."
"Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong are both renowned experts who have been famous for years."
"Their strength is far beyond that of ordinary Titled Douluo."
"If a conflict truly broke out, it would bring you nothing but harm."
Xue Qinghe tried to persuade him again, hoping he would understand the stakes.
But Tang Yu turned around and cut her off.
"So what?"
"If they dare block my path, I'll kill them."
"If the Heaven Dou Imperial Family hopes to use them to suppress me, they've miscalculated."
"Before absolute strength, every scheme is a joke."
At that moment.
The aura radiating from Tang Yu surged straight into the clouds.
He showed not the slightest fear or hesitation.
Before such overwhelming force, every scheme and trick seemed utterly worthless.
Xue Qinghe stared blankly at the young man before her.
His handsome face was written all over with arrogance, yet somehow it seemed entirely justified.
She had come to win him over.
But now, looking at Tang Yu's peerlessly domineering expression, her heart skipped a beat against her will.
A profound sense of intoxication welled up inside her.
A man who feared no foe under heaven—that was the kind of overlord truly worth relying on.
By comparison, those imperial princes in Heaven Dou Imperial City who did nothing but scheme against one another were laughable, like mere ants.
It took quite a while for Xue Qinghe to calm the storm of emotion within her.
She knew that ordinary rewards wouldn't bind a man like this.
She would have to think of a longer-term plan.
"Very well."
"Prince Wuyang, you certainly are a man of frank words."
Xue Qinghe rose and straightened her robes.
"You can give my proposal some thought when you have time."
"The Crown Prince Mansion's doors will always be open to you."
"I won't take up any more of your time today. Farewell."
Her voice held a trace of reluctance that even she herself hadn't noticed.
With that, Xue Qinghe turned and walked toward the courtyard exit.
All the while, the image of Tang Yu's domineering declaration lingered in her mind, impossible to dispel.
Her desire to recruit him hadn't weakened after his refusal. If anything, it had grown even stronger.
If she could win this man over, what great ambition could she fail to achieve?
She was just about to leave through the rear courtyard gate.
Without thinking, Xue Qinghe turned back, wanting to take one more look at him.
But she happened to see Zhu Zhuyun and Zhu Zhuqing had drawn close to Tang Yu again.
Zhu Zhuyun was pushing her luck, pressing her whole body against Tang Yu's back as her hands wandered restlessly over his chest.
Her face was full of flattery and seduction.
Even her long, shapely leg had hooked around Tang Yu's calf.
Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing held a cup of tea and obediently lifted it to Tang Yu's lips.
The good mood that had just begun to rise within Xue Qinghe vanished in an instant.
She gritted her teeth, her pretty face darkening.
Jealousy welled up in her heart once more, and even her breathing quickened.
She gave a vexed snort, flung her sleeve, and hurried out of Prince Wuyang Mansion.
Time passed.
Inside the resplendent court hall of Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
The civil and military officials stood in two rows, the atmosphere solemn.
Emperor Xue Ye sat upon the lofty throne.
After the usual formalities of rewards and praise, the emperor's tone shifted subtly.
"Prince Wuyang led his troops to take ten Star Luo cities in a row, bringing glory to our Heaven Dou Empire. He is truly the empire's greatest contributor."
Emperor Xue Ye's face was wreathed in a genial smile, though his tone carried a deliberate note of probing.
"Now that our great enemy has been defeated, the Star Luo Empire is greatly weakened, and there is no fighting on the border for the time being."
"The Northwest Three Provinces I granted you cover a vast territory and have fallen into disrepair. They are in need of governance."
"While things are quiet, Prince Wuyang, shouldn't you visit your fief and inspect it in person?"
As soon as he said this, the civil and military officials in court began whispering among themselves.
Several veteran officials, usually adept at reading the room, immediately stepped forward and echoed him in unison.
"Your Majesty is absolutely right. That territory is vast, and it needs a peerless talent like Prince Wuyang to go there and defend it."
"Indeed. With Prince Wuyang stationed in the northwest, he can ensure our Heaven Dou Empire enjoys peace for generations and deter all around us."