Brother Jie, Don't!

After learning that the current Xue Qinghe was likely the legendary Qian Renxue, Xu Nian'an became instantly intrigued.

As for that cousin from the original story whom he had never met?

Are you kidding me? Do you think Xu Nian'an would care about that?

Emperor Xue Ye had sent a letter overnight, asking him to acknowledge this relationship in exchange for the territory of the Gulei Kingdom.

Wasn't it just an attempt to win him over without wasting a single soldier, all to avoid further conflict?

Furthermore, let's not forget: at the very beginning, the Gulei Kingdom dared to mobilize troops against him—would they have dared to do so without the Heaven Dou Empire's tacit approval?

Since it was all just a matter of mutual exploitation, why bother talking about family affection?

Besides, is there any such thing as family affection between royal and noble houses?

However, they seemed to have miscalculated their target; Xu Nian'an was not the type to play by the rules.

Since the Heaven Dou Empire wanted to label him as one of their own, and he happened to need the Heaven Dou Empire to act as a shield to prevent the Star Luo Empire from attacking him directly, why not play along?

In front of the Imperial Dining Palace.

Xu Nian'an, dressed in a python-patterned robe, had been waiting for quite some time. From afar, he saw a group of people approaching, chatting and laughing.

Leading them was a man with short golden hair and a handsome face, wearing white-gold finery that clearly marked his extraordinary status.

Whether judging by his temperament or the special material of his clothing, Xu Nian'an didn't even need to think about it.

This was his long-lost cousin whom he had never met before.

Not far away, the young man in front of the Imperial Dining Palace also caught Xue Qinghe's attention immediately.

Xu Nian'an was not particularly tall, but the profound black python robe he wore gave him an air of regal dominance that was perfectly suited to him.

As they drew near, a warm, friendly smile slowly curled onto the corners of Xu Nian'an's mouth.

"Ah... Cousin!"

Hearing this slightly accented greeting, the corners of Xue Qinghe's mouth also rose slowly.

"If I'm not mistaken, you must be my cousin Xu Nian'an, the King of the Great Ming Kingdom far away in the East Sea, right?"

"To be able to hold up the sky of a kingdom at such a young age—truly impressive, truly impressive. You are a promising youth; I, Qinghe, still have much to learn from you!"

Xu Nian'an nodded slowly at these words. Since the other party was willing to exchange pleasantries, he didn't mind returning the flattery.

"Not at all, not at all. This is just basic operation, nothing to brag about."

"I can't compare to you, Cousin, with your imposing spirit and the vast territory of the great Heaven Dou Empire to inherit."

"Please don't mind my small kingdom, Cousin. If there is anything you need, since we are family, just say the word."

As he spoke, Xu Nian'an reached out and draped an arm around the other's shoulder.

The smile on Xue Qinghe's face stiffened visibly, but feeling Xu Nian'an's enthusiasm, he found it difficult to say anything and turned his head, forcing a smile back onto his face.

"Your feat of flooding the twenty thousand elite troops of the Gulei Kingdom has truly made your name ring out across Heaven Dou."

Noticing the micro-expressions on Xue Qinghe's face, Xu Nian'an's smile grew even wider. Wasn't this the look of someone who was disgusted but forced to endure?

Xu Nian'an could already imagine the flustered expression Qian Renxue must be hiding.

This only served to confirm her identity further in his mind.

His right hand slid slowly from the other's supple waist down to the curve of the hip, where he gave a firm pinch.

"W-woo... Cousin... what is the meaning of this?"

Xue Qinghe's expression shifted slightly.

Did this cousin of his have some sort of peculiar hobby?

"Ah, we are cousins after all. We haven't seen each other for years (though in reality, they had never met), so we must get close. This is how we greet people in the East Sea."

Hearing Xue Qinghe's voice begin to tremble, Xu Nian'an became even more excited.

"Don't you want to hear the story of how I crushed the Gulei Kingdom?"

"After the banquet, let's bathe together, and I'll tell you all about it in detail throughout the night!"

She was truly the greatest beauty on the continent; even her skin felt different from the palace maids—not just soft, but firm and resilient.

"What, Cousin? Are you looking down on someone from a remote kingdom, or are you unwilling?"

Seeing that Xue Qinghe seemed reluctant, Xu Nian'an immediately resorted to moral coercion.

If you want to claim family, you have to pay a little price, don't you?

Heh heh heh!

"Of course not, it's just that your enthusiasm caught me off guard. A-alright then, let this be the beginning of us strengthening our bond."

Xu Nian'an was unaware that behind Xue Qinghe, several palace maids were watching them with strange expressions.

The banquet was lively, filled with laughter and joy. When the old eunuch Xu Fu saw this scene, the corners of his mouth nearly curled into a Nike swoosh.

Ever since Xu Nian'an ascended the throne, he had never worn such a joyful smile.

It seemed that the power of family was truly formidable.

Xue Qinghe: "Although you are young, cousin, your courage to shoulder the Great Ming Kingdom all by yourself truly earns my admiration."

Xue Qinghe: "Even though we haven't seen each other for so long, I can still feel that the bloodline within us and the bond between us are thicker than water."

Xu Nian'an: "Look at you, saying things like that! I even held you when you were a child!"

Xu Nian'an: "Rest assured, cousin. Regarding the matter of establishing the crown prince in the Heaven Dou Empire, this King will certainly support you with all my might!"

Xu Nian'an: "Come, let us go bathe and change..."

The bathhouse.

Bathed in pink light.

Xu Nian'an shed his python robe and slowly stepped into the massive pool, which was adorned with vibrant rose petals.

With the ambiguous lighting, the shared bath, and the prospect of sharing a bed, Xu Nian'an was ready to take Qian Renxue.

You little thing, you actually wanted to play the "long-lost relative" card? Fine, come and join my family registry then.

"Ah-hehehe~ Ah-jiejie-jie!!!"

A smirk curled the corners of Xu Nian'an's mouth as he laughed wildly in the bathroom.

Step, step, step!

Just then, the sound of footsteps approached, and Xu Nian'an, who had been waiting in the bathroom, lay back silently.

"Very well, you may wait here. My cousin and I are going to bathe first; if we need you later, we will call."

As soon as Xue Qinghe finished speaking, the respectful voices of the palace maids followed.

"Yes, Your Highness the First Prince."

Step, step, step~

The footsteps grew closer, and Xu Nian'an slowly narrowed his eyes. No, I cannot be too impatient.

Splash~

The sound of someone entering the water echoed slowly.

Xu Nian'an opened his eyes, unable to contain his anticipation.

"Cousin, sorry to keep you waiting. My clothes weren't ready, so I was delayed for a moment."

Xu Nian'an suppressed the urge to burst into laughter, his smile harder to contain than an AK-47's recoil.

"It's fine, it's not a big—wait, wait!!!"

The moment he opened his eyes, Xu Nian'an was startled. Good heavens, Xue Qinghe was indeed Xue Qinghe, but why on earth was this person entering the water while still wearing a bathrobe?

"Uh, cousin, it's quite hot in the pool, let's not bother with this bathrobe, shall we?"

Hearing this, Xue Qinghe hesitated slightly.

"This... is that... appropriate?"

Without waiting for a response, Xu Nian'an reached out and ripped it open.

One minute...

Two minutes...

Two and a half minutes...

"Holy crap!"

Xu Nian'an's eyes stared straight at the other's lower regions, and he instinctively clamped his legs together in shame. Holy crap.

What the hell, Qian Renxue? The one she pulled out was bigger than his!

Xu Nian'an turned around and scrambled frantically toward the edge of the pool.

"Cousin, why are you doing this?"

Xue Qinghe walked toward Xu Nian'an with a face full of confusion.

"No... don't, that's not right, dame, holy crap, don't come over here~!!!"

"Brother Jie, no~!!!"