When Emperor Chongle asked, the little dragon hesitated before calling out:

"dad……"

Emperor Chongle did not respond, but he did not deny it either. He looked at the dragon cub in his arms, perhaps not expecting that he would unexpectedly obtain a treasure in his lonely life.

He didn't know how to love cubs, and he had never experienced true love.

Perhaps when his mother brought him into the world, she also took away his burning, passionate heart.

Only now has his heart found its way back to its master through Qianyuan.

"dad……"

"father!"

After being prompted by the system, the cub finally uttered the most common and natural name in this era.

Not "Father Emperor," but "Dad."

Emperor Chongle was jolted awake from his reverie by the dragon cub's call.

He picked up the cub and held it at eye level so that the cub could look at him directly.

"In that case, you are now the eldest prince and the crown prince."

"You must listen to your father, understand? My little prince."

In Emperor Chongle's eyes burned an intense emotion that seemed intent on trapping Qianyuan. As expected, Qianyuan would bear all of Emperor Chongle's unfulfilled emotions.

Emperor Chongle will also truly "come alive" because of the cubs.

Through the unprecedented, blood-thick emotions emanating from the emotion value slot, the cub saw the true turmoil in Emperor Chongle's heart.

Those were extreme, chilling emotions.

But Qianyuan felt heartbroken because of this.

Is that so? So this father is also a very, very lonely person.

Because they don't know how to love, they lose all capacity for love.

It's alright, that's why the cubs are here.

The little guy raised his head and pounced on Emperor Chongle's face in a rather enthusiastic manner.

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

The little guy was so excited that he forgot how to speak and just kept swishing his tail across his dad's face.

Emperor Chongle raised his hand, but before he could speak, he saw the little guy fly into the air, then grow larger out of thin air, and was about to crush him...

Emperor Chongle awoke from his dream with a start.

He subconsciously looked at the baby sleeping soundly in his arms and breathed a sigh of relief.

So careless! Does he really think his dad can still carry him even after he turns into a several-ton baby?

Thankfully, it was just a dream...

Emperor Chongle sighed with a headache, looking at the fragile little dragon in his arms. He couldn't hit or scold it, so in the end he could only pat the little dragon's head to see if its fever had gone down.

The good news is that the little one's fever has finally subsided.

On the other hand, the imperial physicians also witnessed Qianyuan's fragility.

Just by taking his pulse, you can tell that the little guy is very weak, even worse than an average person, and his pulse is almost the same as that of someone who has been sick for a long time.

It must be taken good care of, lest something else goes wrong.

The imperial physicians were also incredulous, taking turns examining the child many times before finally confirming that this was a fragile glass doll that could not be dropped or touched.

No wonder she got sick after soaking in so little water.

We'll have to worship it from now on.

Even without Emperor Chongle's reminder, the Imperial Medical Academy was already in turmoil. Every single one of the imperial physicians was using their life's work to teach their disciples, fearing that if they themselves were to succumb to illness one day, there would be no one left to continue treating the child.

It may be a very long time before they realize that the baby only looks fragile, but actually has a very long lifespan.

The little guy has been dreaming for a very long time, and there is still a long way to go and a distant place to come from.

Emperor Chongle also learned about the little one's physical condition from the imperial physician, but Emperor Chongle, who ruled the entire Great Yu, was used to acting arbitrarily. Even if the cub's status was different, he didn't care, let alone these trivial matters.

"From now on, you will be at the young prince's beck and call."

"And what about the officials in charge of rites? Choose the nearest auspicious day, and I will appoint the dragon cub as the crown prince. I will make him my only and most beloved child."

Everyone was wiping away sweat.

Your Majesty, this... this... minor squabbles are acceptable, but to so easily hand over the crown prince to His Highness the young prince? Can His Highness even read? Can he speak human language?!

Emperor Chongle didn't care at all: "At worst, I will abdicate now and become the retired emperor for the dragon cub, and advise him on how to govern Dayu. He can still just eat, drink and have fun every day."

In Emperor Chongle's view, the throne was indeed not worth mentioning.

He obtained this supreme power and glory by fighting against his own brothers and blood relatives, but in fact, this is what he despises the most.

Now that his cubs need it, it's not unreasonable for him to give it to them.

Everyone else started to worry about Emperor Qizhongle suddenly abdicating, and they couldn't even care less about the matter of Prince Xiaolong becoming the crown prince.

At worst, he can just remain the Crown Prince for now. Anyway, His Majesty is in good health now. What if His Highness the Little Dragon can become human later?

"well……"

The ministers of Dayu are truly worried sick every day.

After recovering, the dragon cub was noticeably more energetic. As always, he climbed onto Emperor Chongle's shoulder for a nuzzle, showing no signs of forgetting his earlier mistreatment. Looking into the little guy's carefree eyes, Emperor Chongle thought to himself, "He's different after all."

He would never let his cubs repeat the mistakes he made when he was a child.

All the cub needs to do is love him.

Looking at his own child, Emperor Chongle couldn't help but think of the things he had seen other people's children have before.

"Oh right, let's make a longevity lock for the dragon cub. Do all newborn babies need one? We also need to make a patchwork garment. Hmm, should I hold a full-month celebration for the baby?"

Ning Guanyan, who had been summoned, forced a smile:

"Of course, I will have someone take care of it immediately."

Emperor Chongle glanced at Ning Guanyan with satisfaction: "What other families have, my orphan children must have too; what orphan children have, other families cannot have."

Ning Guanyan didn't understand why Emperor Chongle had suddenly changed so drastically and doted on the little dragon cub so much, but he guessed that the little dragon cub and His Majesty might have a more unique connection that ordinary people didn't know about.

This is not something they should be spying on.

Ning Guanyan simply gave the orders and carried them out. In less than half a day, the longevity locks crafted by the best artisans were delivered, along with various clothes tailored for the dragon cub. Even the Eastern Palace was tidied up under Emperor Chongle's orders. Even if the little dragon prince wouldn't be living there now, since he was already the crown prince, the palace belonging to the crown prince would have to acknowledge this master.

The cub is all long and thin, so it can't wear a longevity lock around its neck like a human, but the little guy still loves it.

The little guy recognizes this. In the world of Qianyuan, there are also parents who love their children very much and will make longevity locks for their children.

Qianyuan is also here now.

He kept circling the longevity lock, sometimes raising his head and chirping "Papa," sometimes rubbing against the small silver lock.

Perhaps Qianyuan had never had a longevity lock before, but each time, the blessings and protection his guardians gave him were the same as those from the longevity lock—love and prayers.

Qianyuan is no longer that unloved child.