The Last Sentinel

"Welcome, Scholar Ye, to the Two Elements Star!"

"Welcome, Lord Yu Huatian!"

The spaceship landed at the dock airport, and the imperial guards on the left and right saluted.

Ye Feng and Yu Huatian walked in the middle, with twelve Ming Dynasty blue flags with gold-embroidered dragons fluttering in the wind on their left and right, announcing that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Houcong, was the one presiding over the Two Stars this time.

Auspicious clouds drifted across the sky, the air smelled sweet, and the trees provided ample shade.

The Ming Dynasty imperial guards, dressed in ancient Ming-style armor, gave Ye Feng the feeling of having traveled back to the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, this is on the premise that those few eye-catching patrolling sci-fi spaceships are removed, the palace complex made of gilded black iron is ignored, and the pulsar light shines over the vermilion eaves.

As you walk forward, the steps with bright yellow dragon patterns flow like ripples of water, and the sun and moon emblems on the roof burst forth with blazing flames, proclaiming the orthodox Ming Dynasty's Zhu Ming imperial lineage.

On the nine-tiered Minghuang staircase, a courtier dressed in a crimson robe with python patterns and stars stood with his hands behind his back. The hem of the red Ming Dynasty court robe fluttered in the wind, and a spiritual energy jade pendant floated at his waist, shimmering brightly.

Yu Huatian bowed respectfully and said, "Your subordinate, Yu Huatian, pays respects to Lord Huang of the Imperial Household Department!"

Lord Huang, then there's only Huang Jin, Jiajing's childhood friend, confidant, classmate, and close confidant.

Ye Feng also performed the scholar's reading etiquette.

Huang Jin looked down, his eyes sweeping over Yu Huatian, and said in a gentle voice, "Scholar Ye, there's no need for such formalities. My family has some matters to discuss with Lord Yu. Please wait a moment, Scholar Ye."

Ye Feng nodded, "Please go ahead, Lord Huang."

Huang Jin strolled up to Yu Huatian, his voice leisurely, "Eunuch Yu, let's talk! Where did the high concentration of metallic energy in Warehouse Twenty come from?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Huatian's knees buckled and he knelt on the ground with a thud.

Huang Jin remained silent until he spoke, and when he did, he struck Yu Huatian squarely at his weak point.

Do you think you have absolute power and that you are the only one in the Eastern Depot?

No, you're wrong. The court knows everything you've done, including all the shady dealings in your Eastern Depot's armory.

At the very least, Yu Huatian's embezzlement and corruption could be prosecuted as a crime of corruption and abuse of power for personal gain.

To put it bluntly, this crime involves embezzling vital core materials of the empire, raising a private army, and even colluding with foreign powers to plot treason and rebellion!

Yu Huatian remained silent, only kowtowing repeatedly.

Huang Jin, however, had no intention of releasing Yu Huatian. He paced back and forth, saying, "Let's leave aside the high-concentration heavy metal energy storage in these twenty warehouses for now. Let's talk about Zhou Yunyi! The Imperial Household Department sent Yang Jinshui to order you to arrest Zhou Yunyi, but instead of using the Eastern Depot's Embroidered Uniform Guard, you chose to use an unreliable wandering swordsman named Ding Xiu. As a result, Zhou Yunyi is now missing, and Ding Xiu has also vanished without a trace. How do you intend to explain this?"

Yu Huatian's forehead was already bruised from the banging, and he gritted his teeth and whispered, "Reporting to the eunuch, this... this was an accident."

"An accident? It's incompetence!" Huang Jin sneered. "Do you know how bad your reputation is in the Imperial Household Department right now? Commander Zhao Jingzhong and his team have filled an entire drawer with complaints against you! And now you've been incompetent, failing to even catch Zhou Yunyi! You've greatly disappointed His Majesty!"

Yu Huatian kowtowed repeatedly, pleading, "It is my incompetence, Your Honor, I beg you to show leniency!"

Huang Jin waved his sleeve and strolled slowly, saying, "No need to beg for mercy so desperately. If I really wanted to kill you, you wouldn't have even made it this far! You lackey, in terms of realm, you're lacking. You've been stuck at the Cosmic Warrior 3.0 realm for years, unable to break through. As for cultivation, it's weak. You're just lucky to have encountered Ye Xueshi, a martial arts legend of auspiciousness that appears only once every five thousand years in my Great Ming Dynasty. It's just a blind cat stumbling upon a true martial arts legend. You've had incredible luck!"

Yu Huatian said, "Scholar Ye is a lucky man, and if we really want to talk about merit, it is His Majesty's merit in restoring the Heavenly Way and rebuilding the Jade Capital! I am just a small green leaf to accompany him, and it is not worth mentioning."

Huang Jin raised his hand and took out a handwritten edict, "Yu Huatian, Commander of the Jinyiwei of the Eastern Garrison, receive the decree."

Yu Huatian hurriedly replied, "Yu Huatian obeys the decree."

Holding the imperial edict, Huang Jin slowly read, "By the grace of Heaven and the decree of the Star Sea Emperor, Yu Huatian, the Commander of the Eastern Garrison, has managed the Eastern Depot for 370 years. During this time, he has been diligent, selfless, and loyal, a fact known to all. Now, at a time when the empire is in turmoil, Zhu Qi, the Director and Commander of the Demon Suppression Division, is trapped in the Chaotic Star Sea with no leads. The Embroidered Uniform Guard cannot be without a leader, and the Demon Suppression Division cannot be without a Commander-in-Chief. Today, Yu Huatian has brought back the martial arts legend Ye Feng, a great service to the empire, and deserves a reward. From this day forward, Yu Huatian shall temporarily manage the four Garrison Divisions of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, take the position of Director of the Demon Suppression Division, and be appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard with five thousand households! So be it!"

Upon receiving the imperial edict, Yu Huatian was overjoyed.

coming!

finally come!

His Majesty's reward has arrived!

I made the right bet this time!

I knew that as long as I followed the martial arts legend, I wouldn't be purged, and I might even be rewarded!

Great, we've won the grand prize!

Chief of the Demon Suppression Division, with an additional 5,000 households, Commander-in-Chief...

Yu Huatian never dared to dream of these things before, but now, they are all his!

From this day forward, the Ming Dynasty's Embroidered Uniform Guard will be in charge of itself!

Moreover, the commander-in-chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was Emperor Jiajing!

This means that Yu Huatian can now directly contact Jiajing Emperor without needing any messy eunuchs or officials in between. For Yu Huatian, this is a leap into the inner court, transforming him from an outsider into a close advisor to the emperor! He will become the emperor's trusted confidant!

Overwhelmed with emotion, Yu Huatian kowtowed repeatedly, "Your subject Yu Huatian thanks Your Majesty for your great favor! For the sake of my Great Ming, I would gladly face any danger, even death!"

Huang Jin raised his hand and handed over the imperial edict. "Receive the edict, Commander-in-Chief Yu!"

Yu Huatian hurriedly accepted the imperial edict, repeatedly saying, "Thank you, Eunuch Huang. I will certainly not refuse any requests you may make in the future."

Huang Jin said, "Zhu Qi has been gone for a long time. The Demon Suppression Division and the Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander's residence have a lot of documents and files piling up. Lord Yu will be very busy in the coming days."

Yu Huatian said, "Rest assured, my lord, I will be loyal to you and will never disappoint His Majesty! Please wait, my lord! Scholar Ye, please wait! I take my leave!"

With the imperial decree issued and Yu Huatian reassured, he realized that staying behind and attracting attention was the best course of action; making a quick getaway was the right thing to do.

Ye Feng bowed and said, "Take care, Lord Yu!"

"Alright, student Ye, please wait!"

As they spoke, Yu Huatian's figure vanished.

Huang Jin turned to Ye Feng with a beaming smile and said, "Scholar Ye, you've kept us waiting. Let's go in! Let's not keep His Majesty waiting any longer."

Ye Feng followed behind Huang Jin, feeling very uneasy.

Although he had read a lot about Emperor Jiajing (Zhu Houcong) in history, and had seen this emperor who practiced alchemy and immortality in TV dramas, short dramas and novels, Ye Feng would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous about actually meeting him.

What level of cultivation did Emperor Jiajing reach?

What is the connection between the South Heavenly Gate in my hometown and the Jade Palace in Heaven built by Emperor Jiajing?

Was the Yongle Encyclopedia in my hometown left behind by Emperor Jiajing?

Are the other emperors of the Ming Dynasty still alive?

Did Jiajing ever meet the sentries Lin Qilin, Pangu, Yun Tianming, Luo Ji, and Zhang Beihai?