The Last Sentinel

If Emperor Jiajing (Zhu Houcong) were to call out "great-grandfather," then the other party's identity would have to be traced back at least five generations!

Then, wouldn't that be during the founding period of the Ming Dynasty?

The one Bai Yujing is currently resurrecting is none other than Zhu Biao, the founding crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, isn't he?

As a crown prince, Zhu Biao required the least amount of dynastic fortune, and compared to other emperors, the cost of his resurrection was the lowest.

Zhu Biao was no ordinary crown prince. He was the imperial successor handpicked by Zhu Yuanzhang, the sole representative of the interests of the nobles and powerful families of Longxi, the only legitimate heir of the Ming Dynasty, and the ruthless first crown prince!

Of the four major cases of the Hongwu reign that are still talked about by later generations, Zhu Biao handled three of them. It wasn't that he couldn't bear to handle the last one; it was simply because he died too early to be involved in the final case. Otherwise, it wouldn't be the four major cases of the Hongwu reign, but rather the forty major cases of the Hongwu reign!

As the layers of curtains were drawn back, a strange figure appeared on the golden throne in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

This was not the Jiajing Emperor Zhu Houcong dressed in a crane-patterned Taoist robe, but a strange, dignified middle-aged prince.

He did not wear the traditional dragon robe of the Ming emperor, but instead wore a silver-black sci-fi ancient-style battle armor. The armor pattern combined Ming-style dragon patterns with futuristic energy textures. The shoulder armor was sharp and smooth, the chest core had a faint light flowing, and the energy cape on his back hung down, with light and shadow flowing in fragments. It had both the majesty of an ancient emperor and the sharpness of an interstellar warlord.

After looking around, he sat on the throne with an imposing and unrestrained posture, looking down at the ministers below with a cold and deep gaze, exuding an overwhelming aura that dominated the entire scene.

It's Zhu Biao!

All the officials held their breath, no one dared to make a sound, the entire hall was solemn and silent, with only the faint hum of armor emanating from the battle armor, and an extreme sense of oppression enveloped the entire area.

The most imposing crown prince in the Ming Dynasty!

He was a man with greater murderous intent, deeper political acumen, and more charismatic courage than Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty!

In terms of pure scheming and intrigue, Jiajing might be able to go toe-to-toe with Zhu Biao.

But when it comes to playing open and overt strategies as emperor, even ten Jiajing emperors combined couldn't beat Zhu Biao.

Zhu Biao's gaze was icy, precisely locking onto Yan Shifan below the steps. His voice was deep and unwavering, carrying an unyielding authority: "You just said you wanted to lend the destiny of the Ming Dynasty to Huaguo Mountain?"

Yan Shifan's heart tightened, his whole body tensed, and under immense pressure, he forced himself to bow and reply, "Yes."

Zhu Biao lightly raised his fingertips and snapped his fingers casually, his tone calm yet carrying a thunderous force: "The idea is good, but the vision is too narrow."

Yan Shifan was suddenly stunned, his eyes filled with astonishment. He thought his plan to use the Ming Dynasty's destiny to protect Huaguo Mountain and break the Heavenly Court's deadlock from within was already bold and radical, but he never expected it to be so easily dismissed with a single sentence: "It's too narrow-minded."

Zhu Biao's slender fingers lightly tapped the gilded armrests of the dragon throne, the rhythm gentle and measured, each soft sound resonating in the hearts of the crowd. He spoke calmly and deliberately: "Where are the Embroidered Uniform Guards?"

Yu Huatian straightened up, immediately stepped forward, bowed, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said in a firm voice, "Present!"

Zhu Biao raised his eyes and gestured, his tone indifferent yet his decree resolute: "Take Grand Secretary Yan, Gao Gong, Xu Jie, and Huang Jin away and treat them well!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Yu Huatian's pupils contracted slightly, and he was startled. He was secretly taken aback. This founding crown prince was far too ruthless and decisive. He had purged the old ministers of the court as soon as he appeared. His methods were more radical than he had imagined. Such a sweeping reshuffle was far too swift.

Yan Song, who had experienced the vicissitudes of several dynasties and was keenly aware of the situation, immediately rose calmly, bowed respectfully, and said, "This old minister is too old to interfere here. Farewell, Emperor Xuanzu!"

Seeing that the Grand Secretary had already backed down, the other officials were all terrified. They bowed their heads and took their leave one after another, without daring to voice any objections.

Yu Huatian composed himself and, not daring to be negligent, carefully led the senior officials out of the main hall. Everyone knew that this was not an imperial prison interrogation, but rather a special arrangement by the Crown Prince to provide them with preferential treatment, sending them to elegant places like the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, allowing the senior officials to rest in peace and away from the court's turmoil.

As Yan Shifan watched his father, Xu Jie, Gao Gong, and other senior officials leave, the shackles weighing on his heart suddenly vanished, and an undisguised elation flashed in his eyes. He secretly praised him, thinking, "He truly deserves to be called the strongest crown prince of the Ming Dynasty. His actions are swift and decisive, purging the old and pedantic officials from the court in one fell swoop and completely revitalizing the situation."

In the blink of an eye, only Zhu Biao, Zhang Juzheng, and Yan Shifan remained in the Grand Council of the Imperial Court.

Zhang Juzheng, who had always kept a low profile and concealed his talents, completely shed his gentle and reserved demeanor at this moment. He raised his eyes to look directly at Yan Shifan, revealing a sharp edge in his eyes. He adopted a posture of equal strength and confrontation, and his aura firmly held the entire room in check.

Zhu Biao sat upright on the imperial throne, his gaze calm and serene: "Now that it's peaceful, let's talk."

Yan Shifan composed himself, spoke solemnly, his attitude as firm as ever: "I still hold the same stance. I believe we must support Huaguo Mountain, even if it means giving all of the Ming Dynasty's destiny to Huaguo Mountain, to ensure that Qitian has a firm foothold. Only then can we coordinate from within and without to catch the Heavenly Court off guard!"

"I object!" Zhang Juzheng immediately retorted, his tone crisp and decisive, showing no intention of backing down. "Your idea is too naive. You can think of an inside-outside attack, but do you think those immortals in the Heavenly Court can't? Do you think they can't think of the three major sources of natural disasters, the forbidden zones of life, and the remnants of darkness? They'd probably be surrounded and then surrounded themselves!"

Yan Shifan frowned, his face showing displeasure, and asked in a deep voice, "Zhang Shentong, what do you mean?"

Zhang Juzheng immediately concealed his arrogance, turned to face Zhu Biao on the dragon throne, bowed deeply, and reported in a clear and orderly manner: "Your Majesty, I believe that using the destiny of the Ming Dynasty to nurture the Yongzhou Cauldron of Huaguo Mountain is like a small stream flowing into the ocean. It is simply insufficient to support the revival of the Tang Dynasty. On the contrary, it will weaken the destiny of the Ming Dynasty and put it at a disadvantage."

Zhu Biao nodded slightly, his expression calm: "What's your explanation?"

Zhang Juzheng's eyes lit up, and with a confident expression, he stepped forward and calmly offered his advice: "In my opinion, it's time to play the card of the former Emperor Xuzu."

A hint of interest flashed in Zhu Biao's eyes, and he leaned forward slightly: "Continue."

Zhang Juzheng spoke eloquently, each sentence hitting the nail on the head: "Ever since Ye Feng entered the dark matter universe, aimed his sword at the Milky Way, and conquered the core of the Milky Way, the Xu Ancestor has been continuously controlled by our Blue Star. Especially after the purges by the two generations of Xu Ancestor Speakers, Hua Xiaobai and Qi Tian, ​​all the die-hards in the Xu Ancestor disappeared, and the remaining heretics are even more loyal than us carbon-based humans!"

"And the homelands of these heretics are all the universes! Half of their forces were servants brought by the Allied Forces of Sabit Star back then!"

"After the Sabite aliens were defeated, these puppet troops were left here to be beaten every day!"

"They harbor deep hatred for the Sabitians and their home Heavenly Court, and have repeatedly expressed to Hua Xiaobai and Qi Tian that they are willing to be the vanguard of our carbon-based universe to attack all the myriad worlds!"

"Now, it's time to use this piece!"

"Break them all apart and throw them into the myriad realms, letting them return to their homelands and form rebel forces. This will create chaos in the Thirty-Three Heavens, allowing us to seize the destiny and essence of the Thirty-Three Heavens, and then distribute these stolen essences to the Yuzhou Cauldron of my Great Ming Dynasty, the Qingzhou Cauldron of the Han Dynasty, and the Yongzhou Cauldron of the Great Tang Dynasty!"

"With this in mind, how could Qi Tian not gain a foothold on Flower Fruit Mountain!"

He spoke eloquently and confidently.

Yan Shifan, who was standing opposite Zhang Juzheng at this moment, looked at Zhang Juzheng and the anger on his face dissipated.

He always thought that Zhang Juzheng of the Qingliu faction was a capitulationist conservative.

Now I realize that, compared to Zhang Juzheng, I am more like a conservative.

What does it mean when conservatives think radicals are too conservative?

This is it!

Yan Shifan's thinking was still based on judging others by his own standards.

Zhang Juzheng was already plotting to trick people into helping me escape!

On the dragon throne, Zhu Biao, with a hint of admiration in his eyes, quietly looked down at Zhang Juzheng and asked, "Your words are reasonable, but how do we send these puppet troops back to their own empires? How do we ensure their continued loyalty to us, rather than them turning against us as soon as they return?"

Zhang Juzheng calmly replied, confident: "Your Majesty already has a plan. The enemy guarding the four walls of our carbon-based universe is none other than our old friends from India. These Indians will do anything for money. Smuggling a few people is no big deal to them; sending them back will be no problem at all!"

"As for their betrayal, please rest assured, Ancestor. Our High Martial Academy has already begun researching the [High-Dimensional Martial Arts] passed down by Lord Ye Feng. This is an XYZ three-axis cultivation system. The restrictions set up using this cultivation system can directly anchor the opponent's future, fundamentally eliminating the possibility of their betrayal!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao slowly rubbed his hands together, his expression calm and decisive: "I don't quite understand the three-axis cultivation system you mentioned, but to be on the safe side, I'll accept both your conservative suggestion and Yan Shifan's radical suggestion!"

"Instruct the Imperial Observatory to grant the Qi (energy) of the Ming Dynasty's Yuzhou Cauldron to the Tang Dynasty's Yongzhou Cauldron!"

"At the same time, I appoint Zhang Juzheng as the chief person in charge of the infiltration plan, responsible for its execution!"

Yan Shifan and Zhang Juzheng immediately bowed and kowtowed, their voices ringing out in unison and loudly throughout the Hall of Mental Cultivation: "May Your Highness live a long, long, long life!"