The Ming Dynasty: The opening scene features Zhu Di angrily accusing him of illegitimate succession.

On the outskirts of Nanjing, a colossal creature, unlike anything the people of the Ming Dynasty had ever seen before, drifted in from the horizon.

The giant sphere in the sky was about half the size of a thatched hut, bulging and gleaming with the dark light of tung oil; no one knew what it was.

On the ridge of a field outside the city, an old farmer hoeing the ground pointed to the sky. He had good eyesight and could vaguely make out a stove in the sky.

"What is this? Has the giant sky lantern come to life?"

The cowherd clapped and jumped, pulling on the cow rope and shouting, "Monster! There's a monster in the sky!"

Even the yellow dogs in the countryside were barking wildly at the sky, their tails held straight up, clearly very alert.

The bustling noise on the main streets of Nanjing city instantly froze.

The coachman reined in the mule, bringing it under control. A peddler carrying a load stopped in the middle of the road, his carrying pole slipping to the ground. The silk shopkeeper leaned over the counter, and a young woman in her boudoir opened the window, her face turning pale with fright.

The crowd fell silent briefly, then erupted into chaos.

"What is this thing, a monster?"

"Nonsense! What monster could possibly come from under the emperor's nose? I think it's an auspicious omen from heaven!"

"Hey, is there someone up there? It looks like there are two people in that basket."

At the Jubao Gate (Nanjing city gate), the defending soldiers gripped their spears tightly and shouted, "Enemy attack! An unidentified monster is flying in from the sky!"

Several veterans rubbed their eyes and looked at each other in bewilderment: "What kind of bird is that? It's so big flying in the sky!"

The sentry stared wide-eyed, deeply shocked, unsure whether he should relay the warning message to his superiors.

In the first year of the Yongle reign, the capital had just experienced the Jingnan Campaign, and its defenses were already stretched thin. If such an unprecedented flying object were indeed a foreign enemy's magical technique, the consequences would be unimaginable.

He quickly made a decision: it's better to report something incorrectly than to miss it!

The sentry shouted, "Quickly, fire the signal arrow to report to the patrolling censor and Commander Ji of the Embroidered Uniform Guard: an unidentified flying object has appeared in the sky, suspected to be an enemy attack!"

The signal arrow pierced the sky, and Nanjing was instantly placed under military control.

The sound of gongs echoed through the streets and alleys, and the city gates were quickly closed.

The palace reacted the fastest, immediately sealing off the Meridian Gate and the East Gate. The Imperial Guards and the Imperial Household Guards surged onto the palace walls like a tide, bows drawn and swords unsheathed, their eyes all fixed on the swaying hot air balloon hurtling towards them.

The six ministers were in their respective offices when news of the martial law being declared in Nanjing suddenly arrived, and they immediately abandoned their duties and rushed toward the capital.

After reviewing the performance evaluation records of officials, Jian Yigang, the Minister of Personnel, frowned slightly upon hearing the report.

He was always cautious and composed, and immediately instructed his subordinates: "Order all department heads to remain at their posts. Any transfer of officials in the capital must be reported immediately. Do not let any disturbances disrupt the order of the court."

As he rode his horse along the road, he saw soldiers rushing through the streets, and his expression grew increasingly solemn.

However, when he saw the large ball flying overhead, his vigilance immediately dissipated.

It turned out that a strange thing had flown to Nanjing, and he thought it was the Prince of Ning attacking, which gave him a fright.

On the palace wall, Qiu Fu placed his hand on the sword at his waist, his black armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

As the Left Commander-in-Chief of the Central Military Commission, he commanded the elite troops of the Beijing Garrison in the first year of the Yongle reign. Just as the alarm arrow from Jubao Gate pierced the sky, he arrived at the scene with his deputy general.

As he watched the enormous, swaying creature charging toward the palace, he frowned. He had fought on the battlefield for decades, seeing countless Northern Yuan cavalry and Southern barbarians, but he had never seen anything like this that could carry people into the sky.

"Commander, what is that?" asked Li Xin, the deputy commander of the Beijing garrison beside him, his hand unconsciously resting on the hilt of his sword.

Qiu Fu's eyes blazed as he stared intently at the silk gasbag: "It looks like a Kongming lantern magnified a hundred times, but what Kongming lantern can carry people flying?"

He paused, recalling the perilous events of the Jingnan Rebellion, and said with worry.

"In the early years of the Yongle reign, the foundation was not yet stable, and there were still remnants of the Jianwen Emperor's old forces. It is hard to say whether it was a sorcery attack orchestrated by them."

As soon as he finished speaking, the commander of the Imperial Guards, accompanied by two centurions, strode over, his embroidered spring knives flashing at his waist: "Commander Qiu, the palace is now completely sealed off. Commander Ji Gang's personal guards have secured all the palace gates."

Generals Zhang Fu and Zhu Neng have also led the troops from the capital region to control the key roads outside the city, awaiting only the commander-in-chief's order.

Qiu Fu nodded: "Pass on my order: all archers on the city wall, take your positions. If that object gets any closer than a hundred feet from the palace, shoot it down without reporting!"

He watched the approaching figure in the rattan basket and calmly gave the order.

"Send another detachment of light cavalry to investigate outside the city and make sure they find out the origin of this object!"

As the hot air balloon drifted closer, the cannons and ballistae on the palace walls locked onto its target.

The Great General Cannon, which was equipped during the Yongle period, was cast from pig iron and weighed 2,000 catties. It could fire three to five catties of lead bullets with a charge of more than one catty of powder, and its maximum range could reach more than 800 meters.

The ballista was a standard defensive weapon for cities. It required several people to work together to wind the axle and had a range of up to 300 paces (about 570 meters). It could penetrate lamellar armor and was incredibly powerful.

Qiu Fu stared at the airbag that was getting closer and closer, his brow furrowed in thought.

The cannons are too powerful and might affect the palace. Let's test the waters with ballistae first.

"Balloon firing!"

At the command, seven or eight thick iron arrows whistled out and pierced through the silk air sac in one shot.

With a tearing sound, the airbag deflated by more than half in an instant, and the hot air leaked out rapidly. The hot air balloon tilted sharply to one side, and the basket shook violently.

Zheng He gripped the edge of the basket tightly with one hand and pressed his other hand firmly against the charcoal stove, saying in a deep voice, "Scholar Lin, keep your balance and don't fall!"

Lin Yue pressed himself against the basket wall, gripping the vines tightly with both hands, and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Don't shoot! We're on the same side!"

I am Lin Yue, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy! Beside me is Eunuch Zheng He, the Director of the Imperial Household Department!

Seeing that the soldiers below were still on guard with their crossbows raised, he had a sudden inspiration. He tore off his crimson official robe and threw it down.

The official robes fluttered and landed on the city wall, and the soldiers quickly presented them to Qiu Fu.

Qiu Fu's eyes flickered as he looked at the scarlet official robe embroidered with rank patterns.

He didn't actually hear what Lin Yue said, but he did recognize the third-rank official robe. Hmm, the material was a gift from the emperor.

Qiu Fu pondered for a moment, then waved his hand to suspend the attack, deciding to observe the situation further.

Inside the palace, Zhu Di stood outside the Wenhua Hall, his brow furrowed, and asked Ji Gang, "Why is martial law in effect outside the city?"

Ji Gang bowed and reported, "Your Majesty, a huge colorful ball has floated down from the sky. Commander Qiu has already ordered the Beijing Garrison to be on high alert."

Zhu Di's eyes flashed with surprise. This reason for martial law was rather peculiar. He had thought it was some rebellion by the remnants of Jianwen.

Emperor Yongle suddenly remembered the hot air balloon that Lin Yue had mentioned the other day. A thought flashed through his mind: Could it be the flying object that the boy was talking about?

Before he could settle his thoughts, another Imperial Guard rushed in with news.

"Your Majesty! There were two people on the airbag, and they just threw down their third-rank official robes as proof..."

A third-rank official's robe? A giant colorful ball? A hot air balloon?

Could it be that Lin Yue is flying in the sky?

Zhu Di immediately gave the order: "Stop the attack! Order Qiu Fu to only control the airbags and not to attack recklessly!"