Chapter 299: 148 Wind Palace Change [Extra Chapter!]

Certainly, here’s the translation following your guidelines:

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The chaotic footsteps echoed in the empty corridors of the Imperial Palace.

Yang Ming and General Fremont walked ahead with a dozen officers, while Princess Dana and her team followed closely behind.

Emily, shadowing Yang Ming closely, seemed to have regained her composure and was pondering what Yang Ming meant by the “truth.”

At the palace gate, two rows of Mechanical Guards stood with guns in hand.

Fremont reached out to stop Yang Ming, “Their status seems off, the safeties on the laser guns are disengaged… they’ve been instructed to shoot at any time.”

Yang Ming seemed not to hear, stepping forward two meters alone.

Emily wanted to follow but was protected behind by General Fremont.

“Please stop!”

The two Mechanical Guards spoke simultaneously, their electronic voices slightly sharp,

“Without His Majesty’s order, intruders will be treated as assassins.”

Yang Ming continued forward.

The Mechanical Guards adopted a shooting stance simultaneously.

The officers behind Yang Ming drew their laser pistols, aiming at the True Son’s Brain of the Mechanical Guards.

“Don’t be nervous,” Yang Ming said slowly, “aim at the head of the guard next to you, and disable your own Protection Shield.”

The officers behind remained perplexed.

The Mechanical Guards at the gate turned individually, aiming the barrels of their laser guns at the True Son’s Brain of the guard next to them.

Yang Ming said, “Fire.”

Swish! Swish swish!

The two rows of Mechanical Guards simultaneously pulled their triggers, resulting in conspicuous holes appearing on their heads, each holding their guns as their heads drooped; the silver-white metal skeletons still stood firmly, while the True Son’s Brain emitted smoke and ceased operation.

Yang Ming turned and winked at Emily, “A bit of a magic trick.”

“Please wait here, I’ll go in first to take a look.”

“Yang Ming!”

General Fremont frowned and said,

“Inside are several hundred Mechanical Guards, set to obey only His Majesty’s orders… Maybe they’ll also follow your instructions, how did you do it?”

“It’s magic,” whispered Emily from the side.

Yang Ming almost laughed.

Of course, it was the Mechanical Goddess, named Lyu, who was secretly controlling these Mechanical Guards.

Yang Ming moved straight forward, pushing open the palace gate under everyone’s watchful gaze and went inside.

After about half a minute, Yang Ming opened the palace door and called out, “Princess Dana, General Fremont, Princess Emily, please follow me inside, His Majesty wants to meet with you.”

The named three showed varying degrees of hesitation.

Emily was the first to move forward, with Fremont following closely, and Princess Dana gently bit her lip, only to hasten towards the palace gate upon seeing Emily approach.

“General!”

An officer called out uneasily.

General Fremont turned back and said, “Await orders, His Majesty is summoning us.”

“Yes, General!”

The middle-aged officer answered in a low voice.

It was clear they had guessed what might happen today.

But now, this Major Yang Ming, regarded as a hero by the military, seemed to have taken full control, which left them somewhat baffled about the situation.

Once the palace gate was opened, it was tightly closed again by Yang Ming.

Inside the chamber.

Five hundred Mechanical Guards stood quietly.

They had already discarded their laser rifles, hands folded behind as if waiting for inspection.

The Old Emperor sat on the throne with closed eyes, wearing a crown on his head, resting both hands on a decorative metal longsword, and behind him lay a casually discarded tangle of electronic circuits.

Princess Dana looked on in disbelief and asked in a low voice, “How did you do it?”

“A bit of a virus,” Yang Ming said, “These Mechanical Guards acquired from the Sherman Empire all had remote-control backdoor programs installed, and their True Son’s Brain structures are relatively simple, mere cannon-fodder-level products, only aesthetically pleasing.”

Princess Dana gazed intently at the figure on the throne.

Emily asked, “So, what is the truth you mentioned?”

Yang Ming sighed, “Let me show you. For the Luofeng Empire, it can only be described as a nominal disgrace, no tangible harm. The Emperor can wake up now.”

As his words fell, the Old Emperor opened his eyes, a faint red light flickering in his pupils.

With a hint of fear, Emily hid behind Yang Ming.

“Viscount Yang Ming? Fremont?”

The Old Emperor squinted at Princess Dana, his expression quickly turning stern, his nostrils twitching slightly,

“Very good! You have captured this damned woman! You both have rendered great service! Bring Dana here! To me!”

Yang Ming clasped his hands behind his back, his eyelids lowered, while Fremont stood still beside him.

“Guards!”

The Old Emperor shouted.

The Mechanical Guards did not power on.

“Major Yang Ming!”

Propping himself up with a metal knight sword, the Old Emperor stood up, his eyes glimmering with a hint of red,

“I order you to restrain the woman behind you! She attempted to assassinate me, to assassinate the most esteemed Emperor of the Luofeng Empire!”

Yang Ming suddenly asked, “Your Majesty, what is your understanding of imperial power?”

“Impe… Silence! You only need to follow my command!”

The Old Emperor replied coldly,

“I can give you everything you want, power, fame, beautiful women, I can give you everything you desire! You just need to obey me!”

Yang Ming asked again, “Your Majesty, what do you think imperial power is realized through?”

The Old Emperor’s expression froze.

Yang Ming spoke slowly,

“If it is an ignorant and primitive civilization, imperial power can be realized through divine right, by mandate of heaven, by exploiting human ignorance of nature.

“In a civilized society that has awakened, imperial power can be realized through stratification, controlling pathways to class advancement, and controlling military power, much like in the Sherman Empire.”