Still a thoughtful kid, the big man suddenly had a strong urge. He blurted out, “Kid, why don’t you just be my son!”

　　Brian Clark was startled. Of course, he wanted to win the big man’s favor—not just to get out of the mountains. After all, this was the first person he’d met since crossing over, and if he left the forest, he’d need someone to guide him on how to survive.

　　But Brian Clark hadn’t expected this man to take such a big leap—to actually want to take him as a son!

　　Should he agree or not? Brian Clark was torn.

　　The big man thought he was unwilling and hurriedly added, “I’m a Jinyiwei of the imperial court. Being my son, you won’t lose out!”

Chapter 3: The Dream of the Embroidered Spring Blade

　　The uncle didn’t seem to think much about it and blurted it out. As soon as he finished, he regretted it. The Jinyiwei didn’t have a good reputation—would this kid agree?

　　He was already so old; it would be embarrassing to be rejected by a youngster. So before Brian Clark could answer, he awkwardly added, “I was just saying that, don’t take it seriously!”

　　That sentence almost made Brian Clark suffer internal injuries!

　　Can’t you be a bit more serious!

　　Brian Clark was fuming. As a transmigrator, how could he not know about the Jinyiwei?

　　That was a notorious yamen. In movies and TV dramas, the Jinyiwei were usually highly skilled, ruthless, and specialized in framing loyal officials—always the villains.

　　This uncle in front of him was indeed highly skilled, but as for the rest, he hadn’t seen it yet. Brian Clark firmly believed that in any profession, there are good and bad people—even among eunuchs, there were loyal and upright ones, let alone the Jinyiwei!

　　But wanting to take him as a godson—what was he thinking?

　　Could it be because he thought he was good-looking?

　　Brian Clark was anxious, but also felt it was a heaven-sent opportunity. If he could latch onto the Jinyiwei, he’d have a powerful backer—not only could he survive, but he could live well!

　　“Um, uncle! I’ve always lived in the mountains, I don’t know what the Jinyiwei are. My parents just died, and if I recognize you as my godfather, would they agree?”

　　Brian Clark didn’t refuse, just expressed concern for his parents’ feelings, which made the big man quite happy—at least he had a conscience! Especially for a kid from the mountains who didn’t even know what year it was outside, how could he know the good or bad of the Jinyiwei!

　　Fortunately, he sat up, came to Brian Clark’s side, squatted down, and started talking seriously.

　　“You have no relatives and nowhere to go. If you stay in the mountains, you’ll be eaten by wild beasts sooner or later. Would your parents want to see that? It’s better to be my godson. I’ll take you out of here, and as your godfather, I promise you’ll marry, have children, and enjoy wealth and honor. In the future, you can have lots of kids to carry on your family line—I won’t mind. Your parents’ spirits in heaven will be comforted too.”

　　Brian Clark rested his chin on his hand and thought for a long time. It seemed there was no better way, so he could only tacitly agree.

　　The big man immediately laughed, decided not to sleep, and pulled Brian Clark to sit side by side by the campfire. The two of them chatted idly... The big man told Brian Clark his name was Edward Green, and in the Jinyiwei, he was known as Third Master, with a decent status.

　　The predecessor of the Jinyiwei was the Imperial Bodyguard. Even before Old Zhu became emperor, he had already formed it.

　　At first, the Jinyiwei were Old Zhu’s ace troops—the best fighters and the most loyal. They charged into battle, disregarding life and death, achieving countless merits, and were regarded as his right-hand men, the most trusted of the trusted.

　　As the territory grew and things became more complicated, Old Zhu gradually gave the Jinyiwei more power and shifted their focus from the battlefield to other areas.

　　Externally, they gathered military intelligence; internally, they monitored civil and military officials, learned what the people thought, recruited heroes from all over the land, and provided the most accurate information. It’s no exaggeration to say that Zhu Yuanzhang’s conquest and hold on the throne owed much to the Jinyiwei!

　　Moreover, the early Jinyiwei were different from those of later generations—they were all elite among elites. Take Edward Green for example: he was one of the orphans adopted by Zhu Yuanzhang. Of course, he didn’t have Mu Ying’s luck to become Old Zhu’s adopted son, nor did he have the ability to command thousands of troops. He was just a Jinyiwei, risking his life for Old Zhu!

　　As early as the tenth year of Hongwu, an order came down, and Edward Green, just past thirty, was sent to Beiping. At that time, after the failure of the second northern campaign, Ming was in a period of recuperation.

　　Edward Green went beyond the borders several times, deep into the grasslands, scouting intelligence with many brothers, providing information, and ensuring the success of the third and fourth northern campaigns!

　　For his merits, Edward Green was promoted to commander.

　　All told, he had been in Beiping for a full ten years!

　　This time, he brought two brothers, disguised as hunters, and went deep into the grasslands to investigate the movements of the Northern Yuan.

　　It took them a whole month—not only did they uncover the Northern Yuan’s movements, but they also found out about the situation of Naha Chu, the Grand Commandant of Liao’s Northeast under the Northern Yuan. It was a huge gain.

　　But those two Jinyiwei brothers died on the grasslands, and Edward Green was pursued and fled into these completely unfamiliar mountains, where he happened to meet Brian Clark. That’s what happened before.

　　Edward Green spoke lightly, as if it was nothing, but Brian Clark was dumbfounded.

　　My God!

　　How is this the villainous Jinyiwei!

　　He’s simply a great hero risking his life, venturing deep into the desert, gathering military intelligence, truly walking on the edge of a blade! What courage! What sacrifice!