Sky Curtain: The Overlord Charges into Battle, Shocking Emperors of All Dynasties

In the early Han Dynasty,

"You've certainly broadened your horizons, sir."

Liu Bang remarked to his old comrades, and Xiao He, Zhang Liang, and others nodded in agreement.

They've never seen such methods before. They're even willing to harm the emperor. Even if they're vying for power, they wouldn't go so far as to kill the emperor. Where did this trend even begin?

In the early Han Dynasty, the chivalrous spirit of the pre-Qin period still remained, and people were willing to sacrifice their lives for their lords and benefactors.

People in the imperial court and among the common people expressed complete incomprehension at the series of actions taken by the Ming emperors, as these actions were entirely contrary to their preconceived notions.

The people of later generations are truly ruthless. If we were to go to the imperial court of later generations, we probably wouldn't even know how we died.

Hongwu

Zhu Yuanzhang was in a very bad mood, and when he was in a bad mood, he wanted to kill people.

He just couldn't understand how these civil officials could be so bold, so blatantly and without any attempt to conceal their actions.

Where are the emperor's troops? Flip the table!

They've already put a knife to our throats, why are you still playing court games with them!

Zhu Yuanzhang slammed his fist on the imperial desk, causing the teacups to jump violently from the force.

You're useless! You're hopeless!

The emperor was incompetent, ruining the country and squandering the family fortune!

Will our Great Ming Dynasty ever recover?!

And why does the fourth brother's lineage always seem to produce cultivators and alchemists, especially those who are lewd ghosts?

Even if he's a lecher, at least he should have a few more children!

However, the sky said that the fourth son only had three sons and had no children for more than 20 years afterward. Could it be that the fourth son had some unspeakable secret?

"Um, well, the fourth one."

Zhu Yuanzhang hesitated, unsure how to begin. Being too direct was inappropriate, while being too subtle risked Zhu Di not understanding.

At this moment, Zhu Di was still immersed in grief. Those were all his descendants! It pained him to see his own descendants suffer such a fate!

Except for Zhu Houcong, he deserved it!

Zhu Biao, standing beside Zhu Di, looked worried and shook Zhu Di's shoulder.

"Fourth brother, Dad is calling you."

Zhu Di snapped out of his daze, tilting his head and looking at Zhu Yuanzhang with a puzzled expression.

I can't let my ancestors blame me for the things my descendants do.

"How about... we find a renowned doctor from the local community to take a look? This isn't a minor issue; we can't afford to delay!"

Zhu Yuanzhang spoke earnestly, his eyes glancing directly at Zhu Di's lower body.

"What's wrong with me? I'm very strong, riding a horse into battle, and fighting on the battlefield is a piece of cake for me!!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di was greatly alarmed. He pounded his chest forcefully, displaying his robust physique, fearing that Zhu Yuanzhang would forbid him from going to the battlefield again.

"No, why are you all looking at me?"

"Where are you looking?!"

Seeing the complex looks in his father's and brothers' eyes, Zhu Di felt a chill run down his spine. He retreated repeatedly, his hands unconsciously moving downwards to protect his vitals.

"I'm really not sick!!!"

Zhu Di's face turned bright red as he loudly defended himself, not feeling this embarrassed even when the heavenly curtain said he had seized the throne from his nephew during the Jingnan Campaign.

This is something you should never admit, even if it means death!

Where's the canopy? Please save it!!!

Even just mentioning the Jingnan Campaign again would be fine!

A pale blue glow returned to the sky, and a voice rang out once more.

There were many emperors in ancient China, and their empresses were all different. There were wicked empresses who brought chaos to the country, such as Jia Nanfeng, and virtuous empresses who helped to govern the country and bring peace, such as Empress Zhangsun and Empress Ma.

[In the early Ming Dynasty, four virtuous empresses emerged in succession: Empress Ma, Empress Xu, Empress Zhang, and Empress Hu.]

Among them, Empress Chengxiao Zhao, née Zhang, served through the reigns of six emperors: Hongwu, Jianwen, Yongle, Hongxi, Xuande, and Zhengtong. She rose from the wife of the Prince of Yan to the Empress Dowager. Zhu Di once said, "I rely on this virtuous daughter-in-law to protect my family."

The Empress?

Everyone nodded in agreement with Tianmu's statement, especially the ministers from the fifteenth year of the Hongwu reign onwards, who nodded enthusiastically.

No one understood the importance of a wise and virtuous queen better than them.

Your Majesty, we miss you so much!

Colleagues who were attending court together one day are suddenly all gone the next; some even have to prepare coffins at home before going to court.

During the Tang Dynasty's Wude era,

"Excellent!! My Guanyinbi will surely become a wise and virtuous empress for all time!!"

As Li Shimin spoke, he secretly moved his small feet, gradually closing the distance between the two of them.

Empress Zhangsun glanced at Li Shimin, who was pretending to look up at the sky, but did not agree with him. She kept her face cold.

She was naturally angry, thinking about what her son would suffer in the future, and on top of that, Li Shimin had actually killed his brother's wife...

But what could she do?

The two grew up together and naturally had a deep bond, so she did not stop Li Shimin from secretly getting closer.

After all, quite some time has passed, and most of the anger has subsided.

After Li Shimin approached, he silently placed his left hand on Empress Zhangsun's shoulder, slightly turning his head to observe her reaction.

Although she had a cold expression, she didn't shake his hand off.

A pleased smile curved Li Shimin's lips.

My wife finally acknowledged me!!

There's a saying that among Zhu Di's family, only Lady Zhang's position was truly legitimate, because she was personally chosen by Emperor Taizu (Zhu Yuanzhang) as the heir apparent to the Prince of Yan.

In the twenty-sixth year of the Hongwu reign, the Lan Yu case, one of the four major cases, came to an end. After that, Zhu Yuanzhang changed the old practice of marrying princes and nobles, and instead selected the daughters of mid-level military officers from the garrison to marry the grandsons of the emperor.

In the 28th year of the Hongwu reign, Zhu Yuanzhang officially appointed Zhu Gaochi as the heir apparent to the Prince of Yan, and personally selected the fifteen-year-old daughter of military officer Zhang Qi as his heir apparent's wife. Therefore, it can be said that Zhang was the most legitimate and confident person in Zhu Di's family to ascend the throne.

Unfortunately, since the Tang Dynasty, historical records have only recorded the surnames of empresses and consorts. To this day, we do not know the real names of these virtuous empresses, except for Empress Hu.

In some films and television dramas, Empress Ma is referred to as Ma Xiuying, and Lady Zhang as Zhang Yan; these are all fabrications by later generations.

During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han,

"Oh ho, that makes perfect sense!"

"Zhu Di's whole family were rebels. Even Zhu Di, the emperor, might not have had as secure a position as she, his daughter-in-law."

Liu Che recounted the life stories of Zhu Di's family in great detail, as if they were his own treasures.

"Zhu Di seized the throne from his nephew, and his three sons rebelled, but Zhu Zhanji, that brat, inherited it in the right of succession."

"But Zhu Di was a bit crooked at his core, and Zhu Zhanji also killed his uncle, so he couldn't compare to his mother who was more upright."

The ministers below lowered their heads and remained silent, but in reality, the corners of their mouths were already beginning to twitch.

If asked about Zhu Di's achievements, His Majesty might not remember them, but he can speak eloquently about this one.

Why doesn't Your Majesty consider that our Han Dynasty also had an empress who left her mark on history, having her name fully engraved in the historical records?

Who exactly is this person, and why is their name recorded?

It's really hard to guess.

Hongwu,

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled smugly.

"Need I say more about our judgment? We're first-rate at recognizing and judging people!"

"Father, who is that nephew...?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately became agitated and glared at him.

"Don't force me to slap you when I'm happiest!!"

He brought up the very thing he shouldn't have said; misjudging Zhu Yunwen before his death was the biggest mistake he ever made in judging people!

"Zhang Qi's daughter should have just been born. Hurry and go find her! She's praised even in the heavens; she's our wonderful granddaughter-in-law!!"

Seeing that the guard beside him had gone out to run errands, Zhu Biao spoke up at this moment.

"Father, aren't you curious? Why was it Empress Hu who specifically left her name?"

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly.

"The sky above already says that Empress Hu was a virtuous empress, and the fact that her name was still recorded suggests that she was destined for a similar fate as Emperor Renzong of Song, who deposed his empress."

"In my opinion, our great-grandson Zhu Zhanji is likely to favor his concubines over his wife!"