He fiercely criticized the Manchu scholar clique and the twelve emperors of the Qing Dynasty.

The air in the suite seemed to freeze for five seconds after the phrase "castration and destruction" was uttered.

Lin Jing's fingers, holding the pen, froze in mid-air. She stared at the young man sitting opposite her, her mind racing to process his highly controversial statement.

It's too direct, and too sharp.

Zhao Shuyao slowly leaned back into the dark gray sofa, observing Lin Jing's micro-expressions and seeing the professional concerns behind her astonishment.

He was well aware that at this juncture, although online self-media had begun to grow wildly, traditional media still had a great deal of inertia in their censorship of historical topics.

"Reporter Lin." Zhao Shuyao spread his hands, the murderous aura on his face instantly dissipating, replaced by an extremely innocent smile. "Can I broadcast what I just said?"

Lin Jing snapped out of her daze and raised an eyebrow slightly.

Zhao Shuyao stroked his chin, leaned forward, and said with a tone that was both sincere and mischievous, "I got carried away with my emotions just now and didn't watch my mouth. If this gets broadcast, won't it give your post-production editors too much work?"

"Let's make this clear beforehand: even if you're going to cut this whole thing out, don't make me look like a silent film actor. At least keep the part where I talk about the spirit of the Ming Dynasty so my hundreds of thousands of fans can have some fun."

The cameraman next to me suddenly jerked his shoulder, and the viewfinder in his hand almost produced a double image.

Lin Jing couldn't help but laugh out loud. This young man's control over the rhythm was simply unparalleled. One second he was setting a grand historical tone, and the next second he immediately switched to a street-smart youth worried about his on-screen appearance.

"Don't worry, Zhao." Lin Jing placed the pen steadily on the coffee table, her smile becoming very confident, and she gave a very substantial piece of feedback.

"Since we decided to do this interview, we naturally have our reasons. In fact, you don't need to worry about the scope at all. You can freely express your academic views as long as they are reasonable and well-founded, which falls within the scope of discussion that we advocate."

Lin Jing paused briefly, lowered her voice, and revealed a keen understanding of the industry: "Besides, haven't you noticed? Recently, the censorship standards for those historical dramas that distort history and fabricate stories have been visibly raised. This in itself is a trend indicator."

A hint of appreciation flashed in Zhao Shuyao's eyes. Chatting with smart people was so effortless; there was no need to explain the undercurrents of change.

"With your words, I can finally put my mind at ease." Zhao Shuyao picked up his water glass, took a sip of warm water, his smile gradually faded, and his eyes regained that profound depth that pierced through the mists of history.

"Reporter Lin, many people think that my harsh words online are because I personally favor a certain dynasty, but in reality, it is the complete emasculation of thought and culture that I hate the most." Zhao Shuyao put down his water glass, his voice steady but carrying an undeniable force.

"Looking at the dynasties that have existed on this land throughout history, even those short-lived dynasties have left their own marks in terms of cultural inheritance. But what about the Manchu Qing Dynasty? It forcibly turned a originally vibrant civilization into a huge cage."

He stared at the camera lens, his tone heavy: "Every time I go through the catalog of those destroyed ancient books and see those classics that have been altered beyond recognition to avoid taboos, my heart feels incredibly heavy."

"However, many young people today, and even many self-proclaimed experts and scholars, simply do not understand how serious that cultural persecution was and how far-reaching its impact was. I stood up to tear down those fig leaves so that everyone could have a basic understanding."

A hint of surprise flashed in Lin Jing's eyes. She had originally thought that Zhao Shuyao's refusal of the school's retention quota and his extensive online popular science education were just attempts to get a share of the profits from the social media trend.

But at this moment, she truly saw in this student in his twenties a sense of historical mission that was almost like that of an ascetic.

"Could you elaborate?" Lin Jing leaned forward, fully embracing the role of listener. "In comparison with other dynasties, in what specific ways does this cultural destruction you mentioned manifest itself?"

Zhao Shuyao interlaced his fingers and rested them on his knees, his mind rapidly constructing a comparative model across thousands of years of history.

"This is actually a very intuitive logic." Zhao Shuyao spoke at a moderate pace, with extremely clear reasoning. "When we look at the dynasties throughout history, their development in culture and thought has had an extremely powerful and positive impact on later generations."

Extend your left hand and begin building the timeline.

"Let's start from the pre-Qin period, which was the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, a time of contention among a hundred schools of thought. It was the most brilliant and free era of thought on our land. Confucianism, Legalism, Taoism, and Mohism directly laid the foundation for the underlying logic of our nation's thinking."

Zhao Shuyao's eyes were sharp: "Although the Qin Dynasty that followed only lasted for two generations, the unified political system they established, which standardized the width of carts, the written language, and the ethical norms, has influenced the next two thousand years. Even today, we can still see the shadow of the prefecture-county system in our administrative divisions."

Lin Jing nodded repeatedly, her pen moving quickly across the paper, these were all consensuses in the field of history.

"As for the strength of the Han and Tang dynasties, there is no need to elaborate." Zhao Shuyao's lips curled up, and his eyes revealed pride. "The Han dynasty made our nation famous, and the Tang dynasty's inclusiveness and cultural export directly influenced the entire East Asian cultural sphere. Those poems and songs that have been passed down through the ages represent the spirit and vitality of our nation at its most prosperous period."

He then changed the subject, emphasizing, "Even the Ming Dynasty, which many public intellectuals and Manchu remnants now describe as 'closed and backward' and 'uncultured,' had an enormous influence on the world. 'Tiangong Kaiwu,' 'Compendium of Materia Medica,' and Wang Yangming's philosophy of mind were all the world's most advanced scientific and intellectual achievements at the time."

Zhao Shuyao spread his hands: "But in the Qing Dynasty, during those 268 years, what did we see? Apart from servile mentality and the extreme rigidity of the eight-legged essay system, did they make any substantial progress in the intellectual development of this land?"

"No, in fact, many ancient books from previous dynasties that were full of exploratory spirit have mysteriously disappeared, or have been altered by the so-called Siku Quanshu and lost their original appearance."

Lin Jing underlined a key point on the outline, as she had astutely grasped a crucial element from Zhao Shuyao's earlier statement.

"Zhao, you just mentioned the Ming Dynasty." Lin Jing looked up, her eyes full of inquiry. "You said that the Ming Dynasty was far more powerful than many people imagine, which is actually the most controversial point on the internet right now."

"Since you specialize in the history of the Ming and Qing dynasties, could you tell us in detail where the Ming dynasty's strength, or rather its greatest contribution, was manifested?"

The moment this question was asked, the atmosphere in the entire suite instantly became tense.

Zhao Shuyao looked at Lin Jing and knew that the core battleground for today's interview had finally arrived.

He didn't answer immediately; his mind was racing. If he talked about expelling the Manchus or Zheng He's voyages, although those were achievements, they had been overused in various films and television dramas and lacked the impact to those historical nihilists.

He needs to provide a grand perspective that resonates with people on a spiritual level.

Zhao Shuyao straightened his posture, his eyes deep and unfathomable like a pool of cold water.

"Reporter Lin, if we step outside that narrow perspective of dynastic change," Zhao Shuyao's voice was as steady as a bell, "the greatest contribution of the Ming Dynasty in the long history of this nation can be summed up in four words—reshaping identity."

Lin Jing was taken aback: "Reconstruct identity?"

"Yes, we must regain the cultural confidence that belongs to the Chinese people, and let the people of all corners of the world recognize that we are all one family." Zhao Shuyao's voice began to rise. He wanted to use the coldest numbers to shatter the arguments of those pseudo-experts.

Zhao Shuyao raised a finger, staring intently at the camera.

"Many of us, when we look at history, always feel that the land of China has been a unified whole since ancient times, but few people carefully calculate the timeline." Zhao Shuyao's speech gradually quickened, and the amount of information poured out like a tidal wave. "Before the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, Reporter Lin, do you know how long this land was divided?"

Before Lin Jing could answer, Zhao Shuyao gave the answer directly.

"From 936 AD, when Shi Jingtang ceded the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun to the Khitan, until the establishment of the Ming Dynasty in 1368 AD, the entire Han territory south of the Great Wall in the north was separated from the rule of the Central Plains dynasty for a full 430 years!"

Lin Jing gasped. 430 years—that's a span of more than a dozen generations.

Zhao Shuyao didn't stop; his tone carried a suffocating sense of oppression.

"In the Northeast region, after the An Lushan Rebellion at the end of the Tang Dynasty, the central government completely lost control of that land until the Ming Dynasty established the Nurgan Regional Military Commission. This period lasted a full 450 years!"

The cameraman next to him couldn't help but stick his head out from behind the camera, his face full of disbelief.

Zhao Shuyao swung his hands heavily in mid-air, as if splitting open that dark period of history.

"Furthermore, regarding the southwest and northwest, since the An Lushan Rebellion during the Tang Dynasty, the Tibetan Empire seized the opportunity to occupy Longyou, and the Dali and Western Xia dynasties were subsequently established. The entire southwest and northwest region was no longer under the control of the orthodox dynasties of the Central Plains." Zhao Shuyao stared intently into Lin Jing's eyes and uttered an extremely shocking number, "Nearly 800 years!"

The suite was eerily quiet. Only Zhao Shuyao's voice echoed through the room.

"Reporter Lin," Zhao Shuyao leaned forward, his voice carrying a profound, soul-searching tone, "Imagine a piece of land that has been detached from the main body of Chinese civilization for four hundred, five hundred, or even eight hundred years!"

"Over such a long period of time, the people living there experienced the rule of the Khitans, the Jurchens, the Tanguts, and finally the brutal rule of the Mongols."

Zhao Shuyao countered, "Do you think that before the Ming army arrived, the ordinary people in these places, after hundreds of years of assimilation and exploitation by foreign races, would still identify themselves as Chinese? Would they still know what Han clothing and customs are? Having been separated from us for so long, would they still feel that we are one family?"

Lin Jing swallowed hard, realizing her palms were covered in cold sweat. As a media professional, this was the first time she had ever felt the terror of a historical rupture so vividly.

"No, it won't." Lin Jing shook her head, her voice a little hoarse. "It's been too long, enough to erase all cultural memories."

"Yes, without a strong regime to correct it, this division will be permanent." Zhao Shuyao leaned back on the sofa, his eyes flashing with an extremely piercing light.

"But then the Ming Dynasty appeared!"

"This is the greatest thing about the Ming Dynasty. It not only recovered these lost territories that had been lost for hundreds of years with absolute military force." Zhao Shuyao lightly punched his knee with his fist.

"More importantly, after the Ming Dynasty was established, it immediately initiated the rudiments of large-scale migration to Sichuan, the westward migration, and the northeastward migration. They re-promoted Chinese civilization on this land, established schools, restored official attire, and carried out the most direct and thorough cultural reset in these places!"

Zhao Shuyao stared at the camera, his eyes filled with pride: "Why do they still firmly believe that we are one family? Because the Ming Dynasty, over two hundred years, pulled those compatriots who had been lost for hundreds of years back from the brink of history and re-bleached their souls!"

Lin Jing was utterly shocked. This was a historical perspective that completely broke away from the traditional textbook narrative dimension. It was grand, desolate, and extremely persuasive.

She took several deep breaths to calm her turbulent emotions, and her professional instincts reminded her of another dominant voice on the internet.

"Zhao, your interpretation is absolutely mind-blowing." Lin Jing looked at the notes on the outline and asked the final, most pointed question, "However, there are many so-called history bloggers and academic experts who have been advocating a certain viewpoint."

Lin Jing carefully chose her words: "They believe that although the Qing Dynasty exerted some cultural suppression, it was precisely the Manchu Qing Dynasty that laid the foundation for the vast territory of modern China today. This argument is currently very popular online. What is your view on this perspective?"