Sky Curtain: The opening scene explains the four major cases of the Ming Dynasty plus the early Ming

Yongle Era, the Imperial Palace of Beiping.

Zhu Yuanzhang's heart-wrenching howl seemed to transcend time and space, echoing in Zhu Di's ears.

But he didn't howl.

This powerful ruler, who launched the "Jingnan Campaign" and seized the throne from his nephew, simply watched quietly.

He looked up at the sky and saw that Zhu Youlang, a descendant of a certain family, was being strangled to death by a cold bowstring, like livestock.

He looked at the statue standing in the Lotus Pond in Kunming, bowing at a humiliating 45-degree angle, eternally worshipping the Japanese pirates of the East.

His facial expression remained unchanged.

But the three brothers Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Gaoxu, and Zhu Gaosui standing behind him all felt a chill that came from the depths of their souls.

It was something far more terrifying than the earth-shattering rage of their grandfather, Zhu Yuanzhang.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang was not seen, it is not difficult to guess how angry his grandfather Zhu Yuanzhang was from Zhu Di's reaction!

That was the still, lifeless sea before the storm.

That was solidified lava before the volcanic eruption.

That was absolute, pure, and without a trace of impurity... killing intent.

"Father..."

The chubby Zhu Gaochi's lips trembled; he wanted to offer words of comfort, but couldn't utter a single word.

Zhu Di slowly raised his hand to stop him.

He turned around, his gaze calmly sweeping over his three sons, his voice unusually gentle.

"You all saw it?"

"I saw it."

Zhu Gaoxu answered through gritted teeth, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked. This warlike Prince of Han was clenching his fists so hard they made a cracking sound.

"As you all saw, how our 19th-generation descendant, the 18th-generation descendant of the third son, that fine young man named Zhu Dijun, was assassinated?"

"I saw it!"

Zhu Gaosui's eyes were bloodshot as he spoke slowly and deliberately.

"it is good."

Zhu Di nodded, the gentleness on his face vanishing instantly, replaced by a cold and resolute air of someone ruling the world.

"Although we didn't hear your grandfather's words, we shouldn't even think about it. He will definitely let us pacify Burma and destroy the Japanese pirates."

"But that's not enough!"

Zhu Di's voice suddenly rose, like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, radiating cold light!

"Simply wiping out Myanmar is far from enough!"

"We must let all the barbarians in Southeast Asia, those who have participated or may participate in this matter, know that the blood of my Great Ming Emperor was not shed in vain!"

"deliver an imperial order!"

Zhu Di turned his gaze southward.

"I hereby order Mu Sheng of Yunnan to immediately expand his army and prepare for war! I give him three years; the land beneath his feet must be transformed into a war machine!"

"Three years from now, what I want is not a victory, but that no one on that land can speak Burmese anymore!"

"The blood of any tribe that participates in the 'Cursed Water Calamity' will stain the Irrawaddy River red!"

"Tell Mu Sheng that in this battle, there will be no surrenders and no prisoner-of-war camps!"

"I want... genocide!"

Genocide!

These four words sent a chill down the spines of the three Zhu brothers!

This was a hundred times more vicious than their father's order to "erase them from the map"!

"As for the Japanese pirates..."

A cruel sneer curled at the corner of Zhu Di's mouth.

"Issue an imperial edict to Zheng He: halt all preparations for his voyages to the Western Ocean!"

"Make his treasure fleet change course eastward!"

"Issue an imperial decree to all coastal garrisons and the navy to blockade the Eastern Seas! From this day forward, not a single plank of wood may enter the sea, nor a single sail may take to the skies!"

"I will ensure that not a single fish can be caught on that island!"

"Tell Zheng He, I don't want him to promote our national power, I want him to...spread death!"

"Wherever our Great Ming fleet goes, we will burn islands, sink ships, and kill people!"

"I will turn that land into a sea tomb, engulfed in fire and famine!"

"I will make them pay interest a hundred years in advance for their future sins!"

If Zhu Yuanzhang's anger was a raging fire, then Zhu Di's revenge was an extreme cold storm that froze thousands of miles!

He not only wanted to kill people, but also to destroy their spirits! He wanted to use the most thorough means to eliminate all future troubles!

However, this is not the end.

Zhu Di's gaze slowly shifted from Myanmar and Japan on the map to the heart of the Ming Dynasty's territory.

It landed in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Fujian.

His eyes became incredibly deep.

"Third brother."

He suddenly spoke.

"Your subject is here!"

Zhu Gaosui immediately knelt on one knee.

"You previously said that our great-grandson, Judy Jun, was assassinated by an 'insider' in collusion with the enemy while revealing the truth?"

"Yes, Father! It's clearly stated on the celestial screen that there's a traitor within, and all external signals have been cut off!"

Zhu Gaosui said angrily.

Zhu Di narrowed his eyes, a glint of light flashing within them.

"Let's recall the North-South Ranking Case once again."

"Back then, in the thirtieth year of the Hongwu reign, our father personally selected scholars for the imperial examinations. All those who passed were from the south; not a single one came from the north."

This is historically known as the "North-South Examination Case".

"At that time, the most vocal critics, who said that the essays of northern students were crude and unworthy of being included in the list, were the scholars from Jiangxi."

Zhu Di's voice was very calm, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

But Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaoxu's expressions changed instantly!

They understood!

Father Emperor is... settling scores later!

"For the sake of the country and to appease the North, our father endured the infamy of the world, killed several chief examiners, and added sixty-one more students from the North before he could finally settle things."

Zhu Di paced slowly, his voice icy.

"But we understand now."

"This is not a debate over knowledge; it's a battle of hearts and minds!"

"They preach about 'the writings of sages and saints,' but what they're really thinking about is the selfish interests of their own region and clan!"

"For their own selfish interests, they dared to band together against the imperial court and against our father back then!"

"Then what's so strange about them colluding with foreign enemies and betraying our Han dynasty for greater personal gain in the future?"

Zhu Di suddenly turned around and stared intently at the three provinces on the map!

"Those Tungusic boar hides, those Khazar snakes, certainly deserve to be killed!"

"But these maggots hidden in the very bones of my Ming Dynasty, these traitors who have gnawed at our very foundation for generations, deserve to die even more!"

"Issue my secret decree!"

"I order Wang Yan to immediately establish the 'Eastern Depot' and keep a close watch on these three places!"

"Investigate every prominent family, wealthy merchant, and renowned scholar! Investigate their landholdings, their trade routes, and every single connection they have with overseas!"

"Anyone whose behavior is suspicious should not be questioned or given evidence!"

"Cross out the names of his entire family for three generations from the list of successful candidates in the imperial examinations!"

"I want to extinguish their seeds of learning!"

"I will make their once-proud aristocratic families reduced to mere peasants scraping for a living within a century!"

"I will eradicate this poisonous land that breeds traitors from its very roots!"

At this moment, the three Zhu brothers looked at their father's godlike figure from behind, and only one thought remained in their minds.

crazy!

Father has gone completely mad!

He is going to declare war on the entire southern gentry with his own strength!

at the same time.

Xuande, Zhengtong, Chenghua, Jiajing...

Inside the Forbidden City of the Ming Dynasty in different time periods.

Those descendants of the Zhu family who still held imperial power fell into a long silence after witnessing everything on the celestial screen.

They lacked Zhu Yuanzhang's rage and Zhu Di's madness.

But they all silently picked up their vermilion pens.

On each imperial edict sent to the Cabinet, the Six Ministries, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the same cold, impersonal red ink was written.

[Expel the Japanese pirates, pacify Burma, and eliminate internal corrupt elements.]

This is the national policy of the Ming Dynasty, and it will remain unchanged for generations to come!

At this moment, a long and bloody war that would sweep across the Ming Dynasty for three hundred years, against enemies both inside and outside, quietly began!