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

The small, blackened silver plaque lay quietly on the medical clamp.

The three words "Consort Tong" are like three thunderbolts, splitting the fog of history and striking the hearts of everyone!

Imperial Concubine!

She was actually a concubine with a title!

This identity instantly overturned all the simplistic speculations about palace maids being buried alive with the emperor, pushing the absurdity of the entire incident to a new peak!

In modern live-streaming rooms, the comment section has gone completely crazy.

"Holy crap! Consort Tong? A consort with a name and surname in the history books, how did she end up in Emperor Daoguang's coffin?!"

"What kind of shocking historical anecdote is this? Emperor Daoguang and Consort Tong were true love? They even wanted to die together? What about the other three empresses?"

"Stop imagining things, upstairs! If it were true love, why would they need to sneak it in like this? Without even a proper title? This is clearly a scandal!"

"Quick! Where are the historians? Come out and explain this Consort Tong! This is too much to handle by myself!"

Under the sky, an even greater uproar ensued.

Datang.

Li Shimin frowned, unable to comprehend this illogical behavior.

"The Imperial Concubine's placement in the Emperor's coffin... if not by the Emperor's dying wish, it would be an unforgivable crime. Is this Daoguang a romantic, or a tyrannical ruler?"

Ming dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang could no longer laugh; his face was full of contempt and disgust.

"This is outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!"

"To disregard ancestral laws and traditions! How is such behavior any different from that of beasts?!"

He could not tolerate this complete subversion of imperial dignity and patriarchal ritual system.

And the Qing Dynasty era.

When the words "Consort Tong" appeared, Daoguang's ghostly figure trembled violently, a look of bewilderment flashing in his eyes, followed by a deeper fear.

Consort Tong, of the Shumulu clan… Of course he remembered.

A woman who was insignificant and sickly in his vast harem.

He couldn't recall any profound love between him and her, let alone the absurd wish to be buried together in the same coffin after death!

Then why is she here?!

At the scene, Zhu Dijun's expression remained unchanged.

He seemed to have anticipated this outcome.

"Group A, have you found them?" he asked calmly into the communicator.

"Report, Captain! We've found it!"

The technicians' hurried and excited voices immediately rang out.

"Consort Tong, of the Shumulu clan, entered the palace in the 28th year of the Daoguang Emperor's reign, initially as a Noble Lady Tong, and was promoted to Imperial Consort Tong in the 30th year. In the first month of the 30th year of Daoguang's reign, the Emperor died at the Yuanmingyuan Garden. However, according to the records of the Imperial Household Department, Consort Tong... died at the end of the first month of the 30th year of Daoguang's reign, less than ten days after the Daoguang Emperor!"

He died less than ten days later!

This moment in time was like a key, instantly unlocking the lock of all the mysteries!

The old professor from the archaeological team suddenly slapped his thigh, his face turning from red to white, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

He got it!

Everyone understood!

Zhu Dijun turned around, facing the camera and the myriad dimensions of time and space, and delivered his final verdict on this absurd farce in a cold, factual tone.

"Now, the truth is very clear."

"There is no imperial love story as you imagine, nor any tragic palace secrets."

His voice carried an undisguised contempt.

"The truth is far simpler than the novel suggests, and... far more humiliating."

"In the first month of the thirtieth year of the Daoguang Emperor's reign, the emperor passed away. The entire palace was in chaos as preparations for the national mourning took place. And at this critical juncture, an insignificant Consort Tong also died of illness."

"What kind of situation did the officials of the Imperial Household Department, who were responsible for handling the aftermath, face?"

"A shoddy imperial tomb that has already started to leak, an emperor who urgently needs to be laid to rest, and an insignificant imperial concubine who happened to die at the same time."

"To open another underground palace just for her? To go through the tedious burial process again? For those bureaucrats who were already numb and corrupt at the time, it was too much trouble."

Judy laughed, a laugh full of sarcasm.

"Thus, the boldest, and also the most 'easy' solution was born."

"Taking advantage of the chaos during the burial of Emperor Daoguang, they secretly stuffed Consort Tong's body into the emperor's coffin as well."

"In this way, we not only saved on an expensive coffin, but also eliminated all the red tape and covered up many potential problems with the imperial mausoleum project."

"They disposed of an emperor and a concubine in the same way they disposed of garbage."

The words fell.

The whole world was deathly silent.

All fantasies about love, all speculations about conspiracies, were shattered in this moment!

The truth is so unbearable!

This is no longer a scandal!

This is irrefutable proof that a dynasty is utterly rotten, from its foundations to its branches!

The emperor's dignity is worthless in the face of the bureaucrats' "fear of trouble"!

The life of the imperial concubine was as worthless as grass in the face of their "convenience"!

"What the hell can I say?"

"This is even more disgusting than discovering adultery! These lackeys dare to deceive even their own masters like this!"

"So, Emperor Daoguang died without ever knowing that a 'companion' had been stuffed into his coffin? He's truly the first person in history to be cuckolded!"

"This isn't called being cuckolded, this is called 'cohabitation after death,' and it's forced! It's hilarious!"

The Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty.

"ah--!!!"

The figure of the Daoguang Emperor let out the most mournful and desperate roar in history!

He wasn't angry; he was so humiliated that his soul broke down!

He prided himself on being frugal and strict with himself throughout his life, but in the end, he couldn't even maintain his dignity after death. His lackeys treated him like trash and stuffed him with others!

His dragon robe and his crown, at this moment, have become the most ridiculous joke!

"You lackey! You traitorous villain!!"

Qian Xiaosi was so angry that he trembled all over, pointed at the sky, and cursed loudly.

But the more fiercely he cursed, the more he appeared to be incompetent and furious.

Because he knew that Judy Jun was right.

Towards the end of a dynasty, when discipline is lax and people's hearts are corrupted, such absurd things are absolutely possible!

This is the "Great Qing" that the Aisin Gioro family is so proud of!

Inside the Daming Hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned for a long time before bursting into a thunderous laugh.

"Hahahaha! Good! Great!"

"We thought it was some huge scandal, but it turns out we were just screwed over by our own lackeys!"

"You keep calling me 'master' and 'slave' all the time! Look at this, this is what your slaves are like! They don't even spare you when you're dead! They stuff you all into the same trough like pigs and dogs!"

He laughed until tears almost streamed down his face, pointed at the sky, and said to Zhu Biao and Zhu Di:

"See that?! This is what they call 'Manchu-Han unity'! This is what they call 'sage ruler and virtuous ministers'! A bunch of rotten bastards inside and out!"

on site.

Zhu Dijun ignored those reactions that transcended time and space.

He simply and calmly issued the new order.

"Alright, the farce is over."

"Ma Jun, carefully separate the two skeletons, put them in separate bags, and label them."

"We need to conduct DNA comparisons and use the most rigorous science to put a coffin lid on this absurd history."

"yes!"

Ma Jun responded and began working with his teammates to carefully clean the skeletons and silt from inside the coffin using pliers and various tools.

Just as he was picking up a few of Consort Tong's ribs, preparing to clear the silt below, the clamps in his hand hit a hard object again.

It's not a bone.

It's not a stone either.

It had a metallic feel, yet it was also somewhat fragile.

"Captain, there seems to be something else down there..."

Ma Jun's voice rang out again.

Zhu Dijun frowned slightly.

"Dig it up and take a look."

Ma Jun used a small shovel to clear away layers of black silt.

Soon, a long, strip-shaped object, corroded beyond recognition, was revealed.

The thing had a long, thin rod-like object at one end and a small, pot-shaped head at the other.

When the camera zoomed in, and everyone could clearly see the outline of that thing...

The expressions on the faces of all the archaeologists present changed simultaneously!

In the Qing Dynasty era, the ghostly figure of Emperor Daoguang's pupils shrank drastically, as if he had seen the most terrifying thing in the world!

It was a pole... long since rusted and corroded, yet its shape was still discernible...

Opium pipes!