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

Blood dripped continuously from the corner of Zhu Qizhen's mouth, blooming into eerie red lotuses on the golden bricks beneath his feet.

His vision began to blur.

But he remained standing.

Like a statue cast in a raging fire, it would rather break than bend!

He knew his time was running out.

He still had something to say.

There are still some debts that must be collected!

He slowly turned around, no longer looking at the menacing henchmen before him.

His gaze pierced through the layers of palaces, as if he saw his biological mother, imprisoned in a nunnery, whom he had little memory of but was connected to by blood.

He also seemed to see the "Empress Dowager" sitting in the Cining Palace, enjoying his "filial piety," but who had orchestrated all of this.

A surge of grief and indignation, a thousand times more intense than the pain of his wound, burst forth from his chest!

He used his last bit of strength to roar to the sky!

The voice was no longer the clear and bright one of a boy, but rather a hoarse, tearful voice, like the cry of a cuckoo and the mournful wail of a monkey!

"Mother! Empress Dowager Hu Shanxiang!"

"Your child is unfilial!"

"I was unable to be by your side to celebrate your happiness, nor to clear your name!"

"Today, I offer this fervent blood to comfort your spirit in heaven!"

"If there is an afterlife, I will still be your son!"

That cry of "Mother Empress" was like a thunderclap from the heavens, exploding with deafening force!

At this moment, everyone in all time and space who knew about Hu Shanxiang's ordeal broke down!

The first year of the Xuande reign.

Hu Shanxiang, who had just been restored to the position of Empress by imperial decree of Zhu Zhanji, was kneeling before the Buddha, reflecting on her tumultuous fate.

On the sky, the blood-covered boy, Zhu Qizhen in the 7th year of the Zhengtong reign, cried out "Mother Empress."

She was struck dumb, frozen in place!

That's her son!

She carried him for ten months, but her own flesh and blood was forcibly taken away!

She thought he had long forgotten her.

She believed that, under Sun Ruowei's tutelage, he had long regarded her as an enemy.

But he didn't!

In his final moments, he called out for himself!

"My town...my town..."

Hu Shanxiang reached out, wanting to touch the blood-stained face of the 7th year of the Zhengtong era on the sky, tears streaming down her face like broken pearls.

Her heart was broken.

In the seventh year of the Zhengtong era, in the nunnery that had confined her for half her life.

Hu Shanxiang, who had long since lost all hope, also witnessed this scene.

When that cry of "Mother" came.

Her long-dead eyes suddenly burst forth with an astonishing light!

He remembers me!

My son, he has always remembered me!

A tremendous surge of warmth and happiness instantly overwhelmed all the pain and resentment.

enough.

With that one sound, everything is enough.

Hu Shanxiang smiled, a radiant smile, but tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

She slowly stood up, calmly straightened her robe, and there was no longer any lingering affection in her eyes.

Inside the Qianqing Palace.

After Zhu Qizhen uttered those words, it seemed as if he had exhausted all his energy.

But he didn't stop.

He turned his head sharply, his gaze like a knife, fixed on the direction of the Cining Palace!

"Sun Ruowei!"

He called him by his name, his voice filled with endless resentment and hatred!

"You wicked woman who murdered her lord, killed her husband, murdered her mother, and stole her child!"

"You betrayed your country and made a traitor your mother, causing the death of my father and imprisoning my own mother!"

"Even if I die today, I will become a vengeful ghost and haunt you for all eternity!"

"You just wait!"

"My Zhu family will avenge me!"

"You and your family will be reduced to ashes and never be reincarnated!"

The most vicious curse was uttered from the mouth of the emperor!

Inside the Cining Palace, Sun Ruowei could no longer bear these words and let out a shrill scream. Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted from fright!

Zhang's face was ashen, and her whole body trembled like a leaf.

Transformed into a vengeful ghost, life after life...

These words, like a poisonous thorn, pierced deeply into her heart.

"Kill him! Gag him!"

Yang Shiqi let out a hysterical roar, and his pretense of being a "wise minister" was shattered at that moment!

Zhang Ni seemed to wake from a dream, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

"Release the arrows!"

He issued the most ruthless order.

Can't drag it any longer!

At the command, the archers outside the palace pulled the triggers without hesitation.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—"

Dozens of crossbow bolts, with sharp whistling sounds, like a dark cloud of death, instantly enveloped the blood-red figure!

Zhu Qizhen smiled.

He looked at the oncoming rain of arrows, his eyes showing no fear, only relief.

He slowly closed his eyes.

Father, Mother, your child has come to see you.

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

The sounds of arrows piercing flesh rang out in rapid succession.

The young emperor's body was thrown backward by the immense kinetic energy.

He could no longer hold the longsword in his hand; it slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground with a clang.

His body crashed heavily onto the cold gold bricks.

The dragon robe was completely soaked in blood.

Those once bright eyes gradually lost their luster, but they still stubbornly gazed at the caisson ceiling above their heads, a symbol of imperial power.

The seventh year of the Zhengtong reign of the Ming Dynasty.

Emperor Zhu Qizhen died.

Year, fourteen.

Above the sky, the mournful song "Half a Lifetime Gone" came to an abrupt end.

The entire scene was frozen on the young emperor's unseeing face.

All sounds are silent.

At this moment, all of time and space fell into a deathly silence.

Countless people stood there, mouths agape, eyes wide, yet no sound came out.

My heart felt like it was being crushed by a giant hand; the pain was so intense I couldn't breathe.

next second.

"Aaaaaaahh ...

Inside Yongle Palace, Zhu Di let out a beast-like roar and cleaved the imperial desk in front of him in two with a single sword stroke!

"Beasts! A bunch of beasts!"

This iron-blooded emperor had bloodshot eyes and looked like a madman!

Hongwu reign.

Zhu Yuanzhang slowly closed his eyes, and two streams of hot tears slid down his deeply lined face.

"The Zhu family...our Zhu family...has actually produced such descendants!"

"What a spirited junior we've produced!"

The first year of the Xuande reign.

Zhu Zhanji stared at his son's frozen face on the sky, then everything went black, and he fainted completely.

Inside the main hall, chaos reigned.