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

Its daybreak.

But in a parallel universe, during the seventh year of the Zhengtong reign, the Forbidden City was more gloomy than any night.

The emperor and the crown prince died suddenly overnight, and the former empress committed suicide by setting herself on fire.

This news was like a magnitude 12 earthquake, instantly igniting the entire capital and spreading throughout the Ming Dynasty and all of time and space at an astonishing speed.

All excuses pale in comparison to the three horrific deaths.

The civil service group led by Zhang, Sun, and Yang Shiqi has fallen into an abyss of no return.

They became traitors to the country, deserving to be killed by everyone!

Above the sky, Zhu Dijun stood silently, without uttering another word.

Silence speaks louder than words.

All the sins, all the tragedies, all the sacrifices have been etched in history.

Inside the modern live-streaming room, a sea of ​​tears had already formed.

I broke down, completely and utterly. Even though I knew this was a simulation video generated by SORA2-AI.

I really can't connect the incompetent Zhu Qizhen from my history books with this young emperor who fights to the bitter end. I can't tell them apart, I really can't!

[Jun-ge is right, history books are written by civil officials! They killed people and then tried to smear them for life! Those beasts!]

The instructor said he was the third greatest ruler of the Ming Dynasty. I didn't understand before, but now I do! Just for that unwavering courage and spirit, he deserves it!

He wasn't just the God of War at Tumu Fortress; he was always the God of War of the Ming Dynasty! At fourteen, he single-handedly fought against hordes of bandits! Who dared to challenge him?!

[From this moment on, Zhu Qizhen went from being a lifelong hater to a die-hard fan! He was truly the most unfairly maligned emperor!]

At this moment, Zhu Qizhen's image was completely overturned and reshaped in the hearts of countless people in later generations!

He was no longer the foolish emperor who favored eunuchs and was captured after his defeat.

Rather, he was a tragic hero who, in dire straits, displayed the highest brilliance of humanity and defended the dignity of the emperor with his life!

One, a true war god of the Ming Dynasty!

Throughout history, every dynasty has been deeply shaken by this tragedy.

Great Qin.

Inside the Xianyang Palace, Ying Zheng gazed at the sky, remaining silent for a long time.

He thought of his son, Fusu, who was also forced to his death on the frontier by a forged imperial edict.

"Womanly compassion is pitiful. Courageous willingness to die is admirable."

In the end, this emperor, who was considered one of the greatest emperors in history, gave only a twelve-word evaluation, but a rare hint of appreciation flashed in his eyes.

The Three Kingdoms Era.

Cao Mao, the Duke of Gaogui Township, bowed to the sky from afar.

"To live, be a hero; to die, a ghost of valor. Emperor Yingzong of Ming, I am inferior to you!"

The Ming Dynasty, in a certain Jingtai era.

Emperor Jingtai, Zhu Qiyu, looked at the image of his mother embracing "himself" as she jumped into the lake in the sky, and at his elder brother who died for him. He was in a daze, as if struck by lightning.

It turns out that his throne should have been built upon the remains of his elder brother.

It turns out that his mother sacrificed herself to save him from becoming a puppet.

He touched the throne around his neck, feeling an intense burning sensation and a profound sense of irony.

What a fine Yu Qian! What a fine Empress Dowager Sun! You both deserve to die!

Emperor Zhu Jianshen of the Ming Dynasty looked at his "father" who had died in battle and his "grandmother" who had immolated herself. For the first time, the emperor, who had grown up in the cold palace and was weak-willed, felt a flame of hatred burning in his eyes.

Civil official!

It's those civil officials again!

Meanwhile, in a certain Tian Shun timeline...

Before the real Zhu Qizhen, who had experienced the Tumu Crisis, imprisonment in the Southern Palace, and ultimately seized power and restored the throne.

He is no longer a boy.

The passage of time has etched deep marks on his face, and his eyes are filled with the weariness and vicissitudes of life.

He quietly gazed at the sky, having witnessed the parallel world's orthodox seven years and his own "death" at the age of fourteen.

He saw his naive self, how he resembled a trapped lone wolf, letting out his final roar.

He saw how his mother, whom he had never met but was connected by blood, passed away with a smile in the flames.

He saw how his younger brother Zhu Qiyu, whom he had always regarded as an enemy, and his mother used their resolute deaths to draw an exclamation mark on his "death."

So that's how it is...

It turns out that the complete annihilation of the army at Tumu Fortress (an exaggerated figure by the civil officials) was not the lowest point in his life at all.

That night when I was fourteen, when I cried out to heaven and earth in vain, was truly the one.

A hot tear slid down his weathered cheek.

Then, he indifferently wiped it away.

He slowly stood up, walked to the table, and poured himself a full glass of wine.

He didn't drink it.

Instead, he slowly poured the wine from his glass onto the ground.

The first toast is to that fourteen-year-old self, who would rather die than submit.

He poured a second glass.

It spilled on the ground.

The second cup is a toast to his birth mother, Hu Shanxiang, whom he had never met but who risked her life to vindicate him.

He poured a third cup.

It spilled on the ground.

The third cup is offered to Consort Wu, who was willing to die for her and refused to be a puppet, and her younger brother Zhu Qiyu.

After doing all this, he poured himself a fourth glass of wine.

He raised his glass, facing the void, facing the sky, and drank it all in one gulp!

The strong liquor went down his throat like a flame, instantly igniting his long-dormant blood!

When he put down his wine glass, all the confusion and weakness in his once tired and weathered eyes had disappeared.

Instead, there was a coldness like ancient ice, and a killing intent like the depths of a hellish abyss!

He knew the whole truth.

He learned who the enemy was.

He knew what he had to do.

The exposure by his descendant Zhu Dijun gave him a key that could overturn the entire chessboard!

"Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, Yang Pu..."

He read out the names he once respected so much, one by one, his voice devoid of any emotion.

"Sun Ruowei..."

"The Zhang family..."

"And all those involved, the so-called 'wise ministers' and 'pillars of the state'..."

A sinister smile curled at the corners of Zhu Qizhen's mouth.

"I am back."

"This time, I will show no mercy whatsoever."

"You, just you wait."

A storm is coming!

And he, Zhu Qizhen, was the storm itself!