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

"I'm innocent! I'm truly innocent!"

Deep within the mansion of the Wang family of Taiyuan in the Great Tang Dynasty, the current patriarch looked at the sky, trembling with rage, almost grinding his teeth to powder!

He pointed at Yang Shiqi, whose face was ashen, on the sky and cursed loudly.

"That bastard Yang Shiqi is an imposter who was replaced; we are not him!"

"Damn it! We have to keep a close eye on the details of repairing our ancestral tombs from now on! What if future generations dig this up during their archaeological digs and say that the Wang family of Taiyuan is a fake?!"

"You're a swindler! Yang Shiqi, you scoundrel!"

This roar was not an isolated incident.

At this moment, it became the common sentiment of all the aristocratic families and clans that have been passed down for hundreds or thousands of years across the land of China!

They were not afraid of the emperor's sword, nor of the flames of war that would change dynasties.

But they're afraid of being mistaken for "fake goods"!

They fear that their family's thousand-year-old legacy will be stolen by a "ghost," and that even their surname will be taken away!

On the sky, Zhu Dijun's words, "Go destroy the tombstones," ignited the fear in all the family heads!

"quick!"

"Go quickly!"

"Prepare the horses! Take the best stonemasons! Let's travel day and night to the ancestral tombs!"

Almost simultaneously, from north to south, countless fast horses rushed out from the mansions of various powerful families, their hooves shattering the silence of the night.

They have only one task.

Go check the ancestral graves!

Go and examine those epitaphs!

Let's see if the names and achievements of future generations are engraved on it!

"Carve! Carve it as hard as you can!"

A patriarch roared at his son, who was about to depart, his eyes bloodshot.

"Starting with the first person in our family to pass the imperial examination, every single one of them! Every official, every one with an official title, I'll have them all clearly engraved on their names!"

"The characters must be large! They must be deep! They must be so clear that people a thousand years from now can see them even with a magnifying glass!"

"If anyone dares to utter a single word, I'll skin them alive!"

An absurd and insane "battle to protect ancestral graves" unfolded in a grand and spectacular manner across countless worlds and timelines.

This is no longer a simple ancestor worship ceremony.

This is to submit "proof documents" of pure bloodline to that unknown future, to that "sky curtain" hanging high in the sky!

However, if repairing ancestral graves is merely a farce of closing the barn door after the horse has bolted.

Then, the bloody internal self-examination is the real hell on earth!

"explain!"

In the dark and damp dungeon, a member of a collateral branch of the Cui family was suspended by iron chains, his body covered in blood.

Standing before him was the clan's law enforcement elder, whom he once held in the utmost reverence.

"You were seriously ill three years ago, and when you woke up, you suddenly became proficient in mathematics. We all thought you had suddenly become brilliant!"

The elder's voice was cold and devoid of any emotion.

"So it seems you've been 'replaced'?"

"Speak! Who's behind you? How many 'ghosts' like you are there in the Cui family?!"

"I didn't! I really have an epiphany! I'm innocent, Elder!"

The young man let out a piercing scream.

But nobody believed it.

In the face of the "ghost hypothesis," any "sudden enlightenment" or any "prodigal son's return" becomes the most suspicious evidence of wrongdoing!

Trust has completely collapsed.

The poisonous weed of suspicion spread wildly within each family.

Brothers turned against each other, and fathers and sons became enemies.

In order to prove the "purity" of their family to the outside world, to that high and mighty monarch, and to their descendants who look down upon all living beings from heaven.

Countless innocent people, or those with only slight suspicions, were made the "price" that had to be eliminated in this storm.

Blood stained the lintels of countless grand mansions.

And the source of all this chaos and bloodshed points to the same person.

Yang Shiqi!

He became the public enemy of the Wan Gu family!

Hongwu reign.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the dragon throne, looking at the secret reports presented by the Embroidered Uniform Guard regarding the unrest within the gentry and powerful families of various regions, and a cold smile appeared on his face.

"OK."

"Let them investigate! Let them fight amongst themselves!"

"Let's see how many 'ghosts' hiding in their own homes these powerful families, who usually stick together and oppose us, can uncover!"

He looked at Mao Xiang.

"Issue a decree."

"We have heard what Tianmu said and are deeply worried. In order to get to the bottom of this, all officials and gentry families of our Great Ming should examine and reflect on themselves."

"Anyone of dubious origin or suspicious behavior may be reported to the government for investigation by the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"If you succeed, we will reward you!"

"boom!"

This decree was like a ladle of boiling oil poured into an already raging situation!

The emperor himself has intervened!

This is no longer a private family matter; it is a matter of state! It is a great test of loyalty that will sweep through the entire ruling class of the Ming Dynasty!

In no time, letters of denunciation flew to government offices and Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) offices across the country like snowflakes.

Some genuinely discovered suspicious points, but many more used the opportunity to eliminate dissidents and crush rivals!

The entire Ming Dynasty was plunged into a red terror of informing and purging!

The Yongle reign.

Zhu Di looked coldly at the civil officials below him who were filled with anxiety and fear.

"Saihazhi".

"Your subject is here!"

"You heard what was said in the sky."

Zhu Di's voice was like a Siberian cold front.

"In my court, we need to investigate not only corrupt officials, but also traitors."

"We still need to investigate... ghosts!"

"Search every inch of everyone's underwear!"

"Especially those 'young talents' who suddenly appear out of nowhere without any real background!"

"I need to know whether they are human, or ghosts in human skin!"

Saihazhi's body trembled violently, and a bloodthirsty light flashed in his eyes.

He knew that the sword in his hand, named "Jinyiwei," had finally acquired an unprecedented and supreme power!

Distinguish between "humans" and "ghosts"!

Just as all of these worlds and timelines were engulfed in a frenzy of panic and bloodshed, a self-investigation frenzy ensued.

Above the sky.

The instigator who stirred up an epic storm throughout history, Zhu Dijun, slowly took a sip of water to moisten his throat.

He watched the heated discussion among modern viewers about ancient "family feuds" on the screen, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

He seemed very satisfied with the apocalyptic scene before him, a scene he had personally painted, one that would sweep across eternity.

He cleared his throat, and that voice, like a devil's whisper, rang out again.

"Family members, I personally think that in the future, we should prove our ancestry with three copies of the genealogy, epitaph, etc. Why three copies? The reason is simple: one of them may be taken away and altered after your death, thus being replaced or possessed by someone else."

"The second genealogy and family epitaph are buried in one's ancestral home or in a place that one believes can be trusted to hide them, just like when I excavated my second great-uncle, Zhu Shuang. Even if the genealogy and epitaph are lost and not made public, they can be excavated by an archaeological team in the future and reveal the truth to you."

"After all, in order to destroy Chinese civilization, the Manchu Qing dynasty not only carried out literary inquisitions, but also destroyed various epitaphs and excavated tombs from various dynasties. This was all for everyone's benefit."

Apart from Qin King Zhu Shuang, all the ancestors from various dynasties and time periods nodded in agreement. They all saw a Buryat, Tungusic wild boar skin impersonating his descendant, preparing a second genealogy and epitaph hidden in the ground to prove his true identity in case of any future accidents.

"The third genealogy and epitaph were prepared after the first and second copies were destroyed. It's better to have something than nothing. Family members, please feel free to use them as you see fit."